Patent Abstract:
A sculpting device, including a number of fibers disposed parallel to one another and in sliding engagement with one another, is disclosed. A rubber band snugly encircles the fibers so as to hold the fibers together in the form of a bundle. The bundle has opposed ends and at least one of the opposed ends bears printed indicia.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to apparatus for education and demonstration and, more particularly, to sculptures or crafts involving manual carving or shaping. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    In U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,236, issued on Oct. 15, 1991, and incorporated for all purposes herein, I disclosed a sculpting device of uncomplicated construction. This device included a bundle of fibers packed into a hollow tube. The tube snugly, yet slidably, held the fibers with the internal surface of the tube being inwardly tapered its opposite ends for a better grip. By pushing on the ends of the fibers with a stylus, the fibers are moved to provide complementary, sculpted surfaces at opposite ends of the tube. 
         [0003]    Over time, I have improved the sculpting device shown in the &#39;236 patent. First, I now have a better way to hold the fibers together as a bundle thereby minimizing the likelihood that fibers will be shed from the tube. Also, I have placed images on the ends of the fiber bundles. If the image on the fibers is, say, a human face, the fibers can be manipulated to form an exceptionally lifelike, three-dimensional portrait. Outstanding 3-D effects can be obtained with landscapes, corporate logos, geometric designs and the like. The device carrying the improvements is fun to play with. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    In light of my improvements of the sculpting device described in my &#39;236 patent, it is a principal object of mine to provide a sculpting device with at least one surface bearing an image that can be manipulated to take on any contour that a user may choose to apply. The image can, thus, be rendered with an especially lifelike, three-dimensional quality or in a whimsical way. 
         [0005]    It is another object of the invention to provide a sculpting device with a bundle of fibers that is tightly held together yet that permits individual fibers to be selectively displaced to provide a three-dimensional, contoured projection. 
         [0006]    It is still another object of the invention to provide a sculpting device of the type described that requires neither prolonged training and nor special tools to use. The sculpting device is easy and intuitive to use, requiring perhaps a few minutes of instruction and practice to master. 
         [0007]    It is an object of the invention to provide improved features and arrangements thereof in a sculpting device for the purposes described which is lightweight in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and fully dependable in use. 
         [0008]    Briefly, my sculpting device achieves the intended objects by featuring a number of fibers disposed parallel to one another and in sliding engagement with one another. A rubber band snugly encircles the fibers so as to hold the fibers together in the form of a bundle. The bundle has opposed ends and at least one of the opposed ends bears printed indicia. 
         [0009]    The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following detailed description of the sculpting device illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The present invention may be more readily described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a sculpting device in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1B  is an enlargement of the circled portion of  FIG. 1A . 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the sculpting device of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the sculpting device with portions being broken away to reveal details thereof. 
       
    
    
       [0015]    Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the accompanying drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0016]    Referring now to the FIGS., a sculpting device, constructed in accordance with the present invention, is shown at  10 . The device  10  includes a plurality of individual fibers  12  held snugly, yet slidably, against one another by a rubber band  14 . Collectively, the fibers  12  comprise a bundle  16  to one end of which printed indicia  18  are applied. The rubber band  14  is covered by a protective sleeve  20  that maintains the shape of the device  10  throughout its useful life. 
         [0017]    The fibers  12  are formed from polypropylene or other suitable materials. They have polygonal cross sections to inhibit their sideways movement in the bundle  16 , but can be provided with other cross sections like circles and ovals. The preferred cross section is shaped like an equilateral triangle measuring about 0.017 inches (0.43 mm) in height. The fibers  12  are about 3 inches (7.6 cm) in length. 
         [0018]    The exact number of the fibers  12  employed in the bundle  16  is a matter of design choice. Nonetheless, making the bundle  16  about 2.75 inches (7 cm) in diameter, so that it can be easily grasped in the hand of a user, means that the bundle  16  will possess thousands of individual fibers  12  extending parallel to each other and the longitudinal axis of the device  10 . This is acceptable since providing a large number of fibers  12  to the bundle  16  yields a device  10  that can render fine sculptural details. 
         [0019]    Printed indicia  18  are provided to one or both ends of the bundle  16 . The indicia  18  can take the form of: portraits of celebrities and other people, corporate logos, slogans, geometric designs, text, photographic images, and the like—the possibilities are limitless. The indicia  18  can include a combination of any number of colors or can be black and white only. 
         [0020]    The application of paint, ink, or other colorants conveying the indicia  18  to the fibers  12  can be manually made with a rubber stamp, brush, or pen. Alternatively, machines like: pad printers, inkjet printers, and laser printers can, with some modifications, provide the indicia  18  to the bundle  16  as part of a large scale manufacturing process. 
