GB2410682A

GB2410682A - Extendable applicator brush

Info

Publication number: GB2410682A
Application number: GB0502113A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Samantha Adams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-02-07
Filing date: 2005-02-02
Publication date: 2005-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 2025-02-02
Also published as: GB2410682B; GB0402753D0; GB0502113D0

Abstract

An extendable applicator brush 4 is fitted as part of a lid 2 which may be affixed to a container 3. The lid houses a mechanism comprising a push button 1 which, when pressed, allows spring 16 to push side buttons 9 out though apertures 15. This action extends the applicator brush and holds it in the extended position. When the side buttons are pressed,springs 8 cause the brush to retract to its original position. The outer surface of the lid may be coated with a non-slip material.

Description

24 1 0682

EXTENDING APPLICATOR BRUSH

This Invention relates to an extending applicator brush, and in particular to an applicator brush which is attached to a lid that fits onto a receptacle containing a substance to be applied by the brush.

Applicator brushes attached to the lid of a receptacle are well known and widely used for a variety of cosmetic products including nail varnish, nail hardeners, lipstick, lip gloss, liquid eye liner, liquid eye shadow and also for decorative products such as liquid glue, paint samples, paint pots, ink pots and correction

fluids, for example.

However, a conventional applicator brush suffers from the disadvantage that when the substance to be applied runs low, the brush fails to collect enough of the substance to ensure proper and/or effective application. In such cases the user has to either re-screw the lid into the receptacle or tilt the receptacle in order to cover the brush with the substance. This makes using such products awkward.

When applying nail varnish, for example, if the fingernails of one hand have already been painted and the substance level is low, the user has to fiddle with the nail varnish bottle, either using one hand to hold the bottle and the other to re- screw and unscrew the lid, or tilt the bottle with one hand whilst holding the lid with the other hand. The already-painted nails are often scratched or otherwise damaged during this operation. Also, tilting the bottle with the lid unscrewed could cause the remaining nail varnish to spill.

Several prior art documents have addressed this problem by providing an applicator brush which is movably mounted upon the lid, including US patents 6,164,857, 5,913,631 and 5,096,320. In each of these documents, the applicator brush can be extended so as to reach the substance within the receptacle even when the substance level is low. This can be more economical as the applicator brush can reach and gather the substance even at its lowest level so that less of the substance is wasted. However, none of these documents disclose a method for retaining the brush in its extended position, so that each time the brush is reintroduced into the receptacle the user must manually extend the brush. The user may not always extend the brush by the same distance, so that the amount of substance carried by the brush can vary between applications, making accurate application of the substance more difficult. Also, with applications such as nail varnish for example, if the user has painted the fingernails of one hand and seeks to use that hand to manipulate the lid and brush, the requirement to repeatedly extend the brush manually increases the likelihood of scratching or otherwise damaging the alreadypainted nails.

US patents 4,961,664 and 5,690,441 also disclose extending applicator brushes, but in these documents there is additionally disclosed means to retain the brush temporarily in its extended position, so that the brush can be extended for repeated applications of nail varnish for example, and only retracted when the fingernails have all been painted and the lid is to be screwed back onto the receptacle.

It is not clear from US patent 5,690,441 how the brush is retracted, but in US patent 4,961,664 the brush is extended by pressing in a button carried by the lid, and n is stated that the user must pull out the button to retract the brush. In many of the applications for which the extending applicator brush will be used it is a significant disadvantage that the user has to pull out the button, since for example the user would likely scratch or damage already-painted nails during such operation on an extending applicator brush for nail varnish.

In addition, when the button has been depressed only a small part remains to grasp, and some users may lack the required manual dexterity and/or finger strength to grasp and pull out the button to retract the brush.

Also, in both US patent 4,961,664 and 5,690,441 a return spring biases the brush towards its retracted position. In US patent 4,961,664 the means for retaining the brush in its extended position comprises a spring- biased ball carried by the brush which can forced past a lip of the lid. In US patent 5,690,441 the means for retaining the brush in its extended position is a soft resilient member carried by the brush which can be forced past one of a number of resilient flaps carried by the lid. In both cases therefore, the retaining means is effectively a detent mechanism. The detent mechanisms must not be so secure as to preclude easy movement from the retracted to extended positions, but must be sufficiently secure to overcome the return spring and retain the brush in its extended position during use. In practice, it is highly likely that manufacturing tolerances, as well as wear upon the components during use, would have the effect of disabling the detent mechanism, i.e. the detent mechanism would not be able to retain the brush in its extended position against the bias of the return spring, and the brush would automatically return to its retracted position. The likelihood of automatic retraction is increased as the user presses upon the brush during application, such pressing acting generally in the same direction as the return spring. It will be understood that the automatic but unexpected retraction of the brush during application of nail varnish for example would have serious consequences in terms of diminishing the quality of finish provided.

There is therefore a need to provide an extending applicator brush which avoids the problems remaining with the prior art documents described above, and which provides an extending applicator brush having greater utility and being liable to more widespread use.

