Patent ID: 7178766

Claim:
A retainer for immobilizing a bucket against rotational and other movements during a time that material contained within the bucket is mixed, comprising: a retainer ring having a vertical axis which forms a cylindrically-shaped socket into which the bucket may be placed; with the ring having a forward portion, diametrically opposite side portions and a rear portion; a laterally outwardly extending, generally flat wing formed on each of the opposite side portions of the ring; each wing extending along that wing's respective ring side portion rearwardly of the ring a sufficient distance for supporting a foot of a user of the retainer which is positioned upon said wing so that the feet of the user are on opposite sides of the ring rear portion and the user's body is arranged upright and generally parallel to, and spaced rearwardly of, the vertical axis of the ring, and the body of the user is generally rearwards of said rear portion of the ring whereby a mixer held by the user will extend substantially vertically downwardly approximately into the center of a bucket arranged within the ring; said ring having an interior, circularly-shaped wall surface having upper and lower edges, which taper downwardly and inwardly from the upper to the lower edges, relative to the axis of the ring, with the diameter of the upper edge being adapted to be larger than the anticipated diameter of the bucket and the diameter of the lower edge, and the diameter of the lower edge being adapted to be smaller than the anticipated diameter of the bucket; whereby the bucket containing material to be mixed is inserted in the socket so that the bucket engages and frictionally locks to portions of the inner surface of the wall, and the user of the retainer may step upon the wings to firmly press the wings and, thereby, hold the retainer, against a surface upon which the retainer may be positioned, and to position the user generally over the bucket so that the user may insert and hold the mixing device in the bucket for mixing the material while simultaneously holding the bucket against rotational or other movements that might otherwise have occurred if the bucket were free to move; and the interior wall of the ring being formed with at least two coaxial upper and lower generally cylindrically shaped tapered portions, with the upper cylindrically shaped tapered portion being of a larger diameter than the lower cylindrically shaped tapered portion, and thereby forming different diameter socket portions, so that at least two different diameter buckets may be engaged by, and retained within, the socket portions within which the bucket more closely fits.