Patent Application
20130306092
Lotions, gels and medications are used by humans in a wide array of circumstances. However, it is sometimes difficult to uniformly apply those lotions to certain parts of the body without some assistance to do so.
Sunscreens are a good example. While it is important for sunscreen protection to cover all portions of a person's skin to avoid burning as well as long-term health problems such as skin cancer, it is very difficult to ensure that the sunscreen is properly applied to the person's back. This can be remedied if the person as a partner with them who will apply lotion to their back for them. But for a person who does not have a willing partner, reaching behind the back and obtaining an even application of lotion is very difficult. This is made even more difficult if the person has range of motion problems, such as arthritis, bursitis, joint calcification and the like.
One ostensible solution to the problem is a product called Roll-A-Lotion™ which can be seen, for example, at http://www.hsn.com/products/remedy-roll-a-lotion-applicator-as-seen-on-tv/6918267, and is readily found via Google with the search term “Roll-A-Lotion.” This product contains a lotion chamber which the user fills with lotion and then seals. There are a plurality of rollers disposed on the face of an applicator between the lotion chamber and the outside of the applicator. The lotion chamber is attached to one end of an elongated handle which enables the user to roll the rollers over a portion of the user's body that is not directly accessible to the user's hand. The rolling of the rollers causes lotion to be dispensed, because the lotion adheres inside the chamber to the rollers and is then transported to the outside of the chamber by virtue of the rolling of the rollers. Because the rollers are rolled by rolling across the user's skin, the lotion then transfers from the rollers to the user's skin.
There are serious disadvantages to the approach, however. Most importantly, this device does not comprise any means for ensuring a uniform flow of lotion, and specifically, for making certain that there is always a constant supply of lotion in contact with the rollers inside the chamber as lotion is dispensed. Rather, as lotion is dispensed, there is a tendency for air gaps to form between the remaining lotion in the chamber and the rollers, with the consequence that the user is rolling a dry set of rollers over his or her body while the remaining lotion adheres to other portions of the chamber besides the rollers. To only solution to this is for the user to open the chamber and redistribute the lotion so that it again contacts the rollers.
Needless to say, this is very inconvenient. At the root of this, is the fact that there is nothing to ensure that when given volume of lotion passes out of the lotion chamber onto a portion of the user's body, a substantially equivalent volume of air enters an air chamber kept separate from the lotion chamber by a flexible barrier (e.g., diaphragm), such that the barrier displaces so as to substantially equivalently increase the air chamber volume and decrease the lotion chamber volume to ensure the steady availability of lotion for application to the user's body.
It would be very desirable to have a lotion applicator which overcomes these deficiencies and provides a reliable, uniform dispersion of lotion from the applicator without having to open and close the applicator to redistribute the lotion.
Similarly, while it is always possible to attach a spongy or other absorbent material at the end of an elongated handle, then apply the lotion to the absorbent material via dipping, squeezing pouring or the like, then distribute the lotion to the user's body, it will be apparent that this requires accessing the lotion source every time the lotion is to be applied. It would be desirable to have a device which carries a supply of lotion sufficient for multiple lotion applications, rather than one-by-one.
Disclosed herein is a pressure-activated lotion applicator apparatus for applying lotion to a portion of a user's body, comprising: a refillable lotion reservoir for containing the lotion; an air chamber; a flexible, substantially fluidic-impenetrable barrier separating the reservoir from the air chamber; and one or more holes for passing the lotion therethrough from the reservoir to the portion of the user's body; wherein: the apparatus is configured such that pressure brought to bear between the applicator and the portion of the user's body to which the lotion is to be applied, causes the lotion to pass out of the applicator through the holes and be applied to the portion of the user's body, and the apparatus is further configured such that when a given volume of lotion passes out of the reservoir onto the portion of the user's body, a substantially equivalent volume of air enters the air chamber, and the barrier displaces so as to substantially equivalently increase the air chamber volume and decrease the lotion reservoir volume.
The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth in the appended claims. The invention, however, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing(s) summarized below.
The purpose or objective of this apparatus is to be able to reach a person's back and be able to apply or self-administer lotion to the person's back. As used throughout this disclosure and in the claims, “lotion” includes any and all medications with are in lotion form, as well as personal cosmetics for face and/or body, for which this apparatus is also suitable. This product also may be used for other hard-to-reach areas of the body, such as for a person who has restricted movement and is unable to easily apply lotion or medication to his or her feet or legs. This apparatus is usable for right- or left-handed individuals. It is fabricated from a durable silicon, plastic or rubber material which may be in the shape of a human palm or hand, or any other shape that is effective or visually appealing for this applicator. In a human hand shaped embodiment, each fingertip has grooves for massaging and several small holes (e.g., 6) through which lotion is emitted when pressure is applied between the applicator and the person's body, as will be disclosed further herein. In the hand embodiment, the palm has a large number of holes (e.g., 50), to apply lotion when pressure is applied. The body of the palm may have a heart or flower or any other design, as desired. Again, other applicator shapes and other hole positions and configurations as may occur to someone of ordinary skill in the art are also regarded to be within the scope of this disclosure and its associated claims. The apparatus comprises materials which are soft and life-like to the touch on a person's skin. A refillable lotion reservoir contains the lotion to be applied. The reservoir and the applicator body are fabricated from materials that are easily washable/rinsable, so the apparatus can stay fresh, clean and sanitized for every use.
