GB2027382A - Coupling of a Handle to a Tool Head e.g., a Paint Applicator Pad - Google Patents

Abstract

A handle 10 is stepped with wall portions 24 engaging the inner surface of a V-shaped flange 20 on a plate 14 of a paint applicator pad and adjacent wall portions 26 being continuous with the outer surface of the flange 20. The plate carries a tongue 30 with a detent 34 which engages a rear wall 38 of the handle and retains the handle engaged on the pad member. To release the coupling a plunger 42 on the handle is depressed, which in turn depresses the tongue 30 to remove the detent 34 from engagement with the wall 38. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A Coupling Assembly, and a Hand Tool, Especially a Coating Device e.g. a Paint Applicator, Incorporating the Same This invention concerns a coupling assembly, suitable for use with a detachable handle. Such handles are of particular application to hand tools.

In one example such handles may be used in coating devices such as paint applicators of the so-called paint pad type, which have a flat surface of a material which can be loaded with paint, attached to a backing which carries a handle.

Such applicators offer an alternative to conventional brushes or rollers.

It has previously been proposed to provide paint pads with detachable handles, to permit changing between different sizes of pad or colours of paint, or to facilitate cleaning of the pad. The prior proposals have been of two main types. In one type a snap action of some form or other is used, as shown for example in U.K.

Patents 1,515,9441,427,149; 1,351,593 and 1,181,230 and in U.S. Patents 3,369,268 and 2,975,453. However, a snap action is highly undesirable when working with paint because the "snapping" can cause the paint to splash or spray over the painter and the surrounding area.

In the second basic type there is a sliding action between the handle and backing in which one of these members slides in an elongate channel formed between spaced parallel flanges on the other. There may also be a locking arrangement to lock the members in the desired position, as described in U.K. Patent 1,463,220 or U.S. Patent 3,717,896. Alternatively, the friction between the members must be sufficient to hold them in the desired position, as in U,S. Patents 2,810,148 and 3,359,589. In either event, it is difficult to detach the handle without splashing paint, particularly if dried paint clogs the channel, and indeed it may well be necessary to hold the paint-loaded pad with the hand.

There is thus a need for a detachable handle for a paint pad which is easy to detach without splashing and without the user becoming covered with paint, even when the applicator is to some degree clogged with paint. The paint pad should therefore be constructed so that the tendency for these failings to occur is reduced to a minimum.

There are also many situations other than paint pads in which there is a requirement for a readily detachable coupling.

U.K. Patent 489,144 described a concealed fastening for a door handle which has a latching tongue. However the handle is not easy to engage because projections at the two opposed ends of the handle have simultaneously to be engaged, and furthermore a separate tool is required to release the tongue in the event that the handle is to be removed.

The present invention is defined in the appended claims, to which reference should now be made.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a coating device comprises a detachable handle member and an applicator member, the applicator member having a surface which can be loaded with a liquid such as paint and a backing member supporting this surface. Typically there is a rigid backing plate attached to a foam pad to which is in turn attached a layer of pile fabric. The backing member carries flanges in V formation forming a V-shaped channel into which a correspondinglyshaped portion of the handle member can be slid into engagement.

In this preferred embodiment the said portion of the handle is stepped so that the hand section to one side of the step fits into the V-shaped flanges while the handle section to the other side of the step forms a continuous surface with the outer surface of the flange when the device is assembled. This reduces the tendency for paint to clog at the line of the join between the members.

The backing member in this preferred embodiment is provided with a tongue lying in the plane of the backing member but displaceable out of that plane. The handle member has a plunger which can be depressed in a direction generally perpendicular to the backing member. The tongue and plunger of this embodiment operate as follows. When the handle member is slid onto the applicator member the tongue is first depressed by camming engagement between the tongue and a portion of the handle member, and then springs back to latch or lock the members against reverse displacement which would cause disengagement between them. When the user wishes to detach the handle member from the applicator member, however, he can depress the plunger which in turn depresses the tongue on the applicator member so as to release the latching effect of the tongue and permit the members to be slid apart.

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a paint pad applicator embodying the invention and showing the pad and handle attached to each other; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the pad and handle when detached; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section view of the handle and the pad when detached; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the pad taken on the line IV-IV in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is an edge view of the pad taken on the arrow V in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings the paint pad applicator illustrated has a handle 10 and a pad member 12. The pad member typically has a rigid backing plate 14 to which is attached a foam pad 1 6 carrying a pile surface 18. The backing plate 14 carries protruding from its opposite face two flanges 20 opposed to each other ih non-parallel arrangement in a V-formation, the flanges being inclined towards each other at an acute angle to the backing plate 14, as seen in Figs. 2 and 5, to form a V-shaped channel. The handle 10 has a stepped wall section, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, of corresponding V-shaped to rest within the narrowing channel formed by the flanges with the adjacent wall portion 26 being continuous with the outer surface of the flanges 20 when the handle is locked on the applicator member as shown in Fig. 1.This apart from giving a neat appearance reduces the tendency for paint to collect at the line of the joint and to make separation of the handle and pad member difficult.

