AU749080B2

AU749080B2 - A sanding device

Info

Publication number: AU749080B2
Application number: AU20348/99A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Leon Anthony Comley; Mark Zatta; Toni Maree Zatta
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Comley Leon Anthony
Priority date: 1998-02-04
Filing date: 1999-03-10
Publication date: 2002-06-20
Anticipated expiration: 2019-03-10
Also published as: AU2034899A

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventors: Address for Service: Invention Title: Details of Associated Provisional Applications Nos: MARK ZATTA, TONI MAREE ZATTA and LEON ANTHONY COMLEY Mark Zatta, Toni Maree Zatta and Leon Anthony Comley

INTELLPRO

Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level 7, Reserve Bank Building 102 Adelaide Street BRISBANE, QLD, 4000 (GPO Box 1339, BRISBANE, 4001) A SANDING DEVICE Australian Patent Application Nos. PP1649 and PP3241 filed 04.02.98 and 29.04.98 respectively.

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: A SANDING DEVICE FIELD OF INVENTION THIS INVENTION relates to a sanding device for use in particular but not limited to, a sanding device for difficult to reach plaster ceilings and walls.

BACKGROUND ART The task of sanding down joints and fills in plaster and plaster board walls and ceilings prior to finishing is skilled and labour intensive. This is further complicated by the need for scaffolding, ladders or, stilts worn by the operator where the ceiling or wall being sanded is elevated and difficult to reach. The 0 .0 10 operator of the sanding apparatus is often also required to assume unsafe and physically demanding positions which can result in poor quality work and injuries to the operator. Presently available sanders for such work are purpose built, expensive and require skill to operate.

GB 1579737 A (Harvey) discloses a triangular shaped wheeled holder for a 15 cutting tool such as an angle grinder. The holder can be moved under pressure to position the grinder in a grinding position and the holder raising the grinder away from the grinding position when the pressure is removed. This invention is not applicable to the sanding of plaster ceilings and walls.

US 4,685,252 A (Ponce) discloses a reciprocating sander adapted for sanding ceilings and wall Is by concentrating a substantial part of the weight of the sander in a motor assembly away from the sanding head. This is a specifically designed sander and has a different sanding action to an orbital sander.

3 FR 918379 A (Schill) is directed to a vibrating sander with a handle which can pivot away from the motorised portion and may be a sander for sanding floors or walls. The vibrating sander is not an orbital sander and this machine is not suitable when sanding overhead ceilings in addition to having a vibrating rather than an orbital sanding motion.

The present invention is directed to an inexpensive solution to the problem of the prior art and comprises principally an assembly preferably including a **bracket for holding a hand held orbital sander in correct working alignment with the surface being sanded which can be operated at the end of an extension pole allowing the operator to remain at floor level but able to reach work which normally requires use of ladders or scaffolding.

OBIECT OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the invention to alleviate to some degree some of ."the problems associated with the sanding of difficult to reach plaster ceilings and

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S 15 walls.

o o. S• SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect, the invention resides in a sanding device comprising an orbital sander having a housing, the housing having one or more guide members to position a sanding head of the orbital sander in correct working alignment with respect a surface to be sanded, the said one or more guide members being spaced from said sanding head and adapted to travel on the surface to be sanded, the housing having pivotal attachment means for attachment to an extension pole member wherein in use the orbital sander can be operated at the end of the extension pole member. Preferably the housing comprises a frame assembly for holding a commercially available sander or the housing is integrally formed as part of the sander.

Consequently in a preferred embodiment the invention resides in a sanding device comprising a frame assembly having a bracket member having attachment means for the attachment of an orbital sander; the bracket member having one or more guide members to position a sanding head of the orbital sander in correct working alignment with respect a surface to be sanded; the bracket member having pivotal attachment means for attachment to an extension pole member wherein in use the orbital sander can be attached to the bracket member and the orbital sander operated at the end of the extension pole member.

S: In preference the bracket member is a light weight plate with orbital sander 15 attachment means comprising a lug with a bolt hole for bolting to a hand grip mounting on the orbital sander and a U-shaped clamp to clamp the body of the orbital sander to the bracket member. In the alternative to the U-shaped clamp, a flexible strap member can be used to strap the body of the orbital sander to the bracket member.

Preferably the guide members are wheels located rearwardly of the sanding head of the sander.

Preferably the guide members are mounted on a carriage member which is adjustable with respect to the bracket member to align different types of orbital sanders in the correct sanding position.

Preferably the pivotal attachment means is a universal joint for attachment to the pole member however other joints such as a hinged joint or a flexible joint may be used.

Preferably the pivotal attachment means incorporates a braking mechanism which allows the pole to be adjusted and fixed at an angle to the bracket member.

Preferably the orbital sander has dust extraction means such as a dust bag 10 or vacuum cleaner attachment means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In order that the present invention can be more readily understood and be put into practical effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings .wherein:oo 15 Figure 1 shows a plan, side elevation and end elevation of the preferred •ooo °.embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 shows the invention of Figure 1 attached to an orbital sander.

