US5221123A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Bristles clusters, brushes, and their manufacture
Assignee: Oral Logic Inc
•
Filing: 1991-04-24
•
Granted: 1993-06-22
•
Expires: 2011-04-24
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed are new brush constructions having at least one receptable formed into a brush piece. The receptacles receive integrally formed bristle clusters which each have a plurality of bristles or tines. The receptacles include a central cavity preferably surrounded by deflection flutes. The flutes receive the tines and force them together and into upstanding orientations. The central cavity extends below the flutes to provide a stabilizer receptacle which receives a stabilizer portion of the bristle cluster core. The bristle clusters are comprised of a plurality of tines which are connected at a central juncture and extend outwardly when the bristle cluster is in the relaxed uninstalled condition. The invention further discloses an apparatus and method for making the brushes by simultaneously ejecting the bristle clusters from a mold and into the receptacles in the brush piece. The tines of the bristle clusters are redirected by the flutes or other displacement feature of the receptacles as the bristle clusters are installed in the brush.
Inventors
- 👤 Ronald W. Klinkhammer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 12:52
CPC Classifications
A; A46; A46B; A46B3/00; A46D; A46D1/00; A46D1/08; A46D3/00; A46D3/04; A46D3/045
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 34
Claim 1
Independent Claim
94 words
A method of assembling bristle clusters into a brush piece of a brush, comprising: selecting a bristle cluster comprising transverse tines attached to and radiating transversely from a central juncture; selecting a brush piece having at least one bristle cluster receptacle formed thereon; aligning said bristle cluster adjacent to the bristle cluster receptacle formed on the brush piece; inserting the bristle cluster into the bristle cluster receptacle; reorienting bristle cluster transverse tines by forcing the transverse tines against surfaces of the brush piece during insertion of the bristle clusters into the bristle cluster receptacle.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
94 words
A method of assembling bristle clusters into a brush piece of a brush, comprising: selecting a bristle cluster comprising transverse tines attached to and radiating transversely from a central juncture; selecting a brush piece having at least one bristle cluster receptacle formed thereon; aligning said bristle cluster adjacent to the bristle cluster receptacle formed on the brush piece; inserting the bristle cluster into the bristle cluster receptacle; reorienting bristle cluster transverse tines by forcing the transverse tines against surfaces of the brush piece during insertion of the bristle clusters into the bristle cluster receptacle.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method according to claim 1 and further comprising ejecting at least one bristle cluster from a mold into a bristle cluster receptacle formed in the brush piece.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method according to claim 2 and further comprising holding the brush piece with a bristle cluster receptacle in aligned relationship with the bristle cluster while the bristle cluster is ejected from the mold into the receptacle.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to claim 3 and further comprising moving the brush piece to realign an empty receptacle formed on the brush piece with another bristle cluster.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method according to claim 1 and wherein said selecting a bristle cluster is further defined by selecting a bristle cluster comprising a plurality of transverse tines which are attached to and radiate transversely from a central core; said central core extending axially beyond the transverse tines to facilitate inserting the bristle cluster.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
47 words
A method according to claim 5 and further comprising depressing the central core of the bristle cluster into the receptacle to create suction between the bottom surface of the receptacle and a suction cup attached to a lower face of the central core of the bristle cluster.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method according to claim 5 and further comprising inserting at least one locking means on the central core of a bristle cluster into at least one locking groove in a bristle cluster receptacle.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 1 and wherein said transverse tines are reoriented into an approximately axial alignment relative to an axis of the central juncture.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
108 words
A method for making a brush, comprising: forming a bristle cluster having a plurality of transverse tines radiating transversely from a central juncture, using a bristle cluster forming apparatus; selecting a brush piece having a bristle cluster receptacle formed therein; positioning the brush piece so that the bristle cluster receptacle is adjacent to the bristle cluster held in the bristle cluster forming apparatus; ejecting a bristle cluster from the forming apparatus into the bristle cluster receptacle formed in the brush piece; reorienting bristle cluster transverse tines by forcing the transverse tines against surfaces of the brush piece during insertion of the bristle clusters into the bristle cluster receptacle.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
108 words
A method for making a brush, comprising: forming a bristle cluster having a plurality of transverse tines radiating transversely from a central juncture, using a bristle cluster forming apparatus; selecting a brush piece having a bristle cluster receptacle formed therein; positioning the brush piece so that the bristle cluster receptacle is adjacent to the bristle cluster held in the bristle cluster forming apparatus; ejecting a bristle cluster from the forming apparatus into the bristle cluster receptacle formed in the brush piece; reorienting bristle cluster transverse tines by forcing the transverse tines against surfaces of the brush piece during insertion of the bristle clusters into the bristle cluster receptacle.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method according to claim 9 and further defined by repeating the positioning, ejecting and reorienting steps for a plurality of times to install a plurality of bristle clusters in a plurality of bristle cluster receptacles formed in the brush piece.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 9 and wherein the step of forming the bristle cluster comprises filling a mold with resin.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method according to claim 9 and wherein the step of ejecting the bristle cluster includes forcing transverse tines into reoriented positions wherein the tines are approximately aligned.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 9 and wherein the step of ejecting the bristle cluster includes forcing transverse tines into reoriented positions wherein the tines are aligned with a central axis of the central juncture.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method according to claim 9 and further comprising inserting at least one locking means on the central juncture of a bristle cluster into at least one locking groove in a bristle cluster receptacle.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method according to claim 9 and further comprising depressing the central juncture of the bristle cluster into the receptacle to create suction between a bottom surface of the bristle cluster receptacle and a suction cup upon a lower face of the central juncture of the bristle cluster.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
