Painting tool

Abstract

A painting tool for attachment to an extension has a head attached to one end of a handle. The other end of the handle terminates in a threaded female adaptor which mates with a threaded male adapter on the extension. The head can be a brush head containing bristles or sponge material or, in the alternative, the head can support a scraper blade for cleaning surfaces prior to painting. Another embodiment provides a combination hammer/scraper for attachment to an extension for use on painting surfaces.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a painting tool, and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a painting tool adapted for mounting on an extension. The painting tools according to the present invention include a straight paint brush, a paint brush with angled bristles, a scraper, and a combination hammer/scraper.

2. Discussion

Commercial and residential painting jobs often require painting of elevated surfaces such as ceilings, high walls, gables, skylights, and other hard-to-reach areas. Extensions, including telescoping extensions, are well known in the art for use with paint rollers. The paint roller handle typically includes a female fitting which mates with a male fitting on the end of the extension. The use of a paint roller extension permits the painter to minimize use of ladders, thereby reducing both the time required to complete the job and also the safety risks associated with working from a ladder.

Hard-to-reach areas are not always accessible using a paint roller attached to an extension. Corners must still be cut in, and the area to be painted almost always includes nooks and crannies not suited to the use of a paint roller. Although some ladder work may always be required, a paint brush adapted for use with an extension would further save time and reduce the amount of ladder work.

Surface preparation prior to painting poses similar challenges. Nails in dry wall, exterior siding, and other locations often work loose so the nail heads catch on paint rollers. In many cases, only a minimum force is required to return the nail heads to a position flush with the painting surface. In those instances, a hammer adapted for attachment to an extension would be desirable.

Surface preparation sometimes requires scraping. As with the hammer described above, a scraper adapted for attachment to an extension would be useful.

Brushes used by painters include brushes having bristles tapered for use around sashes and other locations. For hard-to-reach locations, brushes having bristles which are offset with respect to the brush handle would be especially handy for brushes adapted for attachment to an extension. For greatest flexibility, the brushes adaptable for attachment to an extension should also be suitable for hand use.

Accordingly, what is needed is a paint brush adapted for attachment to an extension but also suitable for hand use. Likewise, a scraper and a hammer, each adapted for attachment to an extension for use in hard-to-reach areas, is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A painting tool for attachment to an extension has a head attached to one end of a handle. The other end of the handle terminates in a threaded female adaptor which mates with a threaded male adapter on the extension. The head can be a paint brush head containing bristles or sponge material or, in the alternative, the head can support a scraper blade for cleaning surfaces prior to painting. Another embodiment provides a combination hammer/scraper for attachment to an extension for use on painting surfaces.

An object of the present invention is to provide a painting tool adapted for quick and easy attachment to a standard paint roller extension.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a paint brush suited for hand use and also suited for attachment to a standard paint roller extension.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a scraper adapted for quick and easy attachment to a standard paint roller extension.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description of the preferred embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of a paint brush according to the present invention shown with a telescoping extension.

FIG. 2 is a view of another paint brush according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view of another paint brush according to the present invention shown with a telescoping extension.

FIG. 4 is a view of another paint brush according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view of another paint brush according to the present invention shown with a telescoping extension.

FIG. 6 is a view of a scraper according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a combination hammer/scraper according to the present invention shown with a telescoping extension.

FIG. 8 is another view of the combination hammer/scraper of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is another view of the combination hammer/scraper of FIGS. 7-8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description of the invention, like numerals and characters designate like elements throughout the figures of the drawings.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a paint brush 20 according to the present invention is adapted for a use with an extension E terminating in a threaded male adapter M. The paint brush 20 has a head 22 attached to one end 24 of a handle 26. The other end 28 of the handle 26 terminates in a threaded female adapter 30. The head 22 of the paint brush 20 has bristles 32. In use, the threaded female adapter 30 on the paint brush handle 26 is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E.

Referring now to FIG. 2, another paint brush 40 according to the present invention has a head 42 attached to one end 44 of a handle 46. The other end 48 of the handle 46 terminates in a threaded female adapter 50. The head 42 of the paint brush 40 has bristles 52. In use, the threaded female adapter 50 on the paint brush handle 46 is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E (See FIG. 1).

