This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to French Patent Application Serial Number 1656055, filed Jun. 29, 2016, the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to an applicator assembly for positioning and retaining a wiper in a bottle without a neck, the bottle being intended to contain a cosmetic product and more particularly, to an applicator assembly for a flexible wiper.
Cosmetic product applicator assemblies are known that include an applicator which is capable of being detachably attached to a bottle containing the cosmetic product.
The bottle generally includes a cap and a body.
The cap is capable of being attached to the body of the bottle in such a way as to ensure sealed closure of a cosmetic product container located inside the body of the bottle.
As regards the body, it generally includes two regions, namely a bottom region and a throat region.
The bottom region has walls delimiting a container which contains the cosmetic product. The body is closed in the region of a first end, referred to as the distal end, by a bottom wall, and opened in the region of a second end, referred to as the proximal end, opposite the first end. The body further includes a side wall that is positioned between the distal and proximal ends so as to completely delimit the container.
The throat region defines an opening through which the cosmetic product can be removed. The opening in the body of the bottle is located in the throat region and therefore in the vicinity of the proximal end. This region generally includes opening and closing means, these means being capable of cooperating with complementary opening and closing means located in the region of the cap in order to attach and close the cap in a sealed manner on the body of the bottle. When the throat region has cross-sectional dimensions that are smaller than those of the cross section of the bottom region of the body of the bottle, it is referred to as a neck of the bottle. In other words, there is a neck when the dimensions of the throat region are reduced compared with the dimensions of the bottom region.
In order to prevent the applicator from being overloaded with cosmetic product, the bottle further includes a rigid or flexible wiper that is attached in the region of the neck and extends towards the inside of the container. When the user inserts the applicator into the container and/or removes it therefrom, the applicator slides within the wiper. The wiper thus scrapes the excess cosmetic product from the rod and the applicator end piece. The wiper therefore makes it possible to control the amount of product which is on the applicator end piece and prevents an excessive amount of cosmetic product from being applied to the application surface.
Nowadays, wipers and particularly flexible wipers are held in place in the region of the neck by various attachment means on both sides in the region of the neck, the wiper and the bottle itself.
However, bottles which do not have a neck do exist. For these bottles without a neck, it proves difficult to position and retain the wiper in place in the throat region. Indeed, the absence of a neck would remove several attachment points required for positioning and retaining the wiper in place in the throat region of the bottle. The absence of these attachment points may in particular cause the wiper to move and more particularly to rise up into the throat region of the bottle when the applicator is removed from the bottle.
One of the objects of the invention is therefore to position and retain a wiper in place in a bottle without a neck.
The invention therefore relates to an applicator assembly for a cosmetic product, the assembly being capable of occupying two positions, an opened position and a closed position. The applicator assembly includes a bottle without a neck. The bottle includes a body intended to contain the cosmetic product, and extends in a main direction of longitudinal extension, referred to as the main direction. The body includes a first end, referred to as the distal end, and an opposite second end in the main direction, referred to as the proximal end, and includes a side wall positioned between the distal end and the proximal end, the side wall having an outer surface and an inner surface. The assembly also includes a wiper including a wiping hole and intended to scrape the excess cosmetic product from an applicator via the wiping hole when the applicator assembly passes from the closed position to the opened position, the wiper having an outer and an inner surface.
The assembly yet further includes assembly means consisting of at least one positioning means and at least one means for retaining the wiper in position on the bottle, the assembly means being intended to interact, at the proximal end of the bottle, so as to prevent a withdrawal movement of the wiper when the applicator passes into the bottle.
According to the invention, the inner surface of the wiper is designed to be in direct contact with the applicator when the applicator assembly passes from an opened position to a closed position.
The applicator assembly according to the invention makes it possible to position and retain a wiper, more particularly a standard type of wiper, on a bottle without a neck. This means that, despite the absence of a neck on bottles for cosmetic products, it is possible to position and retain a standard wiper in place such that it can correctly function as an applicator wiper, i.e. it can scrape excess cosmetic product from the applicator when it is being removed from the container of the bottle, without however the wiper leaving the bottle.
Indeed, when they interact with the proximal end of the bottle, the assembly means (otherwise known as the “attachment means”) positioned on the wiper, in particular the positioning means and the means for retaining the wiper in position, make it possible to position and retain the wiper in place in the bottle without a neck. Therefore, the invention makes it possible to prevent a withdrawal movement of the wiper when the applicator passes into the bottle.
