FR2845886A1 - Micro-abrasion machine for beauty saloon, comprises reservoir having lateral wall fitted with vent located near evacuation aperture that opens out laterally into reservoir holding powder to be applied on surface to be treated - Google Patents

Abstract

The machine has a reservoir (10) holding a powder (P) to be applied on a surface to be treated. The reservoir has a collecting tube (20) at its lower part and an evacuation aperture (22) for the powder. The reservoir has a lateral wall fitted with a vent (24) located near the aperture opening out laterally into the reservoir. Another reservoir (11) collects the used powder.

Description

The present invention relates to micro-abrasion devices by

projection

  abrasive particles carried by air circulation.

  These devices are widely used in beauty salons to alleviate

  skin defects and / or scrubs.

  Micro-abrasion devices are known which include a reservoir in

  which the powder intended to be sprayed onto the surface to be treated is stored. The particles are collected by means of a collection tube which is open at its upper end. A vacuum is created in the tube during the operation of the apparatus and a lateral orifice made in the tube in the lower part of the reservoir allows the powder to be entrained by the circulation of air.

  With such devices, the side opening tends to become clogged during use, which causes the operator in charge of operating the device to tap the tank from time to time. In addition, to avoid this clogging phenomenon, the reservoirs of certain known devices are equipped with a heating resistance which makes it possible to dry the powder and reduce its tendency to agglomerate. The presence of such

  resistance affects the cost price of the device. In addition, despite the presence of the heating resistance, clogging is not completely avoided, so it is planned to regularly perform unclogging cycles during which pressurized air is injected into the tube. sample. The micro-abrasion apparatus must therefore be designed for this purpose, which again has repercussions on its cost price.

  Because of their complexity and their cost, microabrasion devices are therefore currently mainly used in beauty salons, while there is a

  need to allow dissemination to the general public.

  In addition, apart from this, there is a need to simplify the micro-abrasion devices used in professional circles and make them more efficient.

more reliable operation.

  The invention aims to meet all or part of the aforementioned needs.

  It does this by means of a micro-abrasion device which comprises a reservoir intended to receive a powder to be sprayed onto a surface to be treated, a sampling tube 30 in this reservoir, this sampling tube being provided in the lower part of the reservoir. at least one orifice for withdrawing the powder, this device being able to be characterized, according to one aspect of the invention, by the fact that the reservoir comprises an air intake which is arranged so that the air entering through that -this in the tank tends to oppose the

  clogging, by powder, of the sampling orifice.

  The invention allows the powder to be mixed with air near the orifice

  which reduces the risk of clogging.

  The invention thus makes it possible to avoid the use of a heating resistor and / or to have to carry out unclogging cycles and / or to tap the tank, which makes it possible to improve the reliability and to reduce the cost of the device and facilitate its use by

inexperienced people.

  In an exemplary implementation of the invention, the air intake is produced near the sampling orifice, in particular substantially lower than the sampling orifice. The sampling opening may open laterally into the tank, being

  for example constituted by a bore, directed radially, of the sampling tube.

  In an exemplary implementation of the invention, the air intake has at least one orifice, the section of which is small enough to prevent the exit of the powder through the orifice. As a variant or additionally, the air intake may comprise a filter allowing the passage of air but preventing the exit of the powder contained in the reservoir. The air intake can for example be produced in the form of a plurality

  orifices made in the wall of the tank, the latter being able to be made of plastic material, for example.

  The collection tube may include, for example, an open upper end. The sampling tube can be entirely integral with the associated reservoir. The

  tube can extend for example over almost the entire height of the tank, the open end may be located a short distance from the top wall of the tank.

  The apparatus may also include a collection tube which has a

  upper part secured to the reservoir and a lower part, comprising the sampling orifice, which can be detached from the reservoir. This lower part can be constituted, for example, by a nozzle of the base station, arranged to penetrate into the tank when it is in place.

  The tank is advantageously made with an internal section transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tank, which decreases downwards, in order to reduce the

  volume of powder likely to remain in the reservoir at the end of use.

  The reduction in cross section further advantageously makes it possible to reduce the risk of clogging by reducing the distance between the air intake and the sampling orifice.

  The lower part of the reservoir can be produced for example at least partially with a side wall whose inner surface is a quadric portion, in particular a portion of cone, ellipsode or parabolode, converging downwards. The lower part of the tank can still be defined at least partially

  by a polyhedral interior surface, converging downwards.

