WO1992019387A1

WO1992019387A1 - Painting rollers

Info

Publication number: WO1992019387A1
Application number: PCT/AU1992/000198
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alec Robinson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-04-30
Filing date: 1992-04-30
Publication date: 1992-11-12
Anticipated expiration: 1993-10-30

Abstract

A painting roller comprising a hollow roller cylinder (11) mounted to be axially rotatable about a rod (14), the rod supporting a piston (30) urged towards one end of the cylinder by a spring (33), and a discharge bar (16) positioned externally of the cylinder adjacent the periphery of the cylinder, the discharge bar being in fluid communication with the rod through a discharge control valve whereby in use the movement of the cylinder relative to the rod causes paint to be drawn into the cylinder and forces the piston towards the other end of the cylinder so that opening of the control valve forces the piston to said one end of the cylinder and causes paint to be discharged along the rod and out of the discharge bar onto the periphery of the roller.

Description

Title

Painting Rollers Field of the Invention

This invention relates to painting rollers especially hand held painting rollers. Discussion of Prior Art

One of the problems with painting rollers is the need to frequently dip the roller into a reservoir of paint during the painting operation. In situations where painting is being conducted in very inaccessible places the constant dipping of the roller into the paint is a fatiguing and time consuming exercise which can often result in spillage of the paint. Another problem with painting rollers is that it is important that the right amount of paint is on the roller at a particular time. If there is insufficient paint on the roller, a patchy finish is produced and if there is excess paint on the roller, there is a tendency for the paint to drip from the roller and run back down the roller handle.

It is these problems that have brought about the present invention. Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a painting roller comprising a hollow roller cylinder mounted to be axially rotatable about a rod, the rod supporting a piston urged towards one end of the cylinder by a spring, and a discharge bar positioned externally of the cylinder adjacent the periphery of the cylinder, the discharge bar being in fluid communication with the rod through a discharge control valve whereby in use the movement of the cylinder relative to the rod causes paint to be drawn into the cylinder and forces the piston towards the other end of the cylinder so that opening of the control valve forces the piston to said one end of the cylinder and causes paint to be discharged along the rod and out of the discharge bar onto the periphery of the roller.

Preferably said one end of the cylinder is provided with a one way valve that allows paint to be drawn into the cylinder as the piston is pulled back against the spring to said other end of the cylinder, the one way valve preventing release of paint as the piston moves in the opposite direction within the cylinder. The rod may possess an aperture adjacent said one end of the cylinder which allows paint to flow from the interior of the cylinder along the length of the rod.

In a preferred embodiment, an adaptor is detachable to said one end of the cylinder, the adaptor including a length of flexible pipe which in use is dipped into a receptacle of paint to allow the paint to be drawn up into the interior of the cylinder. Preferably, the other end of the rod is provided with a discharge control valve, said discharge control valve being adjustable to meter the flow of paint from the rod to the discharge bar. An arcuate shield may be positioned adjacent the discharge bar to collect the paint that may fall from either the discharge bar or the paint roller. Preferably the position of the discharge bar and/or the position of the shield relative to the periphery of the roller is adjustable.

According to the present invention there is further provided a painting roller comprising a roller cylinder mounted on support means to be axially rotatable thereto, a discharge bar attached to the support means to extend substantially parallel to the roller cylinder in close proximity to the periphery of the cylinder, the discharge bar having paint discharge apertures spaced along the length of the bar or an elongate discharge slot extending along the bar, and discharge means to, in use, propel paint along the discharge bar, out of the discharge apertures and onto the periphery of the roller cylinder. Description of the Drawings

Two embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is perspective view of a painting roller in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a part perspective view of the roller shown in Fig. 1 in the operative position,

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a painting roller in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are end elevational views of the roller of Fig. 3. Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings illustrate a first embodiment of the invention in schematic form with emphasis being placed on an illustration of the operation of the painting roller without close detail to the engineering of the roller. In contrast in the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 heavier emphasis is placed on the exact design and engineering features of the roller. It is understood that many of the engineering details would be well known to those skilled in this art. Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate a painting roller 10 in the form of a hollow cylinder 11 that terminates in end portions 12 and 13 which are arranged to support a cylindrical hollow rod 14 coaxially of the cylinder. The rod 14 is formed of bent metal or plastics tubing to define two parallel arms 14 and 16 connected by a right angled join 15. The arm 16 is arranged to extend parallel to the cylinder in close proximity to the external periphery of the cylinder 11. A transversely extending joining piece 17 extends mutually perpendicularly to the arm 16 and supports a cylindrical handle portion 18.

