Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45D—HAIRDRESSING OR SHAVING EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT FOR COSMETICS OR COSMETIC TREATMENTS, e.g. FOR MANICURING OR PEDICURING
  • A45D34/00—Containers or accessories specially adapted for handling liquid toiletry or cosmetic substances, e.g. perfumes
  • A45D34/04—Appliances specially adapted for applying liquid, e.g. using roller or ball
  • A45D34/042—Appliances specially adapted for applying liquid, e.g. using roller or ball using a brush or the like
  • A45D34/045—Appliances specially adapted for applying liquid, e.g. using roller or ball using a brush or the like connected to the cap of the container
  • A45D34/046—Appliances specially adapted for applying liquid, e.g. using roller or ball using a brush or the like connected to the cap of the container comprising a wiper
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45D—HAIRDRESSING OR SHAVING EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT FOR COSMETICS OR COSMETIC TREATMENTS, e.g. FOR MANICURING OR PEDICURING
  • A45D2200/00—Details not otherwise provided for in A45D
  • A45D2200/10—Details of applicators
  • A45D2200/1009—Applicators comprising a pad, tissue, sponge, or the like
  • A45D2200/1018—Applicators comprising a pad, tissue, sponge, or the like comprising a pad, i.e. a cushion-like mass of soft material, with or without gripping means

