Abstract:
A paint roller locking mechanism that prevents a roller cover from rotating is designed to apply paint in a smoother manner that typically provided by a roller. The locking mechanism prevents the roller cover from rotating as it is rolled along the surface being painted. This, in effect, allows the roller cover to emulate a paint brush, allowing for a smooth painted surface without surface irregularities. The locking mechanism may easily pivot away allowing the paint roller to function in a normal rolling manner, as well as allow a user to reload the roller or apply bulk paint when needed.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a device mountable to a paint roller frame to selectively halt the rotation of the paint roller. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     All of us know of the burdens, difficulty, and painstaking patience required when performing a painting project. Depending on the particular project, there are a variety of tasks to perform, from removing old paint, cleaning the surface, prepping the surface, mixing the paint, applying the paint, cleaning up and the like. Many of these projects typically utilize a paint roller. 
     While a paint roller often does a great job of quickly picking up a large quantity of paint and laying down the same upon a surface, a given paint roller is prone to leaving behind an “orange peel” or stippled appearance due to the fact that the roller fibers are pulled away from the surface instead of being dragged across and off like a brush. This requires many painters to spend more time going back over a surface with a brush afterwards to smooth out the newly painted area. 
     This extra time often results in lost profits for the professional painter. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which a smooth finish surface can be obtained by a paint roller alone. The development of the present invention fulfills this need and provides users the ability to paint surfaces with the speed and efficiency of a paint roller, while obtaining the smoothness of a brush-like finish. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The inventor has recognized the aforementioned inherent problems and lack in the art and observed that there is a need for a paint roller with an anti-rotation lock. 
     It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an anti-rotation device comprising a clasp which has a hinge that is adapted to be removably attached to a frame of a paint roller, a hollow cylindrical sleeve which is secured in a position that is adjacent from the hinge near the clasp, an anti-rotation trigger which is slideably secured within the sleeve and a cap which is adapted to be secured to a frame cap of the paint roller. The anti-rotation trigger is capable of selectively engaging the cap and thereby arresting the subsequent rotation of the paint roller. The clasp may have a “U”-shaped hook portion which stationarily grips and aligns the sleeve. In an alternate embodiment the hinge may be adapted to be threadably attached to the paint roller frame. 
     The cap may have at least one (1) aperture which is configured to accommodate at least one (1) fastener and the anti-rotation trigger may have an eyelet at a distal end which is capable of being removably secured about the frame. The anti-rotation trigger may be “L”-shaped. 
     The cap may comprise of a plurality of prongs which are secured adjacent to a peripheral edge of the cap and project perpendicularly there that edge and/or a frame aperture which enables securement of the frame cap upon the roller frame. Additionally, the cap may further comprise a plurality of screw apertures which enable the cap to be removably secured to the frame cap and may also be disc-shaped. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an environmental view of an anti-rotation lock  10  for a paint roller, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is another environmental view of the anti-rotation lock  10 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and, 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a pronged cap portion  50  of the anti-rotation lock  10 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
     
         
         
           
               10  anti-rotation lock 
               11  roller frame 
               12  roller cover 
               13  roller handle 
               14  paint roller 
               20  hinged clasp 
               22  hinge 
               25  first fastener 
               27  “U”-shaped hook portion 
               30  sleeve 
               40  anti-rotation trigger 
               42  eyelet 
               50  pronged cap 
               51  frame aperture 
               52  second fastener 
               53  screw aperture 
               55  prong 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within  FIGS. 1 through 3 . However, the invention is not limited to the described embodiment, and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention and that any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one (1) particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one (1) of the referenced items. 
     The present invention describes an anti-rotation lock for a paint roller (herein described as the “apparatus”)  10 , which selectively prohibits the rotation of a paint roller cover  12  during roller painting of a surface. The apparatus  10  is utilized in combination with an existing paint roller  14  which conventionally includes a roller frame  11 , a roller cover  12 , and a roller handle  13 . The paint roller  14  transfers paint from the roller cover  12  onto a desired work surface such as a wall or ceiling. The apparatus  10  enables a painter to utilize the paint roller  14  in a normal rolling fashion or in a manner which locks the paint cover  12  in a non-rotating manner, intended to create a smooth paint texture onto the desired surface, producing a similar effect as a painting brush. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , environmental views of the apparatus  10 , according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, are disclosed. The paint roller  14  is depicted here as a small size unit for illustration sake, however, it is understood that a variety of sizes of the apparatus  10  and corresponding paint rollers  14  may utilize the teachings of the apparatus  10  and therefore should not be interpreted as a limiting factor. 
