ACTIVE ARM EYELASH APPLICATOR
An active arm eyelash applicator comprising of a stationary arm similar to traditional mascara wands and an active or movable arm attached to the stationary arm is disclosed. The active arm is controlled by a button protruding from a handle or end cap, allowing the active arm to open and close. The eyelash applicator in the closed position is designed to be stored in a standard mascara base tube which is configured to be sealed from dry-out and is held securely together by symmetrical pieces defined at each first end of the individual arms for fitting perfectly into the neck opening of the base tube.
CO-RELATED APPLICATION
The present disclosure claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/182,890, filed on Jun. 22, 2015, entitled “Eyelash Applicator with Active Arm Apparatus”, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is directed to the cosmetic industry and more particularly to a mascara applicator that simultaneously coats, de-clumps and curls lashes.
BACKGROUNDPrior art mascara applicators require using three cosmetic tools to achieve the desired finished look, one to coat the eyelashes, a second to separate and de-clump and a third lash curler to curl lashes. Typically, prior art mascara applicators consist of using a single wand with an applicator brush, which is offered in a variety of brush heads to achieve benefits including length, volume, curling, density and separated lashes. Additionally, lash combs consisting of small combs with teeth made of varying materials allow a user to comb through the lash to separate and de-clump after mascara application. Lash combs may have a brow brush attached to the opposite side for brow grooming. Commercially available mascara applicators now exist with dual wands, either in a single tube or double tube with openings on opposite ends or side-by-side. The dual wands open and close in varying ways similar to different styles of tongs, all having two active arms to open and close the wands for production application.
However a problem exists in prior art applicator functionality. Poorly designed wiper systems allow excess product to remain on and between the mascara wands, causing messy application. Additionally, the containers housing a mascara solution are not designed in a way to hold the wand arms securely together, thereby allowing excess product to build up between the wands and never be wiped away. This build up leads to product dry out between the wands and results in clumpy and messy product application.
Therefore there is a need for an eyelash applicator that provides a mascara component with a dual arm applicator which is capable of securely closing in a simple manner the mascara container that serves for storing it while allowing for ease of dual arm operation when coating and de-clumping eyelashes. The present invention solves these problems in a unique and novel fashion.
SUMMARYAn active arm eyelash applicator comprising of a stationary arm similar to traditional mascara wands and an active or movable arm attached to the stationary arm is disclosed. The active arm is controlled by a button protruding from a handle or end cap, allowing the active arm to open and close. The eyelash applicator in the closed position is designed to be stored in a standard mascara base tube which is configured to be sealed from dry-out and is held securely together by symmetrical pieces defined at each first end of the individual arms for fitting perfectly into the neck opening of the base tube. The stationary arm and active arm are both attached by a spring-loaded hinge. Each arm will have an applicator at a distal end, one to perform product application and the other to de-clump in one easy motion while simultaneously curling the lashes. The active arm will be controlled by a button that can be easily de-pressed, forcing the active arm to close onto the stationary arm wherein the button protrudes from the end cap, thereby squeezing the active arm toward the stationary arm when pressed down and allowing the arm to open when not pressed.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stationary arm defines a mascara wand defining an area of missing bristles allowing the active arm to easily close into the mascara wand head, becoming almost invisible and enabling traditional single wand mascara application to eyelashes.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mascara wand head will have bristles that crisscross. These bristles will provide a cleaning service to the active comb arm, removing any product build-up from between the teeth of the comb.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stationary arm and the active arm will each define one half of a molded seal to fit inside the neck of the mascara tube to ensure that the stationary and active arms stay together when inside the base tube, and prevent oxygen from entering the tube causing formula to dry out.
In still yet another embodiment of the present invention, the stationary arm and active arm have alternate functions of any type or size of mascara brush head and lash comb in any combination.
The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its structure and its operation together with the additional object and advantages thereof will best be understood from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The usage, advantages and potential of the invention are supported with a detailed description of the following figures:
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In summary, the active arm eyelash applicator 10 of the present invention consists of a stationary mascara wand 17 and a coiled hinge 44 attaching an active comb arm with a de-clumping wand 16, a depression button 18 and a molded sealing mechanism. When the applicator package is open, the stationary mascara wand arm 17 and attached active pivoting arm 16 will form a 45-degree angle. This opening allows the user to place the active and de-clumping wand 16 onto the base of the top lash then close onto the mascara wand 17, pulling up and away from the face to coat the lashes while also separating, de-clumping and curling lashes. The active comb arm 16 is closed onto the mascara wand 17 by depressing the button 18 on the wand handle or end case 14 which is a molded piece affixed to the active comb arm 16 that protrudes through an opening in the over cap of the handle or end case 14. When this button 18 is released, the active comb arm 16 again opens to the 45-degree angle against the stationary mascara wand 17.
Additionally, on each stationary arm 17 and active arm 16 there is a molded piece. These pieces fit together forming a whole sealing device when the two arms 16 and 17 are placed in parallel in a closed position. This molded piece fits inside the opening of a mascara base tube 30 to prevent oxygen from entering the inside of the tube 32 and drying out the product. This piece also acts as a brace to keep the stationary arm 17 and active arm 16 held together while closed inside the tube 30, preventing excess product from getting trapped between the two arms. The wand handle or end cap 14 closes onto the base tube 30 to a traditional screw-on/threaded neck.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stationary arm and active arm could hold varying combinations of mascara wands and/or lash combs to achieve the desired finished result—volume, length, definition, separation, etc. The eyelash applicator could be produced with a mascara wand of any size on each the stationary and active arms. The eyelash applicator could be produced with a lash comb of any size or length on each the stationary and active arms.
While several particular forms of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will also be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is also contemplated that various combinations or subcombinations of the specific features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.
Claims
1. An active arm eyelash applicator; comprising:
- an active arm and a stationary arm both of which are held and affixed inside of an end cap housing wherein said end cap housing supports a depression button; wherein
- said active arm at a distal end defines a de-clumping apparatus and said stationary arm at a distal end of defines a mascara wand; wherein said active and stationary arms are housed inside a tube base for storage when not in use which is attached to said end cap housing.
2. The active arm eyelash applicator according to claim 1, wherein said depression button operates to move said active arm up and down relative to said stationary arm by utilizing a spring housed within said end cap housing when said tube base is removed.
3. The active arm eyelash applicator according to claim 1, wherein when the eyelash applicator is in a closed position it is designed to be stored in a standard mascara base tube which is configured to be sealed to prevent mascara from drying out.
4. The active arm eyelash applicator according to claim 1, wherein said stationary arm defines a mascara wand defining an area of missing bristles allowing the active arm to easily close into the mascara wand head, becoming almost invisible and enabling traditional single wand mascara application to eyelashes.
5. The active arm eyelash applicator according to claim 1, wherein said mascara wand will have bristles that crisscross wherein said bristles will provide a cleaning service to said active arm for removing any product build-up from between teeth of said arm.
6. The active arm eyelash applicator according to claim 1, wherein said arms are held securely together by symmetrical pieces defined at each first end of the individual arms for fitting perfectly into the neck opening of the base tube
7. The active arm eyelash applicator according to claim 1, wherein said active arm will be controlled by said button that may be easily de-pressed, forcing said active arm to close onto said stationary arm wherein said button protrudes from said end cap, thereby squeezing said active arm toward said stationary arm when pressed down and allowing said active arm to open when not pressed.
8. The active arm eyelash applicator according to claim 1, wherein said active arm is attached to a stationary arm by a spring-loaded hinge and each said arm will have an applicator at a distal end, one to perform product application and the other to de-clump in one easy motion.
9. The active arm eyelash applicator according to claim 1, wherein the stationary arm and active arm have alternate functions of any type or size of mascara brush head and lash comb in any combination.
10. An active arm eyelash applicator comprising of a stationary arm similar to traditional mascara wands and an active or movable arm attached to the stationary arm wherein said active arm is controlled by a button protruding from a handle or end cap thereby allowing said active arm to open and close.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 22, 2016
Publication Date: Dec 22, 2016
Inventor: Melissa Arredondo (Madisonville, KY)
Application Number: 15/189,898