Abstract:
A hopper spray gun stand holds a hopper spray gun upright, such as during filling and between uses, and facilitates transportation of a hopper spray gun around a job site. The stand includes a frame with a hopper holder, legs and wheels facilitate transportation.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 60/434,836, filed Dec. 19, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention pertains to hopper spray guns. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a device and method for securely holding a hopper spray gun in an upright position and facilitating transportation of the hopper spray gun and related equipment such as hoses to and from a job site.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0003]    Hopper spray guns are used to apply a coating of material to walls and/or ceilings. The material may be joint compound or the like, which is commonly referred to in the field as “mud”; or it may be a light-weight material designed to acoustically treat a surface to make a quieter room, which is commonly referred to in the field as “acoustics”.  
           [0004]    Conventional hopper spray guns do not have means to support them upright on the ground while being filled or between uses. Thus, a worker will often sandwich the hopper spray gun between the worker&#39;s legs or lean it against a wall while filling it. Of course, these techniques are awkward and conducive to spilling and tipping.  
           [0005]    Likewise, between uses, workers will frequently rest a semi-filled hopper spray gun against a wall or other object while the worker takes a needed break or attends to other matters. Frequently, such a precariously positioned hopper spray gun will tip over. As most hopper spray guns have openings at the top, such tipping may result in a mess with contents spilled on the floor and wasted. Not only does such a mess consume time to clean up and increase material costs, it poses a potential safety hazard.  
           [0006]    Another deficiency is the lack of means for conveniently transporting a hopper spray gun and related equipment such as hoses. A worker may make several trips from the job site to a truck for carrying equipment. Conventional hopper spray guns are neither lightweight nor compact, making the task burdensome.  
           [0007]    Thus, a device and method are needed for securely holding a hopper spray gun upright during filling and between uses. Preferably, the device also facilitates transportation of the equipment to and around a job site.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0008]    It is, therefore, an object of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide a device for securely holding a hopper spray gun upright.  
           [0009]    It is another object of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide a device for facilitating transportation of hopper spray gun equipment to and around a job site.  
           [0010]    It is yet another object of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide a device for securely holding a hopper spray gun upright using a holding means that accommodates various conventional hopper spray guns.  
           [0011]    It is a further object of a preferred embodiment of the invention to provide a device for facilitating transportation of hopper spray gun equipment to and around a job site and carrying hoses and/or other equipment and materials.  
           [0012]    It is still a further object of a preferred embodiment of the invention to provide a device for securely holding and weighing a hopper spray gun.  
           [0013]    To achieve these and other objects, the present invention provides a hopper spray gun stand comprised of a frame, a hopper holder attached to the frame, a pair of legs attached to the frame, and a plurality of wheels. The wheels are rotatably attached to the frame.  
           [0014]    Additionally, the invention provides a collapsible hopper spray gun stand comprised of a frame, a hopper holder attached to the frame, a pair of legs attached to the frame, and a plurality of wheels, said wheels being rotatably attached to the frame.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claim, and accompanying figures, where:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional hopper spray gun;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary device for holding a hopper spray gun in accordance with a preferred implementation of the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is a side view of an exemplary device for holding a hopper spray gun in accordance with a preferred implementation of the present invention; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is a rear view of an exemplary device for holding a hopper spray gun in accordance with a preferred implementation of the present invention; and  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 is a side view of a folded exemplary device for holding a hopper spray gun in accordance with a preferred implementation of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0021]    Referring first to FIG. 1, an exemplary hopper spray gun is illustrated. It includes a spray mechanism  100  with a handle  110 , trigger  120  and nozzle  130 . A hopper  140  is also provided to contain material to be sprayed and direct the material in a funnel-like fashion to the spray mechanism  100 . As can readily be seen, the cross section of the hopper tapers substantially from the broad top section  150  to the relatively narrow outlet section  160  which engages the spray mechanism.  
         [0022]    Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary hopper spray gun stand according to the principles of the invention is shown. The exemplary hopper spray gun stand generally includes a frame  200 , a hopper holder  250  attached to the frame  200 , a pair of legs  225  and  230  attached to the frame, and wheels  280  and  285  to facilitate movement.  
