Patent Publication Number: US-2012031906-A1

Title: painting apparatus

Description:
The present invention relates to a painting apparatus. 
     It is known for users to decant paint from a paint container into a roller tray, load a roller sleeve with paint using the roller tray, and then apply paint to a surface such as a wall or ceiling with the roller sleeve. Users find this known process both time consuming, in that it is necessary to continually load the roller sleeve with paint from the roller tray and decant paint from the paint container to the roller tray. The risk of spilling paint is also high due to the need to decant paint into the roller tray, and then load the roller sleeve before applying the paint to the surface. 
     Painting apparatus exists whereby paint is automatically fed from the paint container to the roller sleeve without the need to decant the paint into a roller tray, and load the roller sleeve. The applicants co-pending patent application GB2448578 describes a painting apparatus including a roller assembly and a closure module, the closure module fitting onto a paint container. The closure module includes a pump which supplies paint to the roller assembly via a dip-tube assembly. 
     It would be desirable to improve the means by which the closure module is secured to the paint container. 
     Thus, according to the present invention, there is provided a paint container assembly comprising a paint container and a closure module, the paint container having a screw threaded rim, the closure module having a main housing and an outer ring, the outer ring having a screw thread, in which the outer ring is rotatable relative to the main housing such that the screw thread cooperates with the threaded rim of the paint container to secure the closure module onto the paint container without having to rotate the main housing relative to the paint container. 
     Advantageously, this enables the closure module to utilise the screw thread on the paint container to secure the closure module to the paint container without having to rotate the main housing. Avoiding rotation of the main housing reduces the risk of any components connected to the main housing, for example, a conduit connected to a roller assembly, from becoming tangled as they rotate with the main housing. 
    
    
     
       The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a prior art painting apparatus, 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a painting apparatus according to the present invention. 
         FIGS. 3 to 5  are perspective views of part of the painting apparatus of  FIG. 2 , 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional front view of part of the painting apparatus of  FIG. 2   
         FIGS. 7 to 11  are perspective views of part of the painting apparatus of  FIG. 2 , 
         FIGS. 12 and 13  are simplified sectional views of part of the painting apparatus of  FIG. 2 , 
         FIGS. 13A to 18  are perspective views of part of the painting apparatus of  FIG. 2 , 
         FIGS. 19 to 21  are simplified sectional views of part of the painting apparatus of  FIG. 2 , and 
         FIG. 22  is a perspective view of part of the painting apparatus of  FIG. 2 , 
     
    
    
