This invention relates to a paste wax applicator to ap- ply paste wax to a floor surface to be waxed. Background Art

The background art which, as far as is known to the ap¬ plicant, can be regarded as useful for the understanding searching and examination of the invention, are listed by country herein. Swiss Patents 118201 and 135183. United

States Patents 1,795,673; 2,043,145; 2,137,944; 2,211,275; 2,438,843; 3,120,676; 3,286,297; 4,262,822; and 4,944,623. Disclosure of Invention

In the past, the only way for a human operator to apply paste wax to a floor surface was for the human operator to do so on his or her hands and knees. The problem in the art to which this invention apertains is the need for a paste wax applicator which allows the human operator not only to apply paste wax to a floor surface, while standing in an up- right position, but also, while in such upright position, to maintain continuous discrete control over the amount of paste wax being dispensed and applied upon the floor sur¬ face. Accordingly, the object of this invention is to con¬ tribute to the solution of the discussed problem of the art by providing a paste wax applicator that allows the human operator to remain standing in a comfortable upright posi¬ tion while dispensing and applying paste wax upon the floor surface to be waxed and, at the same time to maintain con¬ tinuous discrete control over the amount of paste wax being dispensed and applied upon the floor surface. Brief Description of Drawings

This object and other objects of the invention should discerned and appreciated from the detailed description for the best mode for carrying out the invention, taken in con- junction with the drawing figures, wherein like reference numeral refer to similar elements throughout the several drawing figures, in which: Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the invention; Fig. 2 is a side eleva¬ tional view of the distal portion of the invention; Fig. 3

is a side elevational view of the invention; Fig. 4 is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of a distal por¬ tion of the invention; Fig. 5 is a top view of a distal por¬ tion of the invention; and Fig. 6 is a side view of the proximal portion of the invention, partly in section, show¬ ing a conventional cartridge gun mechanism. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, reference numeral 1 generally refers to the invention showing an elongated cylindrical housing 3 receiving a plunger 5, and a cylindrical cartridge-tube housing 7 receiving therein a piston 9 se¬ cured to the end of the plunger 5. Intermediate with and fixed to the distal end of the cylindrical housing 3 and the proximal end of the cartridge-tube housing 7 is an interme- diate cap 11. Fixed to the proximal end of the housing 3 is an end cap 13. The caps 11 and 13 have aligned center holes which freely receive and centrally align plunger 5. A con¬ ventional cartridge-gun mechanism, generally referred to by reference numeral 15, is mounted on the proximal end portion of a handle 1-7 -, fixed to and extending from end cap 13. A pivot pin 19, fixedly carried by handle 17, pivotally mounts a trigger 21. Carried on the plunger 5 is a compression spring 23 and a drive pawl 25 via its discrete hole 27. A drive pinι29, fixedly carried by the trigger 21, engages the drive pawl 25. Upon the plunger 5 being released for move¬ ment, as will be subsequently be described, squeezing the trigger 21 causes the drive pin 29 to move the drive pawl 25 forward with its hole 27 lockingly engaging plunger 5 and thereby incrementally advancing plunger 5. Upon release of the trigger 21, the restoring force of the compression spring 23 returns the triggger 21 backward to its inopera¬ tive position, as shown by the dashed lines in Fig. 6, with such backward movement of the trigger 21 being stopped by its abutting engagement with an integral abutment plate 31 of the handle 17, which functions as a limit stop. A small leg 33, normal to and projecting from the abutment plate 31, has an opening 35 which receives and pivotally mounts the upper end of a locking pawl 37, shown in its locking po¬ sition by the solid lines in Fig. 6. Locking pawl 37 is car-

ried on the plunger 5 via its discrete hole 39. Carried on plunger 5 is a second compression spring 41 that is inter¬ posed between the abutment plate 31 and the locking pawl 37. To release the plunger 5 for movement in order to incremen- tally drive the plunger 5 forward, the human operator manip- ulatively grasps handle 17 in an appropriate manner to dis¬ pose the locking pawl 37 in its unlocked position, shown by dashed lines in Fig. 6, and squeezes trigger 21; and with further forward incremental movements of the plunger 5 being effected by simply releasing and re-squeezing actuations of the trigger 21. An interiorally threaded end cap 43 is ap¬ propriately engaged with the threaded distal end 45 of the housing 7. End cap 43 has a central opening 47. Screws 49, freely received through holes 51 in the side arms 53 and en- gaged with tapped holes 55 formed in the wall of the housing 7, pivotally mount the side arms 53. Threaded studs 57, en¬ gaged with tapped holes 59 formed in the wall of housing 7, define limit stop pins which, upon their engagements with the slot bearing surfaces 61 of the side arms 53, prevent further clockwise movement of the side arms 53, as viewed in Fig. 2. Wing nuts 63, engaged with the.threaded studs 57 and tightened against the side arms 53, lockingly retain the side arms 53 in the position shown in Fig. 2. The structure heretofore described in made of metal or other suitable ma- terial. A fabricated spreader 65 is provided to spread paste wax forced into it by the paste wax applicator 1. Fixed to the top portion of the spreader 65, such as by adhesive, is a bracket plate 67, made of metal. A nozzle bearing sleeve 69, integral with and depending at an angle from the bracket plate 67, projects interiorly within the fabricated spreader 65. Screws 71, disposed through holes 73 in the integral mounting plate 75 for the side arms 53, engage tapped holes 77 in the bracket plate 67 to fixedly secure the side arms ' 53 to the bracket plate 67. A cartridge tube 79, filled with paste wax, is sealed with a circular plug 81 at its proximal end and has a nozzle 83 at its distal end that communicates with the interior of the cartridge tube 79. Preparatory to inserting a cartridge tube 79 within the housing 7, the locking pawl 37 is manipulatively disposed in its unlocked

position and the plunger 5 is retracted via its handle so that the piston 9 abuts the distal portion 85 of the inter¬ mediate cap 11. The wing nuts 63 are appropriately loosened and the spreader 65 is pivoted to its position, shown in solid lines in Fig. 3. End cap 43 is removed and a cartridge tube 79 is inserted within the housing 7. The nozzle 83 is appropriately disposed through the central opening 47 of the end cap 43 along with appropriate repositioning of the spreader 65 to allow the distal end of the nozzle 83 to be received within the nozzle bearing sleeve 69, followed by engagement of the threaded end cap 43 withthethreaded distal end 45 of the housing 7. Then, the wing nuts 63 are appro¬ priately engaged with their threaded studs 57 and tightened. A perforated cloth 89, having elastic 91 at its top, is po- sitioned upon the spreader 65 to cover the spreader 65, as shown in Fig. 4. The plunger 5 is incrementally driven, as hereinbefore described, so that its piston 9 will operative¬ ly engage the circular plug 81 of the cartridge tube 79 to force paste wax through the nozzle 81 and into the spreader 65. The perforated cloth 89 allows the dispensed paste wax to be applied in a thin and even coat to the floor surface being waxed. The paste wax is applied by contact of the flat bottom spreader 65 with the floor surface, and with the relative angle of the housing 7 and spreader 65 maintained, as shown in Fig. 2. The applicator 1 has sufficient length to allow the human operator to remain in a non-fatiguing up¬ right position, with one of the human operator's hands hold¬ ing the handle and with his other hand cradling the mid por¬ tion of the housing 3, while applying the paste wax. With the cartridge-gun mechanism 15, the human operator can main¬ tain continuous discrete control, at all times, over the amount of paste wax being dispensed and applied upon the floor surface being waxed.