Generally, both professional and do-it-yourself painters must spend substantial time cleaning their various tools and containers at the close of a painting session or when switching between paint colors. Such tools and containers may include brushes, rollers, pans, sponges, buckets, and more.
Buckets are particularly difficult to clean in a manner that leaves the bucket free of dried, clumped, and/or crusted paint at the start of the next painting session. Primarily, painting buckets are generally deep five-gallon containers with a great deal of surface area to be cleaned. These size and depth complications are exacerbated when excess paint, which has been wiped from brushes, rollers, and the like, dries into the upper ridges or edges of the bucket. As a result, a painter must either expend valuable time and effort cleaning the internal surfaces and the external ridges of the bucket to render the bucket reusable or dispose of the bucket altogether. For professional painters charging between $35.00 and $50.00 per hour, a half-hour spent cleaning equipment at the end of the day and/or between each color change amounts to a sizeable production loss.
Beyond the time required to clean painting buckets when a painter is stopping for the day, breaking for a period of time, or changing paint colors to continue a job, bucket cleaning requires a great deal of water and an appropriate dump site. Many commercial job sites are not equipped with running water due to staged construction and/or other practical job-site complications. Other job sites don't have appropriate drainage facilities that can accommodate gallons and gallons of paint-tainted water.
Because cleaning a painting bucket between each paint session disposes of the paint coating the bottom, sides, and ridges of the bucket, each cleaning sacrifices a nominal amount of paint. Over time, this amount of washed-away paint adds up to a significant amount of waste.
Disposable bucket liners may provide an alternative to cleaning a paint-coated bucket in preparation for reuse. Using a disposable liner, a painter may complete a job and simply dispose of the liner before replacing it with a new one and continuing on with a new paint color or restarting the project after a break or delay in work. That said, current disposable liners, plastic bags, and/or other disposable receptacles exhibit numerous deficiencies. Generally, liners that are sized and configured to fit the inside of a painting bucket have a height that stops short of the height of the bucket so as not to interfere with the bucket's lid. As a result, the liners don't overlap or fold over the bucket rim, which allows the liners to shift position when paint is poured inside and fails to protect the top rim and the outer ridges encircling the top of the bucket. In addition, existing liners are designed for one-time use and do not feature reusable closure mechanisms that allow for the removal, storage, and later reuse of the paint-filled liners. As a result, they don't allow a painter to quickly and easily store unused paint remaining in the liner during a work stoppage, either for a break, and evening, or while the painter switches between paint colors.
Due to these drawbacks, there is a need for an affordable, disposable mechanism for keeping a paint bucket clean over the course of multiple uses and for allowing paint and painting tools to be stored for easy reuse between painting sessions and color changes.
Substances in addition to paint are oftentimes stored in buckets and/or bags. On the solid spectrum, storage containers, buckets, and/or bags, or a combination thereof, are oftentimes used to store solid pet waste for disposal or between disposals. This type of storage can be unsightly and associated with unpleasant, and even overwhelming, odors in and around the storage container, bucket, or bag. Heat also causes solid pet waste to liquify or partially liquify, rendering the waste nearly impossible to remove in a manner that leaves the storage container or bucket suitable for continued use over time.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
On embodiment provides a disposable liner for a five-gallon bucket having a bottom surface, inner and outer sidewalls, and an open top end. The liner may include a flexible bag having a bottom seam, a top periphery, and a reusable closure member that moves between open and closed positions. When the bag is placed within the bucket and the reusable closure member is placed in the open position, the bottom seam connects with the bottom surface of the bucket and the top periphery folds over the open top end of the bucket such that the reusable closure member abuts the outer sidewall of the bucket.
Another embodiment provides a bucket-and-liner system including a bucket having a bottom surface, inner and outer sidewalls, and an open top end. The system further includes a disposable bag configured to line the bottom surface and the inner sidewall of the bucket. The disposable bag may have flexible walls disposed between a bottom seam and a top periphery and a reusable closure member configured to move between open and closed positions. The flexible walls may be configured to extend across the bottom surface, up the inner sidewall, and over the open top end of the bucket such that the reusable closure member abuts the outer sidewall when the disposable liner is placed within the bucket and the reusable closure member is in the open position.
Yet another embodiment provides a method of applying paint contained within a painting bucket having a bottom surface, inner and outer sidewalls, and an open top end. The method begins with providing a liner system including a disposable bag having flexible walls disposed between a bottom seam and a top periphery and a reusable closure member configured to move between open and closed positions. The method continues with moving the reusable closure member to the open position and placing the disposable bag within the bucket such that the bottom seam connects with the bottom surface of the bucket and the top periphery folds over the open top end of the bucket such that the reusable closure member abuts the outer sidewall of the bucket. Next, the method includes filling the disposable bag with a desired amount of paint, applying the paint to a surface, and, when finished with application of that particular color, moving the reusable closure member to the closed position. Once the disposable bag is closed, the method continues with removing the disposable bag from the bucket for storage outside the bucket. After storage for a desired amount of time, either for a work stoppage or while the user paints in a different color, the method continues with replacing the disposable bag back within the bucket and moving the reusable closure member to the open position.
An additional embodiment provides a method of storing liquid or solid matter contained within a bucket-and-liner system including (a) a five-gallon bucket having a bottom surface, inner and outer sidewalls, and an open top end, and (b) a re-sealable liner sized to fit the bottom surface and inner sidewall of the bucket and extend beyond the open top end of the bucket. The liner may include a reusable closure member configured to move between open and closed positions. The method begins with moving the reusable closure member from the open position to the closed position before removing the re-sealable liner from said bucket.
Still another embodiment provides a deodorizing pet-waste storage system for storing pet waste. The deodorizing pet-waste storage system may include (1) a receptacle, including a base and flat front and rear walls connected by arcuate sidewalls, the flat front and rear walls and the arcuate sidewalls extending proximally-to-distally from the base to a receptacle opening bordered by a utility lip; and (2) a cover assembly, including: (a) a removeable rim forming a lip receiving channel configured to receive and retain the utility lip of the receptacle; (b) a lid rotatively coupled with the removeable rim, wherein the lid arcs between an open lid position and a closed lid position; and (c) a deodorizing assembly including a retainment structure enveloping an odor absorbing filter, wherein the retainment structure is optionally adjustable between an open airflow position enabling an airflow through the retainment structure to the odor absorbing filter and a closed airflow position preventing the airflow through the retainment structure to the odor absorbing filter.
Another embodiment provides a deodorizing cover insert for use with a five-gallon bucket in storing pet waste within the five-gallon bucket, the five-gallon bucket having a base, a circular sidewall, and an open top end. The deodorizing cover insert may include: (1) a removeable rim forming a lip receiving channel configured to receive and retain the open top end of the five-gallon bucket; (2) a lid rotatively coupled with the removeable rim, wherein the lid arcs between an open lid position and a closed lid position; and (3) a deodorizing assembly including a retainment structure enveloping an odor absorbing filter.
A further embodiment provides a method of storing pet waste within a deodorizing storage system including (1) a receptacle having a base, flat front and rear walls connected by arcuate sidewalls extending proximally-to-distally from the base to a receptacle opening, a utility lip bordering the receptacle opening, and a pivoting handle, and (2) a cover assembly having a removeable rim forming a lip receiving channel configured to receive and retain the utility lip of the receptacle, a lid rotatively coupled with the removeable rim, and a deodorizing assembly, the method comprising: (a) removing the cover assembly from the receptacle by separating the lip receiving channel of the removeable rim from the utility lip; (b) disposing a liner within an interior compartment of the receptacle such that an open end of the liner overlaps the utility lip; (c) replacing the cover assembly upon the receptacle such that the open end of the liner is disposed between the utility lip of the receptacle and the lip receiving channel of the removeable rim of the cover assembly; (d) opening the lid; (e) adjusting the deodorizing assembly to an open airflow position enabling odor absorption; (f) disposing an amount of pet waste within the interior compartment of the receptacle; and (g) closing the lid.
Other embodiments are also disclosed.
Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the technology will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned from practice of the technology.
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention, including the preferred embodiment, are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. Illustrative embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings, in which:
Embodiments are described more fully below in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the system and method. However, embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
Various embodiments of the systems and methods described herein relate to the application and storage of paint in a manner that saves time and money and reduces the resources (e.g., water, drainage, excess paint, etc.) traditionally required to complete these tasks. Additional embodiments relate to the storage of solid pet waste such as, for example, dog excrement and soiled cat litter, in a manner that is guarded against undesirable odors, conveniently transportable, affordable, easy to use and empty, and discreet.
To render liner 10a re-sealable, and thus useful for long and/or short-term storage of liquid and/or solid content, a reusable closure member 20 may traverse top periphery 18 at any appropriate offset, o, from top periphery 18. In this embodiment, reusable closure member 20 includes a zip-type lock formed of a grooved track 22 that interlocks via a press-fit with a ridged track 24. Reusable closure member 20 is configured to move repeatedly through open and closed positions via a press fit, thereby allowing a user to access and then store liquid or solid content 34 as many times as necessary until the user has finished with content 34 and is ready to dispose of liner 10a.
To accommodate a traditional five-gallon painting bucket, each flexible wall 12 of liner 10a may be 21.5 inches long. However, liner 10a may be any appropriate size, shape, length, width, and/or configuration to allow for sufficient overlap when bottom seam 14 of liner 10a contacts bottom surface 28 of bucket 26 and liner 10a expands to conform to inner sidewall 29 of bucket 26. For instance, while
With liner 10a in place within bucket 26, content 34, such as, for example, paint may be added to liner 10a and bucket 26 without fear of dripping or smearing excess paint onto inner sidewall 29 or open top end 30 of bucket 26. Further, the overlap protects ridges 36 of outer sidewall 32 when a painter leverages open top end 30 to wipe excess paint from brushes, rollers, sponges, and the like. As a result, when liner 10a is later removed, bucket 26 remains clean and ready for another liner, and thus another paint project or color, or for any appropriate secondary use such as carrying water or storing other equipment (e.g., paint trays, brushes, sponges, etc.).
When the liner is removed from bucket 26, it may be beneficial to store it in an upright position so as to keep content 34 away from reusable closing member 20.
At the close of a project, a user may throw away the disposable liner. In the case of liquid content 34, the user may want to fully empty the liner before disposal.
Embodiments of liner 10a-c allow users to integrate readily available five-gallon buckets into projects that would otherwise require a great deal of clean-up and/or several different buckets to achieve. For instance, rather than using one bucket and cleaning it between each color required of a multi-color paint job, or alternately, employing several painting buckets and cleaning each one at the end of the day or at the end of a work session, a painter may employ one bucket and multiple liners 10a-c. By alternating liners for each color and storing the liners during work stoppages, as discussed above, the painter may maximize his or her painting time and avoid the need for abundant rinse water, drainage outlets, and/or multiple buckets to be juggled and cleaned.
Notably, while liners 10a-c have primarily been discussed with reference to storing paint and its usefulness in the personal and professional painting environment, liners 10a-c and bucket-and-liner system 11, discussed above, may be used with any appropriate solid or liquid content 34. For instance, embodiments of liners 10a-c, may be used to store pet waste or soiled baby diapers between trash-removal days.
While method 150 is discussed in specific relation to liners 10b-c, all liners 10a-c may be stored by simply removing the liners from bucket 26 and setting them aside. Stability aperture 38 and stability hanger 40 simply provide a mechanism for holding liners 10b-c upright in the event that a user desires to keep reusable closure member 20 free and clear of contents 34.
Turning to exemplary embodiments of the pet-waste storage assembly,
The flat front and rear walls 208 and the arcuate sidewalls 210 of the receptacle 202 may terminate at a distal end, thereby forming a receptacle opening 212 bordered by a utility lip 214. The utility lip 214 of the receptacle 202 may have a width, WR, extending between an inner edge 215 and an outer edge 217 and a height, HR, extending between a top surface 219 and a bottom edge 221. The width, WR, and the height, HR, of the utility lip 214 may be configured to be received within a mirroring channel of an embodiment of a mating cover, as discussed below in relation to
In this embodiment, the receptacle 202 may include a carry handle 218 that is rotatively coupled between either the arcuate sidewalls 210, as shown in
Embodiments of the receptacle 202 may be combined with a variety of different covers or cover assemblies. In this regard,
In this embodiment, the deodorizing cover assembly 230a may include a removeable rim 232 that forms a utility-lip receiving channel 234 (
The deodorizing cover assembly 230a may also include a push-release lid 236 that is rotatively coupled with the removable rim 232 via any appropriate rotative mechanism such as, for example, a pair of hinges 238 or springs that are biased toward an open position of the lid 236, as shown in
In this embodiment, the push-to-release latch may include a latch portion 240 extending inward from the removeable rim 232 and an opposing catch portion 242 extending outward from a bottom surface 246 of the lid 236 toward the latch portion 240. Embodiments of the push-to-release latch may be mechanical, magnetic, or actuated in any other appropriate manner.
