ITMI20082197A1 - APPLICABLE DEVICE FOR VISCOSE OR PASTE LIQUID PRODUCTS, IN PARTICULAR FOR APPLICATIONS IN DECORATIVE COSMETICS, MORE PARTICULARLY FOR THE APPLICATION OF THE MASCARA TO THE CIGLIA, AND CONTAINER OF COSMETIC PRODUCTS PROVIDED WITH THIS DISP. - Google Patents

Description

"Applicator device for viscous liquid products or pastes, in particular for applications in decorative cosmetics, more particularly for the application of mascara to eyelashes, and container for cosmetic products equipped with this applicator device"

The invention relates to an applicator device for viscous liquid products or pastes, used in particular in decorative cosmetics and more particularly for the application of mascara to eyelashes. The same invention also extends to the container for cosmetic products, provided with this applicator device.

A mascara applicator must perform a plurality of functions at the same time. It must ensure that the mascara cosmetic product (hereinafter "bulk") is applied uniformly to the lashes in a simple way, requiring one or at most a few application steps to achieve the desired effect. It must comb and separate the lashes from each other, orienting them in the desired direction. It must be able to collect a sufficient quantity of bulk and to lay it effectively and evenly on the lashes along their entire length. Ideally, the amount of bulk should be sufficient to make up an entire eyelid without the need to insert the applicator into the container to withdraw more bulk. It must not be loaded with excess bulk to avoid causing stagnation of unused bulk on the applicator, or depositing too much bulk on the lashes, irregularly or in lumps. Being normally mounted on a handle, it must be rigid enough to absorb the forces exerted during application. However, it must be sufficiently elastic to adapt and follow the structure of the lashes. Since these are cosmetic applications around the ocular region, it must give rise to a sufficiently safe use, both in mechanical and biological terms.

These numerous functions and needs, if adequately met, combine to achieve the two main objectives that the mascara applicator must fulfill:

- separate and comb eyelashes,

- distribute the bulk evenly and homogeneously over the entire length of the lashes. Conventional mascara applicators, known for some time, belong to a first type based on a plurality of bristles or fibers comprised between a wire, typically steel, twisted in helical coils to give shape to a sort of brush, conventionally called "brush" or "brush" in English. The toothbrush typically has an axially symmetrical elongated shape.

This type of applicator has several disadvantages including:

- The small diameter of the twisted wire means that a large part of the bulk permanently covers this wire, without being able to be applied to the lashes as it is too much inside the brush to be able to come into contact with the lashes themselves. This bulk tends to dry out, harden and can be a receptacle for contamination, both in the form of impurities that gradually accumulate, and biological agents. This bulk with non-optimal characteristics can also, over time, deteriorate the performance of the applicator.

- The effectiveness of this applicator in combing and adequately separating the lashes is limited by the fact that the fibers must be numerous enough to be well retained by the twisted thread, resulting in a rather dense applicator. This density of fibers prevents to a greater or lesser extent the penetration of the fibers themselves between the lashes, correspondingly limiting the applicator's ability to comb, separate and / or transfer the necessary amount of bulk to the lashes

- The types of fiber that can be used for this type of applicator are intrinsically limited. These are typically extruded filaments of polymeric materials, in particular polyamides and to a lesser extent polyesters and other synthetic fibers. The stiffness or elasticity of these fibers is limited by the physical-mechanical characteristics of the polymeric materials available in this form and by the characteristics of the section of the fibers themselves. Since the commonly used and available polymeric materials are very few, and the shapes and dimensions of the section of the same are few, it results that the variation of an important characteristic, such as the stiffness or elasticity of the fiber, is in turn intrinsically limited.

- The arrangement of the fibers along the two longitudinal and radial directions is imposed by the manufacturing method, based on the twisting of the steel wire, and is therefore controllable within narrow margins by the designer of the applicator, who can only act on the indirect parameters relating to the size and to the cross section of the fiber, to the total number of fibers and to the diameter of the steel wire, as already mentioned, limited. These parameters are also interconnected and limited by the manufacturing process, ie by the possibility that the twisted yarn holds the fibers firmly in place in the specified quantity. The limited range of fiber arrangement modes has the effect of imposing limits on the applicator's design possibilities and consequently the possibility of optimizing the applicator's performance in relation to the specific desired cosmetic result.

- Since the fibers are obtained from extruded filaments of unlimited length, it is not possible to introduce variations to the cross section of the fiber, in the direction of the length of the fiber, suitable for example to improve the capacity of the fiber itself to load itself in a more effective and controlled way in bulk , or to increase the combing and separating effectiveness.