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an applicator assembly for a liquid or pasty product such as a cosmetic product; it relates more particularly but not exclusively to products of the "eye liner" or "mascara” type.
• Such an applicator assembly is known in particular from French Patent No. 2 603 780 in which is described a bottle comprising a neck, the opening of which narrows towards the bottom of the bottle to lead to a passage, in which the end d '' an applicator brush penetrates to be impregnated with cosmetic product.
• a bottle comprising a neck, the opening of which narrows towards the bottom of the bottle to lead to a passage, in which the end d '' an applicator brush penetrates to be impregnated with cosmetic product.
• an "eye liner" type tip therefore very fine, the passage has a very small diameter, in which a capillary effect is produced sufficient for the bottle not to leak, even when it is put upside down.
• the applicator necessarily has a larger diameter and it follows that the diameter of the passage is at least of the order of 2 to 3.5 mm; in this case, the bottle leaks if it is put upside down, because there is no more capillary effect.
• the object of the present invention is to eliminate this drawback.
• US-A-3,951,157 had already proposed, in a similar assembly, to install an applicator element in a slot case, but these non-capillary slots cooperated with a powdery product and could not have prevented the flow of a liquid product.
• FR-A-1 517 002 relates to a bottle for nail varnish comprising a tubular container receiving the applicator, this tubular container communicating with the interior of the bottle by a filling hole which is not a capillary orifice.
• FR-A-1 076 477 relates to a deformable sealing joint more particularly intended for products based on very volatile solvents, for example nail varnish, and does not involve a capillary orifice.
• the present invention therefore relates to an applicator assembly for a liquid or pasty product, such as a cosmetic product, comprising a bottle, which defines a reservoir for the product and which is provided with a neck, and a removable cap capable of closing.
• the cap internally carrying a rod at the end of which is fixed an applicator element so that, for the closed position of the cap, the applicator element penetrates into the bottle and is impregnated with the product, a shoulder being carried by the cap and intended, in the closed position of the cap, to bear on a seat secured to the bottle, said bottle containing a case, the internal recess of which is adapted to the external shape of the applicator element, said case being arranged so that, in the closed position of the cap, the applicator element is housed therein, characterized in that the shoulder is a shoulder only annular formed on the rod, said seat being of corresponding shape and comprising a central orifice allowing the passage of said applicator element from one side to the other of the seat, said seat being linked to said case, said case comprising in its wall at least a capillary opening allowing the product to impregnate the applicator element but preventing the flow of the product, from the reservoir where it is located towards the outside.
• the positioning of the applicator element no longer conditions, as was the case in French patent 2 603 780, the leakage flow of the product, since the product must pass through the capillary openings of the case; the applicator element no longer bathes directly in the product contained in the bottle, which, moreover, avoids pollution of the reservoir by the applicator element, but it permeates the product in a sort of mini auxiliary reservoir constituted by the 'case, which case is supplied with product by a capillary passage which is specific to it and which is independent of the presence of the applicator element.
• the stem of the cap of the applicator assembly comprises an annular snap-in element located between the shoulder and the cap, facing a corresponding snap-fitting element arranged in the bottle, the snap-fastening of one of the annular elements on the other ensuring the maintenance of the cap on the bottle in the closed position with establishment of pressure between the shoulder of the rod and the sealing seat.
• the neck and the cap of the applicator assembly annularly have corresponding corrugated shapes so that a relative rotation of the cap relative to the bottle causes a progressive axial displacement of one relative to the other and sufficient to cause the release of the snap elements of the rod and of the bottle.
• a system of the type described, for example, in French patent 2,470,737 allows a gradual opening so that the separation of the cap from the neck takes place without sudden jerking, even if the snap-fastening is very hard to ensure energetic support of the shoulder of the rod on its sealing seat.
• the cross section of the capillary opening (s) of the case will be greater the more viscous the product; there are preferably provided capillary openings each having a cross section between 0.1 and 25 mm2; advantageously, the outer wall of the case is provided with at least one capillary groove terminating in a capillary opening, the groove being, for example, formed in an axial plane of the case. According to another possibility, the groove can be in annular form along a plane perpendicular to the axis of the case. The groove can in particular be delimited by two edges, which converge towards the capillary opening throughout the thickness of the wall of the case. These grooves facilitate the supply of product to the capillary openings and constitute reserves for the impregnation of the applicator element.
• the applicator element has a generally cylindrical shape
• the snap-fitting element arranged in the bottle to maintain the cap in the closed position, is formed on a spacer, which itself supports an end piece, one end of which forms the case, said end piece carrying an axial bore where the sealing seat is arranged.
• the sealing seat in the bottle is made of an elastic material.
• the spacer is made of elastic material, in particular so that the snap-fastening of the cap on the neck ensures a pressing force resiliently maintained from the shoulder of the rod on its seat.
• FIG. 1 shows, in axial section, an applicator assembly according to a first variant of the invention
• FIG. 2 shows, in detail, the corrugated opening system of the applicator of Figure 1;
• FIG. 3 shows, in axial section, an applicator assembly according to a second variant of the invention
• FIG. 4 shows, in perspective, the corrugated opening system of this second variant
• FIG. 5 shows in detail a variant of the tip of the applicator assembly of FIG. 3.
• FIG. 6 shows the modification of a detail of Figure 1.
• an applicator assembly 1 in the closed position comprising a bottle 3 provided with a neck 4 and a cap 5 to close the neck.
• the bottle 3 constitutes a reservoir for the product 2, for example a mascara, which it is desired to distribute with said applicator assembly.
