Apron for retaining articles on a bucket

Abstract

An apron for a bucket having a plurality of pockets secured to the apron. The pockets are divided by means of pleats that may be either permanently or detachably secured to a backing web that forms the body of the apron. Snap fasteners or hook and loop strips may be used to provide a detachable divider between two adjacent pockets. The detachable divider between two adjacent pockets allows for the provision of a double width pocket to store larger articles. The apron may be provided with pockets of different depths to allow for convenient storage of longer and shorter articles in the apron.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a flexible article holder that is adapted to be secured to a bucket.

[0003] 2. Background Art

[0004] Apron like article holders have been developed for supporting objects on a bucket. Five gallon buckets are widely used by workmen for a variety of tasks. Such buckets are especially useful in holding liquids or small articles and, for example, may be used by painters to hold paint, by maintenance workers to hold cleaners, or by consumers to hold water for washing a car or performing other tasks.

[0005] Recently, bucket aprons have been developed to hold tools, sponges, brushes, solvent containers, wax containers and the like. Generally these aprons have sets of identical pockets that are of the same depth and have the same size openings. An average size pocket may have a top opening diameter of approximately 4 inches and a depth of about 6 inches. While this size pocket is useful to hold may different types of objects some are articles may be too large to fit in the pockets. Other articles may be too long to fit securely within a pocket of limited depth.

[0006] There is a need for an apron for holding articles on a bucket that permits different size objects to be conveniently retained within the pockets formed on the apron. There is also a need for an article holder that provides different size pockets and reconfigurable pockets that broaden the potential applications for bucket aprons.

[0007] The above problems and needs are addressed by applicants invention as summarized below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] According to the present invention an article holder for a bucket having a rim on an upper end thereof is provided. The article holder includes a belt that is secured around the rim of the bucket and an apron that depends from and is secured to the belt. A plurality of pockets are secured to the apron wherein at least two of the pockets have a detachable connection that may be attached to the apron to form two pockets and may be detached from the apron to form one wider pocket.

[0009] The present invention may also be characterized as an article holder for a bucket that has an upper end and pivoting handle secured to the bucket near the upper end of the bucket. The article holder includes a first flexible web extending at least partially around the upper end of the bucket and being secured to the bucket adjacent to where the handle is secured to the bucket. A second flexible web at least partially overlies the first flexible web and is connected at spaced locations to the first flexible web to form pockets. At least some of the connections that form the pockets are detachable connections.

[0010] The present invention may also be described as an article holder with a belt having a buckle for securing the belt to another object. An apron hangs from and is secured to the belt. A plurality of pockets are secured to the apron wherein at least two of the pockets have a detachable connection to the apron that may be attached to the apron to form two pockets and may be detached from the apron to form a single pocket of increased width. According to another aspect of the invention as described above the detachable connection may be either a hook and loop fastener strip or a snap fastener.

[0011] According to another aspect of the invention the pockets may be formed by a pleat located between two adjacent pockets that is secured to the apron. Each pleat may have a first segment of material extending from a front portion of a first pocket to a second segment of material that is secured in an abutting relationship to the apron. A third segment of material extends from the second segment of material to a front portion of a second pocket. The pleat may also be described as a Z-shaped fold and a reverse Z-shaped fold that are connected to each other by a segment of material that is secured to the apron so that a Z-shaped fold and a reverse Z-shaped fold are formed on two adjacent pockets. The segment of material is secured to the apron between the two pockets may be detachably secured to the apron. Other segments of material secured to the apron between other pockets may be permanently secured to the apron by sewing, gluing or fastening the segment of material to the apron.

[0012] According to another aspect of the invention first and second sets of pockets may be provided on the apron with one set of pockets being deeper than the other set of pockets.

[0013] According to another aspect of the invention the pockets preferably extend transversely relative to the belt and at least two of the pockets that are not separated by the attachable connection have a sewn connection to the apron and are divided from each other by the sewn connection. The pockets having the detachable connection may be detachably secured to the apron at an upper end of the pockets with no connection to the apron below the detachable connection.

[0014] These and other aspects and features of the invention will be readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the attached drawings and following detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an article holder for a bucket.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a closeup of the detachable hook and loop fastener strips taken in the circle “2” of FIG. 1.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of a bucket having an article holder secured thereto.

[0018] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of an article holder having a detachable snap fastener.

[0019] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an article holder for a bucket having pockets of different depths.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

[0020] Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, one embodiment of the apron 10 of the present invention is shown secured to a bucket 12 having a handle 14. The handle 14 is secured to the bucket 12 near the rim 15 at the upper end of the bucket 12. The apron 10 includes a belt 16, or strap, that is used to secure the apron 10 over the handle 14 of the bucket 12.

