Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/055,879 filed Oct. 16, 2013 which claimed priority to the following three U.S. Provisional Patent applications, each of which is hereby incorporated by this reference as if fully set forth herein: U.S. Ser. Nos. 61/795,460 filed Oct. 17, 2012; 61/853,627 filed Apr. 9, 2013; and 61/854,838 filed May 2, 2013. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    This disclosure relates to tool holders and tool organizers; more particularly it relates to modular tool and brush holders for use with a bucket-type container that has a handle. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Tool holders that attach to conventional plastic buckets and other like containers, including common five-gallon utility buckets, are well known and popular in the marketplace. Professional tradespeople and homeowners alike purchase and use tool holders for buckets to conveniently carry, organize, and store their tools. 
         [0004]    Existing tool holders for conventional plastic buckets fall into two main categories: fabric or leather tool holders and plastic tool holders. Fabric tool holders typically provide a multitude of pockets for carrying various sizes of tools and hardware. They wrap around the outside of a bucket, providing storage capacity on the bucket&#39;s exterior, or they drape over the rim of a bucket and provide storage capacity on the bucket&#39;s exterior and interior. Plastic tool holders typically take the form of; 1) inserts that fit inside a bucket; or 2) clip-on devices that attach to the rim of the bucket. 
         [0005]    Conventional fabric and leather tool organizers are difficult to clean if they become soiled, are subject to wear, cuts, and tears, that impact storage capacity and durability, are not well suited to prolonged exposure to moisture and climatic extremes, or to chemicals and other substances that are associated with many tasks undertaken by tradespeople, homeowners, and hobbyists, including painting, masonry, gardening, fishing, and many other activities. They are not designed for easy removal from a bucket and they do not function well independent of a bucket. They may become ungainly and difficult to carry when loaded, with tools stored in the exterior pockets dangling outward and prone to unwanted contact with walls, doorways, and other surfaces, as well as potentially injurious contact with the person carrying the bucket. 
         [0006]    Conventional plastic tool organizer inserts provide no storage capacity on the bucket&#39;s exterior. They provide a top-down only view of stored contents, which can obscure tools or hardware as they are needed and prove inconvenient to use, particularly systems that use stackable trays. 
         [0007]    Conventional plastic tool holders that clip on the rim of a bucket typically attach high on a bucket, with a container or containers sitting at or near the bucket rim, creating a high center of gravity that is unsuited to holding a significant quantity or variety of tools, as the weight of the tools tend to destabilize the bucket and cause it to tip over. They are typically made for a single use, such as holding a paint brush, and are not adapted for a multitude of tools. They can interfere with the movement of the bucket handle, which can hinder handle operation and compromise access to the tool holder, and they also do not function well independent of a bucket. 
         [0008]    Paint brush holders for buckets, including conventional plastic buckets, are disclosed in the prior art. These known paint brush holders typically aim to provide a means to soak and clean multiple paint brushes in a liquid, such as paint thinner or water and provide a convenient means to dry and store multiple paint brushes when not in use. They are also used to prevent downward-hanging brush bristles from touching the bottom of the container while soaking, drying, or storing, to preserve the integrity of the bristles and extend the useful life of the paint brushes. 
         [0009]    Known paint brush holders for conventional plastic buckets include freestanding brush holders that have their own frames so they can stand inside a bucket or stand independent of a bucket. There are also compression-fit brush holders that rely on a compression fit against the interior wall of a bucket, using friction to support the devices inside the bucket. Rim brush holders sit, rest, or hang on the rim of a bucket. 
         [0010]    Each of these existing devices are limited in their usefulness in various ways. They are generally large, bulky devices and take up significant space when not in use. They also make inefficient use of space within a bucket&#39;s interior. The known compression-fit brush use an unstable design that is prone to turning or falling inside the bucket, and may require the use of shims or spacers to achieve the desired fit, given significant variations in diameters for common buckets. They also require a generally lower location from which to hang brushes in a bucket, limiting the capacity of the devices for holding the longer-handled brushes that are common in today&#39;s market. They make inefficient use of space within a bucket&#39;s interior and lack the capacity to adjust the location of the prongs or clips that hold paint brushes. Known rim brush holders are prone to instability and movement if jostled, they make inefficient use of space within a bucket&#39;s interior, and lack the capacity to adjust the location of the prongs or clips that hold paint brushes. 
