Patent Publication Number: US-7581275-B2

Title: Paint brush for use in corner applications

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/584,979, filed Jul. 2, 2004. 

   TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The invention relates to a paint brush for use in corner applications, in particular to a paint brush for corner applications with a replaceable ferrule. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   It is often necessary to paint the corners of a structure such as the wall of a room or the like. In the past painters have manipulated the bristles of traditional paint brushes into corners to accomplish the task. However, use of traditional paint brushes often results in uneven, excessive or undesirable application of paint to the corners. Such use also often results in damage to the bristles of the paint brush. Thus, there is a need to provide a paint brush that facilitates even and aesthetically pleasing application of paint to corners. There is also a need to provide a paint brush in which the bristles may be easily replaced if damaged or worn. 
   The present invention is provided to solve the problems discussed above and other problems, and to provide advantages and aspects not provided by prior paint brushes. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a paint brush for use in corner applications. The paint brush comprises a handle, a ferrule and bristles. The handle has a first end and a second end. The ferrule is attached to the second end of the handle and is configured to an angle of less than 180 degrees. A plurality of bristles is secured within the ferrule, and extend axially therefrom. 
   According to another aspect of the present invention, the paint brush comprises a handle having a first end and second end, a ferrule receiver, and a detachable ferrule. The ferrule receiver is attached to the second end of the handle and includes a locking mechanism for providing securable attachment of the ferrule. The ferrule is disposed in slidable engagement with the ferrule receiver, and is configured to an angle of less than 180 degrees. The ferrule includes a plurality of bristles attached therein, and extending axially therefrom. 
   According to one aspect of the present invention, the ferrule receiver of the above described paint brush includes a locking mechanism disposed thereon. The locking mechanism is comprised of a flexible appendage having a protrusion raised thereon. The ferrule includes an aperture, such that when the detachable ferrule slidably engages the ferrule receiver, and the aperture engages the protrusion of the locking mechanism, thereby securing the ferrule to the detachable ferrule receiver. 
   According to another aspect of the present invention, the paint brush further includes an adaptor that is removably attached to the first end of the paint brush. The adaptor allows for attachment of an extension handle to the paint brush. 
   Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the following drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     To understand the present invention, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a paint brush according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the paint brush shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is another perspective view of the paint brush according to the present invention with bristles in broken lines; 
       FIG. 4  is a end plan view of the handle end paint brush shown in  FIG. 3 ; and, 
       FIG. 5  is a end plan view of the bristle end paint brush shown in  FIG. 3  (shown with bristles in broken lines). 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. 
   Referring now in detail to the  FIGS. 1-5 , there is generally shown a paint brush  10  for use in corner applications. The paint brush  10  comprises a handle  12  having a first end and second end, a ferrule receiver  14  attached to the second end of the handle  12 , and a detachable ferrule  16 . According to the present invention, the handle  12  may be made from wood, metal, plastic or other polymeric material suitable for use with paint brushes. 
   Also, the paint brush  10  of the present invention preferably will assume the general ornamental shape and design of the paint brush  10  shown in U.S. patent application Nos. 29/199,092 and 29/204,342. However, it is contemplated that the paint brush  10  may assume any suitable shape or design without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the handle  12  of the paint brush may assume alternate configurations or incorporate certain ergonomic elements. 
   The detachable ferrule  16  of the present invention is comprised of a bristle holder  11  that securably holds a plurality of bristles  18 . The bristles  18  of the present invention are configured to extend axially from the bristle holder  11  and in the plane of the paint brush  10 . The ferrule  16  of the present invention is attached to the ferrule receiver  14  in a slidably engaging manner. According to the present in invention, the ferrule  16  is configured to an angle of less than 180 degrees, such that the collection of bristles  18  therein conform to the same angle. This angled configuration facilitates painting corners in a room or the like. In one preferred embodiment the ferrule  16  is configured to an angle of 90 degrees. 
   As discussed above, the ferrule receiver  14  is attached to the second end of the handle  12 . It is contemplated that the ferrule  16  and ferrule receiver  14  be sized in such a way that the ferrule may be securably attached to the ferrule receiver  14  by friction fit in a complementary fashion. Alternatively, and as shown in one embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the ferrule receiver  14  includes a locking mechanism for providing securable attachment of the ferrule  16  (with bristles  18 ) to the ferrule receiver  14 , and thus, to the handle  12 . The locking mechanism is comprised of a flexible appendage  20  having a protrusion  22  raised thereon. The ferrule  16  employed in connection with this embodiment includes an aperture  23 . Accordingly, when the ferrule  16  slidably engages with the ferrule receiver  14  the aperture  23  securably receives the protrusion  22  of the locking mechanism, thereby securing the ferrule  16  to the ferrule receiver  14 . 
   According to one embodiment of the present invention, the paint brush  10  further includes an adaptor  24  that is removably attached to the first end of the paint brush handle  12 . The adaptor  24  allows for attachment of an extension handle to the paint brush  10 . Preferably, the adaptor  24  is attached to the handle  12  by a peg  26  and groove locking mechanism as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . In such case, a peg  26  extends outwardly from the first end of the handle  12  and an L-shaped groove  28  is disposed in a sidewall of the adaptor  24 . The L-shaped groove  28  engages the peg  26 , allowing the handle  12  to slide relative to an opening  25  in the adaptor  24  to a predetermined position. At that point the adaptor  24  may be rotated so that the adaptor  24  may no longer move in the plane of the handle  12 , thereby securably attaching the adaptor  24  to the paint brush handle  12 . Alternatively, the adaptor  24  may be attached to the handle  12  by friction fit, threading or any other suitable method of attachment. 
   While the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention, and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying Claims.