Portable paint shield

A paint shield for releasable attachment to the head of a paint gun sprayer is disclosed for preventing overspray from contacting other exposed surfaces or components outside of the intended surface. The paint shield is comprised of a single planar sheet of flexible, sturdy, impermeable material, such as aluminum. The shield includes a base panel through which the nozzle of the spray gun is secured. A pair of contoured members extend away from the base member to make contact with the adjoining pavement, ground, or wall to establish the distance and the angle in which the nozzle is maintained from the surface. This construction assures that the width and angular velocity of the spray evenly covers the surface without undue waste. The paint shield may be preformed for specific cross sections of objects such as curbing or gutters.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to paint sprayer accessories; and more specifically, to a paint sprayer accessory for use with surfaces such as curbs, parking bumpers, or other objects having a consistent cross sectional shape to eliminate the misapplication of paint and overspray when using a spraying apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Paint is generally any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, is converted to a solid film. It has been used for over 40,000 years to protect, color, or provide texture to objects. Paint can be applied as a solid, as a gaseous suspension or as a liquid depending on the size of the object to be painted and the type of results desired. The amount of paint that is misplaced is largely a matter of the care of the painter, the type of tools the painter uses, and the size of the project. Certain tools, like rollers and brushes, generally put paint where it is wanted and require only thin strips of masking tape to segregate painted from unpainted surfaces. On a small project, masking surfaces adjacent to those in need of painting is not very time consuming. However, larger projects, like commercial settings where an entire house, building, or other structure must be painted make masking tape an unacceptable choice. In these circumstances, it has become common for painters to employ airless spray painting to accomplish the task. This form of painting utilizes a high-pressure pump that forces paint through a spray nozzle into a misting shower. Unlike spray guns that are used in conventional automobile and furniture painting, no air is mixed with the paint. While airless spray painting provides an extremely swift means for coating the surfaces of large structures, it has its drawbacks. In particular, it is difficult to create or frame a straight line around regular and irregular edged surfaces due to overspray, which occurs as the paint exits the nozzle of the spray gun. Masking tape, paper or plastic sheeting is often applied to form a protective shield to insure a complete and well defined surface for the application of paint, but this is costly from the standpoint of products used, and perhaps more significantly, from the aspect of additional labor required. Furthermore, when masking tape is not removed properly, it leaves a residue that is quite sticky and difficult to clean. Additionally, plastic and paper sheeting, because of their inherent flexibility, can move from their original positions during use, permitting paint to reach areas where it was not intended. To avoid the problems associated with masking tape, and to protect a non-designated surface or wall from the misapplication of paint while using a high pressure spray gun, painters have improvised by using hand-held paint shields formed with a strip of cardboard, aluminum or other suitable material. Such shields are held against a surface with one arm, leaving the other arm to use the sprayer, brush, or roller. As such, these shields become very difficult to hold in place while painting and are limited to straight edges. Corners, curves and irregular surfaces are therefore limited to masking with tape and sheeting.

Many objects may include curves or corners but include a constant cross sectional shape, and masking is required only to isolate them from their background. For example, curbs, parking bumpers, and the like include a constant cross sectional shape and require protective masking only to prevent the overspray of paint from hitting surrounding surfaces. The painting of curbs and parking bumpers is so common that the U.S. Department of Transportation has published “A Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways” that covers not only striping of roadways and highways, but also addresses the subject of curb painting. A curb is the edge where a raised pavement, sidewalk, footpath, road median or road shoulder meets an un-raised street or other roadway. Curbs separate the road from the roadside, discouraging drivers from parking or driving on sidewalks or lawns. They also provide structural support to the pavement edge. Curbs can be used to channel runoff water from rain, or melted snow and ice into storm drains. Curbs are effective at channeling motor vehicle traffic. There is also an aesthetic aspect, in that curbs look formal and “finished”, adding to the orderly appearance of the surrounding property. Other types of curbs include parking curbs.

