Drip collar for a paint brush

• US 5,084,932 A
• Filed: 10/24/1990
• Issued: 02/04/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dale E. Zanchi
• Original Assignee: Dale E. Zanchi
• Inventors: Zanchi, Dale E.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBERTS JR, EDWARD
• Application Number:
  US07/602,810
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 15/246, 15/248 R, 15/168, 15/169
• US Class Current: 15/248.1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 11/0093 Arrangements for catching drips or overflow
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/202 Applicator paint brush

Abstract

A removable drip collar for a paint brush to prevent paint from running back over the handle of the paint brush and also to prevent paint from flowing to the proximal ends of the brush bristles. The collar includes an elastomeric sleeve which tightly fits around the brush handle and extends over a portion of the brush bristles to tightly compress the proximal ends of the bristles together to create a liquid-tight seal between adjacent bristles and between the bristles and the sleeve.

Claims

1. A removable drip collar for a paint brush comprising:

a sleeve of an elastomeric material having an open top end and an open bottom end with a length between the open top end and open bottom end sufficient to receive the handle of the paint brush adjacent the ends of the brush bristles attached to the handle and extend over a length of the bristles, the open top end of the sleeve being circumferentially sized to radially tightly grip the perimeter of the handle creating a liquid-tight seal therebetween, and also being circumferentially sized at its open bottom end to compress the bristles tightly together near their proximal ends in a radial direction of the sleeve to create a liquid-tight seal between adjacent bristles to prevent paint from immigrating into the interstices of the bristles near their proximal ends and to create a liquid-tight seal between the bristles and the open bottom end of the sleeve to prevent paint from migrating into the interface between the bottom end of the sleeve and the brush bristles; and

,

a circumferential flange unitary with the sleeve at the open bottom end of the sleeve to extend over the brush bristles and projecting in a radial outward direction of the sleeve at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve and cooperating with the perimeter of the brush bristles to define a circumferential trough at the bottom end of the sleeve between the brush bristles and the flange when the drip collar is installed on a paint brush.

2. The removable drip collar of claim 1, wherein the sleeve tapers from the open top end toward the open bottom end thereof to extend over the brush bristles.

3. The removable drip collar of claim 2, wherein the sleeve taper is from about 1°

to about 3°

relative to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve.