AIRLESS PEN
A cosmetic application device includes a housing for containing a product and an applicator tip having an application surface with an orifice for delivering the product from the housing. The applicator tip includes a brush disposed on a side surface of the applicator tip, spaced apart from the orifice. Various forms for the brush are disclosed including a thermoplastic elastomer and/or variously configured bristles.
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The present application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/529,705, filed on Jul. 7, 2017, titled AIRLESS PEN, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUNDConventional eyebrow products typically take the form of a pencil or powder for adding only color and a gel, cream, paste, or liquid cosmetic for defining and controlling eyebrow hairs, as well as possibly adding color. Gel, cream, paste, or liquid cosmetic products are typically applied using a cylindrical brush on the end of a handle, similar to a mascara brush. The brush is typically inserted into a container of gel, cream, paste, or liquid cosmetic product and removed each time the product is used. Alternative designs for applicators are desired.
SUMMARYThe present inventors have recognized, among other things, that a problem to be solved is a need for new and alternative designs that allow a user to apply eyebrow gel, cream, paste, or liquid cosmetic products without introducing air and contaminants into the container of product each time it is used.
In an illustrative, non-limiting example, a cosmetic application device may comprise a housing for containing product, and an elongated applicator tip coupled to the housing, the applicator tip including an application surface with an orifice and a channel extending through the applicator tip for delivering product from the housing to the application surface, the applicator tip including a brush disposed on a side surface of the applicator tip, wherein the application surface and the side surface are spaced apart.
Alternatively or additionally to the example above, in another example, the application surface is disposed on a top of the applicator tip, spaced apart from the side surface.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the application surface is disposed on an opposite side of the applicator tip from the brush.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the brush includes a plurality of bristles fixedly attached directly to the applicator tip.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the plurality of bristles are arranged in a plurality of rows extending longitudinally along a side of elongated applicator tip.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the housing has an open top end and an open bottom end.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the housing includes an airless pump mechanism.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the airless pump mechanism includes a push button disposed within the open bottom end of the housing.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the brush includes a plurality of bristles attached to a core wire fixedly attached to the applicator tip.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the applicator tip has a vertical cutout region, wherein the core wire is disposed within the vertical cutout region, wherein the plurality of bristles extend transverse to the core wire.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the brush includes a plurality of vertically spaced apart horizontal ridges.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the ridges extend less than halfway around a circumference of the applicator tip.
In another example, a device for dispensing and applying a cosmetic product may comprise a housing configured to hold a volume of cosmetic product, the housing comprising an open top end and an open bottom end, a cosmetic dispensing member coupled to the open bottom end of the housing, and a cosmetic applicator coupled to the open top end of the housing, the cosmetic applicator having an outlet for dispensing cosmetic product, and a brush, wherein the brush is disposed on a first face of the cosmetic applicator and the outlet is disposed on a second face of the cosmetic applicator, and the first and second faces are different, wherein the cosmetic dispensing member includes an actuating element configured to be actuated to enable delivery of a portion of the volume of cosmetic product from the housing through the outlet.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the cosmetic dispensing member is an airless pump.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the airless pump includes a push button disposed within the open bottom end of the housing.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the first face is on an opposite side of the cosmetic applicator from the second face.
In a further example, a combination dispenser and applicator may comprise a bottle designed to hold a cosmetic product, the bottle comprising a first end and second end, a cosmetic applicator configured to be coupled to the first end of the bottle, the cosmetic applicator including an outlet for dispensing the cosmetic product, and a brush, wherein the outlet is disposed on a first face of the cosmetic applicator and the brush is disposed on a second face of the cosmetic applicator, wherein the first and second faces are different, and a cosmetic dispensing member coupled to the second end of the bottle, the cosmetic dispensing member comprising an actuating element configured to be actuated for delivery of a portion of the cosmetic product through the outlet.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the cosmetic dispensing member is an airless pump.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, actuating element includes a push button disposed within an open second end of the bottle.
