Brush And Holding Device Therefor

Abstract

A brush and holding device for mounting on a wall of a bathtub or shower, the holding device comprising a back section and a plurality of tabs spaced from said back section and defining therewith retaining areas. The brush includes a body portion dimensioned to be removably received by said retaining areas, the bristles of said brush extending substantially beyond said tabs so as to present a continuous bristle surface for contact by the user.

Description

The present invention relates as indicated to a brush and holding device therefor, and relates more particularly to a brush and holder assembly adapted for particularly advantageous use in bathtubs and shower stalls to facilitate the cleaning of hard to reach portions of the body, such as the back.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Owing to the difficulty of a person to contact and clean the upper back portions of the body, whether in a bathtub or shower stall, there have been previously proposed several back-scrubbing devices to facilitate cleaning of that portion of the body. These have not been altogether satisfactory for a number of reasons. Reference is particularly made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,115,322 and 2,730,737, both of which disclose rather expensive assemblies mounting motor-driven brushes. Although the assemblies shown in these patents do accomplish the intended purpose, they are relatively extensive in size and, with respect to U.S. Pat. No. 2,730,737, an essentially permanent installation is required to mount the assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a brush and holding device which can be quickly and easily installed on bathtubs or in shower stalls, or can alternatively be installed as a more permanent installation in both of these noted environments.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of such a brush and holding device which can be manufactured at relatively low cost, whether the assembly is installed at the time of construction or subsequently thereto.

A further object of the invention is to provide a brush and holding device wherein the brush is releasably retained by the holding device at a desired height to facilitate cleansing contact with the difficult to reach back portions of the body, and wherein the brush can be simply and quickly removed from the holding device for washing other areas of the body or for brush-cleaning purposes. This latter feature is particularly important where the brush and holding device of the present invention are to be installed in commercial establishments such as hotels, motels and the like, where the bathing facilities are continually used by different individuals.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide, in one form of the invention, a holder capable of adapting itself to essentially any wall configuration. This feature is particularly advantageous for bathtub installation wherein varying degrees of wall curvature are presented. By adapting to essentially any curved surface, this form of the invention permits precise mounting of the holding device to provide the desired contact with the individual's back.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, in particular reference to the application drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical shower stall, having mounted therein the brush and holding device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded, front elevational view of the holding device and brush, with the latter being shown removed from the holder;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the holding device of the FIG. 1 form;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the brush and holding device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of an alternative form of brush and holding device constructed in accordance with he present invention, shown mounted on a bathtub;

FIG. 6 is a top plan, fragmented view of a bathtub having as an integral part thereof a brush holding section;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7--7 of FIG. 6, and

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the brush and holding device of the invention, shown mounted flush on the wall of a shower stall or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now in more detail to the application drawings, wherein like parts have been indicated by like reference numerals, and initially to the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, there is illustrated therein a typical shower stall installation generally indicated at 10 and including a rear wall 12. Mounted on wall 12 is the brush and holding device of the present invention, with the entire assembly being generally indicated at 14. As best seen in FIGS. 2-4, the assembly 14 comprises a brush holder 16 and a brush 18. The holder 16 includes a solid back portion 20, generally L-shaped side tab sections 22 and 24, and a bottom, generally L-shaped tab section 26, all of which are formed integrally with the backwall 20. The forward, inwardly directed, ends of the tab sections are spaced from the backwall 20 and define therewith in the areas of these tabs retaining sections for removably retaining the brush 18.

The brush 18 includes a body section 28 and bristles 30 which can be attached to the body in any suitable manner forming no part of the present invention. The thickness and length of the body section 28 is such as to permit placement of the brush in the brush-holding device as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, with the tabs 22, 24 and 26 retaining the brush in the holder.

On the back of the holder body 28 are mounted a plurality of suction cups commonly designated at 32, there being four such cups in the form shown spaced in a generally rectangular pattern on the body. In a well known manner, the suction cups 32 are adapted to mount the holding device on the wall 12 of the shower stall.

It will be noted that the bristles 18 of the brush extend substantially outwardly from the tab sections 22, 24 and 26, and that the bristles are cut so as to form a convexly curved surface. In this manner, the user contacts only the brush, with the convex surface of the brush more nearly complementing the natural configuration of the person's back thereby enhancing the cleansing operation.

It will be understood that the holding device can be vertically positioned on the wall in a desired location, and that the size of the brush, and holding device, can vary significantly. In the form shown, the brush 18 is depicted as being approximately 12-16 inches long, and substantially less in width. However, the brush could be of smaller or larger dimension, and the ratio of length to width can be varied depending upon the requirements of the ultimate consumer.

