Free-standing very-large-capacity flexible modular tool and material holder selectively mountable atop a step ladder

Abstract

A tool and material holder fitting to the top of a step ladder has selectable detachable panels having and presenting an extremely large number of variously selectable pockets, cavities, loops, clips, hangers, hooks and the like which securely hold a great variety of power and hand tools, caulking guns, paint brushes and paint pads. The holder is stiffened by internal tubes and sheet preferably made from strong shape-retentive plastic, and will stand upright upon the floor. A major loop maintained open by an insert with a shape memory holds a large paint pail, bucket or can, and is optionally re-sizable to hold one or two smaller cans. A shallow reservoir on a top panel overlying the top step of the step ladder has a magnetic bottom for conveniently holding small ferrous items. A detachable strap and shoulder harness permits great loaded weight to be conveniently and safely carried.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A device for holding various tools and materials at an apex of a step ladder, the device comprising: 
 a body in the substantial shape of a hollow, truncated, open-bottom substantially-pyramidally-shaped frustrum having four substantially-vertical flexible side walls and a top surface, the body suitable to be mounted and retained by force of gravity at the apex of a step ladder;    tool and material receptacles, suitable to accept and hold tools and materials and the like, mounted to at least some of the four side walls, therein to make the body serve as a ladder apron when mounted at the apex of the step ladder; and    stiffening members in the flexible walls sufficient to permit that the body, with tool and material receptacles mounted to at least some of its four side walls, should remain upright, any contents of the tool and material receptacles accessible, when taken off the step ladder and set upon a level surface.    
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1  wherein the body comprises: 
 fabric; and wherein the stiffening members comprise:  
 plastic within the fabric.  
 
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 2  wherein the fabric comprises: 
 canvas; and wherein the plastic within the fabric comprises:  
 plastic sheet material.  
 
     
     
         4 . The device according to  claim 1   wherein the tool and material receptacles are removably detachably mountable to, and demountable from, the body.    
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 1  further comprising: 
 quick release fasteners upon the at least one side wall of the body, and upon the tool and material receptacles, for removably detachably mounting and demounting the tool and material receptacles to and from the body.  
 
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 5  wherein the quick release fasteners comprise: 
 snaps.  
 
     
     
         7 . The device according to  claim 1   wherein multiple different tool and material receptacles suitable to hold multiple different tools and materials mount to the same position upon at the least some of the four side walls.    
     
     
         8 . The device according to  claim 1  wherein the body comprises: 
 a rectangularly-shaped, substantially horizontal, top panel having pairs of opposed first and second edges;  
 trapezoidally-shaped, substantially vertical, first and second side panels each (i) connected at an uppermost edge to one of the opposed first edges of the top panel, and (ii) suitable to mount at least one receptacle;  
 rectangularly-shaped, substantially vertical, ladder-step-facing and front-facing panels each (i) connected at an uppermost edge to one of the opposed second edges of the top panel, (ii) connected at two side edges to, respectively, the first and the second side panel, and (iii) suitable to mount at least one receptacle; and  
 a loop member extending substantially level with the top panel from (i) where the top panel joins with the first side panel and the front-facing panel (ii) in an arc to (iii) where the top panel joins with the second side panel and the front-facing panel, so as to form a loop into which a paint can is suitably entered and held.  
 
     
     
         9 . The device according to  claim 8  wherein the loop member comprises: 
 a shape memory stiffening element for maintaining the arc of the loop into which the paint can is suitably entered and held even when the paint can is not present.  
 
     
     
         10 . The device according to  claim 9  wherein the loop member comprises: 
 a down-hanging skirt protecting and securing a cylindrical surface of a paint can entered into, and held by, the loop member.  
 
     
     
         11 . The device according to  claim 10  wherein the down-hanging skirt comprises: 
 a substantially vertical strip of a first type of hook-and-loop fabric;  
 and wherein the front-facing panel comprises: 
 a substantially vertical strip of a second type of hook-and-loop fabric complimentary to the first type;  
 wherein when the strips of the down-hanging skirt and of the front panel are manually pressed together than they will hold along their lengths, dividing a major arc of the loop member into two smaller arcs each of which is suitable to receive and to hold a paint can of appropriate size.  
 
 
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 1  used on a step ladder with a top step at its apex wherein the top panel comprises: 
 a peripheral rim (i) sufficiently high so as to form an open-topped reservoir in which can be placed nails and screws and other small things without jeopardy that they will role off the holder device and the step ladder; and  
 a magnet, within the top panel at the base of the open-topped reservoir, producing a magnetic field helping to retain small magnetically-attractable objects within the reservoir.  
 
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a connectable and disconnectable strap fitting somewhere under a top step of a step ladder when the body is mounted to the apex of the step ladder for securing when connected the body to the step ladder at the apex of the step ladder.  
 
     
     
         14 . A device for holding various tools and materials at an apex of a step ladder, the device comprising: 
 a body in the substantial shape of a hollow, truncated, open-bottom substantially-pyramidally-shaped frustrum having four substantially-vertical flexible side walls and a top surface, the body suitable to be mounted and retained by force of gravity at the apex of a step ladder;    detachably removable tool and material receptacles, suitable to accept and hold tools and materials and the like, detachably removably mounted to at least some of the body's four side walls, therein when attached to the body serving to make the body serve as a ladder apron when the body is mounted at the apex of the step ladder.    
     
