Colour Testing Set
The present invention relates to a colour testing set which enables the colour of paint or other decorating product which is to be applied to a wall, ceiling or other surface to be tested or appreciated against the surface.
Typically, a decorating product, especially paint for use in a domestic environment, is applied to a wall, ceiling or other surface using a brush or roller. Preparatory to painting the entire surface with a pre-selected colour, it is desirable to test or appreciate the pre-selected colour against the surface to be painted, usually, by applying the paint to a small portion of the surface. Such paint may be applied using a tester which comprises a small hand-held container filled with paint of the pre-selected colour together with a lid and a brush integral with the lid. A drawback of testing the pre-selected colour against the surface by painting the surface is that the original appearance of the surface cannot always be easily restored once the test has been carried out.
It is an object of the invention to provide a colour testing set which enables the colour of a paint or another decorating product which is to be applied to a wall, ceiling or other paintable surface to be tested or appreciated on the surface in a simple and easy manner.
Accordingly, the present invention consists in a colour testing set for aiding in the selection of the colour of a paint or other decorating product to be applied to a wall, ceiling or other paintable surface, comprising at least one transferable layer of sheet material having an upper surface which can be coated with a paint of a pre-selected colour, said transferable layer having an
under surface which is adhered to a carrier layer of sheet material providing a border about the transferable layer for protecting a surface on which the set is supported against painting, the adhesive adhering the transferable layer to the carrier layer being a releasable adhesive, whereby the transferable layer, when coated with the paint, can be peeled from the carrier layer and applied to said paintable surface for colour testing or appreciation.
The border about the transferable layer permits the transferable layer to be painted rapidly and easily without risk of painting the surface on which the colour testing set is supported. The transferable layer can be coated with paint, peeled from the carrier layer and applied to the paintable surface to test or appreciate the pre-selected colour against the paintable surface without painting the surface directly or preparing the surface. Furthermore, since the adhesive adhering the transferable layer to the carrier layer is a releasable adhesive, the transferable layer can be subsequently peeled from the paintable surface and adhered to another part of the same paintable surface or another surface enabling the colour or the paint to be tested or appreciated against other parts of the same surface or other surfaces rapidly and simply. When the colour has been tested against the surface, the original appearance of the surface is easily restored by peeling the transferable layer coated with the paint from the surface. The colour testing set is therefore hassle and mess free.
Preferably, the present invention consists in a plurality of the colour testing sets, preferably three, stacked together and packaged for easy transportation and storage purposes.
With a multiplicity of the colour testing sets, different pre-selected colours of paint can be easily and rapidly tested against the paintable surface by painting the transferable layer of each testing set a different colour and applying each transferable layer to the paintable surface for colour testing.
A dotted line may be marked on the carrier layer around the transferable layer at a predetermined distance from the transferable layer. Painting the transferable layer and part of the border of the carrier layer extending from the transferable layer up to the dotted line ensures that the entire upper surface of the transferable layer, including its edges, is painted preparatory to peeling the transferable layer from the carrier layer.
The transferable layer may include a strip which is free of the adhesive and which extends along at least part of the margin of the under surface of the transferable layer to facilitate manual peeling of the transferable layer from the carrier layer or underlying surface.
The carrier and transferable layers may comprise sheets of paper.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a plan view of the colour testing set,
Figure 2 is a side view of the colour testing set of Figure 1 , and
Figure 3 is a plan view of the colour testing set of Figure 1 showing the transferable layer coated with paint and partially peeled from the carrier layer.
Referring to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings, the preferred embodiment of the colour testing set 1 comprises a transferable layer 2 made from flexible sheet material and disposed on a carrier layer 3 which may be made from similar sheet material and which protects a surface 8, on which the set is supported, from being accidentally coated with paint. The carrier and transferable layers 2,3 may be produced, for example, from paper sheet suitable for painting on the upper surface with paint of a pre-selected colour. Preferably, the paper sheet is substantially matt white in colour.
Releasable adhesive coated on an under surface 4 of the transferable layer 2 releasably adheres the carrier and transferable layers 2, 3 together. The releasable adhesive permits the transferable layer 2 to be peeled from the carrier layer 3 and releasably adhered to a surface (not shown) which is to be painted.
