Patent Grant
7785026
Research and development of the present invention and application have not been Federally-sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to cosmetic products for the face, and more particularly to means and methods for treating the lips in order to produce a known, beneficial result.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97-1.99
The following patents are hereby made of record and are believed to constitute a sampling of existing prior art in the field to which the present invention relates:
U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,887,924
U.S. Design Pats. Nos.: D414,688
U.S. Published Patent Applications Nos. 2004/0165935
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0047848 illustrates a prior art dispenser tube which incorporates allegedly improved features claimed by its inventor. Specifically, in FIG. 1 of the patent, there is shown a crimped-end squeeze tube having a slanted applicator surface at one end, and having a product-dispensing hole in this end. The device shown in FIGS. 2-4 has a concave or hollowed end surface, purportedly to facilitate return of excess dispensed substance back into the tube, following use. Paragraph 0005 makes specific reference to use of tubes of the type disclosed, where a quantity of an emollient is to be applied to a user's lips, as an example.
FIG. 2D of U.S. Pat. No. 6,414,032 shows the use of an applicator brush for use on the lips, the brush having a characteristic of being abrasive. Col. 7, line 22, specifies “ . . . the applicator is preferably configured to provide a relatively uniform abrasive action.” Col. 12, lines 51-53 further specify, “Note however that small amounts of inert abrasive material may be present in the treatment compositions as discussed hereinbelow.” Col. 17, line 27; and col. 21, line 7 also address the use of abrasives.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,724, there are disclosed multiple embodiments of dispensers for applying substances to the lips. The lip-engaging surfaces in FIG. 5 of the patent are convex, and arranged to accommodate a ring-shaped bead of the dispenser contents onto such surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,323 shows yet another applicator for the lips. Specifically, in FIGS. 3 and 4, there is disclosed an applicator stick having an angled applicator surface thereon. The surface has a generally tear-drop shape, and is slightly convex in its configuration. Col. 7, lines 29 onward.
Still another dispenser for applying substances to the lips is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,924. In particular, the dispenser is in the form of a squeeze tube having a convex, angled lip-engaging surface containing a hole off to one side of its center. In the well known manner, the product in the tube is expelled by controlled squeezing of the container or storage portion thereof.
U.S. Published patent application No. 2004/0165935 shows a number of different applicator devices generally designed for containing two different liquids that are separated during shipping and storage, and which are automatically mixed by the user when he wishes to begin applying the mixture of the liquids to the skin, hair, fingernails or toe-nails. The disclosure is non-specific as to the liquids involved, as can be seen from page 6, paragraphs 0119-0123.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,783 relates to a method of chemically bleaching skin and/or discolored nails. In the case where an exfoliant is utilized, the patent Abstract mentions the use of fine abrasive particles such as ground walnut shells, pumice, or sand.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,764 discloses a cloth or sheath that is treated with an absorbent material and an abrasive. The sheath is utilized by holding the sheath in the hand and wiping the desired area, be it the teeth, tongue, gums or lips of the consumer.
U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 414,688 and 423,355 relate to applicator tube configurations, but without specific reference to substances with which the respective tubes are to be utilized.
At present it is believed that many of the prior art devices noted above have not achieved widespread use, or enjoyed a significant degree of success or commercialization in the marketplace.
Possible reasons for this are thought to be the relative complexity of a particular construction or arrangement, inadequate promotion or marketing, and/or insufficient financing leading to a production run. At any rate, there has existed a need for an extremely compact, multi-use applicator stick for the lips, in particular one that can be used repeatedly, one which lends itself to a dual function, namely both exfoliation and buffing of the lips, and one that is incorporated into a single, portable, cosmetic article.
Accordingly it is one object of the invention to provide an improved cosmetic applicator stick for treatment of the lips, which applicator stick is both simple in its structure, and reliable in use.
A related object is to provide an improved applicator stick as above noted, wherein a simple twist-movement of an actuator wheel on an applicator casing effects a corresponding controlled discharge of a cosmetic substance contained in the casing.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved cosmetic stick applicator as above characterized, wherein a dual function is achieved in a single applicator casing by virtue of the latter having lip-treatment surfaces on its opposite ends. There is thus eliminated the need for multiple treatment devices for accomplishing different, desired functional results in the treatment of the lips of the user.
