Improved paintbrush

Abstract

A paintbrush includes: a shaft having a first end forming a handle portion and a second end including a first part of a rotating mechanism; a paintbrush holding part comprising a central body portion and at least one leg portion extending from the central body portion, the leg portion being capable of holding or forming a paintbrush; the central body portion also has a second part of the rotation mechanism and is engageable with the first part of the rotation mechanism to form a rotary joint that is rotatable about the common axis so that the leg may be positioned to extend beyond the second end of the shaft so that the paintbrush may be used by a user.

Description

[0001] The present application is a divisional application of Chinese Patent Application No. 201980009930.4, filed on January 21, 2019, entitled "Improved Paintbrush".

[0002] The present application relates to paintbrushes and improvements therein. In particular, the present application relates to a paintbrush assembly having one or more paintbrush heads mounted on the same handle in an interchangeable manner.

[0003] It is known that paintbrushes are made with different types of heads and bristle types, sizes, lengths and flexibility for different purposes. It is inconvenient to have to carry many different paintbrushes each having its own handle as this can be bulky for transport and inconvenient to use.

[0004] It is an object of the present application to overcome at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present application, there is provided a paintbrush comprising: a stem having a first end portion forming a handle portion and a second end portion comprising a first part of a swivel mechanism; a paintbrush holding element comprising a central body portion and at least one arm portion extending from the central body portion, the arm portion being capable of holding or forming a paintbrush; the central body portion further having a second part of the swivel mechanism and being capable of engaging with the first part of the swivel mechanism to form a swivel joint, the swivel joint being capable of rotation about a common axis so that the arm portion can be positioned to extend beyond the second end portion of the stem so that the paintbrush can be used by a user.

[0006] A particular advantage of the present application is that more than one paintbrush head can be placed on the same handle and the paintbrush head is easily changed during use.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a paintbrush wherein the paintbrush holding element comprises a central body portion and has two arm portions extending from the central body portion, each arm portion being capable of holding a paintbrush.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a paintbrush wherein the paintbrush holding element comprises a central body portion and has three or more arm portions extending from the central body portion, each arm portion being capable of holding a paintbrush.

[0009] It will be apparent that attaching a plurality of paintbrush heads to the same handle is convenient for a user, enabling quick change of paintbrush heads without having to change the handle.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a paintbrush wherein the axis of rotation of the swivel mechanism is perpendicular to the axis extending along the stem.

[0011] According to a further aspect of the application there is provided a brush holding element comprising a central body portion and having two arm portions extending from the central body portion, the arm portions being capable of holding a brush.

[0012] Advantageously, the user need only turn the arm portions to change the brush head. It will be appreciated that for artists, stylists and make-up purposes, it is very useful to be able to change the brush head quickly. For example, one type of brush head will be a fine or detailing type of head, another type can be a fuller brush head with more bristles and suitable for filling in larger areas.

[0013] According to a further aspect of the application there is provided a brush wherein the second end of the stem and the brush holding part each comprise a mating part of a stop mechanism to limit the rotation of the brush holding part relative to the stem.

[0014] According to a further aspect of the application there is provided a brush wherein the stop mechanism is a protrusion on the stem which mates with a recess on the brush holding element or vice versa.

[0015] Advantageously, the stop mechanism provides a means of securely holding the brush in place when in use, but which is not so rigid, cumbersome or difficult to use that changing the brush head becomes inconvenient and slows the user down in their work.

[0016] It is also found that the brush head can be effectively protected when not in use by means of a cap or cover. One such cover mechanism is shown in Figure CC where it can be clearly seen that the cover covers the two brush heads shown. The protective cover will prevent material already on the brush from being lost or damaged when the brush is not in use and will prevent the brush from collecting stray or excess unwanted material.

