US3625388A

US3625388A - Paint tray

Info

Publication number: US3625388A
Application number: US884127A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry Golden; Samuel R Genca
Original assignee: TRAY X CORP
Current assignee: TRAY X CORP
Priority date: 1969-12-11
Filing date: 1969-12-11
Publication date: 1971-12-07
Anticipated expiration: 1988-12-07
Also published as: CA936502A

Abstract

A paint tray particularly useful with an upright ladder having rungs wherein the paint tray includes pivot means at a proximal end for hinge mounting the paint tray on one rung of the ladder and tension means including a tension member such as a chain, rope or the like at a distal end of the paint tray for coupling the paint tray to another rung of the ladder higher than the one rung so as to support the distal end in a number of selected positions. The tension means includes means for varying the length of the tension member between the distal end of the paint tray and the other higher rung so that the declination of the paint tray may be selected not only to compensate for the tilt of the upright ladder but also for selecting the angle at which the paint tray may be most useful. The paint tray includes a cover member in sealing relationship with the distal end of the paint tray for containing and confining paint, other liquids or tools therein.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventors Henry/Golden;

Samuel R. Genca, both of Rochester, N.Y. [21] AppLNo. 884,127 [22] Filed Dec.ll,l969 [45] Patented Dec.7, 1971 [73] Assignee Tray-X Corporation s4 PAINTTRAY 7 Claims, 12 Drawing Figs.

52 u.s.c| 220m, 248/210 [51] lnt.Cl E06c7/l4 [50] FleldofSeareh 248/210, 21 l; l5/257.06, 257.05; 220/1 R [56] References Cited 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,661,858 l2/l953 Howell l5/257.06 2,759,620 8/1956 Pharris..... l5/257.06 2,887,705 5/1959 Serwer..... l5/257.06 3,474,996 10/1969 Stamm 248/210 3,495,683 2/1970 Broden Primary Examiner-William H. Schultz Allorney-Samuel R. Genca ABSTRACT: A paint tray particularly useful with an upright ladder having rungs wherein the paint tray includes pivot means at a proximal end for hinge mounting the paint tray on one rung of the ladder and tension means including a tension member such as a chain, rope or the like at a distal end of the paint tray for coupling the paint tray to another rung of the ladder higher than the one rung so as to support the distal end in a number of selected positions. The tension means includes means for varying the length of the tension member between the distal end of the paint tray and the other higher rung so that the declination ofthe paint tray may be selected not only to compensate for the tilt of the upright ladder but also for selecting the angle at which the paint tray may be most useful. The paint tray includes a cover member in sealing relationship with the distal end of the paint tray for containing and confining paint, other liquids or tools therein.

PATENTED DEC 7 Ian 3,625,388

sum 2 0F 2 PAINT TRAY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of Invention The present invention relates generally to a utility device and more particularly to a novel paint tray.

Although the present invention is suited for more general applications such as a tool-holding device, it is particularly adapted for use as a paint tray or receptacle.

2. Prior Art Prior art paint receptacles or trays of the open topped type for paint roller type applicators and flat applicators are well known to those skilled in the art. Such receptacles or paint trays have a shallow end and a deep end with an inclined portion interconnecting the two ends to define a portion where excess paint may be removed from the roller applicator and flat applicator. The excess paint flows to the deep end by the force of gravity.

Generally, paint trays of this type have been successfully used when mounted on horizontal surfaces or step ladders in a substantially horizontal position. Attempts have been made to utilize such prior art paint trays on ladders having rungs; however, a major problem of long standing exists since the open topped pan must be maintained substantially horizontal to avoid spilling paint. The problem is even more critical when the ladder must be moved sideways while held in an upright manner to a new position while the open topped pan is mounted on the ladder. Prior art attempts have included complicated expensive mounting devices which have been cumbersome to use or necessitated the paint tray to be mounted on the ladder in positions which are awkward to use. Such prior art attempts do not provide for an efficient, inexpensive, quick and ready mounting of the paint tray on the ladder in different positions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly described, a paint tray in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention includes a tray member having wall portions which define a distal end or deep end and a proximal end or shallow end. The paint tray includes means for pivotally mounting the proximal end of the tray member on one rung of an upright ladder and a cover portion over the distal end of the tray member to define a cavity or receptacle for containing paint or other liquids therein. A tension means including a tension member such as a chain, rope, flexible member or the like is coupled to the distal end of the tray member for connecting the distal end of the tray member to another higher rung of the ladder than the one rung so that the paint tray is hinge mounted on the one rung and supported from the other higher rung in any given desired position from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like elements in the various figures have like designations and in which:

