FR3111778A1 - PLEATED COSMETIC TOOL - Google Patents

Abstract

Pleated cosmetic tool The invention relates to a pleated or wavy cosmetic tool. Generally, the cosmetic tool can be used to apply or remove a wide variety of cosmetic formulations to the human body, including the face, eyelashes, eyelids, eyebrows, fingernails, toenails, lips, and other parts of the body. The pleated or wavy cosmetic tool defines a wavy contact or application surface. The undulating contact application surface may allow the tool to smoothly and dynamically conform to contours of the user's face, legs, arms, or other body parts. Figure for the abstract:

Description

PLEATED COSMETIC TOOL

Summary

This disclosure is directed to, among other things, representative embodiments for applying or removing cosmetic formula, hair, skin, and the like.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a cosmetic tool is provided which includes a body of material having an undulating application surface, and a handle coupled to the body.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a cosmetic tool is provided which includes a chuck, a set of pleats on a first end of the chuck, and a handle coupled to a second end of the chuck.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a cosmetic tool is provided which comprises a substrate with a first side and a second side, a body of material attached to the first side of the substrate and having an undulating contact surface.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, the undulating application surface is formed by one of a pleated material and a corrugated material.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, the cosmetic tool further comprises a support piece affixed to the body of material, in which the support piece is arranged in folds to imitate the undulating application surface of the body of material.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, the cosmetic tool further comprises a substrate disposed between the body of material and the handle.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, the substrate has one of a linear shape, a convex shape, and a concave shape.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, the substrate is flexible.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, the corrugated contact surface has a plurality of plies, each plie having a crest.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, an extent of the pleats is between an extent of 10% and an extent of 100%.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of pleats vary in height, width or depth.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, the pleats are formed by a pleated fabric.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, the size of the folds is non-constant.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, a height of the pleats varies around a perimeter of the mandrel.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, the substrate is semi-rigid.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, the substrate is rigid.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, the cosmetic tool further includes a handle attached to the second side of the substrate.

In any embodiment of the present disclosure, the body of material comprises one or more fabrics.

This summary is provided to present a selection of concepts in simplified form which are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is neither intended to identify key particulars of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Description of the drawings

The foregoing aspects and many of the related advantages of the subject matter disclosed will be more readily appreciated as they are better understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a cosmetic tool in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a cosmetic tool in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a cosmetic tool in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 4 is a side view of a cosmetic tool in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 5 is a side cutaway view of a cosmetic tool in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 6 is an isometric view of a cosmetic tool in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 7 is a cutaway view of the cosmetic tool shown in Figure 6.

detailed description

The following description provides several examples that relate to a pleated or wavy cosmetic tool. Generally, the tool can be used to apply or remove a wide variety of cosmetic formulations to the human body, including the face, eyelashes, eyelids, eyebrows, fingernails, toenails, lips, and other parts of the body. Some examples of cosmetic formulas to remove or apply include mascara, liner, eye shadow, blush, foundation, concealer, bronzer, highlighter, nail polish, lipstick, lip gloss, etc. In some cases, the tool can help apply a cosmetic formula. In other embodiments, the tool can be used to remove cosmetic formula, hair, dead skin cells, calluses, and the like. The tool may be specific to a particular application or use or may be used generally for multiple functions. Although it is generally understood that the embodiments described herein can be used to apply or remove a cosmetic formulation, for convenience the remaining description will refer to removal only.

Figure 1 depicts a representative example of a cosmetic tool 100 formed in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, a user 102 may use the tool 100 to remove cosmetic formula from their face 104. For some users, conventional wipes, pads, tools, or makeup removers may provide or administer too much friction. surface between the wipe and the skin. This can result in disturbed skin, acne, or other sensitive skin issues. Tool 100 as shown and described herein may have an undulating application surface. For example, the undulating application surface can be a pleated or wavy application surface. As used herein, the term "application surface" includes, but is not limited to, any surface that is capable of coming into contact with the user either for application or for removal of a cosmetic formula.

The undulating application surface can allow tool 100 to smoothly and dynamically conform to the contours of the user's face, legs, arms, or other body parts. The surface dynamic ability of tool 100 to conform to the user's skin is intended to reduce the amount of friction between tool 100 and the user's skin. Reduced friction may result in less inflammation and/or irritation of the wearer's skin which would result in less breakouts, redness, swelling, clogged pores, or other skin conditions unwanted.

In some embodiments, the undulating application surface of cosmetic tool 100 may additionally increase the amount of surface area contacting the skin during use. The increased surface area may result in more product being removed per pass, which may result in fewer passes of the 100 Tool resulting in reduced skin irritation. In other embodiments, the undulating application surface, which can be formed, for example, via a pleated or wavy structure, can additionally allow the support to be flexible. Therefore, tool 100 can traverse compound or complex surfaces such as knees, elbows, ankles, and the like and maintain skin contact during traversal. The ability to navigate complex areas with ease can also reduce skin irritation. In some embodiments, tool 100 may also be depilatory and the undulating application surface, such as creases or waves, may allow the user to easily remove more hair faster.

Turning now to Figures 2-7, various embodiments of a cosmetic tool, generally designated by the reference numeral 200, suitable for such uses as tool 100 or others, will be described in more detail. Each tool 200 of Figures 2-7 has an undulating application surface 202 formed, for example, by pleats or undulations 210. The following description may refer to the undulating application surface 202 as a "creased surface". 202” or “corrugated surface 202”.

Generally described, the undulating application surface 202 forms alternating ridges and grooves, sometimes referred to as ridges and valleys, to increase the effective surface area for cleansing, exfoliation, and/or makeup removal. , dirt, sebum/skin, oil, or hair. In the pleated embodiments, the pleats 210 may be a type of box pleat, organ pipe pleat, roll pleat, concertina pleat, fan pleat, or the like. Accordion and narrow pleats are smaller versions of flat pleats. A fan pleat can have any cross-sectional shape but a width of the pleat, as discussed below, can expand along a length of the pleated surface.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a body 216 defining or including the undulating application surface 202 may be coupled to a handle, such as handle 204 or handle 206, respectively. In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, body 216 may be supported by a substrate 208. In other embodiments, body 216 may be freely floating, as shown in Figures 2 and 3 In the embodiment shown in Figures 6 and 7, the undulating application surface 202 of the cosmetic tool 200 may have folds or undulations 210 arranged linearly around the mandrel 218. In some embodiments, the mandrel 218 can be coupled to a handle 220. In this embodiment, the folds or undulations 210 can therefore form an undulating application surface 202 cylindrical.

The undulating application surface 202 can be characterized by a variety of features. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the pleats or corrugations 210 of the undulating application surface 202 may have a height (h) that extends from a bottom or trough 214 of the pleat or corrugation 210 to at an apex or crest 212 of the fold or undulation 210. The height (h) can be uniform or non-uniform along the length (l) (see Figure 5) of the undulating application surface 202. For example , in some embodiments, the height (h) may increase or decrease along the length of the undulating application surface 202. In yet other embodiments, the height (h) may be symmetrical about a line central axial (normal to substrate 208), wherein the height (h) may increase to a first height and then decrease to a starting height along the undulating application surface 202.

Likewise, the folds or waves 210 can also have a width (w), which can be measured, for example, between adjacent depressions 214. In certain embodiments in which the folds or undulations 210 are symmetrical, a width (w) is constant over the entire undulating application surface 202. In other embodiments in which the undulating application surface 202 comprises pleats or undulations 210 which are not symmetrical, one or more pleats or undulations may have a first width while one or more other pleats or undulations may have a second width which is less than the first width. The fold or the undulation 210 can further have a radius (r ₁ ) which can define a curvature of the hollow 214. The fold or the undulation 210 can further have a radius (r ₂ ) which can define a curvature of the ridge 212. In some embodiments, the ridge or valleys 212, 214 may essentially be a point with a very small radius. In other embodiments, the ridges and/or valleys 212, 214 may have a large radius resulting in, for example, the roll pleat or the organ pipe pleat or the like. In still other embodiments, the radius(es) may change along a length l of the undulating application surface 202.

In some embodiments, the undulating application surface 202 may have a variable depth (d) as shown in Figure 2. In other embodiments, the undulating application surface 202 may have a depth (d) constant.

The pleats or undulations 210 of the embodiment of Fig. 7 may also have several distinguishing features. For example, the folds or undulations 210 can have a height (h), an angular width (w), and a radius (r _p ). The measurements and geometry of the pleats or waves 210 may depend on the size of the mandrel 218. For example, the example shown is a mascara brush, but the pleats or waves 210 may apply to a larger mandrel such as a rounded hairbrush chuck, or an even larger chuck focusing on larger body parts. Therefore, chuck 218 can vary in size from a mascara brush to a hair curler.

