Improvements in Brushes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 6th July, 1893-Accepted, 2nd Sept., 1893
PROVIDIONAL DIMITIVATION.
Improvements in Brushes.
I, JOSEF EICHHOFF, M.D., Physician to the Town Hospital of Elberfeld, in
the Empire of Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
It is a well-known scientific fact that skin and hair diseases are frequently
transmitted in bathing and hair-dressing establishments and the like by brushes.
This indeed is the only cause of infection in most cases. But not only brushes used
by the public indiscriminately but also those reserved for one's own private use are
liable to become causes of disease, inasmuch as parasites accidentally entering and
settling in the brush, spread and multiply therein, and are transmitted to the skin
every day unless the brush is carefully cleaned.
It will besides be readily understood considering the nature of the materials of
which brushes have hitherto been made that the absorption by them of parasites
and fungi-form growths and their transmission from one individual to the other are
practically unavoidable.
The reason why the public exhibit so little fear of infection from unclean
brushes, used daily by every one, chiefly lies in the fact that such fear would
be unavailing since it is impossible to thoroughly clean the brush as at present
constructed every time that it has been in use. The cleaning of the ordinary
brush is therefore scarcely if ever attempted and when it is the process cannot
be performed very thoroughly. All attempts made hitherto to make brushes
which can be rapidly, safely and easily cleaned without being damaged or
becoming prematurely unfit for use, have proved futile. Again the washing of
a brush every time that it is used takes up too much time, quite apart from
the injury it does to the wooden and polished backs of the brushes which are
liable to crack and from the early loss of elasticity sustained by the hairs or
bristles which instead of remaining tied up in bundles become loose and dis-
connected. Where wire is employed in the manufacture of the brush it soon
becomes rusty if washed and the indiarubber back employed in wire-brushes
will not stand any treatment with hot water. Besides water affects the bottom
part of the wire (i.e. the part located underneath the wire supporting plate) so
as to destroy the elasticity of the wires. The only infallible method of cleaning
thoroughly a brush, is to purify and disinfect it by heat, a temperature rising
to as much as 250° centigrade being required to destroy any parasitical germs
adhering to the hairs or wires. Of course brushes consisting of natural bristles
or hairs and wooden backs can under no circumstances be thus treated; no
more can the wire brushes hitherto constructed, since the elastic indiarubber
back or support which receives the rigid wires will not resist such a tem-
perature with the result that the close connection between the wires and the
part supporting them is at once destroyed.
The object of this invention is to provide a brush combining the advantages
of a good hair-brush (viz. the softness of the elastic natural bristle or hair)
with, facility of thorough cleaning; its construction being such that whenever
the brush has been used, it can immediately be submitted to a temperature
of 250° without sustaining the slightest injury or the loss of any of its merits.
The destruction of any infectious germs or growths adhering to the hairs or
wires of the brush may take place in any stove or heating apparatus usual in
apartments or in special apparatus provided for the purpose, and more especially
suitable for hair-dressing and similar public establishments. The impurities

page_text: will at a maximum temperature of 250° become absolutely innocuous and may
eventually be removed by simply shaking the brush, as in the heating process
they become converted into perfectly dry dust.
The improved construction of brush whereby the advantages above stated are
realized, consist in making the whole of the brush of metal without the inter-
position of any elastic or flexible parts except the bristles themselves.
In the accompanying drawings
Figs. 1 to 3 show different forms of brushes of the improved construction.
In construction these brushes consisting of metal only the greatest importance
should be attached to the elasticity of the wires as it is of course necessary that
metal wires should be extremely flexible to be fit for use in hair-brushes and not to
be liable to scratch the skin. To accomplish this purpose either wires of the usual
size may be provided with special means which impart to them the springy
elasticity which ordinary wires do not possess; or the wires may be made as
thin as hairs or bristles in which case the requisite suppleness and softness will
naturally be inherent in them.
