GB2471853A

GB2471853A - A masking system comprising a flexible shield used during fence painting

Info

Publication number: GB2471853A
Application number: GB0912195A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Glen Simister
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-07-14
Filing date: 2009-07-14
Publication date: 2011-01-19
Also published as: GB0912195D0

Abstract

A masking system used during fence painting comprises a shield 2 which is made from a flexible material impervious to the treatment fluid, the shield / guard adapted to cover exposed surfaces of a fence panel support structure (e.g., fence post 14, gravel board) during painting / treatment of the fence 16. The masking shield preferably has preformed fold lines 4 scored along its length and may be provided folded flat in a concertina fashion and rolled into a spool, the roll being cut to length and unfolded before use. The paint masking system enables it to be wrapped around a slotted fence posts to form a C (pictured), the arms of the C locating between the panel and a slot edge 28 of the fence post. Another version assumes a Z-shape which is slotted above the gravel boards and hangs adjacent to it and folded at the bottom to provide a drip tray for excess paint (see figure 9).

Description

Masking System for use in Fence Painting The present invention relates to a masking system used when treating fence panels with a paint preservative, the masking system being used to shield or shroud the supporting structure of the panels in order to protect the supporting structure from the treatment fluid during its application to the panels.

A fencing system generally comprises a plurality of wooden board fence panels supported by fence posts. A post in one system has a pair of oppositely disposed longitudinal slots which provide a substantially h-shaped cross-section to the post. The fencing system comprises a line of spaced posts, and a pair of adjacent posts provide a support for a panel by sliding the panel into facing slots of two adjacent posts.

A base panel or gravel board may also be present which extends between the base of two adjacent posts at ground level, and on which the wooden panel in situ is supported and held above the ground in order to protect the panel from contacting the ground, which could lead to premature rotting. The base panel also provides a further support structure to the posts and panel.

Fence panels, and in particular wooden fence panels, mounted between adjacent posts require regular treatment with paint or preservative in order to prevent them prematurely rotting and/or to increase their aesthetic appeal. The treatment is usually applied using a brush or by using a pressure sprayer.

These methods of application are imprecise and it is difficult to prevent the treatment fluid from settling on the post and thereby staining the post and/or base panel and surrounding plants and structures. To alleviate this it is known to lift the panel from the posts and treat the panel remotely from the fence supporting structure.

However, the panels are often large and heavy, making it at least a two man job to remove the panel and this can also lead to damage of the panel if the panel is dropped.

For this reason many choose to treat the panels in situ leading to consequential staining of the supporting structure, garden, adjacent paths etc. This is a particular problem when the supporting structure is made of concrete, concrete being particularly absorbent and difficult to clean.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a masking system which shields and therefore protects the supporting structure of the panels during treatment of the panels with a treatment fluid.

A post shield is known from GB2443 804 (Jones) which comprises a rigid elongate cover, which has a c-shaped cross-section which fits over the outer exposed surface of the post, the c-shaped configuration enabling it to be slid over the post in the slotted apertures. The post shield has a handle to facilitate its placement about the post. The shield therefore masks the post from the panel. The shield has the disadvantage that in order to fully cover the post, it is as long as the post, and it is therefore necessary for the user to lift the shield above the height of the post in order to start to lower it down over the post, this can lead to the risk of falling, it not always being possible to place a ladder in safe proximity to the fence. The post shield is also bulky and heavy making it difficult to transport and store, the shield will also become messy with use since it will be stained by the treatment fluid. Once a panel has been painted with this post shield it is intended that the post shield is removed and placed over a different post to enable the panels adjacent that different post to be painted, leading to treatment fluid dripping off the splattered post and staining the supporting structure and surrounding structures.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or alleviate the above described disadvantages.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a masking system used during fence painting comprising a shield which is adaptable to substantially cover exposed surfaces of a fence panel support structure when treating the fence with a treatment fluid, the shield being constructed from a flexible material impervious to the treatment fluid.

The shield material may be adaptable by at least one of folding and flexing.

The shield may comprise a plurality of performed fold lines. The material may be resilient.

The shield may comprise an elongate strip which is movable between a flattened and profiled configuration. The fold-lines, if provided, may extend longitudinally along the strip.

