Picking device

This invention relates to new and useful brush making apparatus which allows the manufacture of a wide variety of different type brush constructions having flared tufts. The apparatus is capable of picking, trimming and assembling all the synthetic filament tufts required in a tufted brush construction simultaneously and fusing the tufts at different angles from one another onto a separate substrate. The apparatus comprises a filament stock box for dispensing cut-to-length synthetic filament, a new and improved picking element containing movable means for changing the parallel attitude of at least two adjacent picker tubes, melting means for fusing one end of the synthetic filament, and mounting means for attaching fused filament ends onto a substrate.

This invention relates to new and useful brush making machinery for 
continuously fabricating synthetic filament constructions. The apparatus 
is particularly adapted to form a wide variety of filament constructions 
wherein the ends of the filaments are fused and supported before they 
cool, so that the cooled, prefused ends only connect the filament unit and 
the support, or hold the filament unit onto the support in non-parallel 
attitude whereby at least two separate tufts extend from the support at 
acute angles thereto. 
The brush industry and the brushmaking art during the past fifty years has 
remained, for the most part, unchanged. Major changes have come about in 
raw materials employed, i.e., synthetic filaments replacing vegetable 
fibers, molded thermoplastic handles replacing wooden handles, and the 
like, but little or no change has taken place in forming tufts and/or 
tufting multi-tufted constructions. 
With the economic changes taking place during the 1970's and the dependence 
on oil and oil derivatives, i.e., plastic resins used for synthetic 
filaments and molded brush blocks, coupled with increasing costs for 
energy and these raw materials, there comes a need to find new ways to 
construct tufted synthetic brushes and filament constructions so (1) raw 
material can be conserved and (2) fabrication of less raw material 
utilizing less energy. 
Picking devices for fabricating tufted constructions from synthetic 
filaments are described in, i.e., my U.S. Pat. No. 3,471,202, now U.S. 
Pat. No. Re27,455 and my U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,616, among others. However, 
the improved devices of the instant invention while similar in 
construction have the additional capability of allowing one to pick and 
trim angled (flared) tufts and construction wherein filament conservation 
and utility are achieved. 
For example, conventional tufted brushes comprise at least three raw 
materials: one, the handle; two, filament with a length more than twice 
the finished tuft length out of the handle; and three, a wire staple. 
Handle thicknesses of at least three-six tenths inches must be employed to 
accommodate drilled holes in order that the stapled tuft (held by wire 
staples) can be supported in the handle. The brush construction of this 
invention, in contrast, comprises only a handle with thickness in the 
range of forty thousandths inches with filament attached thereto, both 
constructed preferably from polypropylene. 
It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that a wide variety of 
different filament constructions, in addition to ordinary household 
brushes, may be made utilizing the machinery of this invention to be 
hereinafter described. For example, the machinery of this invention may 
also be adopted to form tufted constructions wherein the prefused tuft end 
is mounted on a heat-softened depression on a sheet or handle of the 
filamentary material. 
Additional tufted construction may also be formed wherein the prefused tuft 
end is mounted on a small diameter rod, or on woven and nonwoven mesh. The 
rod or mesh may be wire, cellulose or plastic material, and is embedded in 
the prefused tuft end before the end cools. 
Finally, the tuft may be picked by or inserted into a sheet support 
exposing both the working and non-working ends of the tuft. The 
non-working end may then be heat-sealed to retain the tuft in the support. 
Related articles and methods of construction are described and claimed in 
my U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,774,782; 3,633,974; Re27,455; 3,604,043; 3,799,616; 
3,798,699; 3,910,637 and my co-pending patent application Ser. No. 
618,284, filed Oct. 10, 1975. The disclosures of the aforesaid related 
patents and patent application are hereby incorporated by reference. 
Accordingly, it is therefore an object of this invention to provide new and 
useful brush making machinery adaptable for use in forming multiple fiber 
tufts, complete brush or tufted components simultaneously formed, and 
continuous modular brush or tufted constructions. 
It is another object of this invention to provide a machine which will 
simultaneously pick fiber tufts, assemble the tufts in a predetermined 
pattern, imparting a flare and form an integral fiber tuft support modular 
tufted construction. 
