WO2023180771A1

WO2023180771A1 - A paint dispensing apparatus, a paint capsule, and method of using such

Info

Publication number: WO2023180771A1
Application number: PCT/GB2023/050764
Authority: WO
Inventors: Anthony David George Rhoades; Samuel Paul CORNISH-EVANS; Jiri DOHNALEK
Original assignee: Savaqwa Limited
Priority date: 2022-03-25
Filing date: 2023-03-24
Publication date: 2023-09-28

Abstract

A paint dispensing apparatus (10), the paint dispensing apparatus comprising: a capsule receptacle (12) suitable in operation for receiving a concentrated paint capsule, the capsule receptacle fluidly connected to a dispenser (40); a reservoir (100) which is operable to contain a volume of water in operation, the reservoir also fluidly connected to the dispenser; a penetration device adapted to be moved, in operation, from a resting configuration to an operating configuration; the penetration device in the operating configuration operable to penetrate an exterior portion of the capsule; a controller, for controlling the volume of the water dispensed to produce a required paint product; and wherein the concentrated paint and the water are dispensed via the dispenser. Thus, allowing a painter to postpone true paint 'mixing' until a point of use and also reduce the footprint needed to store the pre-mixed paints in an art studio, or educational establishment, for example.

Description

A PAINT DISPENSING APPARATUS, A PAINT CAPSULE, AND METHOD OF USING SUCH

The present invention provides a paint dispensing apparatus, a paint capsule to be used therein and method of using such. Wherein the one or more concentrated paint capsules are inserted into the apparatus and diluted under pressure using locally sourced mains water and if required, can be mixed to produce multiple colours. This 'just in time' dispensing and if needed, mixing, has the advantage of removing the need to ship large qualities of pre-made paints and as such, eliminating significant CO2 emissions annually¹.

BACKGROUND

The total global market volume of paints and coatings amounted to approximately 9.8 billion gallons in 2019², much of which is shipped internationally. Furthermore, 70% of paint volumes shipped around the world is water, which equates to shipping up to 24.9 million average bathtubs of water each year.

Existing decorative paint human-operated systems, such as those found in hardware stores, simply add colour pigments to a ready-mixed white base paint, this is known as 'tinting'. An example of such a system has been disclosed in WO/2017/081117 "Tinting Machine and Method for Dispensing Colorant into a Paint Container with Base Paint", which describes a tinting machine with a dispenser head for dispensing one or more colorants into a base paint. Commercial systems include the AkzoNobel-Dulux Mixlab (used in Homebase in the UK) and the Sherwin Williams-Valspar lab (used in B&Q in the UK).

Another alternative known in the art is a machine for producing colour samples, such as the ALFA s.r.l Paint Sample Dispensing Machine, a description of which can be found here https://www.alfadispenser.com/color-tester-3-0/ and which has been disclosed in WO2016166737A1 "Dispensing Machine, In Particular For Producing Paint Sample".

However, these machines are too large and expensive for consumer and educational applications such as art studios, classrooms, and the like. In such situations, refillable bottles are used, which comprise paints which can be mixed to their final composition, wherein the primary-coloured and/or most popular paint colours are usually stored in a storeroom in

¹ approx. 37.2t/km road/sea freight of potentially avoidable C02 emissions which is released into the atmosphere each year [calculations based on source: http://disq.us/t/3cbspbi]

² https://www.statista.com/statistics/1042799/paints-and-coatings-market-volume-worldwide/ larger containers. However, this still means that the primary-coloured paints are shipped fully mixed with water when they do not need to be.

SUMMARY/ADVANTAGES OF INVENTION

In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paint dispensing apparatus, the paint dispensing apparatus comprising: a capsule receptacle suitable in operation for receiving a concentrated paint capsule, the capsule receptacle fluidly connected to a dispenser; a reservoir which is operable to contain a volume of water in operation, the reservoir also fluidly connected to the dispenser; a penetration device adapted to be moved, in operation, from a resting configuration to an operating configuration; the penetration device in the operating configuration operable to penetrate an exterior portion of the capsule; a controller, for controlling the volume of the water dispensed to produce a required paint product; and wherein the concentrated paint and the water are dispensed via the dispenser.

Preferably wherein the paint dispensing apparatus may further comprise a water-injector which in operation injects water into the capsule under pressure, thus diluting the concentrated paint therein. Further preferably, wherein the diluted paint product may be dispensed via the dispenser into a paint capture container provided in operation.

