Liquid product applicator
The present invention achieves the above object, among others, by providing in a preferred embodiment, an apparatus, comprising: a liquid product applicator; and means to wipe liquid product from only a portion of said liquid product applicator, while leaving a greater amount of liquid product on other portions of said liquid product applicator. A method of using said liquid product applicator is also provided.
The present invention relates to liquid product applicators generally and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a novel liquid application brush that in one embodiment can permit both application and combing of applied liquid product with a single brush.
BACKGROUND ARTThe present invention is applicable to mascara and similar liquid products such as nail polish and eye liner.
Typically, an application brush has a round rod or stem that passes through a wiper having a circular opening in the center thereof that wipes off the product from the rod or stem of the applicator brush. The wiper also wipes off excess product from the brush The brush itself is typically a spiral wound brush or it could also be a brush head, a flocked top, or other brush type. The rod is round so that it can rotate within the wiper when the top of the applicator is screwed onto or screwed off of the container of liquid product.
In the case of mascara, for example, the product is very viscous and tends to clump because of its high viscosity. In this case, one needs to use a separate mascara brush to comb out the clumped mascara clinging to the eyelashes after it is applied. This requires that two separate brushes be used—one to apply the mascara to the eyelashes and the other to brush out clumped mascara, so as to separate the eyelashes and prepare them for a more uniform distribution of the product. This also requires that the application brush be set aside or replaced in the container—requiring additional effort on the part of the person applying the liquid product.
In the case of some other products, there is no way to satisfactorily regulate the amount of product that is removed from the container.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a liquid applicator brush that can be used both to apply product and to comb the product once it is applied.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a liquid applicator brush that is easily used by a consumer and that requires no additional effort on the part of the consumer.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide such a liquid applicator brush that can be economically and easily fabricated using conventional techniques.
It is another object of the invention to provide controlled amounts of product in specific areas on the brush for better delivery of product and enhanced utility.
Other objects of the present invention, as well as particular features, elements, and advantages thereof, will be elucidated in, or be apparent from, the following description and the accompanying drawing figures.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTIONThe present invention achieves the above object, among others, by providing in a preferred embodiment, an apparatus, comprising: a liquid product applicator; and means to wipe liquid product from only a portion of said liquid product applicator, while leaving a greater amount of liquid product on other portions of said liquid product applicator. A method of using said liquid product applicator is also provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGSUnderstanding of the present invention and the various aspects thereof will be facilitated by reference to the accompanying drawing figures, provided for purposes of illustration only and not intended to define the scope of the invention, on which:
Reference should now be made to the drawing figures on which similar or identical elements are given consistent identifying numerals throughout the various figures thereof, and on which parenthetical references to figure numbers, when used, direct the reader to the view(s) on which the element(s) being described is (are) best seen, although the element(s) may be seen on other figures also.
It can be seen from inspection of
Referring now to
This arrangement can also be used to control the amount of liquid product removed from a container by a shaft or stem that does not include a bristle structure as part thereof.
It will be understood that brush 150 may also be asymmetrical, permitting it to be oriented to wiper 100. Besides having wiper 100 clean the product to some degree from the bristles of brush 150, doctor blades 130 and 132 selectively clean away liquid product from spiral wire 160 and affect distribution of liquid product on the periphery of the bristles of the brush. It has been found that this arrangement has a tendency to move the liquid product from close to spiral wire 160 so that the liquid product will be displaced from the spiral wire and from and bristles that are in proximity to the spiral wire, distributing the liquid product towards the outer ends of the bristles.
In the embodiments of the present invention described above, it will be recognized that individual elements and/or features thereof are not necessarily limited to a particular embodiment but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in any selected embodiment even though such may not be specifically shown.
Spatially orienting terms such as “above”, “below”, “upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer”, “inwardly”, “outwardly”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, and the like, when used herein, refer to the positions of the respective elements shown on the accompanying drawing figures and the present invention is not necessarily limited to such positions.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those elucidated in, or made apparent from, the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawing figures shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.
Claims
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- (a) a liquid product applicator, and
- (b) means to wipe liquid product from only a portion of said liquid product applicator, while leaving a greater amount of liquid product on other portions of said liquid product applicator.
2. An apparatus, as defined in claim 1, wherein: said means to wipe comprises an orifice in a wiper operatively attached to a container of said liquid product
3. An apparatus, as defined in claim 2, wherein: said orifice, in a cross-section taken orthogonal to a major axis of said liquid product applicator and to a major axis of said wiper, is non-symmetrical with respect to said liquid product applicator.
4. An apparatus, as defined in claim 3, wherein: said orifice wipes said liquid product from two opposing sides of said liquid applicator.
5. An apparatus, as defined in claim 3, further comprising: a stem from which said liquid product applicator depends, said stem being complementary to shape of said orifice.
6. An apparatus, as defined in claim 5, wherein: a proximal end of said stem is arranged such that said stem remains rotationally immobile with respect to said container when a cap is screwed onto and from said container.
7. An apparatus, as defined in claim 2, further comprising: at least one flexible doctor blade attached to and depending from said orifice and arranged such that said at least one doctor blade further wipes said liquid product from said portion of said liquid product applicator.
8. An apparatus, as defined in claim 7, wherein: said at least one flexible doctor blade wipes a portion of said liquid product from a tip of said liquid product applicator.
9. An apparatus, comprising:
- (a) a liquid product carrier,
- (b) means to wipe liquid product from only a portion of said liquid product carrier, while leaving a greater amount of liquid product on other portions of said liquid product carrier, and
- (c) said liquid product carrier being selected from the group consisting of: a spiral wound brush, flocked doe's foot tip, foam mitt, narrow tipped liner brush, and wide tipped liner brush.