The shield may be rollable. The shield when in the form of a longitudinal strip may be longitudinally rollable. In a preferred embodiment the shield is rolled when in a flattened configuration. The roll may be mounted on a support structure with means to dispense the shield. The shield material may be severable.

The shield may have attachments means adapted to press-fit between an edge of a fence panel and an edge of the panel support means. The attachment means may be in the form of a folded section of the shield.

The shield may have a substantially c-shaped cross-section. The attachment means may be the open ends of the c-shape.

The shield may have a substantially z-shaped configuration. The attachment means may be an open arm of said z-shape.

The shield may have a drip tray in the form of a folded section of the shield.

The drip tray may be an open arm of the z-shape.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of masking a fence panel support structure when treating fence panels with a treatment fluid, the method comprising providing a roll of elongate, foldable, flexible shielding material which is impervious to the treatment fluid, unrolling a strip of shielding material from the roll, cutting said strip of the shielding material from the roll to provide a shield, and mounting the shield on the support structure to substantially cover exposed surfaces of the support structure.

The shield may have a profiled configuration and the method may further comprise the step of mounting the shield by fitting an angled edge portion of the shield between the support structure and a contiguous portion of the panel.

The shielding material may be provided in a folded, flattened configuration on the roll and the method further comprises unfolding the cut shield between said substantially flattened and a or the profiled configuration.

The profiled configuration may have a substantially c-shaped cross-section, the fence support structure may include at least one longitudinally slotted post in which slot is loosely retained a fence panel, the step of mounting comprising placing an open end of the c-shape in the slot between the post and panel. The post may comprise two said longitudinal slots and the method comprises flexing the shield such that a respective open end of its c-shape fits into respective slot of the post.

The profiled configuration may have a substantially z-shaped configuration and the fence support structure may comprise at least one base board on which a panel is mounted, the method comprising placing an open arm of the z-shape between the panel and base board.

By way of example only specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing a post shield constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention in-situ on a fence post; Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the post of Fig. I to illustrate the positioning of the post shield; Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a box used to contain and dispense the post shield; Figs. 4a to 4c are schematic views showing an end view of the dispensed post shield to illustrate how the shield is unfolded and placed in the required configuration for use as a shield; Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig. 3 showing the dispensing of a base board shield constructed in accordance with a second embodiment; Fig. 6 is an end view of the shield of Fig. 5 to illustrate how it is unfolded for use; Fig. 7 is similar to Fig. 5 but the box is cut-away to show how the base board shield is rolled and stored in the box; Fig. 8 is a partial schematic view of a fence to show how the base board shield is fitted to the base board; Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fence of Fig. 8 to illustrate how the base board shield fits between the base board and the fence panel; and Fig. 10 is a view of a fence showing the post shield and base board shield in-situ.

A first embodiment of masking system shown in Figs. 1 to 4 comprises a post shield 2. The post shield 2 comprises a strip of flexible plastics material which is impervious to fence panel treatment fluids. The strip 2 comprises four longitudinal folds 4 to provide a substantially c-shaped configuration to the strip 2. This configuration, as best illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 4c, has a front wall 6, two parallel side walls 8 and two back walls 10. The side walls 8 depend respectively from opposite longitudinal edges of the front wall 6 and in planes transverse to that of the front wall 6. The two back walls 10 depend respectively from opposite longitudinal edges of the side walls 8, remote from the front wall 6 and are parallel with the plane of the front wall 6. The two back walls 10 do not meet and the gap 12 therebetween provides the open portion of the c-shaped configuration.

Fig. 1 illustrates a section of a fence which shows one of a plurality of fence posts 14, either side of which is mounted a fence panel 16 and a pair of base boards 18 extending along the ground 20. Each base boards 18 support a respective panel 16 thereon. The post 14 has a pair of oppositely disposed longitudinally extending slots 22 and a longitudinal edge 24 of a respective panel 16 is held in a respective slot 22.

A gap 26 or channel is provided between an edge 28 of the post slot 22 and an outside edge 30 of the panel. The post 14 with its slots 22 has a substantially h-shaped cross-section, as best illustrated in Fig. 2.

