Mascara Applicator With Offset Flexibility Zones
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mascara applicators with flexible zones often have protrusions that are over-extended, leading to insufficient product loading, resulting in lack of volume on eyelashes during application.
Innovation Solution
The applicator features zones of flexibility along its core, where the core is thinned to form cavities that act as product reservoirs, allowing for precise application without elongating protrusions, and these zones are angularly offset to provide flexibility around different axes, ensuring adequate product loading and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the protrusions are made longer to increase flexibility for precise application, then the flexibility and precision of application are improved, but the protrusions become over-wrung when removed from the container, resulting in insufficient product loading
Solution Approach 1:
The core is divided into multiple flexibility zones with different thinning axes, creating segmented areas of varying flexibility. This segmentation allows different parts of the applicator to have optimized properties: some areas provide flexibility for precision while others maintain structural integrity for proper product loading.
Solution Approach 2:
Different zones of the core are given different local qualities through varying thinning patterns. The flexibility zones have reduced core thickness for suppleness, while other areas maintain full thickness for structural support and adequate product saturation during application.
2Ease of operation
If the core is thinned to create flexibility zones, then the flexibility and precision of application are improved, but the structural integrity and product loading capacity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The core is segmented into flexibility zones and non-flexibility zones, allowing the structure to have both flexible areas for precision and stronger areas for structural integrity and product loading.
Solution Approach 2:
The core thickness parameter is changed locally in specific zones to create flexibility, while other areas maintain original thickness for strength. This selective parameter modification resolves the contradiction between flexibility and structural integrity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple flexibility zones with different thinning axes are created, then the applicator becomes flexible around different axes eliminating the need for specific orientation, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexibility zones are arranged asymmetrically with different thinning axes (first zone with axis at angle α, second zone with axis at angle β), creating adaptability for multi-directional flexibility while maintaining a relatively simple overall core structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The core structure is made dynamically adaptable through the angular offset of thinning axes, allowing the applicator to flex naturally in multiple directions regardless of initial orientation, eliminating the need for user learning or specific positioning.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to an applicator (10) for a cosmetic product comprising a core (11) extending along a main longitudinal extension direction (X), referred to as main direction, and a plurality of protrusions (12) projecting from the core (11), the core (11) comprising a plurality of flexible zones (13a, 13b) arranged in succession along the main direction (X), on which the core (11) is thinned according to a thinning axis (14a, 14b) substantially orthogonal relative to the main direction (X) so as to form two cavities (15a, 15b) that are radially opposed relative to said main direction (X), the applicator (10) comprising at least one flexible zone (13a, 13b) having a thinning axis (14a, 14b) that is angularly offset relative to the thinning axis (14b, 14a) of a flexible zone (13b, 13a) adjacent thereto.