Brush Assembly

Abstract

A brush assembly for general utility purposes characterized by simplicity in construction and ease in replacement of the brush element. The brush assembly includes a generally cylindrical support shaft having a predetermined diameter and a smooth, non-grooved outer surface. The brush assembly further includes a spiraled, generally cylindrical, flexible, resilient brush member having a predetermined outside diameter and defining a hollow interior having an initial predetermined diameter less than the diameter of the shaft. The brush member being force-fitted on the shaft to prevent relative displacement during use thereof but allowing disengagement of the brush member from the shaft for cleaning and replacement.

Description

This invention relates to a brush assembly for general utility purposes and more particularly to such a brush assembly characterized by simplicity in construction and ease in replacement of the brush element.

Heretofore, general utility brushes of the type set forth in this invention have been provided for many purposes, such as the cleaning of gun barrels, cleaning of chemical laboratory containers, paint application, textile fabric cleaning, etc. These general utility brush assemblies have conventionally included a support shaft and a spiraled brush member received on the support shaft. The brush member has been secured to the support shaft in many ways including spiral grooves in the support shaft into which the spiral brush member is placed and the ends of the spiral brush member secured by screws, clamps or otherwise to the support shaft. Other means of holding the spiral brush member on the support shaft have been utilized, but all of these means include complicated and intricate constructions which necessitate the use of some sort of grooves, screws, clamps, end plates, etc. for preventing displacement of the spiral brush member from the support shaft.

Due to the complexities and intricacies of these prior brush constructions and the means of mounting the spiral brush members on the support shafts, problems have been prevalent in the removal of the members from these support shafts for cleaning and replacement.

Accordingly, it is the object of this invention to provide a brush assembly for general utility purposes which is characterized by simplicity in construction and ease in replacement of the brush element.

By this invention, it has been found that the above object may be accomplished by providing a brush assembly comprising a generally cylindrical support shaft having a predetermined diameter and a smooth, non-grooved outer surface. The brush assembly further comprises a spiraled, generally cylindrical, flexible, resilient brush member having a predetermined outside diameter and defining a hollow interior having an initial predetermined diameter less than the diameter of the shaft. The brush member is force-fitted on the shaft to prevent relative displacement during use thereof, but allowing easy disengagement of the brush member from the shaft for cleaning or replacement.

Preferably, the flexible brush member comprises a spiraled, resilient, base portion having a U-shaped, transverse, cross sectional configuration, and a plurality of individual flexible bristles of predetermined length having one end of each secured within the base portion and extending longitudinally outwardly therefrom. It is also preferable that the spirals of the base portion be substantially contiguous and the bristles be of sufficient density so as to form an outer surface on the brush member which is substantially continuous and uninterrupted.

Some of the objects and advantages of this invention having been set forth, other objects and advantages will appear in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first general utility brush assembly constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the brush member utilized in the brush assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial side elevational view, partly in section, of the support shaft and the brush member of the brush assembly of FIG. 1 shown prior to assembly of these parts together;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second roller brush assembly constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken generally along the line 5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view, broken away, taken generally along the line 6--6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view through one of the spirals of the brush member utilized in this invention; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a driven rotary brush assembly constructed in accordance with this invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 a first embodiment of a brush assembly constructed in accordance with this invention and referred to generally by the reference numeral 10.

The brush assembly 10 comprises a generally cylindrical support shaft means 11 having a suitable predetermined outside diameter d.sup.1 and a smooth non-grooved outside surface 12.

The brush assembly further comprises a spiraled, generally cylindrical, flexible, resilient brush member 15 having a suitable predetermined outside diameter and defining a hollow interior 16 having an initial predetermined diameter d.sup.2. The diameter d.sup.2 of the hollow interior of the brush member 15 is less than the outside diameter d.sup.1 of the support shaft 11 so that the brush member 15 may be force-fitted on the shaft support 11 to prevent relative displacement during use of the brush assembly 10 but allowing disengagement of the brush member 15 from the support shaft 12 for cleaning and replacement.

More particularly, the flexible brush member 15 comprises a spiraled, resilient, base portion 20 having a generally U-shaped transverse, cross sectional configuration (as shown particularly in FIG. 7) and a plurality of individual flexible bristles 21 of a suitable predetermined length having one end of each bristle secured within the base portion 20 and extending longitudinally outwardly therefrom.

