US2908026A

US2908026A - Paint brush holder

Info

Publication number: US2908026A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Vernon S Brewer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-04-24
Filing date: 1957-04-24
Publication date: 1959-10-13
Anticipated expiration: 1976-10-13

Description

1959 v. s. BREWER, JR 2,908,026

' mm BRUSH HOLDER Filed April 24, 1957 United States Patent PAINT BRUSH HOLDER Vernon S. Brewer, Jr., West Chester, Pa.

Application April 24, 1957, Serial No. 654,831

1 Claim. (Cl. 15-121.2)

This invention relates to supports and more particularly to a device for holding paint brushes partially immersed in a suitable liquid or solvent.

For many years the problem of cleaning and storing paint brushes has been vexatious. If a paint brush is not thoroughly cleaned after using, it becomes valueless. Brushes are sometimes kept immersed in various liquids which may be either water or solvent. However, if the liquid evaporates so that the brush becomes exposed to the air the paint will set-up and the brush must then be thrown away or a time consuming and expensive operation is necessary in order to thoroughly clean the bristles.

The present invention has for its primary object the provision of a relatively simple, inexpensive device whereby paint brushes of various sizes and shapes may be suspended in a liquid maintained at constant level.

A further object of the invention is to provide a paint brush holder having means for replenishing a reservoir of liquid in which the brushes are immersed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a liquid reservoir in which paint brushes are immersed, means for holding a plurality of paint brushes in said reservoir at a pre-determined height and a liquid supply for making up loss in the liquid reservoir due to liquid evaporation.

Further objects will be apparent from the specification and drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective of a paint brush holder constructed in accordance with the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a side view partly sectioned, of the structure of Fig. 1 with a paint brush secured in normal position, and

Fig. 3 is a top view of the structure of Fig. 1 without the supply container.

The invention comprises essentially the provision of a liquid reservoir having a conical or funnel shaped top which in turn supports a sheet metal element having arcuate slots or gaps in which one or more paint brushes may be lodged so that the bristles extend downward along the inside of the funnel. The upper surface of the sheet metal element carries a collar which supports a liquid container such as a conventional glass gallon jug and holds the jug at a pre-determined level so that the height of the liquid in the reservoir is maintained as long as there is liquid in the inverted jug.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the paint brush holder comprises a base member 1 which is soldered or secured to a conical reservoir 2 in such a way that the inverted apex of the conical reservoir 2 is approximately in a plane with the bottom of base 1 or slightly above the plane of the base. The apex angle of the reservoir is desirably 90 but variations in the slope of the sides of the reservoir may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The upper lip or edge of the reservoir is rolled or turned at 3 and this edge or lip supports a second truncated conical element 4.

In order to insure that the bristles of the brushes remain immersed in a liquid such as water, kerosene or any other satisfactory liquid for maintaining the bristles soft without cleaning, I provide a collar 5 soldered to the top of number 4 and of a diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of a conventional gallon cider jug 6. With the reservoir 2 substantially full of liquid a. filled Patented Oct. 13, 1959 ICE jug of the same liquid is inverted and positioned in collar 5. The neck of the jug rests on the upper truncated portion of element 4 and the top of the inverted jug 6 in this position extends slightly below the lip 3 of the reservoir. A screen or sieve 7 is secured 'to the bottom or inverted apex of the reservoir to prevent the brushes from dropping into the reservoir in the event that they should become accidently dislodged and also to prevent large objects from falling into the bottom of the reservoir. As will be apparent from Fig. 2, the brush 8 is supported against the sloping side of reesrvoir 2 so that the center line of the brush handle is substantially parallel with the side of the reservoir.

In order to support one or more paint brushes so that the bristles of the brushes depend downwardly along the inside of the reservoir as shown in Fig. 2, the element 4 is cut away to provide three crescent shaped apertures 9, 10 and 11 which are preferably of different sizes. Aperture 9 may be considered the middle size crescent since it has a larger maximum gap than aperture 10 and a smaller maximum gap than aperture 11. Since the ends or tops of the crescent taper into points it is possible to wedge a paint brush into a tip of each crescent simply by a slight circumferential movement of the brush so that the brush will be supported or suspended with all of its bristles and part of the lower handle resting against the inside slope of reservoir 2. By using three different size crescents it is possible to wedge very large and very small paint brushes by simply jamming the handle of the brush into the tip of the crescent. With certain size brushes it is entirely feasible to wedge more than two brushes into the same crescent. Just as the old-fashioned chicken watering device maintains a constant level in the watering trough so will my device maintain a constant level in reservoir 2 as long as any liquid remains in the jug. This greatly extends the time that a paint brush can be kept in serviceable condition without necessity of a thorough cleaning.

In addition to providing a convenient storage holder for paint brushes I have found that the apparatus of the present invention can be used as a paint brush cleaner because suflicient circulation is maintained when a solvent such as kerosene is used to carry away dissolved pigment from the bristles of the brushes.

The device is inexpensive to fabricate since it may be made out of sheet metal and provides a most satisfactory means of maintaining paint brushes in a serviceable condition for extended periods of time without danger of ruining the brushes or the necessity for frequent cleaning.

Having thus described my invention, I claim,

A paint brush holder comprising a reservoir having sloping sides, means for supplying a liquid to said reservoir at an atmospherically maintained level, a closure secured to the upper edge of said reservoir, and means for comprising at least one tapered aperture defined at least in part by said closure for wedgingly supporting an elongated brush with its handle disposed alongside a sloped reservoir side in parallel relationship and with its bristles immersed in said liquid and lying against said side.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 84,538 Davis Dec. 1, 1868 498,146 Woolley May 23, 1893 586,010 Burland July 6, 1897 1,023,240 Bowie Apr. 16, 1912 1,857,407 Seyforth May 10, 1932 2,112,907 Gregory Apr. 5, 1938 2,789,297 Barr Apr. 23, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 226,067 Germany Sept. 26, 1910