US3434176A

US3434176A - Shell-mounted broom or similar brush-wear article

Info

Publication number: US3434176A
Application number: US658767A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bernard Cazet
Original assignee: B I P SA
Current assignee: B I P SA; Bip Brevets Inventions Promotion Sa
Priority date: 1966-08-12
Filing date: 1967-08-07
Publication date: 1969-03-25
Anticipated expiration: 1986-03-25
Also published as: LU54246A1; MC672A1; BE702279A; GR33712B; OA02483A; NL6710996A; ES344040A1; FR1495616A

Description

March 25. 1969' -r 3,434,176

SHELL-MOUNTED BROOM OR SIMILAR BRUSH-WEAR ARTICLE Filed Aug. '2, 1967 Sheet of 2 LJQAJ HVVENTM BERNARD cnzEr 'MMMW W SHELL-MOUNTED BROOM OR SIMILAR BRUSH-WEAR ARTICLE Filed Aug. 7, 1967 Sheet 3 of 2 42 4 2 48 8 fZgr/O 45 44 Egg 'm l8 1 INVENTOR BERNBRD cnzer *mmw United States Patent Int. Cl. A46b 3708; A46d 3/00 US. Cl. 177 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A broom construction includes two shell portions which are fitted together by aligning and interengaging projections on one portion into recesses on another and they are held together by a snap fit of a projection of one portion into a female receiving portion on the other. The shell portions together define a socket for receiving a handle at one end and a recess or skirt portion for receiving a bundle of fibers in the opposite end. The fibers are held in position by projecting teeth which are defined in two separate longitudinally spaced rows within the skirt portion, the rows of teeth being offset so as to engage the fibers in a manner such that they can fan out. The assembly is either locked by an encircling collar extending over the socket portion of the shells or by C-shaped securing clips which fit into recesses defined on each end of the shells or by a combination of both, and in some instances, by the addition of an encircling band around the exterior of the skirt portions.

This invention relates to a broom or similar brush-wear article wherein a bundle or pack of bristles, fibres, or strands is maintained between two assembled mating shells. The present invention aims at providing such shells having a configuration which allows the broom to be assembled easily and rapidly, while the pack of bristles is maintained after assembling under optimum conditions as far as tightness and firm grip are concerned, in spite of the stresses acting on the broom when used.

It is an object of the invention to provide for high speed manufacture on an industrial scale of a broom or similar article of the above type, resulting in a high quality product, due to instantaneous assembling of the two shells by centering and fastening the same with respect to each other while said shells after assembling firmly maintain the bundle of bristles.

It is another object of the invention to provide for the safe assembly of the two shells, and for protection of the shells against deformation by arranging stiffening webs on each one of said two shells, and by providing a collar which surrounds the portion of the two half-shells constituting a socket for accommodating the broomstick, and which encircles said stiffening webs.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a broom or brush having a bundle of vegetable fibres, such as rice-straw, sorghum, and the like, which is not subject to the drawback resulting from mouldering, contrary to brooms or brushes manufactured by conventional methods, which are often subject to such mouldering initiated in the central portion of the fibre bundle.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a broom wherein the bundle of bristles is efficiently maintained between the assembled half-shells due to the provision of rows of teeth or wedges in the skirt of said half-shells, which teeth or wedges penetrate the fibre bundle.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description hereinafter proceeds with 3,434,176 Patented Mar. 25, 1969 reference to the accompanying drawings which show several exemplary embodiments of the invention without limiting the scope thereof to the particular examples shown and described.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a broom according to the invention, with several parts torn away.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one of the halfshells used in manufacturing such broom.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a collar for maintaining the portions of the half-shell which constitute a socket adapted to receive the broomstick.

