Protective Apron For Container

Abstract

A protective apron for disposal on the top of a container such as a paint can, having a funnel-shaped internal portion opened to the contents of the container, a mid portion serving as a connector for detachably mounting to the rim of the can, and an external portion forming a catch basin or well, and extending over the outside of the container.

Description

This invention relates to a protective apron for use with a container.

More specifically, this invention relates to a protective apron which can be placed over or coupled to the top rim of an opened paint can.

In applications where paint is applied to surfaces with a brush which is dipped into a paint can, it has been found that the paint fills in the top rim of the paint can and also partially covers its outside label or surface. It therefore becomes difficult for the user to properly replace and secure the lid to the paint can, or identify its contents from the label which becomes partially covered with paint.

In order to overcome the above described disadvantages, several conventional devices have been utilized which consist of funnel shaped members which are inserted onto the top rim of the paint can so as to enlarge the can opening and provide a surface for wiping the brush during the painting process. Since many of these conventional devices only partially fit into the rim of the paint can, paint has still been found to contaminate the internally exposed edge of the rim which serves to retain the funnel-shaped device in place.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a protective apron which overcomes many of the disadvantages of conventional type devices in covering over the entire top rim of the paint can or other type of container, and further provides a portion which partially extends into the internal part of the can. The apron of the invention also extends downwardly over the outside of the can to serve as a hood or shield to prevent paint or other contents in the can from contacting the external surfaces. The external portion of the apron also includes a catch basin or well which serves as a reservoir for catching any of the contents of the can which flow across the outside surfaces of the apron. The external portion of the apron thus holds any paint on its periphery while its internal portion drains the paint back into the contents of the can.

The protective apron of the invention may be inexpensively manufactured so that it will be disposable after each use, and can be provided in a variety of sizes to fit conventional paint cans or other types of containers.

It is therefore an object according to the present invention to provide a protective apron for a container which mounts to the opening of the container to permit its contents to be either drained back into the container or be collected along the apron.

It is another object according to the present invention to provide a protective apron for a paint can which is disposable after each use.

It is still a further object according to the present invention to provide a protective apron for paint cans which is simple in design, easy to manufacture and reliable in operation.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which disclose the embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only, and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the protective apron according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along section 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a further cross-sectional view of an additional embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown a container 10 which is preferably a cylindrically shaped paint can having its lid removed to expose its top or opening and contents 11. The top or opening of container 10 is surrounded by a U-shaped rim 12, and an upwardly extending external flange 13 as shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3. Inserted into U-shaped rim 12 is the protective apron according to the invention consisting of a vertical internal portion 17 which is open to contents 11 within container 10, and mid portion 16 which in one embodiment includes an annular rib 19 for engagement into U-shaped rim 12. The protective apron according to the invention further includes a conically-shaped downwardly sloping external portion 15 which forms an annular catchbasin by its connection with upwardly sloping flange 14.

The protective apron is preferably constructed from a single piece of material such as plastic, metal and the like, and is designed to be disposable after each use. Mid portion 16 of the apron not only completely covers over the rim of container 10 but also serves as shown in FIG. 2 as a detachable connector through the use of its annular rib portion 19, engaging into U-shaped rim 12.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown another embodiment of the present invention wherein annular rib portion 19 has been omitted from mid portion 16 since the mid portion, and internal portion 17 firmly engage rim 12 of can 10. It is also not necessary to include the annular extending finger 18 in this embodiment. An additional embodiment taken from that shown in FIG. 3 may also include annular extending finger 18 disposed below mid portion 16 and urged along the bottom surface of flange 13 so as to further retain the protective apron on to the top of the can. Extending finger 18 is curved backwards, away from the opening of the can to permit it to be easily inserted over flange 13 when the protective apron is mounted on to the top of the container.

In actual use, a receptacle such as a paint brush can be inserted into the central opening of internal portion 17 and into contents 11, and can then be wiped against its vertical wall surface to remove the excess paint. None of contents 11, such as paint, can contaminate the rim or sidewalls of container 10 due to mid portion 16 and external portions 15 and 14 of the protective apron. Any of the paint which flows outside of internal portion 17 will be retained within the annular well or basin formed by portions 15 and 14 so that it can be reused.

The protective apron according to the invention has been known to be highly successful in protecting the rim and sidewalls of containers. In painting operations, the protective apron has been found to greatly reduce the wasting of paint which normally occurs with conventional types of paint aprons and with containers not having any types of aprons.

While only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A protective apron for use over the opening of a container, comprising:

a vertically-disposed internal portion having a central opening;

a mid-portion, integrally formed with said internal portion, for disposal over the rim of the container;

an annular rim disposed below said mid-portion, for frictionally engaging the rim of the container; and

an external portion, comprising a downwardly sloping, conically-shaped surface coupled to said mid-portion, said surface providing a protective hood over the side walls of the container, and an upwardly extending flange joined to the edge of said conically-shaped surface for forming an annular catch basin for the contents of the container.

2. The protective apron as recited in claim 1 wherein said external portion further comprises an extending annular finger for engagement with the side walls of the container.

3. The protective apron as recited in claim 1, wherein said conically-shaped surface coupled to said mid-portion comprises an annular ring-shaped flange, affixed at one end to said mid-portion, and disposed at an obtuse angle with respect thereto, for providing a downwardly and radially outwardly extending annular surface around the opening of the container.

4. The protective apron as recited in claim 3, wherein said upwardly extending flange comprises a conically-shaped, upwardly and radially outwardly extending annular ring-shaped flange, affixed at one end to the end of said annular flange affixed to said mid-portion, said downwardly and upwardly extending flanges forming a substantially L-shaped annular catch basin disposed at an angle with respect to the side of the container on which it is disposed.