Abstract:
A kit which comprising a package containing those items necessary to develop a patterned painted scene, and particularly a camouflage pattern, on a surface of an object and including instructions as to how to utilize such items to develop the patterned painted scene. These items may include multiple cans of paint of different colors, at least one patterned paint roller for applying the paint, and trays for holding the paints for loading the rollers with paint. One or more of the items in the kit is designed to instruct the user in the application of a multiplicity of compatible layers of differently colored paints over all or a part of the surface to be camouflaged, employing the patterned rollers. A unique paint roller element and a method for developing a patterned painted scene are disclosed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention relates to the development of patterned painted surfaces, such as a camouflaged surface, and particularly to a kit useful for developing a patterned painted surface, such as a camouflage pattern on a boat, all terrain vehicle, truck, hunting blind, outdoor shed, wall, roof or other surface. 
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0004]    At times it is desired to camouflage a boat, motor vehicle, or other items commonly associated with the hunting sports, bird watching, animal habit studies and like ventures. Camouflage also is commonly employed in military environments. In similar manner, at times, generation of an outdoor scene is desired for an interior wall of a building. 
         [0005]    Heretofore, it has been common to use a template to paint a camouflage pattern on at least the outwardly exposed surface or surfaces of an object, such as a boat, etc. to be camouflaged. This activity heretofore involved several steps, each being carried out substantially independently of the other. For example, heretofore, one had to research (a) a pattern of camouflage for a given environment, e.g., a desert environment, a green forest environment, a winter forest environment, an environment which included a body of water (e.g., lake, river or ocean, a blue sky environment, (b) the appropriate paints to be used, i.e., color(s), and the compatibility of the multiple colors of paints, (c) method of application of the camouflage to the object, (d) and possibly the most difficult issue of all, how to develop a pattern for the camouflage. In this latter respect, considerable personal artistic aptitude is most helpful. This talent requirement has resulted in an industry directed to the design and production of templates or stencils. These products, however, limit the choice of landscape, camouflage, etc. to those templates which are commercially available. Among other things, such commercial templates are limited to the size offered commercially and are rather expensive, many being single use templates, and time consuming to use. When using either templates or when “free-hand” painting of a landscape, camouflage or other scene, there remains the necessity of the user to seek out sources of each of those products which their research revealed to be necessary to develop the desired camouflage, all at the expense of time and money. 
         [0006]    In the present disclosure, the pattern to be painted onto a surface is referred to as a “camouflage” pattern or “camouflaging” a surface or object. It will be understood that the pattern need not be “camouflage”, but may be any of a large variety of scenes, particularly outdoor scenes. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit which comprises a package containing those items necessary to develop a patterned painted surface without employing a template, and particularly a camouflage pattern on a surface of an object, and including instructions as to how to utilize such items to develop the patterned painted scene. These items may include multiple cans of compatible paints of different colors, at least one patterned paint roller for applying the paint, and trays for holding the paints for loading the rollers with paint. One or more of the items in the kit is designed to instruct the user in the application of a multiplicity of compatible layers of differently colored paints over all or a part of the surface to be camouflaged, employing the patterned rollers. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a representation of a typical kit embodying various of the features of the present invention, 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an exploded schematic representation of various components of the kit depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a representation of a typical first roller element of the present invention and depicting one pattern of a given paint which may be applied to a paintable surface upon one rotation of the depicted first roller element about its rotational axis; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a representation of a first roller element of the present invention and including a representation of one pattern of a given paint which may be applied to a paintable surface upon one rotation of the depicted first roller element when employing only an outboard end portion of the depicted roller; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a representation of a second roller element of the present invention, and depicting a representation of one pattern of a given paint which may be applied to a paintable surface upon one rotation of the depicted second roller element; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a representation of one pattern of paint which may be applied to a surface upon one rotation of the second roller element as depicted in  FIG. 5  when employing only an outboard end portion of the depicted roller; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a representation of a portion of the side of the bow end of a boat having a camouflage pattern painted thereon employing a kit of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a representation of a wall having a camouflage pattern of a tree trunk and associated limbs painted thereon employing a kit of the present invention; and, 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a schematic representation of a unitary cylinder of a polymeric foam useful in the forming of one embodiment of a roller element of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
       [0017]    With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in one embodiment of a kit of the present invention there is included at least first and second paint rollers  12  and  14 , respectively, having their respective outer cylindrical surfaces  16  and  18  defined in accordance with various aspects of the present invention, a quantity of each of a plurality of compatible paints  20 , 22 , 24  and  26  of differing colors, a paint tray  28 , 30 , 32 , and  34  for each of the paint colors, and instructional materials  36  for the use of the kit to develop a painted camouflage pattern on the surface of an object, such as a boat  38  (see  FIG. 7 ), or a wall (see  FIG. 8 ). The instructional materials may include printed materials and/or instructions on an electronic medium, such as a VHS tape, CD, or DVD disc(s). These, and such other items as may be employed in the development of a given patterned painted scene on a surface, are compactly housed within a strong container  40 , such as a corrugated cardboard box for handling, storage and/or shipping. 