- The presence of metal wire constitutes an element of potential safety risk in the use of the applicator.

- The presence of metal wire limits the possibilities of recycling the applicator and the entire container of which the applicator is part.

Due to the limitations set out above, this first type of applicator is limited in simultaneously achieving adequate cosmetic effects, for example of volumizing, curling, combing and separation of the lashes.

A series of variations on the basic principle of this type of applicator has been made over time, in order to at least partially improve these limits, for example by making use of fibers having sections of different shapes and / or sizes mixed together (eg. EP 0 329 505 B1, EP 0 239 270 B2, US 4,964,429). Another variation, for example, consists in partially shaving the fibers in the transverse or longitudinal direction, to obtain more complex shapes or to arrange the fibers in portions of different lengths (e.g. EP 0 410 821 B1, EP 1647 202 B1, EP 1647 202 A1, EP 0663 161 B1, EP 0 792 602 B2, EP 0811 336 B1, EP 0811 337 B1, EP 1344 470 A2). A further variation consists in subjecting the brush to subsequent treatments, aimed above all at modifying the shape of the tip of the fibers, for example by fraying it, or by obtaining a swelling (e.g. EP 0486 329 B1, EP 0 568 400 B1, US 5,197,497), however, treatments with very limited dimensional effects. These variations, however, are not such as to decisively exceed the limits described above, and are also based on additional operations and more complex technologies, with the result of further increasing the costs of the applicator, severely limiting its practical use.

A second type of applicator has been developed more recently, in order to overcome some of the limitations described above. This second type of applicator is generally constituted by a plurality of radial elements in the form of bristles or fingers which extend radially from a longitudinally elongated central body in the form of a rod, said radial elements and central body being generally made by injection molding of polymeric materials. In a very wide range of different embodiments, this type of applicator can consist of a single whole or of two or more different parts, typically the central body being one and the radial elements being the second, these parts being connected to each other or to via co-molding technologies, or by assembling them.

This second type of applicator partially overcomes the limits of the type described above, but in any case has at least the following drawbacks:

- The number of radial elements in conventional embodiments ("fingers") is limited by the injection molding technology and the complexity of the necessary molds. The configuration and arrangement of these radial elements results in a series of undercuts that require complex mold solutions, making use of numerous moving parts necessary for the extraction of the molded piece. The number of moving parts is however limited by the overall dimensions and small dimensions of the applicator. Consequently, this type of applicator is intrinsically limited in reaching a number of radial elements sufficient to load a large quantity of bulk and to transfer it to the lashes.

- This second type of applicator, being based on injection molding, requires a specific mold for each applicator model or, at the very least, that the molding parts of the mold are specific for each applicator model. The manufacturing cost of the molds, as mentioned particularly complex in their construction, severely limits the availability of different applicator models. For the same reason, design flexibility is also limited: any modification of the number, size and / or arrangement of the radial elements that may be necessary to optimize the applicator's performance requires the modification or even the remaking of the entire mold. or at least the printing parts, making the development and optimization phase particularly onerous. This results in substantially high development and set-up times, as well as in high production start-up times, in contrast with the needs of the modern cosmetic market. For the same reason, the customization of the applicator according to specific cosmetic needs is considerably limited, this being also a factor in contrast with the needs of the cosmetic market.

- The conventional manufacturing methods severely limit and, in general, prevent the creation of applicator models composed of radial elements made with different materials, therefore able to profitably combine materials with different mechanical characteristics, as instead is at least partially possible for the applicators of the first type described above, through the mixing of different fibers.

- The methods of construction of the molds, and in particular the methods of extracting the radial elements from the mold, prevent the latter from being given a shape that presents undercuts with respect to the radial direction, for example branches or significant cross-sectional variations. The typical shapes of the radial elements commonly obtained for this second type of applicator are cylindrical or conical, with the major axis oriented in the radial direction, in this case not significantly different from what can be achieved with the first type applicators.

- The longitudinal arrangement of the radial elements is typically limited to several rows of elements, each row having said elements aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction. This limitation is caused by the geometric restrictions imposed by the making of the mold.

- The manufacturing technology and in particular the cost of the molds, in addition to limiting the number of models, constitutes a penalizing cost element, especially where there is no demand for large quantities of a certain type of applicator.

From what has been described above it appears that this second type of applicator, while obtaining better results in some areas than the first type, is not capable of completely overcoming the limits mentioned above.

