Patent Publication Number: US-2002009695-A1

Title: Drawing kit for imparting the appearance of texture to paper

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
     [0001] This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/534,029 filed Mar. 24, 2000 and titled “Method and Device for Generating Various Types of Patterns and Surface Texture Within Drawn Objects and Artwork Using Special Templates and Color Pencils/Crayons” which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0002]FIG. 1A depicts the plan view of a texture plate according to the invention.  
     [0003]FIG. 1B shows the method of using a texture plate according to the invention.  
     [0004]FIG. 2 shows a texture plate with multiple textures disposed thereon according to the invention  
     [0005]FIG. 3 depicts a texture plates removably bound in a binder  
     [0006]FIG. 4 illustrates a cover of the binder according to the invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     [0007]FIG. 1A depicts an exemplary texture plate  10  contemplated for use in the basic embodiment. The texture plate  10  has a textured surface  11  on at least one side, and the texture may be embossed upon the surface or engraved into the surface. Further, a different texture may be disposed upon the opposing surface. The texture plate  10  may have a rimmed margin, or shown, one or more margin tabs  12  appended to one edge into which one or more apertures  13  may be located. As discussed below, the apertures are for binding two or more texture plates together to form a kit. FIG. 1B depicts use of a texture plate  10 . A piece of paper is overlaid thereon, and a rubbing is created using a suitable marking means such as a pencil, crayon, or charcoal. The textures may include replications of animal skin textures such as that of an alligator, an elephant or a fish. The textures may also include patterns formed from plant material such as tree bark, leaf skin texture or floral patterns. The textures may also include appearances of brick or stone walls or of geometric forms.  
     [0008] Additionally, a texture has been developed by the inventor by affixing a plurality of polygonal wafers to a rigid surface such that when a rubbing is created, the appearance of animal skin markings is perceived. The appearance is that of giraffe markings, but it can easily be seen that markings of many animals may be approximated in this manner. For example, animal skin markings could include skins of tiger, zebra, and leopard or cheetah.  
     [0009] The texture plates  10  do not have to be of any specified size or shape. An advantage of this plate element over other structures designed to aid in imparting textures to paper is that those prior designs may only receive certain sizes of paper. If the drawing desired to the textured is of a size greater than the area specified for overlaying the paper upon the texturing surface, a texture may be imparted, but at great risk of creasing or even damaging the paper. The benefit of the use of this plate is that any size paper may be used. If the paper used is much larger than the plate, the paper may yet receive the appearance of texture by merely rubbing one area and then shifting the plate or the paper to begin applying the texture to a fresh area of the paper. A further benefit of this kit form is the number of texture plates in the kit permit a diverse variety of textures to be applied to the paper.  
     [0010]FIG. 2 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention wherein multiple textures may be disposed upon the same surface of the texture plate. For the purposes of this invention, this version works well where storage space is a concern and the size of the overall kit is an issue.  
     [0011] One embodiment of the kit is shown in FIG. 3. A plurality of textured plates  10  are kept together in a binder temporarily attached therein by binder rings inserted through the apertures  13  in the margin tabs  12  of the texture plates. Although FIG. 3 displays a three-ring/aperture configuration to bind the plates together, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the kit may be formed by at least one ring/aperture configuration and with a maximum number of apertures limited only by the dimensions of the plate and the desired aperture diameter. Additionally, the binding means employed need not comprise a cover, or covers.  
     [0012] Moreover, it should be noted that the templates may be permanently bound with spiral binding. When using this means to bind the texture plates, care should be taken to ensure that the spiral is of sufficient diameter such that a single texture plate may lie flat upon a drawing surface while the remaining texture plates in the kit are folded back to avoid interfering with use of the selected texture plate.  
     [0013] A version of the kit may include a means to secure a texture plate and a piece of paper. With reference to FIG. 4, the kit comprises at least one rigid cover  40 , the outer surface of which envelopes a recessed area  41  within which a texture plate may fit snugly such that the surface of the texture plate is flush with the outer surface of the kit cover  40 . The texture plate may be inserted within the recessed area  41  and a piece of paper overlaid thereon. The paper may be secured to the outer surface of the kit cover  40  with a clamp  42 . The clamp may also be in the form of a frame, the length and width of which are substantially the same that as that of the kit cover. Additionally, if the kit cover is fabricated from magnetic material, the piece of paper may be secured to the outer surface by a magnet or a plurality of magnets. As an alternative, the kit could incorporate a binder design with two covers. In this case, the recess for housing the selected texture plate and the clamp for securing the paper while imparting the desired texture may be placed on the inside surface of either cover, or both covers.  
     [0014] Furthermore, the magnet or plurality of magnets may be housed within a frame, the outer dimensions of which are substantially the same as the outer dimensions of the kit surface. The frame describes an aperture such that when a piece of paper is placed upon the texture plate and the frame is placed thereon to secure the paper, the paper may be accessed by the user through the aperture and a rubbing may be created. The frame may be secured to the kit cover with a hinge to allow it to be opened or closed.  
     [0015] It should be noted that the texture plate may be held in place upon the outer surface of the kit cover by a number of means including clamps or magnets. Additionally, it is intended that the texture plates may be removed from the kit for use alone on any drawing surface.  
     [0016] In addition to the method for securing the texture plate to a binder cover described above, a binder cover may incorporate a clamping means to secure the texture plate to the surface of the binder cover. The texture plate clamping means could be affixed to either the inside surface or outside surface of the binder cover.  
     [0017] Alternatively, the texture plates may be contained in a receptacle adapted to receive them. Preferably, said receptacle should be adapted with means to hold the texture plates within the confines of the receptacle such as a lid, covering or other similar means for securing the contents within the receptacle. The receptacle could be a satchel, pouch or case. The receptacle is also preferably constructed with a rigid member comprising one surface. This rigid surface could be adapted as described above to receive a texture plate and provide a means for securing the paper overlaying said plate to the rigid surface.  
     [0018] As described above and shown in the associated drawings, the present invention comprises a drawing kit for imparting the appearance of surface texture to paper. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited thereto, since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. It is, therefore, contemplated by the appended claims to cover any such modifications that incorporate those features or those improvements that embody the spirit and scope of the present invention.