Screw cap with a brush

A little bottle with a cap which can be mounted via a screw-type cap has an integrated brush for removing the mainly liquid contents of the little bottle. In order to be able to mainly remove the entire contents from the little bottle in a simple way with the integrated brush, it has been planned that, In combination, the brush in the cap is held in such a way that it can be moved in axial direction, and the interior space of the little bottle has a hollow near the bottom of the little bottle, which is at least partially opposite to the free end of the removal element.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a little bottle with a cap or with a cap that can be mounted via a screw plug or a bayonet fixing which is equipped with an integrated element like e.g. a brush or a pipette in order to remove the contents of the little bottle which are mainly liquids.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For example in the cosmetics sector, very small bottles are used from which the contents, like e.g. nail varnish are removed in portions or charges with a brush which has been mounted to the interior of the screw cap, and then, the contents are applied to the object, e.g. the finger nail. In other areas, like e.g. in order to apply correction liquid to paper, such screw caps with an integrated brush are used. Another area of application are medical bottles like e.g. those for nose drops for which a pipette has been integrated into the screw cap.

For such caps (screw cap or bayonet fixing cap) which have been equipped with a moving element (brush, pipette or similar) there is the problem that the brush or the pipette end only reaches the bottom of the little bottle if the cap has been mounted onto the little bottle so that, with the cap removed, the removing element end has a certain distance to the bottom of the little bottle. This means that a certain residual amount cannot be removed from the little bottle. Thus one tries to remove more of the contents from the little bottle by inclining the little bottle with the removable element emerged. In order to achieve this, the person doing so must not only have a certain skilfulness, but this process is also rather tedious.

The purpose of the present invention is thus to change a little bottle with an attachable cap of the previously mentioned way in such a way that, with the integrated removing element, mainly the entire contents can be removed from the little bottle in a simple way.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve this problem, such a little bottle with an attachable cap of the previously mentioned way is to be equipped with an integrated element for removing the mainly liquid contents of the bottle like, e.g., a brush or a pipette, distinguished by the fact that, in combination, a removal element in the cap is retained in an axially removable way and that the interior space of the bottle has a hollow region in the direction of the bottom of the bottle which is at least partially opposite to the free end of the removal element.

Due to the measures in accordance with the invention one not only achieves that the free end of the removal element like, e.g., the front end of the brush or the opening of a pipette can continue to reach the bottom of the little bottle with the cap screwed off but also that the remaining contents of the little bottle will flow together at a certain entire space area and can thus be detected without further tricks from the free end of the removal element. Due to this lowering of the removal element with respect to the cap and into a hollow region in the bottom of the little bottle, the contents of the little bottle can mainly be removed completely.

The shape of the hollow region may differ, among other things, this may depend on whether the body of the little bottle is cylindrical or angular. With the hollow region formed by a conical end or by the upside down pyramid-shaped end of the interior space of the bottle, an advantageous shape of the hollow has been reached. According to the fact that the hollow region is formed by a concave cavity which is directly or indirectly connected via one or various inclined areas to the sidewall or walls of the bottle, the hollow region may be directly at the axis centre of the bottom of the little bottle or it may extend over the sidewall.

If that removal element has been precisely aligned in axial direction, it is used in order to achieve the fact that the hollow region is symmetrical with reference to the axis of the movable removal element.

According to the fact that the removal element between a normal use end position and a residual use end position can be moved step-lessly in the axial direction where the axial path approximately equals the depth of the hollow region or the depths of the removal path of the cap from the bottle or equals the sum of both paths, and/or the fact that the removal element in the normal use position and/or in the residual use final position moved in the axial direction can be determined, the adjustment of the removal element in axial direction or the extension of the removal element with respect to the cap can be adjusted step-lessly or by the two final positions, in the latter case, a blocking of a special residual use end position in an advantage. The amount of the mobility in axial direction depends on the fact whether the residual contents with the removal element adjusted in axial direction are already to be detected with the cap attached and to be removed after the cap has been detached or whether the residual contents are only to be detected with the cap detached and are to be removed at the same time.

Advantageous designs concerning the axial mobility of the removal element (brush, pipette) are obtained via the fact that the removal element in the cap can be moved contrary to the effects of a compression spring, or the fact that the removal element is held by a push-button which can be removed in the axial direction in the cap, or the fact that the removal element is held by a rocker arm received in an articulated way in the cap, or the fact that the removal element is held by a turning knob received in a turntable way by the cap.

