Abstract:
A painting tool for attachment to an extension has a head attached to one end of a handle. The other end of the handle terminates in a threaded female adaptor which mates with a threaded male adapter on the extension. The head can be a brush head containing bristles or sponge material or, in the alternative, the head can support a scraper blade for cleaning surfaces prior to painting. Another embodiment provides a combination hammer/scraper for attachment to an extension for use on painting surfaces.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates to a painting tool, and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a painting tool adapted for mounting on an extension. The painting tools according to the present invention include a straight paint brush, a paint brush with angled bristles, a scraper, and a combination hammer/scraper. 
         [0003]    2. Discussion 
         [0004]    Commercial and residential painting jobs often require painting of elevated surfaces such as ceilings, high walls, gables, skylights, and other hard-to-reach areas. Extensions, including telescoping extensions, are well known in the art for use with paint rollers. The paint roller handle typically includes a female fitting which mates with a male fitting on the end of the extension. The use of a paint roller extension permits the painter to minimize use of ladders, thereby reducing both the time required to complete the job and also the safety risks associated with working from a ladder. 
         [0005]    Hard-to-reach areas are not always accessible using a paint roller attached to an extension. Corners must still be cut in, and the area to be painted almost always includes nooks and crannies not suited to the use of a paint roller. Although some ladder work may always be required, a paint brush adapted for use with an extension would further save time and reduce the amount of ladder work. 
         [0006]    Surface preparation prior to painting poses similar challenges. Nails in dry wall, exterior siding, and other locations often work loose so the nail heads catch on paint rollers. In many cases, only a minimum force is required to return the nail heads to a position flush with the painting surface. In those instances, a hammer adapted for attachment to an extension would be desirable. 
         [0007]    Surface preparation sometimes requires scraping. As with the hammer described above, a scraper adapted for attachment to an extension would be useful. 
         [0008]    Brushes used by painters include brushes having bristles tapered for use around sashes and other locations. For hard-to-reach locations, brushes having bristles which are offset with respect to the brush handle would be especially handy for brushes adapted for attachment to an extension. For greatest flexibility, the brushes adaptable for attachment to an extension should also be suitable for hand use. 
         [0009]    Accordingly, what is needed is a paint brush adapted for attachment to an extension but also suitable for hand use. Likewise, a scraper and a hammer, each adapted for attachment to an extension for use in hard-to-reach areas, is desired. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    A painting tool for attachment to an extension has a head attached to one end of a handle. The other end of the handle terminates in a threaded female adaptor which mates with a threaded male adapter on the extension. The head can be a paint brush head containing bristles or sponge material or, in the alternative, the head can support a scraper blade for cleaning surfaces prior to painting. Another embodiment provides a combination hammer/scraper for attachment to an extension for use on painting surfaces. 
         [0011]    An object of the present invention is to provide a painting tool adapted for quick and easy attachment to a standard paint roller extension. 
         [0012]    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a paint brush suited for hand use and also suited for attachment to a standard paint roller extension. 
         [0013]    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a scraper adapted for quick and easy attachment to a standard paint roller extension. 
         [0014]    Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description of the preferred embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a view of a paint brush according to the present invention shown with a telescoping extension. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a view of another paint brush according to the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a view of another paint brush according to the present invention shown with a telescoping extension. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a view of another paint brush according to the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a view of another paint brush according to the present invention shown with a telescoping extension. 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a view of a scraper according to the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a view showing a combination hammer/scraper according to the present invention shown with a telescoping extension. 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is another view of the combination hammer/scraper of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  is another view of the combination hammer/scraper of  FIGS. 7-8 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0024]    In the following description of the invention, like numerals and characters designate like elements throughout the figures of the drawings. 
         [0025]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a paint brush  20  according to the present invention is adapted for a use with an extension E terminating in a threaded male adapter M. The paint brush  20  has a head  22  attached to one end  24  of a handle  26 . The other end  28  of the handle  26  terminates in a threaded female adapter  30 . The head  22  of the paint brush  20  has bristles  32 . In use, the threaded female adapter  30  on the paint brush handle  26  is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E. 
