WO2000001273A1

WO2000001273A1 - Paint roller cleaner

Info

Publication number: WO2000001273A1
Application number: PCT/DK1999/000374
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gade Keld Andersen
Original assignee: Gade Keld Andersen
Priority date: 1998-07-03
Filing date: 1999-06-30
Publication date: 2000-01-13
Also published as: AU4604199A

Abstract

An equipment (2) that serves to clean a paint roller (1) by means of a cleaning fluid. The equipment consists of a cleaning head (3) with a wall that limits an internal cavity with a ring-shaped section (6) and a leading-in inlet (7) crosswise of the cleaning head designed to contain a part of the paint roller axially during the cleaning process; a number of nozzles (8) dispersed along the ring-shaped wall section that connect the cavity of the cleaning head (4) with the leading-in inlet (7); a fluid connection (5) for connecting the cavity of the cleaning head with a cleaning fluid source; and a guard plate (9) - placed on each side of the cleaning head with the purpose of limiting a space (11) along with the cleaning head - which along with the leading-in inlet of the cleaning head makes a coaxially shaped circular guard plate outlet (14). This guard plate outlet (14) has the same or a smaller diameter that the paint roller (1). Furthermore, a number of discharge outlets (10) for soiled cleaning fluid are designed in the guard plates (9). By means of the equipment according to the invention a paint roller is cleaned for paint residue faster, easier and less polluting than known so far while using a minimum of cleaning fluid.

Description

Paint roller cleaner

The invention concerns equipment to clean a paint roller by means of a cleaning fluid. The equipment consists of a cleaning head with a wall that limits an internal cavity with a ring- shaped section and a leading-in inlet crosswise of the cleaning head that is designed to contain a part of the paint roller axially during the cleaning process; a number of nozzles dispersed along the ring-shaped wall section which connect the cavity of the cleaning head with the leading-in inlet; a fluid connection for connecting the cavity of the cleaning head with a cleaning fluid source; and a guard plate - placed on each side of the cleaning head with the purpose of limiting a space along with the cleaning head - which along with the leading-in inlet of the cleaning head makes a coaxially shaped circular guard plate outlet.

A lot of painting can be carried out faster and easier with a paint roller than with a brush. In particular when rather large areas are to be painted.

When the painting is completed, the paint roller must be cleaned thoroughly for paint residue in order to be used once again. However, it is a rather difficult and time-consuming task to clean a paint roller for paint residue manually - paint residue that will often be absorbed deep into the active nap of the paint roller. Furthermore, a lot of cleaning fluid is wasted by this act, as well as it is difficult to avoid that the operator and the surroundings are smudged by paint and soiled cleaning fluid.

These inconveniences are to some extent abated by means of the equipment, mentioned in US Patent no. 5,033,491 for cleaning a paint roller. This equipment consists of a double-walled pipe with a longitudinally mortise. A number of nozzle outlets are formed in the internal wall of the pipe in order to flush the cleaning fluid tangentially on the paint roller during a cleaning act. The paint roller is situated in the pipe with the pole carrying the roller, situated in the mortise. Hereby, the roller is brought to rotation and both paint and soiled cleaning fluid are hurled from the roller.

This well-known cleaning equipment is relatively expensive and even more expensive in operation, because all the nozzles that are to be supplied with cleaning fluid at once require a disproportionately large amount of cleaning fluid to be supplied to the equipment. This disproportionately large amount of cleaning fluid must immediately leave the equipment via the pipe ends and via the longitudinal mortise and is thus wasted. If a sufficiently large supply capacity is not available, the cleaning will be insufficient. When paint and soiled cleaning fluid are hurled from the paint roller, a part of the paint and the soiled cleaning fluid is also hurled from the longitudinal mortise, and hence the surroundings and the operator are smudged .

An improvement of the above-mentioned well-known equipment is known from the US Patent no. 4,995,749. In this case there is no mortise in the double-walled pipe of the equipment. The pipe is short and the equipment is designed to clean the paint roller partially and intensively while the paint roller is pushed through the leading-in inlet of the equipment, or the other way around. The nozzles are long enough to penetrate the nap of the paint roller. Hereby, the cleaning fluid jets from the nozzles are braked in order for the soiled cleaning fluid to be let tranquilly into a surrounding guard plate and from there out of the equipment via a slit between the paint roller and the central outlets in the guard plate. This function prevents splashes and smudging very well. On the other hand, the effect of the cleaning is limited. Furthermore, the act is relatively time-consuming because the cleaning fluid can only spread into the nap of the paint roller slowly. The purpose of the invention is to show equipment of the type mentioned by way of introduction, by which a paint roller is effectively cleaned for paint residue faster, easier and less polluting than known so far, while using a minimum of cleaning fluid.