         [0023]    The frame  200  provides a base to which the hopper holder  250 , pair of legs  225  and  230 , and wheels  280  and  285  may be attached. In an exemplary implementation, the frame  200  is a U-shaped member having a handle portion  205  a first lateral portion  210  and a second lateral portion  220 . The handle portion  205  may include handle grips to facilitate gripping. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other shaped frames (e.g., I-shaped, H-shaped or T-shaped frames) may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0024]    The frame  200  may be comprised of a single piece of material, or several pieces attached together such as by welding, soldering or mechanical attachment (e.g., using nuts and bolts). The material, which may (for example) be metal, wood or plastic, is preferably relatively inexpensive, strong and durable enough to consistently support a fully loaded hopper spray gun along with related components and miscellaneous items. The material may also be corrosion resistant or treated (e.g., painted) to resist corrosion. In an exemplary embodiment, the frame is comprised of bent tubular steel.  
         [0025]    The hopper holder  250  holds a hopper spray gun in an upright position. The exemplary hopper holder  250  shown in FIG. 2 is a continuous rectangular rim. A hopper spray gun may rests in the rectangular opening defined by the rim. The dimensions (i.e., length and/or width) of the opening are smaller than the dimensions of the top widest portion of a hopper for a hopper spray gun. Thus, the rectangular horizontal cross section of a hopper spray gun prevents the hopper spray gun from falling through the smaller opening of the hopper holder. The dimensions at or near the top of a hopper vary slightly from brand to brand and model to model. However, the top of many conventional hoppers is between ten (10) to eleven (11) inches by nine (9) to ten (10) inches. Additionally, most conventional hoppers have a lip or protruding edge at the top. Preferably, the hopper holder  250  is sized to securely engage various conventional hopper spray guns. It should be large enough to engage the hopper near its top, but not so large that the hopper falls through the hopper holder. Thus, a hopper holder  250  sized approximately ten (10) inches by nine (9) inches will support many hopper spray guns.  
         [0026]    The hopper holder  250  may be comprised of a single piece of material or several pieces attached together to form a continuous rim. Alternatively, the rim may have a gap, and may be comprised of a plurality of pieces, for example, as shown in FIG. 4. Where multiple pieces are used to form the rim, they may be joined using conventional joining techniques such as by welding, soldering or mechanical attachment (e.g., using nuts and bolts). The material, which may (for example) be metal, wood or plastic, is preferably relatively inexpensive, strong enough to support a fully loaded hopper spray gun, and durable. The material may also be corrosion resistant or treated (e.g., painted) to resist corrosion. In an exemplary embodiment, the hopper holder  250  is comprised of bent tubular steel.  
         [0027]    In a preferred embodiment, the hopper holder  250  is pivotally attached to the frame, so that it may be folded for storage. A foldable first hopper linkage  255 , and a foldable second hopper linkage  260  support the hopper holder  250  in a position generally perpendicular to the frame, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Foldable first hopper linkage  255  and a foldable second hopper linkage  260  may be folded to allow the hopper holder  250  to be folded for storage, such that it is generally parallel to the frame.  
         [0028]    In another embodiment, the hopper holder  250  may be adjustable to accommodate hopper spray guns having various sizes. For example, hopper holder  250  may include telescoping tubular or threaded members that are adjustable and lockable to accommodate hoppers of various sizes.  
         [0029]    In yet another embodiment, a scale may be functionally attached to the hopper holder  250  and/or to the first hopper linkage  255  and/or second hopper linkage  260  to measure the weight of the contents of (e.g., mud or acoustics) a hopper spray gun held by the hopper holder  250 . The scale may be comprised of a mechanical scale device or one or more electromechanical sensors coupled to a processor and output display, as known in the art. The scale may include a tare or zero function to enable display of the weight of contents, without the weight of the hopper spray gun. Knowing the weight of the contents used to spray a room will enable a worker to estimate the weight of the contents required to spray another room or the weight required for another job.  
