Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Including supply holder for material – Fluid pressure discharge means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-28
2002-08-13
Morris, Lesley D. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Including supply holder for material
Fluid pressure discharge means
C239S433000, C239S600000, C239S353000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06431466
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved air brush and relates in particular to an air brush maintaining an air blow quantity correctly matching the amount of paint blow from the nozzle by a simple operation when drawing fine and superfine lines.
2. Description of Related Art
An airbrush
100
of the prior art has a long, cylindrical air brush main body
101
with a nozzle
102
installed at the tip (extremity) as shown in FIG.
13
and
FIG. 14. A
needle
103
is provided to freely advance and retract along the center axis within the air brush main body
101
. The air brush
100
is structured so that compressed air is supplied to an air supplying port
104
connected to the center of the air brush main body
101
. This compressed air is supplied to an aeration passage
112
within the air brush main body
101
by way of an air valve
105
and is blown out from the nozzle
102
. The air valve
105
is also configured to open when the operating lever
105
a
is pressed.
In the air brush
100
, a pushing lever
108
for depression is connected by way of a pivot shaft
107
to the bottom of the operating lever
106
fitted into the intermediate section of the upper surface of the air brush main body
101
. The pushing lever
108
is inserted into the insertion hole
109
inside the main body
101
so that the pushing lever
108
is thus supported and slides along the axis along with the operating lever
106
. The tip (extremity) of the pushing lever
108
contacts the tip of the air valve rod
105
a
of the air valve
105
. An operating button
106
a
for placement of the user's finger, is formed on top of the operating lever
106
.
A valve rod
105
a
is installed inside the connecting cylinder
110
forming the air supplying port, and the force of a coil spring
111
applies a constant upward force so that the upper end of the valve rod
105
a
is maintained in contact with the tip (extremity) of the pushing lever
108
(
FIG. 13
, FIG.
14
).
When the user depresses the operating lever
106
, the valve rod
105
a
is depressed by way of the pushing lever
108
, and the air valve
105
opens. The compressed air from the air compressor or compressed air source connected to the connecting cylinder
110
is thus supplied into the main body
101
of the air brush, and is blown out from the nozzle
102
by way of an aeration passage
112
.
When the user pulls the depressed operating lever
106
further rearward, tilting on the pivot point of the pivot shaft
107
, a needle
103
supportably held in a needle chuck
113
moves backward, and the paint supply from the paint container
112
is atomized into a mist by the blowing of compressed air. An operation of this kind that pulls on the operating lever
106
after depressing is called double-action. The spraying of paint is performed by double-action in most cases.
When drawing a fine line by using the air brush
100
of the above described prior art, the operating lever
106
is pushed down and air is blown from the nozzle
102
. Next, this same operating lever
106
is pulled back slightly while still depressed, and a small quantity of paint is supplied to the nozzle
102
and a fine line can be drawn. In other words, the paint is applied by double-action of the operating lever
106
.
To write a fine line with good appearance by using the air brush
100
, the operating lever
106
(needle
103
) is pulled back slightly while keeping this same operating lever
106
just slightly depressed, so that a fine line with good appearance and uniform thickness can be drawn. However, this operation of pulling back just slightly on the operating lever
106
while keeping it slightly depressed is difficult even for a veteran and drawing fine lines of uniform thickness while maintaining this position, in particular for drawing super-fine lines is only possible for an extremely limited number of people.
In other words, in order to draw a fine line, most users press the operating lever
106
all the way to the bottom at a maximum air blow quantity, and pulled on the operating lever
106
just a little to draw a fine line with a small paint quantity. Consequently, spots or scattering such as in flower-shaped patterns occurred at the first air blow (See the graph of FIG.
10
and test pattern of FIG.
11
.). The air blow quantity was also large compared to the quantity of paint being supplied, so that when fast-drying paint was used, the tip (extremity) of the nozzle
102
became extremely dry, dry paint adhered to the needle
103
, the quality of the drawn line deteriorated and omission (paint cut off) points occurred. In worst cases the nozzle
102
became completely clogged.
The air brush of the prior art therefore emitted different air blow quantities when drawing fine and super-fine lines, requiring the user to possess a plurality of air brushes (having different nozzle diameters).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above mentioned problems with the prior art, this invention has the object of providing an air brush capable of drawing fine lines and in particular super-fine lines in a small blow-out area, maintain an ideal proportion of air and paint spray quantities from the nozzle, and draw smoothly without spots, ink scattering or omissions.
In order to resolve the above mentioned problems, this invention is configured with a needle moving forwards and backwards along the center axis of an air brush body of a roughly long and cylindrical shape. The needle opens and closes a nozzle formed at the tip (extremity) of the airbrush. An air blow of compressed air is supplied from this nozzle by way of an air valve inside the air brush body. An operating lever is formed inside the air brush at the upper surface. A pushing lever is freely depressed by pivot shaft formed at the bottom of the operating lever and the pushing lever is freely supported along the operating lever for free up and down movement. The bottom of this pushing lever pushes on the top edge of the valve rod that opens and closes the air valve. The valve rod is push-activated by the operating lever and along with opening the air valve, tilts the operating lever rearwards, and makes the needle linked to the operating lever move backwards along the axis of the air brush body. The air brush is configured to atomize the paint supplied to the nozzle by blowing compressed air. A support piece is formed extending forwards from the operating button on the top of the operating lever. A through rod is vertically inserted in an insertion hole in the support piece. A contact piece is attached extending in parallel with the air brush body facing rearward from the bottom of the through rod. A locking mechanism is provided to clamp the through rod in any desired position or support the through red for up and down movement, and the bottom surface of the contact piece may contact with and separate from the top surface of the air brush main body.
In the means described above, pressing the button of the operating lever, causes the valve rod of the air valve to be depressed by way of the pushing lever, and thus open the air valve, supply compressed air into the inside of the air brush, and blow the compressed air from the nozzle. Also, pulling the operating lever rearwards while still depressed, moves the needle inserted along the axial core of the air brush body rearwards. The nozzle is thus opened and paint supplied and the paint is atomized into a mist by the air blow (in the case of double-action).
When drawing fine lines and especially super-fine lines using the air brush, the through rod lowers in the support piece, in a state with the operating lever aligned with the stationary closed valve position, the contact piece formed in the lower end of the through rod makes light contact with the upper edge of the air brush main body. The through rod is clamped to the support piece formed in the operating button and this state is maintained by utilizing a lock mechanism, and the through rod and the contact piece are held so that no movement o
B. B. Rich Co., Ltd.
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Hwu Davis
Morris Lesley D.
LandOfFree
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