CN112702935A

CN112702935A - Skin care attachment for a personal care appliance

Info

Publication number: CN112702935A
Application number: CN201980060532.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: M·范伊斯
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Current assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Priority date: 2018-09-17
Filing date: 2019-09-04
Publication date: 2021-04-23
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-04
Also published as: EP3622852A1; CN112702935B; WO2020057975A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a skin care accessory for a personal care appliance, and to a corresponding personal care appliance, which is equipped with a skin care accessory. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a skin care accessory with an interface that can be connected to a personal care appliance, wherein the accessory comprises a skin treatment head having a first sponge region comprising a porous flexible material and a rubber region comprising a rubber material. The present disclosure also relates to the use of a skin care accessory in a body grooming procedure.

Description

Skin care attachment for a personal care appliance

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a skin care accessory for a personal care appliance, and to a corresponding personal care appliance, equipped with the skin care accessory.

In a primary embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to a skin care attachment with an interface that is attachable to a personal care appliance, wherein the attachment includes a skin treatment head having a first sponge region comprising a porous flexible material and a rubber region comprising a rubber material.

The present disclosure also relates to the use of a skin care accessory in a body grooming procedure.

Background

WO 2017/102897a1 discloses a body care device for treating skin, the body care device comprising a housing and a skin treatment head associated with the housing, wherein the housing further comprises an actuator configured to rotate the skin treatment head about an axis, wherein the skin treatment head comprises a first region comprising a plurality of bristles and a second region comprising a porous flexible material.

For many people, particularly female users, skin care is a central component of everyday personal care programs.

A general goal of skin care procedures is to have a healthy and clean, clean and clean appearance of the skin. Thus, a clean and smooth skin appearance is desired. For this purpose, the skin treatment device is equipped with a brush and a sponge. Although bristles/brushes may be used to clean, cleanse and/or exfoliate a user's skin in a rough manner, sponges, particularly soft sponges, may be used to do so in a more thorough and softer manner. Further, the sponge may be used to apply skin care agents (such as liquid soaps or creams) and cosmetics to the skin of a user.

It has been observed that the bristles in such devices are generally stiff and often include sharp edges, particularly when bent, deformed or broken. Thus, they may irritate or even damage sensitive skin, including visible scratches, local inflammation, bumps, and papules, but also may have a hot and itchy feel to the skin.

Further, skin care appliances that include a treatment head with a bristle (or even brush) assembly and a sponge assembly are not durable. After a period of use, the bristles may be bent and deformed and cause the sponge region to be broken, so that reliable skin care cannot be guaranteed.

In addition, personal care materials, such as cosmetics, that are to be applied and/or are only applied with a sponge, are often rubbed onto the bristles of the appliance. Therefore, more cosmetics are generally used than actually needed. In addition, bristles tend to become messy and unsightly when exposed to certain skin care materials, particularly the variegated cosmetics.

Further, once a part of the skin care appliance is damaged, usually the entire device is disposed of.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a personal care appliance, in particular a personal care accessory, which addresses the above problems and drawbacks.

More particularly, there is a need to provide a personal care accessory that may help produce less waste.

Also, there is a need to provide a personal care accessory that has a longer life.

Furthermore, there is a need to propose a personal care accessory that can be applied to, i.e. attached to, one or more personal care appliances. In particular, for example, there is a need to propose a personal care accessory, without an integrated or designated handle, but which may be attached to an (existing) household appliance, such as a depilatory appliance (such as an epilator and/or a shaver), an electric toothbrush or a skin care appliance.

Further, there is a need to provide a personal care accessory that works with small amounts of personal care agents.

There is also a need to provide a personal care accessory that prevents cross-contamination of skin care agents at different application locations.

Further, there is a need for a personal care accessory that avoids skin irritation and skin damage.

