Paint Brush

Abstract

The present invention is an improved paint brush which can be attached to the perimeter portion of a paint can opening such that the bristles of the brush are oriented into the paint can at an angle of between 0° and 90° from the vertical. The perimeter of this paint can has an upwardly extending rim having upper and lower ends, while the paint brush has a mid portion connecting a handle to a set of bristles. A notch is provided on a side of the mid portion between the handle and the set of bristles for attaching the brush to the arc of the can, the notch defined by an upper lip oriented towards the handle, a lower lip oriented towards the set of bristles and an opening separating the upper and lower lips. The opening, upper lip and lower lip are all dimensioned such that when the brush is attached to the perimeter, the perimeter bears against the notch at a point adjacent the upper lip while the lower lip bears against the perimeter sufficiently to position the brush at an angle from the vertical of less than 90°.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to paint brushes for applying paint to a wall or surface, and more particularly to a paint brush having a feature for permitting the brush to be hung on a paint can.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the interval of time between the period that a painter is not using a paint brush, it is customary for him to place the brush on the can which contains the paint. The painter does so because the paint can is a handy place to place the brush at such times and because it is not harmed by paint which might dribble onto it. The problem with using a paint can for this purpose however is that paint can run from the can onto a surface on which it rests. Furthermore, a brush can be too easily knocked off a paint can by a painter's carelessness.

It is known to provide paint brushes with hangers or other means to facilitate the attachment of the brush to a paint can. Examples of such attachment means are described in 115. U.S. Pat. No. 2,309,990 to Savi, U.S. Pat. No. 3,231,919 to MacDonald, U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,327 to Meimeteas and U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,559 B 1 to Stanton. The attachment means described in these patents are suitable for attaching a paint brush to a paint can so that the brush does not easily fall off of the can but they do have a number of shortcomings, one of which is that they project outwardly from the paint brushes and can be a nuisance to a painter when he is painting in confined spaces. As well the projecting attachment means are easily damaged and, once damaged, are not reliable for attaching a paint brush to a can. A still further shortcoming of some of the above mentioned attachment means is that the paint brush is suspended outside the paint can, where paint on the brush can fall onto surfaces beneath the paint can.

I have invented a paint brush and a clip for a paint brush that have none of the shortcomings mentioned above. Specifically, the means by which the brush is attached to a paint can does not project outwardly from the brush when the brush is in use and, as a result, the attachment means does not interfere with the painter's use of the brush. Furthermore, the attachment means is not as susceptible to breakage as projecting attachment means such as those mentioned above. In addition, my attachment means suspends a paint brush over the mouth of a can of paint so that any paint that falls from the brush falls into the can and not outside it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an improved paint brush which can be attached to the perimeter portion of a paint can opening such that the bristles of the brush are oriented into the paint can at an angle of less than 90°. The perimeter of this paint can has an upwardly extending rim having upper and lower ends, while the paint brush has a mid portion connecting a handle to a set of bristles. A notch is provided on a side of the mid portion between the handle and the set of bristles for attaching the brush to the arc of the can, the notch defined by an upper lip oriented towards the handle, a lower lip oriented towards the set of bristles and an opening separating the upper and lower lips. The opening, upper lip and lower lip are all dimensioned such that when the brush is attached to the perimeter, the perimeter bears against the notch at a point adjacent the upper lip while the lower lip bears against the perimeter sufficiently to position the brush at an angle from the vertical of less than 90°.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paint brush for use with a paint can having an opening circumscribed by an upwardly extending rim having upper and lower ends. The paint brush includes a ferrule connecting a handle to a set of bristles and a notch formed on a side of the ferrule between the handle and the set of bristles. The notch is defined by an upper lip formed on the ferrule towards the handle, a lower lip formed on the ferrule towards the set of bristles, an opening separating the upper and lower lips and a back wall formed on the ferrule and separated from the opening by a depth. The notch is dimensioned to permit the paint brush to be hung from the rim of the paint can by passing the upper end of the rim through the opening, the opening, depth, upper lip and lower lip all being dimensioned to hold the upper end of the rim within the notch while the lower lip of the ferrule bears against the rim at a point on the rim between the upper and lower ends when the paint brush is hung from the rim.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paint brush for use with a paint can having an opening circumscribed by an upwardly extending rim having upper and lower ends. The paint brush includes a ferrule connecting a handle to a set of bristles and a notch formed on a side of the ferrule between the handle and the set of bristles. The notch is defined by an upper lip formed on the ferrule towards the handle, a lower lip formed on the ferrule towards the set of bristles, and an opening separating the upper and lower lips. The notch is dimensioned to permit the paint brush to be hung from the rim of the paint can by passing the upper end of the rim through the opening, the upper lip being angled and dimensioned to hold the upper end of the rim within the notch when the paint brush is hung from the rim, the opening being dimensioned to position the lower lip of the notch at a point on the rim between the upper and lower ends when the paint brush is hung from the rim.

