Abstract:
Art instrument having a self-contained reservoir for storing and dispensing application liquid includes a reservoir body for containing the application liquid and a dispensing assembly that dispenses the application liquid from the reservoir. The dispensing assembly includes an applicator, a primary orifice restrictor including a channel, a movable actuating assembly that retains the applicator and the primary orifice restrictor and is movably connected to the reservoir body, and a secondary orifice restrictor arranged in an opening of the reservoir body and includes an initially closed channel. The instrument also includes a partly movable control mechanism that controls movement of the actuating assembly relative to the reservoir body. The control mechanism having a configuration in which it prevents opening of the closed channel and thereby prevents leakage of application liquid from the reservoir prior to manual activation by a user.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to art instruments, and more particularly to art instruments having a self-contained reservoir for dispensing paint or ink to an applicator provided at one end of the instrument. 
     The present invention also relates to a method for activating an art instrument having a self-contained reservoir for storing and dispensing application liquid without requiring removal of any component from the art instrument, thereby simplifying the activation process. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     One type of art instrument includes an internal reservoir portion for holding water, colored inks, paints, and other liquid art media (hereinafter collectively referred to as “application liquid”) and a brush portion connected to the reservoir portion wherein the application liquid passes to the brush portion in a controlled manner to be deposited onto a 
     Examples of such instruments include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,969 (Nishitani) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,360 (McSweeney et al.) and the Art-Kure Watercolour System Colour Sketch Brush discussed in McSweeney et al. All of these references are incorporated by reference herein. 
     It has been found that a problem with such instruments, the application liquid is prone to leak out of the instrument when shipped via air, e.g., when exposed to low pressure at high altitudes. 
     Therefore, it would be beneficial to have an improved art instrument that provides a controllable flow of application liquid and is substantially leak-proof when exposed to low pressure and thereby allows the instrument to be shipped via air without concern of leakage. 
     Moreover, these art instruments generally require removal of a component in order to activate the instrument, activation being the initial, manual procedure to allow for dispensing of application liquid by the instrument. For example, the instrument disclosed in McSweeney et al. has a ring between threaded parts with the ring preventing complete engagement of the threaded parts and thus dispensing of application liquid. The ring must be removed by the user to activate the instrument and this requires separation of the threaded parts from one another, removal of the ring therebetween and then re-threading of the parts together without the ring. This is a cumbersome procedure and necessitates additional effort to use the art instrument. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An art instrument in accordance with the invention has a reservoir body for containing application liquid and a dispensing assembly that dispenses the application liquid from a reservoir in the reservoir body. The dispensing assembly includes an applicator, a primary orifice restrictor including a channel, a movable actuating assembly that retains the applicator and the primary orifice restrictor and that is movably connected to an open end of the reservoir body, and a secondary orifice restrictor arranged in an opening of the reservoir body and that includes an initially closed channel. The instrument also includes a partly movable control mechanism that controls movement of the actuating assembly relative to the reservoir body. 
     The control mechanism has a first configuration on the reservoir body in which it allows the channel of the primary orifice restrictor to be in flow communication with the channel of the second orifice restrictor (which flow communication is obtained by moving the actuating assembly relative to the reservoir body) and a second configuration on the reservoir body in which it prevents engagement of the primary orifice restrictor with the second orifice restrictor. In this second configuration, the control mechanism would prevent opening of the channel of the secondary orifice restrictor (if not already opened) to thereby maintain the channel in a closed state until manual movement of the control mechanism into the first configuration. 
     The initial manual movement of the control mechanism, when the channel of the secondary orifice restrictor is still closed, is referred to as activation and thus prior to activation, the channel is closed as a result of its formation thereby allowing the instrument to be shipped while exposed to low pressure without fear of leakage of the application liquid from the reservoir. 
     Specifically, the control mechanism includes a movable regulating ring arranged around the open end of the reservoir body and that is maintained on the reservoir body during movement of the control mechanism between the first and second configurations, i.e., removal of the regulating ring is not required for activation. This provides yet another advantage, in comparison to conventional art instruments mentioned above, in that it is possible to activate the instrument without requiring separation of components of the instrument. 
     The regulating ring has an annular portion having an inner diameter that is larger than an outer diameter of the reservoir body at the open end and control flanges extending from the annular portion toward a closed end of the reservoir body. The control mechanism also includes positioning slots arranged on an outer surface of the reservoir body that selectively receive the control flanges. Each positioning slot is either a pre-activation slot or a post-activation slot. When the control flanges engage the pre-activation slots, the control mechanism is in the second configuration preventing engagement of the primary orifice restrictor with the secondary orifice restrictor and thus opening of the channel of the second orifice restrictor, if not already opened. 