Further preferably the paint dispensing apparatus, further comprises a user display and wherein the colour and quantity of paint product required can be variable upon request by a user.

In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of creating a paint product using the paint dispensing apparatus of the first aspect, comprising the steps of: filling reservoir with water; turning the apparatus power on; insert paint concentrate capsule; insert paint capture container; moving the paint capsule from an out of operation to in operation mode; and pressing a dispense button.

Preferably the method further comprises the step of selecting a volume of paint product required. Further preferably, the method further comprises the steps of: taking as an input, information about a characteristic of a required paint product; calculating the required quantity of a first colourant substance and the required quantity of water to form the colourant product, and controlling a dispensing means to output the required quantity of the first colourant substance and the required quantity of water.

Preferably, further comprising the step of calculating the quantity of a second colourant substance required to form the colourant product; and controlling a dispensing means to output the required quantity of the second colourant substance.

Further preferably, wherein the water may be stored in a refillable reservoir and/or the apparatus of the first aspect further comprises a sensor, wherein the controller unit may be operable to receive data from the sensor regarding the composition of the water. Furthermore, wherein the data regarding the composition of the water may be used by the controller in the formation of the paint product.

In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a capsule, suitable to be filled with a paint concentrate, the capsule operable to be inserted into the paint apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention and/or used in the method of the second aspect of the present invention.

Preferably, said capsule being composed essentially of a sealed impervious cup containing said concentrated paint substance, said sealed impervious cup further comprising an outer rim, to which is sealed a membrane defining a base closure member, said membrane being provided with an integral portion at least partially surrounded by an area of weakness, which when under the influence of the water pressure thereby forms an aperture in the membrane through which the paint and water can flow from the capsule.

Further preferably, wherein after the dispensing operation is complete, the used paint capsule falls freely into a used paint capsule catch container.

Preferably wherein the first colourant substance is one or more of a paint, a paint concentrate, an ink, an ink concentrate, a pigment, a coloured material, a powder.

Thus, the present invention allows a painter to postpone true paint 'mixing' until a point of use and also reduce the footprint needed to ship to and store pre-mixed paints in an art studio, or educational establishment, for example. Thus, the present invention advantageously takes into account the local water characteristics, such as hardness or mineral composition and reducing the reliance on shipping vast quantities of water around the world of pre-formed paints.

Advantageously a user may be provided with a choice of multiple paint products and wherein the quantity of paint product required can be variable upon request by a user. Wherein a user can check the output characteristics of the colourant product, can adjust the characteristic and/or decide whether to proceed with the dispensing of the colourant product.

Thus, the paint dispensing machine can dispense a wide variety of paint colours and dilutions in a just in time manner, in any quantity required. Thus, the present invention thus provides an intelligent integrated paint machine, where paint is produced just in time and in any colour, in any quantity and in any dilution required.

LIST OF FIGURES

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure la & lb - are schematic diagrams of the front and side perspective views of an exemplary paint dispensing machine of the present invention;

Figure 2 - is a schematic diagram showing an internal view of the exemplary paint dispensing machine of the present invention;

Figure 3 - is a schematic diagram of concentrated paint capsule that can be inserted into the paint dispensing machine of Figures 1 & 2 of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an alternative paint capture method using a refillable paint pen; and

Figure 5 is a flow diagram showing a colour selection method, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The present techniques will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Parts of the paint dispensing machines are not necessarily to scale and may just be representative of components of the paint dispensing machines or other described entities.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figures la & lb are schematic diagrams of front and side perspective views of an exemplary paint dispensing machine of the present invention. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. There is shown a paint dispensing machine 10, which comprises an outer casing 70 attached to a base unit 71. The outer casing 70 preferably made in whole or in part from a robust plastics material such as ABS. Alternatively, the outer casing 70 can be made in whole or in part from a metallic material such as stainless steel or aluminium. The outer casing 70 preferably comprises a clam-shell design (not shown) which allow access during assembly for fitting of the paint dispensing machine 10 components and can afterwards be joined together to define an interior of the outer casing 70. Wherein the base 71 of the outer casing 70, is preferably provided with feet (not shown) for standing the paint dispensing machine 10 thereon in a stable manner. Alternatively, the base 71 itself may have a shape forming a stable support.

