Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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The present invention rela-tes. to a cosmetic applicator
device for applyi.ng a li~u~d or powdery cos~metic pxeparation
from a container to the user's skin, including a wiper inser~ed
into an opening of the container.
An ~bject of the invention i5 to pro~ide a cosmetic
applicator de-vice such that an accurateIy dosed application
of a cosmetic preparation can be performed cleanly and quickly
without any drop for~ation and thereby without soiling the :~
userls fin~ers.
According to the invention there is provided an
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applicator device for applying a liquid or powdery substance
from a container, having an open end, to a surface, comprising:
an applicator inserta~le within said open end of said
container, said applicator having an elongated shaft and an
application member secured to one end of said shaft;
a hollow wiper membex mountable within said container
adjacent to said open end thereof, said ~iper member including
a plurality of resilient wiper li.ps, superimposed at different
: levels along said wiper member, sa~d plural;ty of wiper lips
including at least one first ~iper l;.p d~sposed adjacent to said .~ ...
open end of container which`is directl~ radi.ally inwardly from
the inner surface o said ~iper member and ~hi.ch. encloses and
makes wiping contact w~th said shaft portion of said applicator
~ when said appl~.cator i.fi inserted into, and removed from, said
, container and said plurality of wiper lips including at least one. ~, .
second wiper lip disposed ~eneath and spaced from said first
wi.per lip whic~.`encloses and makes wipin~ contact with said
applicatïon member of said applicator when said applicator i5
inserted into, and removed from, said container, said first wiper
30: lip having a tr~angular cross-section and hav~ng an upper and
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lower surface which taper and merge into a wiping edge, and said wiper mem-
ber having an upper end portion and a lower end portion each of which has a
generally hollow conical configuration.
A particularly neat wiping-off of the applicator shaft member is
effected in a further improvement of the invention, by providing several
wiper lips, spaced apart along the wiper devicel each enclosing the shaft
member with wiping contact, and thereby wiping-off its entire circumference
evenly when the applicator is pulled out of the container. Preferably the
wiper device has upper and lower frusto-conical or cone shaped endpieces at
opposite ends. The lower conical endpiece of the wiper device preferably
has an opening of smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the applicator.
The wiping pressure of the wiper lips depends on their resilience and is so
chosen that, when the applicator is pulled out of the container, the appli-
cator is partially compressed and absorbs only the quantity oE preparation
necessary for one application. In this way it is possible to effect a neat
application of the preparation to the user's skin, in a precise quantity.
i The lower conical endpiece of the wiper device may alternatively
taper to a tip and be sub-divided by an axial slit which forms two semi-cone
shaped wiper lips adapted to make wiping contact with the applicator.
In a further alternative embodiment the lower conical endpiece of
the wiper device is closed by a resilient disc in which one or more diametral
slits have been made to form a number of sector-shaped wiper lips. In each
case the resilience of the wiper lips which contact the applicator is deter-
mined by the length of the slit, which define them. The resulting sector-
shaped wiper lips act on the applicator with a pressure depending upon their
resilience in such a way that only the desired quantity of the preparation
adheres when withdrawing the applicator from the container, excessive prepar-
ation being wiped-off.
The appllcator may comprise a foam swab, a brush or a hair-pencil.
The present invention will be further described, by way of example, with refer-
ence to the accompanying drawings, in which:
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Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cosmetic applica-
tor device for applying a liquid colourant, according to a first embodiment
; of the invention;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on an enlarged scale through
the wiping device of the applicator device shown in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal partial section of another wiping de-
vice forming part of another embodiment of the invention, and
Figure ~ is an end view of a further embodiment of wiping device
for use with another embodiment of the invention.
As will be seen from Figure 1 a cosmetic applicator device for the
application of, for example, eye shadow, comprises a cylindrical container 1
which may be manufactured from transparent or coloured plastics. The con-
tainer 1 is fitted with a snap-on closure cap 2 in which a disc 3 formed
with an integral solid cylindrical shaft member ~I is inserted. The shaft
member 4 has a coaxial extension in the form of a stem 5 which is provided
with projections or lug portions for the positive retention of an applicator
6 which fits on to the said stem 5.
The applicator 6 has a cylindrical external shape and is made of
soft cellular plastics foam, for example polyether foam, the external diameter
of the applicator being smaller than that of the shaft member 4 so that said
applicator 6 does not touch the wall of the container 1 when the cap 2 is
fitted thereto.
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The cap 2 may alternatively be of the screw-on type.
