Abstract:
The device of the present invention is a durable yet lightweight paint brush cover which can be used to cover paint brushes of multiple sizes. The device is essentially comprised of a flap portion and a wrap portion, with the portions being attached at a variable width interface portion. This variable width interface portion allows the wrap portion and flap portion to be easily folded over an inserted paint brush of any conventional size. The device is constructed with a durable material which will withstand multiple uses without significant wear, thus allowing the device to be used over a long period of time.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to protective coverings for paint brushes.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Paint brushes, while individually relatively inexpensive, when cumulatively assessed, can be a large expenditure for businesses in the painting field. Proper care of a paint brush can dramatically increase the life of a paint brush, thus significantly reducing the amount of total expenditures.  
         [0003]     Additionally, paint brushes are used to apply paint which, by its very nature, is intended to permanently alter the appearance of a surface. At the very least, removing paint from an undesired surface can be a difficult and time intensive task. Even if the brush is cleaned before storing, the brush may be moist with water or a paint solvent which may have undesirable effects on adjacent surfaces. Thus, it is desirable to store a paint brush in a cover when not using it in order to protect these surfaces.  
         [0004]     The prior art discloses brush covers made primarily of paper products. The obvious drawback of these covers is that a paint brush can be moist with paint, water, a paint solvent, or a combination of these. This can cause the paper brush covers to deteriorate rapidly and will provide only limited protection to the brush.  
         [0005]     There have been previous attempts to solve the foregoing problem. One example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,608 to Nielsen et al., discloses a magnetized brush and tool retainer. This cover for paint brushes and tools utilizes magnetic materials to secure a paint brush or other tools in place within the cover. The largest single drawback of the device is that a different sized cover must be chosen depending on the size of brush being used. For instance, based on the fact that front panel  20 , as disclosed in that patent, is of a fixed width and is of an equal width of central panel  12 , the cover will only be of use for a brush of the same dimensions as the inside dimension of the device. This is obvious as Nielsen discloses seven different dies or outlines in  FIG. 6 . Additionally, the magnets used to secure the brush or tools in place cause excess weight within the device which is undesirable if numerous paint brushes must be carried. Furthermore, many paint brushes are made of wood, plastic or composite materials to which a magnet is not attracted.  
         [0006]     Therefore, what is needed is a paint brush cover which will securely cover desired portions of a paint brush and which is adjustable to fit all sizes of normally available paint brushes. Additionally, a paint brush cover is desired that does not require any magnetic attraction between the cover and the brush. Finally, a paint brush cover is needed that is not only adjustable, but is also durable.  
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     It is an object of the current invention to provide a paint brush cover which will preserve and protect a paint brush.  
         [0008]     It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a paint brush cover which can be adjusted to fit most commercially available paint brushes.  
         [0009]     It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a paint brush cover which is made of a material which is both durable, flexible, light weight and absorbent.  
         [0010]     The foregoing and other objects will be apparent from the drawings and the description set forth herein.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     The current invention relates to a cover for paint brushes which protects both a paint brush and surfaces adjacent the paint brush. In the field of paint brushes, there are two general shapes: 1) a flat brush (commonly called a swan brush), and 2) a corner brush (commonly called a sash brush). Within these two general shapes, paint brushes come in various widths and lengths depending on the application the brush is being used for. The paint brush cover of the present invention, in one embodiment, is constructed such that most commercially available sizes of brushes can be secured within the cover.  
         [0012]     All embodiments of the current invention utilize a wrap portion to enclose a paint brush. The paint brush will be placed in approximately the middle of this wrap portion and the portions of the wrap portion extending beyond the brush will be folded over the brush and each other. Extending from the middle of the wrap portion is a flap portion. This flap portion is designed to be folded over the bristle end of the brush and the folded wrap portion such that it lies directly on top of the folded wrap portion. While most of the flap portion is substantially rectangular in shape, the interface portion (where the flap portion meets the wrap portion) will, at first, be wider than the flap portion, then narrower, and then tapered into the wrap portion. The special cuts in the material which define this variable width of the interface portion is the feature that allows the brush cover to be capable of accommodating various sizes of paint brushes.  
         [0013]     Once the brush is fully enclosed within the wrap and flap portions of the device, a hook and loop fastening system (or equivalent) will be used to secure the folds of the cover device and secure and support the brush within the device. The hook and loop fasteners will be attached to the external surfaces of both the wrap and flap portions, such that when secured around a paint brush, the hook and loop fasteners will fully secure the cover and the brush in place. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of the internal surface of the paint brush cover in its unfolded formation.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of the external surface and securing mechanism of the paint brush cover in its unfolded formation.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of the interface surface of the paint brush cover in its unfolded formation after a paint brush has been placed on the cover.  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is an illustration of the paint brush cover after a paint brush has been partially covered by the wrap section  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is an illustration of the paint brush cover  
         [0019]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  are side views of the present invention illustrating the securing mechanism of the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the paint brush cover specifically tailored for sash type paint brushes.  