In particular, there is a need to propose a personal care accessory that provides a high user comfort. This would be advantageous to provide a personal care accessory that provides relaxation and vitality to the user's skin and thus to the user himself or herself.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a skin care attachment for a personal care appliance, the skin care attachment comprising:

-an interface configured to connect an accessory to a personal care appliance;

-a base; and

-a skin treatment head attached to the chassis comprising a first sponge region comprising a porous flexible material and a rubber region comprising a rubber material.

The above aspect is based on the idea that the rubber material is soft in nature. Thus, the material is well suited to avoid irritation and/or loss of the user's skin. On the other hand, rubber materials may also be used for cleaning, washing and/or exfoliating the skin of a user. Furthermore, even if broken, the rubber material has no sharp edges. Thus, the sponge region can be prevented from being broken by the rubber material. Thus, the sponge region of the appliance has a relatively long life.

Further, the rubber material is hardly discolored and can be easily cleaned. Thus, a dirty and unsanitary appearance can also be avoided.

Except that the rubber material may act as a material barrier for the first sponge region, in particular when the rubber region is made from a continuous piece of rubber material, preferably without any cuts, openings and/or recesses, or when the rubber region comprises a piece of rubber material divided into overlapping sections, i.e. flaps. Thus, the skin-care agent is not likely to penetrate (penetrate) into the rubber region. Since the rubber material is waterproof, especially liquid skin care agents may not penetrate the rubber area. Thus, the amount of personal care agent can be reduced. In fact, the rubber zone is configured to retain the personal care agent in the first sponge zone.

The rubber material may be used to wipe and spread the skin care agent on the skin of the user. Also, since the rubber material may not absorb any skin care agent, the amount of skin care material used in the body grooming procedure may be reduced.

Furthermore, the rubber material may be used to (micro) massage the skin of the user and thus give the user a high level of comfort.

The porous flexible material of the sponge zone may have a thickness selected from 2kg/m³To 100kg/m³A density in the range of (1), especially 5kg/m³To 50kg/m³Density of the range of (1). Further, the sponge region includes one or more of a natural sponge and a synthetic sponge. Specifically, the porous flexible material of the sponge comprises one or more of Polyether (PE), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyester, Polyurethane (PU) and cellulose.

In some embodiments, the skin treatment head and/or base may be substantially flat, i.e., the head may have a flat surface, however the skin treatment head may also have a curved surface, such as a one-dimensional curvature (e.g., a cylindrical surface) or a two-dimensional curvature (e.g., a spherical or ellipsoidal segment).

In general, the skin care attachment may be configured as a facial skin care attachment, in particular a facial skin cleansing attachment. However, the body care accessory may also be used for other skin care applications, such as applying creams, fluids, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and/or fragrances.

In an exemplary embodiment, the skin care attachment includes a second sponge region, wherein the rubber region is configured to separate the first sponge region and the second sponge region from one another. Thus, the rubber zone acts as a barrier between the first sponge zone and the second sponge zone. The skin care material applied to the different sponge areas is thus better separated. This is even more pronounced if the rubber zone is made from one continuous piece of rubber material or overlapping flaps. As an example, the first sponge region may be impregnated with a cosmetic product, while the second sponge region may be impregnated with a perfume. The rubber material between the two areas then avoids cross-contamination. In fact, the rubber zones serve to retain the corresponding personal care material on and/or within the individual zones.

The first sponge region and the second sponge region may comprise the same porous flexible material, i.e. sponge. However, they may also comprise different kinds of sponges. In particular, if there are different kinds of sponges in the two areas, the areas are configured for different kinds of applications. For example, a first sponge region may be used for cleansing, while a second sponge region may be used for applying a cosmetic product.

In another embodiment, the skin care attachment includes a brush zone comprising a plurality of bristles.

With the use of the bristles, the body part can be cleaned or washed more effectively. In addition, the bristles may be used to exfoliate, abrade (abride), and/or exfoliate the skin of a user. In addition, the bristles provide a massaging effect. For example, the bristles may be arranged in tufts, e.g., wherein the brush zone comprises 5 tufts to 300 tufts, 5 tufts to 100 tufts, or a plurality of tufts in the range of 10 tufts to 50 tufts. The skin treatment head may for example comprise in the range of from 10 to 10,000 bristles, such as at least 100 bristles. For example, the tufts may comprise 2 to 50 bristles or 5 to 25 bristles.

