The invention relates to an apparatus for applying liquid agents, such as hair cosmetics and/or dyeing and/or bleaching liquids, to hair on the head by means of wicks arranged in parallel rows which in particular due to their capillary action receive the liquid agent from a reservoir.
Such an apparatus is known from DE 41 32 829 [GB 2,248,549]. This known apparatus has a large number of parts, and is difficult to manufacture and use.
The object of the present invention is to improve an apparatus of the above-described type in such a way that few parts are necessary for uniform distribution of the agent, manufacture is simplified, and use is facilitated.
This object is achieved according to the invention by the fact that wicks form the teeth of a comb.
Such an applicator requires no additional comb teeth; instead, the wicks themselves arrange the hair. Sufficient hair gets between the wicks when spaces are present between the wicks and/or the wick rows, and the width of the spaces corresponds to at least half the diameter of the wicks.
It is preferred that the cross-sectional area transverse to the longitudinal extensions of the wicks forms a square of 4, 9, or 16 units. As a result of the arrangement of the wicks on a square or round base surface, no orientation direction is required during use, so that the hair may be treated equally uniformly in any position of the apparatus.
In one particularly advantageous design, comb teeth are provided in particular parallel to the wicks, between and/or to the side of the wicks, thereby enhancing the combing action of the apparatus. It is advantageous when the comb teeth are situated inside the wick rows. Manufacture and assembly are simplified and stability is achieved when the comb teeth are connected to a frame, in particular in one piece, that is attached to a wick holder (applicator holder) and/or to the wicks.
It is particularly advantageous when pointed projections of the wick holder protrude into indentations in the wick holder that accommodate the wicks in order to prevent longitudinal shifting of the wicks. These pointed projections preferably do not constitute additional parts, but rather are integrally molded onto the wick holder.
Simple and secure penetration of the wicks into the hair is ensured when the free ends of the wicks have a tapered or rounded design.
The wicks may be composed of a fibrous material in order to have capillary action for transporting the liquid agent. Alternatively, the wicks may be made of a sintered material. The wick holder may also be made of the same sintered material, and the wicks and the wick holder are preferably designed as one piece, which allows a great variety of shapes of the wick holder and in particular of the wicks.
One particularly simple and secure design is provided when the side of the wick holder facing away from the wicks contacts the contents of the reservoir. It is also advantageous when the wick holder has three or four layers containing lateral semicylindrical or partially cylindrical indentations for the wicks. Such a shape of the wick holder allows multiple wick rows to be easily arranged and securely held.
To prevent the wicks from contacting the scalp, pin-shaped spacers are provided next to the wicks that project out farther than the wicks.
If the wicks are made of a fragile or flexible material they may have an internal insert. This insert may project outward and act as the respective spacer.
It is also advantageous when the wicks are produced with a supporting plate in the two-component injection molding process, thus allowing the wicks to be made of relatively soft plastic.
Several illustrated embodiments of the invention are illustrated in sectional views in the drawings and described in greater detail below. The drawings show the following:
FIGS. 1 and 2 show designs with wicks inserted into a wick holder;
FIGS. 3 and 4 show the wicks and wick holder in a one-piece design made of sintered material, with comb teeth placed therebetween in FIG. 3;
FIGS. 5 through 8 show a one-piece wick holder having two rows of inserted wicks;
FIG. 9 shows a one-piece wick holder having three rows of inserted wicks;
FIG. 10 is a section from FIG. 3 with comb teeth attached in a frame;
FIG. 11 is a top view of the design according to FIG. 10;
FIGS. 12 through 14 show various embodiments of one-piece wicks and wick holders made of sintered material, each in two side views and one top view;
FIG. 15 is a section of nine wicks arranged in a square and connected to the wick holder as one piece;
FIG. 16 is a top view of the design according to FIG. 15;
FIG. 17 shows a wick holder with wicks in a one-piece design, and comb teeth provided therebetween in a frame;
FIG. 18 is a side view of the design according to FIG. 17;
FIG. 19 is a top view of the design according to FIG. 17;
FIG. 20 is a longitudinal view of a design with spacers on a sintered molded part;
FIG. 21 is a longitudinal section of a design with spacers next to individual wicks;
FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the design according to FIG. 20 in a cutaway view;
FIG. 23 shows a design with internally reinforced wicks in a sectional view;
FIG. 24 shows the part forming the wicks in a top view;
FIG. 25 is a section along A-B in FIG. 24;
FIG. 26 shows a design with internally reinforced wicks in a sectional view;
FIG. 27 shows the part forming the wicks in a top view;
FIG. 28 is a section along A-B in FIG. 24;
FIG. 29 shows a design with two material components in a section A-B; and
FIG. 30 shows the design according to FIG. 29 in a top view.
In the design shown in FIG. 1 the applicator according to the invention has a cylindrical container 1 having a reservoir, in particular made of batting, located therein that is saturated with the liquid agent to be applied. The container 1 is closed off at one end face by a wick holder 3 through which extend multiple wicks 4 themselves extending parallel to the container axis. The wicks 4 project beyond and on both sides of the wick holder 3, and their inner ends extend into the reservoir. The wicks 4 are arrayed parallel to one another in parallel rows. The free ends on the opposite side of the wick 4 project out far enough that they may be passed through the hair in the manner of a comb in order to release the agent on the hair. The liquid agent is used for hair cosmetics and/or dyeing and/or bleaching.