Alternatively or additionally to any of the examples above, in another example, the first face is on an opposite side of the cosmetic applicator from the second face.
The above summary of some example embodiments is not intended to describe each disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the present disclosure. The Figures, and Detailed Description, which follow, more particularly exemplify these embodiments.
In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe similar components in different views. Like numerals having different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various embodiments discussed in the present document.
Conventional eyebrow gel applicators typically take the form of a cylindrical straight brush on the end of a stem or handle. The brush is inserted into a container holding the gel product, and the brush and container have the structure of a typical mascara applicator. These conventional brush applicators are stored in the product, and are withdrawn and re-inserted each time the product is used. The volume of product withdrawn with the brush is not readily adjusted, other than manually wiping the brush after it is withdrawn from the container. The repeated withdrawal and insertion of the brush into the container introduces air into the product which may degrade the product, and may introduce contaminants as well. The present inventors have identified a new and different cosmetic application device that allows for a variable amount of product to be dispensed, and prevents air and contaminants from entering the product container.
The cosmetic application device 5 shown in
The user may dispense product from the housing 10 by rotating the actuator 20 in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. In some examples, the actuator 20 may have a plurality of defined stops so that rotation occurs between clicks, where each click rotates the actuator 20 a defined circumferential distance and corresponds to a defined amount of product being dispensed. In other examples, the actuator 20 may be a push button that is pressed upwards into the housing 10 to activate the airless pump. The actuator 20 may be configured to be pushed up a defined distance and may have a plurality of stops or clicks, each configured to dispense a defined amount of product. Alternatively, the user may push the actuator 20 upwards into the housing 10 a number of times to dispense more product.
The housing 10 may be a rigid container such as a glass or hard plastic bottle, with the airless pump mechanism providing the force needed to dispense the product. Another example delivery mechanism for dispensing the product may be a squeeze operation. The housing 10 may be a squeezable tube, bottle, or tottle (combination of tube and bottle common in the cosmetics industry), with or without an interior pump mechanism. In certain embodiments wherein the delivery mechanism is a squeeze operation, when pressure is applied to a housing containing a reservoir, the product in the reservoir may be forced, by the squeezing action, through the orifice 202 in the applicator tip 200 for application to the user's eyebrow area.
In yet another example, a delivery mechanism for dispensing the product may be by a pressurized dispenser, such as an aerosol dispenser. In certain embodiments wherein the delivery mechanism is an aerosol delivery mechanism, the composition will be held under pressure in a container and will be dispersed along with an aerosol propellant in response to actuation by a user. Actuation may be by depressing, rotating, tilting, or otherwise manipulating the applicator tip, pressing a button, and/or by any other suitable dispensing mechanism. Details of the construction and propellant of an aerosol dispenser are within the skill of one of ordinary skill in the art and will, therefore, not be described in detail herein.
The wire core 210 may be inserted into a vertical cutout region 207 extending between a top region 212 and a base 206 of the applicator body 201. The brush may be held in place by an extension of the wire core 210 without bristles fitting into an upper hole 214 in the top region 212 and a lower hole 216 in the base 206 of the applicator body 201. The cutout region 207 may extend along a side surface 220 of the applicator body 201. As shown in
The protrusions 304 may be formed from the same material as the applicator body 301, such as by molding. Alternatively, the protrusions 304 may be formed from a different material and attached to a recess in the side surface 320 of the applicator body 301. The protrusions 304 may be formed from thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) to provide a soft, flexible surface. The protrusions 304 may be a plurality of vertically spaced apart horizontal ridges, as shown in
In some examples, any of the applicator tips 100, 200, 300 may include a collar 330, as shown in
The applicator tip 100, 200, 300 may be affixed to the housing 10 by, for example, a snap fit or any other known attachment including adhesive, screw, heat welding, etc. The applicator tip 100, 200, 300 may include various features which allow it to be affixed to the housing 10. Alternatively, these features may be designed to allow the applicator tip 100, 200, 300 to be removed by an end user, allowing the product chamber 16 in the housing 10 to be refilled with additional cosmetic product or even replaced. The applicator tip 100, 200, 300 is illustrated as having a base 106, 206, 306 configured to be received inside the neck portion 13 of the housing 10. For example, one or more grooves 18 may be present on an inner surface of the neck portion 13 of the housing 10, as shown in
In other examples, a screw-type mechanism may be used, with base 106, 206, 306 of the applicator tip 100, 200, 300 including threads on its exterior portion designed to be received by threads on the interior of the neck portion 13 of the housing 10. Alternative structures for attaching the applicator tip 100, 200, 300 to the housing 10 include crimping, adhesive, press-fit, snap-fit, retaining ribs or barbs on the outside of the applicator tip 100, 200, 300 and/or the inside of the neck portion 13 of the housing, and/or by any other suitable attachment means.
