Paint brush bristle cover
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Mayfield, Marlon E.; |
A paint brush protecting cover using a series of folding flaps. The flaps are connected in such a way that, when folded, they force the bristles into the desired tapered configuration. The invention's primary advantage lies in its method of closure: Two elastic bands are affixed to one of the flaps. The user simply passes these bands around the folded device, thereby securing it to the paint brush. The elastic bands place a small compressive force on the brush and bristles, helping to keep the bristles in the proper orientation. The elastic nature of the closure method also allows the device to accommodate a wide variety of brushes.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of paint brushes. More specifically, the invention comprises a removable cover which locks over a paint brush to properly align the paint brush bristles while the brush is not in use. The cover is designed to slightly compress the bristles and hold them in the proper orientation so that they remain in the desired shape over extended use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Paint brush sleeves and holders have been in common use for decades. A simple hanging sleeve is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,136,409 to Schuman (1964). It discloses a clear plastic sleeve which fits over a paint brush's bristle and allows the brush to be hung in an inverted position. The inverted position often accelerates bristly drying. In such a configuration, however, the bristles have a tendency to splay--since they are heaviest when wet. A similar inverted hanging sleeve is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,426,989 to Dgetluck (1969). The reader will note that both sleeves must be carefully sized to fit a particular brush. They are not adaptable to a variety of brushes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,399 to Crouch (1976) discloses a bristle protector designed to hold a paint brush with its bristles facing downward. The Crouch device also incorporates walls which press against the bristles during the drying process, thereby tending to force the bristles into the desired shape. The device holds the bristles well, but it is quite complicated--requiring several interacting parts. It also must be carefully sized to fit a particular brush.
Another type of bristle sleeve is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,939 to Derencsenyi et al. (1989). The '939 device discloses a pliable sleeve intended to slip over the brush. An undercut section engages the metal stock (given the number "22" in the disclosure) to hold itself in place. As this is a sliding frictional fit, the device must be very closely sized to fit a particular brush. It would not function for an identically-sized brush made by another manufacturer--since the shape and thickness of the metal stock tends to vary from brush to brush. It also fails to compress the bristles into the desired tapered shape.
Several more recent inventions have enclosed paint brushes using folding flaps. One example of this approach is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,453 to Landmeier (1995). The Landmeier device uses folding flaps secured over the bristles by a latching mechanism. Vent holes are provided to aid drying. A similar but more sophisticated design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,973 to Shteynberg (1993). The Shteynberg design uses locking snaps to hold the bristle cover in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,959 to Crosby et al. (1994) discloses a bristle cover made from folding panels. The panels are secured in place using several interlocking tabs and slits (thereby eliminating the need for separate fasteners). While effective, the Crosby device is difficult to assemble, in that the user must place a minimum of three tabs in three slots to secure the device on the paint brush.
A folding plastic case is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,167 to Conrad (1997). Basically a clamshell design, the Conrad device locks over a paint brush using plastic snap latches. Because it is substantially rigid, however, it has difficulty accommodating variation in paint brush widths and thicknesses.
Accordingly, the prior art devices are limited in that they:
1. Are cumbersome to apply to a paint brush;
2. Do not accommodate variations in paint brush size; and
3. Do not hold the bristles in the desired tapered configuration.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention encapsulates a paint brush--including its bristles--using a series of folding flaps. The flaps are connected in such a way that, when folded, they force the bristles into the desired tapered configuration. The invention's primary advantage lies in its method of closure: Two elastic bands are affixed to one of the flaps. The user simply passes these bands around the folded device, thereby securing it to the paint brush. The elastic bands place a small compressive force on the brush and bristles, helping to keep the bristles in the proper orientation. The elastic nature of the closure method also allows the device to accommodate a wide variety of brushes.
Accordingly, the present invention seeks to provide a paint brush bristle cover which:
1. Is easy to apply to a paint brush;
2. Can accommodate variations in paint brush size; and
3. Holds the bristles in the desired tapered configuration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view, showing a typical paint brush.
