Method for computer-aided design of a brush for a cosmetic product applicator, and assembly for producing such a brush

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for computer-aided design of an applicator brush, the brush comprising a plurality of applicator segments (11). The method comprises the following steps: providing a database comprising a plurality of applicator segments (11); providing compatibility rules; selecting a first applicator segment (11); defining, from the database and on the basis of the compatibility rules, a first set of applicator segments (11) compatible with the first applicator segment (11) and selecting at least one applicator segment (11) from the first set.

Description

Method for computer-aided design of a brush for a cosmetic product applicator and assembly for manufacturing such a brush Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to cosmetic product applicator brushes and methods of designing such brushes.

[0002] The invention thus relates to a method for computer-aided design of an applicator brush, a method for manufacturing such a brush, a manufacturing assembly for this same brush and a program product. State of the prior art

[0003] The design of cosmetic applicator brushes is relatively complex and can be time-consuming and costly. Indeed, such a design generally involves the development of several prototypes, each of which requires the manufacture or adaptation of the molds used for their manufacture. These operations of manufacturing or adapting the molds are indeed time-consuming and costly, which explains the relatively long lead times for such designs.

[0004] By "cosmetic product applicator brush" is meant above and in the rest of this document, both brushes comprising spikes distributed over their entire periphery, such as "classic" mascara brushes, as well as brushes having spikes on only one part of their periphery and brushes, generally known as combs, having only one row of spikes. It should be noted that such brushes are intended to apply any type of cosmetic product to a part of a user's body, these body parts including in particular keratin fibers, such as eyelashes, lips or even portions of skin.

[0005] To reduce these lead times and the costs associated with such brush design, it is possible to use additive manufacturing. Indeed, such manufacturing has the advantage of not requiring a mold. However, additive manufacturing is not fully adapted to the production of brushes for the application of cosmetic products. Indeed, in addition to the relatively long manufacturing times for each copy of a prototype, the accessible materials are limited and are not necessarily the most suitable for such an application. Thus, with additive manufacturing processes, it is not always possible to manufacture prototypes in the material that will be used for the final brush.

[0006] As an alternative to additive manufacturing, it is also possible to develop a brush from a development kit as taught by application EP 3893693 A1. While such a kit allows for the rapid design of an applicator brush by easily selecting the different applicator sectors that can make up the brush, it has a certain number of drawbacks.

[0007] It will be noted that by "applicator sector" is meant above and in the rest of this document and in accordance with the teaching of document EP3893693 A1, an angular sector of the applicator, the applicator extending axially around a longitudinal axis and being composed of N longitudinal angular sectors, the apex of each of these sectors of which merges with said longitudinal axis. Thus, when the sector comprises N sectors, an applicator sector corresponds to an angular sector of an angle 36O / N 0in such a way that by assembling the N applicator sectors distributed around the longitudinal axis, the applicator is obtained.

[0008] Indeed, such a kit is relatively complex to use and, for an inexperienced designer, it is easy to design a brush that cannot be manufactured due to unsuitable molds. Added to this problem of feasibility of the designed brush are the difficulties of handling these application sectors. Thus this solution itself is not entirely suitable. Statement of the invention

[0009] The invention aims to at least partially remedy the problems mentioned above and thus aims to provide a design method which is both simpler and faster to implement than the methods of the prior art.

[0010] The invention relates to this end to a method for computer-aided design of a brush of a cosmetic product applicator, the brush extending along a longitudinal axis and comprising several applicator sectors each representing an angular section of said brush around the longitudinal axis, the method comprising the following steps: El. provision of a database comprising a plurality of applicator sectors and / or group of applicator sectors capable of participating in the formation of the brush, E2. provision of compatibility rules between the application sectors and / or groups of application sectors, E3. selection by a user of at least one first application sector or group of application sectors in the database, E4. definition from the database and on the basis of the compatibility rules of a first set of application sectors and / or groups of application sectors compatible with the at least one first application sector or group of application sectors selected in step E3., E5. user selection of at least one applicator sector and / or group of applicator sectors in the first set.