         [0011]    In addition to these problems, existing paint brush holders often use compression-style clips that are poorly suited for holding many of today&#39;s common paint brushes. These clips, typically made from bent metal or molded plastic, are designed to hold a paint brush by exerting compression on the brush handle. However, many paint brushes feature tapered handles that become thinner toward the end of the handle, farthest from the bristles. Compression-style clips are impractical for tapered paint brush handles as the taper prevents the clips from maintaining a secure grip. 
       DISCLOSURE 
       [0012]    A modular tool holder and organizer for use with a conventional plastic bucket and made from hard plastic material is disclosed. It includes an inner section that conforms to the inner vertical surface of the bucket, and an outer section that conforms to the outer vertical surface of the bucket. The inner and outer sections are joined and are supported by the rim of the bucket. Compartments or bins or sets of bins of various sizes are attached to the inner and outer sections of the tool holder creating storage space for a variety of tools and hardware or parts inside and outside of the bucket. The modular tool holder may be used singly on a bucket or in combination with another tool holder or with multiple tool holders on a bucket. 
         [0013]    A tool caddy having generally vertical inner and outer compartment support sections that are pre-formed to fit the tapering radius of a selectable container such as the ubiquitous five gallon utility bucket is also disclosed. It is believed that any round, top-to-bottom tapered container, such as the five gallon bucket of the type sold in hardware stores for utility purposes will serve as the selectable container. With some modifications that will occur to those skilled in the art, it will be optional to use containers that are neither round nor tapered as well. The inner and outer support sections are advantageously neither leather nor cloth but rather some semi-rigid, semi-flexible material such as thermoplastic, or virtually any plastic suitable for injection molding. In general a material is used that is form-retaining and self-supporting, as opposed to cloth or even leather. The inner and outer sections are joined to each other at their respective upper ends by a saddle, and each support section has at least one tool compartment. 
         [0014]    In some instances there will be only a single support section, typically an outer section, which hangs over the rim of the selectable container, leaving the interior of the container free to hold liquids, dirt or other materials. This same function can also be fulfilled by a normal outer section and a shortened inner section with no compartments. In some instances where there are both an inner and an outer support section, only one section, typically an inner section, will be pre-formed to fit the tapering radius of the selectable container. 
         [0015]    Some sections are desirably made not of plastic but of wire, or a combination of wire and plastic. In a wire section, support is provided in some instances by two vertical wire lengths, bent at their respective tops to form two hooks which fulfill the function of the disclosed saddle. A wire support section could also be woven from wire and consist of one woven, more or less contiguous, central section (like the plastic ones) to which compartments are attached. This configuration can have either an outer section only, or an inner section only, or both inner and outer sections. Caddies can have a wire construction on one side and a plastic or other semi-rigid, semi-flexible material construction on the other side. Likewise, some compartments are formed from wire cages, and these cages can optionally be mounted on wire support sections on plastic-type support sections. 
         [0016]    What is meant by the expression “semi-rigid, semi-flexible” is a material that is rigid enough to retain a pre-formed shape (such as by molding or stamping or pressing) but which retains a degree of flexibility so that it can be twisted and or bent enough to fit onto and off of the selectable container and any rim structure the container might have. 
         [0017]    The inner and outer sections are joined to the saddle in any of several possible ways. The inner or outer section may be clipped or screwed to the saddle, the inner and outer sections may be formed as a single piece with the saddle, or the inner or outer sections may be glued or otherwise bonded to the saddle. 
