US3474482A

US3474482A - Paint roller with coating thickness indicator and method for forming said indicator

Info

Publication number: US3474482A
Application number: US684898A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fredrick B Burns; Vincent T Walsh
Original assignee: EZ Paintr Corp
Current assignee: EZ Paintr Corp
Priority date: 1967-11-14
Filing date: 1967-11-14
Publication date: 1969-10-28
Anticipated expiration: 1986-10-28

Description

I Oct. 28, 1969 F BURNS ETAL 3,474,482

PAINT ROLLER WITH COATING THICKNESS INDICATOR AND METHOD FOR FORMING SAID INDICATOR Filed Nov. 14, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l/ncen flflalsim Oct. 28, 1969 'F B, BURN ETAL 3,474,482

PAINT ROLLER WITH COATING THICKNESS INDICATOR AND METHOD FOR FORMING SAID INDICATOR Filed Nov. 14, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent US. Cl. 15230.11 19 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for applying paint, or the like, including means on the apparatus for indicating on the apparatus, or on the surface being painted, when the applied layer of paint is less than a preselected thickness. In one embodiment, portions of the pile are sheared to reduce the height and the paint carrying capacity thereof.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application Ser. No. 565,136, filed July 14, 1966, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

This invention relates to applicators and more particularly to applicators for applying a layer of paint to a surface.

One of the most important innovations in the paint industry is the production of one-coat hiding paints. Many of these paints are guaranteed to produce a sutlicient layer of paint on a wall or the like with a single coat. The realization of one coat hiding depends not only on the paint ingredients but to an equally important extent upon the application of a sutficient thickness of paint on the wall. If the user applies the paint significantly thinner than a layer produced by the recommended spreading rate, wet hiding may appear and upon drying the paint will shrink and the background color will show through. Paint applicators have been developed that will apply the recommended spreading thickness provided that the paint load of the applicator is applied to a restricted given area. If the user ignores the area restriction, he will apply the paint too thinly.

An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a paint applicator having means to indicate on the painted surface when the applied layer of paint is below a preselected thickness thereby signaling the user to reload the applicator with paint.

The invention disclosed herein generally comprises a paint applicator having a preselected paint holding ability sufficient to apply a layer of paint to accomplish the above mentioned one-coat hiding, including a relatively small indicating portion thereon having a paint holding ability less than the remainder of the paint applicator such that when the applied layer of paint is below the recommended thickness the indicating portion leaves a blank area in the applied layer of paint thereby signaling the user to reload the applicator with paint.

Other objects, features and advantages will be readily apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a roller type paint applicator embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken generally along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial section similar to that of FIG. 2 on an enlarged scale illustrating one method of forming the indicating means of this invention by using a stencil and a burning element;

Patented Oct. 28, 1969 FIG. 4 illustrates a V method of applying a layer of paint, and shows the word load in the layer as would appear when using the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate method of applying a layer of paint and shows an indicia similar to that of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a paint roller formed in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a pad type applicator embodying the principles of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a section view taken generally along line 8--8 of FIG. 7.

The term paint includes all mixtures of a pigment with some suitable liquid to form an adherent covering when spread on a surface for decoration, protection and the like.

The invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 as embodied in a roller type paint applicator, generally designated 10, wherein an indicating means 12 is formed adjacent one end of a paint applying roller cover 14. The novel concept disclosed herein is also adaptable for other paint applicators, as will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, the paint roller 10 includes a handle 16 which has a straight shaft 18 upon which a cage structure 20 is mounted for relative rotation about the shaft. The roller cover 14 is in the form of a sleeve to permit ready removal and insertion of the sleeve onto the cage structure for replacement purposes. The roller cover 14 includes an outer paint applying material 22 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which has a pile adapted to receive and hold a preselected amount of paint sufiicient to apply a layer of paint which will permit onecoat hiding. As stated above, if the user applies the paint significantly thinner than the recommended layer thickness, wet hiding may appear, but upon drying the paint will shrink and the background color will show through. Thus, the invention disclosed herein includes an indicating portion, generally designated 12, on the paint applying roller cover 14 which has a lesser paint holding ability than the remainder of the roller. When the applied layer of paint is below the preselected recommended thickness, the indicating portion 12 leaves a blank area in the applied layer of paint thereby signaling the user to reload the roller with paint.

The present invention contemplates that the indicating means may be formed by a number of different manufacturing processes, such as, for purposes of example and not of limitation, embossing, sealing or undercutting a permanent signal or message into the pile of the material 22. With such processes, the signal portion 12 of the fabric material is positioned at a level such that it'does not interfere with the normal application of a paint film, if it is substantially thick enough, but as soon as the applied film reaches a predetermined thinness, the indicating means 12 prints out a signal or message by leaving blank areas in the thin film. This is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 (as will be more fully set forth below) wherein the work load is indicated on the painted surface when the applied film reaches a predetermined thinness.

In preferred embodiments, the indicating portion 12 has a pile of less thickness than the remainder of the rollers material 22 and consequently has a less paint holding ability. Thus, the indicating portion will run out of paint before the remainder of the roller, and a signal or message will appear on the painted surface by leading blank areas when the film becomes sufiiciently thin.

