GB2440330A

GB2440330A - Paint roller tray capable of storing both paint brush and roller

Info

Publication number: GB2440330A
Application number: GB0614703A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stuart Hobbs
Original assignee: LG Harris and Co Ltd
Current assignee: LG Harris and Co Ltd
Priority date: 2006-07-25
Filing date: 2006-07-25
Publication date: 2008-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 2026-07-25
Also published as: GB2440330B; GB0614703D0

Abstract

There is provided a paint roller tray 10 having a primary pain reservoir portion 30 and a roll-off section 40 extending therefrom. The roll-off section 40 includes at least secondary well 50a, 50b, the secondary wells 50a, 50b being able to support the roll off section 40 in use. Preferably the walls which define the wells are inclined relative to their respective bases so that a plurality of such trays may be closely stacked or nested together. Additionally the roll-off section 40 may be provided with an array of pimples 60 on its upper surface. Both a paint brush and a paint roller may be utilised with the present invention with ease, with paint brushed being stored in the at least one secondary well 50a, 50b (see fig 7).

Description

PAINT-ROLLER TRAY

This invention relates to paint-roller trays and is particularly, although not exclusively, concerned with the provision of a well in a paint-roller tray for holding paint and/or a paint brush.

Both professional and amateur decorators use paint-rollers to apply paint to large planar areas quickly and efficiently. For the purpose of this application, a paint-roller is defined as one which typically has a handle in the shape of a question mark and a roller which rotates freely about an axis perpendicular to the part of the handle which is held by the user.

Paint-roller trays are used to hold paint. Paint is applied to the roller portion of the paint-roller by dipping the roller into the paint. The roller is then rolled back and forth along a roll-off section to expel excess paint and to ensure that an even coating of paint is applied to the entire circumference of the roller.

A paint-roller tray typically has a primary well, or deep-end, which acts as a paint reservoir, into which paint is poured. A sloping surface which acts as the roll-off section, or shallow-end, is provided adjacent the first well for the purposes as discussed above. To be able to position a paint-roller tray on a flat surface, such as a table, feet are provided underneath the end of the roll-off section distal from the reservoir, such that together with the base of the first well the tray may be stably supported.

Such paint roller trays are typically moulded from plastics materials and are generally considered to be disposable, although in theory they can be washed after use and re-used.

Paint-roller trays may also be used in conjunction with step ladders which have been set up in an A' shape so that the tray rests between, and on, adjacent rungs on each side of the A' shaped ladder. The feet help to maintain the tray in position on the ladder by hooking over the side of one of the rungs.

When decorating it is often necessary to need a paint brush in addition to a paint-roller for the purposes of cutting-in around corners and edges. It would be convenient therefore if a paint-roller tray could be adapted so that it could also hold in place at least one paint brush for this purpose. Without this adaptation a user would have to either locate the paint brush elsewhere, which would be inconvenient if the user were on a ladder, or rest it on the roll-off section or in the deep end of the well portion.

However, in both places the paint brush would obstruct use of the roller efficiently.

Another problem with known paint-roller trays is that when the paint in the well is beginning to be exhausted the user has to chase the remaining paint around the well with the roller. Although some paint-roller trays have the base of the first well provided at a sloping angle such that paint naturally runs to one edge, this edge is adjacent a wall of the well which makes it difficult to coat the roller with the remaining paint due to the radius of curvature between the base and the wall being smaller than that of the roller.

Yet another problem with known paint-roller trays is that the feet which are provided at the end of the roll-off section distal from the first well portion make it difficult to stack adjacent paint-roller trays closely for the purposes of transport and storage.

There is therefore a need for an improved paint roller-tray.

The invention provides a paint-roller tray comprising a primary paint reservoir and a roll-off section extending therefrom, in which the roll-off section includes one or more secondary wells.

The one or more secondary wells may be formed within the roll-off section. If the tray is moulded from plastics then the secondary wells may be formed from, and in, the same sheet of material which forms the roll-off section.

The one or more secondary wells may be located anywhere in the roll-off section. For example, the one or more secondary wells may be located at an end of the roll-of section distal from the primary reservoir.

By locating the secondary wells adjacent the end of the roll-off section distal from the primary reservoir, any paint brushes placed in this well will be easily accessible by a user. Moreover, the linear axis of the paint brush will lie at right angles to the length of the paint-roller tray such that it will not interfere with the use of the paint-roller.

The one or more secondary wells may be used to store paint. This could be useful for storing smaller amounts of paint for application by brushes, for example for "cutting-in,,.

By forming the secondary wells within the roll-off section it is possible to stack several paint-roller trays closely adjacent one another because the wells will nest together.

In one embodiment, at least two secondary wells are located within the roll-off section at the end distal from the primary well. By incorporating two or more wells, more that one paint brush may be held temporarily in place on the paint-roller tray.

The primary reservoir and secondary wellls may be operable to support the tray in use.

The secondary wells may therefore additionally provide feet upon which the roll-off section can be supported.

The reservoir and the or each well may be defined by a base and surrounding perimeter walls. In the case of the secondary well/s the surrounding perimeter walls only extend to the surface of the roll-off section. The paint-roller tray will typically also have boundary perimeter walls which are the same as the surrounding perimeter walls of the primary reservoir but which also extend around the sides of the roll-off section.