The cylinder 11 is mounted on the rod 14 to be axially rotatable thereto and in the position shown in Fig. 2 the end 19 of the rod 14 is located in a centrally positioned end cap (not shown) in the end face 13 of the roller. The cylinder 11 is also arranged to be axially displaceable about the rod 14 and the rod 14 has supported thereon a circular piston 30 that is a smooth running fit within the interior of the cylinder 11. The piston 30 is mounted on the rod about a coil spring 33 which acts against the end face 12 of the cylinder to urge the piston 30 to the opposite end 13 of the cylinder. A suitable ring 32 is also mounted on the rod 14 to allow the piston 30 to be displaceable axially relative to the rod 14. Thus, the piston 30 is both axially displaceable relative to the cylinder and at times axially displaceable to the rod 14. The end face 13 of the cylinder 11 is also provided with a one way valve 50 that operates to allow flow of paint into the cylinder 11 from the exterior but to preclude return in the opposite direction.

The arrangement of the cylinder 11, piston 30 and rod 14 is such that it operates like a syringe. In the neutral position the cylinder is located on the rod as shown in Fig. 2 and the piston 30 would be urged by the spring 33 to the end 13 of the cylinder. To draw paint into the cylinder, the rod 14 is pulled out of the cylinder thereby pulling the piston 30 from the end 13 towards the end 12 thereby drawing paint through the one way valve 50 into the cylinder. To relocate the rod 14 within the end cap 21 the ring 32 effectively releases the piston 30 from the rod ensuring that the cylinder 11 can slide along the rod so that the end 19 locates in the end cap 21. The piston still remains to the right of the cylinder as shown in Fig. 1 and is held in this position against the force of the spring 33 by the paint that is contained within the cylinder.

The rod 14 is hollow and its free end 19 is provided with a pair of apertures 35 that allows paint to flow along the axial length of the rod through a discharge control device 40 along the right angle bend 15 and through the parallel arm 16 that operates as a discharge bar. The discharge bar is provided with a plurality of equally spaced discharge nozzles 20 so that paint can flow along the rod to be forced out of a discharge apertures 20 onto the surface of paint roller as shown in Fig. 2. In the view of Fig. 2 the paint roller is shown supporting a conventional fibrous or sponge like cylindrical sleeve 60 that is conventionally used with paint rollers of this kind to apply paint to particular surfaces. The discharge bar 16 supports an arcuate shield 65 that has end plates 66 and 67 to define a paint reservoir underneath the roller sleeve 60. The discharge bar 16 extends through the end plates 66 and 67 and runs along the length of the base of the shield 65. The discharge mechanism 40 is in the form of a outer sleeve 41 that is a close running fit on the rod 14. The rod 14 is provided with a blockage 46 that prevents flow of paint along its length, however, apertures 42 and 47 are provided spaced apart of either side of the blockage 46 and these apertures 42 and 47 communicate with apertures 43 and 48 on the inner surface of the outer sleeve 41. In this manner when the outer sleeve 41 is in a particular angular orientation relative to the rod 14, paint can flow out of the upstream aperture 42 in the rod through the upstream aperture 43 in the outer sleeve and into the downstream aperture 47 in the rod via the downstream aperture 48 in the sleeve to in effect cause the paint to flow along the length of the rod to the discharge bar. However, in another orientation the sleeve 41 in effect cuts off flow of paint to the discharge bar. Thus, axial rotation of the sleeve 41 acts as a control means for discharge of the paint. The end face 12 of the paint roller 11 is provided with a plurality of small equally spaced notches 49 into which a series of similarly spaced teeth 45 on the end face of the sleeve 41 of the discharge mechanism can meet. In this manner when the paint roller 11 is in abutting engagement with the end of the discharge mechanism 40 as shown in Fig. 2, axial rotation of paint cylinder 11 causes a synchronized control of paint release by rotating the discharge sleeve 41. Thus, as the roller rotates on the painting surface, the discharge mechanism allows paint to flow under pressure caused by the force exerted by the spring 33 on the piston 30 to force paint to be released via the discharge bar and nozzles 20 onto the adjacent surface of the roller. In this manner the discharge of paint can be carefully controlled and the painting roller has the capacity to paint large areas without having to be constantly dipped into paint as is the case with conventional rollers. Whilst the roller is painting a surface any paint that drips off the roller or the discharge bar 16 is collected in the reservoir defined by the shield 65.