Embodiments of the deodorizing cover assembly 230a may also incorporate a deodorizing assembly 248, detailed in
When the sidewall 257 is manually rotated relative to the alignment slot 254 (
An odor absorbing filter such as, for example, an activated carbon (e.g., activated charcoal) deodorizer filter 268 may be disposed within the boundary formed by the alignment ring 250 and the deodorizer cap 252. In this regard, when in the open position of
In operation, the deodorizing cover assembly 230a may be removed from the receptacle 202, via the removeable rim 232, before a bag or liner 270 such as, for example, an embodiment of the liner 10a-c discussed above, a proprietary compostable liner, or another commercially-available bag or liner, is placed within the interior compartment 216 of the receptacle 202 such that an open top end of the liner overlaps the utility lip 214 of the receptacle, as shown in
Embodiments of the pet-waste storage assembly 200b allow for convenient placement of the assembly at a storage location, either indoors or outside, due to effective odor elimination, a streamlined profile, and the carry handle that allows the assembly to be transported without fear of spillage or bag or liner failure. Waste from a pet owner's yard or litter box may be gathered and easily deposited into the receptacle 202 with a downward press upon the push-release lid 236. When trash day arrives, the assembly 200b may be transported from the storage location to a disposal location within close proximity of the user's trash can or dumpster before the liner is removed and dropped into the waste bin. Alternatively, the liner 270 may be removed in place at the storage location and transported to the disposal location.
Embodiments of components of the pet-waste storage assembly 200a, 200b, including the receptacle 202, the utility cover 204, and components of the deodorizing cover assembly 230a, may be formed of any appropriately durable plastic or metal.
An alternate embodiment of a deodorizing cover assembly 230b may include components identical to the deodorizing cover assembly 230a, discussed above in relation to
While embodiments of the pet-waste storage assembly 200a, 200b are primarily useful in storing pet waste within or outside the home, one or more accessories may render the receptacle 202 useful for other purposes. In this regard,
Paint may be placed within the receptacle 202, and a paint roller may be dipped into the paint and rolled upon the texturized front surface 276 of the roller panel 274 in preparation for application to paintable surface. In one embodiment, a liner, such as the re-sealable liner 10a-c discussed above in relation to
The pet-waste storage systems and accessories described above enable a variety of use methods that provide for convenient, odor-free, discrete, and affordable storage and disposal of pet waste generated outside or within a pet owner's home.
When the receptacle 202 is full or trash day arrives, the user may easily transport the pet-storage assembly 200b from a storage location (e.g., inside on a shelf, inside a garage) to a disposal location such as, for example, the outside trash receptacle or dumpster using the carry handle 218 (312) before removing the deodorizing cover assembly 230a (314), removing the bag or liner 270 (316), and transferring the bag or line 270 to the waste dumpster or other container (318) at the disposal location for offsite disposal.
The method (300) may equally be carried out using the pet-waste storage assembly 200c, including the pet-deodorizing cover assembly 230b and a traditional five-gallon bucket 271, which replaces the receptacle 202, as discussed above in relation to
In one embodiment, and at the close of a painting session, the top periphery 18 of the liner 10a-c may be gathered over the paint, the removeable paint screen, the roller and/or the paint brush, and/or any other tools that have been placed within the lined receptacle (364). The resealable closure member 20 of the liner 10a-c may then be moved from the open position to the closed position, as shown and discussed above in relation to
Although the above embodiments have been described in language that is specific to certain structures, elements, compositions, and methodological steps, it is to be understood that the technology defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific structures, elements, compositions and/or steps described. Rather, the specific aspects and steps are described as forms of implementing the claimed technology. Since many embodiments of the technology can be practiced without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.
This application is continuation-in-part of pending prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/426,740, filed on Feb. 7, 2017 by Brannon K. Aki for “DISPOSABLE BUCKET LINER,” which application is a divisional of pending prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/458,908, filed on Aug. 13, 2014 by Brannon K. Aki for “DISPOSABLE BUCKET LINER,” issued on Mar. 21, 2017 as U.S. Pat. No. 9,598,208, which application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119 (e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/866,442, filed Aug. 15, 2013 by Brannon K. Aki for “DISPOSABLE BUCKET LINER,” all of which patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61866442 | Aug 2013 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14458908 | Aug 2014 | US |
Child | 15426740 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15426740 | Feb 2017 | US |
Child | 16983211 | US |