SCRAPING DEVICE FOR PAINT BRUSH OR ROLLER

Abstract

The invention provides a scraping device for a paint brush, the scraping device comprising a peripheral wall that extends between an upper end and a lower end, and enclosing a scraping space between said upper end and said lower end. On an inner side turned towards the scraping space, the peripheral wall is provided with a scraping relief that extends along a complete inner perimeter of the peripheral wall. The scraping device is provided with a bottom and/or one or more engaging elements for resting on, preferably for coupling to, an upper edge of a holder, for example a tin. The scraping space is dimensioned for receiving the tip of a brush, and the scraping relief is configured for providing a scraping direction substantially parallel to the upper edge of the peripheral wall.

Claims

1-27. (canceled)

28. A scraping device for a paint brush, the scraping device comprising a peripheral wall that extends between an upper end and a lower end, and enclosing a scraping space between the upper end and the lower end, and wherein said peripheral wall is provided at the upper end with an upper edge that defines an opening to the scraping space, wherein the scraping device is provided, near the lower end of the peripheral wall, with a bottom, which closes the scraping space at a lower end thereof, wherein the peripheral wall is provided, on an inner side turned towards the scraping space, with a scraping relief, said scraping relief extending along a complete inner perimeter of the peripheral wall, and between an upper end of the scraping relief located near the upper edge of the peripheral wall and a lower end of the scraping relief located at a distance from the upper edge of the peripheral wall, and wherein the scraping space is dimensioned for receiving the tip of a brush, and the scraping relief is configured for providing a scraping direction substantially parallel to the upper edge of the peripheral wall.

29. The scraping device according to claim 28, wherein the scraping device near the upper end of the peripheral wall is provided with one or more coupling parts for coupling the scraping device to a handle for carrying and/or suspending the scraping device.

30. The scraping device according to claim 28, wherein the scraping device near the upper end of the peripheral wall is provided with one or more engaging elements, the one or more engagement elements being applied on an outer side of the peripheral wall turned away from the scraping space for resting on, or for coupling to, an upper edge of a holder, and wherein the scraping device is thus configured to be fitted into the holder.

31. The scraping device according to claim 28, wherein the upper edge of the peripheral wall is configured as a scraping edge, and the peripheral wall is provided, at the upper edge, on an outer side turned away from the scraping space, with a projecting trough wall that delimits a trough running along the outer side of the peripheral wall, and wherein the trough is connected to the scraping space via at least one passage in the peripheral wall.

32. The scraping device according to claim 31, wherein the trough wall ends under the upper edge of the peripheral wall.

33. The scraping device according to claim 31, wherein the scraping relief extends on the inside of the peripheral wall to above the bottom of the trough, and to above the trough wall.

34. The scraping device according to claim 28, wherein the scraping relief extends on the inside of the peripheral wall to a distance from the upper edge in the range 2-3 mm.

35. The scraping device according to claim 28, wherein the lower end of the scraping relief is located at a distance from the lower end of the peripheral wall, so that the scraping relief extends over only an upper part of the inside wall.

36. The scraping device according to claim 35, wherein the inside of the peripheral wall has a substantially smooth surface between the scraping relief and the bottom.

37. The scraping device according to claim 28, wherein the scraping relief comprises several parallel ribs between an upper end near the upper edge and a lower end at a distance from the upper edge.

38. The scraping device according to claim 37, wherein the peripheral wall extends about a central axis, and the ribs extend in a direction substantially parallel to the central axis.

39. The scraping device according to claim 37, wherein the ribs extend at an acute angle to the upper edge.

40. The scraping device according to claim 37, wherein the ribs have a width along the inside of the peripheral wall and have a height perpendicular to the inside of the peripheral wall, and wherein the ribs have a width in the range from one to three times the height of the rib.

41. An assembly comprising: the scraping device according to claim 30; and a holder for providing additional stability during use, said holder being provided with a handle.

42. Assembly comprising: the scraping device according to claim 31; and a cover for closing the feed opening of the scraping device, said cover being configured to close and fit onto an upper edge of the trough wall in such a way that the cover remains free from contact with the upper edge of the peripheral wall.

