US2275577A - Material mixing guide - Google Patents

Description

March 10, 1942. Q E WE|5`SERT 2,275,577

MATERIAL MIXING GUIDE Filed Nov. 20, 1940 INVENTQR. Herd/d f, M/e/.sgef/ Patented Mar. 10, '1942 MATERIAL MIXING GUIDE Gerald E. Weissert, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Sewall Paint & Varnish Company, Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application November 20, 1940, Serial No. 366,367

6 Claims.

This invention relates to portable apparatus' for use in mixing liquids in thenature of paint, lacquer, varnish and the like, and has for its primary object the provision of a material mixing guide that may be associated with a standard container and manipulated from time-to-time during the mixing operation to allow the operator to add predetermined quantities of such liquids. l

One of the important aims of the instant invention is to provide a material mixing guide having compact, novel and effective means for operably supporting a gauge rod whereby said rod may be set and held in place to indicate when predetermined certain amounts of liquid have been poured into a standard container with which the guide is adapted for employment.

A yet further object of this invention is to` provide a guide for mixing materials in standard paintcans for example, of either the pint, quart, half-gallon or gallon size, thus to permit a painter to blend colors and produce a coating of desired shade without relying upon the paint manufacturer to specially mix a small quantity of lacquer, varnish, paint or the like.

This invention has for a still further object to `provide a material mixing guide that has a gauge rod uniquely mounted in supporting structure that permits longitudinal, rectilinear movement of therod either by directly grasping the same or through the manipulation of a crank-arm both without rotating the rod; that permits rotating the said gauge rod without raising or lowering the same or effecting the position of the aforesaid crank-arm; that permits completely removing the gauge rod from association with the remaining parts of the guide without the use of special tools or the necessity of disassembly.

Minor objects of the invention will appear during the course of the following specification, referring to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

. Figure 1 is a top plan view of a material mixing guide made'in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the guide and a portion of a standard container.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a stretch-out illustrating the relation of some of the parts of the gauge rod supporting structure.

In the art of mixing coatings such as paint or lacquer, the operator must carefully blend a number of diierent shades of liquid to attain a desired result. Due to the expense and difficulty of having a small quantity of paint or lacquer mixed at the factory, it is virtually necessary that some means be provided for permitting the blending of colors at the job. Simple, inexpensive and easy to operate mixing guides are necessary therefore, and this invention contemplates the provision of equipment that will be available to all painters and usable on any of the standard containers now marketed by the manufacturers of paint and lacquer.

The manner in which small fractions of given quantities of liquid may be added to the standard containers with dispatch `and accuracy will be apparent to one skilled in the art, after an understanding of the mixing guide embodying the broad concepts of this invention and illustrated in its preferred form in the drawing forming a part hereof, wherein the numeral S designates container of quart size.

The open top of container B has thereon a support 8 in the form of a plate, the underside of which `rests directly upon the annular edge of container 6. The weight of this support and associated `parts is suiiicient to maintain the guide in the operative position without utilizing clamps or attaching means, but if such are found desirable, plate 8 may be equipped therewith.

This plate 8 is substantially semi-circular in form to the end that apart of the open top of container 6 is left available for the introduction of liquid I. An opening I2 through plate 8 receives polygonal gauge rod Hl on the flat sides whereof is etched or otherwise imprinted, graduations I6. More speciiically, rod I4 is formed of a substance known as Lucite, the inherent light transmitting qualities whereof are such as to permit light to pass longitudinally through' its body but to preclude lateral escape of the light so long as the outer surface of the rod is highly polished. This rod I4 therefore, has polished sides upon which graduations I6 are formed. In forming the graduations I6, the polish is interrupted and therefore, light passes outwardly therethrough to illuminate the same and to increase their visibility.

In the illustrated embodiment, rod i4 has four sides on one of which is impressed graduations to be used when mixing in a pint can, while on the other three sides the graduations I6 are arranged for use when blending colors in a container 6 of a quart, half-gallon or gallon size respectively.

