Masking tool

Abstract

 The tool for use when applying paint adjacent to an area, such as glass in a window, where paint is not required, consists of a blade-like portion 18 connected to a hand-grip portion 20, the faces of the blade-like portion 18 being covered by sheet material 24, that is a paper/plastics laminate which passes around the free end 22 of the blade-like portion and extends between a rotatable supply reel or spool 23 and a take-up reel or spool 25 which can be rotated to move the sheet material 24 in increments onto the take-up reel or spool 23 so that any paint applied to the sheet material in the region of the free end 22 of the blade-like portion is moved away from the free end.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a masking tool for use when applying paint or the like adjacent to an area where paint is not required.

[0002] Masking tools usually have a blade portion which, in use, is manually held against an area, such as the glass in a window or the floor surface adjacent to a wall skirting board, to form a mask preventing paint from being applied to that area. However, in use, paint is applied to the blade portion of the masking tool, particularly to the edge of the blade, and it is necessary to wipe the blade clean before applying it to another part of the area otherwise paint may be transferred from the blade to the other part of the area. This continual wiping of the blade in use of the masking tool is laborious and time-consuming and requires the provision of a wiping cloth.

[0003] According to the present invention there is provided a masking tool for use when applying paint or the like adjacent to an area where paint or the like is not required, comprising a blade-like portion connected to a handle or hand-grip portion, the faces of the said blade-like portion being covered by sheet material that is a flexible plastics/paper laminate which passes around the free end of the blade-like portion, and extends between a supply reel or spool and a take-up reel or spool, the said take-up reel or spool being rotatable so as to move the sheet material in increments onto the take-up reel or spool so that in use any paint applied to the sheet material in the region of the free end of the blade-like portion is moved away from the free end.

[0004] The take-up reel or spool may be rotated by a trigger-operated lever system through a ratchet mechanism, or it may be directly rotated manually or through a hand wheel or through a traction wheel or by an electric motor.

[0005] Two embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view of one embodiment of a masking tool according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the masking tool of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side view of a second embodiment of a masking tool according to the present invention;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the masking tool of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5 indicated on Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic section showing the path of the sheet; and

Figure 7 is a section taken along the line 7-7 of Figure 4.

[0006] The masking tool shown in Figures 1 and 2 has a blade portion 10 which, in plan view, is rectangular and it tapers in thickness towards a free end 11. The blade portion 10 is connected to a handle 12 which, in this embodiment, is in the form of a pistol grip. The blade portion 10 and handle 12 are preferably formed integral with each other and may be formed of a plastics material.

[0007] Mounted on the underside of the blade portion 10 is a supply reel or spool 13 on which is wound a strip of sheet material 14, which is a plastics/paper laminate, preferably a polythene/paper laminate. The sheet material 14 extends from the reel or spool 13 along the underside of the blade portion 10, around the free end 11, and along the upper side of the blade portion 10 to a take-up reel or spool 15. The sheet 14 and the reels or spools 13, 15 extend across the full width of the blade portion 10.

[0008] The take-up reel or spool 15 is rotated by a trigger 16 and lever system 17 through a ratchet mechanism (not shown) so that on each pull of the trigger 16, the reel or spool 15 will be rotated a certain amount and will take-up the sheet material 14. Thus, in use of the masking tool, the free end 11 of the blade portion 10 covered by the sheet material 14, is applied to the surface to be masked and, during painting, some paint will be applied to the length of sheet material 14 covering the upper side of the blade portion 10. When the masking tool is removed from the surface, the trigger 16 is operated to rotate the reel or spool 15 which will wind the sheet material 14 onto the reel or spool 15 and a clean part of the sheet material 14 then covers the free end portion 11 of the blade portion 10 and any paint previously applied to the masking tool is not brought into contact with the next area to be masked.

[0009] The polythene of the polythene/paper laminate will present a non-­absorbent surface at the point of paint application. The paper backing the sheet will absorb the paint applied to the polythene when the sheet is wound on the take-up spool. The tensile strength of the sheet is improved by using polythene. Paper without polythene or other plastics material is unsuitable because, if it is too thick, it will not hug the blade portion and it assumes a larger radius than the knife edge of the tool, and if it is too thin, it cannot act as a barrier membrane, thus resulting in a build-up of paint/emulsion on the blade portion under the membrane, which cannot easily be cleaned and if not constantly removed will cause the membrane to adhere to the blade portion. Also as the paint is carried on the underside of the membrane, the operator's thumb becomes covered in paint (thumb action rotates the take-up spool). Polythene or other plastics material without paper is also unsuitable because, although thin polythene will hug the knife-edge of the blade and is non-absorbent and therefore a good barrier, it is found that after some time the take-up spool will have entrapped liquid paint which the membrane cannot absorb. This tends to squeeze out of the ends of the spool, where it cannot be cleaned. Eventually it is not possible to exert sufficient downward pressure to turn the roller and any pressure squeezes paint out of the ends.