The object of this invention is therefore to provide an applicator brush that can be extended so that the brush can gather substance from the bottom of an almost empty receptacle both easily and repeatably without having to re-screw and unscrew the lid or tilt the receptacle. Also, the extending applicator brush should be retainable in the extended position so as to avoid repeated extending movements. Finally, the retention in the extended position should be more secure than that provided by a detent mechanism, and retraction of the brush when desired should require only a small amount of manual dexterity and manipulation.

According to the invention, there is provided an extending applicator brush comprising a brush, the brush being carried by a brush shaft, the brush shaft being movably connected to a lid part so that the brush shaft is movable between retracted and extended positions, the brush shaft being connected to a first press- button which projects from the lid part and can be manually pressed to move the brush shaft from its retracted position to its extended position, the brush having first resilient biasing means to bias the brush shaft towards its retracted position, the brush having retaining means for retaining the brush shaft in its extended position, the retaining means comprising a holding part movable between a retaining position and a non- retaining position, the direction of movement of the holding part between its retaining and non-retaining positions being substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the brush shaft between its retracted and extended positions, a second resilient biasing means biasing the holding part towards its retaining position, the holding part being connected to a second press-button which projects from the lid part and can be manually pressed to move the holding part from its retaining position to its non-retaining position.

Arranging the direction of movement of the holding part to be substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the brush shaft enables positive and secure retention, so that the brush can be effectively secured in its extended position and is not liable to move back to its retracted position inadvertently or unexpectedly. Also, providing a second press-button ensures that the first press button does not need to be pulled to release the retaining means, and allows greater securement of the brush in its extended position (since it is far easier to apply the force necessary to press in the second press-button of the present invention than it is to pull out the press-button of US patent 4, 961,441 to overcome the detent mechanism, for example).

Preferably, the lid part is adapted to provide the lid of a receptacle containing a substance to be applied by the extending applicator brush. Often, the extending applicator brush will be sold as part of a container for nail varnish or the like, but the possibility of the brush being sold alone for use as desired is not excluded.

Desirably, the lid part is rubber coated externally (partially or fully), so that the lid part (and the brush carried thereby) can better be gripped and can therefore more easily be manipulated.

Preferably, most or all of the components of the extending applicator brush, including the lid part, are made from plastics material. Some parts of the mechanism, however, may more suitably be made from metal The receptacle can be made from plastic, glass or rubber materials depending on the substance contained.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows the extending applicator brush attached to a receptacle; Figure 2 shows a (vertical) cross section through the lid part of the applicator brush of Fig. 1, with the brush shaft retracted: Figure 3 shows a vertical cross section through the lid part of the applicator brush of Fig. 1, with the brush shaft extended and retained in its extended position; Figure 4 shows a (horizontal) cross section through the lid part of the applicator brush of Fig.1; and Figure 5 shows an alternative lid part for the applicator brush.

As shown in figure 1 the extending applicator brush is carried by a lid part 2 which is optionally coated with a non-slip rubber material 14. The first press-button 1 is situated at the top of the lid part 2 and projects from the lid part 2. Openings 15 are provided in the side of the lid part 2 through which the second press-buttons can project as described below. In this embodiment there are two second press- buttons and the openings 15 are situated opposite one another in the lid part 2, but it will be understood that only a single second press-button could be provided if desired.

Figures 2 and 3 show a cross section through the lid part 2, showing the internal components of the lid part 2 which control the operation of the extending applicator brush. The orientation of the cross section Is vertical in the normal orientation of the receptacle and lid part.

The extending applicator brush comprises a brush 5 carried by a brush shaft 4, the brush shaft being movably connected to the lid part 2 so that the brush shaft is movable between a retracted position as shown in Fig.2 and an extended position as shown in Fig.3.

The brush shaft 4 is connected to the first press-button 1 which pressbutton can be manually depressed to move the brush shaft 4 from its retracted position to its extended position. The extending applicator brush has first compression springs 8 which bias the brush shaft 4 (upwardly as drawn) towards its retracted position.

The extending applicator brush has two holding parts 9 which are each movable between a retaining position shown in Fig.3 in which they project through the respective openings 15, and a non-retaining position in which they lie within the wall of the lid part 2 (i.e. that position shown in Fig.2). It will be understood that as the first press-button 1 is pressed down from the retracted position of Fig.2, the holding parts 9 reach the openings 15 where they are urged by the second compression spring 16 to move into the side openings 15. The lugs 10 prevent the holding parts 9 from coming out of the side openings 15.

The second compression spring 16 is located around an extending bar strut 13 which guides the movement of the holding parts 9 and provides support for the spring 8. The holding parts 9, second compression spring 16 and bar strut 13 are all located within a passage formed through the body of the first press-button 1.

As the push button 1 is pressed down the first compression springs 8 are compressed.