FIG. 4 is an axial cross-sectional view of the broom of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 2, showing another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an axial cross-sectional view of the broom of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a sectional broom of the clamping arrangement for assembling the sides of the half-shell according to FIG. 5.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are sectional views showing the interlocking feature of the half-shells, and

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view showing the arrangement of a bundle of fibres assembled prior to assembling the half-shells.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 the broom comprises a bundle 1 of rice-straw, sorghum, or similar fibres, or bristles, maintained between two half-shells which, when assembled, form a sleeve or socket 3 and a skirt 2. Preferably the half-shells are made of a thermoplastic material such as polystyrene Super. Each half-shell comprises at its upper end a semi-cylindrical half-socket 4 connected to the skirt portion 2 by symmetrical planar stiffening webs 5.

Arranged on the inner walls of each half-shell are a male and female attaching means 9 and 8 respectively, the attaching means of each half-shell being complementary to the mating attaching means of the other half-shell, said attaching means being adapted to be clamped or hooked to each other when subjected to pressure, due to the elasticity of the material. This is achieved by the provision on each attaching means, or member, of at least one oblique surface 27 allowing for easy penetration into the complementary member, while a locking surface 28 allows the two complementary members to be locked to each other. Furthermore, centering means 7a and 7b are provided, the centering member 7a having a hole and being complementary to the centering means 7b which comprise a mating punch-like portion. The inner wall of each half-shell is also provided with a transverse rib 12 extending over the entire width or over part of the width of the half-shell and serving as an abutment adapted to be contacted by the end of the fibre bundle.

Any convenient number of attaching and centering members may be provided. Instead of being of the pin point type shown in FIG. 2 they may be of the linear type shown in FIG. 5. In this latter embodiment the attaching and centering members are constituted by transverse plates 37a, 37b projecting from the inner wall of the half-shell and having their free ends 38a, 38b formed into locking hooks extending in opposite directions as shown in FIG. 6. In the embodiment of FIG. 5 the centering members are constituted by plates 39a, 39b adapted to be applied upon each other as shown in FIG. 6, when the broom is assembled.

It should be noted that the provision of the centering and attaching members shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 at the same time increases the rigidity of the Wall of the halfshells and allows for positive fastening over a substantial portion of the width of said half-shells, whereby the trend to gaping of the half-shells is eliminated when mounting the fibre-bundle.

The webs 5 constitute planar bearing surfaces which prolong or continue the

sides

23, 24. One of the webs may be provided with punches 25 while the other web has mating holes so as to provide for greater accurateness of the assembly of the two half-shells. Furthermore, the edges '16, 17 or 18, 19 may be provided with interlocking profiles as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The socket 4 adapted to receive the broomstick has a slightly tapering shape. During the assembling of the two half-shells a sleeve or collar 13 provided with a stiffening rib constituting an abutment, is mounted on the socket 4; the collar has lateral slots 14, the length of which corresponds to the length of the ribs constituted on the sides of socket 4 by webs 5.

The skirt 2 advantageously comprises

external ribs

20 and 22 between which a belt 21 is placed for clamping this portion of the assembled half-shells together.

The skirt furthermore may be provided with a plurality of conveniently spaced perforations adapted to receive clamping members, assembling staples or similar assembling members with a view to improving the integral connection between the fibre bundle and the skirt. The aforementioned assembling members are masked by the belt 21.

The half-shells are also provided with projections arranged adjacent the lower end of the shells and adapted to improve the holding of the fibre bundle; these projections may have any desired convenient shape; they may be constituted, for example, by rows of

teeth

10, 11 which are preferably shifted with respect to each other (FIG. 2), or by relatively shifted pointed stubs 40, 42 (cf. FIG. 5) defining between them a

planar portion

41, 43; this arrangement allows for easy penetration of the pointed stubs into the fibre bundle. In the embodiment of FIG. 5 the stubs 42 of the top row have smaller dimensions than those of the stubs 40 forming the lower row; thus, the smaller stubs will more readily penetrate the upper end portion of the assembled fibre bundles.

