US3663982A - Utility caddy for roller painting - Google Patents

Abstract

A utility caddy or portable carrier for paint roller pans and accessories comprising a relatively deep tray, a raised platform adapted to support and retain paint roller pans of varying sizes, large wheels supporting the forward end of the tray, a friction heel supporting the rear end of the tray, and an adjustable handle for pushing the caddy from place to place. Drip troughs surrounding the raised platform catch paint spilled while filling the roller pan or wetting the roller and are also adapted to carry and store the paint roller and miscellaneous painting tools.

Description

[54] UTILITY CDY FOR OLLER 1P [72] Inventor: David M. Hayden, 3646-11 Falling Spring Rd., Columbia, S.C. 29203 [22] Filed: Dec. 10, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 96,832

[52] US. Cl ..15/257, 15/248 [51] Int. Cl. ..B05c 11/16 [58] Field of Search ..15/257.06, 246, 248, 257, 104, 15/1; 68/233, 213; 280/47.1247.34, 47.35

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,341,876 9/1967 Campbell ..15/1 2,694,825 11/1954 Touchett et al... ....15/257.06 1,661,931 3/1928 Dolan ..15/104R 3,407,429 10/1968 Di Nardo ..15/257 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 67,717 10/1957 France ..l5/257.06 843,658 6/1970 Canada ..15/257 Primary Examiner-Leon G. Machlin AttomeyTownsend M. Belser, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A utility caddy or portable carrier for paint roller pans and ac cessories comprising a relatively deep tray, a raised platform adapted to support and retain paint roller pans of varying sizes, large wheels supporting the forward end of the tray, a friction heel supporting the rear end of the tray, and an adjustable handle for pushing the caddy from place to place, Drip troughs surrounding the raised platform catch paint spilled while filling the roller pan or wetting the roller and are also adapted to carry and store the paint roller and miscellaneous painting tools.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented May 23, 1972 3,663,982

I INVENTOR DAVID M. HAYDEN -F.z7..5 BY

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ATTO EY UTILITY CADDY FOR ROLLER PAINTING BACKGROUND OF INVENTION This invention relates to portable caddies or carriers for containers, and more specifically to a caddy adapted to carry a paint roller pan and all the accessories required for roller painting with latex type paints. The caddy is novelly constructed in such a manner that the user thereof can readily move the pan containing the paint to any location desired and pick up the paint with the applicator or roller without ever bending over or delaying the painting process.

Prior to the present invention, it has been the usual practice to place the roller pan upon a drop cloth or other protective floor covering before filling the pan with paint from the container in which it was purchased. The filled pan is then placed at a fixed location upon a drop cloth near the area to be painted and both the pan and the drop cloth must be picked up and moved before the paint can be applied to a new section of wall or other area. In addition, screwdrivers, trimmers, touch-up brushes, and other painting accessories are usually spread around randomly on the drop cloth and, if not misplaced or lost, must constantly be retrieved for use in a new area. The use of a conventional roller paint pan can thus be a laborious and messy task requiring a painter to make frequent trips back and forth to the paint pan and to move both the paint pan and its underlying drop cloth when the distance to the pan becomes too great. Both the initial filling of the roller pan and the frequent movements for which it is not designed often result in the spilling or dripping of paint onto exposed floor or carpet. All of the foregoing steps and incidents require frequent stops in the painting process in order to move paint pans, drop cloths and the other painting accessories, and to clean up spilled paint.

Although the prior art discloses carriers and caddy-type devices for containers of various types, none of those devices are capable of portably supporting a conventional roller paint pan. Furthermore, none of the prior art devices are designed to conveniently transport paint rollers and other painting tools and accessories.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION With the foregoing background and prior art in mind, one of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide an easily portable, hand-operated caddy of novel design capable of holding and retaining a conventional roller paint pan in its operable position and preventing spillage of paint to underlying surfaces while the pan is filled, used and transported from place to place with its normal load of paint.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable caddy adapted to permit movement and use of the paint pan without stooping or bending over and without interrupting the painting process.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a portable caddy for roller paint pans wherein the main body component thereof may be easily and economically manufactured from a single piece of material, either by using conventional molding techniques with plastics or conventional stamping techniques with sheet metals.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable roller pan caddy having a vertically extending handle adjustable to the height of the user and adapted to be readily disassembled for packaging, shipment or storage of the caddy.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable caddy adapted to retain and transport roller paint pans of various sizes and to be moved with one hand.

