US3112509A

US3112509A - Paint brushes

Info

Publication number: US3112509A
Application number: US191494A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert L Weiss
Original assignee: Wooster Brush Co
Current assignee: Wooster Brush Co
Priority date: 1962-05-01
Filing date: 1962-05-01
Publication date: 1963-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 1980-12-03

Description

Dec. 3, 1963 R. L. wElss PAINT BRUSHES Filed May l, 1962 United States Patent O 3,112,509 PAINE BRUSHES Robert 1.. Weiss, Wooster, Ghia, assigner to The Wooster Brush Company, Wooster, Ohio, a corporation of Ghia Filed May 1, 1962, Ser. No. 191,494 2 Claims. (Cl. 15-193) This invention relates to paint brushes and like structures and more particularly to attachment means for securing the bristle portion of a brush to the handle portion thereof.

The invention has for its primary object the provision of a device of the aforesaid nature which is characterized by its structural simplicity, its inexpensive manufacturing costs, the ease of assembly of its parts, the attractive forms in which the device may be made, and the particularly effective manner in which it performs its function.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a brush structure having a handle, a bristle portion, and a connector, said connector adapted to mechanically interlock with the handle and to be both bonded to and interlocked with the bristle portion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a brush structure of the above type wherein the connector is attached to the handle without the use of nails, rivets, or other supplementary fastening means.

Further objects of the present invention, and a number of its advantages, will be referred to in or will be evident from the following description of one embodiment of the invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a paint brush illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the paint brush of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line 4 4- of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective View of the connector of the invention.

Before the device here illustrated is specifically described, it is to be understood that the invention here involved is not limited to the structural details or arrangement of parts shown since brush structures embodying the present invention may take various forms. It also is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein employed is for purposes of description and not of limitation since the scope of the present invention is denoted by the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, the brush structure as herein illustrated comprises a handle 1, a bristle portion 2 and a ferrule 3 which said ferrule encompasses portions of both the handle and the bristle portion.

The handle 1 has an upwardly directed gripping portion 4 and a generally elongated, horizontally disposed bristle receiving portion 5. The handle 1 may be made of any suitable material, such as wood, plastic, or the like; it may be made in a single piece or, as herein illustrated, comprise a detachable gripping portion 4 having a downwardly directed reduced threaded portion 6 disposed Within a suitably internally threaded socket 7 of the bristle receiving portion 5.

The bristle receiving portion 5, in the form of the invention shown, is generally rectangular in both longitudinal and transverse section and is provided with a downwardly facing step S in the sides and ends thereof, said step extending in a horizontal direction completely around said bristle receiving portion. As shown in FIG. 4, the longitudinally directed sides of the bristle receiving portion are also provided with like rectangular grooves 9 which are disposed a short distance below the step 8. Below the grooves 9, there remain a pair of laterally directed shoulders 10 the vertical outer surfaces of which are stepped slightly inwardly relative to the width of the bristle receiving portion just below the step 8.

The lferrule 3 may be made of any suitable material such as sheet metal or plastic and may be made in any suitable manner such as molding, forming, or casting. Said ferrule surrounds the bristle receiving portion 5 with its upwardly directed peripheral edge seated against the downwardly facing step 8. Said ferrule projects downwardly a substantial distance below the bristle receiving portion 5 and is preferably provided, adjacent its lower end, with one or more horizontally disposed, continuous reinforcing ribs or beads 11. The lower end portion of the ferrule 3, in the area of the ribs or beads 11, embraces the upper end portion or knot of the bristle portion 2.

The bristle portion 2 comprises a multiplicity of bristles 12 closelypacked and conforming in horizontal section to the shape of the ferrule 3. As herein illustrated, a pair of separation strips 13 are disposed within the bristles 12 adjacent their upper ends thereby dividing them transversely into three substantially equal groups and providing rigidity and reinforcement to the bristle portion in the area of the bristle knot. It will be understood that more or less than two separation strips may be used depending upon the size of the brush.