Filling the apparatus with lotion is fast and easy. In the hand embodiment one simply unscrews the capped wrist area, fills the reservoir with the lotion, and then screws the capped wrist area together again. Because it is easily cleaned, the reservoir may be refilled as often as is desired and different lotions or medications may be used each time.
Reaching the person's back is easy. The applicator is attached to an elongated handle which allows the application to reach and be applied to the user's upper and lower back and sides, with ease. The elongated handle is preferably about 12 inches, but may be as long as 30 inches and as short as 6 inches, with any length in between. The elongated handle, preferably, is also expandable and retractable to permit variable lengths and customization to the size of the person, and is preferably fabricated from a durable plastic. If the handle is expandable and retractable as is preferred, its length can be adjusted by an individual user to a comfortable length for the user.
The applicator may have unique designs, of which the hand is one preferred, but not limiting, example. The apparatus may be fabricated in a variety of colors. The seal is made to be secure and substantially airtight so that no lotion will spill, and so that pressures are maintained for proper operation of the device when pressure is applied between the applicator and the user's body. The apparatus is also fabricated to be lightweight for easy travel. Included is an optional carrying case to avoid leaks or spills.
Other points of disclosure to be noted with regard to this device for dispensing lotion onto a person's back are as follows:
The number of dispensing holes mentioned or depicted is illustrative and non-limiting. Any other configuration and number of holes which meets the objective of the invention for dispensing lotion is also part of this disclosure.
In lieu of, or in combination with dispensing holes, the applicator may alternatively comprise spongy materials through which the lotion passes for application/dispensation.
It is desirable to minimize how often the device needs to be refilled with lotion, and to allow the lotion to be properly dispensed even when the device is close to “empty.” There are several ways that this can be achieved using methods known in the art. For example not limitation, the device may include a sealed “diaphragm” which contains the lotion on one side and air or some other fluid on the other side. As lotion is dispensed, the diaphragm expands/repositions to move the lotion toward the holes/openings so that the lotion is always ready to be dispensed until the device is virtually empty. Other related mechanisms include pumps/plungers/primers to prime the device so that the lotion is ready to dispense at all times except when the device is substantially empty. There are an array of priming devices and methods known in the art that would be suitable for this purpose, all of which are taken to be within the scope of the present disclosure. These mechanisms would essentially make sure that the lotion can be released through the dispensing holes/openings, counteracting the otherwise natural tendency of the lotion to gravitate or pool toward a position with the lowest potential energy that may not be near the holes/openings.
Any type of lotion including medication in lotion form can be dispensed using this device, and it is an ideal device to allow beachgoers to apply lotion to their own backs in the event they do not have a partner available to do this for them.
This apparatus omits any type of rollers to dispense the lotion such as those employed by the “Roll-A-Lotion” device disclosed earlier, in favor of operating on pressure principles wherein when a given volume of lotion passes out of a lotion reservoir onto a portion of the user's body, a substantially equivalent volume of air enters the air chamber and the barrier displaces to as to substantially equivalently increase the air chamber volume and decrease the lotion reservoir volume.
As opposed to squeezable tubes which diminish in size as the lotion is dispensed, the applicator maintains a constant overall size, because the diaphragm is hidden within the dispenser and is squeezed so as to diminish the size of the reservoir by virtue of the vacuum which is created when a given volume of lotion passes out of the reservoir onto the user's body. As a result, and in contrast to ordinary squeezable tubes, the user never actually squeezes any tube. Rather, it is the act itself of applying lotion which naturally compresses the diaphragm and decreases the size of the reservoir so that a reliable flow of lotion onto the user's body can always be achieved until the reservoir runs out of lotion and needs to be refilled.
Applicator 2 also comprises a top surface 18 comprising one or more air check valves 11 thereon (only one is illustrated). Between top surface 18 and bottom surface 12 there is also a flexible, substantially fluidic-impenetrable barrier 13 in the nature of a flexible diaphragm between a lotion reservoir 14 defined beneath the diaphragm 13 and an air chamber 15 defined above the diaphragm 13. The diaphragm 13 flexes upward and downward, see the bi-directional arrow 16, depending on how much lotion is contained in lotion reservoir 14. When lotion reservoir 14 is filled with lotion, diaphragm 13 flexes upward, and as lotion reservoir 14 empties over time due to use of the lotion, diaphragm 13 flexes downward, as will be further elaborated momentarily.