[0011] With such a method, the design of an applicator brush is made easy. Indeed, the design rules being previously fixed in step E2., the designer does not need to be experienced and whatever brush he designs when implementing a method of the invention, it can be manufactured. It will also be noted that this type of design aimed at manufacturing by molding, once designed, the prototype of the brush can easily and quickly be manufactured in the appropriate material and with the necessary number of copies unlike the design methods by additive manufacturing. Such a procedure is particularly interesting in the context of a brush design process, since it makes it possible to drastically reduce the time required between the development of a brush prototype and its actual manufacturing, and therefore its application test with the cosmetic product in a real situation (i.e. with tester / testers). It is therefore possible to quickly adjust the prototype brush in order to obtain the desired application properties of the cosmetic product.

[0012] The method may further comprise, after step E5, the following steps: E6. definition from the database and on the basis of the compatibility rules of a subsequent set of application sectors and / or groups of application sectors compatible with the application sector or group of application sectors selected during the previous selection step E5., E7., E7. user selection of at least one subsequent applicator sector or group of applicator sectors in the subsequent set, E8. verification whether the angular sum of the applicator sectors covers the entire angular section of the brush, E9. if the angular sum does not cover the entire angular section return to step E6, otherwise go to step E10, E10. User validation of the designed brush.

[0013] Such additional steps ensure that all applicator areas have been selected and that the brush is complete.

[0014] Each of the selection steps may include a sub-step for displaying the selected applicator sector or group of applicator sectors and a sub-step for validating the applicator sector or group of applicator sectors.

[0015] In this way, the user is able to perfectly visualize the brush he is designing.

[0016] The applicator may further comprise a sleeve to which said brush is fixed, during step E1. of providing a database, a secondary database may also be provided comprising a plurality of sleeves on which the brush is capable of being fixed, and during step E3. of selection by the user of at least a first applicator sector or group of applicator sectors in the database, a sleeve may further be selected in such a way as to design the applicator equipped with said brush.

[0017] In this way, the user can design his entire applicator based on the method according to the invention.

[0018] The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a brush from a design method according to the invention, when implementing the design method, the step of E10. of validating the brush comprises the following sub-steps: E10.1 definition of information relating to the applicator sectors and / or groups of applicator sectors selected by the user, E10.2 transmission of the information defined in steps E.10.1 to a manufacturing workshop, E10.3 manufacturing by the brush manufacturing workshop based on the information provided.

[0019] With such a process, the user is able to manufacture a prototype brush directly from the computer, the elements necessary for manufacturing being directly transmitted to the manufacturing workshop after validation by the user of the characteristics of the prototype brush to be manufactured.

[0020] During one of step E3 of selection by a user of at least one first applicator sector or group of applicator sectors and step E10 of validation by the user of the designed brush, provision may be made for the selection of at least one material from which said brush will be manufactured.

[0021] In this way, the user is able to choose the material(s) from which the brush designed within the framework of the method according to the invention will be manufactured.

[0022] Alternatively, during step E2. of providing the compatibility rules, the compatibility rules may comprise material compatibility rules for each of the applicator sectors and / or groups of applicator sectors, during step E3. of selection by a user of at least a first applicator sector or group of applicator sectors in the database, a material of said first applicator sector or group of applicator sectors may also be selected by the user, the material and the first applicator sector or group of applicator sectors being chosen in accordance with the material compatibility rules, and during step E4. of definition from the database and on the basis of the compatibility rules of the first set of applicator sectors and / or groups of applicator sectors, said compatible applicator sectors and / or groups of applicator sectors being compatible with the material selected during step E3..

[0023] In this way, all the applicator sectors are compatible with the chosen material, avoiding any risk of poor workmanship which could result from the use of applicator sectors with an unsuitable material.

