U.S. patent number 3,604,043 [Application Number 04/800,330] was granted by the patent office on 1971-09-14 for brush and brush constructions.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Tucel Industries, Inc.. Invention is credited to John Connell Lewis, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,604,043 |
Lewis, Jr. |
September 14, 1971 |
BRUSH AND BRUSH CONSTRUCTIONS
Abstract
A tufted brush and tufted modular construction are presented
comprising synthetic filament tufts fused at the base end and
integrally attached to a support means.
Inventors: |
Lewis, Jr.; John Connell
(Middlebury, VT) |
Assignee: |
Tucel Industries, Inc.
(Middlebury, VT)
|
Family
ID: |
25178126 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/800,330 |
Filed: |
January 24, 1969 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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578840 |
Sep 12, 1966 |
3471202 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
15/159.1; 15/192;
300/21; 15/183; 15/207.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A46B
3/06 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A46B
3/00 (20060101); A46B 3/06 (20060101); A46b
003/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;15/191-195,159
;300/21,2,179-183 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Feldman; Peter
Parent Case Text
This application is a division of my copending application, Ser.
No. 578,840, filed Sept. 12, 1966, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,471,202.
Claims
I claim:
1. In a tufted modular construction having a base and a plurality
of mutually spaced filament tufts extending therefrom the
improvement comprising: a plurality of the tuft-receiving apertures
in said base, each aperture receiving a prefused homogeneous mass
of said filamentary material with integral filament tufts extending
therefrom so that when the mass of material cools, the said mass
conforms to the geometrical confines of the aperture to hold the
said tuft in the base.
2. A tufted modular construction according to claim 1 wherein both
the tufts and base are formed from the same material.
3. A tufted brush construction according to claim 2 wherein both
the base and the tufts are polypropylene.
4. A tufted modular brush construction comprising: a plurality of
mutually spaced filament tufts extending integrally from a brush
back, said back comprising a base having mutually spaced apertures
therein; each tuft comprising a plurality of synthetic filaments
extending from a prefused homogeneous mass of said filamentary
material, each of said prefused masses received in an aperture in
said base and conforming to the geometric confines of said aperture
to hold said tufts to said brush back.
5. The tufted modular brush construction of claim 4 wherein the
synthetic filament tufts and integral base support are formed from
the same material.
6. The tufted modular brush construction of claim 5 wherein both
the tufts and the integral base are formed of polypropylene.
Description
This invention relates to new and useful brushes. More
specifically, it relates to brushes and brush constructions having
synthetic filament tufts arranged in such a manner that all the
tufts are pretrimmed prior to insertion into the brush back, and
all the desired tufts are simultaneously inserted without the
required metal anchor whereby, new and useful brushing tools are
obtained.
The brush industry and the brush making art during the last 50
years has remained, for the most part, unchanged. The only major
changes taking place have been in the substitution of synthetic
monofilaments (thermoplastic fibers, i.e., nylon monofilament) for
the vegetable and hair fibers previously employed. The emphasis has
been on finding ways to substitute directly the synthetic for the
natural, utilizing the same brush making equipment, i.e., stapling
machinery, and little or no effort placed upon improving the
methods and machinery used. Great strides have been made wherein
two or three brushes can be stapled simultaneously, however, it
still requires one picking and stapling cycle for each fiber tuft
staple-set in the brush back. In this area, there has been no
advancement toward finding a way of placing all the desired tufts
in a brush back simultaneously; and performing this feat in the
same amount of time required to pick and staple-set one fiber tuft
employing conventional brush machinery.
The need to improve the machinery for fabricating brush components
can be illustrated by comparing and describing conventional brush
making machinery with the machinery of this invention. The brush
making machinery of this invention differs from ordinary brush
machinery in that it employs a new method of picking fiber tufts.
