Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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PAINT CAN HOLDER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a container holder, particularly to a paint can
holder.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When painting a room, a painter often has to carry a paint can around the room
and up a ladder. Conventional paint cans are generally equipped with a
semicircular
metal wire handle, the so-called bail. Manually holding the paint can for an
extended
period of time can be problematic as the bail may put a significant localized
stress onto
the user's fingers. Also, holding the paint can and dipping a brush or
applicator at the
same time may be cumbersome as the hand holding the bail over the middle of
the
container may get in the way of the brush.
Various paint can holders have been proposed to alleviate the above problems.
Exemplary patent references describing the proposed designs are listed below.
US Patent No. 3,414,311 to Trimboli describes a container holder having a
solid
base dimensioned to receive the bottom of either a typical quart or gallon
container. A
threaded rod is attached to the base to allow a clamping hook to be screwed
down to
hold the top of the container. The top of the threaded rod is provided with a
loop which
is grasped by the user in order to carry the can.
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US Patent No. 5,497,921 to Dancyger et al., describes a hands-free paint can
holder that allows a painter to attach a paint can to the painter's belt. US
Patent No.
4,053,131 to Francis discloses a paint can holder which attaches only to the
top opening
of the paint can. The paint can then be carried by the handle or suspended
from a
tether.
US Patent Nos. 6,102,458 (Scace), 5,203,471 (Widman) and 3,024,057
(Lockwood) all describe paint can holders that attach to the paint can in
order to provide
an auxiliary handle, alleviating the need for transporting the paint can via
the metal bail.
Each of these devices provides the handle at a position below the upper
surface of the
paint can. The position of the handle requires a tremendous amount of forearm
strength
to carry a full one-gallon paint can. Therefore these handles are not suitable
for
individuals who do not have full use of their arms and/or digits.
Although many of the prior references attempt to provide container holders
which
can be used to conveniently carry a paint can, without relying on the bail for
carrying,
very few references provide a container holder that is designed with
consideration to the
way the user may grasp the holder.
US Patent No. 5,584,520 to Niemeier discloses an ergonomic paint can holder.
The paint can holder has a body in which the paint can is attached and a
handle portion
extending from the body which is provided at an angle which can be comfortable
and
easily grasped by the hand of the user. Although the shape of handle of the
paint can
holder described by Niemeier does provide a comfortable grip for the average
person,
the angle of the handle is not convenient or practical for a user with a
disability, such as
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an amputated digit, or for a person who has suffered injury to one or more
digits.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a container holder that
overcomes the limitations of the prior art and is particularly suited for
holding paint cans.
The container holder of the present invention is provided to allow a user with
either a disability or an injury to the digits of a hand to conveniently hold
and manoeuver
a container, such as a paint can, using only the thumb and forefinger/index
finger.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a container holder for use
with
a cylindrical container having a bottom, side wall and an arcuate bail
attached to the
side walls, the container holder comprising: an elongated body defining a
longitudinal
axis and having an upper portion and a lower portion, a bail retainer mounted
on the
body for retaining the bail and suspending the container, a restraint
associated with the
elongated body intermediate the upper portion and the lower portion for
holding the
container against the elongated body, and a flange disposed at an upper end of
the
upper portion of the elongated body and extending around a substantially
entire
periphery of the upper end, the flange dimensioned to locate a user's hand
when the
elongated body is grasped at the upper end by the user's hand practically
regardless of
the position of the hand.
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Typically, the restraint is a flexible strap attached to the body and having
releasable fastening means, for example a hook and loop fastener or snap
connectors,
at its loose ends, the attachment to the body being intermediate the loose
ends.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the
following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings,
wherein:
Figure 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the can holder of the invention;
Figure 2 is a view of the can holder of Figure 1 wherein a paint can mounted
to
the holder is shown in phantom lines; and
Figure 3 is a view of the can holder of Figure 2 being held by a user.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following description is of a preferred embodiment by way of example only
and without limitation to the combination of features necessary for carrying
the invention
into effect.
