WO2023180769A2

WO2023180769A2 - Paint vending apparatus and system

Info

Publication number: WO2023180769A2
Application number: PCT/GB2023/050762
Authority: WO
Inventors: Anthony David George Rhoades; Samuel Paul CORNISH-EVANS; Jiri DOHNALEK; Lewis CASSIDY
Original assignee: Savaqwa Limited
Priority date: 2022-03-25
Filing date: 2023-03-24
Publication date: 2023-09-28
Also published as: WO2023180769A3

Abstract

A paint dispensing apparatus and system, the paint dispensing apparatus comprising: a first receptacle suitable for containing a first colourant substance, the first receptacle fluidly connected to a first dispenser; a second receptacle comprising a dilution medium, the second receptacle fluidly connected to a second dispenser; an output fluidly connected to the first and second dispensers; a controller taking as an input, information about a required characteristic of a paint product; wherein the controller calculates the required quantities of the first colourant substance, and the dilution medium, to form the colourant product, and wherein the controller can control the first and second dispensers to output the required quantities of the first colourant substance and the dilution medium. Thus, allowing a paint supplier to postpone true paint 'mixing' until a point of sale and also reduce the footprint needed to store the white base paints in a DIY or grocery store, for example. Thus, there is provided a more sustainable/smarter global paint supply chain, which delivers major carbon emissions reductions and significant cost savings across the supply chain and to customers.

Description

PAINT VENDING APPARATUS AND SYSTEM The present invention provides a Paint Vending Robot as a Service (PRaaS), and an intelligent integrated paint supply chain, where paint is mixed by cloud-connected smart AI/Machine- Learning machines (Paint Vendbots) using locally sourced mains water. This ‘just in time’ mixing has the advantage of removing the need to ship white base paints and as such, eliminating significant CO2 emissions annually¹. PRaaS is a world first product and process for the paint industry, where only the semi-automated colour mixing/tinting of ready-mixed paint currently exists. 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”. SUMMARY/ADVANTAGES OF INVENTION There is provided a paint dispensing apparatus, the paint dispensing apparatus comprising: a first receptacle comprising a first colorant substance, the first receptacle fluidly connected to ¹ approx.37.2t/km road/sea freight of potentially avoidable CO2 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/ a first dispenser; a second receptacle comprising a dilution medium, the second receptacle fluidly connected to a second dispenser; an output fluidly connected to the first and second dispensers; a controller taking as an input, information about a required characteristic of a paint product; wherein the controller calculates the required quantities of the first colourant substance, and the dilution medium, to form the paint product, and wherein the controller can control the first and second dispensers to output the required quantities of the first colourant substance and the dilution medium. There is also provided a method of creating a paint product, the paint product creation method comprising: taking as an input, information about a characteristic of a paint product; calculating the required quantity of a first colourant substance and the required quantity of a dilution medium to form the paint product and controlling a first and second dispensing means to output the required quantity of the first colourant substance and the required quantity of the dilution medium. Wherein preferably the first substance may comprise a high percentage of solids without water as its major ingredient by weight, may further comprise a base paint and further preferably, wherein the dilution medium may comprise water as its major ingredient by weight. Preferably wherein the water is stored in a tank and a connection to the local mains water supply is provided. A 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 mains water, which may be used by the controller in the formation of the paint product. 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 in the form of white base paints. Preferably, the calculation is based on the reflectance properties of the paint product; and/or wherein the reflectance properties of the first colourant substance is used in the calculation of the quantity of the first colourant substance required to form the paint product. Further preferably wherein the reflectance values a paint product may be obtained by converting a user input of a colour in a known colour space to the reflectance values of a nearest colour and/or wherein the reflectance values of the input colour may be obtained from a scan of a colour, or wherein the scan may be obtained using a spectrophotometer scanner. Advantageously, the known colour space may be one of RGB, sRGB, CMY, Pantone and/or HEX. 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. Preferably the dilution medium further comprises a solvent, binder, additive, or stabiliser and/or wherein the first colourant substance is a white paint concentrate. Further preferably, wherein the characteristic comprises one or more of viscosity, particle size, solubility, luminosity, colour, and/or quantity. Thus, the autonomous dispensing machine can dispense a wide variety of paint finishes and types in a just in time manner, in any quantity required. Advantageously providing lightweight and reusable/recyclable paint cartridges that can be inserted easily by a user and carry RFID or other security markings to ensure their correct use. Advantageously, injected air may be used to create a mix of the first colourant substance and the dilution medium. A mechanical mixer unit may also additionally be used and/or wherein the controller can further control the timing of the first and second dispensers to create a mix of the first colourant substance and the dilution medium. There is advantageously provided one or more cleaning fluid supply conduits, wherein the one or more cleaning fluid supply conduits are opening in the one or more dispenser heads at a cleaning fluid inlet in the internal chamber. A user is also able to check the output characteristics of the paint product, can adjust the characteristic and/or decide whether to proceed with the dispensing of the colourant. Thus, advantageously giving a user full flexibility and control over the output. The first colourant substance may be one or more of a paint, a paint concentrate, an ink, an ink concentrate, a pigment, a coloured material, a powder. Preferably further comprising an internal chamber, wherein the internal chamber is fluidly connected between the first and second dispensers and the output and wherein the internal chamber may be fluidly sealed. Further preferably, wherein the dispensing means comprises a solenoid, hydraulic pump and/or actuator valve. Inn a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a distributed network of autonomous paint processing modules, wherein each paint processing module is connected to a network and comprises a paint mixing apparatus according to any feature of the first aspect. Thus, the PRaaS system thus can ensures that mains water, as well as the required number of pigments, can be mixed at micro scale with paint base ingredients, in order to provide a sufficient level of quality paint product in real time (i.e. milliseconds). PRaaS allows a paint supplier to postpone true paint 'mixing' until a point of sale. Thus, also reducing the footprint needed to store the white base paints in a DIY or grocery store, for example. Thus, there is provided a more sustainable/smarter global paint supply chain, which delivers major carbon emissions reductions and significant cost savings across the supply chain and to customers. PRaaS Cloud-connectivity enables real time usage data recording for consumption/demand- trends/geographical-intelligence to inform a digitally connected ‘mix in time’ paint supply chain. 