The conventional stapling machine employs a picker which removes a
fiber tuft from a stock or feed box by first entering the stock box
approximately at its midsection (lateral to the parallel fiber) and
picking a given amount of fiber at the fibre's midsection. The
picker then proceeds to transport the predetermined volume of
parallel fiber to a means for doubling the fiber at its midsection
(prior to stapling), thus resulting in a tuft having a U-shape
wherein both ends of each individual fiber are located at the
working tip of the resultant tuft. A staple or an anchor (wire
member) is then inserted through the U-shaped loop and the tuft
then forced into a predrilled hole in a brush back. Each tuft is
formed in this manner one after another until the necessary number
of holes have been filled.
The picking device of the machinery of this invention works on an
entirely different principle. The picker or picking unit enters the
fiber stock box from the end (longitudinal to the fiber) and
engages the fibers from the end, thus instantly forming a fiber
tuft. The fiber employed in forming tufts in this manner is
one-half the original length of the fiber required using the
conventional picking method. The instantly formed fiber tuft is
then automatically inserted into a brush back. Brush backs can be
selected from wood, metal, and thermoplastic compositions or any
other conventional brush back material. The resultant fiber tuft
can be anchored in many ways; i.e., heat sealed, set in epoxy, and
the like. However, the preferred method is to heat seal the fiber
tuft. This can be done either prior to inserting the tuft into the
brush back or after inserting the tuft through a portion of the
brush back. Fiber tufts formed in this manner are anchored securely
within the brush back and can not be removed.
Since, when forming tufts using this new and novel method of
picking, there is no requirement for doubling the fibers prior to
insertion into the brush back, tufts so formed in accordance with
this invention require no trimming. This results in an appreciable
savings to the brushmaker. A second economic savings is also
realized, that being the elimination of the staple or anchor.
It is of particular importance in this invention that the picking
device employed operates in such a manner that at least two fiber
tufts are simultaneously formed. However, the preferred cycle for
picking is one in which a complete brush component is formed
simultaneously by employing a series of picking devices
(hereinafter referred to as a picking unit) set in a prearranged
pattern and heat sealing all the fiber tufts instantly, thus
forming a brush in the same cycling time it takes to pick and
staple-set one fiber tuft using the conventional machinery.
Many brushes and brush constructions containing tufted synthetic
filaments as demonstrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,576,546 to Starr,
dated Nov. 27, 1951; 2,672,640 to Peterson et al., dated Mar. 23,
1954; and 3,186,018 to Shaw, dated June 1, 1965 disclose brushes
having, heat-sealed filaments mounted in brush supports without the
aid of any mechanical means, however, none of these disclosures
relate to brush constructions as described in the specification and
appended claims, and the disclosure of these patents is hereby
incorporated herein by reference.
Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part
hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned
by practice with the invention, the same being realized and
attained by means of the methods, combinations, compositions and
improvements pointed out in the appended claims.
The invention consists in the novel steps, methods, combinations,
compositions and improvements herein shown and described.
The objects of this invention will now be described. While the
invention is primarily concerned with new and novel brush
constructions, it should be realized that the principles of this
invention are attained only through the novel method of picking and
forming fiber tufts, and these principles are applicable to
situations wherein: (1 ) single fiber tufts are formed (2 )
multiple fiber tufts are formed (3 ) complete brush components are
simultaneously formed and (4 ) continuous nodular brush components
are formed.
An object of this invention is to provide a tufted brush
construction comprising pretrimmed heat sealed synthetic filament
tufts. A further object of this invention is to provide a tufted
brush construction comprising at least two different size heat
sealed tufts, said tufts being formed from thermoplastic filaments
having an original length only slightly larger than the length of
the finished filament tuft. Yet still a further object of this
invention is to provide a tufted brush construction comprising
heat-sealed filament tufts possessing different trims wherein the
tufts are set in such a pattern as to be opposing one another.
Another object of this invention is to provide a tufted brush
construction comprising pretrimmed synthetic filament tufts wherein
the filament comprising all the tufts is picked and trimmed
simultaneously, and inserted into the brush support within the time
it normally requires to pick and staple-set one fiber tuft.
