US3295248A - Bubble maker - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 3, 1967 R. P. KNERR ETAL BUBBLE MAKER Filed May 2, 1966 United States Patent 3,295,248 BUBBLE MAKER Richard I. Knerr, Arcadia, and Richard L. Gillespie,

San Gabriel, Calif, assignors to Wham-ti) Manufacturing Company, San Gabriel, Calif., a corporation of California Filed May 2, 1966, Ser. No. 546,705 6 Claims. (Cl. 46-6) This invention relates to a bubble-making toy, and specifically to a bubble maker which is moved through the air to produce a large number of separate individual bubbles.

Many different types of bubble-forming devices are known, and are useful in various forms of advertising displays as well as for amusing toys for children. These known devices typically generate either a single bubble, or a single train of many bubbles.

The bubble maker of this invention generates many separate trains of bubbles which remain separated in space. Hundreds of bubbles can be generated by the device to occupy a relatively large volume, and it provides a high level of play value for children.

Briefly stated, the bubble maker of this invention includes a plate having a plurality of holes therethrough. A plurality of nozzles are secured to the plate, and the nozzles extend outwardly away from the plate. Each nozzle has a bubble-forming bore therethrough in alignment with a hole in the plate. A handle is secured to the plate, permitting the extending nozzles to be dipped in a bubble-forming solution and then moved through the air in a direction parallel to the bores to produce a train of bubbles from each of the nozzles.

Preferably, each nozzle is formed as a truncated cone which decreases in diameter as it extends away from the plate. The nozzle bores are also preferably conical, with the bores decreasing in diameter as they extend from the plate.

These and other aspects of the invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side View of the bubble maker, and a phantom view of a pan of bubble-forming solution;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bubble maker;

FIG. 3 is a view along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative form of the bubble maker having separate nozzles secured in the plate; and

FIG. 5 is a view of the bubble maker being moved through the air to generate bubbles.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a bubble maker formed according to the invention includes a generally circular, flat plate 11, having a plurality of holes '12 therethrough. A handle 13 includes an offset portion 14 secured to and extending upwardly (as viewed in FIG. 1) from an edge of the plate. A handgrip portion 15 of the handle is secured to the offset portion and extends generally parallel to the major plane of the plate.

A plurality of nozzles 17 are secured to the plate and extend downwardly (as viewed in FIG. 1) away from the plate. Each nozzle defines a bore 18 which extends through the nozzle in alignment with one of holes 12 in the plate, the bore having an axis which is generally perpendicular to the major plane of the plate. In a preferred form, the nozzles have outer surfaces formed as truncated cones which taper and decrease in diameter as the nozzles extend away from the plate. The bores are also preferably conically shaped, with the smallest end of the bore extending away from the plate as shown in the cross-sectional view in FIG. 3.

Nozzles l7 and holes 12 are closely spaced in a hexagonal array on the plate as shown in FIG. 2. The hexagonal array permits a large number of nozzles to be formed on a relatively small plate, increasing the number of trains of bubbles which can be produced by a small, hand-held toy. To avoid merger of individual trains of bubbles from the several nozzles, the nozzles should preferably be spaced apart on the plate by a distance of at least twice the diameter of the nozzle outlets. For example, if a bore diameter of one-fourth inch at the outlet end of the nozzle is used, the nozzles should have a center-to-center spacing of at least one-half inch on the plate. Preferably, the plate nozzles and handle are integrally formed from a single piece of plastic. We have found that the bubble maker may be economically molded as a unit from high-impact styrene or a similar plastic ma terial. The device may of course also be assembled from separate elements, and this construction is illustrated in FIG. 4 which shows separate cylindrical nozzles 20 ccmented or otherwise secured in the holes in plate 11.

Clean separation of bubbles from the nozzles is provided by decreasing the wall thickness of the nozzle outlets. Thus, in the cylindrical nozzles shown in FIG. 4,

the effective wall thickness at the nozzle end is narrowed by providing a small annular lip 21 at the nozzle end. In the conical nozzle shown in FIG. 3, the same result is produced by forming the inner and outer nozzle surfaces to converge toward each other to a relatively sharp edge at the nozzle outlet. The nozzle end may also be serrated to provide easy separation of the bubbles from the nozzle.

In use, the bubble maker is loaded by dipping the nozzles in a bubble-forming solution 22 contained in a pan 23 as shown in phantom in FIG. 1. The offset handle permits the ends of the nozzles to be immersed in the solution while the users hand is positioned comfortably above the pan. The bubble-forming solution, which may be of any conventional, commercially available type, migrates into the bore and forms as a film in the nozzle bore.

