FR2600270A1 - Liquid applicator, such as a writing instrument or a beauty-care instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

IN A LIQUID APPLICATOR SUCH AS A WRITING INSTRUMENT OR A BEAUTY CARE INSTRUMENT HAVING A BELLOWS 2 AT THE REAR END OF THE FUT 1 OR MAIN BODY OF THE APPLICATOR FOR CONTROLLING THE INTRODUCTION OF THE LIQUID APPLICATION IN PART 5 OF APPLICATION OF THE LIQUID, A RIGID HAIRSTYLE 14 PROVIDED WITH A SLEEVE IS PROVIDED, OPENED AT ITS OPPOSITE ENDS AND MAY BE MOUNTED IN A REMOVABLE MANNER BY ITS END BEFORE THE FUT AT A CONTIGUOUS AREA COVER ALMOST THE WHOLE OF THE OUTSIDE PERIPHERY OF THE LATTER, THIS BELLOWS BEING UNABLE TO EXTEND BACKWARDS FROM THE REAR END OF THE HAIRDRESSER.

Description

1. The present invention relates to a liquid applicator such as a

  writing or beauty care instrument, having a bellows at the rear end

  of the barrel, bellows which serves as a pushing mechanism for actuating a valve assembly and controlling the introduction of the liquid into the application part.

  In the past, in a liquid applicator such as a writing instrument or a beauty care instrument, which employs a built-in reservoir or a removable cartridge containing the application liquid, a valve assembly is mounted in the liquid containing part so as to control the supply to the liquid applying part. In some applicators of this type, a bellows is used which serves as a pushing mechanism to open / close the valve assembly incorporated in the applicator and which can be compressed in the axial direction; we will refer to this subject

  on request from Japanese utility model no. 60-122082.

  2. However, such a liquid applicator provided at its rear end with a bellows acting as a pushing mechanism suffers from the drawback that the bellows are accidentally pushed forward, which has the effect of opening the valve assembly, when the user covers the liquid application part with a cap while holding the

  barrel or main body of the applicator to prevent movement of the cap backwards.

  The subject of the present invention is a liquid applicator comprising a bellows serving as a pushing mechanism, an applicator which is not used as long as the user does not intentionally operate the bellows of the applicator. According to the present invention, provision is made: in a liquid applicator such as a writing instrument or a beauty care instrument provided with a bellows at the rear end of the barrel or main body of the applicator for the control of the application liquid introduced into the application part, the improvement in which the applicator - 20 further comprises a rigid cap resembling a sleeve open at its opposite ends with its front end removably mounted on a part of the bole at a location contiguous to the bellows so as to cover practically the whole of the external peripheral part of the bellows, the latter, when it is in the uncompressed state being

  unable to extend to the rear of the posterior end of the rigid cap.

  The present invention will be well understood during the

  following description made in conjunction with the attached drawings 30 in which:

  Figure 1 is a perspective view of a marking instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a rigid cap and a cap are separated from the barrel or main body of the instrument; and Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of 3. the marking instrument of the present invention, which is

fixed the rigid cover.

  In the drawings, the reference 1 represents a barrel or main body in synthetic resin of the marking instrument of the embodiment of the present invention and the reference 2, a bellows which is provided integrally at the rear end of the barrel 1 and can be compressed in the axial direction. The barrel 1, the bellows 2 and the other components of the marking instrument of the present invention can be formed

  any material that may have been used in a conventional liquid applicator.

  The barrel 1 of the marking instrument also serves as a reservoir 3 for application liquid, the open front end of this part being provided with a valve assembly 4. A front part 6 comprises an application element 5 liquid

  while it is screwed onto the front end of the barrel 1 of the instrument.

  The valve assembly 4 includes: a valve stem 7, a valve seat 8, and a spiral spring 9 which biases the stem 7 in the axial direction. A thin lever 10 is attached to the rear end of the rod 7 and reaches

  the inner surface of the wall of the rear end of the bellows 2.

  In service, the user pushes the rear end 25 of the bellows 2 forwards while maintaining the fat 1, so that the rod 7 is driven forward against the elastic force exerted by the spiral spring 9, via the lever 10, to open the valve assembly 4. When the user no longer pushes on the fluff souf30 2, the rod 7 is driven backwards to return .at

  its original position under the effect of the elastic force exerted by the spiral spring 9 so that the valve assembly 4 closes while the lever 10 and the bellows 2 return to their original position.

