US20050011805A1

US20050011805A1 - Paint touch-up kit

Info

Publication number: US20050011805A1
Application number: US10/619,825
Authority: US
Inventors: Polly Lyons; John Lyons
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-07-14
Filing date: 2003-07-14
Publication date: 2005-01-20

Abstract

A paint touch-up kit, including a carrier having a right side, left side, front end, back end, bottom and handle, the bottom defining depressions, having a supply area and having a divider; and at least one container having a bottle, a cap, paint and a label, the cap having a flip top and a lip, the at least one bottle being positioned cap down friction fit inside one of the depressions such that the depression precludes the container from tipping over during use and yet allows removal for use and a method of touching up paint, including preparing the surface to be painted; selecting a brush from a carrier; removing a container from the carrier by lifting the cap end of the container out of a depression defined in the carrier; opening the flip top of the cap to access paint; applying the paint; and storing the container and paint contained therein, cap-side down.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to painting and more particularly supplies for painting within a home.
Commonly the home owner will paint various rooms of a home in different colors. For instance, the kitchen may be yellow, the bathroom may be blue, some rooms may be a shade of white and bedrooms a variety of colors. Certainly anyone that has been within modern paint stores will note the wide range of colors within the category of “yellow” or “blue” and can understand how the home owner can easily forget which specific shade of paint was used.
While the different colors add to the diversity within the home, the variety of colors adds to the volume of left over paint. Paint is usually sold in gallon or five gallon containers and the home owner often has left over paint when the job is complete. A home owner will often save the cans of paint for touch-up jobs as the need arises.
As the rooms need repainting or the home owner desires to change color, new cans of paint are purchased. Color changes result in more cans of paint to be stored. While the old colors should be thrown out, this usually does not occur. This has resulted in most homes having a library of gallon cans of paint stored in some location, usually in a corner of the basement.
A home owner may have many shades of yellow, blue, white or other colors saved throughout the years. When the home owner desires to touch-up a spot of paint, the homeowner merely proceeds to the basement and begins looking through the extensive assortment. Obviously, the task of finding the right can is daunting, the basement is a mess and the paint is stored in the least convenient location of the house for quick touch-ups. The painting supplies are often located in the garage with the other tools and may be equally scattered. A five minute job to touch-up a spot on the wall is commonly a two hour job to locate the right supplies.
The lids on the typical cans of paint often do not provide a smooth engagement with the lower portion, allowing leaking air and moisture around the seal. Lids may become difficult to remove from the can. Over time, the upper surface, or more, of the paint becomes hardened. The paint may also become discolored, especially if the paint separates before drying.
What is needed is a convenient manner to store all colors of paint used within a home in a single carrier. The carrier should also hold all painting supplies that may be needed for a paint touch-up job. The containers should also be positioned to preclude moisture loss from the paint. The container should also identify the relevant room and date the paint was last used to allow for timely disposal or usage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a convenient manner to store all colors of paint used within a home in a single carrier. The carrier holds all supplies that may be needed for a paint touch-up job. The containers also are positioned to preclude moisture loss from the paint. The container also identifies the relevant room and date the paint was last used to allow for timely disposal or usage.
The paint touch-up kit is provided with a carrier, at least one container and paint supplies. The carrier may be circular or may have a right side, left side, front end, back end, bottom and handle. Preferably, the bottom defines depressions, has a supply area and has a divider. Each container may have a bottle, a cap, paint and a label. Preferably, the cap has a flip top and perhaps a lip. Each bottle is positioned cap down to minimize paint drying within the container and friction fits inside one of the depressions. The depressions are configured to preclude the containers from tipping over during storage and yet allow removal for use. Paint supplies may be selected from the group of foam brushes, cotton swabbed brushes, sandpaper, paper towel, funnel, spackling, roller brush and roller tray. Preferably, the supplies are positioned in the supply area of the carrier until use.
A method of touching up paint, includes the steps of preparing the surface to be painted; selecting a brush from a carrier; removing a container from the carrier by lifting the cap end of the container out of a depression defined in the carrier; opening the flip top of the cap to access paint; applying the paint; and storing the container and paint contained therein, cap-side down.
Advantageously, the present invention provides for an easy to store, carry and use collection of all paints and supplies used within a single home.
Also as an advantage, the present invention provides for storage of paint in an orientation that precludes drying out of the paint over time into an unusable state by allowing the paint subjected to air to dry and quickly form a seal, e.g., exposed drying time, against more paint becoming subjected to air.
As yet another advantage, all materials, supplies, and paints for an entire home are maintained in a single carrier holdable with a single hand of a user.
As still yet another advantage, paints are catelogable to assist the homeowner in disposing of paints no longer in use.
Another advantage is the positioning of the paints to provide a wall for containment of painting supplies.
Advantageously, the present invention provides a storage container that allows inverting of the container and sealing of the cap to the container to protect the paint, yet has a small access port, which if sealed with dried paint, still allows non-strenuous access due to the size of the sealed surface area relative to the size of the container and inherent leverage due to the structure of the cap.