Figure 3 shows the invention as described in Figure 1 and Figure 2 in operation, and Figure 4 shows another aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Referring to Figure 1 it is shown that the bracket member 1 has an attachment lug 2 with a bolt hole 2a at one end and a U-shaped clamp 3 with wing 6 nut 3a tightening means located approximately in the middle of the bracket member 1. At the other end of the bracket member 1 is located a carriage member 4 to which are attached a pair of wheels 5, 6. The carriage member 4 is adjustable with respect to the bracket member 1 by means of slots 7, 8 and locking screws 7a, 8a. The top of the bracket member 1 has slots 9, 10 for the attachment of a pivotal attachment member associated with the extension pole (not shown). In this embodiment there is also a cut out section in the bracket 11 for clearance of the extension pole (not shown).

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°i Figure 2 shows the invention of Figure 1 attached to an orbital sander 12.

10 The orbital sander has a sanding head 13 which is placed in correct working alignment with the surface to be sanded by the adjustable carriage member 4 with wheels 5, 6. The orbital sander 12 has vacuum extraction means 14 (shown in phantom). In this embodiment it is also shown an extension pole 15 (shown in phantom) having pivotal attachment means 15a which incorporate a breaking se S 15 mechanism 15b (also shown in phantom). The bracket member 1 is shown with the ooo°

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attachment lug 2 bolted to the hand grip mounting of the orbital sander 12 by means of bolt 16. The body of the sander 12 is clamped to the bracket member 1 by means of U-shaped clamp 3 tightened with wing nuts 3a.

Figure 3 shows the invention of Figure 1 and Figure 2 in operation wherein it is used to sand a ceiling 17 in the direction of arrow 17a. The sanding head 13 of the orbital sander 12 is positioned in correct alignment with the surface to be sanded by adjusting the carriage member 4 and the wheels 5, 6. The extension I 7 pole 15 (shown in phantom) has a breaking mechanism 15a which allows the pole to be adjusted and fixed at an angle to the bracket member 1.

Figure 4 shows another aspect of the invention wherein the orbital sander is housed in a housing 18 which incorporates a pivotal attachment means in the form of a universal joint 19 having a square drive 19a. Attached to the pole member 21 is a fitting 20 having a recessed square drive 20a (shown in phantom) for attachment to the square drive 19a of the universal joint 19. Also shown are wheels 22 and 23 attached to the housing 18 and positioned rearwardly of the sanding head 24. In this embodiment the wheels 22, 23 can be fixed or can be adjusted with respect the housing 18 to position the sanding head 24 in correct working alignment with the surface being sanded. There is a vacuum extraction port 25 for the attachment of an extraction hose 26 (shown in phantom).

o Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the oooo present invention many variations and modifications thereto will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the in a o. invention as herein set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A sanding device comprising an orbital sander having a housing, the housing having one or more guide members to position a sanding head of the orbital sander in working alignment with respect to a surface to be sanded, the said one or more guide members being spaced from said sanding head and adapted to travel on the surface to be sanded, the housing having pivotal attachment means for attachment ,,to an extension pole member wherein in use the orbital sander can be operated at !•"the end of the extension pole member.

2. A sanding device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a frame assembly for holding an orbital sander where the housing is integrally formed as part of the sander.

3. A sanding device according to claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a a. o frame assembly, the frame assembly has a bracket member having attachment ooo° o 15 means for attaching to a separable orbital sander, the bracket member having said oo• one or more guide members comprising one roller member to position the sanding head of the orbital sander in working alignment, and the pivotal attachment means for attachment to the extension pole is so positioned that in use the orbital sander can be removably attached to the bracket member and operated from the end of the extension pole.

4. A sanding device according to claim 3 wherein the bracket member is a light weight plate, the orbital sander has a hand grip and a body, with the orbital sander attachment means comprising a lug with a bolt hole for bolting to the hand grip on 9 the orbital sander and a U-shaped clamp to clamp the body of the orbital sander to the bracket member.

A sanding device according to claim 3 wherein the orbital sander is removably attached to the bracket member by means of a flexible strap member employed to strap the orbital sander to the bracket member.

6. A sanding device according to claim 1 wherein the orbital sander has a front and a rear, the sanding head being located at the front of the orbital sander and the guide members comprise wheels located rearwardly of the sanding head of the 9 orbital sander.

7. A sanding device according to claim 1 wherein the guide members are mounted on a carriage member, the carriage member having an adjustable bracket member to enable different types of orbital sanders to be fitted to the carriage member. 99 *9

8. A sanding device according to claim 1 wherein the pivotal attachment ooo•

9. A sanding device according to claim 1 wherein the pivotal attachment means includes an adjustable mechanism to hold the pole and the sander at a pre- determined angle relative to one another. A sanding device according to claim 1 further comprising a dust extraction means for the collection of dust generated by the sander using a vacuum. DATED this 14th day of March 2002 MARK ZATTA, TONI MAREE ZATTA and LEON ANTHONY COMLEY By their Patent Attorneys INTELLPRO