WO2001060200A1

WO2001060200A1 - Brush holder, use of the brush holder, brush and brush set

Info

Publication number: WO2001060200A1
Application number: PCT/IB2000/000181
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joachim Dettmann; Jonny Geisler
Original assignee: Joachim Dettmann; Jonny Geisler
Priority date: 2000-02-21
Filing date: 2000-02-21
Publication date: 2001-08-23
Also published as: AU2457400A

Abstract

The invention relates to a brush holder (1) with a substantially hemispherically shaped bowl (6) for receiving and holding a brush head (3) of corresponding shape. Inside the bowl (6), a protrusion (7) is arranged that extends from the center of the bottom of the bowl (6) towards the center of the cavity formed by the bowl (6). When a brush (2) with its brush head (3) is positioned in the bowl (6) of the brush holder (1), said protrusion becomes situaged between the bristles (5) of the brush head (3), thereby generating a kind of positive locking situation between the bristles (5) and the protrusion (7) that stabilizes the brush (2) in its position in the brush holder (1) and therefore prevents any misalignment or overturning of the brush (2).

Description

Brush holder, use of the brush holder, brush and brush set

Technical Field

The invention relates to a brush holder, the use of the brush holder, a brush for the use with the brush holder and a brush set according to the preambles of the independent claims.

Background Art

Brushes are commonly used in fields where mechanical cleaning is performed in wet environment, with or without assistance of additional cleaning agents for chemically cleaning and disinfecting. Subsequently, the brushes are wet after use and residuals left at the brush can contain dirt and/or cleaning agents. Especially in sanitary cleaning, e.g. cleaning of a toilet with a toilet brush, the residuals left at the brush are of unhygienic nature. In order to prevent a contact of the dirty brush head with other objects, the brush is stored away in a brush holder that holds the brush either by hanging it up at its handle over a drip pan or by placing the brush head in a bowl arranged in the brush holder.

While brush holders that hold the brush by hanging it up at their handle provide for a quite stable position of the brush in the holder, the freedom for choosing different designs is quite limited, and subsequently they often are of unaesthetic appearance and bulky .

Brush holders that hold the brush by receiving the brush head in a bowl typically are more compact and of more aesthetic appearance due to the freedom in design provided by this construction. However they do not satisfactorily stabilize the brush in the stored away position, and subsequently it can happen that the brush tilts or overturns upon a slight touch at the handle or at the holder or upon a slightly unbalanced position of the brush within the holder and thereby allows the dirty brush head to get in contact with other objects. Furthermore, a toilet brush being misaligned in its holder or lying on the floor looks ugly and messy.

Disclosure of the Invention

Hence, it is a general object of the inven- tion to provide a brush holder and a brush set that overcome the before mentioned disadvantages of the prior art .

This object is achieved by the brush holder and by the brush set according to the independent claims. In one aspect of the invention, the brush holder comprises a bowl forming a cavity for receiving a brush head wherein said bowl at its inside comprises at least one protrusion that extends from the wall of said bowl towards the center of the cavity formed by said bowl. When a brush head is positioned in the bowl of the brush holder, said protrusion or said protrusions become situated between the bristles of the brush head, thereby generating additional resistance against any motion of the brush head within the bowl and subsequently against any motion of the brush in the brush holder.

In one preferred embodiment, the bowl of the brush holder that receives the brush head is of substantially rotationally symmetrical shape, and in particular of hemispherical shape. Bowls approximating such a shape by a combination of facets are also considered to being of such shape. It is further to be understood that also shapes that slightly differ from the exact definition of rotationally symmetrical, like e.g. shapes showing an elliptical cross section or shapes with cut aways for e.g. receiving auxiliary brushes arranged at the main brush head of a brush, are considered to be substantially rotationally symmetrical. Furthermore it is preferred when at least one protrusion is arranged in a central area at the bottom of said bowl . There can be for example three protrusions being arranged symmetrically around the center of the bottom of said bowl. In another preferred embodiment, one protrusion is arranged in the center of the bottom of the bowl. By advantage, this protrusion is of substantially rotationally symmetrical shape, and preferably it is of conical shape. In that case, the mechanical resistance against vertically introducing the brush into the brush holder or vertically taking it out of the brush holder is low while the mechanical resistance against a twist motion of the brush around an axis perpendicular to the axis of the bowl is high when the brush head is positioned in the bowl. Especially when the brush head and the bowl are of substantially hemispherical shape, the stability of the position of the brush in the brush holder is considerably increased compared to the prior art . In a further embodiment, the length of said protrusion extending from the wall towards the center of the cavity formed by said bowl is at least a quarter of the diameter of the opening of said bowl in order to generate sufficient mechanical resistance against a twist motion of the brush around an axis perpendicular to the axis of the bowl .