         [0018]    As depicted in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the present kit may be employed to paint an outdoors scene depicting a portion of a tree  44 , including the tree truck  46  and one or more associated tree limbs  48  and  50 , for example, on a boat  38  (see  FIG. 7 ), or an inside wall  60  of a house (see  FIG. 8 ), as desired. Each of the depicted scenes includes principally one or more trees or major portions of a tree, at the option of the user. As depicted in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , additional features of the tree, such as bark  62 , may be depicted. Given the present disclosure, it will be recognized by one skilled in the art that the scene to be painted may be chosen from an almost endless number or variations of scenes. 
         [0019]    With reference to  FIG. 3 , a typical first paint roller  12  includes a handle  64  having an elongated, generally cylindrical patterned roller element  66  mounted thereon employing a cylindrical core  67 . The depicted handle includes a first portion  68  adapted to be grasped in a user&#39;s hand, and a second portion  70  which extends substantially perpendicular to the first portion. This second portion functions to receive and support a first roller element  66  thereon for rotation of the first roller element about its rotational axis  71 . Handles of this nature are well known in the painting art. 
         [0020]    Each roller element of the paint rollers of the present invention is formed of a material such as a resilient, flexible, porous, polymeric material. Polyurethane foam may be employed in one embodiment of the present roller elements. 
         [0021]    The first elongated roller element  66 , as depicted in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , includes an outer circumferential surface  16  which is collectively defined by a plurality of generally annular projections  51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57  and  58  which are aligned in side-by-side, spaced-apart arrangement on a unitary cylinder  83 . These projections are generally of substantially equal diameters. The longitudinal centerline of this unitary cylinder defines the rotational axis  71  of the roller element. 
         [0022]    Each projection includes an outer circumferential surface  75  which contributes to the overall delivery of paint from the roller element onto a surface to which a camouflage pattern is to be developed. Specifically, each annular projection is shaped in a manner which permits a preselected portion or portions of the outer circumferential surface  75  of the projection to engage the surface to be painted upon each rotation of the roller element as it is rolled over the surface to be painted. 
         [0023]    More specifically, referring specifically to  FIGS. 9 ,  3  and  5 , in the formation of the roller element, a unitary cylinder  83  of resilient, flexible porous, preferably polymeric, material, is cutaway in a direction from its outer circumferential surface  85  radially inwardly of the unitary cylinder, leaving an open cavity  76  (typical) defined by the side walls of adjacent projections. In a first roller element, such cutaways may terminate radially short of the full radius of the unitary cylinder, some cutaways being radially deeper than others of the cutaways, thereby forming projections which differ in radial height, hence exhibit differing degrees of compression when the roller element is rolled over a surface to be painted. In one embodiment, the cutaways may extend fully through the radius of the cylinder. Further, the side walls  77  and  79  of each projection (projection  58 , for example), which result from respective ones of the cutaways may, themselves, be non-parallel with respect to one another. Rather, the contour of each side wall may be chosen to develop differing thickness of the projection along its radial dimension (see dark area of projection  58  of  FIG. 3 , for example). 
         [0024]    Still further, the cutaways which define a given projection may include the removal of polymeric material from the outer circumferential surface of a given projection thereby developing one or more depressions  80  in the outer circumferential surface of such projection(s) so that as the roller element is rolled over a surface, no paint is transferred from the projection to the surface in those areas where there are depressions in the outer circumferential surface of the projection.  FIG. 9  depicts schematically multiple cutaways of a typical unitary cylinder of the present invention. 
