Abstract:
A paint brush protector and maintenance device provides storage, protection, and care for paint brushes includes a clamshell enclosure that opens to encase bristle and ferrule portions of a paint brush. The enclosure in at least one embodiment provides a rigid plastic to ensure that the bristles remain in a straight position and a plurality of drying holes along a front surface to aid in drying the bristles after cleaning. An end portion of the enclosure has a compressible stabilizer pad to hold the paint brush securely in place. The apparatus also provides a brush comb that clips onto the exterior of the enclosure providing a toothed comb and a pair of stiff bristle brushes to clean and condition the bristles as needed.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present invention was first described in and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/305,400 filed Feb. 17, 2010, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to paint brush protectors, and in particular, to a paint brush cover including a brush maintenance accessory. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Painting projects are known to often take a long time for completion due to their repetitive, precise, and extensive nature. Depending on the particular project, there are a variety of tasks to perform including removing old paint, cleaning the surface, prepping the surface, mixing the paint, applying the paint, and cleaning up. In all such projects, the use of a paint applicator such as a paintbrush is integral to most steps of the process. The brush is utilized to mix or apply the paint. After use, the paintbrush is typically cleaned and stored until next time, as the project may occur over several days or sessions. 
     During such intermediate periods, paint brushes may be stored in a cabinet, in a drawer, on a hook or in a similar location. To help protect the bristles, many painters place the brush back in its packaging containers. This is intended to help maintain the bristle shape and keep it clean and free from dirt. However, such packaging is often made of cardboard which does not hold up over time. Those that do not use any covering risk the brush becoming dirty, dusty, or deformed if it dries at an angle against another object. 
     Various attempts have been made to provide paint brush maintenance devices. Examples of these attempts can be seen by reference to several U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,399, issued in the name of Crouch, describes an apparatus for holding a paint brush including a “V”-shaped interior wall to receive the bristled end of the brush. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,762, issued in the name of Meimeteas, describes a paint brush cover with a hook formed integrally with an exterior portion of the device, enabling the paint brush to be hung onto an edge of a paint container or similar object. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,939, issued in the name of Derencsenyi et al., describes a protective paint brush sleeve for protecting paintbrushes during soaking and storage. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,188, issued in the name of Custeau, describes a cleaning assembly for a paint brush including a container with a volume of paint solvent and a top mouth for receiving and retaining a paint brush within the solvent for cleaning. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,967, issued in the name of Sica, describes a paint brush cleaning, drying, and storage container including a brush hanger bar with a plurality of adjustable hooks for the raising and lowering of paint brushes independent of each other in a suspended position. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,966, issued in the name of Ray, describes a shuck for drying a paintbrush including an air-permeable screen mesh portion. 
     While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffer from one (1) or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Many such devices occupy a significantly increased amount of space compared to the brush itself. Also, many such devices do not provide adequate shaping, protection, and drying to the bristles portions of the brush. Furthermore, many such devices do not provide inherent capabilities for conditioning a brush and must be utilized in conjunction with peripheral objects or substances. Accordingly, there exists a need for a paint brush protector and maintenance device without the disadvantages as described above. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing references, the inventor recognized the aforementioned inherent problems and observed that there is a need for a simple paint brush protector facilitating various aspects of used-brush maintenance including conditioning, protection, shaping, and drying. Thus, the object of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned disadvantages and provide for this need. 
     To achieve the above objectives, it is an object of the present invention to protect a paint brush during periods of non-use. The device is a clamshell-style enclosure including a front housing and a hingedly connected rear housing which enclose a bristle portion and a ferrule portion of the paint brush when closed. The device can be secured in the closed position with a latch. 