  The lower part of the tank may have an inner surface whose inclination, with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tank, is for example included in au

minus one point between 20 and 450.

  The subject of the invention is also, independently of the above, a cartridge for a micro-abrasion device, this cartridge comprising a first reservoir containing a powder to be sprayed onto the skin and a second reservoir for receiving the particles of used powder, the first reservoir comprising a sampling tube which is either provided with at least one powder sampling orifice or arranged to receive a nozzle comprising at least one sampling orifice, the first reservoir comprising a side wall provided with a socket air arranged so that the air entering it into the tank tends to oppose clogging

of the sampling port.

  The subject of the invention is also, independently of the foregoing, a cartridge for a micro-abrasion device which comprises a reservoir containing the powder to be projected onto the skin, this reservoir having a cross section on the axis

  longitudinal of the tank which decreases downwards.

  Another subject of the invention, according to another of its aspects, independently or in combination with the above, is a micro-abrasion device 30 comprising: a first reservoir intended to contain a powder to be sprayed onto a surface to be treated, - a second reservoir intended to collect the used powder, - a handpiece arranged to be applied against the surface to be treated, this apparatus being able to be characterized by the fact that it comprises a removable cartridge, which can be placed on the apparatus and withdrawn therefrom independently of the handpiece and comprising the first and second reservoirs. The first and second reservoirs can be connected to each other non-detachably within the cartridge. In particular, the first and second tanks

  can form two compartments within a body of the cartridge.

  The first and second reservoirs can be placed side by side within the cartridge, or otherwise arranged.

  The first and second tanks can have a common wall.

  The first reservoir may have a section, in a plane transverse to

  the longitudinal axis, which decreases downwards.

  The cartridge may include means for closing off a nozzle for connecting the first reservoir to a conduit for withdrawing the powder contained therein. The device may include a base station configured to receive the cartridge. This base station can be provided with a keying device preventing

  put the cartridge in place other than in a determined position.

  The handpiece can also be arranged to receive the cartridge.

  The cartridge may for example include female tips communicating

  respectively with tubes extending inside the first and second reservoirs, these female ends being configured to engage on corresponding male ends of the device in a substantially sealed manner, when the cartridge is in place on 25 l apparatus.

  The cartridge may include a body produced by plastic molding,

  in particular by injection, and a closure cover attached to the body.

  The invention will be better understood on reading the detailed description

  which follows, non-limiting examples of implementation, and on examining the appended drawing, in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a microabrasion device according to an example of implementation of the invention, - Figure 2 is a block diagram of the device of Figure 1, - Figure 3 shows in isolation, in perspective, the cartridge used in the device of Figure 1, - Figure 4 illustrates the closure of a tip of the cartridge by means of a cover, - Figure 5 is a schematic longitudinal section along VV of Figure 3, - Figure 6 is a schematic longitudinal section along VI-VI of Figure 3, - Figure 7 is a schematic longitudinal section along VII-VII of Figure 3, - Figure 8 shows, schematically and partially, in top view, the cartridge receiving opening, - Figure 9 shows, in top view and schematically and partially, another example the opening shape for receiving a cartridge, - Figure 10 shows in perspective the handpiece, - Figure 11 shows in isolation one of the two shells of the handpiece of Figure 10, - Figure 12 represents in axial section, schematically, the end piece of the handpiece of FIG. 10, - FIG. 13 represents, in isolation, in top view and schematically, a pump which can be used in the device of Figure 1, - Figure 14 shows schematically, in side view, a filter that can be used in the device of Figure 1, - Figure 15 shows in perspective, schematically, a variant of device produced in accordance with the invention, - Figure 16 illustrates the possibility of making the handpiece with a removable head, - Figure 17 shows schematically, a case comprising a micro-abrasion device according to the invention , - the f FIG. 18 schematically represents a kit incorporating a micro-abrasion device in accordance with the invention, FIG. 19 schematically represents a bathroom shelf equipped with a micro-abrasion device in accordance with the invention, - Figure 20 shows schematically another example of implementation of the invention, - Figure 21 illustrates the production of a tube in one piece with the tank body, and - Figure 22 is a section schematic longitudinal representation of a cartridge variant with a sampling nozzle engaged inside the tank

containing the new powder.

  FIG. 1 shows a micro-abrasion device 1 according to a

  example of implementation of the invention.

  This device 1 comprises, in the example considered, a base station 2 and a

  handpiece 3 connected to the base station 2 by a hose 4.