         [0018]    The saddle is advantageously large enough to slide over the rim of the selectable container, and has at least one guide extending into the interior of the saddle to engage the rim. The guide can be a ridge running all or part way laterally along the inside of one or both support sections, just below where the saddle engages the rim of the container. Or it can be a point or a set of points or dots or teeth or other protrusions that run all or part way laterally along the inside of one or both support sections. One kind of guide is also intended as a flexible and releasable snap locking part of the saddle that flexes slightly as the saddle is slid over the rim of the container, and then snaps back to engage a lip on the outer rim of most common containers. The guide serves to restrict motion of the caddy either up or down, or laterally along the rim. An alternative to the guide described above is to attach a soft friction material, such as chair leg bottom felt pads in place of, or in addition to, the guides disposed within the saddle. The saddle desirably has a built in handle. 
         [0019]    Preferred tool caddies have a plurality of tool compartments removably attached to at least one of the support sections. However in some instances, it will be advantageous to have the compartments either integral to the respective support section, or permanently attached. In other instances, it will be desirably to permit the compartments to slide from one position to another, typically with a means to lock the sliding compartment into place for extended usage. Other means of removably attaching compartments to support sections will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this disclosure. 
         [0020]    Some of the tool compartments for the disclosed caddy have at least one tab and are removably attached to its respective support section by hooking the tab into a corresponding slot in the section. Slots in the section are also positioned advantageously to provide for receiving various lengths of belting or loop material, such as can be used to hold hammers and the like tools. Other slots are provided to receive therethrough a different kind of tab (or it may be the same tab as describe above) that has radiused upper and lower portions that serve as guides for the section to slide down over the container rim and then again up over the rim for removal of the caddy from the container. These radiused guides extend inward with respect to the outside of the various support sections, where the tabs of compartments that snap on to the support sections protrude, to permit the caddy to easily slide on and off a bucket without the protruding tabs hanging up on the rim. Such radiused guides are not needed in other applications, such as when the caddy with its tool compartments is cast in a single piece or when sonic welding or the like is used to bond the support structure and compartments together without the need for tab or other mechanical connections. 
         [0021]    The tool caddy advantageously has at least one compartment that has a generally flat bottom. The flat-bottomed compartment is operatively engaged at a lower end of a support section so that the flat bottom serves as a base or foot for the section. Where both support sections are operably of equal length, allowing for slightly differing lengths along inside and outside dimensions of the container, and each section has a base or foot formed either by a flat-bottomed compartment, or by a different foot piece, the caddy will be stably free-standing outside of the container, even when loaded with tools. Where the support sections are not of equal length, a foot or stand-off piece can be added to the compartment or other foot of the shorter section to equalize the lengths for this purpose of free-standing tool caddy. 
         [0022]    Though the tool caddy of this disclosure in described in many instances in reference to a general or particular container having various characteristics, it is to be understood that a free-standing tool caddy (without bucket or other container) is intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. However it is intended also to include in the claims the combination of the disclosed tool caddy and the container itself. 
         [0023]    In a combination bucket and tool caddy, the inner and outer sections are pre-formed respectively to inner and outer vertical surface contours of the bucket. Where there are a plurality of tool caddies or support sections on the bucket or other container, it is advantageous to include a section fastener to attach one section to another. The fastener is optionally a clip, clasp, slide, pin or the like mechanism for holding two side-by-side trays or compartments together. The use of such a fastener in this disclosure is believed to be novel, but the fastener technology itself will known to those skilled in the art. 
         [0024]    In most instances of using a disclosed support section and its compartments, also known herein as a caddy or caddy section, in conjunction with a bucket or other suitable container, the bucket will have a wire bale handle or the like with two attachment points on either side of the bucket. Rather than have the fact of and the position of the handle and its attachment points be a problem for caddy placement and attachment within the bucket, at least some embodiments of the disclosed tool caddy are crafted to take advantage of the bucket handle. 
         [0025]    In some embodiments, where there are at least one pair of side-by-side caddies on the bucket, there are corresponding cutaways on mating sides of the respective caddies that are formed to match the bucket&#39;s radius and taper and that are disposed to face each other closely on each side of the bucket&#39;s handle. The virtual opening that surrounds the handle attachment point thus formed acts as a kind of locking window to restrict or prevent lateral motion of the caddy pair along the rim of the bucket, and at the same time to restrict or prevent upward motion of the caddy pair as it hangs on the rim. 
         [0026]    Caddy embodiments have the option of having a plurality of compartments removably attached to at least one of the support sections, and any caddy and its tools is desirably removable from its bucket to stand generally vertically on its own. 
         [0027]    The disclosed modular tool holder is believed to have the following advantages over conventional tool holders: 
         [0028]    conveniently holds a variety of tools inside and outside of a bucket within a medium that is easy to clean and highly resistant to deterioration caused by moisture, climatic variations, and exposure to corrosive substances, while providing interior and exterior containers that sit low on the bucket and are closely conformed to the interior and exterior bucket walls, lowering the center of gravity when the tool holder is loaded to enhance bucket stability; 
         [0029]    provides sturdy compartments that can hold tools more upright, and compactly, than the pouches used in conventional tool holders; 
         [0030]    can easily be removed from a bucket and used independently as a freestanding tool organizer, and easily reattached simply by placing the tool holder back on the bucket rim to give users the ability to carry a portion of their tools to a task without carrying the entire bucket and its contents; 
         [0031]    permits stable and user-friendly operation of the bucket while being carried, with modular tool holders that can be placed together, along either side of the bucket where the handle joins, putting the weight of stored tools on the bucket where bucket swing can be minimized while being carried; and 
         [0032]    creates an open space on the bucket&#39;s exterior that allows the bucket to hang closer and more comfortably to a person carrying it while avoiding unwanted contact with tools being carried. 
         [0033]    A new type of paint brush holder for use with a conventional three-gallon or five-gallon plastic bucket or other like container is disclosed. It has a support arm that attaches to the rim of the bucket, and the support arm extends over the bucket&#39;s interior. A flexible rim clip at each end of the support arm firmly releasably snaps onto the bucket rim to secure the device in place. Prongs, or hooks, to hold paint brushes extend in a generally perpendicular direction from the support arm. The prongs themselves are advantageously attached to prong clips that can move on the support arm, allowing a user to adjust the location of the prongs to accommodate paint brushes of different sizes. The paint brush holder may be made from metal, hard plastic material, a combination of these materials, or other suitable substance or substances. 
         [0034]    A novel brush holder that is suitable for hanging paint brushes to dry or for storage is also disclosed. The brush holder has a prong clip engaged upon a support arm and at least one flexible rim attachment clip at an end of the support arm, and preferably a rim clip at each end of the arm. The rim attachment clip is pre-formed to engage a rim of a selectable container such as the ubiquitous five gallon utility bucket. The rim attachment clip desirably has a flexible fastener component and a raised or protruding lip or ridge for releasable locking engagement of the rim clip with a corresponding lip or ridge on the outer edge of the bucket rim. 
         [0035]    The prong clip is generally slidable along the support arm with a prong projecting from the prong clip that is pre-formed to engage a standard hole in a brush handle. Some embodiments have a plurality of prong clips that are adjustably movable along the support arm in a sliding lockable engagement with at least one groove running longitudinally along the arm. One way for the prong clips to move along the support arm is to slide, ratchet or index along the arm using slide, ratchet and indexing technology that will be known to those skilled in the art. For example, a channel or groove along the top of the support arm can have a series of holes, gaps or teeth in the support arm groove and a matching pin or tooth in an underportion of the prong clip is provided for removably mating engagement of the prong clip pin with the holes in the support arm. A conventional tooth and rack arrangement is optionally employed. 
         [0036]    Some embodiments of the brush holder have an auxiliary support arm that is engaged at one of its ends to a mid portion of the support arm and terminates at its other end in a rim attachment clip of its own. 
         [0037]    The brush holder support arm generally extends out and across the interior of the bucket or other container. In some embodiments, the support arm has a radius such that a mid portion of the arm is higher than the rim. In other embodiments, the rim attachment clip has a selectable depth offset such that the support arm, whether or not it also has a curved radius, is everywhere at a level beneath the rim. Still other embodiments provide this same depth offset as an adjustable feature. 
