Abstract:
A painter&#39;s tool having multiple tool elements of a paint brush comb, a paint roller scraper, a scraper blade, and a container cover remover. One end of the tool has a hook for suspending the tool from a horizontal support and to thereby support a paint can suspended from the tool. The tool can be made of one material, and it is preferably rigid throughout its entirety and presents a handle for maneuvering the tool in its multi-functions.

Description:
This invention relates to a multi-function painter&#39;s tool, and, more particularly, it relates to a tool useful in the various functions of releasing the sealed cover of a plastic pail, combing a paint brush, scraping paint from a roller, and scraping pliable material onto a surface such as putty, plaster, spackling and the like. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The prior art is already aware of painter&#39;s tools and the like for performing various functions useful to the painter. One of those functions is the releasing of a sealed cover from a plastic container, along with the aforementioned functions. In those prior tools, such as those cited in the filings herein, there is a claw or hook which attaches to the pail cover for prying the cover off the pail. Also, there are paint brush combs, paint roller scrapers, and putty knife items for scraping and applying pliable material. 
     The present invention improves upon the prior art by providing a multi-function tool that combines into only one tool all the elements for performing the various afore-mentioned functions, and doing so with optimum positioning of the elements relative to a handle, for maneuvering all the elements thereon. Thus, there is a solid handle which presents leverage for a claw for releasing a pail cover, and the handle supports a paint brush comb, a paint roller scraper, and a putty scraper. 
     Additionally, the present invention provides a multi-function painter&#39;s tool which includes a hook at one end of the handle opposite the location of the claw which is at the handle other end. With that arrangement, the tool can be suspended by its hook from a ladder rung or like horizontal support, and a paint can bail can latch onto the claw to thereby suspend the paint can from the support. 
     In the aforementioned suspension, the paint brush comb and the paint roller scraper are preferably disposed directly above the paint can so the excess paint from both the comb and the scraper falls into the can below. Thus, there is a clean function and there is a reduction of the amount of the paint, and the paint brush and the paint roller will retain only a minimal amount of paint and therefore avoid both a waste of paint and a crusting of paint on the paint brush and the paint roller. That improves upon the usual painter&#39;s practice of scraping the brush against the can rim where the surplus paint messes the rim. The comb and the roller scraper are both available for their respective functions when the tool is not mounted on a ladder rung and instead the tool handle by itself is being held. 
     The tool of this invention is preferably of only one piece of material, preferably elastic, which is sturdy and easily cleaned of paint. It is arranged with considerable beam strength for exerting a large torque, such as onto a pail cover for the release prying, and the hook is available for presenting additional leverage in the torquing action. The hook is also located to have the suspended can in the upright position off the ladder rung or like horizontal support. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the tool of this invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 5 is a right end elevational view of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 6 is a left end elevational view of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on the plane designated by the line  7 — 7  of FIG.  3 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The multi-purpose tool of this invention preferably integrally presents an elongated handle  10  having a first terminal end  11  and a second terminal end  12 . The end  11  presents a semi-circular hook  13 , which, as seen in FIG. 2, can have its center of curvature at C and on the center of gravity longitudinal axis A of the handle  10 . 
     It will be noted that the entire tool is preferably of an upright cross-sectional I-beam configuration throughout its length, as shown, and the main handle portion  14  can have a bead or foot  15  on both sides of the portion  14 . The tool  10  can have its remaining handle portion  11  with its bead or foot portion  16 , all for strength during the application of optimum torquing force through the tool which may be made of plastic. The hook  13  can have its foot or bead  16  extending therearound on both sides for strength. 
     The terminal end  12  can have four functional tools, namely, a paint brush comb  17 , a paint roller scraper  18 , a putty or the like scraper  19 , and a container cover remover claw  21 . Those four tools are preferably integral with the handle  10 . The entire tool  10  can be made in a single molding process, both for sturdiness and economy of production. 
     The claw or cover remover portion  21  can include an abutment  22  and a prier  23  which is pointed as at  24 . The portion  21  and abutment  22  are preferably spaced apart, as shown, for straddling the rim of a plastic cover. It should be understood that the cover remover tool herein is maneuvered by placing it upside down from the position seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 to have the portion  22  on top of the can cover while the point  24  is disposed under the edge of the cover which is then pried up by lifting on the handle end  11 . Such is a usual application of a cover remover, as seen in the references cited herein. The hook  11  is made available for presenting maximum leverage in the prying action. Also, the claw  21  is of a sufficient thickness of at least substantially one-half inch, that is along the edge  24 , so that it will not cut through and thus shear the cover in the prying action. The abutment  22  has an arcuate surface  25 , preferably of the greatest thickness on the tool  10 , presenting a fulcrum for securely pivoting on the top of the cover being released. 
     It will also understood the hook  11  can be placed over a horizontal support, such as the rung of a ladder, and the remainder the tool  10  will then be suspended from and directly beneath the ladder rung, and a bail handle of a paint container (unshown) can be suspended from the handle portion  22 . The handle bail. can then be in contact with the surface  26  of the abutment  22 . With the hook  11  located as shown in FIG. 2, the suspended paint can will be vertically suspended to be upright and directly under the tool  10 . Suspensions of paint cans are generally shown in the citations herein, and are known to those skilled in the art. 
     The tool end  12  also has the paint comb  17 , preferably with teeth  27 , and the roller scraper  18 , with its arcuate edge  28 , both extending laterally from the tool  10  on opposite sides of the tool  10 . The scraper  19  can extend longitudinally from the handle and it has a beveled terminal edge  29 , lust as the other scraper  18  has a beveled terminal. edge  30 . All three tools  17 ,  18 , and  19  are preferably co-planar and integral in the tool  10  and of the same construction material, such as plastic, and they are located spaced from the fulcrum  25  and the prier  21  so that the claw can be applied as a pry tool to release the container cover without having any one of the three tools contact the cover. A reinforcing shelf  31  is preferably included for structurally reinforcing the comb  17 , and that also supports the claw  21 . The normal combing direction would be toward the reinforcement  31 . 
     When the tool  10  is in the ladder or other support suspended position mentioned, the brush comb  17  and the roller scraper are directly over the unshown but suspended paint can, so the paint run-off will fall into the can. The comb  17  and the scraper  18  are also available for their intended uses when the tool  10  is not in the suspended position mentioned. It will be further noticed that the comb  17  and the roller scraper  18  and the material scraper  19  are all disposed on the same plane, at what can be termed the bottom of the tool  10 , and the comb  17  and scraper  18  are on laterally opposite sides of the handle. Also, the comb  17  and the scrapers  18  and  19  are disposed to one side of the axis A while the claw  21  is to the side opposite that one side, as the tool  10  is viewed from the side, such as in FIG.  2 . 
     In sum, there is the multi-purpose tool with up to five functions, the tool is compact, can made of one material, is sturdy and has its individual tools arranged for optimum convenience and efficiency in their respective uses and relative to the handle body  14 . 
     While only one embodiment is disclosed herein, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that changes could be made relative to that embodiment. The scope of this invention should construed according to the claiming herein.