Municipal jurisdictions throughout the United States often have established requirements for curb painting, particularly with relation to color coding for location and identification of the purpose of the curbed areas. The significance of the use of color-coding on curbs can best be described by colors as follows: Red zones are “No Parking” zones. They may be installed near intersection corners, at certain bus stops, at fire hydrants, at curb ramps, and most commonly, at edges of driveways. White zones are for passenger loading and unloading with a time limit of five minutes. The driver must remain with the vehicle at all times, with limited exceptions at preschools and hospitals. Typical establishments that may qualify for a white zone are hospitals, senior centers, medical offices with five or more practitioners, restaurants with 100 or more seats, theaters, churches, schools or government buildings. Green zones are for short-term parking, generally less than 10 minutes. Green can be applied in both metered and non-metered areas. Business establishments such as dry cleaners, florists, small neighborhood groceries, postal shipping centers and hardware stores may apply for short term parking privileges in front of their establishments. Yellow zones are for active freight loading and unloading only by commercial vehicles. Blue zones designate parking spaces for persons with valid disabled parking permits. Hence, brightly painted visible curbs help increase driver awareness and ensure safety for both vehicle operators and pedestrians. The adjoining roadway is often color coded as well, designed to direct or advise motor vehicle operators traveling over or parking in the paved areas. Thus, the importance of an orderly and clear application of colors can readily be understood.

Unfortunately, wear on the curbs from weather and vehicles bumping and rubbing against them cause damage to the painted surface; thereby requiring the re-painting of the curb to increase driver awareness. Because of the unconventional shape of a curb, using a paint sprayer typically causes excessive overspray onto undesired areas. In a parking lot with over 100 parking stalls, a painter would be required to place a masking barrier around all of the curbs before beginning the spraying. This would inevitably take considerable time and effort. Thus, what is needed in the art is a paint shield attachable to a paint gun sprayer that protects the area around a curb, parking curb, or other object having a constant cross-sectional shape from misapplication of paint when using a spraying apparatus. The paint shield of the instant invention would eliminate the need for the application of masking tape and plastic or paper sheeting around a curb, parking curb, or other object having a constant cross-sectional shape. The paint shield would thereby assist in the timely application of paint and reduce labor cost regardless of the dimension, curvature or location of a curb, parking curb, or other object having a constant cross-sectional shape.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A paint shield for releasable attachment to the head of a paint gun sprayer is disclosed for preventing overspray from contacting other exposed surfaces or components outside of the intended surface, such as a curb, parking curb, or other object having a constant cross-sectional shape. The paint shield is comprised of a single planar sheet of flexible, sturdy, impermeable material, such as aluminum, that can be modified to meet the specific need for which it is being utilized. The shield includes a base panel through which the nozzle of the spray gun is secured. A pair of contoured members extend in the same direction away from the base member that make contact with either the adjoining pavement, ground, or wall to frame the bounds of the intended painted surface. The contoured members also serve to establish the distance in which the nozzle is maintained from the surface and the angle at which the nozzle is directed toward the surface. This construction assures that the width and angular velocity of the spray evenly covers the surface without undue waste. The paint shield may be preformed for specific cross sections of objects such as curbing or gutters; or alternatively, the paint shield may be available as a planer member having a predetermined number of perforated lines or pre-bends running along the width thereof. The perforated lines allow for easy folding therealong and manipulation of the planar sheet in various shapes to accommodate various curbs or other objects having a constant cross-sectional shape.

Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a paint shield that protects the surfaces adjacent to that which is being painted from receiving an unwanted application of the paint.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a paint shield that will eliminate the need for the use of masking tape, paper or plastic sheeting to be affixed to the adjacent surfaces during the painting process, and reduce product and labor expense.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a paint shield that maintains the spray nozzle a predetermined distance from the surface being painted.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a paint shield that orients the angle of the spray nozzle with respect to the surface being painted.

Still yet another objective of the instant invention is to provide a paint shield that can, with only a minimum of training, be folded into the desired shape by hand and then later unfolded, avoiding the need for use of tools which the paint sprayer would have to carry with him or her to and on the immediate job site.

It is still another objective of the instant invention to provide a paint shield that protects a surface not intended for paint from misapplication when using a spraying apparatus to paint a curb, parking curb, or other object having a constant cross-sectional shape.

