US2768403A

US2768403A - Applicator device for applying liquid coating to photographic prints

Info

Publication number: US2768403A
Application number: US357712A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles A Govatsos
Original assignee: Polaroid Corp
Current assignee: Polaroid Corp
Priority date: 1953-05-27
Filing date: 1953-05-27
Publication date: 1956-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 1973-10-30

Description

- Oct. 30, 1956 c. A. ov "rsos 2,768,403

APPLICATOR DEVICE F APPLYING LIQUID COATING TO PHQT HIC PRINTS Filed May 1953 A OR OGRAP 2'7,

INVENTOR dWVMW ATTQRNEYS APPLICATOR DEVICE FOR APPLYING LIQUID COATING TO PHOTOGRAPI-IIC PRINTS Charles A. Govatsos, West Newton, Mass., assignor to Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, Mass., :1 corporation of Delaware This invention relates to an applicator for applying a liquid coating composition to a surface and more particularly to a device for coating the surface of a photographic print.

The copending application of Edwin H. Land et al., Serial No. 302,742, filed August 5, 1952 for Photographic Accessory (now Patent No. 2,692,675 issued October 26, 1954), discloses the desirability of applying a liquid coating composition to a finished photographic print for improving the stabilization of the print, as by protecting the surface thereof from the hazards encountered in handling and storage, such as dirt or dust, finger prints, scratches and the like. Inasmuch as the coating composition may deteriorate on contact with air, it is desirable to protect the coating composition from exposure to the atmosphere as well as to protect the coating device from physical harm while being carried and stored.

Objects of this invention are to provide, in combination, a hermetically scalable container and an inexpensive, compact applicator device which can be removably carried within the container, the applicator comprising a holder for retaining an absorbent means charged-'with a volume of liquid coating'composition suflicient to coat a plurality of photographic prints, the absorbent means being adapted to be rubbed in frictional contact with the surface of a photographic print for applying a coating to the print surface.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an applicator device of the character described comprising a holder formed substantially in the shape of a channel with divergent legs for retaining therebetween an absorbent material charged with a liquid coating composition, the holder being so designed and constructed as to be convenient to grasp, toprovide means for forcing the coating composition to be exuded from the portion of the absorbent material lying between the legs of the holder to the portion of the material, extending beyond the legs of the holder, which is rubbed in contact with the surface of a photographic print, and to cooperate in a special way with the container in which the applicator is mounted.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the product possessing the features, properties and the relation of components which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevationof a preferred embodiment of nited States Patent H 2,768,403 Patented Oct. 30, 1956 the invention illustrating a container in section with the applicator device in full elevation mounted within the container;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along line 2-2 of Fig. 1 illustrating one embodiment of the applicator device;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, similar to Fig. 2, illustrating another embodiment of the applicator device; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the applicator device.

As previously indicated, this applicator device is to be used with print coating compositions of the nature which deteriorate when subjected to exposure to the atmosphere, therefore making it desirable to employ a hermetically scalable container for storing and carrying the device. For this purpose, a container with a removable closure therefore may be formed preferably of glass and/or plastic having at least a portion which is provided with a rounded cross section for cooperative mounting of the applicator device within said container. The container, including the stopper or end wall provided by the container closure, should be of sufficient length to receive an elongated applicator device, while its transverse dimensions should be slightly larger than the applicator device whereby the applicator device is retained within the container with a minimum of end and side play.

A preferred form of container of the character described is shown in Fig. l of the drawing as comprising a cylindrical vial 12 closed at one end by an end wall 14 and at the other end by a removable stopper or closure 16 of any suitable design and formed preferably of an organic plastic material such as polystyrene.

An applicator device of the character herein described comprises a substantiallyrigid holder and an absorbent element retained within said holder. The absorbent element may be of any appropriate absorbent material which will serve to retain a quantity of liquid coating composition and may be of cotton or wool in any form, such as sorbent element 20 should be substantially equal in length to holder 18 and so dimensioned that at least aportion of said element will extend beyond the sides of the channel member providing a means contactable with the surface to be coated for applying to said surface a liquid coating composition carried by the absorbent material. A preferred form of coating element may comprise multiple layers of nonwoven cotton fabric assembled and held in face-to-face relation between the sides of the holder.

1 For possible arrangements of assembly of layers, reference may be had to the copending application of Albert J. BacheldenSerial No. 303,286, filed August 8, 1952 for Applicator Devices For Applying Coatings To Photographic Prints' The mass of absorbent element 20 is proportioned so that it can contain a volume of liquid composition sufficient to coat a plurality of photographic prints as, for example, the number of prints obtained from one roll of film.

Holder 18 may be formed of any suitable sheet material such as metal or organic plastic as, for example, polystyrene. The sheet material should be substantially rigid so as to retain its shape when formed by such methods as extrusion processes or by being drawn through an appropriate forming die.

In a preferred embodiment of the applicator device illustrated in Fig. 2, holder 18 comprises an elongated channel member with externally concave sides 24, a portion of the sides being bent or flanged sharply inward at an acute angle so as to form internal diverging sides 26 diverging toward the opening of the channel. Coating element 20 is frictionally retained between the internal divergent sides 26 of the channel by forcing the said element into the relatively narrow opening between the edges 28 of the internal divergent sides 26. The portion of absorbent element 20 extending through the narrow opening lying adjacent to the bottom 30 of the channel expands to a thickness greater than the width of the opening between edges 28, thereby effectively retaining said element within the holder.

