Roller Type Paint Applicator

Abstract

A paint-roller assembly comprising a cantilevered roller balanced relative to a support shaft which has a tubular handle integrally molded thereon; said handle having transverse grooves opening toward the roller for hanging the roller on a paint bucket, including undulations conforming to the user's hand, and including an axial socket in which an auxiliary extension handle is removably engaged and which permits two-handed paint application.

Description

Applying paint by means of rollers is well known in the art, however, containers for holding the paint being applied have comprised a relatively flat, angular-bottomed tray. The use of this type container generally results in an excessive use of paint. Further, although it is alleged that paint rollers can be more readily used to apply paint than through the use of conventional brushing, however, the rollers are relatively heavy and use of a roller over a long period of time can cause fatigue to an inexperienced workman. Additionally, roller type applicators are manipulated in one hand and this rapidly tires the user.

Primary objects of the present invention are to provide a novel paint roller type paint applicator which includes an improved handle construction;

To provide a novel handle for a roller type paint applicator in which means are provided to hand the applicator on the edge of a support;

To provide a novel handle on a roller type paint applicator which includes a hand-conforming portion and in which an axial socket permits an auxiliary balancing extension-handle to be detachably connected to the molded handle permitting two-handed energy-conserving use of the applicator.

These, together with other and more specific objects and advantages of the invention, will become apparent from a consideration of the following description of an exemplary embodiment when taken in conjunction with the drawing forming a part thereof, in which:

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the novel roller type paint applicator;

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1, showing by phantom lines a fragmentary portion of a paint bucket edge upon which the applicator can be hung; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary section taken on the plane of line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawing, a roller type paint applicator is indicated generally at 10 and comprises a support shaft 12 integral with a C-shaped portion 14 having a lateral shaft (not shown in detail) upon which a cantilever roller 16 is journaled. The roller is of any suitable material and will generally be of the replacable type. The roller is balanced with respect to the longitudinal axis A of the support shaft, it being noted that portion x of the roller is less than portion y of the roller i.e. the roller is eccentric relative to the shaft axis A.

The shaft 12 includes one or more longitudinal grooves 18 at the other end, and molded and integrally connected to the shaft 12 and overlying the grooves 18 is a tubular handle 20. The handle 20 is elongated and preferably molded from a suitable plastic, including open ended grooves 22 at its inner end which open toward the roller, longitudinal concavities as seen at 24 and spaced undulations 26 at substantially 90.degree. to the concavities. As seen in FIG. 2, the hooks 22 conveniently permit the roller assembly to be hung on either the outer or inner side of a bucket edge containing paint, or on any other convenient support.

The handle, as seen in FIG. 3, opens axially and includes a recessed, threaded bore 27; having relatively coarse threads, and into which a correspondingly threaded end 28 of an elongated auxiliary handle 30 is removably secured. The handle 30 in most instance will be of a length of about 15 inches, for example, and this permits paint to be applied to the walls, for example, with the painter using both hands i.e. one hand grasps the handle and the other grasps the auxiliary handle 30. In effect, the roller assembly is balanced about the handle 20 and the heavy paint-saturated roller is comfortably balanced in the user's two hands, and paint can be applied over a much longer period of time, without becoming tired, than is possible with conventional rollers held in only one hand.

Additionally, if preferred, the handle 30 can include an extensible section utilizing the teachings of applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 3,259,407 related to locks for telescopic tubes; in this instance the auxiliary handle 30, if extensible, permits ready painting of a ceiling or a high place without the use of a ladder. Of course, the auxiliary handle can comprise an integral pole of any convenient length and permit the roller to be readily used for painting ceiling etc. still affording the previously mentioned, balanced, two-handed construction.

In the preferred embodiment a skirt 32 is provided on the end of the molded handle in circumposed relation about the adjacent end of the extension handle 30 and in spaced relation therefrom to provide a protective hood enclosure 34 to prevent drops of paint from encrusting upon the connecting thread area and which skirt also serves to separate the rim 36 of the skirt from the outer surface of the extension handle as it is flexed in use, thus prolonging the appearance of the handle at this wear point and resisting fraying, weakening, or rupturing of the handle, such as by stress risers extending longitudinally of the molded handle, to this end, the end of the extension handle is radiused as at 38 to smoothly join the molded portion.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. A paint roller assembly comprising: a support shaft including a cantilever supported, paint applying roller journaled for rotation about its longitudinal axis; and a handle including means integrally connecting the lower end of said handle in longitudinally extending relation from the upper end of said support shaft,

said handle being tubular and including a rearwardly opening socket,

said socket including means for removably connecting an auxiliary handle substantially balancing the roller assembly about said handle,

said handle having opposed sides extending longitudinally and having intermediate, longitudinally extending indentations for orienting a user's finger tips when the handle is gripped, said sides and indentations being disposed in a plane substantially normal to the axis of rotation of the cantilever supported roller, opposite sides of the handle at substantially 90.degree. to the indented sides having a plurality of longitudinally spaced finger accommodating undulations for further orienting a user's fingers and conveniently and comfortably accommodating one's hand.

2. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which an auxiliary handle is removably disposed in said axial socket.

3. The structure as claimed in claim 2 in which said means comprises cooperating, threaded socket and stub shaft portions on said molded and auxiliary handles.

4. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said handle includes at least one outwardly opening, transverse notch portion opening toward said roller and parallel to the axis of rotation thereof for permitting the assembly to be hung on the edge of a support.

5. The structure as claimed in claim 5 including a second outwardly opening, transverse notch parallel to said first-mentioned one whereby the assembly can be hung on the inside or outside of a support edge such as a paint bucket or the like.

6. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said cantilever-supported roller is eccentric relative to an axial projection of the longitudinal axis of the support shaft and having a major portion projecting laterally and outwardly beyond said axial projection to substantially balance the roller about said longitudinal axis.

7. A paint roller as set forth in claim 1 wherein said handle includes a skirt portion extending longitudinally from the handle remote from said support shaft, an auxiliary handle removably secured in said handle socket, said skirt portion surrounding said auxiliary handle and in spaced relation therefrom and defining a protective hood at the juncture of said handle and said auxiliary handle when in assembly.

8. In a paint roller assembly comprising a support shaft including a paint applying roller journaled for rotation about its longitudinal axis; and handle means including means integrally connecting the lower end of said handle in longitudinally extending relation from the upper end of said support shaft, the improvement comprising:

said handle being tubular and including a rearwardly opening socket including means for removably connecting an auxiliary handle for substantially balancing the paint applying roller about said handle, said handle having opposed sides extending longitudinally and having intermediate, longitudinally extending indentations for orienting a user's finger tips when the handle is gripped, said sides and indentations being disposed in a plane substantially normal to the axis of rotation of the roller, opposite sides of the handle at substantially 90.degree. to said indentations having a plurality of longitudinally spaced finger accommodating indentations for further orienting a user's fingers.