Patent Application
20180050557
This disclosure relates to art supplies. More specifically, this disclosure relates to palettes used for painting.
Painters, artists, and art students frequently use palettes as a means for holding different colors of paint while painting. A palette allows the user to remain mobile, for instance when painting a large mural, while maintaining convenient access to a variety of colors. Users also often use a top surface of the palette to mix paints of differing colors to develop a specific shade or hue. Conventional palettes and associated painting supplies are often expensive which can prevent beginners, casual hobbyists, art students, and individuals of limited economic means from taking up or practicing painting. Additionally, conventional palettes must be cleaned after each use which can be time consuming and burdensome in environments where the palettes are frequently used, such as in an art classroom. Conventional palettes also typically come in a right-handed configuration and are not adaptable between users of differing hand dominance. Consequently, left-handed users often must adapt to the palette's configuration which can be uncomfortable. Accordingly, an economical and disposable palette which can be adapted for left-handed or right-handed use can be desirable.
Disclosed is a foldable palette blank including a working portion defining a first working surface and a second working surface opposite from the first working surface, the working portion defining a reservoir hole extending from the first working surface to the second working surface; a support portion defining a first support surface and a second support surface opposite from the first support surface; and a hinge disposed between the working portion and the support portion of the foldable palette blank, the hinge flexibly connecting the working portion to the support portion, the hinge foldable about a hinge axis; wherein the support portion is configured to cover an end of the reservoir hole when the foldable palette blank is folded about the hinge, and the working portion is positioned in facing contact with the support portion.
Also disclosed is a palette including an upper layer, the upper layer defining a first working surface and a second working surface opposite from the first working surface, the upper layer defining a reservoir hole extending from the first working surface to the second working surface; and a lower layer, the lower layer defining a first support surface and a second support surface opposite from the first support surface, the second support surface in facing contact with the second working surface, the second support surface covering the reservoir hole.
Also disclosed is a method of forming a palette including obtaining a foldable palette blank, the foldable palette blank including a working portion, the working portion defining a first working surface and a second working surface opposite from the first working surface, the working portion defining a working hand hole extending from the first working surface to the second working surface, the working portion defining a reservoir hole extending from the first working surface to the second working surface; and a support portion, the support portion defining a first support surface and a second support surface opposite from the first support surface, the support portion defining a support hand hole extending from the first support surface to the second support surface, the support portion configured to cover an end of the reservoir hole; positioning the working portion in facing contact with the support portion; aligning the working hand hole with the support hand hole; and covering the end of the reservoir hole with the support portion to form a reservoir.
Various implementations described in the present disclosure may include additional systems, methods, features, and advantages, which may not necessarily be expressly disclosed herein but will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It is intended that all such systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within the present disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.
The features and components of the following figures are illustrated to emphasize the general principles of the present disclosure. Corresponding features and components throughout the figures may be designated by matching reference characters for the sake of consistency and clarity.
The present disclosure can be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description, examples, drawings, and claims, and the previous and following description. However, before the present devices, systems, and/or methods are disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific devices, systems, and/or methods disclosed unless otherwise specified, and, as such, can, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting.
The following description is provided as an enabling teaching of the present devices, systems, and/or methods in their best, currently known embodiments. To this end, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate that many changes can be made to the various aspects described herein, while still obtaining the beneficial results of the present disclosure. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the present disclosure can be obtained by selecting some of the features of the present disclosure without utilizing other features. Accordingly, those who work in the art will recognize that many modifications and adaptations to the present disclosure are possible and can even be desirable in certain circumstances and are a part of the present disclosure. Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the present disclosure and not in limitation thereof.
As used throughout, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “an element” can comprise two or more such elements unless the context indicates otherwise.
Ranges can be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another aspect includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another aspect. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint.
For purposes of the current disclosure, a material property or dimension measuring about X or substantially X on a particular measurement scale measures within a range between X plus an industry-standard upper tolerance for the specified measurement and X minus an industry-standard lower tolerance for the specified measurement. Because tolerances can vary between different materials, processes and between different models, the tolerance for a particular measurement of a particular component can fall within a range of tolerances.
As used herein, the terms “optional” or “optionally” mean that the subsequently described event or circumstance can or cannot occur, and that the description includes instances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not.