It is still yet another objective of the instant invention to provide a paint shield constructed of a substantially rigid material such as aluminum that may additionally include at least one removable liner on the inner surface of the paint shield for cleanup.

It is still another objective of the instant invention to provide a paint shield constructed of cardboard having laminated metal running through the length thereof for easy manipulation of the paint shield into a desired shape.

Yet another objective of the instant invention is to provide a paint shield that is suitable for use with objects having a constant cross-section throughout, such as pipes, railings, gutters, or the like.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring generally toFIGS. 1-4B, various embodiments of the paint shield are illustrated. In general, the paint shield is constructed and arranged to orient and maintain proper spacing of the spray nozzle from an irregular surface while containing overspray to minimize spray being deposited onto adjacent surfaces. The paint shield100includes a top plate10, the top plate including an aperture12sized to cooperate with a nozzle portion14of a spray gun16fluidly connected to a pump assembly18. In operation, the nozzle portion is removed from the gun and a portion of the gun is placed through the aperture before the nozzle is threaded back onto the gun, whereby the paint shield is secured to said spray nozzle. In an alternative embodiment, a rubber grommet20(FIG. 4B) is secured into the aperture12. The rubber grommet is constructed with a center aperture22sized to cooperate with the nozzle of the spray gun to attach the paint shield to the nozzle without removing the nozzle from the spray gun. A pair of sidewalls24are secured to opposite sides of the top plate10. The sidewalls24are connected to the top plate10at an angle that allows a bottom surface26of the sidewalls24to extend at least the width of the surface to be painted without obstructing the path of the spray. The sidewalls are constructed of a substantially rigid material to include a width28(FIG. 4A) and a height30(FIG. 3). The sidewall width28is greater than the width of the splay angle width of the spray created by the nozzle at a bottom portion of said sidewalls. The sidewall height30is calculated from the opening in the nozzle to the bottom portion of the sidewalls so that the included spray angle32created by the nozzle14causes the spray to contact each sidewall24at a bottom portion thereof. In this manner, the nozzle14is maintained at a sufficient distance and angle from the surface being painted34so that said surface is covered with a surface coating and the spray is substantially contained within the paint shield100.

In at least some embodiments, each sidewall includes a foot portion36secured to the bottom surface26of each sidewall24, each foot portion is constructed and arranged for movement along a ground surface. In a most preferred embodiment, the foot36is constructed as a hem which may be open (FIGS. 1 and 2) or closed (FIG. 3). The closed hem provides a rounded edge which engages the surface to be painted. In some embodiments, the foot36is secured to the sidewall at an oblique angle whereby a bottom surface of the foot contacts a side surface of the surface being painted, whereby said spray is further contained and the foot acts as a guide member. In an alternative embodiment, the foot may include at least one wheel38mounted for rotation about an axle40. In this manner, the foot provides guidance against a side surface while the wheel(s) maintain proper vertical spacing for the spray pattern. The paint shield100is preferably constructed from a rigid lightweight metal material such as aluminum. In these embodiments the paint shield is supplied in a prebent form whereby like bent paint shields may be nested on top of each other for shipment and storage.

Referring toFIGS. 4A and 4B, an alternative embodiment of the paint shield100is illustrated. In this embodiment, the paint shield is supplied as a planar sheet44having a plurality of prebend joints42, whereby the paint shield is easily bent to a desired shape along the prebend joints. At least one, and more preferably two or more metal strips46are adhered, laminated, embedded or otherwise connected to the planar sheet to maintain the bends for use of the paint shield. The planar member may be constructed from very thin metal such as aluminum, or alternatively it may be constructed from paper material such as cardboard or plastic so long as the material will prevent paint from being transferred through the material during use. In at least one embodiment, a removable liner48is secured to the inner surface of the planar member. The liner may be removed after use to speed cleanup and allow further use of the paint shield. A plurality of liners in a stacked arrangement may also be utilized without departing from the scope of the invention.

While illustrated as useful for painting curbing, it should be noted that various regular and irregular shaped surfaces having a constant cross-section throughout such as piping, gutters, railings, or the like may be suitably masked for painting with the paint shield of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention.