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Claims  |
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What is claimed is:
1. A semicircular attachment for the open mouth of a paint can which
comprises in combination:
a peripheral flange constructed and arranged to fit over and engage the
edge of the can,
the internal straight edge of said attachment connected between inner edges
of said flange and forming a narrow scraping ledge,
a paint well laterally enclosed between said peripheral flange and said
narrow scraping ledge, and substantially depressed below the horizontal
plane of said ledge,
said well having an opening in the lateral wall on the side opposite said
ledge at a level substantially above the bottom of said well, and
a curved lip disposed between the upper edge of said opening and the inner
edge of said flange.
2. A semicircular attachment in accordance with claim 1 for the open mouth
of a paint can which comprises in combination:
a peripheral flange constructed and arranged to engage the edge of a
conventional paint can comprising an outer rim and an inner rim spaced
apart by a conventional annular friction groove, wherein the peripheral
flange of said attachment comprises a downwardly depending semiannular
flange which fits into the friction groove of said can, and an semiannular
recess on the lower face of said attachment adjacent the interior of said
depending annular flange which is constructed and arranged to fit over the
inner rim of said paint can to secure said attachment on said can.
3. The combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein said paint well
comprises a semiannular junction of two walls, forming between them an
internal angle exceeding 90.degree. in a principal cross-sectional plane
through said attachment.
4. The combination in accordance with claim 3 wherein the wall declining
from said ledge forms an internal angle with the principal horizontal
plane of said ledge which is at least about twice the internal angle
formed by the other said wall and a parallel horizontal plane.
5. The combination in accordance with claim 2 wherein said opening is
substantially elliptical in form, elongated in a direction around the
periphery of said attachment, and
the ends of said curved lip extend beyond and are symmetrically disposed
relative to the ends of said opening, forming with said well a spout for
pouring from said can through said opening into another vessel.
6. A semicircular attachment in accordance with claim 5, whereby said
downwardly depending semiannular flange forms a semiannular groove on the
upper face of said attachment,
and said curved lip is detachable, being constructed and arranged to seat
in secured relation to said groove. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This relates in general to attachments for the rim of a paint can, more
particularly, of a type designed to eliminate or substantially reduce
drippings from the side of the can while simultaneously retaining a
shallow reservoir of paint.
Both amateur and professional painters have difficulty, during a painting
operation when the brush is scraped against the side of the can, in
preventing paint from leaking off of the brush and down the sides of the
paint can. A more particular problem is that paint tends to fill up the
grooves around the rim of the can, so that when the lid is applied, the
paint hardens, making the lid difficult to remove. Moreover, it is
desirable during the painting operation for the painter to have someplace
to temporarily place the brush, and also to be able to collect sufficient
paint for delicate trim operations without the necessity of dipping the
brush down into the can. Furthermore, it is often necessary to pour paint
from one can into another without spilling paint onto the sides of either
can or onto the surrounding area.
Many prior art devices are constructed to perform one or more of these
functions; but not to combine them.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide
an attachment for the rim of a paint can which combines the functions of
protecting the rim and sides of the can from drippings and spillage while
simultaneously providing a shallow reservoir of paint and a pouring spout
for the paint.
This primary object and other objects are attained in accordance with the
present invention in a semiannular attachment of plastic or the like which
fits over and fastens onto the rim of the can, and which provides scraping
edges for the brush whereby the excess paint is leaked into a small
internal reservoir. The latter is downwardly sloped from the rim, having
its maximum depth partway between the rim and the scraping edge. A small
opening is provided extending circumferentially, just under the rim, so
that when the paint in the reservoir rises to a preselected level, the
excess flows back into the can. A lip is provided along the upper edge of
the opening which has a dual function of providing additional scraping
means for the brush and acting as a spout when paint is poured from one
can into another.
These and other objects, features and advantages are described in detail
with reference to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 of the drawings shows the paint can attachment of the present
invention mounted on a typical paint can;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view from above of the paint can attachment of the
present invention, separated from the can;
FIG. 3 is a view, in perspective, of the underside of the paint can
attachment of FIG. 2; and
FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional showing through the plane indicated by
arrows 4--4 of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In FIG. 1 of the drawings the paint can attachment of the present invention
is shown mounted on the friction groove of a typical paint can from which
the lid has been removed. The attachment of the present invention is
constructed to function simultaneously as a paintbrush holder and paint
tray with an integral paint well, paint scraping means and pouring spout.