While there are various ways to fill lotion reservoir 14 with lotion which will be apparent to someone of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts, one simple way to fill reservoir 14 is to unscrew top surface 18 together with diaphragm 13, from the bottom surface 12, via screw-threads (not shown) situated in the vicinity of top and bottom portion joinder line 17. Then, one inverts the top surface 18/diaphragm 13 portion as shown in
The sealing of applicator 2, which can be achieved by a variety of methods well-known in the art, is important for two reasons. First, it is desirable not to have the lotion leak. Second, because the operation of the invention in the preferred embodiment relies upon the pressure applied between said applicator and the portion of the user's body to which the lotion is to be applied, a good pressure seal is required for proper operation.
Returning now to
As opposed to ordinary tubes which one squeezes to emit a lotion, the diaphragm 13 essentially analogizes to a “tube,” but the principle of operation is very different. Here, it is the release of pressure between bottom surface 12 and the user's body which creates a vacuum to draw air through the air check valves 11 and thus draw down the diaphragm, as opposed to squeezing of a tube. That is, whereas an ordinary tube dispenser operates by applying pressure to the outside body of the tube to press out material through the tube's nozzle, here the applicator, if analogized to a tube, operates by applying a vacuum to the tube's nozzle to compress the outside body of the tube, analogized to the diaphragm. The overall volume of applicator 2 remains unchanged throughout/
The application of pressure and then its release, may be repeated iteratively two or more times to apply additional lotion. Immediately after the applicator 2 is filled with lotion or medicine, in order to remove most air from lotion reservoir 14, the system may be primed by inverting the applicator so that bottom surface 12 faces up (against gravity), permitting air to gravitate toward bottom surface 12, and then pressing and releasing bottom surface 12 a few times to pass out the air from the from lotion reservoir 14.
It is noted that there may optionally be a spongy or felt or similar soft material (not shown) disposed beneath the fluidic check valves 11 and bottom surface 12 so as to better disperse the lotion or medicine and to provide a softer sensation against the user's skin.
For applying lotion to the user's back, the applicator 2 is attached to an elongated handle 41, as illustrated in
The diaphragm 13 continues to be utilized in all embodiments, however, in order to provide a fluid-impenetrable barrier between the chamber 15 and the lotion reservoir 14. Finally, the handle 41 may also screw and unscrew from the applicator 2. In some alternative preferred embodiments, in order to fill the applicator 2, the handle is unscrewed and the lotion 3 may be poured into the lotion reservoir 14. The diaphragm 13 is suitably situated to provide a barrier between the air and the lotion, using devices and methods known in the art for this purpose. Thereafter, the handle 41 is screwed back onto applicator 2, and the apparatus is ready for use.
It is important to keep in mind that this applicator 2 may be used as a general applicator for lotions, with or without the handle, in a way that avoids the user ever having to place the lotion on their hands (and thereafter have to clean the lotion from their hands). For example, when a beachgoer applies sunscreen, even to easily-accessible parts of the body such as the chest or belly, the typical practice is to pour the lotion into the user's hands, and then use the hands to spread the lotion. Here, once the lotion resides inside applicator, the user simply presses the applicator against the user's body which causes the lotion to pass through the holes and then be applied to the user's body. There need not be any contact whatsoever, between the user's hands and the lotion itself.
The knowledge possessed by someone of ordinary skill in the art at the time of this disclosure, including but not limited to the prior art disclosed with this application, is understood to be part and parcel of this disclosure and is implicitly incorporated by reference herein, even if in the interest of economy express statements about the specific knowledge understood to be possessed by someone of ordinary skill are omitted from this disclosure. While reference may be made in this disclosure to the invention comprising a combination of a plurality of elements, it is also understood that this invention is regarded to comprise combinations which omit or exclude one or more of such elements, even if this omission or exclusion of an element or elements is not expressly stated herein, unless it is expressly stated herein that an element is essential to applicant's combination and cannot be omitted. It is further understood that the related prior art may include elements from which this invention may be distinguished by negative claim limitations, even without any express statement of such negative limitations herein. It is to be understood, between the positive statements of applicant's invention expressly stated herein, and the prior art and knowledge of the prior art by those of ordinary skill which is incorporated herein even if not expressly reproduced here for reasons of economy, that any and all such negative claim limitations supported by the prior art are also considered to be within the scope of this disclosure and its associated claims, even absent any express statement herein about any particular negative claim limitations.
Finally, while only certain preferred features of the invention have been illustrated and described, many modifications, changes and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.
This application claims priority of pending provisional application U.S. 61/647,029 filed May 15, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61647029 | May 2012 | US |