FIG. 2 is an isometric view, showing the present invention in an unfolded state.
FIG. 3 is an isometric view, showing the present invention being applied to a paint brush.
FIG. 4 is an isometric view, showing the second step in attaching the present invention to a paint brush.
FIG. 5 is an isometric view, showing the third step in attaching the present invention to a paint brush.
FIG. 6 is an isometric view, showing the fourth step in attaching the present invention to a paint brush.
FIG. 7 is an isometric view, showing the fifth step in attaching the present invention to a paint brush.
FIG. 8 is an isometric view, showing the addition of the elastic securing straps.
FIG. 9 is an isometric view, showing the elastic securing straps stretched over the cover.
REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DRAWINGS
10 paint brush 12 handle
14 bristles 16 shank portion
18 bristle cover 20 back panel
22 second side panel 24 first side panel
26 top panel 28 first lock slot
30 top flap 32 second front flap
34 first front flap 36 cover flap
38 first side fold 40 second side fold
42 third side fold 44 fourth side fold
46 first top fold 48 second top fold
50 first bottom fold 52 second bottom fold
54 handle hole 56 mounting hole
58 first strap body 60 second strap body
62 first strap 64 second strap
66 vent 68 stock
70 second side 72 bottom
74 first side 76 top
78 front 80 back
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows paint brush 10. Handle 12 comprises the top portion of paint brush 10. It terminates in shank portion 16, which fits within stock 68. Stock 68 is an assembly which joins bristles 14 to shank portion 16. The combination of shank portion 16, stock 68, and bristles 14 makes up the lower assembly of brush 10. The reader will note that this lower assembly is generally rectangular in shape. It has generally planar surfaces (made up of the flat faces on stock 68 and bristles 14). These surfaces may be referred to as front 78, back 80 (facing away from the viewer in FIG. 1), first side 74, second side 70, bottom 72, and top 76. Of course, top 76 is not a planar surface. It consists of the upward facing and curving surfaces of shank portion 16.
Professional painters typically purchase expensive paint brushes intended to be used over long periods. The brushes are continually used, cleaned, and hung up to dry. It is very important that bristles 14 be maintained in good condition. The handle and stock portions of the brush can last indefinitely. Thus, it is the life of the bristles that determines the service life of a paint brush.
FIG. 1 illustrates how the bristles are ideally set in a tapered configuration and grouped tightly together. Repeated washing and drying cycles often cause the bristles to splay, ultimately ruining the paint brush. Thus, it is very important to hold the bristles in the correct position during the drying process. The inventor has discovered that the bristles are best preserved by hanging the brush with its handle facing upwards. This results in gravity pulling the wet bristles straight down. An added element is needed, however, to prevent splaying and to provide the desired taper. The present invention adds this needed element.
FIG. 2 illustrates bristle cover 18 in a flattened state. Bristle cover 18 is ideally made from thin and flexible material which can be folded into the desired shapes. It is also desirable to employ a water and solvent proof material, since it will inevitably come in contact with water, soap, and mineral spirits used to clean paint brushes. Thin plastic sheeting has been found to be particularly effective.
Back panel 20 is the central element. Top panel 26 is connected to back panel 20 along first top fold 46. It is convenient to consider these features as they are oriented in space when the device is attached to a hanging brush (hanging by its handle). Thus, top panel 26 attaches to what will be the top boundary of back panel 20 when it is placed on a hanging brush (see FIG. 3 for its orientation with respect to a brush).
Top panel 26 opens into handle hole 54. This hole is sized to allow the passage of handle 12, but not shank portion 16. Top flap 30 is connected to top panel 26 along second top fold 48. Each of the folds allows the attached panels to reversibly bend with respect to one another. The folds can be created using a series of stitched cuts to weaken the thin plastic material at that point. They can also be created by placing the flat sheet in a mechanical press brake. As these processes are well understood in the prior art, they have not been illustrated.