         [0030]    A pair of legs  225  and  230  supports the stand in an upright position. In a preferred embodiment, the pair of legs  225  and  230  includes a pair of pivotable legs  225  and  230  with a horizontal support member  240 . Non-skid caps  245  and  247  may be placed over the bottom ends of the legs  225  and  230  to prevent the legs  225  and  230  from skidding and scratching floors.  
         [0031]    Preferably, the legs  225  and  230  are pivotally attached to the frame  200  so that the legs  225  and  230  may be folded for storage. A foldable first leg linkage  265 , and a foldable second leg linkage  270  support the legs  225  and  230  in an extended position. Of course, foldable first and second hopper linkages  255  and  260  may be folded to allow the legs  225  and  230  to be folded for storage, such that they are generally parallel to the frame.  
         [0032]    The legs  225  and  230  and horizontal leg support  240  may be comprised of a single piece of material, or several pieces attached together such as by welding, soldering or mechanical attachment (e.g., using nuts and bolts). The material, which may (for example) be metal, wood or plastic, is preferably relatively inexpensive, strong enough to support a fully loaded hopper spray gun, attached components and miscellaneous items, and should be durable. The material may also be corrosion resistant or treated (e.g., painted) to resist corrosion. In an exemplary embodiment, the legs  225  and  230  and horizontal leg support  240  are each comprised of tubular steel joined together by welding, soldering or mechanical attachments.  
         [0033]    In an exemplary embodiment, wheels  280  and  285  are rotatably attached to the frame  200  in a conventional manner, such as via an axle  275 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may function as a stand without wheels. While such a stand is not preferred, it comes within the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that configurations having more than one pair of wheels also come within the scope of the present invention. However, a stand with a single pair wheels is preferred to facilitate transportation without unnecessary additional cost or complexity.  
         [0034]    The axle  275  may be a conventional steel axle rod that is long enough to engage the first lateral portion  210  and second lateral portion  220  of the frame  200  adjacent to the bottom of the lateral portions. The wheels  280  and  285  may be attached to the axle  275  using conventional wheel-to-axle attachments. The wheels  280  and  285  may be comprised of metal, plastic and/or rubber. Preferably, the wheels will not damage floors. They should be strong enough to support the weight of the stand with a fully loaded hopper spray gun and miscellaneous equipment (e.g., hoses and tools).  
         [0035]    A stand in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include means for carrying additional equipment and materials, such as hooks, loops, baskets, nets, pouches, trays, bins, cups, cup holders, clamps, brackets, shelves and the like. Such additional equipment may include hoses, cords, and/or containers of materials for spraying. As an example, hooks, loops, baskets, pouches, shelves and the like may be attached at various places on the frame  200  or the legs  225 ,  230 . As another example, a foldable shelf may be placed between the pair of legs  225  and  230  and the frame  200 .  
         [0036]    Referring now to FIG. 3, a side view of an exemplary hopper spray gun stand according to the principles of the invention is shown. The second lateral portion  220 , foldable first leg linkage  265 , leg  230 , hopper holder  250 , first hopper linkage  255  and non-skid cap  247 , and wheel  285  are shown. The hopper spray gun stand of FIG. 3 is shown in an open position.  
         [0037]    Referring now to FIG. 4, a rear view of an alternative exemplary hopper spray gun stand according to the principles of the invention is shown. Unlike the stand depicted in FIG. 2, the hopper holder  250 A and  250 B of the stand depicted in FIG. 4 includes a gap as discussed above. Portions  250 A and  250 B may be telescopic portions or fixed length portions, as discussed above.  
         [0038]    Referring now to FIG. 5, another side view of an exemplary hopper spray gun stand according to the principles of the invention is shown. The first lateral portion  210 , foldable second leg linkage  270 , leg  225 , the hopper holder  250 A, first hopper linkage  260 , non-skid cap  245 , and wheel  280  are shown. The hopper spray gun stand of FIG. 5 is shown in a closed or collapsed position.  
         [0039]    While the invention has been described in terms of its preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications within the spirit and scope of the foregoing detailed description. Such alternative embodiments and implementations are intended to come within the scope of the present invention.