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Removable marking systemRelated Patent Categories: Cleaning Compositions For Solid Surfaces, Auxiliary Compositions Therefor, Or Processes Of Preparing The Compositions, Cleaning Compositions Or Processes Of Preparing (e.g., Sodium Bisulfate Component, Etc.), For Cleaning A Specific Substrate Or Removing A Specific Contaminant (e.g., For Smoker`s Pipe, Etc.), For Removing Integral Organic Coating, Sealant, Or Finish From A Substrate (e.g., Stripping Paint, Varnish, Etc.)Removable marking system description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070037720, Removable marking system. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/676,487, filed Oct. 1, 2003, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/175,514, filed Jun. 19, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,653,265, issued Nov. 25, 2003, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/299,521, filed Jun. 20, 2001, which applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Interest in sports is increasing globally. The continued globalization of sports is enhanced through the mass media and the increased coverage of events. Moreover, participation in sports at all youth and adult recreational levels is burgeoning. Subsequently, increased access is driving demand and as a result, a favorable economic environment has been created that has trickled into the allied supportive industries, such as sports turf management. [0003] Sports turf management involves the establishment and maintenance of athletic fields for the purpose of providing aesthetically pleasing, wear resistant, and safe surfaces for competition. Estimates from surveys indicate that the maintenance of sports turf is a burgeoning industry and is continuing to grow with the interest in a variety of sports and the development of new sports facilities. However, there is continued pressure to maintain superior aesthetic quality under intense use regimes of multiple sports clubs, for the purposes of promoting a high quality television and video product, and maintaining safety at the recreational levels. [0004] Multi-use facilities that host a variety of sporting events must continually confront the problem of residual marking paint used to determine boundaries. Present systems and compositions for removal of paint from turf often are ineffective and hence do not thoroughly remove the previously applied paint. The painting and marking compositions and the compositions for their removal may significantly distort the visual appearance of the turf, discolor the turf, or damage the turf in other ways, or cause the affected areas of turf to be killed. This is of particular concern to sports clubs and associations that share facilities with other sports clubs for logistical and economic reasons. When sporting events are televised, residual marking paint from other sporting events detracts from the quality of the product. In addition, all levels of sports (from town and scholastic to collegiate and professional) are faced with sharing facilities that require a variety of marking patterns. [0005] There are many other situations where a plant or surface needs to be temporarily marked or painted, and then the marking substance or paint later removed without harming the plant or surface. Examples include the surveying industry, such as for road construction or the marking of underground cable, gas, or electrical lines. Other examples include decorative uses, such as Christmas trees or other holiday decorations. [0006] Therefore, there is a need for a non-phytotoxic system of marking and removing plant and other surfaces. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] The present invention provides a removable marking system. The system comprises a removable paint formulation comprising zinc oxide, water and an adjuvant, and an aqueous removal formulation having a pH of about 4 to 8, comprising an acid and a buffering agent. [0008] The present invention further provides method of using the system described above by applying the paint formulation and removal formulation to a plant or non-living surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0009] The invention is described with reference to various specific embodiments and techniques, however, it should be understood that these specific embodiments and techniques are non-limiting, and that many variations and modifications may be made while remaining within the scope of the invention. [0010] In general, paint compositions used in many industries, including the turf and surveying industries, function by depositing a layer of pigment onto a substrate such as turf or other plants, the ground, rocks, buildings, or other structures. The pigment is typically suspended or solubilized within a carrier fluid that volatilizes or dries after the paint composition is applied, leaving behind a hardened pigment film. Thus, the key performance characteristic of both organic solvent-based and water-based paints is to deposit a permanent film for decoration and/or demarcation. Further, current paints that are designed for application onto plants, such as marking paint for grass on ball fields, contain organic solvents that remove the natural waxy layer on the surface of the grass so that the paint permanently adheres to the plant. Thus, it is not possible to remove these paints from the surface of the blades of grass without harming the