A BRUSH

Abstract: A brush comprising a bundle of bristles (3) connected to a handle (1) is provided with a chamber to be filled with a liquid material (2). The chamber is integrally connected with the brush (3) and is connected to the bundle of bristles (3) in liquid-conductive relationship.

Description: This invention relates to a brush for applying liquid material, said brush including an elongate handle, a bundle of bristles for applying said liquid material mounted on one of the ends of the handle, an elongate chamber to be filled with liquid material incorporated in the handle and means for filling said chamber, in which the chamber is connected in liquid conductive relationship to the head by a tubular conduit, and in which means are provided which are operable to control the passage of liquid through said conduit. Such a device for use for instance as a paint brush is disclosed in FR-A-1 121 408. A brush for painters is naturally a generally known tool. One property of paint brushes is that they have only a limited capacity to hold paint between the bristles of the bundle. During painting, the brush will have to be dipped again and again at a relatively high frequency into the paint, which is present in a separate container. This forces the painter to keep the paint container within reach and, practically speaking, to carry it continuously in one hand during painting. As the other hand is necessary for handling the paint brush, the painter has thus both hands occupied during the work. Thus there is a need for a brush, e.g. a paint brush, designed in such a manner that the painter's actions during painting are simpler, he has not continuously two hands occupied and clean, drip-free and safe painting is promoted. A device of the above described type is disclosed in FR-A-1 121 408 already mentioned, and also in DE-C-219 030 and DE-A-2 107 488. The known devices are provided with a chamber in the handle, which chamber can be filled with liquid material, and with means for filling the chamber. The chamber is elongate and is incorporated in the handle of the brush. The handle of the known devices is constructed throughout its entire length as a hollow tube having a radial cross section which on average is larger relative to that of conventional paint brushes, so that a reasonably large quantity of paint, stain or the like can be stored therein. Provided at one of the ends of the hollow handle is a painting head connected to the chamber in liquid conducting relationship. According to the present invention a device of the above described type is characterized in that the chamber is a bellows placed in a cylindrical casing, which bellows is connected at one end to said conduit extending into said bundle of bristles for supplying liquid material and which is provided at the other end with a support for a compression spring extending between the support and a cover of the cylindrical casing, and which, in the position of use, exerts a compressive force on the bellows said to close or open said conduit in the rest position, shutting off the conduit and being operable to open the conduit. With reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings of an example of an embodiment of the invention, the invention will now be further described. Figs. 1-3 diagrammatically illustrate the construction and operation of a brush embodying the invention; Fig. 4 shows a detail of the brush of Figs. 1-3; and Figs. 5 and 6 show some modifications of parts of the brush of Figs. 1-3. The drawings show a brush having a handle 1 and a head 12 having a bundle of bristles 3 for applying paint or another liquid material. A conduit 5 extends from a reservoir in the handle into the bristles. Head 12 is mounted for sliding movement on one end of the handle which is a substantially cylindrical sleeve 50. The sleeve contains a reservoir 51 formed, in the example shown, by a bellows, which in the situation shown in Fig. 1, is compressed entirely or substantially entirely. Bellows 51 is compressed by a spring 52 placed intermediate the end of the bellows remote from bristles 3 and a cover 53 of the sleeve. Cover 53 is attached to an inner sleeve 54 extending in sleeve 50, said inner sleeve being of sufficient width to accommodate the bellows. The top end of the bellows is fixed in a member 55, cup-shaped in this example, likewise serving as a support for spring 52. To that end the bellows may be provided with an undercut transverse rib 89 on the top surface, which rib is inserted into a slot in the bottom of member 55 (Fig. 6). Member 55 can be moved upwards from the position shown in Fig. 1, in a manner to be described hereinafter, within the inner sleeve. At the lower end, however, member 55 cannot be pulled out of the inner sleeve. This is effected by providing the cup-shaped member with radial projections 56, which fall into longitudinal slots 57 of the inner sleeve. Said longitudinal slots, however, are closed at the end of the inner sleeve proximal to the bellows. Cover 53 is attached to the inner sleeve 54 but engages with a skirt 58 around the outer sleeve 50. Skirt 58 is provided near the free edge with means cooperating with means formed on sleeve 50 for retaining skirt 58. In the embodiment shown, the skirt is provided for that purpose with windows 59 (Fig. 2) into which resilient projections 60 of the outer sleeve can catch. Projections 60 advantageously form part of tongue-shaped members 61, cut out from the wall of the outer sleeve, as diagrammatically shown in Fig. 4. For pressing the tongue-shaped members inwardly, in order to release the cover 53, the inner sleeve is provided with corresponding cut-outs. These may advantageously be the longitudinal slots 57 earlier described. It is observed that skirt 58 could alternatively be provided with an internal shoulder falling behind corresponding projections of resilient tongue-shaped members of the outer sleeve. The tongue-shaped members should then extend beyond the edge of skirt 58 to enable manual operation. This is shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. In the example shown, head 12 is locked in the normal operating position by a resilient projection 62, adapted to be depressed against spring pressure, and which falls into a windowlike cut-out in the wall of head 12. It is observed that head 12 could alternatively be locked differently, e.g. in the manner