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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     Not applicable.  
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not Applicable.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The present invention generally relates to tools such as scrapers for removing residual material from cans, buckets or similar containers, and also generally relates to trowels for spreading materials on a surface.  
         [0004]     The use of scrapers and trowels to remove various materials such as adhesives, grouts, cements, plaster, resin, stucco, paint and the like from cans, buckets or other containers is well known in the prior art. Examples of such scrapping tools are shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,355,432; 4,627,128; 4,987,635; and 5,875,515. When using such scrapping tools to apply a material, some material is removed from the container with the tool, then the material is deposited upon the surface to which the material is to be applied such as a surface to be tiled. The user must then put the scrapping tool away and pick up a different tool such as a trowel which is then used to spread the material on the surface. This process of switching from one tool to another then back again can be time consuming and tedious. A tool which functioned to improve the efficiency of this process would be desirable.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention is a combination squeegee (i.e., a scraper) and hand trowel tool. The tool can be conveniently used to first remove a material from a can, bucket or other material container and then used to spread the material evenly on a surface or substrate. The tool has a blade having a curved edge portion for efficiently removing residual material from containers such as cans or buckets and a separate notched edge portion (preferably with indentations or serrations) for evenly spreading the material on a surface. The invention further contemplates a method of using the tool to remove material from a can, bucket or container and applying the material to a surface. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a tool constructed in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the tool of  FIG. 1  taken along line  2 - 2 .  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the tool of  FIG. 1  taken along line  3 - 3 .  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 5  is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 8  is a side cross-sectional view showing the use of the tool of  FIG. 1  with a container. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     Referring now to the drawings, shown in  FIGS. 1-3  is a combination squeegee and hand trowel tool (hereinafter referred to as “tool”) designated by the general reference numeral  10 . The tool  10  is provided with a flat blade  12  having an upper surface  14  and a lower surface  16 . A handle  18  is releaseably or non-releaseably attached to, and/or extends from the upper surface  14  of the blade  12 . The blade  12  in one embodiment has a shape of a half-circle and has a curved edge  20  and notched edge  22 . The curved edge  20  extends from a first end  24  of the notched edge  22  to a second end  26  of the notched edge  22 . The notched edge  22  includes a plurality of notches  28 , only several of which are specifically indicated by the reference numeral  28  in  FIG. 1 . The notched edge  22  is shown as being crenelate in  FIG. 1 , but it will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the notches  28  of the notched edge  22  may have a variety of configurations as explained in more detail below with reference to  FIGS. 4-6 . The blade  12  has a length  30  (which substantially corresponds to the length of the notched edge  22 ) and a width  32  which extends perpendicularly from a center point  33  of the notched edge  22  to the curved edge  20 . In a preferred version of the invention the length  30  of blade  12  is about 10.25 inches and the width  32  is about 6.75 inches. It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the length  30  and width  32  of the blade  12  can vary widely, depending on the diameter of the containers with which the user will use the tool  10 .  
         [0015]     The length  30  and width  32  of the blade  12  essentially constitute a diameter and a radius, respectively, of an imaginary circle of which the blade  12  constitutes a half circle (the blade  12  may alternatively have a half oval or half elliptical shape, or any other configuration which is appropriate to fit the inner surface of a container). Preferably, the curved edge  30  of the blade  12  has a curvature which conforms to or compliments the curvature of an inner surface of a side wall of a container with which the tool  10  is anticipated to be used. Such containers that contain tile adhesives, grouts, stucco, plasters, or other bonding materials or materials used in construction are well known in the art, thus further discussion herein of the sizes of such containers is not deemed necessary.  
         [0016]     As noted above, the tool  10  also includes a handle  18  which has a length  34 , a width  36  and a height  38 . In a preferred embodiment the length  34  of the handle  18  is about 6.75 inches, the width  36  is about 1 inch and the height  38  is about 1.5 inches. However, it will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the length  34 , width  36  and height  38  of the handle  18  are not to be limited to these particular dimensions. In a preferred embodiment the curved edge  20  of the blade  12  may be beveled to facilitate removal of material from a container. Thus, the curved edge  20  of the blade  12  may have a bevel height  40  of about 0.125 inch and a bevel width  42  of about 0.25 inch. However, as noted above and as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, the bevel height  40  and bevel width  42  of the blade  12  are not limited to these dimensions.  
         [0017]     As previously noted, the notched edge  22  of the blade  12  is provided with a plurality of notches  28 . Each notch  28  has a notch width  44 . In a preferred embodiment, the notched edge  22  has a crenelate shape and has a dimension of about 0.25 inch through the notch width  44 . However, it should be understood that the notched edge  22  is not to be limited to that particular dimension and that the notch pattern of the blade  12  of the tool  10  of the present invention may vary. For example, shown in  FIGS. 4-6  are three other embodiments of a tool of the present invention which have alternate notch patterns. Shown in  FIG. 4  is a tool  10   a  wherein a blade  12   a  is provided with a notched edge  22   a  having a serrate or “toothed” pattern. Shown in  FIG. 5  is a tool  10   b  wherein a blade  12   b  is provided with a notched edge  22   b  having a crenate or scalloped pattern which is “curved” or “wavy”. Shown in  FIG. 6  is a tool  10   c  wherein a blade  12   c  is provided with a notched edge  22   c  having a pattern wherein smaller notches  28   c  alternate with larger notches  28   cc . Other notch patterns will readily be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.  
         [0018]     As noted before, the handle  18  of the tool  10  may be releaseably connected, i.e. detachable, from the blade  12 .  FIG. 7  shows a tool  10   d  which includes a blade  12   d , a handle  18   d  and a connector assembly  47  for connecting the handle  18   d  to the blade  12   d . The blade  12   d  is provided with a curved edge  20   d  and a notched edge  22   d . The blade  12   d  of the tool  10   d  may be the same as the blade of any other tool described herein. The tool  10   d  differs from the tools  10 - 10   c  described herein in that the handle  18   d  is detachably connected to the blade  12   d.    
         [0019]     The connector assembly  47  includes a female connector  48  and a male connector  49 . The female connector  48  is formed integrally with the blade  12   d  so as to extend outwardly therefrom substantially as shown. The male connector  49  is formed on one end of the handle  18   d  and is adapted to matingly engage the female connector  48  so that the handle  18   d  can be connected to the blade  12   d . Any suitable mechanism can be used as the connector assembly  47 . For example, the female connector  48  can include a housing having an opening therein with internally disposed threads and the male connector  49  can be a threaded portion on one end of the handle  18  which can be inserted within the housing for mating engagement with the threads in the housing of the female connector  48  substantially as shown. Thus, the handle  18   d  can be operably connected or disconnected from the blade  12   d  via the connector assembly  47 .  
         [0020]     Any of the tools  10 - 10   d  contemplated herein or alternate embodiments of them may be constructed of materials known to be used in the construction of trowels, squeegees, scrapers, or the like, including metals, polymers, plastics (including thermoplastics), rubber, wood, wood products, cardboard, or combinations thereof. The tools  10 - 10   d  may be flexible or rigid. In a preferred embodiment the tools described herein such as tools  10 - 10   c  are formed as an integral one piece construction molded from a thermoplastic material, although the tool  10   d  is shown as constructed of separate materials such as a separate blade  12   d  and a separate handle  18   d  which are connected together via the connector assembly  47  hereinbefore described.  
         [0021]     As to the manner of usage and operation of the tool  10 - 10   d , as shown in  FIG. 8 , after a cylindrically shaped container  50  has been opened, the tool  10  (or tools  10   a - 10   d , or any other tool described herein) may be inserted therein to effect a removal of a material therefrom. Once the container  50  has been substantially emptied, the curved edge  20 - 20   d  of the tool  10 - 10   d , respectively, may be used to remove residual amounts of material from the sidewalls and/or bottom of the container  50  or from beneath an interior rim of the container  50 . As such, removal of substantially all material within the container  50  can be effected by utilizing tools  10 - 10   d  of the present invention. Furthermore, the tool  10 - 10   d  can be utilized to spread or otherwise apply material removed from a container such as container  50  to a surface or substrate in a manner appropriate to the purpose of the material. The container  50  can range in size from 1 to 5 to 10 gallons, for example, but the container can be any size which is typically used in various manners of construction or remodeling as long as the tool  10 - 10   d  is sized and configured to removed material from such containers.  
         [0022]     It is to be understood that the dimensional relationships of the materials from which the tools  10 - 10   d  and the handles  18  and  18   d  are fabricated, and the components of the tools  10 - 10   d  of the invention such as the blades  12 - 12   d  or the handles  18  and  18   d , can vary, as well as the configuration of the blades  12 - 12   d  and the handles  18  and  18   d  of the tools  10 - 10   d.    
         [0023]     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the tools  10 - 10   d  of the present invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, the tools  10 - 10   d  and their uses are not limited to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and all suitable modifications and equivalents of the tools  10 - 10   d  described herein may be resorted to, and fall within the scope of the present invention.

Summary:
The present invention is a combination squeegee (i.e., a scraper) and hand trowel tool. The tool can be conveniently used to first remove a material from a can, bucket or other material container and then used to spread the material evenly on a surface or substrate. The tool has a blade having a curved edge portion for removing material from cans or buckets and a separate notched edge portion (preferably with indentations or serrations) for evenly spreading the material on a surface. The invention further contemplates a method of using the tool to remove material from a can, bucket or container and applying the material to a surface.