1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to applying a liquid to a surface along a desired path.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is often a need to paint various types of surfaces such as parking lots, athletic fields and the like. Various methods have been employed to accomplish these tasks.
In the past, lime or chalk lines were used to mark the boundaries on athletic fields used for playing such sports as baseball, soccer, rugby or football. The use of such lining techniques has several disadvantages such as having to frequently re-lime or re-chalk the fields due to bad weather conditions or players erasing the marks by sliding and running over them. One remedy is to use paint instead of chalk to more effectively mark playing fields.
There are a number of field marking machines that now utilize paint. Examples are the Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker, Line King Athletic Field Marker, and Allstate Athletic's Supply's Jiffy Stripers. However, these machines have several disadvantages namely, their high prices (some models over $1000). Other disadvantages are that these field markers often are heavy, bulky, and difficult to store or transport.
Motorized paint stripers, like Neuling's U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,534, have other disadvantages. They require the use of fossil fuels, which are harmful to the environment. With other motorized ride-on stripers, the operator's view of the paint stripe is limited. Another disadvantage of the existing paint stripers are that they are made from specialized parts that require costly design and tooling and are not readily available.
Accordingly, it is a purpose of the present invention to provide an improved paint striper that can be used to effectively paint lines on a number of surfaces such as an athletic field.
Objects and Advantages
Accordingly, beside the objects and advantages described above, some additional objects and advantages of the present invention are:
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following specification, claims, and drawings.
In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.
actuator—a device for opening and closing a valve or initiating an action.
container fastener—a device for temporarily holding containers in place including straps, clips, latches, ties, snaps, hooks and loops, or similar devices.
shaft—a supporting member in construction including any solid or hollow, round or rectangular bar, beam, pole, rod, spar, or tube composed of wood, plastic, metal, or composite material.
trigger—a movable part by which a mechanism is actuated or something that initiates a process or reaction.
wheel—a solid disk or rigid circular ring connected to a hub, designed to turn around an axle passed through the center.
The present invention comprises: an improved paint striper, the use of low cost, lightweight, readily available construction materials and methods of manufacturing improved paint stripers that can be used to effectively paint lines on a number of surfaces such as an athletic field.
Readily Available Parts
The present invention is made of readily available materials and parts such as PVC pipe. This allows for just about anyone to be able to build their own paint striper.
Low Cost
The present invention is a low cost paint striper because the components are made of readily available and inexpensive materials. Again, this allows for just about anyone to buy the parts for and build their own paint striper. Not only is the present invention inexpensive to build but also to operate and maintain in working condition.
Transportable
Not only is the present invention lightweight but also can be collapsed making it compact and easy to store and transport. These features are ideal for persons, schools, teams, and clubs wanting an easy to transport paint striper.
User Selection
The present invention has several embodiments of which the operator may choose depending on his or her liking or type of paint striping job that needs to be done. The size of the paint striper may also vary in height depending on the height of the operator, therefore making it possible for persons of almost any age or size to use.
Environment Friendly
Since the present invention does not require the use of gasoline, no fossil fuels will be emitted into the environment.
Straight Tracking
Especially in the embodiments with the long wheel bases, the present invention is capable of straight tracking or paint striping.
Storage of Spare Containers
The present invention allows for extra spray paint cans or such containers (202, 1800, 1830) to be stored on the base of the paint striper. The container remains stationary by fastening the cans on top of and in between the two base members that run parallel to the ground (840 and 1020).
Easy “ON” and “OFF”
The present invention has various embodiments of a paint dispenser mechanism that allows for the operator to easily activate or deactivate the spray nozzle.
Manufacturing
Because the present invention is simple and inexpensive to make, such a product can be easily manufactured. The separate parts of the invention could be sold in kits to be put together by the purchaser. For example boy scouts or youth groups could assemble and sell the kits for a fundraiser. The members or parts of the paint striper could even be painted or decorated with school colors, for example.
Accordingly, the reader will see that the present invention provides a lightweight, inexpensive paint striper.
While my above descriptions contain several specifics these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as examples of some of the preferred embodiments thereof. Many other variations are possible. For example other embodiments of a paint striper include a paint striper in the form of a skateboard or a scooter.
Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
This application claims a priority filing date based on Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/278,620, filed 2001 Mar. 25, entitled “PAINT STRIPER”, the specifications of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims a priorty filing date based on Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/288,612, filed 2001 May 4, entitled “PAINT STRIPER AND METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION” the specifications of which are incorporated herein by reference. Any provisional claims are specifically excluded from this application.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20020175221 A1 | Nov 2002 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60288612 | May 2001 | US | |
60278620 | Mar 2001 | US |