Abstract:
A toy throwing disk is configured for spinning about a rotational axis during flight and for producing bubbles during the spinning flight. The disk includes a bubble solution reservoir with outlets, aperture arrays receive bubble solution from the reservoir through conduits and cooperating with passing air during the spinning flight to convert the bubble solution into bubbles. The conduits include an adaptation of hydrostatic valving to control the delivery of the bubble solution and prevent leaking.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a Continuation-in-Part of and claims all due benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/464905 filed Aug. 21, 2014, claiming benefit to U.S. Provisional Applications Ser. No. 61/868650 filed Aug. 22, 2013, and Ser. No. 62/000126 filed May 19, 2014, the entire teachings of which are all incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention is related to bubble-making for such reasons as entertainment and visual effect. The invention is also related to throw-able spinning toys such as flying disks. More specifically, this invention is related to methods and systems for making bubbles from throwable spinning toys, employing the forces created by the spinning to deliver a stored bubble-making solution to the air through which the toy is thrown. 
       BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    There are devices in the prior art for producing bubbles from thrown spinning toys. But to date, all of these have been dysfunctional . . . at least to a degree sufficient to prevent them from having success in the marketplace. They have suffered from such ill effects as excessive complexity causing unreliability or high cost, unreliable delivery of bubble-making solution to the airstream, inadvertent leaking of the bubble-making solution while the device is in use, and inadvertent leaking of the solution when the device lands and rests in any orientation other than right side up. The leaking of solution over the surface of the disk limited these devices to use as throw-only devices, because catching a slippery flying disk is difficult and unpleasant. 
         [0004]    A bubble-making flying disk is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,256 (Mitchell) that contains and converts bubble solution as it spins along a flight path. This device was in fact commercialized exactly as taught in the patent, but was unsuccessful due to inadvertent leaking of its bubble-making solution during common use. While one of Mitchell&#39;s stated goals was to minimize such inadvertent leaking, he relied on a “partial vacuum effect” to accomplish this, which effect was not functional in certain common landing positions, allowing his bubble-making solution to leak profusely during those positions. 
         [0005]    Mitchell proposed that even when his flying disk landed upside-down, the partial vacuum effect would retain the fluid within his reservoir. And that effect did serve this function when his flying disk landed upside-down, so long is it landed in a level or near-level upside-down position. However, flying disks thrown in real-life situations rarely land in a level or near-level position. They most often land in tilted positions to some degree, and Mitchell&#39;s partial vacuum effect was ineffective in such upside-down and tilted positions. 
         [0006]    Mitchell&#39;s device admittedly cannot prevent leakage from his feed holes  22  during upside-down but even slightly tilted positions. Referring to Col 6 lines 23-33, Mitchell explains how his “vacuum effect” acts to “substantially” retain the fluid within reservoir  20  when the toy is upside down and his holes  22  are positioned below the bubble solution&#39;s surface level. Mitchell describes the fluid retention as “substantial” (not completely) because it is obvious that such a “vacuum effect” can only exist when all of holes  22  are below the bubble solution&#39;s surface level. Whenever his toy lands upside down in less than a perfectly horizontal disposition, as would be very common, such that one of more of his holes are below and one or more are above the bubble solution&#39;s surface level, those holes above the surface level will form vents to allow inflow of air and thereby cancel the vacuum within his reservoir and thereby allow leakage from those holes below the surface level. Indeed, Mitchell expressly admits that the fluid will leak from the feed holes  22  of reservoir  20  in the absence of a partial vacuum situation (Col 7 lines 7-11), and explains that an overflow chamber  50  may be added to capture fluid that leaks from reservoir  20  through holes  22  during those situations. In all embodiments of the Mitchell device bubble solution travels on the lower surface of the disk (Col 5 lines 37-40), “This enables the solution to travel from the reservoir  20  directly onto the lower surface  16  in an uncontained, uncovered condition” (Col 8 lines 18-19) “conveying said bubble solution across the lower surface”. Therefore the bottom surface of the Mitchell device is admittedly covered with a film of bubble solution, which is precisely where users grip and handle flying disks while playing catch with them. Because such common situations did admittedly allow leakage, and in all cases the device is covered with a film of sticky bubble solution, Mitchell was dysfunctional at least to the degree that his device was not marketable and his commercialized product was unsuccessful and short-lived for these very reasons, leaving an as-yet unfulfilled need in the marketplace. 
