US20080042035A1

US20080042035A1 - Holder for mixer buckets

Info

Publication number: US20080042035A1
Application number: US11/505,186
Authority: US
Inventors: Brett A. Elwood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-08-16
Filing date: 2006-08-16
Publication date: 2008-02-21

Abstract

A device for holding a bucket during the mixing of the contents thereof includes a base plate having an upper face and a lower face adapted to be placed on a supporting surface and a ring-shaped, upstanding semi-flexible wall member extending upwardly from the base plate which together form a generally cylindrical pocket adapted to receive the bucket therein. A foot pedal having an upper portion engaging an upper section of the wall member and a lower portion positioned outwards and downwards from the upper portion is mounted adjacent the wall member such that the foot pedal extends outwards and downwards from the wall member. The foot pedal is operative to have the upper portion be biased downwards and inwards with the lower portion being generally stationary thereby causing the upper section of the wall member to move inwardly towards the bucket and thereby frictionally engage the same.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a holder for mixer buckets and more particularly to a holder for mixer buckets which includes a base plate, an upstanding circumferential semi-rigid wall member and a foot pedal in contact with the upper section of the wall member operative such that depressing the foot pedal forces the wall member inwards thereby temporarily securing a bucket held within the wall member via frictional contact between the wall member and the bucket.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During construction work, it is frequently necessary to utilize drywall mud, tile grout, etc. The mud, grout, etc., is normally contained within a bucket or pail and normally must be mixed prior to being used. In many cases, the mixing step is accomplished by using a power mixer having a mixing paddle which is inserted into the bucket or pail to mix the contents of the pail or bucket. Currently when mixing these substances, the person must either hold the bucket between his or her legs or try standing on the bucket with one foot. The power mixers either cause the bucket to slide around on the floor or spin out of control. Many types of bucket holders have been previously provided, but none seem to be economical of manufacture, convenient to use, or durable in use and refined in appearance.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved holder for buckets and pails.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved holder for buckets and pails which includes a base plate, an upstanding circumferential wall member and a foot pedal connected to the upper section of the wall member such that when the foot pedal is forced downwards, the foot pedal forces the upper section of the wall member inwards and thereby secures the bucket within the holding device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved holder for buckets and pails which leaves the hands free for manipulating tools, stirrers or other devices.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved holder for buckets and pails which includes no mechanical devices operative to secure the bucket within the device, instead relying on the frictional contact between the distorted wall member and the side of the bucket for securement.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved holder for buckets and pails which does not require a great deal of physical strength to operate, instead using the natural body weight of the user of the invention.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved holder for buckets and pails which is relatively simple and inexpensive in construction and which is safe, efficient and effective in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a device for holding a bucket during the mixing of the contents thereof which includes a generally horizontally disposed generally planar base plate having an upper face and a lower face adapted to be placed on a supporting surface and a ring-shaped, upstanding semi-flexible wall member extending upwardly from the base plate, the wall member and the base plate forming a generally cylindrical pocket adapted to receive the bucket therein. A foot pedal having an upper portion engaging an upper section of the wall member and a lower portion positioned outwards and downwards from the upper portion is mounted adjacent the wall member such that the foot pedal extends outwards and downwards from the wall member and the foot pedal is operative to have the upper portion be biased downwards and inwards with the lower portion being generally stationary thereby causing the upper section of the wall member to move inwardly towards the bucket and thereby frictionally engage the same.
In use, the bucket to be mixed is placed within the upstanding wall member in the generally cylindrical pocket and the person doing the mixing will place one foot upon the foot stop. The person would then step upon the foot pedal which causes the wall member to be deflected inwardly into engagement with the outer surface of the bucket which maintains the bucket in position during the mixing operation and which prevents rotation of the bucket during the mixing operation.
The present invention as thus described provides a substantial improvement over those securement devices found in the prior art. For example, because the person using the device has his or her hands free during the securement process, the mixing operation is greatly facilitated. Furthermore, as the present invention does not include fastening straps or other mechanical securement devices which must be engaged and released, the releasable securement of the bucket is accomplished far more quickly and easily than permitted by the prior art. Finally, because the present invention is a single unit, it may be quickly and easily transported from job site to job site to be used at that location. It is therefore seen that the present device for holding a bucket during the mixing of the contents thereof provides a substantial improvement over those bucket securement devices found in the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a bucket positioned within the holder of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the holder of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating a bucket positioned within the holder; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 except that the foot pedal portion of the holder has been stepped upon by a person to force the wall member of the holder into frictional engagement with the bucket.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The holder of this invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 which is preferably of a one-piece, molded plastic material. The holder 10 is designed to hold a bucket or pail 12 (hereinafter “bucket”) in place while the contents of the bucket are being mixed by a power mixer.
Holder 10 includes a flat, planar, disc-shaped base plate 14 and an upstanding wall member 16. In the preferred embodiment, the diameter of the wall member 16 is less than the diameter of the base plate 14 although, in some cases, the wall member 16 could have the same diameter as the base plate 14. In other words, the wall member 16 could extend upwardly from base plate 14 at the outer periphery thereof. Preferably, an anti-skid material 18, such as rubber, is applied to the inner surface of the wall member 16 to aid in gripping the bucket as will be described hereinafter. An anti-skid material may also be applied to the upper surface and to the bottom surface of the base plate 14 to further secure the bucket therein and secure the base plate 14 on a floor surface.
The numeral 20 refers to a foot stop or foot step which extends horizontally outwardly from base plate 14 at one side thereof, as illustrated in the drawings. In the preferred embodiment, only a single foot stop 20 is utilized, but it is possible that more than one foot stop could be provided if so desired.
The numeral 22 refers to a foot pedal apparatus positioned at the other side of the holder 10 from the foot stop 20. Although it is preferred that the foot stop 20 and the foot pedal apparatus 22 be spaced 180° apart, that spacing could be varied. Foot pedal apparatus 22 includes a horizontally disposed portion 24 which extends laterally outwardly from base plate 14 and an upwardly and inwardly extending portion 26, the upper end of which is either molded onto the upper end of the wall member 16 or which is in engagement therewith. In the preferred embodiment, the upper end of the portion 26 is molded into the wall member 16. Although it is preferred that the upper end of the portion 26 be molded into the wall member 16, the upper end of the portion 26 could be in slidable engagement with the wall member 16 so that the upper end of the wall member 16, when depressed, would slidably move downwardly against the outer surface of wall member 16 to force the wall member 16 inwardly into engagement with the bucket. In either case, however, it should be noted that the foot pedal apparatus 22 is a separate structural element of the present invention which is not merely a part of the wall member 16, as the intent is to move the wall member 16 inwards to contact the bucket 12, and it has been found that a separate foot pedal apparatus accomplishes the intended function of forcing the wall member 16 inwards more efficiently than if it part of the wall member 16 itself.
In use, the bucket 12 which is to be mixed is placed within the holder 10, specifically within the generally cylindrical pocket 17 formed by the base plate 14 and the wall member 16, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, so that the bottom thereof rests upon the base plate 14. In some cases, the base plate 14 could be ring-shaped so that the bottom of the pail 12 would rest on the floor rather than upon the upper surface of the base plate 14.
The person then places one foot upon the foot stop 20 and steps upon the inclined portion 26 of the foot pedal apparatus 22 which causes the wall member 16 adjacent the upper end of the portion 26 to be deflected inwardly into engagement with the exterior surface of the bucket 12 to frictionally engage the side wall of the bucket 12 and thereby positively maintain the bucket 12 in position during the mixing operation without the bucket sliding around or rotating with the power mixer (FIG. 4). When the mixing operation has been completed, the person removes his or her foot from the foot pedal apparatus 22 so that the bucket 12 may be moved upwardly and outwardly from the holder 10.
It is to be understood that numerous additions, modifications and substitutions may be made to the holder for buckets 10 of the present invention which fall within the intended broad scope of the appended claims. For example, although the foot pedal apparatus 22 has been described with some particularity, modifications to the structure may be undertaken so long as the intended functional feature of being able to force the wall member 16 into frictional contact with the bucket 12 is generally maintained. Furthermore, the precise size, shape, and construction materials used in connection with the present invention may be modified or changed so long as the intended functional characteristics of the present invention are maintained. Finally, it should be noted that although the present invention has been described as being primarily designed for use with buckets and pails, it is usable with other generally cylindrical containers to releasably secure them in a desired position, and such uses should be deemed to be a part of this disclosure.
There has therefore been shown and described a holder for buckets which accomplishes at least all of its intended objectives.

