US3256048A - Broom handle brace - Google Patents

Description

June 14, 966 w. H. REA 3,

BROOM HANDLE BRACE Filed April 1'7, 1964 INVENTOR WlLLlAM H. R EA ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,256,048 BROOM HANDLE BRACE William H. Rea, Alton E. Rea, Rte. 14, Box 24E, Baltimore 20, Md. Filed Apr. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 360,614 2 Claims. (Cl. 306-22) This invention relates to utensils and other devices of various kinds employed in households, commercial establishments and elsewhere, and to the manufacture of such tools and other devices as well as to the equipment employed in such manufacture and to the nature and character of the devices themselves.

The invention relates particularly to fioor brushes or brooms having independent attachable handles and to the manner of reinforcing the connection between such brushes and handles in order to enhance the durability of the connection to obtain greater usefulness from the brooms and handles.

Floor brushes or brooms have been employed having threaded sockets receiving threaded handles in a solid connection but these soon become loose at the joint due to continual pushing and pulling, and when the connection between the broom and the handle can no longer be maintained, it becomes necessary to obtain a new broom or handle at substantial expense.

It is anobject of the invention to provide a floor brush or broom including a head with an internally threaded opening in which the external threads on the handle are engaged and to provide a connection maintaining or reinforcing element or brace by means of which the back of the broom in which the bristles are carried and the handle are solidly and securely connected for a longer life span. Another object of the invention is to provide a broom.

including a solid bristle-carrying back and a threadedly attached handle with a combination reinforcing sleeve bracket and device for retaining a tight connection between the broom and handle, as well as a structurerof the character indicated in the form of a split cylinder with reinforcing brackets at opposite sides thereof and in which the semi-cylindrical members have tapered end portions which extend into the joint between the handle and the brush and with the inner surface of such tapered portion V of reduced diameter connected to the adjacent portion of larger diameter by an inclined shoulder so that when the shoulder on the handle is caused to move down or along such inclined shoulder, a contracting and gripping action on the remote end of the semi-cylindrical members will be accomplished.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation illustrating a brush and handle with the invention applied thereto;

FIG. 2, an exploded view of the handle brace of the present invention;

FIG. 3, a section through the connection between the brush, the handle and the handle brace illustrating the relation between the respective parts;

FIG. 4, a section similar to that of FIG. 3 in which the parts are in final locked position;

FIG. 5, a side elevation of a slightly different relatively simple type of brace; and,

FIG. 6, a fragmentary detail viewed at right angles to FIG. 5.

Briefly stated the present invention is a cylindrical sleeve axially split at opposite sides and with stepped internal surfaces and a tapered end about the smaller of the internal surfaces, and which stepped surfaces are connected by an inclined shoulder, and with angular brackets terminating in the transverse plane of the end of the sleeve, each bracket having a spur at its lower end adapted Patented June 14, 1966 to engage and penetrate the back of a brush to which the device is applied and serving to maintain the portion of the sleeve remote from the brush in contact with the handle due to the threading of the handle into the brush, the

. handle having a shoulder which engages and rides along the inclined shoulder of the holder.

With continued reference to the drawing, a conventional brush has a back 10 with bristles 11. The back also has internally threaded openings 12 each at an angle of for the selective receipt of the threaded end por,- tion 13 of a handle 14. The handle 14 has a shoulder 15 adjoining the threaded end portion. The handle may be threaded into either of the openings 12 as is well understood in order to obtain maximum use of the brush.

To provide a solid connection between the handle and the brush, a sleeve is provided composed of two semicylindrical half sleeve sections 16 which when placed about the threaded end of the handle substantially encircle the same with a line of separation along the axis thereof. Each of the semi-cylindrical sleeve sections 16 is provided at one end with an inclined external surface 18 terminating in an extremity 19 of reduced size. Each of the sleeve sections also has stepped semi-cylindrical surfaces 20 and 21, the surface 20 being of a diameter and length less than the diameter and length of the remaining surface of the sleeve and with an inclined shoulder surface 22 forming a connection between the surfaces 20 and 21.

The inclined external end surface 18 facilitates and allows the reduced extremity 19 to enter the threaded opening 12 in the brush about the handle 14 threaded into the same opening and the shoulder 15 on the handle engages the inclined surface 22 and travels therealong to force the semi-cylindrical sleeve sections into contact with the handle 14.

In order to provide additional support for the semicylindrical portions of the sleeve remote from the brush, each sleeve is provided with an angular bracket 23 extending from the extremity of larger size and terminating in line with the opposite end of the sleeve section and having an outwardly turned portion 24 parallel to the surface of the brush. On the end of each brace is carried a spur 25 designed to engage and penetrate the back 10 of the brush and anchor the location of the lower portion of the bracket with regard to such back of the brush.