         [0021]    One printer found suitable for producing the indicia  18  is a PROMOTOR-4N sold by Diversified Printing Techniques of Charlotte, North Carolina. The PROMOTOR-4N is a pad printer having a horizontal table capable of supporting one or more bundles  16 . A motorized shuttle moves the bundles  16  from one of four printing stations to another where each of the bundles  16  receives ink from a movable pad positioned above the table. Each pad applies one color of ink to a bundle  16  in a predetermined pattern so that multi-color printing requires stops of the shuttle at two to four printing stations. The movement of the bundles  16  from one station to the  2   0  next takes only a few seconds, but since the ink is quick drying, it does not bleed. Printing indicia  18  on the bundles  16 , therefore, requires little time to complete. 
         [0022]    The bundle  16  is held in a round shape by the rubber band  14  that is stretched around the plurality of fibers  12  of bundle  16 . The rubber band  14  is a short length of natural rubber formed in the shape of a loop. The rubber band  14  has three basic dimensions: length, thickness, and width. The length of rubber band  14  is one-half of its circumference or about 4 inches (10.2 cm). The thickness of the rubber band  14  is about 1/32 of an inch (1 mm). The width of the band  14  is the same as the length of the fibers  12  or 3 inches (7.6 cm). The rubber band  14  tends to pack the fibers  12  close together along their entire lengths to increase the frictional force between the fibers  12  so that the fibers  12  will not freely slide relative to each other even if the device  10  is shaken or inadvertently dropped. 
         [0023]    The protective sleeve  20  includes a slotted tube  22 . The tube  22  is molded from resilient plastic and is dimensioned to grasp the bundle  16  bound by rubber band  14  snugly within its confines. The tube  22  has an internal diameter of about 2 13/16 inches (7.1 cm), a thickness of about ⅛ of an inch (3.2 mm) and a width of about 3 inches (7.6 cm). As shown, the tube  22  has a narrow slot  24  that runs from its top to its bottom that, by manually enlarging the slot  24  somewhat by pulling on opposite sides of the tube  22 , that facilitates the placing of the bundle  16  within the tube  22  at the time of it manufacture. 
         [0024]    In addition to the slotted tube  22 , the sleeve  20  also includes a slot cover  26 . The slot cover  26 , has a rectangular, base plate  28  that extends from the top to the bottom of the tube  22  and that has a width sufficient to cover the slot  24  in the tube  22 . A pair of end plates  30  is affixed to the base plate  28  so as to provide the slot cover  26  with a shallow, U-shaped configuration. Each of the end plates  30  has a shallow concavity  32  in its free edge with a radius of curvature like that of the slotted tube  22  to provide clearance so that nearby fibers  12  can be pushed outwardly from the bundle  16 . At the opposite ends of each concavity  32 , each end plate  30  is provided with an inwardly directed pin  34 . When the base plate  28  is pressed closely against the exterior of the tube  22 , the pins  34  “snap” over the top and bottom of the tube  22  thereby retaining the cover  26  in firm engagement with the tube  22 . 
         [0025]    The use of sculpting device  10  is straightforward. First, with none of the fibers  12  projecting from the bundle  16  and indicia  18  being held flat, a user pushes selected fibers  12  outwardly from one end of the bundle  16  by pushing on the ends of the fibers  12  present at the opposite end of the bundle  16 . To achieve the desired relief in the fibers  12  (making the term “LOGO” shown by the indicia  18  project upwardly), some of the fibers  12  are moved outwardly from the bundle  16 . Any implement like: fingers, pencils, pens, or styluses can be used to move the fibers  12 . 
         [0026]    When sculpting is finished, the device  10  is placed in an upright position on a horizontal supporting surface or it is tipped on its side with slot cover  26  serving as a base. If desired, the fibers  12  can be pressed back into the rubber band  14  at a later time and the sculpting process can be repeated to achieve a new effect. The rubber band  14  and the sleeve  20  ensure that the finished sculpture will retain its shape until the bundle  16  is reformed by a user. 
         [0027]    There are several ways to permanently maintain the relief provided to the fibers  12  of a bundle  16  by a user. One way involves the end of the bundle  16  remote from the indicia  18  being heated with a small blowtorch to melt the fibers  12  together. Afterward, any concavities in the just-heated end can be filled with wax, epoxy resin, or other suitable material. Alternatively, the end of the bundle  16 , away from the indicia  18  having some sculpted relief, can be cut flat with a saw. The resulting bundle  16  will contain fibers  12  of assorted lengths and is well suited for use in- low cost, factory-produced sculptures. 
         [0028]    While the sculpting device  10  has been described with a high degree of particularity, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the field that modifications can be made to it. For example, the protective sleeve  20  need not have a circular outline, but can be any desired shape such as an oval, rectangle, or square. Furthermore, embodiments of the device  10  can be produced without the sleeve  20  and with the rubber band  14  only holding the bundle  16  in shape. Therefore, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited solely to sculpting device  10 , but encompasses any and all sculpting devices within the scope of the following claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0