MXPA00006179A - Paint roller frame and plastic cage assembly with sliding lock - Google Patents

Abstract

A paint roller frame and plastic cage assembly, the cage assembly comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced, axially extending support rails joined together at their ends by inboard and outboard end caps and also intermediate their ends by one or more annular support members. The cage assembly is mounted for limited axial movement in opposite directions on the roller frame shaft, during which cam members on the radial inner walls of the support rails move into and out of engagement with an outer annular surface on a hub assembly mounted on the shaft, which causes portions of the rails to flex outwardly and inwardly into and out of friction engagement with a roller cover when inserted over the cage assembly.

Description

PAINT ROLLER FRAME AND PLASTIC CAGE ASSEMBLY WITH SLIDING CLOSURE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to a paint roller frame and a plastic cage assembly that includes a slide fastener for securely securing a roller cover in place in the box assembly during use. allowing the roller cover to move easily and quickly from the box assembly for ease of cleaning and replacement. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known from US Patents 5,345,648 and 5,490,303 assi to the same owner of the present application to provide a plastic cage assembly for a paint roller frame that allows for easy assembly and removal of a roller cover from the cage assembly and however positively retain the roller cover in place in the cage assembly during use. However, it would be desirable to provide a plastic cage assembly for a paint roller frame especially for the consumer market that has most of the advantages of the previously known plastic cage assembly, but that includes fewer parts being less expensive and making less expensive its manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a paint roller frame and a plastic cage assembly of simplified construction that securely holds the roller cover in the cage assembly and allows for easy assembly and removal of the cover of roller from the cage assembly when needed. According to one aspect of the invention, the plastic cage includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending plastic support rails, joined together at their ends by integral endcaps, and a plurality of axially spaced intermediate locations, at their ends. ends by one or more divisions or walls that also help support the roller cover when inserted on cage assembly. According to another aspect of the invention, the outermost end cap and the intermediate partitions have coaxially ali holes extending through and tightly slidably receiving the shank portion of the roller structure to rotationally support the cage assembly on the stem portion. According to another aspect of the invention, the outboard end of the rod of the roller structure is supported by an annular assembly extending inwardly from the outer outboard hood, whereby the outermost outboard cowl , it can be completely closed to better prevent the paint from penetrating inside the roller cover through the outer outboard hood. According to another aspect of the invention, the cage assembly is mounted for limited axial movement in opposite directions on the roller frame rod, which causes the cam members on the radial inner walls of the plastic rails to be move by engaging and uncoupling with an outer annular surface of the hub assembly, forcing the portions of the rails to flex in and out of the friction coupling with the inner wall of the roller cover when the surface of the annular hub is in contact with the axial walls. According to another aspect of the invention, radial shoulders can be provided in the joint between the inclined walls of the cam surfaces and the associated axial walls to resist axial movement of the cage assembly from a locking position of the roller cover to a non-blocking position of the roller cover. According to another aspect of the invention, the hub assembly includes male and female hub members that are engaged together and the hub assembly is retained in place on the rod by a self-retaining locking ring that fits inside of the hub assembly and grasp the rod tightly. According to another aspect of the invention, axially spaced stops on the plastic cage assembly limit the extent of axial movement of the cage assembly in opposite directions with respect to the roller structure shank between the locking and non-locking positions of the roller cover. According to another aspect of the invention, the stops are formed by the outermost outboard hood and the outermost outboard wall of the ends of the plastic rails which are respectively coupled by opposite ends of the hub assembly during the movement of the cage assembly in opposite directions between the locking and non-locking positions of the roller cover. According to another aspect of the invention, a roller cover is frictionally retained in the cage assembly after the roller cover has been fully inserted over the cage assembly and pushed up against a flange extending radially outwardly. at the inboard end of the inboard end cowl pressing on the outboard end cap to cause the assembly to move axially inward with respect to the shank of the roller structure which forces the cam surfaces into the inner wall of the plastic rollers up on the annular hub surface causing the plastic rails to flex outwardly into frictional engagement with the inner wall of the roller cover. According to another aspect of the invention, the roller cover is easily released from the cage assembly either by pressing on the inner hood inside the rail, or by pulling the handle portion of the roller structure over the edge of a can to cause that the cage assembly moves out axially with respect to the roller structure axis to decouple the cam surfaces on the inner walls of the plastic rails from the annular hub surface. These and other objects, advantages, features and aspects of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, for the performance of the foregoing and other related purposes, the invention then comprises the features that have been described thus far and particularly In the claims, the following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail an illustrative embodiment of the invention which however is a modality in various ways in which the principles of the present invention may be applied. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings: FIGURE 1 is a schematic side elevation view of a preferred form of roller structure and cage assembly according to the present invention showing the cage assembly in the fully retracted position Locking roller cover; FIGURE 2, is an enlarged side elevational view of the rod of the roller structure and the cage assembly of FIG. 1, but showing the cage assembly in the fully extended position of non-locking of the roller cover; FIGURE 3 is a cross section through the rod structure and cage assembly rod of FIG. 2, taken generally along the plane of line 3-3 thereof; FIGURE 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of the roller structure shank and cage assembly of FIG. 1; FIGURE 5 is another enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section through the outboard end of the rod of the roller structure and the cage assembly of Fig. 4; FIGURE 6 is a cross section through the roller structure shank and the cage assembly of FIG. 5, taken generally along the plane of line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and FIGURE 7, is an extreme elevation view of the outboard end cap of the cage assembly as viewed from the right hand end of FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITY. Referring now in detail to the drawings and initially to Figs. 1-3, there is shown a preferred form of a paint roller structure i, and a plastic cage assembly 2, according to this invention. The structure 1, can be made of a bar 3, or of a thick wire bent to provide a handle portion 4, at one end and a portion of rod 5 at the other end to rotatably support the cage assembly 2. Attached to the end Outside of the handle portion 4, there is a manual grip 6 to facilitate gripping the roller structure of painting with one hand. A threaded socket which is not shown can be provided at the outer end of the manual grip 6, for the threaded connection of an extension pole to the structure if desired. The cage assembly 2, is preferably molded in one piece made of a suitable plastic material, such as an acrylic material or a similar thermoplastic material and includes a plurality of plastic support rails 7 extending longitudinally and spaced apart circumferentially, being joined at their opposite ends by integral end hoods 8 and 9 in one or more locations spaced axially intermediate their ends by one or more integral divisions or walls 10 that give the cage assembly greater strength and rigidity. Preferably the outer peripheries of the walls 10, like the endcaps 8 and 9, are joined to the sides of the plastic rails 7 to form axially spaced annular rings 11 each having an external diameter slightly smaller than the internal diameter of a cover of paint roller 12 (shown in ghost lines in the different figures) to lean there. Although the cage assembly 2, drawings are shown there as having three support rails 7, each spaced approximately 120 °, it is evident that the cage assembly can include more than three support rails. Also where the cage assembly 2 is approximately 23cm long, two walls 10 are provided each located at a distance of approximately 7.5cm, and 7.5cm from the adjacent endcaps 8.9cm. However it is appreciated that more or less walls can be provided as desired. Extending through the outer hood 8 inside and the intermediate walls 10 there are coaxially aligned holes, 15, 16 and 17 which slidably but tightly receive the rod structure shank 5, to rotatably support the cage assembly 2 on the rod. The length of the roller frame rod 5 is somewhat less than the length of the assembly 2 (see Fig. 5), whereby the outboard end 18 of the roller frame rod 5 will not extend through the hood. Outboard extreme 9. This has the advantage that the outboard extreme hood 9 can be completely closed, as shown schematically in the Fígs. 5 and 7 to better prevent paint and the like from reaching the interior of the roller cover 12, through the outboard end hood 9. Attached to the outboard end 18 of the roller frame rod 5, there is an assembly of annular cube 20, having an annular end surface 21 of a radius slightly smaller than the radius of the radial inner walls 22 of the support rails 7, being in an unforced condition. The hub assembly 20 includes a female hub member 23 which is slid over the outboard end of the roller frame rod 5 and a male hub member 24 which engages the member 23. Fitted within the hub assembly 20 , there is a self-retaining locking ring 25 that grips the rod tightly to fix the hub assembly in place on the rod as shown schematically in Figs. 5 and 6. The combined length of the roller frame rod 5 and the outer end portion 26 of the hub assembly 20 protrude axially outwardly beyond the outboard end 18 of the rod, being somewhat less than the length of the cage assembly. 