10. An apparatus, as defined in claim 6, wherein: a proximal portion of said stem is cylindrical and has a horizontal flange extending therefrom, said horizontal flange, at a lower surface of said horizontal flange, rotationally engages a horizontal surface in said cap.
11. A method, comprising:
- (a) providing a container of liquid product;
- (b) providing a liquid applicator that can be disposed in said container of liquid product, in contact with said liquid product;
- (c) providing a wiper operatively connected to said container of liquid product, through which wiper said liquid applicator passes to have wiped off said liquid product from only a portion of said liquid applicator;
- (d) applying said liquid product using a portion of liquid applicator using other than said portion; and
- (e) using said portion to brush out clumps of said liquid product.
12. A method, as defined in claim 11, further comprising: providing in said wiper an orifice, said wiper being operatively attached to a container of said liquid product.
13. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising: providing said orifice, in a cross-section taken orthogonal to a major axis of said liquid product applicator and to said wiper, as non-symmetrical with respect to said liquid product applicator.
14. A method, as defined in claim 13, further comprising: providing said orifice to wipe said liquid product from two opposing sides of said liquid applicator.
15. A method, as defined in claim 13, further comprising: providing a stem from which said liquid product applicator depends as complementary to the shape of said orifice.
16. A method, as defined in claim 15, further comprising: providing a proximal end of said stem arranged such that said stem remains rotationally immobile with resect to said container when a cap is screwed onto and from said container.
17. A method, as defined in claim 12, further comprising: providing at least one doctor blade attached to and depending from said orifice and arranged such that said at least one doctor blade further wipes said liquid product from said portion of said liquid product applicator.
18. A method, as defined in claim 17, further comprising: providing said at least one doctor blade to wipe a portion of said liquid product from a tip of said liquid product applicator.
19. A method, comprising:
- (a) providing a container of liquid product;
- (b) providing a liquid product carrier that can be disposed in a container of liquid product, in contact with said liquid product;
- (c) providing a wiper operatively connected to said container of liquid product, through which wiper said liquid product carrier passes to have wiped off said liquid product from only a first portion of said liquid product carrier;
- (d) applying said liquid product using a second portion of said liquid product carrier,
- (e) using said first portion of said liquid product carrier to brush out clumps of said liquid product; and
- (f) providing said liquid product carrier selected from the group consisting of: spiral wound, flocked doe's foot tip, foam mitt, narrow tipper liner, and wide tipped liner brushes.
20. A method, as defined in claim 16, further comprising:
- (a) providing a portion of a proximal end of said stem as cylindrical and having a horizontal flange extending therefrom; and
- (b) providing a lower surface of said horizontal flange rotationally engaging a corresponding horizontal surface in said cap.
21. A dispenser for storing and applying liquid product, comprising in combination:
- (a) a container having a neck portion;
- (b) a closure cap adapted to be mounted on said neck portion of said container to selectively form a seal therewith;
- (c) an elongate applicator device frictionally and turnably carried by the interior of said closure cap, said elongate applicator device having a body portion and a distal end portion receivable in an interior of said container for contact with liquid product; and
- (d) cooperable, activatable keying means on said neck portion of said container and said elongate applicator device, for selectively prevent turning movement of said elongate applicator device with respect to said container,
- (e) said cooperable keying means being rendered active as said elongate applicator device and said closure cap are being installed to said neck portion of said container,
- (f) said keying means being rendered inactive as said elongate applicator device and said closure cap are being withdrawn from said neck portion of said container; and
- (g) whereby, said elongate applicator device becomes restrained against turning movement with respect to said container as said distal end portion of said elongate applicator device is inserted into said neck portion of said container.
22. A dispenser, as defined in claim 21, wherein:
- (a) said closure cap has formed thereon continuous internal threads; and
- (b) said neck portion of said container has formed thereon cooperable continuous threads engagable with said continuous internal threads of said closure cap.
23. A dispenser, as defined in claim 22, wherein: said keying means is activated prior to any engagement of said continuous internal threads formed on said neck portion of said container and said continuous internal threads formed on said closure cap when said closure cap is assembled to said container.
24. A dispenser, as defined in claim 21, wherein:
- (a) said keying means comprises a non-circular cross sectional portion of said elongate applicator device; and
- (b) means defining a cooperable hole in said neck portion of said container, and
- (c) said elongate applicator device fitting into said hole in solely a fixed registration therewith.
25. A dispenser, as defined in claim 21, wherein:
- (a) said elongate applicator device has a brush at a distal end thereof; and
- (b) said keying means comprises means defining a hole in said neck portion of said container, and
- (c) said hole of said neck portion of said container having a configuration which complements the cross-sectional configuration of said brush.
26. A dispenser, as defined in claim 21, wherein: said cooperable keying means forms a seal between said elongate applicator device and said neck portion of said container when said closure cap is assembled to said neck portion of said container, to thereby minimize product accumulation in said neck portion of said container.
27. A dispenser, as defined in claim 21, wherein:
- (a) said elongate applicator device comprises a brush; and
- (b) said keying means on said neck portion of said container comprises a hole having a configuration complementary to a cross-section of said brush.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 6, 2004
Publication Date: Jun 7, 2007
Inventors: Charles Chang (Wayne, NJ), Robert Sheffler (Morganville, NJ)
Application Number: 10/575,407
International Classification: A46B 11/00 (20060101);