Wallpapering aid

Abstract: The wallpapering aid (1) is for use in conjunction with a roll of wallpaper and is mountable on a pasting table. A roll holder (6,7) supports the roll of wallpaper above the level of the paper and a cutting arrangement enables the wallpaper to be cut to a desired size. The cutting arrangement has an elongate guide (11) arranged to lie adjacent the working surface of the pasting table, and a cutter (15) guided to move along the guide, the cutter has a captive portion movable along and retained by the guide and a blade projecting upwardly from the captive portion for cutting to length wallpaper overlaying the guide.

Description: The present invention relates to a wallpapering aid. Wallpapering aids are known which are securable to a pasting table, and arranged to support a roll of wallpaper enabling a length of wallpaper to be drawn from the roll and cut by means of a blade, which may either be hand held or mounted on a support guide. Examples of such wallpapering aids are disclosed in, for example, EP-A-0334648, DD-A-245626, US-A-5392676, GB-A-2188580 and CH-A-506380. GB-A-2188580A discloses apparatus to assist in measurement as well as cutting of sheet material such as wallpaper into predetermined lengths comprising two parallel sheet guiding bars shaped to engage the edge of a table, a baseboard thereon, at least one slat interconnecting the bars and a counting device. In this apparatus the slat provides a guide for a cutter to cut paper to desired length after it has been fed, pattern side up, from a roll hung from the baseboard. CH-A-506380 discloses apparatus for cutting material supplied from a roll comprising means arranged to support a roll of material on a frame, paper guide means arranged to guide paper beneath cutter guide means and a cutter arranged for pivotal movement towards or away from a cutting position in which a cutting knife extending downwardly from the cutter guide may be operated on materialposition below it. The support frame may be mounted on a table or other surface. An improved wallpapering aid has now been devised. The apparatus of CH-A-506380 may generally be described as capable of acting as a wallpapering aid in conjunction with a roll of wallpaper and a pasting table, the wallpapering aid comprising: i) roll holder means arranged to support the roll of wallpaper; ii) cutting means for cutting the wallpaper to a desired size, the cutting means comprising an elongate guide arrangeable adjacent the working surface of the pasting table, and a cutter element guided to move along at least a part of the length of the elongate guide, the cutter element being operable to cut to length wallpaper laying adjacent the guide; and, iii) mounting means for mounting the wallpapering aid in position relative to the pasting table. According to the present invention the mounting means comprises a clamp means for clamping the elongate guide along the edge of the pasting table and the cutter element comprises a captive portion movable along and retained captive by the guide and a blade portion projecting upwardly from the captive portion to cut wallpaper overlaying the guide. The captive portion of the cutter element preferably comprises a slider which is slidable relative to the guide. The guide and the captive portion of the cutter element are advantageously respectively configured such the captive portion of the cutter element is movable along the guide but inhibited from being separated from the guide. It is preferred that the guide comprises channel means shaped and dimensioned to receive the captive portion of the cutter element therein. Desirably, the cutter element extends upwardly through a slot or slit defined by the channel means. The blade portion of the cutter element is preferably orientated to have a blade edge sloping upwardly away from the captive portion of the cutting means. Advantageously, the cutting blade is at least partially sheathed in a protective cover or housing preferably such that a portion only of the blade edge of the cutting blade is exposed. The cutter element may be gripped by the user and drawn along the guide to effect cutting of the wallpaper. It is preferred that the blade edge of the blade portion of the cutter element is oriented to cut in the direction of travel of the cutter element along the guide. Alternatively, or in addition the facility may be provided for a cutter element having a blade portion, the blade edge of which is orientated to cut parallel to the longitudinally running edge of the wallpaper fed from the roll. The guide is preferably arranged to be secured to the table such that it is held in abutment with, the surface of the table. It is preferred that the captive portion of the cutter element has a width which is greater than the width of the blade portion. The wallpapering aid preferably further comprises paper guide means arranged to guide paper fed from a roll held by the roll holder to extend across the guide. Advantageously, the paper guide means guides the paper to extend over at least a portion of the cutter element guide. It is preferred that the paper guide means comprises one or more guide elements extending substantially parallel to the cutter guide, preferably at a position spaced between the roll holding means and the cutter guide. Advantageously, the guide means is provided at a level below the roll holding means. Preferably, the paper guide means comprises a pair of spaced projections each arranged to guide the wallpaper adjacent an opposed longitudinally running edge. The clamping means preferably comprises one or more "G" or "C" clamp arrangements, advantageously having a quick release clamping facility. In one embodiment, such a quick release clamp comprises a threaded clamping member