2 to allow limited axial movement of the cage assembly in opposite directions on the roller frame rod. During the axial movement inward of the cage assembly 2 with respect to the roller frame rod 5, the cam members 30 on the radial inner walls 22 of the intermediate support rails 7 of the outboard end hood 9 and the adjacent wall 10, run on the annular hub surface 21 to cause parts of the support rails to flex outwardly between the outboard end hood 9, and the adjacent wall 10 in a frictional contact with the inner wall 31 of a roller cover 12 inserted over the cage assembly as shown schematically in Figs. 5 and 6. Referring also to Fig. 5, the cam members 30 have inclined walls 32 radially inward, which allows the cam members to mount on the annular hub surface 21. At the radially innermost ends of the inwardly inclined walls 32, there are axial walls 33. coupled by the annular hub surface 21 when the cage assembly is pushed all the way on the rod to limit the extension of the radial flexion outwardly of the rails in friction engagement with the inner wall of the roller cover. During the axial outward movement of the cage assembly 2, with respect to the roller frame rod 5, the cam members 30 on the support rails 7, move axially out of engagement with the annular hub surface 21 thus allowing the rail portions flexed outwardly previously 34, return to their original condition without effort providing a spacing space with the inner wall of the roller cover, as shown schematically in Figs. 2 and 3. In order for the rails to operate in this manner, the cage assembly must be made of a suitable plastic material such as that which is not unduly stretched or does not grow when striving and has good memory characteristics that allow the rails to return to their original radios to not be forced. A radial shoulder 35 may be provided at the joint between the inclined walls 32 of the cam members 30 and the associated axial walls 33 to resist axial movement of the cage assembly 2 from the fully retracted locking position shown in Figs. 2,4,5 to the fully extended non-locking position shown in Fig. 2. The axial movement outwardly and inwardly of the plastic cage assembly 2 between the two extreme positions shown in Figs. 2 and 5, is limited by the engagement of the opposite ends 36, 37 of the hub assembly 20, with the adjacent partition 10 and the outboard end hood 9, respectively.

To assemble the roller cover 12 over the cage assembly 2, the cage assembly 2 must be adjusted in or moved to the unlatched position of the fully extended roller cover shown in Figure 2 to allow the roller cover to be easily inserted completely on the cage assembly and against a flange extending radially outwardly 38 on the most inboard end of the inboard end cowl 8. Then the outboard end hood 9 is axially pressed inwardly to cause that the cage assembly 2 moves axially inwardly with respect to the roller frame axis 5. This forces the cam members 30 on the inner walls of the support rails 7 upwardly on the ring hub surface 21, causing the rail portions 34 between the end hood 9 and the adjacent partition 10 to flex outwards in a frictional coupling with the inner wall of the cubicle roller pitch as shown schematically in Figures 1 and 4 by the figure 6. To release the roller cover of the cage assembly the end cap inside the rail 8 is stretched axially outwardly or the handle portion 4 of the wire frame 1 is stretched over the edge of a can or can to cause the cage assembly 2 to move axially outwardly relative to the roller frame rod 5 to disengage the cam members 30 on the support rails 7 from the surface ring hub 231 as shown schematically in Figures 2 and 3, thus releasing the roller cover of the cage assembly. Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a preferred embodiment, it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to the technicians after reading and understanding the specification. The present invention includes all such alterations and equivalent modifications, and is only limited by the scope of the claims.

Claims (24)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the invention as above, the content of the following is claimed as property: CLAIMS Í.-A frame or structure of a paint roller and a plastic cage assembly, characterized in that the frame comprises a handle portion or grip and a portion of the rod, the cage assembly is mounted on the rod portion for rotation and for a limited axial movement in opposite directions with respect to the rod portion, the cage assembly comprises a plurality of support rails that they extend radially circumferentially spaced, joined together by a plurality of axially spaced annular support members, cam members on radial inner walls of a plurality of the intermediate support rails of two of said annular support members, and a mounted hub member in the stem portion, the cam members are movable to make them engage and removing them from engagement with the hub member during that axial limited movement of the cage assembly in opposite directions with respect to the rod portion to cause parts of the support rails to flex radially inward and outward from the frictional coupling with a wall internal of a roller cover when inserted over the cage assembly.
2. 2. - The roller frame and the cage assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the cam members are provided on all the support rails.
3. 3. The roller frame and the cage assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the cage assembly is movable axially with respect to the rod portion between a fully extended position in which the cam members are decoupled from the cage assembly. cube member and in a fully retracted position in which the cam members are engaged in the hub member.
4. 4. The roller frame and the cage assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that the cam members have radially inwardly inclined walls which allow the cam members to easily assemble and disassemble from the hub member during axial movement of the cage assembly between the retracted and extended positions.
5. 5. - The roller frame and the cage assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that the cam members have axial walls at the innermost radial ends of the inclined walls that limit the extension of the radial outward flexion of the Rail parts when the cage assembly is in a retracted position.