Yet still another object of this invention is to provide tufted
brush construction having 100 percent support filament composition,
consisting from the group of synthetic thermoplastic polymers such
as polyamides, polystyrines, polyvinylchlorides and polyolefins.
Another object of this invention is to provide a brush construction
of the type set forth in the foregoing object wherein the brush
support is molded from polypropylene, the pretrimmed filament tufts
are made from polypropylene, and said tufts are held in the support
without any required anchor.
Yet still a further object of this invention is to provide a
tufted-type brush construction which is superior to known
constructions, but at a reduced cost.
In the drawing:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a tuft-forming picker of
this invention. FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view taken along line
1A--1A of FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of another tuft-forming
picker of this invention having an internal venturi section. FIGS.
2A and 2B are cross-sectional views taken along lines 2A--2A and
2B--2B respectively of FIG. 2.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a tuft-forming picker of
this invention having a square cross-sectional construction. FIG.
3A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3A--3A of FIG. 3.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a tuft-forming picker of
this invention having a starlike cross-sectional construction. FIG.
4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4A--4A of FIG. 4.
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a tuft-forming picker of
this invention having a triangular cross-sectional construction.
FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5A--5A of FIG.
5.
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a tuft-forming picker
having an internal tapered section in accordance with this
invention. FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are cross-sectional views taken
along lines 6A--6A, 6B--6B and 6C--6C respectively of FIG. 6.
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tuft-forming picker
of FIG. 6 containing parallel synthetic fiber in accordance with
this invention. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along line
7A--7A of FIG. 7.
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a tuft-forming picker in
accordance with this invention which is employed to form a shaped
end on a fiber tuft.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating how the tuft-forming
picker of FIG. 8 may be employed to form a predetermined quantity
of individual parallel synthetic fibers into a tuft.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a tuft as formed in accordance
with this invention with one end heat sealed which forms the tuft
base and the other end possessing a rounded trim.
FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 are longitudinal sectional views of
tuft-forming pickers illustrating other shapes which may be
imparted to tufts in accordance with this invention.
FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of a group of tuft-forming
pickers in accordance with this invention illustrating fiber ends
prior to tuft-end formation.
FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the tuft-forming
pickers of FIG. 14 containing a heat-sealed fiber tuft as formed in
accordance with this invention.
FIG. 16 is a sectional view in cross section of a brush back with
tufts as formed in accordance with this invention.
FIG. 17 is a detailed fragmentary view in perspective and partly in
section showing one arrangement of the tuft-forming pickers, a
synthetic fiber storage hopper, a heat sealing die and and a brush
back/fiber tuft assembly station in accordance with this invention
wherein the tuft-forming pickers are opposite the fiber storage
hopper. FIGS. 18 and 19 are further extensions of FIG. 17 wherein
the tuft-forming pickers are opposite the heat sealing die and the
brush back/fiber tuft assembly station respectively.
FIG. 20 is a side cross-sectional view taken along line AA--AA in
FIG. 17 of one arrangement of the tuft-forming pickers employed to
form a brush in accordance with this invention.
FIG. 21 is a side cross-sectional view taken along line BB--BB of
FIG. 17 of the synthetic fiber storage hopper.
FIG. 22 is a side cross-sectional view taken along line CC--CC in
FIG. 17 of the heat sealing die.
FIG. 23 is a side cross-sectional view taken along line DD--DD in
FIG. 17 of a brush back and brush back mounting support.
FIG. 23A is a side cross-sectional view taken along line EE--EE in
FIG. 19 illustrating a brush with tufts made according to this
invention.
FIG. 24 is a perspective view illustrating how the tuft-forming
pickers of FIG. 1 may be employed to form a continuous tufted
strip-brush construction.
FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a strip brush made according to
the manner illustrated in FIG. 24.