         [0007]    “Hydrostatic valving” is a known phenomenon related to water within tubes wherein capillary forces and water surface tension may be employed to operate as flow/no-flow valving for the water by balancing the tube length and diameter to allow flow through the tube only upon the application of a predetermined linear force vector within the tube. Capillary forces cause water and other liquids of low viscosity to adhere to the inner wall of small-diameter tubing, either drawing the water into the tubing or acting to retain the water in the tubing against removal forces. Articles and papers such as  Cohesion and Adhesion in Liquids: Surface Tension and Capillary Action , by Openstax College,  Fluidics—The Link Between Micro and Nano Sciences and Technologies , by Chih-Ming Ho,  A Review of Microvalves , by Kwang W Oh and Chong H Ahn,  Centrifugal microfluidics for biomedical applications , by Robert Gorkin et al, attest to the knowledge in the public domain related to this phenomenon for use as componentless valving with water. However, the effects of fluid viscosity and surfactance were unappreciated as related to hydrostatic valving using high viscosity/high surfactance fluids, so hydrostatic valving was unobtainable with such fluids as bubble-making solution. 
         [0008]    Research has determined that flying disks typically spin in flight at around 6 RPS. Flying disks are generally of two common outer diameters; 10 inches and 11 inches. The outer edge of the disk will typically be spinning around the disk&#39;s axis during flight at between 1884 and 2007 inches per minute. 
         [0009]    It is an object and benefit of the invention to provide a bubble making system which provides the benefits of but eliminates the flaws and limitations of prior art such as Mitchell. More specifically, it is a primary object of the invention to provide such a system which does not inadvertently leak during any commonly expected use or condition and stays dry in all surface areas utilized by users, and which accomplishes these objectives with a minimum of complexity and components. It is a further object and benefit of the invention to obtain this benefit through the use of phenomena akin to hydrostatic valving to optimize reliability, decrease complexity, and decrease cost. It is a further object and benefit of the invention to provide such a system which is adaptable to various other types of throwable, throw-and-catchable, or projectable spinning toys and devices. It is a further object and benefit of the invention to provide such an adaptable system to such various toys and devices where the toys and devices are already familiar, especially to children, so that bubble-making can be an added feature to such commonly known toys and devices and used without requiring training. It is another object and benefit of the invention to provide a bubble-making system which allows adults to pre-load a supply of bubble-making solution, then allows children to play, mess-free, with the device for an extended period and produce much larger bubble quantities without the need for repeated reloadings and or rinsing off of excess solution. It is another object and benefit of the invention to provide a bubble-making system which more efficiently creates bubbles to maximize the number of bubbles available from a given quantity of solution. Additional objects and benefits of the invention should become obvious to readers of the following disclosure, which is not meant to limit, but only meant to exemplify the invention. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The present invention may be all or a portion of a new bubble making system, a portion of or all of a toy or other device employing the system, or one or more of the steps of the method employed to make or use the system, toy, or device. The system may include a pre-fillable, sealed, and unspillable reservoir of bubble solution, one or more armatures for converting the solution into bubbles, and a conduit for delivering the bubble solution to the armature, only as needed during use. The system may also include the forces naturally occurring during normal use of the toy or device, as an inherent part of the delivery conduit. The system employs a high-viscosity adaptation of hydrostatic valving to control the flow of and prevent the inadvertent leakage of the solution. 
         [0011]    Through the novel use of a high-viscosity adaptation of the properties which cause hydrostatic valving, the system provides a constant “as needed” supply of a carefully and automatically metered quantity of solution to the armature. When employed in devices and toys to which motion is already being imparted, such as objects commonly thrown, swung, or spun, the system eliminates the need for providing additional bubble-making force, and eliminates the need for creating a dedicated additional airflow to create bubbles. By employing the natural and familiar motions and resulting forces of the device in which it is used, the system eliminates the need for added power, motors, fans, electronics, and other extraneous power, propulsion, and regulation components. By employing the novel adaptation of hydrostatic valving, inadvertent leakage of the solution is eliminated without the need for mechanical or complicated valves or unreliable vacuum effects. 