43. A scraping device for a paint brush, the scraping device comprising a peripheral wall that extends between an upper end and a lower end, and enclosing a scraping space between the upper end and the lower end, wherein the lower end of the peripheral wall is a free lower end, wherein said peripheral wall is provided at the upper end with an upper edge that defines an opening to the scraping space, wherein the scraping device is provided, near the upper end of the peripheral wall, with one or more engaging elements, the one or more engaging elements being applied on an outer side of the peripheral wall turned away from the scraping space for resting on, or for coupling to, an upper edge of a holder, wherein the peripheral wall is provided, on an inner side turned towards the scraping space, with a scraping relief, said scraping relief extending along a complete inner perimeter of the peripheral wall, and between an upper end of the scraping relief located near the upper edge of the peripheral wall and a lower end of the scraping relief located at a distance from the upper edge of the peripheral wall, and wherein the scraping space is dimensioned for receiving the tip of a brush, and the scraping relief is configured for providing a scraping direction substantially parallel to the upper edge of the peripheral wall.

44. The scraping device according to claim 43, wherein the upper edge of the peripheral wall is configured as a scraping edge, and the peripheral wall is provided, at the upper edge, on an outer side turned away from the scraping space, with a projecting trough wall that delimits a trough running along the outer side of the peripheral wall.

45. A method for using the scraping device according to claim 29, said method comprising the steps: filling the scraping device with paint so that an upper portion of the scraping relief projects above a paint surface, when the scraping device is mounted on a horizontal supporting surface; dipping a brush in the paint; and then scraping the brush along the scraping relief.

46. A method for using the scraping device according to claim 30, said method comprising the steps: placing the scraping device in a holder, comprising coupling the scraping device to an upper edge of the holder; filling the scraping device with paint so that an upper portion of the scraping relief projects above a paint surface, when the holder is mounted on a horizontal supporting surface; dipping a brush in the paint; and then scraping the brush along the scraping relief.

47. A method for using the scraping device according to claim 43, said method comprising the steps: placing the scraping device in an at least partially paint-filled holder, comprising coupling the scraping device to an upper edge of the holder, so that an upper portion of the scraping relief projects above a paint surface, when the holder is mounted on a horizontal supporting surface; dipping a brush in the paint; and then scraping the brush along the scraping relief.

Description

[0079] The invention will be explained in more detail hereunder on the basis of embodiment examples and an associated drawing, in which:

[0080] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment example of a scraping device according to the invention;

[0081] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional side view of a second embodiment example of a scraping device according to the invention;

[0082] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional side view of a portion of a cover and of an upper edge of the scraping device in FIG. 2; and

[0083] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional side view of a second embodiment example of a scraping device according to the invention.

[0084] It should be noted that the figures are purely schematic and are not always drawn to (an identical) scale. In particular, for clarity some dimensions are exaggerated to a varying extent. Equivalent parts are indicated with one and the same reference number in the figures.

[0085] FIG. 1 shows a scraping device 1 for a paint brush. The scraping device 1 comprises a peripheral wall 2 that extends between an upper end 3 and a lower end 4. The peripheral wall encloses a scraping space 5 between the upper end and the lower end, and is provided at the upper end with an upper edge 6 that defines an opening 7 to the scraping space 5.

[0086] Near the lower end of the peripheral wall 2, the scraping device 1 is provided with a bottom 7 which closes the scraping space 5 at a lower end thereof. Near the upper end of the peripheral wall 2, the scraping device 1 is provided with an engaging element in the form of a trough 8, which is applied on an outer side 9 of the peripheral wall 2 turned away from the scraping space, for resting on an upper edge of a holder, for example a paint tin.

[0087] On an inner side 10 turned towards the scraping space, the scraping device 1 is provided with a scraping relief 11. The scraping relief 11 extends along a complete inner perimeter of the peripheral wall 2, and between an upper end 12 of the scraping relief 11 located near the upper edge 6 of the peripheral wall 2, and a lower end 13 of the scraping relief 11 located at a distance from the upper edge 6 of the peripheral wall 2.

[0088] The scraping device 1 shown in FIG. 1 may for example be used in painting activities wherein an amount of paint or varnish is received in the scraping space therein such that at least a portion of the scraping relief projects above the surface of the liquid.

[0089] The scraping space 1 is dimensioned for receiving the tip of a brush, and the scraping relief 11 is configured to provide a scraping direction substantially parallel to the upper edge of the peripheral wall.

