Abstract:
A basting brush having a replaceable bristle head provides for economical and hygienic reuse of basting brush handle portions. The brush also permits rapid twist-lock disconnection and replacement of the bristle head element. Angled bristles, a curved neck and a soft-grip hand-piece provide for improved comfort during use for more convenient basting action.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to improvements in basting brushes and particularly basting brushes used in cooking on barbeque grills. 
     BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
     Conventional basting brushes for use in barbeque cooking suffer from a number of disadvantages. Over time, the bristles of these brushes often become contaminated with food and grease residues which decompose and harden. Microbial organisms which thrive on the food and grease residues may be inadvertently transferred to fresh meats and other foods during further use of the basting brush, and therefore pose a potentially significant health risk. Because the organic food residues tend to be concealed in nooks and crannies of the basting brush, inaccessible to typical washing procedures, the brush is rendered essentially uncleanable and therefore unusable. After a short period of time, these residue-clogged basting brushes become aesthetically and hygienically unappealing for continued use, and are discarded even though the handle portions of the brushes remain useful and their disposal is economically wasteful. A new design which permits ready replacement of the bristle portion of the basting brush would enhance the hygiene and appeal of reusing the brush, and therefore alleviate the waste of brush handles. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved basting brush having a handle and a bristle portion detachably and replaceably secured to the handle portion. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a basting brush which permits detachment and replacement of brush bristle heads, thereby extending the useful lifetime of the basting brush. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a basting brush which permits simple, convenient and quick replacement of the bristle brush head using a twist-lock or similar type connection. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a basting brush with a replaceable bristle head in order to make the basting of cooked foods a more hygienic process. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a basting brush having a curved handle for more convenient application of basting fluids. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a basting brush having angled bristles providing for more flexible basting action. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a basting brush having a soft-grip handle which would make use of the device more comfortable. 
     The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a basting brush in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded side perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a basting brush in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 includes a side view and a top diagrammatic view, FIGS. 3A and 3B respectively, of an exemplary embodiment of a basting brush in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 includes a side perspective diagrammatic exploded view and a side diagrammatic view, FIGS. 4A and 4B respectively, of an exemplary embodiment of a basting brush in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 includes two cross-sectional side views and a top diagrammatic view, FIGS. 5A-5C respectively, of an exemplary embodiment of a replaceable bristle head retaining ring for a basting brush in accordance with the invention. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof, and from the claims. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In accordance with the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the figures, such as FIGS. 1-2, the basting brush of the present invention includes handle portion  10  and a replaceable bristle head portion  12  and retaining member  13 . Handle portion  10  includes, for example, handle grip section  10   a  and handle core section  10   b . The handle grip section  10   a  is attached, for example, to the upper end of the handle core section  10   b  and may include a coated surface or overmold grip made from a deformable material which affords a comfortable grip to the handle grip section  10   a . Such deformable material may be overmold injected and may be any suitable plastic, for example, Santoprene™. The handle portion  10  may be from about 5 inches to about 18 inches in overall length, the longer lengths being more particularly useful and safe in basting foods cooked over a barbeque where the user&#39;s hands and arms should be kept maximally distant from the heating elements of the barbeque. In the example shown in the Figures, the basting brush is about 16 inches in overall length. 
     The handle core section  10   b  may be injection moldable and made from a suitable plastic. In the exemplary embodiment, the handle core section  10   b  is fabricated from a thermoplastic such as polypropylene. The handle grip section  10   a  may be further modified to accept a hanging ring  16 , such as a flat metal or plastic piece having a suitably dimensioned opening  16   a  from which the basting brush may hang. The hanging ring  16  may be removable or permanently bonded to the handle grip section  10   a  by any means known in the art, including a friction fit, glue bond or riveting. 
     The replaceable bristle head portion  12  includes, for example, a retaining member  13 , illustrated in FIG.  5 . The retaining member  13  may be made of, for example, a plastic material. The retaining member  13  is in the form of, for example, a tubular body of generally rectangular cross-section in which the replaceable bristle head portion  12  is fixed by any means known in the art, including by means of glue at the inner surface of the retaining member  13 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the handle portion  10  is formed from an elongate shaft having a handle grip section  10   a  which has, for example, a gradually increasing dimension in a direction extending away from the lower section of handle portion  10  forming the handle core section  10   b  which is connected via a relatively narrow neck to the retaining member  13  of the replaceable brush bristle head  12 . 
     The handle portion  10  may be constructed as an integral piece by a variety of methods, for example, by thermoplastic molding. 
     Generally, the handle portion  10  may also be prepared from any relatively strong and thermally insulating material such as wood. The brush handle core portion  10   b  can be formed to any convenient shape and size. The cross-sectional shape of the core handle portion  10   b  may be, for example, square, triangular, round or trapezoidal. As shown in FIGS. 1-5, the brush handle core portion  10   b  is round in the exemplary embodiment, and is about ½″ to about ¾″ in diameter. For ease of operation, the handle portion  10  is curved slightly downward, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, so as to enhance the user&#39;s comfort. The curvature may be, for example, in a range of about 0 (e.g., straight) to a radius of up to several feet. 
     The replaceable bristle head portion  12  may be any shape, for example, round, as in the exemplary embodiment, or square or rectangular, and is generally characterized in having a slanting edge with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handle core portion  10   b , with longer bristles at one side of the brush bristle head and shorter bristles at the opposite side. Such angling provides a more comfortable configuration for basting operations, and permits more convenient application of cooking fluids to foods. 
     The lower end of the handle core section  10   b  is modified so as to be able to accept the replaceable bristle head portion  12  by means of, for example, a releasable engagement with the retaining member  13 . Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary embodiment of the retaining member  13  is shown. The replaceable bristle head portion  12 , which is, for example, detachable, disposable and replaceable with a new head portion, is attached to a fastener member at the lower end of the of handle core section  10   b  by any means of stable attachment known in the art. Possible modes of attachment include bayonet-type, twist-lock or similar type connections. 
     Referring to FIGS. 2-4, replaceable bristle head portion  12  includes a plurality of brush bristles which are affixed to the retaining member  13  so as to project from the bottom surface thereof, and extend generally vertically and substantially in parallel with the longitudinal axis of the brush handle core portion  10   b . The brush bristles may be of substantially uniform or variable length, and are stiffly resilient. The brush bristles are between about 1 inch and about 3 inches in length, and may be affixed to the retaining member  13  in a plurality of tufts, each tuft including several bristles. The bristles of the replaceable bristle head portion  12  may be made of a natural or synthetic material. 
     The bristles may be attached to the retaining member  13  by any method known in the art so as to securely attach the bristles thereto. For example, the bristles may be embedded in a doubled-over manner in holes drilled or otherwise formed in a framework at the lower end of the retaining member  13 . 
     In order to remove the replaceable bristle head portion  12  from the handle core portion lob of a basting brush in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, torque is applied in opposite directions on the lower end of the handle core portion  10   b  and the retaining member  13 , respectively, so as to cause the replaceable bristle head portion  12  to become disengaged from the brush handle. In this manner, a contaminated or soiled bristle portion may be simply removed and replaced with a new replaceable bristle head portion  12  by proceeding in reverse fashion, and thus the whole basting brush need not be discarded when only the bristle portion is no longer useable. 
     One of skill in the art will readily understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment shown and described, and may be further used in applications other than grills. 
     Variations of the present invention may be made which are within the scope of the present invention as defined in the accompanying claims, without departing from the principles of the present invention.