The following are examples of suitable methods of forming the indicating means and are specifically directed to the illustrated embodiment wherein a paint applying surface has a nap or pile for receiving and holding the preselected amount of paint. 4

(a) The material of the pain roller cover may be heat embossed with a branding iron so that the signal is burned into the pile thereby shortening the pile in the area of the indicating portion 12 and lessening its paint holding ability.

(b) The paint roller material may be sewed with an embroidery machine so that the signal or message is formed directly into the material. The sewing pulls down portions of the pile and thus decreases its paint holding ability.

(c) Referring to FIG. 3, a stencil 24, preferably of thin metal, may be provided having the appropriate message cut out of the metal. The stencil is placed tightly against the pile fabric 22 on a paint roller cover, so that portions of the pile fabric 26 extend through the cutout section of the stencil. This exposed fabric is then sheared off, burned off or heat shrunk by an appropriate shearing tool or heatelement 28 so that when the stencil is removed an undercut area exists as the portion of the pile covered by the uncut section of the stencil returns to its original pile height, as at 22 in FIG. 3, leaving the signal or message of a lesser height and thus a lesser paint holding ability.

(d) The paint roller fabric may be die cut leaving blank spaces where the signal or message is to be located and then inserting a substitute material of a lesser paint holding ability.

(e) A Jacquard loom may be employed whereby the high and low pile is woven directly into the paint roller material.

(f) Chemical processes may also be used for etching the signal or message into the pile with a reacting liquid.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, which is merely exemplary and not limiting, the paint roller cover 14 includes a pile of Dynel (a synthetic fiber made by the copolymerization of 40% acrylonitrite and 60% vinyl chloride), and the signal on the roller cover is branded into the pile, in accordance with Example a, supra. The pile throughout the roller cover (except at the signal portion 12) has an average height of .1875, and the pile at the signal portion has an average height of .1250", so that the pile throughout the roller cover is approximately 1 /2 times as long as the pile in the signal portion. The above described paint roller is useful in applying a paint of the following composition to obtain a spreading rate of 450 sq. ft. per gallon:

INTERIOR PAINT These above mentioned methods are illustrative of suitable methods of adapting a paint applicator so as to in clude the novel indicating means disclosed herein. It must be noted that the fabric type roller cover is shown for illustrative purposes only, and the invention may be embodied in other paint applicators. For instance, a standard paint brush may have different bristles along the brush with different paint holding abilities to indicate when an insufficient amount of paint is held by the brush. The bristles of lesser paint holding ability may be disposed centrally of the brush or adjacent one end so that when the paint in the brush reaches a preselected low level, the bristles of lesser paint holding ability will leave blank spaces on the surface being painted to indicate that the brush is to be reloaded with paint.

In using a paint roller embodying the invention disclosed herein, the roller is loaded with paint and rolled upon a surface to be painted. When the paint in the roller reaches a predetermined low level, i.e., the user is applying a layer of paint that approaches the minimum recommended thickness, the signal or message left by the blank areas in the paint film appears on the wall and signals the user to reload the applicator. FIGS. 4 and 5 show types of painting methods to illustrate the invention. FIG. 4 shows a V type painting method wherein the applicator is rolled on a wall or the like forming a series of Vs until a signal 30 is marked on the surface. The user then goes back and levels the film to fill in the area between the VS. He then reloads the cover 22 and continues to roll until the signal again appears on the surface reminding him that the applied film is approaching minimum satisfactory thickness. FIG. 5 illustrates a method of applying paint wherein the user simply continuously levels the film in a block 32 until the signal appears and he is reminded to reload his applicator.

Preferably, the indicating means is positioned adjacent the marginal edges of the applicator as illustrated in FIG. 1 such that the signal appears along the leading edge of the applied area of film (FIGS. 4 and 5) so that the user knows the precise point at which the paint on the applicator has reached its preselected low level.

In a modified form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 6, the indicating means 12 is such as to indicate on the paint applicator itself when the user is to reload the applicator. The indicating portion 12 of the roller is darkened, as by the application of black paint, to set that portion off from the remainder of the roller. When sufficient paint is on the roller, the darkened portion 12' does not show through the paint. But when the paint load reaches a preselected low level, the darkened portion 12' on the applicator would be visible to the user signaling the user to reload the applicator. The black paint, when dried on the pile of applicator, lessens the paint holding ability of the indicating portion. Indicating portion 12', therefore, will also give an indication on the wall when the paint load reaches the preselected low level.

