DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0053] In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention, a combination wire brush and scraper implement is provided in which the implement has renewable bristles. Several different preferred and alternative embodiments will be described in detail in the following discussion.

[0054] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the main body of the preferred embodiment is formed from a cylindrical hollow tube, such as a brass tubing of {fraction (5/32)}″ outside diameter, with a wall thickness of 0.014″, and sawcut to 6″ in length. The formed tube 1 has a first end 1A and a second end 1B. The end 1B has a deburred outer edge 3A and an inner edge 3B left in a rough sawn condition. The tube end 1A is further saw cut at an angle as shown in FIG. 4, forming the scraper end of the device, represented by points 4A, and 4B. FIG. 5 shows a top view of the scraper end, depicting an oval shaped area 5A, with scraper angle points 4A, and 4B, and scraper side edges 6A, and 6B, which also can be employed for scraping out dirt on larger flat surfaces. The scraper end 4B is shown in use in FIGS. 11 through 15. The scraper end can clean in tight spaces such as screw slots (FIGS. 13, 14), in corners (FIGS. 11, 12) and along curved surfaces 15 (FIG. 15).

[0055] The preferred embodiment of the present invention has the tube body 1 filled with bristle wire as depicted in FIGS. 10, 20, 22, 23, and 24. The bristle wire is formed to the correct length by winding fine stainless steel spring wire into a coil form as depicted in FIG. 17, the number of windings being calculated to give an approximately 50% fill of the inside diameter of the tube 1 when it is doubled over and inserted as shown in FIG. 19. A distinct advantage of winding a coil of wire is that it is much more economical to form the bristle wires, as opposed to the more conventional method of using a multiplicity of individual spools of wire to feed into a tube to form the bristles. Coil 17 is secured from unraveling itself by the use of soft steel tie wires 17A and 17B at opposite sides of the coil.

[0056] Wire coil 17 is folded tightly at the tie wire point 17A, and inserted into tube 1 of FIG. 1 at end 1B, in the direction of arrow 18B in FIG. 18. Coil 17 is further inserted into tube 1 until tie wire end 17A reaches point 20B in FIG. 20. The circumference of coil 17 is calculated to be of the right length to fill the tube 1, such that when the coil is inserted into tube 1, in the direction of arrow 18B, and folded back upon itself, tie wire twisted end 17A is stopped at line 20B, FIG. 20, with sufficient wire protruding to form a loop 19C. Loop 19C is severed at line 19B, and tie wire 17B is discarded, leaving cut off, uneven bristles, 20D as shown in FIG. 20. Either tied end of coil 17 may first be inserted.

[0057] It has also been found that coil 17 may be wound to twice the circumference necessary for a single set of brush bristles, and one of each of the tie wire ends 17A and 17B may be inserted in each end 1B of two tubes 1, in the direction of arrows 39A and 39B as depicted in FIG. 39, whereupon the center of the coil at line 17E and 17 F is severed, forming two sets of uneven cutoff bristles, as depicted at FIG. 20 at 20D. This significantly improves the quantity of brush bristles produced from a single wire-winding device.

[0058] It will also be appreciated that a coil of bristle wires may be wound to any practical circumference desired, spot welded or soldered at one point (e.g. at 17A) and severed at one side of a spot weld or solder joint, and stretched out or unraveled into straight lengths to create a continuous line of wires which can then be spotwelded, or soldered, and then severed to convenient length to fill the tube 1 with bristles. An alternate method of securing the coil from unraveling is the use of solder at the opposite extremes of coils, in place of the twisted soft, steel tie wire. Of course, other methods could be used.

[0059] Tube 1, with uneven severed bristles 20D is next squeezed down in a crimping device which imparts a checkerboard pattern to the top and bottom surfaces 25A and 25B, as depicted in a top view in FIG. 24-A, and in a side view at FIG. 25. The wrinkled checkerboard surface produced by the crimping device shown in FIG. 25 imparts a broader surface area for holding the bristles. The rough cut inside wall edge 3B left on the inner wall of the tube 1 as shown at FIG. 3, and in an enlarged view in FIG. 28, serves to stop the bristles from pushing back up into the tube 1 when the brush is used in a vertical position, such as is depicted in FIG. 8.

