Device for dispensing mascara

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6676320
  • Patent Number
    6,676,320
  • Date Filed
    Monday, November 26, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, January 13, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A device for dispensing mascara includes a container assembly for holding the supply of mascara and an applicator for dispensing an amount of mascara, the applicator being sized and shaped to penetrate into the container assembly. The container assembly includes a tubular container which is shaped to define an interior cavity into which the supply of mascara is stored. A funnel is disposed within an open neck in the container and includes a rigid member and a flexible member which together define an orifice. A button slidably disposed in the container can be manually depressed so as to urge against the flexible member of the funnel. Accordingly, depression of the button regulates the size of the funnel orifice through which the applicator passes and, in turn, the amount of mascara which is retained onto the applicator upon removal from the container assembly.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention is directed generally to a device for dispensing cosmetics, such as mascara, and more particularly to a device for removing excess cosmetics from an applicator brush upon its withdrawal from a container.




Mascara is a well known cosmetic which is commonly used to accentuate eyelashes.




Conventionally, the device utilized to dispense mascara comprises a tubular container which is shaped to define an interior reservoir, or cavity, into which the supply of mascara is deposited. The container is also typically provided with a neck shaped to define an orifice which is in communication with the interior reservoir, the orifice serving as the exclusive means of accessing the interior reservoir. A detachable cap is removably mounted onto the neck of the container and serves to selectively enclose the orifice. The detachable cap additionally functions as a handle for manipulating an applicator which is formed onto the free end of a wand which, in turn, is integrally formed onto the cap. With the cap properly mounted onto the container, the stem and the applicator penetrate the interior reservoir of the container and, consequently, are immersed in the supply of mascara. When the stem is then withdrawn from the interior reservoir of the container, a quantity of mascara is retained on the applicator which, in turn, can then be applied onto the eyelashes of the consumer.




One problem that has been encountered with the above-described construction is that the amount of mascara deposited on the applicator frequently exceeds that which is desired and must be removed prior to application to avoid an unsightly accumulation of mascara on the user's eyelashes. For this reason, different approaches have been taken to remove excess mascara from the applicator prior to application. One such approach has been to use a facial tissue or the like to wipe excess mascara from the applicator prior to application. As can readily be appreciated, this approach is cumbersome and requires the availability of said facial tissues or the like. Another approach has been to incorporate some type of wiping mechanism into the mascara dispensing device.




One such wiping mechanism comprises an elastic wiper disposed within the neck of the container. The elastic wiper is shaped to define a circular opening, the diameter of the circular opening being smaller than the minimum transverse diameter of the applicator. The function of the elastic wiper is to exert a wiping action onto the applicator as the stem is withdrawn from the container in order to eliminate excess mascara which is retained onto the applicator.




Although well known and widely used in the art, devices for dispensing mascara which comprise an elastic wiper of the aforementioned type often suffer from a notable drawback. Specifically, it has been found that, when using such a device for dispensing mascara, the quantity of mascara retained onto the applicator upon each extraction of the stem from the container remains relatively constant.




As can be appreciated, precluding a consumer from regulating the quantity of mascara which is retained by the applicator upon each extraction of the stem from the container is highly undesirable. This is because, in certain circumstances, a consumer prefers that a limited amount of mascara be retained on the applicator (e.g., when applying mascara onto lower lashes) whereas, in other circumstances, a consumer prefers that a large amount of mascara be retained on the applicator (e.g., when applying mascara onto upper lashes). Additional factors which may be considered by a consumer when determining the optimum amount of mascara to be retained on the applicator upon each extraction of the stem from the container include, inter alia, the nature of the lashes to be made up (i.e., the length of the lashes, the thickness of the lashes and/or the spacing between the lashes) as well as the make up style desired for the lashes (i.e., a thick, dark, clustered look or a thin, light, softened look).




Accordingly, various techniques and structures have been used to allow a consumer to control the amount of mascara which is retained on the applicator of a mascara dispensing device upon removal from its associated container.




In U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,053, which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a make up unit which comprises a container for mascara, a cap, and a stem carrying a brush which penetrates into the container via a passage axially traversing a wiper element. The wiper element has a wiping zone defining a passage whose cross section is smaller than that of the brush in its state of rest. The wiper element is formed by a lip whose internal edge defines the brush-receiving passage and is joined at its periphery to a ring of a greater thickness, which can sustain, by an axial compression exerted on it, an elastic deformation leading to a variation of the cross-section of the passage. An adjuster ring controls the compression and a reservoir of mascara is accommodated in a barrel. Thus the degree of compression of the wiper element can be adjusted and, as a result, the force of the wiping action will be adjusted.




