Patent Grant
9504304
The invention relates to an applicator for a flowable application medium, in particular nail polish, comprising a reservoir accommodating the application medium, said reservoir having, at its front end, a tip portion with centrally arranged passage hole for an application element and, at its rear end, an actuating device for a piston rod, with the application element being arranged at the front end of said piston rod and said rod serving to move the application element out of the tip portion and into an application medium discharge position, retain the application element temporarily in the discharge position and, with the help of a spring element, retract the application element into the tip portion, and a cap for tightly sealing off the tip portion.
Such an applicator is known from publication DE 198 47 126 A1, for example. This prior-art applicator has a brush as application element. In this applicator a brush holder in its initial position is pressed via a disk against a tapered ring by means of a compression spring. Via a stop element of the disk the forward travel of the brush can be limited at a front end and the inlet bore of the tip portion of the applicator pen sealed against the reservoir. The applicator pen has an outer sleeve in which longitudinal slots and radial slots are arranged. Between the brush holder and a pusher-type actuating element a rod is loosely arranged.
DE 198 02 770 A1 discloses an applicator pen for a fluid application medium. This applicator pen is provided with an applicator element in the form of a brush. The fluid application medium is fed from a pump space to the applicator element through a duct. An enclosure serves to store the fluid application medium. Inside the storage space a follower piston and a displacement piston are arranged to displace the fluid application medium, said piston being moved transversely to the longitudinal axis of the applicator pen by a toggle lever. The longitudinally movable piston is molded onto a rod with coaxial duct, the total stroke of said piston being limited on the one hand through contact with a level surface of a closed suction valve and on the other hand through contact of a bushing with a chamfered portion of the toggle lever. The bushing longitudinally secured on the rod is in contact with an edge of the toggle lever on the one hand and otherwise contacts a compression spring. The compression spring abuts on a fixed disk.
DE 88 07 796 U1 describes an applicator pen for a fluid medium fed in dosed volume via an actuating element from a storage space to an application element which together with actuating element and dosing piston is movable in the longitudinal direction of the applicator pen and can be lowered in a bore. Between the bore accommodating the application element and the storage space of a dosing compartment seals are arranged, wherein the longitudinal distance between the sealing lips of the seals is greater than the distance between a control edge of a primary piston and a control edge of a secondary piston.
From DE 38 08 576 C1 an application device is known for fluids taken from a bottle by means of a brush. This prior-art application device is provided with a buffer compartment feeding the brush in a defined manner if it is taken out of the bottle. The brush in this case is connected to an actuating element by means of a rod and can be longitudinally moved within a tube. A displacement element guided on the rod is clamped in between a first and a second compression spring which on one end is supported by an actuating knob and on the other end by an abutment. An annular space can be isolated by means of a hub on one side and by the rod on the other. The stiffness of the second compression spring is preferably lower than that of the first compression spring. The displacement element is preferably designed in the form of a membrane provided with a hub capable of axial oscillation around a clamped sealing bead.
From DE 603 13 285 T2 an applicator for fluid cosmetic products is known which is provided with a piston rod carrying a piston longitudinally adjustable by turning a basis relative to an application nozzle equipped with a valve. The piston is provided with a ring flange attached to the piston rod. A cylindrical flange connects inside to said ring flange, said cylindrical flange has a circumferential lip at its inner end. The circumferential lip is in sliding seal contact with the inner wall of the application nozzle.
With this prior-art applicator the application of the fluid cosmetic product is not effected by actuating the rear actuating device, neither is the application element retracted by means of a spring element.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,129 B1 an applicator is disclosed designed in the form of a mascara dispenser. This prior-art mascara dispenser has a piston rod to which front end a mascara brush is attached. The piston rod is arranged in an enclosure containing a flowable application medium and can be adjusted in the enclosure to and fro manually via a slider element to adjust, i.e. move the mascara brush out of or into the enclosure. At the front end of the enclosure a closure element is arranged which can be manually or automatically adjusted via a suitable connection by the slider element and in this way changed over from closed to open position and vice versa. Inside the mascara dispenser sealing elements are arranged to prevent volatile constituents contained in the application medium from escaping. The piston rod is guided in a sleeve mounted in the enclosure so as to be axially movable, with a flange being arranged at the rear end of it.
Objective of the invention is to provide an applicator of the kind first mentioned above which offers excellent tightness properties and is of unsophisticated design suitable to dispense its flowable application medium, in particular nail polish, in a properly dosed manner.
According to the invention this objective is reached by the features of claim 1, i.e. by providing a piston rod designed with a flange in a central section and by providing a sealing element that enables the piston rod to be sealed off along its circumference.