Rod I4 is slidably journalled in bearing I8, the nature of which is sectional. One section of bearing I8, indicated by the numeral 28, is formed of brous material that may be compressed by drawing together the adjacent sections through the medium of screws or analogous means 22. Such compression will vary the frictional relation between fibrous section 20 and the sides of rodV I4. It will also vary the friction set up between the outer annular periphery thereof and the inner annular face of collar 24 which circumscribes bearing IB and upon the upper edge of which shoulder 26 of bearing I8 rides when the. parts are assembled.

Pin 28 on bearing I8 extends radially into the inner annular groove 36 provided in collar 24 and is introduced into groove 38 through passage 32 in communication with groove 30 and terminating at the upper edge of collar 24.

Diametrically opposed notches 34 cut completely through the thickness of collar 214 and downwardly from the upper edge thereof to a point below groove 38, receive respectively pins 36 extending radially inwardly from boss 38 which is secured directly tothe face of plate 8 by screws 48.

Sleeve 42 circumscribes collar 24 and has therein a specially created spiral groove 44 accommodating pin 45 rigid to sleeve 24. The pitch of groove 44 defines the distance through which rod I4 may travel when crank-arm 48, secured to sleeve 42, is manually manipulated.

Boss 3B is undercut to present an internal annular shoulder 58 overlying the upper edge of sleeve 42, to prevent its displacement during the operation, as will be hereinafter more fully set down.

Support 8 has four scales carried by the upper surface thereof, over which passes crankarm 48 provided with four windows 52, 54, 58 and 58. Window 52 overlies scale 68 having indicia 62 to indicate the fractions of an ounce when the guide is used on a standard pint container; scale 64 has indicia 65 designating the fractions ofA an ounce when the guide is used with a'standard quart container; scale 58 has indicia 'I0 indicating the fractions of an ounce when a standard half-gallon container Yis employed; and scale I2 has indicia 'I4 indicating the fractions of an ounce when a standard gallon container is employed. A piano wire 'I8 passes through all of windows 52, 54, 58 and 58 to establishy a Atrue center medium which is placed in alignment with indicia 62, 68, lil. or i4, as the case may be.

Assuming that a color is to `be blended in a standard container 6 of ra quart size and that the formula calls for 26%/2 oz. of color A, l1/,1 oz. of color B, and l oz. of color C.

Rod I4 is drawn through bearing I8 until the graduation designated by the numeral 26 is in alignment with the top or outer face of bearing I8 with crank-arm 48 set as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. lIn this setting pin 46 will be at the lower end of spiral groove 44. The operator then grasps crank-arm 48 and while watching window 54, moves the arm through piano wire 16, in register wtih the indicia 66 designating 1/2 oz.

Rod I4 being of the material mentioned above, will transmit light downwardly into container 6 and render visible the numeral 26 near graduation I5. Color A will be poured into container 6 until its surface just touches the lower end of rod I4. .A film of clear lacquer or oil will overlie the surface of liquid I because a very small quantity is first poured into empty container 5, thus the end of rod I4 will not be coated with a material having pigment therein.

Before adding color B, the rod is drawn outwardly through bearing I8 until the graduation designated by the numeral 3| is in alignment with l the top of bearing I8 when crank-arm 48 is in the normal position. When a sufficient amount of color B is poured into container 6 to reach the end of rod I4, after it has been so set, Li1/2 oZ. of color B will have been added to the mix whereupon the rod is again withdrawn until the graduation opposite numeral 32 appears. Color C may then be added and the three colors stirred in container 6 after removing the guide from the top thereof.

In each instance when colors A, B or C reach the end of rod I4, light normally passing longitudinally through the rod will be interrupted by the closing off of one end, whereupon the entire rod I4 will be darkened to signal to the operator that the desired quantity of color has been poured into container 6.

In some cases, it it desirable to clean the end of rod I4 and when such is the case, rod I4 and bearing i8 are moved from the operative position shown in Fig. 2, by merely turning bearing I8 to a point where pin 28 thereof will pass upwardly out of groove 38 through passage 52. Such construction insures that iibrous section 28 of bearing i8 will not become objectionably coated with paint or lacquer, for it is the gripping action of this section 20 which keeps rod I4 in place when it is moved longitudinally as above set down.