In a situation where the paint roller 11 has run out of paint, in other words the piston 30 has been pushed by the spring 33 to the end 13 of the cylinder 11, it is a simple matter to place a small plastics sleeve 70 on the end face 13 of the roller and to dip a pipe 71 into a source of paint and by carrying out the reciprocal motion described above, re-fill the roller for subsequent use.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, a more simplified construction of painting roller is illustrated. The same reference numerals have been used for components described with reference to the first embodiment. In the painting roller of this embodiment, the construction has been simplified by doing away with the discharge mechanism 40 of the first embodiment. Furthermore, the operation of the piston has been simplified and the discharge bar 16 is not formed integrally or as a part of the handle 18 and rod 14. In this embodiment, a plastics support block 80 supports the major components of the painting roller. The handle 18 is attached to the underside of the block 80 by screws 81. The block includes a fluid passageway 82 that communicates with one end 83 of the discharge bar 16 that is arranged to be secured within the passageway 82. The discharge bar extends in a parallel configuration to the rod 14 of the painting roller as in the first embodiment. The end of the rod 14 is located within a hollow bush 85 that is an integral component of the support block 80. The exterior of the bush 85 is arranged to be a rolling fit about bearings 86 within an end flange 87 that is arranged to be a displaceable fit within the adjacent end of the cylindrical roller 11. .An adjustable control valve assembly 90 is positioned on an end face of the block 80 and comprises a screw threaded valve member 91 that can be screwed into a threaded recess in the valve assembly 90 to control the rate of paint flow from the end of the rod 14 into the fluid passageway 82 and thus out into the discharge bar 16.

The other end of the cylinder 11 incorporates a one way valve assembly 100 and a male coupling member 101 on which an adaptor 70 of the kind shown in Figure 1 can be attached to allow paint to be drawn into the roller cylinder from a receptacle. The one way valve assembly 100 allows paint to enter the interior of the cylinder but prevents escape of the paint. In this embodiment, the piston 120 is supported by a sleeve 121 that is a sliding fit on the rod 14 about an 'O' ring 122. The sleeve 121 supports exterior sealing '0' rings 123 and 124 which are arranged to be a sliding fit within the internal surface of the cylinder 11. A large coil spring 33 is mounted behind a shoulder 126 on the sleeve 121 and is co-axially positioned along the length of the rod 14 to terminate against the end flange 87. The spring 33 urges the piston 120 to the far end of the painting roller that is the end that has the one way valve assembly 100. The one way valve is supported within a location boss 130 comprising a cylindrical support 131 in which the valve assembly 100 is housed. The support 131 merges into the main body 132 that is located to be fixed within the end of the cylinder 11. The main body 132 has at least four spaced apart legs 133 that extend axially of the cylinder to define a bore into which the end of the rod 14 locates when in the position of Fig. 3. This position gives adequate support for the end of the cylinder 11 on the rod 14 to allow the cylinder to rotate smoothly and evenly about the rod during painting. The gaps 134 defined between adjacent legs 133 allow paint to flow into an end member 141 which is attached to the end of the rod 14. To draw paint into the cylinder, the control valve

90 is closed and the cylinder 11 is displaced axially relative to the piston to the left as shown in Fig. 3 or in the direction of the arrow B of Fig. 3. As the cylinder is pulled clear of the piston, the vacuum formed in the space produced within the interior of the piston causes paint to be sucked up via the one way valve 100 to fill the space within the cylinder. When the cylinder 11 is pushed back along the direction of the arrow A of Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 3 the force pushing the cylinder back to the position shown in Fig. 3 and the paint that is within the cylinder forces the piston to move in the direction A against the spring 33 to assume a 'locked' position on the right hand side of Fig. 3. The painting roller is now ready for use. Releasing the control valve 90 by turning the screw valve member 91 allows the spring to urge the piston along in the direction of arrow B to force paint to escape through the rod 14 via a bore 140 positioned in an end member 141. The paint then passes through the passageway 82 and into the discharge bar 16 to be released via an elongate discharge slot 138 that tapers to a large cross section towards the end of the cylinder adjacent the one way valve 100. When all the paint has been discharged and the piston has moved to the position shown in Fig. 3 the operation can be repeated so that the painting roller is filled with more paint.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the exterior of the roller sleeve 60 runs within the reservoir formed by the shield 65 and also runs directly on the external periphery of the discharge bar 16. In this way, there is intimate contact between the discharge slot 138 in the discharge bar 16 and the periphery of the roller sleeve 60. Furthermore, paint that drips down from the roller or discharge bar to be collected in the reservoir defined by the sleeve 65 can be picked up by the periphery of the roller to be used in the usual manner. Thus, the assembly is very clean and is unlikely to cause dripping or spillage of paint.

It is understood that the sleeves that are used on paint rollers vary in thickness depending on the type of paint that is being used and the desired paint finish. Since the thickness of sleeves vary, it is important that there is some adjustability between the distance between the discharge bar and the sleeve. This adjustability also affects the position of the shield and the cylinder. Although not shown in the drawings, the adjustability will be provided in the end block 80 and so that the assembly could be used with a variety of paint roller sleeves.