In an advantageous way, the actuating end of the removal element can be embedded into a recess in the cap which does not point in the direction of the bottle and which make it possible to maintain the dimensional proportions between the little bottle and the cap in the known way.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The execution examples given in the drawing of the present invention show a little bottle11or11′ which has been equipped with a screw cap10,10′ or10″ which has been equipped with a removal element in the shape of a brush element12which is held in the screw cap10,10′ or10″ in such a way that it can be moved in axial direction with respect to the screw cap and the little bottle11between the first or the initial position or the normal use position and a second end position or a residual use position. The little bottle11contains e.g. nail varnish which can be removed in portions or in charges with the brush element12and which can be applied to the individual finger or toe nails.

In the examples given here, the little bottle11,11′ has an external thread neck17on its body16,16′, onto which the screw cap10,10′ or10″ with its internal thread recess18can be screwed. The body16,16′ of the little bottle11,11′ which can either be round or square has a hollow15for receiving the contents which points to the bottom19and which has been equipped with a hollow30which is used for collecting the residual contents in the little bottle which becomes more and more empty.

In the case of the given example, the hollow30is axial and has been arranged in a symmetrical way around the axis. The hollow30passes over into conical areas29,29′ in this example, which are more (FIG. 1) or less (FIG. 2) steep with respect to the cylindrical sidewall28or to the various sidewalls of a square bottle cross section. The only further difference between the bottle11of theFIGS. 1A and 1Band the little bottle11′ of theFIGS. 2A and 2Bis the fact that the body16of the little bottle11is shorter than the body16′ of the little bottle11′. The brush element12which can continuously be moved in axial direction in the screw cap10,10′ or10″ has a rod13which is aligned in axial direction and whose rear end has been fixed to an operation element21,21′ or21in or at the screw cap10,10′ or10″ and to whose front end a brush14has been mounted.

In the examples given in theFIGS. 1A,1B and2A,2B is the rear end of the rod13which has been fixed to an operation knob21which can be moved in axial direction within a concentric rear cylindrical reception22. The reception22has a first shoulder23at its inner end, parallel to which a second shoulder25has been provided for in a second reception24with a smaller diameter. This second shoulder25is surrounded by an opening26for the rod13of the brush element12. The lower side of the second shoulder25is formed by a ring gasket surface, which is seated on the ring front surface of the external thread neck17of the little bottle11in a sealing way, which is not shown in detail, in accordance withFIGS. 1A,1B andFIG. 2Awith the little bottle11,11′ closed. The rear end of rod13, which points in the direction of knob21, is surrounded by a pressure spring27, which is, on one side, supported by the interior of the knob21and, on the other side, supported by the second shoulder25. The first shoulder23is used as an end stop for the interior of the knob21in the residual use final position of the brush element12. In the first execution exampleFIG. 1Ashows the initial position or the normal use end position of the brush element12held at the screw cap10. In this position, the free brush end14of the brush element12slightly exceeds the bottom19of the little bottle11. For this normal end position of the brush element12, it is possible with the screw10removed from the little bottle11to remove the contents of the little bottle11with the aid of the brush14up to a certain residual filling level which approximately corresponds to the length of the screw-thread lock.

If the residual filling level does not reach this mark, the brush element12is moved in axial direction with relation to the screw cap10opposed to the effects of the pressure spring27according toFIG. 1Bwith the screw cap10removed from the little bottle11. The end position which represents the residual use end position has been reached if the head21touches the first shoulder23with its inner side. This makes the brush element12move with relation to the screw cap10by an amount which is larger or equal to the length of the lock thread. In this residual use final position, it is possible that the brush end14of the brush element12reaches the bottom of the hollow30at the floor19of the little bottle11for removing residual liquids in the emerged state in accordance with FIG.1B.

In the examples given inFIGS. 2A and 2Bwhere the body16′ of the little bottle11′ is a little shorter the free end of the brush element12is in the normal use end position at a distance to the bottom of the hollow30at the bottom19of the little bottle11′ whose distance is approximately the path of the axial movement of the brush element12with the knob21pressed. If the knob has been pressed, the brush element12is transfered from its normal use end position given inFIG. 2Ato its residual use end position given inFIG. 2B, with the cap10still screwed off.