Mascara dispensing devices of the types described above suffer from notable drawbacks.




As a first drawback, such devices are typically complex in construction and difficult and costly to manufacture, which is highly undesirable.




As a second drawback, such devices typically have a limited range of settings in the amount of mascara which can be retained onto the applicator upon removal from its corresponding container, which is highly undesirable.




As a third drawback, such devices typically apply an equal force against the applicator during removal and re-insertion of the applicator into its corresponding container. As a result, such devices unnecessarily impede the ability of the consumer to reinsert the applicator into the container after each use, which is highly undesirable.




As a fourth drawback, such devices are often ineffective in removing excess mascara from the applicator. As a result, the consumer is still often required, in an additional step, to manually remove excess mascara from the applicator using a tissue or other similar item. As can be appreciated, this additional step renders the entire mascara application process more time consuming and results in a greater waste of mascara, which is highly undesirable.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel device for dispensing mascara.




It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel device for dispensing mascara which includes a container for holding the supply of mascara and an applicator for dispensing an amount of the mascara from the container.




It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device as described above in which the applicator is sized and shaped to penetrate into the container, the withdrawal of the applicator from the container resulting in an amount of mascara being retained onto the applicator.




It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device as described above in which the user is able to regulate the amount of mascara which is retained onto the applicator upon withdrawal from the container.




It is yet still another object of the present invention to provide a device as described above which has a limited number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and is easy to use.




Accordingly, there is provided a device for dispensing a product, said device comprising a container assembly which is adapted to hold said product, said container assembly comprising, a container shaped to define an interior reservoir and a first opening in communication with the interior reservoir, a funnel disposed within the first opening in said container, said funnel being shaped to define an orifice, a button slidably disposed within said container for regulating the size of the orifice defined by said funnel, and an applicator assembly which is adapted to dispense said product, said applicator assembly being sized and shaped to penetrate said container assembly.




Additional objects, as well as features and advantages, of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof and in which is shown by way of illustration an embodiment for practicing the invention. The embodiment will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The accompanying drawings, which are hereby incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like parts:





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a device for dispensing a product, said device being constructed according to the teachings of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is an exploded perspective view of the device shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is an enlarged perspective view, broken away in part, of the container shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 4

is an enlarged perspective view of the funnel shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 5

is an enlarged perspective view of the button shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 6

is a transverse cross-section view of the device shown in

FIG. 1

, the device being shown with the cap secured onto the container and with the button disposed in a first position; and





FIG. 7

is a transverse cross-section view of the device shown in

FIG. 1

, the device being shown with the cap removed from the container and with the button disposed in a second position.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Referring now to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, there is shown a device for dispensing a product, the device being constructed according to the teachings of the present invention and identified generally by reference numeral


11


.




For simplicity purposes only, device


11


is described in detail below as being used to dispense mascara. However, it is to be understood that device


11


is not limited to being used to dispense mascara. Rather, device


11


is designed for use in dispensing any viscous fluid material which is liquid or incorporates a liquid vehicle, as will be described further in detail below.




Device


11


comprises a container assembly


13


for holding a supply of mascara and an applicator assembly


15


for applying an amount of mascara onto eyelashes. Applicator assembly


15


is sized and shaped to penetrate container assembly


13


, the withdrawal of applicator assembly


15


from container assembly


13


resulting in an amount of mascara being retained on applicator assembly


15


. As will be described further in detail below, container assembly


13


is provided with a manually-actuated mechanism for regulating the amount of mascara which is retained on applicator assembly


15


upon its withdrawal from container assembly


13


.




As seen most clearly in

FIG. 2

, container assembly


13


comprises a container


17


for holding the supply of mascara, a funnel


19


disposed in container


17


for wiping excess mascara from applicator assembly


15


upon its withdrawal from container assembly


13


, a button


21


slidably disposed in container


17


in contact with funnel


19


for regulating the amount of excess mascara which funnel


19


wipes from applicator assembly


15


upon its withdrawal from container assembly


13


, a spring


23


disposed in container


17


for resiliently urging button


21


away from funnel


19


, and an O-ring


25


mounted onto button


21


for providing a tight seal between button


21


and container


17


.




As seen most clearly in

FIG. 3

, container


17


is a unitary device which is preferably constructed of a rigid, durable and inexpensive material, such as plastic. Container


17


comprises a generally tubular portion


27


which is shaped to define an elongated interior reservoir


29


into which the supply of mascara is deposited. Tubular portion


27


includes a closed bottom end


31


and a top end


33


.




