Abstract:
A fluid shaping apparatus includes a nozzle and one or more armature bars. The nozzle includes a first end and a second end and has an inlet port positioned at the first end of the nozzle and an outlet port positioned at the second end of the nozzle. The nozzle also includes one or more armature bar guides that are used to retain the armature bars. During use, the nozzle accepts a water flow through the inlet port and delivers that water flow through the outlet port. In the preferred embodiment, the water flow is directed through the outlet port to a deflection plate. The shape of the water flow is then formed and extended by constraining the edges of its shape with the plurality of armature bars, which are connected to the nozzle via a plurality of armature bar attachment guides.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/413,424, entitled Fluid Shaping Apparatus, filed Nov. 13, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention is generally related to the field of water spraying systems and water sculpture. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    For many years, artists have chosen to explore the use of different media as material for their sculptures. Traditional media for sculpting includes clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals. Various stones such as marble or granite are also commonly used in sculptures. 
         [0004]    Fountains are one type of sculpture that utilize such common media (often stone and soft metals) as the basis for the sculpture, but integrate water as an additional medium. Modern fountains manipulate streams of water into arcs and curves that often complement, and in some cases replace, the forms crafted with more traditional media. While artists are able to create simple arcs and fans of water using present fountain technology, such shapes are limited by current nozzle technology, as once the water leaves the fountain&#39;s nozzle, the artist has no control over the shape of the water stream. 
         [0005]    Thus, a need exists for a technique that permits an artist to design a sculpture using a water medium while allowing for shape control without requiring the need of an underlying traditional-media sculpture. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    In a presently preferred embodiment, the invention includes a method and apparatus for projecting an initial shape of a stream of water, and then conforming that shape without the use of underlying traditional media sculpture. In preferred embodiments, the fluid shaping apparatus includes a nozzle and one or more armature bars. The nozzle includes a first end and a second end and has an inlet port positioned at the first end of the nozzle and an outlet port positioned at the second end of the nozzle. The nozzle also includes one or more armature bar guides that are used to retain the armature bars. 
         [0007]    During use, the nozzle accepts a water flow through the inlet port and delivers that water flow through the outlet port. In the preferred embodiment, the water flow is directed through the outlet port to a deflection plate. The deflection plate imparts the initial shape to the water flow. In preferred embodiments, the deflection plate is used to flatten, diffuse or scatter the water flow. The shape of the water flow is then formed and extended by constraining the edges of its shape with the plurality of armature bars, which are connected to the nozzle via a plurality of armature bar attachment guides. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1-A  is a front perspective view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a first preferred embodiment. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1-B  is a side view of the nozzle of  FIG. 1-A . 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a second preferred embodiment. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3-A  is a perspective view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a third preferred embodiment. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3-B  is a front view of the nozzle of  FIG. 3-A . 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a fourth preferred embodiment. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a fifth preferred embodiment. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6-A  is a perspective view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a sixth preferred embodiment. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6-B  is a side view of the preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 6-A . 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a seventh preferred embodiment. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8-A  is a front view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with an eighth preferred embodiment. 
           [0019]      FIG. 8-B  is a cross-sectional perspective view of preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 8-A . 
           [0020]      FIG. 9-A  is a front view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a ninth preferred embodiment. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9-B  is a cross-sectional perspective view of preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 9-A . 
           [0022]      FIG. 10-A  is a front view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a tenth preferred embodiment. 
           [0023]      FIG. 10-B  is a cross-sectional perspective view of preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 10-A . 
           [0024]      FIG. 10-C  is a top view of nozzle depicted in  FIG. 10-A  and  FIG. 10-B . 
           [0025]      FIG. 11-A  is a side view of an eleventh preferred embodiment. 
           [0026]      FIG. 11-B  is a front view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with an eleventh preferred embodiment. 
           [0027]      FIG. 11-C  is a cross-sectional perspective view of preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 11-B . 
           [0028]      FIG. 12-A  is a side view of a twelfth preferred embodiment. 
           [0029]      FIG. 12-B  is a front view of the preferred embodiment in  FIG. 12-A . 
           [0030]      FIG. 12-C  is a cross-sectional perspective view of the preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 12-A . 
           [0031]      FIG. 12-D  is a top view of preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 12-A . 
           [0032]      FIG. 13-A  is a front view of a thirteenth preferred embodiment. 
           [0033]      FIG. 13-B  is a side view of the preferred embodiment depicted in  FIG. 13-A . 
           [0034]      FIG. 13-C  is a cross-sectional perspective view of preferred embodiment depicted in  FIG. 13-A . 
           [0035]      FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional perspective view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a fourteenth preferred embodiment. 
           [0036]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a fifteenth preferred embodiment. 
