Patent Application
20250213028
The invention relates to ergonomic and flexible brushes. It is particularly directed to brushes with a flexible and angle-adaptable section for use in conventional uses such as commercial, residential, and industrial painting, artistic painting, cleaning, and applying cosmetic products.
As already well known, the commercial, residential, and industrial painting processes require coating the internal and external surfaces of structures-commerce, residential, and industrial structures-with a layer of paint, wherein brushes are one of the essential and necessary tools. Likewise, artistic painting is the process of applying paint, pigment color, or other medium to a surface to express the creativity of an artist. It also requires brushes, among other tools, for applying the color-providing substance. Similarly, the use of brushes is also well-known and required in cleaning and removing dust and debris and in applying cosmetic products, such as paints, powders, and the like, to different external parts of the human body.
Conventional brushes used in commercial, residential, artistic, and cosmetic activities are commercially available in a wide variety of sizes, lengths, and thicknesses. Said brushes share a common general structure comprising a handle section suitable for grabbing and manipulating the brush, which is connected or coupled to the head section that comprises a given material suitable to collect or retain and later transfer or dispersing or distributing the coating or painting substance to the intended surface or area.
The handle and the head section are coaxially positioned in a rigid position, or in simple words, in an aligned or straight and fixed position. Said configuration presents difficulties to the painter in reaching corners, and hard-to-reach surfaces such as interconnecting ceiling and wall areas. Said difficulties of working on areas and objects out of the worker's reach are well-known in the art and require the use of ladders, cradles, scaffolds, and the like. However, such options are considered time-consuming and inefficient since the workers must consistently move and reposition the working or painting materials to reach areas or objects out of reach. Furthermore, said alternatives usually result in highly insecure and potentially dangerous work conditions. Another main problem commonly present in the painting process is that the surface to be coated with a colored substance may be placed or oriented in various angular positions, or it may have a hard-to-paint contour configuration.
Similarly, in the use of conventional brushes in commercial and residential as well as in artistic painting and in the application of cosmetic products, the parallel position of the head and handle section of the brushes forces the worker to assume a stressful posture while working. In other words, the worker must position his hands and arms in an awkward position that stresses and strains the body due to the lack of flexibility of the handle and head of the brushes. One consequence of such non-ergonomic positions-mainly when using the arm above shoulder level while doing a repetitive movement-generates musculoskeletal disorders caused by injuries in the joints, bones, and nerves that negatively affect the wrists, arms, shoulders, upper and lower back, and neck of workers. Some of the most common such disorders are Tendinitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, and back and neck pain, among others.
The prior art had presented a variety of alternatives to overcome the lack of flexibility of the conventional brushes. In some instances, holders for inserting or assembling conventional brushes to add flexibility to said brushes while in painting, as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,346,570; 2,469,050; 2,792,581; 3,413,034; 3,357,035; 3,994,037; 4,127,296; 4,525,889; 4,854,625; 5,056,952; 5,329,663; 8,566,999; and 8,839,480 had been presented as a variety of options.
In other instances, brushes with structures that allow the head brush or the brush functional section to be positioned in a nonlinear or noncoaxial position in reference to the handle section had been disclosed, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,928,886; 7,472,447; 7,770,252, 8,595,883 and US publications 2005/0039281; 2007/0204418; 2017/0188692; 2019/0281966.
Another alternative has been directed to the incorporation of a selective velutinous material as the painting material, which is supported by a reticulated, sponge-like, thus absorbing foam and secured to the structure of the brush with a ferrule, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,791,824 and 10,888,151.
Regarding artistic brushes, an alternative wherein the structure of the brush has been modified to address the problem presented in US Patent Application Publication 2006/0248669. In this publication, an artistic brush has two bristles tuft as the functional section. On the other hand, extra grip cover for artistic brushes is disclosed in the US patent Application Publication 2012/0054986. The grip cover amplifies the diameter of the handle of the artistic brush in order to provide as more secure and comfortable grip of the artistic brush.
