EP0951224B1 - Hot melt depilatory wax dispenser - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

The present invention relates to a depilatory wax dispenser melt.

PRIOR ART

We know of waxing devices in which the wax is melted then spread on the skin, and after solidification removed, which makes it possible to tear off the hairs embedded in the hardened wax layer. According to a type of device of this kind, the wax is melted in a tank, then spread on the skin with a roller applicator disposed in an opening placed at the outlet of the wax tank, a calibrated space being provided between this opening and the roller. It is trained by applying it against the skin and moving the device, thus forming a wax layer of thickness and width which is deposited on the skin.

Given the morphology of the body parts to be epilated, the shape generally cylindrical rollers used for the application of wax is not always suitable. This is particularly the case under the armpits where, account given the concavity of the surface on which the wax is to be applied, the edges of the cylindrical roller rub against the skin, affecting comfort and efficiency, the edges of the wax layer being more stressed in pressure, which decreases their thickness.

GB-363 744 has already proposed an adhesive applicator using a roller mounted to pivot in a rectangular opening. To allow rid this opening of the glue that has hardened due to the non-use of the applicator for a certain time, the applicator roller is produced in one elastically deformable material, so that by pressing on this roller its deformation makes it possible to break the film of hardened adhesive.

In US-2 029 056 and in EP 0 437 042, proposals have been made cosmetic applicators including generator rollers convex to apply these products on concave surfaces. On the other hand, these devices are not suitable for applying these products to surfaces more or less flat, so that you need several devices or one device with removable application head. This last solution has already been proposed, especially to adapt rolls of different widths, however this is an unsuitable solution, requiring the handling of heads stuck in wax.

There is another category of applicators described for example in US-2,229,707, US-2,888,695, US-1,919,859 and US-1,565,179, relating to applicators for glue or cosmetic products comprising either a housing flexible, either a flexible applicator roller holder or a nozzle flexible, to ensure either a closing or an opening of the product to be distributed, i.e. a variable flow, depending on the deformation applied to the flexible part.

In addition, FR-2 662 145 has proposed a product applicator liquid, viscous or pasty with an applicator including a cap having an outlet slot into which a tongue engages deformable which releases more or less product.

We have proposed, in FR-A1-2 740 665 a device for applying wax to depilating in which the wax application head is formed from several coaxial rollers of which at least one can be locked angularly, so that the width of the wax ribbon deposited is then reduced and corresponds to that of the only roller remaining free to rotate. However, this solution presents the disadvantage of leaving the angularly blocked roller in contact with the skin, creating an unpleasant friction. It is also quite obvious that a such application head does not solve the problem of applying wax on a concave surface, since if the strip of wax deposited is narrower, the width of the rollers, as well as their profile remain unchanged, so that the ends of these rollers forming a cylinder will come into contact alone with the concave surface.

It is easy to see that none of the aforementioned solutions offer a liquid or pasty product applicator allowing to adapt well to concave, flat, even convex surfaces.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to remedy, at least in part, the disadvantages mentioned above, by a simple solution as well from the point of view of manufacturing as of use, while being reliable and robust.

To this end, the invention relates to a dispenser of hot-melt depilatory wax comprising a housing forming a gripping means, inside which is provided a reservoir for the wax associated with heating means and a application device comprising a roller rotatably mounted on a shaft pivot whose ends extend through two walls opposite transverses of a rectangular opening at the outlet of said reservoir, the edge of this opening forming with the peripheral face from this roller a distribution slot for the molten wax consecutive to the rotation of this roller

According to the subject of the invention, the edge of said opening and the peripheral surface of the roll between which said slot is made of materials elastically deformable. This device includes movable means axially with respect to the axis of said pivot shaft to exercise simultaneously a force on the edge of the rectangular opening sparing said slot and on the surface of said roller, capable of deforming them jointly, so as to modify the profile of said slot.

Thanks to this arrangement, not only the surface of the roller can adapt to the morphology of the surface to be epilated, but the edge of the opening follows this deformation, otherwise the wax would not be able to come out over the entire length of this slit since the swelling of the roller would close it.

According to an advantageous embodiment, one of the transverse walls of said opening is fixed along said shaft, while the other is mobile, pivot means (for example a ball bearing) being interposed between each of these transverse faces and one of the ends of said roller, said axially displaceable means comprising a nut, adjacent to the face external of the movable transverse wall of said rectangular opening, in taken with a thread, to move this movable wall as well as the end adjacent to said roller in the direction of the opposite wall. The means of swivel allows the roller to rotate freely despite the pressure transmitted through the transverse walls of the opening on the end walls of the roller to deform its peripheral wall.

Preferably, the transverse walls of the opening, as well as the faces ends of the roll are substantially non-deformable with respect to to the longitudinal walls of this opening and to the peripheral face of said roller. This "rigidity" of the transverse walls of the opening and of the faces end of the roller allows efficient use of these faces to transmit uniformly the force of the axially displaceable means for deform the edges of the opening and the peripheral face of the roller.

Advantageously, the peripheral wall of said roller has the shape of a tubular element, the two ends of which are integral with rigid flanges. This peripheral wall of the roller formed by a tubular element elastically deformable between two rigid flanges facilitates the deformability of the roller. It can also allow, when the roller is not compressed axially by means axially displaceable to curve slightly at contact of a convex surface.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

• la figure 1 est une vue en coupe selon I-I de la figure 2 de ce mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue en coupe selon II-II de la figure 1,
• la figure 3 est une vue partielle en coupe, selon III-III de la figure 2, du dispositif d'application dans une première position,
• la figure 4 est une vue identique à la figure 3, de ce dispositif d'application dans une seconde position.

