EP3457887B1

EP3457887B1 - Dual fan brush for nails

Info

Publication number: EP3457887B1
Application number: EP16843273.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Abramo SPIZZI; Maria Paola SPIZZI
Original assignee: SGA SNC Dei FLli Spizzi Maria Paola E Abramo & C
Current assignee: SGA SNC Dei FLli Spizzi Maria Paola E Abramo & C
Priority date: 2016-05-17
Filing date: 2016-12-16
Publication date: 2020-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 2036-12-16
Also published as: ITUA20163514A1; PL3457887T3; EP3457887A1; WO2017199269A1

Description

Field of application of the invention

The present invention is applied to the field of cosmetics, and namely to the field of devices which can be used to apply a liquid or semi-liquid cosmetic substance to a part of a human body.
In particular, such cosmetic devices of the aforesaid type, to which the present invention relates, include "brushes for nails", i.e. brushes by means of which a reasonable amount of said substance (e.g. nail polish) may be applied on a nail. Brushes for nails differ from other brushes which can be used in the cosmetic field due to size of the profile consisting of the free end of the hairs. Indeed, said profile should be sufficiently small so as to allow the application of a cosmetic substance on a nail so that said substance does not go beyond the edges of the ungual lamina.
Brushes for nails comprise a generally rectilinear handle connected at a first end to a closure cap of a receptacle containing a liquid or semi-liquid cosmetic substance to be applied to nails. The handle is also connected, at a second end opposite to the first end, to a hair bunch which can be immersed into the cosmetic substance in order to take a reasonable amount thereof from the receptacle and then apply it on the nail to be treated. According to the shape of the hair bunch, brushes for nails may be "round" (if the hair bunch is almost cylindrical in shape), "flat" (if the hair bunch is almost prismatic in shape with a rectangular or elliptical section) or "fan-like" (if the hair bunch is almost frustoconical in shape with an elliptical section or truncated pyramidal in shape with a rectangular section, i.e. if the hairs diverge from the handle so as to take a configuration the shape of which recalls that of a fan). Fan brushes are usually preferred to round brushes and flat brushes, since they allow the cosmetic substance to be applied on a nail in a uniform manner and with increased accuracy as compared to other types of brushes.
The present invention relates to a brush for nails of the "fan-like" type. In the description below, for convenience of disclosure, the term "brush" refers to a brush for nails.

Overview of the prior art

As mentioned above, a brush for nails usually comprises a cap by means of which a receptacle containing a cosmetic substance which can be applied by means of the brush, may be closed. In order to apply said cosmetic substance on a nail, firstly the handle of the brush needs to be inserted into the receptacle so as to at least partially immerse the hair bunch into the cosmetic substance. Due to the surface tension and viscosity of current cosmetic substances, a part of the cosmetic substance contained in the receptacle adheres to the hairs of the brush. This ensures that, by extracting the brush from the receptacle, the hairs drag a reasonable amount of cosmetic substance therewith. The cosmetic substance may then be spread over the nail to be treated.
However, the amount of cosmetic substance taken by the hair bunch by immersing the brush into the receptacle may not be sufficient to cover the entire ungual lamina or to deposit a layer of cosmetic substance of desired thickness thereon. In these cases, there is a need to immerse the brush into the receptacle repeatedly and to apply the cosmetic substance on the nail several times. This causes the drying of the cosmetic substance to start at various times at different areas of the ungual lamina. However, an uneven drying may compromise the successful outcome of the cosmetic treatment, especially if the substance applied is of the quick drying type.
Brushes for nails comprising two bunches of bristles are known, see for example EP 1050235 A2 , DE 3708984 A1 , WO 2015/121879 A1 , WO 2012/156445 A1 , WO 2013/157764 A1 , US 2009/038094 A1 , FR 2564712 A1 , WO 2014/033764 .

Objects of the invention

It is the object of the present invention to overcome the aforesaid drawbacks by indicating a fan brush which allows an increased amount of cosmetic substance to be applied on a nail with each sweep, as compared to current fan brushes, the number of hairs being equal.

Summary of the invention

The subject of the present invention is a brush for nails, comprising:

a handle;
a plurality of hairs connected to the handle at an end thereof,

"longitudinal stretch" of a hair bunch means a stretch of the bunch extending in the same direction in which the handle of the brush extends;
"cross section" of a hair bunch means a section of the bunch arranged orthogonally to the direction in which the handle of the brush extends.

The cross section of the hair bunches at the aforesaid longitudinal stretch is preferably almost rectangular or elliptical. Given that said cross section is at least partially increasing from the handle of the brush, the hair bunches are preferably of the "fan-like" type.
With reference to a rectangular cross section, the aforesaid first direction is preferably arranged parallel to the long sides of the rectangle. Therefore, the aforesaid second direction is preferably arranged parallel to the short sides of the rectangle.
With reference to an elliptical cross section, the aforesaid first direction is preferably arranged parallel to the major axis of the ellipse. Therefore, the aforesaid second direction is preferably arranged parallel to the minor axis of the ellipse. Incidentally:

"size of the cross section" means the surface area enclosed by the delimiting edge of said cross section;
"extension of the cross section in said first direction" means the maximum distance between two points obtained by intersecting an axis arranged in said first direction and the delimiting edge of said cross section;
"extension of the cross section in said second direction" means the maximum distance between two points obtained by intersecting an axis arranged in said second direction and the delimiting edge of said cross section.