[0024] In any of the sub-steps E10.1, E10.2 and E10.3, the information relating to the sectors may be provided or transcribed in the form of a succession of references, each of the references being associated with a respective application sector of the database, Manufacturing sub-step E10.3 comprising the following actions: E10.3A provision of a correspondence table between each reference and a suitable mold sector to enable the manufacture of the applicator sector associated with said reference, E10.3B assembly of the mold sectors based on the succession of references and the correspondence table in order to form an assembled mold corresponding to the brush comprising the applicator sectors selected by the user, E10.3C molding the brush from the assembled mold.

[0025] In this way, the technician in charge of manufacturing the brush is able to identify the molds associated with the applicator sectors constituting the brush. This results in easier manufacturing and a particularly low risk of error in the manufacture of the brush.

[0026] The invention further relates to a design and manufacturing assembly for a brush of a cosmetic product applicator, the design and manufacturing assembly comprising at least one computer and a manufacturing workshop, the computer being configured to implement steps E1. to E10. of a manufacturing method according to the invention.

[0027] Such a design and manufacturing assembly allows the implementation of a manufacturing method according to the invention and to benefit from the advantages associated therewith.

[0028] The invention further relates to a computer program product comprising information code configured to implement the steps of a design method according to the invention when executed on a computer, the program product comprising instructions for carrying out the following steps: - providing a database comprising a plurality of applicator sectors and / or groups of applicator sectors capable of participating in the formation of the brush, providing compatibility rules between the applicator sectors and / or groups of applicator sectors, selecting by a user at least one first sector or group of applicator sectors in the database, defining from the database and on the basis of the compatibility rules a first set of applicator sectors and / or groups of applicator sectors compatible with the at least one first applicator sector or group of applicator sectors selected, selecting by the user at least one applicator sector and / or group of applicator sectors in the first set.

[0029] Such a program product allows the implementation of a method according to the invention and thus to benefit from the advantages attached thereto.

[0030] The invention further relates to a computer-readable computer recording medium storing the program product according to the invention. Brief description of the drawings

[0031] The present invention will be better understood by reading the description of exemplary embodiments, given purely for informational purposes and in no way limiting, with reference to the appended drawings in which: - Figures 1A and 1B respectively illustrate a perspective view of an example of a prototype cosmetic product applicator brush capable of to be produced using a method according to the invention, and an exploded view of some examples of applicator sectors which can be used in the context of such an embodiment, the applicator sectors being shown arranged on a sleeve, - Figures 2A to 2C respectively illustrate a front view of two applicator sectors, one of a left type, the other of a right type, and side sectional and perspective views of an assembly of these two applicator sectors - figure 3 illustrates a sectional view of an assembly of two neutral applicator sectors, - figures 4A to 4C illustrate, schematically and in sectional view, the assembly rules to be observed with regard to the left and right type applicator sectors, - figures 5A to 5D illustrate, schematically and in sectional view, respectively an example of incompatibility between two applicator sectors respectively of left type and right type and two examples of possible assembly for assembling two right type sectors, - Figures 6A and 6B respectively illustrate a sectional view and a perspective view of an example of a group of applicator sectors without spikes to form a partial applicator called a “comb”. These sectors can be selected as part of the implementation of the design method according to the invention, - figure 7 illustrates a flowchart of the method of designing a brush according to the invention, - figure 8 illustrates a flowchart specifying the sub-steps likely to be implemented during step E10 of validation of the designed brush, - figure 9 illustrates a flowchart specifying the actions likely to be implemented during a sub-step E10.3 of manufacturing the designed brush, - figure 10 illustrates a design and manufacturing assembly for a brush of a cosmetic product applicator comprising a computer to enable the design of the brush and a manufacturing workshop to enable its manufacture, - Figure 11 illustrates a design and manufacturing assembly of a brush of a cosmetic product applicator according to an alternative of the invention based on the use of a server.

[0032] Identical, similar or equivalent parts of different figures bear the same numerical references so as to facilitate the transition from one figure to another.

[0033] The different parts represented in the figures are not necessarily on a uniform scale, to make the figures more readable.