           [0037]      FIG. 16-A  is a side view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a sixteenth preferred embodiment. 
           [0038]      FIG. 16-B  is a front view of preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 16-A . 
           [0039]      FIG. 16-C  is a cross-sectional perspective view of preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 16-A . 
           [0040]      FIG. 17  is a top view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a seventeenth preferred embodiment. 
           [0041]      FIG. 18-A  is a front view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with an eighteenth preferred embodiment. 
           [0042]      FIG. 18-B  is a cross-sectional perspective view of preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 18-A . 
           [0043]      FIG. 19-A  is a front view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a nineteenth preferred embodiment. 
           [0044]      FIG. 19-B  is a cross-sectional perspective view of preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 19-A . 
           [0045]      FIG. 20-A  is a front view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a twentieth preferred embodiment. 
           [0046]      FIG. 20-B  is a side view of preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 20-A . 
           [0047]      FIG. 20-C  is a cross-sectional perspective view of preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 20-A . 
           [0048]      FIG. 21-A  is a cross-sectional perspective view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a twenty-first preferred embodiment. 
           [0049]      FIG. 21-B  is a bottom view of preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 21-A . 
           [0050]      FIG. 22-A  is a front view of a nozzle constructed in accordance with a twenty-second preferred embodiment. 
           [0051]      FIG. 22-B  is a cross-sectional perspective view of preferred embodiment as depicted in  FIG. 22-A . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0052]    Referring first to  FIGS. 1-A  and  1 -B, in accordance with a first preferred embodiment, a fluid shaping apparatus  100  includes a nozzle  10  and a plurality of armature bars  20 . The nozzle  10  generally includes an inlet port  12 , a nozzle body  13 , an outlet port  14 , a plurality of armature bar guides  16 , and at least one deflection plate  18 . The armature bars  20  are connected to the nozzle  10  via the armature bar guides  16 . 
         [0053]    As depicted in  FIG. 1 , the inlet port  12  is designed to accept a flow of water from a connected conduit (not shown). It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the inlet port  12  may be connected in a variety of ways to the conduit. In one preferred embodiment, the inlet port  12  is threaded and configured to connect with a standard garden hose. In another preferred embodiment, the inlet port  12  is configured to be press-fitted to ⅛″ copper tubing. In yet another preferred embodiment, the inlet port  12  is configured with one of several known “quick-release” mechanisms well known in the art, so that the inlet port  12  can be quickly connected (or disconnected) from the upstream conduit. In each embodiment, however, the inlet port  12  is designed so that it can accept a water flow from a water source through a conduit. 
         [0054]    The inlet port  12  is in turn connected to the outlet port  14  of the nozzle  10 . The connection between the inlet port  12  and outlet port  14  is designed so that the water flow may be delivered from the water source to the outlet port  14 . In the preferred embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-A  and  1 -B, the outlet port  14  is tapered opposite its connection with the inlet port  12  so that the velocity of the water increases as the water exits the outlet port  14 . The precise shape and degree of tapering may be configured based upon the characteristics of the water flow and the specific requirement of the application. 
         [0055]    The outlet port  14  is configured so that the exiting water flow is directed at the deflection plate  18 . As the water flow exits the outlet port  14  and strikes the deflection plate  18 , it is directed along the surface of the deflection plate  18 . This directing action changes the shape for the water flow from a general stream-shape to a shape more sheet-like in nature. That sheet-like shape can be adjusted by configuring the angle at which the water flow initially strikes the deflection plate  18 , the shape of the deflection plate  18  and the distance between the outlet port  14  and the deflection plate  18 . As can be seen in  FIG. 1-A , a preferred embodiment of the deflection plate  18  is a slightly concave surface. In the second preferred embodiment depicted in  FIG. 2 , the curvature of the deflection plate  18  is more pronounced. By using a curved deflection plate  18  in the nozzle  10 , the user is able to impart a curve to the sheet-like shape of water. In the currently preferred embodiments, the deflection plate  18  is permanently connected to the nozzle body  13 , but it will be understood that the deflection plate  18  could be removably connected to the nozzle body  13  so that deflection plates  18  of different configurations can be interchangeably used. 