These and other advantages will become apparent through reading the below description and review of the attached drawings. Such disclosure is not to be read as limiting, but rather to provide an explanation of the best mode of making and using the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the present invention partially shown in phantom;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the carrier;
FIG. 3 is a side view of the container;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the supplies of the present invention; and
FIG. 5 shows top view of the present invention in a circular configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The paint touch-up kit 10 of the present invention is provided with supplies 11, a carrier 30, and at least one container 60. In combination, these parts provide an easy to carry, store and use kit for touching-up smudges or other defects in all painted surfaces throughout a home. These components will be discussed in serial fashion.
Supplies 11 that may be incorporated into the kit include surface preparation materials 17, brushes 12, and clean-up materials 19. Brushes 12 may include foam brushes 14, cotton swabbed brushes 16, and roller brush and tray 26. Cotton swabbed brushes 16 may be sold under the name Q-TIPS brand cotton swabs. Surface preparation materials 17 may include spackling 24, sold under the trademark DAP, and sandpaper 18. Clean-up materials 19 may include paper toweling 20 for cleaning-up spills and a funnel 22 for placing paint 70 into the containers 60. The supplies 11 are stored in the supply area 44 or in brush holders 44a of the dividers 46 of the carrier 30.
The carrier 30 preferably has a right side 32, left side 34, front end 36, back end 38, bottom 40 and handle 48, although the carrier 30 may be circular in design as shown in FIG. 5. The divider 46 may project at least two inches above the bottom 40. The right side 32 and left side 34 may project at least three inches above the bottom 40. Preferably, the depressions 42 are formed adjacent the front end 36 and back end 38 of the carrier 30 with the supply area 44 positioned therebetween. This allows the containers 60 to act as a wall for containment of the supplies 11 within the supply area 44. The bottom 40 may define depressions 42 of a size and shape similar to the containers 60 and a depth sufficient to hold the containers upside down during transport and storage. The present invention contemplates that there will be a plurality of depressions 42. The depth of the depressions 42 is preferably at least three-quarters of an inch and more preferably at least two inches. The bottom 40 further defines a supply area 44 for holding the supplies 11 and having a divider 46, extending between the front end 36 and back end 38, for separation of the supplies 11.
The at least one container 60 preferably has a bottle 62, a cap 64, paint 70 and a label 72. The cap 64 may have a flip top 66 with or without a lip 68. The flip top 66 frictionally locks in a closed position and is hingedly secured to the remainder of the cap 64 when in an open position. The cap 64 is threadedly secured to the bottle 62 and has a diameter equivalent to that of the bottle 62. The cap 64 has been found to be highly desirable in that typical paint covers become sealed to paint containers. The large surface area of the seal makes separating the typical covers difficult and leverage must be obtained through a device such as a screw driver. The cap 64 has a flip top 66 that provides leverage not commonly obtained with typical paint can covers. The flip top 66 may have a projection the snugly fills a small opening in the cap 64, leaving very little room for paint and has a small surface area relative to the size of the cap 64, increasing the leverage. Inversion of the container in storage further reduces the amount of paint that can actually dry and form a seal, making removal of the cap 64 a non-strenuous task.
The bottle 62 may be clear each container 64 is approximately two inches in diameter and six inches tall, although other colors and sizes are suitable. The container 60 preferably is positioned cap 64 down and friction fit inside one of the depressions 42 such that the depressions 42 preclude the containers 60 from tipping over during storage and yet allows removal for use. The upside down orientation has been found to preserve paint longer in the container 60, which is believed to result from the paint seeping into any cracks through which air might access the paint 70, forming an impervious seal, preventing the entire upper surface of the paint 70 from hardening. Any paint that dries inside the container 60 of the present invention does so before the paint 70 has an opportunity to separate, preserving the coloration of the remaining paint 70. Desirably, a plurality of containers 60 are used, one with each color of paint 70 used within a home and each container stored in a separate depression 42.
In operation, paint 70 may be placed in the container 60 using a funnel 22. Paint 70 of each color used within a home is maintained in a separate container 60. Each container 60 is marked with a label 72 with the color and/or color mixing formula of the paint 70, date each room was painted with the paint 70 and identification of each room painted with the color. Paper towels 20, water or any other cleaner may be used to wipe up any messes. Each container 60 is stored in a depression 42 defined in a bottom 40 of the carrier 30. The container 60 and paint 70 contained therein is stored cap-side down.
A smudge on a wall may be touched-up with the following method. The home owner may prepare the surface to be painted perhaps using spackling 24 and/or sandpaper 18. Then a brush 12 is selected from a carrier 30, perhaps being a foam brush 14, a cotton swabbed brush 16 and/or a roller brush with tray 26. The appropriate container 60 is removed from the carrier 30 by lifting the cap 64 end of the container 60 out of a depression 42 defined in the carrier 30. The flip top 66 of the cap 64 is opened to access paint 70 through an opening hidden under the flip top 66. Paint 70 is applied to the surface to be painted, perhaps by squeezing the bottle 62 and forcing paint 70 out through the hole defined in the cap 64 under the flip top 66. The brush 12 is used to smooth the paint 70.
The flip top 66 is closed and the container stored in an inverted position inside a depression 42 defined in the bottom 40 of the carrier 30. Brushes 12 are washed at the sink and placed back into the supply area 44 between the containers 60. The carrier 30, preferably approximately 10″×12″×6″ in size, may be stored in with other cleaning supplies in the kitchen or hallway for easy access.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A paint touch-up kit, comprising:

