Abstract:
A device and method for cleaning paint accessories and particularly roller covers and/or other paint accessories simultaneously or individually. A spray head has a fluid inlet engageable to a source of fluid and a fluid collection chamber in communication with the fluid inlet. A plurality of spray apertures are radially spaced within the spray head to be adjacent the nap of a roller cover during use. A sealing surface positioned within the radius of the spray apertures seals off an end of the roller cover. A housing having an inner cavity for receiving a roller cover has a diameter sized to create cleansing fluid flow through the nap of a roller cover. A plurality of outlet apertures in communication with the inner cavity are radially spaced to be adjacent a nap portion of a roller cover during use. A plurality of decreased diameter nestable sleeves adapted to fit in the housing are also provided to accommodate variously circumferentially dimensioned paint rollers.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/603,479, filed Jun. 25, 2003, and entitled Roller Cover Cleaning Device and Method, now abandoned. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention generally relates to cleaning devices for painting accessories, and more specifically relates to an improved cleaning device for roller covers, as well as paint brushes, pans, edgers, etc. 
   2. Prior Art 
   Roller covers placed upon roller frames for application of coatings such as paint and stain to surfaces such as walls, doors and trim have been used for many years. Roller covers comprise a sleeve surrounded by a fibrous portion, generally called a nap, for absorbing paint or stain that is rolled onto the surface of the wall, door or trim. Upon completion of an application of paint or stain to a surface, the roller cover must be cleaned of excess paint or stain to prevent the paint or stain from drying within the fibrous nap and rendering the roller cover unusable for future use. 
   In the past, a common way of cleaning a roller cover was to remove a first amount of excess paint or stain by scraping the nap with a rigid instrument such as a putty knife, screw driver, or a tool having an edge with a curve matching the circumferential curvature of the roller cover. After the first amount of excess paint or stain had been removed, the roller cover was then generally wrung out by hand while being exposed to a diluent such as water, paint thinner or kerosene. 
   An early example of a device for cleaning a roller cover is a device that is generally referred to as a slinger. A slinger generally has a pair of spring arms for frictionally receiving a roller cover, which arms are connected to a manually actuated spinning mechanism that rotates the spring arms and roller cover, effectively “slinging” the paint or stain from the roller. This type of device is very messy in that the fluid held by the nap of the roller cover is discarded radially during operation of the device. 
   Other devices have been devised to clean roller covers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,230 issued to Lacher discloses a paint roller cover. The hollow center of the cover is closed by appropriate plugs and a cleaning fluid is forced into one end of the casing to flow axially through only the absorbent material and out the other end of the casing. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,478 issued to Cooney discloses an open-ended cylindrical casing sized and shaped to receive a paint roller cover with a plug inserted into one end. The cylindrical casing has a closure cap with a connection for supplying pressurized liquid through the casing and a second aperture closure cap for discharging the liquid. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,429 issued to Zarich discloses a paint roller cleaner having a generally tubular housing with one open end and a tapered end to join to a faucet coupling adapted to be releasably secured to a water source. 
   As will be described in greater detail below, the device of the present invention is well suited for cleaning roller covers as well as other painting accessories, simultaneously with, or independently of a roller cover. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   According to the invention there is provided a device for cleaning painting accessories, the device comprising: a housing having an inner cavity configured to receive a painting accessory therein with a diameter sized to create cleansing fluid flow through a nap portion of a roller cover during use in cleaning of a roller cover and an inwardly tapered portion positioned adjacent a tapered end of the roller cover for maintaining the cleansing fluid flow adjacent the tapered end, and having a plurality of outlet apertures positioned adjacent the inwardly tapered portion of the housing; and a spray head for cleaning a roller cover, the head comprising: a fluid supply inlet having a fastener for fastening to a fluid supply; a fluid collection chamber in communication with the fluid supply inlet; a plurality of radially spaced apertures in communication with the fluid collection chamber; a first sealing surface positioned within the radius of the spray apertures sized to substantially seal off an end of the roller cover during use; and a second sealing surface connected positioned surrounding the spray apertures to provide a fluid tight seal between the spray head and a housing for holding the paint roller during use. 
