Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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D 844~ CA
AN APPLICATOR FOR LIQUID HAIR TREATMENT PREPARATION
BACKGROUND
1.0 Field Of The Invention
The invention relates generally to liquid applicators,
and more particularly to applicators for the continuous
application of a liquid hair treatment preparation t~ the hair " ~`
5 ~nd/or skin of human beings or animals. ~
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2.0 Discussion of Related Art:
.
A comb for the continuous application of a liquid to the
hair and scalp of animals or human beings is tauqht in EP 0 157
032. This comb comprises a hollow space in a narrow spine with
a handle on one side containing a first porous material for
taking up and storing the liquid. A plurality of teeth of a
second porous material, which project into the first porous
material, is in capillary communication with the porous
material holding the liquid in the hollow space. In this way,
the liquid can be applied to the hair, and to the skin through
the free ends and side faces of the teeth. However, narrow
limits are imposed on the materials hitherto Xnown as suitable,
both in regard to the porous materials which can be used, and
in regard to the amount of liquid which can be transported. In
addition, the production of the porous materials used is both
complicated and expensive. Also, it is not possible,
- particularly in the productlon o th ? teeth, which are made in
the same way as the writing points of standard fiber pens, to
align and orient the path of the capillaries in the teeth as
required. On the contrary, a more or less random, non-oriented
arrangement of the capillaries is always obtained due to
limitations of the production process. The transport of
liquids containing small solid constituents also involves
difficulties, as for example in the case of multicomponent hair
dyes. In addition, exterior design possibilities are limited ~-
in the case of the porous materials used hitherto. Moreover,
insertion of the porous comb teeth into the reservoir
consisting of another porous material involves considerable
assembly work.
3.0 Summary of the Invention:
15Various objects of the present invention are to provide a
solution which enables hair treatment preparations of any
kind, including those containing small solid constituents, for
example multicomponent hair dyes, to be applied much more
easily; to provide for making the corresponding applicator in
2a various external shapes to meet all design requirements; and to
provide for specifically orienting the path of the capillaries
as required.
With the problems of the prior art in mind, one
embodiment of the invention includes fabrication of both the
teeth and the reservoir in one piece, similar to a comb, from a
number of thin plates and/or films arranged in layers one above
the other. Slot-like interstices are provided between the
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individual plates and/or films of such a size that, depending
on the particular plate and/or film materials and the hair
treatment preparation to be applied, the particular hair ;~
treatment preparation is transported by capillary effect in the ~;
slot-like interstices.
It has been discovered that virtually any materials pro-
cessable into plate or film form may be used for a capillary -
plate assembly of the present invention, due to the inclusion
of surface roughness in the plates or films. Also, the slot-
10 like interstices with their potential for capillary action are ~`
formed when the plates or films are placed one on top of the
other. For example, the plates or films may be made of ~
virtually any polymers, such as PVC, PE, acrylate, ~ --
polypropylene, polycarbonate, and of glass, mica and metals, `~
such as aluminum or stainless steel. The plates preferably
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have a thickness of 0.1 to 0.2 mm(millimeter). However, the
thickness of the plates and films may also be in either the ~
1/100 mm range, and/or the ~m(micrometer) range, andJor in the ~ ~-
cm(centimeter) range. The slot-like interstices between the
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individual plates or films may vary within relatively wide
limits, depending on the surface design of the plates. The
slot-like interstices preferably have heights of 5.0 to 150.0
~m. The surface design is largely determined by the method
used to make the plates. For example, longitudinal grooves are
formed in standard processes for the production of polyethylene
plates. Capillary activity may be influenced or optimized and
directed as required by varying the method used to make the
plate material, the number of plates, the thickness of the
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plates and the surface design (for example grooves,
coarseness, curves, profiles, and so forth).
One particularly advantageous embodiment is characterized
in that, to form the slot-like interstices, the sur~aces of the
plates are profiled in accordance with the desired liquid flow
path. For example, grooves radiating from the reservoir part
of the plates are extended into the teeth and /or are laterally
deflected in uniform distribution over the length of the teeth.
In this manner, the liquid can be fed from the reservoir part
of the plate assembly to the gaps between the individual teeth,
ar.d the particular hair treatment liquid can also issue
laterally from the teeth, for effective transfer to the hair
during combing.