         [0026]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , another paint brush  40  according to the present invention has a head  42  attached to one end  44  of a handle  46 . The other end  48  of the handle  46  terminates in a threaded female adapter  50 . The head  42  of the paint brush  40  has bristles  52 . In use, the threaded female adapter  50  on the paint brush handle  46  is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E (See  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0027]    It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the paint brush  20  and the paint brush  40  are suitable for use without attachment to the extension E. It will also be understood by one skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to bristled paint brushes such as the brushes  20 , 40 , but includes sponge paint brushes and paint brushes of all shapes and styles. It will be further understood by one skilled in the art that, although the present invention is illustrated with respect to mating threaded female and male adapters, any suitable adapter, such as a bayonet-style adapter, is within the scope of the invention. 
         [0028]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , another paint brush  60  according to the present invention is adapted for a use with an extension E terminating in a threaded male adapter M. The paint brush  60  has a head  62  attached to one end  64  of a handle  66 . The other end  68  of the handle  66  terminates in a threaded female adapter  70 . The head  62  of the paint brush  60  has bristles  72 . In use, the threaded female adapter  70  on the paint brush handle  66  is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E. The handle  66  is attached to the head  62  at angle  74  so the brush head  62  is offset about 15-45 degrees with respect to the handle  66 . 
         [0029]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , another paint brush  80  according to the present invention is adapted for a use with an extension E-terminating in a threaded male adapter M. The paint brush  80  has a head  82  attached to one end  84  of a handle  86 . The other end  88  of the handle  86  terminates in a threaded female adapter  90 . The head  82  of the paint brush  80  has bristles  92 . In use, the threaded female adapter  90  on the paint brush handle  86  is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E. The handle  86  is attached to the head  82  at an angle  94  so the head is offset about 15-45 degrees with respect to the handle  86 . 
         [0030]    Referring now to  FIG. 5 , another paint brush  100  according to the present invention is adapted for a use with an extension E terminating in a threaded male adapter M. The paint brush  100  has a head  102  attached to one end  104  of a handle  106 . The other end  108  of the handle  106  terminates in a threaded female adapter  110 . The head  102  of the paint brush  100  has bristles  112 . In use, the threaded female adapter  110  on the paint brush handle  106  is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E. The handle  106  is attached to the head  102  at an angle  114  so the head is offset about 15-45 degrees with respect to the handle  116 . It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the brush head  102  of  FIG. 5  is rotated 90 degrees with respect to the brush head  62  of  FIG. 3 . 
         [0031]    Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a scraper  120  according to the present has a head  122  attached to one end  124  of a handle  126 . The other end  128  of the handle  126  terminates in a threaded female adapter  130 . The head  122  of the scraper  120  has a blade  132  with a blade edge  134 . In use, the threaded female adapter  130  on the scraper handle  126  is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E. Optionally, the blade edge  134  of the scraper blade  132  is tapered at an angle  136  of about 10-30 degrees to facilitate use of the scraper  120  in corners. 
         [0032]    Referring now to  FIGS. 7-9 , a combination hammer/scraper tool member  140  has a hammer head  142  on one end and a scraper  144  on the other. A threaded female adapter  146  located between the hammer head  142  and the scraper  144  mates with the threaded male adapter M of the extension E. 
         [0033]    It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the hammer head  142  is useful for re-seating nails protruding from elevated surfaces to be painted such as siding, trim, dry wall, etc. Similarly, the scraper  144  is useful for scraping hard-to-reach surfaces prior to painting. It will also be understood that, in many cases, an extension E measuring only a few feet enables the painter to reach paint surfaces without the use of ladders. In other cases, a longer extension may be required. It will be further understood by one skilled in the art that the combination hammer/scraper  140  can be constructed from any suitable material, including steel, aluminum, or plastic. 
         [0034]    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. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.