WO2012121806A2

WO2012121806A2 - Razor blade cleaning brush

Info

Publication number: WO2012121806A2
Application number: PCT/US2012/021421
Authority: WO
Inventors: Terrence J. LAVERY
Original assignee: Lavery Terrence J
Priority date: 2011-03-10
Filing date: 2012-01-16
Publication date: 2012-09-13
Also published as: WO2012121806A3

Abstract

An inexpensive razor-cleaning brush which is made from a modified toothbrush mold and includes side guards thereon to render the brush not usable as a toothbrush and to provide for a clear visual indication that said razor-cleaning brush is not a toothbrush.

Description

RAZOR BLADE CLEANING BRUSH

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of an earlier filed U.S. utility patent application filed by the same inventor on September 14, 2011, and having Application Number 13/232,096, which in turn claims the benefit of an earlier filed U.S. provisional patent application filed by the same inventor on March 10, 2011, and having Application Number 61/451,469.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to cleaning brushes and more particularly to brushes for cleaning and drying razor blades.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

In today's market, there is a need to keep razor blades' edges sharp and to extend the life of the blades. The fact is, the useful life of a razor blade is typically undermined by common, but poor blade-cleaning processes. The common "water faucet method" of cleaning razor blades often does not fully clean the soaps and residue under the blade's cavity, which creates serious limitations to a razor's blade useful life.

Consequently, there exists a need for improved methods for cleaning and drying razors. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to extend the life of razor blades.

It is a feature of the present invention to include a toothbrush-like cleaning brush to clean, better sanitize and dry razor blades.

It is another feature of the present invention to include side guards to differentiate the brush from a toothbrush.

It is another feature of the present invention to include drying holes in the side guards.

It is an advantage of the present invention to achieve efficient use of razor blades.

The present invention is an apparatus, method and system for cleaning razor blades, which is designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs, provide the previously stated objects, including the above-listed features and achieve the already articulated advantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be more fully understood by reading the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, in conjunction with the appended drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention. Lines 5-5 are cross-sectional lines for Fig. 5.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention with lower side guards. FIG. 3 is a cut-away view of the brush of FIG. 1 exposing the interior bristles. FIG. 4 is a top view of the brush of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention. Lines 7- 7 are cross-sectional lines for FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a top view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Now referring to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like matter throughout, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a side view of an embodiment of the present invention, generally designated 100, which has a full-height raised side guard 111. This view shows the solid view of the one-piece molded plastic handle 110 on the left of the drawing. The full-height raised side guard illustrates on the right the brush head. The brush 100 may in one embodiment be made from a mold and with materials which are very similar or nearly identical to a toothbrush other than the presence of the side guards 111. Some of the economic advantages of the present invention may be obtained by merely taking an existing toothbrush mold and removing material therefrom so as to create voids in the mold which would produce side guards. Shown at the bottom of the brush head is a group of slip retarding protuberances 170, which may be rubber or other suitable material designed to grip wet surfaces. Now referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a side view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention generally designated 1000, showing the ¾-height raised side guard 1110 and exposed nylon brush face 120 of 1 ½ inches. Also shown are drying holes 200 to facilitate rapid drying of the brush.

Now referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a cut-away view of FIG. 1 exposing the interior bristles 120.

Now referring to FIG. 4, there is a block drawing of the top view of the brush of FIG. 1 showing left side guard 112, top side drying holes 200 and bristle support area 130. The brush surface is open to the handle 110 on the left and the end on the right to the tip of bristle support area 130.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 1. This view illustrates the open-ended brush in relationship to the full-height side protuberance guards 111 and 112. These guards provide a visual indication that the brush 100 is not a toothbrush. These guards/protuberances render the brush useless as a toothbrush.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention generally designated 1001, showing the ¾-raised side guard 1111 and a 2.5-inch expanded nylon brush face 120.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6. This view illustrates the open-ended brush, along with the internal brushes 120. Bristle height is illustrated higher than the side guards 1111, 1121. Side guards illustrated are ¾ height 1111 and 1121, in relationship to bristles 120. FIG. 8 is a top view of the brush of FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrating the complete brush with expanded 2.5 inch brush head. This view shows the one-piece molded plastic handle 110. Guards 1111 and 1121 illustrate the side guards that run parallel, molded or affixed into the handle/brush head.

Side guards 111 and 112 can be molded into the handle or affixed subject to manufacturing limitations.

Materials may vary, but shown herein is a plastic molded one-piece handle and head design, coupled with nylon-like brush bristles.

Handle materials can vary from multiple types of plastic, rubber and varying metals. Handle sizes may vary subject to manufacturer applications. Handles may incorporate a middle wide thumb/finger grip. Handles can be molded or formed in various configurations from flat, round, oval, all contoured to manufacturer's

applications.

Bristle materials may be common nylon or suitable brush-type materials. Bristle lengths may vary in heights from 3/8 inch.

Brush head or bristles lengths and width may vary subject to application. Brush heads can be angled as related to the brush; see FIG. 6.

Cleaning brush overall lengths and widths may vary subject to application.

Described above is a razor blade cleaning brush 100 which is about the same size as a common toothbrush, 7 5/8 inches long. Length and width of the brush head configuration can be expanded as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, which show the brush head is rectangular in shape and rounded at the end 130. The nylon bristles are shown about ½ inch across and 1 ½ to 2 ½ wide. The side guards can measure about 1/8 inch thickness and 2 to 3 inches wide.

The dimensions and placement of slip retarding protuberance 170, is a matter of design choice, but enlarged protuberances can also tend to render the brush impractical as a tooth brush.