The prior art also discloses a series of devices with nonconventional and exclusive structures that allow the functional part of the brush to be positioned at different angles of a single plane or on other particular planes. Some of such devices are shown, for instance, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,395,245; 4,528,714; 5,207,755; 8,132,978, and 9,486,060.
However, while the options already mentioned have their own merits, there is still a need to provide brushes having a general structure wherein their functional or head section is connected to a flexible and adjustable section that allows the user to easily position the functional section at a preselected and predetermined angle in a fast and easy manner, that saves time, reduces costs, allows the painter to work much safely and to select a comfortable, healthier, and ergonomic body position while using said brushes in conventional uses.
This invention is directed to ergonomic, flexible, and adjustable brushes useful in the commercial, industrial, and residential painting processes, the artistic painting industry, in applying cosmetology products—paints, creams, powders, and the like—to different external parts of the human body, in maintenance and cleaning processes and in any other brushes used conventionally. In general, all the herein-disclosed brushes share typical sections in their structure. In the first place, all of the brushes disclosed here comprise an external flexible section and at least one internal elongated bendable member. Said internal elongated bendable member comprises a first end and a second end and is inserted through the interior of the said external flexible section while its first end is located outside of the proximal end of the external flexible section, and its second end is located at the distal end of the external flexible section. This assembly of the external flexible section and the internal elongated bendable member constitute essential part of the structure of all the herein-disclosed brushes. The first and second ends of the internal elongated bendable member are, in a general sense, points of connection between the external flexible section and other parts of the particular brushes. In the second place, in all of the herein disclosed brushes, at least one of the ends of said internal elongated bendable member is connected and secured to the functional section of the brush. As defined herein, the functional section is the brush section that comprises a functional material used for performing conventional activities. For instance, in commercial, industrial, and residential painting brushes, artistic brushes, and cosmetic brushes, the functional material is the material in the brush that is used to collect and further disperse a given chemical composition in a given and predetermined surface. Similarly, regarding cleaning brushes, said functional material corresponds to the brush section used to remove dust, dirt, or any other particles in a given area. In the third place, by means of the assembling of the external flexible section, the internal elongated bendable member and the functional section of the brush, the user of the brush is able to adapt said functional section to a suitable ergonomic angle and/or twisted position, depending on the particular circumstances of the determined process wherein the brush is being used and the specific position or contour of the surface wherein the chemical composition is required to be dispersed or dust or dirt is desired to be removed ergonomically, as explained below in further detail. In general terms, one of the ends of said external flexible section is assembled to a functional section. At the same time, the other end may also be assembled to a handle or, in some instances, to a second functional section.
The foregoing and additional features and characteristics of the embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are used herein in a manner of example only, and wherein:
Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. It is thus to be understood that this invention is not limited to particularly exemplified structures, components, methods, or uses, as such may, of course, vary. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments of the invention only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting but merely as a representative basis for the claims and/or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in various ways.
In general terms, the instant invention comprises flexible, ergonomic, and adjustable brushes useful in conventional uses, such as in the commercial, residential, commercial painting processes, the artistic painting industry, in applying cosmetology products—paints, creams, powders, and the like—to different external parts of the human body, and in maintenance and cleaning processes.
All the herein-disclosed brushes share the following sections in their structure: a functional section, an external flexible section, and at least one internal elongated bendable member.
The functional section, as defined herein, is the section of the brush directly used for its conventional activities. It comprises a functional material and a supporting base.
The functional material is the material that conventionally is in direct contact with a given surface; for instance, regarding industrial, residential, and commercial brushes, the functional material is the section of the brush that is able to collect and retain the paint and is in direct contact with the surface wherein the paint is applied. Regarding cosmetic brushes, the functional material is the brush section that collects and retains the cosmetic product and is in direct contact with the human body wherein the cosmetic products are applied. Functional materials include animal hair, natural fibers, synthetic fibers or bristles, fabrics, soft foam, and the like.