In order to describe the invention more fully, reference is now
made to specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings. The
invention is directed to brush making wherein tufted brushes are
formed employing tuft-forming pickers in such a manner that each
tuft contained in the brush back is simultaneously picked,
simultaneously prepared for insertion as a heat-sealed tuft into a
brush back thus forming a complete brush in the same instant of
time it requires an ordinary brush machine to pick and staple-set
one fiber tuft. This new and novel way to pick fiber tufts is
achieved by employing a longitudinal tube having a definite shape,
i.e., circular cross section, and limiting its inside length to
that of somewhat less than the length of the fibers used for
forming a fiber tuft. Such tuft-forming pickers are shown in FIGS.
1 through 5.
The tuft-forming picker 1 of FIG. 2 has a venturi section 4
approximately midway along the internal wall as indicated by line
2B--2B. As seen in FIG. 2B, the venturi section is constructed such
that it is constricted thus forming a smaller opening 2 at line
2A--2A. When fiber enters the opening at 2, it is allowed to flow
along the tubelike picker and as the fibers approach the venturi at
4, the fibers are further compressed in order to tighten the
unsealed fiber tuft which results in holding the fibers together
more firmly in order that they may not fall away. The tapered pin
section at 3 provides the means for holding the tuft-forming picker
in any suitable mounting device.
By employing tuft-forming pickers of the type shown in FIGS. 1, 3,
4 and 5 it is possible to form tufts having different shapes. It
should be appreciated that other shaped cross sections can be
employed without deviating from the scope of this invention.
A more suitable type of tuft-forming picker of this invention is
shown in FIG. 6 wherein the exterior surface of the picker has a
section at 7 having a slightly larger diameter which serves to
minimize friction between the fiber and the external wall during
removal of the tuft-forming picker from the stock feed box. A
tapered section is placed at 9 allowing fibers to first enter the
picker at 8, travel through the internal section up to 9 and stop
at the trim-forming end, 5. The shape or contour of 5 will
determine the trim of the finished fiber tuft. The smaller diameter
at 9 acts in much the same way the venturi does in FIG. 2. The
tapered pin section 6 provides means for support of the picking
device.
FIG. 7 shows the tuft-forming picker of FIG. 6 containing synthetic
fibers 10 in parallel arrangement. The end of the fibers 10' is
slightly compressed together due to the internal taper at 9. Fiber
ends 10" projects somewhat beyond the end of the tuft-forming
picker; this end 10" will eventually form the heat-sealed portion
of the fiber tuft. By controlling the length of both the fibers and
the tuft-forming picker, it is possible to form tufts having
different trim lengths and heat-sealed portions.
FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate how a heat-sealed tuft 11' can be
formed possessing a rounded trim without having to physically trim
the tuft. Fibers 11 in parallel arrangement are inserted into the
tuft-forming Fibers and the ends 12 conform to the interior end 12'
of the picker. This results in the opposite end 12" conforming to
the shape of a concave contour. The sealed fiber tuft will have a
fiber length the same as the length for that of the interior of the
picker. The excess fiber ends 12" as shown in FIG. 9 extend
outwardly from the tuft-forming picker for such a length which
makes them desirable for heat sealing. FIG. 10 shows the finished
fiber tuft after having been heat sealed at 12" in FIG. 9
possessing a rounded trim 12 and a heat-sealed tuft end 13.
FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 illustrate different interior configurations
which can be employed for forming different trims in fiber tufts.
The fiber 14 in FIG. 11 conforms to the interior shape at 14',
likewise, fiber 15 and 16 of FIGS. 12 and 13 respectively conform
to the interior shapes at 15' and 16'.