With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a description of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a paint brush made in accordance with the present invention mounted to the rim of a standard paint can.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the paint brush shown in FIG. 1 showing the notched ferrule.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of portion A of FIG. 1 showing the paint brush mounted to the inner lip of the paint can rim.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the notched portion of a paint brush made in accordance with the invention mounted to the rim of a paint can.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the notched portion of a paint brush made in accordance with another aspect of the invention mounted to the rim of a paint can.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a paint brush made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the notched portion of a paint brush made in accordance with another aspect of the present invention mounted to the rim of a paint can.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring firstly to FIG. 1, a paint brush made in accordance with the present invention is shown generally as item 10 and includes a handle portion 14, bristle portion 16 and middle (or mid) portion 18. Handle portion 14 and bristle portion 16 are identical to handle and bristle portions of standard paint brushes. In particular, bristle portion 16 may consist of a quantity of natural or artificial bristles bundled together and oriented such that the bristles can hold a quantity of paint (or stain) and can spread that paint over a surface when the paint brush is used. Alternatively, bristle portion 16 may consist of a foam pad which is configured to hold a quantity of paint or stain. Mid portion 18 may consist of an extension of handle portion 14 or it may consist of a stamped metal ferrule which binds bristle portion 16 to handle 14, depending on how brush 10 is made. If brush 10 is made in a manner similar to standard bristle paint brushes, then mid portion 18 will preferably consist of a metal ferrule. Mid portion 18 will have side portion 21 upon which a notch 22 is formed. Notch 22 is dimensioned and configured to couple to perimeter 20 of paint can 12 such that brush 10 is firmly secured to the rim and is held at an acute angle from the vertical (i.e. between 90° and 0° from vertical), with the bristle portion 16 pointed towards the interior of the paint can.

Paint can 20 is a standard paint can (either 1 gallon or 1 pint) which has an opening 19 which is circumscribed by a perimeter (or mouth) 20 which has an inner rim 34 and an outer rim 42 and a transverse portion 38 (see FIG. 3). Notch 22 is configured to couple to perimeter 20 (either at lip 34 alone or rim 42 and rim 34 together) so as to hold the paint brush at an angle from the vertical as illustrated.

Referring now to FIG. 2, notch 22 consists of an opening 30 defined by upper lip 24, lower lip 26 and back wall 28. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, notch 22 is formed by cutting out a portion of ferrule (mid portion) 18 with lip 24 and lower lip 26 being the edges of the cut out. Alternatively, notch 22 can be formed by stamping when the ferrule is manufactured and before it is attached to handle portion 14. Opening 30 is dimensioned to permit the notch to mount to perimeter 20 of the paint can as shown in FIG. 3. Perimeter 20 consists of an inner lip 34 and an outer lip 42. Inner lip 34 forms a U shaped section which extends inwardly from outer lip 42. Transverse portion 38 extends between inner lip 34 and outer lip 42. Inner lip 34 has top end 36 and a bottom elbow 40 immediately adjacent transverse portion 38. In one embodiment of the present invention, notch 22 is configured such upper lip 24 of the notch is positioned on top of top portion 36 and between the top portion and outer lip 42 while lower lip 26 bears against inner lip 34 at a point on lip 34 between top portion 36 and transverse portion 38. The point of contact between bottom lip 26 and inner lip 34 is preferably at elbow 40 or between elbow 40 and top end 36. With lower lip 26 braced against inner lip 34 and upper lip 24 braced against top end 36 on the opposite side of inner lip 34, notch 20 effectively locks onto the perimeter 20 by virtue of the torque (indicated by arrow B) which is applied to the brush by the weight of the brush. This prevents the brush from accidentally dislodging from the perimeter because inner lip 34 is effectively pinched between upper lip 24 and lower lip 26. Back wall 28 of notch 20 is spaced from opening 30 by a depth which is selected to ensure that a portion of inner lip 34 will fit inside the notch. If notch 20 is too shallow (i.e. if the space between opening 30 and back wall 28 is too short, then the notch may not secure the paint brush to the perimeter very securely. Preferably, opening 30 between lips 26 and 24 is ⅛th inch and back wall 28 is about 3/16^th of an inch from opening 30.

