US 6,203,309 B1Granted

Apparatus for embossing paint rollers

AssigneeWagner Spray Tech Corporation

InventorWalter A. Walczak

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Abstract

An apparatus for embossing a cylindrical object such as a paint roller cover. The apparatus includes a shuttle and a rotatable shaft on the shuttle. The rotatable shaft includes two ends, with one end accepting a paint roller cover and with the other end being toothed for engagement with a gear rack. As the rotatable shaft is drawn in one direction by the shuttle, the toothed end engages the gear rack and rotates the rotatable shaft, thereby also rotating the paint roller cover. As the paint roller cover rotates, it is drawn by the shuttle over a die transfer plate having a design formed therein, and such design is transferred to the paint roller cover. The die transfer plate is heated to the desired temperature, and the speed of the shuttle is controllable so that time and temperature is controlled. Another controlled parameter is pressure. A method for embossing cylindrical objects is also disclosed.

Claims28

Dependent claims

An apparatus for embossing a cylindrical paint roller cover, comprising, in combination:

a) a base;
b) a die transfer plate engaged to the base;
c) a shuttle moveably engaged to the base;
d) a rotatable member rotatably engaged to the shuttle, the rotatable member having a portion receiving a paint roller cover, a distal end portion and an axis, the rotatable member and a paint roller cover received of the rotatable member relative to the die transfer plate in a direction transverse to the axis of the rotatable member when the shuttle moves relative to the base, the paint roller cover rolling over the die transfer plate to impress a design of the transfer plate into the paint roller cover;
e) a stop disposed axially inwardly from the distal end portion of the rotatable member to stop axial feeding of the paint roller cover onto the rotatable member from the distal end portion in order to properly position the paint roller cover on the rotatable member with respect to the die transfer plate;
and
f) an ejector that provides for the removal of the paint roller cover from the rotatable member, the ejector including an ejector element that at least partially annularly confronts the rotatable member, with the ejector element being cooperable with the stop and axially slideable along the rotatable member to the distal end portion to move the paint roller cover off the rotatable member.

4 more elements

An apparatus for embossing a cylindrical paint roller cover, comprising, in combination:

a) a base including a plurality of openings;
b) a plurality of heated die transfer plates each having a design formed therein, with the heated die transfer plates being removably and adjustably engaged to the base;
c) a plurality of shuttles moveably engaged to the base;
d) a plurality of rotatable members rotatably engaged to each shuttle, the rotatable members each having a portion onto which one of a plurality of paint roller covers is received in frictional engagement, a distal end portion and an axis, each rotatable member and the paint roller cover received on that rotatable member moving across one of the plurality of die transfer plates in a direction transverse to the axis of the rotatable member when the plurality of shuttles move relative to the base, each paint roller cover rolling over one of the plurality of die transfer plates to impress a design of that die transfer plate into the paint roller cover;
e) a plurality of stops, each stop disposed axially inwardly from the distal end portion of one of the rotatable members to stop axial feeding of one of the paint roller covers onto that rotatable member from the distal end portion in order to properly position that paint roller cover on the rotatable member with respect to one of the plurality of die transfer plates;
and
f) an ejector that provides for the removal of the paint roller cover from each rotatable member after the design is impressed therein, the ejector including a plurality of ejector elements that each at least partially annularly confront one of the plurality of rotatable members, with each ejector element being cooperable with the stop disposed on that rotatable member and axially slideable along that rotatable member to the distal end portion to move the paint roller cover off of that rotatable member, each paint roller cover falling by its own weight through one of the plurality of openings in the base for collection of the embossed paint roller covers.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.