Patent Application
20060102094
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of animal care and grooming. More specifically, this invention relates to a flexible elastomeric curry brush that provides added convenience, better gripping and improved control during grooming with respect to conventional curry brushes.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Consumers and animal professionals have a wide variety of grooming tools to choose from, and frequently acquire large collections of brushes, combs, shampoo containers, flea and tick powders, clippers, scissors and other equipment, particularly if they are responsible for the care of more than one animal.
One type of grooming brush that is effective in caring for the coat of certain pets, such as cats and dogs, is the rubber curry brush. These implements typically have a handle and a plurality of flexible, elastomeric tines that are effective in removing loose hair and dirt from the animal's coat, while simultaneously having a massaging effect on the animal's skin during use. Massaging stimulates the skin, releasing natural oils, leading to a healthier skin and coat. Curry brushes can also be used while shampooing the animal.
A grooming implement such as a curry brush is only as effective as it can be gripped and controlled by the consumer. In general, a certain amount of flexibility in such brushes tends to improve the quality of the grip that can be achieved by the user, but too much flexibility can result in unwanted distortion of the overall shape of the implement, which has the unwanted effect of reducing control.
It is also difficult for many pet owners and pet professionals to control a restless pet during shampooing while simultaneously keeping track of the various tools and supplies that may be needed for the process, such as shampoo containers and grooming implements.
A need exists for an improved flexible curry brush that provides for enhanced grippability without sacrificing controllability, and that also helps the pet owner remain neat and organized while attending to grooming of the animal.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved flexible curry brush that provides enhanced grippability for the consumer without sacrificing controllability. It further is an object of the invention to provide a curry brush that assists the pet owner in remaining neat and organized while attending to grooming of the animal.
In order to achieve the above and other objects of the invention, a curry brush for grooming an animal according to a first aspect of the invention includes a body portion having a socket defined therein; a plurality of flexible tines extending from the body portion; and a container positioned within the socket.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a brush for grooming an animal includes a flexible body portion having a socket defined therein; a plurality of tines extending from the body portion; and a container positioned within the socket, and wherein the container provides added rigidity to the flexible body portion.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a brush for grooming an animal includes a flexible body portion having a socket defined therein for receiving a container; a plurality of tines extending from the body portion; and a viewing window defined in the flexible body portion to permit a person to view the container when it is positioned in the socket, and wherein the viewing window is configured to have a pet related design configuration.
These and various other advantages and features of novelty that characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding structure throughout the views, and referring in particular to
Referring now to
A cylindrical opening 28 is defined in an end portion of the body portion 12 by a surface 30. As is the shown in
Cylindrical opening 28 is sized and oriented relative to socket 14 so as to receive the neck portion 30 and a part of the dispensing closure 32 when the container 16 is seated within socket 14. A distal end of the dispensing closure 32 will extend beyond the end of cylindrical opening 28 and protrude from the curry brush 10 so that material may be dispensed from the container 16 without removing the container 16 from the body portion 12. Additionally, dispensing closure 32 preferably extends beyond the end of cylindrical opening 28 at least to the extent that is necessary to permit the consumer to unscrew the dispensing closure 32 from the container 16, which will permit the consumer to refill the container 16 without removing the container 16 from the socket 14.
Preferably, container 16 is fabricated from a material having a hardness that is greater than a hardness of the flexible resilient elastomeric material from which body portion 12 is fabricated. Container 16 is preferably fabricated from a clear, relatively hard transparent plastic material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polycarbonate. This material preferably has a hardness that is harder than the hardness of the flexible resilient elastomeric material from which body portion 12 is fabricated, namely greater than Shore 80A, and is more preferably within a range of about Rockwell M85 to about Rockwell M95. This relatively hard plastic material also preferably has a coefficient of friction that is within a range of about 0.15 to about 0.4.
Container 16 thus provides added stiffness and rigidity to the curry brush 10 when it is positioned within the socket 14 that is defined in body portion 12. Indicia 34 is preferably provided on the container 16 for providing a quantitative indication to the consumer as to how much liquid is contained within the container 16 at any given time. Indicia 34 is preferably positioned on the container 16 in a location where it may be viewed by the consumer through the viewing window 20, as is best shown in
Container 16 preferably has a relatively smooth outer surface 42, as is the shown in
When the user squeezes the opposed gripping surfaces a degree of flexure of the body portion 12 will occur about the container 16, as the smooth inner surface 44 of the cavity 14 is permitted to laterally displaced by a limited amount relative to the smooth outer surface 42 of the container 16. This displacement tends to occur in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to both a radius and the longitudinal axis 38 of the container 16 or both a radius and the longitudinal axis 40 of the body portion 12, rather than in the longitudinal direction or the radial direction. In other words, container 16 provides longitudinal stiffening to the curry brush 10. The flexure that is permitted to take place, however, enhances the grippability and control that is afforded to the user. One concurrent benefit that is provided by the removable stiffening element is that it gives the user the option of removing the stiffening element during use and therefore having a grooming implement that is much more flexible and capable of tasks that it would not be with the stiffening element or container 16 positioned within the cavity 14.
It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