In this example, thus residual contents of the liquid in the hollow20of the little bottle11′ are detected with the cap10still screwed off, as a result, the cap10can be screwed off and the liquid can be applied to a finger nail or anything like that with a brush. This design is e.g. of an advantage if the removal element is a pipette.

For these two previously mentioned examples, the movement of the brush element12in axial direction or the so-called extension of the brush element12with relation to the screw cap10is reached by pressing the knob21and is stopped there. When removing the pressure on knob21, the brush element12returns to its initial or normal use end position due to the functioning of the pressure spring27so that the screw cap10can be screwed back onto the little bottle11,11′ without the brush end14and reaches the bottom19of the little bottle11. It is also possible of course, however, to block the residual use end position in a releasable way.

The third example given in theFIGS. 3A and 3Bfor which the little bottle11or11′ with the hollow30which has been described beforehand is used, but which is only represented partially or not at all, differs from the examples according to theFIGS. 1A,1B and2A,2B by the actuation elements21′ used for the axial brush element movement. The actuating element21′ is formed by a rocker arm which can be swivelled around an axis31fixed to the screw cap10′ in the reception22′ of the screw cap10′. The end of the rod13of the brush element12is carried in a swivellable way by the rocker arm21′ (not shown) eccentric to the axis31so that, when swivelling the rocker arm21′ with relation to the screw cap10′, the brush element12or its rod13moves in axial direction.

The rod13of the brush element12penetrates a bore in an intermediate wall25′ and has a sealing element32which is to be laid on the external thread neck17of the little bottle11. It is also possible to equip the rocker arm21′ with a main driving link onto which the rod13′ is pressed in a spring-elastic way and which moves the rod during the swivelling movement.

In the initial or normal use end position according toFIG. 3A, the rocker arm21′ has been swivelled in together with its handling33in an axial groove34of the screw cap10′ on the circumferential side. If this handling33is swivelled in the direction of the arrow A in upside direction, the rod13moves with relation to the screw cap10′ in axial direction due to the eccentricity of the swivelling axis31of the rocker arm21′ and the screw cap10′ with relation to the hinge axis between rod13and rocker arm21′ in such a way that an extension of the brush element12or an extension of the distance of the brush14of the brush element12to the lower screw cap at10′ result (FIG.3B). In this example, the two final positions (upper normal use end position and lower residual use end position according toFIG. 3B) have been determined or locked.

In the fourth example according toFIGS. 4A and 4Bwhich also shows the used little bottle11,11′ only partially or not at all, the actuation element21″ is formed by a screw element at the inner end of which the rod13of the brush element12has been fixed. The screw element21″ is held by a relatively steep thread, which is not represented individually, made of e.g. a single thread in the reception22″ of the screw cap10″.

A journal37of the screw element21″ is equipped with an external thread, where a plate36which is used as a handling on the outside together with the journal37is carried out as one piece. Of course, the reception22″ of the screw cap10″ is equipped with a corresponding internal thread. For example, the reception22″ has an opening (milled) which runs in spirals of approx. 90° around the cap. In the lower part (journal37) of the actuating element21″, a pin has been inserted which, on the one hand, is securely seated in that journal37and, on the other hand, is in the mentioned opening. If the actuating element21″ is turned now, the desired brush element movement in axial direction is generated.

Due to a screw movement in direction of the arrow B, it is possible to move the turning element21″ from its normal use end position represented inFIG. 4Ato a residual use end position represented inFIG. 4Bin which, as shown in the previous examples, an extension of the brush element12or an increase of the distance of the brush end14from the lower screw cap edge10″ results. Here, too, both end positions are fixed.

According to a further execution example of the present invention (not shown), the actuating elements can be formed in the way of a lockable push-button mechanism used by pens.

In accordance with further, not shown examples for the present invention, the screw cap does not have a brush element12, but a pipette element, which is held in a screw cap in such a way that it can be moved in axial direction and which can thus be extended in such a way that the distance of the pipette to the lower edge of the screw cap can be changed. Here, it is possible to use the constructions or mechanisms shown by drawings in the examples. It is understood that the hollow30for collecting the residual fluid can also have various shapes.