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 and/or finish desired. This is a world first product and process for the paint industry, where only the semi-automated colour mixing/tinting of ready-mixed paint currently exists. The PRaaS system brings significant storage space-savings, reduced price, reduced packaging, number of transactions and freight charges, as well as a reduced carbon footprint. For example, 1000 litre super concentrated-paint-slurry intermediate-bulk-container (IBC) on a single pallet can produce 3,333 litres of ready-mixed paint, in any colour. The PRaaS system therefore enables major water usage reductions (90+%); as well as significant transport cost-savings; major paint-plant production; space-savings; process elimination, and major carbon emissions reductions. Key benefits from Paint Vendbots include: . Reduced lead-times (mix and dispense on demand). . Reduced Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs) . Significant space savings and improved environmental impact due to the ability to use reusable paint containers. A 'bring-your-own' paint container scheme for Decorative paint sector can potentially prevent 2billion+ single-use containers entering landfill/recycling centres annually. . Reduced carbon footprint. . Major carbon emission reductions - global potential to reduce/eliminate 37.2t/km in road haulage and sea freight CO2 emissions. . Water usage more evenly distributed as opposed to single/small number of paint OEM plants. DESCRIPTION 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 1 –is a process flow diagram showing a first embodiment of a colourant processing method of the present invention; Figure 2 – is a flow diagram showing a method of finding wavelengths of a paint and the mix they will produce for a given surface, according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a front view of an exemplary paint vendbot of the present invention; Figures 4a and 4b – are schematic diagrams of a colour dispensing and mixing apparatus, as can be used in the vendbot machine of Figure 3 of the present invention; Figure 5 - is a schematic diagram of a vortex/swirl mixing chamber which may be used with the embodiment of Figure 4a and 4b of the present invention. Figure 6 - is a schematic diagram of primary colourant packaging comprising a flexible bag with a hose connected to a dispenser of Figure 4a and 4b of the present invention; and Figure 7 – is a flow diagram showing an output verification 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 machines (vendbots) are not necessarily to scale and may just be representative of components of the paint machines (vendbots) or other described entities. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Figure 1 is a process flow diagram showing a first embodiment of a colourant processing method of the present invention. The steps of the process flow in Figure 1 shall herein be described. Process Start: Step 1: Obtain Required Output Colour values, volume and finish of paint required Via a system controller 22, such as that described in Figures 3 to 7, an input can be obtained, which describes the characteristics, such as colour of a paint or ink to be mixed, as well as the consistency, such as viscosity or solubility (see Step 5 below). For example, a system user would simply be asked via an input (such as keypad or a touch capable display screen), the volume, type (such as Matt, or Silk, Indoor or Outdoor) and colour shade of the paint to be mixed. The user may provide a pantone reference or an RGB colour vector, which is handled in Step 2 following. Step 2. Convert Required Output Colour values to Machine values (optional step) In colourant mixing and/or printing apparatus, colour conversion is often required. Many colour space systems are used in the art, for example use RGB, CMY, Pantone. For example in the art, a RGB input is usually inputted by a user, or in a file, comprising a vector of three numbers varying between 255 and 0. Each of these values determine the intensity of each of the three colours. Many equations are known for converting RGB to CMYK, for example. An alternative conversion method is described with reference to Figure 2. Step 3: Account for White However, in the prior art, white has never been accounted for with a CMYK system, as it assumes that white is the printing medium, the base paint or surface. For the invention of the present system to work effectively, it is necessary to convert an RGB vector input into a CMYK and W output (CMYKW). Using the program of the present invention, which can be found in Appendix A, the system controller 22 (of Figure 3-7) of the present invention can calculate CMYKW ratios for any inputted RGB vector, as seen in the above example. An alternative method is described with reference to Figure 2. Step 4 : Determine