The expression “positioned on the wiper” means that the assembly means, in particular the positioning means and the means for retaining the wiper in position, are integral parts of the wiper. In other words, the assembly means are integral with the structure of the wiper itself, and form just one single part with the wiper. In other words again, the assembly means are formed in one piece with the wiper. Again, in other words, the assembly means are not additional and separate parts of the wiper that need to be attached and/or bonded in order to ensure that the wiper is positioned and/or retained in position in the bottle without a neck. Again, in other words, the wiper includes the assembly means.
“Withdrawal movement of the wiper” means that the unit formed by the wiper and the assembly means is withdrawn from the bottle when the applicator is passing into the bottle. In other words, this is not just a withdrawal of some of the structural elements of the wiper, in particular fins which are initially oriented towards the bottom of the bottle and would be folded towards the opening in the bottle when the applicator is passing therethrough.
According to various embodiments of the invention, which can be taken together or separately:
The invention also relates to a cosmetic product applicator assembly may include:
an applicator, and
a cap, intended to keep the cosmetic product applicator inside the body when the bottle is in the closed position.
The invention will be better understood, and its other aims, details, features and advantages will become clearer in the following detailed explanatory description of at least one embodiment of the invention given as a purely illustrative and non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:
As regards the different structures and their reference signs in the drawings, the same reference numeral will be used for each identical structure. However, this reference sign will be preceded by a different multiple of one hundred depending on the embodiment. For example, the applicator assembly is denoted by 100 in
The invention itself relates to an applicator assembly 100 for a cosmetic product P that is capable of occupying two positions, an opened position and a closed position.
“Opened position” means the position that the applicator assembly occupies when a cap 90 is detached from a body 112 of the bottle 110 without a neck. In contrast, “closed position” means the position that the bottle occupies when the cap 90 is attached to the body 112 of the bottle 110 without a neck.
The applicator assembly 100 includes a bottle 110 without a neck.
A bottle 110 “without a neck” means that, by contrast with the standard, above-described bottles from the prior art, the body 112 of the bottle 110 without a neck does not include a shoulder in the region of the upper part, or in other words in the region of its throat Zc, as shown in
According to the invention, the bottle 110 without a neck includes a body 112 that is generally intended to contain a cosmetic product P. As shown in
The body 112 is advantageously a rigid part. “Rigid” means unable to be deformed either by atmospheric pressure or by a force exerted by the fingers of a user. The cross section of the body can be of any shape, in particular polygonal or circular. Preferably, the cross section thereof is circular.
The body 112 is, for example, based on a plastics material, in particular polypropylene. The body is formed, in particular, by means of injection or injection blow moulding. The body can be decorated, in particular by means of metallisation or by other means.
Two general regions can be defined on the body 112 of the bottle 110 without a neck: a throat region Zc or upper part of the body or head, located closer to the proximal end of the body of the bottle, and a bottom region Zf or lower part of the body or trunk, located closer to the distal end of the body of the bottle. The throat region Zc generally includes opening and closing means 118 intended to interact with complementary means on a cap so as to open and close the bottle 110 without a neck, as shown in
The throat region Zc and the bottom region Zf may be formed in one piece from plastics material (see
As shown in
When the user removes the applicator 80 from the container, the applicator 80 slides through the wiper 120. The wiper, via its wiping hole 122, scrapes excess cosmetic product P from the applicator, i.e. from a rod 82 and an applicator end piece 84 attached thereto. The wiper 120 thus makes it possible to control the amount of product which is present on the applicator end piece 84 and prevents an excessive amount of cosmetic product P from being applied to the application surface.
The wiper 120 has an outer surface 124 and an inner surface 126. According to the invention, the inner surface of the wiper 120 is designed to be in direct contact with the applicator when the bottle passes from the opened position to the closed position, or vice versa. In other words, the outer surface 124 and inner surface 126 are two faces of the same part, which has a single thickness, this being the thickness of the material that forms the wiper. In other words again, the wiper 120 is a single mechanical part, produced to have just one material thickness.
