ZA200700152B - Brush - Google Patents

Description

@0.007/00132

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

THIS INVENTION relates to brushware. More particularly, the invention relates to a domestic scrubbing brush.

The Applicant has found that it is frequently necessary to have a plurality of brushes of varying sizes to hand when doing domestic scrubbing chores across a variety of surfaces. Accordingly, there is a need for brushware which may be used to thoroughly scrub awkward corners, slots, or channelled sections in showers, kitchens, bathrooms, tiled areas, or any area where conventional planar brushes have difficulty reaching, thereby to decrease the amount of time and the number of implements required for doing so.

+

Ne REN w/ 021 5

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Bg. wT }

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a domestic scrubbing brush which includes: ! a brush body having at least two bristle support faces; and bristles arranged on the bristle support faces so as to define more than one scrubbing plane.

In one embodiment, the brush body may define a plurality of bristle support faces. The bristle support faces may be angled relative to one another, each bristle support face having one grouping of bristles of substantially similar length disposed thereupon.

More particularly, the support faces may be perpendicular to each other.

Accordingly, each grouping of bristles may project substantially perpendicularly from its associated bristle support face, so that each grouping of bristles defines a free end brushing area substantially parallel to the angled bristle support faces.

In another embodiment, at least one bristle support face may support bristles of differing lengths defining at least two brushing planes which are at an angle to each other.

C 4

In yet another embodiment, the bristle support faces may support at least two groupings of bristles, at least one such grouping of bristles having a bristle length differing from that of any other groupings of bristles, so that each one of the at least two groupings of bristles defines a free end brushing area in a plane particular to said grouping of bristles. it will be appreciated that the bristle support face may include a plurality of groups of bristles, each group having a particular free end brushing area dictated by the carrier member, and a particular bristle length. The bristles may be recessed individually in the brush body, or may extend from sockets defined within the brush body.

Alternatively, or additionally, the bristles may be grouped in tufts extending from the brush body or sockets.

The brush body may define at least one handle or gripping means, to provide a user with sufficient purchase on the brush when scrubbing.

The brush body may be formed from synthetic plastics material, a metal alloy, or a wooden material, or the like. The brush body may be shaped and dimensioned to comfortably fit a wide variety of hands. In addition, the brush body may be fitted with a restraining formation for allowing a user to attach the brush to their

® 5 hand or foot. This may be in the form of an elastic member extending transversely across the brush body.

The invention extends further to a domestic scrubbing brush having bristles defining a substantially V-shaped scrubbing plane when viewed in cross-section.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a domestic scrubbing brush having bristles grouped so as to define stepped scrubbing planes when viewed in cross-section. The bristles may be profiled to define a step in a medial, longitudinally extending direction relative to the brush body when viewed in cross-section.

Alternatively, or additionally, the bristles may be profiled to define two laterally downwardly extending skirts, each skirt having a bristle length extending beyond a shorter medial, longitudinally extending grouping of bristles having lengths slightly shorter in length than the bristles defining the laterally downwardly extending skirts.

In use, the groupings of bristles on the brush body allows a user, in one embodiment, to scrub surfaces extending from planes at an angle or perpendicular to one another, while, in a second embodiment, the groupings of bristles on the brush body allows a user to scrub channelled or recessed sections between adjacent scrubbing surfaces.

® 6

The bristles or tufts of bristles may be made from a resiliently flexible plastics material. The bristles or tufts may be treated, coated or impregnated with a non-stick or low adhesiveness coating, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (commercially available as TEFLON®), or derivatives thereof. In addition, the bristles or tufts may be treated, coated, or impregnated with an antimicrobial compound or compounds, such as anti-fungal, anti-viral, and/or antibacterial compounds.

Similarly, the brush body may be treated, coated, or impregnated with an antimicrobial compound or compounds, such as anti-fungal, anti-viral, and/or antibacterial compounds.

It is to be appreciated that the abovementioned objectives of having angled or stepped brushing surfaces may also be achieved by providing bristles of similar length on a brush body having angled or stepped bristle supporting faces.

Accordingly, the invention extends also to a brush body having angled or stepped bristle supporting faces.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

® ’

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS :

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a three-dimensional view of a domestic scrubbing brush, in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of the domestic scrubbing brush in

Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view of another embodiment of a scrubbing brush, in accordance with the invention;

Figure 4 is an end view of another embodiment of a scrubbing brush, in accordance with the invention; !