The new and peculiar way of accomplishing this is, according to the invention, that the circular guard plate outlet has the same or a smaller diameter than the paint roller and that there is at least one discharge for soiled cleaning fluid.

During the cleaning act the paint roller is successively pushed through the leading-in inlet of the cleaning head, or the other way around, as the equipment is typically axial shorter than the paint roller. During this relative motion the circular edges of the guard plate outlets are scraping the paint residue away from the paint roller, thus it is easy to flush away with the cleaning fluid running from the cleaning fluid nozzles. At the same time the circular edges of the guard plate around the plate outlets fit the paint roller so that the soiled cleaning fluid in this way is prevented from flowing uncontrolled from the guard plate. Instead the soiled cleaning fluid can now be let restrained from the equipment via the guard plate discharge outlets, which can be shaped in a way that makes the discharge happen without splashing and smudging the operator and the surroundings with paint residue and soiled cleaning fluid.

When the nozzles discharge into an inclined angle in the leading-in inlet, the cleaning fluid jets will in the aggregate influence on the paint roller with a torque moment that makes the paint roller rotate and as the result of this paint residue and soiled cleaning fluid are hurled from the paint roller. Hereby, the cleaning process is made more effective. However, it should be noticed that in some cases it is preferable to prevent the paint roller from rotating in order to avoid paint residue being hurled on the operator and the surroundings, which may be caused by paint residue from those areas of the paint roller that, in a given moment, are not placed in the leading-in inlet of the cleaning head.

Furthermore, the nozzles discharge in a distance from the paint roller that is to be cleaned, whereby the cleaning fluid running from the nozzles will affect the paint roller and the paint residue dynamically with the full power of the jets, instead of being braked in the nap of the paint roller as seen in the above-mentioned well-known equipment US Patent no. 4,995,749.

A large number of discharge outlets in the guard plates can be constructed with advantage in order to ensure that the soiled cleaning fluid is let slowly from the guard plates covering a relatively large area.

The cleaning fluid will, according to the invention, run from the nozzles at full speed and put the cleaning fluid, situated in the space between the guard plate and the cleaning head, in a highly turbulent state of flow with the result that the cleaning fluid will flush from the discharge outlets of the guard plates in an uncontrolled and splashing way.

To prevent this from happening, a circular barrier can be placed in the above-mentioned space in order to form a contracted stream passage that the soiled cleaning fluid is forced to pass before it reaches the discharge outlets of the guard plate in a braked and therefore quiet state of flow.

By way of an advantageous version the barrier can be formed as e.g. a flexible polymeric produced conical ring with a number of mortises emerging from the rim of the ring at the point of the largest diameter of the ring, which is to be found by the cleaning head. The conical ring brakes the cleaning fluid stream in the space between the guard plate and the cleaning head as the cleaning fluid is mainly reffered to pass the mortises that advantageously accommodate the size of their flowing areas depending on the pressure and volume of the induced cleaning fluid.

The equipment is typically provided with a valve to shut for further induction of cleaning fluid when the roller leaves the leading-in inlet of the equipment. Hereby, it is avoided that cleaning fluid is unnecessarily wasted and that the equipment starts flushing and splashing on the operator and the surroundings when the paint roller is removed from the cleaning head.

For an optimally effective version for the valve it must be designed with a stem that via the cleaning head is connected to a thrust pad in the leading-in inlet. Hereby, the valve is automatically opened when a paint roller is placed in the leading-in inlet and automatically closed when the paint roller is removed.

The operator can easily operate the equipment according to the invention by holding it above e.g. a bucket or drain with one hand and push the paint roller through the leading-in inlet of the equipment with the other hand.

However, the equipment can also be mounted on e.g. a bucket with cleaning fluid that is pumped through the cleaning head via a fluid pipe with an inserted pump while operating. The operator only needs to conduct the painc roller in and out of the leading-in inlet of the cleaning head.