   Further, according to the invention there is provided a paint roller cleaning kit, the kit comprising: a spray head having a fluid supply inlet with a fastener for fastening to a fluid supply; a fluid collection chamber within the spray head in communication with the fluid supply inlet; threads about an inner perimeter of the spray head; a plurality of spray apertures radially spaced to be adjacent fibrous portions of a roller cover during use; a first sealing surface positioned within the radius of the spray apertures sized to substantially seal off an end of a roller cover during use; a housing threadedly engageable to the spray head and having an inner cavity and a radial array of outlets at an outlet end thereof; a plurality of sleeves nestably receivable in the housing for receiving roller covers of differing diameter, the plurality of sleeves having differing diameters sized to create cleansing fluid flow through the fibrous portion of a roller cover during use and an inwardly tapered portion positioned to be adjacent a tapered second end of the roller cover for maintaining the cleansing fluid flow adjacent the tapered second end. 
   Still further, according to the invention there is provided a method cleaning a roller cover, the method comprising: collecting cleansing fluid in a collection chamber adjacent a fluid supply inlet; increasing velocity of the cleansing fluid entering into a housing from the collection chamber for cleaning roller a cover by concentrating the cleansing fluid flow through radially spaced spray apertures, the inlet apertures directing the cleansing fluid to a nap portion of a roller cover; guiding the cleansing fluid toward tapered end portions of the roller cover by tapering inner cavity portions of the housing adjacent the tapered end portion of the roller cover; and maintaining cleansing fluid pressure within the housing by restricting cleansing fluid exit from the housing through radially spaced outlet apertures. 
   Yet further according to the invention there is provided a method for simultaneously cleaning a roller cover and at least one more accessory comprising the steps of: collecting cleansing fluid in a collection chamber adjacent a fluid supply inlet; increasing velocity of the cleansing fluid entering into a housing from the collection chamber for cleaning roller a cover by concentrating the cleansing fluid flow through radially spaced spray apertures, the inlet apertures directing the cleansing fluid to a nap portion of a roller cover; guiding the cleansing fluid toward tapered end portions of the roller cover by tapering inner cavity portions of the housing adjacent the tapered end portion of the roller cover; maintaining cleansing fluid pressure within the housing by restricting cleansing fluid exit from the housing through radially spaced outlet apertures; and directing the cleansing fluid exiting the housing toward the at least one more accessory to clean same simultaneously. 
   Yet further, according to the invention there is provided a method for cleaning a paint accessory other than a paint roller cover independently comprising the steps of: engaging a spray head comprising a spray head having a fluid supply inlet with a fastener for fastening to a fluid supply; a fluid collection chamber within the spray head in communication with the fluid supply inlet; and a plurality of spray apertures within the spray head and being radially spaced therearound, to a source of cleansing fluid; and directing the cleansing fluid toward, onto, or through the paint accessory to be cleaned. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a longitudinal cross sectional view through the device of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a housing of the device. 
       FIG. 3  is a plan view of the bottom of the housing. 
       FIG. 4  is a longitudinal cross sectional view through an insert which is receivable in the housing to decrease a diameter thereof. 
       FIG. 5  is a plan view of the bottom of the insert. 
       FIG. 6  is an exploded cross sectional view through a spray head of the device. 
       FIG. 7  is a bottom plan view of the spray head. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a bottom plan view of a spray outlet plate received in the spray head. 
       FIG. 9  is a bottom plan view of an inner plug engageable to the outlet plate which keeps water flow directed radially outwardly thereof. 
       FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of a kit including the device showing, the housing, the spray head, a plurality of nestable inserts thereof, a hose use to engage the spray head of the device to a source of diluent, and a box within which the above structures are packaged. 
       FIG. 11  shows the spray head being used independently to clean a paint accessory, namely a paint brush. 
       FIG. 12  is a plan view of a bottom of a washer of the device. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to the drawings in greater detail there is illustrated therein a paint accessory cleaning device  10  made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1  the device  10  generally comprises a housing  20  and a spray head  30  suitably engaged thereto. The device  10  may also further include one or more nestable sleeves  40  receivable within the housing  10 , with the device  10  and various ancillary structures also being capable of being provided in the form of a kit  50 . 