The bubble maker is then lifted out of the pan and moved through the air as shown in FIG. 5. As the bubble maker is free of structural impediments in alignment with the bores, air passes freely through the nozzles, forming the solution into trains of bubbles 25 which emerge from the nozzles. A sutficient quantity of bubble-forming solution adheres to the interior walls of the bore to permit several separate passes of the device through the air before the solution supply is exhausted. Literally hundreds of bubbles are generated during each pass, and two or three passes will produce sufficient bubbles to occupy a considerable volume.

A particular advantage of the conically-shaped nozzles is that the individual trains of bubbles emerging from the nozzles are sufficiently laterally spaced from each other to avoid contact and merger of the bubbles into a single agglomerate bubble such as is produced when a simple nozzleless perforated plate is used. The: conical bores enhance the air-flow characteristics of the device, and provide improved control over the migration of the bubble-forming solution within the nozzle to insure generation of a continuous train of relatively uniformly sized bubbles.

We have found that a taper of approximately twenty degrees on the nozzles and bores produces excellent results. A nozzle outlet diameter of about one-fourth inch allows many small bubbles to be formed from the supply of solution stored in the nozzle, and permits many nozzles to be formed on a relatively small plate. Adequate surface for storage of bubble-forming solution within the nozzles, effective control of air flow through the nozzles, and good separation of the individual bubble trains is provided by extending the nozzles approximately one-fourth to one-half inch away from the plate. Preferably, the nozzles extend at least one-eighth inch from the plate to avoid merger of adjacent bubble trains.

There has been described a bubble maker which is well adapted to mass-production molding techniques, and can be economically formed from a single piece of material. The bubble maker is unique in its ability to form multiple trains of many bubbles which remain separate in space and do not tend to group together as at the nozzle outlets to form a single agglomerate bubble.

We claim:

1. A device for simultaneously producing a plurality of adjacent but separate streams of bubbles as air is forced through the device comprising:

a plate having a plurality of closely arranged holes therethrough,

a like plurality of nozzles extending at least one-eighth inch outwardly from the plate and each nozzle having a central bore aligned and communicating with a separate one of said plurality of holes,

the holes and associated nozzles being spaced from each other such that the outer open ends of the nozzle bores are on centers at least equal to about twice the diameter of the openings;

the several nozzles and holes in the plates being unobstructed so as to permit passage of air simultaneously therethrough; and

a handle extending from the plate generally in a direction normal to the axis of the nozzles.

2. The bubble maker defined in claim 1 in which each nozzle has an outer surface formed as a truncated cone which decreases in diameter as it extends away from the plate.

3. The bubble maker defined in claim 1 in which the bore in each nozzle is conical, the bore decreasing in diameter as it extends away from the plate.

4. The bubble maker defined in claim 1 in which the handle has an oflset portion secured to the plate and a handgrip portion secured to the offset portion whereby the plate is readily dipped in a pan of the bubble-forming solution.

5. The bubble maker defined in claim 1 in which each nozzle has a wall thickness which decreases as the nozzle extends away from the plate.

6. A device in accordance with claim 1 in which the several nozzles extend from the plate from about oneeighth inch to about one-half inch and all of the nozzles are the same length.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

L. J. BOVASSO, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A DEVICE FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY PRODUCING A PLURALITY OF ADJACENT BUT SEPARATE STREAMS OF BUBBLES AS AIR IS FORCED THROUGH THE DEVICE COMPRISING: A PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF CLOSELY ARRANGED HOLES THERETHROUGH, A LIKE PLURALITY OF NOZZLES EXTENDING AT LEAST ONE-EIGHTH INCH OUTWARDLY FROM THE PLATE AND EACH NOZZLE HAVING A CENTRAL BORE ALIGNED AND COMMUNICATING WITH A SEPARATE ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF HOLES, THE HOLES AND ASSOCIATED NOZZLES BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER SUCH THAT THE OUTER OPEN ENDS OF THE NOZZLE BORES ARE ON CENTERS AT LEAST EQUAL TO ABOUT TWICE THE DIAMETER OF THE OPENINGS; THE SEVERAL NOZZLES AND HOLES IN THE PLATES BEING UNOBSTRUCTED SO AS TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF AIR SIMULTANEOUSLY THERETHROUGH; AND A HANDLE EXTENDING FROM THE PLATE GENERALLY IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF THE NOZZLES.

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