     Another object of the present invention is to maintain the condition and shape of the bristle portion of the brush. The enclosure comprises a shape corresponding to a desired shape of the bristle portion when closed such that the bristles are caused to dry in said desired shape. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to securely retain the brush within the enclosure using a brush stabilizer. The brush stabilizer is disposed on an interior surface of the front housing and applies a clamping force against the ferrule portion of the paint brush when closed, retaining the brush in place via friction. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide ventilation to the brush when the enclosure is closed in order to promote drying and inhibit mold from forming within the bristle portion. The enclosure includes a plurality of air flow apertures which enable environmental air to enter and exit the enclosure and dry the bristles. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a brush comb for conditioning and maintaining the paint brush bristle portion prior to enclosing the paint brush within the device. The brush comb is housed within a brush comb enclosure disposed along an exterior surface of the rear housing of the device. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to utilize the brush comb in conjunction with manufacturer-specified cleaning instructions for a paint brush in order to condition the bristles of the brush prior to storage. The brush comb includes a comb comprised of a plurality of rigid teeth, a first brush, and a second brush. The comb is utilized to straighten the bristle portion after cleaning and prior to placement in the device while each brush comprise a plurality of bristles of varying materials utilized to condition different types of paint brush bristles. 
     Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of utilizing the device that provides a unique means of procuring a model of the device having a shape and size corresponding to a particular paint brush. After using the paint brush, the user cleans the paint brush according to the prescribed cleaning method and by repeatedly stroking the bristle portion of the paint brush with the comb, the first brush, or the second brush as desired. The user opens the device and places the paint brush within the rear housing such that the bristle portion is oriented with the shape of the rear housing. The front housing is rotated into the closed position and secured by reengaging the latch. The bristle portion contacts a distal end of the front housing and rear housing and is forced into a desirable tapered shape. The paint brush is maintained in this desirable shape with the stabilizer and receives a drying air flow via the plurality of air flow apertures. 
     Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an orthographic top view of a paint brush protector and maintenance device, according to a preferred embodiment in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an orthographic bottom view of the paint brush protector and maintenance device, according to the preferred embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is an orthographic view of the paint brush protector and maintenance device in an open position, according to the preferred embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is an orthographic side view of the paint brush protector and maintenance device, according to the preferred embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the paint brush protector and maintenance device taken along the line A-A (see  FIG. 1 ), according to the preferred embodiment; and, 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a brush comb, according to the preferred embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
     
         
         
           
               10  paint brush protector and maintenance device 
               20  front housing 
               21  front housing rim 
               22  front housing opening 
               23  first hinge 
               24  receiving latch 
               25  brush stabilizer 
               26  air flow aperture 
               30  rear housing 
               31  rear housing rim 
               32  rear housing opening 
               33  second hinge 
               34  latch 
               40  brush comb enclosure 
               41  brush comb enclosure hinge 
               42  brush comb enclosure latch 
               50  brush comb 
               51  comb 
               52   a  first brush 
               52   b  second brush 
               53  brush comb body 
               100  paint brush 
               101  bristle portion 
               102  ferrule 
               103  handle 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within  FIGS. 1 through 6 . However, the invention is not limited to the described embodiment and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention, and that any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. 
     The present invention describes paint brush protector and maintenance device (herein described as a “device”)  10  for protecting a paint brush  100  during periods of non-use and for maintaining the condition and shape of a bristle portion  101  of the paint brush  100 . 
       FIG. 1  shows an orthographic top view of the device  10 . The device  10  is a clamshell style enclosure which encloses the bristle portion  101  and a ferrule  102  of the paint brush  100  when in a closed position. The device  10  includes a front housing  20  and a similarly shaped rear housing  30  (see  FIG. 2 ) which provide a hollow protective structure in a shape corresponding to the bristle portion  101 . The front housing  20  is shown here as having a tapered shape corresponding to a tapered shape of the bristle portion  101 , however it can be appreciated by one skilled in the art that other shapes corresponding to a variety of paint brushes will work equally well, and as such should not be interpreted as a limiting factor of the present device  10 . The front housing  20  and rear housing  30  are preferably constructed of a lightweight plastic material providing a rigid and non-reactive protective enclosure to the paint brush  100  between uses. 
     An interior perimeter edge of the front housing  20  includes an integrally molded front housing rim  21  which extends inwardly from the interior surface of the front housing  20 . The front housing rim  21  terminates at a proximal end of the front housing  20 . The front housing rim  21  correspondingly engages a rear housing rim  31  when the device  10  is in a closed position to provide a continuous outer profile along the device. The rear housing rim  31  is integrally molded to the rear housing  30  in a similar manner as the front housing rim  21 . The proximal end of the front housing  20  and the rear housing  30  further includes a front housing opening  22  and a rear housing opening  32  which provide a recess for a handle  103  of the paint brush  100  to extend out from the device  10  when the device  10  is in the closed position. 