The supporting base, which is defined herein as a base or support for the functional material, is made of solid and firm suitable material, such as wood, plastic, metal, or, in some instances, a solid already cured adhesive such as glue that may be surrounded and secured by a ferrule. The supporting base is connected to the functional material in order to maintain the arrangement, structure, and proper organization of said functional material. The supporting base may be externally exposed, or it may be internally located in the structure of the brush. Said functional section has a proximal end and a distal end.
The external flexible section, as herein defined, is a section of the brush that is externally visible and is made of a flexible, strong, bendable, tear-resistant, high-resilience, impermeable, solvent-resistant suitable material. It is made of plastic or a high-density foam and, even more preferably, high-density ethyl vinyl acetate foam, commercially available and known as EVA form.
The internal elongated bendable member as herein defined is an inner section having an elongated shape, made of a hard, flexible or semi-flexible, strong, bendable, corrosion-resistant, tear-resistant, splitting-resistant, resilience, solvent-resistant, impermeable suitable material having an excellent tensile strength that, once it has been bent, remains in the bent position or is able to stay in place but is easily repositioned by the user to any other predetermined position at the user's will. Preferably, it is made of a metallic material, most preferably copper, aluminum, annealed wire, galvanized steel, steel, carbon steel, stainless steel, or a combination thereof. Even more preferably, said internal elongated bendable member is made of low carbon steel, commercially available, and known as tie wire, which may or may not be PVC coated. The diameter of the tie wire suitable in the preparation of the herein disclosed brushes varies depending on several factors, such as the particular shape and size of the brush. It may be in a suitable range of 0.031 to 0.25 mm and, more preferably, in a range of 0.0625-0.078 mm.
The external flexible section and the internal elongated bendable member are integrated, thus providing a flexible structure that, once it is connected to the functional section, allows the user of the brush to adapt said functional section to a suitable ergonomic angle depending on the particular circumstances of the determined process wherein the brush is being used and the specific position or contour of the surface wherein the chemical composition is required to be dispersed or dust or dirt is desired to be removed, as explained below in further detail. In all embodiments, the distal end of said external flexible section is connected to a functional section via the supporting base. In some embodiments, the proximal end of the external flexible section is connected to a handle; in other embodiments, it is connected to a second functional section. All of these connections require a strong bond, which is achieved using an epoxy adhesive, preferably a metal epoxy and even more preferably steel epoxy.
Handle 11 comprises a body made of any suitable material, such as metal, wood, plastic, or a combination thereof. Said body comprises a first end 19 and a second end 20. Handle 11 may have a variety of shapes and sizes. Indeed, conventional handles used in conventional painting brushes are suitable for use as handles according to the instant invention. In some embodiments, as the one illustrated in
The functional section 12 comprises a proximal end 23 and a distal end 24. As in most commercial, residential, or industrial painting brushes, said functional section 12, as previously defined herein, comprises any functional or painting material suitable to collect and/or retain and further disperse a given substrate on a predetermined surface. As in conventional painting, said functional or painting material comprises animal hair, natural fibers, synthetic fibers or bristles, fabrics, soft foam, or the like. Supporting base 16, located at the proximal end 23 of functional section 12, is used to add support and maintain the arrangement and stability of the functional or painting material in functional section 12. Said supporting base 16 is made of solid and firm suitable material, such as wood, plastic, metal, or, in some instances, a solid already cured adhesive such as glue that may be surrounded and secured by a ferrule.
The internal elongated bendable member 15 is made of any flexible or semi-flexible, strong, bendable, corrosion-resistant, tear-resistant, splitting-resistant, resilience, solvent-resistant, impermeable suitable material having an excellent tensile strength that, once it has been bent, remains in the bent position or is able to stay in place but is easily repositioned by the user to any other predetermined position at the user's will. Preferably said internal elongated bendable member may be made of a metallic material, most preferably copper, aluminum, annealed wire, galvanized steel, steel, carbon steel, stainless steel, or a combination thereof. Even more preferably, said internal elongated bendable member is made of low carbon steel, commercially available, and known as tie wire, which may or may not be PVC coated. It comprises an elongated body inserted through the external flexible section 14 while allowing the first ends 25 and the second ends 26 of said internal elongated bendable member 15 to remain outside the external flexible section 14.
