Mascara brush with curving bristle portion

Abstract

A brush for applying mascara or the like, having a cross-sectional bristle array with two visibly distinct portions for respectively performing different mascara-applying and combing functions as well as for curling eyelashes.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 879,649 filed Jan. 10, 2007, hereby incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to brushes for applying mascara.[0003]The typical type of brush with which the invention is specifically concerned is a mascara brush having an axially elongated twisted wire core with a multiplicity of fibers such as bristles clamped at their midpoints in the core and extending radially outwardly therefrom to form a brush bristle array surrounding the core over a substantial portion of the length of the core, typically to the outer (distal) end of the core. The core is constituted of two runs of wire, which may be initially separate but are more usually opposed legs of a single U-shaped wire, twisted together into an axially rectilinear helix to hold the bristles between them. This combination of a twisted wire core and a radiating array of bristle...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]A further object is to provide such a brush enabling the user to determine selectively the amount of mascara applied, by using different portions of the brush, and then to comb the mascara through the lashes.

[0013]Specifically, the invention may be embodied in a brush in which the point where the planar and concave slopes meet, he ridge, contains only a single row of bristles so that it may be used for combing delivered mascara through the lashes while the concave slope may be used for delivering mascara from a container to a user's lashes and / or for curling the user's lashes. Alternatively, the planar slope may be used to deliver a lighter application of mascara.

[0015]The unusual shape of the brush of the present invention offers the consumer the quick and easy application that is demanded, yet there is no special skill or newly-learned technique involved in using this brush. The mascara product builds up on the concave slope and, to a lesser extent, on the planar slope, which gives clearly recognizable heavily loaded and lightly loaded application zones. Additionally, the ridge, which is clearly identifiable as such, allows the user to comb through the lashes to separate them without needing to carry a separate combing device. Furthermore, the concave slope can be used to curl the lashes, obviating the need for a separate eyelash curler. Because the combing and curling regions are stored within the mascara container, there is no risk of damage and / or contamination to the comb or of contamination of other objects with mascara.

Problems solved by technology

As shown in FIG. 1, such a wide ridge presents several rows of fibers to the user's lashes and thus is less effective at penetrating and separating the lashes than is desired.

While conventional brushes of a cylindrical or tapered shape can be used to apply mascara, achieving a satisfactory comb-through can be difficult to achieve without using a separate implement such as a small plastic comb.

Additionally, such brushes require a user to employ a separate device to curl the eyelashes, which is potentially dangerous to the user and which commonly breaks off some of the lashes.

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