The purpose of the invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of the first type of applicator as well as of the second. In particular, the invention has the purpose of:

- obtaining high performance both in combing and separating, and in volumizing, lengthening or curling the lashes, which can be combined in varying proportions to each other to optimally satisfy each specific cosmetic result objective;

- make possible a density field (number of elements) and a spectrum of different shapes of radial elements, sufficiently broad to allow the fine-tuning of the performance of both combing and separation, and the distribution of bulk quantities on the lashes, which are they can be combined with each other in different sizes and flexibly depending on the desired cosmetic effect;

- combining with each other, where considered advantageous, radial elements made of different materials, to obtain in the same applicator radial elements with different elasticity; - allowing the production of radial elements arranged spatially in very different ways, suitable for obtaining a plurality of different applicator models through the combination of different radial elements; - allow the creation of very diversified shapes of radial elements and from time to time designed to increase the volumizing, lengthening, curving, combing and separating effect, according to the requirements dictated by the specific application;

- allowing a flexible manufacturing method based on equipment of limited cost and usable for numerous different models of applicators, capable of giving rise to a plurality of models which can be easily and quickly customized according to individual needs. These and other objects are achieved with the applicator device and with the container for cosmetic products according to claims 1 and 13 respectively. Preferred ways of carrying out the invention result from the remaining claims.

In relation to the known art described above, the applicator device according to the invention, thanks to the constructive simplicity that derives from its modular structure, allows to produce not very complex and inexpensive molds. The manufacturing simplicity of the molds and their low cost allow to perform many types of different radial elements which, in turn assembled according to different methods and sequences, allow to obtain a variety of different applicator models, with limited investment costs in equipment.

For its part, the availability of a series of different radial elements allows to assemble a new model of applicator in an extremely fast way, and to modify it where necessary just as quickly and without the need for lengthy and expensive modifications to existing molds and equipment.

The characteristics of the device of the invention described above are such as to also allow the construction of a large number of different applicators, starting from a relatively small number of radial elements with different shapes.

Added to this is that the very wide range of applicators obtainable with the present invention allows a specific applicator to be developed and optimized quickly and at competitive costs for each specific cosmetic need.

Finally, the applicators described in the present invention can be advantageously used as a component of a container for cosmetic products, suitable for applying a cosmetic product with keratin fibers, in particular eyelashes, eyebrows and hair.

These and other objects, advantages and characteristics result from the following description of a preferred way of making the applicator device of the invention illustrated, by way of non-limiting example, in the figures of the attached drawings. In these:

Figure 1 shows a first example of the device of the invention in longitudinal axial section;

- figures 2a and 2b show, respectively in front and in section view, one of the radial elements that make up the device of figure 1;

- figures 3a and 3b show, respectively in front and in section view, a variant embodiment of the radial element of the previous figures;

- figures 4a and 4b show, respectively in lateral and sectional views, the detail of one of the arms of the radial element of figure 2;

Figures 5a to 5f illustrate some of the different shapes with which the arms of the radial elements of the device of the invention can be made;

- figures 6a to 6f illustrate further variants of the shape of the arms of the preceding figures, with figure 6f representing the view from A of the arm of figure 6e;

- figures 7a to 7g illustrate some further variants of the shape of the arms of the radial element of the device of the invention;

Figures 8a to 8d show, in front view and in lateral section, some of the numerous arrangements of the radial elements which can be combined on the device of the invention; And

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a container for cosmetic products, equipped with the device according to one or more of the preceding claims.

The applicator device of the invention is indicated as a whole with 11 in figure 1. It essentially comprises a first longitudinal element 1d, called "stem", having a prevalently longitudinal development (axis X, figure 1), as well as a series of second radial elements 2, called "stars", which extend in a predominantly radial direction (Y axis, figures 1 and 2) from the aforementioned stem 1d.

As better illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, a plurality of stars 2 is assembled on the stem 1d of the applicator device 11 thanks to the presence, on the central body 3 of the latter, of a hole 4, inside which the same stem 1d is inserted. , substantially realizing a composite structure. This stem 1d is in turn structured with a tail 1a (which is assembled on the handle 8 of figure 9), with a central part 1b (on which the stars 2 are longitudinally arranged), and with a tip 1c which, through a suitably enlarged conformation, it holds the stars 2 so that they cannot slip off the stem 1d. The section of the central part 1b of the stem 1d is such as to be coupled with the central hole 4 of each star 2. This hole can simply have a circular section or a more complex section, for example triangular, square, or in any case non-circular symmetry, in order to allow a pre-ordered angular orientation of each star with respect to the others.