  The barrel 1 has a reduced diameter at its rear end 4. so as to form a shoulder part 11 and a part 12 of small diameter. The bellows 2 is in one piece with the rear end of the part 12 of the barrel 1. Consequently, the bellows 2 has an outside diameter slightly smaller than that of the barrel 1. A projection 13 extending circumferentially is provided in the part 12 of the barrel 1. The projection 13 can be a continuous annular groove or a multitude of intermittent projections. The interior of the bellows 2 communicates with that of the barrel 1, while the bellows 2 is closed at its end

  back. More specifically, the reservoir 3 for application liquid consists of the following elements: the barrel 1, the bellows 2 and the valve assembly 4.

  Reference 14 represents a rigid cap resembling a sleeve, open at its opposite ends. The cap 14 can cover almost all of the external peripheral surface of the bellows 2, and is removably mounted

  on the rear end of the barrel 1.

  The cap 14 is cut at its rear end so as to form a pair of diametrically opposite projections 15 and 15 ′, the presence of which is not essential in

this headdress.

  The axial length of the cap 14 is substantially identical to that of the bellows 2 between the shoulder part 11 and the rear end of the bellows in the uncompressed state. In the case where the projections 15 and 15 'are present on the rear end of the cap 14, it is obvious that the axial length mentioned above for the cap 14 comprises

  also the axial length of the projections 15 and 15 '.

  The cap 14 receives the rear end of the barrel 1 of the liquid applicator and abuts against the shoulder portion 11 so that the cap 14 is removably mounted on the rear end of the barrel 1. In such an assembly, the projection 13 formed in the small-diameter portion 12 of the man35 chon 1 fits into an annular groove 16 formed in 5. the inner wall of the cap 14 at a position corresponding to that of the projection 13, so that the cap 14 is

  firmly held by part 12 of barrel 1.

  Preferably, the cap 14 is made of the same material as the barrel 1. However, it is also possible that the cap 14 is formed of a material different from

that of the barrel 1.

  In addition, it is also possible that the bellows 2 has the same outside diameter as the barrel 1 and, consequently, that the cap 14 has a larger outside diameter.

to that of the barrel.

  The cap 14 is mounted on the barrel 1 during use so as to cover almost all of the outer periphery of the bellows 2 and avoid subjecting the latter 15 to an accidental thrust, which makes it possible to prevent accidental opening. valve assembly 4.

  When one wants to exert a push on the bellows 2, this is done by inserting a finger in the rear extreme opening of the cover 14 so as to axially push the rear end of the bellows 2 forward then that barrel 1 is kept fixed. In the case where the projections 15 and 15 'are present on the cap 14, it is possible to push the bellows 2 forward relative to the barrel 1 by using a finger which passes through the cut parts of the coif25 fe 14 between projections 15 and 15 '. Cap 14 can prevent

  that the bellows 2 is pushed forward relative to the barrel 1 using the palm of the hand, since the latter has a much larger surface area than the rear end of the cap 14.

  More specifically, in the case where a cap 17 is mounted on the front part 6 of the liquid applicator, the user generally supports the rear end of the barrel 1 with the palm of the hand so as to keep it fixed at against the movement of the hat in the backward direction. Consequently, in this case, it is possible to avoid an accidental pushing of the bellows 2, which makes it possible to prevent a 6.

  accidental opening of the valve assembly 4.

  The present invention is not limited to the examples

  of realization which have just been described *, it is on the contrary susceptible of modifications and variants which will appear to those skilled in the art.

7.

Claims (1)

  1 - Liquid applicator, such as a writing instrument or a beauty care instrument comprising a bellows (2) at the rear end of a barrel (1) or main body of the applicator for controlling the '' an application liquid introduced into a part (5) for applying the liquid of the applicator, characterized in that it further comprises a rigid cap (14) resembling a sleeve, open at its opposite ends and can be removably mounted 10 by its front end on the bellows so as to cover almost all of the external periphery of this bellows, the latter when in the uncompressed state not being able to s '' extend backwards from the end posterior of the cap.