In use the back walls 10 of the fence shield 2 are flexed apart, that is moved apart to open wider the gap 12 therebetween. This enables the post shield 2 to be placed over the post 14 with the back walls 10 then folded back towards each other and slotted into the respective channel 26 provided either side of the post 14. This arrangement holds the post shield 2 in place and the shield 2 covers all exposed surfaces of the post 14 enabling the panel 16 to be painted. Once the panel 16 has been painted the side walls 8 of the shield 2 are prised apart to remove the back walls from their engagement in the channel 22 and the shield 2 is either disposed of or re-used on another post 14.

The post shield 2 as mentioned above is made of a flexible material. This enables the side and back walls 8, 10 to be folded flat to the front wall 6 and for the flattened shield 2 to be longitudinally rolled.

As best illustrated in Fig. 3 the fence shield 2 is supplied in a rolled configuration 32 inside a box 34. The rolled configuration 32 is best seen in Fig. 7 (described later hereinunder) which illustrates the inside of the box 32, in this instance to show a roll of base board shield inside, the post shield 2 is rolled in a similar manner in the box 34 of Fig. 1. The box 34 is provided with a dispensing slot 36 through which a required length of post shield 2 can be withdrawn, unravelling it from the roll 32. For instance, a length could be dispensed equal to the height of post 14 to be shielded. The required length is simply cut from the roll with scissors.

Additional lengths can be dispensed as required.

As mentioned above, the shield 2 is in a flattened configuration when rolled.

In order to provide the c-shaped configuration the side and back walls 8, 10 are simply folded away from the front wall 6, as illustrated in Figs 4a to 4c. In these figures the back wall 10 is folded in between the side and front wall 8, 6, but it is to be understood that the back and side wall 10, 8 could be folded onto front wall 6 in a side by side configuration or could be folded out away from the side wall 8, it mainly being necessary to substantially flatten the post shield 2 to provide a more compact roll, that is of reduced diameter.

In the embodiments of Figs. 5 to 9 a variant of the shield is shown which is adapted to shield the base board 18 during painting of the panel 16. As in the first embodiment the shield 2' is constructed from a strip of flexible plastics material which is impervious to fence panel treatment fluids.

The longitudinal folds 4 in the shield are provided with a different configuration to that of the first embodiment. In this instance there are two longitudinal folds 4 adjacent opposite longitudinal edges to the shield 2'. A front wall 6 is presented between the folds 4, the first fold 4 provides a top wall 38 to the shield which extends substantially in a transverse plane to that of the front wall 6, in that it depends from the edge of the front wall 6. The other fold 4 provides a bottom wall 40 which depends from the front wall 6 in the opposite direction to provide a z-shaped configuration to the shield 2'. The bottom wall 40 rather than being provided at a right angle to the front wall 6 is inclined to provide a v-shaped channel 42 between the bottom 40 and front walls 6. In use this acts a drip tray 42.

The top and bottom wall 38, 40 can be folded into the front wall 6 to provide a substantially flat strip-like configuration to the shield 2'. As best illustrated in Figs. 5 and 7, the shield 2' is rolled and provided in the box and dispensed as described with respect to the post shield 2. Once dispensed and severed from the roll 32 the top and bottom walls 38, 40 are folded out, see Fig. 6.

In use (see Figs. 8 and 9) the top wall 38 of the base board shield 2' is slotted between a bottom 44 of the panel 16 and a top edge 46 of base board 18 such that the front wall 6 extends down the base board 18. The oppositely disposed bottom wall 40 provides a drip tray 42 such that when painting the panel 16, any excess paint or splashes slide down the front panel 6 into the drip tray 42 enabling any lower portion of the base board 18, not covered by the shield 2', to be protected and prevent stray paint dripping onto the garden or surrounding structures, such as a path.

As illustrated in Fig. 10 the post shield 2 and the base board shield 21 can be used together to protect the post 14 and the base board 18 when provided.

The shield material is provided with a textured surface or roughed surface to slow the progress of paint thereon and prevent it from sliding down the shield. The textured surface in one embodiment is in the form of a raised open diamond shaped lattice.

