FOAM INJECTION APPLICATOR

Abstract

FOAM INJECTION APPLICATOR The invention relates to an applicator (1) comprising: an application portion (2) extending from a connecting portion (21) to a nozzle portion (22) along a second axis (y), wherein the application portion has a maximum width along a first axis (x) perpendicular to the second axis and a maximum height along a third axis (z) perpendicular to both the first and second axes at the connecting portion; an attachment portion (3) extending from the connecting portion (21) to a base portion (31) along the second axis (y), away from the application portion; wherein the application portion (2) has a shape in which two convex surfaces projecting away from each other are combined along the third axis and has two side edges (24) corresponding to lines of intersection of the two convex surfaces. Figure for the abstract: 1

Description

Title of the invention: FOAM INJECTION APPLICATOR technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to an applicator made of an expanded material. The present invention also relates to a device for applying eyeliner to cosmetics, comprising such an applicator.

[0002] [Context of art]

[0003] Applying makeup, for example on the eyelids, eyebrows and lips, by drawing a line with an eyeliner applicator is a known practice.

[0004] Document WO 2020 / 128219 discloses a cosmetic product application device. This device comprises a gripping member and an applicator element integrated into the gripping member. The applicator element is at least partially made of expanded plastic. The application device can be used as part of an assembly for the packaging and application of a cosmetic product.

[0005] Patent KR 10-2018-0105392 discloses an eyeliner. This eyeliner comprises a body unit having a main material containing a cosmetic product and an applicator tip having one end in contact with the main material of the body unit and the other end exposed outside the body unit to dispense the cosmetic product. A window can be formed on a portion of the applicator tip. A user can easily draw lines on their eyes more accurately and precisely, following the contour of the eye.

[0006] US patent 2018 / 0246767 discloses a device for the packaging and application of eyeliner. This device comprises a container that holds the eyeliner to be applied and an applicator tip defining an application surface for applying the eyeliner contained in the container, having at least one cavity opening onto the application surface and being elongated along a longitudinal axis, the cavity being laterally bordered by two walls whose free edges, on the application surface side, are convex about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cavity.

[0007] Document FR 2 799 939 discloses an applicator for a cosmetic. This applicator comprises an application element and a removable protective element delimited by a separation zone, the application element being produced in the form of a foam and comprising one or more particulate compounds intended to be released after removal of the protective element, in particular to be brought into contact with a surface to be treated or made up or to release a product upon contact with said surface, characterized in that the protective element is made of an expanded material and obtained by one-piece molding with the application element.

[0008] The present invention aims to facilitate the application of eyeliner, such as the application of eyeliner. Description of the invention

[0009] According to one aspect, the present invention provides an applicator. The applicator may comprise: an application portion extending from a connecting portion to a nozzle portion along a second axis, wherein the application portion has a maximum width along a first axis perpendicular to the second axis and a maximum height along a third axis perpendicular to both the first and second axes at the level of the connecting portion; an attachment portion extending from the connecting portion to a base portion along the second axis, away from the application portion; wherein the application portion has a shape in which two convex surfaces projecting away from each other are combined along the third axis and has two side edges corresponding to lines of intersection of the two convex surfaces.

[0010] In an embodiment according to the present invention, the applicator may include a window portion, which may be a through hole penetrating the application portion. The applicator may be made of a porous material, such as expanded polyethylene, having a porosity between 50% and 80% and an average pore diameter between 5 µm and 50 µm.

[0011] In an embodiment according to the present invention, the width of the application portion of the applicator can be reduced from the connecting portion to the nozzle portion by the side edges. The side edges of the applicator can be determined along an arc having a predetermined radius of curvature.

[0012] In an embodiment according to the present invention, the attachment portion of the applicator may include an attachment hole extending from the base portion to the connecting portion along the second axis. The applicator may have a shape that is rotationally symmetrical about the second axis.

[0013] According to another aspect, the present invention provides an applicator device. The application device may include: a body defining a reservoir containing the liquid to be applied; a closing cap to be attached to the body to prevent the liquid from drying out; and an applicator mentioned above, in which the applicator is attached to the body or the closing cap and absorbs and retains the liquid to be applied, which may be a cosmetic liquid. Brief description of the drawings

[0014] The present invention can be better understood by reading the following description of its non-limiting embodiments, and by examining the schematic drawings which accompanying him are:

[0015] - [Fig. 1] [Fig. 1] shows a perspective view of an applicator according to the present invention,

[0016] - [Fig.2] [Fig.2] shows a plan view along the z-axis of the applicator along the present invention,

