Patent Application
20200138165
This invention was not federally sponsored.
This invention relates to the general field of devices used to apply viscous liquids to a surface, and more specifically, to an applicator that can apply creams and other like items to non-planar surfaces, including human surfaces such as a baby's bottom, where a delicate but effective spreading is desirable.
The invention is an applicator that can be either sold with a tube of cream, or sold by itself and retrofitted onto an existing tube of cream. The applicator has an elongated hole that connects the tube of cream with a spreader, which evenly distributes the cream. The spreader has wings and a tip that protrude horizontally from the end of the hole, and the wings and tip and flexible, such that as cream is pushed through the hole and the spreader is pushed toward a surface to be covered, the wings and tip spread the cream to create a smooth and even surface. The wings also have wing bevels that remove any sharp edges from the wings, such that the invention can be comfortably used on humans. The flexible applicator material that comprises the wings is, preferably, manufactured with an antimicrobial additive which actively challenges harmful mold and bacteria. A preferred embodiment of this invention is for use in applying cream to the bottom of a baby, but the invention is applicable to evenly spreading cream onto any non-planar surface. The invention works particularly well when trying to apply a cream to a crevice, where the wings bend out of the way during application to evenly spread the cream as the tube is moved “down” the crevice.
Prior Art. The prior art has several examples of attempts to resolve this problem, but none provide an applicator capable of comfortably spreading cream on a non-planar surface, such as a baby's bottom, in an effective manner. For example, published patent application US 20150024131 A1 to Evans teaches an applicator tip that would be comfortably spread cream on a non-planar surface. The shape of the tip (170 in
The prior art also provides a number of other inventions, such as US20140186092A1 to Carefusion 2200, Inc., U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,870 B2 to Cosmetic Concepts, Inc., U.S. Pat. No. 3,236,417 A to Onthauk, U.S. Pat. No. 2,584,735 A to Pancoast, U.S. Pat. No. 7,325,994 B2 to Liberatore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,990 A to Kastberg, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,197,579 A to Hooper, which teach a spreading device, but one which works best with planar surfaces and would be inefficient to use on a curved, or crevice-like surface such as that of a baby's bottom.
Thus, based upon the attempts in the prior art and the resulting failure to find an efficient and effective applicator, there has existed a long-felt need for an applicator that effectively spreads a cream on non-planar surfaces. There is a particularly felt need for an applicator that can safely and efficiently spread cream in on a baby's bottom.
The current invention provides just such a solution by having an applicator that fits securely over a tube of cream or other viscous substance, with a delivery channel between the tube of cream and a spreader, which spreads the cream evenly and safely such that the invention can be used with humans, and, particularly, babies. The applicator has a base unit that fits over the opening in the tube of cream and directs the cream through a hole in applicator unit, which is the upper part of the invention. The applicator unit has a spreader, which evenly distributes the cream onto a non-planar surface. The spreader is made from flexible, resilient material, and has a tip and wings that emanate out from the hole in the top of the spreader. When the applicator is used to spread cream in a crevice, the tip retains any excess cream behind it, and the wings bend back and evenly spread the cream along the sides of the crevice. The wings have side bevels the remove any sharp edges on the wings such that the applicator can be used for a preferred purpose of applying cream to a baby's bottom.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an effective product for spreading a cream-like substance evenly on a non-planar surface.
An additional object of the invention includes providing an applicator that can effectively spread a cream-like substance into a crevice-like structure.
Another object of the invention is to provide an applicator with flexible wings and a tip that can be used to safely spread a cream upon the crevice in a baby's bottom.
Another object of the invention is to provide an applicator where the contact surface of the applicator is manufactured with an antimicrobial additive which actively challenges harmful mold and bacteria.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. The features listed herein and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
It should be understood that while the preferred embodiments of the invention are described in some detail herein, the present disclosure is made by way of example only and that variations and changes thereto are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, and a reasonable equivalency thereof, which claims I regard as my invention.
One preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with references made to the drawings below. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed upon clearly illustrating the components of the present invention. Moreover, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts through the several views in the drawings. Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention are not limited in their application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The embodiments of the invention are capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The invention is made from a soft but resilient plastic or other similar material. The flexible portion—basically the spreader 8 section of the invention—can be made from thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), or liquid silicone rubber (LSR). The cap, better illustrated in
The goal of the spreader 8 part of the invention is to optimize performance of the applicator by manufacturing it out of two materials. This allows the two versions of the applicators, snap-on & screw-on, to have the appropriate amount of softness for human contact (preferably TPE), while being able to securely fasten to the squeeze bottles with rigid plastic (PP). The invention contemplates two possible means of manufacturing the applicator: 1. mold plastic insert out of PP that has the snap-on or screw-on features, then insert that plastic part into a second mold, which then injects the flexible TPE on top. The result is an applicator that is as soft as we need, yet hard where it interfaces with the squeeze bottle to prevent inadvertent dislodging while in use. An alternative method of manufacture would be to manufacture the entire unit out of a single material. While this would decrease the efficiency of the invention, it would cut costs, so making this invention from a single material is clearly contemplated by this invention.
To use the invention, a user either screws or snaps on the invention to the tube of cream (or buys a tube of cream with the applicator already attached and sold as part of the tube of cream). When the user of the invention squeezes the tube of cream, cream is expelled through the hole 9. The spreader, generally referenced as 8, then applies the cream evenly and safely to a surface. The wings 10 of the spreader and resilient and yet flexible so that they conform to a non-planar surface with a minimal amount of pressure and when the cream is to be spread on a non-planar surface, such as a corner of a shower stall or a baby's bottom, the wings 10 gently distributes the cream evenly into the crevice.
To enable hygienic use, the TPE material that the flexible material is made from is formulated with an antimicrobial additive during the manufacturing process. This additive contains a compound that actively challenges harmful bacteria and yeast that cause diaper rash and yeast infections. Since the antimicrobial additive is mixed throughout the flexible TPE material, the germ and mold-fighting properties are effective on the surface and within the material itself.
The tip 11 of the spreader serves to limit the amount of cream that can be distributed into a crevice, and redistributes any excess cream such that the invention leaves a uniform trail of cream. At the edges of the wings 10 are wing bevels 15 that provide a more gentle transition from the wings 10 to the surface upon which the cream is to be spread. This is useful in cases such as where a user of the invention is spreading caulking into the corner where the shower wall meets the floor, as the wing bevels 15 will provide a final “touch” of softness to the application. The wing bevels 15 are even more useful when using cream on a baby's bottom, where any sharp or rough edges of the applicator may result in a very unhappy baby.
As the user of the invention presses the applicator against a non-planar surface, the flexible wings 10 bend away such that the profile presented by the applicator approaches a “V”. The cream is emitted from hole 9 and the tip 11 keeps the cream semi-restrained in the crevice in which is directed. The wings 10 then spread the cream evenly, and the wing bevels 15 provide a soft, but finishing touch to the spreading of the cream. It should be noted that wings are wider in between the tip 11 and flat base 6. This allows for their flexibility in evenly spreading the cream on a curved or crevice-like surface, as the wings 10 can reach further into a crevice-like surfaces.
The stem 7 is also made from a flexible yet resilient material, such that it retains most of its physical structure. However, in the event of a mistake on the part of the user of the invention during which he/she puts too much pressure on the applicator, the stem 7 can bend, upon which the tip 11 and wings 10 will “fold” down toward the flat base 6.
It should be understood that while the preferred embodiments of the invention are described in some detail herein, the present disclosure is made by way of example only and that variations and changes thereto are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, and a reasonable equivalency thereof, which claims I regard as my invention. Indeed, it should be particularly noted that two-shot over-molding, as well as single material molding is contemplated.
All of the material in this patent document is subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in official governmental records but, otherwise, all other copyright rights whatsoever are reserved.
This utility patent application is a continuation of, and claims priority back to, U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 16/177,783, filed 1 Nov. 2018, entitled “Applicator”, the contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16177783 | Nov 2018 | US |
| Child | 16691911 | US |