Since most of the brushes are used together with cleaning agents, it is of advantage when the brush holder comprises at least one cavity for receiving at least one cleaning liquid container. Preferably the opening of this cavity is facing substantially upwards when the holder is in its intended position so that a cleaning liquid container can be vertically introduced or taken out of said cavity. In case the brush holder is used for a brush with means for dispensing cleaning liquid from an interchangeable cleaning liquid cartridge incorporated in said brush, the brush holder can comprise one or several cavities that are adapted to receive and store interchangeable cleaning liquid cartridges for the brush in a defined position within the holder.

In another aspect, the brush holder is used for holding a toilet brush.

In a further aspect, a brush for the use with the brush holder comprises a substantially hemispheri- cally or cylindrically shaped brush head formed by a central core element and bristles carried by said core element, wherein said bristles are arranged at said core element in such way that they form at least one opening in the brush head for receiving said protrusion arranged in said bowl of said brush holder.

In a final aspect, a brush set consists of said brush holder and said brush.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become ap- parent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a partially sectional view of a brush set consisting of a brush holder for positioning on the floor and a toilet brush positioned in its bowl;

Fig. 2 shows a partially sectional view of a brush set consisting of a brush holder for wall fixation and a toilet brush positioned in its bowl;

Fig. 3 shows a side view of a brush set consisting of a toilet brush with means for dispensing cleaning liquid and of a brush holder with interchangeable cleaning liquid cartridges for said toilet brush.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

The general concept of a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 1. The drawing shows a partially sectional view of a brush set consisting of a brush holder 1 for positioning on the floor and a toilet brush 2. The brush head 3 of the toilet brush 2, comprising a core element 4 and a multitude of bristles 5 arranged on the surface of and carried by the core element 4, is positioned in the substantially hemispheri- cally shaped bowl 6 of the brush holder 1 that has an opening facing substantially upwards. The brush head 3 is of corresponding shape. In the center of the bottom of the bowl 6, a conical protrusion 7 is arranged that extends from the wall of the bowl 6 to the center of the cavity formed by the bowl 6. The length of the protrusion 7 is substantially similar to the length of the bristles

5 of the brush head 3. This causes the protrusion 7 to vertically abut to the core element 4 of the brush head

3, thereby vertically supporting the core element 4 and radially contacting the bristles 5.

As can be derived from the drawing in Fig. 1, for vertically taking the brush 2 out of the holder 1 or for vertically introducing the brush head 3 into the bowl

6 of the brush holder 1, only minor forces for overcoming the friction between the tips of the bristles 5 and the wall of the bowl 6 and for lifting the weight of the brush 2 in case of taking it out are required. In contrast, for effecting any twist motion of the brush 2 around an axis perpendicular to the axis of the bowl 6, which in this case is the vertical axis, in case the brush 2 is positioned in the holder 1, quite considerable forces are required and an automatic resetting back to vertical alignment upon ceasing of said forces is effected due to the combination of a kind of positive locking between the protrusion 7 and the bristles 5 and the elastic nature of the bristles 5.

In this example, the bristles 5 are arranged at the core element 4 in such way that they form, at a position opposite to the stem shaped handle, an opening in the shape of the brush head 3 that corresponds with the conical protrusion 7 of the bowl 6. This arrangement reduces the friction in vertical direction between the protrusion 7 and the bristles 5 during introduction and taking out of the brush 2 and provides a defined positive locking situation between the protrusion 7 and the bristles 5 of the brush head 3. It is also possible to, in addition, arrange a corresponding opening in the core element 4 into which the protrusion 7 extends when the brush 2 is located inside the brush holder 1. Beside using tailored brushes 2, it is also possible to use brushes that do not provide a corresponding opening for the protrusion 7 in their brush head 3 but have bristles 5 substantially evenly distributed over the core element 4 of their brush head 3. In that case, the shape of the protrusion 7 is adapted to ensure that the bristles 5 of the brush head 3 will part when introducing the brush head 3 into the bowl 6 of the brush holder 1, thereby forming a kind of positive locking situation between the bristles 5 and the protrusion 7. As described earlier, in the given example the protrusion 7 vertically abuts to the core element 4, thereby forming a physical stop for vertically introducing the brush 2 into the brush holder 1 and further vertically supporting the brush 2 and carrying its weight. Especially when the brush holder 1 is used with brushes 2 that comprise means for dispensing cleaning liquid, e.g. toilet brushes 2 with means for dispensing cleaning liquid, this is of advantage because it prevents a permanent deformation of the bristles 5 due to the weight of such a brush 2, that without this vertical support would have to be carried by the bristles 5.