6. 6. - The roller frame and the cage assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that the cam members have radial shoulders in a joint between the inclined walls and the axial walls that resist the axial movement of the box assembly from the position retracted to the extended position.
7. 7. The roller frame and the cage assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the annular support members comprises an outboard end cap on an outboard end of the cage assembly.
8. 8. The roller frame and the cage assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that the rod part has an outboard end that ends inside the outer end board cowl.
9. 9. The roller frame and the cage assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the outboard end cap is completely closed to better resist that the paint and the like penetrate inside the cover of the inserted roller on the assembly of Cage in the extreme outboard hood.
10. 10. The roller frame and the cage assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that another of the annular support members comprises an end cap inside an embankment at an inside end of the cage assembly.
11. ll. - The roller frame and the cage assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that all the annular support members except the outboard end cap have coaxially aligned holes that slidably receive the portion of the rod to rotatably support the cage assembly on the portion of the rod.
12. 12. - The roller frame and the cage assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the support rails and the annular support members are molded in one piece.
13. 13. - The roller frame and the cage assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the hub member is mounted on the rod portion between two of the annular support members, the hub member has opposite ends engageable with one or the other of the two annular support members during the axial movement of the cage assembly in opposite directions with respect to the rod portion to limit the axial movement between an extreme end position in which the cam members are decoupled from the cam member. cube and an extreme end position in which the cam members are fully engaged with the hub member.
14. 14. - The roller frame and the cage assembly according to claim 13, characterized in that the hub member comprises male and female members which are engaged together when inserted on an outboard end of the rod portion, and a Self-locking locking ring within the hub member tightly grasps the rod portion to fix the hub member in place on the rod portion.
15. 15. The frame and box assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that the outer and outer end hoods have a radius slightly smaller than an internal radius of a roller cover to be supported by the cage assembly.
16. 16. The frame and the cage assembly according to claim 15, characterized in that the inboard end cap has a flange extending radially at an inside end which acts as a stop to locate a cover of roller inserted on the cage assembly.
17. 17. The frame and the cage assembly according to claim 15 characterized in that the support rails have an external radius slightly smaller than the internal radius of a roller cover to be supported by the cage assembly.
18. 18. The frame and the cage assembly according to claim 17, characterized in that the support rails have an internal radius adjacent to the cam members that is slightly greater than an external radius of the hub member with which when the The cage assembly moves to uncouple the cam members from the hub member, the riele portions return to their original, non-flexed condition.
19. 19. A frame or structure of paint roller and cage assembly, characterized in that it comprises a gripping portion and a portion of a rod, the cage assembly is mounted for rotation and for limited axial movement in opposite directions with respect to the shank portion, the cage assembly comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced axially extending support rails, joined together intermediately of their ends by one or more annularly spaced annular support members and by end hoods inside of board and outboard in opposite ends of the support rails, cam members on radial inner walls of the intermediate support rails of the outboard end cowl and an adjacent annular support, and a hub member mounted on the rod portion, the cam members They are movable to the coupling and to the decoupling with an annular hub surface on the hub member dur against that limited axial movement of the cage assembly in opposite directions with respect to the rod portion to cause portions of the support rails between the outboard end cap and the adjacent annular support member to flex radially outwardly and inwardly .
20. 20. The frame and the cage assembly according to claim 19, characterized in that the cage assembly includes support rails and the end caps and the annular support members are molded in one piece.
21. 21. The frame and the cage assembly according to claim 19, characterized in that the rod portion includes an outboard end that ends axially inward of the outboard end cap, the outboard end cap is completely closed to better prevent paint and the like from entering a roller cover around the outboard end cap when the roller cover is inserted over the cage assembly.
22. 22. The frame and the cage assembly according to claim 19, characterized in that the outboard end cap and the annular support members have coaxially aligned holes that slidably and tightly receive the portion of the rod to rotatably support the cage assembly on the stem portion.
23. 23. - The frame and the cage assembly according to claim 22, characterized in that the hub member has ends engageable with one or the other of the outboard endcaps and the adjacent annular support member during the axial movement of the cage assembly in opposite directions with respect to the support rod to locate the cage assembly at an extreme position with respect to the portion of the rod in which the lifting members are decoupled from 1 hub member and to locate the cage assembly in the other extreme position in which the elevating members are fully engaged with the hub member.
24. 24. The frame and the cage assembly according to claim 23, characterized in that the hub member includes two parts that are fitted together when placed on an outboard end of the rod portion, with a self-locking ring. retainer fitted within the hub assembly that grips tightly the portion of the rod to secure the hub member on the rod portion.