US2932045A - Fluid-supplied roller applicator - Google Patents

Description

April 12, 1960 H. H. RABELOW 2,932,045

FLUID-SUPPLIED ROLLER APPLICATOR Filed Dec. 27, 1955 U itd Sta es Pat m 2,932,045 FLUID-SUPPLIED ROLLER APPLICATOR p This invention relates to applicators for ink or the like, and more particularly to a fountain type of applicator for stencilling or similar operations.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a novel roller type of applicator particularly for applying ink in stencilling operations which enables increased speed in such operations; the pro-' vision of an applicator of this class which eliminates any necessity for accessory equipment such as ink pads, stamp pads, etc., the applicator being of the fountain type and holding its own supply of ink or other liquid; the provision of an applicator of this class which enablesthe use of a relatively thick ink; the provision of an applicatoi' of this class having a valve means for controlling the flow of ink to the roller; the provision of an appli-I cator of this class of such construction as to avoid'spattering of ink; and the provision of an applicator of the class described which'is economical to manufacture and reliable in operation. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In 'the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

Fig. 1 is a forward end elevation of an applicator of this invention, parts being broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2A is an enlargedfragmentary view taken online 2A-2A of Fig. 2; and p i Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken online 33 of Fig. 2, parts being further broken away and shown in section.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corre-' sponding parts throughout the several views of the 'drawlngs.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1-3 illustrate a forcefeedsqueeze-action type of fountain roller applicator of this invention comprising -'a body 1, aroller 3 carried by the body, and acollapsible container 5 constituting a reservoir for'ink or the like and forming a handle. The container is detachably connected to the body, which has a passage therethrough generally indicated at 7 for flow of liquid (ink) from the.container 5 to theroller 3 and valve means generally designated 9'fo1 controlling the flow of liquid fromthecontainer 5 to the roller.

More particularly, the body 1, which may be cast of any suitable corrosionresistant metal, for example, has aportion 11 constituting a head, andintegral arms 13 and 15 extending at right angles to the head at its ends. The

roller 3 comprises arigid core 17 which may be madehole 27inthe arm 13; Acap nut 29 is threaded on the threaded end of the pin to lock it in place. The

-bore 41 constitutes the inner end of thepassage 7. The

I are spaced along the length of thehole 47.

roller 3 is rotary on the pin. The pin may be slotted at one end as indicated at 31 for easy removal.

As shown best in Fig. 2, thehead 11 is generally of V shape in transverse section, the open side of the V being directed toward the roller. The wings of the V, which are designated 33 and 35, are divergent toward and have their outer edges closely adjacent the periphery of the roller to act as'shields to prevent spattering of from the roller. The recess defined by the wings orshields 33 and 35 is designated 37. It extends throughout the length'of the head from onearm 13 to theother arm 15.

Extending rearward from the head at its center is an integralcylindrical socket 39. The axis of this socket is angled with'respect to thearms 13 and 15 with the arrangement such that the arms extend forward and downward from the head when the socket is in the horizontal position illustrated in Fig. 2. Thesocket 39 has a bore- 41. and a threaded counterbore 43 at its outer end. The

shoulder at the inner end of the counterbore is designated 45 Ahole 47 is drilled 'in thehead 11 from one end and terminates short of the other end of the head (see Fig. 1); The outer end of thehole 47 is plugged as indicated at 49. A hole 51'is drilled in the head to connect the bore orchamber 41 and thehole 47. Holes 53 are drilled in the head from within therecess 37 to intersect thehole 47. These holes 53, four of which are shown The valve means 9 comprises avalve seat 55 constituted 'by a metal disk having acentral port 57. A conical valve 59 made of corrosion-resistant metal has 'astem 61 extending through theport 57. Thevalve seat 55 is fitted in the counterbore 43 seated against the shoulder45. The valve 59 is located on the side of the valve seat toward thechamber 41, and thestem 61 extends out wardthrough theport 57. A sheetmetal springretainer member 63 is fixed on the outer end of thevalve stem 61. as by riveting. A coil compression spring 65 surrounds thestem 61 between thevalve seat 55 and themember 63 and biases the valve 59 to a closed position seating against theseat 55. Theport 57 in the valve seat is larger than thevalve stem 61 so that liquid (ink) may flow through the port whenthe valve is opened, i.e., when the valve and valve stem are moved from the closed position shown in Fig. 2 to the left. The end of theport 57 toward I the chamber41 is tapered as indicated at 66 to receive the conical valve 59. In thetaper 66 is a small groove 66d (see: Fig. 2A). Thecontainer 5 is preferably a one-piece plastic con} tainer of the squeeze bottle type. It is preferably molded of polyethylene and has an externally'threaded neck 67 removably threaded in the counterbore 43 of thesocket 39 with the end of the neck engaging the valve seat55 to hold the latter in place. The container orbottle 5 is screwed tightly into the socket in order to format liquid-tight seal between the end of the ne'ckan'd the valve seat and between the valve seat and the socket.

