US1952937A - Holder - Google Patents

Description

S. PILATC March 27, 1.934.

HOLDER Original Filed April 1 1 INVENTOR .SALl/ATLI BY.

Patented Mar. 27, 1934 HOLDER Salvatore Pilate, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application April 11, 1930, Serial No. 443,273 Renewed April 24, 1933 Claims. (Cl. 206-151) This invention relates-to a holder and particularly to av holder designed to care for brushes such as toothbrushes and the like.

It is an object of the invention to provide a 5 brush holder in which the bristles are kept in a substantially closed container and protected from dust, etc. It is also an object of the invention to provide, if desired, means for maintainingantiseptic or bactericidal conditions about the bristies of a brush held in the holder.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated Figure 1 an elevation of a preferred embodiment of my invention having a number of brushes in place; I

Figure 2 is a cross section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing in dotted lines the manner of inserting a brush and in full lines a brush in its supported position; and

Figure 3 shows the holder partly separated. Referring to the drawing, the embodiment of my invention there illustrated comprises broadly a back 5 having at its bottom a trough 6. The ends of the back 5 are formed into a tongue or extension '7 which may be either an integral part of the back cut away or bent slightly forward to permit its entrance into the groove 8 of the front portion 10, or it may be a separate piece secured to the back 5 and extending beyond its edge.

The front 10 in the present embodiment includes a shield ll, a shelf 12, fingers 13 depending from the shield to and over the trough 6, a rack 14 for holding cards or other indicia 15.

The shield 11 is, in the present instance, made to surround a space slightly larger in cross sectional dimensions than that of the trough 6. The ends of the shield are formed with grooves 16 which receive the tongue '7 on the ends of the back 5 and thereby hold the shield to the back.

The shelf 12 is mounted within the space defined by the shield 11 so as to leave a substantial distance between the bottom edge of the shield and the bottom edge of the shelf. There is also advantageously left a substantial distance above the shelf and below the upper edge of the shield. In the present instance the shelf 12 serves also as a stop to limit the movement of the tongue 7 in the groove 8.

In the front of the shield a rack 14 is mounted which may be of any form adapted to hold cards or other suitable interchangeable indicia and in the present instance is made with undercut openings 17, one above each space between the fingers 13. In each of the openings 17 a card is mounted which is advantageously made of celluloid or other washable material, and has a character'such as a letter of the alphabet or a name printed thereon. f I

Fingers .13 are secured to the inside of the shield 12 and depend therefrom so as to extend over and close to the trough 6.

The use of my invention is as follows: The brush is inserted with its bristles towards the inside of the container defined by the back, the 85 trough, the fingers and the shield; and is tilted as illustrated in the dotted lines of Figure 2, so as to permit the bristles to pass over the top edge of the trough 6. The brush is then returned to a vertical position and in that position is supported by the holder, as illustrated in the full lines of Figure 2 and in Figure 1. It will be seen that the brush, except for the handle and for a part of its back, is completely enclosed and is therefore kept under sanitary conditions. In order that the holder may at all times be kept clean it is made separable, as shown in Figure 3, and as described above, so that it may be'taken apart and readily washed or sterilized.

The trough 6 serves to catch any drip from the brushes if they are such as are used wet, as for example in the case of toothbrushes, and this trough may also advantageously contain some antiseptic means for preserving sanitary conditions within the container, which may for example be a layer of germicidal substance or an absorbent pad impregnated with a germicidal substance.

The shelf 12 within the shield 11 affords a place to keep tooth paste or other small articles.

Instead of being separable it is obvious that the container may be made of a single piece with openings cut for the brushes instead of having openings defined by the depending fingers and the outer edge of the trough 6. Also, the device 1 may be made without top or bottom, that is the shelf 12 and the bottom of the trough 6 could be omitted, and with this form of the invention the front portion would advantageously be made with openings cut into a depending apron instead of merely depending fingers and the back could then be a single piece or merely brackets adapted to be secured to the wall which would form tongues for engagement with the grooves 16. Similarly, in the case where a trough and/or shelf is used, the trough 6 and the fingers 13 may be made integral with the shield 11. This form of the invention has the advantage that the trough would be removed with the shield for the purpose of cleaning. In this case also the back may be dispensed with and brackets, as suggested above, to engage the grooves 16 may be used instead, in which case the wall itself will form the back of the container.

I do not wish to be limited to any particular material since it is clear that the device of my invention might be made from any of a large number of materials. However, I prefer to make the device of celluloid, vulcanite, ceramic material or'a suitable metal, preferably a corrosion- .resisting metal, or enameled iron or some similar material.

I have shown by way of example four openings.

in the front and one on each end; obviously my invention embraces holders having any desired number of openings whether one, two, four, six, eight or any other number.

These, and many other changes or modifications may be made within the scope of my invention.

what is claimed as new is: l. A holder for a brush of the type described, comprising a container having one or more substantially vertical openings in its sides, said openings being of substantially the same width as a brush but shorter than the bristle portion thereof and positioned so that the bottom edges thereof are spaced from the top of the container at least the length of the bristle portion of the brush, and the dimensions of the container being such as to permit insertion of the bristle portion of the brush into said container through one of said openings.

2. A brush holder as defined in claim 1 in which the bottom of said container below the bottom edges of said openings comprises a trough adapted to catch any drip from said brushes.

3. A brush holder as defined in claim 1 in which the container comprises a back having a bottom trough secured thereto and a front removably secured to the back and having fingers depending therefrom spaced approximately the width of the bristle portion of a brush and extending over the bottom trough.

4. A holder as defined in claim 1 in which the front and back portions are detachable.

5. A toothbrush holder comprising a back adapted to be attached to a wall or other support, a trough secured to the bottom thereof, a guard adapted to be detachably secured to the back comprising a shelf, a shield surrounding said shelf on three sides and extending a substantial distance above and below-the shelf, spaced fingers depending from said shield below said shelf and inwardly from said shield, and grooves near the ends of the shield adapted to engage members secured to the back and serving thereby to secure the guard detachably to the back.

SALVATORE PILATO.

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