In this way, the spring element can be located inside the application medium containing reservoir between the flange and an inner abutting face of the tip portion. It is also possible to arrange the spring element outside the reservoir so that it is not in contact with the application medium contained in the reservoir. A design configuration of the latter kind offers the advantage that inadvertent chemical reactions between the application medium and the spring element are avoided which has a positive effect not only on the properties of the application medium on a long-term basis but also on the long-term characteristics of the inventive applicator.
As a result of the sealing element sealing off the piston rod inside the reservoir the internal tightness of the applicator is reliably achieved so that the consistency of the flowable application medium located in the reservoir remains unimpaired even when the applicator has not been in use for a longer period of time.
It has proved especially advantageous if the flange provided on the piston rod is designed to have a thrust face on its back facing the actuating device, and if the sealing element is provided with a circumferential seal lip embracing and sealing off the piston rod. Due to the special design configuration of the thrust face the seal lip is capable of exerting high pressure on the piston rod.
The thrust face in this case is preferably profiled in such a way that when the applicator is not in use it forces the seal lip of the sealing element reliably and circumferentially sealing against the piston rod aided by the spring element provided on the piston rod.
According to the invention the sealing element may be designed to have a cylindrical sleeve portion with tapered front-end portion provided with a circumferential movable seal lip. The cylindrical sleeve portion of the sealing element may be connected in this case with the forward portion of the actuating device in a form-closed manner, i.e. is provided, for example, with a securing bead or securing knobs on the inside which engages/engage in a groove arranged in a forward portion of the actuating device or rearward closure element of the reservoir.
The sealing element may be composed of an independently made component mounted at the actuating device or rearward closure element of the reservoir. Another design possibility in this context is to arrange for the sealing element to be connected to the actuating device or closure element of the reservoir in a firmly bonded manner, for example by attaching it by means of a two-component plastic molding method.
In a high-grade embodiment of the inventive applicator the actuating device may be designed in the manner of a ballpoint-pen pushing mechanism. In this case the actuating device designed in the manner of a ballpoint-pen pushing mechanism may be operated by means of a push button pertaining to a ballpoint-pen pushing mechanism or preferably by means of the closure cap which can be removed from the tip portion of the applicator.
In a more simple design of the applicator according to the invention the closure cap removable from the tip portion of the applicator can be provided so as to serve as push button for the forthwith, direct actuation of the piston rod. For this purpose a head part may be arranged at the rearward end of the piston rod. This design variant of the applicator makes it necessary to keep the push button pressed against the force of the spring element while the flowable application medium is spread on.
It has proved advantageous to temporarily attach the closure cap captively to the rearward end of the piston rod so that the applicator according to the invention can also be held without difficulty with its application end in upward position thus ensuring the closure cap is prevented from detaching from the applicator inadvertently.
It is thought to be of special advantage if the closure cap sealing off in its closed state the tip portion abuts in a sealing manner with a resilient sealing element provided inside on its bottom on a planar or conical annular face of the tip portion so that when the applicator is not in use and closed off by means of the closure cap a reliable sealing effect is achieved not only on the rear side through the above described sealing element but also on the front side, with the volume in the tip portion defined by its central passage hole being very small. This has a beneficial effect on the flowable application medium because its consistency will not be affected, i.e. impaired, in such a small space.
According to the invention the reservoir in the applicator of the kind first mentioned above may as well be directly sealed off tightly on the rear side and the actuating device intended to operate the piston rod in the form of a push button is coupled to the piston rod magnetically through the wall of the reservoir. Such a magnetic coupling function may for example be realized in that the piston rod is provided with at least one permanent magnet element at its rearward end portion and the push button of the actuating device is provided with at least one magnetizable element which may be a metal ring, for example. Moreover, an optional variation involves the piston rod being provided at its rearward end portion with at least one magnetizable element and the actuating device comprising at least one permanent magnet element. When the actuating device in the form of the push button is operated, i.e. axially moved, the piston rod is likewise moved axially as a result of the magnetic coupling function acting through the wall of the reservoir. The wall of the reservoir in this case consists of a material permeable to a magnetic field.
For the applicator according to the invention the application element is preferably a brush element. Such a brush element enables nail polish to be optimally applied. The application element may also consist of a capillary wick or sinter material or the like suitable to appropriately apply a desired application medium.
According to the invention the flowable application medium is preferably transported via design configuration characteristics offering particularly good flow conditions, wherein existing sealing gaps may be larger in a favorable manner so as to facilitate air balancing and prevent sticking or incrustation provided the system is correctly put to use.
Dosing of the application medium is preferably achieved via two spaces situated in the tip portion of the applicator which are separated, at least temporarily, by a dosing element arranged on the piston rod or by a dosing portion of the piston rod forming the dosing element, i.e. a feeding space and a dosing space jointly forming the central passage hole of the tip portion.