         [0038]    The prongs of the prong clip are provided in a number of variant shapes and configurations to optimize their usage at work. One kind of prong extends outward from its prong clip and generally horizontally from the support arm and has an optional upturn at its end to secure the hanging brush(es) from accidentally jiggling loose and falling during motion of the caddy. Another kind of prong is in the shape of a hook or is“L” shaped, and another kind can be adjustably lengthened. Yet another kind of prong requires no prong clip and is directly engaged with the support arm itself. 
         [0039]    There is also disclosed an alternate tool clip that includes a flexible rim attachment clip that is pre-formed to engage a rim of a selectable container (such as a typical carry-all 5 gallon bucket), and at least one tool holder pre-formed to project from the rim attachment clip in a manner that is generally radially inward or outward (or both) with respect to the selected container. Possible projecting tool holders for this device include a prong that is pre-formed to engage a hole in a brush handle, and a rigid or soft tool loop. 
         [0040]    The disclosed paint brush holder has the following advantages over convention brush holders and brush holding systems: 
         [0041]    it permits use with all common types of brushes currently available on the market, including long-handled brushes with tapered handles, by providing adequate height to suspend brushes in a bucket and by hanging the brushes using the holes that are factory pre-drilled in the handles of nearly all modern brushes; 
         [0042]    it is compact and easy to store when not in use and fits securely on all common plastic buckets; 
         [0043]    it is adjustable to permit a user to customize the location and height of the hanging brushes and can hold numerous brushes in a compact area within a bucket, making more efficient use of space in the bucket and allowing the bucket to be used for carrying or storing tools other than paint brushes while in use; and 
         [0044]    it can be used to hold many other common tools with factory pre-drilled holes, in addition to brushes. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0045]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of the modular tool holder with container 
           [0046]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the modular tool holder 
           [0047]      FIG. 3  is an isometric view of an alternate modular tool holder 
           [0048]      FIG. 4  is an isometric view of an alternate modular tool holder 
           [0049]      FIG. 5  is a partial schematic side elevation of a detail of the tool holder 
           [0050]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of the modular tool holder with container 
           [0051]      FIG. 7  is a schematic cross section of a detail of the tool holder 
           [0052]      FIG. 8  is a schematic side view of a detail of the tool holder 
           [0053]      FIG. 9  is a schematic isometric view of a detail of the tool holder 
           [0054]      FIG. 10  is an isometric view of the brush holder 
           [0055]      FIG. 11  is an isometric view of an aspect of the brush holder 
           [0056]      FIG. 12  is an isometric view of an aspect of the brush holder 
           [0057]      FIG. 13  is an isometric view of an alternate brush holder 
           [0058]      FIG. 14  is an isometric view of an aspect of the brush holder 
           [0059]      FIG. 15  is an isometric view of an aspect of the brush holder 
           [0060]      FIG. 16  is an isometric view of an alternate aspect of disclosed device 
           [0061]      FIG. 17  is an isometric view of an alternate aspect of disclosed device 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0062]    The disclosed modular tool holder has some or all of the following components: 
         [0063]    a bent plastic form, referred to here as a saddle, either in the shape of an inverted U, or sometimes a squared off inverted U channel, with an interior void large enough to slide over the rim of a plastic bucket, and with the interior-most wall of the saddle formed to match the radius of the rim of the bucket for secure support; 
         [0064]    the saddle with its interior and exterior support sections extends from the rim of the bucket on the inside toward the bottom of the bucket and follows the interior contour and taper of the bucket for a compact fit, and from the rim of the bucket on the outside toward the bottom of the bucket and follows the exterior contour and taper of the bucket for a compact fit; 
         [0065]    a compartment or set of compartments with various sub compartments and dividers that attach to the inside of the interior support section, and a compartment or set of compartments with various sub compartments and dividers that attach to the outside of the exterior support section; 
         [0066]    a built in handle to ease lifting of the tool holder on and off a bucket; 
         [0067]    a guide or set of guides in the form of an elevated ridge or ridges extending into the interior of the saddle, where it interfaces with a bucket&#39;s exterior vertical surface, to ease the attachment or removal of a tool holder on a bucket by helping it slide over the bucket rim, and to help hold the tool holder securely to a bucket when attached; 
         [0068]    a clip, clasp, slide, pin, or other fastener to attach one tool holder to another, if desired, when placed on a bucket, or alternately, a ridge, point, or otherwise elevated portion or portions of the interior face of the saddle, where it interfaces with the interior surface of a bucket, to create friction on the walls of the bucket to prevent the tool holder from moving or sliding when attached to a bucket. 