Figures 1 and 2 are two longitudinal sections of metal hair-brushes, in which
wires of the usual thickness have the required elasticity imparted to them by
being wound spirally at their lower parts. This spiral portions of each wire b
(which will give more or less elasticity to the wire according as it extends
over a greater or less part of the same) may either be fitted above a supporting
plate as in Fig. 1 or within the double back of the brush a a¹ as in Fig. 2,
so that in the first case the spiral winding is visible and in the other case it is
concealed from view.
Wires such as these will yield to the slightest pressure both in longitudinal
and lateral directions (see Figs. 1 and 2). As before stated the elasticity of
the wires may be varied by shaping spirally a greater or less part of their
length, which is in itself a material advantage for the trade as it enables the
brushes to be made to suit a great variety of purposes.
Brushes constructed in this manner will not however be generally suitable for
use as hair-brushes as the skin of the head is so sensitive with many persons
that wires of the kind just described, however flexible, would injure it. For
this purpose then the springy nature of the wire cannot be added to by artificial
means, and wire must be chosen which is so thin as of itself to yield to even
the slightest pressure. In this case too it would be impracticable to set the
wires in the back or support of the brush singly, the thin wires being preferably
formed into bundles which are then by any suitable means connected to form a
brush.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of a brush composed of such bundles 6¹.
Care should be taken in this case to arrange the bundles. of wires at such
distances apart as not to interfere with the free discharge of the dust forming during
the heating or disinfecting operation.
Further, in the case of hair brushes which for greater lightness, may be
provided with backs a of aluminium, it is preferable to use wire coated with a
substance capable of protecting it from rust, or itself capable of resisting the attacks
of rust.
In brushes intended for manufacturing purposes the wire may be free from
any such coating, also the brushes may assume a flat, curved, cylindrical or any
other suitable shape.
Dated this 10th day of October 1892.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brushes.
I, JOSEF EICHHOFF, M.D., Physician to the Town Hospital of Elberfeld, in
the Empire of Germany, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:
It is a well-known scientific fact that skin and hair disease is frequently trans-
mitted in bathing and hair-dressing establishments and the like by brushes. This
indeed is the only cause of infection in most cases. But not only brushes used by
the public indiscriminately but also those reserved for one's own private use are
liable to become causes of disease, inasmuch as parasites accidentally entering and
settling in the brush, spread and multiply therein, and are transmitted to the skin
every day unless the brush is carefully cleaned.
It will besides be readily understood considering the nature of the materials of
which brushes have hitherto been made, that the absorption by them of parasites
and fungiform growths and their transmission from one individual to the other are
practically unavoidable.
The reason why the public exhibit so little fear of infection from unclean brushes,
used daily by every one, chiefly lies in the fact that such fear would be unavailing
since it is impossible to thoroughly clean the brush as at present constructed, every
time that it has been in use. The cleaning of the ordinary brush is therefore
scarcely, if ever, attempted, and when it is, the process cannot be performed very
thoroughly. All attempts made hitherto to make brushes which can be rapidly,
safely and easily cleaned without being damaged or becoming prematurely unfit for
use, have proved futile. Again the washing of a brush every time that it is used
takes up too much time, quite apart from the injury it does to the wooden and
polished backs of the brushes which are liable to crack and from the early loss of
elasticity sustained by the hairs or bristles which instead of remaining tied up in
bundles become loose and disconnected. Where wire is employed in the manu-
facture of the brush it soon becomes rusty if washed and the indiarubber back
employed in wire-brushes will not stand any treatment with hot water.
water affects the bottom part of the wire (i.e. the part located underneath the wire
supporting plate) so as to destroy the elasticity of the wires. The only infallible
method of cleaning thoroughly a brush, is to purify and disinfect it by heat, a
temperature rising to as much as 250° centigrade being required to destroy any
parasitical germs adhering to the hairs or wires. Of course brushes consisting of
natural bristles or hairs and wooden backs can under no circumstances be thus
treated; no more can the wire brushes hitherto constructed, since the elastic india-
rubber back or support which receives the rigid wires will not resist such a
temperature, with the result that the close connection between the wires and the
part supporting them is at once destroyed.
