Patent Publication Number: US-6910241-B2

Title: Barbecue basting brush with a changeable brush head

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to a barbecue basting brush with a changeable brush head and particularly to a barbecue basting brush that has a latching means located on the brush head and the handle end to allow the brush head to be movably coupled on the handle. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   Cookout or barbecue indoors or outdoors is a popular leisure activity for many people on holidays. Many tools are required in barbecue activity, such as barbecue grills, spatulas, and basting brushes. The basting brush is a consumable supply and must be thrown away once the bristles are stuck with barbecue paste or lose hairs. While some high quality basting brushes are made from higher quality bristles and may last longer, they still have to be replaced after having been used for a period of time. The basting brush is discarded mainly because of the bristles have been frayed or damaged. But the handle still is useable. To throw away the entire basting brush because of the bristles not only is a waste, it also creates an environmental pollution problem. Therefore to develop a basting brush with changeable bristles not only has market requirements also is a better way to protect earth resources. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The primary object of the invention is to provide a barbecue basting brush that has a detachable brush head and handle so that the brush head may be replaced individually when damaged without throwing away the handle which is still usable to overcome the problem of the conventional barbecue basting brushes that have to discard the entire brushes and result in waste and environmental pollution. 
   The basting brush according to the invention includes a brush head and a handle that are detachable and may be coupled as desired. The brush head includes a bristle section and a coupling section to form a permanent bonding. The coupling section is an annular sleeve with a distal end of one side forming a notch and the center end of another side forming a latch tongue. The handle is an elongated stem including a handgrip and a stem fastening together. The stem has a distal end forming an annular hub which has a retaining block located on an inner side of the juncture of the annular hub and the stem. The coupling section may be inserted into and latched on the annular hub to allow the brush head and the handle to couple together. During coupling, the plane where the notch of the coupling section located is in contact with the plane of the retaining block of the annular hub so that the notch and the retaining block are coupled with each other to allow the brush head to be confined in the annular hub in a desired depth. In addition, when the brush head and the handle are coupled, the latch tongue of the coupling section of the brush head has a hook section on the tail end to latch on a side edge of the annular hub. The elastic force of the latch tongue and the coupling force of the tail end of the latch tongue enable the coupling section to be securely latched in the annular hub so that the brush head does not breaking away during dispensing barbecue paste. Moreover, the latch tongue also may facilitate detaching operation. By depressing the tail end of the latch tongue towards the notch direction, the hook section may be moved away from the side edge of the annular hub, then the brush head may be removed from the annular hub. 
   By means of the construction set forth above, the detachable brush head may be replaced as desired and save the cost of replacing the entire set of barbecue basting brush. It also conforms to environmental protection requirements. 
   The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  are front and rear perspective views of the invention. 
       FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5  are schematic views of the invention in various operating conditions. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the barbecue basting brush according to the invention includes a bush head  1  and a handle  2 . The brush head  1  includes bristles  11  and a coupling section  12  permanently bonding together. The coupling section  12  is a hollow annular sleeve  120  which has one end forming a notch  121  opposite to another end bonding the bristles. The annular sleeve  120  has a protrusive latch tongue  122  on another side opposing the notch. There are two slots  123  formed on the juncture of the latch tongue  122  and the annular sleeve  120  to allow the latch tongue  122  to become an elastic section movable up and down on the annular sleeve  120 . The latch tongue  122  has one side forming a bulged hook section  1221 . The handle  2  has a handgrip  21  which has one end fastening to a stem  22 . The stem has a distal end forming an annular hub  221  which has a retaining block  223  located on an inner side connecting to a shank  222 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5  for assembly and detaching of the brush head  1  and the handle  2 , first, insert the coupling section  12  of the brush head  1  into the annular hub  221  of the handle  2 , with the plane where the notch  121  of the coupling section  12  is located in contact with the plane where the retaining block  223  of the annular hub  221  is located (as shown in FIG.  3 ). Thus when the coupling section  12  is inserted into the annular hub  221  for a selected depth, the notch  121  and the retaining block  223  are coupled with each other to form a positioning effect. After the coupling section  12  is positioned in the annular hub  221 , the latch tongue  122  is latched on a remote side edge of the annular hub  221 . The hook section  1221  at the tail end of the latch tongue  122  engages with a lateral side  2211  of the annular hub  221  to prevent the brush head  1  from escaping from the annular hub (as shown in FIG.  4 ). In such a structure, because of the slots  123  (not shown in the drawings) formed between the latch tongue  122  and the annular sleeve  120 , the latch tongue  122  has elasticity like an elastic plate. Hence with the coupling section  12  having a smaller outer dimension than the inner dimension of the annular hub  221 , the coupling section  12  may be inserted into the annular hub  221  and extended outwards to form a bucking effect so that the coupling section  12  may be coupled with the annular hub  221  tightly. The elastic latch tongue  122  also may facilitate removing of the brush head  1  from the annular hub  221 . By depressing the tail end of the latch tongue  122  exposed outside the annular hub  221  (referring to FIG.  4 ), latching between the hook section  1221  and the side edge of the annular hub  221  may be disengaged in the direction of the notch  121 , then the brush head  1  may be pushed out from the annular hub  221  in the direction of the bristles  11  (as shown in FIG.  5 ). During removing the brush head, user&#39;s hand does not touch the bristles  11 , thus may be free from smearing of the barbecue paste attached to the bristles  11 .