Amusement devices: toys – Having means for forming transitory bubble
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-19
2003-05-06
Banks, Derris H. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices: toys
Having means for forming transitory bubble
C446S016000, C446S018000, C446S021000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06558220
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention generally relates to devices for making bubbles, and more particularly, to devices for manually making bubbles of moderate to large diameter.
BACKGROUND
Soap bubbles have been made with pipes and tubes of various types, with hoops of various shapes and of various sizes, and using various materials of construction. Indeed, some relatively complex mechanical devices have been developed heretofore for the purpose of making bubbles.
It is well known and understood that bubbles can be made with simple loops of string or wire. In fact bubbles can be made with almost any completely wettable continuous loop of reasonable size and shape. In an even more basic fashion, bubbles can be made using the “O” which is formed by bringing one's thumb and index finger together.
A bubble exists because of the properties of the thin film that forms the envelope for the bubble. This film tends to minimize its overall surface area, and consequently, bubbles tend to become spherical. This is a very complex phenomenon, but is fundamentally determined by the nature of the chemical constituents in the bubble solution that determine the surface tension of the bubble film, the size of the bubble, and interestingly and very significantly, the specific local weather conditions.
The surface area of a sphere is directly proportional to the square of its diameter. Thus, a 30-inch diameter bubble has about 100 times the surface area of a 3-inch diameter bubble. So, assuming approximately the same film thickness, the 30-inch diameter bubble uses about 100 times the quantity of bubble solution, per bubble. Such comparisons are even more significant when large diameter bubbles are being developed. For example, an 8 foot diameter bubble requires about 1000 times more bubble solution than the 3 inch diameter bubble.
Under ideal conditions, large bubbles can be made with a simple solution of water and soap, or detergent, but conditions are seldom ideal. Therefore, to generate large and long lasting bubbles for a variety of common outdoor conditions requires that bubble solutions include various enhancing additives. A principal component of such solutions is glycerin. Often, other “secret” ingredients are included in bubble solutions, including constituents such as corn syrup, gelatin, fruit pectin, or other substances. It is of interest with respect to the apparatus and method of the present invention that professional bubble exhibitors generally perform indoors, and vigorously attempt to control the ambient temperature, relative humidity, and minimize air movement and velocity, even when using complex, stability enhancing bubble solutions.
Many commercial firms market aqueous solutions for making bubbles. It is the surface tension properties of the solution that causes drops of the solution to form, because the surface tension tends to minimize surface area. The greater the surface tension, the more spherical the drop. A bubble cannot form, and/or the bubble film bursts before a complete bubble can be formed, should the surface tension overcome the tensile strength of the bubble film. Therefore, it can be appreciated that a bubble forms from a liquid of low surface tension properties. The surface tension of the liquid within the bubble film inherently tends to minimize the bubble's surface area, so bubbles tend to be spherical. However, large bubbles cannot be made using the tiny hoops provided with the commercially available bubble-making solutions that are presently known to me, because as the bubble film tends to minimize its surface area, the bubbles made using the small loops naturally “close off” the elongated solution film into bubbles no larger than, but usually much smaller than, about 3½ times the diameter of the loop used to make the bubble. With such devices, no conscious effort is required by the user to “close off” the bubbles. Unfortunately, this same property of the bubble film solution also precludes the making of large bubbles with relatively small hoops.
The size and persistence of a bubble is very dependent on the size of a loop used to make the bubble, the nature of the loop, the chemical composition of the bubble solution, the amount and velocity of the air that extends the solution film, and the prevailing environmental conditions. Generally, when (i) the loop, (ii) the composition of the bubble solution, and (iii) the weather conditions are identical, larger bubbles are harder to make and do not usually persist as long as smaller bubbles. At the present time, no commercially available product, hoop, or bubble solution, is known to me to be available specifically to make the very large (and often “gigantic”) bubbles within the usual summer outdoor “bubble-making time of the year” conditions.
Most conventional, commercially available hoops are of a rigid nature and circular in design. Since the size of the hoop generally fixes the upper size limit of the bubble, large diameter hoops (say from about 1 foot in diameter up to 3 feet in diameter) are required to make the large to very large diameter bubbles (say from about 3 foot diameter to about 8 feet in diameter). In order to utilize such prior art hoops, a sizable container, sized at least slightly larger than the diameter of the hoop, is a necessity, simply to be able to dip the hoop into the bubble solution. Such large containers are also undesirable from the standpoint of providing sufficient bubble solution. For example, in order to fill a 3 foot diameter container (positioned perfectly level) to a depth of only 1 inch requires almost four and a half gallons (actually, 4.41 gallons) of liquid. Although the needs of smaller circular hoops are proportionally reduced, a circular container for only a 12-inch diameter hoop still requires about ½ gallon of bubble-making solution. Thus, it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide a bubble-making apparatus that avoids the necessity for large diameter containers to be utilized.
Another aspect of making large bubbles which must be appreciated is that large bubbles cannot be blown from a large hoop using one's own breath, for human lungs are simply not large enough. A large bubble-making hoop must be moved through the air, or the wind must be allowed to blow through it. Large hoops also present other challenges. Importantly, the movement through the air of large sized hoops, and even moderate sized hoops, must fundamentally be gentle, or the bubble solution film situated within the hoop will burst, preventing the formation of a bubble. Also, the bubble-making motion cannot be just a continuous motion, but must include the act of “closing-off” the bubble, which is often accomplished only with an intricate twist of the hoop, and/or a quick change of direction. In the event such a “close-off” is not accomplished, one normally ends up just making a long bubble tube of approximately the diameter of the hoop, which usually soon bursts. However, a “close-off” for making the bubble is not generally an easy maneuver to master when using large, rigid, and particularly circular type hoops. This is in marked contrast to small sized hoops that easily make small bubbles, because the properties of the bubble solution film intrinsically “close-off” the bubble before a long bubble tube can develop. Consequently, using prior art devices, it is generally quite difficult, if not virtually impossible, to form long bubble tubes when using small diameter hoops.
Importantly, a good technique to form moderate to large bubbles involves forming and closing the bubble with a generally upwards motion that literally “throws” such bubbles upwards, often allowing it to catch the wind, and so it can persist longer before it comes in contact with the ground. It is easy to visualize that large bubbles formed without using such technique will usually sink quickly to the ground, because it is relatively heavy compared to the air in which it has been formed. On the other hand, small bubbles are essentially of negligible mass, and cannot be “thrown”, and thus are at the
Abdelwahed Ali
Banks Derris H.
Goodloe, Jr. R. Reams
LandOfFree
Bubble making device with a variable size collapsible loop does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Bubble making device with a variable size collapsible loop, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Bubble making device with a variable size collapsible loop will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3049533