         [0012]    The invention may be practiced by or using, or may be embodied in a toy throwing disk configured for spinning about a rotational axis during flight and for producing bubbles during the spinning flight. The disk may have a circular top panel and a sealed reservoir disposed symmetrically about the rotational axis and comprising a plurality of outlets. The reservoir may be configured to receive and contain a bubble solution having a viscosity of 50 to 300 cP at 20° C. The disk may have the plurality of grid pairs equally angularly-spaced around and atop the circular top panel, radially-outboard of the reservoir, each of the pairs comprising two parallel panels forming a radially-disposed space there-between for receiving the bubble solution from the reservoir. The parallel panels may each be configured with an array of apertures for cooperating with passing air during the spinning flight to convert the received bubble solution into bubbles. And the disk may have the plurality of conduits providing fluid communication from the outlet to the space for providing the bubble solution to the arrays of apertures. The conduits may have an inside diameter of 1 MM to 2 MM and a length of 8 MM to 12 MM. The conduit, due to its inside diameter and length, and the bubble solution, due to its viscosity, may cooperate to retain the solution within the reservoir and conduit absent a sufficient circumferential force vector, and the sufficient circumferential force vector may be realized only during the spinning flight so that the bubble solution is delivered to the aperture array only during the spinning flight and cannot flow from the reservoir and the conduit except during the spinning flight. 
         [0013]    The radially-disposed spaces may be from 0.3 to 0.7 MM wide. The apertures may have a diameter of 2.5 MM to 3.5 MM. The apertures may be chamfered outwardly. The apertures may be continually vertically and horizontally spaced from 3.5 to 4.5 MM apart. The aperture arrays on the two parallel panels may be coaxially aligned on an axis that is normal to the panels. The parallel panels may be 1 to 1.5 MM thick. 
         [0014]    The invention may also be practiced by or using, or may be embodied in a toy throwing disk having a base disk plate with a domed top panel having a downwardly-hanging circular perimeter, a reservoir, a plurality of conduits projecting radially outwardly from the reservoir, the plurality of reservoir outlets comprising conduit inlets to provide fluid communication between the reservoir and the conduits; a reservoir cover for covering and sealing the reservoir and the conduits and having a fill opening there-through for providing bubble solution to the reservoir; a removable and replaceable cap for selectively sealing the fill opening; and the plurality of bubble distribution armatures, each comprising a pair of parallel aperture array panels forming a radially-disposed space there-between; the plurality of radially-disposed spaces equally angularly-disposed around the domed top panel. The armatures may further have inlets providing fluid communication between an associated one of the conduits and the armature&#39;s radially-disposed space. The conduits may be serpentine-shaped channels integrally-molded in the base disk plate communicating with the reservoir through the reservoir outlets. The serpentine-shaped channels may be created by an easily replaceable mold insert to ease modification and optimization of the effective length of the channel. The toy throwing disk may further include a decal/gasket to hide and seal a seam between the reservoir cover and base disk plate. The domed top panel may have integrally-molded features for locating and fastening the bubble distribution armatures thereto. The locating and fastening features may be positioning nests and snap-receivers. 