the volume and finish of paint required Many chemical and/or powder elements are also used to comprise a single sample of a particular type and finish of paint. For example, waterborne paints most often use acrylic emulsion polymers as binders. Solvent based resins come in a very wide range of types. Solvents are also used that act as a ‘carrier’ for the pigments and resins – the solvent may be organic (such as Mineral Turps) or may be water. Various additives are also used to enhance certain properties such as ease of brushing, mould resistance, scuff resistance, and drying time. Dependent on the required volume and finish of paint, the required volume of materials such binders, solvents and additives etc need to be calculated in precise quantities. Step 5: Output values to a colour production machine The output thus may then be utilised to deploy the resulting values using a system controller 22 of Figures 3-8 and onto a valve, or motor control system 44a, 44b, attached to each paint cartridge 5a, as shown in Figures 3-8 to dispense the required amounts of each element required. They can either be calculated by a controller within the PRaaS machine, in the cloud, or via user input, as shall be herein described. End of Process However, it should be noted that when doing colour conversions, it may be physically impossible to create certain colours present in different colour-spaces. For example, the sRGB colour space is the standard RGB (red, green, blue) colour space that HP and Microsoft created cooperatively in 1996 to use on monitors, printers, and the World Wide Web. It was subsequently standardized by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) as IEC 61966-2-1:1999. sRGB is also usually the assumed colour space for images that are neither tagged for a colour space, nor have an embedded colour profile. The sRGB colour space is quite restrictive and comprises less colour variations than the RGB space, for example. When compared to CMYK, the RGB model is far better as it has a wider colour spectrum. The RGB spectrum includes fluorescent greens and blues. In the CMYK system, fluorescent colours are difficult to reproduce accurately. This results in a mismatch between RGB colours and CMYK colours. So, when certain colours are converted, some may not be accurately reproduced. This inaccuracy is considered later, as described with reference to the method of Figure 7. In Figure 2, there is shown a method of finding the wavelengths of a paint, and the mix they will produce for a given surface, according to a second embodiment of the present invention. To effectively mix paints, far more so than with inks, it is very important to consider how the spectral reflectance of paints will be transmitted to the eye as the subtractive nature of paint mixing and that the high opacity can lead to the darkening of mixed paints, or variations, on a particular surface. To counteract this, a process has been created for more accurate mixing of paints for a given surface. Process Start: S1 – Obtain input colour reflectance values. The input colour reflectance values may either be directly obtained from a scan of a colour using a spectrophotometer scanner as known in the art, or may be obtained by a user inputting the colour they want using an image file (such as a .png or .jpg file), or by using a Pantone refence, RGB colour reference, or a HEX number, for example. In the latter case, the user input colour references need to be converted to reflectance values and so Step 2 following needs to be used. S2 - Obtain Reflectance values of input colours (if required). Using the Lagrangian formulation and Newton’s method, the reflectance values of various colour values can be obtained. Whether by directly using a handheld scanner in Step 1, or by following both steps 1 & 2, the result needed before Step 3 is a 36x1 array of reflectance values of the input colour in the 380nm-730nm wavelength range. S3. Obtain the nearest mix ratio of paints loaded into the machine. This would be implemented using a ‘look up’ table of the reflectance values of the colourants loaded into the machine, the ratios needed for each RGB colour, and would be in the form of a 36x1 array for each colourant. A look up can then be performed to find the nearest mix ratio of paints loaded into the machine to result in the requested colour. S4. Find base wavelengths/reflectance values. So for the colour input, the ratios of each mix is required and thus the reflectance values of those base colours. For example, for a specific output colour if you need the below sub colours in the following ratios: R : 1 Yellow : 2 Blue : 4 Total = 1+2+4 = 7 Then the resulting reflectance wavelength calculation would look like this: RED[i] ^1/7 YELLOW[i]^2/7 BLUE[i]^4/7 This results in a new set of arrays for the ratios of colours required to make the output colour. S5. Create the final reflectance value of the output colour. The above ratio calculation is then applied to each reflectance element in the 36x1 array for each sub colours, resulting in combined reflectance curve for the resulting colour. For example for the above example the following array would be produced: RED[i] ^1/7 YELLOW[i]^2/7 BLUE[i]^4/7 RED[ii] ^1/7 YELLOW[ii]^2/7 BLUE[ii]^4/7 RED[iii] ^1/7 YELLOW[iii]^2/7 BLUE[iii]^4/7 RED[iv] ^1/7 YELLOW[iv]^2/7 BLUE[iv]^4/7 …………… ………….. and so on……………. S6. Convert the Total Reflectance Array to a Linear RGB colour space. This step multiplies the output of Step 5 (the combined reflectance curve array) with a T Matrix (a Light Scattering Matrix, as known in the art), in order to result in a Linear RGB colour space output. S7. Perform a Gamma Correction to the