Hot melt depilatory wax dispenser

A depilatory wax dispenser having a housing (1) in which is arranged a reservoir (2) for the wax and an applicator device having a roller (5) mounted for rotation on a pivot pin (7). The pivot pin has two ends which extend through two opposite transverse walls (4a, 4b) of a rectangular opening (4) provided at the reservoir (2) outlet. The opening (4) has an edge which provides with the roller (5) peripheral surface a slot dispensing melted wax. The opening (4) edge and the roller (5) peripheral surface between which the slot is arranged are made of elastically deformable materials. An element (10) is axially mobile relative to the pivot pin (7) for simultaneously exerting a force on the rectangular opening (4) edge forming the slot and on the roller (5) surface, for deforming them jointly.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The present invention relates to a hot melt depilatory wax dispenser. 
PRIOR ART 
Depilatory wax appliances are known in which the wax is melted and then 
spread on the skin, and after solidification removed, which permits 
plucking of hairs imbedded in the hardened wax layer. According to one 
type of appliance of this sort, the wax is melted in a reservoir, then 
spread on the skin with an applicator having a roller disposed in an 
opening placed at the outlet of the wax reservoir, a calibrated space 
being arranged between this opening and the roller. This latter is driven 
by applying it against the skin and displacing the appliance, thus forming 
a wax layer of a thickness and a determined width which is deposited on 
the skin. 
Taking into account the morphology of the parts of the body from which hair 
is to be removed, the generally cylindrical form of the rollers utilized 
for the application of the wax is not always suitable. This is notably the 
case under the armpits where, taking into account the concavity of the 
surface on which the wax must be applied, the edges of the cylindrical 
roller rub against the skin, interfering with comfort and effectiveness, 
the edges of the layer of wax being subjected to a higher pressure, which 
diminishes their thickness. 
There has already been proposed in GB-363 744 an applicator for glue with 
the aid of a roller pivotally mounted in a rectangular opening. To permit 
this opening to be freed of glue which has hardened during non-use of the 
applicator during a certain time, the applicator roller is made of an 
elastically deformable material, in such a manner that by pressing on this 
roller its deformation permits the hardened glue film to be broken. 
There have been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 2 029 056 as well as in EP 0 437 
042 applicators for cosmetic products comprising rollers having a convex 
generatrix to apply these products onto concave surfaces. In contrast, 
these appliances are not adapted for applying these products onto more or 
less flat surfaces, so that several appliances or an appliance with a 
removable application head are then necessary. This latter solution has 
already been proposed, notably to adapt rollers to different widths, 
however it is a question of a solution which is inappropriate, 
necessitating the manipulation of heads which are sticky with wax. 
There exists another category of applicators described for example in U.S. 
Pat. No. 2 229 707, U.S. Pat. No. 2 888 695, U.S. Pat. No. 1 919 859 and 
U.S. Pat. No. 1565 179, relative to applicators for glue or cosmetic 
products comprising either a flexible housing, or a support for a flexible 
applicator roller, or even a flexible duct to assure either a closing or 
an opening of the reservoir of the product to be distributed, or a 
variable flow rate, as a function of the deformation applied to the 
flexible part. 
There has been proposed moreover, in FR-2 662 145 an applicator for a 
liquid, viscous or pasty product furnished with an applicator comprising a 
cap having an outlet slot in which engages a deformable tongue which 
liberates more or less of the product. 
There has been proposed in FR-A1-2 740 665 an appliance for applying 
depilatory wax in which the wax application head is formed of several 
coaxial rollers at least one of which can be blocked angularly, so that 
the width of the ribbon of wax deposited is then reduced and corresponds 
to that of the single roller which remains free to turn. This solution 
presents however the difficulty of leaving the roller angularly blocked in 
contact with the skin, creating a disagreeable rubbing. It is moreover 
obvious that such an application head does not resolve the problem of 
application of wax on a concave surface, since if the deposited wax band 
is narrower, the width of the rollers, as well their profile remain 
unchanged, so that the extremities of the rollers forming a cylinder will 
come alone into contact with the concave surface. 
It is easy to note that none of the above-mentioned solutions proposes an 
applicator for a liquid or pasty product permitting adaptation as well to 
concave, flat or even convex surfaces. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The object of the present invention is to remedy, at least in part, the 
above-mentioned difficulties, by a solution which is simple as well from 
the point of view of fabrication as of utilization, all while being 
reliable and sturdy. 
