Electrically driven jewelry cleaning brush

Abstract

A jewelry cleaning apparatus includes a handle portion and a head portion. The handle portion houses an electrical motor having a motor shaft extending there-from into the head portion. The motor shaft has an eccentric distal end. The head portion includes an oscillatable brush. The oscillatable brush rotatably engages a fixed brush shaft of the head portion disposed perpendicular to the motor shaft. The oscillatable brush has a recess for receiving the eccentric distal end such that rotational position of the oscillatable brush relative to the brush shaft is varied between five and ninety angular degrees by rotation of the motor shaft.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A jewelry cleaning brush comprising:
 a body having an elongate handle portion at a proximal end;   a head portion at a distal end; and   an oscillatable brush head removably attached to the head portion.   
     
     
         2 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 1  wherein the oscillatable brush head comprises an axially disposed circular recess and the head portion comprises a brush shaft disposed perpendicular to the handle portion, and wherein attachment and removal of the brush head to and from, respectively, the head portion requires inserting the brush shaft into or removal of the brush shaft from, respectively, the circular recess, and wherein the oscillatable brush head is rotatable about the brush shaft at least five angular degrees. 
     
     
         3 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 2  wherein the body comprises a motor within and disposed rotationally parallel to the handle portion and having a rotatable motor shaft extending into the head portion, the motor shaft having an eccentric distal end, and wherein the oscillatable brush head comprises an eccentric-receiving recess, arranged such that spinning of the eccentric distal end within the eccentric-receiving recess causes the oscillatable brush head to oscillate about the brush shaft between five and ninety angular degrees. 
     
     
         4 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 3  wherein the circular recess comprises a detent receiver and the brush shaft comprises a detent, and wherein attachment and removal of the brush head to and from, respectively, the head portion requires overcoming a retaining force between the detent receiver and the detent. 
     
     
         5 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 4  further comprising a switch button for energizing the motor, wherein the switch button is disposed longitudinally centrally on the handle portion. 
     
     
         6 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 5  wherein the removable brush head comprises a bristle portion and a connector portion, the bristle portion comprising a plurality of thin fiber bristles having first and second ends, cylindrically fused tightly together at the first ends by the melting together of the bristles to form a joined end that is then-after formed into a non-circular shape, the connector portion comprising a receiver for fixedly receiving the non-circular shape and having a shape mateable with the non-circular shape to prevent relative rotation between the connector portion and the bristle portion. 
     
     
         7 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 6  wherein the connector portion and the bristle portion are permanently affixed together. 
     
     
         8 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 7  wherein the second end of the bristle portion is trimmed to form a truncated cone of unjoined bristles. 
     
     
         9 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 8  wherein the bristles are made of PBT. 
     
     
         10 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 1  further comprising a removable cap for encasing the head portion while the brush is not in use. 
     
     
         11 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 10  wherein the removable cap comprises a brush cover and a vent aperture. 
     
     
         12 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 11  further comprising one or more batteries within the body to energize the motor, and a removable battery cover providing access thereto. 
     
     
         13 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 1  wherein the removable brush head comprises a bristle portion and a connector portion, the bristle portion comprising a plurality of thin fiber bristles having first and second ends, cylindrically fused tightly together at the first ends by the melting together of the bristles to form a joined end that is then-after formed into a non-circular shape, the connector portion comprising a receiver for fixedly receiving the non-circular shape and having a shape mateable with the non-circular shape to prevent relative rotation between the connector portion and the bristle portion. 
     
     
         14 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 13  wherein the connector portion and the bristle portion are permanently affixed together. 
     
     
         15 . The jewelry cleaning brush of  claim 14  wherein the second end of the bristle portion is trimmed to form a truncated cone of unjoined bristles. 
     
     
         16 . A jewelry cleaning apparatus comprising a handle portion and a head portion:
 the handle portion comprising an electrical motor having a motor shaft extending there-from into the head portion and having an eccentric distal end;   the head portion comprising an oscillatable brush, the oscillatable brush rotatably engaging a fixed brush shaft of the head portion disposed perpendicular to the motor shaft, and the oscillatable brush comprising a recess for receiving the eccentric distal end such that rotational position of the oscillatable brush relative to the brush shaft is varied between five and ninety angular degrees by rotation of the motor shaft.   
     
     
         17 . A brush head comprising a bundle of thin fibers having first and second ends, the fibers being melted together at the first end to form a fused portion that is formed into a non-circular shape, the fused portion being permanently connected to a connector having;
 a first recess adapted to receive and non-rotatably mate with the non-circular shape,   a second circular recess adapted to receive and rotatably mate with a rotation shaft, and   a third recess adapted to receive an eccentric such that spinning of the eccentric within the third recess causes the brush head to oscillate about the rotation shaft between five and ninety angular degrees.   
     
     
         18 . The brush head of  claim 17  wherein the bundle is arranged in a cylinder, the cylinder being trimmed at the second end after the forming of the first end to one of a conical end, a truncated conical end, a spherical end, a bulleted end, or a flat end. 
     
     
         19 . The brush head of  claim 18  wherein the connector further comprises a detent receiver adapted to receive a detent integral with the rotation shaft to prevent inadvertent removal of the connector from the rotation shaft. 
     
     
         20 . The brush head of  claim 19  wherein the bundle is arranged in a cylinder, the cylinder being trimmed at the second end after the forming of the first end to one of a conical end, a truncated conical end, a spherical end, a bulleted end, or a flat end.