The outer casing 70 comprises a paint dispense outlet 40 where dispensation of the paint takes place. The paint dispending machine 10 also comprises a receptacle stand T1 having a hollow interior forming a drip tray, accessible by pushing inwards a front portion 28 of the receptable stand, the drip tray then popping out of the machine. The receptacle stand 1 may also be provided with a grill (not shown) on which a paint capture receptacle may be positioned by a user. The drip tray 28 is removable from the outer casing 70 to ease emptying of the collected water and any spilled paint.

The paint dispensing outlet 40 is located above the paint capture receptacle stand T1 and preferably, the height of the receptacle stand T1 relative to the paint dispensing head 40 can be adjusted to accommodate different sizes of paint capture receptacle. It is preferred that the paint capture receptacle (not shown) is as close to the paint dispensing head 40 as possible, whilst still allowing the paint capture receptacle to be inserted and withdrawn from the paint dispense machine 10, so as to minimise the height that the dispensed paint has to descend before contacting the receptacle. This acts to minimise spraying and splashing of the produced paint product. Alternatively refillable paint pens, or other such containers can be used, as shall be described with reference to Figure 4.

The paint dispensing machine 10 also comprises a capsule head 30, which further comprises capsule slot 12, suitable for receiving a capsule 200 (as further described with reference to Figure 4) from which concentrated paint is extracted using the water under pressure, as shall be described in further detail with reference to Figure 2. Upon insertion of a concentrated paint capsule 200 into the capsule slot 12, then a capsule plunger head 13 is lowered by pushing downwards to ensure a tight fit ready for paint to be dispensed. Thus, the concentrated paint capsule 200 is moved into place, ready for dispensing via a paint dispense outlet 40 (for a more detailed description of the concentrated paint capsule, see Figure 3).

Once a capsule has been inserted into the capsule slot 12 and the capsule cover 13 is lowered, the paint dispensing machine 10 automatically pierces small holes in the top of the paint capsule, using an injector/injection nozzle (see Figure 2) through which, in the present embodiment, water comes out at high pressure. This allows the water to flow through the capsule 200 and mix with the concentrated paint contained inside. The nozzle (see Figure 2) pierces the capsule 200 so that the water passes through the capsule's interior and exits at the lower end of the capsule 200.

This water is pumped into the capsule 200 under high pressure until the broad, foil-covered side of the capsule bursts, releasing the concentrated paint. The diluted paint product will then drip, under gravity, into a container below and is ready to be used. The paint dispensing machine 10 then automatically ejects the used capsule 200 into a catch tray 24, which is provided to catch used capsules 200.

Alternatively, the water maybe pumped up and into the capsule 200 through a narrow hole at the edge, then drips back down again through a bigger hole in the centre of the capsule (not shown). In a simpler embodiment, the capsule 200 is punctured two to three times on the bottom side. When a user chooses the output colour and dilution and volume option from the user interface 11, the paint dispensing machine 10 pumps the correct amount of water from the water tank 100 into the paint receptable container and the paint also drips out of the capsule 200 through the holes that have been made.

The paint dispensing apparatus 10 further comprises a system controller 22 (see Figure 2), which further comprises a user interface display 11. Wherein the system controller 22 is configured for controlling the supply of pressurized water and colorants to the dispensing spout 40, during a colorant dispensing step, and for controlling supply of any cleaning fluids used during a subsequent cleaning step (as further described with reference to Figure 2). The user interface 11 of the paint dispensing machine 10 is located on the front of the outer casing 70 and there is also shown a status indicator LED 23.

A start/stop button 21 controls commencement of a paint dispense cycle and is a manually operated push-button, switch or similar. The paint dispensing apparatus 10 is connected to a mains power supply via a mains power connection (now shown). A manual power switch 90 may be provided on the paint dispensing machine 10. Alternatively, power supply can be controlled simply by insertion or removal of the power supply plug (not shown) from the mains power supply.

A volume adjustment control (not shown but may be accessed via the user interface display 11) may be provided to allow a user of the paint dispensing machine 10 to manually adjust the volume of the delivered paint without altering the other operating characteristics. Preferably the volume adjustment control allows an adjustment in volume of plus or minus 20%. The volume adjustment control may be a rotary knob, a linear slider, a digital readout with increment and decrement buttons, or similar. More simply, volume may be controlled by a user operating the start/stop button 21.