FIG. I is a side view of the paint tray in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention positioned on an upright ladder;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the paint tray of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the paint tray of FIG. 1 shown in a horizontal position;

FIG. 4 shows the paint tray of FIG. I disposed in a vertical position;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another paint tray in accordance with another embodiment of the invention mounted on a ladder with parts broken away showing details of the paint tray;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view with parts broken away of the paint tray of FIG. 5 showing a bottom portion of the paint tray;

LII

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of yet another paint tray in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view with parts broken away of the paint tray of FIG. 7 showing a bottom portion of the paint tray;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a paint tray in accordance with another embodiment of the invention disassembled to more clearly show details of the paint tray;

FIG. 9a is a prospective view of a paint tray insert device for use with the paint tray of FIG. 9;

FIG. 10 is an insert device for use with the paint tray of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the paint tray of FIG. 1 shown in a horizontal position holding tools and a paint brush.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 11 of the drawing and in particular to FIG. 1, a paint tray 10 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown mounted on an upright ladder 11 which is resting against a building 12. The ladder 11 includes at least two rungs, a lower rung l3 and an upper rung 14 disposed between spaced apart side rails l5, 16. The ladder 11 may be of the extension type well known to those skilled in the art and forms no part of this invention.

The paint tray 10 is particularly useful with a roller paint applicator, paint brush and flat paint applicator, however, it should be understood that the paint tray 10 may be used as a work tray for supporting tools such as but not limited to screwdriver 110, pliers Ill and paintbrush 112 shown in FIG. 1 l.

The paint tray 10 includes a tray member 20 having

sidewall portions

21, 22 connected to front wall portion 23 and a rear wall portion 24 which define a shallow proximal end 25 and a deep distal end 26 respectively of the paint tray 10. The tray member 20 includes an inclined portion 27 which together with the

sidewall portions

21, 22, front wall portion 23 and rear wall portion 24 form the shallow proximal end 25 and the deep distal end 26 of the paint tray 10. The inclined portion 27 includes raised ribs 28 which are useful in removing excess paint 8 from the aforesaid paint roller or flat applicator. The excess paint 8 flows to the deep distal end 26 by the force of gravity.

In accordance with the invention, the paint tray 10 includes pivot means 40 at the proximal end 25 for pivotally mounting the paint tray 10 on a rung of the ladder l1. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 6, the paint tray 10 is pivotally mounted on the lower rung 13 between the side rails l5, 16. The pivot means 40 includes a pair of spaced-apart resilient brackets 41 each having a mounting portion 42 fixed to the proximal end 25 of the paint tray 10 and a curved gripping portion 43 for slideably embracing the rung 13 of the ladder 11. A guide portion 44 precedes the curved gripping portion 43 so that by merely forcing the paint tray 10 over the rung 13 of the ladder l l, the paint tray I0 may be pivotally fastened to the rung I3. While a pair of spring brackets are shown, it should be understood that the pivot means 40 may include a single relatively wide resilient bracket instead of the pair of resilient brackets 41. The pivot means 40 is positioned in cooperative relationship with the tray member 20 so that the tray may pivot about the rung 13 while the ladder 11 is positioned against the building 12. The position of the pivot means 40 on the tray member 20 is a factor of the length of the tray member 20 and the ladder 11 upon which the paint tray 10 is used. If the paint tray 10 is desired short and stubby, the pivot means 40 may be fixed nearer to the front wall portion 23; however, if a relatively long inclined portion 27 is desired, the pivot means 40 is spaced from the front wall portion 23 so that the paint tray 10 may be pivoted on the rung 13 of the upright ladder II.