When the application element is initially moved out of the tip portion a certain amount of the flowable application medium is conveyed from the feeding space into the front-end dosing space by means of the dosing element and dosing portion of the piston rod. When the application element is retracted it becomes covered by the flowable application medium existing in the dosing space.
Extending the application element again causes the flowable application medium to be carried, via the application element, out of the dosing space and the medium can then be applied, i.e. wetting/coating of the application element is primarily achieved when the applicator is actuated for the second time. At the same time flowable application medium is again conveyed from the feeding space into the dosing space. When medium is applied the dosing space and the feeding space are then preferably sealed off to prevent flowable application medium from advancing in an uncontrolled manner.
For this purpose specially formed sealing beads may be arranged on the dosing element or dosing portion of the piston rod and/or in the central passage hole of the tip portion of the applicator, said sealing beads bringing about an essentially static sealing effect in the “application element extended” and “application element retracted” positions.
During the dosing process a certain amount of the flowable application medium is constantly fed in a controlled manner through a suitably formed gap seal arranged between the dosing element, resp. the dosing portion of the piston rod and the feeding space in the tip portion of the applicator.
Depending on the manufacturing method adopted grooves and/or bead configurations may be provided to enable the medium to be transport in flow controlled fashion. For example, by providing the beads or grooves with sawtooth-type cross sections the flow resistance to be overcome by the advancing application medium on the dosing element or dosing portion of the piston rod is correspondingly high whereas while movement in this direction takes place resistance is low on the inner wall of the central passage hole of the tip portion of the applicator. This enables the flowable application medium to be optimally conveyed forward.
When the piston rod with attached dosing element is moved back, i.e. to the rear end inside the reservoir, the flow resistance in the central passage hole is higher than on the dosing element or dosing portion of the piston rod. Accordingly, the flowable application medium remains inside the dosing space and in this way is capable of covering/adhering to the application element. This process can even be made more effective by appropriately designing the surface which influences adhesion and/or capillary forces acting on the flowable application medium. In another inventive embodiment the dosing effect is almost entirely brought about as a result of the adhesion and/or capillary forces produced by appropriately designing the surfaces.
As still another embodiment helical grooves or beads may be provided as they are recommendable for certain manufacturing methods. Round cross sections are preferable in this case. However, to achieve good dosing element guiding properties other cross sections may also be of advantage. For example, a rectangular cross section in a round bore results in four guide edges.
The Inventive Applicator Offers the Following Benefits:
Relatively large gap widths may be provided which results in low frictional forces and enables relevant actuating forces to be kept low. Moreover, considerable independence is gained with respect to handling different viscosities of the liquid application medium to be applied which enables the application range of the inventive applicator to be broadened significantly. Advantageously, a sticking/jamming effect is also avoided in this way and the required exchange of air between the reservoir and the outside facilitated. This is also considered beneficial in that it prevents the formation of bubbles.
Especially in the design wherein two static sealing locations are provided a constantly good dosing effect is achieved and dripping of the medium ruled out.
Due to the omission of complex sealing points for movable elements a considerably simpler design of the applicator with comparatively few components is achieved.
As a result of different spatial cross sections the conveying effect for the flowable application medium can even be enhanced.
The conveying effect can be influenced as well by combining various grooves and/or beads, in particular if the advancing dosing element performs a rotational movement as can be accomplished, for example, with the help of certain ballpoint-pen pushing mechanisms acting on the piston rod.
The following functional description shall provide elucidation of the applicator proposed by the invention.
The applicator is provided with a reservoir accommodating the appropriately metered out application medium to be applied. Situated at the outlet opening of the reservoir is a feeding space to which front side a dosing space is arranged. When the applicator is stored the application element is located inside the dosing space which serves the purpose of receiving additional amounts of the application medium. In this space the application element is thus covered with the application medium. The division into two spaces as provided by the invention offers advantages in certain functional positions of the applicator particularly for the design variant with static sealing systems.
In a first actuating step the application element is moved forward out of the discharge opening. By means of the dosing element, respectively dosing portion of the piston rod application medium is then transferred from the reservoir into the dosing space. This takes place by the movement and appropriate shaping of this component and/or by an expediently designed surface. During movement of the dosing element different flow resistance characteristics are taken advantage of when conveying the medium to the application element. This conveying process can be enhanced by providing surfaces having different capillary and/or adhesion effects acting on the fluid application medium.
Moving the dosing element back causes overpressure at least temporarily inside the reservoir which helps application medium to be transported towards the tip but also prevents excessive amounts of application medium from flowing back into the reservoir. A return movement of the dosing elements results in the feed zone of the dosing element, resp. dosing portion of the piston rod to be relocated into the feeding space where it is again covered with a certain amount of application medium.
Due to the inventive design only a minor partial amount of the application medium is returned when retracting the piston rod with dosing element and its dosing portion. Gravitational force and capillary effect of the application element preferably provided in the form of a brush and, as the case may be, additional means in the dosing space prevent medium from being conveyed to the rear, with the exchange of air being promoted simultaneously.
The discharge opening can be sealed off both in application condition with the application element being extended and in inoperative position. When medium is conveyed only limited tightness exists through the gap of the rear conveying portion of the piston rod to the outer face of the feeding space which on the other hand is desirable and gives the system a certain degree of “elasticity”. For example, so-called “spitting” can be ruled out in this way.
The transportation of the application medium is primarily effected by way of an appropriate design of the applicator components and its surface.
For certain flowable application media it will be sufficient when the surface is appropriately rough. Structures such as grooves or patterns may also be provided to bring about the transportation effect.
Further details, features and advantages can be seen from the following description of the embodiments of the inventive applicator as illustrated in the figures, and it shall be clearly understood in this context that the invention is by no means restricted to the embodiments shown but shall be determined and governed by the claims listed hereinafter.
Elucidation of the invention is provided by the following figures where
The front-end piston rod portion 22 is provided at its inner end with a circumferential flange 26 which has a thrust face 28 on its rear side.
A sealing element 30 is always, that is both during activated application state with application element 18 projecting out of the tip portion 14 and when in rest resp. storage position, as it is for example illustrated in
In the embodiment shown in
Actuating device 36 serves to adjust the application element 18 by moving it out of the tip portion 14 and into a discharging, i.e. application position for the flowable application medium contained in reservoir 12, temporarily hold the application element 18 in said discharging position, and move the application element back into the tip portion 14.
The actuating device 36 of the embodiment of the applicator 10 according to
Between flange 26 arranged at the forward piston rod portion 22 and the rear, i.e. inner side of tip portion 14 a spring element 48 designed as helical compression spring is mounted so as to embrace the piston rod.
Inside closure cap 38 and near its end 50 a resilient sealing element 52 is arranged which abuts with sealing effect on an annular face 54 of the tip portion 14 when the applicator 10 is not in use, i.e. has been closed. As a result of the forward sealing element 52 and the inner, resp. rearward sealing element 30 an optimal sealing system of applicator 10 is thus achieved—irrespective of any special design of the applicator.
In sealing element 30 the cylindrical sleeve portion 32 is provided with a securing bead 56 on the inside which engages with a circumferential channel 58 formed out in a forward portion 60 of the actuating device 36 (see
Optionally, the sealing element 30 may be designed so as to be firmly bonded to the actuating device 36 or the rearward closure element 46. This may be achieved by adhesive bonding, two-component molding or similar methods.
The application element 18 is designed so as to have an application end 80 and a fastening end 82 via which the application element 18 is attached to the dosing element 84 (refer to
Dosing element 84 has a surface contour at least relative to the feeding space 90 that results in increased flow resistance with respect to the surrounding application medium. Optionally, the surface of the dosing element 84 can be designed such that the flow resistance is greater when the medium flows in forward direction and lower when it flows in opposite direction, i.e. towards the rear.
Reference numeral 94 denotes beads formed in the feeding space 90 between which grooves 96 are arranged separating said beads (refer to
Dosing space 92 of the central passage hole 16 of tip portion 14 is provided with slot deepenings 110 (see
At its rear inside end portion the dosing element 84 is provided with at least one slot 112 to enable the dosing element 84 to be easily, reliably, and firmly connected to the piston rod 20 (refer to
In
The application element 18 may be of any conceivable configuration and/or shape. Optional cross sectional shapes may be provided but of significance is the application element 18 is designed in such a manner that the application medium adheres excellently at least to the surface of said element. The application element may, for example, comprise brush hairs, fibers, fabrics or the like, the adhesion capacity and/or capillary attraction of which enable the application medium to remain inside the dosing space 92, a requirement the dosing element 84 expediently designed in terms of fluid flow can help to achieve.
Particulars which are similar in all figures are in each case identified by the same reference numerals so that the information provided by way of the figures need not be repeatedly described/recapitulated in every detail.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2010 047 649 | Oct 2010 | DE | national |
| 10 2010 047 655 | Oct 2010 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/DE2011/001740 | 9/16/2011 | WO | 00 | 8/19/2013 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2012/048678 | 4/19/2012 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4773785 | Katz | Sep 1988 | A |
| 5131774 | Katz | Jul 1992 | A |
| 8231295 | Armstrong | Jul 2012 | B2 |
| 8292529 | Francavilla | Oct 2012 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20130336703 A1 | Dec 2013 | US |
