Patent Abstract:
A brush head for one-time use is equipped with a bundle of bristles that is fashioned from a flat strip of material that disintegrates in water. The strip is formed with incisions defining therebetween the bristles of the brush. Material bridges connect the bristles to one another and they break up upon being wetted before said bristles disintegrate.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 10/313,239, filed Dec. 5, 2002; the application also claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of Austrian utility model application GM 692/2002, filed Oct. 18, 2002 and German application No. 20216059.9, filed Oct. 18, 2002; the prior applications are herewith incorporated by reference in their entirety. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to a brush head for one-time use with bundled bristles. 
   WO 01/15587 A1 describes a toilet brush with such a brush head that features a sleeve that can be attached to the front end of a handle and in which sleeve a bundle of bristles is fastened The brush head as a whole consists of a water-soluble material, e.g. of pulp, paper, or the like, with each bristle being formed by a rolled-up strip of paper or the like. After use, the brush head is stripped off, or, respectively, thrown off and can thus be flushed off together with the wastewater. The brush heads can be kept in storage in a dispenser, with the bristle bundle being held together by a protective cover that is to be removed prior to use. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention made it its task to provide a brush head that is easy to manufacture. According to the invention, this is achieved by forming the bristle bundle from a single metal strip. The bundle of bristles is thus one piece, meaning that the bristle, do not need to be manufactured and bundled individually but can rather be created through incisions. 
   A basically rectangular, flat metal strip can be folded into the desired cross section shape of the bristle bundle. Through zigzag folding, the bundle of bristles may not only have a square or rectangular cross section shape but even approximate a round one. Furthermore, an essentially round brush head can be achieved by winding the rectangular strip of material in spiral shaper or, respectively, by rolling it into a cylinder and providing it with longitudinal ribs. 
   Furthermore, the flat strip of material may feature ribs that radiate from a central section. In this case, the geometric shape of this strip of material can be selected at will, and the strip could even be round. In the case of a non-round strip, bristles of varying lengths may result. 
   In a preferable model, the flat strip of material is provided with incisions or stampings from which the bristles result. The incisions extend in particular over approximately one to three quarters of the width of the strip of material, leaving a continuous, solid border strip comprising the remainder of the width that can be stuck onto a holder or a handle or the like for a separable connection and/or mounting. Preferably, this marginal strip also provides the cohesion of the bundle of bristles by treating the surface areas that touch each other during the folding, rolling or winding process with water-soluble glue. Cohesion may also be achieved by way of a sleeve that the wound, rolled up and/or folded bundle of bristles is inserted into while being connected to the sleeve along the marginal strip. 
   If the bristles are modeled in radiating fashion on a central section, the central section is inserted into the sleeve, causing the bristles to essentially rise parallel to each other. Again, the sleeve can be stuck onto the holder or the handle. 
   In order to facilitate the insertion into the sleeve and, respectively, to make it more difficult for the gluing to come apart, a provision may be added by rounding at least one of the two corners on the material strip opposite the bristles. 
   Another preferred model provides for the uncut longitudinal marginal area of the material strip to have a narrower and a wider part. The length of the wider part corresponds approximately to the circumference of the bristle bundle, allowing the wider part to be rolled into a sleeve during the rolling of such a material strip that can then be attached to the holder or the like. 
   The material strip consists in particular of pulp or the like, i.e. material that will swell or disintegrate in water, permitting the bristles to form only at the time of the first wetting. Therefore it is possible to place the incisions in such a manner that they remain connected by material bridges that quickly break during wetting and allow the individual bristles to form or that, respectively, release them. These material bridges prevent any expansion of the flee bristle ends due to the tensions occurring during the rolling or folding of the material strip 
   In an initial model, the incisions comprise, for example, only part of the thickness of the material strip allowing for an uncut, solid continuous surface to remain. When the material strip is wound or rolled to the bundle of bristles, the continuous surface may be located inside or outside since the wet material bridges will disintegrate in any event. If the continuous surface is located on the inside, the incisions will open because of the curvature, and the individual bristles will be visibly indicated 
   In a second model the incisions may penetrate the entire thickness, and each incision is divided by a ridge into two segments of equal length. The ridges complement each other to a narrow area continuing across the length of the material strip. 
   The material strip may be soaked with a cleaning or disinfecting agent at least within the area of the bristles 
   Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims. 
   Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in brush head, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. 
   The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
   In the following, the invention is described in detail in three sample models by way of the figures shown in the attached drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       FIG. 1  showing an oblique view of a flat material strip, 
       FIG. 2  showing a partially wound up material strip 
       FIG. 3  showing detail A in an enlarged representation, 
       FIG. 4  showing a bundle of bristles with an attachable sleeve, 
       FIGS. 5-7  showing representations identical to  FIGS. 1-3  in a second embodiment; 
       FIG. 8  showing a variant of a bristle bundle 
       FIG. 9  showing a horizontal projection of a third embodiment of the material strip, 
       FIG. 10  showing a partially wound material strip of the third embodiment, 
       FIG. 11  showing a horizontal projection of a fourth embodiment of the material strip, 
       FIG. 12  showing a schematic representation of the production of a fifth embodiment, and 
       FIG. 13  showing another variant of a bristle bundle manufactured in this manner. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The flat, substantially rectangular material strip  1  shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  5 ,  9 , or  12  made of pulp or similar material that will swell through water absorption and thereby lose its stability and finally disintegrate is provided in an initial segment with bristle  3  forming incisions  4 . The segment provided with the incisions  4  comprises approximately two to three quarters of the width of the material strip  1 , assuring that the remaining marginal segment  2  is closed which in  FIGS. 1 ,  5 , or  9  features at least one rounded or beveled corner  10 . The incisions  4  represent bristles  3 . In the model according to  FIG. 1 , as shown in detail A in  FIG. 3 , the incisions  4  comprise only a part of the thickness of the material strip, accounting for the fact that on the one surface  6  they are visible, but not on the other surface  5  ( FIG. 2 ). Therefore, each incision  4  is delineated in its depth by a material ridge that forms the continuous surface  5 . 
