Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to vessels for carrying or
holding liquids or other loose materials such as fruit, lawn
seed, flour, sand, etc. and more specifically it relates to a
hand-held vessel for holding pant and paint brush. It also would
be useful for picking fruit, bailing water out of a boat, holding
and transporting a variety of liquids, and for transferring
liquids or loose materials from one container to another since it
has pouring spouts specially suited for this purpose.
In the field of painting with a brush and bucket, there
has long been a problem as to how to comfortably hold and carry a
quantity of paint and a paint brush for an extended period of
time and over precarious terrain - such as while climbing a
ladder, working off of a scaffold, or while standing on the roof
of a building. One approach to this problem has been to use a
light-weight paper bucket capable of holding around a gallon of
paint. These buckets, however, have no handle and must be
gripped with the thumb and fingers by the rim and side - which is
tiring - or they must be cradled against ones body in the crook
of ones arm - which is inconvenient. Another approach to the
problem is to use a metal or plastic bucket with a bail-type
handle. This approach, while affording a more versatile mode of
holding a paint bucket, is awkward for dipping a paint brush into
the paint when the bucket is being suspended from the handle
since ones hand tends to be in the way. An alternative mode for
holding this type of bucket i9 to support the bottom of the
bucket with the palm and fingers of ones hand, and to hook ones
t~humb into the bail-type handle as it hangs down along the side
of the bucket. This alternative, however, can be unsatisfactory
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since it tends to cause a great deal of muscle fatigue in the
hand supporting the paint bucket.
In regard to the task of keeping track of ones paint
brush and setting it down in a well cared for manner, the main
approach has been to balance it across the top of whatever type
of paint bucket one happens to be using. This, however, is not a
stable resting place for a paint brush and it is vulnerable to
being knocked off or falling into the paint bucket. Also, this
method may let paint drip down the outside of the bucket, making
a mess on the outside of the bucket as well as on whatever
happens to the resting place for the bucket. An alternative
approach to this problem is to have a sheath that attaches to the
side of the bucket for inserting the paint brush when it is not
in use. This is not a good solution because a sheath of this
sort tends to accumulate paint~ and it deforms the bristles of a
paint brush to have the paint brush standing on end. There is
also the option of having a bucket with a bar across the inside a
quarter of the way down for the brush bristles to rest on. This
is not good however because the bristles get deformed in pressing
against the rounded side of the bucket.
Another significant problem with painting is that of
having a container for holding paint which can be held close to
ones work so as to ease and speed up the process of painting.
There is also the problem of whether a paint bucket can
be easily cleaned. Any paint bucket will clean easily if it is
cleaned immediately after being used. But if the paint if
allowed to stand in a bucket until it dries, cleaning the bucket
may be quite difficult. A paper bucket can be thrown away if
this~occurs; but a metal, rubber, or heavy plastic pail may be
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very difficult to clean. Another problem is that of having a
good place to clean ones paint brush if one is using an oil-base
paint, and then how to dispose of the dirty thinner.
In regard to the endeavour of picking fruit there have
been similar problems to those encountered in painting with a
brush and bucket. Namely, that the containers used for assisting
in fruit picking are often awkward, tiring to hold, and difficult
to hold close to where one is working. While most any type of
bucket may be used for picking fruit, the ones available are
difficult to hold close to ones work without exerting
considerable effort.
In the area of devices for bailing water out of boats,
anything at hand might do in an emergency, but an efficient,
effortless device is not available.
Many of these needed features in a bucket, or others
such as how to transfer material from one container to another
without spilling, might be found o be useful in house cleaning,
industrial cleaning, automotive up-keep, or other areas.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a convenient,
light weight, comfortable, efficient, and economical device for
carrying, holding, and transferring liquids or other loose
materials. Also, there is a specific need, along with the
aforementioned capabilities, of providing a secure and convenient
resting place for a paint brush, with the said resting place
being an integral part of the body of a paint bucket. As will
become apparent from the following, the present invention
satisfies these needs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention resides in a new and improved
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vessel for carrying, holding and trans~erring liquids or other
loose materials. It also is specially designed to serve as a
paint: bucket by virtue of its built-in brush holder, its
convenient pouring spouts, its spill resistant design, its
cleaning and gripping ridges and its versatile handle.
More specifically, this holding vessel with supportive
handle has its pouring spouts located at the center of the front
of the vessel and at both sides. The center spout is designed to
serve as a resting place for the handle of a paint brush by
virtue of its shape, its being notched to keep the handle from
sliding back and forth, and its juxtaposition to the ledge which
the top of the built-in handle forms in the body of the
container. The ledge is suited to support the bristles of a
paint brush by virtue of its square and flat shape and its
attitude relative to the front notched pouring spout which help
to keep the brush's bristles from being disturbed. The ledge
will accommodate a five inch brush, or smaller, without
disturbing the bristles. The leading edge of the ledge may be
used for wiping excess paint off of a paint brush's bristles.
The high sides of the vessel make the vessel especially spill
resistant as a bucket.
