GB2588703A - Trolley for painters and decorators - Google Patents

Abstract

A trolley for painters and decorators comprises a frame 100 mounted on wheels 102, which may be castors; and means, comprising a manually-operable clamp 124, for releasably and adjustably holding a tool, such as a torch (130, Fig. 4). The torch (130, Fig. 4) can therefore be pointed towards a selected area to be painted, which can help the painter to see more clearly when painting. The trolley can also comprise a compartment 122, positioned near the bottom of the frame 100, for holding a paint container. The clamp 124 can also be used to hold an extension handle (128, Fig. 4) of a paint roller (126, Fig. 4) over the compartment 122, thus allowing the roller (126, Fig. 4) to be dipped in a paint container. The trolley can also comprise baskets 122, carried by the frame 100, for storing consumables such as filler, plaster, and masking tape.

Description

TROLLEY FOR PAINTERS AND DECORATORS

The present invention relates to a trolley for painters and decorators, of the type having a frame mounted on wheels.

As well as the paint itself (which may be in different forms for many work places) a painting job commonly requires many other items such as brushes, rollers (and, often, extension handles therefor), filler, plaster (and a mortar board to carry it), caulking in a gun, masking tape, pincers, a knife and a torch to illuminate areas where skilled procedures like cutting-in are required. Unless all these items are readily to hand, the job is made less convenient and more time-consuming, and therefore more expensive. Even when the painter has ready access to, say, a torch, he may not have a free hand to hold the torch; and when he has a free hand for a torch or the like, the painter may need to hold it and direct it for a long time, causing possible tiredness and a resulting lack of attention to the job being done.

It is known for painters and decorators to put their paints, brushes/rollers and other requisites on a support to be near at hand. An example of such a support is described in British patent application GB2232881 (Baxter). This support comprises a trestle upon which a painter can stand while working and on which a tray may be carried to hold paint cans, tools and equipment. The trestle has legs carrying castors that engage the floor when the legs are folded so that the platform can be wheeled along in the manner of a trolley. Also previously known, from United States patent application US2006/108192 (Bastarache) is a container for painters' requisites provided with castors whereby it may be rolled between work positions in the manner of a trolley and with a plurality of resiliently deformable clips for holding brushes, rollers and the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved trolley particularly but not necessarily exclusively for painters and decorators. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a trolley for painters and decorators of the aforesaid type, as set out in claim 1.

The adjustability of the clamp is a particular improvement over Bastarache in that it allows a tool to be held at a selected orientation. For instance, a battery-powered torch may be directed towards an area to be painted or an extension handle (for the torch or say a paint roller) may be held inclined.

Other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following description, which is made by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings which are purely schematic and in which -Figure 1 shows in side elevation a trolley embodying the invention and provided with holding means including a holding compartment to receive a container of paint for rolled application; Figure 2 shows the trolley of Figure 1 in front elevation; Figure 3 is a view corresponding to Figure 1, showing additionally a paint container in the holding compartment and a torch in the clamp; Figure 4 is a view corresponding to Figure 2 showing the paint container in the holding compartment, the torch in the clamp the trolley and a paint roller with an extension handled held in another clamp; and Figures 5 to 7 illustrate the adjustability of a clamp.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, the trolley embodying the invention shown therein comprises a frame generally indicated at 100 mounted on four wheels 102 in the form of castors whereby the trolley may be moved across a floor 104 by a user to a desired working position. The frame is formed from tubular metal and comprises: side sections 106 each extending longitudinally and having downwardly directed front and rear legs connected to respective castors 102; transverse elements 110 joining the side sections 106 together in laterally spaced-apart relationship; uprights 112 extending upwards from respective side sections 106, inclined rearwards and braced by braces 114 and having handles 116 at their upper ends; and two transverse plates 118 joining the uprights 112 together in laterally spaced-apart relationship.

