Coating implements with material supply – With means to attach or conform to body of user – Hand-or finger-receiving pocket
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-06
2001-07-10
Walczak, David J. (Department: 3751)
Coating implements with material supply
With means to attach or conform to body of user
Hand-or finger-receiving pocket
C401S261000, C401S264000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257785
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a semi-enclosed applicator containing a substance for application to the surface of a target object. The target object may be placed within the applicator for application of the substance, or the applicator may be utilized as an implement with an extremity placed therein to apply the substance to a target object located externally of the applicator, or both. More particularly, the present invention relates to such applicators wherein the substance may be released from the applicator material and distributed upon the surface of the target object.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the art of dispensing, articles have been developed which are coated or impregnated with useful substances intended to be utilized when the article is contacted with a target surface. While there are advantages with having the substance present on or near the surface of such articles, there is often the drawback that the useful substance is unprotected and is subject to inadvertent contact before intended use. Inadvertent contact may lead to contamination of the substance, loss of the substance onto surfaces other than the desired target surface, and/or contamination of such other surfaces with the substance. Moreover, the use of such articles to manually apply a substance to a surface of an object frequently results in exposure of a user's hands to the substance. At the very least such a scenario results in a waste of product and is undesirable from an aesthetic standpoint and, at worst, results in excessive exposure of the user to potentially harmful, toxic, or otherwise undesirable substances.
More recently, sheet materials have been developed which utilize a threedimensional structure which is activatible by a user to deliver a substance onto a target surface. While such sheet materials are believed to provide many advantages in relation to other types of delivery systems, the usefulness of non-structured sheets of material for certain applications is limited by the need of the user to grasp and control the sheet material during the process of applying the substance to the target surface. Depending upon the nature of the target surface and the substance to be applied, difficulties in controlling a generic sheet of material can lead to messiness and/or waste of the substance.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an applicator for applying a substance to a target surface which permits greater control by the user during the application process.
It would also be desirable to provide such an applicator which permits the user to apply a substance to a target surface with reduced messiness and waste of the substance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a semi-enclosed, substance delivery applicator comprising: (a) a three-dimensional structure having outermost surface features and spaces between the outermost surface features for containing a substance, the substance having a level internal to the outermost surface features such that the substance is protected from inadvertent contact with external surfaces, the three-dimensional structure forming at least a portion of a semi-enclosed applicator body having at least one opening and an internal cavity; and (b) a substance, having substantial resistance to flow prior to delivery to a target surface, occupying the spaces of the three-dimensional structure, the substance remaining protected until the three dimensional structure is sufficiently deformed into a substantially two dimensional structure and the substance is thereby exposed to contact a surface of an object without compliance of the surface being necessary, the substance having an effective viscosity upon activation which permits the substance to be liberated from the location and dispensed onto the surface of the object. The substance may be dispensed inwardly of the applicator, outwardly of the applicator, or both. The applicator may take the form of a glove or mitt.
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Hamilton Peter W.
McGuire Kenneth S.
Otten Geneva G.
Tweddell, III Richard
Lewis Leonard W.
The Procter & Gamble & Company
Walczak David J.
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