In some embodiments, mandrel 218 may have a ½mm base to a 100mm or greater base. In this embodiment, the height (h) of the pleats or undulations 210 on a mandrel 218 can be defined by a first radius ( r _m ) defining an internal dimension of the pleats or undulations 210 and a second radius ( r _p ) defining the outer radius of the pleats or corrugations 210. The pleats or corrugations 210 may also be defined by a radial distance (w) between adjacent valleys of the pleats or corrugations 210.

In some embodiments, the pleats or corrugations 210 may be fairly uniform across a linear surface or arrayed across a mandrel. In other embodiments, the folds or undulations 210 may vary across or around a surface. For example, in some embodiments, the folds or undulations 210 may be syncopatic where a fold or undulation may be absent or missing. This can impart greater flexibility in the cleaning surface or a break in the cleaning surface. In other embodiments, the folds or undulations 210 may change shape, or size. For example, as the pleats or waves 210 move through the linear path, or around a mandrel, the pleats or waves 210 may increase in depth (d), width (w), and/or height (h ), as described above. The folds or undulations 210 can gradually increase over a length (l) of the application surface. In some embodiments, the folds or waves 210 may start out large, then become smaller, and then increase in size again. In yet other embodiments, each ply or wave 210 may have a different depth, height, and/or width from the next ply.

Pleats or waves 210 can be constructed from any pleated or waved material(s). The material(s) can be hydrophobic or oleophobic. In some embodiments, the material(s) may be degradable and include a paste material. The material(s) may also include a porous foam material or a 3D printed solid material. The material(s) may be injection molded, flexible, rigid, fabric, mesh, nonwoven, expanded, extruded, or thermoformed. In some embodiments, the pleats or waves comprise one or more fabrics.

The pleats or waves 210 can conform to most shapes. As mentioned earlier, the folds or undulations can adapt to a flat or rounded surface. However, the folds or undulations can additionally adapt to abnormal surfaces, a curved, convex, or concave surface.

The pleats or waves 210 may be attached to a flexible, semi-rigid, or rigid support surface, such as a substrate 208 or a mandrel 218, which may or may not provide the final surface shape of the pleats or waves. Substrate 208 can vary from negligible stiffness to severe stiffness depending on the application and tool usage. For example, in some embodiments, an exfoliating facial wipe may be best fitted with negligible stiffness and no handle. In other embodiments, a hair removal tool may work best with a stiff substrate 208 and a flexible handle 206. Accordingly, the substrate 208 may vary, for example, from a piece of cloth to a polymer, a plastic, bamboo, or other stiff material.

Substrate 208 may be used with or without a handle 204, 206. Similarly, the arrayed pleats 210 of Figure 6 may be supported by substrate mandrel 218, which may have inherent stiffness. Chuck 218 may comprise a polymer, plastic, wood, or other material that imparts rigidity to the overall shape of tool 200. Chuck 218 may incorporate a handle 220, as shown in Figure 6, to provide a user a larger or easier gripping surface.

In some embodiments, the pleats or corrugations 210 may be treated with a stiffening agent or include a stiffening material which may allow the pleats or corrugations to retain their shape without a substrate or provide a stiffer pleated application surface. As shown in Figure 5, the pleats or waves 210 may have a backing piece 222 which may provide structure, stiffness, or both to the pleats or waves 210. For example, in one embodiment, the backing material The pleating may be adhered to, or otherwise affixed to, the backing piece 222, or in some embodiments, the backing piece 222 may be integrated with the pleating material. Backer 222 can include a full backer of application surface 202 or bonding along the back of surface 202. Backer 222 can include a variety of materials depending on a final desired stiffness of the application surface 202.

As briefly described above, in some embodiments, the pleated or corrugated material may include a plurality of materials. For example, the material may include fabric, nonwoven, foam, bamboo, cactus fillers, foam material, hybrid materials, or the like. In some embodiments, the material may have pile in a range between about 0 and about 10 mm, for example.

Embodiments of the undulating application surface 202 described herein can increase the amount of surface area normally present in a typically two-dimensional area. For example, if a normal tool surface area is approximately two square inches (12.9 cm ² ), replacing the two-dimensional surface with an undulating application surface 202 can increase the total contact area of the tool. 200. The increased surface area can result in, for example, an increase in effective surface area for cleansing, exfoliation, and/or removal of makeup, dirt, oil/skin, oil, or hair.