Extending longitudinally between the two transverse elements 110 and with their front and rear ends secured thereto are two metal channel-shaped elements 120 laterally spaced apart between the side sections 106. Each channel-shaped element 120 has a base 1202 lying below the level of the transverse elements 110 so that the side sections 106, the transverse elements 110 and the channel-shaped elements 120 together form a holding compartment indicated at 122 near the bottom of the frame 100. The purpose of the holding compartment 122 will be described in more detail hereinafter.

A clamp 124 is connected to each upright 112 near its upper end. Each clamp 124 is spring-loaded and has jaws that can be manually opened to receive an item and then released to grip that item. However it should be understood that other forms of clamp may be used, eg snap-in mop holders or the like, and the term "clamp" as used herein should be construed accordingly, provided always that the clamp is releasable and adjustable. Uses of the clamps will be described in more detail hereinafter.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, it will be seen that the holding compartment indicated at 122 in Figure 1 holds a container 125 of paint for application by a roller 126. Baskets 132 are formed to hang on the lower of the transverse plates 118 and accommodate at least one relatively small container of paint (not visible in the illustrations) for application by a brushes which may be hung on hooks (not shown) from the baskets 132. The baskets 132 also accommodate various painters' requisites such as filler, plaster, masking tape, pincers, a knife and a torch which it is not necessary to detail here. Other tools and requisites not shown, such as jug, a mortar board and a caulking gun are hung from the upper of the transverse plates 118.

As is conventional with paints for rolled application, the container 125 is relatively large (201). The holding compartment 122 being near the bottom of the frame 100 and the container 125 therein holding a relatively large volume of paint, the trolley is stable in use. Further, the container 125 has a lid 125a which, as well as keeping paint in the container 125 usable say overnight, also catches any drips of paint or cleaner from rollers or brushes disposed above it when not in use.

A significant feature of the trolley illustrated may now be noted. The bases 120a of the channel-shaped elements 120 are inclined to the horizontal, and thus a container 125 supported by them is similarly inclined. Those skilled in the art of painting will understand that this makes it easier to load a roller with paint in the container 125.

The clamps 124 provide a particular important feature of the invention.

Either clamp 124 (or both) may be manually opened to receive a battery-powered torch 130 and then released to grip the torch 130 in a position and at an inclination such that it illuminates an area to be painted. Spare batteries for the torch(es) 130 may be held in one of the baskets 132.

The clamps 124 are manually adjustable to direct a torch 130 towards an area to be painted, as will now be described with reference to Figures 5 to 7.

Figure 5 shows the torch 130 held in the clamp 124 viewed from the side as in Figure 3 but enlarged relative thereto. The beam of the torch 130 is indicated by the arrow A. The clamp 124 includes a pivot 124a about a lateral axis -that is, extending from side to side of the trolley. By this means the torch can be pivoted into a position indicated in broken lines at 130' so that its beam is redirected to the line of the arrow B. The degree of redirection is indicated by C. Figure 6 shows the torch 130 held in the clamp 124 viewed from the front as in Figure 4 but enlarged relative thereto. The beam of the torch 130 is indicated by the arrow D. The clamp 124 includes a pivot not detailed in Figure 6 but generally similar to the pivot 124a of Figure 5 save that it is arranged about a longitudinal axis, which is to say an axis extending from front to back of the trolley. By this means the torch 130 can be pivoted into a position indicated in broken lines at 130" so that its beam is redirected to the line of the arrow E. The degree of redirection is indicated by F. Figure 7 shows the torch 130 held in the clamp 124 viewed from the front as in Figure 6. The beam of the torch 130 is indicated by the arrow G. The clamp 124 is secured to an upright 112 (not visible in Figure 7, but see Figures 1 to 4) by means enabling the clamp 124 to be manually rotated about the upright. When so rotated, the clamp 124 is turned about a generally vertical axis, which is to say an axis extending up and down relative to the trolley. Thus the torch 130 can be turned into a position indicated in broken lines at 130" so that its beam is redirected to the line of the arrow H. The degree of redirection is indicated by I. Taken together, the arrangements of Figures 5 to 7 provide three degrees of freedom, broadly about three mutually orthogonal axes -two horizontal and one approximately vertical (the uprights 112 being inclined somewhat away from the vertical). These three degrees of freedom maximise the amount whereby a clamp 124 may be reoriented, facilitating the ability of a user to direct a torch held by the clamp towards an area to be painted.