[0017] - [Fig.3] [Fig.3] shows a side view along the x-axis of the applicator along the present invention,

[0018] - [Fig.4] [Fig.4] shows a front view along the y-axis of the applicator along the present invention, and

[0019] - [Fig. 5] [Fig. 5] shows a schematic view of an application device liner comprising the applicator according to the present invention. Description of the implementation methods

[0020] Figures 1 to 4 show an embodiment of an applicator 1 according to the present invention. An applicator 1 of the present invention has an elongated shape in one direction. An x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis are applied to the applicator. The x-axis corresponds to a direction in which the applicator 1 has its maximum width. The y-axis corresponds to a longitudinal direction of the applicator 1 and is perpendicular to the x-axis. The z-axis corresponds to a direction in which the applicator 1 has its maximum height and is perpendicular to both the x-axis and the y-axis.

[0021] The applicator 1 consists of an application portion 2 and an attachment portion 3 which are aligned with the y-axis. The application portion 2 extends from a connecting portion 21 to a nozzle portion 22 along the y-axis. The attachment portion extends from the connecting portion 21 to a base portion 31 along the y-axis, away from the application portion 2.

[0022] The application portion 2 has a width along the x-axis, a length along the y-axis, and a height along the z-axis. The application portion 2 has a maximum width along the x-axis and a maximum height along the z-axis at the level of the connecting portion 21. The application portion 2 may have a shape in which two convex surfaces projecting away from each other are combined along the z-axis.

[0023] Two side edges 24 correspond to lines of intersection of the two convex surfaces, and the application portion 2 is delimited by these side edges along the x-axis. The width of the application portion 2 is reduced from the connecting portion 21 to the end portion 22 by the side edges 24, which are shaped according to an arc having a predetermined radius of curvature. The two side edges 24 intersect at the end portion 22. The connecting portion 21 terminates in a flat surface that is perpendicular to the y-axis in this embodiment.

[0024] Consequently, the application part 2 has a substantially triangular shape isosceles viewed along the z-axis, and the cross-sectional shape of the application part 2 in a plane perpendicular to the y-axis has an almond shape whose cross-sectional shape is progressively reduced from the connecting portion 21 to the end portion 22. In addition, the shape of the application part 2 is symmetrical with respect to a plane consisting of the y-axis and the z-axis, and is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the y-axis.

[0025] The application portion 2 includes a window portion 26 substantially at the center of the application portion 2. The window portion 26 may be a through hole penetrating the application portion 2 in this embodiment. The window portion 26 has a width along the x-axis and a length along the y-axis.

[0026] The window portion 26 has a semicircular wall 27 proximal to the connecting portion 21 and two side walls 28 extending from each side of the semicircular wall 27 to a vertex portion 29 proximal to the end portion 22. The window portion 26 has a maximum width between the joints of the semicircular wall 27 and each of the side walls 28, and narrows towards the vertex portion 29. Each of the side walls 28 may be a flat surface or a curved surface. Consequently, the window portion 26 has a teardrop shape when viewed along the z-axis. The edges of the window portion 26 may be chamfered.

[0027] The window portion 26 contributes to increasing the flexibility of the application portion 2, and thus, to increasing user comfort. The window portion 26 also contributes to improving the user's view when applying, for example, eyeliner while looking in a mirror through the window 26.

[0028] In this embodiment, the attachment portion 3 has a substantially cylindrical shape around the y-axis. The attachment portion 3 may also have a rectangular parallelepiped shape or a frustoconical shape. Although the attachment portion 3 is centered on the application portion 2 with respect to the y-axis, the attachment portion 3 may be offset along the x-axis and / or the y-axis.

[0029] The attachment part 3 can be formed as a single piece with the application part 2. Alternatively, the attachment part 3 can be formed separately from the application part 2 and joined to the application part 2. The attachment part 3 has a diameter substantially identical to the maximum height of the application part 2 in this embodiment, but is not limited to it.

[0030] The attachment portion 3 includes an attachment hole 32 into which a rod of the application device described below can be inserted. The attachment hole 32 extends from the base portion 31 to the connecting portion 21 along the y-axis and terminates in the vicinity of the connecting portion 22. The attachment hole 32 may extend beyond the connecting portion 22.

[0031] The application portion 2 and the attachment portion 3 are made of a porous material. In particular, the application portion 2 and the attachment portion 3 are made of Expanded polyethylene having a porosity between 50% and 70% and an average pore diameter between 5 µm and 50 µm in this embodiment. Other porous materials, such as expanded polyurethane, may be used depending on the application.

[0032] The application part 2 and the attachment part 3 may be made of the same material, or they may be made of different materials. The applicator 1, made of porous material, may have very smooth surfaces and a complex design.

