Patent Application
20220000225
This invention relates to the field of personal storage of cosmetics and lotions—more particularly to a device for the storage and transportation of personal qualities of sunscreen.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, skin cancer rates are increasing. Skin cancer affects many Americans—over the past three decades, more Americans were diagnosed with skin cancer than with all other cancers combined.
Using sunscreen is the best-known way to prevent skin cancer. Research shows that regular use of sunscreen decreases the risk of skin cancer by 40-50 percent.
While using sunscreen to reduce the chance of skin cancer is simple, carrying sunscreen is impractical. A backpack is not always available to store the sunscreen bottle. This is particularly true when at a water park, public pool, or beach.
Additionally, there is a need to carry other liquids or gels for application to the hands and skin.
What is needed is a device that will allow a user to easily carry sunscreen or other liquids/gels.
The improved necklace for lotions and gels is a device that allows a user to transport and dispense sunscreen and other liquids or gels.
The device is intended to be worn as a necklace or bracelet. The device includes two internal storage locations separated by a moveable plug. Movement of the plug allows for alteration of the size of the chambers, as well as helping a user to push sunscreen out of the desired chamber.
The primary embodiment of the device is shaped as a long tube or elongated reservoir. This facilitates wearing the device as a necklace or bracelet. Optionally included in the wall of the tube is a filament, shape-retaining member/filament, or wire. The filament is a material that allows the user to bend the device to fit around the neck or wrist, and allows the device to maintain the desired shape. Anticipated materials include steel, aluminum, and other metals. But certain plastics may also be suitable for use.
Alternatively, the wire is included in an extension of the wall. This allows for the wall of the sunscreen chambers to be thin enough to be readily squeezed, without creating a wall that is too thin for the wire to be placed.
Alternatively, the body has two wall thicknesses: a thin section primarily surrounding the sunscreen chambers, the thin section being readily squeezable; and a thicker section within which the wire is embedded.
The primary embodiment of the long tube includes two openings, one on each end—a proximal opening and a distal opening. Affixed to each opening is a dispensing cap. The dispensing cap prevents the sunscreen from exiting the device while it is worn, but allows the user to access the sunscreen when needed.
The tube can be made of many flexible materials that a user can squeeze to compress, thus moving the internal plug. Included are plastic, silicone rubber, natural rubber, neoprene, polyurethane, nylon, and related materials.
Further options include color. The tubing may be clear or translucent, allowing a user to view the contents. Or the tubing may be opaque. If the tubing is other than clear, colors may be chosen as desired for branding purposes, or to denote different types of enclosed product. For example, yellow may be used for sunscreen with a rating of SPF 15 and red for sunscreen with a rating of SPF 30. Or if the device is filled with liquids other than sunscreen, one may use colors to indicate contents. For example, blue for hand lotion and green for shampoo.
The disclosed device is anticipated as a single-use item, or as a refillable item.
As a single-use item, the device is sold prefilled with sunscreen. Optional color-coding is applied to indicate the strength of the contained sunscreen. The device contains a quantity of sunscreen required by a single user for a day of sun exposure. The item is purchased, used throughout the day, and discarded when empty.
As a refillable item, the device may be sold with or without contained sunscreen. The user may refill the device by removing the dispensing cap and forcing sunscreen back into the device. In this embodiment color-coding may be inappropriate, given that the user may fill the device with any strength of sunscreen.
While the preferred embodiment contains sunscreen, alternative embodiments contain other liquids or gels. For example, face cream, hand lotion, paint, condiments such as ketchup or mustard, soap, shampoo, and so forth.
The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures.
Referring to
The sunscreen storage device 1 is shown with body 10 terminated by caps 70.
Referring to
Again, the sunscreen storage device 1 is shown with body 10 terminated by caps 70.
Referring to
The sunscreen storage device 1 includes a body 10 that forms a sunscreen section 12 and a wire-retaining section 14.
The hole through the sunscreen section 12 is referred to as the sunscreen bore 20, with the hole through the wire-retaining section 14 referred to as the wire bore 22. A shape retaining wire 50 is held within the wire bore 22.
The proximal opening 24 and distal opening 26 terminate in caps 70 with bodies 72 and lids 74, the caps 70 including nipples 86 that partially pass into the sunscreen bore 20, thus affixing the caps 70 to the body 10.
The nipples 86 also block the expelling plug 60 from being accidentally pushed out of the sunscreen storage device 1. If a user wishes to remove the expelling plug 60, a cap 70 is removed, opening the end of the sunscreen bore 20.
An expelling plug 60 within the sunscreen bore 20 separates the first sunscreen reservoir 52 from the second sunscreen reservoir 54. By squeezing the sunscreen section 12, a user is able to push the expelling plug 60 from one end to the other, thus forcing sunscreen 56 out through a cap 70.
Referring to
The inner surface 30 and outer surface 32 form a wall 34. The wall 34 has a thinner portion, or squeezable wall thickness 38, where the user is to squeeze the sunscreen storage device 1 to cause motion of the expelling plug 60 (see
A more robust reinforced wall thickness 40 joins the sunscreen section 12 to the wire-retaining section 14.
Referring to
The cap 70 is shown.
Referring to
The dispensing cap 70 includes a body 72, joined to a lid 74 via hinge 76. The inside of the body 72 includes a recess 78, into which a rib 80 locks, holding the lid 74 in a closed position.
A hump 84 in body 72 allows for enclosure of the larger wire-retaining section 14 of the body 10.
Referring to
The expelling plug 60 is formed form a plug body 62 and tapered plug ends 64.
Referring to
Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above such that they perform in substantially the same manner in substantially the same way for achieving substantially the same result.
It is believed that the system and method as described and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description. It is also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form herein before described being merely exemplary and explanatory embodiment thereof. It is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes.