[0090] Via the opening 7, a brush can be dipped into the paint in the scraping space, and can then be scraped off with a twisting motion along the scraping relief, and, if necessary, can then be scraped over the scraping edge formed by the upper edge 6 of the peripheral wall 2.

[0091] The holder typically has a capacity of between 0.5 and 1 litre and has a height of the order of between 10 and 20 centimetres. This example is based on a holder formed completely from a suitable plastic, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, manufactured by an injection moulding process. The holder is thus formed as a single whole. Within the scope of the invention, some other suitable plastic may be used, preferably a plastic with a hydrophobic surface.

[0092] It should be noted that in the embodiment example shown, the peripheral wall 2 provides, in combination with an encircling scraping relief 11 that is effective in a direction parallel to the upper edge 6 of the scraping device, a curved scraping surface that is suitable for scraping-off or rolling-off a roller.

[0093] In the example shown, the peripheral wall 2 extends about a central axis 16, and the peripheral wall 2 has a circular cross-section in a plane perpendicular to the central axis 16. Moreover, the outer perimeter of the peripheral wall 2 gets narrower towards the lower end 4 of the peripheral wall, and the scraping device 1 can fit in a scraping space of a similar further scraping device. Thus, similar holders can be nested together. As a result, a holder will take up less space during storage and transport.

[0094] The scraping device shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a scraping relief 11 with a number of successive ribs 14. The ribs 14 are equidistant and parallel to each other with a mutual spacing of the order of 10 to 25 millimetres, here approx. 15 millimetres.

[0095] In the example shown, the ribs 14 extend over only a part of the height of the peripheral wall 2, wherein the wall has a smooth surface 15 between the bottom 7 and the scraping relief.

[0096] The ribs 14 of the embodiment of a scraping device according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 extend at an acute angle to the bottom 7 and the upper edge 6 of the peripheral wall 2. The ribs 21 describe a helical shape, i.e. a spiral shape relative to the central axis 16.

[0097] In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the ribs 14 extend in a direction substantially parallel to the central axis 16.

[0098] A ribbed structure seems to be especially effective in guiding the user towards the correct scraping direction, preferably substantially transverse to the ribs. By providing the scraping relief with vertically oriented ribs, it is made clear to the user that a brush can be scraped in a direction parallel to the scraping edge 6, in particular parallel to the surface of the liquid paint in the scraping space.

[0099] It was found that a ribbed structure combines an effective scraping direction with an efficient draining direction in the lengthwise direction of the ribs, provided that the ribs extend in a substantially vertical direction.

[0100] In the embodiment example shown, the upper edge 6 of the peripheral wall 2 is configured as a scraping edge. For this purpose, the peripheral wall 2 is provided, on the upper edge, on an outer side 9 turned away from the scraping space 5, with a projecting trough wall 18. The trough wall 18 delimits the trough 8, which runs along the outer side of the peripheral wall 2, and in the example shown extends along a complete outer perimeter of the peripheral wall 2. When a brush is scraped over the upper edge of the peripheral wall, paint may end up on the outer side of the peripheral wall. By providing a trough, this paint is caught, and the paint is prevented from running further over the outer side of the peripheral wall, and/or over the holder in which the scraping device is fitted.

[0101] In the embodiment example shown, the trough 8 is connected to the scraping space 5 via several passages 19 in the peripheral wall 2. Each passage 19 is formed by a U-shaped depression in the upper edge 6, said depression extending from the upper edge of the peripheral wall 2 to the bottom of the trough 8.

[0102] In the embodiment example shown, the peripheral wall 2 extends above the trough 8, and above an upper end of the trough wall 18, so that during scraping over the upper edge 3 of the peripheral wall 2, a brush does not have to come into contact with the upper end of the trough wall 18. Thus, no paint ends up on the outside of the trough 8.

[0103] Because the scraping relief 11 extends on the inside 10 of the peripheral wall 2 to above the bottom of the trough 8, there is optimum usage of the internal surface, i.e. up to the scraping edge, for scraping a brush. In addition, a user will not fill the scraping space to above the passages of the trough. This means that a portion of the scraping relief is always accessible for scraping a brush.

[0104] The trough 8 and the trough wall 18 extend in this example over a full perimeter of the peripheral wall 2.

[0105] A scraping device according to the invention may for example be used in a holder, to provide an easily manageable amount of paint without needing to break open a full paint package.