Whilst a box has been described for dispensing the shield, the rolled shield could be provided on a spooi and dispensed directly therefrom. A guide could be provided on the spooi to enable the shield to be dispensed smoothly. Although a roll has been described, the shield could be folded in a concertina-like manner and dispensed from this as required. The foldable nature of the shield not only enabling it to be snap-fitted over the front of the posts, eliminating the need to lower the shield down the post from the top of the post, but additionally enabling the shield to be folded or rolled for easy storage and transportation. The shield is constructed from the flexible plastics material which makes the product light and easily adaptable in size to the required use. Whilst a foldable material has been described which enables the shield to be folded out into the required configuration when unrolled, the material -10 -could also be resilient enabling the shield automatically attain the required configuration once unravelled from the roll.

The shield could be constructed from a recyclable plastics material enabling the used shield to be disposed of at a recycling centre or placed directly into domestic recycling bins for subsequent collection and recycling.

It is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiments which are described by way of example only.

Claims

CLAIMSI. A masking system used during fence painting comprising a shield which is adaptable to substantially cover exposed surfaces of a fence panel support structure when treating the fence vith a treatment fluid, the shield being constructed from a flexible material impervious to the treatment fluid.
2. A masking system according to claim 1, wherein the shield material is adaptable by at least one of folding and flexing.
3. A masking system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shield comprises a o 10 plurality of performed fold lines.r
4. A masking system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the material is
5. A masking system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the C'J shield comprises an elongate strip which is movable between a flattened and profiled configuration.
6. A masking system according to claim 5, wherein the fold-lines, if provided, extend longitudinally along the strip.
7, A masking shield according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the shield is rollable.
8. A masking system according to claim 7, the shield is rolled when in a flattened configuration.
9. A masking system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the roll is mounted on a support structure with means to dispense the shield. 12 -10. A masking system according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the shield when in the form of a longitudinal strip is longitudinally rollable.11. A masking system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the shield material is severable.12. A masking system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the shield has attachment means adapted to press-fit between an edge of a fence panel and an edge of the panel support means.13. A masking system according to claim 12, wherein the attachment means is in the form of a folded section of the shield.14. A masking system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the shield has a substantially c-shaped cross-section.15. A masking system according to claim 14, wherein the attachment means is the open ends of the c-shape.16. A masking system according to anyone of claims I to 13, wherein the shield has a substantially z-shaped configuration.17. A masking system according to claim 16, wherein the attachment means is an open arm of said z-shape.18. A masking system according to claim 17, wherein the other open arm of said z-shape forms a drip tray.19. A masking system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the shield has a drip tray in the form of a folded section of the shield.20. A method of masking a fence panel support structure when treating fence panels mounted in the support structure with a treatment fluid, the method comprising providing a roll of elongate, foldable, flexible shielding material -13 -which is impervious to the treatment fluid, unrolling a strip of shielding material from the roll, cutting said strip of the shielding material from the roll to provide a shield, and mounting the shield on the support structure to substantially cover exposed surfaces of the support structure.21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the shield has a profiled configuration and the method further comprises the step of mounting the shield by fitting an angled edge portion of the shield between the support structure and a contiguous portion of the panel.22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the profiled configuration has a substantially c-shaped cross-section, the fence support structure includes at r least one longitudinally slotted post in which slot is loosely retained a fence c0 panel, the step of mounting comprising placing an open end of the c-shape in the slot between the post and panel.23. A method according to claim 22, wherein the post comprises two said longitudinal slots and the method comprises flexing the shield such that a respective open end of its c-shape fits into respective slot of the post.24. A method according to claim 22, wherein the profiled configuration has a substantially z-shaped configuration and when the fence support structure comprises at least one base board on which a panel is mounted, the method comprising placing an open ann of the z-shapc between the panel and base board.25. A method according to any one of claims 20 to 24, wherein the shielding material is provided in a folded, flattened configuration on the roll and the -14 -method further comprises unfolding the cut shield between said substantially flattened and a or the profiled configuration.26. A masking system used during fence painting described and adapted substantially as describe4 herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.27. A method of masking a fence panel support structure when treating fence panels mounted in the structure substantially as described herein. r (0 c'J