As shown in the drawings, the holder 1 has an elongated body 10 defining a
longitudinal axis, and is made of a lightweight material such as plastic,
cellulose, metal
alloys, polypropylene or wood or composites thereof, which is sturdy enough to
carry a
gallon paint can 11 shown in phantom lines in Figure 2. In a preferred
embodiment, the
elongated body 10 has a similar shape to a baseball bat, wherein an upper
portion 14
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of the body 10 has a circumference less than that of a lower portion 28
(Figure 1). A
shoulder region 26 transitions the wider lower portion 28 of the body 10 to
the narrower
upper portion 14. The upper portion 14 is dimensioned for an easy grasp with a
human
hand, typically about 20 to 35 mm in diameter. The body 10 has a flange 12 at
the top
of the upper portion 14. The flange 12 is shown as having a doughnut or discus
shape
but may have essentially any shape with rounded corners to prevent discomfort
or injury
to the user's hand. When the user grasps the body 10 at the upper portion 14,
the
flange 12 provides an abutment for the user's hand regardless of the position
of the
hand around the periphery of the upper portion 14 of the body 10. For the
latter reason,
the flange 12 is preferably mounted perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of
the body 10.
The arrangement of the flange 12 to the body 10 permits the holder 1 to be
grasped by
a user by using only the thumb and forefinger (Figure 3), which is
advantageous for
those who may not have full use of all their digits.
As a result, the user can grasp the body 10 at various positions so as to
orient
the paint can 11 towards or away from the user, for example. Due to the
straight-linear
shape of the body 10 in the embodiment illustrated, the user's hand grasping
the holder
does not impede dipping a paint applicator in the paint.
Mounted on the body 10 is a bail retainer 16 for engaging a bail 18 of the
paint
can 11. The bail retainer 16 is typically a hook attached to the body 10 of
the holder 1.
However, various means for retaining the bail 18 can be used including a clamp
which
can frictionally engage the bail or a depression provided in the body 10
capable of
receiving and retaining the bail. Alternatively, a magnet of sufficient
strength to retain
the bail 18 and support the weight of a full can of paint against the body 10
may be
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used. At the lower end of the body 10 is affixed a bracket 20 with a rib 22
typically
attached for engaging a bottom lip manufactured in a typical paint can. As
illustrated,
for a typical one-gallon paint can 11, the distance between the bail retainer
16 and the
bracket 20 is such that when the bail 18 is engaged with the bail retainer 16,
the bottom
lip of the can is engaged with the rib 22. For cans or containers of smaller
sizes,
additional hooks (not shown) may be installed on the body 10 at various places
along
its length, or alternatively, the container may be secured using only the bail
retainer 16
and the restraint 24 as described below.
The restraint 24 is provided along the length of the body 10 to prevent
undesired
movement of the container away from the holder 1 during use. Typically, the
restraint
24 is provided as a flexible strap, for example made of sturdy fabric, is
secured to the
body 10 using conventional releasable or permanent fastening means, for
example a
screw. The loose ends of the strap 24 can be provided with hook and loop
fasteners
30 and the strap 24 should be of sufficient length to encircle at least a
typical one-gallon
paint can and to clasp the hook and loop ends together thus securing the paint
can to
the body 10. One or both sides of the hook and loop fastener can be elongated,
so as
to permit variation in the length of the strip 24 when the ends are engaged,
whereby
cans of different diameters can be readily accommodated in a snug manner. As
an
alternative to hook and loop fasteners 30, other conventional fastening means
may be
used such as snaps or buttons.
Alternatively, depending on the application and the material of the container
being held, the restraint 24 can comprise of a magnet or magnets (not shown)
of
sufficient strength to hold the container against the holder 1 or detachable
flexible arms
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(not shown) which frictionally engage the container to grip and stabilize the
container
when in use. The flexible arms can be provided to form a loop structure which
can
encircle the container and the ends of the arms can be optionally connected
together
to form a unitary structure. It is also contemplated that more than one type
of restraint
24 can be used in combination for additional strength in holding the
container.
Thus, the container holder of the invention is typically of simple one-piece
construction, easy to manufacture and effective in use.
The present invention has been described with regard to preferred embodiments.
However, it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that a number of
variations and
modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as
described herein.
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