EP2064968B1 - Brush for transferring fluid or paste-like media - Google Patents

Abstract

Brush comprises a reinforced structure (16) having longitudinal ribs (17) running in the longitudinal direction of a rod-shaped support (11). Longitudinal slots (18) are formed between the ribs with fingers (14) penetrating the slots. The fingers are supported on opposing sides in the base region by the ribs. Preferred Features: The rod-shaped support and the fingers are made from a first soft plastic material and the ribs are made from a second harder material.

Description

The invention relates to a brush for the transfer of liquid or pasty media, in particular of decorative cosmetics such as mascara, with a plastic carrier rod-shaped carrier having on its outer side a plurality of plastic, radially outwardly projecting, spaced fingers , And with a stiffening structure, which is arranged in the area of the spaces between the fingers.

A brush of the type mentioned is for example from the DE 101 30 863 A1 (there. Fig. 9 ) known and used in many different applications. Below is an example of the order of mascara, so-called mascara are assumed, but the invention is not limited thereto and a brush can also for applying other cosmetics or in the pharmaceutical-medical field as an applicator for medical products, as a smear brush or as Cleaning brush are used. In addition, one can appropriate brush serve to apply adhesives, paints or shoe care products.

A brush of said construction has a rod-shaped carrier, which may be straight or unidirectionally curved. The carrier has a trim of a plurality of radially outwardly projecting fingers, wherein each finger is integrally formed on its lower foot portion of the carrier. The fingers may have any shape and are preferably configured in the form of a circular cone or a circular truncated cone, i. they rejuvenate towards their outer free end. Away from the finger trim, the wearer has a handle portion or he can be attached to a corresponding handle portion on which a user can grasp the brush and hold it during handling.

Usually, the rod-shaped carrier and the fingers made of a relatively soft plastic, such as an elastomer. In order to increase the rigidity of the brush and in particular of the rod-shaped carrier, it is provided in the known brush, to surround the rod-shaped carrier with a tube made of a harder plastic, tubular sleeve having a plurality of radial through-holes, through each of which a finger extends through. A corresponding brush is made by first the stiffening sleeve is made, in which then the soft plastic is introduced under pressure. The plastic penetrates the sleeve at the through holes, thus forming outwardly projecting fingers. In this way, each finger is surrounded in its foot by the stiffening sleeve and supported on all sides.

When the brush is to apply a liquid or pasty medium, for example mascara, the mascara is in a storage container having an insertion opening through which the brush can be introduced into the storage container. The insertion opening is covered by a flexible, flap-like scraper, which is intended to strip an excessive amount of adherent mascara during withdrawal of the brush from the reservoir. After removing the brush from the reservoir, the brush is brought into contact with the eyelashes in combing motion in a known manner, wherein the mascara is transferred to the eyelashes and at the same time the eyelashes are also combed.

In order to achieve a good combing effect and to ensure sufficient transfer of the mascara to the eyelashes, the fingers of the brush must have sufficient flexural rigidity, i. they must not dodge excessively during the combing and application movement. However, the necessary bending stiffness of the fingers is so high that the extraction of the brush from the reservoir and the resulting stripping excess mascara is difficult. If the fingers are formed to solve this problem with a low bending stiffness, although the brush can be easily inserted into the reservoir and pulled out of this, but a good order of mascara on the eyelashes is no longer given because the fingers too light dodge.

For the application of the brush, it is advantageous if this at least in the area of the finger or bristle trim has increased resilience, ie when the brush at loads that occur perpendicular to its longitudinal extension, can deform sufficiently to allow adaptation of the brush shape to the contours of the surface when in contact with an irregularly curved surface, for example in the mouth of a patient. In a very rigid brush, as through the tubular stiffening sleeve according to the DE 101 30 863 A1 is given, a corresponding adjustment is not possible and there is also an improper handling increased accident and injury.

The invention has for its object to provide a brush of the type mentioned, which is adapted in terms of their flexural rigidity and in terms of flexural rigidity of the fingers to different handling operations.

This object is achieved by a brush with the features of claim 1. It is provided that the stiffening structure has a plurality of longitudinal ribs extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod-shaped carrier, wherein a longitudinal slot is formed between adjacent longitudinal ribs, and that the fingers penetrate at least one of the longitudinal slots and are supported in their foot region by the longitudinal ribs on two opposite sides.

The invention is based on the basic idea of forming the stiffening structure not in the form of a tubular sleeve but only in the form of a plurality of longitudinal ribs extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod-shaped carrier and thus of the brush. The longitudinal ribs have a substantially lower flexural rigidity than the closed tubular sleeve, so that the brush, in particular in Has increased range of their bristle or finger trim increased deformability for radial, ie perpendicular to their longitudinal extent acting loads. In this way, the brush conforms in shape to the surface with which the brush is brought into contact.

The longitudinal ribs have the further advantage that the fingers in their foot region are not completely surrounded by the stiffening structure, but that the longitudinal ribs only on two opposite sides, i. are supported by the longitudinal ribs on the transverse to the longitudinal direction of the brush and thus in the circumferential direction facing sides, while in the foot region of the fingers on the two sides pointing in the longitudinal direction of the brush sides is given no support. As a result, the fingers have lower stability and thus greater deformability for loads which extend in the longitudinal direction of the brush than for loads which are perpendicular thereto, ie. occur transversely to the longitudinal extent of the brush or in the circumferential direction. When the brush is pulled out of the reservoir of the mascara, the fingers are relatively strongly deformed in the longitudinal direction of the rod-shaped carrier since they have a lower flexural rigidity in this direction. Thus, the insertion of the brush into the reservoir and the withdrawal is made easier. When applying the mascara to the eyelashes, the fingers become perpendicular thereto, i. deformed in the circumferential direction of the rod-shaped carrier, wherein they have a higher bending stiffness for this load due to the support in their foot by the arranged there longitudinal ribs.

The fingers may be of any cross-sectional shape, but it is preferred that the fingers be closed to rejuvenate their free ends. The cross section of the fingers may be triangular, quadrangular or polygonal or even circular or elliptical. The tip of the fingers may be flattened or concave or convex. In addition, depending on the application, the fingers can be provided with grooves and / or ribs in order to improve the recording or dispensing behavior for the respective medium.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention it is provided that the rod-shaped carrier and the fingers, which are integrally connected to each other and preferably produced in a single injection molding process, consist of a soft 1st plastic material and the longitudinal ribs of a harder second plastic material. The soft first plastic material may be, for example, a thermoplastic, in particular a thermoplastic elastomer (PTE), for example based on urethane (PTU), or a silicone. The harder second plastic material may be a thermoplastic material, for example polypropylene (PP), polyoxymethylene (POM) or polyethylene (PE) or else a thermosetting plastic. Optionally, the second plastic material can also be replaced by another sprayable material, for example a sprayable metal.

The longitudinal ribs, which preferably extend in a straight line axially and thus parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brush, can be connected to each other in a further development of the invention at their rear, a handle portion of the brush end via an example annular base part. This embodiment is advantageous in terms of manufacturing technology. Starting from the base part, the longitudinal ribs in the longitudinal direction protrude the brush, ie except the rear base part no connection of the longitudinal ribs is provided with each other. Alternatively, however, it is also possible for the longitudinal ribs to be connected to one another at their front end facing away from the handle part of the brush via a holding part. In this case, the longitudinal ribs are connected together at their respective ends via the base part and the holding part, respectively. As an alternative to the front holding part or in addition to this, it can be provided that the longitudinal ribs are additionally connected to each other in their middle region via at least one preferably annular connecting part. On the arrangement and the number of connecting parts or on the configuration of the head-side holding part, the bending stiffness of the stiffening structure formed by the longitudinal ribs can be adjusted and adjusted according to the application areas of the brush.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention it is provided that the stiffening structure of four to eight and in particular of six parallel spaced, longitudinally extending longitudinal ribs is formed, which are preferably evenly distributed over the circumference of the brush, so that between the longitudinal ribs four to eight and preferably six equally spaced longitudinal slots are formed. In each of these longitudinal slots, a row of spaced-apart fingers is arranged, the row of fingers extending in the longitudinal direction of the brush and preferably parallel to its longitudinal axis. Each finger of a row of fingers is supported by the two laterally adjoining longitudinal ribs in the foot area.