The paint tray 10 includes an upper cover member 30 disposed over the deep distal end 26 in sealing relationship with the rear wall portion 24 and the

side wall portions

21, 22 such as by welding, soldering or plastic adhesive. The cover member 30 includes

upper sidewall portions

31, 32 and a tapered upper rear wall portion 33 and top cover portion 35 which define a cavity or receptacle 34 at the distal end 26. The cavity or receptacle has an opening 36. The upper cover member 30 may be molded with the tray member 20. The molding material may be fiberglas, thermo-setting plastics and other suitable molding material as shown in FIG. 9. The tapered rear wall portion 33 is positioned in cooperative relationship with the pivot means 40 so as not to interfere with the building 12 when the paint tray is pivoted into various positions about the rung 13 on the pivot means 40.

The cover member 30 includes a drip edge 37 which may be used for the removal of excess paint from the applicator aforementioned. It should be understood that edges 37, 38 of

upper sidewall portions

31, 32 respectively may be used for the removal of the paint from the applicator. The opening 36 permits a ready access to paint 8 in the deep distal end 26 of the paint tray 10.

In accordance with the invention, the paint tray 10 includes a tension means 50 for supporting the distal end 26 of the paint tray 10 from the next higher rung, namely upper rung 14 in any number of selected positions from a substantially horizontal position as shown by the paint tray 10 as shown in dotted lines (FIG. 2) or in a vertical position (FIG. 4). The tension means 50 includes an eyebolt 51 fixed to the cover member 30, a collapsible chain 52 coupled to the eyebolt 51 at one end and fastening means such as a hook 53 fixed to the other end of the chain 52 at 54. The hook 53 and chain 52 couple the distal end 26 of the paint tray 10 to the rung 14 of the ladder 11 by a loop 55 of the chain 52. The length of the chain 52 between the upper rung l4 and the distal end 27 determines the pivot position of the paint tray 10 on the rung 13. While a collapsible chain 52 is shown, it should be understood that other collapsible tension devices may be used such as a cable or rope 86 shown in FIG. 7.

In the operation of the paint tray 10, the pivot means 40 is coupled to the rung 13 of the ladder 11 by placing the inclined portion 27 on the rung and forcing the pivot means 40 over the rung 13. The paint tray 10 is then held to a desired position while the tension means is coupled to a higher rung 14 of the ladder 11 than the rung 13 as above mentioned. The chain 52 is looped around the rung to form the loop 55 and establish a given length of chain 52 between the rung 14 and the distal end 26 of the paint tray 10. The hook 53 is then fastened to the chain 52. The paint tray 10 is now in position for use (FIGS. l-4). The paint tray 10 is thus supported on one rung 13 of the ladder 11 at the proximal end 25 in a hinge manner and is supported in tension at the distal end 26 by the relatively light chain member 52. The paint 8 in the distal end 26 of the paint tray 10 and the weight of the distal end 26 bias the paint tray 10 downward about the rung 13 (FIGS. 1-4) and thus apply a tensile force on the tension means 50. By utilizing the tensile force, lighter members such as chain 52 or rope 86 may be used to support the distal end 26 since bending and flexure are not considerations for the design of the tension means 50. Further, the position of the paint tray 10 may easily be varied by the hook 53 and links of the chain 52 in tension means 50 to effect different positions of the paint tray 10 from the horizontal position (FIG. 3) to a vertical position (FIG. 4) within the dotted path 7. This may also be seen in FIG. 2 wherein the pain tray 10 may be moved to the horizontal position taken by a paint tray 1011 about the rung 13 through the pivot means 40.

Referring now to FIG. 5, another paint tray 60 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention is shown. The paint tray 60 is similar to the paint tray 10 of FIGS. 14 except that a different cover arrangement is used in the paint tray 60. That is, the paint tray 60 includes a triangular wedgeshaped cover portion 61 which defines a receptacle 62 which will contain a quantity of paint when the paint tray 60 is in the vertical position not to exceed the capacity of the paint tray 60 when the paint tray 60 is in a horizontal position. This will avoid the danger of spilling of paint 8 regardless of the various positions of the paint tray 60 from a vertical position to a horizontal position. The cover portion 61 is fastened in sealing relationship to the paint tray 60 in a similar manner to that used in fastening the cover 30 to the paint tray 10 or may be crimped thereto at the flange 65.

The cover 61 includes a mounting hole 63 for the tension means 50 used in the paint tray 10 so that the paint tray 60 may be supported from the upper rung 14 similar to the paint tray 10.

The paint tray 60 also includes the same pivot means 40 used in the paint tray 10 for hinge mounting the paint tray 60. The pivot means 40 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 6 and is used in

paint trays

10, 60 and 90. The pair of spring brackets 41 is mounted in spaced-relationship and fixed at the mounting portion 42 to the inclined portion 27 of the tray member 20 as by welding, rivoting and the like. Another pivot means 77 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, which pivot means may be used in

paint trays

10, 60 and 90 of FIGS. 1, 5 and 9 respectively and will be described hereinafter.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, another paint tray 70 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention is shown. The paint tray 70 is similar to the paint tray 10, except that the pivot means 77, tension means 84 and a removable cover member 71 are used instead of pivot means 40, tension means 50 and cover member 30. The cover member 71 may be of a resilient material and includes a sealing edge 72 which is in sealing relationship with the rear wall portion 73 and the

sidewall portions

74, 75 at flange 69. The cover member 71 includes a raised edge portion 76 for accessibility between the

sidewall portions

74, 75 and bottom portion 66 of the paint tray 70. The cover member 71 functions in the same manner as cover member 30 except that the tension means 84 is not coupled to the cover member 71.

The cover member 71 prevents spilling of paint when the tray 70 is pivoted or moved while on the rung 13. The pivot means 77 is fixed to the bottom portion 66 for pivotally mounting the paint tray 70 to the rung 13 of the ladder 11 and also for mounting the paint tray 70 to a step ladder (not shown) when desired. The pivot means 77 includes a pair of spaced-channel brackets 68, 68a fixed to the bottom portion 66 of the paint tray 10 in a manner similar to the pivot means 40 of the paint tray 10. The bracket 68 includes legs 67 79 extending downward and are spaced apart to extend over the rung 13 of the ladder 11. A bolt or pin 81 is adapted to couple the legs 67, 79 to the rung 13 in a pivotal manner so that the paint tray 70 may be pivoted about the rung 13. The bracket 68a is similar to the bracket 68 and also includes legs 67a and 79a which straddle the rung 13 in a pivotal manner similar to the bracket 68. A bolt or pin 81a locks the rung 13 to the pivot means 77. Thus the brackets 68, 68a and the

pins

81, 81a provide the means through which the paint tray 81 may be pivoted about the rung 13 of the ladder 11. The paint tray 70 may also be mounted on a step of a stepladder by the foot portions 77 and 770 which are adjustably fixed to the legs 67 and 67a respectively. The foot portions 78, 78a are fixed to the legs 67, 67a by wingnut

bolts

81, 81a extending through elongated slots 83, 83a. The legs 79, 79a include a toothed portion 80, and a toothed portion 80a respectively which provide a gripping action on the step of the stepladder. It should be understood however that the toothed portions 80, 80a may be omitted, although it does provide a gripping action to fix the paint tray 70 on the step of the stepladder. The foot portions 78, 78a are spaced from the toothed portions 80, 80a respectively so that the aforesaid step of the stepladder may be interposed between the foot portions 78, 78a and the toothed portions 80, 80a and coupled to the foot portions 78, 78a. It may be seen that when the paint tray 70 is in this position, the toothed portions 80. 80a bite into the step and the foot portions 78, 78a prevent a pivoting of the paint tray 70 about the legs 79, 790. In other words, the legs 79, 79a act as a fulcrum and the distal end 73 of the paint tray 70 is one end of an imaginary lever and the foot portions 78, 78a another end of the imaginary lever. It should also be understood that the foot portions 78, 78a may be adjusted to lock the paint tray 70 to the rung 13 in which case the pins 81, 810 are not necessary for pivotally mounting the paint tray 70 to the rung 13.

The paint tray also includes a tension means 84 similar to the tension means 50 of the paint tray (FIGS. 1-4), except that the tension means 84 includes a tension member such as a cable or rope 86, hooks 87, 89 and a bracket 85 fixed to the rear wall portion 73. The

hooks

87, 89 are of the spring safety type and are disposed at opposite ends of the rope 86. The tension means 84 functions in the same manner as the tension means 50 except that the length of the rope 86 is varied by taking away or adding more loops of rope 86 to the upper rung 14 to vary the length of the rope 86 to effect different positions of the paint tray 70 about the rung 13 of the ladder 11. The hook 89 is coupled to the bracket 85 and rope 86.

