Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Plural materials – material supplies or charges in a receiver
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-08
2003-02-11
Douglas, Steven O. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Plural materials, material supplies or charges in a receiver
C141S009000, C141S168000, C141S268000, C053S237000, C053S473000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06516838
ABSTRACT:
AREA OF ART
The present invention relates to making multi-product fills for substantive and decorative purposes. In particular, the present invention relates to novel ways to fill containers with separate kinds and types of cosmetics, whereby an enhanced and durable spiral configuration of multi-phase (heterogeneous) products may be made, in addition to other novel product configurations.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
A survey of existing products on the market reveals the multiple efforts that have been made to create visually appealing product configurations, and the containers that house them, which serve to preserve a desired visual appeal. Likewise, in addition to mechanical attempts to solve these problems, chemical solutions have also been attempted; however, the lack of commercial success in this field points to an on-going and longstanding need.
Conventional attempts at making a two-or-more phase product in one dispensing container have proven difficult and sometimes impossible due to chemical reactions or product instability (i.e., reacting with each other). What has not been adequately accomplished, or developed to date, is a system based on the chemicals themselves and the system chemistry and incompatibility—for example, putting water and oil together. Likewise, after reviewing thousands of products, only a few personal care cosmetics with two-or-more phases in one dispensing container were uncovered.
To understand why known systems have not been able to address the aforementioned problems effectively, further background is offered for consideration to explain the nature of the problem, and why it has been solved by the instant teachings.
Cosmetic materials generally contain various types of coloring materials, such as pigments and dyes. Such coloring materials may contain materials derived from raw materials as masking agents for covering coloring. In some cases, these masking agents are included for the purpose of providing a particular effect in relation to skin makeup. Such effect is a positive function of these coloring materials.
Because consumers have increasingly demonstrated a diverse sense of appreciation in regard to the value of cosmetic materials, such cosmetic materials are now required to possess additional merits related to their intrinsic appeal as objects of beauty. This appreciation is in complement with providing pleasure in use, as well as the basic functions of being suitable for make-up, and so forth. In other words, today's cosmetics must look good and work well to satisfy the needs of the consumers.
Historically, the preparation of colored products containing two or more colors has been challenging. Even in cosmetics such as basic lipsticks, to produce a two-tone or multi-colored effect on the lips required innovation. In such instances, to achieve the desired blending effect, one color had to be applied to the lips as a base and the other color or colors superimposed thereon for contrast. The desired final effect was then achieved by blending the superimposed colors on the lips itself.
Likewise, attempts have been made to produce a unitary lipstick having a plurality of colors by assembling several individual segments in an adjacent spaced relationship, and thereafter compressing the segments together to form a unitary lipstick mass. Such lipsticks, however, have met with limited commercial success. One reason may be that these lipsticks have been more difficult and expensive to produce than conventional one-color lipsticks. In practice, of course, lipsticks that are formed by molding segments of different colors into a single multi-colored tube are usually applied to the lips by using the single color of each segment such that these lipsticks merely offer the convenience of two separate colors in one unitary mass.
Known disclosures thus highlight that the concept of a dual-phase or multi-phase cosmetic composition being quite interesting inasmuch as such a composition has a potential for combining two or more functional cosmetic aspects into a single product that may be applied to a subject. However, with any such multi-functional, multi-phase cosmetic composition, it is obviously important that the formed product be functional and effective and that such be maintained, preserved, and usable over a reasonable product life span. This difficulty has not been overcome by known disclosures.
Another largely unaddressed issue is containing and packaging a multi-phase cosmetic composition. Here, it is desirable that each of the phases comprising the total product be dispensed into a container such that the respective phases are generally maintained separately, remain stable, and that in viewing the product, each phase as packaged is visually distinct. Of principal concern is that during the proposed life of a multi-phase cosmetic product, respective phases comprising the total product do not blend and mix together such that the total product in the end is nearly or substantially homogeneous. In addition, in containing a multi-functional, multi-phase cosmetic composition, it is important that the respective phases comprising the composition be dispensed in a manner such that the particular phases are present and occur throughout the final product. It is also important that in gathering a single application from a container, a subject is likely to gather an adequate amount of each respective phase.
At the root of these several matters is the idea that cosmetic products rely on color to provide beauty enhancement. Thus, beauty aids such as foundation, blush, mascara, brow products, and the like, rely on color enhancement provided by these products for effectiveness. In view of the criticality of color in such applications, it is desirable to present the cosmetic product, which is ultimately applied to the face or other parts of the body to highlight that color, in a way that emphasizes its color. In the past, such cosmetic products, if visible at all, were presented as a colored composition. Those skilled in the cosmetic arts appreciate that if the color of the cosmetic composition could be presented in a more dramatic manner, the product would be more desirable to the purchaser.
For example, presenting the color in the form of a spiral, helix, swirled pattern, or the like, against a background of a clear or color-contrasted liquid, dramatically emphasizes the attractiveness of the color of the cosmetic beauty aid.
It would be relatively simple to produce an oil-based pigment phase in a clear aqueous phase, or vice versa. The immiscibility of the two phases would permit the production of a cosmetic product in which the above desired, highly attractive packaging could be provided. However, the inclusion of an oil-based phase would be undesirable for at least two reasons. First, it would be difficult to combine the immiscible phases to form the complete cosmetic composition. Second, even if the two immiscible phases could somehow be combined, the product, containing a non-water-soluble phase might be difficult to remove.
Ideally, a two-phase composition should include a color phase and clear or color-contrasted gel phase that are miscible. However, when attempts were made to produce such a product in the past, a two-phase composition was obtained in which the color phase bled into the gel phase, producing a product that was aesthetically unattractive.
Thus, cosmetic products have not been produced in which a color phase, highlighting the tint or color of the cosmetic composition, is disposed as a discrete color phase against a background of a clear or color-contrasted gel.
An emulsion is known to be a dispersed system comprising at least two immiscible liquid phases (
Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences,
18th Edition, 1990). The emulsion's immiscible liquid phase is composed of droplets between 0.005 to 2000 microns in diameter, although the range of droplet diameters may be narrower (e.g., between 0.1 to 100 microns). Emulsions are known to be thermodynamically unstable. It is believed that the free energy associated with the high s
Le Cavalier Steven R.
Long Daniel
Thibiant Patrick
Witwit Moe
Douglas Steven O.
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
Thibiant Patrick
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