EP0329505A1 - Brush for applying mascara, and product container provided with such a brush - Google Patents

Abstract

The brush comprises a multitude of hairs clamped in the turns (9) of at least two branches (10, 11) of a metal wire twisted into a helix, which form the core (12) of the brush. On at least part of the brush are provided hairs (8a, 8b) provided, at the surface, with at least one groove extending substantially from the base to the top, and whose cross-sections have different shapes, of at least two types, so that the hairs (8a, 8b) having different cross-section shapes, spread differently with respect to the median plane (14) of the turn and that a space (15) exists between these hairs to allow the penetration of eyelashes 16 or hair. …<IMAGE>…

Description

The invention relates to a brush for applying a makeup product, in particular for applying mascara to the eyelashes or a dye to the hair, of the type which includes a multitude of bristles trapped in the turns of at least two branches of a metallic wire twisted in a helix, which form the core of the brush.

In such brushes, the bristles generally form a substantially helical sheet and the ends of the bristles are arranged in the form of turns. As a result, on the one hand, the brush does not load homogeneously in makeup product and, on the other hand, that the eyelashes or the hair cannot easily penetrate inside the layer formed by the bristles of the brush. As a result, the make-up eyelashes are often poorly separated and appear in the form of tufts; if you want to improve makeup, you have to devote considerable time to it.

The object of the invention is, above all, to provide a brush for applying a makeup product, of the kind defined above, which no longer has, or to a lesser degree, the drawbacks mentioned above and which allows, in particular, to eliminate or considerably reduce the effect of the spiral or helical layer of the hairs.

According to the invention, a brush for applying a makeup product, of the kind defined above, is characterized in that, on at least part of the brush, there are provided bristles provided, on the surface, with at least one groove extending substantially from the base to the top, and whose cross sections have shapes different, of at least two types, so that hairs, having shapes of different cross-section, deviate differently from the mean plane of the turn and that a space exists between these hairs to allow penetration of the eyelashes or hair, hairs of different cross-sectional shapes causing different product loads along the brush.

Thus, according to the invention, at least in the abovementioned part of the brush, the coiling effect is eliminated, or strongly attenuated, and the eyelashes can be loaded differently over the length of the eye.

Preferably, the brush is provided over its entire length with bristles whose cross sections have different shapes, of at least two types.

The bristles of different cross-sectional shapes can also be made of different materials. The shapes of the different sections, at least two in number, are advantageously chosen from the following set of shapes: trilobed, tetralobed, pentalobate, C, I, H, or oval section provided with a groove towards each of the ends of the minor axis of the section.

The cross-sectional areas of various shapes may themselves be different; in particular, it is possible to provide bristles whose cross section has a larger area, these bristles being made of a material capable of softening when it is dipped in the product intended to be spread by the brush.

The fact of varying the shapes of the sections of the bristles, and possibly the dimensions of the sections and the material of the bristles, creates different flexion zones when wringing, and therefore a variable product distribution on the brush. Thanks to or the grooves provided on each pile the distribution of the product on the pile is relatively homogeneous from the base to the top of the pile.

The invention also relates to a makeup product reservoir equipped with a brush as defined above.

• La figure 1, de ce dessin, est une vue en coupe axiale d'une brosse pour l'application d'un pro­duit de maquillage, conforme à l'invention, montée dans le réservoir de produit.
• Les figures 2 à 8 représentent diverses formes de sections transversales parmi lesquelles sont choisies au moins deux formes différentes pour les poils de la brosse de l'invention.
• La figure 9 est une vue schématique, à plus grande échelle, d'une partie de la brosse selon l'invention.
• La figure 10, enfin, est une coupe longitu­dinale partielle, agrandie, de l'extrémité d'un poil de la brosse.

The invention consists, apart from the arrangements set out above, of a certain number of other arrangements which will be more explicitly discussed below in connection with exemplary embodiments described with reference to the attached drawing, but which are in no way limiting.

• Figure 1 of this drawing is an axial sectional view of a brush for applying a makeup product, according to the invention, mounted in the product reservoir.
• Figures 2 to 8 show various shapes of cross sections from which are chosen at least two different shapes for the bristles of the brush of the invention.
• Figure 9 is a schematic view, on a larger scale, of a portion of the brush according to the invention.
• Figure 10, finally, is an enlarged partial longitudinal section of the end of a bristle of the brush.

