GB2144978A

GB2144978A - Method and apparatus for lathering the face

Info

Publication number: GB2144978A
Application number: GB08420341A
Authority: GB
Inventors: George Tzintzirulis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-08-10
Filing date: 1984-08-10
Publication date: 1985-03-20
Also published as: IT8422317A0; DE3429191A1; IT1207586B; FR2550427B3; FR2550427A1; GR72236B; AU3180584A; GB8420341D0

Abstract

Lathering means are fitted to a shaving froth dispenser (4). The lathering means may be a brush made from common animal hair bristles or from sponge (16, 17) mounted on a body having a duct (1) engaged with a valve (3) of the dispenser (4). When the sponge is pressed towards the froth dispenser (4), e.g. via a circumferential ridge (15) on the body (2) lathering may take place without hand contact with the lather. The bristle or sponge may be shaped to facilitate lathering and the brush may be provided with a rotatable roller, 18. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method and apparatus for lathering the face The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for lathering the face with shaving froth.

Today's users of shaving froth must either place the froth on their hands, or alternativeiy onto a shaving brush in order to lather their face.

Both these methods have disadvantages.

The method requires that the hand contacts the lather, and for many people this is distasteful and unacceptable. Furthermore, the lathering is non uniform lathering and wasteful.

The second method takes up more time and also results in a waste of shaving froth.

The invention provides a method as claimed in claim 1, and apparatus as claimed in claim 11 for carrying out this method.

Instead of using the usual bristle brush it is possible to use soft sponge. Such a type of brush can be used with pleasure even by those who either for personal reasons or for hygienic reasons (e.g. allergic conditions) do not use the usual shaving brush. On the other hand, a brush made from sponge is cheaper and more hygienic since it restricts the concentration of germs, it may be washed more easily and it does not pluck in the way that a bad quality hair brush does. Furthermore the use of sponge offers the possibility of several alternative colours. which makes the sponge brush more attractive and discernable when for example more than one person in the same family make use of such a shaving brush.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a side. part cross-sectional view of a first embodiment; Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a shaving brush with an alternative brush for use with the dispenser if Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a further alternative brush for use with the dispenser of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the body of the brush of Figure 1-3; Figure 5 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 is a side view of the pressure exerting member of Figure 5, Figure 7 is a front view of an embodiment similar to Figure 5, but with a modified lathering means; Figure 8 is a side, part cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of the invention; and Figure 9 is a front view of the embodiment of Figure 8.In the first embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1, the lathering means is a brush comprising a cylindrical, parallelepipedal, prismatic or any other desired shape body 2, made from plastics, wood, bakelite or any other suitable material.

The body 2 is provided with a central longitudinal opening 1, which forms a duct feeding froth to the upper bristle head 5 of the brush.

The brush is fitted onto a lather container 4 in such a way that the duct 1 engages the mouth of valve 3 of the container 4.

To provide smoother froth dispensing the bristle head 5 may have several different shapes, e.g. the bristles may extend parallel to the axis of the body 2 with a chamfered end face (Figure 1); the bristles may extend substantially parallel to the axis of the body 2 with curved end face (Figure 2), the bristles may extend inclined to the axis of the body 2 with an inclined end face (Figure 3); or the bristles may have any other desired orientation to provide the smoothest possible froth dispensing on the face.

Externally the bottom part of the body 2 is provided with a circumferential extending ridge 6 of any suitable shape by means of which the brush is pressed upon the container to allow dispensing of the lather. The length (height) of the body 2 can vary and according to a preferable embodiment of the invention is 4 cm.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the lathering means is a member exerting pressure on the froth dispensing valve, comprising a body 7 and a froth dispensing mouth 8, the end of which may be provided with a rotatable roller 11 to facilitate lathering, the roller 11 rolling upon the face.

The body 7 and the froth dispensing mouth 8 may be formed as an integral part or independently; in the latter cause the mouth 8 may either be fitted on the body 7 (Figure 6) or be directly fitted onto modern well-known commercially-available accessories for exerting pressure on the valve.