FIG. 2 of the drawings is a view of the paint can attachment 1 of the
present invention looking in from the top. In the present embodiment, the
attachment of the present invention is pressure molded from a sheet of
polypropylene, ranging from about 1/8 to 3/16 inch in thickness, although
it will be understood that any sufficiently rigid plastic material can
also be used for this purpose. Preferably the material should have a
modulus of elasticity of 1.6 to 2.5 .times. 10.sup.5 pounds per square
inch. It is also contemplated that other materials, such as a thin sheet
of metal, wood or even papier-mache, could be used for the purpose of the
present invention.
The embodiment under description is semicircular, having a diameter of 61/4
inches, the outline of the circle being defined by a peripheral flange 2
which extends 1/16 inch out from the edge and protrudes about 1/8 inch
below the top, which comprises a flat annular plane 1/8 inch wide. A
semiannular recess 4a, which is about 1/8 inch wide and 5/16 inch deep,
separates peripheral flange 2 from a rounded inner bead 3. The latter has
an outer diameter of 55/8 inches and an inner diameter of 53/8 inches,
with the curvature of the bead being roughly 1/8 inch radius, so that bead
3 is roughly 1/4 inch across the upper side. Bead 3 surrounds a flat
semiannular plane 5 which is about 3/8 inch wide in a radial direction.
The diameter of the semicircular attachment 1 is outlined by a scraping
edge 7, about 1/16 inch thick, comprising a narrow ledge 7a, about 1/8
inch wide in a horizontal plane.
Looking at the underside of the attachment 1 which is shown more clearly in
FIGS. 3 and 4, coinciding with the underside of recess 4a, one sees a
downwardly projecting semiannular flange 4 which is 61/2 inches in outer
diameter and 53/4 inches in inner diameter and extends down 7/16 inch from
the horizontal plane of flat topped flange 2. Downwardly projecting flange
4 is rounded on the bottom, having a semicircular cross-section with a
radius of about 3/16 inch. On the inside rim of flange 4, the underside of
bead 3 forms, with the underside of plane 5, an annular semicircular
hooked recess 11 about 1/8 inch in a radial direction.
Returning to FIG. 2, which shows the upper face of the attachment 1,
semiannular plane 5 and ledge 7a define between them the recessed paint
well 6, which is also semicircular, being 41/2 inches across at its inner
diameter and having a maximum radial width of about 21/8 inches. The outer
wall 6a of the well 6 declines from semiannular plane 5, forming an
interior semiconical surface which makes an angle of, say, 20.degree. with
the horizontal. At the bottom of the recess this joins with the other wall
surface 6b, which declines from the ledge 7a at an angle of approximately
60.degree. with the horizontal. The two surfaces form between them a
semicircular junction having an angle in the vertical plane of, say,
100.degree., creating a shallow receptacle about 3/4 inch deep, as
measured from plane 5. (See FIG. 4)
Centered near the upper edge of wall 6a is an elongated elliptical opening
8, about 13/8 inches long and 1/2 inch in maximum width.
Disposed symmetrically along the upper side of opening 8 is a slightly
curved lip 9, about 33/8 inches around the periphery and 1/2 inch high,
the base being centered concentrically along plane 5. It will be
understood that the lip 9 may either be an integrally formed part of the
attachment 1; or alternatively, it may be a separately formed detachable
item, so formed as to snap into the groove 4a.
The relationship of the structure described is more clearly shown in the
sectional view in FIG. 4.
OPERATION
Referring again to FIG. 1, which shows the attachment of the present
invention in operating position, it is seen that the recess 11 is designed
to snap over and engage the friction groove of the paint can after the
cover has been removed. To implement this function, the plastic material
from which the present embodiment is manufactured is preferably resilient.
During the painting operation the friction groove of the can is covered so
that the paint does not get into the groove when the brush is being
scraped, either on the edge 7 or the lip 9. Drippings from the brush fill
up the well 6 to a depth of a little less than an inch, so that a small
amount of paint is available for trim operations. The brush is
conveniently rested with the tip in the well 6 and the handle resting
against the rim flange 2 or the lip 9, so that excess paint flows back
into the can through opening 8. Moreover, since the attachment 1 is
designed to adhere tightly to the top of the can, the lip 9 readily
functions as a spout when paint is poured from one can to another, keeping
paint off the sides of the can.
It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular
form or dimensions disclosed by way of illustration, but only by the scope
of the appended claims.
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