Bottom panel 28 connects to back panel 20 along first bottom fold 50. Cover flap 36 attaches to bottom panel 28 along second bottom fold 52. First side panel 24 attaches to back panel 20 along first side fold 38. First front flap 34 attaches to first side panel 24 along second side fold 40. Likewise, second side panel 22 attaches to back panel 20 along third side fold 42. Second front flap 32 attaches to second side panel 22 along fourth side fold 44.
The folded structure of bristle cover 18 is best understood with respect to paint brush 10. Turning now to FIG. 3, the application of bristle cover 18 to paint brush 10 will be explained. Paint brush 10 is place on bristle cover 18, with back 80 lying in the same plane as back panel 20. Turning now to FIG. 4, top panel 26 and top flap 30 are folded as shown, along first top fold 46 and second top fold 48. Handle 12 is then inserted through handle hole 54, as indicated by the arrow. FIG. 5 shows the position of paint brush 10 after shank portion 16 has arrested its further progress through handle hole 54. At this point, the inner facing surface of top panel 26 is resting against top 76 of paint brush 10. The inner surface of top flap 30 is likewise resting against front 78 of paint brush 10.
In FIG. 6, first side panel 24, second side panel 22, first front flap 34, and second front flap 32 are folded over as shown. The two side panels rest against the sides of paint brush 10. The two front flaps fold over top flap 30. In FIG. 7, bottom panel 28 and cover flap 36 are folded over as shown. The lower assembly of paint brush 10 is thereby completely encapsulated. It is necessary, however, to hold the various panels in the folded condition shown. The reader will observe that cover flap 36 is pierced by two mounting holes 56.
Turning now to FIG. 8, the reader will observe that first strap body 58 and second strap body 60 are snapped into mounting holes 56 (or alternatively glued or attached by other conventional means). First strap body 58 has first strap 62 attached in a loop. First strap 62 is made of a strong and highly elastic material. A user can easily grab and stretch the loop around bristle cover 18. Second strap 64 is identical, except that it is attached to second strap body 60.
When the user desires to secure bristle cover 18 in place, he or she grasps second strap 64 and pulls it around bristle cover 18 in a horizontal orientation (with reference to the brush being suspended in a handle-up orientation).. The user next grasps first strap 62 and pulls it around bristle cover 18 in a vertical orientation. The result is that the various panels comprising bristle cover 18 are urged tightly against the lower assembly of paint brush 10. While a particular size of bristle cover 18 must be created to fit a general class of paint brushes (such as 2 inch, 3 inch, etc.), many different variations can be accommodated through the use of the elastic closure method.
The reader will also observe in FIG. 9 that the two side panels are tapered from top to bottom. This shape results in the proper compression of the bristles. The taper in the side panels may also be readily observed in FIG. 2.
Returning briefly to FIG. 1, the reader will observe a plurality of vents 66 placed in the panels. These vents speed the drying process. They are regarded as an optional feature, since some applications require that the brush remain wet (and rapid drying is therefore undesirable). Most applications, however, make rapid drying an advantage. Thus, the version with the vents is considered the preferred embodiment.
Although the device has been illustrated as starting out flat, this would not be the typical method of use. The device would normally have the folds already formed. It would then be necessary for the user to unfold the device to insert a paint brush. The user would not need to unfold it to the flat state. Instead, he or she would only need to unfold it enough to insert the handle into handle hole 54 and guide the lower assembly against back panel 20. Once the brush is inserted the device has a natural tendency to refold itself. The user need only gently push the panels in place before wrapping the elastic straps around to secure it.
Accordingly, the reader will appreciate that the proposed invention provides a bundling strap which:
1. Is easy to apply to a paint brush;
2. Can accommodate variations in paint brush size; and
3. Holds the bristles in the desired tapered configuration.
Although the preceding description contains significant detail, it should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but rather as providing illustrations of the preferred embodiment of the invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be fixed by the following claims, rather than by the examples given.
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