It is another object of this invention to provide a brush machine wherein 
the picking unit comprises movable picking tube supports including means 
for changing the attitude of the picking supports during tufting. 
It is a further object of this invention to provide a machine for forming 
tufted constructions including means for heat-sealing the fiber tufts 
integral with a support. 
It is further an object to provide a machine for making flared tufted 
constructions which assembly cut-to-length thermoplastic fibers into fiber 
tufts, each of said tufts having a prefused end for mounting and a working 
end which does not require trimming.

In order to describe this invention more fully, reference is now made to 
specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings. This invention is 
directed to houseware brush articles and the like wherein tufted synthetic 
filament is attached directly to a substrate at different angles employing 
a tuft-forming picker in such a manner that tufts are simultaneously 
picked in parallel attitudes, simultaneously heat-sealed for mounting, 
simultaneously angled and mounted onto a support thus forming a complete 
angle-tufted construction in the same time required by a conventional 
brush machine to pick and staple-set one fiber tuft. This new and novel 
method of picking angled filament tufts is achieved by employing a 
longitudinal, genrally tubular picker having a preselected cross-sectional 
configuration, and in a preferred embodiment, a series of picker tubes 
mounted to more than one movable picker tube support means. The tuft 
forming picker means of this invention is shown in FIG. 1. 
The tuft forming picker 16 of FIG. 1 is shaped as a circular picker in 
cross-section. Alternative, cross-sectional shapes, i.e., oval, square, 
rectangular, triangle, and the like, are all possible, and are also 
intended to be included within the scope of this invention. This invention 
is not intended to be limited to preferred embodiments as shown in FIG. 1. 
The tuft forming picking means of FIG. 1 has picker tubes 16 and 16' 
mounted within separate picker tube supports 13 and 13'. In each picker 
tube 16 and 16', there are contained slidable trim end elements 17, which 
act as pistons to index cut-to-length filament, when contained in picker 
tubes 16 and 16' thus trimming and allowing the extend filament end to 
fuse when contact is made with a melting means. Each movable picker tube 
support 13 and 13' is attached to a plate 12 and 12', respectively, by 
means of springs 15 and mount pins 14. In turn, each plate 12 and 12' is 
attached to a hinge 11 and one portion of hinge 11 is attached permanently 
to picker means mount 10. Cam follower 18 is attached to plate 12 by means 
of pin 18' and serves to index the lower picker plate 12 upward, thus 
changing the parallel relationship of pickers 16 and 16' to an angular 
attitude. FIG. 2 illustrates the front view of FIG. 1 taken along line 
A--A of FIG. 1. 
FIG. 3 is in cross-section taken along line B--B of FIG. 2. Hinge 11 is 
attached to mount 10 by screw attachment 11'. 
FIG. 4 illustrates the closing of tube supports 13 and 13' by indexing 
picker device support 10 into cam closure means 19 in the direction of H 
causing the end of picker tube 16' to converge on the end of tube 16 in 
direction I. 
Attention is now drawn to picking and tufting angular (flared) tufts. The 
picking device illustrated in FIG. 5 is indexed in direction J causing 
picker tubes 16 and 16' to pass through stock box front 46 and filament 
retaining gasket 47 and engage filament 48. As this sequence takes place, 
tube supports 13 and 13' and plates 12 and 12' remain open by springs 15 
so that sliding trim pins 17 may be displaced toward the hinge 11 and 
plate 12 and 12'. The parallel relationship of picker tubes 16 and 16' is 
maintained during picking. In FIG. 6, the trim end element 17 is shown 
pushed back into plates 12 and 12' allowing filament 48 to fill the picker 
tubes 16 and 16' whereby the filament is contained entirely within the 
picker tube and abuts trim end element 17. After picking is complete, the 
filled picker device is indexed in direction K withdrawing the tubes from 
the stock box. 
