U.S. patent application number 12/132898 was filed with the patent office on 2009-12-10 for bucket-mountable caddy.
This patent application is currently assigned to GEORGIA-PACIFIC CONSUMER PRODUCTS LP. Invention is credited to Robert W. Cornell.
Application Number | 20090301912 12/132898 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41399307 |
Filed Date | 2009-12-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090301912 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cornell; Robert W. |
December 10, 2009 |
Bucket-Mountable Caddy
Abstract
A product holder for mounting on a bucket is disclosed having a
support member, a pocket member, and a sheet product dispenser. The
support member is conformable to an exterior surface of the bucket
and includes fasteners at opposing ends thereof to securely hold
the support member to the bucket. The pocket member is securely
attached to the support member to form a pocket therewith for
receiving and supporting a tool therein. The sheet product
dispenser is securely attached to the support member for receiving
and dispensing a sheet product, and includes a container body and a
container lid openable and closeable with respect to the container
body.
Inventors: |
Cornell; Robert W.;
(Rothschild, WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Georgia-Pacific LLC
133 Peachtree Street NE - GA030-41
ATLANTA
GA
30303
US
|
Assignee: |
GEORGIA-PACIFIC CONSUMER PRODUCTS
LP
Atlanta
GA
|
Family ID: |
41399307 |
Appl. No.: |
12/132898 |
Filed: |
June 4, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/373 ;
220/735; 220/810 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 25/34 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/373 ;
220/735; 220/810 |
International
Class: |
B65D 85/00 20060101
B65D085/00; B65D 43/16 20060101 B65D043/16; B65D 25/20 20060101
B65D025/20 |
Claims
1. A product holder for mounting on a bucket, comprising: a support
member conformable to an exterior surface of the bucket, the
support member having fasteners at opposing ends thereof to
securely hold the support member to the bucket; a pocket member
securely attached to the support member to form a pocket therewith
for receiving and supporting a tool therein; and a sheet product
dispenser securely attached to the support member for receiving and
dispensing a sheet product, the sheet product dispenser having a
container body and a container lid openable and closeable with
respect to the container body.
2. The product holder of claim 1, wherein the support member is so
dimensioned as to be attachable to the exterior surface of a five
gallon bucket.
3. The product holder of claim 1, wherein the sheet product
dispenser is made from a material impermeable to liquids.
4. The product holder of claim 3, wherein the impermeable material
is a plastic material.
5. The product holder of claim 1, wherein the container lid is
attached to the container body via a hinge disposed on an outer
face of the sheet product dispenser such that the lid pivots away
from the bucket upon opening the sheet product dispenser.
6. The product holder of claim 5, wherein the container lid is
attached to the container body via a living hinge.
7. The product holder of claim 1, further comprising a friction
band disposed on an interior surface of the support member such
that the friction band is compressed against the exterior surface
of the bucket when the product holder is mounted and secured
thereto.
8. The product holder of claim 7, wherein the friction band is made
from an elastomeric material.
9. The product holder of claim 8, wherein the elastomeric material
is a rubber material.
10. The product holder of claim 1, wherein the pocket member is one
of a plurality of pocket members.
11. The product holder of claim 1, further comprising a sleeve
member securely attached to the support member to provide a sleeve
having two open ends for receiving and supporting the tool that can
be inserted into one of the open ends and can extend beyond the
second open end.
12. The product holder of claim 1, wherein the latches are attached
to the opposing ends of the support member via a semi-stretchable
material such that the support member is securable to the bucket
under tension.
13. The product holder of claim 1, wherein the sheet product
dispenser has the exterior surface proximate the support member
with a contour that mirrors the contour of the outer surface of the
bucket.
14. The product holder of claim 13, wherein the sheet product
dispenser is made from a material that is more rigid than the
conformable support member.
15. The product holder of claim 1, wherein the sheet product
dispenser is so dimensioned as to not extend beyond the bottom of
the bucket when the support member and sheet product dispenser are
securely attached to the bucket.
