Mud pan with high-friction bottom wall, side walls and end walls

Abstract

A mud pan for holding a small portable supply of joint compound includes a high-friction coating such as polyurethane, coating the exterior surface of the bottom wall and a lower portion of the exterior surfaces of the front side wall, the rear side wall, the left-hand end wall and the right-hand end wall. The high-friction coating is a two part polyurethane and, in an alternative embodiment, a large number of rubber particles homogeneously distributed. The polyurethane is sprayed onto the surfaces to be covered while in a liquid state. The lower one-fourth or one half of the front and rear side walls and end walls are covered, as is the entire surface of the bottom wall.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A mud pan comprising: 
 a. a bottom wall connected to a front side wall, a rear side wall, a left-hand end wall and a right-hand end wall to form a mud pan;    b. means for preventing said mud pan from becoming slippery when used by a worker.    
     
     
         2 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said means for preventing said mud pan from becoming slippery further comprises a high-friction coating on at least a portion of an exterior surface of said mud pan.  
     
     
         3 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 2  wherein said high-friction coating is applied to an exterior surface of said bottom wall.  
     
     
         4 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 2  wherein said high-friction coating covers a portion of an exterior surface of said front side wall, of said rear side wall, of said left-hand end wall and of said right-hand end wall.  
     
     
         5 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 4  wherein said high-friction coating covers said exterior surfaces of said front side wall, said rear side wall, said left-hand end wall and said right-hand end wall from a lower edge of each said front side wall, said rear side wall, said left-hand end wall and said right-hand end wall and extends upwardly for a distance in the range of one-fourth to one-half of the distance from said bottom wall to a top edge of said mud pan.  
     
     
         6 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 5  wherein said coating further comprises an upper edge defining a ledge along said mud pan where said high-friction coating contacts said mud pan.  
     
     
         7 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 2  wherein said high-friction coating further comprises a polyurethane coating.  
     
     
         8 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 2  wherein said high-friction coating further comprises a plurality of rubber particles.  
     
     
         9 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 2  wherein said high-friction coating further comprises a mixture of polyurethane and rubber particles.  
     
     
         10 . A mud pan comprising: 
 a. a bottom wall connected to a front side wall, a rear side wall, a left-hand end wall and a right-hand end wall to form a mud pan; and    b. a high-friction coating on at least a portion of an exterior surface of said mud pan.    
     
     
         11 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 10  wherein said high-friction coating covers a portion of an exterior surface of said front side wall, of said rear side wall, of said left-hand end wall and of said right-hand end wall.  
     
     
         12 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 10  wherein said high-friction coating covers said exterior surfaces of said front side wall, said rear side wall, said left-hand end wall and said right-hand end wall from a lower edge of each said front side wall, said rear side wall, said left-hand end wall and said right-hand end wall and extends upwardly for a distance in the range of one-fourth to one-half of the distance from said bottom wall to a top edge of said mud pan.  
     
     
         13 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 5  wherein said coating further comp rises an upper edge defining a ledge along said mud pan where said high-friction coating contacts said mud pan.  
     
     
         14 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 10  wherein said high-friction coating further comprises a polyurethane coating.  
     
     
         15 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 14  wherein said high-friction coating further comprises a plurality of rubber particles.  
     
     
         16 . A mud pan comprising: 
 a. a bottom wall connected to a front side wall, a rear side wall, a left-hand end wall and a right-hand end wall to form a mud pan; and    b. a high-friction coating covering at least a portion of an exterior surface said front side wall, of said rear side wall, of said left-hand end wall and of said right-hand end wall wherein said high-friction coating covers said exterior surfaces of said front side wall, said rear side wall, said left-hand end wall and said right-hand end wall from a lower edge of each said front side wall, said rear side wall, said left-hand end wall and said right-hand end wall and extends upwardly for a distance in the range of one-fourth to one-half of the distance from said bottom wall to a top edge of said mud pan.    
     
     
         17 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 16  wherein said coating further comprises an upper edge defining a ledge along said mud pan where said high-friction coating contacts said mud pan.  
     
     
         18 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 16  wherein said high-friction coating further comprises a polyurethane coating.  
     
     
         19 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 18  wherein said high-friction coating further comprises a plurality of rubber particles.  
     
     
         20 . A mud pan in accordance with  claim 16  wherein said high-friction coating further comprises a mixture of polyurethane and rubber particles