Capillary Ink Reservoir for Permanent Ball Marking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing marking devices for balls, such as tennis balls, fail to provide a permanent and easily distinguishable solution for identification, as existing methods like felt-tip pens are not reliable and can be confused with other players' markings.
Innovation Solution
A marking device with an ink reservoir that uses capillary channels to provide a consistent and controlled ink supply to a stamp pad, ensuring permanent and high-quality markings, and can be adapted with interchangeable stencils for different designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If felt-tip pens are used for marking balls, then the marking process is simple and easy to perform, but the marking is not permanent and can be confused with other players' markings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical writing action of felt-tip pens with a stamping mechanism that transfers ink from a stamp pad to the ball surface. This mechanical substitution provides permanent, crisp markings that cannot be easily smudged or confused with other markings, while maintaining ease of operation through simple pressing motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a stamp pad with capillary pores that hold and control ink release. The porous structure allows the stamp pad to absorb and retain ink, then release it consistently during stamping, ensuring permanent and reliable markings on the ball surface.
2Reliability
If a stamping solution with ink pad and capillary pores is used, then permanent markings are achieved, but the ink supply consistency and dosing precision need improvement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the capillary pore parameters including size, distribution, and connectivity to control ink flow rate and dosing precision. By adjusting these physical parameters of the porous material, consistent ink transfer is achieved, ensuring uniform and reproducible markings with precise dosing control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates a reservoir design that maintains constant ink level at the capillary interface, creating a self-regulating system where ink supply automatically adjusts to maintain consistent dosing. This feedback mechanism ensures reliable ink transfer without over-saturation or dry stamping.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If larger ink reservoir volume is used, then ink supply duration is extended, but ink leakage risk and capillary dynamics control become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a simple bulk ink reservoir to a structured reservoir with controlled capillary channels and porous walls. This dimensional transformation creates a gradient structure where ink is held in a larger volume but released through controlled smaller-scale capillary pathways, extending duration while preventing leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses porous reservoir walls with specific porosity and pore size distribution to control ink retention and release. The porous structure provides capillary forces that hold ink in the reservoir against gravity, then allow controlled transfer to the stamp pad, preventing leakage while extending supply duration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device allows for easy, quick, and durable marking of balls with consistent and visually appealing results, ensuring correct and permanent ink dosing for improved reproducibility and preventing ink leakage.
Implementation Method 1
The ink reservoir is specially designed to store ink and only release it to the stamp pad in small but constant amounts by capillary action through capillary channels.
Data Source
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AI summary
Marking device (10) comprising a housing, an ink pad (13), and an ink reservoir (15), wherein the ink reservoir (15) is in fluid communication with the ink pad (13) and the ink reservoir (15) and the ink pad (13) are arranged in a lower part (11.1) of the housing. The ink reservoir (15) comprises a reservoir area for receiving ink and a zone for receiving the ink pad (13), which includes a plurality of outlet holes. Furthermore, the ink reservoir (15) comprises a plurality of capillary channels extending between the reservoir area and the zone, each capillary channel leading to one of the outlet holes to provide the fluid connection between the ink reservoir (15) and the ink pad (13).