Artist{40 s tool and brush receptacle and conditioner

Claim 2

An artist''s tool and brush receptacle and conditioner, comprising an open receptacle having a bottom wall and an upstanding side wall, a base member disposed in said receptacle, said base member having at least one inclined groove in the surface thereof, the lower portion of said groove being disposed above said bottom wall, the upper portion of said groove being larger in cross-section than the lower portion of said groove, said side wall having at least one slot in the upper edge thereof and facing said groove, the longitudinal axis of said slot lying in substantially the same vertical plane as the longitudinal axis of said groove, whereby upon the placement of an associated artist''s brush in said receptacle with the lower portion of the handle of the brush disposed in said groove and the upper portion of the handle disposed in said slot, said groove operates to support the brush above the bristles thereof while maintaining the bristles of the brush above said bottom wall and substantially out of contact with any portion of said receptacle, thereby to eliminate deformation of the bristles while the brush is in the receptacle, while said slot facilitates placement of said brush in said groove and prevents the brush from rolling along said side wall of said receptacle.

Claim 3

The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said upstanding side wall includes an outwardly extending peripheral flange and said slot is disposed partially in said flange and partially in the upper edge of said side wall.

Claim 4

The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said side wall includes at least two portions disposed substantially parallel to each other and on opposite sides of said base member, said base member has a plurality of grooves therein with some of said grooves being inclined toward one of said side wall portions and others of said grooves being inclined toward the other side wall portion and each of said side wall portions has a corresponding number of slots therein in the same respective vertical planes as said plurality of grooves.

Claim 5

The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said side wall further includes means defining at least one pocket therein, said pocket including a horizontally directed bottom surface and a generally cylindrical side surface interconnecting said bottom surface and said receptacle side wall, said bottom surface of said pocket having an aperture therethrough adapted to receive the lower end of an associated artist''s brush to hold the brush in a substantially vertical position when the brush is not in use, said pocket serving to direct waste materials from the brush into said receptacle.

Claim 6

An artist''s tool and brush receptacle and conditioner, comprising an open receptacle having a bottom wall and an upstanding side wall, a base member disposed in said receptacle and having an upper surface Terminating below the upper edge of said side wall, said base member being substantially arch-like in cross-section and having at least one inclined groove in the upper surface thereof, said groove being disposed transversely of the longitudinal axis of said base member and the lower portion of said groove terminating above said bottom wall, said groove being substantially conical in cross-section with the larger end thereof being disposed substantially at the top of said base member, said side wall having at least one slot in the upper edge thereof facing the upper portion of said groove, the longitudinal axis of said slot lying in substantially the same vertical plane as the longitudinal axis of said groove, whereby upon the placement of an associated artist''s paint brush in said receptacle with the upper portion of the handle of said brush disposed in said slot and the lower portion of the handle of the brush disposed in said groove, said groove operates to support the brush above the bristles thereof while maintaining the bristles of the brush above said bottom wall and substantially out of contact with any portion of said receptacle, while said slot prevents the upper portion of the brush from rolling off the side wall of said receptacle.

Claim 7

An artist''s tool and brush receptacle and conditioner, comprising an open receptacle having a bottom wall and an upstanding side wall, a base member disposed in said receptacle and having an upper surface Terminating below the upper edge of said side wall, said base member being substantially arch-like in cross-section and having at least one inclined groove in the upper surface thereof, said groove being disposed transversely of the longitudinal axis of said base member and the lower portion of said groove terminating above said bottom wall, said groove being substantially conical in cross-section with the larger end thereof being disposed substantially at the top of said base member, said side wall having at least one slot in the upper edge thereof facing the upper portion of said groove, the longitudinal axis of said slot lying in substantially the same vertical plane as the longitudinal axis of said groove, whereby upon the placement of an associated artist''s paint brush in said receptacle with the upper portion of the handle of said brush disposed in said slot and the lower portion of the handle of the brush disposed in said groove, said groove operates to support the brush above the bristles thereof while maintaining the bristles of the brush above said bottom wall and substantially out of contact with any portion of said receptacle, while said slot prevents the upper portion of the brush from rolling off the side wall of said receptacle.