A tongue 30 is defined in the backing plate 14 by means of a U-shaped cut-out 32. The tongue 30 extends along the mean lonitudinal line between the flanges 20 and is fixed at one end, being the end adjacent the point of the V. The free end of the tongue 30 carries a detent 34 which is bevelled at 36 as seen in Fig. 3. A rear wall 38 of the generally triangular handle member engages with the detent 34, as described in more detail below. In an alternative attachment, the detent could be of rectangular section and the opposed wall portion bevelled.

The handle 10 has a tubular depression 40 defining a bore which receives a plunger 42. The plunger 42 has a wider end 44 received in the bore and projecting from it and a narrower end 46 passing through an aperature 48 in the lower end of the bore. The plunger 42 is thus movable vertically or perpendicular to the plane of the backing plate 14. A small projection 50 stops the plunger from falling out of the handle so that the plunger is permanently retained in the handle. The bottom end 52 of the plunger 42 is aligned so as to be in engagement with the tongue 30 when the handle and pad member are attached.

The elongate portion 54 of the handle together with a plate 56 forming the underside of the handle forms a triangular tubular section. The plate 56 is secured to the handle 54 by adhesive.

The handle member, including the plate 56 and the plunger, and the backing plate can each be made of a plastics material such as S.A.N.

(styrene-acrylonitrile).

The matter in which the handle 10 and pad member 12 can be releasably attached and detached will now be described. From the separated position of the members shown in Fig.

2, the handle is slid over the backing plate generally in the mean longitudinal direction of the flanges 20, that is to say into the V-shape. During the last stage of this movement the wall portion 38 of the handle will slide over the bevelled detent 34, causing downward depression of the tongue 30. When the end portion 24 of the handle is fully received in the flanges 20, the tongue will spring back upwards and latch behind the wall portion 38 so that it is not possible to remove the handle by reverse movement alone.

The assembly is now in the condition shown in Fig. 1.

When it is desired to detach the handle, whether to change or clean the pad member, the projecting button portion 44 of plunger 42 is depressed by the user's thumb. Such depression of the plunger 42 causes the lower end 52 thereof to engage and correspondingly depress the tongue 30, such that the detent 34 is detached from and no longer retains the wall 38 of the handle. In this condition the handle can now be removed from the pad member by sliding movement in the opposite direction to that previously described. Once this movement is commenced the downward pressure on plunger 42 can be released.

The foam pad 1 6 which is directly beneath the tongue 30 will accommodate the movement of the tongue without difficulty, and will indeed assist by virtue of its resilience in returning the tongue to its normal position. It will be appreciated that the resilience of the tongue 30 is transmitted to the plunger 42. No separate return spring is necessary for the plunger.

Only relative little displacement between the handle and the pad member is required before the handle is completely free of the flanges 20. This arises because the flanges 20 are set at an angle to each other and are not parallel. There is thus no need to effect a difficult sliding operation along a relatively long channel, and there is little or no tendency for binding to occur between the members. The tendency for binding is also reduced by the continuous surface of the assembled device at the line of the join.

Preferably the applicator is used with a lipped tray 60 indicated in chain-dotted lines on Fig. 3.

The two lips 62 form stops to provide resistance against sliding of the pad member when the handle is being attached or detached respectively.

In other respects the tray could be as described in U.K. Patent 1,427,1 50 for example.

With such an arrangement it is particularly easy to detach and reattach the handle, with a reduced danger of splashing of paint as compared with the above-mentioned prior proposals. Each handle may be usable with several paint pads of different sizes or for use with differently coloured paints. It will be appreciated that the applicator can be used with liquid other than paints, such as protective coatings or varnishes.

It will be appreciated however that the coupling arrangement which is employed between the handle and the pad member can be used for other purposes than with paint applicators. It is particularly suitable for use with the handles of hand tools in general.

Many modifications may be made to the arrangement described. For instance it is not necessary for the whole length of the V-shaped flanges 20 to be present. For example the point section of the "V" could be omitted. With appropriate shaping of the handle and flanges, the handle could be slid onto the pad member in the opposite direction. In any event the tongue is so shaped and orientated as to provide the required latching function, and it is preferred that it is mounted on the backing plate rather than the handle. The plunger is positioned in a suitable position where it is convenient for operation by the user's thumb.