         [0069]    Turning now to the drawings, the disclosed modular tool holder will be described by reference to the numerals of the drawing figures wherein like numbers indicate like parts. 
         [0070]    In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , tool holder or caddy  100  of hard plastic material is shaped to slip over and securely fit on rim  55  of common plastic bucket  50 . The tool holder has exterior support section  120  that conforms to the shape of the bucket&#39;s exterior wall and interior support section  110  that conforms to the shape of the bucket&#39;s interior wall. Tool holder  100  has saddle  130  formed to match the bucket&#39;s radius and taper at the rim of the bucket. The upper inside part of saddle  130  rests on the bucket&#39;s rim, supporting the tool holder. 
         [0071]    Compartments  141  et seq. that attach to the tool holder&#39;s exterior provide space for holding and organizing tools. Compartment shapes may take a wide range of shapes and embodiments, as illustrated in the drawings and may be optimized for specific tasks, such as carrying larger tools or carrying small parts. Handle  150 , one of many possible handle embodiments, is used to lift tool holder  100  on and off the bucket. Tool holder&#39;s underside has a generally flat bottom  1455  or  1444  to permit a stable freestanding tool holder when it is used independent of the bucket. 
         [0072]    Compartment  148  is meant generally to illustrate the embodiment of external support section  120  where the compartments are either integral to the support section, or permanently attached to it. Compartment  149  is meant generally to illustrate the embodiment of external support section  120  where the compartments are removably attached to the support section, for instance by means of tabs and guides  126 . 
         [0073]    A clip or similar attachment device  160  is used to secure the tool holders to each other on a bucket. Paired cutouts  121 ,  122  permit two tool holders to abut each other on each side of a bucket&#39;s handle. In  FIG. 9 , an alternative cutout  128  in the tool holder divides compartments  140  and extends into the saddle cutout to permit the device to slip over bucket handle  60  when the handle is raised in the upright position and come to rest on bucket rim  55 . 
         [0074]      FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5  show alternate embodiments of tool holder or caddy  100 . External support section  120  is made of wire of metal in dimensions that will readily occur to those skilled in the art Like kind wire also makes up basket compartment  170  and handle  150  and saddle  130 . Saddle  130  is hooked over rim  55  of bucket  50 , and may optionally have a like kind wire made internal support section inside the bucket (not shown). In  FIG. 4  single section tool holder  100  has only external section  120  (no internal section to speak of) to which compartments  143  and  144  are attached. Saddle  130  is provided to engage the tool holder with the bucket rim (not shown). 
         [0075]      FIG. 5  is a detail of external support section  120  showing generally flat bottom  1444  of compartment  144 . To provide equal length sections for independent standing, when the sections are not of equal length at the bottoms of their bottom-most compartments, stand-off or foot  122  is provided to equalize any height or length difference. Guide  124  is optionally provided to fill the space between the inside of external support section  120  and the lower outside of the container or bucket, when the taper of the support section is not an exact match for the taper of the bucket. 
         [0076]      FIG. 6  shows bucket  50  with rim  55  and handle  60  supporting at its saddle  130  tool holder  100 . The tool holder has compartment set  148  on its external support section and compartment set  147  on its internal support section, and clip  160  protruding from compartment set  147  to mate or attach to another tool holder, as needed. 
