Paintbrush with multiple spaced brush heads and associated ferrule assembly

Abstract

A paintbrush has a handle and a ferrule connected to one end of the handle. The ferrule including an injection-molded part, and a plurality of brush heads are attached to the handle via the ferrule. The brush heads are embedded in the injection-molded part.

1 . A paintbrush comprising: 
 a handle;    a ferrule connected to one end of said handle, said ferrule including an injection-molded part; and    a plurality of brush heads attached to said handle via said ferrule, said brush heads being embedded in said injection-molded part.    
   
   
       2 . The paintbrush defined in  claim 1  wherein said brush heads are spaced from one another.  
   
   
       3 . The paintbrush defined in  claim 2  wherein said brush heads are more than two in number.  
   
   
       4 . The paintbrush defined in  claim 3  wherein said brush heads have different dimensions.  
   
   
       5 . The paintbrush defined in  claim 3  wherein adjacent ones of said brush heads are spaced by predetermined distances, at least one of said distances being different from another of said distances.  
   
   
       6 . The paintbrush defined in  claim 2  wherein brush heads each have a respective transverse dimension, the transverse dimensions of said brush heads being different.  
   
   
       7 . The paintbrush defined in  claim 6  wherein said brush heads are more than two in number, adjacent brush heads being spaced by respective distances, said distances being equal to one another.  
   
   
       8 . The paintbrush defined in  claim 1  wherein at least one of said brush heads has at least one dimension different from a corresponding dimension of another of said brush heads.  
   
   
       9 . The paintbrush defined in  claim 8  wherein said one dimension is a transverse dimension taken from the group consisting of width and diameter.  
   
   
       10 . The paintbrush defined in  claim 1  wherein said ferrule further includes an outer member, said injection-molded part being an insert disposed inside said outer member.  
   
   
       11 . The paintbrush defined in  claim 10  wherein said brush heads include brush portions and respective sleeves, said sleeves being embedded in said injection-molded part.  
   
   
       12 . The paintbrush defined in  claim 1  wherein said ferrule is wider in one dimension than in another dimension orthogonal to said one dimension, said brush heads being flattened to have a greater width in said one dimension than in said another dimension.  
   
   
       13 . The paintbrush defined in  claim 1  wherein said brush heads are taken from the group consisting of flat brush heads and round brush heads.  
   
   
       14 . The paintbrush defined in  claim 1  wherein said handle is a round handle and has a circular cross-section along substantially its entire length.  
   
   
       15 . A ferrule assembly attachable to a paintbrush handle, said ferrule assembly comprising a ferrule body having a pair of opposed ends, said ferrule body including an injection-molded part, said ferrule assembly further comprising a plurality of brush heads embedded in said injection-molded part in spaced relationship to one another.  
   
   
       16 . The ferrule assembly defined in  claim 15  wherein said injection-molded part is an insert, said ferrule body further including an outer sleeve, said injection-molded part being inserted in said sleeve.  
   
   
       17 . The ferrule assembly defined in  claim 15  wherein said brush heads each include a brush portion and a brush head sleeve, said brush portion being bound by said sleeve, said brush head sleeve being embedded in said injection-molded part.  
   
   
       18 . The ferrule assembly defined in  claim 15  wherein said ferrule body is flattened at one end, said brush heads being disposed in a linear array.  
   
   
       19 . The ferrule assembly defined in  claim 15  wherein said injection-molded part* comprises essentially the entire ferrule body, said brush heads being embedded directly in said injection molded part.  
   
   
       20 . The ferrule assembly defined in  claim 15  wherein said ferrule body is round at a handle end and flattened at an end opposite said handle end.