In order to form a heat-sealed tuft like the one shown in FIG. 10
it is necessary to heat the end portion of a group of parallel
fibers to a temperature of approximately to that of the melting
point of the particular type of synthetic fiber employed. Most
thermoplastic fibers have softening points which make them pliable
and capable of fusing together under a slight pressure. In the case
of oriented synthetic fibers, they usually begin to deorient at
their softening temperature, thus causing a decrease in length and
an increase in diameter. Consequently, as the heated oriented ends
of the fiber soften, they must be shaped and made to fuse in order
to create a self-supporting heat-sealed tuft. It is usually
convenient to cause the fiber ends to become softened while
contained within a heated shaping mold. In FIG. 14 the tuft-forming
picker 17 containing fiber 18 is moved in the direction D causing
the fiber ends 18' to enter the heated shaping mold 19, the section
19 being more or less a guide means, and filling the cavity 20' of
section 20. The tuft-forming picker is allowed to remain in this
position long enough for the fiber ends 18' to become fused and
shaped like the tuft end 18" of FIG. 15. The cavity section 20 of
FIG. 14 can be fashioned from stainless steel, however, Teflon (the
trade name for a polyfluoride polymer made by Dupont) makes a much
more suitable material. The heating means 21 can be set at such a
temperature that the time lag of the fibre's entry of the end 18'
into the cavity 20' will cause the fibers to fuse but not melt. It
is desirable, after, fusing the fibers together and imparting the
desired shape to the fused portion, to immediately insert the still
softened end 18" into a predetermined tuft hole 22 in a brush back
23 of FIG. 16 causing the end 18" to take the form of the tuft
hole. After insertion into the tuft hole, the softened fused
portion takes a new shape 18'" and becomes solid upon cooling. When
the tuft-forming picker 17 is drawn away the heat-sealed fiber tuft
24 is left exposed and is securely anchored in the brush back
without the aid of the conventional wire anchor or staple.
While the invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different
forms, there is shown now in FIGS. 17, 18, and 19 specific
embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is
to be considered as an exemplification of the principle of the
invention and is not intended in any way to limit the invention to
the embodiments illustrated.
Particular attention is now given to the automatic brush machine
shown in FIGS. 17, 18 and 19. This automatic unit consists of three
basic forming stations; a synthetic fiber stock box 25, a heating
unit for forming the heat-sealed fiber tuft ends 26 and a mounting
fixature for the brush back 27. The tuft-forming picking device 31
in FIG. 17 is comprised of individual tuft-forming pickers 29 and
29' having configurations like the tuft-forming picker of FIG. 1.
Outer tuft-forming pickers 29 are larger in diameter than the inner
tuft-forming pickers 29' as shown in FIG. 20. By having larger
diameter tuft-forming pickers, a brush may result having larger
tufts positioned around its outer parameter. The tuft-forming
pickers 29 and 29' in the forming device 31 are arranged in such a
manner so as to conform to the tuft arrangement desired in the
finished brush. Picking is carried out by allowing the picking unit
31 to enter longitudinally to the fibre's length into the stock box
25 as shown in FIGS. 17 and 21, through fiber retaining holes 28
and 28'. The pickers first come into contact with the ends of the
fibers 30 and by employing a quick entry in the direction of E the
fibers are forced into the interior cavity of each tuft-forming
picker. Upon reversing the motion of the picking unit 31 the
individual tuft-forming pickers retract, each filled with a
predetermined amount of synthetic fibers. As the picking unit
leaves the fiber stock box more fibers 30' falls so as to occupy
the empty spaces created by the removal of fibers 30. Suitable
means may be employed for vibrating the fiber stock box in order to
facilitate fiber alignment and mobility. After completing the
picking operation, the machine support 32 is indexed forward in the
direction F in order to allow the heating unit 26 to align itself
opposite the tuft-forming picking unit, as shown in FIGS. 18 and
22. The picking unit is moved forward in the direction G until the
fibers contained in each tuft-forming picker comes into contact
with the cavities 34 and 34' of the shaping mold 33. This shaping
mold is preferably constructed from Teflon thermoplastic polymer.
