Patent ID: 7967497

Claim:
An implement for stirring a fluid substance in a container comprising: a shaft having a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis, said proximal end configured for attachment to an external rotary drive means, a paddle attached to said distal end of said shaft, said paddle having two opposite faces, a thickness, an upper edge, a lower edge, two side edges, two upper corners, and two lowers corners, each of the two upper corners being deflected from the plane of the rest of the paddle, each of the two upper corners being deflected respectively toward opposite sides of said paddle from each other such that, as said paddle rotates around said shaft, the deflected upper corners precede the face of the paddle, thereby increasing agitation in the fluid substance being stirred, said paddle comprising a plurality of apertures formed through the thickness thereof, wherein at least one of said apertures is of a different size from at least another one of said apertures, wherein said paddle is pivotably attached to said distal end of said shaft, whereby said paddle can pivot between a first position wherein said lower edge of said paddle is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said shaft and a second position wherein said side edges of said paddle are almost perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said shaft, said first position being suitable for mixing said fluid substance in said container, and said second position being suitable for receiving a paint roller over said paddle such that rotation of the shaft about its longitudinal axis will serve to clean the roller, further comprising structure for limiting the degree of rotation of said paddle relative to said shaft such that said paddle cannot rotate to a position where the lower edge of said paddle is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, and wherein said structure for limiting the degree of rotation comprises a raised projection on said paddle and a notch extending into a side of the shaft near said distal end of said shaft, said notch having an open end and a closed, far end, and wherein rotation of said paddle is limited by said projection reaching said far end of said notch.