     
         15 . The device according to  claim 14  wherein the body further comprising: 
 stiffening members in the flexible walls sufficient to permit that the body, with tool and material receptacles mounted to at least some of its four side walls, should remain upright, any contents of the tool and material receptacles accessible, when taken off the step ladder and set upon a level surface.  
 
     
     
         16 . The device according to  claim 15  wherein the body comprises: 
 fabric; and wherein the stiffening members comprise:  
 plastic within the fabric.  
 
     
     
         17 . The device according to  claim 16  wherein the fabric comprises: 
 canvas; and wherein the plastic within the fabric comprises:  
 plastic sheet material.  
 
     
     
         18 . The device according to  claim 17  further comprising: 
 quick release fasteners upon the at least one side wall of the body, and upon the tool and material receptacles, for detachably removably mounting and demounting the tool and material receptacles to and from the body.  
 
     
     
         19 . The device according to  claim 18  wherein the quick release fasteners comprise: 
 snaps.  
 
     
     
         20 . The device according to  claim 14  wherein multiple different tool and material receptacles suitable to hold multiple different tools and materials detachably removably mount to the same position upon at the least some of the four side walls.  
     
     
         21 . The device according to  claim 14  wherein the body comprises: 
 a rectangularly-shaped, substantially horizontal, top panel having pairs of opposed first and second edges;  
 trapezoidally-shaped, substantially vertical, first and second side panels each (i) connected at an uppermost edge to one of the opposed first edges of the top panel, and (ii) suitable to mount at least one receptacle;  
 rectangularly-shaped, substantially vertical, ladder-step-facing and front-facing panels each (i) connected at an uppermost edge to one of the opposed second edges of the top panel, (ii) connected at two side edges to, respectively, the first and the second side panel, and (iii) suitable to mount at least one receptacle; and  
 a loop member extending substantially level with the top panel from (i) where the top panel joins with the first side panel and the front-facing panel (ii) in an arc to (iii) where the top panel joins with the second side panel and the front-facing panel, so as to form a loop into which a paint can is suitably entered and held.  
 
     
     
         22 . The device according to  claim 21  wherein the loop member comprises: 
 a shape memory stiffening element for maintaining the arc of the loop into which the paint can is suitably entered and held even when the paint can is not present.  
 
     
     
         23 . The device according to  claim 22  wherein the loop member comprises: 
 a down-hanging skirt protecting and securing a cylindrical surface of a paint can entered into, and held by, the loop member.  
 
     
     
         24 . The device according to  claim 23  wherein the down-hanging skirt comprises: 
 a substantially vertical strip of a first type of hook-and-loop fabric;  
 and wherein the front-facing panel comprises: 
 a substantially vertical strip of a second type of hook-and-loop fabric complimentary to the first type;  
 wherein when the strips of the down-hanging skirt and of the front panel are manually pressed together than they will hold along their lengths, dividing a major arc of the loop member into two smaller arcs each of which is suitable to receive and to hold a paint can of appropriate size.  
 
 
     
     
         25 . The device according to  claim 14  used on a step ladder with a top step at its apex wherein the top panel comprises: 
 a peripheral rim (i) sufficiently high so as to form an open-topped reservoir in which can be placed nails and screws and other small things without jeopardy that they will role off the holder device and the step ladder; and  
 a magnet, within the top panel at the base of the open-topped reservoir, producing a magnetic field helping to retain small magnetically-attractable objects within the reservoir.  
 
     
     
         26 . A device for holding various tools and materials at an apex of a step ladder, the device comprising: 
 a body in the substantial shape of a hollow, truncated, open-bottom substantially-pyramidally-shaped frustrum having four substantially-vertical flexible side walls and a top surface, the body suitable to be mounted and retained by force of gravity at the apex of a step ladder;    detachably removable tool and material receptacles, suitable to accept and hold tools and materials and the like, detachably removably mounted to at least some of the body's four side walls, therein when attached to the body serving to make the body serve as a ladder apron when the body is mounted at the apex of the step ladder; and    stiffening members in the flexible walls sufficient to permit that the body, with tool and material receptacles mounted to at least some of its four side walls, should remain upright, any contents of the tool and material receptacles accessible, when taken off the step ladder and set upon a level surface.    
     
     
         27 . The device according to  claim 26  wherein the body comprises: 
 a durable fabric body in the substantial shape of (i) a truncated four-sided pyramid with five major surfaces plus (ii) an arcuate loop extending from side to side of a one major surface; and wherein the detachably removable tool and material receptacles comprise: 
 a multiplicity of fabric receptacles upon the five major surfaces of the fabric body;  
 wherein the fabric body with fabric receptacles is placeable atop a step ladder;  
 wherein a paint pail is suitably entered into, and held by, the arcuate loop of the fabric body placed atop the step ladder; and  
 wherein tools and materials are suitably entered into, and held by, the fabric receptacles of the fabric body placed atop the step ladder.  
 
 
     
     
         28 . The holder device as set forth in  claim 27  wherein at least one of the multiplicity of fabric receptacles is upon at least three of the five major surfaces of the body.  
     
     
         29 . The holder device as set forth in  claim 28  wherein a plurality of the multiplicity of fabric receptacles is upon at least three of the five major surfaces of the body.