A cylindrical neck


35


is integrally formed on top end


33


of tubular portion


27


, cylindrical neck


35


having a diameter which is slightly less than the diameter of tubular portion


27


. Neck


35


extends axially away from top end


33


of tubular portion


27


and comprises a helical threading


37


which is integrally formed onto its outer surface. As will be described further below, neck


35


defines an opening


38


which provides access to the supply of mascara contained within reservoir


29


.




An annular flange


39


is formed within tubular portion


27


and defines a circular opening


41


which provides access to interior reservoir


29


. A cylindrical boss


43


is integrally formed on tubular portion


27


around the outer periphery of annular flange


39


, cylindrical boss


43


extending out from tubular portion


27


at a right angle relative to the longitudinal axis of tubular portion


27


.




As seen most clearly in

FIG. 4

, funnel


19


is a unitary device which is preferably constructed of an inexpensive and durable material, such as plastic. Funnel


19


comprises an annular flange


45


which has an outer diameter which is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the free end of neck


35


. An upper funnel portion


47


extends axially downward from annular flange


45


, upper funnel portion


47


having a generally cylindrical shape which is uniform in lateral cross-section. An intermediate funnel portion


49


extends axially downward from upper funnel portion


47


, intermediate funnel portion


49


having an annular shape in lateral cross-section. It should be noted that intermediate funnel portion


49


tapers inward as intermediate funnel portion


49


extends away from upper funnel portion


47


, thereby providing intermediate funnel portion


49


with a lateral cross-sectional diameter which gradually decreases as intermediate funnel portion


49


extends away from upper funnel portion


47


. A lower funnel portion


51


extends axially downward from intermediate funnel portion


47


, lower funnel portion


51


having a generally cylindrical shape which is uniform in lateral cross-section. Lower funnel portion


51


includes a free end


53


which is shaped to define an orifice


55


.




A pair of spaced apart slits


57


-


1


and


57


-


2


are formed into lower funnel portion


51


. Slits


57


extend vertically up from free end


53


and continue substantially the entire length of lower funnel portion


51


, slits


57


extending in parallel relation to the longitudinal axis defined by lower funnel portion


51


.




Slits


57


are positioned less than


180


degrees apart along lower funnel portion


51


. As a result, slits


57


define in lower funnel portion


51


a flexible member, or finger,


59


(e.g., the acute portion of lower funnel portion


51


between slits


57


) and a rigid member, or finger,


61


(e.g., the obtuse portion of lower funnel portion


51


between slits


53


). As will be described further below, the application of an inward force onto flexible finger


59


causes flexible finger


59


to flex inward which, in turn, reduces the size of orifice


55


.




It should be noted that the relative flexibility of finger


59


(as well as the relative rigidity of stationary finger


61


) is based upon a plurality of different factors which include, inter alia, the length of slits


57


, the degree of spacing between slits


59


and the particular material used to construct funnel


19


. As a result, it is to be understood that the relative flexibility of finger


59


could be adjusted by modifying one or more of the factors listed above without departing from the spirit of the present invention.




Funnel


19


is adapted to be pressure-fit within neck


35


of container


17


. Specifically, funnel


19


is inserted down into container


17


until the bottom surface of flange


45


rests on top of the free end of neck


35


. With funnel


19


disposed within container


17


in this manner, the outer surface of upper portion


47


of funnel


19


is pressure-fit against the inner surface of neck


35


, the frictional engagement between upper portion


47


and neck


35


serving to retain funnel


19


within container


17


.




It should be noted that funnel


19


is inserted into container


17


in such a manner so that flexible finger


59


of funnel


19


is disposed in direct alignment with circular opening


41


in container


17


. As such, longitudinal inward displacement of button


21


within boss


43


, in turn, causes button


21


to inwardly flex finger


59


, thereby reducing the size of orifice


55


, as will be described further in detail below.




As seen most clearly in

FIG. 5

, button


21


is a unitary device which is preferably constructed of a rigid, durable and inexpensive material, such as plastic. Button


21


comprises an elongated shaft


63


which has a uniform circular shape in lateral cross-section, shaft


63


including a first end


65


and a second end


67


.




An enlarged knob


69


is formed onto first end


65


of shaft


63


, knob


69


and shaft


63


sharing a common longitudinal axis. Knob


69


is generally cylindrical in shape and has a lateral cross-sectional diameter which is greater than the lateral cross-sectional diameter of shaft


63


.