The external flexible body 14 is made of any flexible, strong, bendable, tear-resistant, high resilience, impermeable, solvent-resistant suitable material. Preferably a plastic or high-density foam and, even more preferable, high-density ethyl vinyl acetate foam, commercially available and known as EVA foam. It comprises a proximal end 27 and a distal end 28.
The structure of said brush 10 is assembled by attaching or connecting the second end 20 of the handle 11 to the proximal end 27 of the external flexible section 14 while inserting the first ends 25 of the internal elongated bendable members 15 inside the said second end 20 of the handle 11. Similarly, said assembly also requires connecting or attaching distal end 28 of the external flexible section 14 to the functional section 12 via supporting base 16 while inserting second ends 26 of the internal elongated bendable members 15 into the functional section 12 via the supporting base 16.
The mentioned connections or attachments wherein the proximal end 27 of the external flexible section 14 is connected to the handle 11 and the distal end 28 of the external flexible section 14 is connected to the functional section 12 via supporting base 16, forming a single body of the brush 10 require powerful attachment or connection. It is achieved using a heavy-duty adhesive conventionally used for bonding materials of different natures or substrates, such as metals, wood, ceramic, and plastics. Among the heavy-duty adhesives used in the creation of said connections are epoxy adhesives, even more preferably, metal epoxy, and, even more preferably, commercially available steel epoxy. The use of epoxy adhesive provides an extremely strong rigid bonding, with high tensile strength, compression strength, impact strength, and resistance to water and chemical solvents and high temperatures.
Since said connections are sufficiently strong, the resulting brush 10 is suitable for use in commercial, residential, or industrial painting processes without the assistance of any other reinforcement. Nonetheless, lower ferrule 17 may be used to reinforce and further secure the connection between the second end 20 of the handle 11 and the proximal end 27 of the body of the external flexible section 14 and, likewise, the use of upper ferrule 18 may be used to reinforce and further secure the connection between the distal end 28 of the external flexible section 14 the to the proximal end 23 of the functional section 12. However, including said ferrules 17 and 18 in the structure of brush 10 may be considered convenient but optional. The scope of the invention also includes the use of a single ferrule, 17 or 18, in any one of the cited connections. The herein disclosed parts and connections are suitable in the manufacture or preparation of ergonomic, flexible, and adjustable commercial, residential, or industrial painting brushes of any size and of any shape, as, for example, embodiments 29a, 29b, 29c, 29d, 29e, and 29f which are illustrated in
Examples illustrating the flexibility and ergonomic adjustments of the resulting flexible brush 10 are shown in
In order to switch the angle or position of the functional section 12, the user must manually push and reposition the external flexible section 14 until the functional section 12 is repositioned to the new predetermined position. In this manner, since the functional section 12 of the brush 10 is easily positioned and repositioned in multiple angled and twisted positions, the user is provided with a brush that is easy to use, flexible, ergonomic, and adjustable to facilitate the painting of any predetermined surface, including hard-to-reach surfaces.
Furthermore, since handle 11 has a threaded borehole 21 reinforced by the external ring 22 at its first end 19, the herein-disclosed brush 10 may be coupled to a painting pole. Once the functional section 12 has been fixed to a predetermined angled and/or twisted position, the user may easily paint high or out-of-reach surfaces from a safe place, thus avoiding using insecure stairs or unsafe platforms.