62 words
A brush making apparatus comprising: a mold for forming an integral bristle cluster having a plurality of bristle tines; an ejector for ejecting a bristle cluster from the mold; a moveable brush piece holder for aligning a brush piece with the bristle cluster in said mold to allow the bristle clusters to be ejected from the mold and into the brush piece.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
62 words
A brush making apparatus comprising: a mold for forming an integral bristle cluster having a plurality of bristle tines; an ejector for ejecting a bristle cluster from the mold; a moveable brush piece holder for aligning a brush piece with the bristle cluster in said mold to allow the bristle clusters to be ejected from the mold and into the brush piece.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
29 words
An apparatus according to claim 16 and wherein the mold for forming bristle clusters includes first and second mold parts each having a plurality of bristle cluster cavities therein.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
13 words
An apparatus according to claim 16 wherein there are a plurality of ejectors.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
35 words
A brush making apparatus according to claim 16 and wherein the mold has cavities for forming a plurality of transversely extending bristle tines and at least one cavity for forming an axially extending bristle tine.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
55 words
An apparatus according to claim 16 and wherein the mold for forming bristle clusters comprises first and second mold parts; and further comprising a slide passage formed in one of said mold parts; and wherein said ejector includes an ejector piece which slides within the slide passage to eject the bristle cluster from the mold.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
73 words
An apparatus according to claim 16 and wherein the mold for forming bristle clusters comprises first and second mold parts; and further comprising a slide passage formed in one of said mold parts; and wherein said ejector includes an ejector piece which slides within the slide passage to eject the bristle cluster from the mold, the ejector piece having an axial tine receptacle which forms a mold for an axially extending bristle tine.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
85 words
A brush making apparatus according to claim 16 and wherein: the mold for forming bristle clusters includes first and a second mold parts each having a plurality of bristle cluster cavities therein; each bristle cluster cavity having a plurality of transversely extending bristle tine cavities; there are a plurality of ejectors; and further comprising slide passages formed in one of said mold parts; and wherein said ejectors include an ejector piece which slides within the slide passage to eject the bristle cluster from the mold.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
101 words
A brush making apparatus according to claim 16 and wherein: the mold for forming bristle clusters includes first and a second mold parts each having a plurality of bristle cluster cavities therein; each bristle cluster cavity having a plurality of transversely extending bristle tine cavities; there are a plurality of ejectors; and further comprising slide passages formed in one of said mold parts; said ejectors include an ejector piece which slides within the slide passage to eject the bristle cluster from the mold, the ejector piece having an axial tine receptacle which forms a mold for an axially extending bristle tine.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
83 words
A method for making a brush, comprising: forming a bristle cluster having a plurality of transverse tines radiating transversely from a central juncture with a bristle cluster forming apparatus; selecting a brush piece having a plurality of bristle cluster receptacles formed therein; positioning the brush piece so that the bristle cluster receptacle is adjacent to the bristle cluster held in the bristle cluster forming apparatus; ejecting a bristle cluster from the forming apparatus into the bristle cluster receptacle formed in the brush piece.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
83 words
A method for making a brush, comprising: forming a bristle cluster having a plurality of transverse tines radiating transversely from a central juncture with a bristle cluster forming apparatus; selecting a brush piece having a plurality of bristle cluster receptacles formed therein; positioning the brush piece so that the bristle cluster receptacle is adjacent to the bristle cluster held in the bristle cluster forming apparatus; ejecting a bristle cluster from the forming apparatus into the bristle cluster receptacle formed in the brush piece.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 24 and further defined by repeating the positioning and ejecting steps for a plurality of times to install a plurality of bristle clusters in a plurality of bristle cluster receptacles formed in the brush piece.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 24 and wherein the step of forming the bristle cluster comprises filling a mold with resin.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method according to claim 24 and wherein the step of ejecting the bristle cluster includes forcing transverse tines into reoriented positions wherein the tines are approximately aligned.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 24 and wherein the step of ejecting the bristle cluster includes forcing transverse tines into reoriented positions wherein the tines are aligned with a central axis of the central juncture.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method according to claim 24 and further comprising inserting at least one locking means on the central juncture of a bristle cluster into at least one locking groove in a bristle cluster receptacle.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method according to claim 24 and further comprising depressing the central juncture of the bristle cluster into the receptacle to create suction between a bottom surface of the bristle cluster receptacle and a suction cup upon a lower face of the central juncture of the bristle cluster.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2783490A
Cited
DE1160821B
Cited
US3597787A
Cited
US3641611A
Cited
US4310377A
Cited
US4255224A
Cited
US4373541A
Cited
US4422986A
Cited
US4616374A
Cited
US4635313A
Cited
US4637660A
Cited
US4741066A
Cited
US4646381A
Cited
US4687257A
Cited
US5011230A
Cited
US4768837A
Cited
DE3637750A1
Cited
US4988146A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-06-21 | 1996-12-21 | 1997-06-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-06-21 | 2000-12-21 | 2001-06-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-06-21 | 2004-12-21 | 2005-06-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |