US2789304A

US2789304A - Cosmetics applicator

Info

Publication number: US2789304A
Application number: US475340A
Authority: US
Inventors: Samuel B Leavin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-12-15
Filing date: 1954-12-15
Publication date: 1957-04-23
Anticipated expiration: 1974-04-23

Description

April 23, 1957 s. B. LEAvlN COSMETICS APPLICATOR Filed Dec.

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m. Rm 0.a m. EB ma m vl B ATTORNEY United States Patent O COSMETICS APPLICATOR Samuel B. Leavin, New York, N. Y., assignor of one-third to William H. Leavin and one-third to Joseph Aversa, New York, N. Y.

Application December 15, 1954, Serial No. 475,340

1 Claim. (Cl. 15-184) This invention relates to a cosmetics applicator.

The invention applies mainly to the application of lipstick type cosmetics to the lips by means of a brush but it is equally applicable to other lipsticks which may be used directly upon the lips without the aid of a brush or other applicator. The invention also pertains to other cosmetics which may be applied either directly or by a brush, for example, eyebrow pencil, mascara and eye shadow.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a combination holder and mechanism which houses a cosmetics applicator or a cosmetic itself and which projects it to exposed operative position and which retracts it to concealed inoperative position, a cap being provided to move it to one of these positions and a spring being provided to move it to the opposite position. The invention will hereinafter be described in terms of utilizing the spring to retract the applicator and of utilizing the cap to project the applicator to operative position but it will be understood that this is purely illustrative and the spring may be used, if desired, to project the applicator to operative position and the cap may be used to return the applicator to inoperative position.

Briey stated, a casing is provided which has the general appearance of the barrel of a mechanical pencil. A removable cap, of the general type used in fountain pens, is removably mounted on said casing, being adapted to be slipped over either end of the casing. The back end of the casing is closed and the forward end may be tapered and open. Slidably mounted within the casing is the applicator itself or a holder for a lipstick or eyebrow pencil or the like. A spring is also mounted in said casing and it engages the applicator (or lipstick holder, etc.) and urges it rearwardly into retracted position within the casing.

A longitudinal slot is provided in the casing and a pin projects outwardly through said slot from the applicator. When the cap is slipped onto the back end of the casing, it engages said pin and pushes it forwardly, thereby carrying the applicator along with it to operative position against the action of the spring. Frictional means is provided to hold the cap in position on the casing so that the spring will not accidentally retract the applicator. When the cap is removed from the back end of the casing, the applicator is released for rearward movement under the inuence of the spring to retracted position. The cap may now be placed upon the forward end of the casing to close olf said end and the slot in the casing wall, thereby protecting the applicator or other cosmetic device which may be substituted therefor.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a side view of a cosmetics applicator made in accordance with one form of this invention, showing the applicator in operative position.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section therethrough on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Patented Apr. 23, 1957 Fig. 3 is a view similar to the device in closed position.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section therethrough on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view, partly broken away and in section, showing the several components of the cosmetics applicator illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4.

Fig. 6 is a side view of a modied component of said device, showing a lipstick held thereby in place of the applicator shown in Fig. 5.

It will be noted in the drawing that the cosmetics applicator herein claimed includes a casing 10 and a cap 12 for said casing. The casing is generally cylindrical in form with a tapered forward end 14. It is open at both that of Fig. l1 but showing ends and is provided with a longitudinally extending sloty 16 in its side wall. The back end 18 of casing 10 is normally kept in closed position or condition by means of a plug 20. Casing 10 and cap 12 are made, preferably, of metal and plug 20 is made, preferably, of molded plastics. r

Cap 12 is made to be slipped over either end of casing 10. The forward end 22 of cap 12 is open and its rear end 24 is tapered and closed. A frictional t between the cap and the casing is desired for the purposes of this invention and this is eiected by means of raised ridges 26 formed on casing 10. These ridges are engageable by the cap irrespective of whether it is applied to the casing at its back end or its forward end.

Slidably mounted within casing 10 is a plunger 30, this plunger being made, preferably, of plastics molded to the shape shown in Fig. 5. It comprises a generally cylindrical body 32 with a concave recess 34 formed in its side and a transverse hole 36 formed therethrough, said hole and said recess being in communication with each other. A post or stud 38 projects forwardly from cylindrical body 32, coaxially therewith. Post 38 may have a tapered forward end 40 and an annular groove 42 encircling said tapered forward end. Since post 38 is smaller in diameter than cylindrical body 32, an annular shoulder 44 is provided between said post and said body.

It will be observed that a tubular ferrule 46 is provided and that said ferrule is somewhat tapered at its back end 48 to correspond to the taper of forward end 40 of post 38. It is consequently possible to mount said ferrule 46 on said tapered end 40 as shown in the drawing so as to secure said ferrule to said tapered end. At the forward end of ferrule 46 are hairs 50 which constitute a brush suitable for applying cosmetics.

Encircling post 38 and ferrule 46 is a coiled compression spring 52. The back end of said spring abuts annular shoulder 44. The forward end of the spring abuts the tapered end 14 of casing 10 and the spring is of such diameter relative to the opening in said tapered end of the casing that it cannot pass through. Consequently, when plunger 30 is Slidably mounted in the casing, the spring acts between the tapered forward end of the casing and the annular shoulder on said plunger, thereby urging the plunger rearwardly toward the back end of the casing. Since the applicator brush is mounted on said plunger, and more particularly on its forwardly extending post 38, said applicator brush will also be urged rearwardly by said spring into retracted position within the casing.

A bowed leaf spring 60 is disposed within recess 34, its ends abutting the inside wall of casing 10. A pin 62 is `secured to said leaf spring, centrally thereof, 4and it will be observed that said pin projects through hole 36 in the plunger and slot 16 in the casing. This pin is actually a stepped member, somewhat thicker adjacent the leaf `spring and somewhat thinner at its free end. It is this relatively thin portion which projects through slot 16 as Figs. 2 and 4 clearly show. Said leaf spring fuuctions to resiliently hold said pin in its said outwardly projecting'position, irrespeetiveiof the position of the plunger within the casing and irrespective of lwhether the plunger is at rest within the easing or is being moved relativegthereto. Y A

v Pin 62' performs two irnportantfunctions. In the first place,.it serves-as aA stopmember yagainst the ends of slot 16 to govern the range of movement of the Vplunger.Y

andthebrushvapplicator mountedthereon. By the same token,.it serves as the means oflocking the plunger and a'l-l of the other components connected therewith into the casing.. In `other words,- it holds the parts together and limits their. relative movement. In the second place, pin 62 is engageable by the forward end-:22of c-ap 12. When thecapl is slipped onto the back end of the casing, it engages said pin and pushes it forwardly, therebyI moving the plunger and the` applicator brush forwardlyto operative position, against the action ofthe coil spring. When the cap is removed from the backend of the casing, the pin is released and/theA plunger is free to return to retracted position under. the influence of the spring. When the cap Vis now placed upon the forward end of the casing, it will once again'engage the pin but this time only to assist the coiled spring in holding said pin and the plunger in retracted position.

. Turning now to Fig. 6, a smallvariation of the labove described device is shown. The entire mechanism remains the same with the exception of a modification in the plunger and a'substitution of a lipstick for the brush applicator. Fig. 6 shows aplunger 70'which Icorresponds toplunger 30 except that it lacks a post or. stud corresponding to post or stud 38 and, instead, has a cup-shaped forward portion 72 which serves as a receptacle 'for lipstick 74: This lipstick may be inserted directly into said cup-Shaped receptacle or it may be mounted in a metal cup 76 which, in turn, would be inserted int-o saidcupshaped receptacle 72. This is simply illustrative of how the device herein claimed may be fitted with cosmetic preparations or cosmetic applying means in place of the 'brush applicator shown inthe first ve gures of the drawing. Another possibility, again without limiting this Y invention, isto substitute a cosmetic stick for brush hairs 501m ferrule` 46. There would bev no change in principle and there would simply be a substitution of cosmetic applying means in the same ferrule.

The foregoing is illustrative of preferred forms of this invention'and it will be understoodrthat these forms may berrodiied and other forms may bev provided within the broad spirit of the invention and the broad scope `of the claim.

' What is claimed is:

A cosmetics applicator of the character described, comprising a tubular casing which is open at its forward end, said forward end being tapered inwardly to form a generally conical shoulder on the'inside thereof, `a plunger slidably mounted in said casing for longitudinal movement therein, the forward' end of said plunger being reduced,l an 'annular shoulder being for-med between said reduced forward end of the plunger and the main body of the plunger, a coiled compression spring mounted on said reduced forward end -of the plunger, the back end of said coiled spring bearing against said annular shoulder and the forwardy end of said coiled spring bearing against said conical shoulder, whereby the plunger is urged rearwardly within said casing andrelativethereto, a tapered ferrule secured to the forward end of said reduced end of the plunger and adapted to project through the open tapered forward end of theycasing, brush bristles held by said ferrule, a longitudinal slot formed in `said casing, a transversely extending pin mounted in said plunger for transverse movement therein, one end of said pin being disposed to project `outwardly through said slot, said pin being engageable with the ends .of said slot to limit the longitudinall sliding movement of the plunger within said casing, a recess formed in the side of the plunger diametrically opposite the slot in the casing, a bowed leaf spring mounted Yin said recess,` the opposite end of said pin being securedto the center of said bowed leaf spring, the ends of said bowed leaf` spring being in slidable engagement with the inside wallof'the casing, whereby the pin is urged by said bowed leaf spring in the direction of said slot, and a cap for said casing, said'cap being removably slidably mounted von the back end of said casing and being engageable with the outwardly projecting end of Isaid pin to push the pin and the plunger in which it ismounted forwardly against the Iaction of the compression coil spring, thereby causing. Y the brush bristles to project forwardly through the forprojecting end of the pin and thereby preventing saidV pin, plunger and brush bristles from moving forwardly in the casing.,

i References Cited inthe tile of this patentV UNITEDy STATES Prrrnrrrs 380,080 Bouton Mar. 27, 1888 578,780 Smith Mar. 16, 1897 783,937 Edwards Feb. 28, 1905 1,103,879 Hoffman July 14, 1914. 2,071,747 Houlihan Feb. 23, 1937 2,468,733 Boulicault' May 3, 19.49 2,607,942 Gordon Aug. 26, 1952