The lugs 11 carried by the brush shaft 4 are engageable with the plate 12 carried by the lid part 2 to retain the mechanism within the lid part 2 when the holding parts 9 are released. The plate 12 (along with the body of the first press-button 1) also acts to centralise and guide the brush shaft 4 during its movement.

It will be noted that the holding parts 9 are sufficiently large to provide second press-buttons which project from the side of the lid part 2 (see Fig.3). To retract the brush shaft 4, the user presses in the holding parts 9 against the bias of the second compression spring 16. It will be understood that the holding parts 9 must be pressed in beyond the outer surface of the side wall of the lid part 2, and in particular sufficiently far to clear the inner surface of the side wall of the lid part 2, but since the side wall is relatively thin this is easily achievable in practice. When the holding parts 9 have been released from the openings 15 the first compression springs 8 drive the brush shaft 4 upwardly as drawn, from the position shown in Fig.3 to the position shown in Fig.2.

It will be understood that in the extended position the brush 5 should reach the bottom of the receptacle 3 without screwing the lid part 2 back onto the receptacle, so that substantially all of the substance within the receptacle can be removed. Also, it will be understood that in the retracted position the brush 5 should lie inside the receptacle 3 when the lid housing 2 is fully screwed to the receptacle 3 using the screw threads 7. Importantly, the brush 5 should not engage the bottom of the receptacle in this position, and so is not likely to become permanently damaged or distorted.

It will be noted that the direction of movement of the holding parts 9 between their retaining and non-retaining positions is substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the brush shaft 4 between its retracted and extended positions.

This allows the holding parts 9 to secure the brush shaft 4 in its extended position, rather than merely act as a detent. Thus, the extending applicator brush of the present invention could withstand a considerable force seeking to move the brush shaft 4 upwardly from the position shown in Fig.3, and in particular could withstand a force far greater than would ever reasonably be applied by a user when pressing upon the brush. The effect of this is that the retaining means of the present extending applicator brush is less liable to failure in practice. Also, manufacturing tolerances and wear during use are less likely to disable the retaining means.

Furthermore, the retention in the extended position is not dependent upon the rating of the second compression spring 16, so that the second compression spring 16 can be relatively weak, and in particular need be sufficiently strong only to move the holding parts 9 outwardly into the openings 15 when these parts are aligned. Clearly therefore, the force required to release the holding parts 9 can be very small, it being necessary only to overcome the small biasing force exerted by the second compression spring 16 and the (also small) frictional resistance of the holding parts 9 in the openings 15 caused by the first compression springs 8).

The ends of the holding parts 9 do not need to be chamfered or tapered, but they may be so formed if desired.

Figure 4 shows a horizontal cross section of the second compression spring 8 which as above described can extend, pushing the holding parts 9 outwardly into and through the openings 15, when the push button 1 is pressed down.

Figure 5 shows the extending applicator brush in its lid part 2 attached to a receptacle 3 by way of the screw threads 7. In this embodiment the lid part 2 has an alternative nonslip arrangement in which indentations are made in the rubber material above and below the side button exits 15. Clearly, the amount and disposition of non-slip coating provided upon the lid part 2 can be varied as desired.

Notwithstanding the reference to "brush" herein, it is recognised that some embodiments of the invention may use a blade, sponge or other applicating member temporarily to hold or absorb the substance to be applied, and the term "brush" used herein should be understood to refer to those other applicating members also.

Claims

Claims 1. An extending applicator brush comprising a brush, the brush

being carried by a brush shaft, the brush shaft being movably connected to a lid part so that the brush shaft is movable between retracted and extended positions, the brush shaft being connected to a first pressbutton which projects from the lid part and which can be manually pressed to move the brush shaft from its retracted position to its extended position, the brush having first resilient biasing means to bias the brush shaft towards its retracted position, the brush having retaining means for retaining the brush shaft in its extended position, the retaining means comprising a holding part movable between a retaining position and a non-retaining position, the direction of movement of the holding part between its retaining and non retaining positions being substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the brush shaft between its retracted and extended positions, a second resilient biasing means biasing the holding part towards its retaining position, the holding part being connected to a second press button which projects from the lid part and can be manually pressed to move the holding part from its retaining position to its non-retaining position.
2. An extending applicator brush according to claim 1 in which the lid part is adapted to provide the lid of a receptacle containing a substance to be applied by the extending applicator brush.
3. An extending applicator brush according to claim 1 in which the lid part is at least partially of rubber or is coated with rubber.
4. An extending applicator brush according to any one of claims 1-3 in which the lid part has indentations or raised grooves around its periphery.
5. An extending applicator brush according to any one of claims 14 having two holding parts.
6. An extending applicator brush according to claim 5 in which the holding parts are diametrically opposed within the lid part.
7. An extending applicator brush according to any one of claims 1-6 in which the holding part(s) are carried by the first press-button.
8. An extending applicator brush according to claim 7 in which the holding part(s) are mounted in a passageway formed through the first press-button.
9. An extending applicator brush according to any one of claims 1-8 in which the lid part has an opening to receive the holding part.
10. An extending applicator brush substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.