The base of the primary reservoir and the base of the one or more secondary may be operable to support the tray in use because the depth of the reservoir as measured from the base to the rim of the surrounding perimeter walls is substantially the same as the depth of the secondary well as measured from the base to rim of the boundary perimeter walls so that when the tray is laid on a flat surface, such as a table, the paint will stay within the paint-roller tray.

The walls defining the one or more secondary wells may lie within the boundary defined by the perimeter walls of the paint-roller tray.

To assist in the moulding process and also for ease of stacking, or nesting, of the paint-roller trays, the walls of the reservoir and the at least one second well may be inclined relative to their respective bases.

In a further embodiment, the roll-off section may be provided with surface formations.

In some embodiments an array of pimples (such as bosses or embossments) is formed on the surface. The formations ensure that as the paint-roller is moved back and forth across the roll-off section the roller part rotates. In other words, the raised surfaces provide extra friction. However, they are formed so that they do not prevent excess paint from running down the slope of the roll-off section back into the main reservoir.

The present invention and its advantages will be better understood by referring by way of example, to the following detailed description and the attached figures, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a paint roller tray formed in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the tray of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an underside perspective view of the tray of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a section of the tray of Figure 1 taken along line IV-IV; Figure 5 is a sectional view showing two trays of the type shown in Figure 1 nested together in a stack; Figure 6 is a plan view of a tray formed according to an alternative embodiment; and Figure 7 is a plan view of a tray formed according to a further embodiment.

With reference to Figures 1 to 4, a paint-roller tray generally indicated 10 is constructed of four perimeter waIls 15, 16, 17, 18 which are upstanding from a base 25.

At one end of the tray 10 a primary reservoir portion 30 is defined by base section 26.

At the other end of the tray a roll-off section 40 is defined by base section 27. The roll-off section 40 is inclined relative to the horizontal plane. The base 25 includes an inclined transition zone 28 which extends between the base sections 26, 27.

The walls 15, 16, 17, 18 are reinforced at their free edges by a flange 20 and are inclined inwards from the flange 20 towards the base 25.

At the end 44 of the roll-off section 40 distal from the reservoir portion 30 a pair of spaced auxiliary wells SOa, SOb are provided. The wells 50a, 50b are provided in the base section 27 of the roll-off section 40. The wells are elongate and are generally trapezoidal in section.

The long axis of the wells 50a, 50b lies perpendicular to the long axis of the tray 10.

An array of pimples, or raised surface portions 60, is provided on the upper surface of the base section 27.

Referring now to Figure 5, two trays 110, 210 of the type shown in Figures ito 4 are shown stacked together.

The trays 110, 210 can nest stably because their respective reservoirs 130, 230 and roll-off sections 140, 240 fit together. In particular, the wells 1 50a, I 50b (only 1 50b is shown) from one tray 110 fit into the wells 250a, 250b of the other tray.

With reference to Figure 6, an alternative embodiment of a paint roller tray 310 is depicted. In this embodiment, one auxiliary well portion 350 is provided centrally at the end 344 of the shallow section of the roll-off section 340. The well 350 is similar in size, shape and orientation to the wells described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

All other features remain the same as those described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

Referring to Figure 7 an alternative paint tray 410 is shown. The tray 410 is similar to the tray shown in Figures 1 to 4 except that the roll-off section 440 includes an additional well 450c which is centrally located in the base section 427. The well 450c is ideally placed to be filled with paint when a roller is rolled across the roll-off section. Further, the roll-off section 440 does not have any surface formations.

Two paint brushes 470 are shown resting in the well portions 450a, 450b. The handles of the paint brushes lie at right angles to the long axis of the roller tray 410.

Claims

CLAIMS

I. A paint-roller tray comprising a primary paint reservoir and a roll-off section extending therefrom, in which the roll-off section includes one or more secondary wells.

2. A paint-roller tray according to Claim 1, wherein the one or more secondary wells are formed within the roll-off section.

3. A paint-roller tray according to Claim I or Claim 2, wherein the one or more secondary wells are located at an end of the roll-of section distal from the primary well.

4. A paint-roller tray according to any preceding Claim, wherein the secondary wells are operable to support the roll-off section in use.

5. A paint-roller tray according to any preceding Claim, wherein the walls which define the wells are inclined relative to their respective bases so that a plurality of such trays may be closely stacked or nested together.

6. A paint-roller tray according to any preceding Claim, wherein the roll-off section has an array of pimples on its upper surface.

7. A paint-roller tray substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A paint-roller tray comprising a primary paint reservoir and a roll-off section extending therefrom, in which one or more discrete secondary wells are formed within the roll-off section.

2. A paint-roller tray according to Claim 1, wherein the one or more discrete secondary wells are located at an end of the roll-off section distal from the primary paint reservoir.

3. A paint-roller tray according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more I. discrete secondary wells are operable to support the roll-off section in use. *I.. * S.,. * **

4. A paint-roller tray according to any preceding claim, wherein the walls which S. define the wells are inclined relative to their respective bases so that a plurality of such S..

trays may be closely stacked or nested together.

5. A paint-roller tray according to any preceding claim, wherein the roll-off section has an array of pimples on its upper surface.

6. A paint-roller tray substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.