grass. [0011] By contrast, the paint formulation of the present invention is non-phytotoxic. In other words, the paint can be applied to the surfaced of a targeted plant and not harm or kill the plant. The paint formulations do not contain organic solvents, as these could potentially harm a target plant. [0012] Further, a key performance characteristic of the paint of the present invention is to deposit a temporary film that easily may be removed without harming or discoloring the surface to which it had been applied. Thus, the aqueous paints of the invention can be used, for example, to mark turf on athletic fields. They may be used by surveyors and landscapers for ground marking, utility line identification or as road markers. Paints of the invention are also very useful for marking tanks and lumber for identification purposes. The paint of the present invention is preferred over presently available formulations in that if it were accidentally sprayed onto surrounding plants, it would not harm the plants, and could be readily removed from the plants without harming the plants. [0013] The system of the present invention also provides a removal formulation that is non-phytotoxic and does not contain organic solvents. When the removal formulation is applied to the paint formulation of the present invention that has been applied to a living or non-living surface, the acid in the removal formulation combines with the zinc oxide to produce harmless zinc acetate. The paint formulations and removal formulations will be described in detail below, as well as a description of the method of using the paint and removal formulation. I. Paint Formulations [0014] The paint formulations of the present invention are water-based and contain zinc oxide. Zinc oxide is useful because it is relatively inexpensive and is commercially available from several suppliers (e.g., Aldrich Chemical Company, Milwaukee, Wis., U.S.A. and the Sigma Chemical Company, St. Louis, Mo., USA). Zinc oxide is also useful because it is white, the preferred color for most athletic fields. Also, colored pigments can be easily added to the paint formulation if other colors are desired. Colored pigments useful in the formulations of the invention are readily available from commercial suppliers. The zinc oxide of the present invention is present in the paint formulation at a concentration in the range of about 10% to 30%. In particular, the concentration of the zinc oxide is about 20%. [0015] A propellant can be combined with aqueous paint suspensions of the invention to provide an aqueous aerosol paint. Suitable propellants do not react with any of the other components of the paint and do not adversely affect the film-forming properties of the paint when sprayed onto a substrate surface. For example, the propellant can be condensed air, or CO.sub.2. The paints of the invention may be formed by adding an amount of aqueous paint suspensions into an aerosol can or tube, crimping a valve onto the shoulder of the can or tube, drawing a vacuum on the sealed and filled can or tube, and then charging the filled can or tube through the valve stem with an appropriate amount of propellant. [0016] An adjuvant, also called a surfactant in the industry, is added to the paint formulation and/or removal formulation. Such adjuvants assist in allowing the paint or removal formulation to be evenly spread onto the target surface and to prevent it from beading up on the target surface. The adjuvant also assists in having the paint remain adhered to the target surface, such as grass, even if it comes into contact with another surface, such as the feet of a soccer player. The adjuvant also assists in having the paint in being "rainfast," i.e., the paint remains on the target surface through a rain or irrigation event. The adjuvant used in the present invention includes spray adjuvants. In particular, the adjuvant is a non-ionic spreader/sticker. Examples of adjuvants useful in the present invention include COHERE.RTM. brand adjuvant, TACTIC.RTM. brand adjuvant, LASTICK.RTM. brand adjuvant and TRANSFIX.RTM. brand adjuvant. COHERE.RTM. brand adjuvant is commercially available from Helena Chemical Company, Memphis, Tenn., USA; TACTIC.RTM. brand adjuvant is available adjuvant from Loveland Industries, CO, USA; LASTICK.RTM. brand adjuvant is available adjuvant from Helena; and TRANSFIX.RTM. brand adjuvant is available adjuvant from Cenex, MN, USA. In a preferred embodiment, COHERE.RTM. brand adjuvant is selected. [0017] Thus, the removable paint formulation of the present invention is an aqueous paint that contains zinc oxide, an adjuvant, and optionally colored pigments and/or a propellant. It should be noted that the paint formulation of the present invention can adhere to the outer natural surface of a plant, such as the natural waxy substance on the surface of a blade of grass. It does not require the removal of this waxy substance in order to sufficiently adhere like other field paints that use organic solvents to permanently adhere the paint to the plant surface. II. Removal Formulations [0018] The removal formulations of the present invention are aqueous formulations with a pH of about 4 to 8 containing an acid and a buffering agent. The formulations may optionally contain a propellant. Like the paint formulation of the present invention, the removal formulation of the present invention is non-phytotoxic. 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