U.S. patent number 3,744,078 [Application Number 05/162,343] was granted by the patent office on 1973-07-10 for nailbrush.
Invention is credited to Joseph Vallis.
United States Patent |
3,744,078 |
Vallis |
July 10, 1973 |
NAILBRUSH
Abstract
A nailbrush has a backing element from which a plurality of
slender bristles project. The free tips of the bristles together
define a cleaning face and the bristles are of differential length
so that the cleaning face has a longitudinally extending depression
and a plurality of transversely extending depressions with the
former being deeper than the latter.
Inventors: |
Vallis; Joseph (Toronto,
Ontario, CA) |
Family
ID: |
22585220 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/162,343 |
Filed: |
July 14, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/167.3; D4/130;
15/187; 15/DIG.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A46B
9/02 (20130101); A46B 2200/1013 (20130101); Y10S
15/05 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A46B
9/00 (20060101); A46B 9/02 (20060101); A46b
015/00 (); A46b 009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;15/159,167,160,186,187,188,DIG.5 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Feldman; Peter
Claims
What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters
Patent is set forth in the appended
1. A nailbrush, comprising a backing element having a surface, a
longitudinal and a transverse direction; and a plurality of slender
bristles projecting from said surface and having free tips which
together define a cleaning face, said bristles being of
differential length and including longer and shorter bristles so
arranged that said cleaning face is provided with at least one
transverse depression and with a longitudinally extending
depression whose depth and width is so selected that when the tip
of a finger is inserted into said longitudinal depression the area
under the fingernail will be cleaned by said shorter bristles and
the area of the article will be cleaned by said longer
bristles.
2. A nailbrush, comprising a backing element having a surface, a
longitudinal and a transverse direction; and a plurality of slender
bristles projecting from said surface and having outer end portions
provided with free tips which together define a cleaning face, said
bristles being of differential length and including longer and
shorter bristles so arranged that said cleaning face is provided
with at least one transverse depression and with a longitudinally
extending depression into which a human finger tip is to be
inserted, said outer end portions of said longer as well as of said
shorter bristles all tapering to the respective free tips.
3. A nailbrush as defined in claim 1, wherein said cleaning face
has two lateral margins extending in said longitudinal direction;
and wherein said longitudinally extending depression is located
substantially midway between said lateral margins.
4. A nailbrush as defined in claim 3; further comprising additional
ones of said transversely extending depressions spaced from one
another and the first-mentioned transverse depression in said
longitudinal direction.
5. A nailbrush as defined in claim 1, wherein at least said backing
element is of synthetic plastic material.
6. A nailbrush as defined in claim 1, wherein said backing element
and said bristles are of synthetic plastic material.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a brush, and more
particularly to a novel brush of synthetic plastic material.
Brushes of all kinds are already known, including those of
synthetic plastic material. The present invention is in particular
concerned with brushes for cleaning the hands, and in particular
the nails of the human hand. Such types of brushes are of course
also known but are not always entirely satisfactory because they do
not afford maximum ease and efficiency of cleaning the nails. The
reason for this is that the bristles are so arranged that it is not
possible to gain ready and easy access to all parts of the
fingernails without difficulty in manipulating the brush.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide
an improved brush of the type under discussion.
More particularly it is an object of the present invention to
provide an improved nail brush which greatly facilitates access to
and cleaning of all parts of human fingernails, toenails and other
parts of digital extremities.
A concomitant object of the invention is to provide such a brush
which is simple in its construction and can be inexpensively
manufactured.
In pursuance of the above objects, and others which will become
apparent hereafter, one feature of the invention resides in a brush
which, briefly stated, comprises a backing element having a
surface, a longitudinal and a transverse direction. A plurality of
slender bristles project from this surface and have free tips which
together define a cleaning face. The bristles are of differential
length such that the cleaning face is provided with a
longitudinally extending depression and one or more transversely
extending depressions. Preferably the longitudinally extending
depression is deeper than the transversely extending depression or
depressions, and it is advantageous although not entirely necessary
that the longitudinally extending depression be of substantially
rectangular cross-sectional outline or contour, whereas the
transversely extending depression or depressions should be of
arcuate cross-sectional outline or contour.