   Although the device  10  is primarily functional in efficient cleaning of a roller cover  31 , it is equally well suited for simultaneously or independently cleaning other paint accessories  33 , such as a brush  33 , used in an exemplary fashion to represent such other paint accessories  33 . 
   Accordingly, all uses will be detailed below, with emphasis placed on the cleaning of a roller cover  31  typically having tapered ends  35 , though this should not, in any light, be construed as limiting. 
   The spray head or inlet manifold  30  incorporates a fluid supply inlet  32 , a collection chamber  34 , spray apertures  36 , a first sealing surface  38 , a second sealing surface  42  and threads  43  about the inner periphery  44  of the spray head  30  that are sized and shaped to engage coacting threads  45  on an open end  47  of the housing  20 . 
   The fluid supply inlet  32  includes a threaded retainer  46  for connecting the device  10  to a fluid supply or faucet (not shown) via a hose  48  having appropriate connectors  49  on each end thereof, the hose  48  being preferably 1 inch in diameter with about a ½ inch interior diameter. The device  10  may also optionally include other suitable retainers or adapters, known in the art, for connection of the device  10  to various types of fastening schemes common in fluid conduit connections. 
   The collection chamber  34  collects fluid  52  entering the device  10  via the fluid supply inlet  32 . Fluid  52  then exits spray apertures  36  of the spray head  30 , increasing the velocity of the fluid  52  entering the housing  20  to improve cleaning of various paint accessories  31 ,  33 , as defined above. 
   The inlet or spray apertures  36  are radially spaced to lie adjacent the fibrous or nap portion  56  of a roller cover  31  when the device  10  is used to clean such roller  31 . A first grouping  60  of spray apertures  36  is radially spaced preferably from about 1⅞ inches to about 2⅛ inches apart and the apertures  36  are preferably sized from about 1/16 inch to about 3/32 inch in diameter and direct fluid to inner areas of the nap portion  56 . 
   A second grouping  62  of spray apertures  36  surrounds the first grouping  60  of spray apertures  36  to provide increased flow of fluid  52  to outer areas of the nap portion  56 . 
   It has been shown through extensive testing that such placement and sizing of the spray apertures  36  provides superior results in cleaning the nap portion  56  of paint rollers  31 . It is also contemplated, in one embodiment, that the spray apertures  36  may be angled inwardly toward a center point of their radial spacing. It is contemplated that the preferred inward angularity of the spray apertures  36  would range from 0° to about 22½° from a vertical orientation. It is even further contemplated that the spray apertures  36  may be divergently angled with respect to one another. Thus, orientation of the spray apertures  36  should not be construed as limiting. 
   The first concentric sealing surface  38  of the spray head  30  is positioned radially inwardly of the radius of the first grouping  60  of spray apertures  36  for directing flow of fluid  52  toward the nap portion  56  of the roller cover  31  during use in cleaning same. 
   The second concentric sealing surface  42  of the spray head  30  surrounds the first group  60  of spray apertures  36  and is positioned to provide a fluid tight seal between the housing  20  and the spray head  30  when the housing  20  and the spray head  30  are threadedly engaged, as desired in a preferred embodiment. 
   The housing  20  is preferably made of plastic about ⅛ inch thick and incorporates an inner cavity  80  for receiving roller covers  31  therein, a plurality of outlet apertures  82 , an open neck portion  84 , an inwardly tapered bottom area  86 , spaced apart feet  88  and a sealing surface  89  against which an inner wall  100  of the paint roller  31  abuts. The inner cavity  80  has a diameter sized primarily to create cleansing flow of fluid  52  through the nap portion  56  of a roller cover  31  when used to clean such roller cover  31 . A length of the inner cavity  80  is such that one tapered end  35  of a roller cover  31  seals against the first sealing surface  38  of the spray head  30  and a tapered second end  35  of the roller cover  31  seats in a circumferential groove  89  in a bottom wall  90  of the inner cavity  80 , defined between the tapered bottom area  86  and the sealing surface  89 . 
   The plurality of outlet apertures  82  communicate with the inner cavity  80  of the housing  20 , and are radially spaced to be adjacent nap portion  56  of roller cover  31  during use in cleaning same. The inwardly tapered portion  86  is positioned to be adjacent the tapered second end  35  of the roller cover  31  for maintaining the cleansing flow of fluid  52  adjacent the tapered second end  35 . The feet  88  may be formed integrally with the housing  20  to assist in standing the housing  20  in an upright position and providing clearance for fluid  52  exiting the housing  20  during use. 