         [0015]    Further features and aspects of the invention are disclosed with more specificity in the Detailed Description and Drawings of an exemplary embodiment provided herein. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings showing exemplary embodiments in accordance with accompanying Detailed Description. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is a perspective top view of a first exemplary flying disk made according to certain aspects of the invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a cross-section through the disk of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a layout view of the grid panel of a distribution armature of the disk of  FIG. 1 , in its pre-folded state; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a partial front assembly view of a distribution armature of the disk of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a partial top assembly view of the armature of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a partial close-up of a distribution armature of the disk of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 7A  is a close up view of some of the apertures of the armature of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 7B  is a partial cross-section of the apertures of the armature of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 8A  is a view of the components of the tube assembly of the disk of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 8B  is a view of the tube assembly of the disk of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 9  is a bottom view of the click of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 10  is a front view of a distribution armature of the disk of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0029]      FIG. 11  is a front view of a distribution armature of a second exemplary flying disk made according to certain aspects of the invention; 
           [0030]      FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of the armature of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0031]      FIG. 13A  is a dimensioned partial cross-sectional view through a common flying disk of the prior art; 
           [0032]      FIG. 13B  is a dimensioned partial cross-sectional view through the flying disk of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0033]      FIG. 14  is an exploded view of the flying disk of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0034]      FIG. 15  is a close-up view of a solution channel of the flying disk of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0035]      FIG. 16A  is a close up exploded view of a solution channel of a third exemplary flying disk made according to certain aspects of the invention; 
           [0036]      FIG. 16B  is a close up view of the assembled solution channel of  FIG. 16A ; 
           [0037]      FIG. 17  is a partial perspective view of the flying disk of  FIG. 11  with one of the distribution armatures removed; 
           [0038]      FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional perspective view through the flying disk of  FIG. 11 ; and 
           [0039]      FIG. 19  is a cross-sectional end view through the grid of an armature of the flying disk of  FIG. 11 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0040]    Reference is now made to the exemplary flying toy disks shown in the Drawings, which include bubble-making systems in accordance with or for use in practicing the invention. 
         [0041]    Referring first to  FIGS. 1 through 10 , flying disk  100  is shown. The disk is intended to be used just like a common flying toy disk such as a Wham-O brand “Frisbee®” (http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying.disc), but with the added feature of bubble-making. In fact, the disk shown was constructed using a Wham- 0  brand “Frisbee®”. Polymer housing  150  includes a circular domed top panel  152  approximately 11 inches in outer diameter, from which hangs a circular perimeter  154  for grasping. The disk is approximately 1.4 inches high form the bottom of the perimeter wall to the top of the domed top panel, excluding the later-described cap and filling opening. The housing defines an axis of rotation  156  about which the object will rotate when it is flung in a spinning fashion, well known to most children. 
         [0042]    The flying disk includes reservoir  102 , three armatures  104 , and three delivery conduits  106  for providing selective fluid communication between the reservoir and the armatures. The reservoir  102  is symmetrically disposed on the underside of the circular top panel  152  at the axis of rotation  156  and includes three outlets  116  directed radially outwardly toward the armatures, which are outboard of the axis of rotation from the reservoir so that, as later explained, centrifugal forces act to suck solution from the reservoir during spinning flight, through the delivery conduits, and feed it to the armatures where it is converted to bubbles and dispersed along the flight path as the disk flies and spins through the air. 
         [0043]    The reservoir includes an interior chamber  108  for receiving and storing bubble solution, a fill opening  112  sealed by a removable and replaceable screw-on cap  114 , and the three outlets  116  for making the solution available to the armatures through the associated delivery conduits. The outer wall of the reservoir is upward conically shaped with the outlets disposed at the largest diameter at the top of the wall to employ centrifugal forces to cause all of the solution therein to be forced and directed towards the outlets and enable all solution to be used up. The solution is of the type having a viscosity between 50 and 300 cP at 20° C. 
         [0044]    Referring to  FIGS. 3 through 5 , each armature includes a pair of grids  118  straddling the exit  120  of each delivery conduit  106 . In this exemplary embodiment, each pair of grids was formed by folding a sheet of preferably 1.25 MM thick (more specifically, from 1 to 1.5 MM) perforated material  122  into a pair of spaced-apart perforated grid panels  118 , having a preferably 0.5 MM wide space (more specifically 0.3 to 0.7 MM)  123  there-between. The material used was available only with square holes, so  FIGS. 3 and 4  show an array having those square holes. But the square holes were then reworked into the preferred circular holes of  FIGS. 6, 7A , and  7 B. The exit end  120  of the associated delivery conduit is captured in the space  123  between the panels as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , and the panels are stitched together. 
