Container support

Abstract

A container support having a base formed of a single, substantially planar, piece of rigid material. Connected to opposing sides of the base are a pair of hinge elements which allow for pivotable attachment of a pair of opposing support arms to the base. Braces are pivotally attached to each of the arms at one end, the other end of the braces removably attached to the base to allow for fixing the arm in a relatively upright position. An annular retainer releasably attached in rotatable relation to posts extending inwardly from each of the support arms allows a container to be suspended therefrom in a substantially vertical position. Non-slip surface engagement material may be attached to the underside of the base.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention concerns container supports. More particularly, the invention is directed to a support for supporting and orienting a bucket or other container filled with a liquid.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] Container supports for painters, roofers, and other workman are well known in the art. These supports generally perform two functions. First, the support must hold the container, which often contains a liquid, in an upright position in order to avoid spilling of the contents. Second, the support must firmly and securely position the container so that it cannot be tipped over by unintended contact which occurs frequently in a workplace situation. Typically, these functions are facilitated by attaching the support to a stationary object such as a ladder, floor, or wall. The problem with this approach is that the stationary object may be irregularly shaped, or have unusual surface features which render the support unusable. One situation that arises often is when a roofer or painter must support the container on a sloped surface with no convenient stationary support available. Another potential problem is that the stationary object may become damaged, e.g., by marring the surface, or by screws, nails or other rigid fasteners, if the support is attached.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,844 issued to Purdy discloses a bucket bracket which is attachable to a ladder. While presumably effective, this simplistic device cannot be used where there is no ladder or other generally vertically extending stationary object.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,013 issued to Herrington et al. discloses a container support having a U-shaped bracket which is attachable to a wall, floor, or ceiling by screws or other fasteners. Attached to the bracket is a rotatable element which allows for continuous re-orientation of the container. This device suffers from the aforementioned drawback in that use of the support requires the use of penetrating fastening members which can cause undesirable damage to the supporting surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Briefly, the invention comprises a container support having a base formed of a single, substantially planar, piece of rigid material. Connected to opposing sides of the base are a pair of hinge elements which allow for pivotable attachment of a pair of opposing support arms to the base. Braces are pivotally attached to each of the arms at one end, the other end of the braces removably attached to the base to allow for fixing the arm in a relatively upright position. An annular retainer releasably attached in rotatable relation to posts extending inwardly from each of the support arms allows a container to be suspended therefrom in a substantially vertical position. Non-slip surface engagement material may be attached to the underside of the base.

[0008] It is a major object of this invention to provide an improved container support.

[0009] It is another object to provide an improved container support having means to support an open vessel in an upright position.

[0010] It is another object to provide an improved container support which is collapsible and portable.

[0011] It is another object to provide an improved container support which can be employed on an inclined surface.

[0012] Finally, it is a general goal of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.

[0013] These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

[0014] The present invention meets or exceeds all the above objects and goals. Upon further study of the specification and appended claims, further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Various other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a side perspective view of the inventive support.

[0017] FIG. 2 shows a side view of the support in the collapsed position.

[0018] FIG. 3 shows a front view of the support with a carrying handle and retainer ring attached.

[0019] FIG. 4 shows a front view of the support with a vessel supported in an upright position.

[0020] FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the support in the collapsed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, the support of the present invention, generally indicated by the numeral 10, is shown. It can be seen that the support 10 has a base 12 comprised of a slab of rigid material, substantially rectangular and planar. Preferably, at least a portion of the underside of the base 12 is covered with a non-slip traction enhancing material such as grooved rubber pads 14. Pivotally connected to the base 12 are support arms 24 which can be pivoted to a substantially vertical or upright position in order to stably support, e.g., an open vessel containing a liquid such as paint. A hinge 26 securely attached to opposing sides of the base 12 may be used to connect the support arms 24 thereto. Of course, any other mechanism may be used as long as the support arms 24 have a range of motion of about 180 degrees to allow for collapsing the support as will be discussed in more detail later.

