Patent Application
20050084316
The present invention relates to a fluid applicator bottle, and more specifically, to a bottle adapted for gripping with a user's thumb and fingers whereby the bottle can be self-oriented during liquid application.
When using sheets of Bingo paper for playing the game of Bingo, it has become common practice to record or identify a square that has been called by placing an ink mark on the square, using an ink marking device, often referred to as a “Bingo Dabber” or “Bingo Marker”. Typically, such a Bingo card marker is a hand-held cylindrical plastic bottle, filled with a suitable marking ink and having an applicator head, generally of foam material. To record a called number, the user inverts the bottle and presses the head on the appropriate square. A spot of colored ink is transferred to the square. Typically, Bingo players track and record on multiple Bingo faces, sometimes called cards, to increase the odds of winning and to increase the challenge of the game. To keep up with the speed of the game, the marking procedure must be carried out very rapidly and accurately with the user focusing all his/her attention on the cards. Thus, the ease with which the player can manipulate and orient the marking device is important.
Various fluid applicator bottles for use by persons to mark a Bingo card are commercially available. Such bottles leave something to be desired from one or more standpoints, such as economics of manufacture, ergonomics, and effectiveness of orienting in a user's hand. One applicator bottle which is sold by the assignee of the subject invention is shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. D455,782.
Although many applicators have attempted to overcome the problem of writing stress, as well as providing means by which comfort can be increased, devices heretofore available have not been supplied which are satisfactory for providing fluid applicators having a structure that can be quickly manipulated (self-oriented) and held in the user's hand at the optimum position without detracting the user's attention from the Bingo cards. The desirability of comfort and orientation is particularly important for people with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and/or other physical limitations.
The present invention provides an improvement for fluid applicators of the type described which overcome the above referred to difficulties and others, and is easy to manipulate, orient, and hold. More particularly in this respect, a fluid applicator bottle is provided which includes an elongated hollow body having a longitudinal axis. The hollow body is arranged to hold a liquid therein. The body includes a shoulder portion, a central recessed portion, and a bottom portion. The central recessed portion further includes a side wall section having an approximately triangular cross-section with a first side, a second side, and a base side. Additionally, a groove extends in the central recessed portion and forms a finger contact surface for contact by a tip of the finger during liquid application.
In another aspect of the invention, a fluid applicator bottle is provided which includes an elongated hollow body having a longitudinal axis wherein the hollow body is arranged to hold a liquid therein. The body includes a first end, a central recessed portion, and a second end. The central recessed portion includes a side wall section having a first side, a second side, and a base side. The central recessed portion further includes a finger gripping surface located on the base side proximal to the first end. The first side and the second side include a ridge defined therebetween wherein the finger gripping surface is adapted for gripping with a terminal end of a user's index finger, the ridge is adapted to rest in the crook of the user's hand between the thumb and index finger during liquid application.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a fluid applicator bottle is provided which includes an elongated hollow body having a longitudinal axis and an applicator tip at one end. The hollow body is arranged to hold a liquid therein. The body includes a shoulder portion, a central recessed portion, and a bottom portion. The central recessed portion includes a cross-section that is approximately triangular in shape with a first side, a second side, and a base side. A finger gripping surface is provided which is adjacent the shoulder portion. The finger gripping surface is adapted for gripping with a selected one of user's fingers. The finger gripping surface extends in a direction generally transverse to the longitudinal axis.
The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangements of parts, embodiments of which will be described in detail in the specification, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof and wherein:
Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention,
The fluid applicator or bottle 10 is shown in one position in the hand of a user. The fluid applicator 10 has an applicating end or tip portion 12, which is used for filling and dispensing fluid from the fluid applicator 10. The applicating end 12 can be of any conventional type. Liquid ink can be the fluid dispensed, but it is to be appreciated that any liquid having material of a flowing viscosity at room temperature can be used.
The fluid applicator 10 includes an elongated body portion 14 having a first end or shoulder portion 16, a central recessed portion 18, and a second end or bottom portion 20. The body portion 14 forms a liquid reservoir for holding a volume of marking ink. The shoulder portion 16 and the bottom portion 20 can have a circular shape. The central recessed portion 18 can have a triangular or wedge-like shape (
As shown in
The bottom portion 20 includes a cylindrical side wall 50 extending around the axis 24. It can have generally the same predetermined exterior diameter as the circular side wall 40 of the shoulder portion 16.
The central recessed portion 18 is constructed and sized to be supported at the lower end 17 within the crook 26 between the thumb 30 and index finger 32 of one hand 28 of a person holding the bottle 10 when the bottle 10 is to be inverted, e.g. held like a pencil or pen to mark a Bingo card. To that end, the central recessed portion 18 includes a side wall section 54 having a triangular periphery. As shown in
Referring now to
As best seen in
It should be apparent from
The groove 81, as best seen in
Additionally, while the groove 81 can be generally transverse to the longitudinal axis 24, it is to be appreciated that the groove 81 can be canted at a different angle relative to the longitudinal axis 24.
As shown in
The height of the applicator bottle 10 can vary. In one configuration, the bottle 10 can have a height of approximately five (5) inches measured from the applicator tip 12 to the planar bottom wall 22. The central recessed portion 18 can have a height of approximately three and one-half (3½) inches. The circular side wall 40 of the shoulder portion 16 and the cylindrical side wall 50 of the bottom portion 20 can each have a circumference of approximately four (4) inches. Other sizes are also contemplated within the scope of this invention.
The fluid applicator of this invention can be manufactured from a variety of materials. Plastic-type materials are preferred. For example, the applicator can be made of blow-molded plastic composition.
It is contemplated that the fluid applicator of this invention can have a variety of uses. For example, the applicator can be used to apply ink to any writing surface, polish to shoes, paint to a surface that is to be painted, or to apply glue to a substrate surface. As discussed herein, the applicator is used as a marking device, more particularly a device for daubing ink onto Bingo cards. However, it could have other uses as well. In order to provide more comfort to the user and reduce stress on the user's hand, the fluid applicator of this invention provides finger supports, a hand support, and a self-orienting configuration.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the structures and configuration of the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated that other embodiments, as well as modifications of the embodiment disclosed herein, can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. In this respect, it will be appreciated that the applicator bottle can be used in various kinds of applications. Likewise, it will be appreciated that an applicator bottle according to the invention can be of any number of different dimensions. These and other modifications of the embodiment shown will be obvious and suggested to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein. It is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the present invention and not as a limitation thereof. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations as fall within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.
