US2988763A - Line marker - Google Patents

Description

June 20, 1961 Filed Sept. 11, 1957 H. C. SWEET LINE MARKER 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR.

HAROLD 0. SWEET ATTO R N EYS H. C. SWEET LINE MARKER June 20, 1 961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 11, 1957 INVENTOR. l

HAROLD c.swEET 8Y2; E a:

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,988,763 LINE MARKER The present invention relates to devices or machines designed to paint lines on floors, pavements or the like. 1 In many industrial establishments, garages, parking lots, pavedroads and other places, it is customary to paint lines to indicate lanes, stalls, etc. and such practice is quite general. V

Among the objects of the present invention is to prw vide a device for painting such lines and doing so with a minimum of effort. V V

Another object is to provide a device for the purpose indicated, by means of which'the placement of such lines may be made more accurately and in positions not heretofore possible. a Otherobjects will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a line marker produced according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the lower portion of the machine.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the same.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the same.

FIG. 6 is a sectional View showing the valve mechamsm.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of one of the valves.

Referring first to FIG. 1 the machine is illustrated as consisting of a tubular paint reservoir 10 fixed at its lower end upon a carriage consisting of a pair of side plates 11 with cross members 11A and 11B, mounted upon wheels 12 situated at the rear of the frame.

The lower end of the reservoir 10 terminates in a tapered portion to which is fixed a paint distributor 15, located above a paint roller 20, mounted at the front ends of the carriage plates 11. At a suitable intermediate position on the reservoir 10, is fixed a frame 10A having a pair of wheels 103. This element serves as an additional carriage and also as a fulcrum when it is desired to lift the lower carriage.

In order to permit painting of a line alongside of a wall, curb or other similar obstruction, the wheels 12 and 10B on one side of the apparatus may be placed in alignment so that the paint roller described later herein may be run fairly close alongside of such obstruction, being spaced therefrom only by the thickness of the wheel and plate 11.

The upper end of the reservoir 10 is provided with a suitable handle 10C in connection with which is a lever 10D operating the distributor valves as described more in detail below. Also mounted on the carriage plates 11, and conveniently by use of the bolts 10E holding the reservoir 10, is a line follower consisting of a jointed arm 25 carrying a small wheel 25A at its free end, the follower being shown in raised or idle position. When in use, it will extend forward of the machine.

The paint roller 20 consists of a suitable core carrying a long nap wool covering capable of carrying considerable paint and being somewhat compressible. At the end of the roller are mounted a pair of Washers 20A sufficiently large to extend to within a short distance of the periphery of the roller 20. These washers serve two purposesthey limit the compression of the roller surface and also prevent endwise spreading of the roller nap, thereby providing a sharp edge to the line of the paint marking.

As indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paint roller 20 is mounted in the plates 11 by having its axle extend through 2 slots 11C in the plates. These slots 11C are incline downwardly toward the rear. By so inclining the slots, forward movement of the machine tends to cam the roller downwardly and thereby exert a pressure of the-roller toward the pavement surface.

The paint distributor 15, shown in detail in FIGS. 6 and 7 consists of a pipe T, the stem 15A of which-opens to the reservoir and is coaxial therewith. The cross member 15B of the T is mounted above and somewhat to the rear of the roller and parallel thereto. Cross mem ber 15B is provided along a line diametrically opposite stem 15A, with a plurality of evenly spaced openings into. which are screwed nipples 16, the inner conformations of which are such as to provide valve seats coacting;.with valve members 16A. These members 16A consist of conical plugs fixed to screws-16B passing loosely. througha bar 17 within the distributor 15B, Bar 17 is fixed to-;a suitable rod 17A extending through stem,15A;an'd;res-, ervoir 10 to operative connection with the lever 1 0D adjacent handle 100, which is provided with a spring 178 tending to force the rod 17A downwardly and thereby the bar 17 carrying the valve members 16A to valve closing position.