With the construction described a solid tight connection is provided when the handle is threaded into the brush within the semi-cylindrical members and a reinforcement is obtained around the handle between the handle and the brush and between the remote end of the sleeve at each side and the handle thus bracing and prolonging the durability of the connection.

In the use of the device as shown in FIG. 3 the spurs 25 penetrate the back of the brush 10 with the inner walls of the semi-cylindrical sleeve section loosely fitting the handle and the shoulder 22 engaged by the shoulder 15 on the handle, and as the shoulder on the handle rides along the shoulder surface 22 the remote sleeve portions will move toward each other to grip the handle.

The embodiment of FIG. 5 is similar to that of the preceding figures except that it can be pressed or stamped from sheet metal being composed of two identical half sections 26 each having a substantially semi-circular portion 27 and diametrically opposed radial flanges 28 and 29 with a spur 30 corresponding to the spur 25 of-the preceding figures. When the two identical half sections are assembled with the center cylindrical portions in opposition the flames 28 and 29 of one section will overlie the flanges 29 and 28, respectively, of the opposite section and the spur 30 on one of the members will be in diametrically opposite position from the spur 30 of the other member.

In order to fasten the two members together welding or other types of fasteners may be employed.

Each of the semi-circular portions 27 is provided with a slot 33 which extends the length of the portion of maximum diameter, such portion of maximum diameter being connected by an intermediate portion 34 with a portion 35 of smaller diameter. The interior of the portion 27 is of the same diameter as the interior of the portion 21 of the embodiment of the preceding figures, While the portions 34 and 35 correspond to the portions 22 and 20 of the embodiment of the preceding figures.

It will be apparent that in FIGS. 1 to 4 the sleeve formed by the cooperating semi-circular portions is split at 90 from the bracing portions 23 and 24 While in the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 the separation in each is provided by the slot 33. Also in the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 the lower portion of the sleeve formed by the two sections is maintained of substantially constant diameter instead of the lower portion being separated and consequently variable in diameter as in the preceding embodiment.

In the use of the device the brace is placed against the object in which the handle is to be inserted with the portions 34 and 35 entering the opening therein. Next the handle is inserted and screwed into the opening forcing the portions 34 and 35 into the opening to cause the remote ends of the sleeve formed by the two sections 27 to bind against the handle to reinforce the same. It will be apparent that two sections of the device may be stamped from a flat blank with one spur on each blank and a couple of struck-out portions. The struckont portions may be in inserted into the openings of opposite struck-out portions and bradded over to secure the parts together, or the two sections may be spot welded or fastened together by other fastening means.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A brace of a character to fit about the handle and to engage the body of an implement, said brace including a socket-forming portion and at least two brace portions disposed substantially axially of and equally spaced around said socket-forming portion, said brace portions each having a portion disposed generally transversely to the axis of said brace, said socket forming portion having an internal truncated substantially conical wall portion adjacent its lower end to receive bindingly a shoulder on said handle, spur means on the lower faces of said generally transverse brace portions extending beyond the terminal end thereof in a manner to penetrate said implement when said handle is inserted through said brace and forcibly engaged with said implement, causing the opposed upper portions of said brace to move into gripping engagement with said handle.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said brace is composed of two identical members.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 10/1933 France.

12/1910 Great Britain.

Claims (1)

1. A BRACE OF A CHARACTER TO FIT ABOUT THE HANDLE AND TO ENGAGE THE BODY OF AN IMPLEMENT, SAID BRACE INCLUDING A SOCKET-FORMING PORTION AND AT LEAST BRACE PORTIONS DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY AXIALLY OF AND EQUALLY SPACED AROUND SAID SOCKET-FORMING PORTION, SAID BRACE PORTIONS EACH HAVING A PORTION DISPOSED GENERALLY TRANSVERSELY TO THE AXIS OF SAID BRACE, SAID SOCKET FORMING PORTION HAVING AN INTERNAL TRUNCATED SUBSTANTIALLY CONICAL WALL PORTION ADJACENT ITS LOWER END TO RECEIVE BINDINGLY A SHOULDER ON SAID HANDLE, SPUR MEANS ON THE LOWER FACES OF SAID GENERALLY TRANSVERSE BRACE PORTIONS EXTENDING BEYOND THE TERMINAL END THEREOF IN A MANNER TO PENETRATE SAID IMPLEMENT WHEN SAID HANDLE IS INSERTED THROUGH SAID BRACE AND FORCIBLE ENGAGED WITH SAID IMPLEMENT, CAUSING THE

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