         [0045]    Referring to  FIG. 6 through 7B , the resulting grid pair  118  includes an array of round apertures  124  which are configured to become filmed over by the solution delivered into the space between them and to be blown into bubbles by air passing through them as the disk travels in its spinning flight. The apertures are preferably 3 MM in diameter (more specifically, from 2.5 to 3.5 MM) chamfered outwardly at 45 angular degrees, and continually vertically and horizontally spaced preferably 4 MM apart (more specifically, from 3.5 to 4.5 MM). The fold was made so that the apertures on the two parallel panels are coaxially aligned on an axis that is normal to the panels. 
         [0046]    Referring to  FIGS. 8A and 8B , each delivery conduit  106  is a flexible elastic tube  126  32 MM in length with an outside diameter of 4 MM and an inside diameter of 2 MM, with reducing couplings inserted into each end. The reducing couplings are intake coupling  1281  which will connect to one of outlets  116  of the reservoir and outlet coupling  1280  that will be captured within the associated grid pair space. The intake coupling is preferably 10 MM long (more specifically, from 8 to 12 MM) and has an outside diameter of 3.2 MM and an inside diameter of preferably 1.5 MM (more specifically, from 1 to 2 MM). It is this coupling which provides the “hydrostatic valve” function explained elsewhere in this disclosure. The outlet coupling is 10 MM long and has an outside diameter of 3.2 MM and an inside diameter of 2-2.5 MM. This coupling simply enables rigid attachment of the exit end  120  of the conduit to the associated armature. The total length of the assembled delivery device from the entrance opening at the reservoir to the exit at the armature is 42 MM. This arrangement causes capillary adhesion to prevent the solution from escaping to the armatures absent the circumferential force applied to the solution during its spinning flight. The delivery conduit serves this valve function with no moving components or seals through the use of capillary forces similar to hydrostatic-valving. 
         [0047]    The positioning of the smaller diameter hydrostatic valve in the intake coupling provides the additional benefit of easing cleaning. If debris enters the reservoir, this arrangement better retains it in the reservoir and prevents it from entering the conduit. This allows for the rinsing of the reservoir and removal of debris that would otherwise travel down the conduit to the armature and clog it. 
         [0048]    Referring to  FIG. 10 , the bubble-forming area  162  of the grid panels is shown. This is the area wherein the apertures are filmed over by the solution and where adequate airflow passes through the apertures to cause formation of bubbles. Upper shelves  160 U are disposed atop the armatures and lower shelves  160 L are disposed below the armatures and spaced above the circular panel. The shelves together serve the purpose of intercepting solution which may have not converted into bubbles in the bubble-forming area, to deflect and send that solution outwardly with the bubbles as a spray of harmless mist in the trailing path behind the flying disk. That solution would otherwise be problematic in that it would coat the top panel and graspable perimeter wall, leaving a sticky mess. Instead, that solution impacts the upper and lower shelves and is thrown there-from during flight as droplets that contribute positively to the visual affect of the bubbles . . . leaving the graspable perimeter dry and mess-free. The shelves also serve the purpose of directing air into the aperture array to maximize bubble production. The lower shelf can be trough-shaped to retain unspent solution that drizzles downwardly from the aperture array. This bowed shape yields the additional benefit that it directs bubbles upwardly away for the top panel during flight to prevent mess. This also allows a sheet of air to flow beneath the shelf and carry away any excess bubble solution and all bubbles produced up into the airstream to prevent mess. 
         [0049]    The viscosity of the bubble solution for use in this system is within the range of 50 to 300 cP at 20° C. The delivery conduit&#39;s smallest inside diameters, 1.5 MM within couplings  1281  and  1280 , and the lengths of those tubular holes, 10 MM, were carefully selected after exhaustive experimentation to function as the afore-described high-viscosity version of a hydrostatic valve with this bubble solution by relying on the adhesive capillary forces within the tube to hold the solution in the tube and deny its escape from the tube absent the stated sufficient force vector. It was found that the length of the tube must be at least 5 times its inside diameter to provide a hydrostatic valve-type of function. It was also found that gravitational forces can cause the solution to flow undesirably through an opening of a larger diameter, so an inside diameter of or smaller than about 3 MM is found necessary simply to avoid inadvertent gravitational leaking. An inside diameter of or larger than about 0.5 MM is found necessary to ensure that the solution will be forced through the tube during the typical forces of ordinary flying disk flight . . . the “expected forces” present when bubble making is desired. Between the diameters of 1.5 and 3 MM, the balance between inadvertent leaking and proper hydrostatic valving is difficult to predict, as it depends on things like the force with which the disk is thrown, the ambient temperature, the posture of the disk during flight, etc. These things, all being unreliable to predict, reduce the reliability of the valving operation, increase the likelihood of leaking, and thereby prevent the marketability of a tube having an inside diameter in that range. 