The upper ends of the bristles 12 are permeated with a suitable bonding compound 14 which rigidly bonds the bristles and the separation strips 13 into a solid bristle knot and which compound extends upwardly a substantial distance into the ferrule 3. Said bonding compound may be, for example, an epoxy resin which is introduced into the ferrule in a liquid state whereby it penetrates and permeates the upper ends of the bristles and subsequently is cured to form a strong, rigid mass adhering tightly to the inner surface of the ferrule.

The bristle receiving portion 5.is rigidly interloclred with the bristle portion 2 by means of a connector element 219 which is held against vertical movement relative to the bristle receiving portion and projects downwardly into the bonding compound 14. The connector 20 is shown in perspective in FIG. 5 of the drawings and comprises a generally elongated, channel shaped member yhaving a horizontally disposed, bottom web 21 and a pair of vertically upstanding, edge lianges 22 projecting upwardly from the lateral, longitudinal edges of said web. The connector element 20 is preferably formed of sheet metal or similar material but may also be made of a nonmetallic material such as an extruded plastic or the like. The upper edges of the anges 22 are formed to provide a pair of channel shaped ribs 23 which project horizontally inwardly toward each other from the said ilanges.

The ribs 23 are so formed as to snugly interfit with the longitudinal grooves 9 of the bristle receiving portion S. The connector element 20 is readily attached to said bristle receiving portion by inserting the ribs 23 into the grooves 9 adjacent one end of the bristle receiving portion and subsequently sliding the connector element longitudinally of said bristle receiving portion until it is substantially centered beneath the gripping portion 4 of the handle 1. The ribs 23 then rest upon the shoulders 10 of the bristle receiving portion with the flanges 22 abutting the lateral, vertical faces of said shoulders. The shoulders 10 are laterally reduced in dimension suiciently to allow for the thickness of the anges 22 whereby the outer surfaces of said flanges are aligned with and positioned atwise against the inner surface .of the ferrule 3.

The web 21 thus affords a horizontal brideg between the side walls of the ferrule 3 as shown in FIG. 4, said web being dispose substantially below the upper surface of the bonding compound 14. The web 21 is preferably provided with a plurality of apertures 24 whereby the bonding compound 14 extends upwardly through and interlocks with the web 21 when said bonding compound J is in its solidied state. When all of the parts are assembled, the ferrule 3 prevents lateral outward movement of the flanges 22 and the ribs 23 of the connector element as shown in FIG. 4 whereby said ribs cannot become displaced relative to the groove 9 of the bristle receiving portion S. The ferrule also prevents longitudinal movement of the ribs along the grooves since the connector Ztl is anchored to the bristle portion 2 and said bristle portion is retained against horizontal movement by said errule.

The web 21 thus affords a horizontal bridge between The result is that the connector element is solidly mechanically interlocked with the bristle receiving portieri and is initially bot'n bonded to and mechanically interloclied with the bristle knot of the bristle portion 2 by means of the web 21 disposed within the bonding compound 14. Even it the adhesion between the connector portion and the solidilied bonding compound is subsequently broken, the mechanical interlock will effectively maintain a solid connection between said connector portion and said bristle portion.

A preferred method of manufacturing the brush of this invention comprises iirst disposing the upper end of the bristle portion 2 within the lower end portion of a preformed ferrule 3. The bonding compound 14, in a liquid state, is then poured into the ferrule whereby the bristle knot is permeated with the compound as hereinbefore disclosed. The handle l, with the connector element attached thereto by means of the ribs 23 and the grooves 9, is then inserted in the upper end portion or the ferrule 3 until the upper edge of said ferrule seats against the step 8 of the bristle receiving portion S. This disposes the apertured web 2l within the liquid compound which subsequently hardens to form a solid brush structure.