Themember 63 on the outer end of the valve stem is of hardwood, for example, having a soft, resilient, porous covering orsleeve 19 adhered thereto. This covering is preferably made of a very soft foam rubber. Thecore 17 has anaxial hole 21 drilled through it receiving apin 23. This pin at one endis threaded in a tapped hole for guiding of the valve stem in the neck of the bottle 2'5inthe arm 15, and has its other end received in' a and for passage of ink'and air around themember 63. e As shown'in Figs. 1 and 2, the applicator is provided with atransfer roll 69 in therecess 37. This transfer e n an .1960.

sesame.

mil which is made of felt or other suitable absorbent material, is mounted on a pin 71 having one end threaded in a tapped hole 73 in the.arm 15 and its other end received in ahole- 75inthearm 13. The transferroll isin contactwith theroller 3 and is adapted to holda supply of ink for transfer to theroller 3. It is useful in cases.

where the applicator is to. be used only infrequently, in which case the provision of a reserve supply of ink in the transfer roll is advantageous. In. cases, where the. 3P- plicator is to be frequ entlyused, theroll 69 may be entirely omitted,

Operation is as. follows: 1

For filling thebottle 5. with ink, it is removed from thehead 11 by unscrewing it fromthesocket 39. After it, has been filled withink, it is. then screwed back into the socket. Care is taken to insure that the end of the neck 67 of the bottle seats tightly againstthevalve seat 55 to provide for sealing against leakage. When the neck of the bottle is. screwedinto thesocket, theguide member 63 enters the. neck of the bottle as shown, in F g; 2;. By Squeezing the.bottle 5, pressure is applied to the valve 59 to. cause. it to open and to effect force-feed. flow of ink from the bottle intothechamber 41, thence through thehole 51 to thehole 47 which serves as a manifold, andthence. out through the holes 53 to thetransfer roll 69. Upon rolling theroller 3 back and forth over a stencil, for example, the transfer roll is rotated to, effect transfer of ink therefrom to theroller 3 and thence to the item being stencilled. In the cases. where, the transfer roll is omitted, the flow of ink is from the holes 53 along the inside of the wing 35 of the crossbar to the,roller 3. Spattering or splashing of ink is prevented by theshields 33 and 35. When pressure on the bottle is. released, the valve 59 closes, but air flaw v nast hev l eb c n o he bottle through. the. e sase on tu d. y the gro ve. 66a nd theport 57 and. around the member 6 3 quickly to restore, the bottle to itsexpanded state. The groove 66:; is sutficiently large readily toallow for flow of; air. buttoo small to allow any. u due l akageof the; ink which i thick) when the valve 59-is closed.

The above-described. squeeze-action type of applicator is especially suitable for the application of heavy viscQS Y nk because it enables the ink to be p p ut. of; the. b t l an eliminate any nec si y for. wai ing for gravity feed of ink, thereby saving time. It willbe obiserved that by removing the bottle. the entire. valve means 45 is readily accessiblefor cleaning when neces- 8. 3 Inview of the above, it will be, seen that the several objects. of the invention are. achieved, and other advantage- Que-res lt at aine As variouschanges could be made. in, the ahQve coni structions without departing from the scope of the invention, it isintended that all matter contained in. the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be. interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim: :1 7

1. Adapplicator for ink orthe like, and particularly for spreading a; relatively thick ink over a. stencil, comprising a head having an elongate recess therein, a trans.- fer roll'carried by the head extending lengthwise of and within, the recess applicator roller carried, by the head. outsidetherecess. and engaging said transfer roll, Said. roller having a soft, resilient, porous surface, said head, having a manifold therein parallel to the transfer roll, andadjacent the recess and a'series of holesfrom the manifold to the recess spaced'at intervals along the leng h; Qf he manifolds a c n r lly located. ex ension on h hea having p s ge. le di g nto the ma if l a re er d r forming; a. handle. se ur d. to ai ex n ion,

socket, said valve means comprising a valve seat in the socket, a valve having a valve stem extending into the neck of the bottle, a spring biasing the valve to a closed position against the seat, said valve being adapted to open against the bias of the spring upon squeezing the bottle, and a guide on the valve stem slidable in the neck of the bottle, said guide being formed to allow for passage of ink and air through the neck of the bottle, said socket having a bore and a threaded counterbore at its outer'end, providing a shoulder at the inner end of the counterbore, the valve seat being fitted in the counterbore against the shoulder, and the neck of the bottle being threaded in the counterbore against thevalve seat.