The word “or” as used herein means any one member of a particular list and also includes any combination of members of that list. Further, one should note that conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “can,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain aspects include, while other aspects do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particular aspects or that one or more particular aspects necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or Steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
Disclosed are components that can be used to perform the disclosed methods and systems. These and other components are disclosed herein, and it is understood that when combinations, subsets, interactions, groups, etc. of these components are disclosed that while specific reference of each various individual and collective combinations and permutation of these may not be explicitly disclosed, each is specifically contemplated and described herein, for all methods and systems. This applies to all aspects of this application including, but not limited to, steps in disclosed methods. Thus, if there are a variety of additional steps that can be performed it is understood that each of these additional steps can be performed with any specific embodiment or combination of embodiments of the disclosed methods.
Disclosed is a foldable palette blank and associated methods, systems, devices, and various apparatus. In various embodiments, the foldable palette blank includes a working portion and a support portion that are joined by a hinge that may be folded to form a palette. It would be understood by one of skill in the art that the disclosed foldable palette blank is described in but a few exemplary embodiments among many. No particular terminology or description should be considered on the disclosure or the scope of any claims issuing therefrom.
A top view of one embodiment of a foldable palette blank 100 is shown in
The working portion 102 can further define one or more working brush holes 108, 110, 112 extending from the first working surface 114 to the second working surface 514. In the embodiment shown, the working portion 102 defines a working small brush hole 108, a working intermediate brush hole 110, and a working large brush hole 112 which respectively define a working small hole inner surface 124, a working intermediate hole inner surface 122, and a working large hole inner surface 120. However, the quantity and sizing of the working brush holes is not limiting. The foldable palette blank 100 can define any number of working brush holes in any sizes. The inner surfaces 120, 122, 124 can be cylindrical; however, the shape should not be viewed as limiting, and the inner surfaces 120,122, 124 can have any other shape such as frustoconical.
The working portion 102 can also define a plurality of reservoir holes 126A-G (hereafter generally referred to as “reservoir holes 126”) extending from the first working surface 114 to the second working surface 514. The reservoir holes 126A-G each respectively define an inner reservoir surface 128A-G (hereafter generally referred as “inner reservoir surfaces 128”). The quantity and size of the reservoir holes 126 should not be considered limiting. In the embodiment shown, the inner reservoir surfaces 128 are cylindrical; however, the shape should not be viewed as limiting, and the inner reservoir surfaces 128 can have any other shape such as frustoconical.
The support portion 152 of the foldable palette blank 100 defines a first support surface 164 and a second support surface 264 (shown in
The support portion 152 can further define one or more support brush holes 158, 160, 162. In the embodiment shown, the support portion 152 defines a support small brush hole 158, a support intermediate brush hole 160, and a support large brush hole 162 which respectively define a support small hole inner surface 174, a support intermediate hole inner surface 172, and a support large hole inner surface 170. The inner surfaces 170, 172, 174 can be cylindrical; however, the shape should not be viewed as limiting, and the inner surfaces 120,122, 124 can have any other shape such as frustoconical. However, the quantity and sizing of the support brush holes is not limiting. The foldable palette blank 100 can define any number of support brush holes in any sizes, but the support portion 152 can often have the same number and size of support brush holes as the working portion 102 has working brush holes. In the embodiment shown, the support brush holes 158, 160, 162 are substantially symmetric to the working brush holes 108, 110, 112, respectively, across the hinge axis 101. In other embodiments, the support brush holes 158, 160, 162 can be larger or smaller than the respective working brush holes 108, 110, 112.
The foldable palette blank 100 can be folded at the hinge 103 in two directions about the hinge axis 101. A first direction folds the foldable palette blank 100 so that the second working surface 514 of the working portion 102 is positioned in facing contact with the second support surface 264 of the support portion 152 as shown in
In the embodiment shown in
As shown in
The small palette brush hole 208 defines a small palette hole inner surface 224 which comprises the working small hole inner surface 124 and the support small hole inner surface 174. The intermediate palette brush hole 210 defines an intermediate palette hole inner surface 222 which comprises the working intermediate hole inner surface 122 and the support intermediate hole inner surface 172. The large palette brush hole 212 defines a large palette hole inner surface 220 which comprises the working large hole inner surface 120 and the support large hole inner surface 170. In the embodiment shown, the small palette hole inner surface 224, the intermediate palette hole inner surface 222, and the large palette hole inner surface 220 are each substantially cylindrical in shape; however, the shape should not be viewed as limiting. In use, the palette brush holes 208, 210, 212 are configured to hold a tool, such as a brush, when not in use by inserting a handle of the tool into the palette brush hole where the handle is retained by friction or dimensional interference between the handle and the palette brush hole. The palette brush holes 208, 210, 212 are not limited to holding paint brushes and can also hold other tools or supplies such as mahl sticks, pencils, pens, etc.
