Patent Application
20080038043
The present invention relates to applicator devices for applying liquid, in particular liquid cosmetics, and to uses of such devices.
More particularly, the invention relates to a liquid applicator device comprising a stem terminated by an applicator head in the form of a loop having a smooth surface.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 1,999,642 describes an example of such a device, which device is nevertheless unsuitable for applying cosmetics to the skin.
A particular object of the present invention is to improve that device and mitigate those drawbacks.
To this end, according to the invention, an applicator device of the kind in question, wherein at least the applicator head is made of a flexible material presenting a modulus of elasticity less than or equal to 300 megapascals (MPa) at 20° C.
By means of these dispositions, application of the liquid is made easier, in particular on the skin, and said application is made particularly quick and precise.
In various embodiments of the invention, recourse may optionally also be had to one or more of the following dispositions:
Furthermore, the invention also provides the use of an applicator as defined above for applying a liquid cosmetic to a surface of the human body, in particular to the skin or to the mucous membrane of the lips.
In particular, said liquid cosmetic presents viscosity lying in the range 20 pascal seconds (Pa.s) to 10,000 Pa.s, and more particularly in the range 20 Pa.s to 1000 Pa.s, at 25° C.
In a preferred implementation of the invention, said liquid cosmetic is a lipstick presenting the viscosity specified above.
Finally, the invention also provides a method of making up the lips, wherein a lipstick is applied to the surface of the lips, the lipstick having viscosity lying in the range 20 Pa.s to 10,000 Pa.s, and preferably in the range 20 Pa.s to 1000 Pa.s at 25° C., the lipstick being applied by using a device as described above.
Thus, the method of the invention advantageously enables the lips to be made up, and in a manner that is precise and fast.
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention appear from the following description of an embodiment thereof, given by way of non-limiting example, and with reference to the accompanying drawing.
In the drawing:
In the various figures, the same references designate elements that are identical or similar.
By way of example, the reservoir 2 may be made of plastics or other material. The neck 2b of the reservoir is closed by a stopper 3, e.g. screwed onto the neck 2b and made of plastics or other material, for example. The stopper 3 is secured to a stem 4 that is terminated at its free end by a loop-shape applicator head 5.
When the stopper 3 closes the reservoir 2, the stem 4 extends towards the inside of said reservoir so that its applicator head 5 is dipped in the liquid lipstick 2a.
The stem 4 may present a circular section having a diameter dl that lies in the range 1 mm to 3 mm, for example. The stem 4 preferably presents an outside appearance that is smooth, and the material of said applicator head advantageously presents a modulus of elasticity that is greater than or equal to 300 MPa at 20° C.
The applicator head 5 may be made either out of the same material as the stem 4, or else out of a different material, in which case the applicator head is fitted to the stem 4 by overmolding or by any other known means. The applicator head 5 is preferably made of the same material.
The stem and the applicator head may be made, for example, out of polyethylene (PE), or polypropylene (PP), or polyoxymethylene (POM), of ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM), also known as ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer, of polyethylene catalyzed by metallocenes, or mixtures thereof. They may also be made of synthetic material based on silicone, such as silicone rubber, for example, as obtained from liquid silicone and known as liquid silicone rubber (LSR).
In the embodiment described herein, the applicator head 5 is made of high density polyethylene (HDPE) using the same material as the stem 4, and it is molded integrally with said stem 4.
The applicator head 5 comprises a ring of material 6 that advantageously presents an outside appearance that is smooth and that presents a section that is circular, for example, having a diameter d2 lying in the range 1 mm to 3 mm. The ring of material 6 may be generally circular in shape and define an empty inner space 7, e.g. presenting a diameter D lying in the range 3 mm to 6 mm.
The material of the applicator head 5, which is the same as the material of the stem 4 in the example described herein, presents a modulus of elasticity of 900 MPa at 20° C. More generally, this modulus of elasticity may lie in the range 500 MPa to 1200 MPa, and preferably in the range 900 MPa to 1100 MPa at 20° C.
As can be seen in
Application of the liquid 2a is made particularly easy and comfortable by the flexibility of the applicator head 5 relative to the stem 4.
Furthermore, the quantity of liquid stored in the empty inside space 7 is relatively large, thereby limiting the number of times the applicator head needs to be moved back and forth between the reservoir 2 and the zone on which the liquid is applied.
Furthermore, the above-described applicator head 5 considerably increases the precision with which the liquid is applied on the skin, and enables the film of liquid that has been deposited on the skin to be smooth in excellent manner, thereby limiting the number of passes needed for the applicator head 5 on the skin.
Finally, it should be observed that the applicator head 5 does not wear with continued use.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR 06/04778 | May 2006 | FR | national |
