The present disclosure relates generally to devices and methods for dispensing a composition on a brush and, more particularly, to a hair product applicator for dispensing a relaxer agent on a brush.
Many individuals receive and/or apply a composition (e.g., a chemical treatment) to style their hair. For example, chemical treatments can be used to either relax (e.g., straighten) or curl hair. However, as the individual's hair grows subsequent to an initial treatment, the individual often needs to apply additional composition to maintain a uniform appearance of the hair, especially along the edges and/or the roots. To do so, individuals often purchase containers of a product along with a separate brush, which allows the individual to touch-up the newly grown, untreated hair. However, in many such instances, a significant portion of the product in the container is wasted because only a small amount may be required to achieve the desired appearance. Thus, new devices and methods for applying a hair product are needed. The present disclosure is directed towards addressing these and other problems.
According to some implementations of the present disclosure, a hair product applicator includes a pump and a brushhead. The pump includes a housing and a plunger. The housing has (i) an upper opening, (ii) a cavity configured to store a composition therein, and (iii) a tip having a dispensing opening. The plunger is slidably disposed within the housing such that the plunger is moveable with respect to the housing and aids in preventing the composition from escaping through the upper opening of the housing. The brushhead includes a first plurality of bristle bores, a second plurality of bristle bores, and a generally central throughhole. The first plurality of bristle bores is adjacent to a first end of the brushhead and the second plurality of bristle bores is adjacent to an opposing second end of the brushhead. Each of the first plurality of bristle bores and each of the second plurality of bristle bores (i) extend\from a bottom surface of the brushhead towards an opposing top surface of the brushhead and (ii) have a bristle bundle extending therefrom. The generally central throughhole extends between the bottom surface and the opposing top surface and is positioned between the first plurality of bristle bores and the second plurality of bristle bores. The pump is coupled to the brushhead via the tip of the housing such that actuation of the plunger causes at least a portion of the composition stored in the housing to be dispensed directly onto at least a portion of the bristle bundles.
According to some implementations of the present disclosure, a method for assembling a hair product applicator includes providing a housing having (i) an upper opening, (ii) a cavity, and (iii) a tip having a dispensing opening. A plunger is slidably engaged with the housing through the upper opening of the housing. A portion of the cavity is filled with a composition. The tip of the housing is sealed with a cap. The tip of the housing is coupled with a generally central throughhole of a brushhead including a first plurality of bristle bores and a second plurality of bristle bores. The first plurality of bristle bores is adjacent to a first end of the brushhead and the second plurality of bristle bores is adjacent to an opposing second end of the brushhead. Each of the first plurality of bristle bores and each of the second plurality of bristle bores at least partially extend from a bottom surface of the brushhead towards an opposing top surface. The generally central throughhole extends between the bottom surface and opposing top surface and is positioned between the first plurality of bristle bores and the second plurality of bristle bores. A bristle bundle is fixed in each of the first plurality of bristle bores and in each of the second plurality of bristle bores such that a least a portion of the bristle bundles is positioned to directly receive at least a portion of the composition thereon responsive to (i) the cap being removed, thereby unsealing the tip and (ii) the plunger moving with respect to the housing towards the tip, thereby causing a portion of the composition to be dispensed through the dispensing opening via the tip.
These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the systems and methods in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, and some representative implementations have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the inventive aspects of the disclosure are not limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
Referring generally to
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The main body 116 of the housing 112 has a generally cylindrical configuration, although any other configurations are contemplated, such as, for example, a rectangular configuration, a triangular configuration, a polygonal configuration, or the like, or any combinations thereof. The housing 112 serves as a handle to aid a user in grasping and positioning the brushhead 150 during use of the hair product applicator 100. In some implementations, the main body 116 of the housing 112 further includes a pad (not shown) coupled to an outer surface thereof to aid the user in gripping and/or holding the housing 112, which can also provide ergonomic support (e.g., the pad can include finger grooves). The housing 112 can be made of, for example, a polymer material, a metal material, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the housing 112 is made of a transparent or semi-transparent material such that the user can view the internal cavity 117 to determine the quantity of composition remaining therein.
The housing 112 can have a length that is between about two inches and about eight inches. For example, in some implementations, the housing 112 has a length that is about five inches. In addition, the main body 116 of the housing 112 can have a diameter that is between one-half of an inch and two inches. For example, in some implementations, the main body 116 has a diameter that is about three-quarters of one inch.
As best shown in
The plunger 130 has a piston head 132, a piston rod 134, and an actuation flange 136. The plunger 130 is slidably disposed through the upper opening 114 of the housing 112 (as shown in
As shown, the housing 112 can optionally include a flange 115 which aids in dispensing the composition by providing a surface for a user's fingers to gain leverage in moving the actuation flange 136. For example, a user's thumb can be placed on the actuation flange 136 and one or more of a user's fingers can be placed on a bottom surface of the flange 115, thus aiding the user in actuating the plunger 130 in the direction of arrow A. The plunger 130 can be made from the same material as the housing 112 and/or a different material or combination of materials.
As best shown in
Disposing the plug 174 of the cap 170 in the tip 118 aids in preventing the composition from escaping the internal cavity 117 through the tip 118. Further, disposing the plug 174 of the cap 170 within the tip 118 and disposing the piston head 132 of the plunger 130 in the upper opening 114 creates an air-tight seal, thereby preventing ambient air or moisture from interacting with the composition. Thus, the cap 170 aids in extending the useful life of the hair product applicator 100.