     The art instrument constructed in this manner is therefore activatable without requiring removal of any component from the art instrument, in particular the ring that is interposed between the threaded parts. Rather, the ring is initially positioned to limit movement of the actuating assembly and prevent engagement of the primary orifice restrictor with the second orifice restrictor and thus opening of the channel of the secondary orifice restrictor to thereby maintain the channel in a closed state. Then, when activation of the art instrument is desired, the ring is manually adjusted, without removing it from its position interposed between the reservoir body and the dispensing assembly, to enable the ring to be brought to a position in which it allows movement of the actuating assembly to a position in which the channel of the primary orifice restrictor is in flow communication with the channel of the second orifice restrictor and thus enables dispensing of application liquid from the reservoir. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of and illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an art instrument in accordance with the invention in a shipping and storage state; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the instrument in accordance with the invention in the shipping and storage state; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the instrument in accordance with the invention in a use state in which it can be used when a cap is removed; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the instrument in accordance with the invention in the use state; and 
         FIG. 5  is a partially exploded view of the instrument in accordance with the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein the same reference numbers refer to the same or similar elements,  FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an art instrument in accordance with the invention, designated  10 , having a self-contained reservoir of application liquid, means for controlling dispensing of the application liquid from the reservoir to an applicator for distributing the application liquid onto a surface, and means for requiring activation of the instrument in order to use it, whereby prior to activation, the application liquid cannot leak out of the reservoir. Thus, the instrument comprises a plurality of interconnected parts that operate to permit a user to controllably release application liquid from the reservoir through the applicator for dispensing onto the surface, yet provide the instrument with a shipping, pre-use state in which the application liquid cannot leak from the reservoir, even when the instrument is exposed to low ambient air pressure, e.g., when shipped via air. 
     More specifically, the instrument  10  includes a cap  12 , a nozzle  14 , a valve body  16 , an applicator  18 , a primary orifice restrictor a secondary orifice restrictor  22 , a regulating ring  24 , and a reservoir body  26 . Optionally, the instrument  10  includes a sealing mechanism for sealing a reservoir  28  in the reservoir body  26 , e.g., an O-ring  30  arranged between an outer surface of the secondary orifice restrictor  22  and an inner surface of the reservoir body  26 . Each component may be dimensioned to securely fit against and/or nest into any mating components. The tight fit and interconnection of the components provides a leak-proof assembly that, as described more fully below, can easily be activated by a user to controllably dispense application liquid contained in the reservoir  28  of the instrument  10  onto the surface being painted. 
     Cap  12  serves to cover the exposed applicator  18  when the instrument  10  is not in use. The cap  12  includes an open end portion and an opposite closed end portion. The open end portion is dimensioned and shaped so as to form a watertight seal when placed over and pressed against a brush end of the nozzle  14  (as shown in  FIGS. 1-5 ). An inner surface of the open end portion of the cap  12  and an outer surface of the nozzle  14  may include cooperating fitting means, e.g., one or more grooves and one or more corresponding raised ridges that produce a snap-fit closure. Optionally, the cap  12  may be vented, such as by providing pores or slots in a sidewall to permit pressure to escape after activation of the instrument  10 , such as in storage after activation. 
     Nozzle  14  is a hollow, generally cylindrical piece that includes a body portion having the brush end region  32  dimensioned and shaped so as to receive the open end of the cap  12 , and a threaded end region  34  opposite the brush end and that has an inner surface with threads  36  (see  FIG. 5 ). The body portion may include a textured outer surface, rubber coating, or other known grip-enhancing features to assist in providing a user with adequate grip to control the instrument even when the user&#39;s hands are wet, e.g., the axially extending grooves and ridges as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The threaded end region  34  permits a secure and watertight connection of the nozzle  14  to the reservoir body  26  via the threads  36  on the inner surface of the nozzle  14  and corresponding threads  38  at an open, threaded end of the reservoir body  26  (see  FIG. 5 ). 
     Valve body  16  serves to receive and securely retain the applicator  18  of the instrument  10  and the primary orifice restrictor  20 , and to enable a regulated flow of application liquid from the reservoir  28  to the applicator  18 . Another purpose of the valve body  16  is to provide a housing to position the applicator  18  against the primary orifice restrictor  20 . If the applicator  18  is not positioned properly against the primary orifice restrictor  20 , then the application liquid flow will not be directed smoothly to the distal end of the applicator  18 . 
