Integrally fused circular brush construction

• US 5,951,113 A
• Filed: 01/28/1998
• Issued: 09/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tucel Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tucel Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Lewis, John C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich, Mark
• Application Number:
  US09/014,707
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 15/159.1, 15/164, 15/165, 15/171, 15/176.2, 15/187, 15/192, 15/193, 300/1, 300/21
• US Class Current: 300/21
• CPC Class Codes: A46D 3/045 for fixing bristles by fusing or gluing to a body

Abstract

A hollow brushware article and its method of construction are described. The brushware article is constructed from a thin thermoplastic base having arms radiating from a center portion and tufts integrally fused on the upper surface of the base. The terminal portions of the arms mount segmented threads at ends thereof on the upper surface, and the lower surface mounts an aligning member so that when the ends are drawn together with the aligning member abutting, a hollow brushware article will be formed with a threaded male portion for receipt in a female handle member.

Claims

1. A pre-assembly base for a hollow tufted construction of thermoplastic material comprising:

a substantially flat member having a center portion and a plurality of mutually spaced, elongated, integral arms radiating outwardly therefrom, each arm consisting of segments extending along the longitudinal axis thereof from the center portion to the terminal portion thereof, adjacent segments being interconnected at ends thereof by flexible hinge portions;

a plurality of thickened, thermoplastic, tuft-receiving sites mutually spaced long a predetermined portion of an upper surface of each arm;

segmented thread means carried by the upper surface of the terminal portion of each arm and aligning means carried by the lower surface of each arm.

2. The base of claim 1 wherein each aligning means comprises a projection having sides disposed at an inwardly directed acute angle to the plane containing said terminal portion.

3. The base of claim 2 wherein each projection is a regular trapezoid in cross section.

4. The base of claim 1 wherein each terminal portion carries on its upper surface at least four mutually space thread segments.

5. The base of claim 4 wherein one portion of the arms carry five thread segments and another portion carries four.

6. The base of claim 1 wherein each arm comprises at least four segments.

7. The base of claim 6 wherein eight of said arms are provided.

8. Method of fabricating a hollow tufted construction comprising the steps of:

providing a base comprising- a substantially flat member having a center portion and a plurality of mutually spaced, elongated, integral arms radiating outwardly therefrom, each arm consisting of segments extending along the longitudinal axis thereof from the center portion to the terminal portion thereof, adjacent segments being interconnected at ends thereof by flexible hinge portions;

a plurality of thickened, thermoplastic, tuft-receiving sites mutually spaced long a predetermined portion of an upper surface of each arm;

segmented thread means carried by the upper surface of the terminal portion of each arm and aligning means carried by the lower surface of each arm;

fusing a tuft of the thermoplastic filaments at each of said sites to form a flat construction with integral tufts on the upper surface thereof; and

assembling said hollow construction by gathering the terminal portions of said arms until said aligning means forms said ends into a circular cross sectional configuration.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein each aligning means includes a projection being a regular trapezoid in cross section and the steps of assembly includes abutting adjacent sides of adjacent projections.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein tuft receiving sites are located on the center portion of said base.