FI61794B - VAETSKEPAOFOERINGSANORDNING - Google Patents

Description

_-- ~ i Γη, κυulutusPUBLICATION.

^ UTLÄGG N I NGSSKRI FT 617 94 9β $ <· C F (43 ^ c; .t i ny'innc ll.y 11 10 1932

Patent rr.cddelat V V (51) Kv.ik? /Int.ci.3 A 45 D 34 / 04- FINLAND —FINLAND (21) Pi »nttih * k * mui - Pat * fiMniöknin {770 ^ + 13

(22) Hskemlspllvl - AnsOknlngsd.g 08.02. T T

^^ (23) AlkuptWi — Glltlgh.tsdag 08.02.77 (41) Become public - Bllvit offtntllg 12.08.77

National Board of Patents and Registration Nihtivik.lp.non j. date of publication. - 30.06 82

Patent · och regictentyrelsen '' Ansöksn utlagd och utl.skrlftsn publleend (32) (33) (31) Claim claimed — Begird priorltet 11.02.76 13.01.77 USA (US) 6573I + 5, 758981+ (71) Bristol-layers Company , 3 ^ 5 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022, USA (72) Walter G. Berghahn, Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Jack Weinstein, Old Bridge, New Jersey, USA (7I +) 0y Roister Ab (51+) Liquid spreader - Vätskep & föringsanordning

The invention relates to a liquid applicator for use in applying liquids to human skin, the applicator comprising a shaped applicator member, a container having a body for a liquid, a neck portion at one end and an opening at the top, a shoulder below the top of the opening extending inwardly from the neck wall to the opening, and formed to support a shaped applicator member removably attached to the aperture, which rests on the shoulder and is made of a rigid, non-deformable, sintered, porous plastic having a plurality of interconnected pores the size of which allows fluid to pass to collect the excess liquid that has passed through the pores and return it to the tank.

A large number of different liquid spreaders are already known. Of these, perhaps the most widely used is the so-called These are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent Nos. 2,749,566, 2,923,957, and 2,998,616, and are based on the fact that a ball rotating in a liquid in a bottle collects liquid on its surface when in contact with the contents of the bottle. and spread it on the area of the body where the ball is rolled.

Although these spreaders have achieved widespread use, they still have some drawbacks. The most important of these is that the liquid product tends to accumulate on the surface of the sphere and crystallize. This often results in nasty-looking deposits on the surface of the ball. In addition, the ball often gets stuck so that it does not rotate easily on the skin when moved.

It has also previously been proposed to use liquid dispensers comprising a container for holding the liquid to be dispensed inside and an actual applicator member located at the open end of the container, the applicator member comprising a deformable porous or microporous member. Generally, these porous members communicate with the liquid content of the container and allow the liquid to flow through their pores. However, these devices usually require mechanical or other compression of the applicator member to get the product out. Typical devices of this nature are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,179,972 and 3,482,920. The disadvantage of this type of device is that it is almost impossible to get liquid doses of the same size out of the container, since the amount of material fed from the container depends mainly on the compression pressure used. This pressure cannot be easily adjusted from one application to another.

The liquid applicator disclosed in DE-A-2 151 741 has a porous polymeric applicator device and a container part for retaining and collecting excess liquid in the applicator, but does not have a deaeration channel and a liquid flow restricting member as in the liquid applicator according to the present invention.

With this structure according to the DE application, it is not possible to achieve the same uniform and controlled velocity of liquid flow as with the liquid distributor according to the invention.

The liquid dispenser according to the invention is further characterized in that it further comprises an air outlet duct substantially vertically arranged in the shaped applicator member or neck for communication between the outside air and the container interior, and a flow restricting member for restricting liquid flow to the shaped applicator member.

The flow restricting member is preferably formed by a barrier with holes.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device according to the invention with the cap raised, Fig. 2 is an enlarged, partially sectional view of the top of the device of Fig. 1 including a screw cap; Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the top of the applicator showing the air vent member machined into the applicator member and a member for restricting fluid flow to the lower surface of the applicator member, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view removed from its place in the spreader.

Referring to the figures, in which the same parts denote the same parts in different figures, a liquid dispenser according to the invention is indicated by reference numeral 1 in Fig. 1. It comprises a container generally denoted by reference numeral 3 a spreader member 4 is mounted as described in more detail below. A threaded hood 9 is mounted on the neck 7 to be fixed as described below.

