EP0191832B1 - Stick-type device for applying cosmetic materials - Google Patents

Abstract

The device described (2) for applying cosmetic materials comprises a shell (1) inside which is arranged a column of cosmetic material which can be raised by a lifting device. The ejection end of the shell is closed with a top portion (4) which carries an applicator material (7) on at least one part of its surface for receiving and subsequent application of the cosmetic material, and possesses outlet openings (5' and 5'') for the outlet of the cosmetic material from the shell to the applicator material. This ensures that the cosmetic material reaches the applicator material in a dosable quantity when the raising mechanism is actuated and stays there, available for subsequent application. The applicator material can be an overlay which covers totally or partially the top portion and consists of a penetrable fibre material or foam for the cosmetic material, but also of a pack of flock material or of brush hairs which covers partly or totally the top portion. The outer contour of the applicator material is determined by the outer contour of the top portion and possesses preferably both slightly-curved to flat-surface regions, as well as regions with imprinted points or edges. In this way the cosmetic material can be applied with the same device or without additional accessories, either flat or in lines, without the outer contour changing during its use. The device is suitable for all types of cosmetic materials i.e. both for hard materials (e.g. eyebrow pencils) and for pasty-waxlike materials (e.g. lipsticks) and for creamy-soft materials (e.g. rouge, eye shadow). The position, size and form of the outlet openings in the top section can be adapted to the relevant requirement; for hard materials, however, care must be taken that the largest radial distance to the outlet openings from the axis of the shell is not smaller than the radius of the column of cosmetic material. Furthermore, it is advantageous that the inner edges of the outlet openings for hard materials are designed in the form of scrapers.

Description

Many cosmetics are offered in a stick-shaped case with a column of cosmetic mass located therein, because this has the advantage that the case serves both as a container for the mass and enables the mass to be handled when applied. A number of different embodiments are known for these pencils, which are largely determined by the type and nature of the cosmetic composition. A typical example of a first group of such pens are the lipsticks, the mass of which is pasty-wax-like in nature and is usually located in a sleeve with a lifting mechanism - usually a rotating-lifting mechanism. Another group of such pens comprises cosmetic compositions with a harder texture, which are handled like a pen and are often also surrounded by a wooden cover. These include eyebrow pencils, eyeliner pencils and the like. the like

When using all cosmetic pencils, two essential requirements must be observed, which consist in the fact that the cosmetic composition should be applied to the skin over the entire area and that the formation of sharp lines is often required. The known pens do not readily meet these two requirements because the contour of the pens changes in the course of use, in particular the tip of the pen. An appealing, extensive application of the cosmetic can be mastered by skill and practice, even if the pens are used for a long time, but the formation of sharp lines in any case requires additional aids. So pen-like pens such as eyebrow pencils, eye pencils u. Like. be sharpened again and again with a sharpener to ensure the production of fine lines. This is an annoying matter with a lot of pollution, and in addition considerable amounts of the cosmetic are lost as waste. In the case of lipsticks and similar pens with a pasty-wax-like texture, such a sharpening is not possible. Many users use a fine brush to remove some of the mass from the pen and apply it as a line.

Another disadvantage of these known pens is that they are only suitable for cosmetics in which the column of cosmetic mass is inherently stable. This applies to the lipsticks, eyebrow pencils, eyeliner pencils, etc. described above, but not to creamy-soft materials such as. B. blush, eye shadow and the like. Mostly, creamy-soft cosmetics are removed from a jar-like container with the help of a brush or a swab or an appropriate applicator material, which can absorb (store) a certain amount of mass and then transfer it to the skin in the desired amount.

There are also known pens for applying soft or liquid materials in which the head provided with at least one outlet opening is completely covered with a covering of foam, gauze or another material which is permeable to the cosmetic material (FR-A-563 329, FR -A-674 267, FR-A-940 273, DE-A-2 260 724), or in which a sponge-like body or plug is provided in front of the outlet opening (FR-A-2 215 915, US-A-3 481 676). In this case, the cosmetic mass must be pressed through the applicator material by means of the lifting mechanism each time the pen is used. This has the disadvantage that the applicator material tends to become blocked because, on the one hand, the mass dries on the surface of the applicator and, on the other hand, the pores of the applicator material become clogged by skin sebum and other skin secretions.