[0010] However, tests using a laminate of polythene and paper were successful. The polythene provided the barrier and the paper absorbed the paint. The polythene was the outer laminate at the blade edge, although this is not an essential feature of the invention. The paint was transferred to the paper at the point where it was in contact on the take-up spool. Other flexible non-absorbent plastics materials may be substituted for polythene.

[0011] Furthermore, the paper of the laminate may be impregnated with a suitable oxidizing agent so as to harden any paint absorbed by the paper.

[0012] The masking tool shown in Figures 3 to 6 comprises a blade portion 18 which merges with a substantially U-shaped portion 19 and terminates at its rear end in an inverted U-shape grip portion 20. The tool is provided with side walls 21. The free end 22 of the blade portion 18 extends, but only by a short distance, beyond the bottom edge of each side wall 21. Without sidewalls, the membrane cannot be guided accurately onto the take-up spool and this spool becomes longer than the width of the membrane, causing malfunction of the tool.

[0013] Rotatably mounted beneath the blade portion 18 is a supply reel or spool 23 on which is wound a length of sheet material 24, which may be a polythene/paper laminate. Mounted within the U-shaped portion 19 is a take-up reel or spool 25. As shown more clearly in Figure 7, each reel or spool 23, 25 consists of an outer tube 26 and an inner tube 27. Provided at each end is a cylindrical end plug 28 which is provided with a bore 29 in which is received a pintle 30, which is resiliently loaded by a wad 31 of resilient material, such as a sponge-like material, provided in the bottom of the bore 29. The pintle 30 engages in a hole 32 provided in the adjacent side wall 21.

[0014] As shown in Figure 6, the sheet material 24 extends from the supply reel or spool 23 around the free end 22 of the blade portion 18, passes over the upper surface of the blade portion 18 and is wound onto the take-up reel or spool 25. The sheet material 24 enters the bottom part of the spool 25 and, therefore, any paint or the like applied to the sheet material 24 covering the upper surface of the blade portion 18 is on the underside of the material being wound onto the take-up reel or spool 25.

[0015] The take-up spool is in use rotated by hand. The tool is held by gripping with one hand the grip portion 20.

[0016] In modified arrangements, the take-up reel or spool may be rotated by a manually rotatable wheel or by a traction wheel which rolls on the surface adjacent to the surface being painted, or it may be rotated by an electric motor.

[0017] When all of the material has been transferred from the supply reel or spool to the take-up reel or spool, the supply reel or spool is replaced by a replacement full reel or spool and an empty reel or spool replaces the take-­up reel or spool. In certain embodiments the empty supply reel or spool can be used as the replacement take-up reel or spool.

Claims

1. A masking tool for use when applying paint or the like adjacent to an area where paint or the like is not required, comprising a blade-like portion (10,18) connected to a handle or hand-grip portion (12), the faces of the said blade-like portion (10,18) being covered by sheet material (14) that is a flexible plastics/paper laminate which passes around the free end (11,22) of the blade-like portion (18) and extends between a supply reel or spool (13,23) and a take-up reel or spool (15,25), the said take-up reel or spool (15,25) being rotatable so as to move the sheet material (14) in increments onto the take-up reel or spool (15,25) so that in use any paint applied to the sheet material (14) in the region of the free end (11,22) of the blade-like portion (10,18) is moved away from the free end (11,22).

2. A masking tool as claimed in claim 1, having sidewalls (21) guiding the movement of the sheet material (14), the free end (22) of the blade portion (18) extending by only a short distance beyond the sidewalls (21).

3. A masking tool as claimed in claim 2, in which the take-up reel or spool (15,25) is provided at each end with resiliently loaded pintles (30) engaging in holes (32) provided in side walls (21) of the tool.

4. A masking tool as claimed in claim 3, in which the reels or spools (13,15,23,25) consist of an outer tube (26), an inner tube (27), a circular plug member (28) provided at each end of the outer tube (26) and a bore (29) provided in the plug member (25) receiving the resiliently loaded pintle (30).

5. A masking tool as claimed in claim 1 and 2, including a trigger-operated lever system and ratchet for effecting rotation of the take-up reel or spool.

6. A masking tool as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the paper is impregnated with an oxidising agent.

7. A masking tool as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the take-up reel or spool (15,25) is mounted for manual rotation.

8. A masking tool as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the blade-like portion (10,18) and handle or hand-grip portion (12) are integral.

9. A masking tool as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the sheet material is a polythene/paper laminate.

10. A masking tool as claimed in any preceding claim, in which, at the edge of the blade (11,22), the plastics forms the outer layer of the laminate.

Drawing