     The apparatus  10  includes an “L”-shaped anti-rotation trigger  40 , a hollow cylindrical sleeve  30 , and a hinged clasp  20  which removably attaches the anti-rotation trigger  40  onto a frame portion  11  of the existing paint roller  14 . The sleeve  30  is inserted upon a proximal end portion of the anti-rotation trigger  40 , and is integrally-molded, or otherwise secured to the hinged clasp  20 , thereby allowing the anti-rotating trigger  40  to rotate freely within the sleeve  30  relative to the hinged clasp  20 , during use. The anti-rotation trigger  40  is envisioned to be made using a plastic or metal rod stock material and having an oval-shaped formed eyelet  42  at a distal end portion, providing a means of attachment of the anti-rotating trigger  40  to the roller frame  11 . 
     The hinged clasp  20  forms a “clam-shell” structure which utilizes an axial hinge portion  22  and a threaded first fastener  25  to loosen and tighten the hinged clasp  20  upon the roller frame  11  at a location adjacent to the paint roller  14 . The hinged clasp  20  also includes a “U”-shaped hook portion  27  which stationarily grips and aligns the sleeve  30 . In use, the first fastener portion  25  is adjusted to allow the hinged clasp  20  to rotate about the roller frame  11  with selective resistance, thereby allowing a user to selectively position the hinged clasp  20  and the affixed anti-rotation trigger  40 . The anti-rotating trigger  40  engages a pronged cap portion  50  which in turn prevents rotation of the paint roller  14  and paint cover  12  portions (see  FIG. 2 ). 
     The eyelet  42  is positioned at a distal end portion of the anti-rotation trigger  40  and encompasses a lower portion of the roller frame  11  being adjacent to the roller handle  13 . In use, a user presses upon the hinged clasp  20  to position the proximal end of the anti-rotation trigger  40  between adjacent prong portions  55  of the pronged cap  50  to prevent rotation of the paint cover  12 , when desired. It is envisioned that the hinged clasp  20 , anti-rotation trigger  40 , and the pronged cap  50  are to be mounted upon the paint roller  14  prior to placement of the roller cover  12  and use of the paint roller  14  to perform a painting task. 
     The apparatus  10  is envisioned to be fabricated from materials such as plastic, metal, or the like and is envisioned to be manufactured in various sizes to accommodate a plurality of standard paint rollers  14  and roller covers  12 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a perspective view of a pronged cap portion  50  of the apparatus  10 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is disclosed. The pronged cap  50  is a disc-shaped structure including a plurality of integral and perpendicularly extending pointed prongs  55  along a perimeter edge which mechanically entrap the anti-rotation trigger  40  in between. The pronged cap  50  also includes a centrally-located cylindrical frame aperture  51  which allows insertion upon the roller frame  11 . 
     In use, a user positions the hinged clasp  20  so as to engage the anti-rotation trigger  40  between adjacent prongs  55  so as to prevent relative rotation of the pronged cap  50  and an installed paint cover  12  (see  FIGS. 1 and 2 ). 
     It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. After initial purchase or acquisition of the apparatus  10 , it would be installed as indicated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     The method of installing and utilizing the apparatus  10  may be achieved by performing the following steps: acquiring the apparatus  10 ; routing the frame aperture portion  51  of the pronged cap  50  onto the roller frame  11 ; mounting the pronged cap  50  with the prongs  55  orientated outwardly, by threadingly engaging the second fastener  52  and screw aperture  53  portions; routing the assembly of the hinged clasp  20 , sleeve  30 , and eyelet portion  42  of the anti-rotation trigger  40  onto the roller frame  11 ; opening the hinged clasp  20 ; inserting the roller frame  11  into the hinged clasp  20 ; tightening the hinged clasp  20  onto the roller frame  11  and tightening the first fastener  25  until obtaining a desired resistance to rotation of the hinged clasp  20 ; utilizing the paint roller  14  in a normal rolling fashion as desired; prohibiting the rotation of the roller cover  12 , when desired, by depressing the hinged clasp  20  so as to position the proximal end of the anti-rotation trigger  40  between the prongs  55 ; utilizing the apparatus  10  to paint surfaces with the smoothness of a paint brush as desired; and, benefiting from a time-saving and quickly adaptable multi-purpose painting means, afforded a user of the present invention  10 . 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.