Figure 5 is an end view of another embodiment of a scrubbing brush, in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 6 is an end view of another embodiment of a scrubbing brush, in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the drawings, reference numeral 10 indicates generally a domestic scrubbing brush in accordance with the invention. The

® 8 scrubbing brush 10 includes a brush body, generally indicated by reference numeral 12, and at least two groups of bristles, generally indicated by reference numeral 14, which are disposed on the brush body 12. At least one of the groups of bristles 14 defines a free end brushing area lying on a plane differing from that of a remaining group of bristles, as is explained and illustrated in more detail below.

The brush body 12 includes a bristle carrier member 16 and a handle or grip 18 attached or attachable to the bristle carrier member 16. The handle or grip 18 permits a user to grip the scrubbing brush 12, the groups of bristles 14 being supported by the bristle carrier member 16.

In this embodiment of the invention, the bristle carrier member 16 and the handle or grip 18 are of unitary construction formed by a moulding of synthetic plastics material. However, the brush body 12 can be formed from a metal alloy, a ceramics material, a wooden material, or a combination of materials.

The handle or grip 18 is in the form of a generally U-shaped handle which is orientated longitudinally on the bristle carrier member 16 to define an aperture between said handle or grip 18 and the bristle carrier member 16 for a user to the handle 18, the handle 18 being slightly convexly curved. Thumb-print recesses 19 are provided on corners of the handle 18 for, in use, securing a thumb of

° 53

Tong7/0313d the user to provide a better grip for the user. The handle or grip 18 of the brush body 12 is shaped and dimensioned to be comfortably manipulatable by a broad cross-section of users, including users having limited hand strength, such as the elderly. In addition, in one embodiment of the invention (not shown), the brush body 12 is fitted with a restraining formation in the form of a broad transversely extending elastic band or ribbon for allowing a user to attach the brush to a hand or foot for ease of use.

The bristle carrier member 16, of the embodiment shown in

Figure 1 and 2, is in the form of an elongated block 20 having a rectangular operatively upper major face 20 opposite two obliquely slanting faces 22 extending from operatively lower peripheral respective longitudinally extending sides of the block 60 to form an operatively downwardly projecting triangular formation when viewed in transverse cross-section, the slanting faces 22 providing the bristle carrier faces. As is illustrated in the drawings, the one bristle carrier face 22 lies on a plane differing from that of the other bristle carrier face 22.

Each bristle carrier face 22 supports one grouping of bristles 24. Each grouping of bristles 24 projects substantially perpendicularly from its associated bristle carrier face 22, so that each grouping of bristles 24 defines a free end brushing area in a particular plane.

® 10

Each grouping of bristles 24 comprises a plurality of tufts of bristles which are secured to the bristle carrier member 16 at their respective root ends (not shown), the plurality of tufts being juxtapositioned on the bristle carrier member 16.

Referring now to Figure 3, another embodiment of the scrubbing brush is shown and generally indicated by reference numeral 30. The scrubbing brush 30 also includes a handle or grip 32 and a bristle carrier member 34 similar to that of the scrubbing brush 10 as describe above. The scrubbing brush 30 includes two groups of bristles 36, the bristles of which all having matching lengths and which depend operatively downwardly from their respective bristle carrier faces 38 to define a V-shaped bristle profile, and thus having respective free-end bristle scrubbing areas in different planes.

Figure 4 shows yet another embodiment of the scrubbing brush, generally indicated by reference numeral 40. The scrubbing brush 40 includes a bristle carrier member 42 in the form of a rectangular block having a rectangular major face 48 serving as a bristle carrier face. Two groupings of bristles 46 depend operatively downwardly from the bristle carrier face 48, each grouping of bristles 46 comprising bristles which increase progressively in length toward a centre of the bristle carrier member 42, thereby to define a V- shaped brushing area profile.

In Figure 5, yet another embodiment of a scrubbing brush of the invention, generally indicated by reference numeral 50, is shown.

The scrubbing brush 50 similarly includes a grip or handle 54 projecting from a bristle carrier member 52. The bristle carrier member 52 is formed by two rectangular blocks merged at adjacent lateral sides and which form an acute angle between them, thereby to form a cross-sectional V-shaped bristle carrier member. The respective outer facing major faces 58 of the bristle carrier members 52 constitute the bristle carrier faces 58. A group of bristles 56 projects operatively downwardly from each bristle carrier face 58.

Figure 6 shows another embodiment of a scrubbing brush of the invention, generally indicated by reference numeral 60. Similarly to the scrubbing brush 40 in Figure 4, the scrubbing brush 60 16 includes a bristle carrier member 60 in the form of a rectangular block having a bristle carrier face 66. Two groupings of bristles project from the bristle carrier face 66, one grouping of bristles 70 having a greater length than the bristles of the other grouping of bristles 68, so that free ends of the one grouping of bristles 70 stand proud of the other grouping of bristles 68, thereby to define stepped free-end scrubbing areas.

