Abstract:
An applicator includes a handle member, a retainer secured to the handle member, an applicator ball rotably mounted in the retainer, and at least one elastically-deformable link element connecting the retainer to the handle member so that the retainer is moveable relative to the member. The handle member may be configured to be capable of closing a receptacle in a leaktight manner.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/438,322 filed on Jan. 7, 2003, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to applicators, such as applicators used in particular for applying cosmetics and care products.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,111,703 discloses a deodorant applicator comprising a receptacle having a cage fixed thereon that houses a ball. The cage has an end wall with a slit that is closed at rest. The end wall has two abutments disposed on either side of the slit and against which the ball comes to bear during application so as to exert stress on the abutments, causing the slit to open and allow the substance contained in the receptacle to pass to the ball.  
           [0004]    French patent application No. 2,734,131 discloses a packaging and applicator device comprising a receptacle and a removable applicator element. The applicator element has a handle member defining a housing for a ball, which ball is urged towards the opening of the housing by a spring placed in the end of the housing.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide an applicator comprising a handle member and a retainer, such as a cage, secured to the handle member and defining a housing for receiving an applicator ball so as to allow the ball to rotate in the housing, wherein the retainer is movable relative to the handle member, the retainer being connected to the handle member by at least one elastically-deformable link element.  
           [0006]    During application, embodiments of the invention may provide the user with a sensation of comfort by pressure exerted on the skin by the applicator being transmitted to the ball via the elastically-deformable link element.  
           [0007]    In addition, during application, the ball can follow the relief of the body more easily, including the relief of the face, because of the way the retainer is movable relative to the handle member.  
           [0008]    In embodiments, the link element may be made separately from the retainer, and assembled thereto during manufacture of the device. In other embodiments, at least part of the link element may be made integrally, e.g., monolithically, with the cage, for example, by molding of a plastics material.  
           [0009]    When the handle member has an axis, e.g., an axis of symmetry of the applicator, the link element may be advantageously arranged so as to enable the retainer, at least during application, to move along the axis or to depart from the axis, for example, so as to allow the retainer to move in three mutually-orthogonal directions relative to the handle member.  
           [0010]    In embodiments, the link element may comprise a foam, such as, for example, polyurethane foam. In other embodiments, the link element may comprise a spring, such as a helical spring. Where appropriate, the spring may be made integrally (e.g., monolithically) with the handle member, or with the retainer, or with both the handle member and the retainer, for example, by molding of a plastics material. The spring may also be made of metal. The link element may also be made of any other suitable material and/or configuration that is capable of being elastically deformed.  
           [0011]    In embodiments of the invention, the handle member comprises a cap and an insert fixed within the cap, the link element being secured to the insert. The insert may optionally have an assembly skirt enabling the link element to be fixed thereto.  
           [0012]    In embodiments of the invention, the applicator is arranged to be capable of closing, in sealed manner, a receptacle containing the substance for application. The applicator may include, for example, a sealing lip for pressing in leaktight or leakproof manner against a neck of the receptacle.  
           [0013]    The retainer may be made of a plastics material that is relatively rigid, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, for example. The retainer may have an inside surface in the form of a portion of a sphere, for example, matching the shape of the ball.  
           [0014]    The retainer and the ball may be configured to allow creation of a clearance therebetween that enables a movement of the ball in the retainer, other than a pure rotational movement, relative to the center of the retainer.  
           [0015]    Embodiments of the invention provide a packaging and applicator device comprising: a receptacle suitable for containing a substance, for example, a cosmetic substance or other care product; and an applicator, as defined above, that is arranged to be capable of closing the receptacle.  
           [0016]    In embodiments of the invention, the receptacle may have a wall defining a housing for receiving the ball when the applicator is in place on the receptacle.  
           [0017]    This wall may also define a seat for the ball.  
           [0018]    For example, in embodiments such a wall may include at least one annular portion against which the ball bears when the applicator is in place on the receptacle. This may serve to prevent the ball-receiving housing from filling too easily with substance while the device is being carried about, e.g., in a handbag.  
           [0019]    In advantageous embodiments, when the applicator is in place on the receptacle, the link element may be compressed so as to press the ball against its seat. In embodiments, contact may be made between an edge of the retainer and the wall.  
           [0020]    The wall may include one or more orifices allowing the substance contained in the receptacle to pass towards the ball. The orifice may open into a setback in the wall. This setback may be defined by the annular portion of the wall. The setback may co-operate with the ball to form a space suitable for retaining the substance. The space may make it easier for the ball to take up the substance.  
           [0021]    The receptacle may be preferably made by assembling together a first portion forming a reservoir and a second portion defining a ball-receiving housing. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]    The invention may be better understood on reading the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments thereof, and on examining the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic and fragmentary axial section view of a first exemplary embodiment of a packaging and applicator device in accordance with the invention;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic axial section view showing an applicator of the device of FIG. 1;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the applicator of FIG. 2 during use; and  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic axial section view showing an applicator according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
       [0027]    The term “care products” is used to generically refer to any substance that is used to effect one or more external body conditions, such as conditions of the skin, hair and nails. For example, such substances include, but are not limited to, treatment products, such as sunscreen, moisturizer and/or medicaments, cleansing products and cosmetic products, such as makeup products, or any other known or later developed product that may be applied to the body.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 1 shows a packaging and applicator device  1  comprising a receptacle  2  and an applicator  3 .  
         [0029]    The receptacle  2  comprises a reservoir-forming first portion  4  containing a substance P, such as, for example, a body lotion. The first portion  4  may have a neck  5  at its upper end extending along an axis X.  
