BRUSH WITH ROTATING HEAD

Abstract

The present invention is a brush head that rotates to at least two locked positions on a noncoaxial axis relative to the longitudinal or length-wise axis of the handle. A locking trigger is provided to hold and release the rotating head. A brush head is attached to end of the rotating head. In one version, the handle includes a flat cap sixed to support the brush to prevent the brush head from contacting a counter or other supporting surface.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the present invention is brushes, more specifically brushes used to wash devices, and still more specifically, brushes used to wash items having different shapes and sizes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Dishes and other items washed by hand can be found in different shapes and sizes. For example, plates, saucers, and baking sheets are flat or relatively flat. Other dishes are curved or have walls and bottoms such as cups, drinking glasses, and goblets as well as pots and measuring cups.

Brushes are often useful in hand washing dishes. Brushes can make cleaning dishes easier, especially pots, pans, plates, etc. that have baked on residue from cooking or previous improper cleaning. However, brushes have a straight handle with the brush extending straight from the end of the handle in a roughly coaxial orientation. Due to the shape of some dishes, it can be awkward to wash some dishes using a brush with the usual coaxial orientation. Conversely, brushes at a different angle relative to the handle will not be efficient in washing other types of dishes. In both cases, whether full force of the brush cannot be applied to the residue or the brush cannot reach all the residue, the full efficiency of the brush is lost due to the specific angle orientation of the brush relative to its handle. While two brushes with different orientations can be used, it is often awkward and inefficient to use two brushes during a particular dishing washing session and two brushes will obviously occupy more storage space than a single brush.

Thus, there is a need in the filed for a brush that can be used with maximum efficiency when washing dishes or other items with different shapes and sizes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention broadly comprises a brush with a rotating head that includes a handle having a first end and a second end; a fixed pivot head fixedly attached to said second end of said handle; a rotating head in rotational attachment to said fixed pivot head; a brush head attached to said rotating head; and, a trigger functionally attached to said rotation head. The rotating head rotates on a noncoaxial axis relative to said handle.

In one embodiment, the second end of the handle is provided with a flat cap to enable the brush to be placed so as to keep the brush head off a counter or other surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the brush head can be released from the rotating head and replaced.

One object of the invention is to supply a dish brush in which the angle between the handle and the brush head can be changed.

A second object of the invention is to provide a brush that can be efficiently used on both flat items and vessels such as glasses and cups.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The nature and mode of the operation of the present invention will now be more fully described in the following detailed description of the invention taken with the accompanying drawing Figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective of the brush with rotating head of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the brush of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the brush presenting another view of the rotation line;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the brush of the present invention showing the rotation line extending on a diagonally curved path to slightly above the brush head;

FIG. 5 is a partial bottom perspective view of the handle of the brush;

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the fixed pivot head depicting the interior enclosed by the header of the fixed pivot head;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross section of the brush assembly;

FIG. 8 is a cross section of the brush of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an exploded side perspective view of the brush of the present invention; and,

FIG. 10 is a side view of the brush of the present invention showing the two positions of brush head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical structural elements of the invention. It also should be appreciated that figure proportions and angles are not always to scale in order to clearly portray the attributes of the present invention.

While the present invention is described with respect to what is presently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. The present invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Furthermore, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the particular methodology, materials and modifications described and as such may, of course, vary. It is also understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, which is limited only by the appended claims.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It should be appreciated that the term “substantially” is synonymous with terms such as “nearly”, “very nearly”, “about”, “approximately”, “around”, “bordering on”, “close to”, “essentially”, “in the neighborhood of”, “in the vicinity of”, etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. It should be appreciated that the term “proximate” is synonymous with terms such as “nearby”, “close”, “adjacent”, “neighboring”, “immediate”, “adjoining”, etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. Although any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the invention, the preferred methods, devices, and materials are now described. Persons of skill in the art will recognize that embodiments described below may be fabricated from injection molding processes among other suitable processes.

FIG. 1 is a top perspective of the brush 100 depicting handle 102, fixed pivot head 120, (“pivot head 120”), rotating head 160 (“head 160”), and brush head 180. Bristles 182 are seen extending from brush head 180. Also seen is shaft 103 of handle 102. In the embodiment shown a flat cap 104 is placed on one end of shaft 103 which can be used to support brush 100 to keep bristles 182 off a counter or other supporting surface. Pivot head 120 includes a wall 122 and header 124. Trigger 126 positioned in trigger slot 128 (“slot 128”) in header 124. Seen is a space in slot 128 above trigger 126 allowing a user to move trigger 126 up when turning rotating head 160 as explained below. FIG. 2 is a front view of brush 100.