As is mentioned above, the present invention contemplates that the indicating means may be provided on various types of applicators. In FIGS. 7 and 8 a pad type applicator is indicated in its entirety by reference number 40, and applicator 40 may be the same as that disclosed in Burns et al. application Ser. No. 657,884. As is explained in detail in the Burns et al. application, applicator 40 includes a rigid backing member 41 adapted to be connected to an appropriate handle, an intermediate, preferably resilient member 42 having its upper surface bonded to the lower surface of backing member 41, and a paint holding member 43 secured to the lower surface of intermediate member 42. The paint holding member 43 typically includes a plurality of short, erect fibers that are distributed uniformly over the lower surface of the paint holding member 43. In the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8, indicating means is provided in the paint holding member 43, and illustratively the indicating means may take the form of an elongate channel or groove 44. As is evident from FIG. 7, groove 44 is positioned in a parallel relationship to the preferred directions of movement of the face of the applicator 40. Channel 44 may be made by shearing, branding, weaving or any of the other methods mentioned in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. l-5. In operation the pad 43 is fully loaded with paint and then wiped on a surface, preferably in one direction. Paint will be applied to the surface being painted across the width of the pad 43 until the application thickness diminishes to a predetermined level. At this point from the channel 44 will cease to be applied, thus leaving a blank stripe the width of the channel 44 on the application surface. Upon seeing this signal the user goes back and smooths out the applied film, preferably by using the pad 43 at a slightly oblique angle to the original alignment axis. The purpose of this is to prevent the channel 44 from forming a pronounced stripe in the paint film during the smoothing operation.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, which is merely exemplary and not limited, the paint holding member 43 of the applicator 40 includes a pile of nylon that Pigment:

Titanium Dioxide 55. Inert Pigment and Tinting Color 45. 0%

Total 100. 0% Vehicle:

Non Volatile Volatile (Water) 54. 0%

Total 100. 0% 100. 0%

While we have shown and described certain embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An applicator, comprising: means for applying a liquid to a surface, said means being adapted to coat said surface with a layer of liquid of a preselected thickness, and means on said liquid applying means for indicating when the applied layer of liquid is below said preselected thickness whereby the user will reload said liquid applying means with liquid.

2. The applicator of claim 1 wherein said indicating means is detectable on said liquid applying means when the applied layer of liquid is below said preselected thickness.

3. The applicator of claim 1 wherein said indicating means is detectable on said surface when the applied layer of liquid is below said preselected thickness.

4. The applicator of claim 1 wherein said liquid applying means is a material having a preselected liquid holding ability suflicient to apply a layer of liquid of said preselected thickness and said indicating means is a material having a liquid holding ability less than said liquid applying means.

5. The applicator of claim 4 wherein said paint applying means is a material having a pile adapted to receive and hold a preselected amount of liquid sufficient to properly coat said surface and said indicating portion is a part of said material having a pile adapted to hold less than said preselected amount of liquid.

6. The applicator of claim 5 wherein the thickness of the pile of said indicating portion is less than the thickness of the pile of the remainder of said liquid applying means.

7. The applicator of claim 6 wherein said indicating portion includes a word formed in said paint applying means.

8. The applicator of claim 1 wherein said liquid applying means is a roller having said indicating means adjacent a one marginal edge thereof.

9. The applicator of claim 1 wherein said liquid applying means is a first pad member, said indicating means being defined by a recessed portion of said pad member.

10. A paint applying device for coating a wall or the like with a layer of paint of a preselected thickness comprising, a roller including a paint applying surface of a fabric material having a pile adapted to receive and hold a preselected amount of paint suificient to apply said preselected layer of paint to said wall, said paint applying surface including an indicating portion, said indicating portion having a pile adapted to hold less than said preselected amount of paint such that when the applied layer of paint is below said preselected thickness said indicating portion leaves a blank area in said applied layer of paint thereby signaling a user to reload said paint applying surface with paint.

11. The paint applying device of claim 10 wherein the thickness of the pile of said indicating portion is less than the thickness of the pile of the remainder of said paint applying surface thereby having a lesser paint holding ability.

12. The paint applying device of claim 10 wherein the pile of said indicating portion is sheared such that the pile of said portion is shorter than the pile of the remainder of said paint applying surface.

13. The paint applying device of claim 10 wherein the pile of said indicating portion is sheared such that the pile of said portion is shorter than the pile of the remainder of said paint applying surface. 14. The paint applying device of claim 10 wherein said indicating portion is woven into said fabric material and has a shorter pile than the remainder of said paint applying means.

15. The method of forming a signaling means on a paint applicator such that the signaling means indicates to a user when an applied layer of paint is below a preselected thickness, wherein said method includes treating a portion of the applicator to lessen the paint holding ability of said portion so that said portion leaves a blank area in said applied layer of paint thereby signaling the user to reload the applicator with paint.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said treating includes cutting said signaling means into the pile of a fabric applicator so that the pile of said portion is shorter than the remainder of the applicator.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said treating includes holding a perforated stencil against said fabric applicator so that a portion of the pile extends through said perforations, and removing said extending portion so that the pile of said portion is shorter than the remainder of said applicator when the stencil is removed.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said treating includes searing said signaling means in the pile of a fabric applicator such that the pile of said portion is shorter than the remainder of said applicator.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein said treating includes etching said signaling means in the pile of a fabric applicator by means of a reacting liquid such that the pile of said portion is shorter than the remainder of said applicator.

. References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,368,513 1/1945 Adams 15230.11 2,467,010 4/ 1949 Coley 15230.1 1 2,887,711 5/ 1959 Hutchinson 15230.11

FOREIGN PATENTS 880,228 10/1961 Great Britain.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner R. I. SMITH, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 300-21