• the cap carries, integral with it, a rod 7 at the end of which is fixed an applicator element 6 which, in the case of FIG. 1, is a brush provided with very tight bristles; but it could just as easily be a felt, a feather, or a foam, flocked or not, or any other element suitable for the application of the product 2; the form shown is substantially cylindrical but a slightly tapered applicator element pointing down could be used.
• an applicator element 6 which, in the case of FIG. 1, is a brush provided with very tight bristles; but it could just as easily be a felt, a feather, or a foam, flocked or not, or any other element suitable for the application of the product 2; the form shown is substantially cylindrical but a slightly tapered applicator element pointing down could be used.
• the applicator element 6 is housed in a case 10 integral with the bottle 3; the internal shape of the case 10 is adapted to the external shape of the applicator element 6 so that the latter is impregnated with the product 2, which product enters the case through at least one capillary opening; two variants of capillary openings are shown, namely:
• FIG. 1 A rectangular opening 12 connected to a groove 13 arranged longitudinally on the outer surface of the case 10, the groove 13 having, in an axial plane of the case 10, a triangular shape whose apex is occupied by the opening 12
• the representation of the two types of opening in the same FIG. 1 being intended only to illustrate two possible embodiments of the openings.
• a capillary reserve of product ready to impregnate the applicator element 6; the groove 13 makes it easier to access the product at the opening 12 and to constitute a supply reserve.
• a ball 40 can be placed in the reservoir of the bottle 3.
• the applicator assembly is already relatively sealed both in the open position and in the closed position; it is however preferable to provide it with a sealing system acting in the closed position such as that shown and produced by the cooperation of a frustoconical annular shoulder 8 arranged on the rod 7 with a frustoconical seat 9 of corresponding shape arranged on a spacer 30 inserted in the bottle.
• the case 10 constitutes one of the ends of a nozzle 14, which is mechanically retained by its other end on the spacer 30.
• the bearing force necessary for this sealing system is obtained by a snap-on bead 15 provided on the rod 7 to rest on a shoulder 17 arranged in the neck of the bottle 3.
• a throttle 50 is provided, which allows said brush to be wrung when the user is going to use it by removing it from the bottle 3; thus a possible excess of product 2 is removed because the diameter of the orifice 50 is slightly less than the outside diameter of the brush 6.
• the desired flexibility is achieved by means of the end piece 14 which constitutes, on the one hand, the sealing seat 9 and, on the other hand, the case 10 but this is not an obligation; this unique piece is made of an elastic material.
• the elastic material capable of providing the desired flexibility, can be, for example, a natural rubber, a polyurethane, a thermoplastic elastomer, a nitrile or silicone rubber, or even a polyethylene.
• Figure 2 shows the ripple opening system.
• the corrugations interpenetrate like gears; for opening, by giving the cap 5 a rotational movement, as if it were screwed, the sliding of the corrugations one on the other causes an axial displacement of the cap 5 relative to the bottle 3, since the force resulting of the torque exerted in the rotary direction decomposes, by reaction, into two components, one of which is axial and causes the cap 5 and its associated applicator element 6 to rise.
• Figure 3 is a variant quite similar to that of Figure 1; similar elements have the same references incremented by 300.
• the bottle 303 is provided with a neck 304; the cap 305 is provided with an applicator element 306 carried by a rod 307.
• a spacer 330 has been put in place, the upper edge of which is hung on the free edge of the neck and the lower part of which supports a nozzle. 314, the lower part of said end piece constituting a case 310 where the applicator element 306 is housed.
• the applicator element 306 is made of foam and has a slightly conical shape; this is why the case 310 also has an internal surface 325 which is slightly conical in order to obtain a good impregnation with the product 302.
• the product 302 enters the case 310 by two capillary openings 311, 312, which are shown here at the same with a circular section.
• the rod 307 has a frustoconical bearing 308, which comes to bear on a frustoconical seat 309 arranged so that the assembly constitutes a sealing system similar to that of FIG. 1 under the references 8 and 9.
• the seat 309 is formed in the axial bore of the end piece 314.
• the element of snap-fastening is achieved by the cooperation of a shoulder 317 of the spacer 330 with a shoulder 315 of the rod 307.
• the spacer 330 is much more elongated and less thick than that of Figure 1, it is made of elastic material; on snap-fastening, the rod 307 is pushed elastically towards the frustoconical seat 309, which ensures good sealing by the support (seat 309 / bearing 308).
• the bottle opening system comprises annular corrugations 316 made on the neck 304 and the cap 305; these corrugations are nested one inside the other as for the embodiment of FIG. 1 but they are here produced externally, on the surface of the bottle 303, so that the corrugations 316 are visible from the outside. In FIG. 4, this external visibility is well shown thanks to a perspective view.
• the mode of action of the corrugations 316 is exactly the same as in the case of FIGS. 1 and 2.
• FIG. 5 shows, in axial section, a tip 514 suitable for a slightly conical applicator element (not shown).
• the case 510 comprises in this example four capillary openings 512, (three of which are visible in FIG. 5) of rectangular section, to which four grooves 513 lead, to bring the product to the impregnation zone.
• the internal shape 525 of the case 510 has a conicity corresponding to that of the applicator element.
• the tapered seat which designates the seal by cooperation with a similar scope of the applicator element has been designated by 509.
• This tip 514 can be made of elastic material and it is intended to be implanted in a bottle in the same way as the tip 314 for the variant of FIG. 3.

Landscapes

• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Coating Apparatus (AREA)
• Cosmetics (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=9415312

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (35)

Family Cites Families (13)

• 1991
  • 1991-07-19 FR FR919109149A patent/FR2679113B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1992
  • 1992-07-15 DE DE69208849T patent/DE69208849T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1992-07-15 ES ES92916374T patent/ES2084370T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1992-07-15 JP JP50262393A patent/JP3503027B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1992-07-15 DE DE9218949U patent/DE9218949U1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1992-07-15 WO PCT/FR1992/000680 patent/WO1993001734A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 1992-07-15 EP EP92916374A patent/EP0549780B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1993
  • 1993-04-13 US US07988965 patent/US5324128B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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