The transferable layer 2 is of square configuration in plan, as is the carrier layer 3. The area of the carrier layer 3 is larger than the area of the transferable layer 2, for example the areas of the carrier and transferable layers are 42 cm2 and 30 cm2, respectively. The under surface 4 of the transferable layer 2 is adhered centrally to an upper surface of the carrier layer such that the carrier layer provides a square border region 6 having an exposed upper surface 7 about the transferable layer for protecting the supporting surface 8. A dotted line 9 is marked on the upper surface 7 of
the carrier layer 3 around the transferable layer 2 at a predetermined distance from the transferable layer.
As shown in Figure 3, the transferable layer 2 includes a strip 10, at the under surface 4 which is free of the adhesive. The strip 10 extends along the margin of one side 1 1 of the transferable layer 2. The strip 10 facilitates manual peeling of the transferable layer 2 from the carrier layer 3 or underlying surface.
The colour testing set may include a foam brush (not shown) for coating an upper surface 1 2 of the transferable layer 2 with paint.
In use, the colour testing set 1 is placed on a flat supporting surface 8 with the under surface 1 3 of the carrier layer 3 in contact with the surface 8 (see Figure 2) . A paint of selected colour is painted on the entire upper surface 1 2 of the transferable layer 2, as well as on the upper surface 7 of the border 6 proximate the transferable layer and up to at least the dotted line 9. Painting the upper surface 7 up to the dotted line 9, in addition to the upper surface 1 2, ensures that the entire upper surface 1 2, including its edges, is painted preparatory to peeling the transferable layer 2 from the carrier layer 3. The border 6 surrounding the transferable layer 2 protects the supporting surface 8 from being accidentally coated with paint. The transferable layer 2 can therefore be painted rapidly and easily without risk of painting the surface 8 on which the colour testing set 1 is supported.
Once the paint coated on the upper surface 1 2 is dry, the transferable layer 2 is manually peeled from the underlying carrier layer 3 by gripping the edge of the side 1 1 of the transferable layer 2 and peeling the transferable layer 2
from the underlying carrier layer 3 (see Fig. 3). The strip 10 facilitates peeling of the layer 2 from the carrier layer 3. The under surface 4 of the transferable layer 2 is then releasably adhered to a surface (not shown) which is to be painted, such as the surface of a wall, so that the pre- selected colour of the paint coated on the upper surface 1 2 can be tested, that is viewed and appreciated, against the actual surface to be painted.
With the colour testing set 1 of the present invention, there is no need to paint the surface directly or prepare the surface for painting in order to test or appreciate the colour of the paint against the surface. In order to test the colour of the paint against a different part of the surface or a completely separate paintable surface, the transferable layer 2 is subsequently peeled from the paintable surface to which it is adhered and adhered to another part of the surface or a separate surface, as desired. The colour testing set therefore enables the colour of the paint to be tested in different positions on the same surface or another surface in a simple and rapid manner. Furthermore, when the colour has been tested against the surface, the original appearance of the surface is simply restored by peeling the transferable layer from the surface. The colour testing set is therefore hassle and mess free.
A second transferable layer of a second identical colour testing set (not shown) can be subsequently painted the same pre-selected colour as the first transferable layer 2 of the first colour testing set 1 , peeled from the carrier layer and releasably adhered to the paintable surface adjacent the first transferable layer 2 of the first testing set 1 so as to enable the colour of the paint to be tested or appreciated against a larger surface area of the paintable surface. Also, the second transferable layer painted the same pre-
selected colour as the first transferable layer 2 could be placed in a lighter or darker area of the same room to the first transferable layer 2. This will enable a comparison of the same pre-selected colour but in different lighting conditions. Also, the second transferable layer of the second colour testing set may be painted a different pre-selected colour to the first transferable layer 2 of the first testing set 1. Different colours of paint can therefore be easily and rapidly tested against one or more paintable surfaces using a plurality of the colour testing sets.
A plurality of the colour testing sets, preferably three, may be stacked one above the other and packaged for easy transportation and storage purposes.
Whilst a particular embodiment has been described, it would be understood that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It would, for example, be obvious to those skilled in the art that the carrier and transferable layers are not restricted to being square in configuration, such as illustrated and described herein, and that the colour testing set may comprise a single transferable layer or a stack of any number of transferable layers.