A further object of the invention is to provide a caddy facilitating movement of a roller paint pan over floors and rugs, and over drop cloths and other obstructions, without snagging, and adapted to frictionally engage underlying surfaces when at rest.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a portable caddy of novel construction for holding a conventional roller paint pan in such a way as to prevent accidental spills both during movement from place to place and while in use, thereby eliminating the need for drop cloths or other floor coverings to protect underlying surfaces.

In addition to the numerous advantages arising by reason of accomplishing the foregoing objectives, the present invention has the further advantage of simplicity, ruggedness, durability, and ease of overall construction and manufacture. The caddy disclosed can be easily constructed from relatively few parts, many of which are commercially available, and its component parts are easily disassembled to facilitate shipment and storage. The exact nature of the invention, as well as other objects and advantages, will be apparent from the annexed drawings and the following specific description of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the caddy and shows the upper surface of the raised platform which conforms generally to the bottom of a conventional roller paint pan.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1 and illustrates in dotted outline the mounted position of a roller pan.

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a second transverse sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the construction details on the axle and wheel mountings at the forward end of the caddy body.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the construction details of the adjustable mounting for the caddy handle at the right rear side of the caddy body.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Referring now to the drawing and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, there is illustrated one form of the caddy made according to the present invention. As shown in those figures, the main body or carriage, generally designated 8, may comprise a relatively deep tray of rectangular shape having vertical sidewalls 9 and 10,21 vertical forward wall 15 and a vertical rear wall 16. Rising from the bottom or floor 11 of the tray is a centrally located platform 12 having an upper surface gradually sloping downward toward the front end of the tray and flattening out near its lower end to form a short level surface 12-a which terminates at a lower retaining ridge or stop 13 as best illustrated in FIG. 2. Rigidly secured to the upper rear face of platform 12 and extending along the width thereof is a ledge or retaining lip 14 of a size and shape to fit within and engage the rear supports or legs 42 of a conventional roller paint pan 40 as illustrated in FIG. 2. As shown in that figure, the upper surface of platform 12 and the contiguous retaining lip 14 conform generally to the shape of the underside or bottom of a roller paint pan, stop 13 being immediately adjacent to the forward end of the largest pan which can be mounted upon the platform. Although the raised platform 12 is preferably formed as an integral part of the caddy tray 8 by shaping the bottom 1 1 through a molding or stamping process, the platform 12 may be inserted within a flat bottom tray as a separate component.

In the areas between the side faces of platform 12 and the sidewalls 9 and 10, respectively, and between the front face of platform 12 and the forward wall 15, bottom 11 of the tray structure is shaped to form drip troughs 36 as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawing. The horizontal distances between the faces of platform 12 and the opposing forward or sidewall of the tray are approximately equal and are selected both to provide sufiicient storage space to hold touch-up paint brushes, trimming devices, and the other miscellaneous accessories used in roller painting, and to catch paint dripping or spilling from the pan, roller or other painting device.

Across the rear of the tray 8 and formed integrally with rear wall 16 is a ledge or step 32 which projects inwardly to form a supporting surface for the head of a paint roller. The rearwardly projecting retaining lip 14 is spaced a sufficient distance from the rear wall 16 to provide a channel to the rear of the paint pan having a width greater than the diameter of the head or applicator portion of a paint roller. A paint roller with its head resting transversely to the caddy body may then be carried in the rear channel thus formed. Below the step 32 is a rear trough 37 which collects residual or excess paint draining from the roller head. This arrangement prevents residual paint from caking on the roller head, as would otherwise occur where such paint partially dries before further use of the roller.