     The valve body  16  is generally cylindrical, having a slightly tapering distal end portion  40  with a distal opening, a substantially cylindrical base portion  42  having a base opening, and a substantially cylindrical sidewall portion  44  located between the distal end portion  40  and the base portion  42 . The valve body  16  further includes a longitudinal passageway having a predetermined diameter that connects the base opening at the base portion  42  and the distal opening at the distal end portion  40 . The outer surface of the valve body  16  may be constructed to permit the valve body  16  to securely and frictionally fit inside the nozzle  14 , and to securely meet the primary orifice restrictor  20  for a watertight connection adjacent a capped end of the applicator  18 . The valve body  16  further includes an inner diameter that is compatible with the applicator  18  to permit the applicator  18  to be inserted into and securely retained by inner surface of the valve body  16 . The inner surface of the valve body  16  may include a retaining structure on the internal surface to securely hold the capped end of the applicator  18 . Variations of the valve body  16  may be used, e.g. , those disclosed in McSweeney et al. referenced above. 
     The applicator  18  may be formed in different ways and from different materials depending on the use of the instrument  10 . In the illustrated embodiment, the applicator  18  is formed as a brush and includes a generally conical assembly of bristles  46  secured into a common assembly by a cap member  48  at the capped end and having a tapered end  50  opposite the cap member  48 . The cap member  48  can be porous or non-porous, and may permit application liquid to flow through and/or around the cap member to reach the bristles  46 . Upon initial activation of the instrument  10 , the proximity of the capped end of the applicator to the primary orifice restrictor  20  permits application liquid to flow from the restrictor  20  onto the bristles  46  in the applicator  18 . 
     The primary orifice restrictor  20  is a substantially disk-shaped valve having a substantially circular first end  52  that is positioned adjacent or in engagement with the cap member  48  of the applicator  18  (see  FIGS. 3-5 ), and an opposite protruding tube end  54  that is selectively connectable to the secondary orifice restrictor  22 . The primary orifice restrictor  20  includes an axially extending channel  56  that connects the first end  52  and the opposite tube end  54 . The protruding tube end  54  is preferably configured so as to frictionally fit inside of an axial channel  58  in the secondary orifice restrictor  22 . The primary orifice restrictor  20  may be similar to the primary orifice restrictor  6  disclosed in McSweeney et al. and have the same properties thereas. 
     The secondary orifice restrictor  22  is a substantially cylindrical-shaped valve having a substantially circular first end region  60  dimensioned to mate with a threaded end region  62  of the reservoir body  26 , at which the threads  38  are situated, to form a watertight seal. Optionally, the first end region  60  of the secondary orifice restrictor  22  is arranged to engage the annular flexible sealing ring  30 , such as a rubber O-ring, to form a tight seal between the threaded end region  62  of the reservoir body  26  and the secondary orifice restrictor  22 . Sealing ring  30  therefore preferably approximates an inner, sidewall diameter of the threaded end region  62  of the reservoir body  26 . 
     The first end region  60  includes part of the axial channel that receives the protruding tube end  54  of the primary orifice restrictor  20 . The inner diameter of the channel  58  at the first end region  60  is greater than the outer diameter of the protruding tube end  54  so as to enable insertion of the tube end  54  into the channel  58  at the first end region  60  and to retain the tube end  54  by friction alone. Channel  58  has a variable diameter, from a larger diameter at an end opening into the reservoir  30  in reservoir body  28  to a small diameter at the first end  60  (see  FIGS. 3-5 ). The secondary orifice restrictor  22  may have other features like the secondary orifice restrictor disclosed in McSweeney et al. and have the same properties thereas. 
     The reservoir body  26  includes a generally cylindrical body portion having the threaded end  62  and an opposite closed end. The reservoir body  26  is of sufficient size and diameter so as to act as the storage reservoir  28  for an amount of application liquid, e.g., ink, to permit painting without requiring frequent refills. For example, the reservoir  28  can holds between about 0.1 to about 2 ounces of liquid. Preferably, the reservoir body  10  is also refillable by unthreading and removing the nozzle  14  and other components to permit a user access to the open end of the reservoir body  26 . The reservoir body  26  should preferably be made from a flexible material such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and should have wall thickness of between about 0.01 inches to 0.09 inches to allow for easy squeezing by a user to activate the liquid dispensing system of the instrument  10 . 
