Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02481963 2004-09-16
TITLE
HANDHELD CONTAINER WITH REMOVABLE DIVIDER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to containers and, in particular, to a
handheld container including a removable divider disposed therein.
Containers, such as paint containers for use with painting instruments
including
paintbrushes and paint rollers, are well known. Standard size paint containers
include one-
gallon cans and five-gallon plastic buckets that are not easily handheld
during painting.
Portable paint containers are then often utilized by painters to provide a
supply of paint
while painting.
A common problem is that most portable paint containers are not easily
manipulated by hand when it is desirable to move the portable paint container
or when it is
desirable to hold the portable paint container with one hand while painting
with the other.
Another common problem is that most paint containers are n.~t stable when
moved between
1-5 various locations and placed on various work surfaces: Yet another common
problem for
painters. is fording a place to rest the paintbrush or paint roller while
painting. If the
paintbrush or paint roller is rested on a typical can ar bucket, there is
generally insufficient
support for the paintbrush or paint roller, which often causes the paintbrush
or paint roller
to fall into or over the side of the can or bucket or disadvantageously allows
a wet surface
2 0 of the paintbrush or roller to either contact another surface or drip
excess paint onto the
surface.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a portable container that is able to be
easily
manipulated, is stable when placed on a work surface, and that provides a
divider for
separating the cavity into a paint containing portion and a portion for
resting a paintbrush or
2 5 a paint roller.
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CA 02481963 2004-09-16
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A handheld container according to the present invention includes a container
body
defining an upwardly opening cavity formed therein. A handle portion extends
downwardly from a rear edge of the container body adjacent the cavity. A
divider is
disposed in the cavity to divide the cavity into a first portion and a second
portion. The
first portion is larger than the second portion and is used to store a supply
of paint during
use. The second portion is adjacent to the handle and is si::ed to receive a
paintbrush or
mini paint roller. In addition to dividing the cavity, the divider also
provides support to the
bristles end of the paintbrush when the paintbrush is rested on a lip
surrounding the cavity
opening. The handle permits a user to carry a supply of paint in one hand
while painting
with a brush or a roller with the other hand.
The divider is removable for the purpose of stacking a plurality of the
container
bodies during shipping or storage at a point of sale. The divider can be
releasably attached
to the upper surface of the bottom wall of the cavity far these purposes.
Although the container according to the present invention is described herein
as
being useful for painting, it has many other uses. For example, with or
without the divider,
the container can be used to scoop and carry bulk materials. Slot machine
players can use
the container to hold a quantity of coins in place of the typical plastic cup.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become
readily
apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description
of a preferred
embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container in accordance with the present
invention;
Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the container shown in Fig. 1; and
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED ElIrIBODIMENT
Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, a handheld container in accordance with the
present
invention is indicated generally at 10. The container 10 includes a container
body 12 and a
cooperating removable divider 13 that are preferably formed of an injection
molded plastic
material or similar material. The container body 12 includes a front wall 14
and a rear wall
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CA 02481963 2004-09-16
15 connected by a pair of side walls 16. A bottom wall 17 i.s attached at a
lower edge of
each of the walls 14,15 and 16 to form a cavity in the body 12 open at the top
for retaining
liquids and bulk solids. As shown in Fig. 2, in plan the body 12 is wider
toward the front
wall 14 and narrows toward the rear wall 15. Extending rearv~rardly from the
rear wall 15 is
S a handle 18 having a generally horizontal rearwardly extending connector
portion 19
attached to an upper edge of the rear wall 15 and downwardly extending grip
portion 20.
The connector portion 19 is generally U-shaped in cross section and the grip
portion 20 has
a generally square tubular shape with rounded corners and is closed by a
bottom wall 21.
The grip portion 20 is sized to be grasped by a human hand. The bottom walls
17 and 21
extend in generally the same plane to provide a stable base for resting the
container 12 upon
a horizontal support or work surface such as a countertop, a floor or a shelf
of a stepladder.
The front wall 14 includes an upper portion 22 that ~exterids generally
horizontally
and a lower portion 23 that extends downwardly and inwardly from the upper
portion 22 to
the bottom wall 17. The side walls 16 slope inwardly from top to bottom and
the rear wall
1S I5 extends in a curved vertical plane and also slopes inwardly from top to
bottom. A
generally vertically extending lip 24 is attached at the upper edges of the
walls 14, 15 and
16, the connector portion I9 and the grip portion 20 to define an open top of
the container
10. The lip 24 is outwardly displaced to form an inner upwardly facing step 25
and an
outer downwardly facing step 26.
As best shown in Fig. 3, a pair of continuous flanges 27 is formed on interior
surface of the side walls 16 and the bottom wall 17 to define a groove 28
therebetween fox
receiving edges of the divider 13, The flanges 27 extend up the side walls 16
short of the
lip 24. The divider 27 can be thicker at an upper edge 29 than at a bottom
edge 30 such
that it tapers in thickness. When inserted into the groove 28, the container
body 12 is
2S separated into a larger front cavity 31, between the divider 13 and the
front wall 14, and a
smaller rear cavity 32, between the divider 13 and the rear wall 15. The
groove 28 is
configured to engage the bottom edge 30 and side edges of the divider 13 to
seal against
leakage of liquid between the front cavity 31 and the rear cavity 32.
A larger width rib 33 and a plurality of smaller width ribs 34 are formed on
and
extend in a horizontal direction partially across an inner surface of the
front wall 14. The
rib 33 is positioned at the juncture of the upper portion 22 and the lower
portion 23 to form
a retainer for a mini roller (not shown) resting on the upper portion 22. The
ribs 34 are
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CA 02481963 2004-09-16
preferably evenly spaced apart along the lower portion 23 for aiding in the
removal of
excess paint from a mini roller or the bristles of a paintbrush.
The divider 13 is removably retained in the groove 28. During shipment or
storage, a plurality of the containers 10 may be advantagE;ously stacked
together with
each associated divider 13 temporarily adhered, by adhesive tape or the like,
to the
upwardly facing surface of the bottom wall 17. As explained above, the walls
14, 15 and
16 are tapered. The walls of the grip portion 20 are tapered in a similar
manner to
facilitate nesting of the containers 10. A hang tab 35 can be provided on the
container
body 12, molded integral therewith, extending rearwardly from the Iip at the
handle 18.
The hang tab 35 is apertured for receiving a display hook (not shown).
When the container 30 is in use for painting, for example, the divider 13 is
seated
in the groove 28 to define the front cavity 31, which can be filed with paint,
and the rear
cavity 32, which can hold a paintbrush. The handle 18 permits a person to hand
carry the
container 10 while painting. If desired, the bristles of a p,~intbrush (not
shown) can be
rested on the upper edge 29 of the divider 13 while the handle of the
paintbrush is rested
on the connector portion 19 of the handle 18. If a mini paint roller is being
utilized, the
roller can be rested on the upper portion 22 of the front wall 14 with a
handle portion of
the roller resting on the connector portion 19.
The container 10 has a number of alternate uses for holding liquid or bulk
materials with, or without, the divider 13. For example, at a casino the
divider 13 can be
used to separate coins of differing denominations and the handle 18 allows the
casino
patron to move easily between various locations within the casino. In another
use, the
container IO functions as a scoop device, wherein the handle 18 allows a
person to easily
move materials and the divider 13 may or may not be utilized.
In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present
invention has
been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment.
However, it
should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as
specifically illustrated
and described without departing from its spirit or scope.
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