SPIRIT RECLAIMER

This invention relates to a device for reclaiming white spirit and the like which has been used for cleaning purposes. In particular, the invention relates to a device for reclaiming white spirit which has been used for cleaning paint brushes.

It has been found that if white spirit which has been used to clean paint brushes is left in a container for some time, the paint sinks to the bottom of the container and pure white spirit is left at the top. The present invention aims to utilise this phenomenon by providing a device which enables the clean white spirit to be recovered.

According to the invention there is provided a device for reclaiming spirits which contain contaminants, said device comprising a container, a tray mounted in the container and means for dispensing liquid from the container, wherein the tray is located at or adjacent to the bottom of the container and is provided with a rod which is secured at one end to the tray and which, in normal use, extends upwardly from the tray to or adjacent to the top of the container.

The other end of the rod is preferably provided with a knob or other grasping member.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the means for dispensing liquid from the container comprise a tap mounted in a side wall of the container slightly above the top of the tray. The tap may be fitted with locking means.

Preferably, the container is provided with a lid and is desirably made of a translucent or transparent material such as a suitable synthetic plastics material.

The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings in which:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a spirit reclaiming device according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the device shown in Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a tray forming part of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is an underneath perspective view of the lid of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a tap for use with the device shown in Figs.

1 and 2, the tap being fitted with locking means which are shown in a disengaged position; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a scraper for use with the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the drawings, like parts are denoted by like reference numerals.

Referring to the drawings, the spirit reclaiming device according to the invention comprises a container 1 made of a transparent or translucent material and containing a tray 2 which is designed to rest on the bottom of the container 1. The tray 2 has side walls 3 and a raised boss 4 substantially at its centre. The raised boss 4 is provided with a screw-threaded bore 5 which is adapted to receive a screw-threaded end 7 of a rod 6 which extends upwardly in the container and terminates just short of the top of the container. The upper end of the rod 6 is provided with a knob 8.

A tap 11 is mounted in a side wall of the container 1 at a location which is just above the top of the side walls 3 of the tray 2. The tap is provided with locking means in the form of a lever 14 which is pivotally mounted at one end and which carries a blocking member 15 at its other end. In a first, locking position, the lever 14 is moved to a position in which the blocking member 15 is engageable with a handle 12 of the tap 11 to prevent the tap 11 from being turned.

This will normally be the closed position of the tap 11 and is illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The lever 14 can be pivoted to a second position, shown in Fig.

5, in which the blocking member 15 is moved clear of the tap handle 12 so that the tap 11 can be moved by the handle 12 to an open position.

The lever 14 is pivotably mounted in a guide comprising a pair of substantially parallel plates 21 mounted on an extension 13 of the tap 11. A pivot pin 17 extends through aligned bores in the plates 21 and through a bore in the said one end of the lever 14 which bore is aligned with the bores in the plates 21. A second pair of aligned bores 22 is also provided in the plates 21 and a further bore 16 is provided in the lever 14 which is aligned with the bores 22 in the plates 21 when the lever 14 is in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings at which the blocking member 15 is effective to prevent the handle 12 of the tap 11 from being turned. The hasp of a padlock (not shown) can be inserted through the aligned bores 16 and 22 to prevent the lever 14 from being moved and thus to prevent the tap 11 from being opened. A washer 19 is mounted on a screw- threaded end 18 of the tap extension 13 to provide a seal when the tap is fitted to the container 1.

A detachable Hd 31 is adapted to be fitted to the top of the container 1. The lid is provided with a pair of substantially parallel plates 32 between which extends a further plate 33. When the lid 31 has been fitted to the container 1, the plate 33 is engageable by a catch 9 provided on a side wall of the container 1 adjacent the top thereof to secure the Hd 31 to the container. The top of the lid 31 is provided with a knurled region 34 to facilitate removal of the Hd from and refitting of the lid to the container. The underside of the Hd 31 is provided with a

tubular extension 35 which extends from the lower surface of the lid 31 and is sealed thereto. A ledge 36 extends from the lower surface of the lid 31 and is bounded by the inner periphery of the tubular extension 35 as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. One side of the lid 31 is also provided with a lateral extension 37 which is aligned with a holder 10 on a side of the container 1. The holder 10 is adapted to hold and retain a scraper 38 (see Fig. 6) and the scraper is retained in the holder 10 by the lateral extension 37 when the lid 31 is fitted to the container 1.

In use, the lid 31 is removed from the container 1 and inverted. The tubular extension 35 thus forms a kettle into which white spirit can be poured. A paint brush to be cleaned can be inserted into the kettle and cleaned by the white spirit, the ledge 36 serving to assist in scraping paint from the brush. Once the brush has been cleaned, the white spirit in the kettle is poured into the container 1 and the lid 31 replaced. The lid can be held in place by engaging the catch 9 with the plate 33. Since the container is made of transparent or translucent material, the dirty white spirit can be observed from outside the container. The dirty white spirit is allowed to settle and the paint will sink to the bottom into the tray 2 so that all of the paint will be in the tray 2 and above the tray 2 there will be clear white spirit. The clear white spirit above the tray 2 can be poured out of the container 1 by opening the tap 11 and the white spirit can then be reused. When the tray 2 is substantially full of paint, it can be removed from the container 1 by removing the lid 31, grasping the knob 8 and pulling the tray 2 upwards out of the container 1. The paint can then be removed from the tray 2 whereupon the tray can be re-fitted back into the container 1 for further use. The scraper 38 can be used to scrape paint from the bottom and sides of the tray 2.

The primary purpose of the lid 31 is to reduce evaporation of white spirit from the container 1. However, a secondary purpose is to serve as a kettle for cleaning brushes as above described. A seal (not shown) may be provided between the lid 31 and the top of the container 1 to prevent spillage of white spirit from the container in the event that the container is tipped over.

It will be seen that the device according to the invention has numerous advantages :-

1. The cost of buying of white spirit is reduced because a consumer can re-use the white spirit.

2. The cost of producing plastic containers for the white spirit is saved because the white spirit is re-used.

3. The device according to the invention solves the problem of the disposal of dirty white spirit since the white spirit can be re-used and only the paint in the tray needs to be disposed of.

4. Because the white spirit can be re-used, there is a saving in the cost of manufacture for the white spirit as well as the white spirit itself so that there is a general saving to the nation's economy.

The invention is not restricted to the reclaiming of white spirit which has been used to clean paint brushes. It can be used to decontaminate other spirits. Further, the invention is not restricted to the embodiment above-described but variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the container and the tray need not be square in cross section but could be rectangular or even circular, the tray 2 being of a shape corresponding to the shape of the container.