Patent Publication Number: US-2020298391-A1

Title: Bucket Tool Organizer

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/587,196 filed on Sep. 30, 2019 and thereby claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/756,714 filed on Nov. 7, 2018. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to organizational solutions. More specifically, the present invention provides an organizer system for a bucket that allows tools and other items to be stored within the bucket in a safe and convenient manner. 
     Individuals who work on construction job sites or in similar fields often have a personal supply of tools. It can be cumbersome and time consuming to store and transport tools around and between job sites. The constant moving of the tools can often lead to them becoming misplaced or possibly damaged. During inclement weather or at job sites with less than ideal working conditions, tools can become damaged to the point where they are no longer usable, and it can be wasteful and costly to purchase new tools. 
     While the above problems are common on many job sites, similar problems exist for individual homeowners, who must often transport their tools between various locations around their home. It is important to keep tools and similar items in an organized manner so that they are not accidentally lost and are easily accessible when needed. It is also important to store tools in a manner such that they are protected from inclement weather and other things that may cause damage. In order to address these concerns, the present invention provides a tool organizing system that can be secured within a bucket, particularly within a bucket that includes a sealing lid, such that the tools and other items are protected from the elements and efficiently organized for transport and later retrieval. 
     Devices have been disclosed in the known art that relate to tool organization. However, the devices in the known art have several drawbacks. The devices in the known art relate to organizers that hold tools externally to the bucket, where they may be accessed during use, but not within the bucket. Further, the devices in the known art fail to provide a bucket tool organizer with a retainer ring that seals against the interior of the bucket, such that the contents of the bucket remain secured during transportation and handling of the bucket. 
     In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing tool organizing devices. In this regard the present invention substantially fulfills these needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of tool organizer devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a bucket tool organizer wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when storing an organizing tools and other items in a manner that is easy accessible and transportable. In an exemplary embodiment, the organizer system includes a flexible body having a first end secured to a second end in an annular configuration, wherein a plurality of pockets is disposed on a first side of the flexible body. A support sleeve includes a hollow cylinder having an open upper end and an open lower end, wherein the support sleeve is positioned within a similarly sized bucket. A retainer ring is configured to engage an upper edge of the support sleeve, such that a portion of the flexible body is secured between the upper edge of the support sleeve and the retainer ring. The organizer system allows tools and other items to be secured within the bucket such that they are protected from the elements yet easily accessible when needed. 
     One object of the present invention is to provide a bucket tool organizer that has all of the advantages of devices in the known art and none of the disadvantages. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a bucket tool organizer that secures entirely within the interior of a lidded bucket, such that the contents of the organizer are protected within a weatherproof enclosure. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a bucket tool organizer having components that can be easily disconnected from one another, namely the retainer ring, flexible body, and support sleeve, such that they can be compactly stored when not in use. 
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the flexible body of an embodiment of the bucket tool organizer system. 
         FIG. 2  shows an expanded perspective view of the support sleeve and flexible body of an embodiment of the bucket tool organizer. 
         FIG. 3  shows an expanded perspective view of the retainer ring, support sleeve, and flexible body of an embodiment of the bucket tool organizer. 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the bucket tool organizer in use. 
         FIG. 5  shows an alternate perspective view of an embodiment of the bucket tool organizer in use. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the bucket tool organizer. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for securing an organizer for tools and other items within a bucket, such that they are portable and easy to access when needed. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a perspective view of the flexible body of an embodiment of the bucket tool organizer. The bucket tool organizer system includes an organizer  10  having a flexible body  11  that is composed of a durable fabric or any other suitable material. The flexible body  11  maintains an annular configuration, defining an open upper end  12  and an open lower end  13 . In the illustrated embodiment, the flexible body  11  is a continuous loop formed by stitching together opposing ends of the flexible body  11 . In some embodiments, the flexible body  11  includes disconnected ends that are secured together via a fastener  14  to maintain the annular configuration. The fastener  14  may include hook and loop material, snaps, or any other suitable type of fastener. 
