US3355759A

US3355759A - Brush

Info

Publication number: US3355759A
Application number: US554424A
Authority: US
Inventors: Louise M Sloan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-06-01
Filing date: 1966-06-01
Publication date: 1967-12-05
Anticipated expiration: 1984-12-05

Description

Dec. 5, 1967 L SUDAN 3,3553% Filed June 1, 66

0144-1 1 "a 00132, SI, 0A

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United States Patent C 3,355,759 BRUSH Louise M. Sloan, Rte. 2, Gwinett County, near Stone Mountain, Ga. 30083 Filed June 1, 1966, Ser. No. 554,424 2 Claims. (Cl. 15206) This invention relates to a brush and particularly to a brush of open arcuate construction having small filaments projecting therefrom for removing yarn surface accumulations, such as small balls or pills, which accumulate on fabrics like those used in the construction of sweaters.

Many present-day garments and materials are made from both real and synthetic yarns and fibers which tend to form accumulations of fibers on the surface and in the shape of irregular masses such as balls, pills or lumps. For instance, soft sweaters of wool, cashmere, orlon and similar yarns tend to form what are known as pills and to undergo pilling of the fabric which produces unattractive and undesirable balls of fibers on the surface. This occurs from a number of things among which is rubbing or stroking the surface of the fabric when Wetting or perhaps dry cleaning. These accumulations render the garment and the fabric less attractive and desired and should be removed where possible. In fact, it is common for college age girls to shave their sweaters with a razor blade in order to remove the pilling which has accumulated on the surface. Of course, this is repleat with possibilities of damage to the fabric and the knit, but it does demonstrate the extent to which the owners of nice sweaters will go to remove this undesirable pilling. Ordinary garment brushes are unsatisfactory because they dig into the fabric and tend to raise the nap even more and to set the stage for even more pilling. The present brush is an open, continuous, arcuate frame which has small, thin filaments protruding a slight distance from the surface thereof to limit the amount of insertion into the fabric but to adequately remove accumulated balls or pills of yarn.

Generally described, Without restriction on the scope of my invention as defined in the appendant claims, the present brush comprises longitudinal twisted wire which confines brush filaments, such as filaments of nylon, in a helical pattern. The twisted wire extends beyond the brush and receives a plastic handle or the like attached thereto and held in the hand to perform the brushing operation. The brush wires and the brush filaments are mounted inside of a coil of Wire or plastic or the like and the brush filaments protrude slightly from the circular periphery of the coil in between the open spaces thereof. A pair of spaced washer-like plates attach the brush twisted wire to the coil on each end thereof and support the brush therein. The surface of the coil is covered by an open net of a very wide weave constructed from nylon monofilament or the like. In the operation of the brush, the surface of the length of the coil is brought into contact with the surface of the sweater or similar garment or fabric to be brushed and then the hand is manipulated up and down the fabric in a sweeping path to bring the pips of the nylon filaments of the brush into engagement with the nap of the fabric and during this motion the coil can adjust itself in typical snake-like fashion of the coil to the contour of the fabric. The open coil together with the net prohibits undesirable insertion of the tips of the filaments into the fabric and limits the brushing action to that of the filament tips.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a brush for removing pills or balls and other accumulations of yarn from the surface of nappy or soft fabrics such as sweaters.

Another object of this invention resides in the construction whereby the brushing action is done by the tips of 2 filaments which are limited in insertion by means of a coil through which the tips protrude a limited distance.

A further object of this invention resides in the economical construction of the present brush utilizing a twisted brush covered by a coil and further covered by an open mesh net.

Other and further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent upon reading the follow ing specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the brush of the present invention held in hand for use on a typical fabric.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view taken substantially along lines 22 in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1 there is illustrated the brush of the present invention designated generally and overall in assembly by reference numeral 10 held in a hand 12, by the thumb 14 and other fingers 16 and in contact with a typical fabric 18 which could be a portion of the material of a sweater which is made from knitted cashmere or orlon yarns.

Brush 10 comprises a twisted brush member designated generally by reference numeral 20 and which is constructed from a pair of twisted wires which confine there between and twist into a helical form monofil-amen-t members 22 which are fine filaments of material such as nylon or polyethylene or other plastic material. Twisted or spiral brushes 20 of this sort are common in the brush art and are used as bottle brushes as well as being used in the artificial Christmas tree industry for limbs on artificial Christmas trees. Such brushes are constructed automatically on machines such as that in Patent No. 2,742,327 issued on Apr. 17, 1956, and the method disclosed therein. The resulting brush 20 presents a cylinder of monofilament fibers protruding from the center core which is the twisted wires 24 of the brush 20.