16. The product holder of claim 1, wherein the fasteners are
engageable latches.
17. The product holder of claim 1, further comprising a sheet
product retainer disposed within the container body so as to retain
a next-sheet-product-to-be-dispensed from falling back into the
container body.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to a
bucket-mountable caddy, and particularly to a bucket-mountable
caddy having a sheet product dispenser integrally arranged
therewith.
[0002] Hand-tool carrying devices presently on the market include
hard plastic tool boxes, soft leather or fabric tool bags, and soft
tool-storage units designed to fit over and inside of an empty five
gallon plastic bucket or pail. Typical bucket-supported
tool-storage units have a variety of pockets on the inside and
outside of the bucket, where the bucket serves as the frame and
support for the tool-storage unit. Such tool organizers are useful
for transporting and storing tools, utensils, or other useful
implements, and often have a number of individual pockets or
dividers arranged about both the interior and/or exterior portions
of the bucket. While existing bucket-supported tool-carrying
devices may be suitable for their intended purpose, such a purpose
does not extend to the use of the bucket for its original purpose,
such as carrying liquid or other flowable material for example, and
does not extend to the use of implements other than tools.
[0003] Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a
bucket-mountable caddy that overcomes these drawbacks.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0004] An embodiment of the invention includes a product holder for
mounting on a bucket, and includes a support member, a pocket
member, and a sheet product dispenser. The support member is
conformable to an exterior surface of the bucket and includes
fasteners at opposing ends thereof to securely hold the support
member to the bucket. The pocket member is securely attached to the
support member to form a pocket therewith for receiving and
supporting a tool therein. The sheet product dispenser is securely
attached to the support member for receiving and dispensing a sheet
product, and includes a container body and a container lid openable
and closeable with respect to the container body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] Referring to the exemplary drawings wherein like elements
are numbered alike in the accompanying Figures:
[0006] FIG. 1 depicts in isometric view a bucket-mountable caddy in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
[0007] FIGS. 2 and 3 depict a side view of the bucket-mountable
caddy of FIG. 1 mounted to a bucket in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention;
[0008] FIGS. 4 and 5 depict in isometric view fasteners for use in
accordance with embodiments of the invention; and
[0009] FIG. 6 depicts in isometric view a sheet product retainer in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0010] An embodiment of the invention, as shown and described by
the various figures and accompanying text, provides a
bucket-mountable tool/product caddy that provides pockets and
sleeves for holding tools, cleaners, lubricants, for example, and a
sheet product dispenser for dispensing shop towels, paper towels,
wet wipes, for example.
[0011] FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 depict an exemplary embodiment of a
tool/product holder 100 for mounting on a bucket 105, which in an
embodiment is a five gallon bucket typically used for joint
compound mix or paint for example, and then used as a utility
bucket once emptied. However, it will be appreciated that the
product holder 100 disclosed herein is not limited to the bucket
105 being empty, and may actually be employed with bucket 105 that
is filled or partially filled with a liquid or flowable material.
Since the product holder 100 is intended to be used in conjunction
with a five-gallon bucket, empty or otherwise, the product holder
100 is so dimensioned as to be attachable to an exterior surface of
a five gallon bucket.
[0012] The product holder 100 includes a support member 110
conformable to an exterior surface 115 of the bucket 105, where the
support member 110 has fasteners 120 at opposing ends thereof to
securely hold the support member 110 to the bucket 105. In an
embodiment, fasteners 120 are engageable latches, such as a plastic
snap buckle 121 as shown in FIG. 4, a plastic ladder-type buckle
122 as shown in FIG. 5, or any other fastener suitable for the
purposes disclosed herein. At least one pocket member 125 is
securely attached to the support member 110 to form a pocket 130
therewith, which is used for receiving and supporting a tool 135
therein. While FIG. 2 depicts tool 135, such as a hammer for
example, disposed within the pocket 130, it will be appreciated
that the same may be disposed within the bucket 105. It will also
be appreciated that the pocket 130 is not limited for holding
tools, but may also be used for holding bottles of cleaning
solution, spray cans of lubricant, or any other utensil or product
suitable for the purposes disclosed herein in connection with use
of the tool/product holder 100. A sheet product dispenser 140 is
also securely attached to the support member 110 for receiving and
dispensing a sheet product, where the sheet product dispenser 140
has a container body 145 and a container lid 150 openable and
closeable with respect to the container body 145.