The total amount of surface area gained by using the undulating application surface 202, such as a pleated or corrugated surface, depends, for example, on their magnitude. Amount, with respect to puckering, indicates an amount of puckering given an overall unplied width of the tool. For example, a layer with 0% magnitude would be a flat surface, while a substrate with 100% magnitude is folded so that the pleated length is exactly half the unpleated length of the layer. For example, if the unpleated length of the tool was four (4) inches (10.16 cm), and the pleated length was two (2) inches (5.08 cm), the tool would have a fullness of 100%. If the unpleated length of the tool was four (4) inches (10.16 cm) and the pleated length was three (3) inches (7.62 cm), the tool would have 50% fullness.

In pleated embodiments, the undulating application surface 202 can vary from an magnitude of about 10% to an magnitude of about 100%. In some embodiments, area 202 may vary from about 25% magnitude to about 100% magnitude, from about 50% magnitude to about 100% magnitude in some achieving, from about 60% magnitude to about 100% magnitude in some embodiments, from about 70% magnitude to about 100% magnitude in some embodiments, of about 80% magnitude to about 100% magnitude in some embodiments, and about 90% magnitude to about 100% magnitude in some embodiments.

The detailed description set forth above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where like reference numerals refer to like elements, is intended as a description of various embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent the only embodiments. Each embodiment described in this disclosure is provided merely by way of example or illustration and should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The illustrative examples provided herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Likewise, any step described herein may be interchangeable with other steps, or combinations of steps, in order to achieve the same or substantially similar result.

In the foregoing description, specific details are presented in order to provide a thorough understanding of exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiments can be practiced without incorporating all of the specific details. In some cases, well-known process steps have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure various aspects of this disclosure. Further, it will be appreciated that embodiments of the present disclosure may employ any combination of features described herein.

This application may include references to directions, such as "forward", "backward", "forward", "backward", "up", "down", "right “, “left”, “lateral”, “median”, “in”, “out”, “extended”, “advanced”, “retracted”, “proximal”, “distal”, “central”, etc. These references, and other similar references in this application, are intended only to aid in describing and understanding the particular embodiment and are not intended to limit this disclosure to those directions or locations.

This application may also refer to quantities and numbers. Unless otherwise indicated, these quantities and numbers are not to be construed as limiting, but are only examples of the possible quantities or numbers associated with the present application. Also in this regard, the present application may use the term "plurality" to refer to quantity or number. In this regard, the term "plurality" is meant to be any number which is greater than one, e.g., two, three, four, five, etc. The term “about”, “approximately”, etc., means plus or minus 5% of the stated value. As used herein, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C", for example, means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C), including any additional possible permutations when more than three items are listed.

The principles, exemplary embodiments, and modes of operation of the present disclosure have been described in the foregoing description. However, aspects of this disclosure, which are intended to be protected, should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. Further, the embodiments described herein should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. It will be appreciated that variations and changes may be made by others, and equivalents may be employed, without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. Accordingly, it is expressly intended that all such changes, equivalents and variations be within the spirit and scope of this Disclosure as claimed.

Claims (10)

Cosmetic tool (100, 200) comprising:
- a body of material (216) having an undulating application surface (202); And
- a handle (204, 206, 220) coupled to the body;
wherein the undulating application surface is formed by one of a pleated material or a corrugated material. Cosmetic tool according to claim 1, further comprising:
a backing piece (222) affixed to the body of material, wherein the backing piece is arranged in pleats to mimic the undulating application surface of the body of material. Cosmetic tool according to claim 1, further comprising:
a substrate (208) disposed between the body of material and the handle;
wherein the substrate has one of a linear shape, a convex shape, and a concave shape. A cosmetic tool according to claim 1, wherein the undulating application surface (202) has a plurality of pleats (210), each pleat having a crest (212);
wherein a magnitude of the folds is between a magnitude of 10% and a magnitude of 100%. A cosmetic tool according to claim 4, further comprising a mandrel (218); wherein the plurality of pleats (210) are disposed on a first end of the mandrel; and the handle (220) is coupled to a second end of the chuck. A cosmetic tool according to claim 5, wherein a height of the pleats (210) varies around a perimeter of the mandrel (218). Cosmetic tool according to claim 3, in which:
the substrate (208) has a first side and a second side; And
the body of material (216) having an undulating application surface (220) is attached to the first side of the substrate. A cosmetic tool according to claim 7, wherein the substrate (208) is rigid or semi-rigid. A cosmetic tool according to claim 7, wherein the handle is attached to the second side of the substrate (208). A cosmetic tool according to claim 7, wherein the body of material (216) comprises one or more fabrics.