The result is an uncontrolled escape of the mass at various points and possibly even a burst of the applicator material. In addition, the application is also limited to liquid or very soft materials and also to those that do not contain pigments. Another disadvantage is that the amount of mass escaping when the lifting mechanism is actuated cannot be controlled because it first penetrates into the applicator material before it becomes visible on the outside. The result is often an overdose, which makes handling difficult and accelerates the consumption of the mass.

From US-A-3 825 021 an applicator is known in which the head part consists of a flexible foam body with a central opening for the exit of the cosmetic mass. The cosmetic mass emerging from the reservoir penetrates the entire head part during use.

Similarly, the applicator known from CH-A-426 565 is provided with a flexible, foam-provided body provided with a central opening and receiving the cosmetic mass after it emerges from the opening.

The applicator known from EP-A-154 231 contains a head made of absorbent flexible material, from the end face of which there are slight distributor elements in the form of brushes.

The three applicators mentioned last have in common that no controlled escape of the cosmetic composition is possible and - as with the above-mentioned coatings - there is a risk of constipation.

The invention is intended to eliminate the disadvantages outlined above. The invention has for its object to provide a device for applying cosmetics, which is suitable for all cosmetics from hard to waxy to creamy-soft, which also works reliably over longer periods of time and enables a controlled escape of the cosmetic composition.

Starting from a pin-shaped device for applying cosmetic compositions, with a sleeve within which a column of cosmetic composition is arranged such that it can be lifted by means of a lifting mechanism, with a head part which closes the outlet end of the sleeve and which has an applicator material for receiving and subsequent application on at least part of its surface Application for cosmetic composition, and which is provided with at least one exit opening for the exit of the cosmetic composition from the sleeve towards the applicator material, the applicator material being arranged next to or around the exit opening or the exit openings, this object is achieved according to the invention that the head part designed as a rigid body serves directly as a carrier of the applicator material, and that the applicator material is a covering of the flock or brush hair that completely or partially covers the head part, but only for distribution r is not used to store the cosmetic mass that has emerged from the outlet opening.

The application head according to the invention enables a significantly improved application of the cosmetic composition.

The fact that the rigidly designed head part carries the applicator material directly and this is only used for distribution, but not for storage, eliminates the risk of the applicator material becoming blocked. Since the cosmetic mass reaches the applicator material from the outside through the outlet openings, the surface of the applicator material, possibly dried by evaporation of liquid constituents, is made supple again by newly emerging mass reaching the applicator material. Drying of the opening is also counteracted, because a drop of the mass that has already escaped can be moved back towards the storage space by turning back the lifting mechanism.

Furthermore, the application conditions can also be optimally designed so that even inexperienced users can achieve an excellent application result. The lifting mechanism can in fact be actuated without further ado so that the cosmetic material is kept available by the applicator material in a controllable amount that is always precisely matched to the respective application. This avoids the risk of overdosing the mass on the skin, which is the case with conventional pencils. The metering of the mass ready for application can be further facilitated by the fact that the lifting mechanism only allows the mass to emerge from the sleeve in portions, for example by assigning detents into which the lifting mechanism engages in succession.

The arrangement and design of the outlet openings in the head part can be selected according to the respective need. It is possible to evenly distribute a number of equally large outlet openings in the entire outer surface of the head part in order to supply the applicator material uniformly with cosmetic composition along the entire outer contour of the head part. Likewise, the number and / or size of the outlet openings in individual sub-areas of the head part can also be different if different amounts of cosmetic mass are to be kept available in these sub-areas, for example in the case of pens in which predominantly either a more flat or a more dashed application of the cosmetic mass comes into consideration and therefore a different opening cross-section of the outlet openings in the corresponding partial areas of the head part is appropriate. Furthermore, it is possible to arrange outlet openings only in a partial region of the head part, in which case a single outlet opening in the tip of a conical head part or in the middle of a spatula-like head part is often sufficient. In the case of the arrangement of outlet openings only in a partial area of the head part, the applicator material does not necessarily have to be located on the entire outer surface of the head part, but can be limited to this partial area or an area around this partial area.

