US2988764A - Hand utensils such as brushes or the like - Google Patents

Description

June 20, 1961 B. J. GIBBS 2,988,764

HAND UTENSILS SUCH AS BRUSHES OR THE LIKE iled Feb. 24, 1960 United States Patent 2,988,764 HAND UTENSILS SUCH AS BRUSHES OR THE LIKE Bernard James Gibbs, Rustington, England, assignor to Light Steel Sectional Constructions Limited, a British company Filed Feb. 24, 1960, Ser. No. 10,724

Claims priority, application Great Britain May 11, 1959 3 Claims. (Cl. 176) This invention relates to hand utensils such as brushes or the like of the type in which a backing for reception of bristles, a surface pad or the like, is detachably mounted on a holder so that the two may be separated for replacement or cleaning of the former.

The normal construction of a hand brush, such as a hair brush or clothes brush, comprises a perforated backing with bristles set in the perforations and projecting usually from one face. Also, for decorative eifect the reverse face of the holder is sometimes covered by a decorative surface, and the difficulty then arises that when it is desired to clean the brush after use extreme care must be .taken to ensure that the cleaning material does not damage the decorative surface.

To overcome this difiiculty it has previously been proposed to construct a brush so that the bristles and the backing, to which they are affixed, are removable from the holder. In one such construction it has been proposed to provide an outstanding lug at one end of the holder which engages the backing, the two parts being held in position by a spring clip located at the other end of the backing and which may be-disengaged as desired to remove the backing. 1 v

However, in all the previous constructions where the backing has been removable from the holder, it has been found that it may inadvertently become detached from a holder and furthermore, after being in use for a short time, the two parts frequently become loose.

It is the main object of this invention to provide a brush or the like which overcomes the above disadvantage's in a simple manner.

According to the present invention there is provided a hand utensil of the type specified, wherein at least one slot is. provided in either the backing or the holder for reception of a substantially complementary projection on the other, together with resilient means located adjacent each slot, so that to effect engagement of the holder and backing each projection is entered into a slot and moved so that part of each projection lies to one side of its slot and engages said resilient means to hold the two parts in engagement.

Y The invention also includes a hand utensil of the type specified, wherein two substantially L-shaped slots are provided in the holder for reception of substantially complementary projections on the backing, and in which a curved leaf spring is located adjacent each slot and between the limbs thereof, so that to effect engagement of the holder and backing each projection is entered into its slot and moved longitudinally thereof, so that part of each projection lies to one side of its slot and engages its curved leaf spring to hold the two parts in engagement.

In this specification the expression hand utensil is intended to include not only household brushes, such as hair or clothes brushes, but also brooms and polishing devices in which a working surface may become worn or dirty and requires cleaning or replacement.

In order to carry the invention into effect, two embodiments thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing by way of example only, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of part of a hand utensil holder constructed according to the invention;

Patented June 20, 1961 FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a hand utensil backing according to the invention for engagement with the hold,- er shown in FIG. 1; Q

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view on the line IIIII;I of FIG. 1; u

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of FIG. 2; A v

FIG. 5 is an underneath perspective view 0 part of the holder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an underneath perspective view of part of a modified form of holder according to the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of backing according to the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, a hand utensil in the form of a brush comprises essentially a backing 1 suitably perforated so as to receive bristles 2. Said backing 1 may be made of wood or plastics material, and the bristles may be natural or artificial as desired. The brush also includes a holder 3 having a facingplate .4 and a channel-shaped surround 5 which encloses the periphery of facing plate 4 and is held closed by a handle ferrule 6 attached to the holder in any convenient manner. One such method of attachment is illustrated in FIG. 3 in which the holder is provided with a backing plate 7 which is welded or otherwise afiixed to a rod 8 which passes through the handle and is fixed by a nut to the handle at its end remote from the holder.