In another embodiment of the skin care attachment, each bristle of the plurality of bristles has a bristle height, a bristle stiffness, and a bristle thickness relative to the base, wherein any one of the bristle height, the bristle stiffness, and the bristle thickness is configured to vary within the brush zone.

In particular, the bristles may have a bristle height relative to the base selected from the range of 2mm to 30mm, in particular 4mm to 20 mm. Furthermore, since the height of the bristles may vary across the skin treatment head, the bristle height may be greater at the edges and smaller near the center of the skin treatment head. In particular, the bristles may be configured to provide a skin treatment head with a curved surface. This may be beneficial for treating skin areas that are often difficult to reach.

The thickness of the bristles may be selected from the range of 10 to 300 μm, particularly 30 to 150 μm. In combination with a predefined bristle thickness, the bristles may then exhibit the flexibility and strength desired by the average user.

In further embodiments, the rubber region is configured to distinguish the first sponge region and/or the second sponge region from the brush region. This arrangement serves to keep the bristles distinct from the sponge. Thus, the rubber region prevents the bristles from penetrating into the sponge region and thus causing damage to the sponge region. The rubber region may be configured as a continuous connection region between the first sponge region and/or the second sponge region and the brush region. However, the rubber zone may also comprise one or more flaps, in particular overlapping flaps.

In another exemplary embodiment, the rubber zone of the skin care attachment comprises one or more branches, in particular three or four rubber branches. Preferably, the rubber branches divide the skin treatment head into two or more regions. More preferably, the rubber branches are configured to separate the sponge regions from each other and/or to separate the sponge regions from the brush region.

In an exemplary embodiment, the one or more rubber branches are configured to extend in a radial direction from an axis perpendicular to the base, and/or the one or more rubber branches are configured as a serpentine and/or zig-zag.

For example, it is conceivable that the one or more rubber branches are branches of a star arrangement of rubber zones, wherein the one or more rubber branches preferably extend in a radial direction from the center of the skin treatment head. However, it is also possible to have only one single rubber limb dividing the skin treatment head into two regions, preferably two regions of equal size. Preferably, in order to provide a firm (i.e. stable) rubber zone, the rubber zone is arranged as a zigzag or serpentine line. Therefore, even if the user applies a great pressure to the skin treatment head, the rubber area may not be easily bent.

Typically, at least in certain embodiments, the rubber material comprises nubs (nubs). The agglomerates may support scraping and/or skin abrasion, skin cleansing, but they may also be used for soft brushing or polishing. In addition, the agglomerates may have a massaging effect. Preferably, the agglomerates have a thickness of from 0.5mm to 5.0mm, preferably from 1.0mm to 3.0mm, and a height of from 0.5mm to 5.0mm, preferably from 1.0mm to 3.0 mm. The lumps may also be used to stimulate the skin of the user and thus stimulate the vitality and/or have a relaxing effect of the skin of the user.

In a further embodiment of the skin care attachment, the first sponge region has a sponge height (h1) relative to the base and the rubber region has a rubber height (h2) relative to the base, wherein the ratio of the sponge height (h1) to the rubber height (h2) is 0.5. ltoreq. h1/h 2. ltoreq.2. This may also apply to other sponge zones, in particular the second sponge zone. Depending on the user's behavior, different height ratios are preferred. For example, if the user prefers to use the skin treatment attachment as a massage device, it is recommended that the height of the rubber zone be higher than the height of the sponge zone(s). On the other hand, if the user prefers to apply the cosmetic to his/her face using the skin care attachment, it is recommended that the sponge height be higher than the rubber height. Thus, if both a massage effect and application of a skin care agent are desired, the sponge height and the rubber height should be about the same.