The paint tray 70 operates in the same manner as the paint tray 10 except that the cover member 71 is removable and the pivot means 77 may be coupled to a step of a stepladder or to a rung 13 of a ladder 11 to mount the paint tray 70 thereto.

Referring now to FIGS. 9, 9a and 10, FIG. 9 shows another paint tray 90 in accordance with the invention particularly suited for various insertable tray devices such as the insert device 100 shown in FIG. 10 or the paint tray insert device 91 shown in FIG. 9a. It should be understood of course that the paint tray 90 may be used without the

insert devices

90, 100. The paint tray 90 includes a bottom portion 92,

sidewall portions

93, 94, a proximal or front wall portion 95, and a distal or rear wall portion 96 which are positioned in cooperative relationship to form a deep distal end at 96 and a shallow proximal end at 95.

The paint tray 90 includes a bracket 97 fixed to the rear wall portion 96 as by welding, riveting or the like. The bracket 97 includes an alignment hole 98 for receiving and locating a tab 99 of the insert device 91. The bracket 97 and the tab 99 are also used for retaining the insert device 91 in the paint tray 90.

The paint tray 90 also includes the tension means 50 coupled to the bracket 97. The tension means 50 also functions with the paint tray 90 in the same way it functions for the paint tray 10.

The paint tray 90 also includes the pivot means 40 fixed to the bottom portion 92. The pivot means 40 also functions with the paint tray 90 in the same manner that it functions with paint tray 10. That is the clipor spring hook 53 may easily be coupled to the chain 52 as by hooking to the chain 52 or to any link within the chain 52 to form the loop 55 around the rung 14. The tension means 50 and the pivot means 40 provide an inexpensive, fast means for mounting the paint tray 90 to the

rungs

13, 14 ofthe ladder 11.

The paint tray insert device 91 may be of the disposable or permanent type and may be cast or molded as a single unitary structure.

The insert device 91 (FIG. 9a) includes a bottom portion 92a having ribs 114a,

sidewall portions

93a, 94a, a front wall portion 950 and a rear wall portion 96a all dimensioned so that the insert device 91 is mateable within the paint tray 90. The insert device 91 also includes ribs 114a corresponding to ribs 114 of paint tray 90 on the bottom portion 92. The paint tray 90 supports the insert device 91 so that the insert device 91 may be a thin shell member or if desired, the insert device 91 may be a rigid self-supporting structure which may include a pivot means 102 for pivotally mounting the insert device 91 to the rung 13 of the ladder 11 and be supported at a distal end at 96a by any one of the tension means 50 or 84 when coupled to the tab 99 at hole 101 and the upper rung 14 of the ladder 11. The paint tray insert device 91 includes a cover member 103 which functions in the same manner and is structurally similar to cover 30 of the paint tray 10.

In the operation of the paint tray 90, the pivot means 40 is coupled to the rung 13 and the tension means 50 is looped around an upper rung 14 of the ladder 11 in a desired horizontal position. The hook 53 is coupled at a given point along the length of the chain 52 to position the paint tray in the desired position. Generally, the paint tray 90 is operated in a substantially horizontal position. If different vertical positions are desired, the paint insert device 91 is mounted within the paint tray so that cover 103 confines paint at the distal end 96 of the paint tray 90 in a manner similar to paint tray 10. The paint tray 90 and insert device 91 are pivoted about the rung 13 on pivot means 40 into the various positions.

The insert device 100 (FIG. 10) is used with the paint tray 90 when compartments such as 104 and 108 are desired for holding tools or containing paint. The insert device 100 includes

sidewall portions

105, 107 and a rear portion 106 which are insertable with the

sidewalls

93, 94 and rear wall portion 96 of paint tray 90. The insert device 100 may be molded of thin-shell plastic such as by vacuum forming or may be a solid member of wood or other light plastic materials.