The bristles of tufts of bristles 14 are made from a resiliently flexible plastics material and, in one embodiment, are coated or impregnated with a non-stick or low-adhesiveness coating, such as

® " Top / 00152 polytetrafluoroethylene (commercially available as TEFLON®). The bristles or tufts are also treated or impregnated with anti-fungal, anti- viral, and antibacterial compounds to prevent the growth or build-up of microbes on the bristles. Similarly, the brush body 12 is treated or impregnated with similar antimicrobial compounds.

It is to be appreciated that the abovementioned objectives of having angled or stepped brushing surfaces may also be achieved by ! providing bristles of similar length on a brush body having angled or stepped brush supporting faces.

The Applicant believes that the embodiments of the domestic scrubbing brushes as described herein facilitate the cleaning of multi- planar surfaces, thereby to decrease the amount of time and the number of implements required to clean awkward corners, slots, or channelled sections in showers, kitchens, bathrooms, or any area where conventional planar brushes have difficulty reaching.

Particularly, a scrubbing brush having a stepped bristle group, as describe hereinbefore, can mate with grooves between e.g. floor or shower tiles and can thereby facilitate the cleaning of the floor or shower tiles and grooves between them simultaneously with easy brushing strokes.

Claims (24)

» : om \ I Mi \ CL

1. A domestic scrubbing brush including: a brush body having at least two bristle support faces; and bristles arranged on the bristle support faces so as to define more than one scrubbing plane.

2. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bristle support faces are angled relative to one another, with each bristle support face having one grouping of bristles of substantially similar length disposed thereupon.

3. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the bristle support faces are perpendicular to each other.

4. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the bristles project substantially perpendicularly from their associated bristle support face, so that each grouping of bristles defines a free end brushing area substantially parallel to the angled bristle support faces.

5. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one bristle support face supports bristles of differing

® 14 lengths defining at least two brushing planes which are angled relative to each other.

6. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bristle support faces support at least two groupings of bristles, at least one such grouping of bristles having a bristle length differing from that of any other groupings of bristles, so that each one of the at least two groupings of bristles defines a free end brushing area in a plane particular to said grouping of bristles.

7. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the bristle support face includes a plurality of groups of bristles, each group having a particular free end brushing area dictated by the carrier member, and a particular bristle length.

8. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the bristles are recessed individually within the brush body.

9. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bristles extend in tufts from sockets defined within the brush body.

10. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the bristles are made from a resiliently flexible plastics material which is coated, treated, or impregnated with a non-stick or low adhesiveness coating.

11. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in claim 10, wherein the non-stick or low adhesiveness coating is polytetra- fluoroethylene or derivatives thereof.

12. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the bristles are treated, coated, or impregnated with anti-fungal, anti-viral, or antibacterial compounds, or combinations thereof.

13. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the brush body define at least one handle or gripping means, to provide a user with sufficient purchase on the brush when scrubbing.

14. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the brush body is formed from synthetic plastics material, a metal alloy, a ceramics material, a wooden material, or a combination of such materials.

x ® 1 Tp007/ 00152

15. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the brush body is treated, coated, or impregnated with anti-fungal, anti-viral, and/or antibacterial compounds, or combinations thereof.

16. A domestic scrubbing brush including: a brush body; and bristies arranged on the brush body so as to define a substantially V-shaped scrubbing plane, when viewed in cross-section.

17. A domestic scrubbing brush including: a brush body; and bristles arranged on the brush body so as to define at least one stepped scrubbing plane, when viewed in cross-section.

18. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in claim 17, wherein the bristles are profiled to define at least one step in a medial, longitudinally extending direction relative to the brush body when viewed in cross-section.

19. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in claim 17 or claim 18, wherein the bristles are profiled to define two laterally downwardly extending skirts, each skirt having a bristle length extending beyond a shorter medial, longitudinally extending grouping of bristles.

20. A domestic scrubbing brush having angled or stepped brushing surfaces including: a brush body having angled or stepped bristle supporting faces; and a plurality of bristles having similar lengths arranged upon the bristle supporting faces.

21. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the brush body is fitted with a restraining formation for allowing a user to attach the brush to their hand or foot.

22. A brush body for a domestic scrubbing brush, the brush body having angled or stepped bristle supporting faces.

23. A domestic scrubbing brush as claimed in any one of claims 1, 16, 17, 20 substantially as herein described and illustrated.

24. A brush body as claimed in claim 22, substantially as herein described and illustrated.

® 18 DATED THIS 5" DAY OF JANUARY 2007 Jp = C C SMIT SMIT & VAN WYK, INC.

APPLICANT'S PATENT ATTORNEYS