         [0030]    The first portion  4  may also have an end wall  7  connected to the neck  5  via two successive shoulders  8  and  10 .  
         [0031]    The neck  5  may be provided on its outside surface with relief portions  12 , which may provide a function that is explained below.  
         [0032]    The receptacle  2  also comprises a second portion  13  formed by a part that may be fitted onto the first portion  4 .  
         [0033]    This second portion  13  may have an outer covering skirt  14  about the axis X with a bottom end that comes into abutment against the shoulder  8  and that snap-fastens onto an intermediate region  9  interconnecting the shoulders  8  and  10  of the first portion  4 .  
         [0034]    Inside the outer covering skirt  14 , the second portion  13  may also comprise one or more ribs  16  extending in the direction of the axis X on either side of the relief portions  12  on the neck  5 . The ribs  16  may be arranged to prevent the second portion  13  from turning relative to the first portion  4 .  
         [0035]    The outer covering skirt  14  may be connected to a wall such as a tubular wall  17  by a transverse region  15 , which may, for example, extend perpendicularly to the axis X.  
         [0036]    The wall  17  defines a neck  18  above the transverse region  15 . The neck may have an outside thread and may bear in a leaktight manner via its bottom portion  19  beneath the region  15  against the inside surface of the neck  5  of the first portion  4 .  
         [0037]    A bottom end of the wall  17  may be closed by a bottom wall  22  which may comprise an annular region  23  with an upper surface  23   a  that is spherical so as to form a seat for an applicator ball  30  carried by the applicator  3 , as described in detail below.  
         [0038]    The bottom wall  22  may also have a setback  25  with a periphery that is connected to the annular region  23 , with a concave side of the setback  25  facing towards the ball  30  and with its bottom wall being pierced by a plurality of orifices  26  that enable the substance P contained in the reservoir-forming portion  4  to reach the setback  25 .  
         [0039]    The applicator  3  may have a cap  31  in which an insert  32  is fixed. The assembly of the cap  31  and the insert  32  forms a handle member  33 .  
         [0040]    The insert  32  may have an outer skirt  34  with an inside thread that enables the applicator  3  to be screwed onto the neck  18  of the receptacle  2 , a sealing lip  35  for pressing in a leaktight manner against the inside surface of the neck  18 , and an inner skirt  36  that enables a link element  37  to be mounted on the insert  32  so as to connect the ball  30  to the handle member  33 .  
         [0041]    In the first exemplary embodiment, the link element  37  comprises a block of foam, such as, for example, polyurethane foam, fixed to the insert  32  by adhesive, for example. This block of foam may, for example, be substantially cylindrical in shape about the axis X.  
         [0042]    The ball  30  is held while being capable of rotating within a retainer or cage  40  that defines a spherical housing  41  that allows a bottom region of the ball  30  to project for application purposes. The ball  30  may be put into place in the retainer  40  by deforming the retainer  40  elastically, for example.  
         [0043]    In a top portion of the retainer  40 , a fixing skirt  42  may be provided about the axis X. The fixing skirt  42  may have a shoulder that enables the fixing skirt  42  and/or the retainer  40  to be fixed to the link element  37 , for example, by an adhesive  43 .  
         [0044]    In the first exemplary embodiment, the distance between the bottom edge of the inner skirt  36  and the top edge of the fixing skirt  42  is not zero, and is sufficient to enable the link element  37  to be compressed to a certain extent and also to enable the retainer  40  to move to some extent about axes of rotation that are mutually perpendicular and are perpendicular to the axis X.  
         [0045]    When the applicator  3  is in place on the receptacle  2  as shown in FIG. 1, in order to close the device  1  in a leaktight manner, the link element  37  may be compressed and exert a force on the retainer  40  urging the ball  30  against the annular portion  23 . Such contact between the ball  30  and the annular portion  23  tends to prevent the substance P from flowing from the first portion  4  beyond the space defined by the setback  25 . The substance P may be retained therein by capillarity.  
         [0046]    The exemplary device  1  may be used as follows.  
         [0047]    A user turns the receptacle  2  over so as to enable the substance P to flow into the setback  25  through the orifices  26 , which orifices  26  are permanently open in the first exemplary embodiment.  
         [0048]    The ball  30  may then take up substance P.  
         [0049]    Once the ball  30  has taken up the substance P, the user may separate the applicator  3  from the receptacle  2 , for example, by unscrewing the applicator  3 .  
         [0050]    During application, the user may cause the ball  30  to roll over skin S as shown in FIG. 3. Because the link element  37  is capable of deforming, the link element  37  may deform as a function of the relief of the skin S as the applicator  3  is moved.  
         [0051]    The ability of the ball  30  to move relative to the handle member  33  improves comfort during application.  
         [0052]    The present invention also contemplates use of a link element other than a block of foam as shown in the first exemplary embodiment.  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 4 shows a second exemplary embodiment in which the retainer  40  housing the ball  30  is connected to the handle member  33  via a helical spring  37 ′ disposed about the axis X.  
         [0054]    This spring may be constituted by a separate piece as shown, or may be made by molding of a plastics material together with at least one of the retainer  40  and the insert  32 .  
         [0055]    Naturally, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.  
         [0056]    For example, it is possible to make a receptacle that does not have a setback  25 , with the annular portion  23  surrounding a single central opening through which the ball  30  can take up substance, for example.  
         [0057]    The ball  30  may be flocked and/or may be made out of a variety of materials. In particular, the ball  30  may include a fill of particles for the purpose of having an effect on the substance or on the surface that is treated with the substance. This effect may be a magnetic field or may be a relief of some other substance, such as, for example, ions.  
         [0058]    Although the present invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.