Elastomer Spout Paintbrush Holder Sealing and Gravity Support

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing paintbrush holders are inefficient in preventing drying out and damage, hinder painting due to rubber collars, are not completely airtight, cause hair damage, occupy excessive space, and are not portable or environmentally friendly.

Innovation Solution

A paintbrush holder with a spout-shaped part made of elastomer that fits the brush head, providing a fluid-tight seal and supporting the brush handle to prevent drying, while allowing for easy cleaning and adjustment to various brush sizes, made from materials like PP or PE with specific dimensions and angles to minimize hair damage and maximize protection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a rubber collar is used around the brush handle to provide an airtight seal, then the brush is protected from drying out, but the collar hinders painting and causes a dirty brush handle after use

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotection from drying outVSAvoidpainting performance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The harmful rubber collar is completely removed from the brush handle. Instead, a spout-shaped part is used that fits over the brush head without contacting the handle, eliminating the source of contamination while maintaining protection through a fluid-tight seal at the brush head interface

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The spout-shaped part acts as an intermediary element between the container and the brush. It provides the sealing function without directly contacting the brush handle, thereby preventing contamination of the handle while maintaining the protective seal

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the container is made large to hold multiple brushes and fluids, then storage capacity increases, but it occupies excessive space and is not portable

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage capacityVSAvoidportability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The holder is designed to accommodate multiple brushes of different sizes through the spout-shaped part that can adapt to various brush head diameters. The same compact container structure serves multiple functions: storing multiple brushes, holding cleaning fluids, and providing protection, thereby increasing versatility without proportionally increasing volume

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The spout-shaped part is designed with flexible dimensions that can adapt to different brush sizes. The elastomer material allows the spout to conform to various brush head diameters, enabling a single compact container to hold multiple brushes of different sizes without requiring a large fixed volume

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Volume of moving object

If the container is made compact for portability, then it fits in pockets and is easy to transport, but it cannot properly store multiple brushes and fluids

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveportabilityVSAvoidstorage capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple brushes are stored nested within the compact container by inserting them through the spout-shaped part. The spout acts as an entry point that allows brushes to be arranged vertically within the limited container volume, maximizing space utilization while maintaining portability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The spout-shaped part extends vertically from the container, creating an additional dimensional space for brush storage. This vertical arrangement allows multiple brushes to be stored in a compact footprint, transforming the storage problem from a two-dimensional area constraint to a three-dimensional vertical arrangement

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

4Reliability

If a tapered container is used to fit brush heads, then the brush can be stored airtight, but the tapering angle causes squeezing of the hair and damage to the tips

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveairtight sealVSAvoidhair damage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The spout-shaped part is designed with specific local dimensions that match the brush head geometry. The elastomer material provides localized flexibility and sealing at the brush head interface without applying compressive forces to the brush hair, thereby maintaining the seal while preventing hair damage

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The spout-shaped part uses elastomer material with specific mechanical properties (flexibility and elasticity) that allow it to conform to the brush head shape without excessive compression. The material parameters are selected to provide adequate sealing while maintaining brush hair integrity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution effectively prevents paintbrush drying, reduces hair damage, is compact, and allows for easy cleaning and adjustment, making it suitable for multiple uses and environmentally friendly.

Implementation Method 1

at least a portion of the spout shaped part is an elastomer 4, which elastomer is provided at the level of the smallest diameter of the spout-shaped part, which elastomer, in use with the head of the matching paintbrush to be inserted in the brush-receiving part 2, is adjusted to fluid-tightly close the brush holder volume

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP3860864B1Paintbrush holder
Publication Date: 2024.04.24 VERHEIJEN HUBERTUS GERARDUS JACOBUS
  • EP3860864B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3860864B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3860864B1 patent drawingFigure 5A~6H

AI summary

The invention relates to a paintbrush holder (1), comprising a brush-receiving part (2) that is open at the top for receiving a brush, with a volume, a spout-shaped part (3) provided on an upper side of the brush-receiving part, wherein a largest diameter of the spout-shaped part is larger than a largest diameter of a paintbrush to be received in the brush holder, wherein a lower and smallest diameter of the spout-shaped part fits the diameter of the head of the paintbrush, the volume of the brush-receiving part below the smallest diameter is larger than the volume of the brush hairs, in which at least a part of the paintbrush holder comprises an elastomer (4), which elastomer is provided at the smallest diameter of the spout-shaped part, which elastomer is adapted for sealing the volume in a fluid-tight manner, and in which the spout-shaped part has a height such that a mass center of gravity (5) of a paintbrush to be received, falls into the paintbrush holder. In another embodiment of the invention, the holder consists of more rigid material like plastic, glass or metal like aluminum and the brush head consists fully or partly of an elastomer.