A variety of containers such as buckets, whether prepackaged with a material or readily empty for use, often include a carrying handle that comprises a simple wire bail extending from one side of the bucket to the other. Opposite ends of the wire bail are typically bent at a right angle to provide a short segment that is securely retained within an aperture provided for on opposite sides of the bucket allowing the handle to pivot about a horizontal axis. The wire bail handle provides limited comfort when carrying a heavy bucket, especially for extended periods of time. The wire bail handle can be uncomfortable to hold, particularly when the bucket is loaded with heavy material such as mortar, rocks and dirt. Containers incorporating the use of wire bail handles can be found in local hardware or retail stores. For example, there are buckets sized and designed to hold paint, sealants, acrylic coating, tar pitch, dry cement, and other liquids or solids. The buckets come in a variety of different shapes, and are often sized to hold one to five gallons of a liquid material or sized to hold a certain amount of weight. Wire bail handles are inexpensive to fabricate, easy to assemble on buckets, and provide a quick and easy method for carrying or transporting a bucket.
In an effort to provide comfort to a person's hands and fingers when carrying a heavy bucket having a wire bail handle, industry has developed a small, plastic cylindrical tube that is generally located in a central holding region of the wire bail handle. The plastic tube typically includes a longitudinal opening extending along the center of the tube for the wire bail to extend through the opening. Because the wire bail is curved on opposite sides of the plastic tube, the cylindrical tube is prevented from sliding back and forth on the wire bail. Though the use of a plastic tube provides some improvement, it does not resolve the issue of having discomfort to the hands and fingers when carrying a heavy bucket. The plastic cylindrical tube is too rigid and creates pain, difficulty, and often leaves physical marks on a person's hands or fingers when carrying a heavy bucket. For example, when carrying a loaded bucket, the rigid tube compresses against the underside of the fingers displacing the skin and rubbing firmly on the bones of the fingers.
There have been several attempts to provide solutions to the problem stated above in the prior art. Other than completely replacing the prior art bucket handle, some of the most popular designs provide conventional prior art devices that include a cushion or pad-like material used for covering the handle. For example, in one conventional design, a number of inter-fitting pieces are installed on an already existing handle of a bucket to help enhance the conformability of the handle. The inter-fitting pieces may comprise hard rubber, soft plastic or foam-like elements that are secured together by fasteners such as screws or adhered together using glue or a strong, bonding adhesive. Another exemplary device provides an air cushion grip that is also fixed around an already existing handle. The cushion grip comprises an outer flat layer and a bottom layer provided with a plurality of air cells. The air cells are inflated or deflated, with the use of an air valve or pump, for adjusting the elasticity and shock-absorbing ability of the grip. Still another example of a conventional prior art device includes a pad or wrap configured for wrapping around or being attached to the outer surface of a handle. The pad generally comprises a square, laminate material having an open or closed-cell foam cushion and fasteners disposed along the outer surface of the laminate for securely wrapping pad around the handle. The fasteners often include snaps or straps. One drawback of such devices is that the layout of the fasteners results in either a pad rotating loosely around the handle because the pad cannot be attached firmly onto the handle, or that the underlying fasteners result in a bulky, lesser comfortable handle. Some prior art devices have also developed the use of non-slip surfaces or have include friction methods to prevent the pad from rotating around the handle. Still, other fasteners have been incorporated to ease the manner of wrapping a pad around a handle and to provide for a firm attachment. Such devices have incorporated the use of hooks and loops or Velcro™ fasteners that are disposed along the edges or central region of the pad to allow an easy and firm method of wrapping a cushion or pad around a handle. Though this conventional handle wrap or padding provides some level of comfort, it presents certain drawbacks. Over time, the hooks grab onto materials such as lint, dust, or other debris thereby reducing the bonding strength of the hook and loop from repeated use. Further, the loops can become extended and even break as a result of continued use.
As such, the above cited solutions provide little resolve to alleviating discomfort and pain to a user's hands when carrying a heavy bucket by the handle. What is desired is a handle wrap or padding that is easily retrofitted onto an existing handle, attaches securely to a handle without the need for fasteners, and more importantly includes shock absorbing characteristics, and relieves pressure to the hands and fingers of a user when carrying a bucket or other container loaded with heavy material such as mortar, paint, powder, dirt, rocks, etc. . . .