While the cosmetic application devices 5 shown in the figures are comprised of a separate applicator tip 100, 200, 300 and housing 10, in other implementations, and to decrease manufacturing costs, or for any other desired reason, some or all of the applicator tip and some or all of the housing may be formed as a monolithic structure.
The cosmetic application device 5 may also include a cap (not shown) that encapsulates the applicator tip 100 when the device is not in use. The neck portion 13 of the housing 10 may include a structure, such as groove 19, to engage the cap in a snap fit or friction fit. Alternatively the outer surface of the neck portion 13 may be threaded to engage a threaded cap.
In any of the exemplary applicator tips 100, 200, 300, the application surface 105, 205, 305 may be angled relative to the longitudinal axis L-L of the applicator tip 100, 200, 300, as shown in
The housing 10 and applicator body 101, 201, 301 as shown and described above may be made of any suitable material such as, for example, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), synthetic polymer, partially of a resin such as, for example, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), pentachlorothioanisole (PCTA), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyurethane, rubber, silicone, nylon, ceramic, glass, metal, or composite material, and/or combinations thereof. Moreover, various elements may be made of any combination of substantially clear, substantially opaque, and/or translucent materials. Natural materials as wood, stone or leather may be used as well for decorative or other purposes.
The applicator bristles 104, 204 and protrusions 304 may be formed in part or in whole from various materials. In addition to allowing the user to comb or brush hair, such as the eyebrows, the applicator bristles 104, 204 and protrusions 304 may be made of a material configured to provide the user with a tactile experience. Some example materials, may include, but are not limited to a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material, silicone, metals, ceramics, stone, rubber, etc. Additional materials may include, but are not limited to natural bristles (hair, cellulose fibers, cotton, hemp, flax or composites thereof), synthetic bristles (e.g. plastic, silicone, latex or composites thereof), or composites thereof. Magnetic bristles may be used, if desired.
For the following defined terms, these definitions shall be applied, unless a different definition is given in the claims or elsewhere in this specification. In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one, independent of any other instances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive.
As used in the above description and the appended claims, the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.
Relative terms such as “front”, “back”, “side”, “top”, “bottom”, variants thereof, and the like, may be generally be considered with respect to the positioning, direction, and/or operation of various elements relative to a user and/or other components of the device. It is to be understood that relative terms are not intended to be limiting and are only exemplary.
The above detailed description should be read with reference to the drawings in which similar elements in different drawings are numbered the same. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. These embodiments are also referred to herein as “examples.” Such examples can include elements in addition to those shown or described. However, the present inventors also contemplate examples in which only those elements shown or described are provided. Moreover, the present inventors also contemplate examples using any combination or permutation of those elements shown or described (or one or more aspects thereof), either with respect to a particular example (or one or more aspects thereof), or with respect to other examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein. For example, the above examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments can be used, such as by one of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.
Although the invention has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the invention.