Referring to Figure 1, one can see a mascara applicator assembly 1 comprising a reservoir 2 which contains a product of liquid to pasty consistency. This reservoir is surmounted by a cap 3 to which is connected a rod 4 carrying a brush 5 for applying the makeup product. A circular wiping lip 6, made of flexible material, is provided in the vicinity of an introduction chimney 7.

The brush 5 comprises a multitude of bristles 8 (see FIGS. 1 and 9) wedged in the turns 9 of two branches 10, 11 of a metal wire, twisted in a helix, and forming the core 12 of the brush.

Generally, for the manufacture of the brush 5, the branches 10 and 11 are, at the start, formed by parallel rectilinear branches of a U obtained by bending at 180 ° a metal wire, in particular an iron wire. The bristles 8 are placed between the rectilinear branches 10 and 11 along a sheet situated in a plane substantially orthogonal to the plane of the branches 10 and 11; the latter are then twisted, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, so as to trap the bristles 8 between them, the middle part of which is wedged between the turns of the two branches 10 and 11.

In a conventional brush, the bristles 8 are distributed, after twisting the branches 10 and 11, in a helical sheet, being relatively tight against each other in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the core 12. It results, as previously explained, a detrimental effect of make-up, and opposing the penetration of the eyelashes or the hair into the sheet, between the hairs.

To remedy this drawback, on at least a portion of the brush bristles 8 are provided, 8b (Figure 9) whose cross sections have different shapes of at least two kinds, preferably chosen from the shapes shown in Figures 2 to 8; the bristles are also provided, on the surface, with at least one groove 13 (FIGS. 2 to 8) extending substantially from the base of the bristle, that is to say the core 12, to the top .

These bristles 8 a , 8 b behave differently during the twisting of the branches 10 and 11 and deviate differently, as shown in FIG. 9, from the mean plane 14 of the turn, due to their cross-sectional shapes. different. The bristles 8 a , 8 b do not form a single ply and a space 15 exists between these bristles which allows the penetration of an eyelash 16 schematically represented, or of a hair.

• La figure 3 montre une section ovale 18 munie d'une gorge formant cannelure 13 vers chacune des extrémités du petit axe de la section.
• La figure 4 correspond à une section transversale 19 en H, qui est de préférence tournée de 90°, et qui comporte également deux cannelures 13.
• La figure 5 correspond à une section transversale 20 en C, l'ouverture du C étant tournée vers le bas ; une telle section comporte une seule cannelure située ans la concavité du C.
• Les figures 6, 7 et 8 correspondent à des sections transversales trilobée 21, tétralobée 22 et pentalobée 23 comportant respectivement trois, quatre et cinq cannelures 13.

Preferably, the brush 5 is provided over its entire length with bristles 8 a , 8 b , the cross sections of which have different shapes so that spaces such as 15 are found over the entire length of the brush. The shapes of the sections of the bristles 8 a , 8 b are advantageously chosen from the set of shapes shown in FIGS. 2 to 8. FIG. 2 corresponds to a shape 17 in I which has a bead at each end and which comprises, in somehow, a groove 13 on each side, between the beads; in this example, the depth of the groove relative to its width is small.

• FIG. 3 shows an oval section 18 provided with a groove forming a groove 13 towards each of the ends of the minor axis of the section.
• FIG. 4 corresponds to a cross section 19 in H, which is preferably rotated by 90 °, and which also comprises two grooves 13.
• FIG. 5 corresponds to a cross section 20 at C, the opening of C being turned downwards; such a section has a single groove located in the concavity of the C.
• FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 correspond to cross sections trilobed 21, tetralobed 22 and pentalobed 23 comprising three, four and five grooves 13 respectively.

The areas and dimensions of the cross sections can be different; in particular, the diameter of the circle circumscribed to the cross sections considered may be different.

In addition, the material chosen, generally a polymer, for different hairs can also be different. In particular, one can choose a more or less hard material. In the case of a bristle with a small cross-sectional area, a relatively hard material can be chosen because the bristle remains flexible due to its small cross-section; on the other hand, if the cross-sectional area is relatively large and if the material chosen is relatively hard, the hair risks losing the flexibility necessary in cosmetics to avoid any danger. A material which will soften when it is soaked in the product intended to be applied will then be chosen for such a bristle of relatively large section. It should be noted that for bristles with a relatively large cross-sectional area, which corresponds to a diameter of the circle circumscribed by the large section, a soft material cannot be used because it would be difficult to cut correctly. such bristles of large section made of soft material.