The brush height (h3), i.e. the height of some or all of the bristles, may likewise be in a predefined height relationship with the sponge and/or the rubber zone. For example, the corresponding height may be 0.5 ≦ h1/h3 ≦ 2 and/or 0.5 ≦ h2/h3 ≦ 2.

In another embodiment, one or more portions of the skin care attachment are configured to be actuated by an actuator of the personal care appliance, in particular to be rotated, oscillated and/or vibrated by the actuator of the personal care appliance.

The rotational movement particularly supports a fast absorption of the skin care product (such as a cream or a cosmetic product) from the skin of the user. Furthermore, the skin care product can be easily applied to the skin by a rotational movement. The oscillating and/or vibrating motion may also support a fast absorption of the skin care product. Furthermore, the movement may have a massaging effect and/or an energizing effect on the user.

In a preferred embodiment, the skin care accessory may further comprise a gearbox, and may in particular be attached to said gearbox. The gearbox may be a separate component or may be permanently (pre-) integrated into the accessory. The gear box is configured to translate a type of motion of an actuator of the personal care appliance into one or more other types of motion. For example, the oscillating motion provided by the actuator may be converted into a rotational motion by the gearbox. Thus, the skin care attachment may not be oscillated, but rotated, by the personal care appliance.

Typically, the gearbox is configured to vary the speed, direction and/or frequency of the motion provided by the actuator of the personal care appliance.

In an exemplary embodiment, the skin care accessory comprises a head cover configured to cover the skin treatment head, wherein at least a portion of the head cover facing the skin treatment head comprises an antibacterial coating (in particular a silver-based coating), and any one of an antiviral coating and an antifungal coating, and/or wherein the head cover is configured to compress the skin treatment head.

Typically, the head cover is configured to protect the skin treatment head. The head cover preferably comprises a stable material, such as hard plastic. Therefore, for example, when the skin treatment head is stored in a handbag, the skin treatment head can be prevented from being deformed. The head cover is also configured to prevent the skin treatment head from drying out when the head is saturated with the skin care product. In addition, the head cover prevents the skin care attachment from being stained during storage.

Preferably, to ensure hygiene and/or an extended period of use, an antibacterial, antiviral or antifungal functional coating is added to the head cover (i.e., cap). Thus, the protective additives (such as cosmetics applied to the skin treatment head) do not come into direct contact with the air, and therefore they do not decay or deteriorate at an early stage.

The head cover may be screwed onto and/or clipped onto the base of the accessory and/or latched to the base of the accessory via a latching (clicking) mechanism. However, the head cover may also be attached to the skin care accessory in another way. Preferably, the head cover abuts the skin treatment head. Preferably further, the skin treatment head expands and can be used when unscrewing or removing the head cover or cap. Thus, the skin care attachment can be reduced to a minimum size.

In further exemplary embodiments of the skin care attachment, at least the first sponge region is configured to be impregnated with an additive, the additive including any one of a cosmetic material, a skin care material, a medicinal material, and a perfume additive.

For example, a first additive (e.g., a cosmetic) may be added to the first sponge region and a second additive (e.g., a perfume) may be added to the second sponge region. The skin care attachment may be sold with pre-integrated additives or the user may add additives themselves.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a personal care appliance is presented, the personal care appliance comprising:

-a housing;

-an actuator disposed in the housing; and

a skin care accessory according to at least one embodiment disclosed herein, wherein the actuator is configured to actuate the accessory, in particular to rotate, oscillate and/or vibrate the accessory.

Preferably, the personal care appliance is a hand held appliance.

It is further preferred that the housing of the personal care appliance comprises a reservoir configured to store the additive and a dispensing mechanism configured to saturate at least the first sponge region of the skin care attachment with the additive provided by the reservoir.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a use of a skin care accessory according to at least one embodiment disclosed herein in a body grooming procedure is presented, comprising:

-attaching a skin care accessory to a housing of a powered personal care appliance,

-applying an accessory of a personal care appliance to a portion of a person's skin; and

-causing an actuator of the personal care appliance to actuate the attachment, in particular to rotate, oscillate and/or vibrate the skin treatment head on the skin of the person.

