Patent Abstract:
There is a pneumatic mud stamp including an applicator, a tube-like member, a stopper, a retraction mechanism, ad a pneumatic control. The applicator is configured to apply mud in a pattern and includes a boot and a faceplate with a slot. The tube-like member is coupled to the applicator and includes a first chamber configured to hold mud, a second chamber configured to hold pressurized air, and a decoupling mechanism configured to open the tube-like member for insertion of mud therein. The stopper is slidably disposed within the tube-like member between the first and second chambers. The stopper provides a fluid tight seal therebetween. The retraction mechanism is configured to facilitate moving the stopper away from the applicator. The pneumatic control is configured to selectably dispose pressurized air into the second chamber.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to applicators, specifically to pneumatic mud stamps.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,671 to Nolte discloses a hand held, self cleaning, machine which uses embossed design rollers to sculpture designs on walls or ceilings. It puts embossed designs on walls or ceilings, in prepared areas of mortar, joint compound, clay, or cement. The machine uses a water jet spray to continuously clean the design roll and vacuum to continuously remove the contaminated water.  
         [0005]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,316 to Johnson discloses a hand tool for spreading plaster on a substrate such as a ceiling and the like in decorative designs in a repeating pattern having a stiff but resilient blade with a serrated distal, longitudinal edge. A handle is attached to the resilient blade at an opposite or proximal edge of the resilient blade from the serrated distal edge of the resilient blade. In one embodiment, the resilient blade includes two spaced-apart tool alignment marks for aligning the tool with a previously-made design of the pattern to align the next repeated design therewith. In another embodiment, the hand tool includes a pivot device associated with the resilient blade proximate one end of the resilient blade to define a location on the substrate about which the tool is to be moved to generate the design.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,801 to Horl discloses a decorative relief pattern is formed on an article or substrate by first forming a layer of highly viscous material on the surface of the article or substrate, followed by applying a plurality of times to such a layer a roller having a surface design arrangement formed of a single design unit, or of several single design units, each design unit being made up of curved, linear convex bodies. The linear bodies may in fact be continuous lines or disconnected lines. Alternatively, the pattern is formed by applying the roller several times to the surface of the article or substrate while at the same time feeding the highly viscous material thereto. The method can provide an article or substrate with a decorative relief pattern having no directional traces in the direction of the rotary movement of the roller.  
         [0007]     What is needed is a pneumatic mud stamp that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available pneumatic mud stamps. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide an air stamp.  
         [0009]     In one embodiment, the pneumatic mud stamp includes an applicator, a tube-like member, a stopper, a retraction mechanism, and a pneumatic control. The applicator may be configured to apply mud in a pattern and may include a boot and/or a faceplate with a slot. The tube-like member may be coupled to the applicator and/or may include a first chamber configured to hold mud, a second chamber configured to hold pressurized air and a decoupling mechanism configured to open the tube-like member for insertion of mud therein.  
         [0010]     The stopper may be slidably disposed within the tube-like member between the first and second chambers. The stopper may provide a fluid tight seal therebetween. The retraction mechanism may be configured to facilitate moving the stopper away from the applicator. The pneumatic control may be configured to selectably dispose pressurized air into the second chamber.  
         [0011]     Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.  
         [0012]     Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.  
         [0013]     These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     In order for the advantages of the invention to be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a pneumatic mud stamp according to one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a pneumatic mud stamp according to one embodiment of the invention; and  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  illustrates a wall design created by a pneumatic mud stamp according to one embodiment of the invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.  
         [0019]     Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, different embodiments, or component parts of the same or different illustrated invention. Additionally, reference to the wording “an embodiment,” or the like, for two or more features, elements, etc does not mean that the features are related, dissimilar, the same, etc. The use of the term “an embodiment,” or similar wording, is merely a convenient phrase to indicate optional features, which may or may not be part of the invention as claimed.  
         [0020]     Each statement of an embodiment is to be considered independent of any other statement of an embodiment despite any use of similar or identical language characterizing each embodiment. Therefore, where one embodiment is identified as “another embodiment,” the identified embodiment is independent of any other embodiments characterized by the language “another embodiment.” The independent embodiments are considered to be able to be combined in whole or in part one with another as the claims and/or art may direct, either directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly.  
         [0021]     Finally, the fact that the wording “an embodiment,” or the like, does not appear at the beginning of every sentence in the specification, such as is the practice of some practitioners, is merely a convenience for the reader&#39;s clarity. However, it is the intention of this application to incorporate by reference the phrasing “an embodiment,”and the like, at the beginning of every sentence herein where logically possible and appropriate.  