normally threadably engaged with a threaded component defining part of a receiving bore in a limb of the clamp. The threaded component (which is normally biased into engagement with the threaded shaft of he clamping member) is displaceable from its engagement position, preferably against resilient biasing means, to permit the threaded clamping member to move more freely through the receiving bore in the limb of the clamp. It is preferred that the roll holding means, cutting means and mounting means are provided as a self-supporting assembly. Desirably, the assembly comprises a pair of mounting means, one arranged at each opposed end of the cutter guide. Desirably, the assembly comprises a pair of upstands or wings, one arranged at each opposed end of the cutter guide, each arranged to carry a respective portion of the roll holding means. Advantageously, the upstands or wings are arranged to carry the paper guide means. It is preferred that the assembly is dis-assembleable at least to the extent that the roll holding means and/or the mounting means may be dis-assembled from the guide of cutting means. The guide of the cutting means preferably extends beyond the width of the paper fed from the roll holding means, such that the cutter element may be parked in a stowed position spaced from the longitudinally running edge of the wallpaper. To this end, the guide of the cutting means accordingly extends beyond the roll holding means and/or the mounting means and/or the respective upstands or wings which may carry such means. The arrangement of roll holding means, cutter guide means and paper guide means ensures that the paper is fed from the roll to pass over the cutter guide ready for cutting to length. It is preferred that the roll holding means is arranged to support the roll of wallpaper at a level above the paper guide means, the paper being fed downwardly from the roll. The guide elements of the paper guide means preferably engage the pasting side of the paper only and therefore do not cause damage to the patterned side of the paper. The invention will now be further described in a specific embodiment by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wallpapering aid according to the invention; Figure 2 is cut-away perspective view of part of the wallpapering aid shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic side view of a cutter element comprising the wallpapering aid of Figures 1 and 2; and Figure 4 is a schematic sectional view of a part of an alternative embodiment of a wallpapering aid according to the invention. Referring to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, a wallpapering aid (generally designated 1) comprises a pair of upstand supports 2,3, formed as integrally moulded plastic articles each upstand support 2,3 comprises a respective clamp 4,5, roll support projection 6,7, paper guide projection 8, and connector socket 9,10. Each socket 9,10, receives a respective end of a cutter guide channel 11, to assemble the aid in its operational configuration. Cutter guide channel 11, comprises a generally 'U' shaped channel having respective terminal lips 12,13, extending towards one another, and terminating to define an elongate slot 14, therebetween. A first cutter 15, is guided by guide channel 11, to be slidably movable along the length of channel 11 in order to cut wallpaper overlaying guide channel 11. As shown most clearly in Figure 3, cutter 15 comprises a slider portion 16 shaped and dimensioned to be held captive in guide channel 11. Cutter 15 cannot be lifted out of channel 11 because slider portion 16 engages with terminal lips 12, 13. Cutter 15 further comprises a blade portion 17, extending upwardly through slot 14 in guide channel 11, carrying an upwardly extending blade 18, which has a blade edge 19 inclined upwardly. A plastics moulded sheath 20 is provided about blade 18 being shaped to expose a portion of the blade edge 19; sheath 20 can be gripped between the finger and thumb of a user to draw the cutter 15 along channel 11 to effect cutting of the paper. The wallpapering aid is secured to the end of a pasting table by means of clamps 4,5, which are in configuration and function similar to well known conventional 'C' or 'G' clamps. Each clamp is, however, provided with a "quick release" facility permitting rapid retracting and/or advancing of respective threaded clamping members 21, 22. Each respective "quick release" mechanism comprises a depressible button 23, carrying a projection 24, which is provided with a slot through which a respective threaded clamping member 21, 22 passes. A threaded internal surface portion of the slot in projection 24, is normally biassed into engagement with the threaded shaft of clamping member 21, 22, by means of a resilient biassing spring 25. Clamping member 21, 22, is normally advanced to the clamping position by means of rotation about its axis causing threaded advancement through projection 24. In order to effect "quick release" actuation button 23 is depressed disengaging threaded engagement between clamping member 21/22, and the threaded portion of the slot in projection 24, thereby permitting the shaft of threaded member 21/22, to be freely advanced or retracted axially. This facility enables rapid clamping of the assembly in place. Roll holder projections 6,7, engage in opposed ends of a roll of wallpaper to rotatably mount the roll on the wallpapering aid. A free end of the paper is then drawn downwardly passing under paper guides 8, to subsequently extend over cutter guide channel 11, such that the paper is presented "pattern side down" (pasting side up) on the pasting table. Paper guide projections 8, project only a relatively small distance towards respective opposed upstand supports 2,3, but are important