Container lid having multiple utilities

Abstract

The prevention from hardening upon storage of paste-like material by use of a lid having an inlet port, an outlet port, and a plastic bag attached to the inlet port. By expelling the air in contact with the paste-like material, the material can be prevented from hardening during storage. A similar lid is used in a pre-cleaning device situated between a dust-producing tool and a wet/dry vacuum. Dust-laden air enters the device through an inlet port and is discharged over a water filter. The pre-cleaned air is vacuumed to a wet/dry vacuum. The pre-cleaning process lengthens the useful life of the wet/dry vacuum. A hand-held sander is disclosed which provides for rapid change of sandpaper. The sander has a hollow upper handle component and a lower surface component which are held together with a latch. Depressing of a quick-release button allows separation of the two parts.

1 . A lid for a container for material which hardens upon exposure to air during storage, which container has an inside and an outside, which lid has an inlet port and an outlet port, a strong, flexible bag having a mouth fit through the inlet port so that the mouth of the bag is toward the outside of the container when the lid and the container are joined, and the outlet port contains an inwardly extending tube having a plurality of openings such that when air is expelled from the container a partial vacuum is created, which partial vacuum causes air to enter the bag and causes the bag to abut the material. 
   
   
       2 . The combination of a container having material which has a tendency to harden upon storage in the presence of air and the lid of  claim 1 . 
   
   
       3 . A lid for a container having an inside and an outside, which lid has an inlet port connected to a bag having a mouth fit through the inlet port so that the mouth of the bag is toward the outside of the container when the lid and the container are joined, the inlet port containing a one-way inlet valve allowing ambient air to pass from outside the container into the bag, an outlet port having a one-way valve such that air may leave the container but may not enter the container, the lid being designed in such a way that it will operate as a diaphragm pump which allows air to leave the container when the pump is depressed and prohibits air from reentering the container when the pump is released. 
   
   
       4 . The combination of a container having material which has a tendency to harden upon storage in the presence of air and the lid of  claim 3 . 
   
   
       5 . A combination for pre-cleaning dirty air comprising: a container containing water, a lid on the container, an inlet port in the lid, an intake tube attached to the inlet port for bringing dirty air to the container, an inlet tube having a lower end, which inlet tube is connected to the inlet port and ends slightly above the surface of the water, said inlet tube having a water level indicator at the lower end thereof, an outlet port containing an outlet fitting having vertical openings around it, which outlet port is attached to an outlet tube for carrying pre-cleaned air from the container. 
   
   
       6 . The combination of  claim 5 , wherein the intake tube is connected to a tool and wherein the outlet tube is connected to a wet/dry vacuum device.