The assembly of the two half-shells may be improved, as shown in FIG. 7, by clamping the lateral portions of the half-skirts together by means of clamps of the buttstrap type the edges 47 of which match corresponding grooves 48 formed on the half-shells. These clamps may be put into place by a simple sliding motion, and they are maintained in their proper position by belt 21.

The assembling of the broom is carried out in the following manner: The fibre-bundle is formed by stitching or clamping the bristles together, or by tightly mounting the bristles between two rod members 44 (cf. FIG. 10) the upper end portion 45 being then immerged in a gluing substance maintained in the liquid state by heating and capable of easy solidification, such substance being, for instance, a polyethylene based composition. The fibre bundle is then introduced between the two half-shells with its end abutting the internal ribs or plates 12 (of. FIG. 2) or 37a, 37b, cf. FIG. 5), while the centering members have previously been brought into register. The half-shells are then simply pressed against each other, for example by means of a press, so as to achieve the mutual penetration of the complementary attaching means, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.

A perfectly integral assembly is achieved either by this pressure, provided the

edges

23, 24 and the webs 5 have been previously coated with a convenient adhesive; or by a convenient welding process for connecting the respective portions of plastic material which constitute said edges and webs.

If this assembling step is carried out immediately after the impregnation of the fibre bundle upper end the teeth 42 are in contact with the above-mentioned gluing substance while the latter solidifies, whereby an excellent integral assembly is achieved.

In case the fibre bundle is only assembled by a stapling process or the like, the penetration of teeth 42 will also achieve a satisfactory integral assembly.

With a view to improving the rigidity of the assembly constituted by the two half-shells the clamps 46 may be mounted by a simple sliding motion.

Collar '13 is then mounted on socket 4 and belt 21 is put in place between

ribs

20 and 22.

It is apparent from the above description that the novel broom can be manufactured by a process comprising very simple steps which can be carried out by mechanical means using conventional machinery, while said manufacturing process provides a broom having assembled halfshells which constitute a perfectly integral assembly due to the joint effects of the interior attaching means, the attachment at the periphery of the shells, the clamping effect of the collar and the belt, the novel broom furthermore exhibiting excellent properties of tightness due to the gluing or welding of the half-shells at their mating assembling surfaces.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendent advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, or sacrificing any of its material advantages, the forms hereinbefore described being merely preferred embodiments thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A brush comprising first and second substantially symmetrical half shell portions joined together and defining an embracing skirt portion opening at one end for receiving a bundle of fibers and a socket portion opening at an opposite end for receiving a broom stick, male engagement means on said first shell portion projecting outwardly from the interior thereof, female socket means on said second shell portion engaged with said male projecting portion in a snap-fit, each of said first and second shell portions including a laterally extending stiffening web defined on each side adjacent the juncture of said socket portion and said skirt portion, and a cylindrical collar fitted over said socket portion and having an elongated slot defined on each side thereof through which the stiifening web portions of each of said first and second portions extend.

2. A brush comprising first and second substantially symmetrical half shells defining together an embracing skirt portion opening at one end for receiving a bundle of fibers and a socket portion opening at the opposite end for receiving a broom stick, each shell having inner walls with at least one complementary centering projection and recess which are interengaged for aligning said half shell portions together and at least one complementary attaching means projecting from the corresponding interior surfaces of said first and second shell portions which are interengaged to hold said shell portions together, each of said first and second shell portions having an exterior first rib extending therearound adjacent said one end and a second rib at a spaced location from and parallel to said first rib, and an encircling belt disposed between said first and second ribs and around said skirt portion.

