Patent ID: 7077560

Claim:
A holding structure for holding a container containing paint during a mixing operation in a mixing apparatus, wherein said container has a width substantially equal to the diameter of a conventional one gallon paint container, said holding structure comprising: a base having a plurality of upwardly extending structures disposed around a floor, wherein the upwardly extending structures and the floor define a circular recess; a retaining structure secured to the base, said retaining structure having a plurality of interior surfaces at least partially defining an interior holding space within which the container is disposed when the holding structure is holding the container, said interior holding space having a substantially rectangular cross section, wherein the retaining structure comprises two pairs of opposing walls, said walls being joined together at four rounded corners; and wherein when the retaining structure is holding the container, the container is supported on the floor when the container is a conventional one gallon paint container, and is supported on the upwardly extending structures, above the floor, when the container has a body with a substantially rectangular cross section.