already indicated for the skirt of cover 53. Projection 62 can advantageously serve for shutting off the supply of material to be spread from the bellows to the bristles. As will be explained in more detail hereinafter, conduit 5 is shut off in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, while conduit 5 is open when projection 62 is depressed. The operation of the brush shown in Figs. 1-3 is as follows. In the position shown in Fig. 1, the bellows-shaped reservoir 51 is empty or substantially empty. To fill the reservoir, first the end of conduit 5 is to be released. For that purpose, projection 62 is depressed so that conduit 5 is opened and subsequently head 12 is pushed upwards into the position shown in Fig. 2. The free end of conduit 5 is then placed e.g. in a supply of paint, stain or the like. Subsequently, the lock of cover 53 is released in the manner already described and cover 53 is pulled upwards. The cover thereby takes along inner sleeve 54, which in turn extends the bellows by means of member 55. Member 55, and hence the bellows, cannot be pulled out of the outer sleeve because inwardly extending projection 63, near the end of the outer sleeve, retain the radial projections 56 of member 55. During the extension of the bellows, the latter is filled with the material in which conduit 5 is placed. Spring 52 is still unstressed, as shown in Fig. 2. From the situation shown in Fig. 2, the brush is brought into the position of use by first pushing the head downwards again, so that the end of conduit 5 is again located within the bristles. When the correct position is reached, projection 62 slips outwardly through the corresponding window of the head, thereby also shutting off conduit 5. Subsequently, cover 53 is again pressed onto the outer sleeve. The inner sleeve 54 is then pushed into the outer sleeve. Projections 63,56 thereby slide through longitudinal slots 57 in the inner sleeve. Likewise spring 52 is then tensioned. Consequently, the bellows is brought under pressure by the spring but cannot be compressed itself, since the bellows is filled and conduit 5 is closed. After the above described steps, consequently, the position of use shown in Fig. 3 is reached. For supplying paint or the like from the bellows to the bristles, only conduit 5 need be opened briefly. To that end, it is only necessary to depress the projection 62 with the finger, since the thrust is supplied by spring 52. Various constructions are conceivable for closing or opening conduit 5. For instance, a butterfly valve operated by projection 62 could be used or a suitable gate valve. Advantageously, and in accordance with the present invention, a construction is used in which conduit 5 comprises at least a flexible part that can be closed. Embodiments are shown in Figs. 5 and 6. These figures also show the earlier described alternative lock of skirt 58 of cover 53 by means of an internal shoulder 70, which falls behind projections 71 of one or more resilient tongues extending beyond the skirt of the cover. The free ends of the tongues form operating members 72. As illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, bellows 51 has an integrally moulded stub 73 at its bottom by means of which the bellows is secured in a partition 74 and on which a flexible section 75 of conduit 5 is pushed. At some distance from stub 73, there are positioned compressing members for conduit section 75. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, there is provided a fixed stop 76 having a sharp edge 77 and a movable projection 78 also having a sharp edge 79. The sharp edges 77,79 are adapted to jointly close the flexible conduit 75. To that end, a spring 80 acts on projection 78. In the example shown, the fixed stop comprises a partition in the sleeve, said partition containing an opening 81 with a beveled edge on one side. Conduit 75 is passed through opening 81. Directly underneath (or above) the partition, there is arranged a platelike member slidable along the partition, and having a similar opening 82 with a beveled edge. The two beveled edges lie opposite one another. The platelike member extends outwardly through an opening in the sleeve, as shown, and thereby forms the operating projection. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the fixed stop of Fig. 6 is likewise designed as an operating projection 83, similarly to projection 78. In that case, operation from two sides is possible and the extent to which conduit 75 is opened can be controlled by depressing one or two projections. In the example of Fig. 5, conduit 5 is made of flexible material along its entire length. In the example of Fig. 6, the flexible compressible section 75 links up with a rigid section 85. In these embodiments head 12 terminates underneath the operating projection(s) in the normal operating position. Projections 78 and 83 may be designed in a similar manner to the tongue-shaped members 61. Fig. 6 further shows an additional modification, in which the end of conduit 5 extending into the bristles is closed by compression or by a plug 86, which may or may not be detachable. The opening(s) 87 in conduit 5 necessary for the supply of paint or the like are disposed in the wall of the conduit. This has the advantage of better distribution of the paint in the bristles 3. According to a further modification likewise shown in Fig. 6, the head is fitted with a tubular portion 88, falling around the conduit 85, said portion 88 having openings corresponding with openings 87 and being adapted to be brought in alignment, to a lesser or greater extent, with opening 87 by rotation of portion 88. Thus, the sizes of the effective passages can be tuned to the viscosity of the material to be processed. Portion 88 can advantageously be connected to the head, which is then rotatable relatively to the sleeve. This also offers the possibility of providing one or more marks 90 exteriorly of the head and the sleeve so as to indicated the position of portion 88 relative to opening 87. It is further noted that the outlet openings of the tubular conduit can be rendered controllable in a different manner with the same effect. For instance, a conical screw or the like could be used instead of plug 86. The head 12 of a device according to the present invention can advantageously be made exchangeable, so that e.g. a round or a flat brush can be formed at choice.