The backing 1 is provided at its underside (as shown in FIG. 2,) with two projections 9 which may be moulded into a plastic pad or screwed, adhesively or otherwise attached to the reverse side of the backing. These projections 9 are substantially L-shaped in plan view and each has a cut-away portion 10 which forms an inclined s rface 11 so as to enable easy engagement of the backing with the holder. The ends of projections 9 are provided with flats 12 which abut the ends of complementary slots 13 formed in the facing plate 4 of the holder.

Each'end of these slots 13 is provided with downturned lugs 14 which, as will be seen from FIG. 3, extend to the inside of the backing plate of the holder and in effect form stops at the ends of the slots 13 which are engaged by the ends 12 of projections 9.

As will be seen more particularly in FIG. 5, laterally of the slots 13 are located two resilient members in the form of curved leaf springs 15 which are attached to a metal strip 16 held on the underside of the facing plate 4 by a lug 17 pressed out of the facing plate 4. Alternatively springs 15 may be made in one piece. It will be seen that these two curved leaf springs 15' lie between the limbs of the L-shaped slots 13 and are positioned so as to be engaged by the inclined surface 11 of the projections 9.

Part of the facing plate 4 is provided with a recess 18 so as to aiford ease in disengagement of the backing from the holder.

It will be appreciated that in use, to effect engagement of the holder and backing the projections 9 are passed through their appropriate slots 13 and then moved so that part of each projection lies to one side of its slot and engages the curved leaf spring 15 to hold the two parts in engagement. The curved leaf spring 15 engages with the inclined surface 11 so that the spring is deformed and thereby holds the backing hard against the facing plate. The ends 12 of projections 9 will be in abutting relation with the stops =14 atthe ends of slots 13. The stops 14 serve to prevent any inadvertent disengagement between the backing and holder by relative sliding movement in a direction opposite to that involved in connecting the backing with the holder. To effect disengagement of the holder and backing the end of the backing .nearest the handle of the brush is depressed so that that end enters recess 18 in the facing plate. This will cause the other end of backing 1 to be raised clear of the facing plate and the forward fiat faces 12 of projections 9 will engages the curved leaf spring 15a to effect a good lock.

Detachment of the two parts is effected in exactly the same manner as for the previous embodiment, and for this purpose the facing plate 4a is provided with a recess 18a.

It will be appreciated that the construction of the holder and the backing may be modified as desired within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims,

for example, more than two projections and corresponding complementary slots may be provided and other forms of resilient means may also be used.

I claim:

1. A hand utensil comprising a backing member for mounting thereon a working element such as bristles, or a pad or the like, a handle member including a facing plate and means detachably connecting said backing member to said facing plate, said detachable connecting means comprising at least one slot established in said fac- "ing' plate and a corresponding projection on said backing member adapted to be entered into said slot from the upper-side of said facing plate and slid relative thereto so that a part of said projection overlies a marginal portion of the slot to thereby connect said backing member to. said facing plate, a holding spring member secured to, the under side of said facing plate and which is engaged by said projection when said backingmember and facing plate reach a connected position, a stop at one end of said slot which is engaged by an end face of said projection when said backing member and facing plate occupy a connected position, said stop serving to prevent inadvertent relative sliding movement between said backing member and facing plate longitudinally of said slot in such direction as would effect a disconnection therebetween, and said facing plate including a depression'into which part of said backing member can be moved thereby to enable said end face of said projection to beraised clear of said stop whereupon said backing member and facing plate can be disconnected by relative sliding movement therebetween to effect a release of said projection from said slot. l

2. A hand utensil as defined in claim l wherein said holding spring member is constituted by a curved leaf spring and the leading end of said projection which -is entered into said slot includes an inclined surface against which said leaf spring bears to thereby afford ease in ctfecting engagement between said leaf spring and projection.

3. A hand utensil as defined in claim 1 wherein said facing plate includes two parallel spaced slots and said backing member includes two parallel spaced projections cooperative respectively with said slots, said slots and projections being substantially L-shaped, and there being a holding spring member individual to each said slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,932,878 Akizawa Oct. 31, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS 84 ,884 Switzerland Apr. 16, 19 20

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