In operation, the user will hold the cleaning brush in the opposite hand while shaving. The brush is to be placed under the water faucet or in a wash bowl, with the protuberances 170 contacting the wash bowl, and the user is to sweep the razor blade through the cleaning brush bristles away from the body until the soaps are washed away. This is to be repeated throughout the shaving process. When finished shaving and cleaning the razor, a separate dry brush which could be identical to brush 100 or tailored more for drying, is used to brush away moisture and facilitate rapid drying of the razor before the razor blades can rust or otherwise oxidize.

The brush 100 can be sterilized in hot soapy water or in the dishwasher.

While the above description discloses a brush for cleaning a razor, it should be understood that the brush could be used for other uses as well. It should also be understood that the protuberance shown herein as planar side guards could be non-planar protuberance which have other shapes which might render the brush as being

uncomfortable as a toothbrush. The above description is intended to describe preferred or exemplary embodiments of the present invention, but it should be understood that various changes may be made to the structures and methods described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that the claims below include all such variations of the present invention.

Claims

I claim:

Claim 1 A razor blade cleaning brush comprising:

a body having a handle end and a brush head end, said handle end which is sized and configured to be grasped and held by a single human hand, and said brush head end is sized and configured to be able to be inserted inside a human mouth;

a brush head disposed at said brush head end; said brush head comprising a plurality of bristles, extending above said brush head by a bristle height dimension;

a top protuberance on said brush head which simultaneously forms a guide to keep a razor positioned over the plurality of bristles when said razor is swiped across the plurality of bristles, in a cleaning mode direction generally parallel with a line running from said handle end to said brush head end, said top protuberance further sized and configured at a height at least half of said bristle height dimension for providing a visual indication that the brush is not a toothbrush, and

thereby reducing a likelihood that the razor blade cleaning brush will inadvertently be attempted to be used for brushing teeth.

Claim 2 The brush of claim 1 wherein said top protuberance is a panel disposed exterior of said plurality of bristles and restricting a side view of portions of the plurality of the bristles.

Claim 3 The brush of claim 2 further comprising a plurality of drying holes disposed in said panel the majority of which is a planar surface. Claim 4 The brush of any one of claims 1 , 2 or 3 further comprising a plurality of drying holes in a base portion of said brush, which supports said plurality of bristles.

Claim 5 The brush of any one of claims 2, 3 or 4 wherein said panel is one of a plurality of curved panels.

Claim 6 The brush of any one of claims 1-5 wherein said top protuberance only partially restricts a side view of said plurality of bristles.

Claim 7 The brush of any one of claims 1-5 wherein said panel fully restricts a side view of said plurality of bristles.

Claim 8 The brush of any one of claims 1-7 wherein said body is free from an end protuberance which is disposed so as to interfere with swiping a razor between said plurality of curved panels in said cleaning mode direction and over said plurality of bristles.

Claim 9 A razor cleaning brush comprising:

a handle with a proximal hand end and a distal hand end;

a bristle support area coupled to said handle in closer proximity to said distal hand end than to said proximal hand end;

a plurality of bristles disposed on said bristle support area and extending above said bristle support area by a bristle height dimension;

said handle and said plurality of bristles being sized and configured, in the absence of additional matter, to function as a tooth brush; a plurality of side guards disposed on opposing sides of said plurality of bristles; and

said plurality of side guards extending above said bristle support area by more than half said bristle height dimension.

Claim 10 The brush of claim 9 wherein said plurality of side guards are sized and configured to provide visual and tactile notification that said brush is not optimized for brushing teeth.

Claim 11 The brush of any one of claims 9 or 10 wherein said plurality of side guards contain a plurality of orifices therethrough.

Claim 12 The brush of any one of claims 9-11 wherein said bristle support area extends longer than one and one half inches.

Claim 13 The brush of any one of claims 9-12 wherein said plurality of side guards extend further than said bristle height dimension.

Claim 14 A razor cleaning channel brush comprising:

a handle, sized and configured to be held and controlled by a single hand;

a bristle support area, disposed at an end of said handle, said bristle support area being sized and configured to be able to be inserted into a human mouth as if said bristle support area were tooth engaging portions of a tooth brush;

a plurality of bristles disposed in said bristle support area;

wherein said handle, said bristle support area, and said plurality of bristles being configured, in the absence of other matter, so as to provide utility as a toothbrush;

a first top protuberance disposed adjacent said plurality of bristles; and said first top protuberance being sized and configured to reduce said utility as a toothbrush;

a second top protuberance disposed adjacent said plurality of bristles;

wherein said first top protuberance and said second top protuberance are opposingly disposed on said bristle support area so as to form a channel, which channel is sized and configured to allow placement therein and to guide therethrough a multi-blade disposable razor as it is swiped through said plurality of bristles.

Claim 15 The brush of claim 14 wherein said top protuberance is made of material identical to said handle.

Claim 16 The brush of any one of claims 14 or 15 wherein said top

protuberance is a curved side guard.

Claim 17 The brush of any one of claims 14-16 wherein said second top protuberance is made of material identical to said handle and said channel having a substantially "U" shaped cross-section, with said plurality of bristles being disposed with the "U" shaped channel

Claim 18 The brush of any one of claims 14-17 wherein each of said plurality of top protuberances is a planar side guard which has a plurality of orifices therethrough to facilitate drying of said plurality of bristles.

Claim 19 The brush of any one of claims 14-18 further comprising a plurality of bottom orifices through said bristle support area, with no bristles therein, which bottom orifices are sized and configured to facilitate drying of said plurality of bristles. Claim 20 The brush of any one of claims 14-19 wherein said channel is an integral part of said bristle support area.