The container 1 that acts as an applicator holder has a coaxial annular collar starting at the container edge at the level of the wick holder 3 and having an outer rear edge inserted into a housing 6 that encloses the container 1. On the side opposite the container 1 a cap 7 may be mounted on the annular collar 5 that protects the wicks when the apparatus is not in use. A conically expanding edge region 8 proceeds from the rim of the cap 7 and has an increasingly larger diameter away from the reservoir, thereby forming an annular base for a stand by means of which the apparatus may be stood upright.
The design illustrated in FIG. 2 differs from that shown in FIG. 1 in that the housing 6 forms a base cap 9 on the side facing away from the wicks by means of which the housing 6 may be closed at the rear. This base cap may have an internal support sleeve 10 that supports the reservoir wall.
In the embodiment according to FIG. 3 the wick holder 3 is designed as one piece with the wicks 4, and rests with its end facing away from the wicks flat against the reservoir 2 to enable the liquid to be taken up. Comb teeth 12 are situated in spaces 11 between the wicks 4 that essentially assume a combing function during use. Comb teeth may also be provided on the outer sides of the wicks, as shown in FIG. 3. The comb teeth are omitted in the embodiment according to FIG. 4.
The spaces 11 located between the wicks 4 have a width B1, B2 that is at least half the diameter D of the wicks 4. The wicks are arranged in a square of 4, 9, or 16 units, as shown in FIG. 16 with nine wicks. Instead of a square arrangement, the wicks located on the outer edge may also be arranged in a circle. In a typical design the wicks are made of a fibrous material that conveys the liquid by capillary action. Alternatively, the wicks and/or the wick holders in the designs according to FIGS. 3, 4, 10, 11, 13, and 15 may be composed of sintered material, in which case the wicks and wick holders are preferably designed in one piece.
In this case the sintered materials conveying the liquid are composed of mixtures of pulverized materials. The proportions of the individual materials in the mixture (such as PP and PE plastics) determine the resultant properties. In addition to the material composition, the grain size, sintering temperature, and pore size determine the properties.
FIGS. 5 through 9 illustrate the manner in which a wick holder is composed of three interconnected holding layers 3a through 3c, each having semicylindrical indentations 3e for holding the wicks 3 after the holding layers are folded over. To prevent the wicks from sliding longitudinally, pointed projections 15 that penetrate the material of the wicks 4 protrude into the indentations 3e. These pointed projections 15 are designed in one piece with the material of the layers, i.e. the wick holder.
The illustrated embodiment according to FIG. 9 differs from that of FIGS. 5 through 8 in that three rows of wicks 4 are held between four wick holder layers 3a through 3d.
In the designs according to FIGS. 10, 11, and 17 through 19 the comb teeth 12 (in particular designed in one piece) are connected to a frame 14 that encloses the wicks 4 and/or the wick holder 3.
The embodiments according to FIGS. 12 through 14 have different shapes of the one-piece applicator. The wicks and wick holder are designed in one piece and are composed of a fibrous or sintered material. The free ends of the wicks 4 are pointed, gabled, or rounded, in particular hemispherical. The free ends taper in a semi-oval shape, or form two or more tips.
FIGS. 20 through 22 illustrate pin-shaped spacers 16 made of plastic that are attached axially parallel next to the wicks 4 in a row or rows, and whose free ends project beyond the free ends of the wicks, thus preventing the wicks 4 from contacting the scalp. The spacers 16 have a smaller diameter than the wicks, and are externally positioned around and/or between the wicks. The diameter of the spacers 16 may taper outward, in particular conically. The spacers 16 held by the wick holder 3 may in particular be attached thereto, in particular integrally molded thereon.
The number of spacers 16 is based on the number that ensures that a sufficient distance is always provided between the ends of the wicks and the scalp in any position of the apparatus. In the illustrated embodiment according to FIGS. 20 and 22, eight spacers 16 are arranged in an outwardly enclosing row, spaced at equal distances.
In the illustrated embodiments according to FIGS. 23 through 28, the wicks 4 each have a longitudinal cavity 17, in particular made of ceramic, sintered, or fibrous material, thus forming a tubular design. In the design according to FIGS. 23 through 25, the cavities 17 are closed at the outer end and are each filled by a reinforcing pin-shaped element 18 that is enclosed in a form-fit manner and braces the wick 4. Additional spacers 16 are located on the outer side of and/or between the wicks.
The illustrated embodiment according to FIGS. 26 through 28 differs from the previous illustrated embodiments in that the cylindrical cavity 17 is open to the outside, and the pin-shaped reinforcing element 18 projects beyond the wick 4 and also acts as a spacer 16, similar to the spacers described above.
In the illustrated embodiment according to FIGS. 29 and 30, the wicks 4 are made of thermoplastic plastic, and at the back side are integrally molded onto a first plate 19 made of the same material, and pass through openings in a second plate 20 that is composed of a thermoplastic plastic that is harder than the first plate 19. In this manner the wicks 4 have sufficient flexibility and acquire adequate stability as a result of the second plate 20.
In FIGS. 29 and 30 the wicks 4 are hollow and are open at the front end. However, as illustrated in FIGS. 23 through 35 [sic; 25], the wicks may also be closed at the front end. In addition, the cavity 17 may be filled by a reinforcing element 18.
On account of the porous, in particular open-pore, structure of the plastic of the wicks 4, it is possible for the liquid agent to flow outward from the wicks, and/or to pass through the wick cavity 17 and emerge at the front, and/or to flow outward through thin channels (not illustrated) provided in the wall of the wick. A reinforcing element 18 may be situated inside the wick cavity, as described above. The element 18 does not hinder the liquid flow when the diameter of the element is slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the cavity 17.
Patent Application
20080149133
