Dispenser and Brush Apparatus

Abstract

A dispenser and brush apparatus (10) has a container (12) with a floor (22) and a top opening. The floor (22) includes an aperture therethrough. A brush (14) is received over the top opening and includes bristles (28) and a passageway (32) between the bristles and a storage interior (35) of the container for containing a flowable substance, such as shaving cream. There is a rotatable base (16) beneath the floor (22), and a stem (18) is connected to the base so as to be rotatable therewith. The stem (18), which extends through the aperture and upwardly in the container, includes a threaded portion. A movable platform (20) is threadably engaged to the stem (18) and defines a lower extent of the storage interior (35) of the container for containing the flowable substance. In use, rotation of the base (16) in a first direction causes the stem (18) to rotate therewith and the movable platform (20) to move upwardly through the container, thereby squeezing flowable substance contained in the storage interior out of the passageway (32) and through the bristles (28).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a dispenser and brush apparatus and, in particular, to a shaving cream dispenser and brush apparatus.

Although the invention will hereinafter be described with reference to its application to dispensing shaving cream, it will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto, but has wider application to dispensing any flowable substances that may be suited to brushing on surfaces, such as facial cleansers, foams, lotions, adhesives or surface coating compositions. The apparatus may be adapted for use by men or women, who may especially use it for dispensing liquid personal care products onto their skin.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Shaving cream is commonly dispensed or discharged from aerosol containers directly as a lather onto the skin of, say, the face, and then worked or massaged around the skin with a brush that is separate to the aerosol container, before applying a razor blade for cutting the whiskers.

There have been some attempts to combine the brush with the aerosol container for dispensing the shaving cream in the aerosol container directly through the brush. Whilst that approach has led to various devices with differing levels of efficiency and associated problems, all of these devices suffer the disadvantage that, by utilizing an aerosol container that contains a propellant gas under pressure, they are expensive to manufacture and, where the propellant gas is a chlorofluorocarbon or a hydrocarbon, harmful to the environment. Also, the use of an “all or none” responsive button on the aerosol container and the pressurized nature of its contents does not permit very small amounts of shaving cream to be dispensed as may be required when shaving a small patch of whiskers or trimming sideburns, thus leading to wastage of the shaving cream.

Representative of the aforementioned prior art are U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,102: No. 3,981,597; and No. 4,603,992, which are also structurally complex and prone to faulty operation.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,102 discloses a snap-on cap for an aerosol shaving cream can that has an integral shaving cream brush mounted in the cap so that, when the cap is snapped onto the can, the brush is held at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the can. The cap includes a button that is presented at an opposite angle to the brush and which is operably connected by a rigid strut and brace arrangement to both a nozzle for the cap and a flow communicating outlet valve for the can.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,597 discloses a shaving cream dispenser having a brush removably mounted in a housing that permits a user to selectively depress the outlet valve of an aerosol can to cause pressurized shaving cream contained therein to be dispensed through the centre of the brush. The brush can be mounted either at right angles, or parallel, to the longitudinal axis of the can. The valve is activated by depressing the housing, and accidental depression is prevented by flanges in the housing whish seat upon shoulders of the can.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,992 discloses a brush attachment for an aerosol shaving cream container that has a top rim and a dispensing nozzle thereon. The brush attachment has a housing that is removably mounted to the top rim and can manually flex the nozzle in any direction to dispense shaving cream through the centre of a brush which is secured upwardly from the top of the housing.

Other aerosol container based embodiments are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,370,908; and No. 2,849,737.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the problems and shortcomings of the aforementioned prior art, or at least provide a useful alternative.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a shaving cream dispenser and brush apparatus which does not employ an aerosol container and in which any amount of shaving cream can be dispensed directly through the brush by a squeezing operation controlled by rotating a base for the container.

According to the invention, there is provided a dispenser and brush apparatus, comprising:

(a) a container having a floor and a top opening, the floor including an aperture therethrough,

(b) a brush received over the top opening, the brush including bristles and a passageway between the bristles and a storage interior of the container for containing a flowable substance,

(c) a rotatable base beneath the floor,

(d) a stem connected to the base so as to be rotatable therewith, the stem extending through the aperture and upwardly in the container, the stem including a threaded portion, and

(e) a movable platform threadably engaged to the stem and defining a lower extent of the storage interior of the container for containing the flowable substance,

wherein, in use, rotation of the base in a first direction causes the stem to rotate therewith and the movable platform to move upwardly through the container, thereby squeezing flowable substance contained in the storage interior out of the passageway and through the bristles.

Preferably, the container is generally cylindrical and the aperture is at the centre of the floor.

It is preferred that the brush is threadably received over the top opening.

The brush preferably has a downwardly depending annular collar having internal threading, and the container has an upper rim portion, the outer annular side thereof having external threading adapted to threadably engage the internal threading.

In a preferred form, the brush includes a lower surface and the passageway has an opening at the centre of the lower surface. In this form, the lower surface of the brush defines an upper extent of the storage interior of the container.

The base may be rotated in a second direction so as to cause the stem to rotate therewith and the movable platform to move downwardly through the container.

SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shaving cream dispenser and brush apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view through II-II of the apparatus of FIG. 2, showing the movable platform at a first location along the stem when the storage interior of the container is filled with shaving cream.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3 but showing the movable platform at a second location along the stem when the storage interior of the container is effectively empty of shaving cream.

FIG. 5 is a side view of an apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view through A-A of FIG. 5, with the piston at the bottom.

FIG. 6A is a sectional view as above with the piston at the top.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a sectional perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a view of the capped refill assembly associated with the apparatus of FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is a sectional perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is an underside view of the apparatus of FIG. 5 and of the assembly of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 5 and of the assembly of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The shaving cream dispenser and brush apparatus 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 comprises a container 12, a brush 14, a rotatable base 16, a stem 18, and a movable platform 20.