With reference to a rectangular cross section, the extension of the cross section in the aforesaid first direction corresponds to the length of the long sides of the rectangle, and the extension of the cross section in the aforesaid second direction corresponds to the length of the short sides of the rectangle.
With reference to an elliptical cross section, the extension of the cross section in the aforesaid first direction corresponds to the length of the major axis of the ellipse, and the extension of the cross section in the aforesaid second direction corresponds to the length of the minor axis of the ellipse.
Advantageously, due to the presence of two hair bunches, as compared to current fan brushes (having only one hair bunch), and the number of hairs being equal, the greater the side surface of the bunches which may come in contact with the cosmetic substance contained in the receptacle, the greater the amount of cosmetic substance which may be taken from the receptacle each time the brush is immersed therein.
Further innovative features of the present invention are described in the dependent claims.
In particular, according to one aspect of the invention, the hair bunches are separate from one another, i.e. the hairs of one bunch do not penetrate another bunch.
Advantageously, with respect to the case in which the hair bunches interpene-trate one another, if the hair bunches are not in contact, and the number of hairs being equal, the greater the side surface of the bunches which may come in contact with the cosmetic substance contained in the receptacle, the greater the amount of cosmetic substance which is dragged by the hair bunches when the brush is extracted from the receptacle.

Brief description of the drawings

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided below of an embodiment thereof and from the accompanying drawings merely given by way of a non-limiting example, in which:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of a brush for nails according to the present invention;
figure 2 shows a side plan view of the brush in figure 1;
figure 3 shows a side plan view of the brush in figure 1, rotated by 90° with respect to that in figure 2;
figure 4 shows a top plan view of the brush in figure 1.

