Device for preventing paint from drying in the can

A device for preventing paint from drying in a cylindrical paint can having a wall with an internal diameter DI and an upper portal into the paint can, the upper portal having a diameter smaller than DI, the device comprising:

• a circular planar base disc;
• and
• a slanted lip wall extending upwardly from said planar base disc, said lip wall forming a frustum of a cone having a central angle α, said slanted lip wall having a first, upper diameter DB at an upper lip edge of said lip wall, a second, lower diameter DC at a connection of said slanted lip wall to said planar base disc, and a third diameter DM disposed between said upper diameter and said lower diameter,
• said device further comprising a pair of user engagement tabs disposed on opposing sides of said device, each said engagement tab formed with two links attached to said upper lip edge and having an inner bore formed therebetween to receive a finger of a user, said user engagement tabs are substantially flat spaced from and substantially parallel to said planar base disc and remain in spaced parallel to the base orientation during operation of the device;
• wherein DM is substantially equal to DI,
• wherein DB>DM>DC and DB>DI>DC,
• wherein said device is flexible and resilient, and
• wherein, when said device is installed over a paint residue in the paint can, the fingers are inserted into the inner bores of said pair of user engagement tabs, as force is applied by said fingers pushing said user engagement tabs toward each other said upper lip edge of said lip wall through its connection with the links is pulled inwardly by said links to be deformed and to form an ellipse having a smaller diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the upper portal of the paint can.