The individual plates may be attached to one another at
least at two opposite edges, or attached by spot welding. In
the latter case, the individual welds are preferably dis-
tributed substantially uniformly over the surface of the
plates.
The plates of a plate assembly may differ in thickness.
For example, the two outer plates may be thicker than the inner
plates for reasons of strength.
In one particularly simple and preferred embodiment, the
comb-like plate assembly formed by the plates arranged in
layers comprises a lateral handle which forms part of the
reservoir. The resulting comb can be optimally adapted by
simple means to satisfy all design requirements in regard to
shape and also color. For reasons of strength, the two outer
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plates may advantageously be made correspondingly thicker. It
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has been found that a comb of normal size, particularly by
virtue of its lateral handle, already has a considerable
storage volume for the particular hair treatment liquid, so
that certain hair treatments, for lexample dyeing in streaks,
may be carried out without another reservoir. A c~mb of the
type in question may of course also continue to be used very
easily after emptying, if its teeth are dipped into a separate
liquid reservoir. The only requirement in this regard is to
ensure that vent openings are associated with the slot-like
interstices at the furthest point of the reservoir, i.e. at the
free end of the handle, so that when the comb teeth are dipped
into the liquid reservoir, the slot-like interstices are
completely and quickly refilled by virtue of their capillary
conductivity.
The comb-like plate assembly formed by the plates
disposed in layers may of course also be arranged, except for
its combed teeth, in a housing space designed to be filled with
hair treatment preparation. This enables a much larger
quantity of hair treatment preparation to be applied by a
single applicator. In this case, it does not matter if, during
its handling, the plate assembly is not permanently immersed in
the hair treatment liquid in the housing space. This can occur
shortly before the stored liquid is used up in the upwardly
directed position of the comb teeth, because in that case the
reservoir formed by the plate assembly arranged in the housing
space is able to transfer hair treatment preparation to the
hair for a prolonged period, without any need for the residual
liquid still present in the housing space to be used. When th6
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comb changes position again, into a position in which its
teeth are directed downward, the residual liquid is also able
to enter the slot-like interstices between the individual
plates, and can be transferred to the hair via the teeth. -
A part of the housing space surrounding the plate r;`,,
assembly may of course also be filled with capillary-
conductive porous material in the form of an additional
reservoir, thereby guaranteeing a permanent flow of liquid
into the slot-like interstices of the plate assembly.
The slot-like interstices at the free ends of the comb
teeth may be made closed if, for example, a hair treatment
iquid such as hair dye is not to be applied to the scalp of
~uman beings, as is the case with the hitherto known porous
comb teeth where all the pores at the free ends of the teeth
are closed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Examples of various embodiments of the invention are
described in detail below with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which like items are identified by the same
reference designation, wherein:
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal center section of an
applicator according to the invention with a capillary-active -
plate assembly arranged in a housing. -
Figure 2 is a plan view of the plate assembly of the
applicator shown in Figure 1.
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Figure 3 is a partial cutaway perspective view of part
of the plate assembly shown in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section throuqh a modified
embodiment of the invention, similar to that shown in Figure
1, with an additional reservoir associated with the plate
assembly.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of another embodiment of
the invention in the form of a simple hair-dyeing comb with a
handle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, a plate assembly 2,
shown in detail in Figures 2 and 3, is arranged in a part 3 of
a multiple-part housing globally denoted by the reference 1.
As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a number of comb teeth 4
forming the above-mentioned teeth 4 is formed by sawing or the
like along the one edge of the plate assembly 2. The distance
5 between the individual comb teeth 4 preferably corresponds to
half the width 6 of the comb teeth. The plate assembly 2,
including the comb teeth 4, consists of a number of parallel
plates 7 with slot-like interstices 8 between the individual
plates 7. The interstices 8 form capillaries for the capillary
transport of a hair treatment preparation. The plates 7 are
attached to one another at least at two opposite edges, for
example by bonding, welding, laser treatment or the like (this
feature of the applicator is not shown in detail). The free
ends of the comb teeth 4 may be made closed, as described
above. In this manner, when the comb teeth 4 are drawn through
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the head hair of a human being, a hair treatment liquid stored
in the slot-like interstices 8 of the plate assembly 2 i5
transferred to the hair without directly wetting the scalp, as
is generally desired for example in the application of hair
dyes.
