Abstract:
A paintbrush holder for holding a plurality of paintbrushes, the paintbrush holder comprises a base including a number of feet, a leg extending upward from the base, a number of arms extending radially outward from a top of the leg, and a handle positioned at the top of the leg. The arms are configured to hold the paintbrushes so that they hang downward for allowing liquid to drip off of the paintbrushes and for allowing the paintbrushes to dry.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Embodiments of the present invention relate to apparatuses for use with paintbrushes. 
         [0002]    Paintbrushes often are reused numerous times during a single paint job and often are used for multiple jobs. Between uses, a paintbrush must be stored properly. Improperly storing and transporting a paintbrush can result in damaged paintbrush bristles, paint accumulation on the paintbrush handle, and paint accumulation on other surfaces such as carpet, clothing, and other equipment. Painters currently do not have an easy and compact way to store or transport paintbrushes between uses. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    A paintbrush holder that allows a user to easily and compactly store and transport paintbrushes is provided. More particularly, a paintbrush holder that allows a user to hang a number of paintbrushes therefrom is provided. 
         [0004]    An embodiment of the present invention is a paintbrush holder broadly including a base, a leg, a number of arms, and a handle. The base includes a number of feet for supporting the leg and the arms. The leg extends upward from the feet for holding the arms above the base. The arms extend radially outward from the top of the leg for hanging the paintbrushes therefrom. The handle is positioned at a top of the leg for allowing a user to lift or pick up the paintbrush holder. The paintbrush holder may be positioned in a receptacle such as a bucket or a bag so that paint or water dripping from the paintbrushes is collected in the receptacle, which prevents liquids from getting on nearby surfaces, and to easily store and transport a number of paintbrushes without damaging the paintbrush bristles. 
         [0005]    This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the detailed description below. The summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
         [0006]    Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a paintbrush holder constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention and depicted holding a number of paintbrushes in a receptacle; and 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of the paintbrush holder of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
       [0009]    The drawing figures do not limit the current invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0010]    The following detailed description of the present invention references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the present invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the present invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the current invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the current invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. 
         [0011]    In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the current technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein. 
         [0012]    Embodiments of the present invention may be used for holding a number of paintbrushes  10   a - c  in a receptacle  12 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0013]    The paintbrushes  10   a - c  include a handle, a head, and a number of bristles extending from the head. The paintbrushes  10   a - c  each include a hole, hook, lanyard, or other connecting mechanism on the handle for hanging the paintbrushes  10   a - c . The receptacle  12  may be a 5-gallon bucket, painter&#39;s bucket, plastic bag, or other receptacle for retaining liquid dripping from one or more paintbrushes and for protecting the paintbrush bristles during storage or transport. 
         [0014]    A paintbrush holder  14  constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail, a shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0015]    The paintbrush holder  14  is formed of metal rods approximately ⅛ th  of an inch to ⅜ ths  of an inch in diameter, molded plastic, wood, or any other suitable material and includes a base  16 , one or more legs  18 , a number of arms  20   a - d , and a handle  22 . 
         [0016]    The base  16  supports the rest of the paintbrush holder  14  and is sufficiently wide to retain a center of gravity of the paintbrush holder  14  over the base  16  so that the paintbrush holder  14  does not easily tip over. The base  16  may include a number of feet  24   a - d . The feet  24   a - d  extend approximately  4  inches to approximately  12  inches radially from a lower center of the paintbrush holder  14  and substantially equiangularly from each other. The feet  24   a - d  may extend slightly downward so that only ends of the feet  24   a - d  contact the bottom of the receptacle  12  or other supporting surface. Alternatively, the base  16  may be formed of one or two wide feet or as few as three narrow feet. 
