Patent ID: 7686502

Claim:
A device for mixing paint disposed in a container having a width substantially equal to the diameter of a conventional one gallon paint container, said device comprising: a bucket for holding the container during the mixing of the paint, said bucket having a central axis and comprising: a retainer having a plurality of side walls, said side walls being joined together at first, second, third and fourth rounded corners so as to define an interior holding space with a substantially square cross-section within which the container is disposed when the device is mixing the paint in the container, wherein the first corner and the third corner oppose each other diagonally across the holding space; a base secured to the bottom of the retainer, said base having a floor with a plurality of support structures extending upwardly therefrom, said support structures at least partially defining the periphery of a cylinder-receiving region of the floor, said cylinder-receiving region having a center that is offset from the central axis of the bucket in the direction of the third corner of the retainer; wherein when the container is cylindrical and is disposed in the bucket, a bottom end of the container is supported on the cylinder-receiving region of the floor and is disposed inwardly of the support structures, and the vertical axis of the container is offset from the central axis of the bucket in the direction of the third corner of the retainer; wherein when the container has a substantially square cross-section, the container is supported on top of the support structures so as to be elevated above the floor, and the vertical axis of the container is collinear with the central axis of the bucket; and an electric motor connected to the base for rotating the bucket about the central axis.