The invention will be better understood from the study of the embodiment taken on a non-limiting basis and illustrated diagrammatically in the appended figures in which:

• FIG. 1 is a sectional view along II of FIG. 2 of this embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 2 is a sectional view along II-II of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view, along line III-III of FIG. 2, of the application device in a first position,
• Figure 4 is a view identical to Figure 3, of the application device in a second position.

BEST WAY TO IMPLEMENT THE INVENTION

The wax distributor illustrated in the drawing has a housing 1, inside which is a reservoir 2 for receiving the depilatory wax. A body of electric heater 3 is fixed to one of the walls of this tank 2 inside which extends a heat diffusion fin 2a. An opening rectangular 4 is formed at the top of this tank 2 and is formed through a support piece 6 closing the upper end of the tank 2.

A wax applicator device is disposed in the opening 4 of this reservoir 2. This applicator device comprises a roller 5 whose peripheral face is formed of a tubular element 5a made of an elastically deformable material, closed at both ends by two flanges 5b, 5c, preferably rigid relative to the tubular element 5a. This roller 5 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 7 freely passing through the flanges 5b, 5c and the two ends of which are mounted through the two transverse walls 4a, 4b (Figure 3) of the opening rectangular 4. As can be seen in particular in FIGS. 1 and 3, a slot is provided on each side of the peripheral face of the roller 5. These slots are delimited by the edges 4c, 4d of the opening 4 and the peripheral wall of the roller 5, allowing the molten wax to come out of the reservoir 2 in the form of thin layer, following the rotation of the roller 5. The wax can come out by one or the other slot according to the direction of rotation of the roller 5.

The transverse walls 4a, 4b of the rectangular opening 4 formed through the support 6 are relatively rigid, while its longitudinal walls 4c, 4d are elastically deformable. This result can be obtained from different ways, for example, by molding the support 6 in a flexible material, such than a thermoplastic elastomer, and having a reinforcement in the mold relatively more rigid in the walls 4a, 4b. You can also use a bi-injection technique consisting of injecting two plastics one more flexible than the other to form the part of the support 6 which must be more rigid with a first material and the walls 4c, 4d in another material more flexible.

Two ball bearings 8, 9 are arranged respectively between the face transverse 4a of the opening 4 and the end face 5b of the roller 5 and between the transverse face 4b of the opening 4 and the end face 5c of the roller 5.

One end of the shaft 7 ends with a head 7a which bears against the external face of the transverse wall 4a, while the other end of this shaft 7 has a thread engaged with a nut 10 pressing against the face external of the transverse wall 4b of the opening 4. This nut 10 is integral in rotation of a control button 11. Therefore, by screwing the nut 10 the along the shaft 7 towards the other end ending with the head 7a, pressure is exerted on the face 4b and as the opposite face 4a is retained by the head 7a, the displacement of the nut 10 produces a deformation joint of the edges 4c, 4d of the opening 4 and of the peripheral wall of the roller 5, as illustrated in FIG. 4. This joint deformation allows so to keep a distribution slot of practically constant width between the peripheral face of the roller 5 and the opening 4.

Thanks to the presence of the bearings 8, 9 between the ends of the roller 5 and the transverse edges of the opening 4, the axial pressure exerted to deform this roller 5 has no influence on its rotation. Among the advantages of this device, we can also point out that the flexible material used for the roller 5 makes the contact with the skin softer and therefore more pleasant. In addition, according to a preferred embodiment, the peripheral wall of this roller 5 is produced at using a flexible tubular element 5a, allowing it to marry more closely the profile of the surface to which the wax is to be applied, when the peripheral surface of the roller 5 is not tensioned by the nut 10. Indeed, when the roller 5 is used in the unsolicited state, as illustrated by Figure 3, its peripheral surface can marry, to some extent, the profile of the surface on which the wax is to be deposited, for example, a slight convexity of this surface.

POSSIBILITIES OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

The invention finds its application in the field of hair removal devices wax and more particularly in that of consumer devices.

Claims (4)

1. Hot melt depilatory wax dispenser comprising a housing (1) forming a holding means, at the interior of which is arranged a reservoir (2) for the wax associated with heating means (3) and an applicator device comprising a roller (5) rotatably mounted on a pivot pin (7) whose ends extend through two opposed transverse walls (4a, 4b) of a rectangular opening (4) arranged at the outlet of said reservoir (2), the edge of this opening (4) creating with the peripheral face of this roller (5) a dispensing slot for the molten wax resulting from the rotation of this roller (5), characterized in that the edge of said opening (4) and the peripheral surface of the roller (5) between which said slot is arranged are of elastically deformable materials and in that it comprises means (10) which are axially displaceable with respect to the axis of said pivot pin (7) to simultaneously exert a force on the rectangular opening (4) creating said slot and on the surface of said roller (5) capable of deforming them jointly, in a manner to modify the profile of said slot.
2. Dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that one (4a) of the transverse walls (4a, 4b) of said opening (4) is fixed along said pin (7), while the other (4b) is movable, rotating means (8, 9) being interposed between each of these transverse faces (4a, 4b) and one of the extremities (5b, 5c) of said roller (5), said axially displaceable means (10) comprising a nut (10), adjacent to the external face of the moveable transverse wall (4b) of said rectangular opening (4), engaged with a thread, in order to displace said mobile wall (4b) as well as the adjacent extremity of said roller (5) in the direction of the fixed transverse wall (4a).
3. Dispenser according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said transverse walls (4a, 4b) of said opening (4) is well as the end faces (5b, 5c) of said roller (5) are substantially nondeformable with respect to the longitudinal walls (4c, 4d) of this opening (4) and to the peripheral face of said roller (5).
4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the peripheral wall of said roller (5) has the form of a tubular element (5a) of which the two ends are fixed to rigid discs (5b, 5c).

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