3. A brush comprising first and second substantially symmetrical half shell portions arranged in juxtaposition and defining a lower skirt portion having an opening at one end for receiving a bundle of fibers and an upper cylindrical socket portion having an opening at the opposite end for receiving a handle, each shell portion having a plurality of projections some of which include projecting hook elements and some of which include receiving recesses, a lateral stiffening web defined between said skirt portion and said socket portion on each of said first and second shell portions, one of said first and second shell portions having a projection on said webs and the other having a recess on said webs for receiving the projection for aligning the two parts together, an abutment defined at the inner end of said skirt portion, a bundle of bristles clamped together and disposed in said skirt portion up to said abutment, means projecting inwardly from said skirt portions of said first and second shells engaged in said bundle of bristles, an encircling belt extending around said skirt portion and holding said skirt portion together, and a cylindrical collar fitted over said socket portion and including a slot extending upwardly from the lower end of each side thereof for receiving said web of each of said first and second shells.

4. A brush comprising first and second substantially symmetrical half shells defining together an embracing skirt portion opening at one end for receiving a bundle of fibers and a socket portion opening at the opposite end for receiving a broom stick, each shell having inner Walls with at least one complementary centering projection and recess which are interengaged for aligning said half shell portions together and at least one complementary attaching means projecting from the corresponding interior surfaces of said first and second shell portions which are interengaged to hold said shell portions together, each of said first and second shell portions defining an interior abutment at a spaced location from the opening at said one end, a bundle of fibers having an inner end extending into said skirt portion up to said abutment, at least two rows of teethlike projections which engage into said fibers, the row of said teethlike projections of one of said half shells being offset from the row of said teethlike projections of the other of said half shells, and a clamping collar engaged around said half shells holding them together with said projections engaged in said fibers.

5. A brush comprising first and second substantially symmetrical half shell portions defining together an embracing skirt portion opening at one end for receiving a bundle of fibers and a socket portion opening at the opposite end for receiving a broom stick, each shell having inner walls with at least one complementary centering projection and recess which are interengaged for aligning said half shell portions together and at least one complementary attaching means projecting from the corresponding interior surfaces of said first and second shell portions which are interengaged to hold said shell portions together, each of said first and second shell portions having an exterior surface with complementary rounded end portions terminating in a recess portion at each end of said rounded end portions, each of said shell skirt portions having at least two longitudinally spaced rows of fiber engaging teeth which project inwardly toward the corresponding row of the teeth of the opposite shell skirt portion, the teeth of one of said rows being offset from the other so that the teeth engage into said fibers and permit fanning out of said fibers and a substantially C-shaped clamp member having a curved central portion engaged around the complementary rounded ends of said first and second portions and having an inwardly projecting portion at each end which is engaged in a respective recess at the end of the rounded ends of said first and second shell portions.

6. A brush, according to claim 1, wherein each of said half shell portions has an exterior surface with complementary rounded end portions terminating in a recess at each end of said rounded end portions, and a substantially C-shaped clamp member having a curved central portion engaged around the complementary rounded ends of said first and second portions and having an inwardly projecting portion at each end which is engaged in a respective recess at the end of the rounded ends of said first and second shell portions.

7. A brush according to claim 1, wherein each of said half shell portions has at least two longitudinally spaced rows of fiber engaging teeth which project inwardly from the interior toward the corresponding row of teeth of the opposite shell portion, the teeth of one of said rows being oifset from the teeth of the other of said rows to provide projections which engage into said fibers and permit fanning out of said fibers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,171,161 2/1916 Wingender 15-150 1,169,815 2/1916 Heckman 15177 1,191,758 7/1916 Beebe et al. 15-177 1,644,738 10/1927 Marr 15192 2,407,457 9/1946 Sokoloif 15-177 2,860,361 11/1958 Moody 15176XR 2,864,115 12/1958 Champlin 15--177 XR 2,975,004 3/1961 Safianoff 15l47 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 958,768 9/1949 France.

569,705 11/1957 Italy.

260,056 7/ 1949 Switzerland.

PETER FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. XR

(5,69) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,434,176 Dated March 25, 1969 Inventor(s) Bernard Cazet It is certified that e rror appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Paten t are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 7, the priority date should read "August 12, 1966" SIGNED M0 SEALED SEP 2 I969 (SEAL) Attest:

M Fletche J E. Attesting Officer Comissione-r of Paton"