Abstract:
A booth for the collection of tanning fluid overspray comprising a booth and a collection system. The booth is sized and shaped to enclose a person having a first side wall and a second side wall, the booth having an open portion sized and shaped for ingress and egress by a person. A plurality of vent apertures are spaced within the first side wall and the second side wall to provide effective collection of airborne particles within the booth. A plurality of venting conduit lines having a plurality of venting connections connected to the vent apertures is connected to a common collection line. A suction means connected to the common collection line provides suction within the venting conduit lines, the suction drawing airborne particles within the booth through the vent apertures, venting connections and the venting conduit lines. The suction means draws the airborne particles within the venting conduit lines into a collection means. The collection means contains water for dissolving water soluble airborne particles within the air drawn from the venting conduit lines.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The claimed invention generally relates to overspray collection booths. More specifically, the claimed invention relates to an Overspray Collection Booth designed for the collection of tanning fluid overspray during the application of tanning fluid to the human body. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   People typically find sun-tanned skin attractive and have sent long periods of time exposing their skin to the sun in order to tan their skin. However, over the last several decades people have become more aware of the harmful effects of prolonged exposure to the sun and have been seeking different ways of obtaining the look of sun-tanned skin while avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun. One of the ways people have found to obtain the look of sun-tanned skin without excessive exposure to the sun is by applying tanning fluid to the skin that presents the look of sun-tanned skin. 
   One of the more popular ways of applying the tanning fluid is to airbrush the tanning fluid on the skin. However, during the application of the tanning fluid with an airbrush, tanning fluid tends to ricochet off of the persons body, tending to create a mess in the area around the person. It has come to my attention that there is a need for a way to collect tanning fluid overspray that occurs during the application of tanning fluid by way of an airbrush. There are several collection type devices in the prior art that have been designed for the collection of paint and paint type products, but they do not address several of the needs that are specific to the collection of tanning fluid when tanning fluid is dispensed by way of an airbrush. Several of these devices are discussed here. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,309 issued to Milder discloses a self-contained, compact and portable powder spray booth and powder recovery system includes a base unit, and a separate booth removably mounted upon the base unit which can be easily customized to accommodate articles of varying shape and size without changing the design of the base unit. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,308 issued to Dully discloses a method for treating paint comprising collecting overspray paint into a sump, adding a stabilizing compound to the water in the sump, adding a paint cure catalyst to accelerate the cure of the paint, assisted by heat and then filtering the cured paint from the clean water filtrate. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,738 issued to Bhatnagar discloses a recovery plant for surplus water paint in paint-spraying booths having a circuit of water circulating in the booth wherein such problems with sedimenting water paint particles no longer arise. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,301 issued to Saatweber discloses a process for recovering the overspray of aqueous coating agents during spray application by collecting it in an aqueous washing liquid which is continuously circulated in a circuit to the spray booth, where the solids concentration of said washing liquid is maintained within a range. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,384 issued to Saatweber discloses a process for recovering the overspray of aqueous coating agents during spray application in spray booths in which aqueous circulating liquid is circulated for the purpose of collecting overspray. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,498 issued to Reighard discloses a system and method for controlling air flow through the interior of a powder spray booth includes a powder collection system for collecting oversprayed powder from the interior of the spray booth. The powder collection system includes a powder collector with a powder collection chamber, a pulse plenum chamber, and a fan plenum chamber containing a motor driven fan for drawing the air-entrained powder into the fan plenum chamber so that the oversprayed powder is collected on the cartridge filters and filtered air is exhausted from the fan plenum chamber through one or more final filters. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,468,508 issued to Laughlin discloses a system for coating human skin, a chemical composition, such as a cosmetic or medical formulation, is uniformly coated over the entire body or selected parts of the body of the person being coated. 
   These previously issued U.S. patents show several different overspray collection type booths, but are not suitable for the use in providing a low cost, simplified collection device. Therefore, there is a need for an Overspray Collection Booth as shown and claimed here. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A primary objective of the claimed invention is to provide an Overspray Collection Booth that is specifically designed for the collection of tanning fluid during the airbrush application of tanning fluid to a person. 
   A further objective of the claimed invention is to provide an Overspray Collection Booth that is lower in cost. 
   An even further objective of the claimed invention is to provide an Overspray Collection Booth that occupies a minimum amount of floor space. 
   A still further objective of the claimed invention is to provide an Overspray Collection Booth that is easy to operate. 
   To achieve these objectives, as well as others that will become apparent after reading this specification and view the appended drawings, an Overspray Collection Booth is provided. The Overspray Collection Booth generally comprises a booth having a plurality of vent apertures and an overspray collection system connected to the vent apertures. The Overspray Collection Booth was designed to occupy as little floor space as possible so that the Overspray Collection Booth could be used in a variety of setting where floor space is an important consideration. There are preferably thirteen 1½ inch diameter vent apertures arranged in five zones within the first side wall and second side wall of the booth to collect tanning fluid overspray during the application of tanning fluid to a person standing in the Overspray Collection Booth. 
