Shaped Brooms for Sweeping Concrete Curbs and Gutters

Abstract

A broom for brushing a curb has a rigid backing plate of a width, an overall length, an upper surface and an undersurface, bristles extending orthogonally from the undersurface of the backing plate, providing a brushing surface at the end of the bristles away from the backing plate, and a handle connected by a connector mechanism to a point on the upper surface of the backing plate. The curb to be brushed has a specific shape in lateral cross section that is other than a straight line, and wherein the broom has a backing plate shaped such that the brushing surface conforms to a portion of the specific shape of the of the lateral cross section of the curb.

1 . A broom for brushing a curb, comprising:
 a rigid backing plate having a width, an overall length, an upper surface and an undersurface;   bristles extending orthogonally from the undersurface of the backing plate, providing a brushing surface at the end of the bristles away from the backing plate; and   a handle connected by a connector mechanism to a point on the upper surface of the backing plate;   wherein the curb to be brushed has a specific shape in lateral cross section that is other than a straight line, and wherein the broom has a backing plate shaped such that the brushing surface conforms to a portion of the specific shape of the of the lateral cross section of the curb.   
     
     
         2 . The broom of  claim 1  wherein the specific shape of the lateral cross section of the curb comprises at least one straight region and at least one curved region. 
     
     
         3 . The broom of  claim 1  wherein the rigid backing plate is formed from a straight plate of heat-sensitive polymer by heating regions to be curved, bending the straight plate at regions to be curved, and allowing the plate to cool and revert to rigidity. 
     
     
         4 . The broom of  claim 1  wherein the rigid backing plate is formed from a straight plate of metal and bending the straight plate at regions to be curved. 
     
     
         5 . The broom of  claim 2  comprising three straight regions and two curved regions. 
     
     
         6 . The broom of  claim 1  comprising straight broom sections fastened to the undersurface of the rigid backing plate by conventional fasteners. 
     
     
         7 . The broom of  claim 1  wherein a length of a bristle assembly comprising bristles extending from a flexible and rubber-like panel having the width and length of the backing plate is joined to the underside of the backing plate by an adhesive. 
     
     
         8 . The broom of  claim 1  wherein the connector mechanism is adjustable to vary the angle of extension of the connected handle relative to the backing plate. 
     
     
         9 . The broom of  claim 7  comprising bristle assemblies with bristles extending from a flexible and rubber-like panel having the width of the backing plate are provided with different bristle density, wherein bristle assemblies of different density are joined to different regions of the underside of the backing plate to provide a common bristle density at the brushing surface. 
     
     
         10 . A method for making a broom having a length and a width with a lengthwise curved shape, comprising:
 preparing a backing plate of the length and width with an upper surface and a lower surface;   adding bristles to the undersurface of the backing plate; and   forming the plate to the curved shape.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the backing plate is a heat-formable polymer, comprising heating the backing plate at specific regions, forming the plate to the curved shape and cooling the plate to be rigid again. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the backing plate is metal, comprising bending the metal backing plate at specific regions around bending fixtures. 
     
     
         13 . The method of claim comprising:
 providing a bristle assembly with bristles extending orthogonally from an underside of the flexible, rubber-like material having the width and length of the backing plate;   bending the backing plate to the lengthwise curved shape; and   joining the bristle assembly to the underside of the backing plate by a suitable adhesive.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein bristle assemblies of different bristle density are provided, comprising joining bristle assemblies of different density to different regions of the underside of the backing plate. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising joining a handle connector to the upper surface of the backing plate. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising connecting a handle to the backing plate by the handle connector.