Claim 8

The structure set forth in claim 5, wherein the lowermost surface of said slot is inclined at an angle of about 30* relative to said bottom wall and the lowermost surface of said groove is inclined at an angle of about 27* relative to said bottom wall, whereby the lower portion of the associated artist''s brush will be in contact with a substantial portion of said groove.

Claim 9

The structure set forth in claim 5, wherein said side wall includes at least two portions disposed substantially parallel to each other and on opposite sides of said base member, said base member has a plurality of grooves therein with some of said grooves being inclined toward one of said side wall portions and others of said grooves being inclined toward the other of said side wall portions and each of said side wall portions has a corresponding number of slots therein in the same respective vertical planes as said plurality of grooves.

Claim 10

The structure set forth in claim 5, wherein said upstanding side wall includes an outwardly extending peripheral flange and said slot is disposed partially in said flange and partially in the upper edge of said side wall.

Claim 11

The structure set forth in claim 8, wherein the lowermost surface of said slot is inclined at an angle of about 30* relative to said bottom wall and the lowermost surface of said groove is inclined at an angle of about 27* relative to said bottom wall, whereby the lower portion of the associated artist''s brush will be in contact with a substantial portion of said groove.

Claim 12

The structure set forth in claim 5, wherein said side wall further includes a generally cylindrical channel therein having an upstanding lip portion at the outer edge thereof, whereby the movement across said lip of the working end of an associated artist''s tool causes excess materials to be scraped from the tool and to flow down said channel into said receptacle.

Claim 13

The structure set forth in claim 10, and further including tool conditioning means removably carried in said cylindrical channel, said tool conditioning means having a substantially V-shaped slot therein for receiving the working end of an associated artist''s tool, said tool conditioning means being formed of a semi-rigid material whereby opposed inward pressure on said tool conditioning means in the direction of said slot causes constriction of said slot and the application of compressive force on the end of the associated artist''s tool in said slot, whereby upon longitudinal movement of the end of the associated artist''s tool through said constricted slot said tool conditioning means operates to squeeze out waste materials on the working end of the associated artist''s tool, with said waste Materials being directed by said channel into said receptacle.

Claim 14

The structure set forth in claim 11, wherein said tool conditioning means comprises a generally U-shaped member having flanges extending outwardly from the respective upper end of each leg of said U, said outwardly extending flanges being disposable in notches formed in said cylindrical channel whereby said flanges and said U-shaped portion are removably positionable in said channel; a pair of fingers extending upwardly from said U-shaped portion, said fingers each including a semicylindrical portion facing one another, said semicylindrical portions being inclined at approximately 15* relative to each other when said tool conditioning means is in a relaxed condition so as to define a substantially V-shaped slot therebetween, said fingers each including a flat portion thereon to facilitate the movement toward each other of said semi-cylindrical portions and thereby close said slot and provide a compressive force on the end of the associated tool disposed in said slot.

Claim 15

An artist''s tool and brush receptacle and conditioner, comprising an open receptacle having a bottom wall and an upstanding side wall, a base member disposed in said receptacle, said base member having at least one inclined groove in the surface thereof, the lower portion of said groove being disposed above said bottom wall, the upper portion of said groove being larger in cross-section than the lower portion of said groove, said side wall having at least one slot in the upper edge thereof, the longitudinal axis of said slot lying in substantially the same vertical plane as the longitudinal axis of said groove and the lower surface of said slot being inclined relative to said bottom wall of said receptacle at an angle slightly greater than the angle of inclination of said groove relative to said bottom wall, whereby upon the placement of an associated artist''s brush in said receptacle with the lower portion of the handle of the brush disposed in said groove and the upper portion of the handle disposed in said slot, said groove and said slot operate to support the brush above the bristles thereof while maintaining the bristles of the brush above said bottom wall and substantially out of contact with any portion of said receptacle, thereby to eliminate deformation of the bristles while the brush is in the receptacle, said slot also facilitating placement of said brush in said groove and preventing the brush from rolling along said side wall of said receptacle.

