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RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims priority from provisional application Ser. No. 60/210,234, filed on Jun. 7, 2000 and the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    Plasterers use a mud pan for holding plaster while they work. Normally, the mud pan is held in hand by the worker or is placed on a surface.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The invention is a clip, which has two portions. One portion, the mud pan support portion, is configured to support a mud pan. The other portion, a belt attachment portion, is configured to attach to the user&#39;s belt. With the clip installed on the users belt and the pan supported, the user in effect carries the mud pan on his belt while he works.  
           [0004]    In one embodiment of the invention, it is made from a single piece of metal sufficiently rigid to hold the mud pan in place on the user&#39;s belt. The shape is punched from a metal sheet, having all the parts in one piece and is then bent into the proper shape.  
           [0005]    In an embodiment of the invention, there is a laterally extending flange to be slipped inside the user&#39;s belt. A pair of oppositely extending spaced apart flanges are positioned adjacent and generally parallel to the laterally extending flanges so that a user&#39;s belt is captured between the laterally extending flange and the pair of oppositely extending spaced apart flanges. A plate is attached at its top via a bend portion, to the laterally extending flange with offsetting wings extending from left and right sides of the plate and the oppositely extending spaced apart flanges extending from each wing respectively, the plate having a forwardly facing surface, and at least one tab extending from its top and a foot extending from its bottom. Two tabs, spaced apart are preferred. The mud pan is captured at its upper edge under the tabs, between the tabs and the plate and is supported by the foot. The offsetting wings space the plate away from the spaced apart flanges, and at an appropriate angle to accommodate the angle of the side of a mud pan.  
           [0006]    In another embodiment a spring tongue is attached near the bottom of the plate and extends forwardly and upwardly. In a form of this embodiment, the spring tongue is punched out of the plate and bent forward to push the mud pan against the tabs.  
           [0007]    In one embodiment, the entire clip is made of a single piece of metal bent to form the various parts.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of the invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a rear view of the first embodiment of the invention.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a top view of the first embodiment of the invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the first embodiment of the invention  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a side view of the first embodiment of the invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 is a side view of the first embodiment of the invention showing a mud pan installed  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 7 is a front view of a second embodiment of the invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 8 is a rear view of the second embodiment of the invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 9 is a top view of the second embodiment of the invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 10 is a partial top view of the second embodiment of the invention showing a partial made pan installed.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 11 is a two-positioned side view of the second embodiment of the invention showing a mud pan spaced away from the clip and secondly showing a partial section view of the mud pan installed.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 12 is a view of the second embodiment of the invention along with a mud pan of the type that has an enlarged clip around its top edge as well as a metal scrapper.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 13 is a partial side view of the second embodiment of the invention showing a partial section of the mud pan of FIG. 12 installed.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 14 shows the second embodiment of the clip laid out flat after being punched from a flat piece of metal, before it is bent to shape.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 15 is a colored photograph of the rear of the clip with a belt and a mud pan attached.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 16 is a colored photograph of the front and top of the clip with a belt installed.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 17 is a colored photograph of the top of the clip showing a mud pan and a belt installed. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0025]    This invention is for use by plasterers for holding a mud pan. Normally the plasterer holds the mud pan in his hand. With this invention the mud pan is held on a clip attached to the user&#39;s belt. The invention is a clip, which attaches to the user&#39;s belt and supports the mud pan. Another embodiment of the invention is the method of forming the clip from a flat sheet of metal.  
         [0026]    In the particular form illustrated in the drawings, the clip is made of one piece of metal punched and bent to shape. There are presently available two popular forms of mud pans. One form is a metal mud pan made of sheet metal. This type of mud pan has sides made of a single sheet of metal, so that the upper edge is only as thick as the sheet metal itself. The other type of mud pan is of molded plastic and the upper edge is a thick lip. As will be seen these two different forms of the upper edge affect the construction of the clip which is one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0027]    FIGS.  1 - 5  show a version of the clip, which is useful for the sheet metal mud pan that has no lip at the upper edge. FIGS.  6 - 14  show a version of the clip that can be used for both the sheet metal mud pan that has no lip at the upper edge as well as for the molded plastic mud pan that has a thick lip forming the upper edge. Photographs of FIGS. 15, 16 and  17  are also helpful in understanding the construction and use of the clip. It should be rigid enough to hold its shape while supporting a full mud pan.  