[0034] The different possibilities (variants and embodiments) must be understood as not being mutually exclusive and can be combined with each other. Detailed description of specific embodiments

[0035] Figure 1A illustrates an example of an applicator 1 having a brush 100 capable of being designed during the implementation of a method according to the invention.

[0036] Such a brush 100 is a brush of an applicator of fluid or pasty products on keratin fibers. The products can be cosmetic or therapeutic. The applicator 1 comprises, in addition to the brush itself, a sleeve 2 to allow the manipulation of the brush 100. It will be noted that according to a variant of the invention not illustrated, the brush can be a brush dedicated to the application of a cosmetic product on the lips, in particular with a view to coloring them or a non-therapeutic treatment, such as hydration, or on the skin. Of course, the invention is not limited to these types of cosmetic product application alone, and relates to any type of cosmetic product application capable of being carried out using a brush.

[0037] This brush extends along a longitudinal axis XX and comprises several applicator sectors 11 each representing an angular section of said brush 100 around the longitudinal axis XX. Of course, if the delimitation of the sectors is shown in FIG. 1A, this is purely for illustration purposes. Indeed, during manufacture, generally by molding, the applicator sectors 11 are in one piece and there is no delimitation between two adjacent applicator sectors 11.

[0038] Of course, the applicator 1 and its brush 100 illustrated in Figure 1A are provided for illustrative purposes. A multitude of models can be designed within the framework of the implementation of the method according to the invention.

[0039] According to the principle already presented in the context of application EP3893693 A1 and illustrated in figure 1B, with such a system of applicator sectors 11, it is possible to select different types of applicator sectors 11. This figure 1B thus shows the sleeve 2 and a plurality of different applicator sectors 11, according to an exploded view in order to better show examples of applicator sectors 11. For more information concerning the examples of applicator sectors which can be selected in the context of the present invention, reference is made to application EP3893693 A1 and more precisely to figures 5A to 6C and the parts of the description discussing these figures.

[0040] It will be noted that the sleeve 2 is in a hollow cylindrical shape, one face of which is open in order to form a recess to accommodate an assembly end 5 (shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C) of the brush 100. Of course, such a shape is given only as an example, the sleeve being able to have other shapes, as will be discussed in the remainder of this document, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0041] In order to present the assembly principle as used in the context of the present invention, Figures 2A to 2C illustrate the assembly of two applicator sectors 11A, 11B corresponding to the same pair. As shown in these figures, the two applicator sectors 11A, 11B comprise in common a core 4 extending longitudinally from the assembly end 5. The core 4 is delimited laterally by a first 401 and a second 402 lateral faces adjacent to each other and forming an angle α between them. The angle α is between 7.5° and 180°, for example. The assembly end 5, having a cylinder shape when all the applicator sectors 11 are selected, is intended to be received in the recess of the sleeve 2 according to the invention. As shown in Figures 2A and 2C, the core 4 has pins 3 of the brush. It will be noted that in this case, the pins 3 are offset between each of the two applicator sectors 11A, 11B illustrated.

[0042] The two applicator sectors 11A, 11B shown in FIG. 2A are adjacent applicator sectors of the same type and each having a lateral face 402 which is configured to come into contact with the other lateral face 402 of the other applicator sector of the same type, on a principle of straight applicator sectors D (the applicator sector 11A) and left G (the applicator sector 11B). Figures 2B and 2C show such an arrangement of these applicator sectors 11A, 11B with their side faces 401, 402 assembled to each other.

[0043] According to another possibility of applicator sector shown in Figure 3, the applicator sector 11A, 11B, can be neutral and therefore be compatible with any type of applicator sector 11. An applicator sector according to this possibility, does not need a paired arrangement as is the case of the applicator sectors 11A, 11B illustrated in Figure 3.