Brush 20 is mounted inside of a helical coil of Wire or plastic 26 which is smaller in diameter than the maximum distance from the ends of the tips of one of the brush filaments 22 diametrically through the center Wire 24 and to the end of a diametrically opposed brush filament 22 whereby the tips of filament 22 protrude from the openings between adjacent wires of the helical coil 26 and beyond the surface thereof.

The entire surface of the coil 26 is covered by a wide mesh not material which may be constructed from nylon monofilaments woven in a fishnet or hairnet fashion and secured around the outside of the helical coil 26 and if desired on the inside of the coil 26 as well. The tips of the filaments Z2 protrude through the mesh openings 28 which tends to maintain the filaments in position inside of the coil 26 but at the same time allows a certain amount of flexibility of the resilient filaments 22.

Although crush 20 tends to remain inside of coil 26 due to the engagement of the tips of the filaments 22 with the net 29, additionally to position and secure the brush 20 in place, a pair of identical, spaced metal or plastic washer-like plate members 30 are mounted on opposite ends of the coil 26 and have a central opening 32 therein through which the brush wire 24 protrudes and to which the wire is attached as by gluing or force fitting. The circular periphery of the members .30 is substantially in line with the circular end loops of the coils 26 and are attached thereto as by gluing or soldering in the case of those materials which are metal and can be soldered.

In the drawing in FIG. 1, it is to be understood that the net 29 has been shown only in part and broken away for the sake of clarity since it tends to obscure the internal construction in the drawing especially if it were shown on the underside of the coil 26.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention together with the suggested 3 mode of operation and use thereof, this is by way of illustration only and does not constitute any limitation on the scope of my invention since various alterations, changes, deviations, illiminations, substitutions, revisions,

omissions, additions, and departures may be made from the invention shown and described herein without avoiding the scope of the appendant claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a brush for engaging the surface of a fabric, such as a knitted sweater fabric made from yarns which separate on the surface and form irregular balls or pills, and to have limited engagementwith the surface thereof:

(a) a brush filament retaining means,

('0) a brush comprising a plurality of brush filaments extending outwardly from said brush filament retaining means,

(c) means limiting the exposed end of the brush filaments and the penetration into the fabric,

(d) a handle on said brush,

(e) said limiting means being a foraminous surface having said brush retaining means mounted therewith and the brush filaments protruding from each opening therein for a limited distance, wherein (f) said foraminous surface is a coil and said brush filament retaining means is supported inside thereof.

2. The device in claim 1 wherein said coil is of cylindrical form and shape and said filaments define a cylindrical brush.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,537,918 5/1925 Cave 15-206 1,627,634 5/1927 Coyne 15-169 2,531,239 11/1950 Twitty 15206 X 2,578,549 12/1951 Hooban 15-344 2,737,672 3/1956 Weinman 15-159 X 2,740,977 4/1956 Allen 15-3-44 X 2,929,085 3/1960 Resnick 15-206 X 3,050,070 8/1962 Sidelrnan 15159.1 3,057,365 10/1962 Buzzelli et al. v 132--40 3,106,213 10/1963 Clare 132-40 FOREIGN PATENTS 81 1886 Great Britain.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

PETER FELDMAN, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A BRUSH FOR ENGAGING THE SURFACE OF A FABRIC, SUCH AS A KNITTED SWEATER FABRIC MADE FROM YARNS WHICH SEPARATE ON THE SURFACE AND FORM IRREGULAR BALLS OR PILLS, AND TO HAVE LIMITED ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SURFACE THEREOF; (A) A BRUSH FILAMENT RETAINING MEANS (B) A BRUSH COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF BRUSH FILAMENTS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID BRUSH FILAMENT RETAINING MEANS, (C) MEANS LIMITING THE EXPOSED END OF THE BRUSH FILAMENTS AND THE PENETRATION INTO THE FABRIC, (D) A HANDLE ON SAID BRUSH, (E) SAID LIMITING MEANS BEING A FORAMINOUS SURFACE HAVING SAID BRUSH RETAINING MEANS MOUNTED THEREWITH AND THE BRUSH FILAMENTS PROTRUDING FROM EACH OPENING THEREIN FOR A LIMITED DISTANCE, WHEREIN (F) SAID FORAMINOUS SURFACE IS A COIL AND SAID BRUSH FILAMENT RETAINING MEANS IS SUPPORTED INSIDE THEREOF.