Abstract:
A brush including removable plates with tines that can be inserted into a complementary handle. The plates, made up of tines connected to a manifold at one end, are retained by the handle. Removable flat plates can be of a unitary construction and can be rolled, stacked or folded upon one another to form layers of tines. The plates are designed to be easily separated from a brush after use to allow for cleaning or replacement. The plates may also be interconnected by a set of hinges. The tines may include a plurality of flutes or ribs that increase the surface area of the tines and aid in increasing liquid retention when the brush is being used. After use, the individual plates can be removed from the handle and easily cleaned.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a brush that includes removable plates with tines that can be inserted into a complementary handle. Preferably, the tines are integral with the plates. 
   Brushes used for applying liquids such as paint, barbecue sauces or even sealant for blacktop driveways are typically manufactured as a complete one-piece assembled unit that is sold with the handle permanently connected to the bristles. After the brush is utilized to coat a particular object with a desired liquid, it is either cleaned or discarded. Cleaning the brushes is difficult when the liquid adheres between the bristles and requires intensive soaking in cleaning solutions to remove the liquid so that the brush can be readied for reuse. Typically, many brushes are so difficult to clean and maintain that they are discarded by the user. Further, food basting brushes that trap food and sauces within the bristles allow bacteria to grow, potentially causing illness. Brushes with bristles that can be removed require complex attachment mechanisms and typically are still difficult to clean after the brushes are disassembled due to the fact that the bristles are still too abundant within the bristle segment to allow for easy cleaning. 
   Prior art brushes do not provide for a brush having removable integral plates of tines that can be easily assembled and disassembled for cleaning purposes and manufactured in a cost-effective manner. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is a brush that comprises removable plates with tines that can be inserted into a complementary handle. The plates, made up of tines connected to a manifold at one end, are retained by the handle. The removable plates are of a unitary construction, and can be rolled, stacked or folded upon one another to form layers of tines. The plates are preferably substantially flat. The plates are designed to be easily separated or flattened after use to allow for cleaning and replacement if the tines should become damaged. The plates may also be interconnected by a set of hinges. The tines further may include a plurality of flutes or ribs that aid in liquid retention when the brush is being used. After use, the plates can be removed from the handle and easily cleaned. Since the plates are manufactured from a unitary piece of material preferably by compression molding, the fabrication costs are low. 
   These and other aspects of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and are more fully described in the following specification. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above mentioned and other features of this invention and the manner of obtaining them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a brush with removable plates of tines; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating an open member allowing the removal of the plates from the handle; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating three plates; 
       FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of the plates of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a top elevational view of the plates of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of the plates of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a plate illustrating two preferred embodiments of tines; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a brush with a removable plate of tines; 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of illustrating a pair of retaining members in an open position allowing the removal of the rolled plate from the handle; 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating a plate having a manifold and tines attached thereto; 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view illustrating the plate partially rolled at one end; and 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view illustrating the plate completely rolled. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   While the present invention will be described fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which particular embodiments are shown, it is to be understood at the outset that persons skilled in the art may modify the invention herein described while still achieving the desired result of this invention. Accordingly, the description that follows is to be understood as a broad informative disclosure directed to persons skilled in the appropriate art and not as limitations of the present invention. 
   In the figures, like reference numerals indicate the same elements throughout.  FIG. 1  shows a brush  10  comprising a handle  12  at a first end  14  and a plurality of tines or bristles  16  at a second end  18 . The brush  10  is adapted to be utilized for the application of a liquid such as paint, varnishes, barbeque sauce, blacktop sealant, and the like. The brush  10  is designed so that the tines  16  can be easily removed from the handle  12  and disassembled for easy cleaning after the application of the liquid is completed. The handle  12  includes a grip  20  and a base  22 . The handle  12  includes a first side  26  and an opposite second side  28 , wherein the first side  26  and second side  28  may be parallel. The grip  20  is an elongated portion of the handle  12  that tapers at a mid-section  24  along a third and fourth side  30  and  32  to allow for the user to easily grab the handle  12  while using the brush  10 . The handle  12  may further include an aperture  24  that allows the brush  10  to be easily supported by a hook or other support device when the brush  12  is not in use. 
   The base  22  of the handle  12  is adapted to retain the tines  16  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The base  22  is connected to the grip  20  at a first end  34  and adapted to receive the tines  16 . The base  22  preferably includes a stationary first retaining member  38  and a hinged second retaining member  40 . The first retaining member  38  is affixed to the grip  20  at a first end  39  by use of adhesive, brads, staples or other means know to those skilled in the art. The first retaining member  38  may also be molded with the handle  12 . The first retaining member  38  includes a base wall segment  50  and a pair of side wall segments  52 , which are perpendicularly oriented to and extend outwardly from the base wall segment  50 . The first retaining member  38  further includes an outside surface  42  and an inside surface  44 . The base wall segment  50  of the first retaining member  38  includes a detent lug  46  or similar projection that extends outwardly from the inside surface  44  thereof. The detent lug  46  is adapted to aid in the retention of the tines  16  to the base  22 . The base wall segment  50  of the first retaining member  38  may include a channel (not shown) that is adapted to aid in the retention of the tines  16  to the base  22 . The first retaining member  38  also includes a ledge  54  that extends outwardly from the outside surface  42 . The ledge  54  is adapted to restrict the forward movement of a sleeve  56  that is associated with the handle  12 . 