This function is environmentally desirable, as the soiled cleaning fluid is not directly let to discharge. Furthermore, this is economical because there no more cleaning fluid than absolutely necessary is used for the cleaning operation. When it is only the guard plate facing the cleaning fluid in the bucket that is equipped with e.g. one discharge outlet, and this outlet is connected to the cleaning fluid via another pipe, the cleaning fluid will circulate during a cleaning operation - this without splashing at or smudging the operator and the surroundings with paint residue and soiled cleaning fluid.

The invention is explained further below, since only versions by way of examples are described with reference to the drawing where :

Fig. 1 shows a cross section from the side of a first version of equipment according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows seen in the left side, a cut according to the line A-A in fig.l and in the right side, a cut according to line B-B in fig.l

Fig. 3 shows a cross section from the side of another version of equipment according to the invention.

Fig. 4 shows as seen above, seen from the line IV-IV in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows a cross section from the side of a third version of equipment according to the invention.

Fig. 6 shows as seen above, seen from the line Vl-Vl in fig.5

Fig. 7 shows a cross section from the side a version for equipment according to the invention.

Fig. 8 shows as above, seen from the line Vlll-Vlll in fig.7

Fig. 9 schematically shows a cross section from the side an arrangement for the equipment according to the invention. In the following the paint is presumed to be water-soluble and cleaning fluid to be water.

A not shown operator is according to fig. 1 + 2 cleaning a paint roller 1 by means of an equipment 2 according to the invention.

The equipment consists of a cleaning head 3 with a cavity 4 that via a water connection 5 communicates with a not shown water source.

The wall of the cleaning head has a circular section 6 that limits a leading-in inlet 7 to the paint roller. In the circular wall section several inclined nozzles 8 are shaped, connecting the cavity of the cleaning head with the leading-in inlet. As it is shown, the nozzles are in a distance from the paint roller. The water jets from the nozzles can therefore without hindrance affect the paint roller and the paint residue on the paint roller with their full capacity of dynamic energy.

A guard plate 9 is placed on each side of the cleaning head in order to prevent the cleaning fluid from splashing and flushing all over the operator and the surroundings. In the guard plate a number of discharge outlets 10 are designed to lead the soiled cleaning water from the equipment.

As it is shown, the cleaning head 3 and each of the guard plates 9 are limiting a space 11 that must be passed by the soiled cleaning water, before it can flow from the discharges 10 of the respective guard plate.

A conical ring 12 is placed in the space stretching between the cleaning head and the guard plate with the outlet with the largest diameter situated by the cleaning head and the outlet with the smallest diameter situated by the guard plate. The ring is mainly produced of a flexible polymeric. In the conical ring along the periphery of the outlet with the largest diameter, a number of inclined mortises 13 are formed. They turn in the same direction as the inclined nozzle outlets 8 placed in the circular wall section 6 of the cleaning head 3.

In each of the guard plates 9 a circular guard plate outlet 14 is placed coaxially with the leading-in inlet 7 of the cleaning head. The circular guard plate outlet 14 has the same diameter or a slightly smaller one than the paint roller 1, thus the perforated edge 15 of the guard plate is likely to penetrate the nap 16 of the paint roller while operating.

In the case shown, each of the guard plates are furthermore provided with a packing ring 17 made of e.g. brush hair as a further insurance of an effective packing around the paint roller .

When a paint roller is to be cleaned, the cleaning head is connected with a water source under pressure (not shown) at the water connection 5 and the operator (not shown) pushes the relatively long paint roller through the leading-in inlet 7 of the cleaning head 2. Hereby, the water flushes powerfully and inclined from the inclined nozzle outlets towards the paint roller. This causes the paint roller a torque moment that is likely to put the roller into rotation. The water jets flush up the paint residue after which paint residue and soiled water are hurled from the nap of the paint roller, thus the roller is being effectively cleaned.

Alternatively, the paint roller is kept from rotation in order to avoid paint residue and soiled water to be hurled at the operator and the surroundings from those areas of the paint roller that, in a given moment, are not situated in the leading-in inlet of the cleaning head. As shown, the equipment is constantly supplied with fresh water during the above-mentioned cleaning operation. The soiled water is let from the equipment 2 via the discharge outlets 10 in the guard plates 9, as the perforation edge 15 of the guard plate outlet and the packing rings 17 prevent the soiled water from running out along the paint roller.