     The flexible body  11  includes a plurality of main pockets  15  disposed on one side thereof. In the shown embodiment, the organizer  10  further includes smaller secondary pockets  16 . Each individual secondary pocket  16  has a width that is less than a width of each main pocket  15 , such that different tools and other items can be placed within suitably sized pockets. Other embodiments may include additional pocket configurations for holding particular types of tools or other particular items. 
     Each pocket  15 ,  16  includes an open upper end  17  and a closed lower end  18 , such that items can be secured within the pockets  15 ,  16  and yet still be easily accessed when needed. The individual pockets  15 ,  16  are separated via stitching  19  that extends through the material of the flexible body  11 . The non-rigid nature of the flexible body  11  allows the organizer  10  to move between a position where the pockets  15 ,  16  are on the exterior, as shown in  FIG. 1 , to allow the structure of the pockets to be seen. However, in use, the flexible body  11  of the organizer  10  is inverted, such that the pockets  15 ,  16  are positioned on an interior side of the flexible body  11 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , there is shown an expanded perspective view of the support sleeve and flexible body of an embodiment of the bucket tool organizer. The organizer  10  is insertable into a support sleeve  21 . The support sleeve  21  includes a hollow cylinder  25  having an upper edge  23  and a lower edge  24 , defining an interior channel  22  that is sized to receive the flexible body  11  of the organizer. In operation, the flexible body  11  is oriented such that the pockets  15  are interior facing. The flexible body  11  is then inserted into the interior channel  22  of the support sleeve  21 . An upper portion  20  of the flexible body  11  extends upwardly past the upper edge  23  of the support sleeve, such that the upper portion  20  can be folded down over the upper edge  23  and around the hollow cylinder  25  of the support sleeve  21 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown an expanded perspective view of the retainer ring, support sleeve, and flexible body of an embodiment of the bucket tool organizer. The upper portion  20  of the flexible body is folded over the upper edge of the cylinder  25  of the support sleeve  21 , loosely securing the flexible body to the support sleeve  21 . To facilitate the connection between the support sleeve  21  and the flexible body of the organizer, the upper portion  20  includes no pockets thereon, providing a more uniform attachment surface. 
     A retainer ring  31  includes a flexible member  32  which can maintain a circular shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the support sleeve  21 . The flexible member  32  is composed of rubber or any other suitable durable, flexible, and weatherproof material. In the shown embodiment, the flexible member  32  is disconnected and includes opposing ends  33 ,  34 , such that the flexible member  32  can be easily manipulated to install or uninstall the retainer ring  31 . The retainer ring  31  includes a pair of parallel walls defining a U-shaped channel which receives and engages the upper edge of the support sleeve  21 . In this way, the upper portion  20  portion of the flexible body is secured between the upper edge of the support sleeve  21  and the retainer ring  32 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , there are shown multiple perspective views of an embodiment of the bucket tool organizer in use. In operation, the organizer system is supported within a bucket  41 . The bucket includes a base  42 , a perimeter sidewall  43 , and an open upper end  46  defining an interior volume. The interior volume is sized to receive the assembled support sleeve, flexible body, and retainer ring  31 , such that support sleeve rests on the floor  44  of the bucket  41 . When the support sleeve is supported within the bucket  41 , the retainer ring  31  makes flush contact with an interior side  45  of the perimeter sidewall  43  of the bucket  41 , forming a seal therebetween. The seal helps effectively secure the organizer system within the bucket  41  during movement of the bucket  41 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the bucket  41  may also include a lid  51  configured to be removably secured over the open upper end  46  of the bucket  41 . The lid  51  can be removably secured to the bucket  41  via a threaded connection, friction fit, or any other effective securement mechanism. In the shown embodiment, the lid  51  includes a gasket  52  on a lower side thereof. The gasket  52  is configured to form a weatherproof seal when secured over the open upper end  46  of the bucket  41 . In this way, a watertight and weatherproof enclosure is formed, thereby protecting the contents of the pockets  15 ,  16  from inclement weather, moisture, and other hazards. 
     It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.