         [0028]    The clip is made of a single piece of sheet metal bent into the shape shown. Referring to FIGS.  1 - 5  it is useful to begin description of the clip  10  at the bend  12 . Extending downwardly and laterally to each side from this bend  12  is a large curved flange  14 , which will be slipped to the inside of the user&#39;s belt. On the opposite side of the bend  12  is a plate  16 , which is trapezoidal in shape. The plate  16  has oppositely extending spaced apart flanges  18   a  and  18   b  which extent roughly parallel to the flange  14  preferably slightly spaced away from the flange  14 . These flanges  18   a  and  18   b  are positioned by wings  20   a  and  20   b , which extend from the sides  22   a  and  22   b  of the trapezoidal plate  16 . The trapezoidal plate  16  is attached to the bend  12  at its upper end  24 . Extending from the upper end  24  and spaced away on either side of the bend  12  are tabs  26   a  and  26   b , which are bent over to define a space with the plate  16  shown as  28   a  and  28   b . The tabs  26   a  and  26   b  are formed of material punched free from the flange  14 . This can be seen on the opposite side as cuts  30   a  and  30   b.  The bottom  32  of the plate  16  has a foot  34  bent to define a space  36  between the tabs  26   a  and  26   b  and the foot  34 . The wings  20   a  and  20   b  are shaped to space the plate  16  away from the spaced apart flanges  18   a  and  18   b,  and to angle the plate  16  so that the lower end is forward of the upper end. This angle will accommodate the angled side of a mud pan. As seen in FIG. 5 the mud pan  38  is installed in the clip  10  having its upper end  40  under the tabs  26   a  and  26   b  and its floor  42  supported by the foot  34 . The arrow  44  shows how the mud pan is moved to mount it and to dismount it from the clip  10 .  
         [0029]    FIGS.  6 - 17  show another embodiment of the clip which can securely hold a mud pan of the plastic molded type that has a thick lip along its top edge, and can also securely hold the sheet metal type of mud pan that has just the thin sheet metal upper edge. In general terms this clip is similar to the clip described above except that it has a spring tongue  70  and a wider space between the tabs  58   a  and  58   b  and the plate  62 . With this modification the spring tongue  70  can force the mud pan against the tabs  58   a  and  58   b  thereby adjusting for difference in thickness of the upper edge of the mud pan. Referring to the figures, the clip  50  is formed of a single piece of punched and bent metal like the clip  10 . Also, as will be seen it should be heat treated to become spring steel in order for the spring tongue  70  to be able to force and hold the mud pan in place. In this case the bend  52  has on one side a wide curved flange  54  to be used for retaining the clip on a users belt  80 . On the other side of bend  52  are smaller spared apart flanges  56   a  and  56   b  which extend oppositely away from each other and roughly parallel to the flange  54 , slightly spaced to provide for gripping the user&#39;s belt. The tabs  58   a  and  58   b  are cut out of the flange  52  and are bent over to form a space  60  bounded by the trapezoidal plate  62 . Wings  64   a  and  64   b  place the smaller flanges  56   a  and  56   b  in position and angle the plate  62  as described above. At the bottom of the trapezoidal plate  62  is a foot  66 , which has attached a plastic or rubbery support pad  68 . Punched out of the trapezoidal plate  62  is a spring tongue  70  which is attached at  72  to the trapezoidal plate  62  near its bottom, and extends in an outwardly bowed curved portion  74  to a widened terminal end  76  which is shaped to engage and push against the mud pan when in position.  
         [0030]    In use the user&#39;s belt  80  is placed between the wide flange  54  and the two smaller flanges  56   a  and  56   b , thus holding the clip  50  in place on the users belt. As shown in FIG. 11 a sheet metal mud pan  82  is in place with its upper end  84  held firmly between the tabs  58   a  and  58   b  by reason of the spring tongue  70  having a restoring force in the direction shown by the arrow  86  to press the upper edge  84  of the mud pan between the tabs  58   a  and  58   b  and the upper terminal end  76  of the spring tongue  82 . Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, a mud pan  90  of the plastic molded type with a thick lip  92  defining its upper edge can be accommodating by this structure. In this case, to be installed, as the mud pan  90  is tilted and pushed upwardly into position in the space  60 , the spring tongue  70  is deflected as shown by arrow  94  (FIG. 12) until the thick lip  92  is in place between the tabs  58   a  and  58   b  and held in place by the restoring force of the spring tongue  70  as shown by arrow  96  (FIG. 12). Since the tabs  58   a  and  58   b  are formed to provide a bigger space  60  than is provided in the version of FIGS.  1 - 6  either form of mud pan fits and the spring tongue  70  adjusts to keep the mud pan upper edge held firmly. The mud pan floor  98  rests on the support pad  68 , which is rubbery or plastic to provide good friction to hold it in place.  
         [0031]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments numerous modifications and rearrangements can be made with the equivalent result still embraced within the scope of the invention.

Summary:
A clip having a portion for attachment to user&#39;s belt and a portion for holding a mud pan so that the mud pan is effectively hung via the clip from the user&#39;s belt.