  The base station 2 is arranged to receive a cartridge 5 and has an opening 6 for this purpose.

  We will now describe, with reference to FIG. 2, the operating principle of the device 1, which also applies to the other embodiments

described later.

  The cartridge 5 comprises a reservoir 10 containing an unused abrasive powder 20 P, for example between 30 and 70 cm 3 of powder, for example of the order of 50 cm 3 of powder, and a reservoir 11 for receiving the used powder U. The powder P is conveyed to the handpiece 3 by means of a supply conduit 12 and the used powder U is returned to the reservoir 1 1 from the handpiece

  3 by means of a return duct 13.

  A vacuum pump 15 is connected to a suction pipe 16 which is connected to

  a suction tube 19 opening into the reservoir 11 through an inlet filter 17.

  A second filter 18 is placed upstream of the pump 15 to more finely filter the air sucked into the duct 16. This second filter 18 could, if necessary, be eliminated at

  condition of using an adequate input filter 17.

  A sampling tube 20 extends over practically the entire height of the reservoir 10 and has an open upper end 21 and towards the bottom of the reservoir a lateral orifice 22 serving for the sampling 22 of the powder P. An air intake 24 is produced in the wall of the reservoir 10, being arranged so as to reduce the risk of clogging of the lateral orifice 22, as will be specified

further.

  The return duct 13 opens into the interior of the tank 11 by a return tube 26 having an upper end 27 opening into the upper part of the

  tank 11, preferably at a level lower than that of the inlet filter 17.

  The operation of the device 1 is as follows.

  When the pump 15 is running, air is sucked in through the inlet filter 17

  which creates a vacuum in the reservoir 11 of used powder U which causes air to be sucked in through the return duct 13.

  The supply 12 and return 13 conduits communicate with a chamber 79

  of the handpiece 3 which opens to the outside through an opening 30, the latter being closed during use when the handpiece 3 is applied against the surface to be treated.

  In the absence of use of the handpiece 3, the opening 30 communicates with the atmosphere and the supply conduit 12 is at atmospheric pressure, so that

  the powder P is not taken from the reservoir 10.

  When using the handpiece 3, the vacuum created by the pump 15 in the reservoir 11 is transmitted through the return duct 13 to the chamber 79 of the handpiece 3, which creates a vacuum in the supply duct 12 and the air suction 20 through the opening 21 of the sampling tube 20. The air sucked into the tank 10 is compensated by an air intake by the air intake 24. The powder P is withdrawn through the withdrawal orifice 22, being entrained by the air circulating in the supply duct 12 up to the opening 30 where it is projected onto the surface to be treated. The particles, after rebound on the

  treated surface, are sucked back through the return pipe 13 into the tank 1.

  The device 1 has the advantage that the powder P is not projected towards the opening 30 in the absence of sufficiently close contact between the handpiece 3 and the surface to be treated to cut the chamber 79 from the outside and allow circulation

  air to settle between the tanks 10 and i1.

  The base station 2 may include, as shown, an on / off switch 31, an operating light 32 and, if necessary, a button for adjusting the power of the pump 15, this button controlling for example a device

  electronic allowing the motor of the pump 15 to run more or less quickly.

  The base station 2 can also include a support 34 on which the part

  hand 3 can be hung when not in use.

  The base station 2 can operate autonomously, on batteries, or with an accumulator and possibly include a transformer to allow it to be connected to the mains. We will now describe more precisely, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7, a

example of cartridge 5.

  In the example considered, the cartridge 5 comprises a body 40 which can be manufactured by molding of plastic material, in particular of a polyolefin, being produced 10 as can be seen in FIG. 6 with a vertical partition 41 defining two compartments to inside the body 40, these compartments corresponding respectively

  to tanks 10 and 11 above.

  The reservoir 10 is delimited by a part 43 of the body 40 which has an upper portion 43a substantially semi-cylindrical and a lower portion 43b 15 converging downwards. The reservoir 11 is delimited by a part 44 of the body 40 which is substantially semi-cylindrical over its entire height. The slope y of the lower portion 43b is chosen as a function of the ease of flow of the powder P, in particular of its tendency to stick to the wall of the reservoir 10. The slope P can be understood for example, at

  level of the air intake 24 in particular, between 200 and 300.

  In the example illustrated, the body 40 is made with a bottom wall 48 which has three openings for the passage of the tubes 19, 20 and 26 respectively. These tubes are for example fixed by welding, snap-fastening or gluing on the bottom wall 48 and comprise, at their lower end, respective female end pieces 19a, 20a and 26a which come to bear against the bottom wall 48 each by a shoulder. The tubes 25 could also be made in one piece with the body of the tank, for example by

  material molding, as illustrated in figure 21.