In a possible embodiment of the invention it is provided that the longitudinal ribs are exposed on the outside of the rod-shaped carrier. Alternatively it can be provided that the longitudinal ribs are provided on the outside with a coating of the first plastic material of the rod-shaped carrier.

In a modification of the invention can be provided that the fingers penetrate only a single longitudinal slot and are arranged in a single, extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod-shaped carrier and thus the brush row, wherein the fingers are arranged within the row at a distance and in their foot in mentioned manner is supported on opposite sides by the stiffening structure.

A brush according to the invention is preferably produced by two-component injection molding. In a first method step, the reinforcing structure with the longitudinal ribs and possibly the base part and / or the head-side holding part or the at least one connecting part made of the harder second plastic material. In a subsequent second method step, the stiffening structure is filled on the inside to form the rod-shaped carrier with the soft first plastic material and at the same time the fingers penetrating the stiffening structure at the longitudinal slots are formed.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht einer erfin- dungsgemäßen Bürste,

Fig. 2

eine Seitenansicht der Bürste gemäß Figur 1,

Fig. 3

eine vergrößerte Darstellung des Schnitts III-III in Figur 2,

Fig. 4

eine perspektivische Ansicht der Verstei- fungsstruktur der Bürste vor Ausbildung der Finger,

Fig. 5

eine Seitenansicht der Versteifungsstruktur gemäß Figur 4,

Fig. 6

eine vergrößerte Darstellung des Schnitts VI-VI in Figur 5,

Fig. 7

einen Längsschnitt durch die Versteifungs- struktur im Bereich der Längsschlitze,

Fig. 8

einen Längsschnitt durch die Versteifungs- struktur im Bereich der Längsrippen,

Fig. 9

einen Längsschnitt durch die Bürste gemäß Figur 1 im Bereich der Längsschlitze,

Fig. 10

einen Längsschnitt durch die Bürste gemäß Figur 1 im Bereich der Längsrippen,

Fig. 11

eine perspektivische Ansicht einer abgewan- delten Ausgestaltung der Versteifungsstruk- tur gemäß Figur 4,

Fig. 12

eine Abwandlung der Versteifungsstruktur ge- mäß Figur 11,

Fig. 13

eine perspektivische Ansicht einer alterna- tiven Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Bürste,

Fig. 14

eine Seitenansicht der Bürste gemäß Figur 13 und

Fig. 15

eine vergrößerte Darstellung des Schnitts XV-XV in Figur 14.

Further details and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1

a perspective view of a brush according to the invention,

Fig. 2

a side view of the brush according to FIG. 1 .

Fig. 3

an enlarged view of the section III-III in FIG. 2 .

Fig. 4

3 is a perspective view of the stiffening structure of the brush before the formation of the fingers,

Fig. 5

a side view of the stiffening structure according to FIG. 4 .

Fig. 6

an enlarged view of the section VI-VI in FIG. 5 .

Fig. 7

a longitudinal section through the stiffening structure in the region of the longitudinal slots,

Fig. 8

a longitudinal section through the stiffening structure in the region of the longitudinal ribs,

Fig. 9

a longitudinal section through the brush according to FIG. 1 in the area of the longitudinal slots,

Fig. 10

a longitudinal section through the brush according to FIG. 1 in the area of the longitudinal ribs,

Fig. 11

a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the stiffening structure according to FIG FIG. 4 .

Fig. 12

a modification of the stiffening structure according to FIG. 11 .

Fig. 13

a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the inventive brush,

Fig. 14

a side view of the brush according to FIG. 13 and

Fig. 15

an enlarged view of the section XV-XV in FIG. 14 ,

The FIGS. 1 to 3 show a brush 10 according to the invention with a rod-shaped, straight support 11 (see FIG. 3 ) carrying on its outside a garnish 12 of a plurality of radially extending from the rod-shaped support 11 outwardly extending fingers 14, wherein the fingers 14 are evenly distributed over the circumference of the rod-shaped support 11. The inner rod-shaped carrier 11 and the fingers 14 are integrally connected to each other and consist of a soft 1st plastic material, in particular an elastomer. The rod-shaped carrier 11 is surrounded on the outside by a stiffening structure 16 which has a plurality of longitudinal ribs 17 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod-shaped carrier 11 and thus of the brush 10, which are aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brush 10 and the rod-shaped carrier 11. Between two adjacent longitudinal ribs 17, a longitudinal slot 18 is formed in each case. At the longitudinal slots 18, the fingers 14 penetrate the stiffening structure 16, wherein in each longitudinal slot 18 a single, extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod-shaped carrier 11 Row of spaced apart fingers 14 is arranged and wherein the fingers 14 are supported on opposite, pointing in the circumferential direction of the brush side in their foot region of the adjacent longitudinal ribs 17.

At the front end of the brush, a plug-like head part 22 is formed, which preferably consists of the soft 1st plastic material of the rod-shaped carrier 11 and the fingers 14.

The longitudinal ribs 17 are connected at their rear, the front head portion 22 opposite end via an annular base portion 19 with each other. The base part 19 can be connected to a grip part 13, on which a user can grasp the brush 10, or can be integrally connected to the grip part 13.

The stiffening structure 16 is without the rod-shaped support and without the fingers in the FIGS. 4 to 8 shown. In the illustrated embodiment, the handle portion 13 and the stiffening structure 16 are formed as a one-piece plastic part, wherein six are provided in the longitudinal direction of the brush extending longitudinal ribs 17 which are distributed uniformly over the circumference (see FIG. 6 ) and each form the longitudinal slots 18 between them. In the illustrated embodiment, the longitudinal ribs 17 are connected only at their rear, the handle portion 13 facing the end of the base member 19 with each other and collar of this to the front end of the brush freely.

The grip part 13 is preferably produced in a first method step by injection molding together with the stiffening structure 16. The one of the longitudinal ribs 17 in the interior defined space is then injected in a second process step with the soft 1st plastic material, wherein the first plastic material also penetrates the longitudinal slots 18 formed between the longitudinal ribs 17 to form the tapered fingers 14 to their free end. As in particular in FIG. 3 is shown, the longitudinal ribs 17 each support the finger 14 arranged between them in the foot area, but this support is provided only on the two arranged in the circumferential direction of the brush 10 sides, while the fingers 14 in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal slot 18 have no corresponding support as it looks like FIG. 2 is apparent. In this way, the fingers 14 on the one hand in the longitudinal direction of the brush 10 and on the other hand in the circumferential direction of the brush 10 different bending stiffness, wherein the flexural rigidity in the circumferential direction of the brush 10 is increased due to the lateral support by the longitudinal ribs 17.

The FIGS. 11 and 12 show further developments of the stiffening structure 16 according to FIG. 4 , While in the embodiment according to FIG. 4 the longitudinal ribs 17 are connected to each other only at their rear, the handle portion 13 facing the end of the base member 19 is according to FIG. 11 also formed at the front, free end of the longitudinal ribs 17, an annular holding part 20, so that the longitudinal ribs 17 are connected at their two ends in each case.