The water tank 100 is located on the top of the paint dispensing apparatus 10 and is fluidly connected internally to a water pump (as shall be described with reference to Figure 2). A one-way valve outlet 120 is provided towards a lower end of the water tank 100 which communicates with the water pump (shown in Figure 2). The water tank 100 may be made from a transparent or translucent material to allow a consumer to view the quantity of water remaining in the water tank 100. The water tank 100 could be replaced by lifting the old tank out, replacing it with a new tank, or filling it directly from a tap via the one-way valve 120.

Alternatively, the water tank 100 may be made from an opaque material but have provided a viewing window therein. In addition, or in place of the above, the water tank 100 may be provided with a low-level sensor which prevents operation of the water pump (shown in Figure 2) and optionally triggers a warning indicator, such as an LED, when the water level in the water tank 100 descends to a preselected level. The water tank 100 preferably has an internal capacity of approximately 3-5 litres, although different size machines for different applications (such as educational establishment vs a domestic environment) may have different sizes of water tank 100.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the water tank 100 could be located to the side, or rear, or below, the paint dispensing apparatus 10 and in this case, the water tank 100 could comprise an opening for filling the water tank 100 with water and which would be closed off in use by a manually removable lid. Thus, it should be clear to someone skilled in the art that many arrangements of refillable or replaceable water tanks could be used to provide a reservoir of water suitable for use with the paint dispensing apparatus of the present invention.

In an alternative embodiment, the water tank 100, could be between 3 litres and 5 litres of capacity for example. Either it could be removable from the paint dispensing machine 100 and refilled under a tap, by removing a lid, or water could simply be poured into a spout at the top.

A paint capsule storage area 50 and receptable storage area 75 are also shown, which can be designed and used to store items such as unused paint capsules, refillable paint pens, as well as other useful items, as shall be described with reference to Figure 3 & 4. In use, multiple colour paint outputs can be obtained by using multiple paint capsules 200, inserted into the paint dispensing machine 10 in succession. For example, a pink paint colour may be obtained, first by inserting a white colour capsule 200 which is used in its entirety, followed by a red paint capsule 200, but from which only a small amount is dispensed into the paint collection receptacle (or suitable vessel) located on the paint capture receptacle stand 27. The remaining red paint could either by dispensed into a second vessel, by indicating to a user they need to swap collection vessels over, purged into the drip tray 28, or not mixed with water at all and the remains of which staying in the concentrated paint capsule 200, which is then dropped into the catch tray 24.

The required pink colour is then obtained by manual mixing or shaking of the paint collection receptacle by the user. The Applicant's co-pending applications describe how to calculate the amount of paint concentrate and water volumes needed to mix to form many output colours.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing internal view of the exemplary paint dispensing machine of the present invention. There is shown a portion of the outer casing 70, which as explained with reference to Figure 1 previously, contains and holds in position the other components of the paint dispensing machine 10. Also shown is a water pump 95, which is operatively connected between the water tank 100 and the paint dispenser head 40 and is controlled by the system controller 22. The water pump 95 provides a water pressure of over 3 bar, as paint concentrate is relatively thick, if mixed within the capsule, the pump 95 needs to be a high enough bar to be able to mix the concentrate and the water. However, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention and as mentioned with reference to Figure 1, the paint and water could be dispensed into the paint receptable separately and the user can manually mix the two after the vending process has completed. In such a case, the pump 95 could be a lower bar such as 1.5 to 2 bar.

The flow rate of water through the paint dispensing machine 10 can be controlled by the system controller 22 to be a percentage of the maximum flow rate of the water pump 95 by cycle chopping the electrical supply to the pump 95. A volumetric flow sensor (not shown) is preferably provided in the flow line either upstream or downstream of the water pump 95. The water pump 95 further comprises a sensor (not shown), wherein the sensor is able to detect characteristics of the water stored in the refillable tank 100 and send data to the system controller 22 about the properties of the water used, such as the volume remaining, and water hardness, for example.

As previously described with reference to Figure 1, upon insertion of a concentrated paint capsule 200 into the capsule slot (see Figure 1), then when the capsule plunger head 13 is lowered by pushing downwards the concentrated paint capsule 200 is moved into place, ready for dispensing via the paint dispense outlet 40.