Knob


69


is shaped to include a flattened free end


71


which serves as an actuation surface for manually depressing button


21


. An annular groove


73


is formed into knob


69


, annular groove


73


having a uniform depth. As will be described further below, groove


73


is sized and shaped to receive O-ring


25


.




A tapered head


75


is formed onto second end


67


of shaft


63


, head


75


and shaft


63


sharing a common longitudinal axis. Head


75


comprises an inner portion


77


which extends axially away from second end


67


. Inner portion


77


is generally cylindrical in shape and has a uniform cross-sectional diameter which is greater than the cross-sectional diameter of shaft


63


. Inner portion


77


is shaped to include a flattened locking surface


79


which acts as a stop for retaining button


21


in place within boss


43


, as will be described further in detail below.




Head


75


further comprises an outer portion


81


which extends axially away from the free end of inner portion


77


. Outer portion


81


inwardly tapers away from inner portion


77


and includes a flat funnel abutment surface


83


at its free end.




Button


21


is constructed in such a manner so that head


75


is capable of being inwardly compressed. As will be described further below, the inward compressibility and the tapered configuration of head


75


allows for button


21


to be snap-fit into place within boss


43


, which is highly desirable.




Spring


23


is a conventional compression spring which is constructed preferably of metal. Spring


23


includes a first end


85


and a second end


87


and is sized and shaped to be slidably mounted onto shaft


63


of button


21


. As will be described further below, spring


23


serves to resiliently urge button


21


in the direction away from flexible finger


59


of funnel


19


.




O-ring


25


is a conventional annular ring which is constructed preferably of silicon rubber. O-ring


25


is sized and shaped to fit snugly within annular groove


73


formed in knob


69


. The function of O-ring


25


is to provide an adequate seal between button


21


and boss


43


, thereby precluding the inadvertent entering or exiting of fluids through opening


41


.




Button


21


, spring


23


and O-ring


25


are installed in container


17


in the following manner. With button


21


separated from container


17


, O-ring


25


is slidably mounted onto knob


69


in such a manner so that O-ring


25


is fittingly disposed within annular groove


73


. In addition, spring


23


is slidably mounted onto shaft


63


in such a manner so that second end


87


of spring


23


abuts against inner abutment surface


88


of knob


69


.




With spring


23


and O-ring


25


mounted onto button


21


as such, head


75


of button


21


is inserted into boss


43


of container


17


. Button


21


is then inwardly displaced along the longitudinal axis of boss


43


until outer portion


81


of head


75


contacts flange


39


. Due to the tapered construction of outer portion


81


of head


75


, continued inward displacement of button


21


within boss


43


causes head


75


to slightly inwardly compress in such a manner so that head


75


protrudes entirely through opening


41


defined by flange


39


. Once head


75


completely penetrates through opening


41


in flange


39


, head


75


resiliently expands to its original shape, thereby producing a tactile snap-fit of button


21


into container


17


.




It should be noted that, with button


21


snap-fit into container


17


in the manner described above, upon the application of a withdrawal force of button


21


relative to container


17


, locking surface


79


of head


75


eventually abuts against the inner surface of flange


39


, thereby precluding button


21


from being removed from container


17


, which is highly desirable.




It should also be noted that with button


21


snap-fit into container


17


in the manner described above, first end


85


of spring


23


contacts the outer surface of flange


39


and second end


87


of spring


23


contacts abutment surface


88


of knob


89


. Accordingly, the application of an inward force onto free end


71


of knob


69


causes spring


23


to inwardly compress. Upon release of said inward force, spring


23


resiliently expands to its original shape, thereby displacing button


21


axially outward until locking surface


79


of head


75


abuts against the inner surface of flange


39


.




As can be appreciated, the size of orifice


55


defined by funnel


19


can be regulated through the manual depression of button


21


, thereby enabling the user with a tactile means for regulating the amount of mascara which is retained onto applicator assembly


15


upon withdrawal from container assembly


13


. Specifically, in the absence of an inward force onto free end


71


of button


21


, compression spring


23


outwardly displaces button


21


until locking surface


79


of head


75


against the inner surface of flange


39


. With button


21


outwardly displaced in this manner, abutment surface


83


of button


21


contacts flexible finger


59


of funnel


19


but does not apply a force which is large enough to cause flexible finger


59


to inwardly pivot, as seen most clearly in FIG.


