Coating implements with material supply – Supply container and independent applicator – Applicator includes container closure or overlies material
Reexamination Certificate
1996-06-06
2001-07-10
Walczak, David J. (Department: 3751)
Coating implements with material supply
Supply container and independent applicator
Applicator includes container closure or overlies material
C401S126000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257788
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an arrangement for applying a liquid or viscous product which is found in the fields of cosmetics, paints or adhesives. In the field of cosmetics, the product may be a nail-varnish composition or other nail care composition.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In general, a nail-varnish applicator arrangement comprises a reservoir for the product to be applied and a product applicator, such as a brush including a tuft of bristles, fixed to a first end of a wand, the wand being fixed by its other end into a cap intended to close the reservoir so that the tuft of bristles is immersed in this product when the applicator arrangement is closed.
In order to ensure good closure of the arrangement, the reservoir includes a neck equipped with a first screw thread which interacts with a second screw thread provided in the cap. The neck is generally thick and flat and equipped with a sealing ring. The wand is held in the cap via a support which comprises a sealing disc. This sealing disc is in contact with the sealing ring of the neck when the applicator arrangement is closed. The screw thread is formed along the entire height of the neck and comes flush with the upper end of the neck.
In order to apply the product to a nail, the applicator member which is impregnated with product is withdrawn from the reservoir. In general, the brush has an excess of product. It is therefore necessary to remove this excess of product and for that, the user wrings the brush out by wiping it on the end of the neck of the reservoir. As the end of the neck is flat and thick and constitutes a bearing surface, some product will remain on the neck and run along the external wall of the neck and thus soil the screw thread of the neck. When the cap is again screwed back on to close the reservoir, the product spreads out over the neck and into the screw thread. When it has dried, the product thus forms a dirty mark on the cap
eck arrangement. Upon subsequent use it is then difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to unscrew the cap from the reservoir. Furthermore, the product on the neck no longer allows the applicator arrangement to be sealed correctly because the sealing disc is no longer in leak-tight contact with the sealing ring of the neck. Furthermore, because the disc bears on the end of the neck, the disc no longer perfectly matches the relief of the end of the neck when the end is soiled after first use, and this further reduces the sealing effect.
In order to avoid dirtying the screw thread of the neck, Patent CH-C-535,167 proposes to extend the orifice of the neck using a tube having a flat and thick end. When the cap is screwed onto the bottle, a gap remains between the lateral wall of the cap and the wall of the tube preventing the excess product from soiling the screw thread of the neck. However, in the event of a substantial amount of product flowing down along the external wall of the tube, after the brush has been wrung out on the flat end of the tube, the screw thread of the neck may after all become soiled with product. In addition, owing to the flat end of the tube, a deposit of product is formed after each wringing-out operation, leading to a reduction in the sealing effect.
The present invention therefore aims to overcome the abovementioned drawbacks.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is, in particular, to provide an applicator arrangement which allows the applicator member to be better wrung out while at the same time avoiding soiling the neck of the reservoir. Another of its objectives is to propose means which allow the applicator arrangement to be sealed well.
APPLICANT SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Applicant has discovered, unexpectedly and surprisingly, that such results could be obtained by giving the upper end of the neck a profile which prevents any wrung-out product from flowing down the external wall of the neck.
The present invention therefore provides an arrangement for applying a liquid or viscous product, comprising a reservoir including a neck and a cap carrying an applicator member which, in the storage position, is immersed in the product contained in this reservoir, the neck including a base and an upper end, characterized in that the upper end of the neck has a profile such that when the applicator member is wrung out on this end, the wrung out product flows essentially down the internal wall of the reservoir. More particularly, this profile has no bearing surface.
In addition, the invention also provides an arrangement for applying a liquid or viscous product, comprising a reservoir including a neck and a cap carrying an applicator member which, in the storage position, is immersed in the product contained in this reservoir, the neck including a base and an upper end, characterized in that the upper end of the neck has no bearing surface.
Preferably, the upper end includes a ridge. This ridge makes it possible to wring out the applicator member well. In particular, during wringing-out, all of the wrung out excess product flows into the internal space of the reservoir. In this way, any flow of product along the external wall of the neck is prevented, and soiling of this neck is thus avoided.
The term cap is intended to denote any element capable of holding the applicator member in the reservoir, without this element hermetically closing the reservoir.
The applicator arrangement according to the invention, although recommended for the packaging of nail-varnish, may prove suitable for the application of any other liquid or viscous product, and in particular paints, especially paints for models and for drawings, and adhesives.
Advantageously, the upper end is equipped with a first ridge and with at least one second ridge, the first ridge being at a level above the level of the second ridge, the levels being measured along an axis (X) of the reservoir.
Advantageously, the upper end of the neck may be equipped with a first ridge and with at least one second ridge, the first ridge being at a level above that of the second ridge, relative to the axis X.
The profile of the upper end of the neck according to the invention may be produced on the whole of the end or on just part of it. In the latter case, the applicator member is wrung out only on the profiled part of the neck.
According to the invention, the ridge may be sharp (that is to say defined by the intersection of two planes) truncated or rounded. When the ridge is truncated, its thickness, measured in a plane perpendicular to the axis (X) does not exceed 2 mm and preferably ranges from 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm.
Advantageously the said first ridge is defined by the intersection of two planes forming an acute angle.
According to a specific embodiment of the invention, the neck includes at least one screw thread situated on the base.
Advantageously, the cap includes a sealing disc. In this case, the profile of the upper end of the neck provides better contact with the sealing disc of the cap, and therefore improves the overall leak-tightness of the applicator arrangement. In particular, the projecting ridge of the neck allows easy deformation of the sealing disc after the cap is screwed on, this deformation making it possible to maintain a perfect seal between the neck and the cap. What is more, the small thickness of the ridge facilitates the removal of any deposit of product on the ridge during deformation of the sealing disc during screwing.
Furthermore, the neck may include a lip surmounting the base and terminating in the said upper end of the neck. The lip thus permits greater ease for wringing out the applicator member, allowing the applicator member to be wrung out better and with greater precision.
Advantageously, the base may have a wall thickness e
1
and the lip may have a wall thickness e
2
in the direction orthogonal to the axis X which is less than e
1
, these thicknesses being measured in a direction orthogonal to the axis (X).
According to the invention, the ratio e
2
/e
1
is preferably less than 0.9 and, preferably, ranges from 0.1 to 0.8.
Advantage
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
L'Oreal
Walczak David J.
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