It is advantageous that the backing element and the bristles be of
synthetic plastic material, and preferably, be unitary with one
another so that they can be manufactured in a single manufacturing
operation.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the
invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The
invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its
method of operation, together with additional objects and
advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following
description of specific embodiments when read in connection with
the accompanying drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The single FIGURE is a perspective view illustrating a brush
embodying the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Discussing now the drawing in detail it will be seen that in the
exemplary embodiment shown therein the brush is generally
identified with reference numeral 1. It has a backing element 2
which advantageously is of synthetic plastic material and is
provided on a surface thereof with a plurality of bristles which
are slender and project from this surface. The bristles 3 are
arranged in a plurality of parallel rows extending in longitudinal
direction of the backing element 2, and they may also form rows
extending in transverse direction, but this is not necessarily the
case.
The bristles are of differential length so that their free tips
together define a cleaning face which is provided in the
illustrated embodiment with a longitudinally extending depression 4
of preferably rectangular cross-sectional outline or contour, and
with one or, as shown in the drawing, a plurality of transversely
extending depressions 5 of preferably arcuate cross-sectional
contour or outline. The transversely extending depressions 5 are
spaced from one another longitudinally of the depression 4 and it
will be seen that the bristles which define the depression 4 have a
lesser length than those which define the depressions 5, so that
the depression 4 is deeper than the depressions 5.
Preferably the backing element 2 and the bristles 3 will be of
synthetic plastic material, and they may of course be of different
synthetic plastic materials, that is the bristles may be of one and
the backing element 2 of another synthetic plastic material.
However, it is advantageous that they both be of one and the same
plastic material (there are many such materials known which will
offer themselves readily to those skilled in the art), and the
bristles will be of one piece with the backing element, thereby
making it possible to produce the brush in a single manufacturing
operation simply and inexpensively.
The novel brush according to the present invention has the
advantage that if facilitates access to and cleaning of all parts
of the human digital extremities, especially of the nails. Thus, a
finger placed with its nail into the groove 4 and inclined
transversely of the direction of elongation of the groove 4, and
then moved longitudinally of the groove 4, will have the cuticle
area cleaned by engagement with the bristles bounding the side of
the groove or depression 4, whereas the bristles bounding the
bottom of the depression 4 will enter underneath the nail and clean
there.
Again, when the brush is moved over the nail area or the knuckles
for instance of a human hand, the alternation of recesses and
projections formed by the presence of the grooves 5 (assuming that
the brush is moved longitudinally of itself) will provide an
effective massaging action which affords a much better cleaning of
the nail or skin than a brush in which all bristles are of
identical length. Of course, in addition to this the brush can also
be used in various other ways, including in the purely conventional
manner in which nail brushes are ordinarily used.
Advantageously the bristles 3 will be arranged in a plurality of
parallel rows extending in longitudinal direction of the backing
element 2, and of the groove 4 and they may be but need not be
arranged in transverse rows also. It is preferable that they taper
in thickness from the backing element 2 towards their tips where
they will be very slender, and in this connection it is pointed out
that advantageously all of the bristles 3 should taper in this
manner. This means that the depressions 4 and 5 should not be
formed by making the bristles all of identical length and then
cutting off portions of certain bristles to form the depressions,
but that all bristles should be so formed that they taper to a
point. The bristles should of course be very flexible, rather than
be stiff in the conventional manner of nail brushes, and various
different synthetic plastic materials well known to those skilled
in the art can be used for making both the bristles and the backing
element, as pointed out before.
It will be seen that the longitudinal impression 4 is located
substantially midway between the longitudinally extending marginal
portions of the cleaning face.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or
two or more together, may also find a useful application in other
types of constructions differing from the types described
above.
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied
in a brush, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown,
since various modifications and structural changes may be made
without departing in any way from the spirit of the present
invention.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the
gist of the present invention that others can by applying current
knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without
omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly
constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific
aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should
and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of
equivalence of the following claims.
* * * * *