[0033] An example of the use of the applicator 1 according to the present invention is now explained below. Figure 5 shows an example of a liner application device 100 for drawing lines with cosmetic liquid, comprising the applicator 1 of the present invention. The liner application device 100 comprises a body 110 in the form of a pen having an elongated shape along the y-axis, which defines a reservoir for holding a cosmetic liquid to be applied to the skin of a user, such as eyeliner.

[0034] The eyeliner application device 100 also includes a closure cap 120 to be removably attached to the body 110 by a suitable means such as a snap-on fastener, a screw, or a friction fit. The closure cap 120 prevents the cosmetic liquid in the reservoir from drying out when the closure cap 120 is attached to the body 110.

[0035] The applicator 1 is attached to one end of the body 110, for example, by press-fitting the attachment portion 3 into the body 110. The attachment portion 3 becomes a fluid communication point with the reservoir when the applicator 1 is attached to the body 110. The applicator 1 absorbs the cosmetic liquid from the reservoir and becomes saturated with the liquid, since the applicator 1 is made of a porous material. The cosmetic liquid contained in the reservoir reaches the nozzle portion 22 of the application portion 2 via the attachment portion 3.

[0036] The closure cap 120 is normally attached to the body 110 when the eyeliner applicator 100 is not in use. The applicator 1, which is in fluidic communication with the reservoir and absorbs the cosmetic liquid, is covered by the closure cap 120 when the closure cap 120 is attached to the body 110. The closure cap 120 prevents the cosmetic liquid from drying out in this state.

[0037] The closing cap 120 is removed from the body 110 when the eyeliner applicator 100 is used. The application part 2 of the applicator 1 is exposed when the closing cap 120 is removed from the body 110. The application part 2 of the applicator 1 becomes saturated with the cosmetic liquid, and users can draw lines on the skin by touching their skin with the application part 2. The thickness of the lines can be changed depending on the angle at which the part application 2 touches the skin.

[0038] Alternatively, the closure cap 120 may include a rod (not shown) extending from the closure cap 120 along the y-axis, and the applicator 1 may be attached at the distal end to the closure cap 120. The applicator 1 may be fixed to the rod, for example, by press-fitting the rod into the attachment hole 32. The closure cap 120 is normally attached to the body 110 when the liner application device 100 is not in use.

[0039] When the closure cap 120 is attached to the body 110, the applicator 1 is immersed in the cosmetic liquid contained in the reservoir and becomes saturated with the cosmetic liquid. During use, removing the closure cap 120 from the body 110 causes the applicator 1 to be extracted from the reservoir, and the saturated cosmetic liquid can be applied.

[0040] Although the embodiment of the present invention is described for use in the application of eyeliner, the present invention can be used for any kind of cosmetic application.

Claims

Demands

1. Applicator (1) comprising: an application portion (2) extending from a connecting portion (21) to a nozzle portion (22) along a second axis (y), wherein the application portion has a maximum width along a first axis (x) perpendicular to the second axis and a maximum height along a third axis (z) perpendicular to both the first and second axes at the level of the connecting portion; an attachment portion (3) extending from the connecting portion (21) to a base portion (31) along the second axis (y), away from the application portion; in which the application part (2) has a shape in which two convex surfaces projecting away from each other are combined along the third axis and has two side edges (24) corresponding to lines of intersection of the two convex surfaces in which the applicator includes a window part (26) which is a through hole penetrating the application part (2).

2. Applicator (1) according to claim 1, wherein the applicator (1) is made of a porous material.

3. Applicator (1) according to claim 2, wherein the porous material is an expanded polyethylene having a porosity between 50% and 80% and an average pore diameter between 5 µm and 50 µm.

4. Applicator (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the width of the application part (2) is reduced from the connecting portion (21) to the nozzle portion (22) by the side edges (24).

5. Applicator (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the side edges (24) are shaped according to an arc having a predetermined radius of curvature.

6. Applicator (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the attachment portion (3) comprises an attachment hole (32) extending from the base portion (31) to the connecting portion (21) along the second axis (y).

7. Applicator (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 in which the applicator (1) has a shape that is rotationally symmetric with respect to the second axis (y).

8. Application device (100) comprising: a body (110) defining a reservoir containing liquid to

9. apply ; a closing cap (120) to be attached to the body to prevent the liquid from drying out; and an applicator (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the applicator (1) is fixed to the body (110) or to the closing cap (120) and becomes impregnated with the liquid to be applied. Application device (100) according to claim 8, wherein the liquid to be applied is a cosmetic liquid.

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