[0106] By combining a scraping device that is provided with a bottom, and a holder, the scraping device can be made relatively light and flexible. Thus, the scraping device can be replaced without high costs when there is a change of product or for example paint colour. Because the holder does not come into contact with the paint or varnish, it can be reused easily without major cleaning operations. Since the holder is reusable, it can be relatively robust, without leading to excessively higher costs for the user.

[0107] In addition, the paint or varnish can be bought in large packs, and can be applied from a relatively compact combination of holder and scraping device.

[0108] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional side view of a portion of a cover 20 and an upper edge 6 of the scraping device 1 in FIG. 2. By providing a cover, the contents of the scraping device, or of the holder in which the scraping device is placed, can be protected. In the preferred embodiment shown, the cover 20 is configured for fitting on the trough wall 18 instead of the, higher, scraping edge 6. This prevents the cover 20 coming into contact with paint left behind on the scraping edge 6. In addition, this configuration provides protection of the trough, so that the paint or varnish still present therein does not dry out directly, but can still flow back into the scraping space.

[0109] With a view to compact storage and transport, the holder can be nested in a similar holder, as illustrated in FIG. 2. For this purpose, the peripheral wall 12 gets narrower towards the bottom 10, so that it will fit in the product chamber 14 of an underlying holder. To promote mutual release of the holders, a set of draft ribs 17 is formed on an outer side of the wall, which ensure mutual separation of the holders.

[0110] The invention further provides an assembly, said assembly comprising a scraping device provided with a projecting trough wall that delimits a trough running along the outer side of the peripheral wall, and preferably a cover for closing the feed opening of the scraping device, said cover being configured to engage on an upper edge of the trough wall in such a way that the cover remains free from contact with the upper edge of the peripheral wall.

[0111] The embodiments shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are provided with a bottom, and are configured to rest, with an encircling trough, on an upper edge of a holder. The scraping devices shown are thus configured to be fitted into a holder, for example a bucket made of metal, and to be filled with paint or varnish.

[0112] In an alternative embodiment, the scraping device is provided, near an upper end of the peripheral wall, with one or more coupling parts for coupling the scraping device to a handle for carrying and/or suspending the scraping device. The scraping device is for example provided with recesses located opposite each other for coupling the scraping device to the ends of a C-shaped handle made of wire, or for example is provided with a receiving hole for coupling the holder to an L-shaped injection-moulded handle.

[0113] FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of a scraping device 1 according to the invention. The scraping device is placed in a paint tin 21, the upper end of which is shown in cross-section in the figure. The scraping device 1 is provided with a peripheral wall with a free lower end, and thus is not provided with a bottom. Just like the embodiment examples shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the scraping device is further provided with a projecting flange in the form of a trough wall. The trough wall delimits a trough running along the outer side of the peripheral wall, and which, in the example shown, extends along a complete outer perimeter of the peripheral wall. The encircling trough, in particular the trough wall, is provided for being supported on the upper edge of a holder. Because the trough wall rests on the edge of the paint tin, and the inside wall extends to above the trough, a part of the scraping relief will in practice always project above the paint surface, even if the paint tin is almost full. Thus, even with an almost full paint tin, a brush can be scraped along the scraping relief.

[0114] The invention provides a particularly practical scraping device for paint, varnish or a similar product, wherein various applicators such as paint rollers and brushes can be scraped off particularly effectively and easily. It should be made clear that the invention is by no means limited to the embodiment examples shown. On the contrary, for an average person skilled in the art, many other variations and manifestations are possible within the scope of the invention.

[0115] Thus, the embodiment examples shown are based on a completely round, i.e. cylindrical, holder, but it should be obvious that the invention is also applicable in a holder with some other perimeter, for example rectangular to a varying extent.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0116] 01 scraping device [0117] 02 peripheral wall [0118] 03 peripheral wall upper end [0119] 04 peripheral wall lower end [0120] 05 scraping space [0121] 06 peripheral wall upper edge [0122] 07 bottom [0123] 08 trough [0124] 09 peripheral wall outer side [0125] 10 peripheral wall inner side [0126] 11 scraping relief [0127] 12 scraping relief upper end [0128] 13 scraping relief lower end [0129] 14 ribs of the scraping relief [0130] 15 smooth surface [0131] 16 central axis [0132] 17 draft ribs [0133] 18 trough wall [0134] 19 passage [0135] 20 cover [0136] 21 paint tin