AU725280B2 - Easy clean paint brush - Google Patents

Description

P/00/01i1 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: "EASY CLEAN PAINT BRUSH" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 2

TITLE

"EASY CLEAN PAINT BRUSH" FIELD OF THE INVENTION THIS INVENTION relates to paint brushes and, in particular, to cleaning paint brushes.

Most people have experienced finding their paint brush hard and unusable after cleaning. This is caused by paint being held and drying in the bristle nearest the stock. Washing in the normal manner is 4.1o SS tedious and unreliable.

10 This problem is overcome by the present invention which is constructed as a normal paint brush with a difference. The difference is a fitting, such as a snap connection, at the handle end for connection to a hose or tap, allowing water to be flushed through the handle and head of the brush to outlets or jets at the base where the bristle joins the brush.

15 The flushing action of the water through the hollow handle to the bristle at .o :its base carries all residual paint away and leaves a paint-free brush to dry and be soft for its next use.

The brush may be made of extruded plastics, keeping construction one piece or the brush can be manufactured manually by drilling of the handle and base and the fitting of a suitable adaptor to the handle end for hose connection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a paint brush of the invention.

r, 3 FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tubular end piece.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing location of the tubular end piece relative to the bristles of the brush.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In FIG. 1, a paint brush 1 is shown with a handle or stock 2, a head 3 and bristles 4. A tubular end piece 5 is shown (in phantom) located to provide a conduit for water from the butt end 10 of the handle 2 through the head 3 and on to the base 6 of the bristles 4.

S• A hose connection 7 is connected to the butt end 10 of the 0000. 10 handle 2 and is in fluid connection with the tubular end piece As shown in FIG. 2, the tubular end piece 5 comprises a feeder pipe 8 which is continuous with the delivery pipe 9. The delivery pipe 9 has a plurality of outlets 11 for discharging water onto the bristles 4 and substantially across the full width of the brush head 3.

15 The feeder pipe 8 has a proximal end 12 which may be S° connected to fitting 7 for connection to a tap or hose. As shown in FIG. 1, the fitting 7 is a snaplock hose connector. However, the connection may, of course, be a screw threaded female fitting for screwing to a garden tap or threaded hose end or other suitable connector.

As also shown in FIG. 1, the tubular end piece 5 may connect with an intermediate tube 21 which, in turn, connects with fitting 7. Alternatively, the tubular end piece may have a feeder pipe that passes through the handle and connects directly to the fitting.

The delivery pipe and feeder pipe may have any suitable 4 cross-sectional shape, such as circular or rectangular. The outlets may be any suitable configuration, such as in a straight line or, alternatively, they may be offset so as to deliver water to different bristles or groups of bristles.

FIG. 3 shows bristles 13 with proximal ends 14 arranged relative to intermediate packing 15 so that the bristles are separated into individual groups 16. The packing may be thin pieces of cardboard. This arrangement forms a sandwich-type structure. The middle packing 0000e* section 17 of the sandwich is occupied by the delivery pipe 9 which may 10 be plastic, PVC or brass and from which the outlets direct water to the 7* 7" S...bristles from their lower surface.

A ferrule 18 (seen in FIG. typically of metal, wraps around the proximal ends 14 of the bristles 13 and the sandwich structure to bind the components together.

15 In FIG. 3, a feeder pipe 7 is shown which may course through the head 3 (in phantom) and handle (not shown) of the brush 1.

Alternatively, the feeder pipe 7 may connect with a pre-existing conduit in the brush head or handle in a watertight fashion (as seen in FIG. It is clear that the brush handle, brush head, internal channel and tubular end piece may all be formed in a single mould during manufacture.

The stock or handle 2 locates inside the ferrule 18 and over the tubular end piece 5 to provide a watertight seal.

The preferred method of manufacturing the paint brush comprises the steps of: L I

'I

forming a sandwich of bristles, cardboard packs and tubular end piece; positioning a ferrule to support the above sandwich; pouring resin to seal the brush and hold the sandwich components in place; positioning the stock to form the paint brush with a patent water pathway from the butt end of its handle to bristles.

Although location of the tubular end piece has been described as medial in a sandwich formation, any convenient 10 arrangement of bristles, packs and outlet pipe is acceptable.

a

Claims (3)

1. An easy clean paintbrush comprising: on the butt end of the brush handle, a fitting suitable for snap connection to a garden hose; a hollow section through the handle to the head of the brush; outlets or jets positioned to allow water to be flushed, via a garden hose, to a base of bristles where it joins the head of the brush allowing for complete and quick cleaning. 10

2. The easy clean paintbrush of Claim 1, wherein the fitting to **the handle end of the brush is moulded or fixed permanently.

3. The easy clean paintbrush of Claim 1, wherein the jets or outlets are projected so as to exit at the base of the bristles. DATED this Twenty-first day of January 2000. 0 15 VINCENT JAMES ADAM By his Patent Attorneys FISHER ADAMS KELLY