In the illustrated embodiment, the body of the container is hourglass-shaped. It is provided with a removable transparent sheath 2 which is releasable from below around the body part 5. However, it is obvious that the container body part 5 can have different shapes without departing from the invention.

The neck 7 is provided on its outer surface with a lower outer thread 11 and an upper sealing flange 13. The neck 7 is provided on its inner surface with a shoulder 15 intended to support the applicator member 4. The inner surface of the neck 7 extending upwards from the shoulder 15 is the largest approximately perpendicular to the shoulder 15 and then expands conically outwardly at 17. The expansion 17 serves to form a coil channel 19 when the applicator member 4 is fitted in place on the shoulder 15. The inner diameter of the neck 7 immediately above the shoulder 15 is dimensioned slightly smaller than the diameter of the hemispherical applicator member 4. In this way, the applicator member 4 can be detachably held in place on the neck 7 by means of a friction fit.

The lower part of the threaded dome 9 is provided with an internal thread 21 from the lower part of its inner surface, which is adapted to join the external thread 11 of the neck 7. The inner surface of the threaded dome 9 has a sealing surface 23 above the thread 21, which is arranged to form a tight closure. 13 top surface.

Figure 3 shows a vertical air hole 31 formed in the inner wall of the neck 7. More specifically, this is a narrow vertical channel extending from the bottom of the collecting channel 19 below the lower surface 32 of the applicator member 4. It connects the space 33 below the spreader member 4 to the outside air when the screw cap 9 and the cap 8 are removed.

A fluid flow restricting member 34 is arranged in the neck 7, which is a cylindrical cup with an annular wall 35 and a base 36. The fluid flow restricting member 34 is attached to the neck 7 by a friction fit or in some other suitable manner.

To allow a limited flow of liquid from the container to the underside of the applicator member 4, one or more openings are formed in the base 36. The structure of Figure 3 has a relatively large circular opening 37 located at the geometric center of the base 36 and a smaller circular opening 38 located near the circumference of the base 36.

The structure illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 of the invention is similar to that shown in Figure 3 except for the deaeration member. In this case, a vertical deaeration channel 40 is machined on the surface of the applicator member 4 ', as shown in Fig. 5. The spreader member 4 'is similar to the spreader member 4 in all other respects. The inner end 41 thus forms an opening leading to the space below the applicator member 4 ', which can communicate with the atmosphere when the screw cap 9 and the cap 8 are removed.

As mentioned above, the applicator member is denoted by reference numeral 4 or 4 'in various figures of the drawings. In the embodiments shown, the applicator members 4 and 4 'are hemispherical. This shape of the applicator member is particularly suitable for applying liquids to armpit cavities.

The materials used to make the applicator members 4 and 4 'according to the invention are very important aspects thereof. Thus, as mentioned above, the applicator is a shaped, rigid, non-deformable sintered porous plastic having a controlled porosity and having pores interconnected in all directions. They are formed as interconnected assemblies of plastic particles. In addition, they form a substantially uniform cohesive network structure extending from one surface of the shaped applicator member to another.

By using such materials to make the applicators 4 and 4 'of the present invention, a steady and controlled flow of liquids from the reservoir has been made possible. This avoids excessive wetting of the area of action of the levitating member. This controlled fluid flow is due to the fact that the passage of the liquid through the applicator member takes place largely by the capillary action of the pores in the materials. This capillary effect can be controlled by controlling the pore size.

The use of these substances in the construction of the applicator member 4 or 4 'also makes it possible to adapt the applicator member to the viscosity of the liquid to be dispensed from the container. By selecting the appropriate pore size for the viscosity of the liquid, the desired flow of product can be obtained.

A number of sintered plastic materials are known which can be used to make the applicator members 4 and 4 'of the present invention. These include the following sintered plastics: high density HD polyethylene, LD polyethylene, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, polypropylene and polyvinylidene fluorides (Fluoroplastics).