[0017] The application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 a perspective view of the brush and handle assembly is shown, Figure 2 a side view of the brush and handle assembly is shown, Figure 3 a view of the brush holder and central body portion partially rotated is shown, Figure 4 a detailed view of the central body portion and brush holding element is shown, Figure 5 a path showing how the brush holder is rotated is shown, Figure 6 a more detailed arrangement of the central body portion and brush holding part is shown, Figure 7The central body portion and brush holder are shown separated from each other, Figure 8 and Figure 9 An alternative method for mounting the brush holding part to the handle is shown, Figures 10 to 13 Various types of brush heads that can be used in the holder are shown.

[0018] Figure 1 The overall arrangement of the complete brush assembly 10 is shown. The brush assembly 10 comprises a stem which forms a handle part 28 which extends to a brush holding part 14. The brush holding part 14 extends from the handle and branches to form two arm portions 15 which include one part of a swivel joint at a distal end located away from the handle. The central body portion 24 includes the second part of the swivel mechanism which is described in more detail below. The brush holding leg 12 is attachable to and detachable from the central body portion 24 at one end. At or near the end 40 of the leg 12 which is distal from the central body portion, a brush head 30 is mounted. The brush head 30 (not shown in detail) can be a bristle brush, a sponge or any other brush or structure in a form required to serve a similar purpose. The particular shape of the brush head can be chosen to suit a particular application. The central body portion 24 has a pivot pin 26 extending from the central body portion 24 on opposite sides of the body, the pin engaging with corresponding holes in the arm portions 15 of the brush holding part 14. The axis of rotation of the central body portion 24 and the brush holding leg is defined by an axis extending through the pivot pin 26 and the corresponding holes in the arm portions 15 of the brush holding part 14. In order to limit the rotation of the central body portion and the brush holding leg 12 about the axis defined by the pin 26, a stop mechanism is provided. A protrusion or projection 18 extending from the arm portions 15 of the brush holding part 14 engages with and is engaged in a recess 16 in the body of the brush holding leg 12. This ensures that the brush holding leg 12 is positively engaged with the protrusion or projection 18 in the arm portions 15 as the brush holding leg 12 is rotated and passes the stop mechanism, thereby limiting unwanted movement. Alternatively, the brush holding leg 12 can be provided with a small protrusion or projection which engages with a mating recess in the arm portions 15 of the holding part 14.

[0019] Figure 2A side view is shown in more detail. The brush assembly has a handle 28 which can be held by the user, which extends to a brush holding part 14. The brush holding part extends from the handle to a branch, forming two arm portions 15. A central body portion 24 is pivotally mounted between the two arm portions 15. A pivot pin (not shown) extends from the central body part 24 to enable the brush holding leg 12 to be turned. In this example, only two legs are shown. The central body can have three, four or more legs depending on it, each of which can support a brush. There is a recess 22 near the base of the brush holding part 14 to allow unused brush heads to be stored and at least partially protected by the arm portions 15. The recess is large enough to enable a large head brush to be mounted on the leg.

[0020] Figure 3 The holder is shown in an intermediate turned position. Conveniently, the leg 12 can be provided with 4 pockets spaced around the perimeter. This is preferred if the leg 12 supports brushes of an asymmetric style. For example, if the brush is much wider than it is deep, as can be termed a chisel head, and is used to write gothic script, to draw border outlines in makeup, etc, it can be desirable to be able to turn the leg 12 on the central body portion to provide additional functionality.

[0021] Figure 4 A possible assembly of a leg 12 on the central body part 24 is shown, as is a more detailed view of the pivot arrangement. The central body part 24 has an axial pin 26 extending from opposite sides thereof and defining an axis 36. The pin 26 engages in a corresponding hole in the arm portion 15 to allow turning about the axis 36. The arrangement shown is a snap fit arrangement. Alternatively, the arm portion 15 can be provided with one or more protruding pins in an arrangement which can engage in corresponding recesses in the central body portion 24. The leg 12 can be secured to the central body portion by a number of different means, which are described below with reference to Figure 7 This is described in more detail.