         [0021]      FIG. 8  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the paint brush cover specifically tailored for sash type paint brushes after the flap portion has been positioned but not secured with the hook and loop fastening system.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]      FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of the paint brush cover in its unfolded formation. Paint brush cover  11  is comprised of a wrap portion  13  and a flap portion  15 . Wrap portion  13  can be divided into three general sections, middle section  17 , right section  19  and left section  21 . Paint brush cover  11  is arranged such that flap portion  15  is directly adjacent middle section  17  of wrap portion  15  with the two portions being connected by interface  23 . While interface  23  is substantially contained within flap portion  15 , it is distinguished from the remainder of flap portion  15 .  FIG. 1  shows that flap portion  15  has a substantially constant width designated by  25 . In one embodiment, the width of this flap portion will remain fixed, and must be set according to the width of the smallest brush to be covered by the invention. In a different embodiment, as the flap portion  15  approaches wrap potion  13 , interface  23  has a varying width, widening to a maximum width designated by  27 , which is greater than width  25 , narrowing to a width  29 , which is smaller than width  25 . Width  29  must be set according to the width of the smallest brush to be covered by the invention. Finally interface  23  tapers into wrap portion  13 . This gradual widening and narrowing of the width within interface  23  allows for flap portion  15  to have a width  25  which may be greater than the width of the smallest brush to be accommodated by paint brush cover  11 , thus allowing this one paint brush cover  11  for multiple sizes of paint brushes. As is illustrated with alternate contours  35 , an alternate embodiment of interface portion  23  could be used to accommodate oversized brushes while still being capable of accommodating conventional sized brushes. This multiple size accommodation feature is further facilitated through adjusting the widths of middle section  17 , right section  19  and left section  21  without changing the overall dimensions of wrap portion  13 . For example, for a larger brush, middle section  17  will be wider while, right and left sections  19  and  21  will be proportionately smaller. Alternately, if the brush is smaller in width, middle section  17  will be smaller and right and left sections  19  and  21  will be proportionately larger. In any case, flap portion  15 , by virtue of variable width interface section  23 , will be able to be easily folded over wrap section  13  and will cover the top of an inserted paintbrush (as shown in  FIGS. 3-5 ) and any portion of the paint brush not covered by right and left sections  19  and  21  when in folded formation, without any additional adjustment to the physical dimensions of paint brush cover  11 .  
         [0023]     In one embodiment, paint brush cover  11  could be constructed with a canvas material. In different embodiments, other materials which possess both flexibility and durability could be used in place of the canvas.  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  illustrates the securing mechanism attached to the external surface  41  of paint brush cover  11 . The securing mechanism, in one embodiment, is comprised of a coordinated hook and loop system, such as sold under the name VELCRO. The hook material portion  43  is attached to the external surface  41  of middle section  17  nearest edge  31 . Accordingly, loop material portions  47  and  49  are attached to and extend beyond edge  33  of external surface  51  of flap portion  15 . In a different embodiment, the portion of the device marked  43  could be made of loop material and the portions marked  47  and  49  could be made of hook material. It should be obvious to one skilled in the art that other methods of securing the various sections to each other are possible.  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  illustrates the proper positioning of a paint brush  61  within the paint brush cover  11  before the device has been folded. Paint brush  61  is positioned on the internal surface  45  of wrap portion  13  of paint brush cover  11  such that the bristles  63  of brush  61  abut, but do not extend into interface  23 . As can be seen, multiple lengths of paint brushes can be accommodated so long as the bristles  63  do not extend into interface  23 . Alternate brush contours  65  shown in the  FIG. 3  represent a different size of paint brush that can be covered by the paint brush cover  11 . Again, as described with reference to  FIG. 1 , multiple sizes of brushes can be accommodated by the paint brush cover  11  due to the varying width of interface  23 . In certain embodiments, internal surface  45  may be lined or backed with an additional layer of flexible material to further increase the durability and longevity of paint brush cover 11.  
         [0026]      FIG. 4  illustrates the paint brush cover  11 , after the paint brush  61  has been positioned, and after left section  21  has been folded to partially wrap paint brush  61 . Right section  19  will subsequently be folded over in substantially the opposite direction such that left section  21 , right section  19  and middle section  17  wrap paint brush  61 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 5  illustrates the paint brush cover  11  after paint brush  61  has been fully wrapped by right section  19 , left section  21 , and middle section  17 , and after flap portion  15  has been folded allowing interface  23  to fully enclose the top of paint brush  61  such that only external surface  51  is exposed. As can be seen in the figure, only handle  67  of paint brush  61  is visible and exposed. Loop portions  47  and  49  have not been attached to said hook portion  43  (not shown).  
         [0028]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  are side views of the paint brush cover device after paint brush  61  has been fully enclosed by wrap portion  13  and flap portion  15 .  FIG. 6A  shows loop portions  47  and  49  before they are attached to hook material  43 . In  FIG. 6B , loop portions  47  and  49  are engaged with the hook material  43  by manipulating the loop portions to secure both flap portion  15  and wrap portion  13  together when the device is in its folded formation. Additionally, loop portions  47  and  49  will straddle the handle  67  of paint brush  61  such that paint brush  61  is supported from both sides of handle  67 .  
         [0029]      FIG. 7  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the paint brush cover specifically tailored for sash type paint brushes (not shown) whose bristles are disposed at a 45° angle. While previous embodiments of the invention could accommodate a sash type brush, it may be desirable to have a paint brush cover specifically tailored to the shape of the sash brush.  
         [0030]     With reference to  FIG. 7 , sash paint brush cover  71  is substantially the same as previous embodiments of the invention. Wrap portion  13  is the same as previous embodiments, but flap portion  73  is disposed at a 45° angle from the remainder of the paint brush cover such that it will mimic the shape of the sash brush (not shown). Interface section  75  will function precisely as it has been described with reference to previous embodiments.  
         [0031]      FIG. 8  illustrates the sash paint brush cover  71  after sash paint brush  81  has been fully wrapped by right section  19 , left section  21 , and middle section  17 , and after flap portion  73  has been folded allowing interface  75  to fully enclose the top of sash paint brush  81 . As can be seen, when in folded formation, the top surface  77  of sash paint brush cover  71  forms a 45° angle, mimicking the shape of sash paint brush  81 . Hook portions  47  and  49  will function precisely as they have been described in the previous embodiments.  
         [0032]     Whereas the drawings and accompanying description have shown and described the preferred embodiments, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the form of the invention without affecting the scope thereof.