Depilation system

Surgery – Instruments – Means for removal of skin or material therefrom

Reexamination Certificate

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Reexamination Certificate

active

06312436

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a depilation system comprising an electric depilation apparatus and a cartridge, which depilation apparatus comprises a depilation head having at least one drivable depilation element, a drive unit for driving the depilation element, and a chamber adapted to accommodate the cartridge, which cartridge comprises a reservoir for holding a substance, a discharge channel, and feeder means for conveying the substance from the reservoir to the discharge channel.
Such a depilation system is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,697. The known depilation system comprises an electric shaving apparatus and a cartridge filled with a depilatory substance. The shaving apparatus comprises a shaving head, a driving unit and a deep chamber to accommodate the cartridge. Viewed from the shaving head, the chamber is disposed adjacent the drive unit and, at the side of the shaving apparatus which is remote from the shaving head, it has a cover to provide access to the chamber for mounting the cartridge. At the side of the shaving head the chamber communicates with a passage terminating at the exterior of the shaving head. The cartridge has an actuating button for dispensing the depilatory substance. The cover has an opening through which, in the closed condition of the cover, the button is accessible for a user when the cartridge has been mounted in the shaving apparatus. A drawback of the known system is that the chamber which accommodates the cartridge is difficult to clean. When the cartridge is inserted and removed said chamber may be soiled with residues of the substance. These residues readily give rise to the growth of bacteria, so that there is a risk of infection of the user of the shaving system. Another drawback of the known shaving system is that the cartridge is situated at a location which is best suited to mount a hair trimmer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a depilation system of the type defined in the opening paragraph, which is hygienic in use. To this end, the invention is characterized in that the chamber is disposed between the depilation head and the drive unit. This chamber is also referred to as a “hair chamber” because in this chamber the hairs are collected which are shaved off by the depilation head. For the users of a depilation apparatus having such a hair chamber the regular cleaning of the hair chamber is a familiar routine. Moreover, this chamber can be cleaned easily and effectively because it is a shallow chamber, so that the depilation system is hygienic in use. Besides, the chamber is readily accessible for mounting and removing the cartridge by removing the depilation head from the drive unit, as is customary with such a depilation apparatus, for the purpose of cleaning the hair chamber. The extension of an electric depilation apparatus to a depilation system by the addition of a cartridge containing a substance to be applied to the skin during depilation improves the depilation comfort. Owing to the measure in accordance with the invention this extension requires little additional attention from the user, as a result of which such a system is more likely to be successful.
An embodiment of the depilation system in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the depilation apparatus comprises an actuator for actuating the feeder means of the cartridge. By providing the depilation apparatus with an actuator the feeder means of the cartridge, for example a pump, can be driven without an actuating button being required on the cartridge. This actuator may comprise, for example, an element which can be given a reciprocating movement by a drive means and which transmits this movement to the pump. Alternatively, this actuator may comprise an element which is rotatable by a drive means and which transmits this rotation to the pump via a coupling.
An embodiment of the depilation system in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the depilation apparatus has a button at the exterior of the depilation apparatus, which button is coupled to the actuator via a mechanism for manually driving the actuator by moving the button. This measure enables the substance to be dispensed according to the user's need. Such an actuator drive can be manufactured at low cost. In addition, the transmission ratio of such a mechanism can be optimized in such a manner that only a small effort is needed to depress the button in order to apply the substance.
An embodiment of the depilation system in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the depilation apparatus comprises an electrical drive means for driving the actuator and control means for activating the drive means. These measures improve the user convenience. Thus, the control means can be coupled, for example, to the on/off switch of the depilation apparatus in such a manner that the substance is dispensed automatically when depilation begins. Moreover, the control means may include a timer for periodically activating the actuator during operation of the depilation apparatus. The actuator drive can be coupled, for example, to the drive unit for the depilation elements, so that only one motor is needed for the entire depilation apparatus.
An embodiment of the depilation system in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the depilation apparatus comprises a coupling element for coupling the depilation element to the drive unit, and the cartridge has a recess which corresponds to the position of the coupling element. In the case of a triple-head shaving apparatus, for example, the hair chamber is traversed by three coupling pins which couple the drive unit to cutters in the shaving head. As a result of this, there is not much space to accommodate a cartridge. By providing the cartridge with a recess the cartridge can extend between and partly around these pins, as a result of which the reservoir of the cartridge can have a reasonable volume which is adequate, for example, for one week of shaving.
An embodiment of the depilation system in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the cartridge comprises a first part and a second part, which first part comprises locking means for locking the cartridge in the depilation apparatus and which second part comprises a flexible reservoir. By providing the cartridge with locking means, for example projections, the cartridge can be locked in the depilation apparatus by means of a snap connection. This locking assures an effective coupling between the actuator and the feeder means. By making the reservoir flexible it is achieved that a part of the substance can be pumped out of the reservoir without entry of air into the reservoir. Air in the reservoir is undesirable because it may give rise to degrading of the substance and because it may lead to air finding its way into the feeder means, so that the discharge of the substance becomes irregular or even stops completely. In addition, a flexible reservoir, for example in the form of a thin-walled plastic pouch, can be manufactured easily and cheaply and its shape readily adapts to the shape of the chamber.
An embodiment of the depilation system in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the depilation head has a discharge opening and coupling means for coupling the discharge opening to the discharge channel. By providing the depilation head with a discharge opening for applying the substance to the skin of the user the substance can be applied during depilation without having to interrupt the depilation process. In comparison with a system in which the discharge channel of the cartridge extends up to the exterior of the depilation head this embodiment has the advantage that a smooth surface of the depilation head is guaranteed independently of tolerances in the dimensioning of the depilation apparatus and the cartridge. Besides, the depilation head may be provided with channels near the discharge opening in order to assure better spreading of the substance.
An embodiment of the depilati

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