Similarly, as illustrated in
The scope of the instant invention also comprises embodiments wherein the functional section comprises any suitable painting material, such as bristles, sponges, fabric, or foam, as the one illustrated in embodiment 29c in
The scope of the invention also embraces cleaning brushes, comprising the essential sections already disclosed for brushes for use in commercial, residential, or painting. Said essential sections are assembled in the same manner as previously disclosed for painting brush 10. For example, in
In
The scope of the invention also embraces artistic brushes, comprising the essential sections already disclosed for brushes for use in commercial, residential, and industrial painting and brushes for use in cleaning, as previously discussed. For example, in
In
Brush 60 maintains its physical and structural integrity while being used in painting since the connections achieved by the use of the adhesive epoxy are extremely strong and the flexible and stays-in nature of the internal elongated bendable member 65. Likewise, the strength of said bonding, in combination with the stays-in of the internal elongated bendable member 65, allows the functional section 61 to retain its angled and/or twisted position regardless of the pressure of said functional section 61 against the surface being subjected to painting.
The scope of the instant invention embraces multiple artistic brushes, having handles of different shapes and styles and functional sections of different painting materials, comprising different shapes and arrangements while comprising the same essential structural sections of brush 60 previously disclosed, as illustrated in embodiments 75a-75s, shown in
The herein-disclosed artistic brushes facilitate the artistic painting since the artist is able to, by bending the external flexible section, position the painting material of the functional section at a predetermined ergonomic and angled position. Such positions facilitate multiple linear and nonlinear painting strokes and avoid positioning the artist's wrist in uncomfortable angled positions, thus avoiding physical pain and the development of medical conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) or similar undesirable conditions. Furthermore, it helps artists already suffering from such conditions to reintegrate themselves into the artistic painting. The painter may select a particular artistic brush and bend its functional section at a predetermined ergonomic angle that provides a comfortable hand position while painting.
Furthermore, the scope of the invention also embraces cosmetic brushes comprising the essential sections already disclosed for brushes for use in commercial, residential, or industrial painting, brushes for use in cleaning, and artistic brushes. For example, in
In
Brush 80 maintains its physical and structural integrity while being used in applying cosmetic products since the connections achieved by the use of the adhesive epoxy are extremely strong and the flexible and stays-in nature of the internal elongated bendable member 85. Likewise, the strength of said bonding, in combination with the stays-in of the internal elongated bendable member 85, allows the functional section 81 to retain the angled position regardless of the pressure of said functional section 81 against the surface of the human body.
The scope of the instant invention embraces multiple cosmetic brushes, having handles of different shapes and styles. It also comprises different functional sections conventionally used in cosmetology, having different shapes and arrangements of the functioning material while comprising the same essential structural sections of brush 80 previously disclosed, as illustrated in embodiments 99a-99n, shown in
The scope of the present invention also embraces embodiments of flexible, ergonomic, and adjustable brushes, comprising a first functional section connected to the proximal end of the external flexible section and a second functional section connected to the distal end of said external functional section. Examples of said embodiments are shown in
The proximal end 102 of the external flexible section 101 is connected to the first supporting base 107 which is connected to the first functional section 108. Similarly, the distal end 103 of the external flexible section 101 is connected to the second supporting base 111 which is connected to the second functional section 112. The internal elongated bendable member 104 is internally inserted into the external flexible section 101, and its first end 105 is connected to the first supporting base 107. Its second end 106 is connected to the second supporting base 111. Internal elongated bendable member 104 is not shown in
In
A similar dual-functional flexible, ergonomic adjustable brush 130 is illustrated in
The proximal end 132 of the external flexible section 131 is connected to the first functional section 138 through the first supporting base 137. Similarly, the distal end 133 of the external flexible section 131 is connected to the second functional section 140 via a second supporting base 139. The internal elongated bendable member 134 is internally inserted into the external flexible section 131, and its first end 135 is connected to the first functional section 138 via the first supporting base 137. Its second end 136 is connected to the second functional section 140 via the first supporting base 139.