The body of the holding vessel is made of polyethylene
or other suitable material - which is light-weight, flexible,
durable, sanitary, tough and easily cleaned. The high side walls
of the body of the vessel, as well as helping to prevent spillage
of the vessel's contents, augment the holding capacity of the
vessel. The body of the vessel is characterized by the pistol-
grip, form-fitting handle which is located under the paint brush
resting ledge, just to the rear of the main compartment. The
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handle is designed with ample room for a man's hand, yet it is
comfortable for a smaller hand as well. It is tilted at an angle
which is comfortable for the way one would naturally hold the
hand and wrist. The position of the handle relative to the body
of the vessel provides excellent support for the weight of
substance being held. The handle is placed between the middle
and bottom of the vessel, and it places the user's hand and wrist
near the center of the weight being held. The body of the vessel
has a flat and broad base which provides stable means of
securely setting down the container and its contents.
The thinness of the walls of the bucket and the quality
of the plastic material from which they are formed combine to aid
in the cleaning of the bucket if layers of paint should happen to
accumulate on the walls. The walls of the bucket can be bent
back and forth until the paint or other accumulated material
cracks, making it then possible to peel the layers off without
damaging the bucket.
The ridges in the bottom of the bucket help one grasp
the bucket with the tips of one's fingers when one is holding it
with the palm and fingers under the base of the bucket and the
thumb hooked through the handle. The ridges also are useful when
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cleaning a paint brush in the bucket since rubbing the brush over
the ridges help to work the solvent into the bristles and remove
;~ the paint. It is also a good idea to use the paint brush to
slosh the solvent around in the bucket and thereby clean the
bucket.
` The present invention may serve well as a fruit-picking
~; device because it is light-weight, comfortable to hold, sanitary
and easy to hold close to where the fruit is being picked and can
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be used in conjunction with the free hand. It may serve well for
bailing water out of a boat because it is light-weight, it fits
the hand so well, and because it is like a big scoop extension of
the hand.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective drawing of the vessel with
paint brush and held by the hand;
Figure 2 is a rear view of the holding vessel with
supportive handle;
Figure 3 is a top view of the vessel;
Figure 4 is a side view of the holding vessel with
supportive handle;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the bottom of the
vessel showing how ridges help in gripping; and
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the vessel in use.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As shown in the exemplary drawings, the present
invention is a vessel which is adapted for carrying, scooping,
pouring and holding various liquids such as paint, water,
cleaning fluids, etc., and it is also adapted to doing the same
for loose solids such as sand, flour, fertilizer, lawn seed, etc.
On this instance, the vessel is comprised of a generally
pentagonal, squat body portion 1 which includes a handle 2 for
conveniently holding the vessel.
The distinctive features of this holding vessel with
handle are that it has convenient pouring spouts 3 located at the
center of the front of the body 1 of the vessel, and at both
sides. The spouts 3 are further adaptable to pouring liquids
accurately by virtue of the fact that the walls of the body 1 are
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thin and flexible and can be pinched in order to form ~ better
spout. Yet the material is rigid enough to maintain its original
shaple. The center spout 4 is designed to serve as a resting
placle for the handle of a paint brush, by virtue of its shape,its
notch 4 to keep the handle of a paint brush from sliding back and
forth and its juxtaposition to the ledge 5. A paint brush can
easily span the distance between the ledge 4 and the center spout
3, and the ledge 4 is suited to support the bristles of a paint
brush by virtue of its square and flat shape which helps to keep
from disturbing the bristles. The ledge 4 will accommodate a 5"
brush, or smaller without disturbing the bristles. The leading
edge 5 of the ledge 4 may be used for wiping excess paint off of
t~e brushes' bristles. The higher outer walls of the vessel make
an excellent safeguard against spilling of the contents of the
vessel.
The body 1 of the holding vessel is made of
polyethylene or other suitable material - which is light-weight,
flexible or rigid, durable, tough, sanitary, and easily cleaned.
The high outer walls of the vessel, along with helping to prevent
spillage, also augment the holding capacity of the vessel. The
body 1 of the holding vessel is most distinctly characterized by
t~e form-fitting, pistol-grip handle 2 which is located under the
ledge 5, just to the rear of the main compartment 7. The handle
2 is large enough to accommodate most anyone's hand, and it is
tilted at an angle which is comfortable for the way one would
naturally hold the hand and wrist. The handle 2 is substantial
so that one has plenty to hold on to if one is holding the vessel
for an extended period of time. The position of the handle 2
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relal:ive to the body 1 of the vessel provided excellent support
even when a considerable weight is being held. The handle 2 is
near the bottom of the vessel and it is in such a position that
it puts ones hand near the center of the weight being held.
The ridges 8 in the bottom of the vessel help in the
cleaning of paint brushes, add rigidity and strength to the
vessel, and allow one to grip ones fingers in them when holding
the bucket by the bottom instead of by the handle. All these
features, the comfortable handle, the position of the handle, and
the ridges for gripping contribute to making the vessel
especially easy to hold near one's work.
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