Coating implements with material supply – Including ball – roller or endless-belt tool
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-18
2004-01-27
Huson, Gregory L. (Department: 3751)
Coating implements with material supply
Including ball, roller or endless-belt tool
C401S220000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06682244
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a dispenser for dispensing a composition comprising particles containing at least one fluid. The composition may be in the form of a powder, such as that used, for example, in the make-up field and/or the field of skin and mucous membrane care, and in particular in the field of make-up products for the face and skin, such as eye-shadow, blusher, and face and body powder.
Certain powders, sometimes termed “liquid powders”, may include a “dry” or pulverulent phase that may comprise a binder and may generally be based on pigments and/or nacres and/or fillers and/or flakes, and/or on mixtures thereof, and a phase that may act as a binding phase and contain, inside microcapsules, vesicles, microsponges, porous waxes or other suitable structure capable of storing a fluid, a fluid such as water, propylene glycol, oil, a gel or even an oil in water (O/W) or water in oil (W/O) emulsion, for example. These structures containing the fluid may be capable of releasing the fluid, optionally in response to sufficient pressure. Upon application of such a powder, which may occur by spreading and pressing the powder against the skin, for example via an applicator, the fluid contained in the vesicles or microcapsules is released, giving a pleasant cool sensation during application.
An example of such a structure capable of storing water is described in the context of a whitening powder forming the subject matter of EP-A-0 855 177. In that publication, the whitening powder contains, apart from the ingredients providing the whitening effect, from 0.1 to 7% by weight of trimethylsiloxylated silicic acid in the anhydrous form, having a specific surface area of at least 80 M
2
/g and a degree of hydrophobicity of at least 50%. The water retained by the silicic acid in anhydrous form is released by spreading and pressing the powder against the surface to be treated, so that the powder liquefies.
Such powders, especially when they are in a continuous aqueous phase, may moisten the skin and may prevent or limit a tautening or drying effect on the skin. The pigments may be well dispersed in them. The composition obtained may furthermore be relatively homogeneous and remain so for several hours even after application to the skin.
Furthermore, such compositions may have beneficial cosmetic properties. For example, they may stick to the skin sufficiently, but not excessively, and they may be very soft and easily applied. In addition, they may be prevented from either transferring or migrating into the folds of the skin.
A problem may arise with these powders in the way they are handled and applied, such as by means of an applicator. This is because with this type of powder, when dispensing the powder, the pressure exerted by the applicator on the product must not be too high, otherwise the fluid contained in the particles may be released prematurely. On the other hand, the pressure should be high enough to allow the product to be anchored to or compacted on the applicator. Furthermore, it may be difficult for the product to be dispensed in a metered amount.
Conventionally, such powders are packaged in a receptacle mounted above a screen through which the powder is made to pass. The dispensing may take place by means of an applicator, usually which may be in the form of a powder puff which is brought into engagement with the powder on the screen so as to dispense the powder. Because of the difficulty of controlling the degree of pressure exerted on the powder via the applicator, it may happen that the powder is compacted on the screen, clogging up the pores of the screen. In addition, the pulverulent phase contained in the powder may have a tendency to “fly off” during application due to an insufficient anchoring of the pulverent phase on the application member.
When such a composition is dispensed under certain optional conditions, the particles containing the fluid may agglomerate with the pulverulent compounds to form a kind of heterogeneous and unstable paste, which may be difficult to use as a make-up product.
It is an optional object of the invention to provide a device for dispensing and applying a composition at least partly formed from particles containing a fluid and to optionally solve, completely or partly, the problems discussed above with reference to conventional devices.
In particular, it is an optional object of the invention to provide such an assembly which allows easy, metered and homogeneous application of such a product, which may avoid the phenomena of compacting or of premature fluid release.
Yet other optional objects will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.
The devices and methods of dispensing and applying described herein may optionally solve some or all of the problems discussed above with reference to conventional applicators. It should be understood that the invention could be practiced without performing one or more of the optional objects and/or advantages described above. Certain other optional aspects of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.
When such a composition is dispensed by means of a device having an optional arrangement, such a composition may be handled and, in particular, dispensed and spread, much more satisfactorily.
According to a first optional aspect of the invention, a device is provided for the dispensing and application of a composition, for example a cosmetic composition, the composition being disposed inside a reservoir and being at least partly formed from particles containing at least one fluid. The device may comprise an applicator comprising an application member and a gripping element. At least a portion of the application member may be configured to be loaded with the composition. The device further may comprise a compacting member and be configured in such a way that, during a movement of the applicator with respect to the reservoir, the portion of the application member loaded with the composition contacts at least a portion of the compacting member and pressure exerted between the portion of the application member and the portion of the compacting member promotes anchoring of the composition on at least the portion of the application member.
According to another optional aspect of the invention, a device for dispensing a composition comprising particles containing at least one fluid comprises a reservoir containing a composition comprising particles containing at least one fluid, an application member having at least a portion configured to be loaded with the composition, and a compacting member configured to permit passage therethrough of at least the portion of the application member configured to be loaded with the composition, the compacting member being configured to exert pressure on at least the portion of the application member.
Yet another optional aspect of the invention relates a device for dispensing a composition comprising particles containing at least one fluid, the device comprising a reservoir containing a composition comprising particles containing at least one fluid, an application member having at least a portion removably disposed within the reservoir and configured to be loaded with the composition, and a compacting member configured to exert pressure on at least the portion of the application member during removal of the portion of the application member from the reservoir.
Optionally, pressure exerted on the portion of the application member may be sufficient to anchor or compact the composition on the application member. Also optionally, pressure exerted on the portion of the application member may be sufficiently low so as to at least substantially limit release of the at least one fluid contained in the particles.
The device according to optional aspects of the invention may further comprise a composition comprising a solid material, which may optionally be a pulverent material mixed with the particles containing at least one fluid.
According to another optional aspect, the particles containing at least one fluid are p
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP
Huson Gregory L.
L'Oreal (S.A.)
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