A PACKAGED BRUSH
The present invention relates to a packaged brush. In particular, it relates to a packaged toothbrush.
Packaging for toothbrushes is usually in the form of a blister pack. The backing to the blister pack serves as a means for locating graphics such as trademarks or marketing claims and often has a hook for attachment to a display device. The front sheet is usually transparent and is shaped to locate the brush on the backing. It is usually made of a plastic strong enough to provide a scratch-proof protection for the brush and to prevent damage during transport and storage .
The prior art also comprises protective covers for toothbrushes, e.g. US 5 779 046 (Plakos) which describes a toothbrush guard having an upper and lower guard section that are pivotally connected to each other and can be used to receive a toothbrush.
Such protective covers are often used for hygienic purposes, i.e. they are used to prevent contamination of the brush when stored in the bathroom.
A particularly advanced packaging includes that described in GB 2 234 893 (Corkerton) which is a cap for preventing contamination of brush heads. The cap further comprises ventilation means and may be part of or may be surrounded by a thin packaging material.
The above-described packaging comprising a backing and a transparent locating sheet, despite being attractive to
consumers, is relatively expensive to manufacture and is bulky. The larger the backing the fewer the number of brushes can be stored in a box.
We have found that toothbrushes can be suitably and cheaply packaged in a form according to the invention.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a packaged brush comprising a brush, which brush comprises a handle and a bristle bearing head, packaging for the brush and a hard protective cover capable of protecting at least the bristles, characterised in that the packaging comprises a soft protective cover in the form of a close-fitting wrap capable of protecting at least the hard protective cover when the hard protective cover is protecting at least the bristles .
The hard protective cover is suitably made of a material capable of protecting at least the bristles from damage during transport and storage. Suitable materials include plastics such as polypropylene, polyethylene and polystyrene .
The hard protective cover must be capable of providing protection for at least the bristles against damage during transport and storage. As such, it must be so shaped as to be able to perform this function.
However, it is not necessary that the bristles or the head be completely surrounded by the hard protective cover. For example, the hard protective cover may comprise a piece of plastic capable of being wrapped around much, or all, of the perimeter of the base formed by the outermost bristles and
extending from the top of the bristles to the bottom of the bristles where the bristles engage the head. The cover would then provide adequate protection against damage while not completely enclosing the brush head or the attached bristles.
Further, the hard protective cover may be located around at least the bristles by an attachment means, such as a complementary portion on the brush head, providing, e.g. a friction or click-fit of the hard protective cover to the head of the brush, or even by the way of the soft protecting cover: the hard protective cover being released from the brush on removal of the soft protective cover.
The hard protective cover may also protect the entire head of the brush as well as the bristles. For example, the hard protective cover in a preferred embodiment comprises two cups joined by a hinge means and is capable of closure around the entire head through a latch means.
While the hard protective cover must be capable of providing a protection against damage during storage and transport it may also be kept by the user after opening to be used as a protection again bacterial contamination during storage in the bathroom. Such a hard protective cover will, preferably, substantially enclose the brush head and attached bristles. The hard protective cover may also be used to protect the bristles when the user is away from home and takes the brush with him.
Such a hard protective cover may also comprise one or more fenestrations allowing air to circulate around the brush
head after use and allow for quicker evaporation of water trapped around the bristles.
The soft protective cover is suitably a material capable of containing the hard protective cover and the brush while offering protection against light damage, e.g. scratches, for both. Suitable materials include polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and polyethylene but may be any material capable of providing such protection. It is an essential feature of the invention that the soft protective cover is a close-fitting wrap which may be applied by being spirally wound around the brush and hard protective cover. In an especially preferred embodiment the soft protective cover comprises a shrink-wrap thermoplastic. Such plastics are common in the art .
It is also preferred that the packaged brush according to the invention comprises a hook means. This can be any device which allows the packaged brush to be hung from a display stand. For example, it may be a hook or ring capable of being hung from a rod. In addition, the hook means may or may not be part of the hard or soft protective covers.
The packaged brush according to the invention may also be attached to the display device by way of a perforated attachment allowing the brushes to be removed from the display device in a tear-off fashion.
The packaged brushes may also be attached to each other by way of a perforated attachment.
The packaged brush according to the invention can be any brush commonly known, e.g. a paint brush, hair brush or nail brush but is preferably a toothbrush.
The invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings .
Fig. 1 shows, in perspective, a packaged brush (1) comprising a toothbrush (2), said brush comprising a handle (3) and a head (4) bearing bristles (5), protective hard cover (6) and a protective soft cover (7) in the form of a close-fitting shrink-wrap plastic. The soft protective cover (7) extends to cover the entire brush (2) and hard protective cover (6) .
Fig. 2 shows, in perspective, a packaged brush (1) comprising a toothbrush (2) , protective hard cover (6) and a protective soft cover (7) in the form of a close-fitting shrink-wrap plastic. The soft protective cover extends only to cover the hard protective cover (6) and a portion of the handle (3) .
Fig. 3a, 3b and 3c show a brush with a protective cover which only protects the bristles.
Fig 3a shows a top view of a brush head (4) with hard protective cover (10) , wherein the hard protective cover (10) protects the bristles (5) by way of a perimeter guard around the brush head.
Fig 3b shows a cross-sectional view along section A' -A' showing the hard protective cover (10) extending from the base to the top of the bristles (5) .
Fig 3c shows, in perspective, a brush head (4) and hard cover (10), as shown in Fig. 4a and 4b with a close-fitting shrink-wrap soft protective cover (7) .
Fig. 4 shows, in perspective, a hard protective cover (6) comprised of two cups (11) joined by a hinge means (12) and capable of being releasably closed by a latch means (13) . The hard protective cover (6) also comprises a hook means (14) and fenestrations (15) .
Fig. 5 shows, in perspective, how many brushes packaged according to the invention can be displayed while not taking up much space .