   The overspray collection system comprises an upper venting conduit line, a middle venting conduit line, a lower venting conduit line, a common collection line and a suction means. The venting conduit lines and the common collection line are preferably made of polyvinyl chloride plastic to reduce the overall cost and weight of the Overspray Collection Booth. An air flow control valve is included in the vent connections nearest the common collection line so that a technician using the Overspray Collection Booth can control suction rates to each of the vent apertures to achieve a desirable result. The common collection line has threaded end cap at each end with bottom end cap serving as a clean out point for any liquid draining from the venting conduit lines. The suction means has a plastic conduit suction line connected to the common collection line and to a motorized electric fan. A collection receptacle partially filled with water is placed below the output of the motorized electric fan to catch airborne particles sucked from the booth through the collection system. 
   A customer desiring application of tanning fluid to their body stands inside the Overspray Collection Booth with the collection system of the Overspray Collection Booth in operation. A technician standing outside of the Overspray Collection Booth uses a compressed air airbrush to apply tanning fluid to the person desiring an application of the tanning fluid. The collection system creates a suction action within the booth that draws any airborne tanning fluid that may ricochet off of the customer through the vent apertures and into the collection system. The suction action within the booth creates a relative low pressure area within the booth with respect to the ambient air pressure within the room where the booth is located. The pressure difference draws air through the booth opening from outside of the booth providing fresh air for the customer and technician as well as accelerating the drying time of the tanning fluid on the customer. An alternative embodiment of the Overspray Collection Booth includes a door with a plurality of fans to increase the air flow rate within the booth, thus significantly decreasing the tanning fluid drying time. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  shows a front perspective view of the Overspray Collection Booth. 
       FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  shows a rear perspective view of the Overspray Collection Booth. 
       FIG. 3 .  FIG. 3  shows a two dimensional view of the first side of the Overspray Collection Booth. 
       FIG. 4 .  FIG. 4  shows a rear two dimensional view of the second side of the Overspray Collection Booth. 
       FIG. 5 .  FIG. 5  shows a rear two dimensional view of the rear of the Overspray Collection Booth. 
       FIG. 6 .  FIG. 6  illustrates how the Overspray Collection Booth is used. 
       FIG. 7 .  FIG. 7  illustrates how the Overspray Collection Booth operates. 
       FIG. 8 .  FIG. 8  shows an alternate embodiment of the Overspray Collection Booth. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Turning now to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the Overspray Collection Booth  10  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  generally comprises a booth  20  having a plurality of vent apertures  30  and an overspray collection system  40  connected to the vent apertures  30  optionally having a collection system cover  45 . As will be explained in detail, the Overspray Collection Booth  10  shown and described in this preferred embodiment is especially designed to collect tanning fluid overspray during the application of tanning fluid to a person by a technician using a manually operated compressed air type air brush device. 
   This preferred embodiment of the Overspray Collection Booth  10  was designed to occupy as little floor space as possible so that the Overspray Collection Booth  10  could be used in a variety of setting where floor space is an important consideration, such as beauty salons, tanning shops, and health clubs. However, it should be noted that the Overspray Collection Booth  10  can be used in a variety of similar applications where water soluble fluids are spayed upon a person such as medicinal solutions being applied to burn victims. 
   The preferred embodiment of the booth  20  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  comprises a first side wall  50 , a second side wall  60 , a top  70 , a bottom  80 , two front panels  90  forming a booth opening  100 , and a plurality of vent apertures  30 . The first side wall  50  and the second side wall  60  are each 78 inches in height and 38 inches in width including the height of the bottom  80  and top  70  of the booth  20 . The first side wall  50 , second side wall  60 , bottom  80  can be constructed of several different suitable such as plywood or metal, but is preferably made of opaque polyurethane plastic to reduce the overall weight of the booth  20 . The top  80  is preferably made of a transparent material such as glass or transparent plastic to allow light to enter the booth  20 . The overall dimensions of each of the front panels  90  are 78 inches in height and 20 inches in width, making the booth opening  100  25¼ inches in width. The two front panels  90  are preferably made of glass or a transparent plastic but may also be made of the same material used to create the first and second side walls. The booth  20  has a neo-angle design so that the booth  20  can be placed in a corner of a room to reduce the amount of floor space occupied by the booth  20 . However, the shape and design of the booth  20  could be constructed in several different configurations and still provide effective overspray collection of airborne particles in the booth  20 . 
