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.

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®, 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® 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.

Claims

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®, 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.