resulting Liner RGB. This step corrects for any brightness adjustments needed. S8. Convert Linear RGB to sRGB (or whatever is needed to display the output colour to the user). Certain user displays required certain colour spaces as an input to be able to display a colour, so this step would be needed to be modified for the specific implementation. End of Process Due to the possible limitations of the colourants held in the machine, that in they might not be able to be mixed in any way that could form the precise input colour requested. Thus, the colour calculated in step 5 might be a “nearest colour” or “approximate colour”. Thus this “nearest colour” or “approximate colour” could then be displayed to the user to ensure the user is happy with the “nearest colour” or “approximate colour”. A user of the machine could then accept or reject the vend. Other properties could also be displayed, for example as will be described in Figure 7, if a user requests 2 litres of a dark blue eggshell finish paint, but the machine can only supply 1.5 litres of dark blue matt paint, the user can be notified and can accept or reject the vend. Even if the user accepts the vend, they can be given the option to review a sample output and then decide whether to further proceed with a full vend. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of front view of an exemplary paint vendbot of the present invention. There is shown a paint vendbot 10 comprising a plurality of reservoirs 14 (only five such reservoirs are shown for simplicity; however more could be used). Each of the reservoirs 14 contains a colorant material (not shown), held in place by a support or attachment 20, wherein each reservoir 14 is connected to an internal chamber 330 by a dispenser head 320. The dispenser head 320 and internal chamber 330, are described in more detail following with reference to Figures 4a and 4b. The paint vendbot 10 further comprises a system controller 22, which further comprises a control unit and display panel (not shown). Where in the system controller 22 is configured for controlling the supply of colorants to each dispenser head 320 during a colorant dispensing step, and for controlling supply of any cleaning fluids used during a subsequent cleaning step. The system controller 22 may be uploaded with instructions to execute single colorant doses, multiple colorant doses, various dose sizes, various flush cycles, etc. The system controller 22 may be part of a user interface or be in signal communication with such user interface and is further described with reference to Figures 4 to 7. The internal chamber 330 is fluidly connected to a paint dispense outlet 40. Wherein a user can place any container 60 they like under the paint dispense outlet 40, though only if it is suitable for the volume of paint requested via the system controller 22. The paint container 60 being supported by a Paint Receptacle Support 65, which in turn is housed inside the Vendbot stand/frame 70. The Vendbot stand/frame 70 further comprising adjustable wheels/legs 80 and is shown here with a cut-away front panel 120 which may comprise branding or advertising in use. A water tank 100 is also housed inside the vendbot stand/frame 70 and, is connected to a mains water supply via a mains water connection 90 and a water pump 80. The water pump 80 further comprises a sensor (not shown), wherein the sensor is able to detect characteristics of the mains water supply and send data to the system controller 22 about the properties of the mains water supply, such as hardness, temperature and pressure. Water from the water tank 100 is dispensed into the central chamber 330 via water inlet 92 and is controlled by a water pump 95. The vendbot is powered by a connection to mains power and as such needs an internal transformer 110. The paint vendbot system thus ensures that mains water, as well as the required number of pigments, can be mixed at micro scale with paint base ingredients, in order to provide a sufficient level of quality paint product in real time (i.e. milliseconds). Figures 4a and 4b – are schematic diagrams of a colour dispensing and mixing apparatus, as can be used in the vendbot machine of Figure 3 of the present invention. There is shown a dispenser 300, with an outer casing 310 and internal chamber 330, into which paint, or colourant materials, are injected via dispenser heads (320 a, b, c). Gravity fed systems may also be used to input the materials. The materials may be dispensed or injected in a sequential order, for example clockwise or counterclockwise, which would cause a swirl motion and this sequence would be controlled by the system controller 22 of Figure 3. Additional injected air under pressure may also be used to create an additional, or larger, swirl motion enough to further mix the injected materials. Alternatively, a solvent and/or water 330 may be injected in sequence to dilute the materials, or for other suspension reasons and thus being added at the same time and in the required amount, may also cause a mix to occur. The ratios of which being precisely calculated using the methods described in Figures 1 and 2. It should be clear to someone skilled in the art that there need to be enough dispenser heads (320 a, b, c), one each for base paint colours, or substance to be dispensed, as well as one for the water and/or chemical cleaning (330). The results are output via nozzle 340 to a paint dispenser into a separate paint capture container (as described in Figure 3). Water and/or other suitable chemicals may also be used after the dispensing sequence, in order to clean the internal chamber 310 and be exited by a separate flush output 350, when