Movable Protuberance Cosmetic Applicator for Product Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cosmetic applicators, such as mascara brushes, often leave excess product at the base of the bristles and around the core, which is not effectively used for makeup and tends to dry, reducing the product's lifespan and causing wastage.
Innovation Solution
The design limits product loading to the terminal portion of the protuberances, ensuring that only the necessary amount is used for makeup, reducing wastage and minimizing exposure to air to prevent drying, with features like retractable bristles and a movable applicator that extends from a pen-type case to control product distribution and storage space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the brush is loaded with product at the base of bristles and around the core, then the applicator can carry more product, but the product is wasted and dries out reducing lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The brush structure is segmented into multiple functional zones: a first region with bristles for product application, a second region with a wiper member for excess product removal, and a third region with a barrier. This segmentation allows product to be strategically positioned only at the terminal portions of bristles in the first region, preventing accumulation at the base and around the core, thereby eliminating wastage while maintaining adequate product loading capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The wiper member extracts excess product from the bristles by contacting the terminal portions and removing product through the wiper aperture. This extraction mechanism ensures that only the necessary amount of product remains at the bristle tips, preventing overloading and subsequent wastage while maintaining functional product availability for application
2Productivity
If excess product is stored on the brush, then the applicator can apply makeup more intensively, but the product dries out altering brush properties and reducing lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier is positioned to prevent product from reaching the base of the bristles and the core of the brush before the product can be applied. This preliminary action blocks the pathway that would otherwise lead to product accumulation in areas where it cannot be used, thereby preserving brush properties and extending lifespan while maintaining application intensity at the functional bristle tips
3Loss of time
If the applicator stores more product, then it can reduce refilling frequency, but it increases the risk of product drying out and wasting
Solution Approach 1:
The product storage and distribution system exhibits local quality by confining product to specific locations: the terminal portions of bristles in the first region and the space between the wiper and barrier. This localized product positioning ensures that product is always in a usable state for immediate application, eliminating the trade-off between storage quantity and wastage risk, as excess product is prevented from accumulating in non-functional areas
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~3B
Figure 4A~4C
AI summary
The applicator (11) for applying an eyelash cosmetic comprises: - a body (1, 2) and - protuberances (3) having a free end and arranged so as to be movable relative to the body between a retracted position and an extended position, in which the protuberances extend outward from the body further than in the retracted position. The applicator is designed such that every free end moving from the retracted to the extended position follows a path that is transversal to a longitudinal axis of the applicator.