Besides
The object of this invention is to provide a brush combining the advantages of a
good hair-brush (riz. the softness of the elastic natural bristle or hair) with facility
of thorough cleaning; its construction being such that whenever the brush has been
used, it can immediately be submitted to a temperature of 250° without sustaining
the slightest injury or the loss of any of its merits.
The destruction of any
infectious germs or growths adhering to the hairs or wires of the brush may take
place in any stove or heating apparatus usual in apartments or in special apparatus
provided for the purpose and more especially suitable for hair-dressing and
similar public establishments. The impurities will at a maximum temperature
of 250° become absolutely innocuous and may eventually be removed by simply
shaking the brush as in the heating process they become converted into perfectly
dry dust.
The improved construction of brush whereby the advantages above stated arc

page_text: realized, consists in making the whole of the brush of metal without the inter-
position of any elastic or flexible parts except the bristles themselves.
In the drawings filed with my Provisional Specification Figures 1 to 3 show
different forms of brushes of the improved construction.
In constructing these brushes consisting of metal only, the greatest importance
should be attached to the elasticity of the wires, as it is of course necessary that
metal wires should be extremely flexible to be fit for use in hair-brushes and not to
be liable to scratch the skin. To accomplish this purpose either wires of the usual
size may be provided with special means which impart to them the springy elasticity
which ordinary wires do not possess; or the wires may be made as thin as hairs or
bristles, in which case the requisite suppleness and softness will naturally be
inherent in them.
Figures 1 and 2 are two longitudinal sections of metal hair-brushes, in which
wires of the usual thickness have the required elasticity imparted to them by being
wound spirally at their lower parts. This spiral portions of each wire (which
will give more or less elasticity to the wire according as it extends over a greater
or less part of the same) may either be fitted above a supporting plate as in
Figure 1 or within the double back of the brush a a' as in Fig. 2, the back proper
then forming the supporting plate and the inner or upper one a guiding plate; so
that in the first case the spiral winding is visible and in the other case it is
concealed from view. If desired however the spiral portions s in the same brush
may be, some above the inner or usual supporting plate and other within the double
back.
Wires such as these will yield to the slightest pressure both in longitudinal and
lateral directions (see Figs. 1 and 2). As before stated the elasticity of the wires
may be varied by shaping spirally a greater or less part of their length; which is
in itself a material advantage for the trade, as it enables brushes to be made to suit
a great variety of purposes.
Brushes constructed in this manner will not, however, be generally suitable for
use as hair-brushes, as the skin of the head is so sensitive with many persons that
wires of the kind just described however flexible would injure it. For this purpose
then the springy nature of the wire cannot be added to by artificial means, and
wire must be chosen which is so thin as of itself to yield to even the slightest
pressure. In this case too it would be impracticable to set the wires in the back or
support of the brush singly, the thin wires being preferably formed into bundles
which are then by any suitable means connected to form a brush.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of a brush composed of such bundles b¹. Care
should be taken in this case to arrange the bundles of wires at such distances apart
as not to interfere with the free discharge of the dust forming during the heating or
disinfecting operation.
Further, in the case of hair-brushes which for greater lightness, may be provided
with backs a of aluminium, it is preferable to use wire coated with a substance
capable of protecting it from rust, or itself capable of resisting the attacks of
rust.
In brushes intended for manufacturing purposes, the wire may be free from any
such coating; also the brushes may assume a flat, curved, cylindrical, or any other
suitable shape.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is ;-
1. A metal brush with flexible wire bristles which may or may not be protected
from rusting and are secured directly in the metal back or support of the brush
either singly (Figures 1 and 2) or in bundles (Figure 4) the desired flexibility of
the wires being provided for either by the employment of correspondingly thin
wires or by the spiral of part of each wire substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 2. In the case of single and partly spiral wires in brushes of the description
referred to in the preceding claim forming the spiral at the base of each wire close
to the back or support or concealing the spiral parts of the wire between two plates
of which the lower is the supporting plate and the upper the guiding plate or lastly
combining the two methods of attachment in one brush substantially as described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 5th day of July 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Of London, Nottingham, Liverpool, and Manchester,
Agents for the Applicant.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Of London, Nottingham, Liverpool, and Manchester,
Agents for the Applicant.