Preferably, the spirals of the base portion 20 are substantially contiguous with each other or in very close relationship and the bristles are of sufficient density and number so as to form an outer surface on the brush member 15 which is substantially continuous and uninterrupted and provides a smooth generally cylindrical brush surface for general utility purposes.

By constructing the spiraled base portion 20 of resilient material, the spirals of the brush member may be easily slightly expanded and force-fitted onto the support shaft 11 and the resilience of the spiraled base portion 20 is sufficient to hold the brush member 15 on the support shaft 11 and prevent relative displacement thereof during use of the brush assembly.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-6, there is illustrated a second embodiment 30 of a brush assembly constructed in accordance with this invention. The specific elements of this brush assembly 30 which are the same as those of FIGS. 1-3 will be given like reference numerals.

The brush assembly 30 also comprises a generally cylindrical support shaft means 11 which in this embodiment includes a first cylindrical member 31 and a second, hollow cylindrical member 32 telescopingly received on the first member with sufficient clearance for rotation relative thereto. End plates 33 and 34 may be utilized for preventing longitudinal displacement of the members 31 and 32 and protrusions 35 may be used for preventing longitudinal displacement of the end plate 33 and a wing nut 36 may be utilized for preventing longitudinal displacement of the end plate 34. The cylindrical member 31 may include a handle extension thereon.

The brush assembly 30 also includes a spiraled, generally cylindrical, flexible, resilient brush member 15 which is constructed as described above with a hollow interior having a diameter less than the outside diameter of the support shaft member 32 so that the brush member may be force-fitted onto the support shaft member 11 to prevent relative displacement during use thereof, but allowing displacement of the brush member from the support shaft for cleaning and replacement. This brush assembly 30 would have utility as a roller paint brush or otherwise.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a brush assembly 40 is constructed in accordance with this invention and comprises a support shaft 11 constructed generally the same as the support shaft 11 of the brush assembly 10 and a spiraled, generally cylindrical, flexible, resilient brush member 15 constructed in accordance with the above description of the brush member 15 of brush assembly 10. The support shaft 11 may be mounted in bearings 42 on the upper end of a support frame mechanism 43 and one end of the support shaft 11 may be driven by a pulley and belt mechanism 46 from a drive motor 47 so as to provide a driven rotary brush assembly. This type of driven rotary brush assembly may have utility for brushing of textile fabric or other purposes.

Although only three specific embodiments of brush assemblies in accordance with this invention have been illustrated, it is to be understood that many other specific brush assemblies could be produced in accordance with this invention utilizing basically a cylindrical support shaft means having a predetermined diameter and a smooth, non-grooved outer surface, and a spiraled, generally cylindrical, flexible, resilient brush member defining a hollow interior having an initial predetermined diameter less than the diameter of the support shaft so that the brush member may be force-fitted on the support shaft to prevent relative displacement during use thereof but allowing disengagement of the brush member from the support shaft for cleaning and replacement.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth preferred embodiments of this invention and, although specific terms have been employed, they are used in a descriptive and generic sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

That which is claimed is:

1. A brush assembly for general utility purposes characterized by simplicity in construction and ease in replacement of the brush element; said brush assembly comprising:

a generally cylindrical support shaft means having a predetermined diameter and a smooth, non-grooved outer surface; and

a spiraled, generally cylindrical, flexible, resilient brush member having a predetermined outside diameter and defining a hollow interior having an initial predetermined diameter less than the diameter of said support shaft means, said brush member being force-fitted on said support shaft means to prevent relative displacement during use thereof but allowing disengagement of said brush member from said support shaft means for cleaning and replacement.

2. A brush assembly, as set forth in claim 1, in which said flexible brush member comprises a spiraled, resilient, base portion having a generally U-shaped, transverse, cross sectional configuration, and a plurality of individual flexible bristles of predetermined length having one end of each secured within said base portion and extending longitudinally outwardly therefrom.

3. A brush assembly, as set forth in claim 2, in which the spirals of said base portion are substantially contiguous and said bristles are of sufficient density so as to form an outer surface on said brush member which is substantially continuous and uninterrupted.

4. A brush assembly, as set forth in claim 1, in which said shaft support means comprises a first cylindrical member and a second, hollow cylindrical member telescopingly received on said first member for rotation relative thereto and for receiving said spiraled resilient brush member for forming a rotary brush assembly.

5. A brush assembly, as set forth in claim 1, in which said brush assembly includes means supporting said shaft support means for rotation and means for driving said shaft support means for providing a driven rotary brush assembly.