Claims (26)

Claims

1. A hand operated tool, having a handle member, an attachment member, and a coupling assembly, the coupling assembly comprising: a substantially planar element forming a portion of the attachment member; a first engagement element on the planar element and extending upwardly therefrom; a second engagement element on the end of the handle and adapted to interengage with the first engagement element, the second engagement element having an end portion formed by inner and outer walls joined by a step; the inner wall resting within the first engagement element, the step resting on the exposed edges of the first element, and the outer wall being generally continuous with the outer surface of the first element, when the coupling is joined.

2. A hand tool according to Claim 1, including releasable latching means disposed between the planar element and the handle for securing the said members together.

3. A hand tool according to Claim 2, in which the latching means comprises a flexible tongue on the planar element and having a detent, and engagement means on the second engagement element for latching engagement with the detent.

4. A hand tool according to Claim 3, including means for flexing the tongue so that the detent disengages from the engagement means to release the latching means.

5. A hand tool according to Claim 4, wherein the tongue flexing means comprises a manually actuatable plunger mounted on the second engagement element.

6. A hand tool according to any preceding claim, wherein the first engagement element is generally V-shaped and includes upwardly and inwardly inclined flange means for receipt of the second engagement element.

7. A hand operated tool, having a handle member, an attachment member, and a coupling assembly, the coupling assembly comprising: a substantially planar element forming a portion of the attachment member; a first engagement element on the planar element and extending upwardly therefrom; a second engagement element on the end of the handle and adapted to interengage with the first engagement element; releasable latching means between the planar element and the handle for securing the said members together, the latching means comprising: a flexible tongue on the planar element and having a detent, and engagement means disposed on the second engagement element for latching engagement with the detent, and means for flexing the tongue so that the detent disengages from the engagement means to release the latching means.

8. A hand tool according to Claim 7, wherein the tongue flexing means comprises a manually actuatable plunger mounted on the second engagement element.

9. A coupling assembly for coupling a detachable member and a cooperating attachment member, one of the members having a pair of opposed engagement edge portions located in an attachment plane with the distance between the edge portions decreasing from one end thereof to the other, and the other member having a pair of correspondingly shaped opposed engagement edge portions, the edge portions being so shaped that relative translatory movement of the members parallel to the attachment plane generally in a mean longitudinal direction of the edge portions displaces the members between a portion in which the two pairs of engagement edge portions retainingly interengage and a position in which they are disengaged, the members also having locking means for locking them in the engaged position against displacement, and wherein the locking means comprises a latching member which in its latching position inhibits movement of the members from the interengaged position, and a manually-operable latch releasing member mounted on the said detachable member for movement between a normal position and an operated position and operation of which to its operated position biases the latching member to a position which permits movement of the members to allow the said detachable member to be detached from the said attachment member.

10. The combination of Claim 9, in which the latching member is on the attachment member.

11. The combination of Claim 9 or 10, in which the latching member comprises a resilient tongue which inhibits movement of the members when in its unbiased position.

12. The combination of Claim 11, in which the attachment member carries an applicator pad for applying a coating liquid to a surface, the applicator pad being resilient and being disposed directly beneath the tongue, such that when the latch releasing member is operated with the said members attached to each other the resilience of the pad acts on the tongue to tend to move the tongue to its said unbiased position.

13. The combination of Claim 11 or 12, in which the tongue inhibits movement of the members by means of a detent portion.

14. The combination of Claim 13, in which the detent portion is on the tongue.

1 5. The combination of Claim 13 or 14, in which the detent portion or means engaging with it is bevelled to permit the detent to move into engagement with the said means without operation of the latch releasing member.

16. The combination of any Claims 9 to 15, in which the latch releasing member comprises a plunger.

17. The combination of Claim 1 6, in which the plunger is accommodated for movement in a direction generally perpendicular to the attachment plane.

18. The combination of any of Claims 9 to 17, in which the engagement edge portions of each pair are non-parallei straight edges.

19. The combination of Claim 17, in which the engagement edges of each member are in a Vshape.

20. The combination of any of Claims 9 to 19, in which the engagement edge portions of the attachment member are formed by inwardly directed flanges.

21. The combination of Claim 20, in which the engagement edge portions of the attachment member are formed by flanges at an acute angle to the attachment plane.

22. The combination of Claim 20 or 21, in which when the members are engaged, the outer surfaces of the flanges are continuous with the outer surfaces of the mating portions of the said detachable member.

23. The combination of any of Claim 9 to 22, wherein the detachable member comprises a handle member.

24. A hand tool incorporating a detachable handle member and an attachment member in accordance with Claim 23.

25. A coating device incorporating a detachable handle member and an attachment member in accordance with Claim 23, the attachment member carrying an applicator pad for applying a coating liquid to a surface.

26. A paint pad applicator substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.