Apparatus for applying decorative coatings to wood panels

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR COLORING A SURFACE OF A RECTANGULAR PANEL HAVING A PLURALITY OF STRAIGHT LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SIMULATED PLANKS ON SAID SURFACE, SAID SIMULATED PLANKS INDIVIDUALLY BEING OF UNIFORM WIDTH FROM END-TO-END OF SAID PANEL AND ALSO BEING ARRANGED EDGE-TO-EDGE, COMPRISING A ROLL-COATING MACHINE HAVING A FRAME WITH UPRIGHT SPACED APART SUPPORTS, FIRST AND SECOND CYLINDRICAL ROLLERS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SUPPORTS, THE AXES OF SAID ROLLERS BEING PARALLEL AND SPACED APART, SAID FIRST AND SECOND ROLLERS BEING HORIZONTALLY ARRANGED AND ENGAGEABLE TO PROVIDE A HORIZONTAL PAINT TROUGH THEREBETWEEN, SAID TROUGH IN CROSS-SECTION HAVING A GENERALLY V-SHAPE, SAID FIRST AND SECOND ROLLERS ENGAGING EACH OTHER WITH SUFFICIENT FORCE TO RETAIN LIQUID PAINT IN SAID TROUGH, SAID FRIST ROLLER BEING OF METAL, SAID SECOND ROLLER BEING OF RUBBER-LIKE MATERIAL IN THE OUTER PERIPHERAL PORTION THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF PARTITION DEVICES DISPOSED IN SAID TROUGH IN SPACED APART RELATION FOR DIVIDING SAID TROUGH INTO A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE TROUGH SECTIONS; EACH PARTITION DEVICE COMPRISING A FLAT SELF-SUPPORTING RIGID PLATE OF TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE PLASTIC MATERIAL DISPOSED PARALLEL TO A VERTICAL PLANE NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND ROLLERS, SAID PLATE HAVING A BOTTOM EDGE SHAPED IDENTICALLY TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE OF SAID TROUGH, SAID BOTTOM EDGE HAVING TWO OPPOSITE SIDE PORTIONS WHICH ARE CURVED TO FIT CONGRUENTLY THE CURVATURES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND ROLLERS RESPECTIVELY, SAID TWO SIDE PORTIONS JOINING IN AN APEX WHICH INTIMATELY FITS THE APEX OF SAID TROUGH, SAID PLASTIC PLATE EXTENDING ABOVE SAID SECOND ROLLER AND HAVING A FORWARD EDGE WHICH EXTENDS BEYOND A VERTICAL DIAMETER OF SAID SECOND ROLLER, TWO RIGID SIDE PLATES CLAMPED ONTO AND SECURED TO OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PLASTIC PLATE, A SUPPORTING BAR SECURED TO SAID SIDE PLATES AND EXTEDNING HORIZONTALLY OVER SAID FIRST ROLLER, TWO MEMBERS SECURED TO SAID FRAME AND HAVING TWO PARALLEL SPACED APART UPSTANDING SURFACES WHICH DEFINE A VERTICAL SLOT THEREBETWEEN WHICH EXTENDS PARALLEL TO A PLANE NORMAL TO THE AXES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND ROLLERS, SAID TWO MEMBERS BEING POSITIONED ON THE SIDE JOF SAID FIRST ROLLER OPPOSITE SAID TROUGH, A RIGID GUIDE PLATE SECURED TO SAID BAR AND DEPENDING VERTICALLY THEREFROM, SAID GUIDE PLATE BEING SLIDABLE RECEIVED BY SAID SLOT FOR VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT THEREIN, WHEREBY SLIGHT VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL MOTION IMPARTED TO SAID PLASTIC PLATE BY SAID FIRST AND SECOND ROLLERS IS ACCOMMODATED BY THE MOVABLE FIT BETWEEN SAID SLOT SAID GUIDE PLATE; A PLURALITY OF SCRAPER BLADES HAVING STRAIGHT EDGES ENGAGED WITH THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID SECOND ROLLER, SAID BLADES BEING FLAT AND ARRANGED IN AN UPRIGHT PLANE IN SUCCESSION FROM ONE END OF SAID SECOND ROLLER TO THE OTHER, THERE BEING ONE BLADE FOR EACH TROUGH SECTION, EACH BLADE BEING FITTED BETWEEN TWO ADJACENT PLASTIC PLATES REARWARDLY OF THE FORWARD EDGES THEREOF, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID BLADES IN POSITION FOR MOVEMENT SELECTIVELY INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SECOND ROLLER, AND A PLURALITY OF RESERVOIRS HAVING CONDUITS EXTENDING THEREFROM TO SAID TROUGH SECTIONS, THERE BEING AT LEAST ONE CONDUIT AND RESERVOIR FOR EACH SECTION, EACH CONDUIT BEING OPERATIVELY SUPPORTED BY SAID FRAME AND HAVING AN END WHICH OPENS INTO THE RESPECTIVE TROUGH SECTION, EACH CONDUIT HAVING A VALVE THEREIN FOR CONTROLLING FLOW OF PAINT THERETHROUGH, WHEREBY DIFFERENT COLORED PAINT MAY BE METERED INTO AND CONTAINED BY SAID TROUGH SECTIONS, SAID PARTITION DEVICES PREVENTING THE FLOW OF PAINT BETWEEN TROUGH SECTIONS.