[0022] Portability of the support 10 is enhanced by the collapsing feature which decreases the amount of space needed for storage. Additionally, a handle 28 is provided, the handle releasably attached to support arms 24 via a suitable attachment means such as a spring loaded clip 30 which may be looped through an opening in an eye bolt 32 firmly threaded into each support arm. While the support arms 24 and base 12 are preferably relatively flat and substantially rectangular to enhance stability and reduce the amount of storage space required when the support 10 is collapsed, the use of other shapes for the support arms 24 and base 12 is considered within the scope of the invention.

[0023] An annular retainer 36 serves to engage and support a vessel 38 in a relatively upright position. The retainer 36 is attached between support arms 24 via inwardly protruding posts 40 which are securely affixed to the respective support arms 24. Posts 40 may be threadedly secured within threaded bore 42 formed in the support arms 24. Annular retainer 36, which is flexible, includes apertures 46 to receive, in journaled relation, the opposite, non-threaded, ends of posts 40. Thus, retainer 36 is free to pivot as required to level the vessel 38 as will be explained in more detail later. The vessel 38 may be used to contain tools, liquids such as paints or adhesives, granular substances, fasteners, or anything which a roofer may need when working on a roof or other inclined surface. Any type or shape of vessel 38 may be employed, the only limitation being that the retainer 36 be designed for snug engagement with the top end of the vessel 38 to allow for self leveling.

[0024] Braces 50 are provided to allow for selectively supporting the support arms 24 in an upright position. Braces 50 include double ended hooks 52 which are removably connected between support arms 24 and base 12. Hinge plates 54, 56 secured to the support arms 24 and base 12, respectively, provide a convenient attachment point for eye bolts 60 or other substantially annular female retainers within which the ends of hooks 52 may be inserted.

[0025] In use, the support 10 may be set up by extending support arms 24 to a substantially vertical position, and securing the support arms 24 in position using braces 50. Retainer 36, which is preferably both flexible and deformable, is placed between support arms 24 so that posts 40 are positioned within apertures 46. Vessel 38 may then be inserted into retainer 36 bottom first, until the top portion of the vessel 38 is secured within the retainer 36. It can be readily appreciated that it would be desirable to have a plurality of different sized retainers 36, which may require posts 40 of slightly longer length, e.g., when the retainer is of a smaller diameter. Preferably, several retainers 36 sized for snug engagement with a like number of different standard sized vessels 38 are provided. The support 10 may be broken down for transport and compact storage by removing bracket hooks 52 from the support arm 24 eye bolts and allowing the support arms to come to a rest against the base 12. Handle 28 can be used to hang the support 10 from a hook when not in use.

[0026] When the base 12 is placed on an inclined surface, vessel 38 will obtain a vertical position due to gravity, as the retainer 36 is free to rotate until “self leveling” of the vessel 38 supported thereby is achieved.

[0027] From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.

[0028] It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A container support comprising:

a base,

a pair of mutually opposed support arms pivotally connected to opposing sides of said base;

a retainer releasably connected between said support arms;

a pair of bracket arms having opposing ends releasably connected between respective ones of said support arms and said base;

said retainer pivotally connected to said support arms and capable of lying in a non-parallel plane with respect to said base.

2. The support of claim 1 wherein said container support is adapted for supporting a substantially cylindrical vessel.

3. The support of claim 2 wherein said vessel is a standard sized bucket.

4. The support of claim 3 wherein said retainer is adapted for engagement about said standard sized bucket.

5. The support of claim 1 wherein each of said support arms are selectively held in a substantially vertical position by a brace.

6. A container support comprising:

a substantially flat base,

a pair of mutually opposed support arms pivotally connected to opposing sides of said base;

a retainer releasably connected between said support arms in journaled relation, said retainer capable of supporting a vessel or container;

a pair of bracket arms having opposing ends releasably connected between respective ones of said support arms and said base;

whereby said vessel or container is maintained in a substantially vertical position when said base is on an inclined surface.

7. The support of claim 6 wherein said container support is adapted for supporting a substantially cylindrical vessel.

8. The support of claim 7 wherein said vessel is a standard sized bucket.

9. The support of claim 8 wherein said retainer is adapted for engagement about said standard sized bucket.

10. The support of claim 6 wherein each of said support arms are selectively held in a substantially vertical position by a brace.