[0044] Thus, as shown by these two examples of assembly of applicator sectors 11A, 11B, when designing a brush 100 according to the principle of the present invention, it is necessary to comply with a certain number of design rules. Figures 4A to 5C illustrate certain examples of design rules. Of course, these design rules are provided as an example of implementation of the invention and must be adapted to the types of brushes to be designed, to the applicator sectors that may be used in the context of this design and of course to the possible manufacturing tools, such as molds and injection presses that may be used for the manufacture of the prototypes of said designed brush 100.

[0045] It will be noted that by convention, in figures 4A to 6B, the left applicator sectors 11A are referenced 11A and the right applicator sectors 11B are referenced 11B. In the context of figures 4C, 5B, 6A and 6B, the reference 11C is used to correspond to another applicator sector (third or second of the same type), this one then being able to be either right or left.

[0046] Thus, it can be seen in Figures 4A to 4C that for applicator sectors 11A, 11B operate in pairs, like those illustrated in Figures 2A to 2C, during the selection: - the right applicator sector 11B must necessarily be arranged to the right of the left applicator sector 11A, as shown in figure 4A, - a left applicator sector 11A must necessarily be arranged to the right of a right applicator sector 11B, as shown in figure 4B, - two application sectors of the same type cannot follow one another (here these are two right applicator sectors 11B, 11D but this is also valid for two left applicator sectors), as shown in figure 4C.

[0047] In other words, an applicator sector 11A, 11B of one type among the right and the left must succeed and must be succeeded by an applicator sector 11B, 11A of the other type.

[0048] Figures 5A to 5D illustrate another example of rules concerning the assembly of applicator sectors 11A, 11B, 11E comprising pins 3 which may have incompatibilities. Indeed, as shown in Figure 5A, certain applicator sectors 11A, 11E, even when respecting the left / right rules set out above, may not be compatible with each other. It can be seen in Figure 5A that the left applicator sector 11A is not compatible with the right applicator sector 11E since the pins 3 which face each other have distinct heights (. Similarly, according to another possibility of incompatibility, the pins of these two applicator sectors 11A, 11E could also have pitches along the longitudinal axis XX of the applicator which would not be compatible with each other.Therefore, the assembly of these two applicator sectors 11A, 11E does not allow the formation of a row suitable for the application of a cosmetic product, and must be excluded by means of suitable rules.

[0049] However, as shown in Figures 5B, 5C, it is possible to assemble these two types of applicator sectors 11A, 11C (in their “left” versions) by arranging between them an intermediate sector 11B without a spike 3. According to another possibility, as shown in Figure 5C, it is possible to assemble these two applicator sectors together in such a way that the face of one which has the spikes 3 is in support of the face of the other which does not have a spike 3, this by interchanging them. Figure 5D shows an arrangement of a right applicator sector 11B with a left applicator sector 11A complementary to each other, the spikes 3 of one coinciding with the spikes of the other.

[0050] It will also be noted that within the scope of the invention, it is possible to provide groups 10 of applicator sectors 11A, 11B, 11C such as that illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B. Such a group is a set of preselected applicator sectors representing an interesting function for the user. Thus, for example, in the case illustrated in Figures 6A and 6B, eight applicator sectors 11A, 11B, 11C without spikes 3 are assembled to form a half brush without spikes. In this way, the user wanting a brush comprising spikes on only one side can select such a group 10 to form half of his brush in a single selection. In an identical manner, it is possible to provide quarter brushes, third brushes or half brushes having spikes 3 according to a standard arrangement so that the user can, in a single selection, obtain a desired brush function.

[0051] It will also be noted that, according to one possibility of the invention, such a group 10 of applicator sectors 11A, 11B, 11C can also be designed by the user. For example, the user can select a first arrangement of two or four applicator sectors 11A, 11B, 11C forming a first group 10 and then repeat this group 10 of applicator sectors 11A, 11B, 11C.