         [0022]      FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a pneumatic mud stamp according to one embodiment of the invention. In particular there is shown a pneumatic mud stamp  100  including an applicator  110 , a tube-like member  102  defining a first chamber  120  and a second chamber  130 , and a device housing or pneumatic control  140 .  
         [0023]     The applicator  110  includes a faceplate  112  and a boot  116 . The faceplate  112  includes one or more slots  114  that may be in any design. Non-limiting examples of designs include western and/or southwestern themes such as designs resembling and/or associated with Native American wall/cave drawings. There may be a raised portion associated with the design and/or one or more slots such as similar to that of a leather stamp. A spiral design slot  144  is shown. The faceplate  112  may be removably coupled to the boot  116  as shown by arrows  214 , such as but not limited to by one or more clips, pins, bolts, screws, swivels, etc. The boot  116  includes one or more, preferably a plurality, of channel members or louvers  212  forming channels  216  therebetween. Preferably the boot  116  is constructed of neoprene and the faceplate  112  is stainless steel.  
         [0024]     Looking to the first chamber  120 , the first chamber is defined by a tube-like member  102 , preferably a rigid cylindrical member coupled to the applicator  110 . An amount of material  224  is disposed therein for dispersal through the applicator  110 . The first chamber  120  is in fluid communication with the applicator  110 . Also disposed within the first chamber  120  is a stopper  222  that may be a rubber stopper. The stopper  222  is preferably configured to prevent fluid communication between the first chamber  120  and the second chamber  130 . The stopper  222  also defines a boundary of each of the first and second chambers  120  and  130 , which boundaries may move as the stopper  222  moves.  
         [0025]     The second chamber  130  includes the stopper  222  and a retracting mechanism  132  such as, but not limited to a crank and/or spring  132  and cable  232 , wherein the cable spools around the crank  132  and is coupled to the stopper  222 . Other examples of retracting mechanisms include but are not limited to a spring and a pull-chain. There is also shown a decoupling mechanism  122  for separating the tube-like member into at least two portions, generally associated with the first and second chambers  120  and  130 . Such decoupling mechanism  122  may be, but is not limited to, a threaded male and female portion.  
         [0026]     There may be a handle that may be a D-shaped handle as is commonly known in the art. An embodiment may be configured to work with standard construction devices, such as but not limited to standard air compressors.  
         [0027]     Turning to the device housing  140 , there is a swivel  134 , an actuator  142 , a casing  140 , and one or more air ports  144 . The swivel  134  is configured to enable the device housing to rotate about an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pneumatic mud stamp  100 . The actuator  142  is configured to enable a user to control entry of air into the second chamber  130 . The actuator  142  may include a button, a dial, a switch, a toggle, etc. The air port  144  is configured to permit coupling of an air supply, preferably a pressurized air supply, to the pneumatic mud stamp  100 . The casing  140  comprises pneumatic devices and/or materials commonly known in the art that may couple the air port  144 , the actuator  142  and the second chamber  130  such that actuation of the actuator  142  may drive air from the air port  144  into the second chamber  130 .  
         [0028]     In operation, a user may decouple the tube-like member at  122 , supply a material such as wall mud into the first chamber  120  and then recouple the tube-like member at  122 . Then a user may also select a faceplate  112  including a desired slot  114  design and attach such faceplate  112  to the boot  116 . The user may couple an air supply to the air port  144  and may actuate the actuator  142 , thereby increasing a pressure in the second chamber  130 . Increased pressure in the second chamber  130  may cause the stopper  222  to travel such that material may be pushed through the channels  216  to the faceplate  112  and out the slots  114 . A user may actuate the actuator  142  while the faceplate  112  is disposed at a surface, such as a wall or a ceiling, and thereby apply material to such surface in a design associated with the design of the slots  114 .  
         [0029]     There may also be a depth gauge coupled to and/or adjacent thereto at least one of the boot, applicator, and faceplate. The depth gauge may be used by a user to determine and/or control a depth of material applied to the surface.  
         [0030]      FIG. 3  illustrates a wall design created by a pneumatic mud stamp according to one embodiment of the invention. It is shown that an infinite variety of wall designs may be produced by the present invention. There are shown first, second, and third designs  310 ,  320 , and  330  respectively that disposed in relation to one another. Such may be produced by the present invention by altering faceplates and orientation of the applicator  110 .  
         [0031]     It is understood that the above-described preferred embodiments are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiment is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.  
         [0032]     For example, there may be an embodiment configured primarily for exterior use, an embodiment configured primarily for interior use, and/or an embodiment configured for both interior and exterior use.  
         [0033]     Finally, it is envisioned that the components of the device may be constructed of a variety of materials including but not limited to metals, ceramics, resins, plastics, polymers, fibers, and composites.  
         [0034]     Thus, while the present invention has been fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made, without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8