[0022] Figure 5 The arc traced by the leg 12 and brush holder as it is turned about its axis 36 is shown. It is possible that the central body portion 24 can support more than two legs, although four legs are considered to be a convenient maximum.

[0023] Figure 6 The turning axis 36 of the leg 12 in the central body part 24 and arm portion 15 is shown. Figure 6 The turning axis 42 of the leg 12 about the central body part 24 is also shown. Turning of the leg 12 about the axis 42 enables the user to change the orientation of the brush on the handle, or to change the leg or brush depending on the type of attachment being used.

[0024] Figure 7 The brush retaining part is shown separated into its main components. The central body part 24 is provided with a pin 26 extending from the opposite part of the perimeter of the body which engages with a mating recess on the arm portion 15 to form a pivot axis. Different means of securing the leg portion 12 to the central body portion can be provided. The central body portion 24 has a raised portion 32 with a flange 33 at its outermost edge. The leg portion 12 includes a recessed portion 34 for receiving the raised portion 32, the recessed portion 34 having an additional recessed annular portion 37 portion for receiving the flange 33. The leg portion can then be snapped into place over the raised portion 32 to secure the leg portion 12 to the central body 24. Alternative arrangements can readily be envisaged, such as a flange on the central body 24 extending around a portion of the perimeter which mates with a groove in the leg portion 12 to form a bayonet type coupling. In this way, the brush retainer can be secured to the central body 24. The brush retainer also enables the brush mounted on the leg portion to be changed to a different size or type of brush, or replaced.

[0025] Figures 8 to 11 Several different types of brush head are shown which can be used in the assembly. Figure 8 The brush of Figure 9 The brush is particularly suitable for marking and painting the outline of an area, and can be used as an outline painter in make-up. Figure 10 The brush is particularly suitable for marking and painting the outline of an area, and can be used as an outline painter in make-up. Figure 11 Different types of brush are shown including a brush with a chamfered edge. Clearly, many other types of brush can be used, and the type will depend on the particular application.

[0026] Figure 12 An alternative arrangement is shown in which the handle extends to the brush retainer, which retains a single arm portion at the end of the brush retainer remote from the handle. A central body portion is connected to the arm portion to form a pivot means, enabling the leg portion to be turned about an axis formed by the pivot joint.

Claims

1. A paintbrush, the paintbrush comprising: A rod having a first rod end forming a handle portion, and a second rod end including a first part of a rotating mechanism; A brush holding component, the brush holding component including a central body portion and at least one leg extending from the central body portion, the leg being capable of holding or forming a brush; The central body portion further includes a second part of the rotating mechanism, the second part being capable of engaging with the first part of the rotating mechanism to form a rotary joint, the rotary joint being rotatable about a common axis perpendicular to an axis extending along the rod, so that the leg can be positioned to extend beyond the end of the second rod, allowing the brush to be used by the user; and A stop mechanism is provided, located in or near the end of the second rod, and disposed on at least one of the central body portion and the brush holding leg. The stop mechanism includes a mating part comprising one of a protrusion on or near the end of the second rod that mates with a recess on the brush holding part and a protrusion on the brush holding part that mates with a recess on the end of the second rod. The brush holding leg is attachable to the central body portion by an engaging arrangement formed by a flange part operably engaging with a recessed part, allowing the brush holding leg to be detached from the central body portion. The brush holding leg is rotatable relative to the central body portion about a rotation axis that extends along the brush holding leg and passes through the central body portion.

2. The paintbrush according to claim 1, wherein, The central body portion of the brush holding component has three or more legs extending from the central body portion, each leg capable of holding a brush.

3. The paintbrush according to claim 2, wherein, The second rod end is branched to form two arms, each of which has a first part of a rotating mechanism at or near its respective distal end and is capable of engaging with a second part of the rotating mechanism on the central body portion to form a joint with the part of the rotating element on the arm.

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