   If, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the material strip  1  is rolled up, the bundle of bristles  11  is created when the continuous surface  5  is located on the inside. Tile incisions  4  widen somewhat during the rolling process, and the bristles are clearly visible even though they are connected via the inside material ridges. Cohesion of the rolled-up bundle of bristles  11  is provided by a water-soluble glue that is applied to the marginal area  2  prior to the rolling up process. At least the one corner  10  is rounded or beveled that is located oil the outside of the rolled-up bundle of bristles  11  ( FIG. 4 ), meaning that, on the one hand, the glue on the corner  10  will detach less easily before its time due to outside mechanical influences and, on the other hand, that the bristle bundle  11  can be inserted more easily into a sleeve  12 . The sleeve  12  can either be part of the brush head and can also be made of a material that will disintegrate in water, in which case the sleeve can be stuck onto a holder or handle in detachable fashion, or it already represents the receiving end of tile holder or handle. 
   The model according to  FIGS. 5 through 7  differs from the model according to  FIGS. 1 through 3  only in that the incisions  4 , while comprising the entire thickness of the material strip  1 , they are, divided into two segments  8  and  9 , with a material bridge remaining between segments  8  and  9  that appears as a continuous ridge. The lengths of segments  8  and  9  could be in the ratio of 1.1 to 2:1. 
     FIG. 8  shows a variant of a bristle bundle  1 I that is formed through zigzag folding of the material strip  1 , in which case the distances between the folding edges increase from both sides towards the center of the material strip  1 . Distances of equal width between the folding edges lead to bristle bundles  1 I with a square or a rectangular cross section area. 
     FIGS. 9 and 10  show another material strip  1  whose uncut marginal area  2  is graduated. A wider section  13  comprises a length that corresponds approximately to the circumference of the bristle bundle  11 , meaning that the sleeve  12  is formed from this part  13  during the rolling process. The material bridges are again formed by the ridge  7 , but they could also result from incisions  4  not exceeding the thickness. For stabilization of the sleeve  12 , an overlapping strap  14  could be provided on at least one side 
   In the model according to  FIG. 11 , the flat material strip  1  features a round basic shape from which the bristles  3  are cut out in radiating fashion. Incisions  4  reaching close to the central section  15  permit the folding of the flat material strip to a bristle bundle  11  when the central section  15  is pressed into a sleeve  12 . These incisions  4 , too, can be limited to part of the thickness of the material strip through the formation of material bridges. The central section  15  may feature a hole, if necessary, in order to provide an empty space for the material during the erection of the bristles  3 . 
   The material bridges formed by the continuous surface  5  or, respectively, by the ridge  7  ensure the cohesion of the bristle bundle during the winding, rolling, or folding of the material, meaning that the non-conglutinated bristles  3 , in particular tile free ends of the exterior bristles will not spread outwardly. Therefore, the bristle bundle  11  features an essentially uniform cross section over its entire length so that it can be stored and/or handled in a storage package, a dispenser or the like without any protective cover or the like 
     FIG. 13  shows another variant of a bristle bundle that features a hollow cylindrical basic shape ill whose walls, for example, eight protruding ridges or, respectively, ribs  21  are formed. Between each two ridges or, respectively, ribs  21 , incisions  4  are provided that extend over two to three quarters of the height of the cylinder, with the rib sections separated by the incisions  4  forming the bristles  3 . The non-incised marginal area of the bristle bundle  11  can either be inserted into a sleeve  1  and conglutinated, similar to the model according to  FIG. 1 . Since the bristle bundle  11  is hollow-cylindrical, the non-incised marginal area can also be stuck directly onto a holder or the like. 
   The incisions  4  can extend all the way across the thickness, as can be seen in  FIG. 13  since, due to the stiffening U-shaped cross section of the individual bristles  3 , they need not be held together through material bridges. If desired, material bridges can still be provided in one of the versions described above. 
     FIG. 12  shows schematically the production of the bristle bundle according to  FIG. 13 . The flat rectangular material strip  1  is rolled into a hollow cylinder  15  without any prior incisions and glued together along its abutting edges. The diameter of the hollow cylinder  15  is considerably larger than the diameter of the cylindrical core  16  that is used for the shaping and on which longitudinal ribs  17  are formed. Eight radially movable press elements  18  that in the work area are wedge-shaped provide an initial section with a Cutting edge  19  and a subsequent section with narrow frontal area  20  that is recessed from the cutting edge  19 . The press elements  18 , three of which are shown in  FIG. 12 , press, in particular one after the other, the hollow-cylindrical material strip  1  between the longitudinal ribs  17  of the core  16  whereby the material strip is pressed against the surface of the core  16 . The cutting edges  19  of the press elements  18  thereby produce the incisions  4  while the dull frontal areas  20  only shape or, respectively, compress the material strip. 
   When used, for example, on a toilet brush, the bristle bundle is wetted, and the wetness as well as the cleaning action soften the material and break the thin material bridges that may have been provided, with the bristle bundle opening up like a brush. After use, the brush head can be stripped off the holder and flushed away together with the wastewater.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0