[0052] On the basis of these examples of rules and these different possibilities for arranging applicator sectors 11, it is thus possible to implement a computer-aided design method for a brush 100 of a cosmetic product applicator 1 according to the invention. In accordance with the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 6, such a design method may comprise the following steps: El. provision of a database comprising a plurality of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C and / or group 10 of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C capable of participating in the formation of the brush 100, E2. provision of compatibility rules between application sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C and / or groups 10 of application sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 110, E3. selection by a user of at least one first applicator sector 11, 11A, 11B, 110 or group 10 of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 110 in the database, E4. definition from the database and on the basis of the compatibility rules of a first set of application sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C and / or groups 10 of application sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C compatible with the at least one first applicator sector 11, 11A, 11B, 11C or group 10 of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C selected in step E3, E5. selection by the user of at least one applicator sector 11, 11A, 11B, 11C and / or group 10 of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 110 in the first set, E6. definition from the database and on the basis of the compatibility rules of a subsequent set of application sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C and / or groups 10 of application sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C compatible with the application sector 11, 11A, 11B, 11C or the group 10 of application sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C selected during the previous selection step E5., E7., E7. selection by the user of at least one subsequent applicator sector 11, 11A, 11B, 11C or group 10 of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C in the subsequent set, E8. verification whether the angular sum of the applicator sectors covers the entire angular section of the brush, E9. if the angular sum does not cover the entire angular section return to step E6., otherwise, go to step E10., E10. User validation of the designed brush.

[0053] According to one possibility of the invention, during one of the step E3 of selection by a user of at least one first applicator sector 11, 11A, 11B, 11C or group 10 of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C and the step E10 of validation by the user of the designed brush 100, the selection of at least one material from which said brush will be manufactured is provided. Preferably, the step of E10 comprises a sub-step of selection of the at least one material from which said brush will be manufactured.

[0054] It will be noted that according to this possibility of the invention, the user may have the possibility of selecting several materials or groups of materials in order to allow several prototypes to be designed and thus identify, from these different prototypes, the material which is most suitable for his brush 100.

[0055] It will also be noted that within the framework of this same possibility of the invention, it may be provided, for example within the framework of validation step E10, the possibility for the user to change the material or group of materials of his brush in the event that the first material tested was not considered suitable. Such a possibility allows the user to avoid having to implement steps E1 to E9 again when only the material of the brush needs to be changed.

[0056] According to another possibility of the invention, a variant of the above possibility, during step E2. of providing the compatibility rules, the compatibility rules may comprise rules for compatibility of materials of each of the applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C and / or groups 10 of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C and during step E3. of selection by a user of at least one first applicator sector 11, IIA, 11B, 11C or group 10 of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 110 in the database, a material of said first applicator sector 11, 11A, 11B, 110 or group 10 of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 110 is also selected by the user, the material and the first applicator sector 11, 11A, 11B, 11C or group 10 of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C being chosen in accordance with the material compatibility rules. According to this possibility, during step E4 of definition from the database and on the basis of the compatibility rules of the first set of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C and / or groups 10 of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C, said compatible applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C and / or groups 10 of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C are compatible with the material selected during step E3.

[0057] According to another possibility of the invention, during step E1., a secondary database may also be provided comprising a plurality of sleeves 2 on which the brush 100 is capable of being fixed. According to this possibility, during step E3. of selection by the user of at least one first applicator sector 11, 11A, IIB, 11C or group 10 of applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C in the database, a sleeve 2 can further be selected in such a way as to design the applicator equipped with said brush 100.

[0058] Likewise, advantageously, each of the selection steps E3., E5., E7. can comprise a sub-step of displaying the applicator sector 11 or the group 10 of applicator sectors 11 selected and a sub-step of validating the sector applicator 11 or group 10 of applicator sectors 11. This display can be done in such a way as to show the applicator sector 11 or group 10 of applicator sectors 11 assembled with the applicator sector(s) which have been previously selected. In this way, the user is able to verify that the selected applicator sector 11 is the correct one and can possibly verify its correct match with the other applicator sector(s) which have been previously selected.