Depending on the plate materials used and their surface
design, the slot-like interstices 8 may vary considerably in
regard to their distance from one another, which accounts for
the above~mentioned size of these interstices of from S.O to
150.0 ~m. Outside the region of the teeth 4, the slot-like
interstices 8 form the reservoir for the hair treatment
preparation.
The constituent material of the plates 7 may be
optimally adapted to the particular application envisaged, for
which purpose a number of materials may be used, as previously
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mentioned. The thickness of the plates 7 may also be varied ~;`
according to the particular application, and is preferably
between 0.1 and 0.2 mm, as previously mentioned.
An insert 10 is arranged in a closure cap 9, and co~
20 operates through conical sealing surfaces 11 with corre-~ ~
sponding conical sealing surfaces 12 on the housing part 3, ;-
hermetically sealing off the comb teeth 4. The latter project
beyond the housing part 3 when the closure cap 9 is removed,
from their surroundings, so that no hair treatment preparation -~ -
25 is able to issue from the slot-like interstices 8 of the comb ~ -
teeth 4. Also, these slot-like interstices 8 of comb teeth 4
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cannot become blocked by drying out. - -
Accommodatecl in the housing 1 is a liquid hair treatment ~ ;
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preparation 14, which is used to replenish the volume of liquid
stored in the slot-like interstices 8 of the plate assembly 2,
and can enter the slot-like interstices 8 through their lateral
openings. As can be seen, this guarantees complete release of
the hair treatment liquid 14 if, after removal of the closure
cap 9, the applicator 1 is turned through 180~ and is drawn in
this position through the hair oi` a human being or animal.
With applicator 1 in this position, the residual liquid 14
collecting in the housing part 3 can still laterally enter the
slot-like interstices 8 of the plate assembly 2. However, even
in cases where the applicator 1 is handled in the position
shown in Figure 1, for example during the treatment of long-
haired dogs with a liquid insecticide or the like, the release
of liquid in the region of the comb teeth 4 is always
guaranteed because the entire volume of liquid in the plate
assembly 2 serves as a liquid reservoir. It is only after this
liquid reservoir formed by the plate assembly 2, itself has
been completely emptied that the applicator 1 need be briefly
turned only once through 180~ to allow the residual liquid
still present in the housing to enter the slot-like interstices
8 of the plate assembly 2, and then to be applied to the hair
of human beings or animals by turning the applicator back
through 180~ into the position shown in Figure 1.
The embodiment shown in Figure 4 corresponds in every
respect to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, except for
the inclusion of an additional reservoir 15 of capillary~
active, preferably fibrous, material arranged inside the
housing la. In this embodiment, the plate assembly 2a pushed
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into the reservoir 15, or rather its individual plates 7,
preferably terminate(s) in the shape of a saddle roof at the
end 16 entering the reservoir 15, so that the transfer of
liquid from the additional reservoir 15 to the slot-like inter-
S stices 8 of the plate assembly 2a is further improved.
In the e~bodiment shown in Figure 5, a co~b globally
denoted by the reference 17, with a handle 18 and comb teeth
19, is formed by cutting out from a plate assembly 2 in
basically the same way as in the case of the plate assembly 2
shown in Figures 1 to 3. The region of the handle 18 serves as
an additional reservoir from which hair treatment liquid is
able to flow through the region 20 immediately associated with
the comb teeth l9, providing the comb teeth l9 are drawn
through the hair in the manner previously described, and
providing it is guaranteed that openings 21 (not shown in
detail) are provided at the free end of the handle 18, in the
region of the gap-like interstices 8 between the plates 7
forming the comb 17. The remaining peripheral regions of the
handle 18 may be made closed to prevent the hand holding the
handle 12 from being wetted with stored hair treatment
preparation. A comb 17 of this type may either be used very
simply as a non-reusable comb, for example if only a small
volume of hair treatment liquid is required, as is the case for
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the production of dyed strands of hair, for example for punk or
25 carnival stylesO However, relatively large quantities of hair :~
treatment liquid may also be applied to the hair with a comb 17 -
of the type in question, by immersion of the comb teeth 19 in a ~-
corresponding liquid reservoir after emptying of the comb 17.
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In this manner, all slot-like interstices 8 between the
individual plates 7 forming the comb 19 are quickly and
completely refilled, so that more hair treatment liquid 14 may
be applied.
Numerous modifications to the described embodiments, and
many other embodiments of the invention based on the principles
described above, are possible without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention as clain~ed in the appended claims.
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