GB2217235A

GB2217235A - Paint rollers

Info

Publication number: GB2217235A
Application number: GB8809188A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anthony Onwood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-04-19
Filing date: 1988-04-19
Publication date: 1989-10-25
Also published as: GB8809188D0

Abstract

A paint roller has at its free end, a generally radially extending paint applying surface (26), generally at right angles to the axis of the roller, which may be provided as an integral part of the roller or as an attachment (20) secured to the free end of the roller. The roller facilitates painting corners e.g. between a wall and ceiling, or between two adjacent walls at right angles to one another. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: "lmprovements relating to painting and decorating" Description of Invention This invention is concerned with improvements relating to painting and decorating, specifically to the application of paint to extensive surfaces (walls and ceilings) in a decoration operation. The term "paint" is used herein to include oil and water based paints, emulsions, varnishes, etc., including textured coatings of the kind which conventionally may be applied by a roller.

A conventional painting roller comprises a generally cylindrical support member, which may be in the form of a frame, secured to a cranked handle.

Slidably mounted on the support member is a sleeve comprising an exterior layer of absorbent material, which may conventionally be foam, lambs wool or the like.

In use, paint is applied to the absorbent material of the sleeve by the use of a painting tray, which is then applied to the wall or ceiling in a well known manner.

A problem exists using conventional paint rollers, in that it is difficult to apply a coating in a corner between (e.g.) and a wall and ceiling, or two adjacent walis at right angles to one another. Conventionally paint has been applied into such corners by the use of conventional paint brushes, which is a tedious and unnecessarily time consuming operation.

According to this invention there is provided a paint roller comprising a generally radially-extending paint-applying surface at the free end thereof, i.e. the end thereof opposite to that from which the handle extends.

The generally radially-extending paint-applying surface may be provided as an integral part of the roller (such as by the use of a sleeve having a closed end, across which end absorbent material is applied) or may be provided by a separate member forming an attachment for a conventional roller so that, when painting other than corner regions, the attachment may be removed if desired.

According to this invention there is also provided an attachment for a paint-applying roller, the attachment being adapted to be secured (preferably releasably) to the free end of the roller to provide a paint applying surface lying generally in a plane extending at right angles to the axis of the roller.

Preferably the attachment also provides a supplementary point applying surface which when the attachment is secured to the roller provides a continuation of the paint-applying surface of the roller.

Thus according to this invention there is also provided an attachment for the paint-applying roller which provides a generally cylindrical paint applying surface, and a paint-applying surface extending generally at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical surface.

There will now be given detailed description, to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, of three embodiments which have been selected for the purposes of illustrating the invention by way of example.

The roller 4 which is the first embodiment of this invention, shown schematically in Figure I, utilises a conventional generally cylindrical support member 6 from which a handle 8 extends, in a manner whereby the support member may roll about its longitudinal axis relative to the handle.

Conventionally there would be releasably secured to the support member 6 a cylindrical sleeve provided with an outer layer of absorbent material (foam, lambs wool) to which paint would be applied, and which in turn would apply paint to the surface being decorated. However in accordance with this invention the embodiment shown in Figure I comprises a sleeve 10 comprising in addition to the conventional cylindrical absorbent surface 12, a generally radially-extending surface 14.

In use, the roller shown in Figure I will be manipulated in conventional monner when applying paint to flat surfaces. However when the embodiment is utilised to apply paint to corner regions, the paint is additionally applied to the surface 14, and by running the roller along the corner closely adjacent to the opposed surface, a coating of paint may be applied within the corner without the use of a paint brush.

The embodiment illustrated in Figure 1 may be utilised by removing from the paint roller the conventional purely cylindrical sleeve, and applying thereto the closed-ended sleeve illustrated in Figure 1.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, in which like numerals have been utilised, with the suffix a, to indicate like parts, an attachment device 20 is utilised to modify a conventional paint roller 4a, in accordance with the invention. Thus, the conventional roller, comprising a support member 6a and handle 8a, together with cylindrical absorbent sleeve 12a, has an open-end over which the attachment 20 may be secured, the attachment 20 comprising a cap 22 provided with absorbent covering on both the cylindrical and diametrial surfaces 24 and 26 thereof, the cap 22 being provided with sprung claws 28 to grip the interior of the support member 6a.

The embodiment illustrated in Figure 3, in which like numerals with the suffix b have been utilised to identify like parts, a support member 6b is utilised having a plastics-moulded end cap 7, which is snap-fitted into the cylindrical walls of the support member, a generally cylindrical sleeve 12c being provided of paint-absorbent material in conventional manner.

By removal of the existing end cap and replacement thereof with a similarly-interfitting end cap but provided with an exterior paint-applying member (similarly comprising a cylindrical portion 24c which afforded an extension of the outer surface of 1 2c, and a generally radially-extending surface 26c, the conventional roller may be utilised to perform the present invention, namely apply paint right into the corner without the need for brushing.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, or a class or group of substances or compositions, as appropriate, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

I. A paint roller comprising a generally radially-extending paint-applying surface at the free end thereof.
2. A paint roller according to Claim I wherein the generally radiallyextending paint-applying surface is provided as an integral part of the roller.
3. A paint roller according to Claim 2 wherein the generally radially extending paint-applying surface is so provided by the use of a sleeve having a closed end, across which end absorbent material is applied.
4. A paint roller according to Claim I wherein the generally radially extending paint-applying surface is provided by a separate member forming an attachment for a conventional roller.
5. An attachment for a paint-applying roller, the attachment being adapted to be secured to the free end of the roller to provide a paint applying surface lying generally in a plane extending at right angles to the axis of the roller.
6. An attachment according to Claim 5 adapted to be releasably so secured.
7. An attachment according to Claim 5 or Claim 6 which also provides a supplmentary paint applying surface which when the attachment is secured to the roller provides a continuation of the paint-applying surface of the roller.
8. An attachment for a paint-applying roller which provides a generally cylindrical paint applying surface, and a paint-applying surface extending generally at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical surface.
9. A paint roller subtantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
10. An attachment for a paint applying roller substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

II. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.