[0059] It will be noted that, similarly, in the context of the subsequent selection steps E5., E7. of an applicator sector, it may also be possible to identify an applicator sector 11, or group 10 of applicator sectors, to be modified. According to this possibility, the first set, or the subsequent set, comprises only applicator sectors 11 capable of replacing the applicator sector 11 (or one of the applicator sectors 11 of the group 10) identified. The subsequent selection step E5., E7. then consists of selecting from the first set, or the subsequent set, said applicator sector 11 as a replacement for the applicator sector 11 (or one of the applicator sectors 11 of the group 10) identified.

[0060] Such a design method can advantageously be implemented within the framework of a method for manufacturing an applicator brush. According to this possibility, the manufacturing method, in addition to implementing the design method as above, has its step E10 of validation by the user of the designed brush which comprises, as shown in Figure 7, the following sub-steps: E10.1 definition of information relating to the application sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C and / or groups 10 of application sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C selected by the user, E10.2 transmission of the information defined in steps E.10.1 to a manufacturing workshop 220, E10.3 manufacture by manufacturing workshop 220 of brush 100 on the basis of the information transmitted.

[0061] In the context of a conventional implementation of such a manufacturing method, during any of the sub-steps E10.1, E10.2 and E10.3, the information relating to the applicator sectors 11, 11A, 11B, 11C may be provided or transcribed in the form of a succession of references, each of the references being associated with a respective applicator sector 11, 11A, 11B, 11C of the database. According to this possibility, the manufacturing sub-step E10.3 may comprise the following actions: E10.3A provision of a correspondence table between each reference and a suitable mold sector to enable the manufacture of the applicator sector 11, 11A, 11B, 11C associated with said reference, E10.3B assembly of the mold sectors on the basis of the succession of references and the correspondence table in order to form an assembled mold corresponding to the brush 100 comprising the applicator sectors selected by the user, E10.3C molding the brush from the assembled mold.

[0062] Such a manufacturing method can in particular be implemented from a design and manufacturing assembly 200 comprising, as illustrated in FIG. 9, at least one computer 210 and a manufacturing workshop 220.

[0063] While of course the computer 210 can be configured to implement steps E1. to E10., other configurations can make it possible to implement a method according to the invention.

[0064] Thus, according to an example of the invention, steps E1 to E10 can be implemented by means of a dedicated site. The steps are implemented on a server 215, the user accessing the server via a computer 210 accessing a site hosted by the server 215. Thus, according to this example, the server 215 hosts, in addition to the dedicated site, the databases containing the applicator sectors, the rules, and any sleeves / materials, and the correspondence table between the molds and the applicator sectors. Of course, if the selection steps are carried out by the user by means of the dedicated website, the selection is carried out by the interaction of the computer 210 and the server 215 and therefore by the server 215 itself. Thus, in the present example, it is the server 215 which implements the method.

[0065] Of course, other implementation possibilities may be envisaged, such as for example a design carried out on the computer 210 by a program dedicated this by accessing the databases of rules and application sectors hosted on a server 215.

[0066] It will be noted that the invention also relates to a computer program product comprising information code configured to implement the steps of a design or manufacturing method as described above when executed on a computer. Similarly, the invention relates to a computer-readable computer recording medium storing such a program product.

[0067] It will also be noted that the design rules can be provided in different ways and can in particular be included directly in the database comprising the application sectors, this database then associating each of the application sectors with those which are compatible with it. According to this possibility, steps E1 and E2 can be concomitant, the rules then being directly provided integrated into the database, for example in the form, for each application sector 11 of a list of application sectors 11 or type of application sectors 11 with which said application sector 11 is compatible.

Claims

Claims 1. Method for computer-aided design of a brush (100) of an applicator (1) for a cosmetic product, the brush (100) extending along a longitudinal axis (XX) and comprising several applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) each representing an angular section of said brush (100) around the longitudinal axis (XX), the method comprising the following steps: El. provision of a database comprising a plurality of application sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) and / or groups (10) of application sectors (11, IIA, 11B, 11C) likely to participate in the formation of the brush, E2. provision of compatibility rules between the application sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) and / or groups (10) of application sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 110), E3. selection by a user of at least one first applicator sector (11, 11A, 11B, 110) or group (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 110) in the database, E4. definition from the database and on the basis of the compatibility rules of a first set of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) and / or group (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) compatible with the at least one first applicator sector (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) or group (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) selected in step E3., E5. user selection of at least one applicator sector (11, 11A, IIB, 11C) and / or group (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 110) in the first set.