[0060] The uneven protruding bristle ends 20D are sheared at a convenient length as depicted in FIG. 20, at line 20C, and shown in a finished, even condition in FIGS. 21 through 25. A fine grinding wheel is used to further smooth any unevenness and deburr the bristle ends 20A. A completed view of the preferred embodiment is depicted in side and top views at FIGS. 21 and 22, respectively.

[0061] In use, the wire bristle end 20A of the present invention may eventually become severely deformed as indicated at 8B in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10. The operator may then proceed to restore the deformed bristle end to like new condition by gently uncrimping the bristles at opposite sides 24A and 24B of the crimped end of the tube 1 with a pair of pliers 26. The operator then pulls out a sufficient length of new bristle wire from the tube 1 (distance d in FIG. 10), in the direction of arrow 10B, shown in FIG. 10. The operator then gently re-crimps the tube end surfaces 25A and 25B with pliers 26. The operator then shears off bristles as depicted at line 10C, FIG. 10. Deburring is done on a fine grinding wheel, and an as-manufactured condition bristle end is the result. The bristles are renewable many times, and may be cut short or long to the operator's preference, to suit the particular cleaning job at hand.

[0062] A second embodiment of the present invention substitutes the use of square or rectangular cross-section brass tubing 29, as depicted in section in FIG. 30, and side and top views in FIGS. 29 and 31, respectively. This embodiment is in all respects similar to the preferred embodiment with the exception of the scraper end, which is square to the tube body 29 at its bristle end 30A. The scraping surface has a top edge 31A and a bottom edge 31B, with straight sides 31C and 31D.

[0063] A third embodiment is depicted in FIGS. 32 and 33. This embodiment uses either round, or square brass tubing for the tube body, in all respects similar to the preferred embodiment, with the bristles 20A bent perpendicular to the axis of the tube body 1 at between 80-90 degrees. This allows the brush bristles to fit in tight recesses as depicted in FIG. 16.

[0064] A grasping groove 33A and 33B for the thumb and forefinger of the operator's hand is incorporated into the third embodiment, and also serves to further encapsulate the bristles wire to minimize swaying of the bristles when moved in side to side fashion as in FIG. 8, at arrows 8C and 8D.

[0065] A fourth embodiment is depicted in FIGS. 34-37, which substitutes a permanently attached threaded adapter 37 in place of the formed scraper of the preferred embodiment. The threaded adapter 37 has a recessed area 37A which is formed to a size to fit the tube end 1A, and is soft soldered in place. Adapter 37 is threaded at aperture 37b for the threaded end shank 35A, of a wound twisted wire cleaning brush or any other suitable tool, as depicted in FIG. 35.

[0066] A fifth embodiment of the present invention incorporates the straight bristle brush element of the preferred embodiment, combined with the angled bristle brush element of the third embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 40. Both brush ends 20A of the fifth embodiment incorporate renewable bristle elements 17, which are inserted into tube ends 1A, and 1B, respectively, with two separate coils 17. The coils are inserted until the tie wire ends 17B meets at the center of the tube 1, as depicted at FIG. 40, line 40A.

[0067] In another aspect, a method for forming a brush with removeable bristles has been described above in conjunction with the drawing. The method comprises the steps of providing a hollow tube having a first end, winding metal wire into a coil; and inserting the coil of wire into the first end of the hollow tube. The coil is further inserted into the tube until a substantial portion of the coil of wire has been inserted into the tube and leaving a portion of the coil protruding beyond the first end of the tube. The metal wire forming the coil is severed at a location distal from the first end of the tube to thereby leave strands of the metal wire projecting beyond the first end of the tube to thereby form bristles for a brush. The method continues with the step of forming a crimp in the hollow tube in the vicinity of the first end of the tube to thereby squeeze the tube against the coil of metal wire inside the tube and thereby substantially prevent the coil of metal wire inside the tube from moving relative to the tube. An uncrimping of the crimp allows the coil of metal wire to be partially withdrawn from said first end of the tube to thereby renew the bristles of the brush.

[0068] The circumference of the coil of wire, C, when it is placed in a circular configuration is preferably at least twice the length of the tube 1 so as to insure an adequate amount of bristle material in the tube and enough bristle material projecting beyond the end of the tube when the coil is inserted into the tube.

[0069] Various modifications can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departure from the invention, as defined by the appended claims.