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished, in one embodiment, by the provision of a cosmetic applicator stick for effecting treatment of the lips of a person, comprising in combination an elongate, tubular body having an inner chamber for storing a substance to be dispensed onto the lips, and having opposite ends which function to provide different treatment effects. In particular, one end comprises an oblique lip-engageable applicator surface connected with the body, and wherein the surface includes one or more product-dispensing orifices through which the substance can be dispensed. There are provided manually-engageable means on the body, operable by the fingers of the person, for effecting controlled discharge of the substance. The latter is propelled from the inner chamber out through the product-dispensing orifice or orifices, and onto the applicator surface, thereby enabling such surface and substance thereupon to be utilized to gently scrub the lips and effect controlled exfoliation thereof. The applicator surface preferably has been treated with electrostatically-applied or mechanically applied flock fibers, thus creating a flock, sometimes referred to as a flocked surface. At the other end of the body there is a second oblique applicator surface integral with the remainder of the body, the second oblique applicator surface having a textured configuration to produce on the lips, a result that is distinct from that of the action of the first mentioned surface. The arrangement is such that following application of the substance from the one end to the lips, the body can be reversed and the second applicator surface utilized to polish the lips and thus impart a smoothing effect thereto.
The advantage of the present invention is that both a moderately coarse scrubbing and a gentler, buffing and/or polishing action are capable of being achieved by the use of the single applicator instrument. And, as noted above, the applicator stick is especially compact and easy to access and use.
In the accompanying drawings, illustrating several embodiments of the invention:
a is a view taken on the line 2a-2a of
Referring first to
In
Referring again to
Referring again to
The drive wheel 50 further has a depending projection 56 at its center which bears against the upper surface of the transverse wall 32. The boss 45, the projection 56 and adjacent portions of the transverse wall 32 thus constitute a positioning bearing for the lower portion of the threaded rod 36. The upper portion of the rod 36 is maintained centralized by the piston 28 regardless of the particular axial position occupied by the latter. With the disclosed arrangement, by turning the wheel 50 by the fingers of the user and in the direction indicated by the curved arrow 58 in
Referring again to
Further by the invention, in use, the drive wheel 50 is slowly turned by the user, to force the piston upwardly in
This feature of providing a flock or flocked texture 64 is believed to significantly enhance the exfoliation function of the stick applicator, thereby creating a treatment similar to what we consider to be a scrubbing characteristic. By so incorporating the flock on the surface, it is considered that this gentle scrubbing action can be readily achieved by the user, very safely and without removal of excess skin, which of course would be detrimental. Such exfoliation of the lip surface is believed to be beneficial from the standpoint of subtle removal of unwanted dead cells, in a controlled and beneficial manner.
It is to be noted that flocking on the surface is so arranged to be clear of any of the dispensing orifices, as can be readily understood, to enable unobstructed flow of the substance from the chamber onto the surface.
Further by the invention the opposite surface 84 of the applicator stick is provided with a finer, textured tone, similar to that of pumice or fine sandpaper. This surface is adapted to be placed against the lips and reciprocated slowly. The net effect is to smooth or polish the lips, and this can be done following treatment of the lips by the flocked end, or as needed by the particular user.
Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in
Referring to
Referring to
As an option, in the first embodiment,
In use, referring again to
In practice, choice of which stick applicator to use would depend on whether exfoliation was required first, and/or whether buffing of the lips was to be preferred.
In other respects the second embodiment is similar in operation to that of the first.
From the above it can be seen that we have provided a novel and improved cosmetic applicator construction which is both simple in its operation, tidy in use, and which is readily capable of being stored in the pocketbook or purse of the consumer. The device is thus seen to represent a distinct advance and improvement in the field of cosmetic applications.
Each and every one of the appended claims defines an aspect of the invention which is separate and distinct from all others, and accordingly it is intended that each claim be treated as such in any determination of novelty or validity.
Variations and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention, and certain portions of the improvement can be utilized without other portions.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2336328 | Whalen | Dec 1943 | A |
| 2442503 | Melnikoff | Jun 1948 | A |
| 4887924 | Green | Dec 1989 | A |
| 5524764 | Kaufman et al. | Jun 1996 | A |
| D414688 | Loeb et al. | Oct 1999 | S |
| D423355 | Loeb et al. | Apr 2000 | S |
| 6050274 | Gelardi et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
| 6325783 | Laughlin et al. | Dec 2001 | B1 |
| 6371673 | Gueret | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6414032 | Johnson | Jul 2002 | B1 |
| 6607323 | Breidenbach et al. | Aug 2003 | B2 |
| 6745781 | Gueret | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6746170 | Delage | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 20040165935 | Kaufmann et al. | Aug 2004 | A1 |
| 20050047848 | Carraher | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20080166172 A1 | Jul 2008 | US |
