US3237233A

US3237233A - Rotary brush

Info

Publication number: US3237233A
Application number: US354560A
Authority: US
Inventors: Floyd S Adams
Original assignee: SMADA CORP
Current assignee: SMADA CORP
Priority date: 1964-03-25
Filing date: 1964-03-25
Publication date: 1966-03-01
Anticipated expiration: 1983-03-01
Also published as: DE1457046A1; GB1020849A; CH422715A

Description

March 1, 1966 F. s. ADAMS new: BRUSH Filed March 25, 1964 FIG. 1

INVENTOR. FLOYD S. ADAMS FIG. 3

3,237,233 ROTARY BRUSH Floyd S. Adams, Rochester, N.Y., assignor to Smada gor fioration, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New Filed Mar. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 354,560 2 Claims. (Cl. 15-182) This invention relates to rotary brushes, and more particularly to rotary brushes for cleaning the peripheral surfaces of rotary metal drums such as are used in machines for making reproductions with marking powders.

Heretofore brushes of the character described have been made by securing an animal fur or furs as a covering around the whole of the outside of a cylindrical core.

Rabbit fur is ordinarily used for making those brushes because rabbit fur is among the more inexpensive of animal furs, and the abrasive effect on a metal drum of the proper type rabbit fur is substantially nil. However, rabbit fur has the disadvantage that it loads up with the marking powders used in reproducing machines of the type above mentioned; and therefore the brushes have to be replaced quite often. Moreover, in many countries suitable rabbit fur is relatively scarce.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved brush of the type described, which has a pile surface of longer life, and which is less expensive to manufacture, than prior such brushes.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved brush of this type, which uses less animal fur than prior brushes, but which will nevertheless have a continuous sweeping action with respect to the surface of the drum it is to clean.

A further object of the invention is to provide a brush of the character described which will permit more efircient use of available pieces of animal fur than has heretofore been possible.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide an improved brush having a pile surface made in part of animal fur, and in part of synthetic pile.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the specification and from the appended claims, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a brush made in accordance with one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged end view of this brush; and

FIG. 3 is a developed view on a reduced scale of the flexible sleeve which forms the outside surface of this brush.

The objects of the present invention are achieved by making the covering for the brush core of alternate narrow strips of animal fur and synthetic fiber. The alternate strips are arranged helically on the core so that they overlap longitudinally of the core. The synthetic fiber does not have sufiicient density to clean the drum thoroughly, but the fur strips, which are preferably made of rabbit fur, can be disposed so that there is constant contact of fur with the drum to be cleaned. Thus, the desired cleaning qualities of the fur are retained while longer life is achieved because the synthetic fiber is far less inclined to load up than animal furs. Moreover, the available supply of rabbit fur is stretched because less fur is required per brush, and because by using narrower strips than heretofore required, when the whole brush has a fur covering, it is possible to use hides which would formerly have to be rejected because of defects. Narrow strips of fur suitable for brushes made according to the present invention can be cut from hides previously rejected.

. United States Patent "ice Referring now to the drawing by numerals of reference, 11 is a brush made in accordance with one embodiment of this invention. It comprises a relatively light, rigid, tubular core 12 of carboard or the like. Glued or otherwise secured to the exterior of the core 12 to form a pile surface thereon, and helically wound thereabout are a pair of diametrally opposed strips 13 of rabbit fur, and a pair of intervening strips 14 of synthetic acrylic fiber such as Orlon. As shown more clearly in FIG. 3, these

strips

13 and 14 are rhomboidal in configuration, and are secured in alternation with one another by stitching together the sides of the strips, as shown, by seams 15. The fur strips 13 may be, as shown, twice as wide as the fiber strips 14, and preferably the two fur strips are disposed so that their respective naps extend in opposite directions with reference to radii of the brush 11, thereby to increase the brushing efficiency.

Upon being sewn together, the pairs of

strips

13 and 14 define a sleeve which is adapted to be secured to the outside of the core 12 in a manner similar to that described in my copending application, Serial No. 168,640, filed January 25, 1962, now Patent No. 3,167,356. When the sleeve, as defined by the

interconnected strips

13 and 14, is secured to the exterior of the core 12, the

strips

13 and 14 are disposed helically about the axis 16 of the core. The lead angle of the helix is relatively slight. In any event, it is desirable that it be sufficient for each fur strip 13 to overlap at its ends the other fur strip so that, when the brush 11 rotates in engagement with a drum, at least some part of the rabbit fur strips 13 will constantly be in touch with the drum.

While it is preferred that the synthetic pile fabric strips 14 be an acrylic fiber such as commonly sold under the tradename Orlon, it is to be understood that other fibers of comparable rigidness and durability may be used in place thereof.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that applicants improved brush will produce a substantial saving in the cost of cleaning brushes of the type described. Since the fur strips 13 are twice as wide as the strips 14 of synthetic material, brush 11 uses one-third less fur than prior brushes. In addition, by using narrowed fur strips 13, it permits the rabbit hides to be cut so as to dodge defects in the fur, and permits a given hide to be stretched further than would be possible in the case of relatively wide strips. Moreover, because of the longer-lived synthetic fiber strips, the brush life is increased greatly without producing any appreciable decrease in the cleaning efliciency of the brush.

While the invention has been described in connection with a specific embodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification, and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth, and as fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A rotary brush for cleaning a drum surface, comprising (a) a cylindrical core,

(b) a plurality of spaced strips of soft, dense, animal fur secured on the peripheral surface of said core, and extending helically about the axis of said core, and

(c) a plurality of spaced strips of tougher, coarser, synthetic fibers secured to and covering the remainder of said peripheral surface between and juxtaposed to and alternating with said' strips of fur, and extendinghelically about the axis of said core,

((1) each of said fur strips having a portion overlapping the next adjacent fur strip longitudinally of the core, and having its nap oriented, with reference to axial planes through said core, oppositely relative to the nap of said next adjacent fur strip.

2. A rotary brush for cleaning marking powder and the like from the surface of a rotating drum in a reproduction machine, comprising (a) a cylindrical core,

(b) a plurality of spaced strips of rabbit fur secured to and covering approximately two-thirds of the peripheral surface of said core, and extending helically about the axis of said core,.and

(c) a plurality of spaced strips of synthetic fibers se cured to and covering the remainder of said peripheral surface in juxtaposition to and alternating with said fur strips, and extending helically about said core axis.

(d) each of said fur strips having a portion thereof disposed in axially-spaced, overlapping relation with the next adjacent fur strip, and having its nap oriented, with reference to axial planes through said core, oppositely relative to the nap of said next adjacent fur strip,

(e) said strips of fibers being of harder and less dense pile than said strips of rabbit fur, and having greater durability than said rabbit fur.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 176,197 4/ 1876 Rogers.

319,056 6/1885 Bender 15235 1,043,533 11/1912 Nolan et a1 15-79 X 2,779,964 2/1957 More 15-230.13 2,787,026 4/1957 White 15256.52

20 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A ROTARY BRUSH FOR CLEANING A DRUM SURFACE, COMPRISING (A) A CYLINDRICAL CORE, (B) A PLURALITY OF SPACED STRIPS OF SOFT, DENSE, ANIMAL FUR SECURED ON THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID CORE AND EXTENDING HELICALLY ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID CORE AND, (C) A PLURALITY OF SPACED STRIPS OF TOUGHER, COARSER, SYNTHETIC FIBERS SECURED TO AND COVERING THE REMAINDER OF SAID PERIPHERAL SURFACE BETWEEN AND JUXTAPOSED TO