Each of the valve members 16A is provided with a small spring to allow some movement of the valve member 16A relative to the bar 17.

Adjustment of flow through the nipples 16 is accomplished by changing their position by screwing them in or out. The use of the springs 16C permits proper opening and closing of the valves even if the nipples 16 are somewhat difierently positioned. It is preferred to use the type of screw 16B, as shown; that is, one having a head with a conical under surface, to prevent sticking.

As seems quite obvious from the above description, as the device is rolled along with paint flowing from the nipples 16 upon the roller 20, a paint line will be made upon the supporting surface. However, as such surfaces are often a bit rough and sometimes pitted, it is preferred to provide means for smoothing the paint line and cansing the paint to flow into the pits.

This is accomplished by mounting a fairly stiff brush behind the roller. Such a brush is shown at 30 and is indicated as being fixed in a suitable block 31 in turn fixed between the frame cross members 11B and adjusted to its proper position and held by a thumb screw 32.

By locating the paint roller at the front of the machine with no mechanism ahead of it, it is possible to continue a paint line from, for example, a street paving up the vertical face of a curb, simply by tilting the machine upon the wheels 10B as a fulcrum. Other advantages of the front roller seem obvious.

I claim:

1. A line marker comprising a carriage having forward and rear wheels, said carriage being supported only by said wheels in a substantially stabilized position above a surface to be lined, a paint roller carried by said carriage, said roller being disposed forwardly of the forward wheels and retained by said carriage in contact with said surface, a paint reservoir also on said carriage arranged to supply paint to said roller, means for distributing said paint upon said roller, said means comprising a plurality of valves each consisting of a nozzle and a conical valve member for closing and opening said nozzle, means for simultaneously moving said conical valve members, and means whereby said nozzles may be moved toward or from the conical members, whereby to adjust individually the valve opening.

2. A line marker comprising a carriage having forward and rear wheels, said carriage being supported only by said wheels in a substantially stabilized position above a surface to be lined, a laterally elongated paint roller rotatably carried by said carriage, said roller being disposed forwardlyof theforward wheels and retained by said carria'ge in contact with said surface, said carriage having a paint reservoir disposed substantially rearwardly of said roller and provided with a laterally extending paint distributor positioned close to andadjacent the upper side of-saidroller, said distributor having a plurality of laterally spaced nozzles and operable to supply a laterally elongated stream of paint to the upper surface of said roller, and valve means for controlling said paint supply.

3. .The line marker as defined in claim 2 and in which said valve means comprises an individual valve mechanism-associated respectively with each of said nozzles, andactuating means connected with said valve mechanisms and operable to substantially simultaneously actuatesaid valve mechanisms, and means independently adjusting the position of said nozzles relative to the valve mechanisms to independently regulate the opening and closing positions of said valve mechanisms.

4.-' The line'marker' as defined in claim 2 and in which said carriage has means operable only upon forward movementofsaid carriage to exert downward pressure on said roller.

5. The line maker asdefined in claim 2 and in which said carriage has a pair of forwardly extending and laterally spaced supporting arms, each arm having a slot arranged at an angle to the horizontal and extending downwardly toward the rear, said roller having projecting axial studs entering said lots to thereby support said roller between said arms, ,said slots providing means whereby rotation of said rollers on only forward motion of said line marker operates to actuate said rollervrearwardly with respest to said slots to exert downward pressure on said roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 826,897 Shely July 24, 1906 1,379,249 Chelius May 24, 1921 1,548,383 Pickersgill' Aug. 4, 1925 1,591,216 Langerwall July 6,1926 1,623,297 Balsley Apr. 5, 1927 1,770,795 May July 15, 1930 1,826,801 Littleford Oct. 13,1931 1,931,848 Lane Oct. 24, 1933 2,549,722 Sweet et al. Apr. 17," 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 532,739 Great Britain Jan. 30, 1941

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