In Fig. 2 there is shown a brush holder 1, with a similar concept as described before, that is adapted to be mounted to a substantially vertical surface like e.g. a wall. As can be seen in this drawing, the opening of said bowl 6 again is facing substantially upwards in order to enable the bowl 6 of the brush holder 1 to, in addition, function as a drip pan for residuals left at the brush 2 after use.

In Fig. 3 a brush set consisting of a toilet brush 2 with means for dispensing cleaning liquid using interchangeable cleaning liquid cartridges 8 and of a brush holder 1 with spare cleaning liquid cartridges 8 for said toilet brush 2 is shown. As can be seen in this drawing, the spare cleaning liquid cartridges 8 are stored in defined positions in cavities located in the brush holder 1 that are facing substantially upwards.

While there are shown and described presently preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practised within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. Brush holder (1) with a bowl (6) forming a cavity for receiving a brush head (3), characterised in that said bowl (6) at its inside comprises at least one protrusion (7) that extends from the wall of said bowl (6) towards the center of the cavity formed by said bowl (6) .

2. Brush holder (1) of claim 1 wherein said bowl (6) is of substantially rotationally symmetrically shape, and in particular is of substantially hemispherical shape.

3. Brush holder (1) of one of the preceding claims wherein said protrusion (7) is arranged in a central area at the bottom of said bowl (6) .

4. Brush holder (1) of one of the preceding claims wherein in the center of the bottom of said bowl (6) one protrusion (7) is arranged.

5. Brush holder (1) of one of the preceding claims wherein said protrusion (7) is of substantially rotationally symmetrical shape.

6. Brush holder (1) of one of the preceding claims wherein said protrusion (7) is of conical shape.

7. Brush holder (1) of one of the preceding claims wherein the length of said protrusion (7) extending from the wall towards the center of the cavity formed by said bowl (6) is at least a quarter of the diameter of the opening of said bowl (6) .

8. Brush holder (1) of one of the preceding claims wherein said brush holder (1) is adapted to be placed on a substantially horizontal surface while positioning said opening of said bowl (6) to be facing substantially upwards.

9. Brush holder (1) of one of the preceding claims wherein said brush holder (1) is adapted to be mounted to a substantially vertical surface while positioning said opening of said bowl (6) to be facing substantially upwards.

10. Brush holder (1) of one of the preceding claims wherein said brush holder (1) comprises at least one cavity for receiving at least one cleaning liquid container ( 8 ) .

11. Brush holder (1) of claim 10 wherein an opening of said cavity is facing substantially upwards when the brush holder (1) is in its intended position.

12. Brush holder (1) of one of the claims 10 to 11 wherein said cavity is adapted to receive and store in a defined position at least one interchangeable cleaning liquid cartridge (8) for a brush (2).

13. Use of the brush holder (1) of one of the preceding claims for holding a toilet brush (2).

14. Brush (2) for the use with the brush holder (1) of one of the preceding claims with a substantially hemispherically or cylindrically shaped brush head (3) formed by a central core element (4) and bristles (5) carried by said core element (4) , wherein said bristles (5) are arranged at said core element (4) in such way that they form at least one opening in the brush head (3) for receiving said protrusion (7) arranged in said bowl (6) of said brush holder (1) .

15. Brush (2) of claim 14 with a stem shaped handle arranged at one side of the brush head (3) wherein said opening is arranged at a position opposite to said stem shaped handle in said brush head (3) .

16. Brush (2) of one of the claims 14 to 15 wherein said core element (4) comprises at least one opening for receiving at least one protrusion (7) arranged in said bowl (6) of said brush holder (1) .

17. Brush (2) of one of the claims 14 to 16 wherein said brush (2) is a toilet brush (2) and in particular, wherein said brush (2) comprises means for dispensing cleaning liquid.

18. Brush set consisting of the brush holder (1) of one of the claims 1 to 12 and of the brush (2) of one of the claims 14 to 17.

19. Brush set of claim 18 wherein during storage of said brush (2) in said brush holder (1) said core element (4) substantially vertically abuts to said protrusion (7) to substantially vertically support said brush (2) in said brush holder (1) .

20. Brush set of one of the claims 18 to 19 further comprising at least one cleaning liquid container

(8) stored in a defined position in a cavity in said brush holder (1) .