Claims
1. A cosmetic application device comprising:
- a housing for containing product; and
- an elongated applicator tip coupled to the housing, the applicator tip including an application surface with an orifice and a channel extending through the applicator tip for delivering product from the housing to the application surface, the applicator tip including a brush disposed on a side surface of the applicator tip, wherein the application surface and the side surface are spaced apart.
2. The cosmetic application device of claim 1, wherein the application surface is disposed on a top of the applicator tip, spaced apart from the side surface.
3. The cosmetic application device of claim 1, wherein the application surface is disposed on an opposite side of the applicator tip from the brush.
4. The cosmetic application device of claim 1, wherein the brush includes a plurality of bristles fixedly attached directly to the applicator tip.
5. The cosmetic application device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of bristles are arranged in a plurality of rows extending longitudinally along a side of elongated applicator tip.
6. The cosmetic application device of claim 1, wherein the housing has an open top end and an open bottom end.
7. The cosmetic application device of claim 6, wherein the housing includes an airless pump mechanism.
8. The cosmetic application device of claim 7, wherein the airless pump mechanism includes a push button disposed within the open bottom end of the housing.
9. The cosmetic application device of claim 1, wherein the brush includes a plurality of bristles attached to a core wire fixedly attached to the applicator tip.
10. The cosmetic application device of claim 9, wherein the applicator tip has a vertical cutout region, wherein the core wire is disposed within the vertical cutout region, wherein the plurality of bristles extend transverse to the core wire.
11. The cosmetic application device of claim 1, wherein the brush includes a plurality of vertically spaced apart horizontal ridges.
12. The cosmetic application device of claim 11, wherein the ridges extend less than halfway around a circumference of the applicator tip.
13. A device for dispensing and applying a cosmetic product, the device comprising:
- a housing configured to hold a volume of cosmetic product, the housing comprising an open top end and an open bottom end;
- a cosmetic dispensing member coupled to the open bottom end of the housing; and
- a cosmetic applicator coupled to the open top end of the housing, the cosmetic applicator having an outlet for dispensing cosmetic product, and a brush, wherein the brush is disposed on a first face of the cosmetic applicator and the outlet is disposed on a second face of the cosmetic applicator, and the first and second faces are different;
- wherein the cosmetic dispensing member includes an actuating element configured to be actuated to enable delivery of a portion of the volume of cosmetic product from the housing through the outlet.
14. The device of claim 13, wherein the cosmetic dispensing member is an airless pump.
15. The device of claim 14, wherein the airless pump includes a push button disposed within the open bottom end of the housing.
16. The device of claim 13, wherein the first face is on an opposite side of the cosmetic applicator from the second face.
17. A combination dispenser and applicator, comprising:
- a bottle designed to hold a cosmetic product, the bottle comprising a first end and second end;
- a cosmetic applicator configured to be coupled to the first end of the bottle, the cosmetic applicator including an outlet for dispensing the cosmetic product, and a brush, wherein the outlet is disposed on a first face of the cosmetic applicator and the brush is disposed on a second face of the cosmetic applicator, wherein the first and second faces are different; and
- a cosmetic dispensing member coupled to the second end of the bottle, the cosmetic dispensing member comprising an actuating element configured to be actuated for delivery of a portion of the cosmetic product through the outlet.
18. The combination dispenser and applicator of claim 17, wherein the cosmetic dispensing member is an airless pump.
19. The combination dispenser and applicator of claim 18, wherein actuating element includes a push button disposed within an open second end of the bottle.
20. The combination dispenser and applicator of claim 17, wherein the first face is on an opposite side of the cosmetic applicator from the second face.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 28, 2018
Publication Date: Jan 10, 2019
Applicant: HCT GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED (CENTRAL)
Inventors: JEREMY WILSON (LOS ANGELES, CA), ARMANDO VILLARREAL (LOS ANGELES, CA), RYAN L. GLEASON (LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA)
Application Number: 16/022,294