Patent Publication Number: US-2018029749-A1

Title: Tattoo ink cap and array

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims the filing priority of related U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/366,777 titled “TATTOO INK CAP” and filed on Jul. 26, 2016. The &#39;777 application is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention of the present application relates to tattoo ink caps used to hold individual ink colors for an artist during tattooing. Particularly, the invention relates to disposable ink caps detachably connected in linear arrays. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The ink cap is as basic a tool to the tattoo artist as the palette is to a painter. Each is used to retain and mix a modicum of color pigments needed to create a desired image, whether that should be on human skin or a stretched canvas, without wasting valuable ink or paint. The ink cap has the further benefit of preventing cross-contamination between clients, as it is disposed of after each use along with the ink therein. 
     The basic tattoo setup process typically begins with dabbing the bottom of each ink cap with an ointment/gel to provide stabilization. The caps are then arranged as desired by the artist and filled with an ink, typically from a larger squeezable bottle. Obviously, for small tattoos the number of caps needed might be minimal, while larger, more colorful works can require ten or more caps. Even with the use of stabilizing ointment/gel, each cap, which can vary in size, presents a possible spill of valuable tattooing ink. Spills present not just a loss of ink, but also a loss of time for the artist to clean up the spill and refill the ink cap. 
     Further, ink caps currently on the market either come in individual, single caps (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,459,452 to Barth) or as a plurality of connected caps—e.g., sheets of 50 or so caps—(see, for example U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2015/0060308 A1 to Abbott et al.). In the former instance, individual caps can be utilized in any number necessary, but they lack the stability of joined caps. These caps can also be chaotic from a packaging standpoint, often sold in bags of 1000 or more caps. hi the latter instance, the large sheets of caps are more than enough for any tattooing project and they can be readily stacked for organized packaging. However, these sheets require cutting of the plastic bases to get the exact number of caps needed for any project. Further, if additional caps are needed during tattooing, the artist, who typically wears gloves, must attempt to cut caps from the sheet with gloved-hands or remove the gloves to cut. This is not only inconvenient for the artist, it presents the opportunity for cross-contamination and compromised sterilization. 
     In both instances, the cap design for the &#39;452 Patent and the &#39;308 Published Application is a cylindrical reservoir with a smooth interior wall. This design facilitates dripping of ink during use, which is a detriment to careful and neat tattooing practices. 
     These and other problems are addressed by the disclosed device, which provide a system and method with numerous advantages in operation and effectiveness over prior tattooing caps in the industry. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Generally speaking, a tattoo cap array is disclosed comprising a plurality of tattoo caps aligned sequentially each having a cavity defined by a sidewall, a base forming a closed end of each cavity and linking together each of the plurality of tattoo caps, and a detachment section formed in the base at a midpoint between adjacent tattoo caps. 
     In an embodiment, the sidewall of each cap forms a substantially frustoconical cavity with sloped sidewalls. A concave ring is preferably formed in the sidewall of each cavity to prevent dripping of ink, provide a discernible fill line and helps prevent ink overflow during filling. An adhesive layer may also be applied to a bottom side of each cap to allow reliable placement of the cap array. 
     In an embodiment, the base of each cap is octagonal for increased stability for filing and use. The base also provides spacing between adjacent caps to prevent accidental mixing. Preferably, the array comprises between 6 and 20 caps which can come is a variety of volumes and can be separated into a smaller number of caps by manually detaching caps at the detachment section of the desired cap of the array by tearing or breaking the connection—as opposed to prior art arrays which must be cut with a separate tool. The detachment section may be a perforated strip, a frangible section, or other suitable mechanism which would facilitate manual separation of the caps  12 . 
     Further, a tattoo cap is also disclosed, the cap comprising a cavity defined by a sidewall, a base forming a closed end of the cavity, and a detachment section formed in the base along an edge and forming a connection to an adjacent tattoo cap. 