[0013] An embodiment of the sheet product dispenser 140 is suitable
for dispensing any type of sheet product, dry or dampened. As used
herein, the term "sheet product" is inclusive of natural and/or
synthetic cloth or paper sheets. Sheet products may include both
woven and non-woven articles. There are a wide variety of nonwoven
processes and they can be either wetlaid or drylaid. Some examples
include hydroentagled (sometimes called spunlace), DRC (double
re-creped), airlaid, spunbond, carded, paper towel, and meltblown
sheet products. Further, sheet products may contain fibrous
cellulosic materials that may be derived from natural sources, such
as wood pulp fibers, as well as other fibrous material
characterized by having hydroxyl groups attached to the polymer
backbone. These include glass fibers and synthetic fibers modified
with hydroxyl groups. Examples of sheet products include, but are
not limited to, wipers, wet-wipes, napkins, tissues, rolls, towels
or other fibrous, film, polymer, or filamentary products.
[0014] In general sheet products are thin in comparison to their
length and breadth and exhibit a relatively flat planar
configuration and are flexible to permit folding, rolling,
stacking, and the like. The sheet product may have perforations
extending in lines across its width to separate individual sheets
and facilitate separation or tearing of individual sheets from a
roll or folded arrangement at discrete intervals. Individual sheets
may be sized as desired to accommodate the many uses of the sheet
products.
[0015] With a dampened sheet product, the sheet may be dampened
with any type of flowable product, such as lotion, detergent,
antiseptic agent, cleaning agent, or any other flowable product
capable of being absorbed by the sheet product, for example. Where
a dampened sheet product is to be employed, the sheet product
dispenser 140 is made from a material impermeable to liquids, such
as a plastic material for example, which may be thermoplastic or
thermoset-plastic.
[0016] In an embodiment, the container lid 150 is attached to the
container body 145 via a hinge or a living hinge 155 disposed on an
outer face 160 of the sheet product dispenser 140 such that the
container lid 150 pivots away from the bucket 105 upon opening the
sheet product dispenser 140 (best seen by referring to FIG. 3). As
used herein, a living hinge is intended to mean a very thin section
of plastic used to connect two parts and keep them together while
allowing them to open and close, or more generally to mean a thin
section of material that bends to allow movement between to
adjoining sections of the same material.
[0017] Whether the sheet product is dampened or not, it may be
desirable to have a sheet product retainer 205 (see FIG. 6)
securely placed, via a friction fit for example, within opening 210
(see FIG. 3) of container body 145. The sheet product retainer 205
has an opening 215, star-shaped opening for example, through which
the sheet product is dispensed, where the opening 215 is sized to
gently retain a portion of the next sheet product to be dispensed
so that the next sheet product to be dispensed does not fall back
into the container body 145, thereby providing for ease of access
by a user to the next sheet product to be dispensed. As can be seen
by comparing the sheet product retainer 205 of FIG. 6 with the
profile of the container body 145 in FIG. 1, the sheet product
retainer 205 has a contour 220 that matches an inner contour (a
mirror to exterior surface 195 for example) of container body 145.
While sheet product retainer 205 is disclosed herein to have the
star-shaped opening 215, it will be appreciated that this is for
illustration purposes only and that any shaped opening suitable for
the purposes disclosed herein is also within the scope of the
claimed invention. In an embodiment, sheet product retainer 205 is
made of a thin flexible material, such as plastic for example, that
will not unintentionally tear the sheet product as it is
dispensed.
