US2988768A - Support for liquid applicator - Google Patents

Description

June 20, 1961 R. W. HILL SUPPORT FOR LIQUID APPLICATOR Filed Feb. 20, 1958 Patented June 20, 1961 United States PatentOihce 2,988,768 SUPPORT FOR LIQUID APPLICATOR Ross W. Hill, 15815 Witcomb, Detroit 27, Mich. Filed Feb. 20, 1958, Ser. No. 716,336 4 Claims. (Cl. 15-517) This invention relates generally to a support for applicators, and, more particularly, to a means for removably mounting one or more liquid applicators, such as paint brushes, in a conveniently accessible position relative to the user thereof and, more specifically, on a liquid container such as a paint can or pail.

As will be apparent to those who have had the occasion to work with liquid applicators of the type comprising a handle with a brush thereon for painting, varnishing, applying sealing liquids to various objects and the like, no means is provided for conveniently supporting the applicator when not in use. Consequently, when the liquid applying operation is discontinued, and particularly temporarily so, there is no out-of-the-way but conveniently accessible place in which to put the applicator so that the brush thereof will not come into contact with clothing, scaffolding, a ladder or the like, or pick up dirt or other debris.

This problem is accentuated with respect to painters utilizing a conventional paint brush, and particularly commercial painters, because they normally work on ladders or scaffolding with a plurality of paint brushes. For example, commercial painters normally carry several brushes of difierent sizes in order to enable them to elficiently and economically paint large surfaces as well asdo trim or finish work without descending from the ladder or scaffolding. Additionally, commercial painters particularly will usually carry two or more relatively large brushes for painting ceilings inasmuch as the paint in the bristles of any given brush tends to seep toward the handle thereof and flow .onto the hand of the painter. Thus, in painting ceilings, the painter will normally alternate brushes to avoid the aforementioned situation. In any event and irrespective of the particular reason why a plurality of brushes are required, it will be readily apparent that the only place usually available for a painter to place his brushes when not in use is on the floor of the scaffold, a relatively small platform on a ladder or on paper or canvas resting on the floor or the ground.

From the situations referred to briefly above, it will be readily apparent that the commercial painter particularly' must contend with transporting a plurality of brushes when ascending or descending a ladder or scaffold. Thus, it will be recognized that at least one hand is completely occupied with holding the paint can or pail and one or more brushes while the other hand must be relied upon for climbing a ladder, for example. Moreover, it is not unusual for a commercial painter to carry a brush in the other hand which, for safety reasons, should at least be completely free for negotiating the ladder.

It is, therefore, a general object of this invention to provide a simple, relatively inexpensive and easily manufactured mounting structure which may be employed with a'conveniently available support to removably mount one or more liquid applicators, such as a brushused for painting, varnishing, applying sealing liquids and the like, in a safe but conveniently accessible place out of the way of the user thereof.

It is another object of this invention to provide a mounting bracket on which one or more liquid applicators may be fixedly, adjustably or removably secured to a liquid container, such as the well known paint can or commercial painters pail, whereby the liquid applicators not in use may be suspended from and transported with the container out of contact with the latter and the ground, ladder or scaffold as the case may be.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a mounting bracket structure as aforementioned which includes means for supporting the particular liquid applicator or applicators from the side wall of the container in such a manner as to prevent substantial swinging movement of the applicator laterally against the container or in a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container.

More specifically, and with reference to one preferred embodiment of this invention, it is an object of this invention to provide mounting brackets for the purpose aforementioned which may be suitably fixedly secured to the exterior side wall of the liquid container, and which brackets include means spaced from the container to receive and support a suitable keeper secured to the applicator, and an abutment member for engagement with the applicator to suspend the latter above the base of and out of contact with the container.

These and other objects of this invention will become more apparent hereinafter as the description of the invention proceeds, and which reference is made to various applicator mounting structures adapted specificallyfor use by painters who are ordinarily faced by the several problems aforementioned. However, it will be apparent from the description which follows that the structure of this invention may be advantageously employed in removably supporting various types of liquid applicators other than paint brushes. In the description of the invention which follows, reference will be made to the following drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a paint container or pail equipped with a preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the structure of FIGURE 1 showing the paint brush demounted;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of a paint can or pail equipped with still another embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspectiveof this invention; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on line s, "s of FIGURE 4.

, Referring now more particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2' showing a preferred embodiment of this invention, a paint container such as a commercial painters pail or the well known and commercially available paint can is indicated generally at 2, and includes diametrically opposite ears 4, only one of which is shown, to which the wire bale or handle 6 is pivotally mounted in a well known manner. One or more mounting brackets 8 are rigidly secured to the exterior side wall of the container 2, and adapted to suspend a paint brush 10 therefrom in spaced relation to the exterior side wall of the container and above the base of the latter so as not to touch the support on which the can is resting. The paint brush 10 is a well known and commercial available article comprising bristles 12 suitably embedded in or secured to a bristle base, such as vulcanized rubber or any other suitable material, and which base is secured to the lower end of the wood handle 14 by means of a metal band 16 crimped from-other suitable materials, comprises a main body portion 20 suitably fixedly secured to the side wall of the container 2, a laterally or radially outwardly projecting portion forming a mounting shoulder 22, and a vertically upstanding post 24. The lower end of the, body: portion of. the. bracket is provided with another laterally or radially projecting wall portion 26 which terminates just- The base of the U-shaped staple will then rest upon the:

shoulder 22 of the bracket, while the brush will be engageable with the bracket wall portion 26.