     An important aspect of the instrument  10  is the presence of a control mechanism that maintains the reservoir  28  in the reservoir body  26  in a closed state prior to activation of the instrument  10  by the user. That is, during manufacture of the instrument  10 , application liquid is placed into the reservoir and sealed therein and until activated by the user, the instrument  10  will not leak application liquid from the reservoir  28 . 
     This leakage prevention is provided by the formation of the secondary orifice restrictor  22  with its channel  58  initially closed at the first end region  60 . Since the channel  58  is closed at the front end region  60 , and not opened until manual activation of the instrument  10  by the user, application liquid cannot leak from the reservoir  28  through the secondary orifice restrictor  22 . This therefore allows the instrument  10  to be shipped via air without concern that the exposure to low air pressure will cause leakage of the application liquid from the reservoir  28  as may occur in prior art instruments  10 , discussed above. 
     An exemplifying construction of the control mechanism is shown in  FIGS. 1-5  and comprises the regulating ring  24 . Regulating ring  24  has an annular portion  64  whose inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the threads  38  at the threaded end region  62  of the reservoir body  26  to enable the regulating ring  24  to be easily slid over the threads  38  onto the reservoir body  26 . Regulating ring  24  also includes a number of control flanges  66  extending axially in a common direction from the annular portion  64 . In the illustrated embodiment, the regulating ring  24  includes four control flanges  66  approximately equally spaced around the annular portion  64 , although the number of control flanges  66  may vary, and even a single control flange may be provided. Each control flange  66  includes a projection  68  at a distal end that has a width that is smaller than the width of the distal end. 
     The control mechanism further comprises a specific formation of slots on an outer surface of the reservoir body  26  that selectively receive with the control flanges  66  and their projections  68 . Specifically, the outer surface of the reservoir body  26  includes a series of positioning slots  70 A,  70 B, each adapted to individually receive one of the control flanges  66 . Positioning slots  70 A are pre-activation slots and positioning slots  70 B are post-activation slots  70 B, and the pre-activation slots  70 A alternative with the post-activation slots  70 B around the periphery of the reservoir body  26  so that the regulating ring  24  is positionable in a first position in which the projections  68  of the control flanges  66  are received in only pre-activation slots  70 A and in a second position in which the control flanges  66  and their projections  68  are received in only post-activation slots  70 B. Pre-activation slots  70 A have a smaller depth along the outer surface of the reservoir body  26  than the post-activation slots  70 B. 
     The regulating ring  24  therefore controls the ability of the primary orifice restrictor  20  to engage the secondary orifice restrictor  22  and thus either permit or prevent flow of application liquid from the reservoir  28  in reservoir body  26  to the applicator  18 . Moreover, the regulating ring  24  controls the ability of the primary orifice restrictor  20  to be manually moved to a position in which the tube end  54  pierces the initially, closed channel  58  and this therefore enables the secondary orifice restrictor  22  to have a closed state prior to manual activation. 
     Accordingly, when the regulating ring  24  is positioned such that the control flanges  66  and their projections  68  are received in the pre-activation slots  70 A, i.e., prior to packaging and shipping of the instrument  10 , the primary orifice restrictor  22  cannot be moved to cause the protruding tube end  54  to fit inside of the axial channel  58  in the secondary orifice restrictor  22 . Movement of the primary orifice restrictor  20  relative to the secondary orifice restrictor  22  is enabled by rotation of the nozzle  14  and valve body  16  received therein relative to the reservoir body  26  but such rotation is limited once the control flanges  66  and projections  68  are received in the pre-activation slots  70 A. 
     To this end, the pre-activation slots  70 A are formed on the outer surface of the reservoir body  26  to allow movement of the primary orifice restrictor  20  upon rotation of the valve body  16  relative to the reservoir body  26  only up to a point where the tube end  54  of the primary orifice restrictor  20  is not in engagement with the channel  58  in the secondary orifice restrictor  22  (to the position shown in  FIG. 3  when the control flanges  66  and projections  68  are received in the pre-activation slots  70 A as shown in  FIG. 1 ). On the other hand, the post-activation slots  70 B are formed on the outer surface of the reservoir body  26  to allow movement of the primary orifice restrictor  20  upon rotation of the valve body  16  relative to the reservoir body  26  to the point where the tube end  54  of the primary orifice restrictor  20  is engaged with the channel  58  in the secondary orifice restrictor  22  (to the position shown in  FIG. 4  when the control flanges  66  and projections  68  are received in the post-activation slots  70 B as shown in  FIG. 2 ). 