A further feature not shown in the drawings that could be incorporated into the assembly described above is the provision of a hand releasable trigger that would control operation of the paint release valve 90. This would allow the user of the assembly to have a more positive control of the rate of paint release whilst holding the handle 18 of the roller.

The painting roller described provides a number of advantages. One major advantage of the preferred embodiment is the capacity for the roller to store a quantity of paint which will allow a large area to be painted without having to dip the roller into a source of paint. A further important feature of the painting roller described above is the means by which the paint is discharged onto the roller surface. The use of a discharge bar with a series of discrete discharge apertures adjacent the periphery of the roller allows a smooth and uniform application of paint to the roller. This makes the roller easy to use and improves the quality of the paint finish. The roller has also been designed for ease of cleaning. On the assumption that the paint is a water based paint, it is a simple matter to clean the roller after painting by simply using the syringe like action of the cylinder to draw water into the cylinder interior. The arrangement of the piston and cylinder is arranged so that the paint and/or water always remain on one side of the piston.

Thus, the other side of the piston on which the spring is positioned does not get contaminated with either paint or water. By simply rinsing the system with water, excess paint can be removed and the roller becomes ready for reuse. Similar remarks apply to oil based paints except it is understood that mineral turps will be used to complete the cleaning action.

It is further understood that in the broadest aspect of the invention, the use of the roller and discharge bar provides a capacity for other means of discharging paint. Thus, it is possible to remove the spring and drive the piston of the piston and cylinder assembly by other means such as an electrically driven worm and wheel. An electric motor could be housed in the handle of the roller and this could be powered by batteries which could be rechargeable. It is also possible to provide a small electric pump driven by electric motor by batteries housed in the handle. The pump would cause paint to be discharged from the discharge bar.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A painting roller comprising a hollow roller cylinder mounted to be axially rotatable about a rod, the rod supporting a piston urged towards one end of the cylinder by a spring, and a discharge bar positioned externally of the cylinder adjacent the periphery of the cylinder, the discharge bar being in fluid communication with the rod through a discharge control valve whereby in use the movement of the cylinder relative to the rod causes paint to be drawn into the cylinder and forces the piston towards the other end of the cylinder so that opening of the control valve forces the piston to said one end of the cylinder and causes paint to be discharged along the rod and out of the discharge bar onto the periphery of the roller.

2. The painting roller according to Claim 1 wherein said one end of the cylinder is provided with a one way valve that allows paint to be drawn into the cylinder as the piston is pulled back against the spring to said other end of the cylinder, the one way valve preventing release of paint as the piston moves in the opposite direction within the cylinder.

3. The painting roller according to either Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the rod has an aperture adjacent said one end of the cylinder which allows paint to flow from the interior of the cylinder along the length of the rod.

4. The painting roller according to any one of the preceding claims wherein an adaptor is detachable to said one end of the cylinder, the adaptor including a length of flexible pipe which in use is dipped into a receptacle of paint to allow the paint to be drawn up into the interior of the cylinder.

5. The painting roller according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said discharge control valve is adjustable to meter the flow of paint from the rod to the discharge bar.

6. The painting roller according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the discharge bar is provided with an elongate slot positioned directly underneath the periphery of the cylinder whereby paint can be forced through the apertures to contact the paint roller.

7. The painting roller according to Claim 1 wherein the position of the discharge bar relative to the periphery of the roller is adjustable.

8. The painting roller according to any one of the preceding claims wherein an arcuate shield is positioned beneath the discharge bar to collect paint that may fall from either the discharge bar or the painting roller.

9. The painting roller according to Claim 8 wherein the position of the shield relative to the rod is adjustable.

10. The painting roller according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the discharge bar and rod extend in a parallel spaced apart manner from an end block, the handle of the roller being attached to said end block whereby the painting roller extends transversely of the axis of the handle with the axis of the handle being positioned at substantially the middle of the length of the roller cylinder.

11. The painting roller according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the roller cylinder is mounted on end bearings to b.e axially rotatable about the rod.

12. The painting roller according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the rod includes a discharge control means that is operable in sychronisation with axial rotation of the roller to control discharge of paint through the discharge bar.

13. The painting roller according to Claim 12 wherein the discharge control means is mounted coaxially on the rod to be driven in axial rotation on the rod by axial rotation of the roller relative to the rod.

14. A painting roller comprising a roller cylinder mounted on support means to be axially rotatable thereto, a discharge bar attached to the support means to extend substantially parallel to the roller cylinder in close proximity to the periphery of the cylinder, the discharge bar having paint discharge apertures spaced along the length of the bar or an elongate discharge slot extending along the bar, and discharge means to, in use, propel paint along the discharge bar, out of the discharge apertures and onto the periphery of the roller cylinder.