The front end of the caddy body is supported on a pair of relatively large wheels 17-17, preferably of molded plastic construction, which are mounted on a transversely extending axle 18 rotatably attached to the caddy near its front end. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a single, continuous axle extending through apertures in the caddy body is preferred. Axle 18 is supported within the sidewall apertures by reinforcing metal inserts 20 which act as journals for axle rotation. The wheels 17-17 are each spaced from the caddy body by means of sleeves 22 which are of a sufficient length to prevent rubbing between the wheels and sidewalls 9 and 10. Sleeves 22 may be either of a plastic or metal material. Wheels 1717 may be secured on the outer ends of axle 18 by any suitable means, as by friction cap 24 which snaps on and frictionally engages the outer tip of the axle. A cotter key passing through a hole near the tip of the axle would also be an acceptable means for retaining wheels I7l7 on the axle. Another structural alternative would be to rigidly mold either the continuous axle or two separate axles into the caddy body and rotatably mount the wheels on the projecting axle tips.

The diameter of wheels 1717 is an important feature of this invention and is selected so that the wheels will be large enough to easily roll over and negotiate the edges of drop cloths, tarps, carpets, doorways, and other obstructions on the floor without getting snagged or caught and without spilling any of the paint held in the roller pan. In the preferred embodiment, the diameter of wheels 17-17 is greater than the depth of the caddy tray at its deepest point, namely the rear trough 37. For the same reason, the underside of the bottom 11 at and adjacent to the forward end of the caddy is constructed with a smooth bottom profile.

The rear end of the caddy rests upon a depending heel 34 molded or stamped from the container bottom and extending transversely under the rear of tray 8 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. An abrasive or non-skid strip 25 is affixed, as by an adhesive, to the underside of heel 34 at its tip or lowest point to provide a non-skid supporting surface at the opposite end of the caddy from wheels 17-17. When movement of the caddy is desired, the non-skid strip is raised from the floor by a handle means 26 and the caddy moved on its forward wheels 17- 17. Upon reaching the spot desired, the rear of the caddy is lowered so that strip 25 rests upon and frictionally engages the floor or other surface in order to hold the caddy in position. Although the non-skid component is shown as a separate strip in the drawings, a non-skid surface may also be provided on the underside of heel 34 by molding a rough surface at that location or by incorporating an abrasive material into the plastic of the heel portion. A separate strip may be comprised of any of the readily available non-skid materials, such as rubber, felt, or an abrasive mat of glass or plastic filaments.

Handle means 26 is mounted upon the caddy tray at a thickened or reinforced wall portion 33 near the rear of sidewall 9 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. The wall portion 33 prevents distortion of adjacent portions of walls 9 and 16 when the caddy is moved from place to place through the use of handle 26. Handle 26 may be comprised of two or more extensions, such as threaded sections 26-a and 26-h shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and may have a handle grip at the outer end of the last extension piece (not shown). At the inner end of the innermost handle section is a flattened portion 26-0. In the preferred embodiment, the vertical position of handle 26 is adjustable relative to the caddy body. This is achieved by rotatably securing the inner end 26-c of the handle to wall portion 33 by means of a rivet-type fastener 27, about which the handle 26 is adapted to swing in a vertical plane parallel to sidewall 9. The are through which the handle is allowed to swing is limited by means of a bolt 29 passing through both an arcuate slot 28 in the wall portion 33 and an aligned aperture in the handle portion 26-c. A washer 30 provides a bearing surface for the head of bolt 29 and the bolt is held in position by means of a wing nut 31 threaded on its outer end. The center point of the arc followed by slot 38 is rivet fastener 27. The length of the slot 28 thereby governs the arc through which handle 26 may swing. Upon tightening the wing nut 31, the bearing surface of washer 30 engages the inner face of wall portion 33 adjacent to slot 28 and the flattened surface 26-c of the handle engages the outer face of wall portion 33 to frictionally lock the handle 26 at the position desired. The length of handle 26 may also be altered by increasing or decreasing the number of handle extensions. These adjustments allow the length and position of the handle to be varied so as to fit the particular height and arm length of the user.

