Self-cleaning hair brush

• US 6,021,542 A
• Filed: 05/28/1998
• Issued: 02/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Scott A. Norman
• Original Assignee: Scott A. Norman
• Inventors: Norman, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Snider, Theresa T.
• Application Number:
  US09/086,328
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 15/160, 15/169, 15/246, 132/119, 119/628
• US Class Current: 15/169
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 17/06 Devices for cleaning brushes after use

Abstract

Improved self-cleaning brushes (10, 44, 64) are provided which include a brush body (12, 46, 66) having a bristle-supporting portion (16, 50, 70) supporting outwardly extending bristles (18, 54, 72). One or more apertured cleaning sheet(s) (36, 56, 76) are mounted on the brushes so as to receive the bristles (18, 54, 72) therethrough. When it is desired to clean the brush (10, 44, 64), the uppermost cleaning sheet (36, 56, 76) is grasped and pulled outwardly and off of the bristles (18, 54, 72), thereby removing hair and other debris from the bristles (18, 54, 72). Preferably, a multiple sheet pad (20, 52, 74) of cleaning sheets (36, 56, 76) are provided, each with perforation lines (38, 57, 80) and grasping tabs (42, 58, 78), to facilitate lift-off removal of the individual cleaning sheets (36, 56, 76).

Claims

1. A self-cleaning brush comprising:

an elongated body including a handle portion and a bristle-supporting portion;

a plurality of spaced-apart bristles operatively coupled with said bristle-supporting portion and extending outwardly therefrom;

a resilient pad comprising a plurality of individual, adjacent, apertured, face-to-face oriented, flexible cleaning sheets receiving said bristles therethrough and positioned on releasably engaging said bristle-supporting portion of said body, said cleaning sheets being mounted for manual lift-off removal of individual sheets from said bristle-supporting portion for thereby removing hair or other foreign materials from said bristles; and

an adhesive on at least one of the opposed faces of adjacent sheets of the pad to cause the sheets to remain in place until manually sequentially removed from the pad of sheets.

2. The brush of claim 1, each of said sheets presenting opposed upper and lower surfaces, the lower surfaces of the sheets having said adhesive applied thereto.

3. The brush of claim 1, each of said cleaning sheets having at least one line of perforation therein to facilitate removal of the sheet from the remainder of the sheets.

4. The brush of claim 1, each of said sheets of the pad including a tab portion extending away from said bristles for permitting manual grasping of a respective sheet for said lift-off removal thereof.

5. The brush of claim 1, said bristle-supporting portion comprising an elongated, substantially cylindrical portion, said bristles operatively coupled with said cylindrical portion and extending radially outwardly therefrom.

6. The brush of claim 1, said bristles comprising elongated wire elements.

7. The brush of claim 1, said bristles comprising elongated, flexible synthetic resin elements.

8. A self-cleaning brush comprising:

an elongated body including a handle portion and a bristle-supporting portion;

a plurality of spaced-apart bristles operatively coupled with said bristle-supporting portion and extending outwardly therefrom;

a plurality of individual, apertured, face-to-face oriented cleaning sheets receiving said bristles therethrough and positioned proximal to said bristle-supporting portion of said body, said cleaning sheets each being mounted for individual manual lift-off removal thereof for thereby removing hair or other foreign materials from said bristles; and

a retainer operably engaging said sheets for retaining the same in place until said manual removal thereof.

9. The brush of claim 8, said retainer comprising wall structure for engaging said sheets.

10. The brush of claim 8, said retainer comprising a shiftable clip engaging portions of said sheets.

11. The brush of claim 8, each of said sheets presenting an outer and inner face, the inner faces of the sheets having adhesive applied thereto.

12. The brush of claim 8, said bristle-supporting portion being elongated and presenting a bristle-supporting face.

13. The brush of claim 8, said bristle-supporting portion being an elongated, generally cylindrical portion, said bristles operatively coupled to and extending radially from said cylindrical portion, said sheets extending around said cylindrical portion.

14. The brush of claim 8, each of said cleaning sheets having at least one line of perforation therein to facilitate removal of the sheet from the remainder of the sheets.