Mud retriever

Abstract

A mud retriever 10 which includes a handle portion 12 and a blade portion 16 which includes a straight edge 22 which may be used to selectively open a mud container 70 and a semi-elliptical edge 32 which conforms to the curvature of the inner surface 93 of the container 70 and which allows mud 90 (or other material) to be easily retrieved from the container 70 and applied to a desired location 100 or placed within an applicator assembly. The blade portion 16 also includes an edges 30, 22 which each allow the mud 90 to be easily “smeared” or distributed over location 100.

Description

GENERAL BACKGROUND[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention generally relates to a mud retriever and more particularly to a mud retriever which may easily and efficiently be used to selectively retrieve mud or drywall joint compound material from a can or other receptacle and then allow the retrieved material / mud to be easily applied to a certain desired surface or placed into an application assembly (e.g., a trough type assembly) after which it may be applied to a desired surface.[0003]2. Background of the Invention[0004]Mud retrievers are used to selectively retrieve mud or drywall joint compound from a typically and generally round can or other receptacle and then to deposit the retrieved mud in an applicator assembly, such as one which includes a trough or other receptacle. From the trough or other receptacle, various types of applicators are used to apply the mud / material to various surfaces or desired locations.[0005]While these prior retrievers do allow the m...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]It is a second non-limiting object of the present invention to provide a new and improved mud or drywall joint compound retriever which allows drywall joint compound to be easily and efficiently retrieved from a container and then to be selectively and accurately placed within a mud application assembly and / or upon a desired surface or location.

Problems solved by technology

While these prior retrievers do allow the mud or drywall joint compound to be selectively retrieved and then eventually applied upon a surface, they are difficult and awkward to use and such deficiencies cause mud to be unintentionally splattered or distributed over a relatively wide area, thereby necessitating an undesirable and time consuming “clean up” effort.

Moreover, these prior mud retrievers do not effectively and efficiently retrieve all or most of the material contents from a cylinder shaped or generally round container, such as a one gallon or five gallon container.

This deficiency is oftentimes due to the inability of these prior retrievers to readily and structurally conform to the round internal surface of the container and consequently material is often left on the surface when the container is disposed of.

The “unretrieved” material is often thrown away as waste.

As earlier indicated, one non-limiting attribute of these prior retrievers which makes them difficult to use is that their blade or material reception portions are typically formed in the shape of a square or rectangle, while the containers are generally round.

This “nonconformity” or “shape dissimilarity” makes it difficult to retrieve the material from the container and makes it difficult to then deposit the retrieval material to or upon an applicator assembly.

Moreover, this “unconformity” often causes the material to be undesirably “splattered” or deposited in the surrounding environment as the surface of the relatively square blade forcibly meets the rounded internal surface and an attempt is made to “scoop” the surface material on the blade.

Thus, these prior retrievers further do not allow the retrieved mud to be efficiently retrieved for placement within a mud application assembly and / or for placement upon a desired drywall surface, thereby increasing waste and overall cost.

These prior retrievers also cause the material which is being retrieved to oftentimes splatter or become deposited in the ambient environment, thereby making for an overall aesthetically displeasing appearance.

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