On the way to the discharge outlets 10, the soiled water in the space 11 passes the inclined mortises 13 of the conical ring 12, which narrows down the stream passage of the water substantially. Hereby, the water is braked, thus it achieves a calm condition of stream on the side opposite to the cleaning head. This calm stream of condition ensures that the soiled water can leave the equipment calmly, via the discharge outlets of the guard plates without splashing and smudging the operator and the surroundings with paint residue and soiled water.

The water is sent into the cavity of the cleaning head from an inclined angle via the inclined nozzle outlets 8 and is hence put into rotation. As the inclined mortises 3 in the conical ring 12 turn the same way as the nozzle outlets 8, the water continues its rotation on the other side of the conical ring 12 and thereby along with the internal wall of the respective guard plate. This means that the water is braked further and that it advantageously runs diagonally or tangentially from the discharge outlets of the guard plates instead of flushing out in more further-reaching and splashing axial jets.

In the example above, it was presumed that the operator pushed/pulled the paint roller in and out of the leading-in inlet of the cleaning head manually, or the other way around. The equipment will typically be supplied with a valve for the purpose of turning the water on and off. However, it will be difficult for the operator to control the valve manually within such a precise manner that the water is not flushed from the nozzles when the paint roller is outside the leading-in inlet or reverse - that one or both ends of the paint roller are not flushed, or not flushed sufficiently.

The equipment according to the invention is therefore supplied with a valve 18 that opens automatically when the paint roller is situated in the leading-in inlet and closes automatically when the paint roller is not situated in the leading-in inlet.

The valve 18 has a valve stem 19 that stretches to a thrust pad 20 a bit inside the leading-in inlet 7 via the cleaning head. A paint roller that is pushed into the leading-in inlet will push down the thrust pad, thus the valve (shown in fig. 1 and 2) opens. When the paint roller is withdrawn from the leading in- inlet the valve is closed automatically by the water pressure. The reliability of the closing procedure can be further ensured by means of a spring (not shown) .

Fig. 3 and 4 show another version of an equipment according to the invention. This version is mainly constructed in the same way as the one shown in fig. 1 and 2, and basically it functions the same way. Similar parts are therefore noted with the same reference numbers.

In this case the equipment lacks the guard plates around the leading-in inlet 7. Instead there is established a resistance of flow along the edges of the leading-in inlet. This resistance of flow brakes the rotating stream of water in the leading-in inlet, thus the water can leave the cleaning head relatively quiet. In the case shown, the resistance of flow is shaped as a number of short ribs 21 that are placed along the edges of the leading-in inlet 7 with some space.

The leading-in inlet is connected to a chamber 23 via a duct

22. The chamber communicates with open space via a number of discharge outlets 24. When the equipment is operating, the soiled water is lead to open space via the duct 22 and the chamber 23. This structure is both simple and cheap to produce.

Fig. 5 and 6 show a third version for an equipment according to the invention. This version is mainly constructed as the one in fig. 3 and 4, and basically it functions the same way. Similar parts are therefore noted with the same reference numbers.

However, this version lacks the duct 22 and the chamber 23 with discharge outlets 24 shown in fig. 3 and 4. The water is only lead axially from an operating paint roller (not shown) . During the operation the stream of water is braked by the ring of short ribs 21 and the packing ring 17.

Fig 7 and 8 show a fourth version of an equipment according to the invention. This version is the one in fig. 5 and 6 and it functions in the same way as well. Similar parts are therefore noted with similar reference numbers.

However, in this case the cleaning head is equipped with a large and a small leading-in inlet for large and small paint rollers respectively.

A reverser 25 shaped as a gear transmission 25 serves, by means of ring segments, to lead the soiled water to one of the two leading-in inlets (not shown) .

Fig. 9 shows an advantageous function for the equipment according to the invention. In this case the function is shaped as a lid over a container 26 of cleaning water 27.

As shown, the equipment has the water connection 5 on the side facing downwards. This water connection is connected with the cleaning water 27 via a connecting pipe 28 with an inserted pump and a plunged filter 30. Furthermore, the equipment has a discharge outlet 10 with a discharge pipe 31 that stretches towards the cleaning water, or it is plunged into the cleaning water 27.