The installation and use of the brush and holding device illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 should be obvious from the above description. When not using the brush for cleaning the individual's back, the brush can be removed from the holder by simple upward movement thereby permitting the brush to be used to clean other portions of the person's body, or to clean or replace the brush. This removability feature is of particular importance where installations are in commercial establishments such as hotels, motels and the like operating under rather stringent health codes. For example, the brushes could be removed, sterilized and replaced after each room occupancy.

Referring now to the form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 5, the brush construction shown therein is identical in all respects to the brush illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 and described above, and the same reference numerals have been accordingly applied, with an attached prime. The holding device in this form of the invention differs from that previously illustrated and described. The holder assembly, generally indicated at 36, comprises a first section 38 and a second section 40 hinged to the first section through a hinge pin 42. The section 40 corresponds to the holder 16 previously described, comprising a solid back section 44, and side and bottom tabs commonly designated at 46. Suction cups commonly designated at 48 are likewise provided, mounted on the back side of the body section 44 for attaching that section of the holding device to the inclined wall 50 of the bathtub generally indicated at 52.

The first or upper section 38 of the holding device is similarly provided with preferably a pair of suction cups 54, only one of which is visible in FIG. 5, for mounting the section onto the generally horizontal, top surface 56 of the tub.

It will thus be seen that the hinged holding device 36 is capable of being mounted on a widely varying surface configuration. It is therefore particularly adaptable to a bathtub installation as shown in FIG. 5. It will be seen, however, that the holding device 36 could as well be mounted on a vertical surface such as the shower stall wall 12 shown in FIG. 1, or any curved surface varying from that shown in FIG. 5.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, there is shown therein a further form of the invention wherein the brush holder is integrally formed with the bathtub. The bathtub is generally indicated at 60 and includes an inclined rear wall 62 terminating in its upper end in a generally horizontal top surface 64. The wall 62 is preformed so as to include an inset portion 66 and a plurality of inwardly directed flanges commonly designated at 68. These tabs, as can be seen jointly in FIGS. 6 and 7, are similar to the tabs formed on the removable holding devices previously described and function to form with the inset wall 66 a retaining section for a brush. A brush is not shown in either FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, but would be employed in a manner similar to that previously described.

Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown therein a brush holder built into the wall of a shower stall, the latter being generally indicated at 70, and shown faced with wall tiles 71, which can be of conventional plastic or ceramic type. The holder is constructed in essentially the same manner as the separate, removably secured holding device shown in FIGS. 1-4, comprising a back portion 72 and side and bottom tab sections commonly designated at 74. The back section 72 can be mounted in any suitable manner on the wall 70, for example, by adhesive or fasteners, or both, with the back section 72 preferably being of the same general thickness as the wall tile so as to provide a flush mounting. The holder can be installed at any desired height suitable for general utility. Although not shown, the brush would be mounted in the holder in the same manner as above described, and illustrated in FIG. 4.

In all of the several forms illustrated and above described, a common feature is the removability of the brush for cleaning or replacement, or for cleaning other areas of the body. The forms of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 are further characterized as being separate and adaptable for quick suction cup mounting on the bathtub wall or shower stall wall with the FIG. 5 form being further characterized by being adaptable to essentially any surface configuration.

Claims

I claim:

1. A brush and holding device adapted to be mounted on a wall of a bathtub or shower, said holding device comprising a back section and at least one tab extending from said back section and terminating in an inwardly directed end portion spaced from said back section and defining therewith a retaining groove, means for mounting said back section on a surface of the wall, said brush means including a body portion and a plurality of bristles extending outwardly therefrom, said body portion being of a dimension to fit within said retaining groove, said brush bristles being of sufficient length to extend in a direction away from said holding device substantially beyond said tabs so as to present a continuous bristle surface for contact by the user, said holding device further including a second section pivotally mounted to said back section for random angular adjustment relative thereto, said second section being provided with means for mounting said second section on a wall surface.

2. The brush and holding device of claim 1 wherein said back section includes a plurality of tabs formed at the sides and bottom of said back section, with each of said tabs extending from said back section and terminating in an inwardly directed end portion space from said back section and defining therewith retaining areas, said back section being open at the top for placement or removal of said brush means.

3. The brush and holding device of claim 2 wherein said means for mounting said holding device comprises a plurality of suction cups mounted on the rear side of said back and second sections of said holding device.