The container 12 is generally cylindrical and has a floor 22 with an aperture formed at the centre of the floor 22. There is a top opening of the container 12 over which the brush 14 is received.

The brush 14 is, in this embodiment, threadably received over the top opening, but may alternatively be snap received over the top opening.

The brush 14 has a lower surface 24 and a downwardly depending annular collar 26 with internal threading 27. The brush 14 includes tufts of bristles 28, which are preferably made of goats hair, mounted on a bristle projecting surface 30. A passageway 32 extends between an opening at the bristle projecting surface 30 and an opening 34 at the lower surface of the brush 14. The lower surface 24 defines an upper extent of a storage interior 35 of the container for containing, in this instance, shaving cream, although it may alternatively contain and dispense any flowable substances that may be suited to brushing on surfaces, such as facial creams, lotions and foams, useful to men or women.

The movable platform 20 defines a lower extent of the storage interior 35 of the container for containing shaving cream. Shaving cream is thus stored between the lower surface 24 of the brush 14 and the movable platform 20.

The container 12 also has an upper rim portion 36, the outer annular side thereof having external threading 38 that is adapted to threadably engage the internal threading 27 of the brush 14 for screwably securing the brush over the top opening of the container.

The rotatable base 16 is located beneath the floor 22, and the stem 18 is, in this embodiment, integrally connected thereto so as to be rotatable therewith. The stem 18 extends through the aperture in the floor 22 and upwardly in the container. The stem 18 includes a threaded portion and threadably engages a threaded centre hole of the movable platform 20.

In use, rotation of the base 16 in a first direction causes the stem 18 to rotate therewith and the movable platform 20 to move upwardly, much like a piston, through the container 12. As a result, shaving cream contained in the storage interior of the container is squeezed out of the container through the passageway 32 and then passes to the bristles 28. A man may then apply the shaving cream to his face by a massaging action in preparation for shaving with a razor.

The movable platform 20 is thus moved upwardly and will retain a position within the container determined by the extent to which the rotatable base 16 is rotated by the user. At any such position, shaving cream will fill the storage interior of the container and be available for squeezing out through the passageway 32 upon further rotating of the base 16 in the first direction. FIG. 3 shows the movable platform 20 at its lowest extent along the stem 18 when there is a full volume of, say, 60 ml of shaving cream on the container. FIG. 4 shows the movable platform 20 at its highest extent along the stem 18 when the container has effectively been emptied of shaving cream.

Where refilling of the storage interior with shaving cream is required, the base 16 is rotated in a second direction so as to cause the stem to rotate therewith and the movable platform to move downwardly through the container, thereby recreating a storage interior into which shaving cream may be introduced.

Alternatively, when the container has been effectively emptied of shaving cream, a refill unit may be provided comprising a container, rotatable base, stem and movable platform with a storage interior already filled with shaving cream. The unit may be sealed by a screw-on cap or the like, which can be removed and replaced by the brush from the previously used apparatus.

The shaving cream dispenser and brush apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 5 to 12 comprises a container 102, a brush 104, a rotatable base 106, a stem 108, and a movable platform 110.

The container 102 is generally cylindrical and has a generally flat, disc-like floor 112 with an aperture 113 formed at the centre of the floor 112. There is a top opening of the container 102 over which the brush 104 is threadably received.

As will be apparent from a comparison of the drawings, the apparatus 100 is similar structurally and functionally to the apparatus 10.

However, the upper surface of the platform 110 is flat but with an outer annular groove 114 and an upturned outermost rim 116 that scrapes the inside wall of the container 102.

A capped refill assembly 120 is shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10. Such an assembly may be provided when, through use, the cream has been emptied from a previously used apparatus. The cap 122 is removed from the assembly and replaced by the brush from the previously used apparatus.

FIG. 11 shows the underside of the apparatus or of the rotatable base for the container 12 or 102 containing the instructions for how to dispense the cream.

The exploded view in FIG. 12 shows all of the aforementioned features, and also a wire clip 124 for fitting within a groove or recess 126 around the base of the stem 108 or spindle and acting as a strengthener in preventing the stem 108 from “popping out” through the floor 112 when excessive or ill-directed force is used to rotate the base 106.

It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in details of design and construction of the shaving cream dispenser and brush apparatus described above without departing from the scope or ambit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A dispenser and brush apparatus, comprising:

(a) a container having a floor and a top opening, the floor including an aperture therethrough,

(b) a brush received over the top opening, the brush including bristles and a passageway between the bristles and a storage interior of the container for containing a flowable substance,

(c) a rotatable base beneath the floor,

(d) a stem connected to the base so as to be rotatable therewith, the stem extending through the aperture and upwardly in the container, the stem including a threaded portion, and

(e) a movable platform threadably engaged to the stem and defining a lower extent of the storage interior of the container for containing the flowable substance,

wherein, in use, rotation of the base in a first direction causes the stem to rotate therewith and the movable platform to move upwardly through the container, thereby squeezing flowable substance contained in the storage interior out of the passageway and through the bristles.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container is generally cylindrical and the aperture is at the centre of the floor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the brush is threadably received over the top opening.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the brush has a downwardly depending annular collar having internal threading, and the container has an upper rim portion, the outer annular side thereof having external threading adapted to threadably engage the internal threading.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the brush includes a lower surface and the passageway has an opening at the centre of the lower surface.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the lower surface of the brush defines an upper extent of the storage interior of the container.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base is adapted to be rotated in a second direction so as to cause the stem to rotate therewith and the movable platform to move downwardly through the container.