a carrier having a handle, the bottom defining depressions, having a supply area and having a divider;

at least one container having a bottle, a cap, paint and a label, the cap having a flip top and a lip, the at least one bottle being positioned cap down friction fit inside one of the depressions such that the depression precludes the container from tipping over during storage and yet allows removal for use; and

supplies selected from the group consisting of foam brushes, cotton swabbed brushes, sandpaper, paper towel, funnel, spackling, roller brush and roller tray, the supplies positioned in the supply area of the carrier.

2. A paint touch-up kit, comprising:

a carrier having a bottom and a handle, the bottom defining depressions, having a supply area and having a divider; and

at least one container having a bottle, a cap, paint and a label, the cap having a flip top and a lip, the at least one bottle being positioned cap down friction fit inside one of the depressions such that the depression precludes the container from tipping over during storage and yet allows removal for use.

3. The device of claim 2 further comprising supplies positioned in the supply area of the carrier.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the supplies include at least one member selected from the group consisting of foam brushes, cotton swabbed brushes, sandpaper, paper towel, funnel, spackling, roller brush and roller tray, the supplies positioned in the supply area of the carrier.

5. The device of claim 2 wherein there are a plurality of depressions and a plurality of corresponding containers.

6. The device of claim 2 wherein the cap is threadedly secured to the bottle and the flip top snap fits to a closed position.

7. The device of claim 2 wherein the bottle is clear.

8. The device of claim 2 wherein each container is approximately two inches in diameter and six inches tall.

9. The device of claim 2 wherein each depression is approximately three-quarters of an inch deep.

10. The device of claim 2 wherein the container has a front end and a back end, the depressions being formed adjacent the front end and back end of the carrier with the supply area positioned therebetween.

11. The device of claim 2 wherein the divider projects at least two inches above the bottom.

12. The device of claim 2 wherein the carrier has a right side and a left side projecting at least three inches above the bottom.

13. A method of touching up paint, comprising:

preparing the surface to be painted;

selecting a brush from a carrier;

removing a container from the carrier by lifting the cap end of the container out of a depression defined in the carrier;

opening the flip top of the cap to access paint;

applying the paint; and

storing the container and paint contained therein, cap-side down.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the surface is prepared using at least one member selected from the group consisting of sandpaper, paper towel, and spackling.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein at least one brush is selected from the group consisting of a foam brush, a cotton swabbed brush and a roller brush.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of placing paint in the container using a funnel.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

maintaining paint of each color used within a home in a separate container;

storing each container in a depression defined in a bottom of the carrier.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of:

labeling each container with the color of the paint, date each room was painted with the paint color and identification of each room painted with the color.