  The cartridge 5 comprises a closure cover 49 fixed to the body 40 by

  example by snap-fastening, welding or gluing.

  This cover 49 includes sealing skirts 50 and 52 making it possible to close the reservoirs 10 and 11 in a substantially hermetic manner at the top.

  Preferably, the cartridge 5 is made so as not to allow a user without tools to access the contents of the tanks, so as to prevent the

  used powder U is not reused.

  The quantity of powder P contained in the cartridge 5 may be suitable for a single treatment session, for example. Before the first use, the end piece 20a of the sampling tube 20 can be

  closed as illustrated in FIG. 4 by means of a removable or perforable cover 54 or by any other closure means such as for example a cap. A removable cover (not shown) can also be present on the body 40 to close the air intake 10 and prevent moisture from entering the tank 10 before the first use.

  It can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 6 in particular that the air intake 24 can be produced in the form of at least one orifice 53, in particular a plurality of orifices 53 whose section is chosen to be small enough to prevent the outlet P powder particles

  while allowing air to enter the tank 10.

  In the example considered, the air intake 24 has five orifices 53, these together offering an air passage section which can be between 0.5 and 2 mm2

  for example, in particular to be about 1 mm.

  The air intake 24 is advantageously located below the level of the lateral orifice 22 of the sampling tube 20, in order to allow, during operation of the apparatus, the air which enters through the air intake 24 in the reservoir 10 to brew the powder in an upward movement in the vicinity of the orifice 22 and to reduce the risk of clogging thereof. At least a fraction of the air which enters through the air intake 24 can also reach the orifice 22 and facilitate the penetration of the powder particles P into the tube 20. The volume proportion of the solid particles in the air which is projected onto the treated surface is for example less than 10%, or even less than 5%, for example

close to 3%.

  FIG. 8 shows, in top view, the opening 6 of the housing of the

  base station 2 intended to receive the cartridge 5.

  It can be seen in this figure that male end pieces 62, 63 and 64 are present in the bottom of this housing to cooperate respectively, in a substantially sealed manner, with the female end pieces 20a, 26a and l9a of the cartridge 5, in order to make

  communicate the tubes 20, 26 and 19 with the conduits 12, 13, 16 respectively.

  The arrangement of the end pieces 22a, 26a and 19a is advantageously chosen so as to constitute a polarizing means ensuring that the cartridge 5 cannot

  be fixed in its housing only in a determined position.

  In a variant implementation of the invention, this polarization can be obtained not by virtue of a particular arrangement of the end pieces 62, 63 and 64 but by giving the opening 6 a contour having no axial symmetry, for example with a truncated side as illustrated in FIG. 9, the body 40 of the cartridge 5 having an outer section of corresponding shape. In FIG. 9, the ends 62, 63 and 64 have not been

  shown, for the sake of clarity of the drawing.

  The male endpiece 62, intended to engage in the female endpiece 20a associated with the reservoir 10, can be configured to pierce the seal 54 mentioned above, during the

  installation of the cartridge 5 on the device 1.

  We will now describe, with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12, the handpiece 3.

  This comprises a gripping part 70, produced by assembling two shells 71 15 one of which is shown in isolation in FIG. 11, and a tip 72 which is shown

  in isolation in Figure 12, in axial section.

  The axis X of the opening 30 makes an angle a of between 100 and 150 with the longitudinal axis Y of the gripping part 70, which contributes to the ergonomics of the part to be

hand 3.

  The end piece 72 comprises a mounting skirt 73 which allows it to be fixed on a neck 74 also of axis X, formed by the assembly of two halves each made with a shell 71. The skirt 73 is connected to a wall 75 of the tip which converges in direction

of the opening 30.

  A partition 76 produced in one piece with the rest of the end piece 72 by plastic molding separates, within the end piece 72, return channels 77 and

  inlet 78 which open through respective orifices 77a and 78a in the chamber 79.

  The channels 77 and 78 are arranged, on the side opposite to the orifices 77a and 78a, to allow the fixing of the flexible pipes of the flexible 4 which correspond to the conduits 12 and 13. The cross section of the channels 77 and 78 decreases in proximity to the chamber 79 , due to the shape of the wall 75 and also to the fact that the partition 76

  has a thickness which increases in proximity to the chamber 79.

  il The bottom 80 of the chamber 79, into which the orifices 78a and 77a open, extends obliquely with respect to the axis X, the orifice 77a being further from the opening 30

  than the orifice 78a and having a larger section.

  The chamber 79 has a side wall 81 which in the example considered is cylindrical with an axis X revolution. The section of the orifice 78a, smaller than that of the orifice 77a, makes it possible to project the particles onto the skin with relatively high speed; the section of the orifice 77a, which is wider, facilitates the return of the particles in the return duct 13. The section of the supply channel 78 is reduced, for example between the opening used for fixing the flexible pipe and the orifice 78a of a factor of between two and ten within the end piece,

including at least five.

  The relative position of the channels 77 and 78, offset on either side of the X axis of the opening 30, as well as their orientation towards the center thereof, facilitates the rebound of the

  particles to the return channel 77.

  A nozzle 72 is thus obtained which can be produced at a relatively low cost while offering high efficiency, which makes it possible to use a pump 15 for

  lower power if desired, while maintaining a satisfactory result.

  The distance d between a point located at the center of the end of the partition 76 coinciding with the bottom 80 of the chamber 79 and the plane of the opening 30 may for example be less than 2.75 mm, being in the example considered close to 2.5 mm, which

  allows a relatively large amount of powder to be left on the skin and allows the user to visualize the passage of the handpiece. For a volume of powder used of 50 cm3, it may for example remain on the skin more than 5% of powder, the volume of used powder U which is returned to the device being for example 47 cm3 when the powder reservoir P is empty.

  FIG. 13 shows, in isolation, an example of a pump 15 which can

  be used in device 1.

  The pump 15 is in the example considered known per se, of the membrane type being driven by an electric motor 90 connected by an eccentric 91 to a rod 92 integral with the membrane 93, the rod 92 being made of a single piece of material

elastomer therewith.

  The pump 15 comprises an inlet nozzle 94 for the connection of the suction duct 16 and a discharge nozzle equipped with a section reducer 95 in order to

  reduce operating noise.

  When the electric motor 90 rotates, the rod 92 performs oscillations 5 in a direction generally perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 13, which actuates the membrane 93.

  In the example considered, the flow rate of the pump is for example one liter

approximately per minute.

  FIG. 14 shows an example of a filter 18. The latter comprises a housing 96 provided with inlet 97 and outlet 98 ends and inside this housing a filter bag 99 whose wall is pleated. The end piece 97 is connected to the duct 16 downstream of the filter 18.

  Of course, the invention is not limited to the example which has just been described.

  In particular, the micro-abrasion device can be produced as illustrated in FIG. 15 so as to allow the cartridge 5 to be fixed on the handpiece 3, the latter being able to integrate the pump 15 and the filter 18 as well as possibly a source

of electrical energy.

  The cartridge 5 can in particular be received in a housing of the handpiece

  3 emerging at the end opposite to the end piece 72.

  Alternatively, it is also possible to connect the handpiece 3 to a base station 2 comprising the pump 15 and the filter 18 while allowing the cartridge 5 to be fixed on the

handpiece.

  It is also possible to produce, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the handpiece 3 so as to allow a removable mounting of the end piece 72, the latter being for example secured to a connector 100 configured to engage inside. a housing provided for this purpose in the grip part. This can allow, in particular in the case of a

  use in a beauty salon, to change tip 72 between two customers.

  A micro-abrasion device according to the invention can advantageously

  as illustrated in FIG. 17, integrating into a case 110 comprising cosmetic products 111, for example for preparing the skin and / or care after treatment.

  In this example, the handpiece receives the cartridge 5 and integrates the pump, but is connected to an electrical energy source 112, for example an AC adapter, by an electrical cable. The microabrasion device can also be part of a make-up or skin care kit 120, as illustrated in FIG. 18, or be integrated into a bathroom cabinet or shelf 130, as illustrated in FIG. 19. The micro-abrasion device can also include a base station comprising an articulated cover 120, as illustrated in FIG. 20. This cover can accommodate a

mirror 121, for example.

  The base station 2 can be arranged to receive the cartridge 5 in use and a reserve cartridge 5 ′, intended to replace the cartridge 5.

  The base station 2 can be arranged to also receive containers 122

  containing products to be applied to the skin before and / or after treatment.

