Single fiber brush having multiple characteristics and method of manufacture

Abstract

A brush for applying mascara or the like, having an array with two visibly distinct portions, each portion made of the same type of fiber wherein one portion has been subjected to a treatment process and another has not; each portion for respectively performing a different function.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 921,762 filed Apr. 4, 2007, hereby incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to brushes for applying mascara wherein the properties of one or more of the fibers have been altered so that the altered fibers are suited for different mascara applying functions than the unaltered fibers.[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, twisted together into an axially rectilinear...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017]The brushes of the present invention offer the consumer the quick and easy application that is demanded, yet no special skill or newly-learned technique is involved in using this brush. The mascara product builds up on the soft fiber portion and, to a far lesser extent, on the stiff fiber portion, which gives clearly recognizable heavily loaded and lightly loaded application zones. Additionally, the stiff fiber portion, 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, because the stiff fiber portion is stored within the mascara container, there is no risk of damage to the comb or of contamination of other objects with mascara. Finally, the use of sleeves during the treatment process allows for the relatively inexpensive creation of brushes with distinct regions.

Problems solved by technology

While conventional brushes can be used to apply mascara, it can be difficult to achieve a satisfactory comb-through, which separates the lashes, without using a separate implement such as a small plastic comb.

However, if the different types of bristles are blended homogeneously, optimal separation of the lashes may be difficult to achieve.

Further, if the bristles are arranged into zones along the length of the brush, the location of the different zones may not be readily apparent, thereby causing the consumer to use the brush in an unintended, less efficient manner.

Additionally, blending fibers is costly and inconvenient in part because the blended fibers are typically provided in hanks or coils which do not work well with modern machinery, since modern machinery is designed to use spools of fiber.

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