Abstract:
A method and apparatus for holding an article to be painted coated with a stand. In one embodiment the stand comprises (a) a first leg, (b) a second leg, (c) an upper connecting member attached to the first and second legs at an upper elevational position, (d) a base connecting the first and second legs at a lower elevational position, (e) at least part of the upper connecting member being insertable in a hardware opening of the article, and (f) the base extending on at least two sides of the article.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable 
     REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX” 
     Not applicable 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The invention relates to a stand assembly for holding an object to be painted/coated, such as a door, window frame, or the like and a method for painting/coating same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a stand which can be used to quickly and efficiently stand an object to be painted/coated, such as a door, window frame, or the like. 
     2. General Background 
     During the building, repair or renovation of a house, office building, or the like, doors, windows, and the like, often times must be painted/coated on site. If they are first “hung” in place, and thereafter painted/coated, many situations will cause the painting/coating process to be delayed because of inaccessibility of one or more surface areas of the door or window. Additionally, the permanent affixation of the door prior to painting/coating often requires painting/coating of just one side of the door prior to movement thereof before complete drying occurs. Therefore, there is a need of a device facilitating support of a door, window, or similar object for painting/coating purposes prior to permanent affixation in the building for convenience and which permits all surfaces of the object to be painted/coated during one continuous procedure. 
     For a standard three bedroom home, at least eleven doors would require painting/coating. At least two coats of paint are typically applied to each door with a minimum of thirty minutes drying time between coats. These doors typically must be painted/coated simultaneously, otherwise, the job would be unduly extended. Furthermore, craftsmen such as plumbers, carpenters, and cabinet fabricators, may also be performing work on the home and require access to various areas where the doors being painted/coated are stored. Accordingly, the doors may require relocation during the painting/coating job. 
     A typical method for painting multiple doors currently requires a strip of wood with nails about every 2 to 3 feet on top of the door centers. For stability these doors must be staggered angularly and at least 3 to 4 doors must be connected together at one time. This method requires at least two individuals for setting up the doors. 
     Patents on devices for assisting the holding of items to be painted or coated are listed below: 
     
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 U.S. Pat. No.: 
                 PATENTEE: 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   684,097 
                 Quigley et al 
               
               
                 1,106,915 
                 Beasejour 
               
               
                 1,581,960 
                 King 
               
               
                 2,599,010 
                 Pernitz 
               
               
                 5,090,648 
                 Wood 
               
               
                 5,164,011 
                 Ray 
               
               
                 5,846,016 
                 Martinez et al. 
               
               
                 5,894,945 
                 Curran 
               
               
                 6,090,204 
                 Speed et al. 
               
               
                 6,338,758 
                 Curran 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     All of these prior art devices are deficient in one way or another such as failing to allow quick set up and break down by a single individual of one or more items to be painted or coated. 
     Further, excepting Martinez et al., none of the devices are portable allowing storage of multiple stands in a small area. Martinez et al. requires that at least two items to be painted or coated be affixed to each other using fasteners in screw holes requiring the time to so affix the fasteners and risking possible cross-threading of the screw holes. 
     The present invention addresses the deficiencies of the prior art as described above and therein. 
     While certain novel features of this invention shown and described below are pointed out in the annexed claims, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details specified, since a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art will understand that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. No feature of the invention is critical or essential unless it is expressly stated as being “critical” or “essential.” 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     The apparatus of the present invention solves the problems confronted in the art in a simple and straightforward manner. What is provided is a method and apparatus for painting or coating items. 
     It is an object of the method and apparatus of the present invention to allow a single man to set up and paint or coat all articles in a particular job. Furthermore, a single man should be able to relocate any of the articles being painted/coated without dismantling the apparatus of the invention. 
     It is another object of the method and apparatus of the present invention to allow several items to be painted/coated in a relatively small area. 
     In one embodiment no assembly is required to set up the article to be painted or coated. 
     In one embodiment, after hardware has been removed, a single man using the method and apparatus of the present invention can set up to eight doors for painting in about one minute. 
    