     The front housing  20  is hingedly connected to the rear housing  30  by a first hinge  23 . The first hinge  23  is affixed to a side of the front housing  20  and surrounds a middle portion of a second hinge  33  (see  FIG. 5 ) which is affixed to the rear housing  30 . The hinges  23 ,  33  form a rotatable “tee” hinge. It can be appreciated by one skilled in the art that other hinge mechanisms such as butterfly hinges, butt hinges, and the like will work equally well, and as such should not be interpreted as a limiting factor of the present device  10 . The device  10  can be secured in the closed position with a latch  34  affixed to the rear housing  30 . The latch  34  engages a receiving latch  24  which is located on the front housing  20 . The latch  34  and the receiving latch  24  are located opposite the second hinge  33  and the first hinge  23 , respectively. 
     The device  10  further includes a brush stabilizer  25  affixed to an interior surface of the front housing  20  adjacent to the front housing opening  22 . The brush stabilizer  25  comprises a structure which protrudes inwardly from the interior surface of the front housing  20  to contact the ferrule  102  when the paint brush  100  is placed within the device  10 . When the device  10  is in the closed position, the brush stabilizer  25  applies a clamping force to the ferrule  102  and the rear housing  30  to stabilize and retain the paint brush  100 . The brush stabilizer  25  preferably comprises a unitary, perpendicularly extending ridge which is integrally molded with the front housing  20  during manufacturing. However, it can be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the brush stabilizer  25  can comprise a variety of shapes and materials, and can be affixed to the front housing  20  using a variety of methods such as molding, plastic welding, or an adhesive and as such should not be interpreted as a limiting factor of the present device  10 . 
     The top surface of the front housing  20  includes a plurality of air flow apertures  26 . The plurality of air flow apertures  26  preferably comprises a plurality of circular openings approximately one-eighth (%) to one-quarter (¼) of an inch in diameter. The plurality of air flow apertures  26  provides ventilation of the paint brush bristle portion  101  while the device  10  is in the closed position. It can be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the plurality of air flow apertures  26  can comprise a variety of spacings, shapes, and sizes and as such should not be interpreted as a limiting factor of the present device  10 . 
       FIG. 2  shows an orthographic bottom view of the device  10 . The rear housing  30  is constructed of the same material as the front housing  20 . The rear housing rim  31  is similarly constructed and shaped to the front housing rim  21 . 
     The device  10  further includes a brush comb enclosure  40  which houses and protects a brush comb  50  (see  FIG. 6 ). The brush comb  50  is a combing tool for conditioning and maintaining the paint brush bristle portion  101  prior to enclosing the paint brush  100  within the device  10 . The brush comb enclosure  40  is preferably constructed of a similar material to the rear housing  30 . The brush comb enclosure  40  is attached to the rear housing  30  with a brush comb enclosure hinge  41  such that the brush comb enclosure  40  can hinge outwardly from the rear housing  30 . The brush comb enclosure  40  can be further secured in a closed position with a brush comb enclosure latch  42  affixed to the rear housing  30  and similar in construction to the latch  34  (see  FIG. 5 .). In at least one (1) alternate embodiment, the rear housing  30  and brush comb enclosure  40  further comprise a plurality of air flow apertures similar to the air flow apertures  26  of the front housing  20 . 
       FIG. 3  shows an orthographic view of the device  10  in an open position. A user can motion the latch  34  and rotate the front housing  20  relative to the rear housing  30  about the hinges  23 ,  33  in order to expose the interior of the device  10 , thereby allowing the user to place a paint brush  100  within the device  10 . 