Claim 16

An artist''s tool and brush receptacle and conditioner, comprising an open receptacle having a bottom wall and an upstanding side wall, a base member disposed in said receptacle, said base member having at least one inclined groove in the surface thereof, the lower portion of said groove being disposed above said bottom wall, the upper portion of said groove being larger in cross-section than the lower portion of said groove, said side wall having at least one slot in the upper edge thereof, the longitudinal axis of said slot lying in substantially the same vertical plane as the longitudinal axis of said groove and the lower surface of said slot being inclined relative to said bottom wall of said receptacle at an angle slightly greater than the angle of inclination of said groove relative to said bottom wall, whereby upon the placement of an associated artist''s brush in said receptacle with the lower portion of the handle of the brush disposed in said groove and the upper portion of the handle disposed in said slot, said groove and said slot operate to support the brush above the bristles thereof while maintaining the bristles of the brush above said bottom wall and substantially out of contact with any portion of said receptacle, thereby to eliminate deformation of the bristles while the brush is in the receptacle, said slot also facilitating placement of said brush in said groove and preventing the brush from rolling along said side wall of said receptacle.

Claim 17

The structure set forth in claim 13, wherein the lowermost surface of said slot is inclined at an angle of about 30* relative to said bottom wall and the lowermost surface of said groove is inclined at an angle of about 27* relative to said bottom wall, whereby the lower portion of the associated artist''s brush will be in contact with a substantial portion of said groove.

Claim 18

An artist''s tool and brush receptacle and conditioner, comprising an open receptacle having a bottom wall and an upstanding side wall, a base member disposed in said receptacle, said base member having at least one inclined groove in the surface thereof, the lower portion of said groove being disposed above said bottom wall, the upper portion of said groove being larger in cross-section than the lower portion of said groove, whereby upon the placement of an associated artist''s brush in said receptacle with the lower portion of the handle of the brush disposed in said groove, said groove operates to support the brush above the bristles thereof while maintaining the bristles of the brush above said bottom wall and substantially out of contact with any portion of said receptacle, thereby to eliminate deformation of the bristles while the brush is in the receptacle, said side wall including a generally cylindrical channel therein having an upstanding lip portion at the outer edge thereof, whereby the movement across said lip of the working end of an associated artist''s tool causes excess materials to be scraped from the tool and to flow down said channel into said receptacle.

Claim 19

An artist''s tool and brush receptacle and conditioner, comprising an open receptacle having a bottom wall and an upstanding side wall, a base member disposed in said receptacle, said base member having at least one inclined groove in the surface thereof, the lower portion of said groove being disposed above said bottom wall, the upper portion of said groove being larger in cross-section than the lower portion of said groove, whereby upon the placement of an associated artist''s brush in said receptacle with the lower portion of the handle of the brush disposed in said groove, said groove operates to support the brush above the bristles thereof while maintaining the bristles of the brush above said bottom wall and substantially out of contact with any portion of said receptacle, thereby to eliminate deformation of the bristles while the brush is in the receptacle, said side wall including a generally cylindrical channel therein having an upstanding lip portion at the outer edge thereof, whereby the movement across said lip of the working end of an associated artist''s tool causes excess materials to be scraped from the tool and to flow down said channel into said receptacle.

Claim 20

The structure set forth in claim 15, and further including tool conditioning means removably carried in said cylindrical channel, said tool conditioning means having a substantially V-shaped slot therein for receiving the working end of an associated artist''s tool, said tool conditioning means being formed of a semi-rigid material whereby opposed inward pressure on said tool conditioning means in the direction of said slot causes constriction of said slot and the application of compressive force on the end of the associated artist''s tool in said slot, whereby upon longitudinal movement of the end of the associated artist''s tool through said constricted slot said tool conditioning means operates to squeeze out waste materials on the working end of the associated artist''s tool, with said waste materials being directed by said channel into said receptacle.