[0021] The apron 10 includes mesh fabric pockets 18 that are secured to a backing web 20 that is preferably formed of a canvas like material. The pockets 18 are secured to the apron 10 by an anchored segment 22 of the mesh fabric making up the pockets 18. Pleats 24 are formed between adjacent pockets 18 that facilitate expansion of the pockets 18 to hold articles in the apron 10. The pleats 24 are formed by a Z-shaped fold 26 and a reverse Z-shaped fold 28 that interconnect a front face 30 of each pocket 18 and the anchored segments 22. The pockets have an upper edge 32 that is preferably covered or reinforced by an upper edge trim 34.

[0022] At least one of the anchored segments 22 between two adjacent pockets 18 are anchored by means of a hook strip 36 and loop strip 38 that provide a detachable connection between adjacent pockets 18. The hook and loop strips 36, 38 may be detached from one another to make a double wide pocket that permits storage of a larger items such as a large sponge or larger tool than could be accommodated in a single pocket 18.

[0023] Referring now to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown wherein a first snap fastener 40 and a second snap fastener 42 are used instead of the hook and loop strips 36, 38 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3. The snap fasteners may be secured together to form two adjacent pockets 18. The first and second snap fasteners 40, 42 may also be detached from each other to provide a double width pocket 18. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a sewn seam 44 is provided between other pairs of pockets 18 to provide adjacent pockets having a non-detachable pleat 24. The outer most pockets 18 of the apron 10 are secured to the backing web 20 by means of a vertical hem 48 that is covered by a vertical trim piece 50. The bottom of the pockets 18 are preferably sewn to the backing web 20 on their lower edges.

[0024] Referring now to FIG. 5, another embodiment of the invention is shown wherein an apron having pockets 18 formed on one part of the apron 10 that span approximately ⅔ of the height of the apron 10. Deep pockets 52 are provided on another section of the apron 10. The deep pockets 52 are provided as part of a rear apron 54. The deep pockets 52 span more than ¾ of the height of the rear apron 54 and are provided to allow for storage of longer articles. An upper edge trim 56 is provided on an upper edge 58 of the deep pockets 52. The deep pockets 52 are secured in a manner similar to the pockets 18 as previously described. The deep pockets 52 may be provided with a detachable pleat similar to the pleat 24 described with reference to the pockets 18.

[0025] While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An article holder for a bucket comprising:

a belt secured around the bucket;

an apron depending from and secured to the belt;

a plurality of pockets secured to the apron; and

at least two of the pockets having a detachable connection to the apron that may be attached to the apron to form two pockets and may be detached from the apron to form one wider pocket.

2. The article holder of claim 1 wherein the detachable connection is a hook and loop fastener strip.

3. The article holder of claim 1 wherein the detachable connection is a snap fastener.

4. The article holder of claim 1 wherein the pockets are formed by a pleat located between two adjacent pockets that is secured to the apron.

5. The article holder of claim 4 wherein each pleat has a first segment of material extending from a front portion of first pocket to a second segment of material that is secured in an abutting relationship to the apron, a third segment of material extending from the second segment of material to a front portion of a second pocket.

6. The article holder of claim 4 wherein the pleat is formed by a Z-shaped fold and a reverse Z-shaped fold that are connected to each other by a segment of material that is secured to the apron, wherein the Z-shaped fold and the reverse Z-shaped fold are formed on two adjacent pockets, respectively.

7. The article holder of claim 6 wherein the segment of material secured to the apron between at least two of the pockets is detachably secured to the apron.

8. The article holder of claim 7 wherein the segment of material secured to the apron between other pockets is permanently secured to the apron.

9. The article holder of claim 1 wherein a first set of pockets are deeper than a second set of pockets.

10. An article holder for a bucket having an upper end and a pivoting handle secured to the bucket near the upper end of the bucket comprising:

a first flexible web extending at least partially around the upper end of the bucket and being secured to the bucket where the handle is secured to the bucket;

a second flexible web at least partially overlying the first flexible web and having connections at spaced locations to the first flexible web to form pockets; and

wherein at least some of the connections are detachable connections.

11. The article holder of claim 10 wherein the first flexible web is cloth and the second flexible web is a mesh fabric.

12. The article holder of claim 10 wherein the detachable connection is a hook and loop fastener strip.

13. The article holder of claim 10 wherein the detachable connection is a snap fastener.

14. An article holder comprising:

a belt having a buckle for securing the belt to another object;

an apron hanging from and secured to the belt;

a plurality of pockets secured to the apron; and

at least two of the pockets having a detachable connection to the apron that may be attached to the apron to form two pockets and may be detached from the apron to form a pocket of increased width.

15. The article holder of claim 14 wherein the detachable connection is a hook and loop fastener strip.

16. The article holder of claim 14 wherein the detachable connection is a snap fastener.

17. The article holder of claim 14 wherein the pockets extend transversely relative to the belt and at least two of the pockets that are not separated by a detachable connection have a sewn connection to the apron and are divided from each other by the sewn connection.

18. The article holder of claim 17 wherein the pockets having the detachable connection are detachably secured to the apron at an upper end of the pockets and have no connection to the apron below the detachable connection.

19. The article holder of claim 14 wherein a first set of pockets are deeper than a second set of pockets.