Claims: A brush for applying liquid material, said brush including an elongate handle (1), a bundle of bristles (3) for applying said liquid material mounted on one of the ends of the handle, an elongate chamber (51) to be filled with liquid material incorporated in the handle (1) and means for filling said chamber, in which the chamber is connected in liquid conductive relationship to the bundle of bristles (3) by a tubular conduit (5), and in which means (62,78,83) are provided which are operable to control the passage of liquid through said conduit characterized in that the chamber is a bellows (51) placed in a cylindrical casing (50), which bellows (51) is connected at one end to said conduit (5) extending into said bundle of bristles (3) for supplying liquid material and which is provided at the other end with a support (55) for a compression spring (52) extending between the support (55) and a cover (53) of the cylindrical casing (50), and which, in the position of use, exerts a compressive force on the bellows (51), said means (62,78,83) to close or open said conduit, in the rest position, shutting off the conduit (5) and being operable to open the conduit (5). A brush as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the cylindrical casing (50) comprises an inner sleeve (54) connected to the cover (53) and which has at least one longitudinal slot (57) which is closed near the end proximal to the bundle of bristles (3), and wherein extends at least one radial protrusion (56) of the support (55), and that the cover (53) is releasably locked relatively to the casing (50). A brush as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the cover (53) has a skirt (58) falling around the casing (50) and having at least one windowlike cut-out (59) therein, arranged to receive a protrusion (60) resiliently connected to the casing (50). A brush as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the cover (53) has a skirt (58) which falls around the casing (50) and has a shoulder (70) on its inside that is adapted to catch behind at least one protrusion (71) resiliently connected to the casing. A brush as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the resilient protrusion (71) is a projection of a lip cut out in the casing wall, said lip having an operating end (72) extending beyond the skirt. A brush as claimed in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the conduit (5) is at least partly resiliently compressible and that there is provided at least one closure member (62,78,83) which, in the rest position, is biased to engage the resilient conduit portion (75) to close the same against a stop (76), and that the closure member (78) has an operating projection extending beyond the casing (50). A brush as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the stop is a second actuatable closure member (83) biased to engage the resilient conduit portion (75). A brush as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the closure member (78,83) is a platelike member having an opening (82) with a beveled edge and falling around the elastic conduit section (75). A brush as claimed in any one of claims 1-8, Characterized in that the bundle of bristles (3) is set into a separate head (12) mounted for axial sliding movement on the handle (1) thereby rendering the conduit (5) and the head (12) axially slidable relatively to each other between a first position, or position of use, in which an end of the conduit (5) remote from the chamber (51) is situated within the head, and a second position, or filling position, in which the end of the conduit (5) remote from the chamber (51) extends beyond the bundle of bristles (3). A brush as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that at least in the position of use, the position of the head (12) relative to the handle is fixable by means of detents (62). A brush as claimed in any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that a rotary sleeve (88) is placed around the end of the tubular conduit (5) distal from the chamber, said rotary sleeve having at least one opening adapted to be aligned, to a lesser or greater extent, with at least one opening (87) in the wall of the tubular conduit. A brush as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the sleeve (88) is fixedly connected to the bundle of bristles (3), said bundle of bristles (3) being rotatably mounted. A brush as claimed in claim 12, characterized by marks provided on the rotatable member and on the casing (50) indicating the rotary position of the member.

Inventors: DE VREEZE, JOZEF JOHANNES
Applicants: MULTIGOOD B.V.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: A46B11
IPC codes: A46B11