used for cleaning. As it might not be desirable for the resulting chemicals to go into the paint capture container. Each dispenser head (320 a, b, c) is controlled by a solenoid or other control means (not shown), all of which may be controlled by the system controller 22 of Figures 5, 6 or 7, for example, or via separate processing means. The colour dispensing and mixing apparatus 300 can be used for paints, inks, or epoxy resin dispensing and mixing, for example. The colour dispensing and mixing apparatus 300 for example, could also be used with the vortex generator of Figure 5 for example if further mixing is required. Other mechanical paint mixing methods are also known in the art. Figure 5 – is a schematic diagram of a vortex/swirl mixing chamber which may be used with the embodiment of Figure 4a and 4b of the present invention. Figure 5 comprises a swirl chamber 160, with four air inputs 162, 163, 164, 165 offset on the side of the swirl chamber 160, which in operation to create a tornado affect. A fifth air inlet 167 at the top of the swirl chamber 160, drawers air down to create a Venturi effect at the lower end. Powder paint, or paint concentrate is injected via separate hydraulic lines 169 into the main chamber 160 and is mixed by the air in the vortex and output by a nozzle output valve 168. Paint pigments are powders of typically small size that tend to ‘stick together’ to form clumps or agglomerates. These must be broken down into separate particles that must then be wetted by resin and additives to stop them sticking together again. This is the process of dispersion. High speed mixers are used for combining materials and dispersing most pigments. Thus, if paint concentrates are being used, then improved performance may be obtained by using an atomiser on each input 169 in order to atomise the paint so that it mixes properly and doesn’t stick or attach to the sides of the swirl chamber 160. The inner lining of the swirl chamber 161 could also be made from non-stick material, such as PTFE, so that the paint doesn’t stick to it the inside of the swirl chamber 160. The chamber 160 itself could be made from metal or another type of plastic, whichever suits the scale and application of the vortex mixer. The air inputs 162, 163, 164, 165 are pressurised. If you needed to mix paint powder the air inlets 162, 163, 164, 165 could also take in pressurised water, solvents, binders or stabilisers, or pressurised white paint, depending on the application. In some applications, pigments need to be added slowly to a portion of the liquid paint components, with the mixer running, so there is a need to accurately enable the control of the paints flow rate. By controlling the flow rate, the system can control the ratios and amounts of the colours very easily and accurately. 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 3 to 5, such as a solenoids, hydraulic pumps and/or actuator valves. Any combination of said devices can be used to dispense a mixture of chemical, such as solvents, binders and stabilisers, concentrates and water, or other fluids for the correct mixing application. Acrylic based paints can be used, as the paint is water based and can be heavily diluted to improve its flow. All paints have colour pigments in them; these pigments are what gives the paint its colour. Watering the paint down reduces the density of the pigments in the paint so, when the paint mixes, it may not produce the exact colour on first time use, so a feedback loop, as described below with reference to Figure 7 below might need to be deployed. It will be appreciated that if using more than one colorant in a single mixer unit of any of the embodiments from Figures 3 to 6 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 co-pending applications by the Applicant. It should be clear to someone skilled in the art that there are various mechanical options for mixing the required quantities and finish of paint required, depending upon the application. As best seen in Figure 6, a flexible colourant bag 32 comprises an airtight valve outlet 34 sealed to the flexible colourant bag 32 with the appropriate connection part for secure connection to a hose 36. The hose 36 may also be a tube, piping or any suitable means to transport the material for mixing or dispensing. The primary packaging 14 comprising the flexible colourant bag 32 with the hose 36 is connected to a nozzle 42 via an actuator pump 35. Here the nozzle 42 acts as the means to dispense the material for mixing or diluting, as described with reference to Figures 3 to 5 of the present invention. Any such suitable nozzle, or means to dispense the material, depending on the actual material to be dispensed, may be used. The bags 32 may contain different colourants, i.e. inks or paints. The hose 36 is connected to a manifold 44 connected to a tank 46 containing chemical liquids 48 which serve a variety of purposes. The chemical liquids 48 may be used to flush the hose 36 and nozzle 42, increase or decrease the viscosity of the colourant by suitable mixing and may add effects to standard inks such as luminescent properties or change the chemical make-up of the ink or ground marking material, as described with reference to Figures 3 to 5 of the present invention. In operation, a user receives a package containing primary packaging 14 as a lightweight, substantially rigid cardboard box containing therein a flexible colourant bag 32 filled with a colourant material, for example a red ink R. The user may register the colourant material using the ID tag 30 to match colourant materials held in a database by way of communication with a system controller 22, such as a