    
     The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a further understanding of the nature, objects, and advantages of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, read in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention wherein the apparatus is collapsible; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 shows the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 but in a collapsed position; 
     FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the method and apparatus of the present invention being used to paint a door; 
     FIG. 5 shows two additional alternative embodiments of the method and apparatus of the present invention which can be used to support a door to be painted; 
     FIG. 6 shows another alternative embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention allowing for adjustment and in an extended orientation; 
     FIG. 7 shows the embodiment of FIG. 6 in a contracted and collapsed orientation; 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Detailed descriptions of one or more preferred embodiments are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in any appropriate system, structure or manner. 
     FIG. 4 shows door stand  10  holding up door  160  for painting by spray gun  170 . Upper connecting member  20  is placed inside hardware opening  165 . Bottom of door  167  contacts base  119  and base  119  contacts ground surface  180 . Bottom edge of door  166  also contacts ground surface  180 . Base  119  will resist tipping of door  160  in either direction of first and second door surfaces  168 , 169 . The bottom of door  160  will resist tipping of door  160  in a direction transverse to first and second door surfaces  168 , 169 . If door  160  is tipped slightly it will tend to return to the vertical position. Accordingly, door  160  will be held stable while being painted. The article(s) to be painted or coated can be set up anywhere a relatively flat surface can be found. 
     FIG. 1 is a preferred embodiment of door stand  10  wherein stand  10  is collapsible. Stand  10  is comprised of first leg  100 , second leg  110 , and base  119 . Base  119  is comprised of first base portion  120  and second base portion  130 . Upper connecting member  20  is attached to the connection  115  between first leg  100  and second leg  110 . 
     Upper connecting member  20  is preferably constructed of a flexible material such as an elastomer or rubber. Flexibility allows for differential movement between stand  10  and door  160 . However, upper connecting member  20  can be constructed of any material of suitable strength such as polymer, plastics, metal, wood, glass, ceramic, or other material. 
     Pin  30  is attached to pivot stop/catch  90  and helps ensure contact between base  119  and bottom of door  167  (FIG.  4 ). Pin  30  can be a metal, wood, elastomer, rubber, polymer, plastic, glass, or other suitable material which can facilitate engagement, frictional or otherwise, between base  119  and bottom of door  167 . Pin  30  can also be a ridge or bumper (not shown) facilitating frictional engagement between base  119  and bottom of door  167 . 
     First boot  70  and second boot  80  are attached to base  119 . Boots  70 ,  80  are preferably constructed of a material with adequate wear resistance and facilitates frictional engagement with ground  180 . Boots  70 , 80  can be constructed of an elastomer, rubber, polymer, plastic, metal, wood, or other suitable material. 
     First pivot  40 , second pivot  50 , third pivot  60 , and fourth pivot  65  facilitate the collapsing of stand  10  (FIGS.  2  and  3 ). First pivot  40  pivotally connects first leg  100  and second leg  110 . Second pivot  50  pivotally connects first leg  100  and first base portion  120 . Third pivot  60  pivotally connects second base portion  130  and second leg  110 . Fourth pivot pivotally connects first base portion  120  and second base portion  130 . 
     FIG. 1 shows stand  10  in an open condition and ready to be used to support door  160 . When in the open position fourth pivot stop/catch  90  resists further pivoting of first and second base portions  120 , 130 . FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of collapsible stand  10 . FIG. 3 shows stand  10  in a collapsed condition ready to be stored. Ring  150  can be used to maintain stand  10  in the collapsed condition and ready for storage 
     Stand  10  is preferably sized to fit a standard door. Suitable dimensions for stand  10  can nominally be about  40  inches for first and second legs  100 ,  110  and about  34  inches for base  119 . Those of ordinary skill in the art can size stand  10  for various articles to be painted or coated. 
     In an alternative embodiment not shown, stand  10  can be non-collapsible. In such non-collapsible embodiment first and second legs  100 , 110  and base  119  would not be pivotally connected but affixed to one another. Such an embodiment, although not collapsible, would have less moving parts and theoretically a longer useful life. 
     FIG. 5 shows two alternative embodiments: (a) tacked embodiment  200  and (b) T-embodiment  300 . Construction of the tacked embodiment  200  can be similar to the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1-3. However, pin  220  can be added to upper connecting member  210 . Pin  220  connects to side of door  240 . Pin  220  can be any fastener such as a pin, nail, screw, staple, magnet, or adhesive. Engagement between tacked embodiment  200  and door  230  occurs at bottom of door  250 . Connection between pin  220  and side of door  240  is not limited to hardware opening  350 , but can be at other locations along the side of door. 
     T-embodiment  300  can include base  310 , pin  320 , lower arm  305 , and upper connecting member  340 . For adjustability upper arm  360  and adjusting screw  370  can be provided. Upper arm  360  can telescopically fit within lower arm  305  allowing for adjusting the height of upper connecting member  340  to be inserted in hardware opening  350 . Base  310  can include base ends  311 ,  312 . Pin  320  can be connected to base  310  and engages bottom of door  330 . 
     FIGS. 6 and 7 show an alternative adjustable embodiment  400 . The extended orientation is shown in FIG.  6  and contracted orientation in FIG.  7 . FIG. 7 also shows the stand  400  in a collapsed orientation. First and second sleeves  435 , 455  can connect first and second legs  430 , 450  with top portion  460 . Adjusting screws  436 ,  456  can be used to lock first and second sleeves  435 , 455  with first and second legs  430 , 450  when the desired extended position is achieved. Pin  420  can be located on base  440  and upper connecting member  410  located on top portion  460 . 
     FIG. 6 also shows another alternative embodiment utilizing adjusting screws  465 , 470 . Adjusting screws  465 , 470  can be threadably connected to base  440  allowing their adjustment for protrusion through bottom of base  440 . Adjusting screws  465 , 470  help bring bottom of door  167  (FIG. 4) to a higher position and leveling door  160  allowing re-attachment of hinges to door  160 . Such adjustment feature facilitates setting door  160  back on its hinges after door  160  has been painted or coated thereby allowing a single man to easily set door  160 . Adjusting screws  465 , 470  can be added to any one of the embodiments disclosed in FIGS. 1 through 7. Adjusting screws  465 , 470  can also be located at different positions on any of the embodiments disclosed in FIGS. 1 through 7, such as at the comers. Adjusting screws  465 , 470  can also be removably attached to any of the embodiments disclosed in FIGS. 1 through 7, such as by clips or other attachment means. 
     In various embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-7 a triangular shape for stand  10  has been shown. However, those skilled in the art will realize that other shapes can be used such as a rectangle, parallelogram, parabola, semicircle, T, Y, along with other configurations. The design takes into account the requirement of having at least one upper connecting point on the side of the article to be held, at least one lower connecting point on the bottom of the door, and at least two ground contacts point on opposite sides of the article. 
     The following is a list of reference numerals: 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 LIST FOR REFERENCE NUMERALS 
               