Once a capsule has been inserted into the capsule slot 12 and the capsule cover 13 is lowered, the paint dispensing machine 10 automatically pierces small holes in the top of the paint capsule, using an injector/injection nozzle 250 through which, in the present embodiment, water comes out at high pressure. This allows the water to flow through the capsule 200 and mix with the concentrated paint contained inside. The nozzle 250 pierces the capsule 200 so that the water passes through the capsule's interior and exits at the lower end of the capsule 200.

The system controller 22 may be in communication with a cloud network (not shown), as well as an edge device (not shown) which may be a tablet, smartphone or laptop which can be controlled by a user or operator to upload a desired colour, for example. In the present example, it will be appreciated that the cloud may comprise any suitable data processing device or embedded system which can be accessed from another platform such as a remote computer, content aggregator or cloud platform which receives data posted by the paint dispensing machines of the present invention.

As explained previously with reference to Figure 1, the paint dispensing apparatus is powered by a connection to mains power and as such needs an internal transformer 210.

It should be clear to those skilled in the art, that many means can be used to control the flow of the colour dispensing system as shown in Figures 1 & 2, such as solenoids; hydraulic pumps and/or actuator valves. There is shown in Figure 3, a schematic diagram of an exemplary paint capsule that could be used in the dispenser of Figures 1 & 2 of the present invention. Wherein the paint capsule 200 comprises an outer container cup 220 which is sealed using a pierceable lid 210.

Before use and in transportation, the pierceable lid 210 is sealed to the edge rim 220 of the container cup 220 using a suitable hermetic sealing method, such as glue or heat sealing. The container cup 220 may comprised of plastic or metal, or any other suitable material, that can store concentrated paint until use in the paint dispensing machine of Figures 1 & 2. The pierceable lid 210 may also be comprised of any suitable material, such as plasticised paper, or thin metal, it simply needs to have a weaker area 250 be pierceable under pressure, but not be damaged during transport of the paint capsules 200. The concentrated paint may be in liquid, granules or powder form.

In an alternative embodiment, also shown in Figure 3, the outer container cup 220 comprises an extended rim at the base 220 and a cylindrical recess 230 through which the paint dispensing machine 10 pierces the capsule and injects water. In should be clear to someone skilled in the art that a combination of pierceable and/or recess areas could be used in order to extract the paint concentrate from the paint capsules 200.

In a further alternative embodiment, the lower surface of the insert further comprises a RFID or barcode which, in use, is readable by a RFID or barcode reader of the paint dispensing machine for controlling operation of the paint dispensing machine, wherein the barcode or RFID is located on the lower surface of the insert such that a line joining the outlet of the insert to a centre of the barcode or RFID and a line joining the outlet of the insert to the inlet of the insert separated by a minimum angular separation of greater than 70 degrees.

Alternatively, each paint capsule could comprise a barcode. When the capsule is inserted into the paint dispensing machine 10, it reads that barcode, and the paint dispensing machine 10 automatically optimizes the dilution parameters for that particular paint concentrate.

The paint dispensing machine may register the paint capsule using the RFID tag or barcode to match colourant materials held in a database by way of communication with the system controller 22, such as a microprocessor, or FPGA. A system database may contain a list of verified colourant materials authorised for use and may in return grant permission for the colourant mixing machine to accept the material and may, depending in the type of material, make mechanical or software adjustments. The system database may comprise a revocation list of packaging or materials that are no longer supported, out of date or out of contract. In which case an error message may be displayed to the user via the user interface 11.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an alternative paint capture method using a refillable pen. Refillable paint pens 300 as shown in Figure 4 may be used to capture the dispensed paint product. Wherein a lid section 310 is unscrewed in order to refill the pen, and when not being used, the pen 300 may be placed in a holder in the dispense area (shown in Figure 1)

It will be appreciated that if using more than one colorant in the paint dispensing unit of any of the embodiments from Figures 1 to 3 included, the internal chambers and fluid outlets of the mixer units and/or related pipe work may need to be cleaned after each dispensing operation to avoid mixing of colorant from a previous dispensing operation with those of a succeeding operation. Such purging and cleaning operations are discussed in other copending applications by the Applicant.

Figure 5 is a flow diagram showing a user colour selection method, according to an embodiment of the present invention. There is shown the following method steps:

Method:

51. Obtain the required input colour values and volume of paint required, such as via the user input display 11, or via an app on a smartphone or other end user device and which is uploaded to the paint dispense machine of Figures 1 & 2 via the cloud, as described with reference to Figure 2.

