GB2250185A

GB2250185A - Liquid hair comsmetic applicator

Info

Publication number: GB2250185A
Application number: GB9120986A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kiyohiko Fukazawa
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Pencil Co Ltd
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Pencil Co Ltd
Priority date: 1990-10-03
Filing date: 1991-10-03
Publication date: 1992-06-03
Also published as: IT1251600B; FR2667488A1; ITMI912634A1; TW366737U; ITMI912634A0; EP0479320A1; GB9120986D0

Description

LIQUID HAIR COSMETIC APPLICATOR This invention relates to an applicator

for applying a liquid hair cosmetic such as a hairdye, hair setting agent, permanent wave lotion, hair treatment lotion and the like.

A known applicator comprises an external shaft containing an inner cosmetic reservoir filled with a liquid hair cosmetic, a plurality of capillary action applicator cores fixed on a front end portion of the outer shaft, and a pair of parallel combs provided along both sides of the applicator cores, the applicator cores being arranged on the front end either such that they line up in vertical and lateral directions or such that their positions vertically correspond to respective positions of the comb teeth of the combs, the rear ends of the applicator cores being connected to the cosmetic reservoir, and the front ends of the applicator cores protruding forwards from the outer shaft.

Such a prior art liquid hair cosmetic applicator has a tendency only to paint the same portion around the hairs, thereby requiring a troublesome operation such as changing the direction of application in order to uniformly cover all around each hair. Also, when painting with the applicator cores while combing with the combs, the applicator cores are hidden behind the comb teeth in the direction of combing, thereby resulting in insufficient contact of the applicator cores with the hair and unsatisfactory application of the hair cosmetic. These problems are particularly bad if the person has a thin head of hair.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid hair cosmetic applicator comprising: an external shaft containing an inner cosmetic reservoir for storing a liquid hair cosmetic; and a plurality of capillary action applicator cores mounted on a front end of the external shaft, the rear ends of the applicator cores communicating with the cosmetic reservoir whilst the front ends protrude forwards from the external shaft; wherein the applicator cares form first and second substantially straight and parallel rows, with the applicator cores of each row being offset from the applicator cores of the other row along directions substantially perpendicular to the rows.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid hair cosmetic applicator comprising: an external shaft containing an inner cosmetic reservoir for storing a liquid hair cosmetic; first and second substantially straight and parallel rows of capillary action applicator cores mounted on a front end of the external shaft, the rear ends of the applicator cores communicating with the cosmetic reservoir whilst the front ends protrude forwards from the external shaft; and first and second substantially parallel combs provided along respective sides of the rows of applicator cores; wherein the rows of applicator cores are substantially parallel to the combs, and the teeth of each comb are offset from the applicator cores of at least the adjacent row along directions substantially perpendicular to the rows and combs.

The invention will now be described by way of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings2 in which:- Fig. 1 is a front view of a hair dyeing instrument according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the hair dyeing instrument of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view of the hair dyeing instrument of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV - IV in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a front view of a further embodiment of a hair dyeing instrument in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the hair dyeing instrument of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII - VII in Fig. 6.

Referring first to Figs. 1 - 4, an external or holding shaft 1 consists of an outer shaft 5, an inner shaft 6 and a front shaft 7. The inner shaft 6 accommodates therein a cosmetic supplying member 2. In a center portion of the front shaft 7 is fixedly inserted a mount 8 through which painting cores 3 are inserted. On an outer peripheral portion of the inner shaft 6 is provided a screw 10 on which a cap 9 is engaged.

The cosmetic supplying member 2 accommodated in the inner shaft 6 has such a construction that milled fibres 11 are wrapped in a bundle of cylindrical form, the outer peripheral surface thereof is covered by a synthetic resin coating 12, and a liquid hair cosmetic is stored therein. The painting cores 3 inserted through the mount 8 - fixedly inserted in the front shaft 7 are slender sticks of felt treated with resin, and each rear end thereof is sharpened and inserted into the cosmetic supplying member 2 in- the front end thereof, while each curved surface of the front end protrudes forward of the mount 8. The.painting cores 3 are thicker than the cosmetic supplying member 2 and draw up the liquid cosmetic from the cosmetic supplying member 2 by way of capillary action. The painting cores 3 are arranged on the mount 8 in two rows, and on both sides of the painting cores 3 are provided combs 4 in parallel with the rows of the painting cores 3. The combs 4 are implanted in the front shaft 7.

Painting operation is naturally carried out while combing the hairs by the combs 4, and accordingly the rows of the painting cores 3 and the combs are substantially perpendicular to the direction of the painting operation. As can be seen from Fig.

4, the painting cores 3 lined up in the rows are arranged of I set from each other so that the positions of the painting cores 3 in a first row do not line up with those in a second row with respect to the painting direction. In other words, respective painting cores in the second row are positioned between those in the first row with respect to the painting direction. With the hair dyeing instrument of the above embodiment, the hairs are forced to flex when passing through the painting cores to increase the contact areas of the painting cores and the hairs and thus the entire surface of the hairs can be uniformly painted. Accordingly, the painting operation can be easily and surely carried out even when the hairs are small in quantity.

Figs. 5 - 7 illustrate another embodiment of the hair dyeing instrument. In this embodiment, the respective positions of the painting cores are different from those of the first' embodiment. Namely, the painting cores 3 are arranged in two straight rows on the mount 8, with 6 painting cores 3 lined up in a row. On both sides of the painting cores 3 are arranged combs 4 implanted in the front shaft 7.

Painting operation is naturally carried out while combing the hairs by the combs 4 and the rows of the painting cores 3 and the combs 4 are substantially perpendicular to the direction of the painting operation. In this embodiment, the painting cores substantially in parallel with the combs 4 are arranged offset from respective comb teeth of the combs 4 so that respective painting cores 3 are between respective comb teeth of the combs 4.

With the hair dyeing instrument of the above second embodiment, the hairs combed by the combs 4, or the hairs passed through the comb teeth necessarily contact the painting cores and are painted. Accordingly, the hairs can be satisfactorily painted without lack of uniformity even when the hairs are small in quantity.

Claims

1. A liquid hair cosmetic applicator comprising: an external shaft containing an inner cosmetic reservoir for storing a liquid hair cosmetic; and a plurality of capillary action applicator cores mounted on a front end of the external shaft, the rear ends of the applicator cores communicating with the cosmetic reservoir whilst the front ends protrude forwards from the external shaft; wherein the applicator cores form first and second substantially straight and parallel rows, with the applicator cores of each row being offset from the applicator cores of the other row along directions substantially perpendicular to the rows.

2. A liquid hair cosmetic applicator according to claim 1, further comprising first and second substantially parallel combs provided along respective sides of the rows of applicator cores so as to run substantially parallel thereto, with the teeth of each comb being offset from the applicator cores of at least the adjacent row along directions substantially perpendicular to the rows and combs.

3.

A liquid hair cosmetic applicator comprising: an external shaft containing an inner cosmetic reservoir for storing a liquid hair cosmetic; first and second substantially straight and parallel rows of capillary action applicator cores mounted on a front end of the external shaft, the rear ends of the applicator cores communicating with the cosmetic reservoir whilst the front ends protrude forwards from the external shaft; and first and second substantially parallel combs provided along respective sides of the rows of applicator cores; wherein the rows of applicator cores are substantially parallel to the combs, and the teeth of each comb are offset from the applicator cores of at least the adjacent row along directions substantially perpendicular to the rows and combs.

1

4. A liquid hair cosmetic applicator substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 or Figures 5 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.

5. All novel features and combinations thereof.