2. An applicator as set forth in claim 1 wherein the valve seat has a central port, wherein the valve is located on the side of the seat toward the bore, the stem extending outwardthrough the port and being smallerthan the port, the guide being fixed on the outer end of the stem, and wherein the spring is a coil compression, spring surrounding the stern and reacting from the seat against the guide.

for spreading a relatively thick ink over a. stencil, comprising a head having an elongate recess. therein, a transfer roll carried by the head extending lengthwise of and within the recess, an applicator roller carried by the head outside the recess and engaging said transfer roll, said roller having a soft, resilient, porous surface, said head having a manifoldv therein parallel to the transfer roll' and adjacent the recess and a series of holes from the. manifold to the recess spaced at intervals along the length of the manifold, a centrally located extension onthe head having a passage leading into the manifold, a. reservoir forming a handle secured to said extension, valve means in said extension for controlling the flow of ink or the like from the reservoir into the manifold, said extension comprising a socket, said reservoir comprising a squeeze bottle having a neck threaded in the socket, said valve means comprising a valve seat in the socket, a valve having a valve stem extending into the neck of the bottle, a spring biasing the valve to a closed position against the seat, said valve being adapted to open against the bias of the spring upon squeezing the bottle, and a guide on the valve stem slidable in the; neck of, the bottle, said guide being formed to allow for passage of ink and air through the neck of the bottle, andv said applicator being; provided with a passage for flow of air past the valve into the bottle when the valve is. closed, said passage being sufliciently large readily to allow. for flow of air but too small to allow undue leak age. of ink from the bottle when the valve is closed.

4. An. pplicator as. set forth in. claim. 3.. wherein.v the passage for flow of air is constituted by a groove in the valve seat.

. 5. An applicator for inkor-the like, and particularly of. the, recess between said end walls, arms projecting alve. me ns in. said. en ion f r. ontrolli g h flow of nk .1. the lik fr m he r serveir in o. h m nif ld, said ex ns compr sing a socke said r ervoir. comprising a. sa ene: bottle having; a neck threaded. in. the

outward from said end walls beyond said front and back Walls, a roller extending between and carried by said arms and engaging said transfer roll, said roller comprising a. rigid core having a soft,-resilient, porous covering, said. front'and back walls having their outer edges closely adjacent the periphery of the roller and therebyacting as shields to prevent spattering from the roller; said head having a manifold extending from near one end thereof to near the other within the juncture of the divergent front and back walls and a series of holes from the manifold to the recess spaced at intervals along the length of' the manifold passage, a centrally located socket extending re rw rd. from the head. witha. pas

3. An applicator'for ink or the like, and particularly sage from the socket to the manifold, a squeeze bottle forming a handle and having a neck threaded in the socket, and valve means in said socket for controlling the flow of ink or the like from the squeeze bottle into the manifold comprising a valve seat carried by the head, a valve having a valve stem extending into the neck of the bottle, a spring biasing the valve to a closed position against the seat, said valve being adapted to open against the bias of the spring upon squeezing the bottle, and a guide on the valve stem slidable in the neck of the bottle, said guide being formed to allow for passage of ink and air through the neck of the bottle.

6. An applicator as set forth in claim wherein the socket has a bore and a threaded counterbore at its outer end, providing a shoulder at the inner end of the counterbore, the valve seat being fitted in the counterbore against the shoulder, the neck of the bottle being threaded in the counterbore against the valve seat, wherein the valve seat has a central port, the valve being located on the side of the seat toward the bore, the stem extending outward through the port and being smaller than the port, the guide being fixed on the outer end of the stem, the spring being a coil compression spring surrounding the stem and reacting from the seat against the guide, and said valve seat having a groove for flow of air past the valve into the bottle when the valve is closed, said groove being sufficiently large readily to allow for flow of air but too small to allow undue leakage of ink from the bottle when the valve is closed.

