Mixing cup adapting assembly

Adapters for using a mixing cup of stiff polymeric material as part of a liquid supply assembly for a gravity fed liquid spraying device, said mixing cup comprising a side wall having top and bottom ends, and a generally planer bottom wall extending across and closing the bottom end of said side wall, said top end of said side wall defining an opening into said cup, and said side wall bearing indicia indicating the levels to which a plurality of different liquids can be sequentially poured into the cup to achieve a predetermined ratio between the liquids;

• said adapters comprising
• a first adapter having an inner major surface and an opposite outer major surface, said first adapter comprising a central portion having a through opening and a transverse portion including a peripheral part defining a groove along said inner major surface adapted to receive said top end of said mixing cup in sealing engagement with said peripheral part;
• and
• a second adapter having a first end portion and a second end portion spaced from said first end portion, said second adapter having a through opening extending through said first and second end portions, said first end portion being adapted to engage an inlet port of the gravity fed liquid spraying device;
• said second end portion of said second adapter and said central portion of said first adapter having connector parts in manually releasable liquid tight engagement between said adapters with said through openings in communication;
• and
• said adapters further including a tapered, pointed, removable push pin pressed through said side wall of said mixing cup adjacent said bottom wall to form a passageway through the sidewall and being positioned in the passageway to restrict any liquid in the mixing cup from moving through the passageway, which push pin can be removed from the passageway to allow air to move through the passageway into the mixing cup adjacent said bottom wall, and after such removal can again be positioned in the passageway to restrict any liquid in the mixing cup from moving through the passageway.

A method for providing a supply of mixed liquids for a gravity fed liquid spraying device, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a mixing cup of stiff polymeric material comprising a side wall having top and bottom ends, and a bottom wall extending across and closing the bottom end of said side wall, said top end of said side wall defining an opening into said cup, and said side wall bearing indicia indicating the levels to which the liquids can be sequentially poured into the cup to achieve a predetermined ratio between the liquids;
• providing adapters including a first adapter having an inner major surface and an opposite outer major surface, said first adapter comprising a central portion having a through opening and a transverse portion including a peripheral part defining a groove along said inner major surface adapted to receive the top end of said mixing cup in sealing engagement with said peripheral part, and a second adapter having a first end portion and a second end portion spaced from said first end portion, said second adapter having a through opening extending through said first and second end portions, said first end portion being adapted to engage an inlet port of the gravity fed liquid spraying device;
• said second end portion of said second adapter and said central portion of said first adapter having connector parts adapted for manually releasable liquid tight engagement between said adapters with said through openings in communication;
• mixing the liquids in the mixing cup using the indicia to indicating the levels to which the liquids are poured into the cup to achieve a predetermined ratio between the liquids;
• engaging the first adapter with the top end of the side wall of the mixing cup containing the mixed liquids;
• inserting a tapered pin through the side wall of the mixing cup adjacent said bottom wall to form a passageway through the sidewall, said pin being positioned in the passageway to restrict any liquid in the mixing cup from moving through the passageway;
• engaging the first end portion of the second adapter with an inlet port of the gravity fed liquid spraying device;
• manually engaging the connector parts;
• positioning the spraying device so that the bottom wall of the mixing cup is uppermost to feed the liquid in the mixing cup to the spraying device through the openings in the adapters;
• and
• removing the tapered pin from the side wall during the positioning step to allow air to move through the passageway into the mixing cup adjacent said bottom wall.

A liquid supply assembly for use on a gravity fed liquid spraying device, said supply assembly comprising:

• a mixing cup of stiff polymeric material comprising a side wall having top and bottom ends, and a generally planer bottom wall extending across and closing the bottom end of said side wall, said top end of said side wall defining an opening into said cup, and said side wall bearing indicia indicating the levels to which a plurality of different liquids can be sequentially poured into the cup to achieve a predetermined ratio between the liquids;
• an adapter assembly having an inner major surface and an opposite outer major surface, said adapter assembly comprising a transverse portion including a peripheral part defining a groove along said inner major surface receiving said top end of said mixing cup in sealing engagement with said peripheral part, and a first end portion opposite said transverse portion adapted to releasably engage an inlet port of the gravity fed liquid spraying device, said inner surface defining a through opening extending through said transverse portion and said first end portion;
• said assembly further including a tapered, pointed, removable push pin extending through said side wall of said mixing cup adjacent said bottom wall, said push pin having been pressed through the side wall to form a passageway through the side wall, being positioned in the passageway to restrict any liquid in the mixing clip from moving through the passageway, being removable from the passageway to allow air to move through the passageway into the mixing cup adjacent said bottom wall, and after such removal being again positionable in the passageway to again restrict any liquid in the mixing cup from moving through the passageway.