Patent Publication Number: US-7213294-B2

Title: Paint applicator

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to an adjustable paint applicator. 
   Residential painting may involve either new construction or repaints of existing homes. New construction painting is typically provided by professionals who are skilled in the art of painting and are continually looking for tools, products and application methods to provide a high quality paint job with a minimum of effort. Occasionally, homeowners will attempt to paint their own new homes. 
   Typically, repaint jobs are attempted by the owner, although many people will employ professionals for these jobs. Many homeowners who have attempted to do their own painting, come to appreciate the skill, tools and time required to do the work properly. 
   Paint rollers are well known which allow relatively quick coverage of large surface areas. To reach ceilings and higher areas, extension in the form of extendible handles are also well-known. In some instances, those handles may be pivotably adjustable, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,273,192 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,755. 
   Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved paint applicator system which mitigates the difficulties of the prior art. 
   SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to a paint applicator comprising a shaft having a distal end having a paint applying surface and a proximal end comprising a handle, said shaft comprising a pivoting joint disposed between the distal end and proximal end, said pivoting joint comprising: 
   (a) a first disc defining a plurality of openings along a periphery, 
   (b) a second disc defining a single opening, wherein the first and second discs are rotatably attached wherein the second disc opening may align with any one of the first disc openings by rotating the second disc in relation to the first disc. 
   (c) a locking pin mounted to a planar resilient tensile strip which is mounted to the first or second disc and which extends beyond the periphery of the first and second discs, wherein said pin passes through the second disc opening and into one of the first disc openings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     The invention will now be described by way of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying simplified, diagrammatic, not-to-scale drawings. In the drawings: 
       FIG. 1  is an illustration of an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a detailed view of one embodiment of the pivoting joint. 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the pivoting joint. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   The present invention provides for a novel paint applicator. When describing the present invention, all terms not defined herein have their common art-recognized meanings. 
   The apparatus depicted in the Figures comprises a paint applicator ( 10 ) which includes a roller ( 12 ), a shaft ( 14 ) having a pivoting joint ( 16 ) and an elongated handle ( 18 ). 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , the roller ( 12 ) includes a roller holder ( 20 ) upon which a roller sleeve ( 22 ) is slidingly affixed, as is well known in the art. The sleeve ( 22 ) bears an external textured surface which retains and applies paint, again as is well known in the art. In one embodiment, the surface is a napped surface with between about a ¼ inch to about a 1 inch nap. The small nap rollers are suitable for smooth surfaces such as drywall while the thicker naps are useful for heavily textured surfaces such as brick or concrete surfaces. 
   The shaft ( 14 ) and pivoting joint includes a first disc ( 30 ) and a second disc ( 32 ) which are aligned and joined at their centres such that the two discs may rotate relative to each other. The first disc is rigidly attached to a distal portion ( 14 A) of the shaft, while the second disc is rigidly attached to a proximal portion ( 14 B) of the shaft. The first disc defines a plurality of holes ( 34 ) along the periphery of the disc. The second disc defines a single opening ( 36 ) which may be aligned with any one of the first disc holes by rotating the second disc relative to the first disc. 
   A locking pin ( 38 ) passes through the disk openings ( 34 ,  36 ) which locks the pivoting joint into a set position. Preferably, the diameter of the locking pin closely matches the size of the openings so that there is little play in the pivoting joint. The locking pin is mounted to a resilient tensile strip ( 40 ), which is preferably a thin flat piece of resilient metal mounted to the second disc. as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The tensile strip ( 40 ) may be deformed such that the locking pin is removed from the openings, permitting adjustment of the pivoting joint. Once the desired position is achieved and the first disc opening and the second disc opening are aligned, the tensile strip may be released to position the locking pin in the openings. Preferably, a portion of the tensile strip extends beyond the diameter of the discs, permitting easy operation of the tensile strip by a convenient thumb action. Alternatively, or additionally, the locking pin may have a raised head which permits a user to grasp the locking pin and pull the pin out of the openings. The tensile strip ( 40 ) is preferably formed from a thin strip of resilient steel. 
   As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, if the first disc ( 30 ) defines 7 holes ( 34 ) along a 90° arc of the disc periphery, the pivoting joint ( 16 ) may be adjusted to any one of 7 positions. In a central position, the shaft will be straight as if monolithic. The pivoting joint ( 16 ) can then be adjusted such that the distal portion ( 14 A) of the shaft is bent up to 45° from the proximal portion ( 14 B) of the shaft. Additional range of motion, and fine adjustment of the pivoting joint may be achieved by providing more openings ( 34 ) along a greater arc segment. 
   The handle may be extendible or retractable to vary its length, as it well known in the art. 
   As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, various modifications, adaptations and variations of the foregoing specific disclosure can be made without departing from the scope of the invention claimed herein. The various features and elements of the described invention may be combined in a manner different from the combinations described or claimed herein, without departing from the scope of the invention.