         [0056]    Continuing with  FIGS. 1-A  and  1 -B, it will be noted that the connection point of the deflection plate  18  and the outlet port  14  form a notch  22  through which the water flow may exit. The notch  22  is principally important to improving the shaping characteristics of the deflection plate  18  by permitting the water flow to begin its dispersion from the outlet port  14  and adherence to the deflection plate  18 . Also shown in  FIGS. 1-A  and  1 -B are the armature bars  20  connected to the nozzle  10  via the armature bar guides  16 . In the preferred embodiment, the armature bars  20  are inserted into the armature bar guides  16  and are secured via a simple flush fitting. In an alternative embodiment, the armature bars  20  are threadably engaged within the armature bar guides  16 . As the water exits the outlet port  14  and strikes the deflection plate  18 , the water flow shape is changed from a stream to a sheet. Through surface tension, the sheet of water is maintained through contact with the armature bars  20 . In a presently preferred embodiment, the armature bars  20  are configured as copper tubing or metal wire. Alternatively, however, it may be desirable to configure the armature bars  20  using flexible conduit, chain or cables. The armature bars  20  permit the creation of panes of water by adding form to the stream of water exiting the nozzle  10 . By adjusting the angular disposition of the armature bars  20 , the shape of the sheets of water can be manipulated. 
         [0057]    In addition to the fundamental principles of the preferred embodiments depicted in  FIGS. 1-A  and  1 -B, reference is now made to the plurality of alternative preferred embodiments of the fluid shaping apparatus  100 . Unless otherwise noted, the alternative preferred embodiments include the same components described above with reference to  FIGS. 1-A  and  1 -B. For clarity, the armature bars  20  have been removed from the balance of the drawings. 
         [0058]    Turning to  FIG. 2 , shown therein is a nozzle  10  that includes a concave deflection plate  18  that is positioned relative the outlet port  14  at a substantially right angle. In contrast, the nozzle  10  of  FIGS. 3-A  and  3 -B includes a pair of flat deflection plates that encase both sides of the outlet port  14 . The chamfered shape of the deflection plates  18  encourages the dispersal of the water stream towards the shorter armature bar guide  16 . The embodiment depicted in  FIG. 4  does not include a deflection plate and the outlet port  14  and armature bar guides  16  are aligned in parallel. Similarly, the nozzle depicted in  FIG. 5  includes a large outlet port  14  with a small, ring-shaped deflection plate  18 . 
         [0059]    Turning to  FIGS. 6-A  and  6 -B, shown therein are perspective and side views, respectively, of a nozzle  10  that includes a deflection plate  18  positioned at an acute angle to the outlet port  14 . The deflection plate  18  includes a convex contact surface. The combination of the convex contact surface and the aggressive angular disposition of the deflection plate create a fanned water sheet that is bounded by the armature bars  20  (not shown). The embodiment depicted in  FIG. 7  includes four armature bar guides  16  and a large, concave deflection plate. The use of four armature bars  20  permits the production of secondary water panes in planes geometrically askew to the primary pane. It will be understood that the relative positioning of the deflection plates  18 , the outlet port  14  and the armature attachment guides  16  can vary greatly to accomplish the goals of the invention. As noted above with reference to  FIG. 4 , it may not be necessary or desirable to employ the deflection plate  18 . 
         [0060]      FIGS. 8A-22B  identify several alternative preferred embodiments. For example, in the fourteenth preferred embodiment depicted in  FIG. 14 , the deflection plate  18  is not used and the oval shape of the outlet port  14  conforms the shape of the exiting water stream. In certain embodiments, the outlet port  14  is oriented at an angle to the inlet port  12 . In the embodiments depicted in  FIGS. 9A and 9B , the outlet port  14  is disposed at a right angle to the inlet port  12 . Similarly, in the embodiments depicted in  FIGS. 11A-11C , the outlet port  14  is oriented at a right angle with the inlet port  12  and the nozzle  10  does not include a deflection plate  18 . Turning to  FIGS. 12A-12D , the twelfth preferred embodiment of the fluid shaping apparatus  100  includes three armature bar guides  16  that in cooperation with two parallel deflection plates  18  form twin outlets  14 . The fluid shaping apparatus of  FIGS. 12A-12D  form a pair of water panes connected by the central armature bar  20 . 
         [0061]    The fluid shaping apparatus depicted in the sixteenth preferred embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 16A-16C  includes curved deflection plates  18  that cooperate with a pair of armature bar guides  16  to form a curved form of water. The angularly-disposed deflection plates  18  of the seventeenth embodiment in  FIG. 17  forms a pair of water panes bounded by the outside armature bars  20 . In the twentieth embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 20A-20C , the armature bar guides  16  are placed in open fluid communication with the nozzle outlet  14  within the body  13  of the nozzle  10 . 
         [0062]    In the twenty-second embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 22A-22B , the armature bar guides  16  extend out the face of the nozzle  10  and also through the top of the nozzle  10 . In this way, additional nozzles can be stacked onto the armature bars  20  that extend from the nozzle  10 . It will be appreciated that the stacking of additional nozzles  10  can be used to extend and modify the formation of adjacent water panes and forms. 
         [0063]    It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and functions of various embodiments of the invention, this disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of structure and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms expressed in the appended claims.