         [0025]    As seen in  FIG. 3 , each of the cavities  76  includes opposing side walls  75  and  77  which are defined by the outer side walls of adjacent ones of the annular projections. Since the respective wall thicknesses of the annular projections are non-uniform over their respective depth (radial) dimension, the side walls of each cavity are correspondingly contoured, as opposed to straight walls. That is, the cavity most commonly is non-uniform in width over the depth of the cavity. 
         [0026]    Additionally, it will be recognized that the cavities defined between the side walls of adjacent projections open outwardly  81  of the circumferential surface of the roller element. Such cavity openings also leave unpainted areas in the pattern produced by each revolution of the roller element over the surface being painted. Accordingly, the choice of the overall geometry of the outer circumferential surface of the roller element may be selected through the choice of the geometry of the cutaways, hence the geometry of the projections. This feature permits the provision of a roller element which, when rolled over the surface being painted by one revolution of the roller element, will develop a desired pattern  78  of paint deposition on the surface. 
         [0027]    With reference to  FIG. 4 , the depicted first roller element may be employed to develop, during a single revolution of the roller element, a pattern  82  which is more narrow than the full pattern  78  depicted in  FIG. 3 . This feature of the roller element is achieved by contacting the surface being painted with selected ones of the end projections of the roller element. In  FIG. 4 , only the end projections  57  and  58  are employed in developing the pattern  82  depicted in  FIG. 4 , during a single revolution of the roller element. Employing more of less projections in engagement with the surface being painted can permit the user to select differing widths of the pattern as depicted in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0028]    Moreover, when employing one or more of the end projections of the roller element, and through selection of the degree of pressure applied to the roller element as it moves through one revolution over the surface being painted, the user may distort the end projections to the extent that the most radially outward portions of their respective side walls engage the surface being painted and thereby contribute to the deposition of paint to the surface. This feature permits the user to widen, or otherwise alter, the painted pattern, as desired. 
         [0029]    Thus, it is noted that the overall outer circumferential surface of the roller element, as defined by the outer circumferential surfaces (or cavity openings in such surfaces) is discontinuous over the length dimension of the elongated roller element. Through selection of the location of and/or the geometry of, such discontinuities in the overall outer circumferential surface of the roller element, a basic pattern of paint deposition by the roller element during a single revolution of the roller element along a surface to be painted, may be developed. Multiple variations of this basic pattern may be achieved merely by the user&#39;s choice of pressure applied to the roller element during each revolution thereof, and/or by the user&#39;s choice of employing less than all of the projections during a single revolution of the roller element over the surface. These features of the plurality of projections and intermediate cavities between adjacent projections result in the deposition of paint from the roller element onto the surface being painted in a pattern which is a function of the respective geometries of the outer circumferential surfaces of the projections and/or the outwardly opening ends of those cavities which are intermediate the projections. 
         [0030]    In accordance with one feature of the present invention, the most radially inward portions  86  (typical) of the projections (i.e., most adjacent the rotational axis of the roller element), are not cut away, leaving a substantial volume of the porous material of the unitary cylinder available as an overall generally cylindrical reservoir of liquid paint adjacent the rotational axis of the roller element. By this means, the roller element may be initially loaded with sufficient paint, including the enhanced volume provided adjacent the rotational axis of the roller element, to permit abnormally long single swipes of the roller over a surface to be painted to develop repeating patterns of paint without interruption of the continuity of the overall effect. For example a tree trunk of several feet length may be generated by a single swipe of the roller without a break in the repeating pattern. 
         [0031]    As noted, each projection, most commonly, includes a respective wall thicknesses which is non-uniform over the radial dimension of the projection. Moreover, the side walls of each of the plurality of annular projections are non-parallel to one another, and generally may be non-perpendicular to the rotational axis of the roller element. Further, the deviation of one or both of the side walls of a given projection may vary with respect to its degree of non-perpendicularity with respect to the rotational axis of the roller element. According, each projection, most commonly, exhibits a multi-directional irregular annular geometry over its radial dimension, hence an irregular outer annular distal surface between adjacent cavities. This construction of the projections results in a plurality of distally projecting surfaces of varying disparate areas and geometries being in simultaneous contact with a surface to be painted as the roller element, loaded with paint, is rolled over the surface to be camouflaged. 