The formation of the head part and applicator material has the advantage that the user can also visually control the metering of the leaked mass, so it is not only dependent on a control of the lifting movement of the lifting mechanism. Which of these options is preferred depends on the respective application.

The device according to the invention is not only suitable for the dimensionally stable and pasty masses of pasty-wax-like nature (such as lipsticks or the like) or of a harder nature (such as eyebrow pencils, eyeliner pencils, pressed powder and the like), but rather also for creamy-soft masses that are not dimensionally stable. With the invention, it has now become possible for the first time even creamy-soft materials such as eyeshadow, blush and the like. to be offered in pen form. These creamy-soft masses, when pressed against the head part when the lifting mechanism is actuated, can perform a flowing movement, so that the column of cosmetic mass located in the sleeve is independent of the type and arrangement of the outlet openings in the head part. The same applies at least to some of the pasty-wax-like masses. In the case of harder masses, on the other hand, which are poorly flowable and can sometimes even be somewhat crumbly, it is generally necessary, but at least expedient, to give the outlet openings a sufficient opening cross section and not to dimension the radius of the column of cosmetic mass larger than the largest radial distance of the outlet openings from the sleeve axis.

Numerous embodiments of lifting mechanisms are known in cosmetics, all of which are in principle also suitable for the device according to the invention. Preferred are the simpler embodiments, since the column made of cosmetic mass in contrast, for. B. to the known lipsticks only raised and does not have to be lowered again. For masses of a harder nature, it is expedient to use a rotary lifting mechanism and, if necessary, to design the inner edge of the outlet openings as a scraper in order to facilitate the detachment of the mass from the column. For more flowable masses, however, a feed mechanism that can be actuated by pulling, pushing or pushing without rotating movement is sufficient, and therefore the sleeve also does not need to have a conventional circular cross section with these masses. B. have an elliptical or otherwise flattened cross-section. Furthermore, such a feed mechanism in conjunction with the application head according to the invention makes it possible to apply two different cosmetics, for example those with different colors, with one and the same stick, by dividing the sleeve into two longitudinal chambers by a central wall and each chamber having its own feed mechanism and half of the application head is assigned. Such an option has never existed before.

• Fig. 1 zwei Varianten eines ersten Ausführungsbeispiels der Erfindung in Seitenansicht,
• Fig. 2A einen Schnitt in der Ebene 11-11 der Fig. 1 und 2B für zwei unterschiedliche Ausführungsformen,
• Fig. 3 ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel im Längsschnitt,
• Fig. 4 ein drittes Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung im Längsschnitt, und
• Fig. 5A ein viertes Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfin-und 5B dung in Draufsicht und Seitenansicht.

The invention is explained in more detail below in some basic exemplary embodiments and their modifications based on the drawings. The following represent:

• 1 shows two variants of a first embodiment of the invention in side view,
• 2A shows a section in the plane 11-11 of FIGS. 1 and 2B for two different embodiments,
• 3 shows another embodiment in longitudinal section,
• Fig. 4 shows a third embodiment of the invention in longitudinal section, and
• Fig. 5A shows a fourth embodiment of the invention and 5B extension in plan view and side view.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, a sleeve 1 is provided with an application head 2, which has a conical head part 4, which forms the outer end of the sleeve 1 in the manner of a cap. The head part 4 can consist of one piece with the sleeve or can be a separate body which is connected to the sleeve 1 via a foot ring 3, for example screwed or glued. The sleeve is provided with a conventional lifting mechanism and contains a cosmetic mass, which is not shown in FIG. 1. The cap 4 is made of plastic or metal and has outlet openings 5. Furthermore, the cap 4 is provided with a coating 7 made of a velvet-like flocking. This coating 7, which is only indicated by a line in FIG. 1, covers the entire outer surface of the cap 4 with the exception of the outlet openings.

In Fig. 1, the outlet openings 5 are shown as slots and illustrated in two variants. In the left half (Fig. 1L) there are relatively short slots 5 'only in the area near the tip of the cap 4, while in the right half (Fig.1 R) long slots 5 "extend practically over the entire length of the cap These two variants can each be implemented individually, in that the cap 4 is formed only with short slots 5 'or with long slots ". Likewise, both variants can also be present on the same cap, in that the cap is provided with short slots on one half and long slots on its opposite half.

