Multi-Use Package

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to an improved wrapper or package for paint brushes. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wedge-shaped paint brush package that erects adjustably to properly accommodate different-sized brushes.

2. Brief Description of the Background Art

The use of paperboard structures as containers is well known. These structures are generally economical to produce, simple in form, and easy to assemble.

Paperboard packages have been designed for paint brushes for some time. They have often been of wedge shape and have been designed to protect a brush's bristles and ferrule during handling, shipment, display, storage before and after sale and after use. Further highly desirable uses for these containers include keeping the brush clean of dirt and dust, absorbing the paint solvents used to clean the bristles after use and keeping the bristles from collapsing from the brush's own weight when it is stored.

All of these uses function better when the package fits the brush well. If the package is too tight, the bristles will cramp and warp, and tend to stay warped permanently. If the package is too large the bristles tend to get dirtier, and because larger containers are inherently weaker than smaller containers, will afford less protection to the brush. For these reasons, paint brush manufacturers have found it necessary to provide different packages for differently-sized brushes, despite the additional costs thereby incurred. It would therefore be highly desirable to provide one paint brush package that could adjust to properly fit a number of paint brushes.

Various proposals for paint brush wrappers or packages have been disclosed such as those structures shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,841,273, 2,609,920, 2,216,543, 1,931,293 and 1,852,679. While the packages shown in these devices can be made from paperboard or the like, they are generally designed for one particular paint brush and cannot be easily adapted to accoummodate various sizes of paint brushes.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide for a paint brush package adjustably erectable to fit paint brushes of various sizes.

In a broad embodiment, therefore, this object and others are provided by an improved paint brush package construction. This package construction is shaped from a single sheet of stock. The design, when erected, provides an inner flap forming a false bottom inside the package. This false bottom can be folded along scorelines in various permutations to effectively vary the depth of the package. In this manner, one package may properly fit a variety of brushes of a given width.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the present invention with a paint brush installed showing the closure flaps in phantom, for illustration;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the present invention nearly assembled around an illustrative paint brush;

FIG. 3 is a partial side perspective view of the string and button securing feature of the present invention taken generally along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the present invention in the initial stage of assembly with the paint brush removed for clarification;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the present invention in the initial stage of assembly taken generally along the line 5--5 of FIG. 4 with the paint brush shown in phantom for illustration;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the completely disassembled present invention as cut from flat stock.

Referring to the drawings wherein like referenced characters are used for like parts throughout the several views, a truncated, generally wedge-shaped paint brush package, generally depicted 10 is shown. The package is cut from a flat blank 12 (FIG. 6) and scored with a plurality of folding marks or score lines, generally designated 14, to facilitate construction or assembly.

The package properly accommodates many paint brushes 16 of a given width but with varying depths and thicknesses. Therefore, instead of a paint brush manufacturer being required to provide an individual package for each model brush manufactured such as shown in the prior art, generally speaking, it need only provide a package for each width of paint brush produced.

To provide a package 10 for a paint brush 16, the width of ferrule 18 of the brush is determined. This width determines the package blank 12 size to be used to erect a container 10.

The blank 12, as shown in FIG. 6, is generally cross-shaped, being cut from a single sheet of paperboard along the outer perimeter line 19 by conventional methods. The blank includes several distinct elements which are identified as follows.

The center section connecting the extremity provides a back panel 12a which is connected at the bottom of FIG. 6 to a front panel 12b. On either side of the back panel 12a are a pair of generally triangular shaped side panels 12c which are similarly each connected to a closure panel 12d. An innerlying panel 12e is connected at the top of the back panel 12a by a top spacer panel 12f. The front panel 12b is similarly connected to the back panel 12a by a bottom spacer panel 12g. The spacer panels 12f and 12g and the purpose therefore will be described in greater detail in connection with the construction of the package. All of the panels 12a-12g are connected to the respective adjacent panel by a scoreline 14 formed by conventional means. In addition, a pair of optional side guidance flaps 12h are provided on either side of the innerlying panel 12e by a perforated line to permit folding or removal thereof.

The package is constructed in accordance with the following, generally chronological steps.

First, the package blank 12 is manipulated at fold score 20. This folds the innerlying panel 12e of the invention over the back panel 12a. The innerlying panel 12e is then folded at its lower end to produce a depth appropriate to the particular brush 16. For instance, if a particularly short brush 16 is fitted, fold scores 26 and 28 would be used, resulting in an innerlying panel 12e with a bristle support section 32. For a larger tapered brush 16, fold score 28 could be used, resulting in a tapered bristle support seam on scoreline 28. For a shorter brush 16, fold scores could be added as needed.

In the embodiment shown, scoreline 28 is a normal compressed line while scoreline 26 may be perforated to permit detachment of the bristle support section and the upwardly extending guide panel 34. In addition, the top spacer panel 12f formed between scoreline 20 and scoreline 36 can be left to remain flat against the back panel 12a, by not creasing the scoreline 36 for use with a brush having a relatively thick ferrule. For a similarly sized brush, having a reduced thickness ferrule, the spacer panel 12f is formed in a horizontal position as shown in FIG. 5 by forming a 90.degree. crease at both scorelines 20 and 36.

At this stage, optional guidance flaps 12h are folded inwardly, toward the front along their scorelines 40. These guidance flaps 38 prevent bristles from working their way under the innerlying panel during storage thereby precluding permanent crimping and mutilation of said bristles. Additionally, they prevent pinching of the paint brush bristles both during removal from, and insertion in, an assembled package 10.

The optional guidance panels 12h are connected to the innerlying panel 12c by perforated scorelines 40 so that, if desired, the guidance panels 12h can be completely removed from the panel.

The next step in forming the paint brush holding cavity is to fold the side panels 12c at an angle of 90.degree. with respect to the back panel 12a along the scorelines 44. Finally, the closure panels 12d are similarly folded at approximately 90.degree. angles along their scorelines 48. This manipulation brings the interlocking closing tabs 50 and 52 into an overlapping relationship where they can be interlocked as shown in FIG. 1.

The final step in forming the package is to fold the front panel 12b over and in front of the closure panels 12d. As previously described, the front panel 12b is connected to the back panel 12a by a spacer panel 12g. A pair of scorelines 54 and 56 connect the bottom spacer panel 12g to its respective adjacent side. If a thin brush with tapered bristles is being packaged, the total amount of space required within the wrapper between the front wall 12b and the back wall 12a will not be as great as when a substantially thicker or fuller brush is being used. Therefore, the scorelines 45 and 54 will be creased and folded so that the front panel can pivot up into a generally parallel orientation with respect to the back panel 12a whereby the spacer panel 12g forms a generally flat bottom for the package. The ends of the spacer panel 12g will generally mate with the bottom ends of the side panels 12c as shown in FIG. 1. This results in the bottom panel 12g being of sufficient width to accommodate the bristle support section 32 formed at the bottom of the innerlying panel. If the paint brush is substantially shallower or thinner, scoreline 56 need not be used or creased which would eliminate the bottom spacer panel 12g which is not required to accommodate the bristle support section 32.

The paint brush 16 is releasably secured inside the assembled package 10 by a string 60 permanently secured under a button 62 by a fastener 64, such as a rivet or a grommet. The string 60 is wrapped around the protruding paint brush handle 66 and then brought back to be wrapped around the fastener 64 and thereby releasably securingly pinched under the button 62.