     These and other aspects of the invention may be understood more readily from the following description and the appended drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and appendices embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated. 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of an embodiment of an eight (8) cap array; 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of a cap from the array illustrated in section A of  FIG. 1  showing a single cap and an adjacent connection; 
         FIG. 3  is bottom view of another single cap and adjacent connection from the array of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a side cross-section of an embodiment of a single cap; and 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an embodiment of an eight (8) cap strip. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to embodiments illustrated. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , the invention can generally be described as a multi-cap array  10  with each individual cap  12  being coupled to an adjacent cap along an edge of their respective bases  14  by a detachment section  16 . The caps  12  are preferably sequentially arranged. Additionally, the base  14  of each cap  12  includes an adhesive layer  20  covered by a protective release backing  22  with a pull tab  24 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the preferred array  10  comprises eight (8) individual linearly aligned caps  12 . However, the array  10  may have as few as two (2) caps. The upper number of caps which may be connected in a linear array is theoretically unlimited, but practically speaking is probably in the range of about 12-20 caps. The arrays  10  may even be arranged in linear pairs (not shown) with pull tabs  24  being directed outward from each pair. As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the octagonal-shaped base  14  allows for a myriad of connection edges, but such is preferably limited to allow for easier manipulation of the pull tab  24 . 
     Each cap  12  is formed by a sidewall  13  which defines a cavity  15  into which liquid ink can be retained. The sidewall  13  and base  14  are preferably integral to one another such that the base  14  forms a closed end of the cavity  15 . 
     The detachment section  16  is formed at a midpoint between two adjacent caps  12  and is configured to readily “snap” with the force of bending at the midpoint. Preferably, the detachment section  16  is formed by a perforated strip  17 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . Alternatively, the detachment section  16  may be a frangible (i.e., breakable) section formed at the midpoint. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the section  16  can be comprised of a breakable, thinned section of material with a “v-notch” at the midpoint. Of course, other methods for providing the detachment section  16  of the base  14  are known to those of skill in the art. 
     The detachment section  16  allows any number of caps  12  to be snapped from the array  10  for use. To provide the best adhesion to a surface, the adhesive layer  20  is preferably applied to the base  14  within close confines of the edges, but so as not to interfere with the detachment section  16 . The adhesive layer  20  may, of course, cover a smaller area of the base  14 , if desired. The adhesive layer  20  is protected by release paper  22  having a pull tab  24  extending outward from a side of the base  14 . Pulling downward upon the tab  24  will separate the release paper  22  and expose the adhesive lay  20 . The cap  12  may then be adhered to a suitable flat surface for filling. 
     With reference to  FIG. 4 , it can be seen that the base  14  is slightly longer than a diameter of the cap opening  30 . This feature reduces tipping and spilling occurrences and provides sufficient spacing between adjacent caps  12  to prevent accidental mixing of inks during use. Further, the cap  12  preferably has a frustoconical lower section  32  which transitions into an internal concave ring  34  before opening to a vertical-walled rim  36  defining opening  30 . 
     The frustoconical cavity  15  reduces ink waste by eliminating sharp corners where ink can become trapped. Conversely, cylindrical caps of the prior art often require tipping to pool ink from the bottom for removal—a practice not favored by artists. The ease of removing ink from the cavity  15  allows the caps  12  to be sold as a single size instead of small, medium and large sizes required by prior art. The versatility of the present cap  12  is a great benefit for artists because it allows them to purchase and store less cap arrays  10 . 
     As previously noted, the interior concave ring  34  within the cavity inhibits dripping from the cap  12  as it provides a stop for the liquid ink before reaching the rim  36 . The ring  34  also provides a visual fill-line indicator for mixing and prevents the overflow of ink. The vertical rim  36  is positioned just above the ring  34  and defines the opening of the cap  12 . 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective of a preferred array  10  of eight (8) caps  12 . The cap arrays  10  are preferably injection molded of any suitable polymer material. As such, each of the arrays  10  can be molded in a single cavity. However, other molding processes may be possible and useful, including two-piece caps (e.g., base and body). 
     The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants&#39; contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.