GB2218969A

GB2218969A - Container for a paint applicator

Info

Publication number: GB2218969A
Application number: GB8909877A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roderick Wiseman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-05-25
Filing date: 1989-04-28
Publication date: 1989-11-29
Also published as: GB8909877D0; GB8812337D0

Abstract

A container (10) facilitates temporary storage of a paint roller (12) which is still wet. The paint roller (12) is stored in a compartment (26) with a minimal volume of air around the roller (12) to prevent the wet paint drying out over a period of time such as overnight. <IMAGE>

Description

CONTAINER FOR PAINT APPLICATOR The present invention relates to a container for a paint applicator and particularly, but not exclusively, to a container which facilitates temporary storage of paint rollers which are sitll wet with paint.

In painting and decorating, much time is wasted at the end of a painting session by washing out the paint roller. If the roller is not cleaned at the end of the job, the paint on the roller dries thus rendering the roller unuseable. Cleaning a paint roller involves washing the roller in solvent or simply rinsing the roller in water depending on whether oil-based paint or emulsion paint is used. Cleaning the roller can take a considerable amount of time as the roller usually requires to be dried. An alternative to washing the roller is to keep painting continuously until the job is finished.

This is impractical for most jobs because it takes too much time to complete these jobs without a break.

An object of the present invention is to obviate or mitigate the aforementioned problem.

This is achieved by providing a container for receiving the wet roller so that the roller is stored with a minimal volume of air around the roller to prevent the wet paint drying out over a period of time such as overnight.

In a preferred embodiment the container is generally cylindrical and slightly larger than the roller. The container has a generally cylindrical compartment into which the paint roller may be disposed in a close engagement.

The container comprises two half-shells which are hinged at one side. The other side contains a clip arrangement so that when fastened together the two shells form a substantially air-tight seal with minimal air volume around the roller. Because the compartment is air-tight and there is minimal air volume around the roller the paint on the paint roller takes a long time to dry out, and the roller can be left in the container for up to several days.

According to the present invention there is provided a container for a paint applicator, said container comprising a housing defining a compartment for receiving said paint applicator, and sealing means associated with said housing for, in use, sealing said container around said paint applicator.

Preferably said paint applicator is a paint roller.

Conveniently said compartment is generally cylindrical and of slightly greater diameter than the roller.

Preferably said housing is generally cylindrical.

Preferably said sealing means are provided by mating edges of said housing which meet in a sealing engagement.

Preferably said housing comprises two parts which may be coupled together by fastening means to define said compartment.

Conveniently'said two parts are substantially similar and semi-cylindrical in shape.

Conveniently a cylindrical sleeve may be disposed within said compartment to change the diameter of said compartment.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in combination with the accompanying drawings in which: Fig.l is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention of a container for a paint applicator; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a container in accordance with the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a container in accordance with the present invention.

Reference is firstly made to Fig. 1 of the drawings which shows, resting on a surface, a cylindrical two-part container generally indicated by reference numeral 10 with a paint roller 12 disposed in the container. The container 10 consists of an upper semi-cylindrical part 14 and lower semi-cylindrical part 16 and is shown open with the roller 12 disposed in the lower part 16. Closing upper part14 over the roller 12 seals the container.

Ends 20 have semi-circular cut-outs 22 for receiving roller spindle 24 so that the roller is disposed in a compartment 26 with minimal air volume around the roller 12. The compartment 26 formes a substantially air-tight seal around the roller 12 and thus the roller 12 can be left in the container 10 for a substantial period of time,for exmaple, several days, without the paint on the roller 12 drying out.

The upper part 14 and lower part 16 are substantially similar and are coupled along one pair of adjacent elongate edges by a hinge 28. The upper part is movable about hinge 28 between the open position shown in Fig. 1 and a closed position where upper and lower parts 14, 16 are fastened together by tabs 29 being held in clips 30 so that edges 32 and 34 abut together in sealing engagement and the compartment 26 is substantially air-tight.

Reference is now made to Fig.2 of the drawings which is a perspective view of a second similar embodiment of a container 1 ova where like numerals refer to like parts with the suffix 'a' added. The container comprises an upper part 14a and a lower part l6a. These parts are coupled together by a hinge 28a and fastened together by tabs 29a and clips 30a in a similar manner to that hereinbefore described. The upper and lower parts 14a, l6a define a generally cylindrical compartment 26a shown in broken outline, in which a paint roller may be disposed. The lower part 16a has a flat face 35 which allows the container to be placed on a flat surface for stable long-term storage.

Reference is now made to Fig. 3 of the drawings which is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a container. A circular tube 36 with one closed end 38 and one open end 40 defines a compartment 42 (shown in broken outline) into which a paint roller may be disposed.

Semi-circular end pieces 44 and 46 are arranged to be rotatable about a pivot 48 and can be moved in the direction of arrows 50 to close the compartment 42. When a paint roller is disposed within the compartment 42, the spindle is disposed in cut-outs 52 of end pieces 44 and 46 in a similar manner to that hereinbefore described so that the container is substantially sealed.

Various modifications can be made to the embodiment hereinbefore described without departing from the scope of the present invention. The container may be made in any suitable shape which defines a compartment into which a paint roller may be disposed. The container can also be made in various sizes to allow storage of different sizes and diameters of rollers. One size of container can be adapted to receive different sizes of rollers by placing a sleeve in the compartment to reduce the diameter thereof. The size of the sleeve is determined by the diameter of the paint roller that is to be stored in the compartment.

In the first and second embodiments, the hinge is a living hinge integrally connected to the upper and lower parts. Alternatively the upper and lower parts may be fastened together by a clip arrangement at each pair of elongate edges.

In addition, the upper and lower parts may be coupled together by a sliding connection which allows the upper part and lower parts to slide relative to each other so that one part slides to a closed position where the parts close and seal the compartment.

Advantages associated with the present invention are that, the container allows temporary storage of a paint roller without causing the paint on the roller to dry during storage; and washing the roller is minimised allowing more time to be spent on actual painting.

Claims

1. A container for a paint applicator, said container comprising a housing defining a compartment for receiving said paint applicator, and sealing means associated with said housing for, in use, sealing said container around said paint applicator.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said paint applicator is a paint roller.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2 wherein said compartment is generally cylindrical and of slightly greater diameter than the roller.

4. A container as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein said housing is generally cylindrical.

5. A container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said sealing means are provided by mating edges of said housing which meet in a sealing engagement.

6. A container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said housing comprises two parts which may be coupled together by fastening means to define said compartment.

7. A container as claimed in claim 6 wherein said two parts are substantially similar and semi-cylindrical in shape.

8. A container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a cylindrical sleeve is disposed within said compartment for changing the diameter of said compartment.

9. A container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1 or to Fig. 2 or to Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.