Advantageously, the wiper is “flexible”. “Flexible” means that the wiper is relatively malleable and can potentially fold and deform easily, whether this is before it is inserted into the throat region Zc of the bottle, at the point of insertion or when the applicator is passing therethrough. In contrast, the “rigid” wiper is inserted by force into the throat region Zc of the bottle such that it can no longer be deformed at all thereafter. Therefore, the present invention provides fewer advantages for the “rigid” wiper, given its nature.
The applicator assembly 100 also includes assembly means consisting of at least one positioning means and at least one means for retaining the wiper 120 in position on the bottle 110, the assembly means being intended to interact, at the proximal end 114 of the bottle 110, so as to prevent a withdrawal movement of the wiper 120 when the applicator 80 passes into the bottle 110.
The assembly means, in particular the positioning means and the means for retaining the wiper 120 in position, are integral parts of the wiper 120. In other words, the assembly means are integral with the structure of the wiper itself, and form just one single part with the wiper. In other words again, the assembly means are formed in one piece with the wiper. Again, in other words, the assembly means are not additional and separate parts of the wiper that need to be attached and/or bonded in order to ensure that the wiper is positioned and/or retained in position in the bottle 110 without a neck. Again, in other words, the wiper includes the assembly means. Since the assembly means are directly integrated in the wiper, this reduces the number of parts and the production costs of the applicator assembly.
The positioning means and the means for retaining the wiper in position may be separate from one another.
In a first embodiment, as shown in
As the position-retaining means, the number of fins 232 may vary. This number may be between two and eight. More preferably, this number is five, as shown in
At rest, the fins 232 extend radially relative to the main axis. The diameter formed by the fins 232 at rest is greater than that of the flange 230 of the wiper 220.
In a second embodiment, as shown in
The technical shaping 342 is a bead of material. At the point at which the wiper 320 is inserted into the bottle 310, the bead of material is clipped by force into the aperture 344 positioned at the proximal end 314 of the body 312 of the bottle 310 such that the wiper 320 is retained in position and can no longer come out of the aperture 344 again.
Advantageously, the flange in the first and second embodiments is circular.
The positioning means and the means for retaining the wiper in position can also be combined. In other words, the positioning means and the means for retaining the wiper in position are the same part. In other words again, the same piece is used both as a positioning means and as a position-retaining means.
In a third embodiment, as shown in
The curved end 452 is advantageously flexible so as to fit closely to the complementary part 454 or groove provided in the region of the outer surface 416 of the side wall of the body 412 of the bottle 410.
In a fourth embodiment, as shown in
In a fifth embodiment, as shown in
The intermediate part 670 may be made of any type of material having a rigidity that allows the wiper 620 to be wedged against the inner surface 617 of the bottle 610. This material also has to be compatible with the cosmetic product P, since when the applicator 80 passes the part, this material is in contact with the cosmetic product P. In particular, the intermediate part 670 may be made of plastics material, such as polyoxymethylene (POM) or polypropylene (PP).
The present invention may also be adapted to bottles of which the body is designed in two parts. As shown in
When the body of the bottle is in two parts, the two parts, namely a head and a trunk, may be made of different materials. Bi-injection may be used to manufacture bottles having this type of two-part design.
When the bottle 710, 810, 910 is in two parts, the two parts are joined together by welding or clipping. Advantageously, a seal (not shown) is provided between the two parts, i.e. between the head Zc and the trunk Zf.
When the bottle is in two parts, the wiper 720, 820, 920 is positioned in the region of the head Zc of the bottle.
More particularly,
The wiper, which is in particular made of rubber, is also designed so as to interact with the cap 90 in order to ensure sealed closure of the bottle 110 in the closed position. More particularly, sealing of the bottle is ensured by the compression of the wiper between the proximal end 114 of the body 112 and the cap 90 in the closed position of the bottle 110.
The invention also relates to an applicator assembly 100 for cosmetic product P, further comprising an applicator 80, and a cap 90, intended to keep the cosmetic product applicator 80 inside the body 112 when the bottle 110 is in the closed position (
The cap 90 can be manipulated by a user and is intended to keep a cosmetic product applicator 80 inside the body 112 when the bottle 110 is in the closed position.
The cap 90 is advantageously rigid. The cap has an inner surface 92, an outer surface 94 and a solid part 96 in its interior. The cross section of the cap can be of any shape, in particular polygonal or circular. Preferably, the cross section thereof is circular.