         [0032]    Also as noted, each projection includes at least one side wall. Each such sidewall may be contoured as noted hereinabove. Since the roller element is formed of a flexible resilient material, the projections may be contorted by applying more or less pressure to the roller element as it is passed along the surface to be camouflaged. By this means, more or less of the sidewalls of the projections may be caused to engage the surface being painted to further contribute to that portion of each projection wall which will engage, or not engage, the surface to be camouflaged. Thusly, each cavity and projection may contribute selectively to the versatility of the camouflage pattern developed by the roller element as it is passed over the surface to be camouflaged. These annular distal surfaces of the projections manifest themselves in the form of a pattern  78  of paint,  20  for example, deposited on the surface being camouflaged. (See pattern  78  of  FIG. 3 , for example.) 
         [0033]    Such pressure may be applied generally evenly over the full length of the roller element, or may be applied selectively to those annular projections which are located proximate one of the opposite ends of the roller element. When relatively even pressure is applied to the roller element, one revolution of the roller element of  FIG. 3  produces a painted pattern  78  as depicted in  FIG. 3 . At the choice of the user, application of pressure to those projections proximate an end of the roller element will produce a large variety of painted patterns, depending upon the degree of pressure applied and the angle of contact between the rotational axis  71  of the roller element and the plane of the surface being painted. For example, if the applied pressure is sufficient to distort one or more of those projections proximate an end  92  of the roller element, the painted pattern may reflect painted areas  94  which are generated by the contact of one or more of the inner side walls of the projections, along with the distorted distal surface of these projections, with the surface being painted. It will be recognized that more or less pressure applied to these end projections will produce correspondingly more or less distortion of these annular projections, hence more or less deposition of paint from the inside walls of the projections onto the surface being painted. This effect is available to the user for selection of the density of paint being deposited on the surface and/or the width of a line of paint being deposited on the surface. Other effects of similar nature are obtainable by the user merely using their imagination. Moreover, this feature of the roller elements of the present invention permits the user to utilize a single one of the rollers to generate a relatively wide swath of the full pattern of the roller element or to use the same roller to generate only a narrow line of paint, or by varying the applied pressure as the roller element is rolled along a surface, the width (and intensity) of the painted “line” may vary in width, thereby providing the user with yet another means for applying paint selectively, in area and quantity, in the course of developing a desired patterned painted scene. 
         [0034]      FIG. 4  depicts a second roller element  14  included in the kit of the present invention. This second roller element is likewise formed of a material such as a resilient, flexible, porous polymeric material, but is smaller in both length and outer diameter than the first roller element. Also in like manner as the first roller element, this second roller element is defined by a plurality of side-by-side, spaced apart, in register, annular projections  84  (typical) which extend radially from the rotational axis  104  of a unitary cylinder in the manner as depicted in  FIG. 9 . The unitary cylinder is mounted on a central cylindrical core  67  which is adapted to be fitted onto the handle for the roller element. The annular projections are of substantially equal radial dimensions so that their collective distal outer surfaces  90  define the outer cylindrical surface  18  of the second roller element. Like the first roller element, these annular projections of the second roller element are spaced apart laterally from one another to define a cavity  102  between adjacent ones of the projections. Being resilient and flexible, the projections may be compressed and/or distorted by the user applying more or less pressure when applying paint to a surface employing a roller element of the present invention. Accordingly, the second roller element may be employed in like manner as the first roller element to apply a full pattern of paint (see  FIG. 6 ) or a partial pattern at the will of the user. 
         [0035]    The second roller element or the present invention further differs from the first roller element in that in the second roller element, each cavity extends substantially fully to the core  106  on which the unitary cylinder  98  is mounted. This feature provides for increased flexibility of the individual projections for altering the deposition of paint from the roller element onto a surface through the user selecting the degree of pressure applied to the second roller element when rolling such roller element over a surface being painted. In addition to being about one-third of the length of a first roller element, the thickness of the projections of the second roller element are generally less than the thickness of the projections of the first roller element, thereby permitting the application of thinner, more linear lines of paint to be deposited on the surface being painted using the second roller element. 