It is to be noted that since only the surface 32 of the portion of the absorbent element 2%) extending beyond the sides of the holder is employed to apply a coating to the surface of a photographic print, the liquid composition in that portion of the absorbent element adjacent to surface 32 is rapidly exhausted by use, while a relatively large volume of liquid composition may remain impregnated in the portion of absorbent element 20 lying between sides 24 of holder 18, and it is in this connection that the internal divergent sides 26 of the holder prove to be an important feature. By squeezing or applying pressure to the outside of the holder, the internal divergent sides 26 exert a pressure on coating element 20 in the direction of the surface 32 thereof employed to contact a photographic print, thereby forcing the liquid composition out of the portion of the absorbent element lying within the holder and into the portion extending beyond the sides of the holder where it is readily available for application to a photographic print.

The coating device is adapted to be employed by grasping the holder between the finger tips and rubbing the device, including the contact surface 32 of absorbent element 20, over the surface of a print to be coated, and in frictional pressure contact therewith. By the use of a channel member with external concave sides 24, not only is the holder made more comfortable to grasp and squeeze by the finger tips, but contact of the fingers with the liquid coating composition carried by the absorbent element is avoided. Another advantage arising from the use of a channel member supporting an absorbent element is found in the fact that this construction has a generally rectangular cross section. When the applicator device is inserted within the container, the area of contact between the applicator device and the walls ofthe vial is limited to the small area comprising the lengthwise edges of the applicator device, thereby restricting the opportunity for the liquid coating composition contained in the applicator to be distributed on the walls of the vial and thence to the holder.

An applicator similar in character to that shown in Fig. 2- but with a modified holder construction is disclosed in Fig. 3. The holder 18 comprises an elongated generally channel-shaped member having reentrant walls 34 converging to a point intermediate the base 36 of the channel and the opening thereof, and then diverging towards said opening, the edges of the walls adjacent to the opening being rolled outward to form a curved rim or flange 38. The construction of the holder serves to effectively retain the coating element within the holder between the convergent portion of the walls, while the divergent portions of the walls facilitate forcing the liquid composition out of the element retained therebetween and into the working portion of. the absorbent element extending beyond the holder for contact with a surface to be coated. In addition, this particular construction, together with a curved rim or flange 38, serves to provide a holder which is comfortable and convenient to grasp while contact between the fingers and the absorbent element is avoided by the outwardly curved rim or flange 38. In addition, outwardly curved rim 38 may be utilized to contact the interior of the container for holding the applicator device within the container so that the applicator assembly is held out of contact with the container walls. j

In use, the charged applicator is withdrawn from its container, the holder thereof being manually grasped by the fingers, and is rubbed lightly over the surface of a print for coating said surface. The frictional pressure between the surface of the print and the absorbent element causes the liquid coating composition to be discharged from the absorbent element upon the surface of the print. By increasing the pressure applied to the applicator device or by squeezing said device, an additional quantity of liquid coating composition will be discharged from the absorbent element. Upon completion of the coating operation, the applicator device is returned to the container and the stopper or closure is placed in its closed position.

Since certain changes may be made in the above product without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

I. An applicator device for applying a liquid coating composition to the surface of a photographic print, said device comprising a holder and an absorbent element supported by and retained in said holder, the mass of said absorbent element being so proportioned as to ahsorbedly carry a volume of liquid composition sufficient to coat a plurality of photographic prints, said holder comprising an elongated, generally channel-shaped member having a base with legs extending therefrom, extensions to said legs extending inward at an acute angle therewith so as to form internal divergent sides diverging towards the opening of said channel, said coating element being frictionally retained between the edges of said internal divergent sides,.said coating element having a working portion which extends beyond the free ends of said legs, said portion being contactable with the surface of a photographic print for discharging the liquid composition absorbed into said working portion upon said surface, said internal divergent sides being adapted to apply pressure to the portion of said absorbent element retained therebetween when said holder is squeezed, said pressurebeing so directed as to force said liquid out of that portion of said absorbent element retained between said divergent sides into said working portion wherein it is readily available for application to a surface, said holder providing means for manually grasping and squeezing said applicator without finger contact with said coating element.

2. An applicator device for manually applying a liquid coating composition to a surface, said device comprising, in combination, a holder and an absorbent coating element substantially equal in length to said holder and supported by and retained in said holder, said holder comprising an elongated, generally channelshaped member having a base with externally concave legs extending therefrom, extensions to said legs extending inwardly at acute angles therewith to form internally divergent sides diverging toward the opening of said channel, said absorbent element being frictionally retained within the relatively narrow opening between the edges of said internal divergent sides, a portion of said absorbent element, extending between said edges and lying adjacent to said bottom, being expanded to a thickness greater than the width between said legs, said absorbent element having a working portion whichextends beyond the free ends of said legs, said working portion being contactable with a surface for discharging a liquid coating composition absorbed into said working portion upon said surface, said internally divergent sides being adapted to apply pressure to the portion of said absorbent element retained therebetween when said holder is manually squeezed, said pressure being so directed as to force said liquid out of that portion of said absorbent element retained between said divergent sides into said working portion wherein it is readily available for application to a surface, said holder providing means for manually grasping and squeezing said applicator without finger contact with said absorbent element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hoeft Sept. 25, 1923 Rader Apr. 9, 1940 Dukehart, Jr Apr. 8, 1941 Roehrl Oct. 5, 1954 Land et al Oct. 26, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1904