6


. As a result, lower funnel portion


51


of funnel


19


retains its generally cylindrical shape, thereby providing orifice


55


with its largest possible diameter (which, in turn, maximizes the amount of mascara which is retained onto applicator assembly


15


upon withdrawal from container assembly


13


).




Upon the application of an inward force onto free end


71


, button


21


is longitudinally displaced within boss


43


in such a manner that head


75


inwardly pivots flexible finger


59


, as seen most clearly in FIG.


7


. As a result, the inward flexion of finger


59


reduces the size of orifice


55


(which, in turn reduces the amount of mascara which is retained onto applicator assembly


15


upon withdrawal from container assembly


13


).




Applicator assembly


13


comprises a cap


89


which is adapted to be mounted onto neck


35


so as to enclose opening


38


. Specifically, cap


89


is in the form of an elongated cylindrical member which is partially hollowed out at one end so as to provide cap


89


with an inner surface


91


, as seen most clearly in FIG.


7


. It should be noted that inner surface


91


of cap


89


is shaped to include an inwardly protruding, helical threading


93


which is sized and shaped to threadingly engage threading


37


on neck


35


when cap


89


is rotated in the clockwise direction relative to container


17


.




An elongated stem, or wand,


95


is formed onto cap


89


, wand


95


extending axially away from cap


89


. It should be noted that wand


95


has a limited transverse cross-sectional area, thereby enabling wand


95


to easily pass through orifice


55


defined by funnel


19


.




An applicator


97


is formed onto and extends axially away from the free end of stem


95


. Applicator


97


represents any conventional brush, foam sponge or other similar device which is used to dispense a viscous fluid material. When constructed in the form of a foam sponge, applicator


97


can be used to dispense various types of conventional cosmetics, such as lip gloss, foundation, concealer, eye shadow and eyebrow gel.




It should be noted that the outer diameter of applicator


97


is preferably larger than the maximum diameter of orifice


55


. As a result, funnel


19


removes excess mascara which is retained onto applicator


97


each time applicator


97


is withdrawn from interior reservoir


29


of container


17


.




It should be noted that the particular construction of applicator assembly


15


does not, by itself, serve as a novel feature of the present invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that applicator assembly


15


could be replaced with similar types of conventional applicator assemblies without departing from the spirit of the present invention.




In use, device


11


may be used to dispense mascara in the following manner. When not in use or when originally packaged for sale, device


11


is preferably disposed in its closed position, as shown in FIG.


1


. With device


11


disposed in its closed position, cap


89


of applicator assembly


15


is threadingly mounted onto neck


35


of container assembly


13


in such a manner so that applicator


97


penetrates down into the supply of mascara which is retained within reservoir


29


.




Accordingly, in order to apply mascara onto lashes, cap


89


is rotated in a counterclockwise direction so as to disengage threading


93


on cap


89


from threading


37


on neck


35


. With threading


93


disengaged from threading


37


, the user grasps cap


89


as a handle and withdraws applicator


97


from reservoir


29


.




As applicator


97


is withdrawn from reservoir


29


, the user can apply an inward actuation force onto button


21


which, in turn, decreases the size of orifice


55


defined by funnel


19


(wherein the greater the actuation force applied onto button


21


, the smaller the resulting size of orifice


55


). As applicator


97


passes through orifice


55


, funnel


19


removes excess mascara which is retained onto applicator


97


(wherein the smaller the size of orifice


55


, the less amount of mascara which is retained onto applicator


97


upon withdrawal). Accordingly, the user is capable of accurately regulating the amount of mascara which is retained onto applicator


97


upon removal from container


17


by varying the actuation force which is applied onto button


21


, which is highly desirable.




Device


11


experiences a number of significant advantages over prior art devices for applying mascara. As an example, device


11


comprises a limited number of parts and is relatively simple to assemble, thereby lowering manufacturing costs, which is highly desirable. As another example, device


11


allows the user to regulate the amount of mascara which is retained onto applicator


97


using a variable, manually-applied actuation force, which is highly desirable. As another example, device


11


effectively and efficiently wipes away excess mascara from applicator


97


, the excess mascara returning back down into the supply of mascara which remains within reservoir


29


, which is highly desirable.




As noted briefly above, device


11


is not limited to the particular application of dispensing mascara. Rather, it is to be understood that device


11


could be used to dispense any viscous material which is liquid or incorporates a liquid vehicle without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Examples of alternative materials which can be dispensed using device


11


include: alternative types of cosmetics (e.g., lip gloss), paper correction fluid (e.g., LIQUID PAPERĀ® paper correction fluid), cement (e.g., rubber cement or contact cement), spot/touch-up automotive paint, barbeque sauce, shoe polish, tree pruning sealer, grease-based compounds which are typically used to prevent metal items (e.g., nuts and bolts) from being frozen, rusted or sealed together, and medical products (e.g., ointments and creams).