         [0036]    The kit of the present invention includes a plurality of containers of paint  20 ,  22 ,  24  and  26 , the paint of each container being of a preselected color. Importantly, all the paints are compatible with one another when applied to a surface, thereby permitting either full or partial over-painting of one paint with a further one of the paints. Multiple layers of paints of differing colors are commonly employed to achieve a selected pattern wherein dimensional effects are desired, much as an artist employs in painting a landscape or the like. 
         [0037]    In one example of the use of the present kit for generating a camouflage pattern on a boat or the like, those surfaces of the boat to be camouflaged are initially painted with a solid background paint, such as a relatively dark green colored paint. Thereafter, employing a first roller element and brown paint, the outline of at least the truck and multiple limbs of a tree may be painted onto the side of the boat. As desired, multiple trees or parts thereof may be outlined on the boat. 
         [0038]    Thereafter, in this example, employing the first roller and a relatively light green paint, a patterned coat of the light green paint is applied over, but only partially covering, the green/brown layers which define the outline of the tree and its limbs. 
         [0039]    This third layer of paint is followed by the application of striations of white paint applied to the tree trunk and its limbs in substantially long sweeping strokes, employing the second roller element. Where the width of the limb is less that the width of the second roller element, the second roller element is tilted to cause only selected ones of its end annular projections to engage the surface and thereby paint a thinner pattern of white paint along the limb as is depicted in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0040]    Toning down of the white streaks is next accomplished using either or both of the first and second roller elements and a brown paint, by applying a fourth layer of paint, patterned by reason of the patterns defined by the roller elements, is overpainted onto major portions of the tree trunk and its limbs, thereby completing the camouflaging of the boat. 
         [0041]    The foregoing painting sequence, modified with other colors of paint if desired, may be employed to develop an outdoor scene, for example, on any other paintable surface, such as the outer surfaces of an outdoor shed, or the surface of an interior wall of a building, such as in a trophy room, or the like. 
         [0042]    It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the pattern developed when applying multiple layers of different colored paints to a surface using the patterned rolls of the present invention may be varied. This variability may merely include the choice of the scene and selection of the paints to be employed, the length of individual strokes of a given roller element, etc. Thus, the present kit may be customized to include those components needed to develop a selected patterned painted scene without the use of a template. 
         [0043]    Notably, each of the roller elements of the present kit, having extensive exposed surface areas and enhanced reservoir volume, may be loaded initially with an abnormally large quantity of paint. By this means, the roller element may be employed to apply a given layer of paint over all or substantially all of the scene without refilling the pores of the roller element with additional paint. This factor conserves time, but importantly, it also provides a means by which the user may deposit more or less paint over a given area by merely applying more or less pressure to the roller element as it is rolled over the given area by the user. 
         [0044]    For expediency, the present kit may include one paint dispensing tray  28 ,  30 ,  32  and  34  for each color of paint employed. 
         [0045]    In the present kit, in a preferred embodiment, there are provided visual instructions for the development of a given patterned painted scene. Thus, no particular artistic ability is required of the user aside from their personal preferences for variations in the scene. Application of a given layer of paint may be completed in an unexpectedly short time by reason of the capacity of the roller elements, the painting of a major portion of the scene being accomplished by merely by a single stroke of the roller element over the area to be covered, the patterned projections of the roller element filling in only those portions of the scene which are to appear of a selected color in the final version of the scene. That is, a tree trunk, for example, may be outlined in a single passing of the first roller over that area where the tree truck is to appear in the final version. Similarly, overlaying of the different colors onto one another is accomplishing employing single swipes of a selected one of the roller elements over the previously painted outline, leaving a newly colored portion of the pattern deposited on the scene. In this manner, the pattern is developed by the roller elements and the user is not required to individually paint in each and every detail of the scene. This function is provided by the roller elements and the overpainting of the different colors of paint. 
         [0046]    Whereas the present invention has been described in terms of specific components of the kit, development of specific scenes employing specified colors of paint, it will be understood by one skilled in the art that various equivalents of the described components, etc., may be employed. For example, different patterns of paint, hence different scenes, deposited on a surface may be achieved employing the first and second roller elements, and/or other equivalent roller elements disclosed herein.