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are defined in the dependent claims. It is to be understood that the claimed personal care appliance has preferred embodiments that are similar and/or identical to the claimed skin care accessory and are defined in the dependent claims and disclosed herein.

Drawings

These and other aspects of the invention are apparent from and will be elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter. In the following figures

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a skin care attachment according to the present disclosure in a perspective top view,

figure 2 shows a second embodiment of a skin care attachment according to the present disclosure in a perspective side view,

figure 3 shows a third embodiment of a skin care attachment according to the present disclosure in a perspective side view,

figure 4 shows a fourth embodiment of a skin care attachment according to the present disclosure in a perspective side view,

figure 5 shows a fifth embodiment of a skin care attachment according to the present disclosure in a perspective side view,

figure 6 shows a sixth embodiment of a skin care attachment according to the present disclosure in a perspective side view,

figure 7 is a perspective exploded view of a first embodiment of a personal care appliance according to the present disclosure,

FIG. 8 shows a perspective exploded view of a second embodiment of a personal care appliance according to the present disclosure, an

Fig. 9 shows a flow diagram of an embodiment of a use of a skin care attachment according to the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a skin care accessory according to the present disclosure in a perspective side view. In this first embodiment, the skin care attachment 10 is provided as a cylindrical attachment. The attachment 10 comprises a disk-shaped base plate 12 connected on one side to an interface 14 and on the opposite side to a cylindrical skin treatment head 16. The interface 14 is configured to be attached to, in particular pushed onto, a personal care device, the skin treatment head 16 comprising a (first) sponge region 18 and a rubber region 20, wherein the cylindrical sponge region 18 is surrounded by an annular rubber region 20.

In this embodiment, the sponge region 18 and the rubber region 20 are both of the same height relative to the base 12. Further, the two regions are formed from a single piece of porous flexible material and a single piece of rubber material, respectively.

Because the rubbery region 20 borders the spongy region 18, skin care additives such as, for example, liquid soaps or creamy cosmetics on top of the spongy region 18 and/or within the spongy region 18 are prevented from leaking laterally out of the region. Thus, the lateral surface of the cylindrical skin treatment head 16 may avoid any skin care material smeared onto the sponge in the middle of the skin treatment head 16. Thus, when the sponge 18 of the skin care attachment 16 is applied to the face of the user, the skin care agent may not leak and may not soil the user's clothing.

Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of a skin care attachment 10 according to the present disclosure in a perspective side view. In this second embodiment, the skin treatment head 16 is provided as a cuboid with two sponge regions (i.e., a first sponge region 18 and a second sponge region 22) and a rubber region 20. The rubber zone 20 separates the two

sponge zones

18 and 22 from each other, in this embodiment the two

sponge zones

18 and 22 are of different sizes.

In this embodiment, the first sponge region 18 comprises a different sponge than the sponge of the second sponge region 22. The advantage of providing two different sponges (i.e. foams) in the same accessory 10 is the fact that different sponges can be used for different applications. The first sponge zone 18 comprises polyvinyl alcohol having a high water absorption and retention. Thus, the sponge 18 can be used to apply liquid to the skin of a user in a dripless manner. On the other hand, the second sponge region 22 comprises polyurethane foam, which is specifically configured to exfoliate the user's skin while removing cosmetics, dead skin cells, dirt, or grease by providing a cell surface texture to gently massage the user and collect unwanted residues.

Fig. 3 shows a third embodiment of a skin care attachment 10 according to the present disclosure in a perspective side view. In this third embodiment, the skin care attachment 10 comprises a cylindrical skin treatment head 16 located on top of a disk-shaped base plate 12, wherein the diameter of the skin treatment head 16 is smaller than the diameter of the base plate 12. The skin treatment head 16 of this embodiment comprises four regions: a first sponge region 18, a second sponge region 22, a rubber region 20, and a brush region 24. Brush zone 24 circumferentially surrounds the other three regions.