microprocessor, or FPGA. A system database 103 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 103 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 a display 104. A sensor 28 may register the presence of the primary packaging 14 and further verify that the correct colourant bag 32 is located in the correct position and may further undertake a verified check of the authenticity of the colourant bag 32, using RFID technology or measurement from the weight monitoring plate 14a. During operation, the weight of the colourant bag 32 will decrease, as such the weight monitoring plate 14a can measure the change in weight and gather data. Any other suitable sensor technology may be used in order to check the quantity of colourants left in each flexible colourant bags 32 and display an error code for a use to see on a display 104. In paint mixing for example, accurate measurement of ingredients is required. Ingredients are typically measured by weight on scales, and in some cases by volume. In Figure 6, the system controller 22 may be in communication with the cloud 100, the edge 102, such as remote resource, which may be a tablet, smartphone or laptop when the present techniques are applied. The edge 102 may be a tablet controlled by a user or operator. In the present example, it will be appreciated that the cloud 100 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 colourant dispensing machines of the present invention. A user wishing to access the data at the remote resource 100, 102 may do so subject to user privileges and subscription services using a client device 106 such as smartphone or tablet. In an illustrative example, the user may connect to the remote resource 100, 102 using a browser on the client device 106, whereby, for example, whereby clicking a link in the browser will cause the client device 106 to fetch the data from the remote resource 100, 102, which in the present example is a web-application 108. PRaaS Cloud-connectivity enables real time usage data recording for consumption/demand- trends/geographical-intelligence to inform a digitally connected ‘mix in time’ paint supply chain. Figure 7 is a flow diagram showing an output verification method, according to an embodiment of the present invention. There is shown the following method steps: Method: S1. Obtain the required input colour values, type and volume of paint required S2. Transform to the nearest output colour value (if required) and display the result to a user. This step could use the methods as described in Figures 1, or 2 of the present invention, 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. If NO, finish process. S4. Calculate required amounts of each colourant and/or whether dilution, solvents, binders or other suitable base materials are required for the specific paint application as input in Step S1. S5. Place (or mechanically move) a catch tank under output nozzles S6. Run the deposition program to dispense the required amounts of each material, according to the embodiments described in Figures 3 to 6 incl. S7. Mix outputted paint using embodiments as described with reference to any of figures 3 to 6 inclusive (if necessary – optional step) S8. Scan the paint mixture produced using an optical colour scanner as known in the art. S9. Re-adjust the mix, based on user inputted adjustments (if necessary – optional step) S10. Re-run Steps S3 to S7 End of method Thus, in use, a user can input a hex value into the paint Vendbot 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 Vendbot, understanding what paint tints and other base materials such as solvents, binders and dilutants it is carrying, 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 2 litres of a dark blue eggshell finish paint, but the machine can only supply 1.5 litres of dark blue matt paint, the user is notified and can accept or reject the vend. Even if the user accepts the vend, they can review a sample output and then decide whether to further proceed with a full vend (see step 9 above). In operation, the depositing and mixing systems of the present invention may house two, three, four or more flexible bags, or colourant cartridges, containing a material for dispensing and/or mixing, the material for dispensing contained within each flexible bag being an ink or paint selected from a cyan, magenta, yellow, black, white, green, blue or red colour. Other colour space colourants can be used. The colourant materials can be powder paints, inks, concentrated paints or inks, or any other formulation of colourant materials. The flexible bags maybe housed in a substantially rigid frame or using other paint cartridge means and would be especially adapted for the colourant being mixed. The hoses, valves and mixing solutions, such as solvents, binders, stabilisers or water also being chosen for the specific application. 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 and system, the paint dispensing apparatus comprising: a. a first receptacle suitable for containing a first colourant substance, the first receptacle fluidly connected to a first dispenser; b. a second receptacle comprising a dilution medium, the second receptacle fluidly connected to a second dispenser; c. an output fluidly connected to the first and second dispensers; d. a controller taking as an input, information about a required characteristic of a paint product; wherein the controller calculates the required quantities of the first colourant substance, and the dilution medium, to form the colourant product, and wherein the controller can control the first and second dispensers to output the required quantities of the first colourant substance and the dilution medium.