Detailed description of some preferred embodiments of the invention

In the continuation of the present description, a figure may also be shown with reference to elements not expressly indicated in that figure but in other figures. The scale and proportions of the different elements depicted do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones.
Figures 1 to 4 show a brush 1 comprising a preferably rectilinear handle 2 having an elliptical cross section. Handle 2 is integrally connected, at a first end 3, to a closure cap 4 of a receptacle (not shown in the figures) containing a liquid or semi-liquid substance to be applied to nails. By way of example, said substance is a cosmetic or medicinal substance. Liquid or semi-liquid cosmetic substances applicable to nails include nail polishes.
Handle 2 is also connected to a plurality of hairs grouped into multiple bunches 6 (shown by way of example in two bunches) at a second end 5 opposite to the first end 3. The hairs can be immersed into said liquid or semi-liquid substance in order to take a reasonable amount thereof from said receptacle and then apply it on the nail to be treated.
Handle 2 comprises a cavity 7 for each of the bunches 6, which cavity is longitudinally made in handle 2 from end 5. The hairs are connected to handle 2 at the cavities 7. By way of example, the method for connecting the hairs to handle 2 is the same which is described in Patent Application PCT/IT2014/000061 assigned to the same Applicant. For increased clarity, said connection method is briefly summarized hereinbelow. Each hair is folded in half on itself, so as to take preferably a "V" configuration. The hairs thus folded are grouped into bunches 6 so that the vertices of the Vs of each bunch 6 are at a same end of the bunch, and the free ends of the Vs are at the opposite end. Each bunch 6 is astride a "U"-shaped bracket, i.e. the latter is inserted into bunch 6 so that each hair is arranged astride the bracket. The vertices of the Vs are at the base of the U and the concavity of the U is opposite to the concavities of the Vs. The bunches 6, together with the brackets and starting therefrom, are inserted into the cavities 7 at a portion 8 thereof, respectively. The arms of the brackets are longitudinally driven into handle 2 so as to push the vertices of the Vs against the bases of the cavities 7. This integrally connects the hairs of each bunch 6 to handle 2. The hairs are accommodated in the cavities 7 so that the Vs are arranged side by side or one inside the other, with the concavities facing the openings of the cavities 7 (i.e. upward in figures 2 and 3). The cavities 7 have a cross section such as to tighten the hairs against one another.
Each of the cavities 7 has an almost tapered shape from the end 5 of handle 2 toward cap 4. Each of the cavities 7 preferably has an almost straight, truncated pyramidal shape with a rectangular base, with the long sides of the rectangular base arranged parallel to the major axis of the ellipse of the cross section of handle 2. Even more preferably, the cavities 7 mirror one another, with each cavity 7 having two isosceles trapezoids as side walls at the long sides of the rectangular base. The axis of each truncated pyramid and said isosceles trapezoid-shaped side walls are preferably arranged longitudinally, i.e. in the same direction in which handle 2 extends.
In an alternative embodiment of brush 1 (not shown in the figures), the longitudinal cavities have an almost straight, frustoconical shape with an elliptical base, with the major axis of the elliptical base arranged parallel to the major axis of the ellipse of the cross section of handle 2. The longitudinal cavities also preferably mirror one another in said alternative embodiment, with the axis of each truncated cone arranged longitudinally.
The hairs of brush 1 have such a rigidity that the hairs at the portions 9 of the bunches 6 outside handle 2 remain almost rectilinear, regardless of the spatial orientation of brush 1. Since the hairs are pressed against one another at the portions 8 of the bunches 6 inside the cavities 7, the shape of the latter determine the shape of the bunches 6. In particular, since each cavity 7 is tapered from the end 5 of handle 2 toward cap 4, the portion 9 of each bunch 6 protruding from handle 2 has a cross section of increasing size from end 5. The size of the cross section of each bunch 6 preferably increases only at an initial stretch 10 of the external portion 9 from end 5. Even more preferably, in the remaining end stretch 11 of portion 9, the size of the cross section decreases so that each bunch 6 takes an almost drop-shaped appearance (clearly shown in figure 2), with the drop tip inserted into cavity 7.
Preferably, the bunches 6 are of the fan-like type. In particular, the cross section of each bunch 6, at the inner portion 8 and at the initial stretch 10 of the outer portion 9, has an extension in a first direction d1 which is longer than the extension of the cross section in a second direction d2 which is orthogonal to said first direction. Since the cavities 7 preferably have a straight, truncated pyramidal shape with a rectangular base, the bunches 6 also have a preferably almost straight, truncated pyramidal shape with a rectangular base. Incidentally, direction d1 is parallel to the long sides of the rectangle base and direction d2 is parallel to the short sides of the aforesaid base.
Even more preferably, since the cavities 7 mirror one another, the bunches 6 also mirror one another, with each bunch 6 having, with reference to portion 8 and to the stretch 10 of portion 9, two isosceles trapezoids as side walls at the long sides of the rectangular base. The axis of each truncated pyramid and said isosceles trapezoid-shaped side walls are preferably arranged longitudinally, i.e. in the same direction in which handle 2 extends.
With reference to the alternative embodiment mentioned above, if the longitudinal cavities have an almost straight, frustoconical shape with an elliptical base, the bunches 6 also have an almost straight, frustoconical shape with an elliptical base, with direction d1 parallel to the major axis of the elliptical base and direction d2 parallel to the minor axis of the aforesaid base.
With reference to figures 3 and 4, it may also be apparent that the hair bunches 6 are not in contact with one another, i.e. the hairs of one bunch do not penetrate the other bunch. Even more preferably, the minimum distance d3 between one hair of one bunch and one hair of the other bunch is not less than 0.5 mm. By schematizing a hair with a line, "minimum distance between two hairs" means the minimum distance between two points obtained by intersecting said hairs with a line arranged orthogonally to the direction in which handle 2 extends. Incidentally, since the bunches 6 preferably mirror one another, distance d3 corresponds to the distance between the bunches 6. A distance d3 of not less than 0.5 mm maximizes the amount of substance which adheres to the bunches 6 with an immersion of brush 1 into the receptacle containing said substance.
Handle 2 and cap 4 are preferably made of a polymeric material, and even more preferably of low density polyethylene (LDPE) or high density polyethylene (HDPE). The hairs 7 are preferably made of nylon, and even more preferably of Tynex®.
In the claimed embodiment of brush 1 (not shown in the figures), the hairs of one bunch 6 are different in material and/or thickness from the hairs of the other bunch 6. Thereby, the brush of the invention may advantageously be used by brushing first one bunch 6 on the nail, then the other bunch, or by selecting bunch 6 to be used according to the features of the substance to be applied.
On the basis of the description provided for a preferred embodiment, it is obvious that some changes can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

A brush (1) for nails, comprising:
• a handle (2);

• a plurality of hairs connected to said handle (2) at an end (5) thereof;
said hairs being grouped into two bunches (6), each of which has a cross section increasing in size from said end (5) over at least one longitudinal stretch (10) of said bunch (6), which is external to said handle (2),
said cross section having, at least at said longitudinal stretch (10), an extension in a first direction (d1) which is greater than the extension of said section in a second direction (d2) which is orthogonal to said first direction.
said brush (1) being characterized in that the hairs of one of said bunches (6) differ from the hairs of the other bunch (6) in material and/or thickness.
A brush (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, when said brush (1) is not used, the hairs of one of said bunches (6) do not penetrate the other bunch (6) over the whole longitudinal stretch (10).
A brush (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that, over the whole longitudinal stretch (10), the minimum distance (d3) between one hair of one of said bunches (6) and one hair of the other bunch (6) is not less than 0.5 mm.
A brush (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that one of said hair bunches (6) mirrors the other hair bunch (6).
A brush (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said hair bunches (6), at least at said longitudinal stretch (10), have an at least partially truncated pyramidal shape with a rectangular base.
A brush (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said hair bunches (6), at least at said longitudinal stretch (10), have an at least partially frustoconical shape with an elliptical base.