With respect to height relative to the base 12, the brush zone 24 is lower than the other three zones. Thus, if the skin care attachment 10 applies a certain pressure to the user's skin, the bristles of the brush 24 will only contact the user's skin. Thus, the user can decide himself or herself whether he or she wishes to treat his or her skin with the brush. In particular, a user with sensitive skin may avoid the brush to come into contact with the skin. In fact, deep pore cleansing has been achieved with a sponge zone and a rubber zone. However, the brush may provide additional stimulation to the local blood flow.

The rubber zone 20 is arranged in a cylindrical manner with two punched holes, comprising two

sponge zones

18 and 22. Between the two

sponge areas

18 and 22, the rubber areas are arranged in zigzag lines. An advantage of this arrangement is that even liquids or other additives applied to the sponge or saturated by the sponge of the first sponge region and/or the second sponge region can be applied to the user's skin in a dripless manner, since the rubber region prevents lateral leakage (i.e. leakage through a plane perpendicular to the base plate). Furthermore, two

sponge areas

18 and 22 are kept separated by a rubber area 20. Thus, the additive applied to the first sponge region 18 may not leak into the second sponge region 22, and vice versa.

In order to provide a large total sponge area, the portion of the rubber zone 20 separating the two sponge areas is configured to be thin, preferably having a thickness of less than 3 mm. However, in order to still provide a stable rubber zone 22, it is preferred to arrange the rubber zone 22 as a zigzag line between two sponge zones.

Fig. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of a skin care attachment 10 according to the present disclosure in a perspective side view. In this embodiment, the skin care attachment 10 further includes a head cover 26. Head cover 26 is configured to be screwed onto skin care attachment 10. Thus, the head cover 26 and the base 12 of the skin care attachment 10 each include threads. The skin treatment head 16 comprises five areas: a rubber zone 20 arranged in the form of a star, and four

sponge zones

18, 22, 28 and 30, wherein the sponge zones are separated from each other by branches (also called flaps) of the rubber zone 20. In this embodiment, for example, the sponge region is pre-impregnated with a medicinal material, such as an additive against neurodermatitis, acne, melanoma, psoriasis, and/or illness. However, the sponge may also be impregnated with cosmetic material alone, such as a cosmetic or moisturizer. In order for the impregnated material to retain its effect on the skin, the inner part of the head cover/cap 26 is provided with a functional coating, in particular an antimicrobial coating.

According to the exemplary embodiment of the skin care attachment 10 shown in fig. 3, a fifth embodiment of the skin care attachment 10 shown in fig. 5 includes a skin treatment head 16 having a rubber region 20, two

sponge regions

18 and 22, and a brush region 24.

The skin treatment head 16 is arranged as a truncated cone, wherein both the lateral area and the deck area are configured to be applied to the skin of a user. Thus, the skin treatment head 16 has a curved surface with a two-dimensional curvature. The height of the bristles in the brush zone 24, the sponges in the

sponge zones

18 and 22, and the rubber zone 20 relative to the base 12 is adapted to form the curved surface. In fact, the lateral surfaces of skin treatment head 16 include bristles of different heights. In fact, the height of the bristles decreases with increasing distance from the center of the skin treatment head 16. Meanwhile, the brush region 24 and the rubber region 20 are chamfered at the lateral surfaces. Due to its geometry, not only the deck surface of the skin treatment head 16 may be used to treat the user's skin, but also the lateral surface of the skin treatment head 16. Thus, the effective skin treatment area is enlarged. In addition to this, the user does not have to be very conscious of how he holds the skin care attachment 10. In fact, in this fifth embodiment, the rubber zone 20 comprises lumps not only on the back surface but also on the lateral surfaces. Thus, the stimulating effect provided by the lumps may also be achieved if the user applies the lateral sides of the skin care attachment to his/her skin.