2. A method of creating a paint product, the creation method comprising: a. taking as an input, information about a characteristic of a paint product; b. calculating the required quantity of a first colourant substance and the required quality of a dilution medium to form the colourant product, and c. controlling a first and second dispensing means to output the required quantity of the first colourant substance and the required quantity of the dilution medium.

3. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the first substance comprises a high percentage of solids without water as its major ingredient by weight.

4. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the first substance comprises a base paint.

5. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the dilution medium comprises water as its major ingredient by weight.

6. A method or apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the water is stored in a tank.

7. An apparatus according to any of claims 5 or 6, further comprising a connection to the local mains water supply.

8. A 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 mains water.

9. A method or apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the data regarding the composition of the mains water is used by the controller in the formation of the paint product.

10. A method or apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the calculation is based on the reflectance properties of the paint product.

11. A method or apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the reflectance values of the first colourant substance is used in the calculation of the quantity of the first colourant substance required to form the paint product.

12. A method or apparatus according to either claim 10 or 11, wherein the reflectance values a paint product may be obtained by converting a user input of a colour in a known colour space to the reflectance values of a nearest colour.

13. A method or apparatus according to any of claims 12, wherein the reflectance values of the input colour may be obtained from a scan of a colour.

14. A method or apparatus according to claims 13, wherein the scan may be obtained using a spectrophotometer scanner.

15. A method or apparatus according to any of claim 14, wherein the known colour space may be one of RGB, sRGB, CMY, Pantone and/or HEX.

16. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claims 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.

17. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the dilution medium further comprises a solvent, binder, additive, or stabiliser.

18. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the characteristic comprises one or more of viscosity, particle size, solubility, luminosity, colour, and/or quantity.

19. A 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.

20. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the first colourant substance is a white paint concentrate.

21. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the first and/or second receptacles comprise a flexible bag, the flexible bag provided with an airtight valve outlet sealed to the flexible bag and wherein the flexible bag is housed within a substantially rigid frame within the autonomous or semi-autonomous dispensing machine.

22. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim further comprising an internal chamber, wherein the internal chamber is fluidly connected between the first and second dispensers and the output.

23. A method or apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the internal chamber is fluidly sealed.

24. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispensing means comprises a solenoid, hydraulic pump and/or actuator valve.

25. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the controller can further control the timing of the first and second dispensers to create a mix of the first colourant substance and the dilution medium.

26. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein injected air is used to create a mix of the first colourant substance and the dilution medium.

27. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim further comprising a mechanical mixer unit.

28. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim further comprising one or more cleaning fluid supply conduits, wherein the one or more cleaning fluid supply conduits are opening in the one or more dispenser heads at a cleaning fluid inlet in the internal chamber.

29. A method or apparatus according to any preceding claim 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.

30. A 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.

31. A distributed network of autonomous paint processing modules, wherein each paint processing module is connected to a network and comprises a paint mixing apparatus according to any of claim 1 to 30.