   Roller covers  31  commonly come in several different standard diameters such as 2 inches, 2¼ inches and 3 inches. In order to accommodate the variations in diameter, the device  10  may also include accessory, nestable spacer sleeves  40  which are preferably made of a plastic and are of decreasing diameter for nested insertion into the inner cavity  80  of the housing  20  when cleaning a smaller diameter roller cover  31  to maintain the cleansing flow of fluid  52  through the nap portion  56  of the roller cover  31 . 
   It will be understood that the device  10  with accessory structures defined above could be sold in a kit  50 , the kit being made into a package  81 . 
   The device  10  of the claimed invention operates in a manner where pressurized cleansing fluid  52  such as water, is fed into the device  10  through the fluid supply inlet  32 . The cleansing fluid  52  enters the collection chamber  34  defined by an opening  34  within a thick washer  102 , from where it exits through the groups  60  and  62  of inlet or spray apertures  36  into the inner cavity  80  of the housing  20 . The spray apertures  36  perform the dual function of increasing the velocity of the cleansing fluid  52  entering the housing  20  and directing the cleansing flow of fluid  52  evenly to all areas of the nap portion  56  of the roller cover  31  to accomplish thorough cleaning. The close proximity of the nap portion  56  to an inner wall  92  of the housing  20  or  94  of accessory sleeve(s)  40  forces the cleansing fluid  52  through the nap portion  56  of the roller cover  31 , cleaning excess material such as water based paint or varnish from the nap portion  56  when water  52  is the fluid  52  used therewith. Once the cleansing fluid  54  reaches the bottom wall  90  of the inner cavity  80 , it exits the housing  20  via outlet apertures  82 . 
   It will be understood that pressurized paint thinners, varnish removers, etc. could also be used with the device  10 . 
   The claimed invention also comprises a method of cleaning a roller cover  31  and/or other accessory  33 , accomplished using the device  10 . 
   When cleaning a roller cover  31  only, the device  10  first collects the cleansing fluid  52  in the collection chamber  34  so that the cleansing fluid  52  can be directed into the housing  20  through the spray apertures  36 . The velocity of the cleansing fluid  52  is then increased by concentrating the flow rate of the cleansing fluid  52  entering the device  10  into directed streams through the use of the spray apertures  36 . The spray apertures  36  also achieve the goal of pointedly directing the cleansing fluid  52  streams toward the nap portion  56 , of the roller cover  31 . 
   The internal configuration of the device  10  then guides the removed coating material and cleansing fluid  52  toward the bottom or second tapered end portion  35  of the roller cover  31  by providing the inwardly tapered portion  86  of the housing  20  positioned adjacent the tapered end portion  35  of the roller cover  31 . During testing of the device  10  it was determined that the inwardly tapered portion  86  increased roller cover cleaning efficiency. 
   The device  10  also accomplishes the step of maintaining cleansing fluid  52  pressure within the housing  20  by restricting outflow of the cleansing fluid  52  through the outlet apertures  82 . 
   Restricting outflow of the cleansing fluid  52  from the housing  20  results in improved cleaning efficiency measured in the number of gallons or liters of cleansing fluid  52  required to properly clean a roller cover  31  using a roller cover cleaning device  10  of the type claimed. 
   It will further be understood that use of the device  10  is not restricted to cleaning of paint rollers  31  alone. 
   In this respect, since the cleaning fluid  52  exiting the outlet apertures  82  of the housing  20  is maintained pressurized, the device  10  can be used to simultaneously clean an accessory  33 , such as the brush  33 , by directing the outflow against the accessory  33 , rather than merely standing the device on its feet or legs  88 , as best illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
   Alternatively, as illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the spray head  30  can be used independently of the housing  20 , for cleaning such accessories  33 , independently of cleaning a roller cover  31 . 
   Although the invention has been described by reference to some embodiments it is not intended that the device  10  be limited thereby, but that modifications thereof are intended to be included as falling within the broad scope and spirit of the foregoing disclosure, the following claims and the appended drawings.