7. An applicator for ink or the like, and particularly for spreading a relatively thick ink over a stencil, comprising a head, an applicator roller carried by the head, said roller comprising a rigid core having a soft resilient porous covering, said head having an elongate manifold therein extending generally parallel to said roller and a series of holes extending laterally from the manifold through the head spaced at intervals along the length of the manifold for conducting ink or the like from the manifold for application to the roller, said head having an extension constituting a socket extending therefrom with a passage leading from the socket into the manifold, a plastic squeeze bottle having a neck threaded in the socket, said bottle constituting a reservoir for the ink or the like and a handle for the applicator, and valve means for controlling flow of the ink or the like from the bottle into the manifold and allowing return of air to the bottle comprising a valve seat in the socket, a valve having a valve stem extending into the neck of the squeeze bottle, a spring biasing the valve to a closed position against the seat, said valve being adapted to open against the bias of the spring upon squeezing the bottle, and a guide on the valve stem slidable in the neck of the bottle, said guide being formed to allow for passage of ink and air through the neck of the bottle, and said valve means having a passage for flow of air past the valve into the bottle when the valve is closed, said passage being sutficiently large readily to allow for flow of air but too small to allow undue leakage of ink from the bottle when the valve is closed.

8. An applicator as set forth inclaim 7 wherein the socket has a bore and a threaded counterbore at its outer end, providing a shoulder at the inner end of the counterbore, the valve seat being fitted in the counterbore against the shoulder, the neck of the bottle being threaded in the counterbore against the valve seat, wherein the valve seat has a central port, the valve being located on the side of the seat toward the bore, the stem extending outward through the port' and being smaller than the port, the guide being fixed on the outer end of the stem, the spring being a coil compression spring surrounding the stem and reacting from the seat against the guide, and said VQ Q Se t ha ing a groove for flow of air past the valve into the bottle when the valve is closed, said groove being sufiiciently large readily to allow for flow of air but too small to allow undue leakage of ink from the bottle when the valve is closed.

9. An applicator for ink or the like, and particularly for spreading a relatively thick ink over a stencil, comprising a head having an elongate recess therein, a transfer member carried by the head extending lengthwise of the recess, an applicator roller carried by the head engaging the transfer member, said roller comprising a rigid core having a soft resilient porous covering, said head having an elongate manifold therein extending generally parallel to said transfer member and a series of holes extending laterally from the manifold to the recess spaced at intervals along the length of the manifold for conducting ink or the like from the mani fold to the transfer member for application to the roller, said head having an extension constituting a socket extending therefrom with a passage leading from the socket into the manifold, a squeeze bottle having a neck threaded in the socket, said bottle constituting a reservoir for the ink or the like and a handle for the applicator, and valve means for controlling flow of the ink or the like from the bottle into the manifold and allowing return of air to the bottle comprising a valve seat in the socket, a valve having a valve stem extending into the neck of the bottle, a spring biasing the valve to a closed position against the seat, said valve being adapted to open against the bias of the spring upon squeezing the bottle, and a guide on the valve stem slidable in the neck of the bottle, said guide being formed to allow for passage of ink and air through the neck of the bottle, and said valve means having a passage for flow of air past the valve into the bottle when the valve is closed, said passage being sufiiciently large readily to allow for flow of air but too small to allow undue leakage of ink from the bottle when the valve is closed.

10. An applicator as set forth in claim 9 wherein the socket has a bore and a threaded counterbore at its outer end, providing a shoulder at the inner end of the counterbore, the valve seat being fitted in the counterbore against the shoulder, the neck of the bottle being threaded in the counterbore against the valve seat, wherein the valve seat has a central port, the valve being located on the side of the seat toward the bore, the stem extending outward through the port and being smaller than the port, the guide being fixed on the outer end of the stem, the spring being a coil compression spring surrounding the stem and reacting from the seat against the guide, and said valve seat having a groove for flow of air past the valve into the bottle when the valve is closed, said groove being sufficiently large readily to allow for flow of air but too small to allow undue leakage of ink from the bottle when the valve is closed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 469,668 Bennett Feb. 23, 1892 840,308 Garrecht Jan. 1, 1907 1,030,440 Waterman June 25, 1912 1,075,941 Reed Oct. 14, 1913 1,166,033 Yoder Dec. 28, 1915 2,229,707 Testi Jan. 28, 1941 2,536,291 Kaitul Jan. 2, 1951 2,563,842 Johnson Aug. 14, 1951 2,576,687 Krehbiel Nov. 27, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 399,621 Great Britain Oct. 12, 1933 711,224 Germany Sept. 27, 1941 843,007 France Mar. 20, 1939

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