The froth discharging out let may alternatively be in the form of a comb 1 2 as shown in Figure 7 from plastics or hair or any other suitable material to offer a smoother lathering of the face. The end of the mouth 8 may alternatively be provided with a thin sheet of foamy material (sponge) 10 to facilitate lathering.

The dimensions of the valve 3 may vary; preferably the valve 3 has an outlet sufficiently to allow only a thin layer of froth to be laid upon the face, thus resulting in froth economy. The body and/or the mouth of the valve 3 may be made from plastics, bakelite, wood or any other suitable material.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the face lathering means is a brush 1 3 fitted onto the froth dispenser 4. The brush 1 3 comprises a body 14 which is made by extruding plastics of any other suitable material, and may have several shapes, illustrated with an initial parallelepipedal and then converging truncated cone shape. The bottom part of the body 14 having a parallelepipedal cross section is provided with an annular extension 1 5 which is pressed by the user to discharge froth from the valve 3 of the froth container 4. The interior of the body 14 of the brush is provided with a longitudinal duct 1 through which the lather discharged from the valve 3 rises upwards.

Two sponges 1 6 and 1 7 are fitted at the upper part of the body 14, the sponge 1 6 preferably being shorter than the sponge 1 7.

Between the two sponges 1 6 and 1 7 there is preferably provided a cylinder 1 8 which facilitates lathering. In a simpler embodiment one instead of two sponges may be used, but the proposed arrangement of two unequal sponges is considered to be the most efficient one.

During usage, when the hand presses member 1 5, the froth rises through the duct 1 in the area between the sponges 16 and 17.

The brush 1 3 is then placed on the face preferably by first bringing the shorter sponge 1 6 in contact with the face to commence lathering. The lathering is completed with the aid of the cylinder 1 8 and the second higher sponge 17.

In all of the above-described embodiments the hands need not contact the lather, and the usual shaving brush is dispensed with. When the lathering means is pressed against the container, the dispensing valve is opened to allows lather to be discharged therefrom directly to the desired point on the face via the duct 1.

Various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method of lathering the face with shaving froth, wherein lathering means is placed at the froth-discharging mouth of a shaving froth container, and pressure is exerted on the lathering means so that froth is discharged from the shaving froth container directly onto the face without hand contact with the lather.

2. A method of lathering the face with shaving froth, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said lathering means has a mouthpiece with an inlet engageable with the mouthpiece of the froth container and a narrow outlet so as to allow only a thin froth layer to be discharged for lathering the face.

3. A method of lathering the face with shaving froth, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inlet of the mouthpiece is connected to the body or is integral with part of the body fitted onto the mouthpiece of the froth con- tainer.

4. A method of lathering the face with shaving froth, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lathering means is a brush comprising a body with a circumferential extension by means of which pressure is exerted by hand to discharge froth, and the body is provided with a longitudional duct having a cross section corresponding to that of the mouthpiece of the froth container with which it is engaged, the brush extending to a bristle part into which the discharged froth is fed after having passed through the longitudinal duct.

5. A method for lathering the face with shaving froth, as claimed in claim 4, wherein the direction of extension of the bristles and the inclination of the end face of the bristle part is such as to facilitate smooth dispensing of the said froth on the face.

6. A method of lathering the face with shaving froth, as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bristle part is replaced by a part made from natural or artificial sponge.

7. A method for lathering the face with shaving froth, as claimed in claim 6, wherein the sponge part comprises two sponges.

8. A method for lathering the face with shaving froth as claimed in claim 7, wherein one sponge extends further from the body than the other sponge, so that during usage the shorter sponge first contacts the face, followed by the longer sponge.

9. A method of lathering the face with shaving froth, as claimed in any one of claims 2, 3 and 6, wherein a rotatable roller is provided within the lathering area of the lathering means so as to facilitate lathering of the face with froth.

10. A method of lathering the face with shaving froth substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

11. Apparatus for carrying out the method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising lathering means placed at the froth-discharging mouth of a shaving froth container and means whereby pressure may be exerted on the lathering means so that froth is discharged from the container directly at the face without hand contact with the lather.

1 2. Apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.