Abstract:
An adjustable paint brush pole has a brushing head attached to a handle. Disposed on the handle is a pivoting joint, allowing the brushing head to be angularly positioned relative to a base portion of the handle. Additionally, the base portion of the handle is internally threaded for receiving a threaded portion of an extension pole.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     There are no current related applications. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to paint brush holders. More particularly it relates to adjustable paint brush poles having locking pivoting heads for holding paint brushes at an adjustable angle. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A common task when constructing or maintaining a building is painting. Proper painting is a time consuming activity that requires a set of workman skills, proper paints for the particular job, and the correct tools. While painting can be difficult, and while it may require painstaking patience, a job that is done well is readily apparent and personally rewarding. 
     Painting may require brushes, rollers, sprayers, cleaning agents, thinning agents, poles, ladders, scaffolding, and safety equipment as well as paint. Stooping is often required for low areas and ladders for high ones. Proper preparation and materials are important, as is the ability to properly select and use the tools. 
     One (1) of the most common tools used in painting is the paint brush. Paint brushes can be wide, narrow, long, short, straight and tapered. They can be comprised of common materials or exotic materials, either natural and/or man-made. While the common paint brush has existed for generations they nonetheless have problems. One (1) problem occurs when painting at either extremely high or extremely low elevations. Such elevations require the use of a ladder, or the ability to get on one&#39;s hands and knees to paint. 
     Other types of painting tools, such as paint rollers, are almost always provided with an expandable extension pole for making painting easier. Curiously extension poles for paint brushes either do not exist or are rare. Some painters have been known to tape or tie a paint brush to a broom handle to obtain additional lengths. While such an approach works it is neither handy nor efficient. 
     Accordingly, there exists a need for a paint brush pole for holding paint brushes. Preferably such a paint brush pole would allow painting to be performed at elevated or low positions. In practice such a paint brush pole would allow its paint brush head to be adjusted to different angles. Ideally adjustments could be made without the use of tools and in such a way that the paint brush would lock into place. Beneficially the paint brush head could be removed from the paint brush pole and used with another pole having a threaded coupling. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The principles of the present invention provide for a paint brush pole having a paint brush head that holds paint brushes. The paint brush pole allows painting at elevated or low positions. The paint brush head and the paint brush can be adjusted to lock into different angles. Attachments and adjustments are made without the use of tools. The paint brush head can be removed from the paint brush pole and used with another pole having a threaded coupling. 
     A paint brush pole that is in accord with the present invention includes an elongated extension pole having a threaded pole member and a swivel assembly having an elongated swivel body with a contoured handle and a brush groove that is defined between two (2) legs having aligned leg apertures. The swivel assembly further includes a spring well in the swivel body, a swivel spring in the spring well, and an indexing ball on the swivel spring. A paint brush with a brush handle having a handle aperture and a rounded bottom side edge with detents is also included. A fastener passes through the leg apertures and the handle aperture and attaches the paint brush to the swivel assembly such that the indexing ball compresses the swivel spring, which in turn biases the indexing ball toward the detents. The paint brush pole also includes a release assembly having a release body with a cavity for mating to the threaded pole member, a pivot having a pivot aperture, and an end with a first surface that defines a release cavity that is complementary with a first part of the contoured handle, and a clamp assembly having a clamp handle with at least one (1) clamp handle aperture and a clamp body with a clamp face that defines a clamp cavity that is complementary with a second part of the contoured handle. A pivot pin passes through the pivot aperture and clamp handle aperture for pivotally attaching the clamp assembly to the release assembly. The release cavity and the clamp cavity mate with the contoured handle to hold the swivel assembly and the indexing ball fits into a detent to lock the paint brush to the swivel assembly. 
     The brush handle is configured with a flat top and a flat bottom such that the brush handle can be attached to the swivel assembly by a threaded fastener and a nut. Also included may be a clamp spring that biases the clamp cavity toward the release cavity. The clamp spring can have spiral coils with diameters that increase from either end toward the center. The release body includes a spring mount for receiving the clamp spring and the clamp handle includes a spring tab for receiving the clamp spring. 
     Beneficially the contoured handle is contoured with a key and multiple ridges and grooves such that the release face and the clamp face form a face gap for receiving the key. The clamp cavity then includes ridges and grooves complementary to the contour of the contoured handle to form a first half of a holder for the contoured handle. The release cavity can then include ridges and grooves complementary to the contour of the contoured handle and thus form a second half of a holder for the contoured handle. The clamp cavity ridges and grooves match the release cavity ridges and grooves. 