[0018] To more securely attach the product holder 100 to the bucket
105, an embodiment of the product holder 100 includes a friction
band 165 disposed proximate an interior surface 170 of the support
member 110 such that the friction band 165 is compressed against
the exterior surface 115 of the bucket 105 when the product holder
100 is mounted and secured thereto. In an embodiment, the friction
band 165 is made from an elastomeric material, such as but not
limited to a rubber material for example. Use of a strap 190 made
from a semi-stretchable material, such as woven nylon for example,
to attach the fasteners 120 to the support member 110 facilitates a
tighter fit of the product holder 100 to the bucket 105, where the
straps 190 are stretched and then latched to the bucket 105 in a
state of tension.
[0019] As discussed above, at least one pocket member 125 is
securely attached to the support member 110 to form pocket 130
therewith, which implies that the support member 110 may have
attached thereto more than one pocket member, which is depicted
literally in FIG. 2 as pocket members 125, 126. However, it will be
appreciated to one skilled in the art that support member 110 may
include more than two pocket members 125, 126, the quantity of
which being limited by the circumference of the bucket 105 and the
desired size of each pocket member 125, 126 relative to the bucket
circumference. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not
limited to only the two pockets illustrated.
[0020] In addition to pocket members 125, 126, the product support
member 110 of the product holder 100 may also have a sleeve member
175 securely attached to the support member 110 to provide a sleeve
having two open ends 180, 185 for receiving and supporting a tool
(such as a screwdriver not shown) that can be inserted into one of
the open ends 180 and that can extend beyond the second open end
185.
[0021] As best seen from FIG. 1, the sheet product dispenser 140
has the exterior surface 195 on a side proximate the support member
110 with a contour that mirrors contour 200 of the exterior surface
115 of the bucket 105, which allows the sheet product dispenser 140
to be made from a material, such as plastic for example, that is
more rigid than the conformable support member 110, which in an
embodiment may be made from leather or woven nylon for example,
while permitting the entire product holder 100 to fit uniformly
against the outer contour of the bucket 105 when secured
thereto.
[0022] As best seen from FIG. 2, the sheet product dispenser 140 is
so dimensioned as to not extend beyond the bottom of the bucket 105
when the support member 110 and sheet product dispenser 140 are
securely attached to the bucket 105, as seen by reference to gap
"d", which in an embodiment may actually be no gap at all, that is,
the bottom of the sheet product dispenser 140 is flush with the
bottom of the bucket 105.
[0023] While certain combinations of pockets and sleeves have been
described herein in combination with the sheet product dispenser of
the product holder, it will be appreciated that these certain
combinations are for illustration purposes only and that any type
of utility holder in combination with the sheet product dispenser
may be employed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Any and all such combinations are contemplated herein and are
considered within the scope of the invention disclosed.
[0024] While embodiments of the invention have been described
employing a five gallon bucket for attaching the product holder to,
it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not so
limited, and that the invention also applies to use of the product
holder with other support structures suitable for strapping the
product holder to, such as a pail for example, where such other
support structures are not necessarily circular in shape.
[0025] As disclosed, some embodiments of the invention may include
some of the following advantages: a bucket-mountable caddy that is
securely strapped to the exterior surface of an empty five-gallon
bucket or pail, thereby permitting the bucket or pail to be filled
or partially filled with a liquid or flowable product without
interfering with the tools or utensils stored in the caddy; and, a
bucket-mountable caddy that provides, in addition to
tool/utensil/container storage, easy access to sheet products
contained within an integrally arranged sheet product
dispenser.
[0026] While the invention has been described with reference to
exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in
the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be
substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope
of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to
adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the
invention without departing from the essential scope thereof.
Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the
particular embodiment disclosed as the best or only mode
contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the
invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of
the appended claims. Also, in the drawings and the description,
there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention
and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are
unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense
only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention
therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms
first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but
rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one
element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc.
do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the
presence of at least one of the referenced item.
* * * * *