Arms 5 protrude from the outer perimeter of the central body 3 of each star 2, in a predominantly radial direction, joined to the same central body 3 through a base 6 and extending outwards up to the tip 7.

As illustrated in figures 2b, 3a and 3b these arms 5 can be arranged on a single circumference (a), or on several different circumferences (a, b). The preferred arrangements are those which see the arms 5 distributed on a single circumference or on two circumferences (a) and (b), where the arrangement of the arms of the first circumference is offset with respect to the arrangement of the arms of the second circumference (figure 3a, 3b ).

The shape of the arms 5 can be widely differentiated, both in section, and for their structure which can be linear (as for example represented in figures 2b, 7a) or branched (figures 7b a7g).

Examples of possible cross sections of the arms 5 of the stars 2 are shown in figures 4a, 4b and 5a to 5f, advantageously usable to adjust the capacity of each arm to load with bulk, so as to be able to subsequently transfer it in an adequate quantity to the lashes and / or to vary the elasticity of the arm for the same material used. In this way, the combing and separating capacity of the device of the invention can be made optimal, also thanks to the choice of arms 5 having different elastic properties. The shape of the cross sections is not subject to any other limit, except that of not giving rise to undercuts in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the star, capable of hindering its extraction from the mold.

In particular, each arm 5 can develop in the radial direction Y with different cross sections, which change starting from the base 6 towards the tip 7 of each arm. Examples of this sequence of section changes are shown in figures 6a to 6f, the shape of these cross sections in sequence being subject to the only constraint of avoiding the formation of undercuts in the direction of the longitudinal axis X of the star 2, such as to prevent to this to be extracted from the mold. This further possibility, made possible by the modular structure of the applicator device 11 of the invention, considerably increases the design flexibility of the arms of the stars 2, to obtain the best result of loading and depositing bulk on the lashes and of combing and separating them.

As illustrated in figures 7a to 7f, the arms 5 can have an exclusively longitudinal development (figure 7a) or composite, the latter characterized by the branched shapes reproduced in figures 7b to 7f. These branches can also rejoin each other creating arms with holes or cavities (figure 7g). Once again, the only limit imposed on the shape of the arms 5 is that of not giving rise to undercuts in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the star, such as to prevent it from being extracted from the mold. These different profiles can also be advantageously used to improve and adapt the arms 5 to each specific application requirement of the cosmetic product. In fact, a particularly useful type of longitudinal profile is that which involves ramifications, suitable for increasing the number of points 7 of the arms 5 on the device 11. This further possibility considerably increases the design flexibility of the arm, in order to obtain the best result of loading and deposition of bulk on the lashes and combing and separation of the same.

Thanks to the described modular structure, possessed by the applicator device of the invention, on the same star 2 can be combined arms 5 having different dimensions, profile and / or section, as described above, both on the same circumference (a), both on different circumferences (a, b). Different stars can in turn be combined in the same applicator by assembling them longitudinally in a given order. Stars made with different materials, having different physical, mechanical and / or color characteristics, can be combined in the same applicator, assembling them longitudinally according to a given order. Furthermore, identical or different stars can be combined both in head-to-head configuration and in head-to-tail configuration, giving rise to different arrangements of the arms 5, as exemplified in figures 8a to 8d.

Stars 2 that are the same or different from each other, provided they have a central body 3 with a non-circular hole 4, can be assembled sequentially along the X axis of the stem 1d, giving each star a pre-ordered angular rotation with respect to the next star, so as to create some corresponding different arrangements of the arms 5 in the aforementioned direction, according to the selected rotation sequence. This result can be obtained both by acting on the reciprocal angular orientation of the arms 5 with respect to the central hole 4, and by making the part 1b of the stem 1d with a suitably helical course.

The possibilities of variation of shape, profile, section from the single arms, the possibilities of combining different arms in a star, the possibility of combining different stars along the axis of the applicator device, the possibilities of variation of the configuration and / or of the longitudinal arrangement of the stars, as previously described, can all in turn be combined on the stem 1d, to give rise to a very high number of different applicator models.

The stem on which the stars are assembled can be made of different materials, having different physical-mechanical characteristics, in particular of elasticity and resilience, suitable for adapting to the specific needs of each specific application. The realization of the stars and the axis can be conveniently performed through injection molding of polymeric materials.

Materials which can be advantageously used, individually or in combination, for the realization of the stars 2 and the stem 1d are:

- polyethylene and its copolymers (e.g. copolymers of vinyl acetate, of cyclic olefins)

- polypropylene and copolymers of the same - other polyolefins and copolymers of the same - polystyrene and copolymers of the same, such as for example styrene-acrylonitrile, acrylonitrile butadiene-styrene

- polyamide and its copolymers

- polyethylene terephthalate and its copolymers

- polymethylpentene

- silicone polymers

- polycarbonate

- polyacetal polymers

- thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) based on polyetherester amides, polyetheramides (TPE-A)

ú co-polyester (TPE-E)

ú olefins (TPE-O, TPE-V): ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM), ethylene-vinyl acetate, ethylene-vinyl-polyvinylidene chloride, ethylene-propylene-propylene terpolymer (TE- (EPDM + PP), ethylene-propylene terpolymer -cross-linked propylene (TPE-V), natural rubber-polypropylene (TPE-V), nitrile butadienepolypropylene rubber

ú styrene copolymers (TPE-S): styrene-butadiene, styrene-butadiene-styrene, styrene-ethenbutene-styrene, styrene-isoprene block copolymer, styrene-butadiene-propylene, styrene-ethylene-butene, styrene-polyphenyl ether, styrene ethylene-styrene-polypropylene

ú polyurethanes (TPE-U): polyesterurethane, polyetheresterurethane, polyetherurethane, aliphatic TPE-U - polymethylmethacrylate and copolymers of the same

- ionomeric polymers and copolymers

- thermosetting elastomers, eg. natural rubber, NBR

Said materials can include fillers and additives, such as for example:

- non-stick and slip such as silicone, PTFE and totally or partially fluorinated polymers or copolymers, graphite

- bactericides

- mineral fillers, eg. mica, talc

- reinforcing agents such as carbon fibers, kevlar, glass

- magnetic or magnetizable particles - agents capable of modifying the surface tension.

The applicator device of the invention can be used to equip the container 10 with cosmetics, in particular with mascara, illustrated in Figure 9. In this embodiment, the handle 8 mounted on the tail 1a of the stem 1d of the device 11 also acts in quality of lid that closes the mouth 9 of the container 10.

The object of the invention can also be profitably used in other fields, such as for example to apply dyes to hair in strands, or for the application of products with a pharmaceutical purpose.

Claims (13)

CLAIMS 1. Applying device for viscous liquid products or pastes, in particular for applications in decorative cosmetics and more particularly for the application of mascara to the eyelashes, characterized by the fact that it consists of modular means, which can be mutually assembled together for the realization of the same device, which modular means comprise a stem (1d) with a longitudinal axis, as well as a plurality of elements (2) arranged on the aforementioned stem (1d) and having a radial development. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the aforementioned elements (2) comprise a central body (3) provided with a hole (4) for engaging the respective element (2) on said stem (1d), as well as a plurality of arms (5) which extend radially from the aforementioned body (3). 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that said stem (1d) comprises a tail part (1a), suitable for integrating the handle (8) of the aforementioned applicator device, a central part (1b) for engagement with the said radial elements (2), and a tip (1c) with an enlarged design, suitable for preventing the slipping of the same elements (2) from the aforementioned stem (1d). 4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the said central part (1b) of the stem (1d) and the aforementioned hole (4) of the body (3) of the radial elements (2) have a non-symmetrical profile in plan circular, designed to avoid the reciprocal rotational movements of the latter on the same stem (1d). 5. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the aforementioned arms (5) have a base (6) for connection to said central body (3), the same arms (5) extending from this base (6) up to a respective tip (7). 6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that said arms (5) are arranged on a single circumference (a), or on several different circumferences (a, b) of the body (3) of a respective radial element ( 2). 7. Device according to claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the shape of said arms (5) is differentiated both in section and in their linear or branched structure. 8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the shape of said arms (5) is sequentially diversified along the longitudinal axis of the latter. 9. Device according to claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the aforementioned arms (5) are made of materials having different physical-mechanical properties. 10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that it provides, assembled on the same stem (1d), a plurality of radial elements (2) different from each other. 11. Device according to claim 10, characterized by the fact of providing, assembled on the same stem (1d), equal or different radial elements (2), with a head-to-head configuration, or with a head-tail configuration. 12. Device according to claim 4, characterized by the fact of providing, arranged on the same stem (1d), of the radial elements (2) assembled in sequence with a predetermined angular rotation with respect to the contiguous element (2), so as to create corresponding different arrangements of said arms (5) in the longitudinal direction of the same stem (1d), according to the selected rotation sequence. 13. Container for cosmetic products, in particular for mascara, characterized in that it comprises an applicator device according to one or more of the preceding claims.