In order to allow the ends of filament 48 to become fused, the picking 
device of FIG. 7 is indexed in direction L and closed in direction M. The 
picker tube supports 13 and 13' with picker tubes 16 and 16', then contact 
plates 12 and 12', causing filament ends 48' to emerge from the picker 
tubes 16 and 16' and contact melter block surface 49. Block 49 is heated 
by cartridge heaters 50. During the fusing of filament ends 48', the 
parallel relationship of picker tubes 16 and 16' is maintained. After 
fusing the picking device is withdrawn from the fusing block 49, and 
indexed in direction N. While indexing in direction N, the picker tube 
supports 13 and 13' are allowed to change attitude by moving hinge 11 thus 
causing picker tubes 16 and 16' to come together, and fused filament ends 
48" to meet. As the picker tubes 16 and 16' close toward each in direction 
O, the fused portion is contacted with tuft support 51 causing the 
filament to be attached to tuft support 51 by fused portion 48". 
FIG. 9 illustrates the tufted support 51 with tufts 52 attached to support 
51 by fused portion 48", whereby an angle P exists between the two 
non-parallel tufts. 
In order to show a preferred embodiment, attention is now directed to a 
specific tufted counter duster brush, and FIGS. 10-14 as means of 
illustrating and not limiting this invention. 
Picker device 60 of FIGS. 10 and 11 is mounted on mount 60' having five 
rows of picking tubes, 63, 63', 63", 63''' and 63'''', all attached to 
fixed supports 62, 62', 62", 62''', and 62''''. The pickers in this 
embodiment each have a stationary trim end pins 64 located at the base of 
each tube for trimming the filament 80, and automatically allowing a given 
amount of filament 80' to extend from the picker tube. Tube supports 62 
are attached to each other by means of hinge 65 and screw 66. Only picker 
tube support 62" is attached to stationary picker device 60' by means of 
bar 61 and screw 67. Fastening screw 68 holds bar 61 to the picker support 
60'. Cam followers 71 are attached to picker supports 62 and 62'''' by 
pins 72, and the picking tube supports are held in parallel alignment by 
springs 69 attached between pins 72 and pins 70 located on mount 60'. 
With attention to FIG. 12, after picking filament 80, and fusing the ends 
80' of filament 80 into fused ends 80" as above described, the picking 
device 60 is indexed in direction Q into cam closing means 73, whereby cam 
followers 71 cause picker tube supports 62, 62', 62''', and 62'''' to 
change attitude thus the distal portions of tubes 63, 63', 63''' and 
63'''' converge in direction R-R' for fusing filament ends 80" to brush 
body 81 held in handle holder 74. 
When picking device 60 is indexed away from brush body 74 in opposite 
direction of Q, a completely angle-tufted counter duster brush 82 results 
with angled tufts 83 as shown in FIG. 13. 
FIG. 14 illustrates the flare imparted to the tufts 83. The tufts 83 are 
angled S, S', S" and S''' and are secured by fused portion 80' to the 
handle 81. The distance Y across the base of the tufts is significantly 
different than the distance X across the working end of each tuft 83'. 
The angle-tuft-forming pickers of this invention as hereinabove described 
can be constructed from any conventional metal elements or thermoplastic 
materials such as polypropylene polyacetal, polyamide and the like. The 
angle-tuft-forming pickers are not limited to any given size, internal 
diameter or dimension, or internal cross-sectional configuration. Picking 
devices of all angular configurations can be fabricated within the scope 
of this invention. 
It has been found that the angle-tuft-forming picker of this invention will 
pick tufts from assembled parallel cut-to-length synthetic filament having 
any cross-sectional configuration, such as circular, X-shaped, 
star-shaped, hollow and the like. The diameter of the filament picked 
ranges from 0.005 inches to at least 0.250 inches. The length of the 
cut-to-length can range from about 0.5 up to 30 inches. The composition of 
the synthetic filament picked and assembled into filament tufts is not 
limited, and thermoplastic filaments whether oriented or unoriented can be 
used to form tufts in accordance with this invention. Polymers such as 
polyamide, polypropylene, polyethylene, copolymers from polyporpylene and 
ethylene, polyfluoride, and the like may be employed. 
This invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing 
from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present 
embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative 
and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated the 
appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes 
which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are 
therefore intended to be embraced therein.