     Preferably, the first surface extends parallel along the axis of the release body and the release body further includes a second surface that extends from the first face at an obtuse angle. The release body may include an internally threaded cavity that mates with the threaded pole member. The extension pole may then further include a stationary tube, an extending tube that telescopes from the stationary tube, and a collet ring for locking the extending tube to the stationary tube. Preferably the threaded pole member is an externally threaded member on an external end of the extending tube. Beneficially, the threaded pole member has an acme thread, the clamp body is an elongated semicircular member, and/or the clamp handle has a “U”-shaped cross-section. 
    
    
     
       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  illustrates an adjustable paint brush pole  10  that is in accord with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the adjustable paint brush pole  10  shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed view of a paint brush  20  used in the adjustable paint brush pole  10  shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an isometric view of the paint brush  20  shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded isometric view of a swivel assembly  30  used in the adjustable paint brush pole  10  shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is another exploded isometric view of the swivel assembly  30  shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7   a  illustrates a closed release assembly  40  and a clamp assembly  50  used in the adjustable paint brush pole  10  shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7   b  illustrates an open release assembly  40  and a clamp assembly  50  used in the adjustable paint brush pole  10  shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  represents a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 7   a;    
         FIG. 9   a  is an isometric exploded view of a release assembly  40  and a clamp assembly  50  shown in  FIGS. 7   a  and  7   b;    
         FIG. 9   b  is a close-up view of a spring mount  49  on a release body  41  as used in the adjustable paint brush pole  10  shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 9   c  is a close-up view of a spring tab  57  in a clamp handle  54  as used in the adjustable paint brush pole  10  shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates the extension pole  60  used in the adjustable paint brush pole  10  shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 11  represents a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of  FIG. 10 ; and, 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a first end of a stationary tube  66  as used in the adjustable paint brush pole  10  shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
     
         
         
           
               10  adjustable paint brush pole 
               20  paint brush 
               21  head 
               22  bristles 
               23  band 
               24  brush handle 
               25  handle aperture 
               26  detent 
               27  threaded fastener 
               28  nut 
               29  leg 
               30  swivel assembly 
               31  swivel body 
               32  brush groove 
               33  swivel aperture 
               34  grip aperture 
               35  spring well 
               36  contoured handle 
               37  key 
               38  swivel spring 
               39  indexing ball 
               40  release assembly 
               41  release body 
               42  release cavity 
               43  release faces 
               43   a  release first face 
               43   b  release second face 
               44  pivot 
               45  pivot aperture 
               46  pivot pin 
               47  face gap 
               48  threaded cavity 
               49  spring mount 
               50  clamp assembly 
               51  clamp body 
               52  clamp face 
               53  clamp cavity 
               54  clamp handle 
               55  handle apertures 
               56  clamp spring 
               57  spring tab 
               60  extension pole 
               61  threaded member 
               62  extending tube 
               63  collet ring 
               64  internal collet taper 
               65  internal collet thread 
               66  stationary tube 
               67  longitudinal slot 
               68  external taper 
               69  external thread 
               71  padding 
           
         
       
    
     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 12 . 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 an adjustable paint brush pole  10  used for the application of paint or similar products that can be applied by a paint brush to a surface. The adjustable paint brush pole  10  enables the application of such products without using a ladder. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an assembled paint brush pole  10  while  FIG. 2  presents an exploded view of that assembled paint brush pole  10 . As shown, the paint brush pole  10  includes a paint brush  20 , a swivel assembly  30 , a release assembly  40 , a clamp assembly  50  and an extension pole  60 . Turning now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the paint brush  20  includes a plurality of bristles  22  that are attached to a head  21  by an encircling band  23 . The paint brush  20  also includes a brush handle  24 . The head  21  and the brush handle  24  are preferably formed as one (1) piece using an injection molding process. The head  21  and the brush handle  24  alternately can be formed from a blank piece of hard wood or other sufficiently strong, rigid material. 
     Referring primarily to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the bristles  22  are preferably comprised of bristles made from the natural hair of any variety of animals, nylon, or other synthetic material and are trimmed to form a tapered edge. The ends of one (1) or more bristles  22  may be split or frayed to produce a desired coating texture. The encircling band  23  is preferably brass or another relatively non-reactive metal. In any event the band  23  is formed into a shape that retains the bristles  22  in the head  21  either by using an interference fit or by retaining the bristles  22  using an epoxy-filled bed located between the head  21  and the band  23 . 
     The brush handle  24  has a circular handle aperture  25  that is used to secure the paint brush  20  to the swivel assembly  30  using a threaded fastener  27  and a nut  28 . The end of the brush handle  24  is configured with a flat top and a flat bottom and a rounded side edge having detents  26 . Preferably, the depth and diameter of the detents  26  are sufficient to accommodate between forty five percent (45%) to forty eight percent (48%) of the volume of an indexing ball  39 , see  FIG. 5 . 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  present isometric views of the swivel assembly  30  used in the paint brush pole  10 . As shown, the swivel assembly  30  includes a swivel body  31 . The swivel body  31  is a cylinder having a multiple ring contoured handle  36  at one end and a brush groove  32  at the other. The brush groove  32  defines legs  29 . A swivel aperture  33  and an aligned grip aperture  34  extend through the legs  29 . A spring well  35  is formed into the swivel assembly  30  at the base of the brush groove  32 . The spring well  35  and its use are described in more detail subsequently. Beneficially the swivel assembly  30  is made of a thermoplastic material formed by an injection molding process. 