Claims

1. A device for holding a bucket during the mixing of the contents thereof comprising:

a generally horizontally disposed generally planar base plate having an upper face and a lower face adapted to be placed on a supporting surface;

a ring-shaped, upstanding semi-flexible wall member extending upwardly from said base plate, said wall member and said base plate forming a generally cylindrical pocket adapted to receive the bucket therein;

a foot pedal having an upper portion engaging an upper section of said wall member and a lower portion positioned outwards and downwards from said upper portion and separated from said wall member such that said foot pedal extends outwards and downwards away from said wall member; and

said foot pedal operative to have said upper portion be biased downwards with said lower portion being generally stationary thereby causing said upper section of said wall member to move inwardly towards the bucket and thereby frictionally engage the same.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said lower face of said bottom plate has an anti-skid material provided thereon.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said device is of one-piece, molded plastic construction.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein a foot support extends horizontally from said base plate.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said flat foot support is disposed opposite to said foot pedal.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said base plate, said wall member and said foot pedal are comprised of a plastic material.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said wall member has inner and outer surfaces and wherein said inner surface is provided with a gripping material thereon.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein said gripping material is comprised of a rubber material.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein said base plate is disc-shaped.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein said base plate is disc-shaped and wherein the diameter of said base plate is greater than the diameter of said wall member.

11. A device for holding a bucket during the mixing of the contents thereof comprising:

a generally planar base plate having an upper face and a lower face adapted to be placed on a supporting surface;

said base plate further including a projecting portion;

an upright circumferential semi-flexible wall member extending upwardly from and mounted on said base plate, said wall member and said base plate forming a generally cylindrical pocket adapted to receive the bucket therein;

a generally planar foot pedal mounted on said projecting portion of said base plate, said foot pedal being a separate element from said wall member and having an upper portion engaging an upper section of said wall member and a lower portion mounted on said projecting portion of said base plate and positioned outwards and downwards from said upper portion and said wall member such that said foot pedal extends outwards and downwards away from said wall member; and

said foot pedal operative to have said upper portion be biased downwards and inwards thereby causing said upper section of said wall member to move inwardly towards the bucket and thereby frictionally engage the same.