to guide the paper accurately over the channel and also to prevent the wallpaper curling back onto the roll following cutting of a length. The configuration of upstand supports 2,3, connector sockets 9,10, and the length of guide channel 11, are arranged such that, when assembled, a standard size wallpaper roll is accommodated on roll holder projections 6,7, having a relatively small gap between the ends of the roll and upstand supports 2,3. The cutter guide channel 11 is however longer the width of the paper to be cut, by an amount permitting cutter 15 to be "parked" at the end of guide channel 11, without interfering with the paper as it is drawn from the roll for cutting. A second cutter 30, may be provided which, once again, is slidable along the length of guide channel 11 (being held captive within the guide channel). Cutter 30 has a blade which is orientated at 90° to the blade of cutter 15, such that, when a length of paper is drawn over guide channel 11, cutter 30 may cut along the length of the sheet (parallel to the longitudinal edge of the sheet). Cutter 30 may be moved by means of sliding along channel 11 to a "parked position" at the other end of guide channel 11. Referring to Figure 4, there is shown an alternative embodiment of wallpapering aid according to the invention in which certain components of the aid as described in Figures 1 to 3 are modified and further features provided. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the second cutter 130 is slidable along a substantially cylindrical cutter guide channel 142 discrete from the primary cutter guide channel 111. This enables respective captive portions 142,116 of respective cutters 130,115 to pass one another without hinderance. Blades 140,119 of cutters 130,115 are inclined upwardly and rearwardly of respective guide channels 140,111. Projections 108 provided integrally with upstands 2,3 serve to locate with "snap fit" formations 146a,146b of an elongate wing 145 extending between upstands 2,3. Wing 145 is pivotally movable about projections 108 (see arrow A) and serves to provide further guidance for the length of wallpaper 150 fed from the wallpaper roll. It is an important feature of the apparatus that the paper cutter 15,115 (and/or cutter 30,130) projects upwardly from the guide. This enables a cantilevered cutter guide support above the level of the paper (which is a feature of prior art arrangements) to be dispensed with thereby significantly reducing the cost of producing the wallpapering aid, whilst enabling the efficacy of the device to be undiminished. The wallpapering aid according to the invention can be assembled rapidly from relatively few manufactured components, and secured conveniently in place for use.

Claims: A wallpapering aid (1) for use in conjunction with a roll of wallpaper (150) and a pasting table, the wallpapering aid comprising: i) roll holder means (6, 7) arranged to support the roll of wallpaper; ii) cutting means for cutting the wallpaper to a desired size, the cutting means comprising an elongate guide (11, 111) arrangeable adjacent the working surface of the pasting table, and a cutter element (15, 115) guided to move along at least a part of the length of the elongate guide, the cutter element being operable to cut to length wallpaper lying adjacent the guide; and, iii) mounting means (4, 5) for mounting the wallpapering aid in position relative to the pasting table; characterised in that the mounting means comprises a clamp means (4, 5) for clamping the elongate guide along the edge of the pasting table and the cutter element comprises a captive portion (16, 116) movable along and retained captive by the guide and a blade portion (17) projecting upwardly from the captive portion to cut wallpaper overlaying the guide. A wallpapering aid according to claim 1, wherein the captive portion of the cutter element comprises a slider (16, 116) which slider is slidable relative to the guide. A wallpapering aid according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the elongate guide comprises a channel, shaped and dimensioned to receive the captive portion of the cutter element therein. A wallpapering aid according to any preceding claim, wherein the blade portion of the cutter element has a blade edge (19, 119), the blade portion being sheathed in a protective cover or housing (20) such that a portion only of the blade edge is exposed. A wallpapering aid according to any preceding claim, further comprising paper guide means (8) arranged to guide wallpaper fed from the roll so as to extend across the guide of the cutting means. A wallpapering aid according to claim 5, wherein the paper guide means comprises one or more guide elements (8) extending substantially parallel to the cutter guide. A wallpapering aid according to any preceding claim, wherein the clamping means comprises a quick release facility. A wallpapering aid according to any preceding claim, including paper guide means arranged to guide wallpaper fed from the roll to pass laterally over the cutter guide means, the paper guide means comprising a pair of guide elements traversing the longitudinal edge of said wallpaper when fed from the roll, about which guide elements the paper is partially folded or wrapped. A wallpapering aid according to any preceding claim wherein the roll holder means and clamping means are carried by respective wings (2), connector sockets (9, 10) being provided for respective wings, the connector sockets being engageable with respective opposed ends of the elongate guide permitting assembly and disassembly of the aid.

Inventors: KING PETER, KING, PETER
Applicants: WHITEROCK PROD LTD, WHITEROCK PRODUCTS LIMITED
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B44C7
IPC codes: B44C7, B65H35, B26D1