The present invention relates generally to paintbrushes, and more particularly to paintbrushes that include removable brush heads to allow replacement and improved cleaning of the brush, and paintbrushes including accessory tools that are often also useful in a painting project.
It has been previously proposed to provide paintbrushes with a removable brush head to allow replacement or more thorough cleaning of the bristles, and to divide the bristles into separable bundles to better remove paint from the overall brush head during cleaning. Examples of such brushes are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,246,773, 2,326,879, 2,490,159, 2,509,013, 2,732,578, 2,943,341, 3,783,468, 5,218,733, 7,059,006, 8,402,592 and D639070.
It has also been known to apply various accessories to a paintbrush, including hooks for storing or temporarily supporting the brush when not in use, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,309,990, 3,231,919, 4,887,327 and 5,636,904, a screwdriver bit useful to deal with projecting drywall screws or other fastener issues during a painting project, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,785 and published International PCT application WO201366140, and a bottle or can opener as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,741,064, 5,575,030, 6,823,553, D538045 and Published U.S. applications 2004/0163193 and 2014/0338500.
However, there remains room for improved and alternative paintbrush designs, and Applicant has developed a unique paint brush having a number of unique aspects not heretofore seen.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a paintbrush comprising:
a handle having a proximal end and a distal end lying opposite thereto in a longitudinal direction of said handle, the handle comprising a gripping area defined adjacent the proximal end for manual holding of the paintbrush at said gripping area, and a first attachment element at the proximal end;
a removable brush head selectively attachable to and detachable from the handle at the proximal end thereof, the removable brush head comprising a second attachment element selectively matable with the first attachment element to carry the removable brush head on the handle, and a plurality of bristles carried on the second attachment and extending in a longitudinal direction of said removable brush head;
wherein the first and second attachment elements comprise slidingly matable elements engagable together by sliding one of the attachment elements over the other of the attachment elements in a lateral direction lying transverse to the longitudinal directions of said handle and said removable brush head.
Preferably said one of the attachment elements comprises a channel and said other of the attachment elements comprises a rail over which said channel is slidable in the lateral direction in a position embracing about said rail to prevent withdrawal therefrom in the longitudinal direction.
Preferably a ferrule is arranged to enclose around the first and second attachment elements after engagement of said first and second attachment elements together.
Preferably the ferrule is slidably coupled to the handle for sliding movement relative thereto in the longitudinal direction of the handle between a deployed position enclosing around the first attachment element and a retracted position withdrawn out of the deployed position toward the distal end of the handle to reveal access to the first attachment element for engagement or disengagement thereof with the second attachment element.
Preferably the bristles of the removable brush head are divided into multiple bundles, at least one of said multiple bundles being carried by a respective pivotal bristle support that enables separation of the multiple bundles of bristles from one another during cleaning by pivoting said pivotal bristle support about a pivot axis thereof.
Preferably said pivot axis lies transversely to the longitudinal direction of the brush head.
Preferably the handle comprises a hollow compartment extending longitudinally into the handle from the distal end thereof, and the paintbrush further comprises a removable tool received or receivable in the hollow compartment for removable storage therein.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a paintbrush comprising:
a handle having a proximal end and a distal end lying opposite thereto in a longitudinal direction of said handle, the handle comprising a gripping area defined adjacent the proximal end for manual holding of the paintbrush at said gripping area, and a first attachment element at the proximal end;
a removable brush head selectively attachable to and detachable from the handle at the proximal end thereof, the removable brush head comprising a second attachment element selectively matable with the first attachment element to carry the removable brush head on the handle, and a plurality of bristles carried on the second attachment and extending in a longitudinal direction of said removable brush head;
a ferrule arranged to enclose around the first and second attachment elements when engaged together;
wherein the ferrule is slidably coupled to the handle for sliding movement relative thereto in the longitudinal direction of the handle between a deployed position enclosing around the first attachment element and a retracted position withdrawn out of the deployed position toward the distal end of the handle to reveal access to the first attachment element for engagement or disengagement thereof with the second attachment element.
Preferably one of the brush handle and the ferrule comprises at least one longitudinal slot therein and the other of the brush handle and the ferrule comprises at least one guide matable with the at least one longitudinal slot to guide longitudinal sliding of the ferrule on the brush handle.
Preferably the ferrule is removably coupled to the brush handle.
Preferably the first and second attachment elements are arranged to block removal of the ferrule from the brush handle when said first and second attachment elements are mated together.
Preferably the at least one longitudinal slot is defined on the brush handle and the at least one guide is defined on the removable brush head, and the at least one longitudinal slot extends through the first attachment in the longitudinal direction of the brush handle to allow removal of the ferrule by sliding of the ferrule past the first attachment element via said at least one longitudinal slot.
Preferably the at least one slot spans a fully through the brush handle in a thickness direction thereof, and the at least one guide comprises at least one internal wall of the ferrule that spans from one side of the handle to another in the thickness direction.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a paintbrush comprising:
a handle having a proximal end and a distal end lying opposite thereto in a longitudinal direction of said handle; and
a brush head attached or attachable to the proximal end of the handle;
wherein the handle comprises a hollow compartment extending longitudinally into the handle from the distal end thereof, and the paintbrush further comprises a removable tool received or receivable in the hollow compartment for removable storage therein.
Preferably the removable tool comprises a screwdriver tool having a longitudinal body with a bit-receiving socket at one end for receiving any one of a plurality of different screwdriver bits.
Preferably the screwdriver tool comprises a storage compartment for storing at least one of said screwdriver bits therein when not received in the bit-receiving socket.
Preferably the removable tool comprises a hanging member at an outer end of the removable tool that resides outside the hollow compartment at the distal end of the handle for hanging support of the paintbrush by said hanging feature when said removable tool is received in the hollow compartment of the handle. Preferably the hanging member comprises an openable and closable clip.
Preferably a paint can pry lever projects laterally from the handle for use in prying a lid from a paint can.
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
With reference to
An axial bore extends into the gripping portion 16 of the handle from the distal end 12b to define a hollow internal compartment 22 for storing a removable utility tool 24 therein. At the wider mounting portion 18 of the handle 12, near the end thereof that transitions to the narrower gripping portion 16, one end of a paint can pry lever 26 is embedded within the handle 12, and the other end of the paint can pry lever 26 projects outwardly from a side edge of the mounting portion 18 in a lateral direction that lies perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 14 and corresponds to a width direction of the brush.
As best shown in
Referring to
Having described the structure of the handle 12, attention is now turned to the structure of the removable brush head 20, with particular reference to the disassembled view of the brush in
Attached by respective hinges to the closed front end of the base channel 32 are two bristle supports 36, which are shown in
In addition to the handle and the removable brush head, the brush 10 features a movable ferrule 40 that, in the assembled state of the brush 10, is slidably coupled to the mounting portion 18 of the handle 12. More specifically, the ferrule 40 is slidable in the longitudinal direction of the handle 12 between a deployed position shown in
Once the brush head is installed, the ferrule 40 is slid forwardly into the deployed position, where the ferrule 40 now closes around both the T-shaped rail 28 and the C-shaped base channel 38 that is mated thereto. In this condition, the side walls 40a of the ferrule 40 block lateral sliding of the brush head's base channel 32 off of the handle's cooperating rail 28, thereby maintaining the installed position of the brush head on the proximal end 12a of the handle 12. In addition, in the deployed position, the ferrule 40 reaches past the mated rail 28 and base channel 32 in order to also close around the two bristle supports 36 of the brush head, and thereby maintain them in abutting relation to one another in order to hold the two bristle bundles 38 together in a manner collectively forming a singular overall bristle collection of the assembled brush. The deployed position of the sliding ferrule thus maintains the installed position and parallel-bristle condition of the assembled brush, making it suitable for use. After use of the brush, the brush head can be removed by sliding of the ferrule 40 into the retracted position, and sliding of the base channel 32 of the brush head 20 off of the handle's T-shaped rail 28. The brush head can then be cleaned, during which pivotal separation of the two bristle bundles 38 ensures a thorough cleaning of all bristles. Alternatively, the old brush head can be replaced with a new one.
The sliding of the ferrule 40 in the longitudinal direction on the brush handle is guided by the cooperation of two internal guide walls 42 on the ferrule 40 with the two slots 30 in the brush handle 12. With reference to
A frictional fit between the slots 30 of the handle 12 and the guide walls 42 of the ferrule acts to retain the ferrule in the deployed position until a sufficient pulling force is applied to draw the ferrule rearwardly into the withdrawn position.