In the form of the invention as herein illustrated, the connector Ztl is substantially elongated in a horizontal direction and is also substantially shorter than the bristle receiving portion 5. lt is anticipated that the length of the connector 20 can be equal to the length of the bristle receiving portion if desired It is also anticipated that the connector element can be divided longitudinally into a plurality of shorter segments positioned at various locations throughout the length of the bristle receiving portion.

The resulting structure provides a solid handle and bristle portion combination wherein the connector, ferrule, and bristle portion are firmly connected and the connector and bristle portion are eiifectively maintained in assembled relationship.

It will be understood that many changes may be made in the details of the invention as herein described and illustrated without, however, departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A brush structure comprising a handle; the lower end of said handle having a horizontally disposed, elongated bristle receiving portion; a channel shaped connector element having upwardly directed flanges outwardly overlapping opposite side portions of said bristle receiving portion; said bristle receiving portion having horizontal grooves in said side portions; the upper edges of said flanges having elongated ribs interiitting said grooves;

said connector element aording a horizontally disposed web spaced downwardly from said bristle receiving port tion; means deiining at least one aperture in said web; a bristle portion disposed below said web; a ferrule surrounding a portion of said bristle receiving portion, overlapping said side portions and extending downwardly therefrom and embracing said connector element and the upper end of said bristle portion; a solidified bonding compound bonding the upper end of said bristle portion into a solid bristle knot and extending upwardly within said errule above and over said web and through said aperture and rigidly bonding said bristle portion, ferrule, and web to each other; said ferrule retaining said ribs against lateral movement relative to said grooves.

2. A brush structure comprising a handle; the lower end of said handle having an elongated, horizontally disposed, bristle receiving portion; a channel shaped connector element having upwardly directed flanges outwardly overlapping portions of the longitudinal sides of said bristle receiving portion; means deiining horizontally directed grooves along the entire length of the longitudinal sides of said bristle receiving portion; the upper edges of said flanges having inwardly directed, longitudinal ribs slidably interitting said grooves; said connector element atlording a horizontally disposed web spaced downwardly from said bristle receiving portion; means deiining apertures in said web; a ferrule surrounding a portion of said bristle receiving portion, overlapping said grooves and ribs and extending downwardly therefrom; a bristle portion having the upper end thereof disposed within the lower end of said ferrule; a solidified bonding compound bonding the upper end of said bristle portion into a solid bristle knot and extending upwardly within said ferrule above said web and interlocking with said apertures and rigidly bonding said bristle portion, ferrule, and

web to each other; said ferrule retaining said ribs against longitudinal and lateral movement relative to said grooves.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,074,522 Nelson Sept. 30, 1913 2,610,345 Simms Sept. 16, 1952 2,641,014 Sauter et al lune 9, 1953 2,840,841 Maxwell July l, 1958 2,854,684 Hardman et al Oct. 7, 1958 3,076,989 Daw Feb. l2, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS `382,325 Germany Oct. l, 1923 553,700 Italy Dec. 29, 1956 nlm...

Claims

1. A BRUSH STRUCTURE COMPRISING A HANDLE; THE LOWER END OF SAID HANDLE HAVING A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED, ELONGATED BRISTLE RECEIVING PORTION; A CHANNEL SHAPED CONNECTOR ELEMENT HAVING UPWARDLY DIRECTED FLANGES OUTWARDLY OVERLAPPING OPPOSITE SIDE PORTIONS OF SAID BRISTLE RECEIVING PORTION; SAID BRISTLE RECEIVING PORTION HAVING HORIZONTAL GROOVES IN SAID SIDE PORTIONS; THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID FLANGES HAVING ELONGATED RIBS INTERFITTING SAID GROOVES; SAID CONNECTOR ELEMENT AFFORDING A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED WEB SPACED DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID BRISTLE RECEIVING PORTION; MEANS DEFINING AT LEAST ONE APERTURE IN SAID WEB; A BRISTLE PORTION DISPOSED BELOW SAID WEB; A FERRULE SUR-