First supporting base 137 comprises an already cured glue or adhesive housed inside lower ferrule 141. Likewise, the second supporting base 139 comprises already cured glue or adhesive enclosed or housed within upper ferrule 142. Supporting bases 137 and 139 and internal elongated bendable member 134 are not shown in
The main difference between embodiment 100 and embodiment 130 is that the external flexible section 131 in embodiment 130 is more extensive than the external flexible section 101 in embodiment 100. On the other hand, contrary to the supporting bases 107 and 111, which are larger and externally located, in brush 100, in embodiment 100, supporting bases 137 and 139 in embodiment 130 comprise already cured glue or adhesive that are inside the ferrules 141 and 142, respectively. Since embodiment 130 has a more extensive external flexible section 131, it can be bent into a more acute angled position than embodiment 100. It facilitates its use in some cosmetic activities. Furthermore, embodiment 130 may be bent and stored in very compact places, for instance, in ladies' purses.
A method to prepare flexible, ergonomic, and adjustable brushes for use in commercial, residential, and industrial painting is illustrated in
The flexible, strong, bendable, tear-resistant, high resilience, impermeable, solvent-resistant material to be used as the flexible body of the external flexible section 14, for instance, a flexible plastic is molded or a high-density ethyl vinyl acetate foam, known as EVA foam, is obtained by carving out and shaping a section of an EVA foam board and further smoothing its external surface by conventional methods to obtain the external flexible section 14.
The flexible, strong, bendable, corrosion-resistant, tear-resistant, resilience, solvent-resistant, and impermeable, having excellent tensile strength material used as the internal elongated bendable member 15; for instance, commercially available tie wire roll is straightened and cut in a predetermined size, depending on the size of the desirable brush, to obtain the internal elongated bendable members 15. Similarly, handle 11 is prepared using molding plastic techniques or, alternatively, using wood as conventionally prepared for conventional painting brushes. Once the handle is ready, the lower ferrule 17 is then glued around the upper section of handle 20 by conventional methods.
As illustrated in
As shown in
In an alternative process, ferrules 17 and 18 are assembled after the exterior flexible section has been connected to handle 11 and the functional section 12. In this alternative process, ferrule 17 is installed and pressed around the connection of the handle 11 and external flexible section 14. Ferrule 18 is installed and pressed around the connection between the opposite side of the external flexible section 14 and the functioning section 12. This is because ferrules 17 and 18 are used to further secure the connection between the handle and the external flexible section and the connection between the external flexible section and the functional section since the assembled brush 10 without the ferrules 17 and 18 is completely functional.
In yet other alternative similar processes, the total number of internal elongated bendable members 15 may increase or decrease, depending on factors such as the shape of the handle 11 and the general shape and size of the brush. The scope of the invention embraces the use of multiple thin internal elongated bendable members 15 in the manufacture of the ergonomic, flexible, and adjustable brushes herein disclosed.
A similar process is used to assemble and produce artistic brushes, as illustrated in
In an alternative method, the single internal elongated bendable member 65 may be replaced by multiple thinner internal elongated bendable members, which may be assembled in the artistic brush 60 in the same described manner regarding the internal elongated member 65. As shown in
In operational terms, regarding the use of the flexible ergonomic and adjustable brush 10 for commercial, residential, and industrial painting according to the invention, the user may evaluate the nature of the surface, its contours, and its particular position; select the brush size to best fit the painting process and proceed to position the functional section 12 of the flexible brush 10 to the best angled and/or twisted position with reference to the handle and his or her ergonomic comfort. Said angled position is obtained after bending or twisting the external flexible section 14. Once a particular section of the surface is painted, the user may reposition the functional section 12 of the flexible brush 10 to an alternative position that best fits the following section of the surface to be painted and proceed with the painting process. The painting process is ergonomically facilitated by alternating the functional section 12 of the brush 10 at the convenience of the painter and considering the nature of the surface to be painted.
The same or similar process may be followed when using the artistic brushes according to the invention, as, for example, illustrated in
Similarly,
The present invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and applications, in both summarized and detailed forms; it will be understood that many substitutions, changes, and variations in the described embodiments, applications, and details of the novel tool illustrated herein and of its operation can be made by those skilled in the art to adapt it to various usages and conditions, without departing from the spirit of this invention. As such, these changes and modifications are properly, equitably, and intended to be within the full range of equivalence of the following. While the invention has been described in conjunction with some embodiments, it is to be understood that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, the invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
