Patent Application
20250205465
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The disclosure relates to grips and more particularly pertains to a new custom grip for use with a tattoo machine. Tattooing entails repetitive motion which can cause strain to hands of users and can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. An easy to prepare and inexpensive grip that could be used once and discarded would be highly advantageous to tattoo artists.
The prior art relates to grips for handheld devices, in particular tattoo machines. The prior art discloses moldable handgrips for handguns utilizing a thermoplastic and moldable inner layer in combination with a resilient outer layer. The prior art also discloses moderately customizable grips for tattoo tubes that are not moldable.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a tube and a Room Temperature Vulcanization (RTV) silicone rubber. The tube has a first end, a second end, and an outer surface. The tube is configured for selective insertion of a tattoo machine such that the tube is removably secured to the tattoo machine with an operable end of the tattoo machine protruding from the first end of the tube. The RTV silicone rubber comprises a first part and a second part, which are mixable to form a substrate. The substrate is moldable to the outer surface of the tube, deformable by grasping in a hand of a user, and curable to form a custom molded grip. The custom molded grip is substantially nonpliable and is molded to fit the hand of the user.
Another embodiment of the disclosure includes a method of preparing a custom molded grip for use with a tattoo machine. The method entails provision of a moldable gripping device, according to the disclosure above. Steps of the method include mixing the first part and the second part of the RTV silicone rubber to form the substrate, molding the substrate to the outer surface of the tube, deforming the substrate by grasping in a hand of a user, allowing the substrate to cure to form a custom molded grip, and inserting a tattoo machine into the tube.
Yet another embodiment of the disclosure includes a custom molded grip preparation kit, which comprises a tube and a Room Temperature Vulcanization (RTV) silicone rubber, according to the disclosure above. The first part and the second part of the RTV silicone rubber are individually packaged in respective amounts sufficient to generate a quantity of the substrate sufficient to be moldable to the outer surface of the tube, deformable by grasping in a hand of a user, and curable to form a custom molded grip.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The RTV silicone rubber 14 comprises a first part 28 and a second part 30, which are mixable to form a substrate 32. The substrate 32 is moldable to the outer surface 20 of the tube 12, as is shown in
The RTV silicone rubber 14 has a working time of from 2.0 to 8.0 minutes and a curing time of from 1.0 to 8.0 minutes. The RTV silicone rubber 14 may have a working time of from 3.0 to 5.0 minutes and a curing time of from 2.0 to 4.0 minutes. The first part 28 and the second part 30 are anticipated to be mixable in a ratio that is substantially 1:1, although the present invention anticipates other mixing ratios depending on the particular two part silicone rubber system being utilized.
As is shown in the figures, a ring 36 is attached to and extends circumferentially around the tube 12 adjacent to the second end 18. The ring 36 functions to preclude the substrate 32 from entering the second end 18 of the tube 12 during molding.
The custom molded grip 34 is intended to be single use to facilitate sterile tattooing practices. As the custom molded grip 34 is specifically customized to the user, it provides improved ergonomics and limits stain to the hand of the user and potential of developing or exacerbating carpal tunnel syndrome, which can be caused by the repetitive motions involved in tattooing. Another advantage of using a custom molded grip 34 is a firmer and surer grip, thus limiting a likelihood of inadvertent ink injection.
Also anticipated by the present invention is a custom molded grip preparation kit 38, which comprises a tube 12 and a Room Temperature Vulcanization (RTV) silicone rubber 14. The tube 12 has a first end 16, a second end 18, and an outer surface 20. The tube 12 is configured for selective insertion of a tattoo machine 22 such that the tube 12 is removably secured to the tattoo machine 22 with an operable end 24 of the tattoo machine 22 protruding from the first end 16 of the tube 12. The RTV silicone rubber 14 comprises a first part 28 and a second part 30, which are mixable to form a substrate 32. The first part 28 and the second part 30 are individually packaged in respective amounts sufficient to generate a quantity of the substrate 32 sufficient to be moldable to the outer surface 20 of the tube 12, deformable by grasping in a hand of a user, and curable to form a custom molded grip 34. The custom molded grip 34 is substantially nonpliable and molded to fit the hand of the user.
In use, the moldable gripping device 10 enables a method of preparing a custom molded grip for use with a tattoo machine 40. The method 40 entails provision of a moldable gripping device 10, according to the specification above. A first step 42 of the method 40 is mixing the first part 28 and the second part 30 of the RTV silicone rubber 14 to form the substrate 32. A second step 44 of the method 40 is molding the substrate 32 to the outer surface 20 of the tube 12. A third step 46 of the method 40 is deforming the substrate 32 by grasping in a hand of a user. A fourth step 48 of the method 40 is allowing the substrate 32 to cure to form a custom molded grip 34. A fifth step 50 of the method 40 is inserting a tattoo machine 22 into the tube 12 so that an operable end 24 of the tattoo machine 22 protrudes from the first end 16 of the tube 12 and such that the tube 12 and the custom molded grip 34 are removably secured to the tattoo machine 22.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