As best shown in
The brushhead 150 can have a length that is between about one inch and about two and one-half inches. For example, in some implementations, the brushhead 150 has a length that is about one and one-half inches. In addition, the brushhead 150 can have a width that is between about one-tenth of an inch and about three-quarters of an inch. For example, in some implementations, the brushhead 150 has a width that is about four-tenths of an inch.
Referring to
Each of the first plurality of bristle bores 162a and each of the second plurality of bristle bores 162b are configured to receive one of a plurality of bristle bundles 164 therein. Each of the plurality of bristle bundles 164 comprises a plurality of bristles. Each of the plurality of bristle bundles 164 can be secured within a corresponding one of the first plurality of bristle bores 162a or a corresponding one of the second plurality of bristle bores 162b such that the plurality of bristle bundles 164 extend from the bottom surface 154a of the brushhead 150. In some implementations, each of the plurality of bristle bundles 164 has an upper end wherein the plurality of bristles are bounded together by an adhesive connection, a locking collar, or the like, or any combination thereof. In such implementations, the upper end of each one of the plurality of bristle bundles 164 can be disposed within a corresponding one of the plurality of bristle bores 162a, 162b by a friction fit, a press fit, an adhesive connection, or the like, or any combination thereof.
Each of the plurality of bristle bundles 164 has a length between about one-half inch and about two inches. Preferably, the length of each of the plurality of bristles is about one inch. Each of the plurality of bristle bundles may be made of a synthetic material, such as nylon, or a natural material, such as a stiff hair, or any other suitable material.
As best shown in
As shown, the generally central throughhole 160 extends between the bottom surface 154a of the brushhead 150 and the opposing top surface 154b and is positioned between the first plurality of bristle bores 162a and the second plurality of bristle bores 162b. The generally central throughhole 160 is sized and shaped such that it can receive the tip 118 of the housing 112 of the pump 110, thus coupling the pump 110 to the brushhead 150. In some implementations, the tip 118 of the housing 112 can be secured within the generally central throughhole 160 by a friction fit, a press fit, an adhesive connection, a magnetic connection, or the like, or any combination thereof. Alternatively, the tip 118 can be secured within the generally central throughhole 160 by a threaded connection between an outer surface of the tip 118 and the generally central throughhole 160.
In some implementations, a portion of the generally central throughhole 160 adjacent to the opposing top surface 154b can have a counterbore configuration such that the tip 118 and a portion of the housing 112 can be disposed within the generally central throughhole 160, further aiding in securing in the pump 110 to the brushhead 150. Further, in some implementations, a lower portion of the main body 116 of the housing 112 can have a generally conical profile. In such implementations, the portion of the generally central throughhole 160 adjacent to the opposing top surface 154b can have a countersink configuration such that the tip 118 and the lower portion of the housing 112 having a generally conical profile can be disposed within the generally central throughhole 160, further aiding in securing the pump 110 to the brushhead 150.
As best shown in
To assemble the hair product applicator 100, the piston head 132 of the plunger 130 is inserted into the upper opening 114 of the housing 112 such that the plunger 130 is moveable in the direction of arrow A, as described above. To fill the internal cavity 117 with the composition, the tip 118 is placed in a volume of the composition. Movement of the plunger 130 in the opposite direction of arrow A (
Referring to
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Each of the plurality of dispensing openings 368 are in fluid communication with the central cavity 366 such that upon actuation of the pump 110 and dispensing a portion of the composition stored in the internal cavity 117 into the central cavity 366 as described above, the composition is dispensed through the plurality of dispensing openings 368. Thus, the plurality of dispensing openings 368 cause at least a portion of the composition to be dispensed on the plurality of bristle bundles 164. Advantageously, by providing a plurality of dispensing openings 368, as opposed to a single opening (e.g., the dispensing opening 120 of the hair product applicator 100), the composition is spread onto at least a portion of each of the plurality of bristle bundles 164.
The hair product applicator 300 can be assembled in the same or similar manner as the hair product applicator 100.
Alternatively, in some implementations, the brushhead 350 includes a first half (not shown) and a second half (not shown). In such implementations, the first half has a first central cavity and the second half has a second central cavity. Responsive to the first half being aligned with and coupled to the second half, the first central cavity and the second central cavity are in fluid communication with one another and form a central cavity that is the same as or similar to the central cavity 366 shown in
In some implementations, a first shrink film (not shown) can be positioned on a first side of the hair product applicator 100, 300 and a second shrink film (not shown) can be positioned on an opposing second side of the hair product applicator 100, 300. The first shrink film and the second shrink film can be configured to shrink and adhere to one another upon the application of heat. For example, the first shrink film and the second shrink film can be made of a polymer material, such as polyolefin. In this configuration, heat can be applied such that the first shrink film and the second shrink film adhere to one another and encapsulate the hair product applicator. Advantageously, the first shrink film and the second shrink film can form an air-tight packaging for the hair product applicator, which further aids in providing an air-tight seal for the composition stored in the internal cavity 117. Thus, the first shrink film and the second shrink film can extend the useful life of the hair product applicator 100, 300.
Although the hair product applicators 100, 300 of the present disclosure are shown and described as being used to dispense and/or apply hair related compositions (e.g., a hair relaxer composition), the same, or similar, applicators can be used to apply any fluid and/or substance, such as, for example, water, oil, paint, dye, glue, liquid soap or detergent, or the like, or any combination thereof.
While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. It is also contemplated that additional embodiments according to aspects of the present invention may combine any number of features from any of the embodiments described herein.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/388,161, filed Jan. 19, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62388161 | Jan 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15401813 | Jan 2017 | US |
Child | 16165758 | US |