         [0050]    Another factor at play is the required intake of air to replace the solution expelled from the reservoir. The expulsion of solution naturally creates a vacuum with the reservoir and the conduit. Air has a viscosity of only 0.018 cP at 20° C. and it is found that an inside diameter of around 1.5 MM provides sufficient passageway for the intake of air into the chamber under even the slightest vacuum so that all of the volume of solution leaving the reservoir can be replaced by inhaled air as soon as the spinning ends. 
         [0051]    And because the system is so efficient, the reservoir holds enough solution, approximately 100 CC, to generate many bubbles for a long time, versus older bubble-makers, which would be quickly depleted and require the user to refill every few minutes, interrupting play and making a mess. 
         [0052]    Attention is now directed to  FIGS. 11 through 19  where a second exemplary embodiment is presented in the form of flying disk  200 . While the first embodiment  100  had been constructed as a proof-of-concept prototype and was accordingly restricted, disk  200  is designed with an eye towards mass-production, both to employ features that enable mass-production, and to take advantage of benefits provided by such mass-production methods as injection molding. 
         [0053]    The bubble distribution armatures  204  shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12  are molded to incorporate all of the functional elements for the assembled armatures of the first embodiment, with the connection to the delivery conduit incorporated directly therein. The shape of the armature is reduced to more closely mimic the previously-explained bubble production area which reduces unnecessary weight and reduces unnecessary aerodynamic drag. 
         [0054]    Referring to  FIG. 13B , while the first embodiment was built upon an existing flying disk ( FIG. 13A ), the basic disk shape and size, including the domed top panel and the depending perimeter wall, are designed in this second embodiment to reduce overall weight and increase outside diameter to thereby increase the velocity of the spinning armatures and optimize bubble production. 
         [0055]    Referring now to  FIGS. 14 through 19 , it can be appreciated that the component count is greatly decreased for this mass-production design. The components are a base disk plate  201 , a reservoir cover  203 , a decal/gasket  205 , a reservoir cap  214 , and three distribution armatures  204 . 
         [0056]    The base disk plate incorporates this embodiment&#39;s domed top panel  252 , depending perimeter wall  254 , reservoir  202 , reservoir outlets  216  (which also serve as the conduit inlets and hydrostatic valves), and conduits  206 . The conduits are integrally molded serpentine channels communicating with the reservoir through the pinched-down reservoir outlets. The serpentine shape is created by an easily replaceable mold insert to provide flexibility in the effective length of the channel, to optimally match the length to the conduit width. 
         [0057]    The reservoir cover  203  seals the reservoir and includes fill opening  212 . Removable and replaceable threaded cap  214  fits to the fill opening and allows filling of the reservoir. It also provides cover for the conduits and includes nozzles  220  for receiving the distribution armatures and connecting the conduits thereto. 
         [0058]    The decal/gasket hides and seals the seam between the reservoir cover and base disk plate. 
         [0059]    The armatures are connected to the nozzles of the reservoir cover and fixed into proper position by locating features atop the base disk plate. The locating features include positioning nests  215  and snap-receivers  217 . 
         [0060]    It should be appreciated that while the above embodiments both include three bubble distribution armatures, any balanced plurality of armatures with the matching plurality of associated plumbing may be less-preferably used. The plurality of three was merely chosen because it provided adequate space between the armatures for grasping the disk, and because it resulted in a device that was reasonable weighted. 
         [0061]    It should be understood that while the invention has been shown and described with reference to the specific exemplary embodiments shown, various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the invention should therefore only be limited according to the following claims, including all equivalent interpretation to which they are entitled.