Inserted into the open upper end of the container 1 ~as viewed in
Figure 1) and secured therein by an annular groove 1~ is a wiper device 7
~' whlch is shown about ten times its actual si~e in Figure 2. I'he wiper device
7 comprises a central hollow cylindrical portion 8 adjoining a frusto-conical
outwardIy flared upper endpiece 9 and a funnel-shaped lower endpiece 10. The
, upper endpiece 9 is formed with an outwardly projecting edge lip 11 which fits
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over the edge of the open end of the container 1 and provides a seal engaging
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the internal surface of the cap 2 when the latter is fitted. The wiper de-
vice 7 has an integral flange 12 at the lower end of the central cylindrical
portion ~, the flange 12 being formed with an external circumferential bead
13 which engages in an annular groove 1~ formed in the wall of the container
l to retain the wiper device 7 in position within the container 1.
Spaced apart axially within the central cylindrical portion 8 of
the wiper device 7 are three internal wiper lips 15 each of which has a sec-
tion in the form of a triangle and having a circular inner circumferential
edge 16 the diameter of which is smaller than the outer diameter of the
cylindrical shaft member 4 carried by the cap 2. When the cap 2 is fitted to
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the container 1, therefore, the shaft member 4 makes wiping contact with the
said inner edges 16 of the wiper lips 15. The cross-sectional shape of each
- inner wiper lip 15 may be such as to define a right angle, an acute or an ob-
tuse angle at the vertex defining the edge 16.
The funnel-shaped lower endpiece 10 of the wiper 7 has a circular
opening 17 at its lower end remote from the flange 12, the diameter of the
opening 17 being smaller than the diameter of the applicator 6 so that the
inner peripheral edge 18 of the opening 17 is forced radially against the
circumference of the applicator 6 owing to the flexibility of the endpiece 10,
acting as a wiper element for the applicator.
I To apply a dye preparation or the like contained in said container
j 1 to a user's skin, the closure cap 2 with the applicator 6 is withdrawn from
the container. As the applicator 6 is removed the inner circumferential edges
16 of the wiper lips 15 wipe uniformly along the entire circumference of the
shat member 4 to strip therefrom any adhering preparation completely with-
out leaving any trace of it on the said shaft member.
Independently of this action the applicator 6 is uniformly com-
pressed by the inner peripheral wiper edge 18 of the flexible endpiece 10, -
the degree of said compression and/or of the pressure applied being a function
~ of the flexibility of said endpiece lO. The flexibility of the endpiece 10
is selected so that on coming clear of the inner peripheral wiper edge 1
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the applicator 6 will only carry sufficient of the dye preparation for one
application of the cosmetic stick. There is little or no excess of the pre-
paration left over after such use to soil the user's fingers or clothing.
It will be appreciated that the separate scraping of shaft member
4 and of the applicator 6 by the lips 15 and the wiper edge 18 is an import-
ant feature of the present invention because such a drip-less application of
liquid or paste-like dye, powder or other cosmetic preparations in precisely
dosed quantities has not hitherto been practicable with existing cosmetic
applicator devices.
The wiper device 7 shown in Figure 2 is preferably made from plas-
tics such as polyethylene or the like and has an external annular recess 19
which increases the flexibility of the cylindrical central portion 8 on which
the wiper lips 15 are disposed. Alternatively the wiper device 7 may be made
from rubber of like elastic material, in which case the annular recess 19
may be omitted, the wiper device 7 having a cylindrical shape in contact with
the inside wall surface of the container 1 throughout the entire length of the
wiper device.
As can be seen from Figure 3 the lower endpiece of the wiper de-
vice 7 may alternatively comprise an inverted cone 20 having an axial slit 22
extending from its tip 21, the slit ~2 terminating at its upper end in a cir-
cular hole 23. The slit 22 divides the endpiece 20 into two tapered scraper
or wiper lips 2~. The axial length of the slit 22 will be such as to provide
the two wiper lips 2~ with an elasticity and flexibility suf~icient to ensure
that the applicator 6 when immersed in the preparation stored in the container
~ 1 only picks up a precisely predetermined quantity of the preparation as the
;~ cap 2 with the applicator 6 is pulled from said container 1, the excess pre-
paration wiped from the applicator 6 falling back into the container 1.
After the applicator 6 has been withdrawn from the container 1,
the tip 21 of the tapered endpiece 20 is closed owing to its own resilient
flexibility, which additionally offers the particular advantage that after
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such removal of the applicator said container 1 is effectively sealed by the
wiper device 7 so as to prevent any dye preparation or the like from draining
if the container 1 were subsequently to be inverted. This feature essentially
improves the usefulness of the cosmetic applicator device.
In the embodiment according to Figure ~ the opening 17 of the
tapered endpiece 10 of Figure 2 is closed off by means of a resiliently flex-
ible, flat or slightly dished disc member 25 through the circular central por-
tion of which extend two mutually perpendicular intersecting diametral slits
26. The slits 26 define four sector shaped scraper or wiper lips 27 which
are forced into contact with the applicator 6 under a radially inwardly di-
rected pressure which is dependent upon the flexibility of the wiper lips 27
and the length of the slits 26. Under the action of such inwardly directed
radial pressure the applicator 6 will be compressed so that it picks up and
stores only the sufficient preparation for just one application.
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