FIG. 12 shows a development of the stiffening structure 16 according to FIG. 11 , wherein in addition to the front annular support member 20 in the middle region of the longitudinal ribs 17, a connecting part 21 is formed, in which it is either a ring or individual, adjacent Guide ribs 17 interconnecting webs can act.

How the particular FIGS. 2 and 3 show, the fingers 14 are arranged on the rod-shaped support 11 so that a plurality of finger rings K1, K2, K3 .... are formed, which are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the carrier 11 and thus the brush 10 with the same distance. Each finger ring includes, for example, six fingers 14 (see FIG. 3 ), each lying in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the carrier 11 extending plane and are evenly distributed over the circumference of the carrier 11 at the same angular distance. The number of finger rings, the number of fingers per finger wreath and the arrangement of the fingers and finger rings are different depending on the application and adjusted accordingly.

The FIGS. 13 to 15 Here, a plurality of longitudinal slots 18 are provided in the stiffening structure 16 in the above-mentioned manner, of which, however, only a single longitudinal slot 18 is penetrated by a single row 15 of spaced-apart fingers 14. The row 15 extends axially parallel in the longitudinal direction of the brush 10. As already explained, each finger 14 is supported by the stiffening structure 16 in its foot region on two opposite sides (see FIG. 15 ), while on the two other, in the longitudinal direction of the brush 10 facing sides no corresponding support is provided, whereby different bending stiffness of the fingers in the longitudinal direction of the brush and are achieved perpendicular thereto.

Claims (13)

1. Brush for the transfer of liquid or pasty media, particularly decorative cosmetics such as mascara, with a rod-shaped support (11) consisting of plastic, which support, on its outer side, has a multiplicity of fingers (14) which consist of plastic, project radially outwards and are arranged mutually equidistantly, and with a stiffening structure (16) which is arranged in the region of the intervals between the fingers (14), characterised in that the stiffening structure (16) has a plurality of longitudinal ribs (17) running in the longitudinal direction of the rod-shaped support (11), wherein a longitudinal slot (18) is formed between each of the adjacent longitudinal ribs (17), and in that the fingers (14) penetrate at least one of the longitudinal slots (18) and are supported on two opposing sides by the longitudinal ribs (17) in their foot region.
2. The brush according to Claim 1, characterised in that the rod-shaped support (11) and the fingers (14) consist of a soft 1^st plastic material and the longitudinal ribs (17) consist of a comparatively harder 2^nd plastic material.
3. The brush according to Claim 2, characterised in that the soft 1^st plastic material is a thermoplastic, in particular a thermoplastic elastomer or a silicone.
4. The brush according to Claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the harder 2^nd plastic material is a thermoplastic, in particular polypropylene, polyoxymethylene or polyethylene, or a duroplastic.
5. The brush according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the longitudinal ribs (17) are connected to each other on a base section (19) at their rear end facing towards a gripping section (13) of the brush (10).
6. The brush according to Claim 5, characterised in that the longitudinal ribs (17) project from the base section (19) in the longitudinal direction.
7. The brush according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the longitudinal ribs (17) are connected to each other on a holding section (20) at their front end facing away from a gripping section (13) of the brush (10).
8. The brush according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the longitudinal ribs (17) are connected to each other in their central section by means of at least one connecting section (21).
9. The brush according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the stiffening structure (16) has four to eight longitudinal ribs (17) arranged in parallel at a distance and running in the longitudinal direction.
10. The brush according to Claim 9, characterised in that the stiffening structure (16) has six longitudinal ribs (17) arranged in parallel at a distance and running in the longitudinal direction.
11. The brush according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the longitudinal ribs (17) lie uncovered on the outer surface of the rod-shaped support (11).
12. The brush according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the longitudinal ribs (17) are provided on the outside with a coating (23) of the 1^st plastic material of the rod-shaped support (11).
13. The brush according to any one of Claims 1 to 12, characterised in that the fingers (14) only penetrate one single longitudinal slot (18) and are arranged in a single row running in the longitudinal direction of the rod-shaped support (11).

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