In some embodiments, the working edge surface 116 and the support edge surface 166, the working hand hole 104 and the support hand hole 154, the working notch 118 and the support notch 168, and the working brush holes 108, 110, 112 and the support brush holes 158, 160, 162 can be slightly asymmetrical. For instance, it can be desirable for the working hand hole 104 and the support hand hole 154 to define slightly different sizes and shapes in order to define a contour for the palette hand hole 204. Similarly, the support brush holes 158, 160, 162 can be sized slightly smaller than the working brush holes 108, 110, 112, so that the inner surfaces 220, 222, 224 of the palette brush holes 208, 210, 212 can each define a taper, such as a frustoconical shape, which can frictionally engage the handle of a tool.
The location of the hinge 103 should not be viewed as limiting. The hinge 103 can join the working portion 102 and the support portion 152 of the foldable palette blank 100 at any point along the working edge surface 116 and the support edge surface 166 as long as the substantially symmetrical relationship is maintained across the hinge axis 101 with respect to the working edge surface 116 and the support edge surface 166, the working hand hole 104 and the support hand hole 154, the working notch 118 and the support notch 168, and the working brush holes 108, 110, 112 and the support brush holes 158, 160, 162.
As shown in
The palette 200 arrangement can be permanently secured by using fastening techniques such as glues, tapes, adhesives, or fasteners such as rivets or grommets to secure the working portion 102 and the support portion 152 in the folded position. Alternatively, the palette 200 can be temporarily secured using techniques such as re-adherable strips or glues, hook-and-loop fasteners, magnets, or integral mechanical fasteners such as a foldable tab and a slot. The ability to temporarily secure the palette 200 can be desirable to allow the palette to be re-configured between the left-handed palette and the right-handed palette. Additionally, re-configuring the palette 200 exposes a clean surface which can extend the usable life of the palette 200. Alternatively, the working portion 102 and the support portion 152 of the palette 200 can remain unsecured during use, and the user's hand can hold the palette 200 in the folded configuration.
In use, the user can fold the foldable palette blank 100 about the hinge 103 in either the first direction or the second direction to configure the palette according to the user's individual preference and hand dominance. The palette 200 can be gripped by the user in numerous ways. In the typical use, the user may insert a thumb of the hand through the palette hand hole 204 while gripping the palette notch 218 with fingers of the hand. According to this usage, the configuration shown in
The embodiment of the foldable palette blank 100 is comprised of corrugated cardboard; however, the material should not be viewed as limiting and the foldable palette blank 100 can be made of plastic, rubber, metal, paper, or any other material. In various embodiments, the first working surface 114, the second working surface 514, the first support surface 164, and the second support surface 264 can be coated with a coating. The coating can be applied to prevent the surfaces from absorbing liquids from the paint or to change the color of the surfaces, such as to make the surfaces white. A white surface can be desirable as a neutral background for mixing colors.
The method for assembling the palette 200 comprises obtaining the foldable palette blank 100 comprising the working portion 102 and the support portion 152, positioning the working portion 102 in facing contact with the support portion 152, aligning the working hand hole 104 with the support hand hole 154, and covering the reservoir holes 126 with the support portion 152 to form the respective reservoirs 226. The foldable palette blank 100 can comprise the hinge 103 which can flexibly connect the working portion 102 to the support portion 152, and positioning the working portion 102 in facing contact with the support portion 152 can comprise folding the foldable palette blank 100 about the hinge 103. The foldable palette blank 100 can be folded about the hinge 103 in a first direction to form a left-handed palette or in a second direction to form a right-handed palette.
One should note that conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particular embodiments or that one or more particular embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
It should be emphasized that the above-described aspects are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. Further, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any and all combinations and sub-combinations of all elements, features, and aspects discussed above. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure, and all possible claims to individual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by the present disclosure. Moreover, although specific terms are employed herein, as well as in the claims which follow, they are used only in a generic and descriptive sense, and not for the purposes of limiting the present disclosure, nor the claims which follow.