FIGS. 1 and 2 both show rotation line L (“line L”) separating pivot head 120 from rotating head 160. Line L marks the line rotating head 160 follows when it is rotated. It is clear that rotating head 160 can rotate along line L to give the brush a noncoaxial orientation relative to handle 102. By “noncoaxial” is meant that the axis of rotation of head 160 is not coincident with the long axis of handle 102 as described below. In FIG. 2, line L extends to just under trigger 126.

FIG. 3 is a side view of brush 100 presenting another view of rotation line L. Also seen is trigger 126 extending out of trigger slot 128 away from header 124 giving a user easy access to trigger 128. FIG. 4 is a rear view of brush 100. Line L is seen extending on a diagonally curved path to slightly above brush head 180.

FIG. 5 is a partial bottom perspective view of handle 102 showing handle bottom end 106 and bottom surface 107. Extending from bottom surface 107 is attachment pin housing 108. Attachment pin housing 108 is shaped or configured to receive an attachment pin as described below. Attachment pin receiving orifice 110 receives the attachment pin when handle 102 is connected to pivot head 120 at header 124 in a fixed position as explained below. In a similar manner trigger stem socket 112 (“socket 112”) receives the trigger stem when trigger 126 is pushed up trigger slot 128 by a user. Trigger stem receiver 114 provides tension on the trigger spring when trigger 126 is pushed up thereby urging it back slot 128 when trigger 126 is released.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of fixed pivot head 120. Trigger 126 fits into trigger slot 128 which is formed in header 124. Attachment pin 130 projects up from the floor of the enclosure formed by header 124. Attachment pin 130 may be an extended pin, a screw, or similar device. The attachment may be a friction fit, a threaded attachment, adhesive(s), or similar attachments known to those skilled in the art. Preferably, stabilizing posts 132 are positioned on three sides of attachment pin 130 and act to hold attachment pin housing 108 in place in a fixed position relative to handle 102. Trigger spring 134 is housed in trigger spring housing 136 which is on the fourth side of attachment pin 130. Rotating head 160 is below pivot head 120 and is separated from pivot head 120 by line L.

FIG. 7 is a cross section of brush 100 taken along the line 7-7 in FIG. 4. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross section of the brush assembly and bottom end 106 seen in FIG. 7. Attachment pin 130 extends into attachment pin housing 108 to attach fixed pivot head 120 to handle 102. Stabilizing post 132 is seen next to attachment pin housing 108. Rotation pin shaft 138 opens at the bottom of fixed pivot head 120. Trigger 126 is functionally attached to rotating head 160. By functional attachment is meant that the link between trigger 126 and rotation head 160 allows rotation head 160 to function, i.e. rotate. In this context, the bottom of trigger 126 is seen resting on the top surface of locking ring 164 with trigger lock stem 126b extending into lock slot 166 in functional attachment. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, locking ring 164 defines at least two lock slots 166. As will be explained further below, in a locked position, trigger 126 rests on locking ring 164 with trigger lock stem 126b extending into lock slot 166 to prevent rotation of rotating head 160. Trigger spring 134 is seen placed around trigger spring stem 126a. Trigger spring stem 126a extends toward trigger stem socket 112. It may be integral with trigger 126 or a separate piece placed on trigger 126 at the appropriate location. Integral in this context means that the component parts are formed together as a single unit. In this context, the words “on” or “onto” include separate parts of integral structures.

Rotation pin 168 extends into rotation pin shaft 138 to hold rotation head 160 in a rotation attachment with pivot head 120 meaning that rotation head 160 remains attached to pivot head 160 while still being able to rotate around the axis provided by rotation pin 168. In this context, by rotating attachment is meant that a first item is attached to a second item in such a manner as to allow the first item to rotate relative to the second while remaining attached to the second item through an infinite number of rotations. It can be readily seen that the rotation axis N of rotation head 160 is noncoaxial with the longitudinal or length-wise axis A of handle 103.

Brush head 180 is attached to the bottom of rotating head 160. Bristles 182 extend from brush head 180. A locking structure on rotation head 160 locks onto brush head 180. In this context, brush head receiver ring 170 (“receiver ring 170”) is a ring that extends from the inner surface of rotation head wall 162 to form a continuous ring that receives and holds, preferably releasably holds, brush lock circle 184 (“lock circle 184”). The releasable connection between ring 170 and circle 184 enables the replacement of one brush head 180 for another.

