Patent Publication Number: US-6698699-B1

Title: Working material retaining accessory

Description:
This application is a non-provisional application of earlier filed provisional application 60/322,110 entitled “Working Material Retaining Accessory”, filed on behalf of Raymond B. Bailey on Sep. 13, 2001. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a container retaining accessory and more particularly to an accessory for securely retaining working containers such as paint containers to shelved ladders, the combination therewith and its use. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There exists a need for an accessory which can tenaciously retain a working material container to a shelf of a ladder. Such a need is exemplified by the placement of paint containers upon the shelves of ladders such as top shelved rung or a pivotally mounted shelf tray of step ladders. Under normal working conditions, a sudden jarring motion against the ladder frequently results in an unwanted spilling of the paint. This can cause considerable damage to the work area and result in considerable lost time and effort to clean up the paint spill. 
     If there existed a retaining means to securely retain the paint container to the shelved members of ladders and to avoid unwanted spillage, accidental paint spillages could be alleviated. Unfortunately, the surface of the shelved members of ladders are generally unfit for securely retaining the paint containers under the typical working conditions. The paint containers are susceptible to jarring and dislodgment from the shelved member. 
     It has been found that paint containers may be tenaciously retained to the upper surface of a ladder shelf with a paint container retaining accessory. The accessory may be readily attached to paint container and the ladder shelf to secure the paint container thereto and stabilizes the retained paint container from tipping and spillage. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Working material containers such as paint cans may be stabilized against accidental dislodgment from a ladder shelf with a working material container accessory. The accessory is particularly beneficial for securing paint containers to shelved members of step ladders. The accessory includes a flat upper support plate and a bottom retaining plate and detachable retaining means for securely sandwiching the upper support plate and the bottom retaining plate onto the ladder shelf. By adhesively applying a hooked fastener strip and napped fastener strip to a bottom side of paint container and the upper support plate in an interfacial engaging relationship, the paint container may be securely retained upon the ladder shelf and stabilized from unwanted or accidental dislodgment and spillage. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a prospective view of a paint container securely retained to a top step of a conventional step ladder with a retaining accessory of this invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a prospective view of the retaining accessory mounted to a holding tray of a conventional step ladder as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is magnified rear view depicting the paint container disengaged from the retaining accessory shown in FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Pursuant to the present invention, there is provided a combination (generally designated as I) comprised of a working material paint container  21  such as the shown paint container having a flat bottom side  33 , a ladder  2  equipped with a flat shelf (generally prefixed by  3  such as the top shelved step  3 A of FIG. 1 or the shelved tray  3 B of FIG. 2) for retaining working materials  31  such as the paint container thereupon and a working material retainer (generally referenced as  4 ) for securely retaining the working materials container  31  onto shelf  3 . As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the retainer  4  is particularly adapted for retaining a paint container  31  to the shelved top  3 A or step surface  3 B. The retaining accessory  4  includes a flat upper support plate  5  secured upon shelved surface  3  of ladder  2  and a lower retaining plate  7  secured beneath shelved surface  3  and detachable retaining means (generally designated as  9 ) shown as bolt  9 B and wing nut  9 W for retaining the upper support plate  5  and the bottom retaining plate  7  securely to shelf  3 . Retaining accessory  4  includes both a paired hooked fastener strip (prefixed by  13 ) and a mating pair of looped fastener strips (prefixed by  11 ) comprised of an engaging napped or looped strip material  11 B filled with an oppositely positioned facing adhesively backing (depicted as  11 C) for adhesively securing the engaging looped strip to the bottom side  23  of paint container  21  or alternatively to upper plate  5 . The hooked fastener strips  13  are comprised of a series of rowed hooked fasteners  13 H on one strip side for hooking and engaging onto the loops  11 B of strips  11  and an adhesively backing member  13 C on the opposite side from the hooked fasteners  13 H for adhesively securing the hooked strips  13  to upper plate  5  oppositely of looped material  11 . 
     The looped strip  11  and the hooked strip  13  may be interchangeably placed upon either the upper plate  5  or the flat bottom side  23  of container  21 . Hooked strip  13  typically comprises a conventional hooked nylon fabric material having a series of spiral nylon hooks  13 H supported by fiber strip backing  13 F and an adhesive coating  13  secured on the opposite side, so as to secure strip  13  to the upper retaining plate  5 . The adhesive backings  11 C and  13 C of material  11 B and hooked material  13  are typically provided in a commercial form by a strippable plastic strip (not shown). In general, the hooked material  13  useful in this invention is derived from preshrunk nylon filaments having sufficient rigidity within the individual hooks to permit the hooks to penetrate the pile of napped material  11 B rigidity to maintain hooks  13 H in a hooking position and thereby retain the paint container  21  thereupon. In general, the effective hook materials  13  utilized herein are constructed of monofilament nylon hooks to possess the necessary properties so as to securely maintain the paint container  21  thereupon. 
     Stability of paint container  21  against tipping or spilling is enhanced by providing at least two laterally positioned hooked material strips  13  and looped material strips  11  at an interfacial relationship as shown in the Figures. This may be effectuated by placing two parallel napped strips  11  on the bottom side  23  of container  13  with two mating strips of hooked material  13  being correspondingly positioned to top plate  5 .