             
          
           
               
                 (Ref. No.) 
                 (Description) 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 10 
                 door stand 
               
               
                 20 
                 upper connecting member 
               
               
                 30 
                 pin 
               
               
                 40 
                 first pivot 
               
               
                 50 
                 second pivot 
               
               
                 60 
                 third pivot 
               
               
                 65 
                 fourth pivot 
               
               
                 70 
                 first boot 
               
               
                 80 
                 second boot 
               
               
                 90 
                 fourth pivot stop/catch 
               
               
                 100 
                 first leg 
               
               
                 110 
                 second leg 
               
               
                 115 
                 connection between first leg and second leg 
               
               
                 119 
                 base 
               
               
                 120 
                 first base portion 
               
               
                 125 
                 connection between first leg and first base portion 
               
               
                 130 
                 second base portion 
               
               
                 135 
                 connection between second leg and second base portion 
               
               
                 140 
                 connection between first base portion and second base portion 
               
               
                 150 
                 ring 
               
               
                 160 
                 door 
               
               
                 165 
                 hardware opening 
               
               
                 166 
                 bottom edge of door 
               
               
                 167 
                 bottom of door 
               
               
                 168 
                 first surface of door 
               
               
                 169 
                 second surface of door 
               
               
                 170 
                 spray gun 
               
               
                 180 
                 ground surface 
               
               
                 200 
                 tacked embodiment 
               
               
                 210 
                 upper connecting member 
               
               
                 220 
                 pin 
               
               
                 230 
                 door 
               
               
                 240 
                 side of door 
               
               
                 250 
                 bottom of door 
               
               
                 300 
                 T-embodiment 
               
               
                 305 
                 lower arm 
               
               
                 310 
                 base 
               
               
                 311 
                 base end 
               
               
                 312 
                 base end 
               
               
                 320 
                 pin 
               
               
                 330 
                 bottom of door 
               
               
                 340 
                 upper connecting member 
               
               
                 350 
                 hardware opening 
               
               
                 360 
                 upper arm 
               
               
                 370 
                 adjusting screw 
               
               
                 400 
                 adjustable embodiment 
               
               
                 410 
                 upper connecting member 
               
               
                 420 
                 pin 
               
               
                 430 
                 first leg 
               
               
                 435 
                 first sleeve 
               
               
                 436 
                 adjusting screw 
               
               
                 440 
                 base 
               
               
                 450 
                 second leg 
               
               
                 455 
                 second sleeve 
               
               
                 456 
                 adjusting screw 
               
               
                 460 
                 top portion 
               
               
                 465 
                 adjusting screw 
               
               
                 470 
                 adjusting screw 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     All measurements disclosed herein are at standard temperature and pressure, at sea level on Earth, unless indicated otherwise. All materials used or intended to be used in a human being are biocompatible, unless indicated otherwise. 
     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods and apparatuses differing from the type described above. Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention set forth in the appended claims. The foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only; the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the following claims.