In FIG. 1 l, the paint tray 10 is shown supporting or holding various tools such as a screwdriver 110, pliers 111, and paintbrush 112 which is held in place by a spring clip 113 on the paint tray 10. This is particularly convenient when working with ladder 11.

In summary, the

paint trays

10, 60, 70, 90 and paint tray insert device 91 of the present invention may be used on a horizontal surface, a stepladder and a ladder having rungs. The paint tray of the present invention may be easily mounted on the above said ladders in various positions, and the upright ladder may be moved while the paint tray is on the ladder with little likelihood of paint contained therein spilling. The

cover members

30, 61 and 71 coact with the pivot means 40 and 77 respectively to confine or contain the paint 8 within the

paint trays

10, 60 and 70 respectively. Also the

paint trays

10, 60, 70, 90 and device 90 include efficient, inexpensive tension means 50 and 84 and pivot means 40, 77 for coupling and decoupling the paint tray to the ladder 11. The pivot means 40 supports the paint tray 10 on the rung 13 along one axis at the proximal end 25 and the tension means 50 supports the paint tray 10 along a longitudinal axis at the distal end 26 in many planes which traverse the rung 13. The same is also true for the pivot means 77 and the tension means 84. The pivot means 40, 77, 102 embrace or lock the

paint tray

10, 70 and insert device 91 to the rung 13 of the ladder 11 so that the

paint trays

10 and 70 may be pivoted on the rung 13 by adjusting the tension means 50 or 84 with only one hand and therefore the other hand may be used to hold onto the ladder 11.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and shown, these may be considered illustrative. Still further modifications will undoubtedly occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the foregoing description is to be considered as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A paint tray for use on an upright ladder having a plurality of rungs supported on opposed side rails, said paint tray comprising:

a. a tray member having opposite deep distal and shallow proximal ends connected by a bottom portion surrounded by sidewall portions for containing liquid therein when said tray member is disposed in a horizontal position,

b. cover means disposed over said distal deep end or said tray member in sealing relationship with said wall portions to form an open receptacle communicating with said shallow proximal end for containing said liquid therein when said tray member is disposed in a vertical position,

c. pivot means fixed to said tray member for hinge mounting said tray member at said proximal shallowv end between said opposed side rails on one rung of said upright ladder so that said tray member is rotatable on said one rungs at said shallow proximal end into horizontal and vertical positions,

(1. means including a flexible elongated tension member coupled to said cover means at one end thereof and capable of being looped around a higher rung than said one rung at the other end thereof to support said tray member under tension for a portion thereof in selected positions about said one rung, and

e. fastening means connected at said other end of said tension member and coacting with said portion under tension for locking said looped tension member to said higher rung.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said pivot means for pivotally mounting said tray member to said one rung includes tray-to-step means for mounting said tray member to a step of a stepladder.

3. A utility device for an upright ladder having a plurality of rungs supported by opposed side rails, said device comprising:

a. a tray member having a bottom portion surrounded by sidewall portions for containing a liquid therein when held in a horizontal position;

i. said tray member having opposite proximal shallow and distal deep ends,

ii. said tray member having a cover member over said distal deep end in sealing relationship with a portion of said sidewall portions for containing said liquid therein when said tray member is disposed in a vertical position,

b. pivot means fixed to the underside of said bottom portion of said tray member for pivotally mounting said tray member on one of said rungs of said upright ladder between said side rails;

c. tension means including a chain having a plurality of links connected at one end to said cover member for supporting said distal end of said tray member in selected positions about said one rung when looped around a higher rung than said one rung, and

d. fastening means at the other end of said chain and coacting with said links for locking said looped chain to said higher rung.

4. The invention defined in claim 3 wherein said bottom portion has an inclined portion extending downward from said pivot means for drainage of a liquid thereon.

5. The utility device defined in claim 3 wherein said pivot means for pivotally mounting said tray member to said one rung includes locking means for pivotally locking said tray member to said one rung.

6. The invention defined in claim 3 wherein said pivot means includes a pair of spaced-apart resilient brackets having a curved portion fixed to said bottom portion at one end and spaced from said bottom portion at the other end thereof for slideably embracing said one rung so that said tray member is pivotally mounted on said one rung.