   The second retaining member  40  is hingedly connected to the grip  20  at a first end  58  and adapted to retain the tines  16 . The second retaining member  40  is hinged to allow the second retaining member  40  to be pivoted away from the first retaining member  38  for the removal of the tines  16 . The second retaining member  40  includes a base wall segment  64  and a pair of side wall segments  66  that extend outwardly from and are oriented perpendicular to the base wall segment  64 . The second retaining member  40  further includes an inside surface  68  and an outside surface  70 . The second retaining member  40  may include an annular recess (not shown) that is adapted to accept the lug detent  46  from the first retaining member  38 . The second retaining member  40  may also include an aperture  63  that allows for the detent lug  46  of the first retaining member  38  to pass therethrough. The inside surface  68  of the second retaining member  40  may include an inwardly extending lip  72  that is adapted to retain the tines  16 . The outside surface  70  of the second retaining member  40  includes a ledge  74  that is adapted to limit the forward movement of the sleeve  56 , when the sleeve  56  is moved toward the tines  16  to secure the first retaining member  38  and second retaining member  40 . 
   The sleeve  56  is positioned around the handle  12  and is adapted to retain the first retaining member  38  and second retaining member  40  together to secure the tines  16  to the handle  12 . The sleeve  56  includes an inside surface  76  and an outside surface  78 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The outside surface  78  is adapted to be gripped by the user and slid rearwardly away from the tines  16  to allow the second retaining member  40  to be opened allowing, release of the tines  16 . The inside surface  76  is adapted to slide along the handle  12  and engage the first and second retaining members  38  and  40 . The sleeve  56  may include an aperture  80  that is adapted to accept the detent lug  46  of the first retaining member  38  to prevent unwanted sliding of the sleeve  56  when in the forward position. The sleeve  56  may include a raised ridge  82  that prevents the user&#39;s hands from sliding off of the outside surface  78  when the sleeve  56  is moved to the forward position. 
   The tines  16  of the brush  10  are part of a series of plates  84  that are stacked or folded together to form layers of tines  16 . The plates  84 , as shown in  FIGS. 3–7 , are preferably fabricated from a silicone polymer material that has desirable heat resistance and anti-adhesion properties. In addition to silicone polymers, other polymers may be used to fabricate the plates  84 , such as thermoplastic rubbers. The plates  84  include a manifold  86  at a first end  88  and the tines  16  at a second end  90 . The tines  16  and the manifold  86  of each plate  84  are of a unitary construction allowing the plates  84  to be fabricated from a single type of material by die cutting, compression molding, injection molding or other molding methods known to those skilled in the art. The preferred compression molding allows the single molded unit to have tines  16  extending from an end of a plate  84  in one integral piece. 
     FIGS. 3–6  illustrate three plates  84   a ,  84   b  and  84   c  interconnected by living hinges  92   a  and  92   b  that allow the plates  84   a–c  to be folded upon each other to form layers of tines  16 . In place of hinges, any jointed or flexible device that allows pivoting may be used. While  FIGS. 3–6  illustrate three interconnected plates  84  additional plates  84  may be used to increase the thickness of the brush  10 . The three plates  84   a–c  are preferably molded as one unitary piece, but can be molded as individual plates if desired. 
   The first plate  84   a  includes a first side surface  94 , a second side surface  96 , a first edge  98  and a second edge  100 . The first plate  84   a  includes a pair of pegs or bosses  102  extending outwardly from the first side surface  94  of the manifold  86 . The pegs  102  are adapted to be positioned within a complementary pair of apertures  104  of the second plate  84   b  to maintain the alignment of the first plate  84   a  with the second plate  84   b . The first plate  84   a  also includes an opening  106  that passes through the manifold  86  that is adapted to allow the detent lug  46  to pass therethrough, retaining the first plate  84   a  to the handle  12 . The first edge  98  of the first plate  84   a  is adapted to be positioned against the side wall segments  52 ,  66  when the plate  84   a  is positioned between the retaining members  38  and  40 . The second side surface  96  of the first plate  84   a  may include a ledge  108  that extends along the width of the manifold  86  and is adjacent the tines  16 . The ledge  108  is adapted to be positioned within a groove (not shown) located on the inside surfaces  44 ,  68  of the first and second retaining members  38  and  40 . The second edge  100  of the first plate  84   a  is attached to the living hinge  92   b , which allows the first plate  84   a  to be pivoted onto the second plate  84   b.    