The mold is attached to a steel mounting plate 36 containing
suitable electric heating elements 35. The fiber ends become heated
and shaped in the same fashion as previously described and shown in
FIG. 14. Preferably, the fibers 30 are inserted into the cavities
and allowed to become heated for 5-10 seconds while the actual
temperature of the cavities is kept higher than the melting point
of the fibers; i.e., isotactic polypropylene fibers melt in the
range from 135.degree. to 145.degree. C., (100,000 to 200,000
molecular weight polymer). The cavities 121 this case might be kept
at 173 in the order of from 150.degree. to 160.degree. C. After the
ends of the fiber tufts have been heat sealed, the picking unit 31
is reversed allowing the tuft heat-sealed to come away from the
cavities. This removal can be facilitated by first applying a mold
release to the inner surfaces of the mold cavities. However, if
Teflon is employed for the cavity structure, a mold releasing agent
is not necessary. The machine support 32 is indexed forward in the
direction H in order to align the brush support 36 opposite the
heat-sealed (still moldable) fiber tufts. In FIGS. 19 and 23 the
picking unit is then advanced forward in the direction of I
whereupon the still moldable fiber tuft ends are inserted into the
cavities 39 and 39' of the brush back 38. As the tuft ends come
into contact with the cavities, the moldable end conforms to the
cavity contour and cools. The brush back is held against the brush
support by means of fixtures 37. Upon reversing the picking unit 31
in the direction J the tuft forming pickers release the fiber tufts
and the overall result is a finished brush as shown in FIG. 23A.
The brush back 38 has a heat-sealed fiber tufts 30'". The preferred
time taken for the complete fabrication of the brush is
approximately 10 seconds. However, there is no definite time cycle.
Each cycle depends upon the type of synthetic fiber employed and
the size of the fiber tuft desired. There is no trimming required
after forming the brush of this invention since there is no
disalignment of fibers when forming the fiber tufts. This is true
because there is no doubling of fibers prior to insertion.
By employing tuft-picking units as shown in FIG. 24 it is possible
to form continuous modular strips of thermoplastic tufted brush
constructions. In order to achieve this, it requires an assembly of
tuft-forming pickers 39 arranged side by side in a line. After the
fibers 44 are inserted in the tuft-picking unit, the unit is then
moved toward the forming mold 40 in the direction K thus allowing
the fiber ends 44 to become softened and fused within the cavity
41. The mold 40 is attached to a steel housing 43 which contains
suitable heating elements 42. Upon cooling of the fused fiber ends
44' the tuft pickers are moved away leaving the fiber tufts exposed
and the molded construction 45 is indexed forward in the direction
L allowing the picking unit to repeat its cycle. When this
operation is carried out properly, the modular brush construction
45 as shown in FIG. 25 results. The tufted construction which
results is comprised of 100 percent fibers, the melted portion of
the fiber ends serving as the sole means of support for the
tufts.
The tuft-forming pickers of this invention can be constructed from
any of the conventional metal elements or alloys known to man.
Also, it is possible to construct the picking devices from
thermoplastic materials; i.e., polypropylene, polyacetal,
polyamide, and the like. The tuft-forming pickers are not limited
to any given size since they can have any length and internal
diameter so long as they conform to a given fiber tuft.
It has been found that the tuft-forming pickers of this invention
will pick tufts from assembled parallel cut-to-length synthetic
fibers having any cross-sectional shape; i.e., circular, X-shaped
star shaped, hollow, and the like. The diameter of the fibers
picked range from 0.008 to 0.250 inches. The lengths of the
cut-to-length fiber can range from 0.5 to 30 inches. The
composition of the synthetic fiber picked and assembled into fiber
tufts is not limited, and thermoplastic fibers either oriented or
unoriented can be used for form tufts in accordance with the
invention. Polymers like polyamide, polypropylene, polyethylene,
copolymers of polypropylene and ethylene, polyfluoride, and the
like can be employed.
If more than one fiber stock box is employed, it is possible to
pick one color and diameter fiber during one picking step, and
another color and diameter during a second picking step and then
instantaneously heat seal and assemble the combination of fiber
tufts into a brush back.
The foregoing considerations conclusively demonstrate the
advantages to be gained by providing picking devices of the type
hereinbefore described. When such picking devices are incorporated
into automatic brush making equipment there is attained new and
novel brush constructions heretofore not known.
The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific
steps, methods, compositions, combinations and improvements
described but departures may be made therefrom in the scope of the
accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the
invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.
* * * * *