The body of the caddy may be comprised of any of the moldable plastics, such as polyethylene or polyvinylchloride, molded into the novel shape illustrated in the drawings. However, for paints other than the water-based, latex type, the plastic selected must not be susceptible to the paint solvent. The caddy body may also be stamped from a single piece of metal such as stainless steel. To facilitate the molding or stamping process, the retaining lip 15 is preferably manufactured as a separate item and then secured to the rear face of platform 12 by any suitable means, such as with an adhesive in the case of plastics, or by riveting in the case of metals. In either case, an interlocking structure employing tabs on the lip and corresponding apertures in the platform may be used.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is designed specifically to carry a roller pan of a 9 inch or smaller nominal size. The majority of roller pans sold on the market today are sized for either 7 or 9 inch rollers. Nine-inch and 7 inch roller pans have overall dimensions of approximately 1 l X 16 inches and 9 X 16 inches, respectively. The caddy described here may be used with those sizes and with smaller pans. In the construction of such a caddy, overall dimensions of 2l inches in length by 15% inches in width are considered to yield an optimum design. The interior platform 12 has overall dimensions of 15% inches in length by 11 inches in width, the former including a %-inch wide range 13 and a [34-inch wide retaining lip 14. With such a platform, the shallow or rear end of the larger roller pans will overhand the lip 14 by approximately one-half inch when their deep or forward end abuts stop 13 and the rear legs of the pan hook around and engage the retaining lip as illustrated in FIG. 2. Although shorter pans may not abut against stop 13, the frictional engagement between their legs 42 and the lip 14 will satisfactorily retain them in position on platform 12.

In the foregoing caddy, the forward and side troughs 36 are about 2 inches in width which is adequate to receive most of the accessory tools for roller painting. The front and side troughs 36 and the rear trough 37 are approximately 3 and 4 inches in depth, respectively. The rear channel above ledge 32 is approximately 3 /zinches in width to provide a space of about 3 inches to the rear of the roller pan which is sufficient to hold roller heads of the most frequently occurring sizes, namely, from 2 to 2% inches in diameter when wet. The overall length of the tray may be increased and the width of the rear channel increased accordingly to produce a caddy capable of carrying larger roller heads.

Another important feature of the invention is the relation between pan depth and wheel diameter. It has been found that movement of the caddy over rugs, carpets, and other obstructions is facilitated by a wheel diameter greater than the depth of the pan at its deepest point. Molded plastic wheels having an outside diameter in the range of between 4 and 6 inches greatly improved the mobility of the caddy employing a rear trough depth of 4 inches. A wheel diameter of 5 inches was used in the preferred embodiment.

A roller pan caddy constructed according to the present invention provides a versatile and novel painting and utility platform. The various accessory painting tools can be carried and stored in the troughs 36 around the forward and side edges of the central platform 12. The painting roller itself can be carried and stored to the rear of the platform in the space above trough 37. By providing a carriage area for all of the painting tools, those items are retained in one convenient spot and are not easily lost or misplaced. Each tool is readily accessible to the painter as he moves the caddy along with him during the painting process, thereby eliminating much of the wasted time and effort previously spent in searching for misplaced items and in frequent trips to and from a remote paint bucket or utility area. In addition, all of the painting tools and the roller pan itself may be left in the caddy in their as used condition and stored overnight while still containing residual paint by placing a plastic cover or wrap over the entire caddy tray to prevent the residual paint from drying out. When drying out is thus prevented, the paint pan and painting tools may be reused the following day without the necessity of cleaning or removing residual paint. It has been found that such overnight storage does not haveany deleterious effect upon the painting operation, at least with latex type paints. Overnight storage of wet painting equipment is extremely beneficial to the professional painter who otherwise has to spend substantial amounts of time in cleaning his equipment at the end of each working day.

Both the handle and other attachments to the main caddy body are easily removed and packaged for shipment or storage. Ease of construction, durability and numerous other advantages flow from the novel caddy design described and illustrated above.

Although but a single embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, other embodiments and variations will occur to those skilled in the art. Thus, as already suggested above, the centrally located platform 12 may be inserted in a flat bottomed tray as a separate component and may be of a wood, plastic or other material, instead of being formed as part of the caddy body. It is possible, of course, to use various features of the embodiment and variations described, either separately or in various combinations, and such uses are within the contemplation of the present invention. Furthermore, many structural changes and substitutions of material are possible and such changes are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

lclaim:

1. A utility caddy for roller painting equipment, including a roller paint pan having a slanted bottom with supporting legs at its shallow rear end, comprising a rectangular, relatively deep tray open at the top and having fluid retaining side, forward and rear walls of substantially uniform height; a fluid retaining bottom connecting said walls; a raised rectangular platform in the central portion of said tray adapted to support the roller pan above the bottom thereof, said platform including an upper supporting surface conforming to the slanted bottom of the roller pan and a rear retaining lip adapted to engage the rear supporting legs of said paint pan so as to retain the pan in position on said supporting surface; drip troughs surrounding and contiguous with the base of said platform; a pair of wheels of relatively large diameter rotatably mounted near the forward end of said tray and adapted to support the caddy for translational movement; a depending heel near the rear of said tray adapted to rigidly support the rear of the caddy and frictionally engage an underlying surface when resting thereon to prevent translational movement of said wheels; and vertically extending handle means mounted near the rear of said caddy tray and adapted to raise said heel from engagement with said surface and render the caddy portable on said forward wheels.