The cap 90 is, for example, based on a plastics material, in particular polypropylene. The cap is formed, in particular, by means of injection or injection blow moulding. The cap can be decorated, in particular by means of metallisation or by other means.
The bottle 110 further includes opening and closing means 98, 118 that are located on the cap 90 and on the body 112 of the bottle 110, the opening and closing means 98, 118 being designed to interact with one another so as to ensure that the bottle 110 is kept in the closed position.
More particularly, the opening and closing means 98, 118 are located on the inner surface 92 of the cap 90 and on the side wall 115 of the body 112 of the bottle 110. Even more particularly, the opening and closing means 118 are located on the outer surface 116 of the side wall 115 of the body 112 of the bottle 110.
The opening and closing means 98, 118 include a screw system, the screw system comprising a tapped part located on the inner surface 92 of the cap 90 and a threaded part located on the outer surface 116 of the side wall 115 of the body 112 of the bottle 110.
In a variant, the opening and closing means 98, 118 include a bayonet system (not shown). The cap 90 can in particular have a protrusion on the inner surface 92 thereof, which protrusion is inserted in a cam track (with or without rotation) located on the outer surface 116 of the side wall 115 of the body 112 of the bottle 110. In a variant, the protrusion and the cam track can be inverted, i.e. the protrusion would be located on the outer surface 116 of the side wall 115 of the body 112 of the bottle 110, and the cam track would be located on the inner surface 92 of the cap 90.
Alternatively, the opening and closing means 98, 118 include a clip system (not shown), also referred to as a snap system. For this purpose, the cap 90 can in particular include an annular groove on the inner surface 92 thereof, in which groove a ring located on the outer surface 116 of the side wall 115 of the body 112 of the bottle 110 is inserted. In a variant, teeth and/or slots may be used.
According to the invention, the sealing is also ensured both by the interaction of the closing means 118 located in region of the body 112 of the bottle with the complementary means located in the region of the cap 90 of the bottle, and, when the cap 90 has been attached to the body 112 of the bottle using the above-mentioned closing means, by the interaction of the cap 90 and the wiper 120.
The applicator 80 generally includes an axial rod 82 and an applicator end piece 84. The axial rod 82 extends in a main direction of longitudinal extension, in this case the main direction X3, and includes two opposing ends. On account of its end referred to as the upper end, the axial rod 82 is designed so as to rigidly connect the applicator to the cap 90. Moreover, by means of its lower end or free end, the axial rod 82 is designed to be attached to the applicator end piece 84. Since the applicator is generally rigidly connected to the cap 90, the applicator forms therewith a means for gripping the applicator. When the cap 90 is attached to the body 112 of the bottle 110, i.e. when the bottle 110 is in the closed position, the axial rod 82 and the applicator end piece 84 extend inside the body 112 of the bottle 110. The applicator is thus immersed in the cosmetic product P contained in the container. In order to use the applicator 80, the user detaches the cap 90 from the body 112 and removes the applicator from the container. The bottle is then in the opened position.
The rod 82 is advantageously rigid. The rod may be slightly deformed, in particular curved, under the effect of the forces applied while applying make-up, as a result of the elongate shape of the rod. The rod 82 is, for example, based on a plastics material, in particular polypropylene.
Depending on the intended uses, the applicator end piece 84 may be a mascara brush, a brush for applying eyeliner, a lip balm spatula, or something else. Indeed, although it is in particular provided for applying mascara or eyeliner, the invention can also be used for any other kind of cosmetic product, in particular lip balm.
The materials used for the applicator end piece 60 can be selected from the group comprising vegetable fibres (for example: cotton, rayon, cellulose), fibres made of a thermoplastic material (for example: polyamide, polyester, nylon), fibres made of an elastically deformable thermoplastic material (for example: elastomers, thermoplastic elastomers, vulcanised elastomers), a “sinter”, and a foam (for example: polyurethane, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyether, NBR (natural rubber), SBR (synthetic rubber)). A “sinter” means a product obtained by consolidation, under the action of heat, of a more or less compact granular agglomerate, with or without fusion of one or more of the components thereof. In particular, any type of applicator end piece 84 that forms a mascara brush can be used here, whether the end piece is moulded or twisted and whether it has a straight or curved core.
Moreover, the alternatives set out above can be combined without departing from the scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1656055 | Jun 2016 | FR | national |