     The swivel assembly  30  is used to retain the paint brush  20  during use. The paint brush  20  is held in the brush groove  32  by the insertion of a threaded fastener  27  through the swivel aperture  33 , through the paint brush  20  handle aperture  25 , and through the grip aperture  34 . Once inserted the threaded fastener  27  is tightened by a nut  28 . The grip aperture  34  preferably includes a hexagonal depression that receives and holds the nut  28  while the threaded fastener  27  is tightened. 
     The spring well  35  is a circular cavity formed in the swivel body  31  at the center of the brush groove  32 . The depth and diameter of the spring well  35  are such that the spring well  35  receives a swivel spring  38  and an indexing ball  39  in a loose fit. When the brush handle  24  is pivotally secured in the brush groove  32  the indexing ball  39  is captured between the brush handle  24  and the swivel spring  38 . The swivel spring  38  biases the indexing ball  39  towards the detents  26  in the brush handle  24 . When one (1) of the detents aligns with the indexing ball  39  the indexing ball  39  moves into the detent, locking the paint brush  20  in place. However, if a sufficiently strong force is applied to the paint brush  20  in the proper direction the paint brush  20  will pivot about the threaded fastener  27 , ejecting the indexing ball  39  from the detent  26 . This unlocks the paint brush  20 , compresses the swivel spring  38 , and allows relatively free rotation of the paint brush  20  until the next detent  26  aligns with the indexing ball  39 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 5 ,  6 ,  8 , and  9   a , the contoured handle  36  of the swivel assembly  30  is formed with a plurality of ridges and grooves that match complementary ridges and grooves in a release cavity  42  of a release assembly  40  and in a clamp cavity  53  of a clamp assembly  50 . The contoured handle  36  also has at least one (1) key  37 . The key  37  prevents the free rotation of the swivel assembly  30  about its central axis when it is retained in the release assembly  40  and in the clamp assembly  50 . 
       FIGS. 8 ,  9   a , and  9   b  show the release assembly  40  in more detail. The release assembly  40  has a generally cylindrically shaped release body  41  which is preferably made from a thermoplastic material using an injection-molding process. The release body  41  is configured with an internally threaded cavity  48  at one end and a medially located pivot  44  having a pivot aperture  45 . The threaded cavity  48  would preferably have a standard acme thread that accommodates mating with an externally threaded member  61  on the extension pole  60  (see  FIG. 10 ). 
     Turning now to  FIG. 7   b , one (1) end of the release body  41  is specially formed to define a release first face  43   a  that extends parallel along the axis of the release body  41  and a release second face  43   b  that extends from the release first face  43   a  at an obtuse angle. 
     As best shown in  FIG. 8 , the release cavity  42  is formed into the release first face  43   a . The release cavity  42  is comprised of a plurality of ridges and grooves that are complementary with the ridges and grooves of the contoured handle  36  of the swivel assembly  30  shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The release cavity  42  forms half of a holder for the contoured handle  36 . 
       FIG. 9   a  illustrates the clamp assembly  50  of the paint brush pole  10 . The clamp assembly  50  includes a clamp body  51  and a clamp handle  54 , which are preferably made of a thermoplastic material and formed in an injection molding process. The clamp body  51  is generally an elongated semicircular member having a clamp face  52  into which a clamp cavity  53  is formed. The clamp cavity  53  is comprised of a plurality of ridges and grooves that are complementary to the shape of the contoured handle  36  of the swivel assembly  30  shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The clamp cavity  53  forms the second half of a holder for the contoured handle  36 . 
     As best shown in  FIG. 9   c , the clamp handle  54  has a “U”-shaped cross-section. This enables the clamp handle  54  to straddle the pivot  44  of the release assembly  40  (see  FIG. 9   a ). Disposed through the clamp handle  54  are two (2) aligned handle apertures  55  which are located and configured to align with the pivot aperture  45  in the pivot  44 . The pivot aperture  45  is placed between and aligned with the handle apertures  55 . Then a pivot pin  46  with a retainer is inserted through the aligned apertures to pivotally attach the clamp assembly  50  to the release assembly  40 . 