         [0017]    The leg  18  supports the arms  20   a - d  and the handle  22  above the base  16  and is approximately  6  inches to approximately  24  inches in height. The leg  18  may be formed from the same metal rods that form the feet  24   a - d  of the base  16  such that the feet  24   a - d  come together and turn upward to cooperatively form the leg  18 . The metal rods may be welded together to strengthen the leg  18 . 
         [0018]    The arms  20   a - d  support the paintbrushes  10   a - c  and extend from a top of the leg  18 . The arms  20   a - d  may be extensions of the metal rods forming the leg  18  so that the feet  24   a - d  of the base  16 , the leg  18 , and the arms  20   a - d  are formed of the same metal rods. The arms  20   a - d  may be approximately  4  inches to approximately  12  inches in length and may extend equiangularly from each other. The arms  20   a - d  may extend slightly upward so that the paintbrushes  10   a - c  are retained on the arms  20   a - d . The arms  20   a - d  may also extend directly above corresponding feet  24   a - d  of the base  16  so that the each paintbrush  10   a - c  will be substantially supported by one of the feet  24   a - d.    
         [0019]    The handle  22  allows a user to lower the paintbrush holder  14  into the receptacle  12 , to lift the paintbrush holder  14  out of the receptacle  12 , and to carry the paintbrush holder  14 . The handle  22  is positioned at a top of the leg  18  near proximal ends of the arms  20   a - d  and may be a ring, an ergonomically shaped handhold, a hook, or any other component for grasping, mounting, or hanging the paintbrush holder  14 . 
         [0020]    In use, the paintbrush holder  14  is positioned in the receptacle  12  or on a supporting surface or hung by the handle  22 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . A user may then hang one or more paintbrushes  10   a - c  on the arms  20   a - d  by sliding the paintbrushes  10   a - c  over the ends of the arms  20   a - d  via the holes of the paintbrushes  10   a - c . More than one paintbrush may be hung on any given arm  20   a - d  and the paintbrush holder  14  will not tip over because the feet  24   a - d  of the base  16  extend substantially outward to support the paintbrushes  10   a - c  independently of how the paintbrushes  10   a - c  are hung. The paintbrushes  10   a - c  will hang downward without touching the receptacle  12  or the supporting surface so that liquids, e.g., paint or water, can drip off of the bristles of the paintbrushes  10   a - c  and so that the paintbrushes  10   a - c  will dry without bending or damaging the bristles. The paintbrush holder  14  will space the paintbrushes  10   a - c  from each other so that the paintbrushes  10   a - c  will dry efficiently. The receptacle  12  will prevent liquids on the paintbrushes  10   a - c  or dripping from the paintbrushes  10   a - c  from getting on nearby surfaces. The user may then take the paintbrushes  10   a - c  off of the arms  20   a - d  and/or the user may lift the paintbrush holder  14  out of the receptacle  12  when the paintbrushes  10   a - c  are dry. 
         [0021]    The paintbrush holder  14  provides numerous advantages over conventional devices and methods for drying, storing, and transporting paintbrushes. For example, the paintbrush holder  14  can be easily placed in a receptacle  12  such as a 5-gallon bucket or a painter&#39;s bucket. The feet  24   a - d  of the base  16  do not become stuck to the bottom of the receptacle  12  because the feet  24   a - d  extend slightly downward so that only the ends of the feet  24   a - d  touch the bottom of the receptacle  12 . The arms  20   a - d  prevent the paintbrushes  10   a - c from sliding off of the paintbrush holder  14  by extending slightly upward. The arms  20   a - d  also separate paintbrushes from each other so that the paintbrushes dry efficiently and do not become stuck together. Moreover, the arms  20   a - d  extend substantially over corresponding feet  24   a - d  of the base  16 , which allows numerous paintbrushes to be hung from any one of the arms  20   a - d regardless of how many paintbrushes are hung from the other arms. Further, the wet bristles of the hanging paintbrushes  10   a - c  are not bent or damaged during storage or transport. 
         [0022]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the present invention as recited in the claims. Having thus described various embodiments of the present invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following: