Abstract:
A tandem bucket holder or tandem container holder that is constructed to receive and hold two containers such as two five-gallon buckets. The holder or caddy allows for the independent movement of the buckets or containers from an upright holding position to a tilted-pouring position by manual manipulation. The hand-actuated bucket pouring device includes a support frame. Pivotally mounted to the frame are tandem bucket holders. The bucket holders are designed to receive and hold buckets or containers. A handle extends from each bucket holder. The bucket holders are independently pivoted from an upright composition holding position to a tilted pouring position using the handles.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to an aid for pouring a two-part mixture by manual operation. The aid receives two buckets or two containers wherein the containers are maintained in an upright position in caddies and moved from an upright non-pouring position to a tilted pouring position allowing for the mixture of their contents.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Adhesives and mold making formulations are generally comprised of a resin component and a catalyst or hardener component. The two components are kept in separate containers and mixed together just before application. Often the resin and the catalyst are mixed in a 1:1 ratio. Two-part mixes, such as two-part latex rubber mold compounds, two-part plastic mixes and for instance epoxies, are widely used in construction projects for various applications such as setting studs or anchors in preformed holes in concrete or masonry, or used as a joint filler in highway construction projects. In addition such mixes are used by ornamental shops, sculpture studios, model and mold making and pattern shops.  
         [0003]     Generally, for use on most commercial or large artistic projects, large doses of such mixes are required. One application may consume the entire contents of many small, hand held cartridges. For larger applications, two five gallon buckets each holding one part of the two part mix are poured into a mixing reservoir or container. It is, therefore, an advantage to have a dispensing apparatus that can hold and dispense a large quantity of the two-part mixes.  
         [0004]     Currently there is no convenient device for the small shop owner to simultaneously hold two five gallon buckets and allow for the mixing of their contents in facile manor. As noted the ratio of components must be mixed in 1:1 ratio. The buckets are heavy, approximately forty pounds per fill bucket and thus the man-handling of these buckets, including shaking, stirring and dispensing accurate volumes or weights, is difficult or next to impossible without spilling the components. All of these activities are physically demanding. Mixtures are frequently botched and thus must be disposed.  
         [0005]     U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,316,248 and 5,527,009 to Allen each disclose a hand-actuated bucket holder that receives a five-gallon bucket. The holder allows one to move a single bucket or container from an upright support position to a tilted-pouring position. The hand-actuated bucket pouring device of the &#39;248 patent is stand mounted and the device of the &#39;009 patent is wall-mounted.  
         [0006]     Neither reference discloses a device having dual bucket caddy for dispensing and allowing for the shaking, stirring, pouring and accurate mixing of a two-component mix.  
       SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention relates to a tandem bucket holder or tandem container holder that is constructed to receive and hold two containers such as two five-gallon buckets. The holder allows for the independent movement of the buckets or containers from an upright holding position to a tilted-pouring position by manual manipulation.  
         [0008]     Structurally, the hand-actuated bucket pouring device of the present invention includes a support frame. Pivotally mounted to the frame are tandem bucket caddies. The bucket caddies are designed to receive and hold a bucket or container or the like. A handle extends from each bucket caddy. The bucket caddies are each independently tiltable or pivoted from an upright holding position to a tilted pouring position using the handle.  
         [0009]     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a simple hand-actuated tandem bucket pouring device, for assisting in combining a two-part composition.  
         [0010]     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and obvious from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings which are merely illustrative of such invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a front view of the bucket holder of the present invention without the buckets.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a side view in perspective of the bucket holder holding two buckets with one of the buckets being tilted in the pouring position.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a bucket caddy of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     Specifically, the device or holder  10  includes parallel legs  12 , each connected to, at mid way of their length, on a side face thereof, by a bottom framing member  14  positioned normal to the legs. The legs are spaced approximately thirty-four inches apart and themselves are twenty-four inches long. Framing member  14  maintains the legs  12  in a spaced apart position. Projecting upwardly from the top face of each leg, from substantially the center of a portion of each leg are side framing members  16 . All of the above-mentioned framing members and members named infra can be made from  11  gauge rectangular 1×2 steel tubing. These members are parallel to one another and are maintained spaced apart by an upper framing member  18  that is parallel to and just slightly longer than bottom framing member  14 . Upper framing member  18  is the last piece framing member attached in fabricating the device. It connects and supports the side framing members  16  approximately at about 6/8ths the length of the side members  16 .  
         [0015]     Positioned normal to both the upper framing member  18  and the bottom framing member  14  and connected to both is a middle framing  20  member substantially equal in length to the two side framing members  16  and parallel thereto.  
         [0016]     At the top points  22  of each side member  16  and middle framing member  20  are welded, rounded, hollow metal receiving tubes  24  and  28  for receiving caddy or pivot pins  26 . The receiving tube  28  on the middle framing member  20  ( FIG. 1 ) is approximately double the length of the side receiving tubes  24 .  
         [0017]     Two bucket caddies  30  are provided for device  10 . The bucket caddies are substantially the same, both composed of a U-shaped framing member  32  and an O-ring  34 . In view of the similarity between the two bucket caddies  30 , the description of a single caddy supported by mono-framing shown in phantom lines of  FIG. 3 , will satisfy the description of its neighbor caddy in a dual framing device. The U-shaped members  32  have a base member  33  and at least two spaced apart upwardly projecting opposing arms  35 . The length of base member  33  is substantially equal in length to the diameter of O-ring  34 . The bottom rim of O-ring  34  is welded to the top of arms  35  of U-shaped member  32  at points that if connected would define the diameters of the O-rings  34 . Thus, arms  35  are fashioned to opposite poles of O-rings  34 . Welded to the side surface of O-rings  34  at locations above O-ring  34 /arm  35  connections, and projecting from the side surface of O-ring  34  and parallel to the base members  33  are pivot or caddy pins  26 . These base members  33  of caddies  30  are positioned about waist-high level (a person of average height) or the standard distance of a counter top—about forty-two inches as measured from feet  12 .  
         [0018]     Connected to the back side surfaces (the outside surface) of O-rings  34  are L-shaped levers or handles  36  for titling bucket caddies  30 . As shown in  FIG. 2  handles  36  are L-shaped so that they can be eccentrically mounted to the back outside surface of an O-ring of each bucket caddy  30 . In addition, handles  36  are preferably located on the outside face of an O-ring mid-way between the two poles of the O-ring, or approximately ninety degrees removed from each arm  32  of a bucket caddy  30 . Handles  36  again are eccentrically mounted adding weight to the back-end of the caddy shifting the center of gravity to the back end of a caddy so that caddies  30  are maintained in the upright position and self-righting when not holding a bucket. Handles  36  are made from round steel bar and are approximately 23-26 inches in length.  
         [0019]     Positioned on handles  36  are sliding, rotatable stop members  38  each having a threaded set pin or set screw  40 . Turning the set screw  40  counter clockwise will of course set stop member  38  which can be positioned above and on the rim  41  of bucket  43  (see  FIG. 2 ) and can hold the bucket  43  within caddy  30  when a caddy is tilted as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0020]     Caddy pins  26  of bucket caddies  30  are slightly smaller in diameter than the inside diameter of the receiving tubes. Pins  26  are slipped into the receiving tubes  24  and  28 . This is accomplished by spreading or splaying side and middle framing members  16  and  20  to allow for pin  26  insertion. Thereafter the upper framing member  18  is welded across the front of middle framing member  20  and the front of side framing members  16 . Pins  26  of course rotate within the receiving members  24  and  28  allowing for bucket caddies  30  to be independently pivoted.  
         [0021]     An additional feature of device  10  includes welded stop members  50  positioned at the distal sides, relative to middle framing member  20 , of U-frame member  32 . Stop members  50  engage the upper framing member  18  to prevent bucket caddies  30  from swinging beyond a desired position.  
         [0022]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , five gallon buckets  43  with their contents are supported by the bucket caddies  30 . The device simultaneously holds two five gallon buckets, and each caddy as above noted is independently tiltable relative to the other caddy.  
         [0023]     The depth of U-shaped caddies  30  is greater or deeper than ½ the length of a five gallon bucket. This depth of caddies  30  and the positioning of the pivots pins  26  at O-ring  34  (defining the top of caddies  30 ) positions the pivot pins very near the center of mass of the buckets. This center of mass positioning, along with handles  36  providing significant weight to the back of the bucket caddies and the entire mass of the device  10  allows for vigorously shaking of mounted the buckets  43  in the device  10 , and for the tipping and pouring of the buckets  43  with very little physical effort.  
         [0024]     In addition, by virtue of positioning handles  36  on the back center of O-rings  34  of caddies  30 , and by virtue of the weight of handles  36  of caddies  30 , in combination with stop members  50 , the caddies are maintained in the upright position. A single handle is approximately one third the weight of the caddy it is mounted to. This weight (or weight range) ensures that caddies  30  are self-righting when the buckets are withdrawn.  
         [0025]     Device  10  weighing over twenty-five pounds thus facilitates the mixing and pouring of heavy two-part mixes mixtures.  
         [0026]     Those skilled in the art will recognize that this invention may be embodied in other species than illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of the essentials of this invention. The foregoing discussion is therefore to be considered illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is only limited by the appended claims. For instance, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a single bucket holder can be constructed using a single bucket caddy shown in  FIG. 3 .  
       PARTS LIST  
       [0000]    
       
          device or holder  10   
          parallel legs  12 ,  
          bottom framing member  14   
          side framing members  16 .  
          upper framing member  18   
          middle framing  20   
          At the top points of each side member  22 .  
          hollow metal tubes  24  and  28  for receiving  
          caddy or pivot pins  26   
          Two bucket caddies  30   
          The U-shaped members  32   
          a base member  33   
          O-ring  34   
          upwardly projecting opposing arms  35 .  
          the handles  36  are sliding,  
          rotatable stop members  38   
          a threaded set pin or set screw  40   
          rim  41  of bucket  
          bucket  43   
          stop members  50