7. A paint tray for use with a paint applicator on an upright ladder having a plurality of rungs supported by opposed side rails, said paint tray comprising:

a. a tray member having a bottom portion and sidewall portions for containing a liquid therein when disposed in a horizontal position,

i said tray member having a proximal end and a distal end,

b. a cover member disposed at said distal end over part of said bottom portion in sealing relationship with said side wall portions for containing said liquid within said distal end when said tray member is disposed in a vertical position,

i said cover being spaced from said paint end to provide an opening of a size to receive said paint applicator therebetween into said distal end,

c. pivot means fixed to said bottom wall portion for pivotally coupling said tray member to one rung of said plurality of rungs between said opposed side rails so that said tray member is supportable at said proximal end about said one rung between said horizontal and vertical positions,

cl. tension means including a flexible elongated tension member coupled at one end to said distal end of said tray member and being capable of being looped a number of turns at the other end thereof around another one of said plurality of rungs which another rung is higher than said one rung for supporting said distal end of said tray member from said another rung under tension for a portion of said tension member, and I e. fastening means fixed at said other end of said tension member and coacting with said portion of said tension member under tension for locking said tray member to said another rung in selected positions about said one rung.

Claims

1. A paint tray for use on an upright ladder having a plurality of rungs supported on opposed side rails, said paint tray comprising: a. a tray member having opposite deep distal and shallow proximal ends connected by a bottom portion surrounded by sidewall portions for containing a liquid therein when said tray member is disposed in a horizontal position, b. cover means disposed over said distal deep end or said tray member in sealing relationship with said wall portions to form an open receptacle communicating with said shallow proximal end for containing said liquid therein when said tray member is disposed in a vertical position, c. pivot means fixed to said tray member for hinge mounting said tray member at said proximal shallow end between said opposed side rails on one rung of said upright ladder so that said tray member is rotatable on said one rung at said shallow proximal end into said horizontal and vertical positions, d. means including a flexible elongated tension member coupled to said cover means at one end thereof and capable of being looped around a higher rung than said one rung at the other end thereof to support said tray member under tension for a portion thereof in selected positions about said one rung, and e. fastening means connected at said other end of said tension member and coacting with said portion under tension for locking said looped tension member to said higher rung.

3. A utility device for an upright ladder having a plurality of rungs supported by opposed side rails, said device comprising: a. a tray member having a bottom portion surrounded by sidewall portions for containing a liquid therein when held in a horizontal position; i. said tray member having opposite proximal shallow and distal deep ends, ii said tray member having a cover member over said distal deep end in sealing relationship with a portion of said sidewall portions for containing said liquid therein when said tray member is disposed in a vertical position, b. pivot means fixed to the underside of said bottom portion of said tray member for pivotally mounting said tray member on one of said rungs of said upright ladder between said side rails; c tension means including a chain having a plurality of links connected at one end to said cover member for supporting said distal end of said tray member in selected posiTions about said one rung when looped around a higher rung than said one rung, and d. fastening means at the other end of said chain and coacting with said links for locking said looped chain to said higher rung.

7. A paint tray for use with a paint applicator on an upright ladder having a plurality of rungs supported by opposed side rails, said paint tray comprising: a. a tray member having a bottom portion and sidewall portions for containing a liquid therein when disposed in a horizontal position, i said tray member having a proximal end and a distal end, b. a cover member disposed at said distal end over part of said bottom portion in sealing relationship with said side wall portions for containing said liquid within said distal end when said tray member is disposed in a vertical position, i said cover being spaced from said proximal end to provide an opening of a size to receive said paint applicator therebetween into said distal end, c. pivot means fixed to said bottom wall portion for pivotally coupling said tray member to one rung of said plurality of rungs between said opposed side rails so that said tray member is supportable at said proximal end about said one rung between said horizontal and vertical positions, d tension means including a flexible elongated tension member coupled at one end to said distal end of said tray member and being capable of being looped a number of turns at the other end thereof around another one of said plurality of rungs which another rung is higher than said one rung for supporting said distal end of said tray member from said another rung under tension for a portion of said tension member, and e. fastening means fixed at said other end of said tension member and coacting with said portion of said tension member under tension for locking said tray member to said another rung in selected positions about said one rung.