Watertight joint compound/mud pan and method of manufacture

Abstract

A drywall joint compound or mud pan is constructed as a folded type rectangular container from a single blank of metal. The pan has a flat bottom, and two sidewalls and two end walls that extend upwardly and laterally outward from the bottom. Triangular sections of metal are formed at each corner and folded over an adjacent end wall. Preferably, one sidewall makes a sharp angle with the bottom section and the opposing sidewall has a radius of sufficient size, which will permit the rapid removal of material from said pan.

1 . A joint compound formed from a blank of a selected material comprising: 
 a bottom,    a pair of spaced apart sidewalls attached to the bottom, and    a pair of spaced apart end walls attached to the bottom and to the sidewalls, each end wall having an inside surface and an outside surface, a first pair of generally triangular end portions each comprised of two overlapping sections of the material and overlaying the outside surface of one end wall, and a second pair of generally triangular end portions each comprised of two other overlapping sections of the material and overlaying the outside surface of the other end wall.    
     
     
         2 . The joint compound pan of  claim 1  also comprising a hemmed edge extending from each end wall and folded over the triangular end portions overlaying that end wall.  
     
     
         3 . The joint compound pan of  claim 1  wherein: 
 a first radius is formed between the bottom and one of the pair of sidewalls,    a second radius is formed between the bottom and the other one of the pair of sidewalls, and    the first radius is greater than the second radius.    
     
     
         4 . The joint compound pan of  claim 3  wherein the first radius is between one sixteenth inch and one inch.  
     
     
         5 . The joint compound pan of  claim 3  wherein the second radius is not greater than one sixteenth inch.  
     
     
         6 . The joint compound pan of  claim 1  wherein the material is metal.  
     
     
         7 . The joint compound pan of  claim 6  wherein the material is selected from the group of metals consisting of stainless steel, galvanized steel and corrosion resistant metal alloys.  
     
     
         8 . The joint compound pan of  claim 1  wherein: 
 a first radius is formed between the bottom and one of the pair of sidewalls,    a second radius is formed between the bottom and the other one of the pair of sidewalls, and    the first radius and second radius are equal.    
     
     
         9 . The joint compound of  claim 8  wherein the first radius and the second radius are not greater than one-sixteenth inch.  
     
     
         10 . A method of forming a joint compound pan comprising; 
 selecting a generally rectangular blank having a pair of long edges and a pair of short edges, the blank comprised of a selected material,    folding portions of the blank adjacent each long edge to create a pair of spaced apart sidewalls extending from a bottom and having first radius formed between the bottom and one of the pair of sidewalls and a second radius formed between the bottom and the other one of the pair of sidewalls,    folding portions of the blank adjacent each short edge to create a pair of spaced-apart end walls each end wall having an outside surface,    such that after the sidewalls and the end walls are formed there will be four corners where an end wall meets a side wall, each corner having a generally triangular end portion extending from the corner, each generally triangular end portion comprised of two overlapping sections of the material, and    folding each generally triangular end portion over the outside surface of one of the end walls.    
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  also comprising folding an edge of each end wall over the generally triangular end portions overlaying that end wall.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the selected material is selected from stainless steel, galvanized steel and corrosion resistant metal alloys.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10  wherein: 
 a first radius is formed between the bottom and one of the pair of sidewalls,    a second radius is formed between the bottom and the other one of the pair of sidewalls, and    the first radius is greater than the second radius.    
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the first radius is between one sixteenth inch and one inch.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the second radius is not greater than one sixteenth inch.