         [0077]      FIGS. 7 and 8  show details of aspects of saddle  130  and removable compartment  140 , respectively. Inside saddle  130  there is a guide or catch  132  on its exterior side that will mate with exterior support section  120 , and guide or friction spacer or pad  131  on its interior side that will mate with interior support section  110 . Generally, guide  132  is sized and positioned to catch and releasably hold the outwardly protruding lip of bucket rim  55 , a lip common to most such buckets. Generally, guide  131  is sized and of a material to provide some degree of friction between the interior saddle wall and the exterior wall of the bucket just below the rim. For example, a small, thin rubber pad with a sticky backing (the kind people sometimes use on a lamp base to prevent marring of furniture) holds the units in place. The pad is placed on the inside of the interior saddle because the rim is smooth on the inside (not jutting out like on the exterior). The pad facilitates solid purchase with greater surface area. The guide or set of points extending into the interior of the saddle can also take the form of small bumps or radiuses that also create friction at the top of the saddle. 
         [0078]    In  FIG. 8  a nominal compartment  140  has a tab  126  that slips through a mating slot on one of the support sections to which it is to be removably attached. When serving only as such a tab it can be most any shape and need have only one hook, not two. The illustration is also intended to show the rounded shape of the tab when it is also a guide for the tool holder&#39;s easy installation on and removal from the bucket. 
         [0079]    When the tool holder is on the bucket, it fits snugly enough to the bucket to remain securely in place yet not so snug that it is difficult to remove from the bucket or to reattach it. The tool holder is an economical device made from an extremely durable medium that can extend the use of bucket tool holders for tasks and activities for which they are currently not optimized. It provides convenient space for holding, storing, and accessing tools, is easy to take on and off a bucket to permit use of the device with or without a bucket, and is comfortable to carry. 
         [0080]    Alternative embodiments for the modular tool holder include: 
         [0081]    a tool holder formed in various sizes and that extend inward, inside the bucket, up to half the radius of a common bucket; 
         [0082]    use of four tool holders, as shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         [0083]    any number of tool holders from one to six or more may be used and the tool holders may, if desired, cover the complete rim of a bucket and entire bottom of the bucket to maximize space for tools; 
         [0084]    a tool holder may omit the interior compartment and much of the interior support section, as shown in  FIG. 9 , to permit use of the interior of the bucket for holding water, potting soil, mixing compounds, or many other materials; 
         [0085]    a tool holder may include various cutouts on its exterior and interior sections to hold Velcro bands and other types of strapping material for supporting tools; 
         [0086]    a tool holder may be covered or partially covered by fabric or other material to enhance decorative aspects of the device or to provide a mixture of hard plastic compartments and more flexible fabric compartments if desired; 
         [0087]    a tool holder may incorporate the use of a lid or lids for its compartments to help retain tools, hardware, and small parts; and 
         [0088]    a tool holder may include stackable tool compartments that sit on, slide on, or otherwise attach to it, to provide additional tool storage space. 
         [0089]    The disclosed brush holder has some or all of the following components: a support arm designed to extend over a bucket&#39;s interior; a rim attachment clip at each end of the support arm; and a series of prongs designed to attach to the support arm and to slide, ratchet or index, or otherwise move on the support arm to allow adjustment of the location of the prongs. 
         [0090]    Turning now to the drawings, the disclosed brush holder will be described by reference to the numerals of the drawing figures wherein like numbers indicate like parts. 
         [0091]    In  FIGS. 10 and 11 , brush holder  200  has support arm  210  that extends over the interior of a bucket. Support arm  210  has a slight upward-facing radius  215  (see  FIG. 15 ) to provide an overall height suitable for suspending most paint brushes. Rim attachment clips  240  and  242  at either end of support arm  210  are for releasably engaging bucket rim  55  (see  FIG. 12 ). Each rim attachment clip has a flexible fastener component  246  with a raised lip  245  on the interior portion of the fastener to ensure brush hanger  200  engages securely with the lip  56  (see  FIG. 12 ) that is common to most bucket rims. 