   There are preferably thirteen 1½ inch diameter vent apertures  30  arranged in five zones within the first side wall  50  and second side wall  60  of the booth  20  to collect tanning fluid overspray during the application of tanning fluid to a person standing in the Overspray Collection Booth  10 . However, the size and placement of the vent apertures  30  could vary and still achieve the objectives of the claimed invention.  FIGS. 1–5  show the placement of the vent apertures  30  in the booth  20 . 
     FIGS. 1 and 8  show the first zone of vent apertures  110  preferably has three vent apertures  30  placed within the upper  15  inches of the first and second side walls  50 ,  60  of the booth  20 , with the first side wall  50  having one vent aperture  30  and the second side wall  60  having two vent apertures  30 . The second zone of vent apertures  120  preferably has two vent apertures  30  placed from 15 inches to 30 inches from the top of the first and second side walls  50 ,  60 , with each of the first and second side walls  50 ,  60  having one vent aperture  30 . The third zone of vent apertures  130  preferably has three vent apertures  30  place from 30 inches to 45 inches from the top of the first and second side walls  50 ,  60 , with the first side wall  50  having two vent apertures  30  and the second side wall  60  having one vent aperture  30 . The fourth zone of vent apertures  140  preferably has three vent apertures  30  placed from about 45 inches to about 60 inches from the top of the first and second side walls  50 ,  60 , with the first side wall  50  having one vent aperture  30  and the second side wall  60  having two vent apertures  30 . The fifth zone of vent apertures  150  preferably has two vent apertures  30  placed within the lower 18 inches of the first and second side walls  50 ,  60 , with each of the first and second side walls  50 ,  60  having one vent aperture  30 . 
   The preferred embodiment of the overspray collection system  40  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  comprises an upper venting conduit line  160 , a middle venting conduit line  170 , a lower venting conduit line  180 , a common collection line  190  and a suction means  200 . The venting conduit lines  160 ,  170 ,  180  and the common collection line  190  are preferably made of polyvinyl chloride plastic to reduce the overall cost and weight of the Overspray Collection Booth  10 , but may be made of other suitable materials to accomplished the desired objectives of the claimed invention. Each of the venting conduit lines are angled downwardly toward the common collection line  190  so that the connection between the venting conduit lines  160 ,  170 ,  180  and the common collection line  190  is the lowest point in a venting conduit line. 
     FIGS. 2–5  shows the upper venting conduit line  160  has four venting connections  210  connecting the vent apertures  30  of the first and second zones  110 ,  120  to the upper venting conduit line  160 . The upper venting conduit line  160  is made of 2 inch diameter polyvinyl chloride plastic conduit with a threaded end cap  220  and has a 90 degree angle bend between the second and third vent apertures  30  to conform to the 90 degree angle orientation of the first side wall  50  with respect to the second side wall  60 .  FIG. 5  shows that the first three of the venting connections  210  connected to the upper venting conduit line  160  have a ball valve  230  that enables a technician using the Overspray Collection Booth  10  to control the air flow suction rates to each of the vent apertures  30  connected to the upper venting conduit line  160  to achieve a desirable result. 
     FIGS. 2–5  show the middle venting conduit line  170  has four venting connections  210  connecting the vent apertures  30  of the second and third zones  120 ,  130  to the middle venting conduit line  170 . The middle venting conduit line  170  is made of 2 inch diameter polyvinyl chloride plastic conduit with a threaded end cap  240  and has a 90 degree angle bend between the second and third vent aperture  30  to conform to the 90 degree angle orientation of the first side wall  50  with respect to the second side wall  60 .  FIG. 5  shows that the first three of the venting connections  210  connected to the middle venting conduit line  170  have a ball valve  230  that enables a technician using the Overspray Collection Booth  10  to control the suction rates to each of the vent apertures  30  connected to the middle venting conduit line  170  to achieve a desirable result. 
     FIGS. 2–5  show the lower venting conduit line  180  has five venting connections  210  connecting the vent apertures  30  of the fourth and fifth zones  140 ,  150  to the lower venting conduit line  180 . The lower venting conduit line  180  is made of 2 inch diameter polyvinyl chloride plastic conduit with a threaded end cap  250  and has a 90 degree angle bend between the second and third vent aperture  30  to conform to the 90 degree angle orientation of the first side wall  50  with respect to the second side wall  60 .  FIG. 5  shows that the first four of the venting connections  210  connected to the lower venting conduit line  180  have a ball valve  230  that enables a technician using the Overspray Collection Booth  10  to control the suction rates to each of the vent apertures  30  connected to the lower venting conduit line  180  to achieve a desirable result. 