  The powder P can comprise any pulverulent agent capable of producing an abrasion and for example particles of corundum or powders based on cereal flours. By way of example of powders based on cereal flours, mention may be made of

  powders having a glassy structure, resulting from the polymerization and crosslinking of cereal flours in an alkaline medium using a crosslinking agent chosen from the group formed by formulating agents and maleic anhydride, such powders being described in patent application FR 2 761 365, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

  The powder P can also incorporate at least one cosmetic or care active.

  As active ingredient which can be incorporated into the powder, mention may be made, among others, of vitamins, for example vitamin C, skin protection agents, antibacterials, anti-wrinkles, moisturizers, softeners, perfumes, preservatives. , sunscreens, fatty acids or oils, this list is not exhaustive. The powder may contain particles having a size for example between 80 and 150 μm. The dimension is given by the particle size distribution

  statistic to half the population, called D50.

  A pump other than a diaphragm pump can be used. However, the use of a diaphragm pump is preferred when the micro-abrasion device is intended for the general public, since such a pump can be manufactured with a cot

  compatible with large-scale dissemination.

  The cartridge can still be produced differently.

  In particular, the cartridge can be produced by assembling two tanks 5 joined together for example by snap-fastening, welding, in particular by ultrasound, or bonding or by a support member. The two tanks can in particular be produced

  each with a flat wall and joined by these walls.

  The two tanks can still be manufactured with a common part

  coming from molding and comprising a film hinge making it possible to modify the configuration of this common part after demolding, to form the cartridge.

  The two tanks can be arranged side by side or one inside the other. At least one of the tanks can be made with a transparent window

  allowing the user to view the level of powder inside.

  The cartridge can be equipped with at least one valve intended to prevent an escape of powder during the handling of the cartridge for its installation or its

removal of the device.

  The sampling orifice 22 can also be produced on a nozzle 140 intended

  to enter the reservoir 10 containing the powder, as is the case of the alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 22.

  In this embodiment, the sampling tube 20 present inside the tank 10 is attached to the partition 41 and has a lower opening in which

  can engage the nozzle 140, the latter belonging to the base station 2 for example.

  Such an arrangement facilitates the production of the sampling tube in one piece with a wall of the reservoir 10, since the sampling orifice 22 is present on

  the nozzle 140 manufactured separately.

  Throughout the description, the expression "comprising a" must be understood

  as being synonymous with "comprising at least one", unless otherwise specified.

Claims (13)

  1. Micro-abrasion device (1) comprising a reservoir (10) intended to receive a powder (P) to be sprayed onto a surface to be treated, a sampling tube (20) 5 in this reservoir, this sampling tube being provided in the lower part of the reservoir of at least one powder withdrawal orifice (22), this device being characterized in that the reservoir (10) has a side wall (43) provided with an air intake (24 ) which is arranged so that the air entering it into the tank tends to oppose the   clogging by the powder (P) of the sampling orifice (22).   2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the air intake   (24) is made near the sampling orifice (22).   3. Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that   that the air intake (24) is produced substantially lower than the sampling orifice (22).   4. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sampling orifice (22) opens laterally into the tank.   5. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the air intake (24) has at least one orifice (53), the   section is small enough to prevent the exit of the powder (P) through the orifice (53). 20 6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the air intake is made in the form of a plurality of orifices   (53) made in the side wall of the tank.   7. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the side wall of the tank (10) is made of plastic.   8. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized by the fact that the tank is made with an internal cross-section at   the longitudinal axis of the tank which decreases downwards.   9. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower part (43b) of the reservoir (10) is produced with at   minus a side wall whose inner surface is a quadric portion, in particular a cone, ellipsode or paraboloid, or polyhedral portion, converging downward.   10. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized by the fact that the sampling tube is entirely integral with the associated reservoir.   11. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by the   the fact that the sampling tube has an upper part secured to the reservoir and a lower part, comprising the sampling orifice (22), which can be detached from the reservoir. 12. Cartridge (5) for a micro-abrasion device, this cartridge comprising a first reservoir (10) containing a powder (P) to be sprayed onto the skin and a second reservoir for receiving the particles of used powder, the first reservoir ( 10) comprising a sampling tube which is either provided with at least one sampling orifice (22) for the powder, or arranged to receive a nozzle (140) comprising at least one sampling orifice (22), the first reservoir comprising an air intake (24) arranged so that the air entering through it into the first reservoir (10) tends to   oppose clogging of the sampling orifice.   13. Cartridge according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the   first tank (10) has a cross section to the longitudinal axis of the tank 20 which decreases downwards.