It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the paint brush 20 and the paint brush 40 are suitable for use without attachment to the extension E. It will also be understood by one skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to bristled paint brushes such as the brushes 20,40, but includes sponge paint brushes and paint brushes of all shapes and styles. It will be further understood by one skilled in the art that, although the present invention is illustrated with respect to mating threaded female and male adapters, any suitable adapter, such as a bayonet-style adapter, is within the scope of the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 3, another paint brush 60 according to the present invention is adapted for a use with an extension E terminating in a threaded male adapter M. The paint brush 60 has a head 62 attached to one end 64 of a handle 66. The other end 68 of the handle 66 terminates in a threaded female adapter 70. The head 62 of the paint brush 60 has bristles 72. In use, the threaded female adapter 70 on the paint brush handle 66 is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E. The handle 66 is attached to the head 62 at angle 74 so the brush head 62 is offset about 15-45 degrees with respect to the handle 66.

Referring now to FIG. 4, another paint brush 80 according to the present invention is adapted for a use with an extension E-terminating in a threaded male adapter M. The paint brush 80 has a head 82 attached to one end 84 of a handle 86. The other end 88 of the handle 86 terminates in a threaded female adapter 90. The head 82 of the paint brush 80 has bristles 92. In use, the threaded female adapter 90 on the paint brush handle 86 is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E. The handle 86 is attached to the head 82 at an angle 94 so the head is offset about 15-45 degrees with respect to the handle 86.

Referring now to FIG. 5, another paint brush 100 according to the present invention is adapted for a use with an extension E terminating in a threaded male adapter M. The paint brush 100 has a head 102 attached to one end 104 of a handle 106. The other end 108 of the handle 106 terminates in a threaded female adapter 110. The head 102 of the paint brush 100 has bristles 112. In use, the threaded female adapter 110 on the paint brush handle 106 is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E. The handle 106 is attached to the head 102 at an angle 114 so the head is offset about 15-45 degrees with respect to the handle 116. It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the brush head 102 of FIG. 5 is rotated 90 degrees with respect to the brush head 62 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a scraper 120 according to the present has a head 122 attached to one end 124 of a handle 126. The other end 128 of the handle 126 terminates in a threaded female adapter 130. The head 122 of the scraper 120 has a blade 132 with a blade edge 134. In use, the threaded female adapter 130 on the scraper handle 126 is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E. Optionally, the blade edge 134 of the scraper blade 132 is tapered at an angle 136 of about 10-30 degrees to facilitate use of the scraper 120 in corners.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-9, a combination hammer/scraper tool member 140 has a hammer head 142 on one end and a scraper 144 on the other. A threaded female adapter 146 located between the hammer head 142 and the scraper 144 mates with the threaded male adapter M of the extension E.

It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the hammer head 142 is useful for re-seating nails protruding from elevated surfaces to be painted such as siding, trim, dry wall, etc. Similarly, the scraper 144 is useful for scraping hard-to-reach surfaces prior to painting. It will also be understood that, in many cases, an extension E measuring only a few feet enables the painter to reach paint surfaces without the use of ladders. In other cases, a longer extension may be required. It will be further understood by one skilled in the art that the combination hammer/scraper 140 can be constructed from any suitable material, including steel, aluminum, or plastic.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A painting tool for attachment to an extension to facilitate use of the painting tool on elevated painting surfaces such as ceilings, high walls, gables, skylights, and other hard-to-reach area, the extension being characterized as having an extension adapter for receiving an attachment, the painting tool comprising:

a head;

a handle having a first end and a second end, the second end terminating in a painting tool adapter; and

wherein the head is attached to the first end of the handle and the painting tool adapter mates with the extension adapter.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the extension adapter is a threaded male adapter and the painting tool adapter is a threaded female adapter.

3. The painting tool of claim 2, wherein the head further comprises paint brush bristles for applying paint to the painting surface.

4. The painting tool of claim 3, wherein the head is aligned with the handle so the paint brush bristles are substantially parallel to the handle.

5. The painting tool of claim 3, wherein the head is aligned with the handle so the paint brush bristles are offset with respect to the handle at an angle of about 15-45 degrees.

6. The painting tool of claim 5, wherein the angle is about 20 degrees.

7. The painting tool of claim 2, wherein the head further comprises a scraper for use on the painting surface.

8. A combination hammer/scraper tool for attachment to an extension to facilitate use of the hammer/scraper tool on elevated painting surfaces such as ceilings, high walls, gables, skylights, and other hard-to-reach area, the extension being characterized as having an adapter for attaching a painting tool, the combination hammer/scraper tool comprising:

a member having a hammer head on one end and a scraper on the other end; and

an adapter positioned between the hammer head and the scraper, wherein the adapter on the member mates with the adapter on the extension.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the extension adapter is a threaded male adapter and the adapter on the member is a threaded female adapter.