It can be appreciated that a subtle modification of the relative dimensions of lower lip 26, upper lip 24 and the depth of the notch can be made while not departing from how the notch secures the brush to the paint can rim. For example, FIG. 5 shows an alternate embodiment of the present invention showing a paint brush 60 having a notch 62 with the lower lip 66, and upper lip 64, and back wall 68 and an opening 70 between lips 64 and 66. In this embodiment, opening 70 is dimensioned such that inner lip 34 fits within the opening. Lower lip 66 is dimensioned and configured such that the lower lip bears against elbow 40 while the top end 36 of inner lip 34 is held against upper lip 64. As in the previous embodiment, the inner lip 34 is pinched between lower lip 66 and upper lip 64 and the torque acting on brush 60 (indicated by arrow C) being sufficient so that the pinching action is strong enough to lock the brush onto perimeter.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, the notch can be made sufficiently large that the notch couples the brush to perimeter 20 in the same manner as in the previous two embodiments by spanning the entire perimeter. In this embodiment, brush 51 has a mid portion 49 with a notch 44 formed there on. Notch 44 has an upper lip 46, a lower lip 45 (with a lip end 48), an opening 52 and a back wall 50. Opening 52 is sufficiently large that it can span between outer lip 42 and inner lip 34 or the perimeter. The depth of notch 44 (i.e. the space separating opening 52 from back wall 50) is sufficiently large to permit a portion of inner lip 34 to fit within the notch. Upper lip 46 and lower lip 45 are also dimensioned so that outer lip 42 bears against upper lip 46 and lower lip 45 bears against inner lip 34. As in the previous embodiments, the force of gravity acting on the brush creates a torque (illustrated by arrow D) which causes notch 44 to pinch the perimeter between upper lip 46 and lower lip 45, thereby securing the brush tightly to the perimeter of the paint can.

An alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6 and includes a standard paint brush 100 having a handle 112, a bristle end 116 and a mid portion 114. Attached to mid portion 114 is a clip 118 having notch 120 formed thereon. Notch 120 has upper lip 122 and lower lip 124. Notch 120 is identical to the notches described above, the only difference being that instead of being formed on the mid portion itself, notch 120 is formed on clip 118 which is attached to mid portion 114. Clip 118 may be made of injection molded plastic, or aluminum and is secured to mid portion 114 by means known generally in the art such as by adhesive or by fasteners. When clip 118 is secured to brush 100, the brush can be mounted in a paint can as in the previously described embodiments.

Another alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 7 and includes a standard paint brush having a handle portion with a mid portion 200 having a notch 210 which is defined by upper lip 212, back 214 and lower lip 216. Lower lip 216 is contoured to closely match the curve of transverse portion 38 of perimeter 20 of the paint can's opening 19. Transverse portion 38 generally has a curved shape and lower lip 216 is shaped so that when notch 210 is mounted to the paint can opening 19, lower lip 216 closely conforms to the surface of transverse portion 38 so as to hold inner lip 34 of paint can perimeter 20 firmly between upper lip 212 and lower lip 216.

The present invention permits the paint brush to be securely attached to the lip of the paint can so that the paint brush does not accidentally become dislodged. The brush is not simply hanging onto the lip of the paint can; rather, the lips of the notch effectively pinch the inner lip of the paint can opening such that the force of gravity acting on the bristle portion of the brush is sufficient to effectively lock the paint brush in place. The pinching action of the lower lip of the notch on the inner lip of the paint can is sufficiently strong that when the paint brush is mounted to the paint can as shown in FIG. 1, if the paint brush is lifted, the paint can is lifted as well.

A paint brush made in accordance with the present invention has several advantages. Firstly, simply mounting the brush on the lip of the paint can is sufficient to cause the excess paint on the brush to simply drip off the brush and into the can. Also, the paint brush can be stored temporarily on the paint can when the user needs to put down the paint brush in order to do something else. The user can simply unhook the paint brush from the can in order to start painting again. Also, while the paint brush can be mounted to the lip of a paint brush as discussed above, it will be appreciated that the same brush can also be hung in a similar fashion to a rack or other mount. For example, a paint brush rack could be made having an elongated U shaped trough having a similar structure as the lip/rim of a paint can. If this U shaped trough is dimensioned in the same way as the rim of a paint can, then and one or more brushes could be mounted to the rack as if the rack was a large paint can.

