System and Method of Pointillist Painting

• US 20130189434A1
• Filed: 01/20/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SSO Venture Partners, LLC
• Original Assignee: SSO Venture Partners, LLC
• Inventors: Randall, John Neal, Page, Kenneth W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,789,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/256
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 11/1002 Means for controlling supply, i.e. flow or pressure, of liquid or other fluent material to the applying apparatus, e.g. valves
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 11/1034 specially designed for conducting intermittent application of small quantities, e.g. drops, of coating material B05C5/0225, B05C11/1026 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 11/1036 Means for supplying a selected one of a plurality of liquids or other fluent materials, or several in selected proportions, to the applying apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 5/0216 by relative movement of article and outlet according to a predetermined path
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 5/022 the outlet being fixed during operation
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 5/0225 characterised by flow controlling means, e.g. valves, located proximate the outlet B05C5/0258, B05C5/0275 take precedence; supply valves upstream the coating head B05C11/1036
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 9/12 the auxiliary operation being performed after the application B05C9/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/02 performed by spraying
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/26 performed by applying the liquid or other fluent material from an outlet device in contact with, or almost in contact with, the surface
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/36 Successively applying liquids or other fluent materials, e.g. without intermediate treatment
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/0406 the gas being air
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 5/00 Processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces to obtain special surface effects, finishes or structures
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 5/06 to obtain multicolour or other optical effects B05D5/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 5/061 Special surface effect
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 7/50 Multilayers
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/00 Printing processes to produce particular kinds of printed work, e.g. patterns printing apparatus or machines of special type or for particular purposes B41F17/00; special designs or pictures per se B44F; manufacturing printed circuits using printing techniques H05K3/12 ; manufacturing organic semiconductor devices using printing techniques H10K71/13
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/008 Sequential or multiple printing, e.g. on previously printed background; Mirror printing; Recto-verso printing; using a combination of different printing techniques; Printing of patterns visible in reflection and by transparency; by superposing printed artifacts
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/06 Veined printings; Fluorescent printings; Stereoscopic images; Imitated patterns, e.g. tissues, textiles
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0023 Digital printing methods characterised by the inks used inks per se C09D11/00
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: B44B 2700/00 : Machines, apparatus, tools or accessories for artistic work
• CPC Class Codes: B44D 2/00 : Special techniques in artistic painting or drawing, e.g. oil painting, water painting, pastel painting, relief painting
• CPC Class Codes: B44D 2/005 : Relief painting imitating brush strokes B44F11/02
• CPC Class Codes: B44F 1/08 : characterised by colour effects
• CPC Class Codes: B44F 11/02 : Imitation of pictures, e.g. oil paintings
• CPC Class Codes: B44F 7/00 : Designs imitating three-dimensional effects

Abstract

A system of pointillist painting comprises an automated 3-D positioning system disposed proximate a painting surface, a colorant dispenser coupled to the gantry structure and having a dispensing tip in fluid communication with a colorant chamber, the gantry structure operable to move the colorant dispensing tip to a specified position of the painting surface, where the colorant dispenser is operable to apply a specified amount of a colorant to the painting surface and creating a dot having a two-dimensional coverage and three-dimensional profile at the specified position.

Claims

1. A system of pointillist painting, comprising:

an automated 3-D positioning system disposed proximate a painting surface;

a colorant dispenser coupled to the gantry structure and having a dispensing tip in fluid communication with a colorant chamber, the gantry structure operable to move the colorant dispensing tip to a specified position of the painting surface, where the colorant dispenser is operable to apply a specified amount of a colorant to the painting surface and creating a dot having a two-dimensional coverage and three-dimensional profile at the specified position, wherein the colorant dispenser further comprises;

a piston disposed in the colorant chamber; and

a push rod coupled to the piston operable to advance the piston toward the dispensing tip to exude the specified amount of colorant onto the painting surface; and

an air nozzle coupled to the colorant dispensing tip operable to direct pressurized air to modify at least one of the two-dimensional coverage and three-dimensional profile of the colorant dot on the painting surface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the push rod is coupled to an actuator operable to advance the push rod in the colorant chamber.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the gantry structure comprises:

an X-axis actuator operable to variably displace the colorant dispenser along an X-axis;

a Y-axis actuator operable to variably displace the colorant dispenser along a Y-axis; and

a Z-axis actuator operable to variably displace the colorant dispenser along a Z-axis.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an air hose coupling the air nozzle to a pressurized air source.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a second air nozzle coupled to the colorant dispensing tip operable to direct pressurized air in a different direction to further modify at least one of the two-dimensional coverage and three-dimensional profile of the colorant dot on the painting surface.

6. A method of pointillist painting, comprising:

receiving a dot list including the specification of color, position, size, and texture of a plurality of dots;

selecting a first set of dots having a first color;

moving a colorant dispenser to a first position of a first dot of the first color specified in the dot list;

advancing a piston disposed in the colorant dispenser to apply a predetermined amount of colorant of the first color to create a colorant dot having a two-dimensional coverage and three-dimensional profile at a specific position on the painting surface;

moving the colorant dispenser to subsequent positions of subsequent dots of the first color specified in the dot list until all dots of the first color have been processed;

selecting a second set of dots having a second color;

moving the colorant dispenser to all positions of all dots of the second color in the dot list to apply a predetermined amount of colorant of the second color onto the painting surface until all dots of the second color have been processed; and

processing all subsequent sets of dots of subsequent colors in the dot list until all dots of all colors have been processed.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

moving the colorant dispenser so that its dispensing tip is at a predetermined dispensing distance from a painting surface prior to applying the colorant to the painting surface; and

moving the colorant dispenser so that its dispensing tip is at a predetermined non-dispensing distance from the painting surface prior to moving to a subsequent position.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising applying a measured blast of air operable to modify the at least one of the two-dimensional coverage and three-dimensional profile of the colorant dot on the painting surface.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising applying two or more measured blasts of air in predetermined directions operable to modify at least one of the two-dimensional coverage and three-dimensional profile of the colorant on the painting surface.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving the dot list further including a specification of movement while dispensing the colorant for at least a subset of dots; and

moving the colorant dispenser as specified while the predetermined amount of colorant is applied to the painting surface.

11. A method of pointillist painting, comprising:

receiving a computer-readable file containing a specification of color, position, size, and texture of a plurality of dots;

for each dot of each color specified in the computer-readable file;

moving a colorant dispenser to each position of each dot of each color specified in the computer-readable file;

advancing a piston disposed in the colorant dispenser to apply a predetermined amount of colorant to create a colorant dot having a two-dimensional coverage and three-dimensional profile at a specified position on the painting surface;

effecting a manipulator to modify at least one of the two-dimensional coverage and three-dimensional profile of the colorant dot; and

moving the colorant dispenser to subsequent positions of subsequent dots of the specified in the computer-readable file until all dots specified in the computer-readable file have been applied to the painting surface.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

moving the colorant dispenser so that its dispensing tip is at a predetermined dispensing distance from a painting surface prior to applying the colorant to the painting surface; and

moving the colorant dispenser so that its dispensing tip is at a predetermined non-dispensing distance from the painting surface prior to moving to a subsequent position.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising applying a measured blast of air operable to modify the at least one of the two-dimensional coverage and three-dimensional profile of the colorant dot on the painting surface.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising applying two or more measured blasts of air in predetermined directions operable to modify at least one of the two-dimensional coverage and three-dimensional profile of the colorant on the painting surface.