Coating implements with material supply – Supply container and independent applicator – Applicator includes container closure or overlies material
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-12
2001-05-08
Spisich, Mark (Department: 1744)
Coating implements with material supply
Supply container and independent applicator
Applicator includes container closure or overlies material
C401S130000, C015S209100, C015S244100, C118S264000, C132S317000, C132S320000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227737
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to applicators used to apply a fluid substance onto a surface. The invention is principally concerned with, and is specially described herein in relation to applicators for applying a correction fluid to a paper surface to facilitate the correction of typing or writing mistakes. It is known to supply correction fluid in a bottle provided with a cap which incorporates an applicator having a rigid stem extending from the underside of the cap, and an application element, most often a brush, carried at the free end of the stem. By holding the cap, the brush can be dipped into the fluid contained in the bottle to pick up a small portion of the fluid, and by applying the brush to the surface of a sheet of paper a fairly broad band or stripe of correction fluid can be deposited onto the paper. When not in use, the cap is secured to the bottle, e.g. by a screw-threaded connection, and the applicator is conveniently stored within the bottle. On the whole the known applicators of this kind work well. However, it can be difficult to lay down a stripe of fluid with uniform thickness and width over more than a short distance along the paper, e.g. when attempting to cover over complete words or more than one word, at least with a single stroke of the brush. As a consequence it is frequently necessary to stroke the brush along the paper several times, which is inconvenient.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided an applicator for applying a fluid to a surface, comprising an applicator tip element connected to the end of a substantially rigid stem by a part capable of flexing resiliently as the applicator tip element is stroked across a surface.
The application element should be capable of absorbing a portion of fluid when dipped into a body of the fluid, e.g. contained in a bottle, and of holding this fluid portion until the application element is applied to a surface. The application element is conveniently formed as a pad or a moulded member of porous material e.g. foam, which can be attached in various ways, e.g. by means of adhesive, heat welding or mechanical fixing, to the resiliently flexible connection part. It is also possible for the application element to be made of porous material and to be formed integrally with the resiliently flexible part.
The resiliently flexible part can be integral with the stem or it can be a separate part fixedly secured to the stem, e.g. by a root portion thereof being inserted into a bore provided in the end of the stem.
The resiliently flexible part may be capable of flexing in any direction, or it can be adapted e.g. in the manner of a living hinge, to define a predetermined axis about which the application element can pivot relative to the stem while being restrained against deflection in other directions.
The resiliently flexible connection part preferably allows the application element to deflect from a position substantially aligned with the stem to a position substantially at 90° thereto. When the application element is applied to a surface with a natural stroking action, which varies the angle at which the stem is inclined to the surface, there is a tendency to increase the force with which the application element presses against the surface. However with an applicator according to the invention, the application element can deflect due to the resiliency of the connection part, and the force against the paper does not vary greatly throughout the stroke. As a consequence the rate at which fluid is delivered onto the surface at the end of the stroke is not substantially different from that at the beginning of the stroke and a uniform stripe of fluid is obtained.
REFERENCES:
patent: 720051 (1903-02-01), Moss et al.
patent: 933938 (1909-09-01), Windle et al.
patent: 1828485 (1931-10-01), Allen
patent: 2282406 (1942-05-01), Hollenbeck
patent: 2291676 (1942-08-01), Baker
patent: 2314539 (1943-03-01), Hollenbeck
patent: 2397080 (1946-03-01), Baker
patent: 2409933 (1946-10-01), Fleisher et al.
patent: 2453201 (1948-11-01), Cushman
patent: 2481803 (1949-09-01), Weaver
patent: 3134124 (1964-05-01), Horn
patent: 3262461 (1966-07-01), Kambersky
patent: 3554657 (1971-01-01), Aston
patent: 3568236 (1971-03-01), Aston
patent: 3684389 (1972-08-01), Eron et al.
patent: 4208145 (1980-06-01), Azuma
patent: 4496258 (1985-01-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 4509540 (1985-04-01), Inagaki
patent: 4627454 (1986-12-01), Dahm
patent: 4712266 (1987-12-01), Yamaki
patent: 4712571 (1987-12-01), Remz et al.
patent: 4747419 (1988-05-01), Flynn et al.
patent: 4749618 (1988-06-01), Kawaguchi et al.
patent: 4792252 (1988-12-01), Kremer et al.
patent: 4812071 (1989-03-01), Batra et al.
patent: 4813463 (1989-03-01), Lin
patent: 4824271 (1989-04-01), Nagahama et al.
patent: 4848947 (1989-07-01), Kremer et al.
patent: 4913175 (1990-04-01), Yokosuka et al.
patent: 4923317 (1990-05-01), Bishop et al.
patent: 4960340 (1990-10-01), Tamiya et al.
patent: 4984923 (1991-01-01), Ota
patent: 5001803 (1991-03-01), Discko, Jr.
patent: 5035524 (1991-07-01), Sakurai
patent: 5073058 (1991-12-01), Fukuoka et al.
patent: 5082386 (1992-01-01), Hironaka et al.
patent: 5096322 (1992-03-01), Shiga et al.
patent: 5199976 (1993-04-01), Yau et al.
patent: 5299877 (1994-04-01), Birden
patent: 5306755 (1994-04-01), Yau et al.
patent: 5387046 (1995-02-01), Danno
patent: 5411345 (1995-05-01), Ueji et al.
patent: 5480250 (1996-01-01), Birden
patent: 5716150 (1998-02-01), Gueret
patent: 6033143 (2000-03-01), Gueret
patent: 3024381 (1982-01-01), None
patent: 3303-341 (1984-08-01), None
patent: 0 053 573 (1981-10-01), None
patent: 0 119 506 (1984-02-01), None
patent: 641045 (1928-07-01), None
patent: 682638 (1930-05-01), None
patent: 989064 (1951-09-01), None
patent: 1269178 (1961-07-01), None
patent: 18586 (1914-08-01), None
patent: 775009 (1957-05-01), None
patent: 907102 (1962-10-01), None
patent: 2 169 562 (1986-07-01), None
patent: 2 216 785 (1989-10-01), None
patent: 2 231 490 (1990-11-01), None
patent: 2-102100 (1990-04-01), None
patent: 9212863 (1992-08-01), None
patent: WO 97/21554 (1997-06-01), None
Marshall O'Toole Gerstein Murray & Borun
Spisich Mark
The Gillette Company
LandOfFree
Fluid applicators does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Fluid applicators, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Fluid applicators will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2559514