   The second plate  84   b  is similar to the first plate  84   a  in that the second plate  84   b  also includes a manifold  86   a  and a plurality of tines  16 . The second plate  84   b  includes a first edge  112  and a second edge  114 . In this embodiment, both edges  112 ,  114  are hingedly connected to the first and third plates  84   a ,  84   c  by use of hinges  92 . The second plate  84   b  further includes a first side surface  116  and a second side surface  118 . The first side surface  116  of the second plate  84   b  is adapted to be in contact with the first side surface  94  of the first plate  84   a  when the two plates are folded together. The manifold  86  of the second plate  84   b  includes the apertures  104  that are adapted to accept the pegs  102  of the first plate  84   a . The second plate  84   b  further includes an opening  120  that is adapted to accept the detent lug  46  to retain the second plate  84   b.    
   The third plate  84   c  is similar to the first and second plates  84   a  and  84   b  in that the third plate  84   c  includes a manifold  86   b  and a plurality of tines  16 . The third plate  84   c  includes a first side surface  122 , a second side surface  124 , a first edge  126  and a second edge  128 . The third plate  84   c  includes a pair of pegs or bosses  130  extending outwardly from the second side surface  124  of the manifold  86   b . The pegs  130  are adapted to be positioned within the apertures  104  of the second plate  84   b  to maintain the alignment of the third plate  84   c  with respect to the second plate  84   b . The third plate  84   c  also includes an opening  132  that passes through the manifold  86   b  and is adapted to allow the detent lug  46  to pass therethrough, retaining the third plate  84   c  to the handle  12 . The first edge  126  of the third plate  84   c  is adapted to be positioned against the side wall segments  52 ,  66  when the third plate  84   c  is positioned between the first and second retaining members  38  and  40 . The first side surface  122  of the third plate  84   c  includes a ledge  134  that extends along the width of the manifold  86   b  and is positioned adjacent the tines  16 . The ledge  134  is adapted to be positioned within the grooves (not shown) located on the inside surfaces  44 ,  68  of the first and second retaining members  38 ,  40 . The second edge  128  of the third plate  84   c  is attached to the living hinge  92 , which allows the third plate  84   c  to be pivoted onto the second plate  84   b.    
   The tines  16  are molded with the manifold  86  to form the plates  84 . The tines  16  are elongated flexible members adapted to allow for a liquid to be transferred from a container to an object such as grilled food. 
     FIG. 7  shows a manifold  86  with two variations of tines  16  extending out of an end. To enhance the ability of the tines  16  to retain liquid, the outer surface of the tines  16  may include ribs  136  or flutes  138 , which increases the surface area of each tine  16 , enabling the tines  16  to retain more liquid. The ribs  136  are shown as orbiting rings, but they may also run parallel to each tine  16 . While ribbing and fluting are preferred, other types of grooving or raised surfaces may be added to the tines  16  to increase liquid retention. 
     FIG. 7  shows a single plate that be interlocked with other complementary plates. Although integral hinged plates are preferred, the scope of this invention covers separate plates that are stacked. Any combination of cylindrical, fluted or ribbed tines  16  can be made. 
     FIG. 8  illustrates an alternate embodiment of a brush  140  having a handle  142  at one end and a plurality of tines  144  at a second end. The handle  142  includes a sleeve  146  and a pair of hinged retaining members  148 ,  149 , adapted to retain the tines  144 . 
     FIG. 9  illustrates the brush  140  with the sleeve  146  slid away from the tines  144  and the hinged retaining members  148 ,  149  in an open position, allowing the removal of the plate  150 , which comprises a manifold  152  at one end and the plurality of tines  144  at a second end. The manifold  152  and the tines  144  that make up the plate  150  are of a unitary construction and are manufactured from the same material. The plate  150 , as shown in  FIG. 10 , has an elongated manifold  152  that includes a ledge  154  that extends outwardly from a portion of the manifold  152 . To prepare the plate  150  for installation into the handle  142 , the plate  150  is rolled by starting at a first end  156 , as shown in  FIG. 11 . The plate  150  is rolled until a cylindrical shape is formed, as shown in  FIG. 12 . Upon completion of the rolling process, the ledge  154 , is positioned around a portion of the perimeter of the manifold  152 . Once the plate  150  is rolled, the plate  150  is positioned between the retaining members  148 ,  149 . 
   Once the rolled plate  150  is positioned between the retaining members  148 ,  149 , the retaining members  148 ,  149  are pivoted to the closed position, wherein a groove  158  on the inside surface  160  of the retaining members  148 ,  149  engages the ledge  154  of the plate  150 . After the retaining members  148 ,  149  are positioned around the plate  150 , the sleeve  146  is slide towards the tines  144 . When the sleeve  146  is moved to its most forward position, an aperture  162  in the sleeve  146  engages a detent  164  on the outer surface of the retaining member  148 . The detent lug  164  is adapted to aid in the retention of the tines  144  to the handle  142 . 
   Although the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated and described in connection with particular features, it can be adapted for use with a variety of brushes. Other embodiments and equivalent brushes and methods are envisioned within the scope of the invention. Various features of the invention have been particularly shown and described in connection with the illustrated embodiments of the invention, however, it must be understood that these particular embodiments merely illustrate and that the invention is to be given its fullest interpretation within the terms of the appended claims.