     A spring steel clamp spring  56  with a coil spiral diameter which increases from either end toward the center is mounted between the release body  41  and the clamp handle  54 . Referring now to  FIGS. 7   a ,  7   b ,  9   b , and  9   c  the clamp spring  56  is disposed between the spring mount  49  of the release body  41  ( FIG. 9   b ) located near the bottom of the release body  41  and the spring tab  57  of the clamp handle  54  ( FIG. 9   c ). The increasing diameter of the clamp spring  56  toward its center allows the centerline of the smaller diameter clamp spring  56  ends to be compressed along the centerline of the clamp spring  56 . This configuration permits more spring compression than a straight coil spring. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 7   a  and  7   b , the clamp spring  56  biases the release body  41  and the clamp handle  54  apart. This causes the release first face  43   a  and the clamp face  52  to be biased toward one (1) another as the clamp handle  54  pivots on the pivot  44 . The release body  41  and the clamp handle  54  are configured such that a face gap  47  exists between the release first face  43   a  and the clamp face  52 . 
     In use, the contoured handle  36  of the swivel assembly  30  ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ) is placed into a holder formed by the release cavity  42  ( FIG. 8 ) and the clamp cavity  53  ( FIG. 9   a ) such that the key  37  is located in the face gap  47  ( FIG. 7   a ). The swivel body  31  then move as one (1) unit with the release assembly  40 . When a user grasps the release body  41  and the clamp handle  54  and forces the clamp handle  54  toward the release body  41  the clamp spring  56  is compressed, the clamp body  51  pivots away from the release first face  43   a  (shown in  FIG. 7   b ) and the swivel assembly  30  and its attached paint brush  20  is released. 
     It is understood that the paint brush pole  10  may be configured without using the release mechanism comprised of the combination of the swivel assembly  30  and the clamp assembly  50 . This is accomplished by inserting a threaded member, such as the threaded member  61  of the extension pole (see below) into the threaded cavity  48  of the release body  41 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 10 and 11 , the extension pole  60  has an extending tube  62  that telescopes from a stationary tube  66  and which is held in place by a collet ring  63 . The extending tube  62  and the stationary tube  66  are preferably round steel tubing configured to telescope together. The extending tube  62  and the stationary tube  66  are beneficially plated or coated with a protective material to inhibit corrosion. A first end of the extending tube  62  has the externally threaded member  61 . The threaded member  61  is preferably a thermoplastic material formed using an injection molding process. The threaded member  61  is preferably a standard acme thread that mates with the threaded cavity  48  in the release body  41 . It is understood that alternate materials of construction, and/or modes of attachment could be employed without limiting the scope of this invention. 
     One (1) end of the stationary tube  66  has a taper  68  in front of an external thread  69 . The external thread  69  preferably has a unified fine thread profile formed on the outside of the stationary tube  66 . The external taper  68  is formed by the removal of tube wall material from the external thread  69  to the first end. The external taper  68  is applied to four (4) longitudinal slot  67  slots in the stationary tube  66  as shown in  FIG. 12 . The other end of the stationary tube  66  is fitted with foam padding  71  that forms a handle. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 11 , the collet ring  63  is a thermoplastic annular ring having an internal collet taper  64  and an internal collet thread  65 . The internal collet taper  64  complements the external taper  68  of the stationary tube  66 . The internal collet thread  65  mates with the external thread  69  on the stationary tube  66 . 
     The proximal end (not shown for simplicity) of the extending tube  62  is inserted through the collet ring  63  (including the internal collet taper  64  and collet thread  65 ) and into the distal end of the stationary tube  66  to produce the desired length of the extension pole  60 . The internal collet thread  65  is then engaged with the external thread  69  and turned. Ideally when more than three ( 3 ) turns are applied the internal collet taper  64  contacts the external taper  68  on the stationary tube  66 . Further turning deforms the distal end of the stationary tube  66  causing narrowing of the longitudinal slot  67  to lock the extending tube  62  and stationary tube  66  together. 
     The paint brush pole  10  may be configured without the extending tube  62  and the collet ring  63 . This is accomplished by threading the threaded member  61  directly into the threaded cavity  48  of the release body  41 . 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by a user with little or no training. The method of installing and utilizing the paint brush pole  10  may be achieved by: acquiring a model of the paint brush pole  10  having the desired features consistent with the width of the paint brush  20 ; assembling the paint brush pole  10  as indicated in  FIG. 1 ; executing the preparatory steps to perform the desired procedure; applying the brush-on material to the paint brush  20 ; manipulating the paint brush pole  10  to apply the material to a surface; and cleaning the paint brush pole  10  when done. During the execution of the procedure the paint brush  20  and the swivel assembly  30  may be detached from the extension pole  60  by grasping the release body  41  and the clamp handle  54  and forcing the clamp handle  54  toward the release body  41 , thus overriding and compressing the clamp spring  56 , whereupon the clamp body  51  is pivoted away from the release faces  43  as seen in  FIG. 7   b  and the swivel assembly  30  with the attached paint brush  20  is released. 
     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.