It will be noted from FIGURE 2 that the shoulder 22 of the bracket has a substantial width relative to the staple 18. Consequently, the brush will be prevented from pivoting to any substantial degree in a plane parallel t the longitudinal aXis of the container, while the wall portion 26 of the bracket abutting the brush stabilizes the latter laterally so as to prevent the wet bristles thereof from engaging the side wall of the container.

When more than onebracket 8 is mounted on a container such as shown in FIGURE 1, it is desirable that they be equally spaced to either side of a given ear 4 or diametrically opposite each other so that brushes mounted thereon will counter-balance each other. Obviously, with many containers the brackets may be located beneath the ears 4 completely solving this problem. It should also be observed that the shape of the brackets 8 is such as to space the handle 14 of the brushes away from the path of movement of the wire handle 6 at least to the extent that the container opening is completely accessible. Moreover, where the post 24 of the respective brackets is relatively close to the side wall of the container it is preferable that they terminate slightly below the rim of the container to avoid the danger of the bracket or brackets'being dislodged or bent by reason of a stacked container slipping off its supporting container and striking the bracket.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, a plurality of the brackets 8 shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 are adapted to be suitably fixedly secured to a band 58 the ends of which are urged together by the spring 60. Thus, the container 2 may be provided with mounting brackets merely by slipping the band 58 onto the side wall thereof inasmuch asthe spring 60 will retain the band in a proper position on the container. Moreover, the brackets may be vertically adjusted relative to the container as desired by moving band 58.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 4, the bracket 8 disclosed specifically in FIGURES 1 and 2 is shown to be suitably fixedly secured to the exterior of the legs of a U-shaped spring clip 62 which is adapted to embrace a ladder leg 64 and may engage a rung 66 secured thereto, although the tension of the clip will ordinarily be sulficient to hold it in place. From the drawings, it will be obvious that the bracket is so mounted on the clip 62 so as to be maintained in a substantially vertical position with the ladder inclined against a wall or other support.

With respect to the brackets thus far described, each isprovided with a lower laterally projecting abutment portion terminating in a vertical plane slightly outwardly spaced from the plane of the respective bracket posts as tain the brush in a substantially vertical position.

aforedescribed... This relationship is prompted by, the...

fact that the keeper means on the brush, such as staple 18 in FIGURE 1, will suspend the brush slightly laterally outward of the bracket post. Thus, the lower bracket portion, such as indicated at 26 in FIGURES 1 and 2, projects beyond the plane of the bracket post to main- However, the lower projection can terminate directly below the aforementioned bracket posts or even inwardly thereof so long as the brush is maintained spaced from the container.

From the description above of various preferred embodiments of this invention, it will now be obvious to those acquainted with this art that there are alternative structures additional to those disclosed which may be used in achieving the objects of this invention in whole or in part. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments herein disclosed are merely for illustrative purposes, and in no way are intended to limit the scope of this invention which is defined by the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. The combination with a support and a brushtype liquid applicator, of a mounting bracket on which said applicator may be removably mounted; said bracket comprising a main body portion secured flush to said support, a shoulder projecting laterally from the upper end of said main body portion and terminating in an upwardly extending post spaced from said support, an abutment member projecting laterally from the lower end of said main body portion and terminating below said post, and a substantially U-shaped retainer secured to said applicator for receiving said post and removably seating on said bracket shoulder, said applicator being engagable with said abutment member to maintain said applicator in spaced relation to said support.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 in which said support is the upstanding side wall of a liquid container.

3. The combination as defined in claim 1 in which said support comprises a split band including spring means joining the ends thereof for removably securing the band to the upstanding side wall of a liquid container.

4. The combination as defined in claim 1 in which said support comprises a U-shaped spring clip adapted to be removably mounted on the leg of a ladder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 409,152 Kinney Aug. 13, 1889 419,585 Crapo Jan. 14, 1890 601,392 Bowden Mar. 29, 1898 800,014 Purdy Sept. 19, 1905' 1,262,920 Chouvaldjy Apr. 16, 1918 1,397,807 Hecht Nov. 22, 1921 1,481,935 Terrell Jan. 29, 1924 1,883,834 Turner Oct. 18, 1932 2,291,343 Millstone et al July 28, 1942 2,506,333 Bedynek May 2, 1950 2,540,860 Blomquist Feb. 6, 1951 2,560,228 Kosorok July 10, 1951 2,646,808 Yenne July 28, 1953 2,723,826 Zanelli Nov. 15, 1955 2,842,264 Larson July 8, 1958

Images