Fig. 6 shows a sixth embodiment of a skin care attachment according to the present disclosure in a perspective side view. In this embodiment, the skin care attachment 10 is not configured to rotate or move as a whole, but only partially. In fact, only the skin treatment head 16 is configured to be rotated by the actuator of the personal care appliance (i.e. the personal care device) to which the skin care accessory may be attached. In this embodiment, the skin treatment head 16 is provided as a roller, similar to an epilator roller or a roller of a peeling device. The front side and the end side of the roller 16 are mounted on the base 12 of the skin care attachment 10, wherein the roller 16 is configured to rotate around an axis connecting suspension points of said front side and said end side.

On the edge of the roll 16, the roll 16 comprises two

brush zones

24 and 32, adjacent to the rubber zone 20 and the rubber zone 34, respectively. The skin treatment head 16 also includes two

rubber sections

36 and 38 and three sponge sections, namely a first sponge section 18, a second sponge section 22 and a third sponge section 30. The sponge region and the brush region are separated from each other by corresponding rubber regions. In this embodiment, the rubber zone comprises overlapping rubber flaps, wherein the flaps are configured to separate the additive held in the sponge zone and the brush zone. Furthermore, the flap supports wiping the additive on the skin of the user.

Fig. 7 is a perspective exploded view of a first embodiment of a personal care appliance 40, the personal care appliance 40 comprising a housing 42, an actuator 44 (not shown) disposed in the housing 42, and two

different accessories

46 and 10 that can be attached to the housing 42. The two

accessories

46 and 10 include interfaces configured to connect the accessories to the personal care device 40, the base 12, and the skin treatment head 16 attached to the base 12.

In this embodiment, the housing 42 is configured as a handle. In fact, the housing 42 is represented by the handle of the epilator. Thus, the attachment 46 is an epilator attachment. The attachment 10, on the other hand, comprises a skin treatment head 16, a base 12, an interface 14, a gear box 48 and a head cover 26, wherein the skin treatment head 16 comprises two

sponge areas

18 and 22 separated by a rubber area 20. In this embodiment, the rubber zones are arranged as a serpentine.

The gear box 48 is used to convert rotational motion provided by an actuator (not shown) within the handle 42 into rotational motion about another axis. Although the actuator is configured to rotate the epilator roller of the epilator attachment 46 around an axis parallel to the base plate 12 of the epilator attachment, the gear box 48 is configured to convert said movement into a rotational movement of the skin care attachment 10 around an axis perpendicular to the base plate 12 of the skin care attachment (when the gear box 48 and the skin care attachment 10 are attached to the handle 42).

The form of the head cover 26 is adapted to the cylindrical form of the skin treatment head 16. In particular, the height of the head cover also includes the cylindrical surface form. However, the height of the head cover is less than the height of the skin treatment head 16. Thus, when the head cap is latched to the skin treatment head 16 of the skin care attachment 10, the skin treatment head 16 is compressed. In this way, the personal care appliance 40 can be stored even in a small handbag. In addition, the head cover prevents the skin treatment head 16 from drying out or being damaged by environmental effects.

Fig. 8 shows a perspective exploded view of a second embodiment of a personal care appliance 40 according to the present disclosure. The personal care appliance 40 is configured as a handheld device comprising a housing 42 (i.e. a handle) and the skin care attachment 10 which can be attached to the housing 42. Further, the housing 42 includes a container (not shown) configured to be filled with a liquid, milky and/or oily additive (such as, for example, a skin care lotion, a cosmetic, a liquid soap, or a liquid medicine). In addition, the housing 42 includes a dispensing mechanism including four

tubes

44, 46, 48 and 50 configured to direct the additive within the reservoir to four nozzles 52, 54, 56 and 58 disposed in the base 12 of the skin care attachment 10. The nozzles 52, 54, 56 and 58 are configured to saturate the (first) sponge region 18 of the skin treatment head 16 with the additive. Thus, for example, a user need not manually apply the cosmetic to the skin treatment head 16, but may depress the button 60 on the handle to activate the flow of additive from the reservoir to the first sponge region 18.