Many of these substances are available on the market under the trade name “Porex.” The table below shows these substances with some of their properties: 61794 6

Polymer Thermal expansion- Density 40% Medium pore size coefficient with cavities- micrometers _ per unit_ LD polyethylene 10 ... 20 x 1θ "3 0.56 g / cn3 70, 120 cm / cm / ° C up to 76 ° C HD polyethylene 11 ... 13 x 10 ^ 0.6 g / cm3 10, 35, 70, 120 cm / cm3 up to 93 ° C

Very large 13 x 10 5 0.58 g / cm 3 10, 20

molecular weight cm / cm ° C

poly- 93 ° C up to ethylene

Polypropylene 5, 10 x 10 3 0.54 g / cm 3 125, 250, 300, 500 cm / cm ° C up to 121 ° C

Fluoroplastic 5 x 10 3 1.05 g / cm 3 25, 35, 49

(PVF 2) cm / cm ° C

(polyvinyl- up to 149 ° C deen fluoride)

Similar substances are also disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,055,297 and 3,778,495.

The pore size of the applicator members 4 and 4 'may vary somewhat depending on the liquid used. In general, the more viscous the product, the larger the particle size. However, in the most common cases of use, this is generally about 10 to 500 micrometers and preferably about 20 to 200 micrometers. In solutions, the particle size is preferably on the order of about 25 to 35 micrometers, while in solutions it is about 150 to 200 micrometers.

U.S. Patent 3,403,961 (Gazzani) discloses a liquid and coil device comprising a pad made of a porous, resiliently deformable material which is to act as a applicator member. More irrelevantly and very vaguely and vaguely expressed, the patent also suggests that the applicator member may be "porous and rigid in nature". To further illustrate this, the patent also discloses that the applicator may be "a dome of a porous substance made porous by numerous small holes in the substance". Such a substance, which is the case here, is not specified and is very vague. However, it is clear that the patent publication does not mention anything about the use of sintered porous plastics used in this invention.

7 61794

Any of many possible materials can be used to make the container 3 and the screw cap 9 of the present invention. They are usually made of a flexible plastic such as polyethylene or polypropylene.

In use, the container is filled with liquid, after which the applicator member 4 or 4 'is pushed into place on the shoulder 15. As mentioned above, the diameter of the hemispherical applicator member 4 or 4 'is made slightly larger than the inner diameter of the neck 7 just above the shoulder 15. To apply the liquid, the container is inverted. In this position, the liquid penetrates the applicator member 4 or 4 'by the action of this pore capillary action and flows through it at a constant and controlled rate. It reaches the opposite surface relatively quickly and is applied to the part of the skin in contact with the applicator member 4 or 4 '.

After use, turn the container upside down and place it in its storage location. Usually the liquid flows through the pores back into the tank. However, if excess liquid remains on the surface of the applicator member, it will run down and collect in the collection channel 19.

This prevents excess fluid from flowing along the outer surface of the neck 7. When the applicator is placed in its storage location after use, the collection channel 19 acts as a temporary storage for excess fluid. The liquid in the channel 19 then flows back into the container through the pores of the applicator member 4 or 4 '.

The present liquid spreader can optionally also be provided with a flexible protective cap 8. This can be pressed onto the screw cap 9, where it remains under the effect of the mutual friction of the lower edges of the two parts.

Claims (2)

8 617 9 4 A liquid applicator (1) for use in applying liquids to human skin, the applicator comprising a shaped applicator member (4, 4 '), a container (3) having a body portion (5) for a liquid, at one end a neck portion (7) and an apertured opening, below the upper edge of the aperture, a shoulder (15) extending inwardly from the neck wall into the aperture and formed to support a shaped applicator member (4, 4 ') removably attached to the aperture, resting on the shoulder (15) and made rigid, non-deformable, a sintered, porous plastic having a plurality of interconnected pores, the size of which allows fluid to pass through the applicator member in contact with human skin, and a collection channel (19) adjacent the applicator member (4, 4 ') through pores in the applicator member (4, 4') for collecting the excess liquid and returning it to the container (3), characterized in that the applicator (1) further comprises a shaped applicator member (4, 4 ') or a neck (7) substantially blocked a vertically arranged duct (40, 31) for communication between the outside air and the interior of the container, and a flow restricting member (34) for restricting the flow of liquid to the applicator member (4, 4 ') formed inside the container body · Liquid dispenser according to Claim 1, characterized in that the flow restricting element (34) is formed by a barrier provided with holes (37, 38).