The embodiment of the present invention described above is intended to be merely exemplary and those skilled in the art shall be able to make numerous variations and modifications to it without departing from the spirit of the present invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. A device for dispensing a product, said device comprising:(a) a container assembly which is adapted to hold said product, said container assembly comprising, (i) a container shaped to define an interior reservoir, a first opening in communication with the interior reservoir, a second opening in communication with the interior reservoir, and a boss formed around said second opening, (ii) a funnel disposed within the first opening in said container, said funnel being shaped to define a rigid finger and a flexible finger, said rigid finger and said flexible finger together defining an orifice, said flexible finger being capable of inward flexion, (iii) a button, said button being separate from said funnel, said button being slidably disposed within said boss formed in said container and projecting through said second opening for contacting the flexible finger of said funnel so as to regulate the size of the orifice defined by said funnel, wherein said button comprises an elongated shaft, an enlarged knob formed onto one end of said shaft and a tapered head formed onto the other end of said shaft; and (b) an applicator assembly which is adapted to dispense said product, said applicator assembly being sized and shaped to penetrate said container assembly.
  • 2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tapered head of said button is capable of being inwardly compressed.
  • 3. The device as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a compression spring for urging said button away from said funnel.
  • 4. The device as claimed in claim 3 further comprising an O-ring mounted on said button for providing a seal between said button and said container.
  • 5. The device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said applicator assembly comprises,(a) a cap threadingly mounted onto said container so as to enclose the first opening, (b) a wand coaxial with said cap and having a proximal end integral with said cap, said wand projecting in relation to said cap, and (c) an applicator mounted onto the distal end of said wand, said applicator being adapted to pass through the first opening and immerse in said product when said cap is mounted onto said container.
  • 6. The device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said applicator is sized and shaped to penetrate through the orifice in said funnel.
  • 7. The device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said applicator is in the form of a brush.
  • 8. The device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said applicator is in the form of a foam sponge.
  • 9. The device as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a product disposed within said interior reservoir for being dispensed by said device wherein said product is a cosmetic.
  • 10. The device as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a product disposed within said interior reservoir for being dispensed by said device wherein said product is mascara.
  • 11. The device as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a product disposed within said interior reservoir for being dispensed by said device wherein said product is lip gloss.
  • 12. The device as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a product disposed within said interior reservoir for being dispensed by said device wherein said product is a cosmetic selected from the group consisting of foundation, concealer, eye shadow and eyebrow gel.
  • 13. The device as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a product disposed within said interior reservoir for being dispensed by said device wherein said product is paper correction fluid.
  • 14. The device as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a product disposed within said interior reservoir for being dispensed by said device wherein said product is cement.
  • 15. The device as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a product disposed within said interior reservoir for being dispensed by said device wherein said product is touch-up automotive paint.
  • 16. The device as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a product disposed within said interior reservoir for being dispensed by said device wherein said product is barbeque sauce.
  • 17. The device as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a product disposed within said interior reservoir for being dispensed by said device wherein said product is shoe polish.
  • 18. The device as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a product disposed within said interior reservoir for being dispensed by said device wherein said product is a tree pruning sealer.
  • 19. The device as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a product disposed within said interior reservoir for being dispensed by said device wherein said product is a grease-based compound for preventing metal items from being frozen, rusted or sealed together.
  • 20. The device as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a product disposed within said interior reservoir for being dispensed by said device wherein said product is a medical cream.
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3897722 Harris Aug 1975 A
4194848 Kingsford Mar 1980 A
4241743 Schnabel et al. Dec 1980 A
4332494 Kingsford Jun 1982 A
4609300 Robert Sep 1986 A
4705053 Goncalves Nov 1987 A
4712936 Kessler Dec 1987 A
4921366 Hurrell May 1990 A
4997300 Spivey et al. Mar 1991 A
D320311 Kuhn Oct 1991 S
5728740 Barrett Mar 1998 A
5951185 Kingsford et al. Sep 1999 A
5964931 Korper Oct 1999 A
6168334 Fordham Jan 2001 B1
6264390 Lee et al. Jul 2001 B1
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number Date Country
2153160 Jun 1973 FR
2155774 Oct 1985 GB