In a first step S2, the skin care attachment 10 is attached to the housing 42 of the powered personal care appliance 40. In a next step S4, the skin care attachment 10 of the personal care appliance 40, in particular the skin treatment head 16 of the skin care attachment, is applied to the skin of the user, for example the facial skin of the user. In a further step S6, the actuator of the personal care appliance 40 is activated and is thus caused to actuate the accessory 10. In a further optional step S8, the user may also activate a dispensing mechanism of the personal care appliance to dispense one or more additives from a container of the user within the housing 42 of the personal care appliance.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.

In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A skin care attachment (10) for a personal care appliance (40), the skin care attachment (10) comprising

-an interface (14) configured to connect the accessory (10) to the personal care appliance (40);

-a base (12);

-a skin treatment head (16) attached to the chassis (12), the skin treatment head (16) comprising a first sponge region (18) and a rubber region (20), the first sponge region (18) comprising a porous flexible material, the rubber region (20) comprising a rubber material; and

-a second sponge zone (22), wherein the rubber zone (20) is configured to separate the first sponge zone (18) and the second sponge zone (22) from each other.

2. A skin care accessory according to claim 1 wherein the rubber zone 22 has a thickness of less than 3mm and/or is provided as a zig-zag line between two sponge zones.

3. The skin care attachment of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first sponge region (18) and the second sponge region (22) comprise different kinds of sponges.

4. The skin care attachment (10) of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a brush zone (24), the brush zone (24) comprising a plurality of bristles.

5. The skin care attachment (10) of claim 4, wherein each bristle of the plurality of bristles has a bristle height, a bristle stiffness, and a bristle thickness relative to the base, wherein any one of the bristle height, bristle stiffness, and bristle thickness is configured to vary within the brush zone (24).

6. The skin care attachment (10) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the rubber region (20) is configured to separate the first sponge region (18) and/or the second sponge region (22) from the brush region (24).

7. Skin care attachment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the rubber region (24) comprises one or more rubber branches, in particular three or four rubber branches.

8. Skin care attachment (10) according to claim 7, wherein the one or more rubber branches are branches of the rubber zone (24) arranged in a star shape, and wherein the one or more rubber branches preferably extend in a radial direction from the center of the skin treatment head (16).

9. The skin care attachment (10) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the rubber material comprises a nub.

10. The skin care attachment (10) as recited in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first sponge region (18) has a sponge height (h1) relative to the chassis (12), and wherein the rubber region (20) has a rubber height (h2) relative to the chassis (12), wherein a ratio of the sponge height (h1) to the rubber height (h2) is 0.5 ≦ h1/h2 ≦ 2.

11. Skin care attachment (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein one or more portions of the attachment (10) are configured to be actuated by an actuator of the personal care appliance (40), in particular to be rotated, oscillated and/or vibrated by the actuator of the personal care appliance (40).

12. Skin care accessory (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a head cover (26), the head cover (26) being configured to cover the skin treatment head (16), wherein at least a portion of the head cover (26) facing the skin treatment head (16) comprises an antibacterial coating, in particular a silver-based coating, and any one of an antiviral coating and an antifungal coating, and/or wherein the head cover (26) is configured to compress the skin treatment head (16).

13. The skin care attachment (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein at least the first sponge region (18) is configured to be impregnated by an additive comprising any one of a cosmetic material, a skin care material, a medicinal material, and perfume.

14. A personal care appliance (40), the personal care appliance (40) comprising

-a housing (42);

-an actuator arranged in the housing (42); and

the accessory (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the actuator is configured to actuate the accessory (10), in particular to rotate, oscillate and/or vibrate the accessory (10).

15. Use of a skin care attachment (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 14 in a body grooming procedure, comprising:

-attaching the skin care accessory (10) to a housing (42) of a powered personal care appliance (40),

-applying the attachment (10) of the personal care appliance (40) to a portion of a person's skin; and

-causing the actuator of the personal care appliance (40) to actuate the accessory (10), in particular to rotate, oscillate and/or vibrate the skin treatment head (16) on the skin of the person.