     Thus, leakage of application liquid from the reservoir  28  in the reservoir body  26  is prevented because the channel  58  in the secondary orifice restrictor  22  is maintained in a closed state prior to manual activation of the instrument  10 . 
     Manual activation of the instrument  10  entails rotating the nozzle  14  relative to the reservoir body  26  to enable the regulating ring  24  to be axially moved until the control flanges and projections  68  can be removed from the pre-activation slots  70 A, rotating the regulating ring  24  until the control flanges  66  align with the post-activation slots  70 B and then rotating the nozzle  14  relative to the reservoir body  26  to cause the control flanges  66  and projections  68  to be engaged with the post-activation slots  70 B. This causes the closure  72  of the channel  58  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ) to be pierced or otherwise removed and thus provides for a fluid communication between the channel  58  in the secondary orifice restrictor  22  and the primary orifice restrictor  20 . As such, when the primary orifice restrictor  20  and the secondary orifice restrictor  22  are in engagement with one another, flow of application liquid from the reservoir  28  in reservoir body  26  to the applicator  18  is possible, upon squeezing the reservoir body  26 . When the primary orifice restrictor  20  is not be engaged with the secondary orifice restrictor  22 , flow of application liquid from the reservoir  28  in reservoir body  26  to the applicator  18  is mostly prevented. 
     An exemplifying assembly of the instrument  10  by the manufacturer includes placing application liquid into the reservoir  28  in the reservoir body  26 , placing the regulating ring  24  over the threaded end  62  of the reservoir body  26  such that the control flanges  66  are oriented toward the closed end of the reservoir body  26 , and inserting the secondary orifice restrictor  22  into the reservoir body  26 , with the optional O-ring  30  therebetween. Separately, the applicator  18  is inserted into the valve body  16 , and the primary orifice restrictor  20  is placed into the valve body  16  adjacent the cap member  48  of the applicator  18 . The cap  12  may be placed over the nozzle  14 , and the threaded end of the nozzle  14  is slid over the valve body  16  and applicator  18  assembly until the nozzle  14  and cap  12  enclose the entire valve body and applicator assembly. The nozzle  14  is then threaded onto the reservoir body  26  to form the instrument  10 . This threading is limited by aligning the control flanges  66  with the pre-activation slots  70 A to thereby prevent engagement of the primary orifice restrictor  20  with the secondary orifice restrictor  22 , i.e., penetration of the tube end  54  into the channel  58 , and maintain the initial closure of the channel  58  of the secondary orifice restrictor  22 . 
     Upon purchase of the instrument  10 , the instrument  10  must be activated by a user to enable application of the application liquid to a substrate. An advantage of the invention is that this activation does not require any disassembly of the instrument by the user, as is required in prior art instruments. That is, the user does not have to, for example, separate the actuating assembly (which includes the nozzle  14  and valve body  16 ) from the reservoir body  26 . Rather, the user only has to slightly loosen the actuating assembly from the reservoir body (by rotating them relative to one another in one direction) to enable the regulating ring  24  to be rotated or shifted from a position in which the control flanges  66  are engaged with the pre-activation slots  70 A to a position in which the control flanges  66  align with the post-activation slots  70 B. 
     Once the regulating ring  24  is in this position aligning with the post-activation slots  70 B, the user rotates the actuating assembly in the opposite direction relative to the reservoir body  26  causing the primary orifice restrictor  20  to move closer to the secondary orifice restrictor  22  and continues this rotation until the protruding tube end  54  of the primary orifice restrictor  20  pierces the closure  72  of the axial channel  58  to be inside of the axial channel  58  in the secondary orifice restrictor  22 . This movement is permitted because the control flanges  58  slide into the post-activation slots  70 B. At this time, the instrument  10  is ready for use by squeezing the reservoir body  26 . This causes application liquid from the reservoir  28  in reservoir body  26  to flow through the channel  58  in the secondary orifice restrictor  22 , through the primary orifice restrictor  20 , and into and/or around the cap member  48  to reach the bristles  46  in the applicator  18 . Once flow of application liquid has thus commenced, a user can control the flow simply by exerting pressure such as by squeezing the reservoir body  26  to obtain faster liquid flow. 
     Having described exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments, and that various changes and modifications can be effected therein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.