When crank-arm 48 is moved across the several scales on supporting plate 8, notches 34 in collar 24 `engage pins 36 of boss 38 to preclude the rotation of collar 24 and cause the same to move longitudinally along the axis of rod VI4 as sleeve 42 is turned about said axis. Sleeve 42 cannot move longitudinally because it is confined between shoulders 55 and the upper surface of plate 8.

The operator may turn rod I4 without disturbing the setting of crank-arm 48, merely by grasping the rod and rotating both rod and bearing I4 yand I8 respectively, about their common axis, v

which action will bring the proper face of. rod i4 in front of the operator. Such movement carries pin 28 around the axis While it remainsr Most of the component parts of the mixing guide may be made of plastic material which insures a light-weight device and one that may be easily formed in quantities at relatively low cost, and while the preferred embodiment has been illustrated and described, it is obvious to one skilled in the art that many modifications might be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A guide for mixing materials in a container, comprising a gauge rod having graduations thereon; a support; and means for adjustably mounting the gauge on the support, comprising a bearing slidably journalling the rod, a collar holding the bearing and having interconnecting means permitting relative rotative movement on the axis of the rod and simultaneous longitudinal movement, and manually operable elements for imparting rectilinear reciprocating movement to the collar and bearing.

2. A guide for mixing materials in a container, comprising a gauge rod having graduations thereon; a support; and means for adjustably mounting the gauge on the support, comprising a bearing slidably journalling the rod, a collar holding the bearing and having interconnecting means permitting relative rotative movement on the axis of the rod and simultaneous longitudinal movement, and manually operable elements for imparting rectilinear reciprocating movement to the collar and bearing, said elements including a manually operable, radially disposed crank shiftable in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the rod.

3. A guide for mixing materials in a container, comprising a gauge .rod having graduations thereon; a support; and means for adjustably mounting the gauge on the support, comprising a bearing slidably journalling the rod, a collar holding the bearing and having interconnecting means permitting relative rotative movement on the axis of the rod and simultaneous longitudinal movement, a sleeve circumscribing the collar having a spiral groove therein, a pin on the collar projecting into the'groove, and a manually operable crank-arm on the sleeve whereby rotary movement of the sleeve Will impart rectilinear movement to the collar, bearing and rod.

4. A guide for mixing materials in a container, comprising a gauge rod having graduations thereon; a support; and means for adjustably mounting the gauge on the support, comprising a bearing slidably journalling the rod, a collar holding the bearing and having interconnecting means permitting relative rotative movement on the axis of the rod and simultaneous longitudinal movement, a sleeve circumscribing the collar having a spiral groove therein, a pin on the collar projecting into the groove, and a manually operable crank-arm on the sleeve whereby rotary movement of the sleeve Will impart rectilinear movement to the collar, bearing and rod, said sleeve being mounted on the support to preclude longitudinal shifting as the collar is so shifted.

5. A guide for mixing materials in a container, comprising a gauge rod having graduations thereon; a support; and means for adjustably mounting the gauge on the support, comprising a bearing slidably journalling the rod, a collar holding the bearing and having interconnecting means permitting relative rotative movement on the axis of the rod and simultaneous longitudinal movement, and manually operable elements for imparting rectilinear reciprocating movement to the collar and bearing, said bearing having a brous section therein in wiping engagement with the rod to preclude accidental longitudinal shifting.

6. A guide for mixing materials in a container, comprising a gauge rod having graduations thereonia support; and means for adjustably mounting the gauge on the support, comprising a bearing slidably journalling the rod, a collar holding the bearing and having interconnecting means permitting relative rotative movement on the axis of the rod and simultaneous longitudinal movement, and manually operable elements for imparting rectilinear reciprocating movement to the collar and bearing, said bearing having a fibrous section therein in wiping engagement with the collar to preclude accidental` rotary movement of the bearing.

GERALD E. WEI-SSERT.

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