A specific embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed; however, several variations of the disclosed embodiment could be envisioned as within the scope of this invention. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A paint brush for use with a paint can having an opening circumscribed by a perimeter, said perimeter having a U shaped profile with an outer rim, a transverse portion and an upwardly extending inner rim having upper and lower ends, said paint brush comprising:

a) a mid portion connecting a handle to a set of bristles;

b) a notch provided on a side of the mid portion between the handle and the set of bristles for attaching the brush to the arc of the can, the notch defined by an upper lip oriented towards the handle, a lower lip oriented towards the set of bristles and an opening separating the upper and lower lips;

c) the opening, upper lip and lower lip being dimensioned such that when the brush is attached to the perimeter, the perimeter bears against the notch at a point adjacent the upper lip while the lower lip bears against the inner rim sufficiently to position the brush at an angle from the vertical of less than 90°.

2. A paint brush for use with a paint can having an opening circumscribed by an upwardly extending rim having upper and lower ends, said paint brush comprising:

a) a ferrule connecting a handle to a set of bristles;

b) a notch formed on a side of the ferrule between the handle and the set of bristles, the notch defined by an upper lip formed on the ferrule towards the handle, a lower lip formed on the ferrule towards the set of bristles, an opening separating the upper and lower lips and a back wall formed on the ferrule and separated from the opening by a depth;

c) the notch being dimensioned to permit the paint brush to be hung from the rim of the paint can by passing the upper end of the rim through the opening, the opening, depth, upper lip and lower lip all being dimensioned to hold the upper end of the rim within the notch while the lower lip of the ferrule bears against the rim at a point on the rim between the upper and lower ends when the paint brush is hung from the rim.

3. A paint brush for use with a paint can having an opening circumscribed by an upwardly extending rim having upper and lower ends, said paint brush comprising:

a) a ferrule connecting a handle to a set of bristles;

b) a notch formed on a side of the ferrule between the handle and the set of bristles, the notch defined by an upper lip formed on the ferrule towards the handle, a lower lip formed on the ferrule towards the set of bristles, an opening separating the upper and lower lips;

c) the notch being dimensioned to permit the paint brush to be hung from the rim of the paint can by passing the upper end of the rim through the opening, the upper lip being angled and dimensioned to hold the upper end of the rim within the notch when the paint brush is hung from the rim, the opening being dimensioned to position the lower lip of the ferrule at a point on the rim between the upper and lower ends when the paint brush is hung from the rim.

4. The paint brush as defined in claim 1 wherein the notch is formed on the mid portion of the brush.

5. The paint brush as defined in claim 1 wherein the notch is formed on a ferrule located at the mid point of the brush, the notch further comprising a back wall, the back wall being separated from the opening by a depth, the opening, depth, upper lip and lower lip all being dimensioned to hold the upper end of the rim within the notch while the lower lip of the ferrule bears against the rim at a point on the rim between the upper and lower ends when the paint brush is hung from the rim.

6. The paint brush as defined in claim 1 wherein the notch further comprises a back wall, the back wall being separated from the opening by a depth, the opening, depth, upper lip and lower lip all being dimensioned and configured to hold the upper end of the rim within the notch while the lower lip of the ferrule bears against the rim at a point on the rim between the upper and lower ends when the paint brush is hung from the rim.

7. The paint brush as defined in claim 1 wherein the notch is formed on a ferrule on the paint brush and wherein the ferrule further comprises a back wall, the back wall being separated from the opening by a depth, the opening, depth, upper lip and lower lip all being dimensioned and configured to hold the upper end of the rim within the notch while the lower lip of the ferrule bears against the rim at a point on the rim between the upper and lower ends when the paint brush is hung from the rim.

8. The paint brush as defined in claim 1 wherein the notch further comprises a back wall, the back wall being separated from the opening by a depth, the opening, depth, upper lip and lower lip all being dimensioned and configured to hold the arc within the notch while the lower lip of the ferrule bears against the rim at a point on the rim between the upper and lower ends when the paint brush is hung from the rim.

9. The paint brush as defined in claim 1 wherein the transverse portion of the perimeter has a curved shape and wherein the lower lip of the notch has a curved shape, the curved shape of the lower lip closely matching the curved shape of the transverse portion such that the lower lip can be laid closely against the transverse portion.