Accordingly, the ferrule 40 will remain in the deployed position during typical use of the paint brush, thereby ensuring that the removable brush head remains in place. Although not shown, the frictional fit may employ a restriction point in each slot 30, for example as provided by a small protuberance jutting into the slot 30 behind the rear end 42a of the respective guide wall 42 from an otherwise flat sidewall of the slot 30 in order to resist rearward movement of the ferrule from the deployed position.
The lateral retention of the brush head by the ferrule and the longitudinal retention of the brush head by the mating rail and base channel thus cooperate the normally maintain the brush head in the proper working position for use of the brush. In the illustrated embodiment, the handle's rail and the brush head's base channel define cooperating attachment elements for sliding lateral mating of the handle and brush head together. It will be appreciated that in another embodiment, the rail and channel may switch positions. That is, a rail may be provided on the brush head for cooperative mating with a respective channel on the handle, which would again cooperate to longitudinally retain the brush head and handle together, and to block sliding of the movable ferrule forwardly past the deployed position.
In the illustrated embodiment, the paint can pry lever 26 is situated in a position concealed by the retracted position of the ferrule 40. To prevent interference with the sliding of the ferrule by the pry lever 26, the mounting portion 18 of the handle 12 has an asymmetric shape at the end thereof that transitions to the gripping portion 16. Specifically, one side edge of the mounting portion 18 at this end thereof features a cutaway area 49 at which the pry lever 26 projects laterally from the handle 12 such that the pry lever does not project beyond the plane of the remainder of this side edge along which the respective side wall of the ferrule slides during movement between the retracted and deployed positions. At this cutaway area 49, the mounting portion 18 of the handle is narrower on this side of the central longitudinal axis 14 than on the other side thereof.
While the slots 30 of the illustrated embodiment pass fully through the thickness dimension of the handle 12, and the guides of the ferrule are accordingly full-height guide walls 42 spanning fully between the top and bottom walls of the ferrule so as to extending fully through the brush handle from the topside thereof to the opposing underside thereof via the through-slots, other embodiments may alternately feature recessed slots in the top and bottom of the brush handle that don't fully pass through the handle, and corresponding tabs, tongues or other guides protruding from the top and bottom walls of the ferrule for sliding receipt in the recessed slots of the handle.
The slots of the illustrated embodiment pass through the proximal end 12a of the brush handle and the attached rail 28 so that the ferrule can be fully removed from the handle 12 once the brush head has been removed. To remove the ferrule, it is displaced forwardly off the proximal end of the handle from the retracted position that enabled the removal of the brush head. Full removal of the ferrule allows enhanced cleaning of the overall brush. Other embodiments may lack the ability to remove the ferrule in this manner, and accordingly may use slots that terminate short of the proximal end of the handle and thus are closed at their forward ends. In some embodiments, instead of having slots on the handle and guides on the ferrule, the top and bottom walls of the ferrule, or the side walls thereof, may have slots therein that cooperate with respective guides on the handle 12 to guide the longitudinal sliding motion of the ferrule.
Turning to
The screwdriver tool may feature a nub or protrusion on the external circumference of the tool body near the clip-equipped end thereof to cooperate with a corresponding nub or protrusion on the internal surface of the hollowed-out handle near the distal end thereof in order to provide a snap or friction that secures the tool within the compartment of the brush handle during normal use of the paint brush. Only upon the application of a sufficient pulling force on the clip-equipped end of the tool will the interference between these cooperating protrusions be overcome in order to allow withdrawal of the tool 24 from the paintbrush handle 12.
The tool 24 is thus removable from the paint brush while leaving the handle 12 thereof fully intact, which presents an improvement over prior art designs in which the gripping portion of a handle defines the body of a detachable tool, thereby rendering the paint brush unusable during use of the screwdriver. With the presently disclosed paint brush, the user of the paint brush can remove the screwdriver tool and lend it to another painter or worker while continuing to the use the brush. In addition, painters often leave their brushes in a paint can during temporary periods of non-use. In prior art solutions using a detachable portion of the paint brush handle as the screwdriver body, the lack of an intact handle on the brush head after detachment of the screwdriver makes it unsuitable to leave the brush head in a can of paint, as no handle grip is present for lifting of the brush head from its submerged position in the paint.
While the illustrated embodiment features a screwdriver tool, other embodiments may store tools of other types within the hollowed out portion of the paint brush handle.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the scope of the claims without departure from such scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/233,5338, filed Sep. 28, 2015.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62233533 | Sep 2015 | US |