2. Design method according to claim 1 further comprising, after step E5, the following steps: E6. definition from the database and on the basis of the compatibility rules of a subsequent set of application sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) and / or groups (10) of application sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) compatible with the sector applicator (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) or the group (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) selected in the previous selection step E5., E7., E7. selection by the user of at least one subsequent applicator sector (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) or group (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) in the subsequent set, E8. verification whether the angular sum of the applicator sectors covers the entire angular section of the brush, E9. if the angular sum does not cover the entire angular section return to step E6, otherwise go to step E10, E10. User validation of the designed brush.

3. Design method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, in which each of the selection steps (E3., E5.) comprises a sub-step of displaying the selected applicator sector (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) or group (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) and a sub-step of validating the applicator sector (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) or group (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C).

4. Design method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the applicator (1) further comprises a sleeve (2) to which said brush (100) is fixed, wherein during step E1. of providing a database, a secondary database is also provided comprising a plurality of sleeves (2) on which the brush (100) is capable of being fixed, and wherein during step E3. of selection by the user of at least a first applicator sector (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) or group (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) in the database, a sleeve (2) is further selected in such a way as to design the applicator equipped with said brush (100).

5. Design method according to claim 2 taken alone or in combination with any one of claims 3 to 4, wherein during one of step E3 of selection by a user of at least one first applicator sector (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) or group (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) and step E10 of validation by the user of the designed brush, the selection of at least one material from which said brush will be manufactured is provided.

6. Method for manufacturing a brush from a design method according to claim 2 taken alone or in combination with any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein during the implementation of the design method, the step of E10. of validating the brush comprises the following sub-steps: E10.1 definition of information relating to the application sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) and / or groups (10) of application sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) selected by the user, E10.2 transmission of the information defined in steps E.10.1 to a manufacturing workshop (220), E10.3 manufacturing by the brush manufacturing workshop (100) based on the information transmitted.

7. Manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein, during any one of the sub-steps E10.1, E10.2 and E10.3, the information relating to the sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) is provided or transcribed in the form of a succession of references, each of the references being associated with a respective applicator sector (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) of the database, and wherein the manufacturing sub-step E10.3 comprises the following actions: E10.3A provision of a correspondence table between each reference and a mold sector adapted to allow the manufacture of the applicator sector (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) associated with said reference, E10.3B assembly of the mold sectors on the basis of the succession of references and the correspondence table in order to form an assembled mold corresponding to the brush (100) comprising the applicator sectors selected by the user, E10.3C molding the brush from the assembled mold 8. Design and manufacturing assembly (200) of a brush (100) of an applicator (1) for a cosmetic product, the design and manufacturing assembly (200) comprising at least one computer (210, 215) and a manufacturing workshop (220), the computer being configured to implement steps E1. to E10. of a manufacturing method according to claim 6 or 7.

9. Computer program product comprising information code configured to implement the steps of a design method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 when executed on a computer (210, 215), the program product comprising instructions for carrying out the following steps: providing a database comprising a plurality of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) and / or groups (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) capable of participating in the formation of the brush, providing compatibility rules between the applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) and / or groups (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 110), selecting by a user at least a first applicator sector (11, 11A, 11B, 110) or group (10) of application sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 110) in the database,definition from the database and on the basis of the compatibility rules of a first set of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) and / or groups (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) compatible with the at least one first applicator sector (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) or group (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) selected, selection by the user of at least one applicator sector (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) and / or group (10) of applicator sectors (11, 11A, 11B, 11C) in the first set.

10. Computer-readable computer recording medium storing the program product according to claim 9.

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