Patent ID: 7845363

Claim:
A paint roller cleaner comprising: a cylindrical housing having a first end, a second end, and a side wall extending therebetween, wherein said housing has a longitudinal axis extending between the first and second ends and said housing defines a longitudinally aligned bore therein; an inlet into the bore defined in the first end of the housing an outlet from the bore defined in the second end of the housing, said outlet being adapted to receive a paint roller therethrough, a planar flange extending outwardly away from the second end of the housing and generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof; said flange extending radially outwardly for a distance beyond the side wall of the housing; where the flange has a first surface facing the first end of the housing, a second surface opposed thereto, and an outermost edge intermediate the first and second surfaces and spaced a distance outwardly away from the side wall of the housing; and a locking member extending generally longitudinally outwardly away from the second surface of the flange and beyond the second end of the housing; and a portion of the locking member is disposed at an angle to the longitudinal axis and is separated from the second surface by a gap, and the gap is adapted to receive part of a handle of the paint roller therein; a vent opening defined in the side wall of the housing, wherein the vent opening is in fluid communication with the bore; a reusable plug sized to tightly seal the vent opening against fluid loss from the bore during normal operation of the roller cleaner; and wherein the plug is pushed out of the vent opening only by excessive pressure build-up within the bore.