As an example of a material capable of softening in the product, mention may be made of polyamide 6 with which the hair is softened following a recovery in humidity when it is soaked in the mascara composition. If, for example, a mixture of cruciform or tetralobed hairs with a diameter of 0.17 mm is used, half of which is made of polyamide 6 (PA 6) and the other half made of polyamide 11 (PA 11), a brush which exhibits, after soaking in the product reservoir, hard bristles and flexible bristles whereas before the two types of bristles were of the same hardness.

It should also be noted that, depending on the shape of the section of the hair and according to its dimensions and its material, during cutting, the end 24 (FIG. 10) of the hair takes on a flat form, constituting a bead, which depends on the size and shape of the section, as well as the material. The more the end 24 is flattened, the more it is likely to entrain an eyelash and to curl it. Thus, with a mixture of bristles 8 a , 8 b of different cross-sectional shapes, more or less curved eyelashes will be obtained during makeup.

The use and operation of a brush according to the invention immediately result from the foregoing explanations.

When the brush is immersed in the tank 2 containing the product, the bristles 8 a , 8 b of this brush are loaded with product, which is distributed substantially uniformly along the entire length of the grooves 13 carried by the bristles.

The bristles of different cross-section shapes carry different charges of product throughout the brush and allow the lashes to be loaded differently over the length of the eye.

When the brush is removed from the reservoir 2, the brush is wrung out by the lip 6. In the case of a conventional brush whose bristles have identical circular sections, the wringing is uniform over all the bristles and , in practice, removes the product located on the bristles radially outside of a diameter substantially corresponding to that of the wiping lip; thus, in a conventional brush, only the region of the base of the bristles close to the core of the brush remains loaded with product when it is removed from the reservoir, while it is difficult, during makeup, to bring the eyelashes in contact with this area of hair due to the spiral effect.

With a brush according to the invention, the bristles of different cross-sectional shapes will be wrung out and loaded in a different way and the total load of the brush removed from the tank will be less concentrated around the core of this brush, and will depend on the dosages of the different bristles. There are different capillary charges of product in different places of the brush.

The make-up operation is carried out in a conventional manner, but due to the existence of the spaces 15 (FIG. 9) between the bristles 8 a , 8 b , the eyelashes 16 can penetrate these spaces and come to wipe the bristles 8 a , 8 b differently loaded, in particular at the level of their grooves. A new type of makeup is thus obtained.

In addition, due to the more or less flattened ends 24 (FIG. 10), due to the mixture of hairs, the eyelashes of the same eye will be more or less curled.

It is clear that the mixture of bristles 8 a , 8 b according to the invention can be provided on only part of the brush or over the entire length of the brush. In addition, this mixture can be different in different areas of the brush to compensate for the different efficiency of the spin on a frusto-conical brush where the diameter varies between the two ends of the brush, as visible in FIG. 1.

Of course, the number of different section shapes can be more than two.

Depending on the shape of the cross sections chosen for the bristles, it is possible to create brushes which are loaded with a determined quantity of product more or less large, in order to obtain, for example, brushes with strong make-up, or brushes with discreet make-up.

Claims (8)

1. Brush for applying a makeup product, in particular for applying mascara to the eyelashes or a dye to the hair, comprising a multitude of bristles trapped in the turns of at least two branches of a helically twisted wire, which form the core of the brush, characterized in that, on at least part of the brush, there are provided bristles (8 a , 8 b ) provided, on the surface, with least one flute (13) extending substantially from the base to the top, and whose cross sections have different shapes, at least two types, such that the bristles (8 a, 8 b), having shapes of different section, deviate differently from the mean plane (14) of the turn and that a space (15) exists between these hairs to allow the penetration of the eyelashes or the hair, the hairs of different shapes of section causing different product loads along the brush. 2. Brush according to claim 1, characterized in that the brush is provided over its entire length of bristles (8 a , 8 b ) whose cross sections have different shapes. 3. Brush according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bristles (8 a , 8 b ) of different cross-section shapes are made of different materials. 4. Brush according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shapes of the different sections, at least two in number, are chosen from the set of the following shapes: trilobed, tetralobed, pentalobed, in C, in I, in H, or in oval section provided with a groove towards each of the ends of the minor axis of the section. 5. Brush according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cross-sectional areas of different shapes are themselves different. 6. Brush according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bristles whose cross section has a larger area are made of a material capable of softening when it is dipped in the product intended to be spread by the brush. 7. Brush according to claim 6, characterized in that the material capable of softening when it is soaked in the product consists of polyamide 6. 8. Make-up product reservoir characterized in that it is equipped with a brush according to any one of the preceding claims.

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