FIG. 9 is an exploded side perspective view of brush 100. Lock circle 184 is on the upper surface of brush head 180 to act as a rotation locking structure. Lock tab 186 extends outwardly from lock circle 184. Lock circle 184 is inserted into receiving ring 170 (not seen in FIG. 9) at an internal notch (not seen in FIG. 8 or 9) formed in receiving ring 170 that allow lock tab 186 to move inside lock circle 184 and rotated until lock circle 184 and brush head 180 is locked onto receiving ring 170. Persons of skill in the art will recognizes that other configurations may be used to releasably attach brush head 180 to rotating head 160 such as a screw-type threads, or spring activated buttons extending into orifices in lock circle 184 from receiving ring 170.

Rotation pin 168 extends through an angled ceiling (not shown) of receiving head 160 to attach rotating head 160 to fixed pivot head 120. Clearly seen is locking ring 164 defining two lock slots 166. It will be recognized that the two lock slots 166 provide stopping points for the rotation of rotating head 160 around axis N when trigger lock stem 126b extends into one of lock slots 166. Persons of skill in the art will recognize that more lock slots may be defined by locking ring 164.

As explained above, rotating head 160 is attached to fixed pivot head 120 by attachment pin 168. Trigger 126 is placed into trigger slot 128 with trigger spring stem 126a positioned to receive trigger spring 134. Attachment pin housing 108 will be placed over and around attachment pin 130. In a preferred embodiment, flat cap 104 is affixed to the top of handle 102 to support brush 100 when it is placed with brush head 180 up on a supporting surface.

FIG. 10 is a side view of brush 100 showing two positions of brush head 180 when trigger lock stem 126b extends into different lock slots 166. During rotation of rotating head 160, trigger 126 is pushed up toward handle 102 as the user starts to turn rotating head 160 and is then released to enable it to ride on locking ring 164. Locking ring 164 slides under trigger 126 as rotation continues. Thus, trigger 126 stays in a fixed position while rotating head 160 turns under a fixed trigger 126. When a particular lock slot 166 reaches trigger lock stem 126b, trigger spring 134 urges trigger lock stem 126b to fall into lock slot 166 thereby preventing further rotation of rotating head 160. The noncoaxial position of axis N relative to axis A requires that rotating head 160 turns the brush head through different angles from a first position depicted by brush head 180 to a second position depicted by brush head 180′ showing that brush head 180 extends from brush 100 at different angles relative to handle 102. This includes the angle in which brush head 180 extends straight from handle 102 as seen, for example, in FIGS. 1 and 2. Proper placement of lock slots 166 on locking ring 164 will enable brush head 180 to extend from the end of brush 100 at any desired angle.

Thus it is seen that the objects of the invention are efficiently obtained. Although changes and modifications to the invention should be readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art, such changes would not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims

1. A brush with a rotating head comprising:

a handle having a first end and a second end;

a fixed pivot head fixedly attached to said second end of said handle;

a rotating head in rotational attachment to said fixed pivot head;

a brush head attached to said rotating head; and,

a trigger functionally attached to said fixed rotating head;

wherein said rotating head rotates on a noncoaxial axis relative to said handle.

2. The brush with rotating head as recited in claim 1 wherein said rotating head includes a locking ring, said locking ring defining at least two trigger lock slots.

3. The brush with rotating head as recited in claim 2 wherein said trigger includes a trigger lock stop, wherein said trigger lock stop is configured to fit into each of said at least two trigger lock slots.

4. The brush with rotating head as recited in claim 1 wherein said trigger is positioned in a trigger slot on said fixed pivot head.

5. The brush with rotating head as recited in claim 1 further comprising a trigger spring wherein said trigger spring is positioned on a trigger spring stem on said trigger.

6. The brush with rotating head as recited in claim 1 wherein said brush head is releasably attached to said rotating head.

7. The brush with rotating head as recited in claim 6 wherein said brush head includes a locking structure configured to releasably attach to a locking stem extending from said fixed pivot head.

8. The brush with rotating head as recited in claim 1 further comprising at attachment pin housing at said first end of said handle, said attachment pin housing shaped to receive an attachment pin extending from said fixed pivot head.

9. The brush with rotating head as recited in claim 1 wherein said fixed pivot head includes a rotation pin shaft, said rotation pin housing shaped to receive a rotation pin extending from said rotating head, wherein said rotation pin attaches said rotating head to said fixed pivot head in a rotating attachment.

10. The brush with rotating head as recited in claim 1 wherein said second end of said handle is flat.

11. The brush with rotating head as recited in claim 1 further comprising a flat cap attached to said second end of said handle.