When a paint roller is to be cleaned, it is placed (as shown) in the leading-in inlet 7 of the equipment 2. The paint roller is pushed/pulled up and down in the leading-in inlet 7 as indicated by the arrow. By means of the pump, the water is put into circulation through the equipment via the filter 30, the connecting pipe 28 and the discharge pipe 31.

As the water flows in a closed circulation, the function can operate without splashing and smudging the operator and the surroundings. It is easy to operate. Furthermore, it is environmentally desirable, because the soiled cleaning water is not to discharge directly. At the same time the use of cleaning fluid is at a minimum. The latter advantages are rather significant when the cleaning fluid is not water but e.g. turpentine, petroleum or similar cleaning fluids.

A simple ejector driven by air from e.g. the delivery side of a vacuum cleaner can be used as a pump. The air will effectively contribute to the cleaning process, thus the consumption of cleaning fluid can be reduced proportionally.

The ejector can easily be integrated to the equipment itself. It is cheap to produced and easy to clean.

It is to be noted that with this function the lower guard plate outlet does not need to fit the paint roller being cleaned tightly. Furthermore, the packing rings are dispensable, as the soiled cleaning fluid, which will evidently flow from the paint roller, is fenced from the containers and the equipment itself. In this case the discharge outlet 10 and the discharge pipe 31 are dispensable.

Claims

1. Equipment (2) for cleaning a paint roller with a cleaning fluid and that consists of:

- a cleaning head (3) with a wall that limits an internal cavity with a ring-shaped section (6) and a leading-in inlet crosswise of the cleaning head that is designed to contain a part of the paint roller axially during the cleaning process

- a number of nozzles (8) dispersed along the ring-shaped wall section which connect the cavity (4) of the cleaning head with the leading-in inlet (7)

- a fluid connection (5) for connecting the cavity of the cleaning head (4) with a cleaning fluid source and

- a guard plate (9) placed on each side of the cleaning head with the purpose of limiting a space (11) along with the cleaning head which, along with the leading-in inlet of the cleaning head, makes a coaxially shaped circular guard plate outlet (14)

characterised in that

- the circular guard plate outlet (14) has the same or a smaller diameter than the paint roller (1) and

- there in at least one of the guard plates (9) is shaped at least one discharge outlet (10) for soiled cleaning water.

2. Equipment according to claim 1, characterised in that in the space (11) between the guard plate (9) and the cleaning head

(3), there is placed a ring-shaped barrier (12) for forming a contracted stream passage for the soiled cleaning water that is to be lead away through at least one of the discharge outlets (10) via the space (11) .

3. Equipment according to claim 2, characterised in that the barrier (12) is mainly shaped as a conical ring constructed of a flexible polymeric (12) and its diameter must be largest at the cleaning head (3) and smallest at the guard plate (9), that the smallest diameter is two times smaller 'than the distance of the discharge outlet (10) from the axis of the leading-in inlet (7) and that a number of mortises are dispersed along the circumference of the ring and they are emerging from the rim of the ring (12) by the cleaning head (3) .

4. Equipment according to claim 1,2 or 3, characterised in that a number of discharge outlets (10) are shaped in the guard plate (9) .

5. Equipment according to any of the claims 1-4, characterised in that there is a space (11) between the two guard plates

(9) and the circumference of the cleaning head (3) .

6. Equipment according to each of the claims 1-5, characterised in that the nozzles (8) discharge under an inclined angle in the leading-in inlet (7) and in a distance from the paint roller (1) being cleaned.

7. Equipment according to each of the claims 1-6, characterised in that it is axially shorter than the paint roller (1) .

8. Equipment according to each of the claims 1-7, characterised in that it has a valve (18) with a stem that is connected to a thrustpad (20) via the cleaning head (3), the thrust pad (20) reaching a bit into the leading-in inlet (7) when the valve is closed and is pressed down, thus the valve (18) is opened when a paint roller (1) is placed in the leading-in inlet (7) .

9. Equipment according to each of the claims 1-9, characterised in that there is only a discharge outlet (10) in one of the guard plates (9) .

10. Equipment according to each of the claims 1-9, characterised in that the fluid connection (5) of the cleaning head (3) is connected with a subjacent fluid reservoir (26) via a connection pipe (28) and that a pump is injected in this pipe (28) in order to pump cleaning fluid

(27) from the reservoir (26) through the cleaning head (3) while operating.