         [0092]    Prongs  262  attach to the support arm to suspend paint brushes. Prongs  262  which extend in a generally perpendicular direction from the support arm, turn up slightly at the ends to keep suspended paint brushes from slipping off the prongs. Groove or hollow  213  in the cross section of support arm  210  aligns the prongs in an appropriate orientation and allows for the prongs to move along the support arm, if desired, or to be replaced. Desirably, prongs  262  are integral to or otherwise provided in prong clips  260 . The lower two flanges  223  of prong clip  260  are flexible to the degree required for them to releasably and slidably interengage hollow  213  on support arm  210 , while still permitting them to spread far enough for the prong clips to be separated from the support arm when needed. 
         [0093]    Upper groove or channel  212  on support arm  210  is provided with a series of holes or voids or teeth  214  or a rack (not shown) into which and with which tooth or pin  216  on prong clip  260  can index and releasably interengage so that the prong clips can be indexed or ratcheted along the support arm to provide differential spacing as needed on the job. 
         [0094]      FIGS. 12-15  are details for brush holder  200 .  FIG. 12  shows lip  56  on rim  55  of the bucket, to which rim attachment clip  242  can releasably interengage by means of catch ridge  245  and flexible member  246 . An alternate (non-indexable) sliding arrangement of prong clips  260  along support arm  210  is also shown, as are alternate support arm cross sections and prong shapes.  FIG. 13  schematically shows bush holder  200  with an alternate three branch support arm. Support arm  210  has additional support arm  217  attached to its middle and has its own terminal rim clip for bucket  50 .  FIG. 14  schematically shows support arm  210  sitting lower in the bucket, below rim  55 , because offset  247  on rim clips  240  allows the support arm to sit lower. Offset  247  may also be adjustable on the job (adjustment not shown). 
         [0095]    Alternative embodiments for the brush holder include: 
         [0096]    the prongs are fixed to the support arm to simplify production and reduce costs and the fixed prongs may optionally be formed as part of the support arm in a one piece design, or optionally clip on, snap on, or otherwise fasten to the support arm; 
         [0097]    the moveable or fixed prongs may be lengthened to hold additional brushes or shortened to hold fewer brushes; 
         [0098]    the moveable or fixed prongs may take other shapes, such as an L-form that extends from the support arm and changes the orientation of the hanging brushes from parallel to the support arm to perpendicular to it, or such as a common curved hook form, and many other possible forms; 
         [0099]    the support arm may extend in a level, or horizontal, orientation over the bucket&#39;s interior without an upward-facing radius, and the support arm may extend across the bucket&#39;s interior at a chosen measurement below the top of the rim, such as one inch, two inches, three inches, or more; 
         [0100]    the support arm may include more than a single arm which bisects the bucket interior, and use instead two or more arms that connect to each other to divide the bucket into three or more sections using three or more rim attachment clips; 
         [0101]    the shape of the support arm may have a rounded cross section where the prong clips attach, as shown in the figures, or it can take any form that secures the clips in place and keeps them in a generally perpendicular orientation, including shapes with right angles, shapes with multiple angles, or shapes that combine a rounded form or forms with angles; 
         [0102]    moveable prong clips may attach to the support arm in a number of ways, including, but not limited to use of channels, slots, holes, and other openings on the support arm designed to engage and secure the prongs, use of teeth, indentations, hollows, dents, dimples, or other means (on the prong clips, the support arm, or on both components) to help secure or index the prong clips in place on the support arm. 
         [0103]    alternate moveable prong clips may attach to the rim of the bucket in a manner similar to the way the support arm attaches to the rim; rim-attached prong clips may have one or a plurality of prongs and or loops or generally ring-shaped tool holders, or any combination of one or more prongs, loops, or ring-shaped tool holders. 
         [0104]      FIGS. 16-17  are details for alternate moveable prong clip  249 .  FIG. 16  shows lip  56  on rim  55  of bucket  50 , to which rim attachment clip  249  can releasably interengage by means of catch ridge and flexible member (see  FIGS. 10  at  245  and  246  respectively). Each clip can have one or a plurality of prongs  262  or tool loops  263 . And the prongs and tool loops can project generally radially inwardly or outwardly from the rim. 
         [0105]    In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, since the means and construction shown comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims, appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.

Technology Category: b