Skin Treatment Device and Attachment
The present invention is concerned with a skin treatment device that comprises an actuator and at least a skin stimulation element arranged at a mounting structure, the mounting structure being supported at the skin treatment device and the mounting structure being deformable or displaceable against a restoring force when an external force is applied on the skin stimulation element. A contact portion of the mounting structure is arranged to cooperate with the actuator only in a deformed or displaced state of the mounting structure. This renders the device to operate on a low noise level when it is switched on but not pressed against the skin.
The present invention is concerned with skin treatment devices in general and in particular with skin treatment devices that comprise a stimulation element for mechanically stimulating the skin during operation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONInternational patent application WO 01/05267 A1 describes a skin treatment device, namely an epilation device that has a driven means for mechanically stimulating the skin during operation of the epilation device. The driven means are mounted such that displacement of the driven means is permitted. The intensity of the mechanical stimulation affected by the driven means during operation can be varied by the user.
It was found that such a device as described in WO 01/05267 A1 is relatively noisy and that users may retract from using the epilation device because of its “aggressive” noise when it is switched on.
International patent application WO 02/076260 A1 describes a noise protection cap that encloses an epilation cylinder and can be pressed against the skin with a closed circumference such that the epilation cylinder is sealed inside the noise protection cap during operation. The disadvantage of such a noise protection cap is that it obviates a good sight onto the area that is being treated with the skin treatment device. Further, noise generated by driven means as discussed before is not reduced when the epilator device is switched on.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is hence desirable to improve known skin treatment devices concerning their noise behavior.
An improved skin treatment device is provided in accordance with claim 1. Further embodiments are defined by the dependent claims.
The proposed skin treatment device Skin treatment device comprises an actuator and at least a skin stimulation element arranged at a mounting structure, the mounting structure being supported at the skin treatment device. The mounting structure is arranged to be deformable or displaceable against a restoring force when an external force is applied on the skin stimulation element. The mounting structure may therefore comprise at least a resilient part that e.g. bends under the applied external force or the mounting structure may comprise a spring, e.g. a leaf or helical spring. A contact portion of the mounting structure is positioned such that it cooperates with the actuator only in a deformed or displaced state of the mounting structure. As the contact portion is not in contact with the actuator when the skin treatment device is switched on but not pressed against the skin, the device will operate at a low noise level in the switched-on state. When the device is pressed against the skin, the mechanical contact between contact portion and actuator is established and the noise level increases, which is acceptable to a user, as this is in coincidence with the regular operation of the device. Hence, the proposed skin treatment device is more appealing to a user than a skin treatment device in which a skin stimulation element is actuated already when the skin treatment device is switched on. Support of the mounting structure at the skin treatment device may be established by at least a support structure (e.g. a support pin) that establishes an essentially fixed point of the mounting structure when the external force is applied so that the mounting structure essentially deforms or displaces with respect to the support structure.
In an embodiment of the proposed skin treatment device, the skin stimulation element and the mounting structure are part of a detachable attachment.
In a further embodiment, the skin treatment device comprises a drivable skin treatment unit to which the actuator is mechanically coupled so that driving the skin treatment unit also drives the actuator.
In another embodiment, the external force required to bring the mounting structure into a deformed or displaced state in which the contact portion cooperates with the actuator lies in the range between about 0.2 N and about 5 N. In particular, this range may lie between about 0.5 N and about 2N.
In an even further embodiment, the skin treatment device is realized as an epilator device, where skin stimulation elements are used to suppress the pain from plucking out hairs. The skin treatment unit may then be realized as an epilation unit for gripping and pulling out hairs.
The invention is also concerned with a detachable attachment that comprises the mounting structure and the skin stimulation element.
The invention will be further elucidated by explaining an exemplary embodiment and by reference to figures. In the figures
In a specific embodiment of the attachment as shown, the outer arms of the mounting structure 113 have a width of 1.2 mm and a height of 1 mm. The lengths of the outer arms of the mounting structure between support pin 135 and the front and back axes 116a and 116b, respectively, that carry the skin stimulation elements 111 is 9.45 mm and 12.15 mm, respectively. The distance between the nearest edge of the contact portions 114a and 114b to the surface of the actuator 122 is 1 mm and the elasticity modulus is 2000 N/mm2 (polyamide PA66 is chosen as material of the mounting structure). Under these assumptions, the force F required bringing the contact portions 114a and 114b in contact with the actuator 122 is about 0.67 N and about 1.42 N, respectively. Under the external force F, the outer arms of the support structure 113 behave like leaf springs. The skin treatment device is usually pressed against the skin with a force of more than 2 N so that the contact portions 114 will always get into contact with the actuator 122 during regular operation of the skin treatment device. In another embodiment only skin stimulation elements 112 realized as knobs are present, which knobs are an integral part of the mounting structure 113.
In an alternative embodiment, a skin stimulation element is mounted on a mounting structure that is realized as a helical spring. The spring constant is chosen such that the helical spring is compressed so that a respective contact portion contacts an actuator when pressing the skin treatment device against the skin with a typically applied force. The actuator may be realized as a vibrator, e.g. as a piezoelectric vibrator.
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm.”
Claims
1. Skin treatment device comprising:
- an actuator; and
- at least a skin stimulation element arranged at a mounting structure, the mounting structure being supported at the skin treatment device and the mounting structure being deformable or displaceable against a restoring force when an external force is applied on the skin stimulation element, wherein a contact portion of the mounting structure is arranged to cooperate with the actuator only in a deformed or displaced state of the mounting structure.
2. Skin treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the skin stimulation element and the mounting structure are part of a detachable attachment.
3. Skin treatment device according to claim 1 that further comprises a drivable skin treatment unit to which the actuator is mechanically coupled such that driving the skin treatment unit also drives the actuator.
4. Skin treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the external force necessary to bring the mounting structure into the deformed or displaced state in which cooperation between the contact portion and the actuator is established, lies in the range of about 0.2 N to about 5 N.
5. Skin treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the skin treatment device is realized as an epilator.
6. Detachable attachment of a skin treatment device, the attachment comprising at least a skin stimulation element arranged at a mounting structure, the mounting structure being supported at the attachment and the mounting structure being deformable or displaceable against a restoring force when an external force is applied on the skin stimulation element, wherein a contact portion of the mounting structure is arranged to cooperate with an actuator of the skin treatment device only in a deformed or displaced state of the mounting structure when the attachment is in an attached state.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 28, 2010
Publication Date: Nov 4, 2010
Inventors: Matthias Huisinga (Giessen), Joachim Nickel (Waldems), Pedro Sanchez-Martinez (Kronberg/Taunus)
Application Number: 12/768,780
International Classification: A45D 26/00 (20060101);