U.S. patent application number 09/852193 was filed with the patent office on 2002-11-14 for permanently mountable back brush.
Invention is credited to Rowe, John W..
Application Number | 20020166187 09/852193 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25312704 |
Filed Date | 2002-11-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020166187 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rowe, John W. |
November 14, 2002 |
Permanently mountable back brush
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a brush for scrubbing and
scratching the human body. The brush includes a base having a
scrubbing surface extending from the front face of the base and an
adhesive surface on the rear face of the base, for permanently
attaching the brush to a wall with the front face being directed
away from the wall. The scrubbing surface is preferably curved or
rounded such that it is thicker in the center than along the
sides.
Inventors: |
Rowe, John W.; (Norwood,
CO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JACQUELINE S LARSON
P O BOX 2426
SANTA CLARA
CA
95055-2426
US
|
Family ID: |
25312704 |
Appl. No.: |
09/852193 |
Filed: |
May 8, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/160 ; 4/606;
601/136 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K 7/024 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/160 ; 4/606;
601/136 |
International
Class: |
A47K 007/02 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A wall-mountable back brush, comprising: a base having a front
face and a back face, a scrubbing surface extending from the front
face, an adhesive surface on the rear face, for permanently
attaching the brush to a wall with the front face being directed
away from the wall.
2. A back brush according to claim 1 further comprising a peel-off
backing on the adhesive surface.
3. A back brush according to claim 1 wherein the scrubbing surface
comprises a material selected from the group consisting of one or
more rubber sponges, a plurality of bristles, a loofa sponge,
Astroturf.RTM., cloth, and mixtures thereof.
4. A back brush according to claim 1 wherein the scrubbing surface
comprises a plurality of bristles.
5. A back brush according to claim 1 wherein the scrubbing surface
is curved or rounded such that it is thicker in the center than
along the sides.
6. A back brush according to claim 4 wherein the scrubbing surface
is curved or rounded such that it is thicker in the center than
along the sides.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to brushes, and more
particularly to a body cleaning and scratching brush that is
adapted to be permanently mounted on a vertical surface, such as a
wall or in a shower or bathtub.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] There have long been brushes for scrubbing the human body,
and particularly the back, during bathing. The majority of these
back brushes generally take the form of a brush with a long handle
by which the user can reach around and scrub his or her own
back.
[0003] A problem with scrubbing the back with such a brush is that
the bather must twist in awkward positions to reach around the
chest and over the shoulders. This procedure can be difficult for
the elderly and impossible for those having disabilities, who are
recovering from surgery, or who have other ailments. Because it is
awkward and time-consuming, persons simply in a hurry may not take
the time necessary for this important part of personal hygiene.
[0004] Another problem is that, to keep the brush from becoming
cumbersome, its bristled portion is relatively small and flat and
is only suited for relatively localized scrubbing over a limited
area with limited pressure. Numerous sweeps are necessary for total
coverage. Another problem is that, since the handle portions are
usually long, narrow plastic members, they can break off and render
the brush useless.
[0005] Back brushes have been developed that removably attach to a
tub or shower by suction cups. However, continued exposure to heat
and moisture from the showers or baths leads to the cups loosing
their suction grip and moving around when used rather than staying
firmly in one place, making them less effective, or falling off the
wall entirely.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention is directed to a brush for scrubbing
and scratching the human body. The brush includes a base having a
scrubbing surface extending from the front face of the base and an
adhesive surface on the rear face of the base, for permanently
attaching the brush to a wall with the front face being directed
away from the wall. The scrubbing surface is preferably curved or
rounded such that it is thicker in the center than along the
sides.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] A better understanding of the invention can be had by
reference to the following Detailed Description in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the permanently
wall-mountable back brush of the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective back view of a portion of the back
brush, showing the adhesive surface and the peel-off backing of one
embodiment of the adhesive attachment mechanism.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the
back brush.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of
the back brush.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0012] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like characteristics
and features of the present invention shown in the various FIGURES
are designated by the same reference numerals.
[0013] Referring to FIG. 1, a bath brush 10 is disclosed which
includes a base 12 having a scrubbing surface 14 extending from its
front face. The base 12 can be formed of plastic or other suitable
material in order to resist corrosion, such as for example
mildew-resistant rubber, vinyl or nylon. In a preferred embodiment,
the base 12 is sufficiently long and wide to contact a substantial
portion of the human back. The scrubbing surface 14 is preferably
curved or rounded such that it is thicker in the center of the back
brush than along the sides. While the embodiment of the back brush
illustrated in FIG. 1 has top and bottom ends 16, 18 that are
squared off and flat, the ends may in another embodiment be
rounded.
[0014] The area of scrubbing surface 14 is, in one embodiment,
preferably close to the area of the average person's back, for
rapid and easy cleaning. Since brush 10 remains affixed to a wall,
the scrubbing surface area is not limited in size to that which can
be easily handled or maneuvered on the end of a handle. Base 12 may
take many shapes, such as the elongated shape shown in FIG. 1, or
as a disk shape, an upper torso shape, or rectangular, oval or
octagonal shapes.
[0015] The scrubbing surface may be selected from any of a number
of materials suitable for comfortably and effectively rubbing,
scratching or cleansing the human body. The material may be one or
more rubber sponges, a plurality of bristles, a loofa sponge,
Astroturf.RTM., and the like, or mixtures thereof. Alternatively,
the scrubbing material may be a cloth-like material, similar to a
washcloth, to which soap can optionally be applied by the user for
cleaning the back.
[0016] The presently preferred scrubbing surface comprises an
arrangement of bristles protruding from the base 12. The bristles
may all be the same length or they may be of different lengths.
FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of one embodiment of the back brush 10
where the base 12 itself is in a curved or rounded shape and
bristles 20, all of relatively the same length, extend from the
base to provide a scrubbing surface. FIG. 4 shows a cross-section
of another embodiment of the back brush 10 where the base 12 is
flat and the bristles 20 are of varying length, with the inner
bristles being longer than the outer bristles, to provide a
scrubbing surface that is curved or rounded. Within each of these
embodiments, the bristles may be of different relative stiffness.
That is, some bristles are relatively stiffer or less flexible than
others of the bristles for better scrubbing action. Thus, for
example, the inner bristles may be less flexible than the outer
bristles. The bristles 20 can be formed of any suitable material,
such as nylon, and are secured to base 12 in conventional fashion
by methods known in the art. The bristles may be attached
individually to the scrubbing surface of the base or they may be
bunched together into clusters, which clusters are distributed over
the scrubbing surface. The bristles may be uniformly distributed on
the front face of the base or distributed in a desired design or
pattern on the front face of the base.
[0017] The back brush 10 is mounted on the wall by means of an
adhesive surface 22 on the back face of the base 12, as illustrated
in FIG. 2. The adhesive may cover the entire surface of the back
face or it may cover only a portion of the back face, such as in
stripes or circles and the like. Prior to use, the adhesive surface
is conveniently covered by a peel-off backing 24, which is removed
to expose the adhesive to permanently attach the back brush to a
shower or bathtub wall. The adhesive will be chosen from any
adhesive that will strongly, and preferably permanently, adhere to
the particular wall surface, such as ceramic tile, cultured onyx,
synthetic marble, Corian.RTM. plastic, fiberglass, and the like.
Such adhesives are known to those skilled in the art.
[0018] Although particular embodiments of the invention have been
illustrated in the accompanying FIGURES and described in the
foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the
invention is not limited only to the embodiments disclosed, but is
intended to embrace any alternatives, equivalents, modifications
and/or rearrangements of elements falling within the scope of the
invention as defined by the following claims.
* * * * *