Further possibilities, which are no longer shown in the drawing, are to provide a central opening in addition to the slits 5 ′ or 5 ″ directly at the tip of the cap 4 in order to achieve an increased leakage of cosmetic mass at the cone tip Slits can be brought close to this central opening so that they are bridged only at their upper ends with a narrow web, but if the material of the cap 4 is stable enough, the arrangement can also be such that the slits are in contact In addition, as shown in FIG. 1R, it is also not necessary for several long slots 5 "to be arranged such that they overlap in the circumferential direction, but instead a slot extending from the tip of the cap to the lower edge of the cap may be used instead be provided.

Otherwise, the configuration of the outlet openings 5 is not limited to the slot shape. Likewise, the outlet openings can also be round, angular or irregularly shaped holes which are arranged more or less evenly in the cap 4.

For flowable masses, the arrangement and design of the outlet openings can be selected solely on the basis of whether a more flat application (using the cone surface) or a more line-shaped application (using the cone tip) is the predominant normal case or whether both application methods are required equally often. For harder, poorly or poorly flowable masses, for which a rotary stroke mechanism is generally required, it must also be taken into account that the radius of the column made of cosmetic mass must not be greater than the greatest radial distance a of the outlet openings 5 from the sleeve axis . In addition, in this case the outlet openings must be arranged such that each surface area of the outer end of the column made of cosmetic mass covers at least one outlet opening during one revolution.

2A and 2B show two different designs of the outlet openings 5, which are particularly useful for harder masses in connection with a rotary stroke mechanism. The openings 5 according to FIG. 2A do not run radially, but obliquely in the direction of rotation of the lifting mechanism through the wall of the cap 4, and in the openings according to FIG. 2B the edge 6 in the direction of rotation also protrudes into the interior of the cap 4 to act as a scraper. For such harder masses, it is expedient that a small compression spring is arranged between the rotary lifting mechanism and the column of cosmetic mass, in order to prevent the column from being accidentally pressed into the cap 4 when the lifting mechanism is actuated with excessive pressure and then damaged .

The head part can also be formed in two parts. A two-part head part opens up the fundamentally new possibility of applying two cosmetic materials with different colors and / or properties with a single pencil. All that is required is to divide the sleeve into two longitudinal chambers by means of a central wall and each chamber has its own lifting mechanism (which in this case is expediently designed as a feed mechanism that can be actuated by pulling, pushing or pushing) and its own half of the head part provided with outlet openings assign. The two head part halves can be connected to one another by a latching device and inserted into the casing with the aid of a foot ring, the middle wall of the sleeve expediently extending into the gap between the two head part halves to ensure that those located in the chambers of the sleeve cosmetic masses can only exit through the assigned half of the head part.

If the two-part head part of an application head is elliptical, each mass can be applied separately for the application of two different masses with the middle surface areas of the head part halves, while mixing effects occur in the edge region of both halves, where they meet, which allow particularly interesting cosmetic designs. Should such mixing effects be undesirable, a separating film can also be inserted into the gap, which prevents the two materials from mixing. Instead of a separating film, a somewhat broader solid intermediate part is also possible, which fills the gap and gives the two head part halves a somewhat larger distance. The middle wall of the sleeve can also serve as such a solid intermediate part, in that it extends to the outer edge of the two head part halves connected to one another. The ellipse shape, in which the gap runs in the direction of the long axis of the ellipse, is particularly advantageous for the two-dimensional application of the two masses. If, however, a more stroke-like application is in the foreground, the gap can also be arranged in the direction of the short ellipse axis, so that the sharply curved surface areas reach the center of the two halves of the head part.

The design of the application head for the application of two different masses does not require that the outlet openings in the two head part halves differ from one another in terms of their arrangement and the opening cross section. Differences of this kind are useful if, for. B. the one mass is usually applied thinner or less often than the other mass. The middle wall in the sleeve can then also be arranged such that the chamber which contains the less frequently used mass has a smaller volume than the other chamber. In general, however, it is preferable to make the two head part halves the same and to make the two chambers in the sleeve the same size. Moreover, the head part composed of the two halves need not have an elliptical shape, but can also have any other shape, for. B. be conically round or have a polygon cross section with pronounced edge regions. Two-part caps are also possible, although technically a little more difficult to achieve.