2. A caddy as claimed in claim 1 wherein said central plat- I form includes a forward stop adapted to abut the deep forward end of a paint pan in position upon said supporting surface.

3. The caddy of claim 1 wherein said depending heel extends transversely across the bottom of said tray and has a narrow strip of non-skid surface on the underside of the lowest portion thereof to frictionally engage an underlying surface when resting thereon.

4. The caddy as claimed in claim 1 wherein said handle means includes an elongated handle portion, means for rotatably mounting one end of said handle on said tray such that its longitudinal axis swings through a limited range of arc in the vertical plane, and means for securing said handle at any position within said range of arc.

5. A caddy as claimed in claim 4 wherein said handle is mounted upon a sidewall of said tray reinforced to reduce distortion of adjacent portions of the tray body.

6. A caddy as claimed in claim 5 wherein said reinforcing is comprised of increased wall thickness surrounding the point of attachment of said handle.

7. The caddy as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rear wall of said tray is spaced a sufficient distance to the rear of said platform to form a channel for receiving the paint roller head and said wall includes a forwardly projecting shelf adapted to support said roller head over said rear trough such that residual paint will drain from the roller head and collect in the trough.

8. The caddy as claimed in claim 7 wherein said side and front drip troughs are adapted to receive and carry accessory painting equipment.

Claims (8)

1. A utility caddy for roller painting equipment, including a roller paint pan having a slanted bottom with supporting legs at its shallow rear end, comprising a rectangular, relatively deep tray open at the top and having fluid retaining side, forward and rear walls of substantially uniform height; a fluid retaining bottom connecting said walls; a raised rectangular platform in the central portion of said tray adapted to support the roller pan above the bottom thereof, said platform including an upper supporting surface conforming to the slanted bottom of the roller pan and a rear retaining lip adapted to engage the rear supporting legs of said paint pan so as to retain the pan in position on said supporting surface; drip troughs surrounding and contiguous with the base of said platform; a pair of wheels of relatively large diameter rotatably mounted near the forward end of said tray and adapted to support the caddy for translational movement; a depending heel near the rear of said tray adapted to rigidly support the rear of the caddy and frictionally engage an underlying surface when resting thereon to prevent translational movement of said wheels; and vertically extending handle means mounted near the rear of said caddy tray and adapted to raise said heel from engagement with said surface and render the caddy portable on said forward wheels.

2. A caddy as claimed in claim 1 wherein said central platform includes a forward stop adapted to abut the deep forward end of a paint pan in position upon said supporting surface.

3. The caddy of claim 1 wherein said depending heel extends transversely across the bottom of said tray and has a narrow strip of non-skid surface on the underside of the lowest portion thereof to frictionally engage an underlying surface when resting thereon.

4. The caddy as claimed in claim 1 wherein said handle means includes an elongated handle portion, means for rotatably mounting one end of said handle on said tray such that its longitudinal axis swings through a limited range of arc in the vertical plane, and means for securing said handle at any position within said range of arc.

5. A caddy as claimed in claim 4 wherein said handle is mounted upon a sidewall of said tray reinforced to reduce distortion of adjacent portions of the tray body.

6. A caddy as claimed in claim 5 wherein said reinforcing is comprised of increased wall thickness surrounding the point of attachment of said handle.

7. The caddy as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rear wall of said tray is spaced a sufficient distance to the rear of said platform to form a channel for receiving the paint roller head and said wall includes a forwardly projecting shelf adapted to support said roller head over said rear trough such that residual paint will drain from the roller head and collect in the trough.

8. The caddy as claimed in claim 7 wherein said side and front drip troughs are adapted to receive and carry accessory painting equipment.

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