       FIG. 4  shows an orthographic side view of the device  10 . Once the paint brush  100  is placed within the device  10 , the user returns the device  10  to the closed position by motioning the front housing  20  about the hinges  23 ,  33  to contact the latch  34  and correspondingly engage the front housing rim  21  with the rear housing rim  31 . Once the bristle portion  101  is enclosed within the device  10 , the user can push on the handle  103 , applying enough force to overcome the friction provided by the stabilizer  25  and forcing the distal end of the bristle portion  101  towards the distal tapered end of the front housing  20  and rear housing  30 . As the user forces the bristle portion  101  into the tapered profile of the device  10 , the bristle portion  101  is forced to compress against the front housing  20  and rear housing  30 . Once the user stops pushing on the brush, the stabilizer  25  will retain the ferrule  102  and bristle portion  101  in this position and ensure that the bristle portion  101  remains compressed until removed for subsequent use. In this manner, the device  10  helps to mitigate “tip curl”, or drying and subsequent biasing of the bristle portion  101  in an unfavorable position. The plurality of air holes  26  contribute to this favorable drying of the bristle portion  101  of by providing sufficient contact with environmental air. 
       FIG. 5  shows a cross-sectional view of the device  10  taken along line A-A of  FIG. 1 . The receiving latch  24  of the front housing  20  comprises a flat, indented surface which retains a corresponding surface of the latch  34 . To open the device  10 , the user pulls the latch  34  outwardly to disengage the receiving latch  24 . The front housing  20  can then be freely rotated about the second hinge  33 . The device  10  can be closed by simply rotating the front housing  20  against the latch  34  such that the receiving latch  24  contacts a slanted portion of the latch  34  and forces the latch  34  outward, thereby reengaging the latch  34  to the receiving latch  24  and securing the device  10  in the closed position. 
       FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of the brush comb  50 . The brush comb  50  comprises a comb  51 , a first brush  52   a , and a second brush  52   b  affixed to a brush comb body  53 . The brush comb body  53  is generally rectangular with the comb  51 , the first brush  52   a , and the second brush each affixed to a different side surface and at least one (1) side surface vacant to facilitate gripping of the brush comb body  53 . The brush comb  50  is utilized in conjunction with manufacturer-specified cleaning instructions for the paint brush  100 . The comb  51  comprises a plurality of rigid, equally-spaced teeth extending perpendicularly from a side surface of the comb body  53 . The comb  51  is utilized to straighten the bristle portion  101  after cleaning and prior to placement in the device  10 . The first brush  52   a  and the second brush  52   b  each comprise a plurality of bristles affixed to the brush comb body  53  and forming a brush-like assembly that can be used to condition various types of paint brushes as desired. In a preferred embodiment, the first brush  52   a  includes bristles made from copper and the second brush  52   b  includes bristles made from a non-metallic material such as a plastic polymer. 
     It is envisioned that other styles and configurations can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present disclosure and only one particular configuration has been shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     In accordance with the invention, the preferred embodiment can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. First, the user procures a model of the device  10  having a shape and size corresponding to a particular paint brush  100 . After using the paint brush  100 , the user cleans the paint brush  100  according to the prescribed cleaning method. After cleaning, the user removes the comb brush  50  from the comb brush enclosure  40  by disengaging the comb brush enclosure latch  42  and opening the comb brush enclosure  40  with the comb brush enclosure hinge  41 . The comb brush  50  is utilized by gripping the comb brush body  53  and repeatedly stroking the bristle portion  101  of the paint brush  100  with the comb  51 , the first brush  52   a , or the second brush  52   b  as desired. Then comb brush  50  is then replaced within the comb brush enclosure  40  and the comb brush enclosure  40  is secured in a closed position with the comb brush enclosure latch  42 . 
     The user then opens the device  10  by motioning the latch  34  outward and rotating the front housing  20  about the second hinge  33 . The user places the bristle portion  101  and the ferrule  102  of the paint brush  100  on the interior surface of the rear housing  30  such that the bristle portion  101  is oriented with the shape of the rear housing  30 . The front housing  20  is then rotated back into the closed position and secured by reengaging the receiving latch  24  with the latch  34 . The user can then grip the handle  103  of the paint brush  100  to force the bristle portion  101  to contact the distal end of the front housing  20  and rear housing  30 , thereby forcing the bristle portion  101  into a desirable tapered shape. The paint brush  100  is maintained in this position due to the frictional force provided by the stabilizer  25  against the ferrule  102 . The bristle portion  101  is dried and maintained in this desirable shape during the period of non-use and receives a favorable air flow via the plurality of air flow apertures  26 . When the paint brush  100  is needed again, the user simply disengages the latch  34  to remove the paint brush  100  and proceeds to utilize the favorably maintained bristle portion  101  as before. 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions or substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.