However, for some applications it may well be sufficient to provide only one or two degrees of freedom. And, rather than equipping the clamps with pivots, it is possible that the clamps may have jaws which hold an item securely in place but allow a user to adjust it manually when required. The key requirements for the clamps are that they can be manually operated by a user to hold an item releasably and adjustably.

It is convenient to note here, with reference to Figure 4, that the roller 126 is attached to an extension handle 128 which is held in one of the clamps 124 at such an angle that the roller 126 rests on the lid 125a of the paint container 125. Also, the extension handle 128 may be detached from the roller 126 to carry instead a torch 130 which may thereby be positioned close to a ceiling or other raised area to be painted.

To summarise, a trolley according to the invention is designed to facilitate the work of painters and decorators by providing ready access to paints, tools and requisites required by a painter and decorator for a wide variety of different jobs and different painting processes at different times. The key features of the invention are as follows: -A trolley embodying the invention holds a large (201) container of paint, as close as as possible to the floor with a slight inclination forward for easiest loading (or "dunking") of the roller but with sufficient clearance over the floor to avoid contact with the floor or thresholds when the trolley is move from one work position to another; - The trolley holds a small pot of paint for example, for cutting off ceilings or painting woodwork etc at a level that does not require the user to bend to reach the paint or to support the container thereof by hand; -There are hooks for attaching brushes and rollers that are positioned so that they are disposed over the large container bucket to prevent them from falling or dripping on the floor whilst at the same time engaging the rear of the large container; - A transverse plate supports the small painting pot, a caulk gun, a mortarboard with mixed material on it and other tools and requisites enabling the user a much-needed free hand; - Another transverse plate carries three baskets that hold necessary tools and requisites such as tape, pincers, quick drying filler, filler-knife and cutter.

-An auxiliary compartment on the rear of the trolley holds miscellaneous items such as rechargeable batteries for the torch(es) etc; - Clamps on the uprights hold roller extension handles (sometimes called "rollsticks") of various sizes to locate rollers over the large container when not in use, with the upper end of each extension handle downwardly clear of the ceiling or other overhead features; and - The clamps can also be used to carry a torch or spotlight, possibly mounted on an upwardly extending post to illuminate a raised area of painting for accurate work without the inconvenience and discomfort of the painter having to hold a light up for a long time.

Additions to and variations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims (10)

1. CLAIMS1. A trolley for painters and decorators, comprising a frame mounted on wheels for movement by a user from a first work position to a second work position and provided with holding means to hold paint containers, paint brushes, paint rollers and other painters' tools and requisites, characterised in that said holding means includes a clamp manually operable by the user to hold a said tool releasably and adjustably.
2. 2. A trolley for painters and decorators as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that said clamp is configured and arranged to hold a tool being a torch and is manually adjustable to direct the torch towards an area of painting.
3. 3. A trolley for painters and decorators as claimed in Claim 2, characterised in that said clamp is manually adjustable about one or more of a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis and a generally vertical axis.
4. 4. A trolley for painters and decorators as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, characterised in said clamp is at or near the top of said frame and in use the torch extends above the frame.
5. 5. A trolley for painters and decorators as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that said holding means comprises a holding compartment at or near the bottom of the frame to receive a container of paint for rolled application.
6. 6. A trolley for painters and decorators as claimed in Claim 5, characterised in that said holding compartment is configured and arranged to support said first container at an angle to the horizontal so as to facilitate loading a roller with paint in said container.
7. 7. A trolley for painters and decorators as claimed in Claim 5 or Claim 6, characterised in that said clamp is manually operable to hold a paint roller extension handle and locate the roller over said holding compartment.S
8. 8. A trolley for painters and decorators as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that said holding means includes hooks for supporting rollers and or brushes when not in use.
9. 9. A trolley for painters and decorators as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that said holding means comprises a plurality of baskets carried by the frame.
10. 10. A trolley for painters and decorators as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that said wheels are castors.