As previously mentioned, the outlet openings are arranged so that they are not covered by applicator material. The application head 42 shown in FIG. 3, which is inserted into a sleeve 41 by means of a foot ring 43, has a solid head part 44 and is provided with an application material in the form of a velvet-like flocking 47. In the head part 44 there is a passage channel 46 which opens into a somewhat widened outlet opening 45. The flocking 47 is recessed in the area of the outlet opening 45, that is to say has a hole 48 at this point, as a result of which the amount of cosmetic composition emerging from the outlet opening 45, which is distributed in the flocking 47 during use, is visible and controlled from the outside can be. Such an arrangement of the outlet opening is of course also possible in other embodiments of the head part.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an outlet opening which is visible from the outside and which is not surrounded on all sides by applicator material, but is located in front of the applicator material in the direction of flow of the cosmetic composition. The application head 52 according to FIG. 4 is inserted with a plug-like foot part 53 into a sleeve 51 and has an elongated head part 54 which extends in the axial direction: ing of the sleeve 51 or at an angle thereto and z. B. can be designed as a rod or as a narrow spatula. in the foot part 53, a passage channel 56 is arranged, the. at the beginning of the head part 54 opens into an outlet opening. The head part 54 is provided with an applicator material 57 in the form of fine brush hair or a velvet-like flocking.

Fig. 5 shows an example of an application head 62, which allows hard masses such. B. to apply pressed powder directly by brush. For this purpose, the application head 62 is inserted into a sleeve 61 with a rotary stroke mechanism and has a head part 64 in the form of a flat, flat or slightly curved cap, which has a slit-like outlet opening 65 and carries brush hair 67 as the applicator material. The slot 65 extends over the entire pressure gauge of the cap 64, and its rear edge regions in the direction of rotation are expediently designed as a scraper in the manner of FIG. 2B, so that fine particles emerge from the slot, which get between the brush hairs and then directly on the skin can be brushed on. The brush hairs can, as shown, all be of the same length, but the length of the brush hairs can also increase from the outside to the center, so that a tip results. With the application head 62, however, it is also possible to apply soft, flowable compositions, and in such a case it may be expedient to distribute several small outlet openings in the cap 62 instead of a slot or to provide a round central opening in the cap.

It goes without saying that the examples explained above can only represent a selection from the numerous possibilities for the practical implementation of the device according to the invention and that modifications of these examples, such as e.g. B. other shapes and outer contours of the head part, other designs of the outlet openings and other arrangements and configurations of the applicator material can be seen, which belong to the scope of the invention. The invention is therefore not restricted to the examples explained.

Claims (7)

1. Pen-shaped device for applying cosmetic substances, having a shell (1, 41, 51, 61,) inside which a column of a cosmetic substance is arranged so that it can be raised by means of a lifting mechanism, having a top portion (4, 44, 54, 64) which closes the outlet end of the shell and which has on at least one part of its surface an applicator material (7, 47, 57, that 67) for receiving and subsequently applying the cosmetic substance, and which is provided with at least one outlet aperture (5, 45, 55, 65) for the outlet of the cosmetic substance from the shell to the applicator material, the applicator material being arranged near the outlet aperture or apertures, or around these, characterised in that the top portion, which is formed as a rigid body, serves directly as a carrier for the applicator material, and that the applicator material is a packing of flock material or brush hairs completely or partially covering the top portion, which applicator material serves only for distributing the cosmetic substance which has exited from the aperture, but not for storing it.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the outlet apertures are distributed over the entire outer surface of the top portion.

3. Device according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the aperture cross-section of the outlet apertures varies in individual partial regions of the outer surface of the top portion.

4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that one or several outlet apertures are arranged only in a partial region of the outer surface of the top portion.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, in conjunction with a shell which possesses a turning and lifting mechanism, characterised in that the rear inner edges of the outlet apertures, in the turning direction in each case, are formed as scrapers.

6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the lifting mechanism can be actuated so that cosmetic substance exits in a controllable amount from the outlet aperture or apertures.

7. Device according to claim 6, characterised in that, assigned to the lifting mechanism, there are notches in which the lifting mechanism successively engages.

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