52. Transform to the nearest output colour value (if required) and display the result to a user, via the user interface 11. This step could use the methods as described in the Applicant's co-pending applications, or any other suitable colour transform method as known in the art. S3. Check with the user if they want to proceed, if YES, continue with the following steps S4-S7. If NO, finish process.

54. Calculate required amounts of each colourant and/or the amount of water required for the specific paint application as input in Step SI.

55. Place (or mechanically move) a paint receptable under output nozzle

56. Run the deposition program to dispense the required amounts of each material, according to the embodiments described in Figures 1 to 3 incl.

57. Dispense the outputted paint using embodiments as described with reference to any of Figures 1 to 4 inclusive.

End of method

Thus, in use, a user can input a hex value into the paint dispense machine for a paint colour that is required, or via another method, such as uploading an image or a scan of a colour, for example. Then the paint dispense machine, can supply the user with the nearest colour and/or type and volume of paint that can be output and the user can accept or reject that colour and/or the presented format and/or volume options. For example, if a user requests 1 litres of a dark blue paint, but the machine can only supply 0.5 litres of dark blue paint, the user is notified and can accept or reject the vend (see step 3 above).

It will be clear to one skilled in the art that many improvements and modifications can be made to the foregoing exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present technique.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A paint dispensing apparatus, the paint dispensing apparatus comprising: a. a capsule receptacle suitable in operation for receiving a concentrated paint capsule, the capsule receptacle fluidly connected to a dispenser; b. a reservoir which is operable to contain a volume of water in operation, the reservoir also fluidly connected to the dispenser; c. a penetration device adapted to be moved, in operation, from a resting configuration to an operating configuration; the penetration device in the operating configuration operable to penetrate an exterior portion of the capsule; d. a controller, for controlling the volume of the water dispensed to produce a required paint product; and e. wherein the concentrated paint and the water are dispensed via the dispenser.

2. The paint dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a waterinjector which in operation injects water into the capsule under pressure, thus diluting the concentrated paint therein.

3. The paint dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the diluted paint product is dispensed via the dispenser into a paint capture container provided in operation.

4. The paint dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 to 3, wherein after the dispensing operation is complete, the used paint capsule falls freely into a used paint capsule catch container.

5. A method of creating a paint product using the paint dispensing apparatus of any of claims 1 to 4, comprising the steps of a. filling reservoir with water; b. turning the apparatus power on; c. insert paint concentrate capsule; d. insert paint capture container; e. moving the paint capsule from an out of operation to in operation mode; and f. pressing a dispense button. The method of creating a paint product according to claim 5, further comprising the step of selecting a volume of paint product required. The method of creating a paint product in accordance with either claim 6 or 7, the method further comprising: a. taking as an input, information about a characteristic of a required paint product; b. calculating the required quantity of a first colourant substance and the required quantity of water to form the colourant product, and c. controlling a dispensing means to output the required quantity of the first colourant substance and the required quantity of water. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of calculating the quantity of a second colourant substance required to form the colourant product; and controlling a dispensing means to output the required quantity of the second colourant substance. The method according to either claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the water is stored in a refillable reservoir. The method or apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a sensor, wherein the controller unit is operable to receive data from the sensor regarding the composition of the water. The method or apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the data regarding the composition of the water is used by the controller in the formation of the paint product. The method or apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the calculation is based on user inputs via a control panel. The method or apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising providing a user with a choice of multiple paint products and wherein the quantity of paint product required can be variable upon request by a user. The method or apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispensing means comprises a solenoid, hydraulic pump and/or actuator valve. The method or apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the first colourant substance is one or more of a paint, a paint concentrate, an ink, an ink concentrate, a pigment, a coloured material, a powder. A capsule, suitable to be filled with a paint concentrate, the capsule operable to be inserted into the paint apparatus of any of claim 1 to 15. A capsule according to claim 16, said capsule being composed essentially of a sealed impervious cup containing said concentrated paint substance, said sealed impervious cup further comprising an outer rim, to which is sealed a membrane defining a base closure member, said membrane being provided with an integral portion at least partially surrounded by an area of weakness, which when under the influence of the water pressure thereby forms an aperture in the membrane through which the paint and water can flow from the capsule.