Field of the invention

The invention relates to a brush comprising a holder and a plurality of strips of fibres or bristles mounted in the holder. The invention also relates to a sweeping device.

Within the scope of the invention the term‘brush’ is understood to mean‘holder with fibres or bristles mounted therein’. Within the scope of the invention the term‘sweeping device’ is understood to mean‘assembly of a brush and a stick or handle attached thereto, for instance a broom or for instance a brush as used in combination with a dustpan.’

Background of the invention

Known are brushes in diverse embodiments comprising a holder and artificial or natural fibres or bristles mounted therein. Such a brush and a stick attached thereto together for instance form a broom for outdoor use, generally with vegetable fibres or relatively hard plastic fibres, or for instance a broom for indoor use, generally with horsehair or pig’s bristles, or with relatively soft synthetic fibres such as nylon fibres. Such a brush and a handle attached thereto together for instance form a brush as used in combination with a dustpan.

The fibres or bristles can here be mounted in the holder in bundles. DE8703388U 1 thus describes a broom with parallel rows of bundles of fibres or bristles, wherein stiffness, length and/or thickness of the fibres or bristles differ between the rows of bundles for the purpose of improving the sweeping properties of the broom. GB438333A and W02005/055761 A describe a combined brush for hands and nails, and a brush for cleaning a keyboard respectively, wherein the bristles comprise parallel rows of bundles of fibres or bristles, wherein type of material, stiffness, colour, mutual distance, length and/or position of the fibres or bristles differ between the rows of bundles. The fibres or bristles can also be mounted in the holder in mutually parallel strips, wherein a strip generally comprises several rows of fibres or bristles, see for instance US4763378A and US562I940A.

A problem in known brushes and sweeping devices with bundles of fibres or bristles is the accumulation of dirt between the bundles and/or between the fibres or bristles in the bundles during use. The effectiveness of the brush decreases here, and the accumulated dirt must always he removed in one way or another, In known brushes with strips of fibres or bristles dirt also accumulates between the strips and/or between the fibres or bristles in the strips during use, although to slightly lesser extent. The invention now provides a brush and a sweeping device which do not have said problem of accumulation of dirt, or at least do so to greatly reduced extent.

Summary of the invention

The invention provides a brush comprising a holder and a plurality of strips of fibres or bristles mounted in the holder, characterized in that the thickness of the fibres or bristles in a second strip is at least 20% smaller than the thickness of the fibres or bristles in a first strip. An intended brushing direction is here indicated on the brush, wherein in the indicated intended brushing direction the second strip is situated behind the first strip. It has been found in practice, more or less surprisingly, that in such a brush dirt does not accumulate between the strips and/or the fibres or bristles in the strips during use, or at least does so only to a small extent. The effectiveness of the brush thus does not decrease or hardly decreases during use, and it is not or only rarely necessary to remove dirt accumulated between the strips and/or between fibres or bristles in the strips.

In a preferred embodiment the thickness of the fibres or bristles in the first strip lies between 0.6 and 1.0 mm, and the thickness of the fibres or bristles in the second strip is at least 0.2 mm smaller than the thickness of the fibres or bristles in the first strip. The distance between the first strip and the second strip here preferably lies between 0 and 15 mm at the position of the mounting in the holder. Such a brush is found in practice to suffice very well with a minimal accumulation of dirt between the strips and/or between the fibres or bristles in the strips. The invention also provides a sweeping device, characterized in that:

- the sweeping device comprises a brash according to the invention; and

- an intended sweeping direction is indicated on the sweeping device.

This promotes correct usage of the sweeping device in the indicated intended sweeping direction the second strip is situated behind the first strip. Such a sweeping device is found in practice to sweep very well, with minimal accumulation of dirt between the strips and/or between the fibres or bristles in the strips.

The invention is further elucidated hereinbelow on the basis of exemplary embodiments.

Brief description of the drawings in the drawings:

~ figure 1 is a front view of a sweeping device according to the invention;

- figure 2 is a perspective view' of the lower part thereof; and

- figure 3 is a vertical cross-section of the lower part.

Further elucidation and exemplary embodiments

T he sweeping device (3) according to the Invention shown in the drawings, here a broom for outdoor use, comprises a brush (1 ) according to the invention. The brush (1) comprises a holder (2) and two strips (rl , r2), here of plastic fibres (vl , v2), mounted therein. The thickness (dl) of the fibres (vl ) in the first strip (rl) amounts here to 0.8 mm. The thickness (d2) of the fibres (v2) in the second strip (r2) amounts here to 0.6 mm. According to the invention, the second strip (r2) is situated behind the first strip (rl ) in the intended sweeping direction (4).

The distance (a) between the first strip (rl) and the second strip (r2) amounts here to about 5 mm at the position of the mounting in the holder (2). During a movement of the broom (3) in the intended sweeping direction (4) over a surface with dirt the majority of the dirt present present in front of the sweeping device (3) is carried along by the first strip (rl) of fibres (vl). The remaining dirt passes the first strip (rl) and is carried along, or at bast the great majority thereof is, by the second strip (r2) of fibres (v2). The sweeping device (3) is found in practice to sweep very well, i.e. dirt is carried along very well during sweeping, The dirt here does not accumulate, or does so only to very limited extent, between the strips (rl , r2) and/or between the fibres (vl , v2). The effectiveness of the sweeping device (3) thus does not decrease or hardly decreases during sweeping, and it is not or only rarely necessary to remove dirt accumulated between the strips (rl, r2) and/or between the fibres (vl, v2).

Although the invention has been elucidated further on the basis of a broom for outdoor use and comprising a brush with plastic fibres, it can advantageously also be applied in other brushes and sweeping devices, such as a broom for indoor use and a brush as used in combination with a dustpan, it will be apparent that the invention is not limited to the shown exemplary embodiment but that diverse variants which will be self-evident to a skilled person are possible within the scope of the invention.