   The common collection line  190  is made of 3 inch diameter polyvinyl chloride plastic conduit with a threaded end cap at each end. The bottom end cap  260  serves as a clean out point for any liquid draining from the venting conduit lines  160 ,  170 ,  180 . The suction means  200  is preferably connected to the common collection line  190  above the connection between the middle venting conduit line  170  and common collection line  190  and below the connection between the upper venting conduit line  160  and the common collection line  190 . However, the suction means  200  may be connected to the venting conduit lines in various different configurations and still achieve the objectives of the claimed invention. 
   The suction means  200  has a 3 inch polyvinyl chloride plastic conduit suction line  270  connected to the common collection line  190  and to a motorized electric fan  280 . Preferably, a Model 150, 160, 200 or 225 electric fan made by Fantech, Inc. currently located at 1712 Northgate Boulevard, Sarasota, Fla. 34234 is used to create the suction in the collection system  40 . However, the type and brand of suction means  200  can be of several different types of make and manufacture so long as the suction means  200  can create a flow rate of from about 250 cubic feet per minute (cfm) to about 450 cfm in a setting where the static pressure is zero. During the development of the Overspray Collection Booth  10 , several different configurations and sizes of fans  280 , venting conduit lines  160 ,  170 ,  180  and vent apertures  30  were tested to arrive at the preferred embodiment of the claimed invention. It was discovered through testing that the use of 1½ inch vent apertures  30 , 2 inch venting conduit lines  160 ,  170 ,  180  and a 250 cfm to 450 cfm fan  280  yielded the best results. 
     FIGS. 5–7  show a collection receptacle  290  partially filled with water  300  is placed below the output of the motorized electric fan  280  to catch airborne particles  310  sucked from the booth  20  through the collection system  40 . The tanning fluid commonly used in these type of airbrush tanning applications are typically water soluble. When the airborne tanning fluid particles  310  captured by the collection system  40  are pushed out of the fan  280  and into the water  300  within the collection receptacle  290 , the water  300  captures the tanning fluid particles  310  and dissolves them, thus filtering the air. The filtered air  320  is then allowed to escape from the collection receptacle  290  through an opening  330  provided at the top of the collection receptacle  290 . 
     FIG. 8  show an alternative embodiment of the Overspray Collection Booth  10  where the booth opening  100  has a door  340  equipped with a plurality of drying fan  345 . The door  340  is sized and shaped to fill the booth opening  100  so that the customer  350  inside the booth  20  is totally enclosed within the booth  20 . The air flow combination of the drying fans  345  with the suction action of the collection system  40  significantly decreases the drying time of the tanning fluid on the customer&#39;s body resulting in a quicker cycle time for performing the tanning service and thus increasing the number of customers that may be served within a given time period. 
   The Overspray Collection Booth  10  is used as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . A customer  350  desiring application of tanning fluid  360  to their body stands inside the Overspray Collection Booth  10  with the collection system  40  of the Overspray Collection Booth  10  in operation. A technician  370  standing outside of the Overspray Collection Booth  10  uses a compressed air airbrush  380  to apply tanning fluid  360  to the customer  350 . The collection system  40  creates a suction action within the booth  20  that draws any airborne tanning fluid  310  that may ricochet off of the customer  350  through the vent apertures  30  and into the collection system  40 . The suction action within the booth  20  creates a relative low pressure area within the booth  20  with respect to the ambient air pressure within the room  390  where the booth  20  is located. The pressure difference draws air through the booth opening  100  from outside of the booth  20  providing fresh air for the customer  350  and technician  370  as well as accelerating the drying time of the tanning fluid on the customer  350 . 
     FIG. 7  shows how the collection system  40  operates. Airborne particles of tanning fluid  310  are sucked from the booth  20  through the collection system  40  and into the suction means  200 . The output of the suction means  200  pushes the airborne particles of tanning fluid  310  into the collection receptacle  290  where the tanning fluid dissolves in water  300 . Larger particles of tanning fluid and bleeding tanning fluid liquid  400  that gathers on the interior walls of the venting conduit lines  160 ,  170 ,  180  flow downwardly with the slope of the venting conduit lines  160 ,  170 ,  180  and fall into the common collection line  190 . The suction line  270  is connected to the common collection line  190  between the upper venting conduit line  160  and the middle venting conduit line  170  so that a minimum amount of liquefied tanning fluid  400  will be drawn from the venting conduit lines  160 ,  170 ,  180  into the suction means  200 . Preferably, the slope of the upper venting conduit line  160  is greater than the slope of the middle venting conduit line  170  and the lower venting conduit line  180  so that the pull of gravity increases the velocity of the liquefied tanning fluid  400  to further aid in preventing liquefied tanning fluid  400  from being drawn in the suction means  200  from the upper venting conduit line  160 . 
   Although the invention has been described by reference to some embodiments it is not intended that the novel device be limited thereby, but that modifications thereof are intended to be included as falling within the broad scope and spirit of the foregoing disclosure, the following claims and the appended drawings.