Toilet – Hair device – Eyelash or eyebrow
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-21
2002-02-05
Manahan, Todd E. (Department: 3732)
Toilet
Hair device
Eyelash or eyebrow
Reexamination Certificate
active
06343607
ABSTRACT:
The present invention pertains to an applicator for applying a product. In particular, the present invention is directed toward an applicator for the application of a product, such as a cosmetic product for example, to keratinous fibers such as the eyelashes or eyebrows. The invention also relates to an applicator system including the applicator and a container for containing the product to be applied.
The invention also relates to a device for combing the eyelashes or eyebrows including at least one row of elements, such as bristles or teeth, on a base of an application element. There is a need to improve the quality of the makeup effect achieved using conventional applicators of this general type.
For example, there is a need to provide an applicator capable of loading the eyelashes with a relatively substantial amount of product and of gripping the eyelashes in order to smooth out the product deposited on the surface of the eyelashes.
There also exists a need to facilitate the procedure of applying the product by allowing the user to apply makeup satisfactorily to eyelashes or eyebrows by using a single applicator without having to resort to an additional comb or the like to smooth out the eyelashes or eyebrows after having applied the product.
Moreover, it is desired to provide an applicator for combing the eyelashes which is easy to manufacture and has repeatable geometry.
It also is desirable to provide an applicator which allows the eyelashes to be sufficiently curled and lengthened after product has been applied.
In addition, if the product being applied is an eyelash product containing fibers, it is desirable to provide an applicator including an application element capable of aligning the fibers such that they are oriented substantially parallel to the eyelashes when the product is applied.
The applicator according to one aspect of the invention includes an application element having a base portion of polygonal cross-section having a plurality of sides and a plurality of projection members disposed on the base portion. At least two of the projection members extend away from the polygonal base portion substantially in continuation of different sides of the base portion and in different directions from one another. In an alternative aspect of the invention, the application element includes a base portion having a non-polygonal cross-section and at least one projection member disposed on the base portion. The at least one projection members extends away from the base portion such that an axis of the projection member is in a direction substantially at a tangent to the base portion where the projection member meets the base portion.
As used throughout the specification and claims, the axis of a projection member or projection element refers to an axis of the element extending substantially in a plane perpendicular to the direction of the length of the base portion. In other words, the axis of the projection member or projection element is the axis extending from the portion of the projection member or projection element that meets the base portion to a free end of the projection member or projection element.
As a preference, the applicators described above preferably include at least two projection members oriented in the same direction of gyration about the longitudinal axis of the base. Moreover, at least two projection members preferably are adjacent to one another, and also may be either substantially parallel to one another or not substantially parallel to one another.
In yet another aspect of the invention, an applicator is provided that includes an application element including a base portion having a polygonal cross-section and a plurality of sides. A plurality of projection members are disposed on the base portion, at least two of which extend away from the base portion substantially in continuation of different sides of the base portion. The at least two projection members also are oriented in the same direction of gyration about a longitudinal axis of the base portion.
Arranging projection members on the base portion in the manners described according to the invention may facilitate contact between the eyelashes and the base portion, which is typically more difficult using conventional applicators of the twisted wire type. In accordance with the present invention, however, when the applicator is used to apply the product, the eyelashes may become laden with product upon contact with the base portion. The base portion preferably actively participates in applying the product to the eyelashes by virtue of the arrangement of the projection members in the present invention.
The applicators according to certain aspects of the invention preferably include a stem and the application element preferably is on an end of the stem.
In certain aspects of the invention, a projection member may include a row of consecutive projection elements which may be arranged in a variety of manners. Preferably, the applicator of the present invention permits these projection elements to be produced with a close spacing between consecutive elements in each row.
Within the meaning of the invention, projection elements or projection members can include, for example, bristles or teeth. The teeth or bristles may be made separate from the base portion and attached to the base portion to form the application element. Alternatively, the teeth or bristles may be formed integrally with the base portion, such as, for example, by molding.
As a preference, the base has a substantially uniform cross section over at least a portion of its length and all of the projections elements of a row located on this portion, preferably of each row, extend practically in the continuation of the corresponding side of the base.
The base may have a variable cross section with a profile practically in the shape of a polygon, regular or otherwise but preferably regular, for example in the shape of a triangle, square, pentagon or hexagon, it being possible for the faces corresponding to the sides of the base to be planar, or slightly concave or convex.
The polygonal base portion may have a cross section chosen from triangular, square, pentagonal, heaxagonal, or octagonal, for example. The non-polygonal base portion may have a cross-section chosen from elliptical and circular, for example.
The applicator according to one aspect of the present invention may be a device capable of combing the eyelashes or eyebrows and includes at least one row of consecutive projection elements including consecutive projection elements alternately disposed on opposite sides of a geometric separation surface.
As mentioned above, the projection elements could be teeth. By altering the geometry of the teeth and their spacing, it is possible to form greater or lesser cavities between the teeth, which cavities can become laden with product at the time of application.
It is thus possible to produce a row of projection elements capable of becoming laden with a substantial amount of product, without negatively affecting the ability of the row of elments to grip the lashes.
Portions of at least two consecutive projection elements in the row of consecutive projection elements may be substantially aligned with one another. The expression “substantially aligned” as used throughout the specification and claims should be understood to mean that one part of each of the substantially aligned portions of the consecutive projection elements is disposed on a first side of a line passing through the portions of the consecutive projection elements, and another part each of the aligned portions of the consecutive projection elements is disposed on a second side of the line opposite to the first side, wherein the line is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the row of consecutive projection elements. An example of an embodiment with such “substantially aligned” portions includes consecutive projection elements disposed such that a straight line passes through the centers of each of the root portions of the consecutive projection elements, especiall
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP
L'Oreal
Manahan Todd #E.
LandOfFree
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