       FIG. 1  shows a prior art painting apparatus  400  comprising a paint container  412  , a closure module  415 , a dip-tube assembly  490 , and a roller assembly  480 . The dip-tube assembly is fluidly connected to the roller assembly  480  via conduit  430 . Such an apparatus is described in GB2448578. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 2 to 22  there is shown a painting apparatus  10  of the present invention comprising a paint container  12 , a closure module  15 , a dip-tube assembly  190 , and a roller assembly  195 . The dip-tube assembly  190  is fluidly connected to the roller assembly  210  via conduit  130 . 
     The roller assembly  210  comprises a roller cage  212  which houses a roller sleeve  214 , and a switch  216 . 
     The paint container  12  includes a main body  14 , a collar  16 , a handle  18 , and a removable closure  20 . The main body  14  has an inwardly tapering neck portion  22  and an upstanding rim portion  24 . The upstanding rim portion  24  has a rim  25  which defines a container aperture  26  ( FIGS. 4 and 4A ). 
     The collar  16  has an upstanding rim  27  with an internal web  28  projecting radially inwardly therefrom. The web  28  includes a dip-tube aperture  29  which is dimensioned such that it can receive a dip-tube assembly (see below). Aperture  31  is defined between the internal web  28  and the rim  27  ( FIG. 5 ). 
     The collar  16  snap-fits onto the upstanding rim  24  of the paint container by engagement of a main body projection  32  with a collar projection  30  ( FIG. 6 ). 
     The collar  16  also includes a screw thread  34  onto which a screw thread  36  of the closure  20  is screwed so as to close and seal the paint container  12  ( FIG. 6 ). The screw thread  24  of the collar  16  also engages with the closure module  15  (see below) when the closure  20  has been removed. 
     The handle  18  is secured to the collar  16  in a known way. 
     In  FIG. 7 , the closure module  15  includes a main housing  36  and a circular outer ring  38 . The main housing comprises an upper casing  40 , and a lower casing  42 . Typically the closure module components are made of plastic, for example, ABS. In  FIG. 14 , the closure module  15  is shown with the outer ring  38  present. 
     The upper case  40  includes a handle  71  to enable the control module  15  to be carried. 
     In  FIGS. 10 ,  11 , and  16 , the upper casing  40  has an upper surface  41  upon which is located a dip-tube aperture  44 . The upper casing  40  further includes two identical apertures  46  arranged such that when assembled between the upper and lower casing, the outer ring  38  can be manipulated through the apertures  34  (see below). 
     In  FIGS. 9 ,  12 , and  15 , the lower casing  42  has an upper surface  48  and a lower surface  50 . The upper surface  48  includes a dip-tube aperture  52  on its upper surface  48 . The lower casing  42  includes two identical apertures  54  arranged such that when assembled with the upper casing  40 , both the apertures  46  on the upper casing  40  coincide with the apertures  54  on the lower casing such that the outer ring  38  can be manipulated (see below). The lower surface  50  includes a recess  56  into which handle  18  locates when the closure module  15  is secured onto the paint container  12 . 
     The lower casing  42  include three horizontal inwardly extending ledges  66  ( FIG. 15 ). 
     The lower casing  42  also includes a downwardly extending projection  70  which is dimensioned such that it locates inside and through aperture  31  of collar  15 . 
     In  FIG. 8 , the outer ring  38  has an outer radial surface  58  and an inner radial surface  60 . The outer surface  58  includes a plurality of indents  62  to enable the outer ring  38  to be manipulated and rotated. 
     The closure module  15  is assembled by positioning the outer ring  38  inside the lower casing  42  such that the outer ring  38  sits upon the ledges  66 . A spring  80  is positioned between an upper surface  82  of the outer ring  38  and a lower inside surface  84  of the power casing  42  such that the outer ring  38  is biased downwards towards the ledges  66  ( FIG. 13 ). The spring force is selected such that the outer ring  38  can be rotated by a normal user. 
     The upper and lower casings are secured together using screws (not shown). Once assembled together, the outer ring  38  is visible through apertures  46 , 44 , and the dip-tube apertures  44 , 52  are vertically aligned ( FIGS. 8 and 12 ). 
     In  FIGS. 3 ,  16 , and  17 , the closure module  15  can then be positioned onto the paint container  12  such that the downwardly extending projection  70  locates inside aperture  31  of the collar  16 . The tolerance level between the projection  70  and aperture  31  ensures that the dip-tube apertures  52 , 44  on the closure module  15  are vertically aligned with the dip-tube aperture  29  on collar  16 . 
     The outer ring  38  is then rotated such that screw thread  64  engages with the screw thread  34  of the collar to secure the closure module  15  onto the paint container  12  ( FIG. 13 ). In  FIG. 13A  the outer ring  38  is shown screwed onto collar  16  without showing the other components of the control module  15 . 
     It will be appreciated that the provision of downward projection  70  prevents the closure module  15  from rotating relative to the paint container  12  which is advantageous when rotating the outer ring  38  as only one hand is required. In an alternative embodiment without the downward projection, it may be necessary to hold the main casing with one hand whilst rotating the outer ring with the other to prevent rotation of the main casing. 
     In  FIG. 18  there is shown a dip-tube assembly  180 . The dip-tube assembly  190  comprises a sealed cylindrical housing  185  having a gear pump  186  located at its lower free end. The cylindrical housing  185  includes a lower casing  192  to retain the gear pump  186 . The lower casing  192  includes a plurality of holes (not shown) which are sized so as to prevent particles of greater than 2 mm passing into the gear pump. 
     In  FIG. 20  the closure module  15  includes a motor  160  and a drive gear  181  which connects the motor  160  to a drive gear  130  of the dip-tube assembly  190  when the dip-tube assembly  195  is inserted through apertures  44 , 52 , 29  into the paint container allowing the gears  181 , 130  to engage with each other. 
     In  FIG. 21 , the gear pump  186  comprises two meshed gears  140 , 142 . Gear  140  is connected via drive shaft  189  to gear  130  such that rotation of gear  181  which is connected to the motor  60  causes the two meshed gears  140 , 142  to rotate. Rotation of the gears  140 , 142  by activation of switch  216  causes paint  150  to be sucked up through the holes in the casing  192 , and into the tube  188  via a hole  193  and channel arrangement  195 . Tube  188  is fluidly connected via a connector  197  (shown as a broken continuation lines in  FIG. 21 ) to tube  120 , and therefore paint is driven from the paint container to the roller assembly  180 . The tube  120  has an internal diameter of 6 mm. 
     The downward projection  70  prevents relative rotation between the paint container and the closure module and therefore vertical misalignment of apertures  52 , 44  on the control module and aperture  29  on the collar  16 . Maintaining alignment of the apertures therefore prevents the dip-tube assembly  180  from being damaged ( FIG. 22 ). 
     When the closure module is secured on the paint container, a seal is formed therebetween such that paint can only leave the paint container via the dip-tube assembly, i.e. there is a seal (not shown) between the dip-tube assembly and the closure module, and between the closure module and the paint container. 
     In an alternative embodiment the collar of the paint container can include a dip-tube aperture located at the centre-point of the paint container opening as opposed to being offset from the centre-point. Similarly, the collar can simply include an opening without the provision of a dip-tube aperture. In both cases, it is not necessary to prevent rotation of the closure module relative to the paint container, and therefore there is no requirement for a downward projection as in the embodiment of  FIGS. 2 to 22 . 
     In an alternative embodiment the paint container can be provided as a one-piece moulding including the collar and main body as opposed to separate arrangement of the above embodiments.