To this end, the invention has for its object a hot melt depilatory wax 
dispenser comprising a housing forming a holding means, within which is 
arranged a reservoir for the wax associated with heating means and an 
applicator device comprising a roller rotatably mounted on a pivot pin 
whose ends extend through two opposed transverse walls of a rectangular 
opening arranged at the outlet of said reservoir, the edge of this opening 
providing with the peripheral face of this roller a slot for the 
distribution of melted wax upon rotation of this roller. 
According to the object of the invention, the edge of said opening and the 
peripheral surface of the roller between which said slot is provided are 
of elastically deformable materials. This appliance comprises means which 
are axially displaceable with respect to the axis of said pivot pin in 
order to exert a force simultaneously on the edge of the rectangular 
opening forming said slot and on the surface of said roller, capable of 
deforming them jointly, in a manner to modify the profile of said slot. 
As a result of this arrangement, not only the surface of the roller can be 
adapted to the morphology of the surface from which hair is to be removed, 
but the edge of the opening follows this deformation, without which the 
wax could no longer exit over the entire length of this slot because the 
swelling of the roller would close it. 
According to an advantageous form of construction, one of the transverse 
walls of said opening is fixed along said pin, while the other is movable, 
pivoting means (for example a ball bearing) being interposed between each 
of these transverse faces and one of the extremities of said roller, said 
axially displaceable means comprising a nut adjacent to the external face 
of the moveable transverse wall of said rectangular opening, engaged with 
a thread to displace this moveable wall as well as the adjacent extremity 
of said roller in the direction of the opposed wall. The pivoting means 
permit the roller to turn freely despite the pressure transmitted by the 
transverse walls of the opening on the end walls of the roller to deform 
its peripheral wall. 
Preferably, the transverse walls of the opening, as well as the end faces 
of the roller are substantially nondeformable with respect to the 
longitudinal walls of this opening and to the peripheral face of said 
roller. This "rigidity" of the transverse walls of the opening and of the 
end faces of the roller permit these faces to be used efficiently to 
transmit in a uniform manner the force of the axially displaceable means 
to deform the edges of the opening and the peripheral face of the roller. 
Advantageously, the peripheral wall of said roller has the form of a 
tubular element whose two extremities are fixed to rigid discs. This 
peripheral wall of the roller formed by an elastically deformable tubular 
element between two rigid discs facilitates the deformability of the 
roller. It can also permit, when the roller is not axially compressed by 
the axially displaceable means slight bending on contact with a convex 
surface.

BEST MANNER OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
The wax dispenser illustrated in the drawings comprises a housing 1, at the 
interior of which is found a reservoir 2 intended to receive the 
depilatory wax. An electric heating body 3 is fixed to one of the walls of 
this reservoir 2 at the interior of which extends a heat diffusion fin 2a. 
A rectangular opening 4 is formed at the top of this reservoir 2 and is 
formed through a support piece 6 closing the upper extremity of reservoir 
2. 
A wax applicator device is disposed in opening 4 of reservoir 2. This 
applicator device comprises a roller 5 whose peripheral face is formed of 
a tubular element 5a of an elastically deformable material, closed at its 
two ends by two discs 5b, 5c, preferably rigid with respect to tubular 
element 5a. This roller 5 is pivotally mounted on a pin 7 passing freely 
through discs 5b, 5c and the two ends of which are mounted across the two 
transverse walls 4a, 4b (FIG. 3) of rectangular opening 4. As is seen in 
particular on FIGS. 1 and 3, a slot is formed at each side of the 
peripheral face of roller 5. These slots are bounded by edges 4c, 4d of 
opening 4 and the peripheral wall of roller 5, permitting the molten wax 
to leave reservoir 2 in the form of a thin layer, as a result of the 
rotation of roller 5. The wax can leave by one or the other slot depending 
on the direction of rotation of roller 5. 
Transverse walls 4a, 4b of rectangular opening 4 formed through support 6 
are relatively rigid, while longitudinal walls 4c, 4d are elastically 
deformable. This result can be obtained in different ways, for example, by 
molding support 6 of a supple material, such as a thermoplastic elastomer, 
and by disposing in the mold a relatively more rigid armature in walls 4a, 
4b. One can also use a bi-injection technique consisting of injecting two 
plastic materials one more supple than the other to form the support part 
6 which must be more rigid with a first material and the walls 4c, 4d of a 
more supple material. 
Two ball bearings 8, 9 are disposed respectively between transverse face 4a 
of opening 4 and end face 5b of roller 5 and between transverse face 4b of 
opening 4 and end face 5c of roller 5. 
One end of pin 7 is terminated by a head 7a which bears against the 
external face of transverse wall 4a, while the other extremity of this pin 
7 has a thread engaged with a nut 10 bearing against the external face of 
transverse wall 4b of opening 4. This nut 10 is fixed in rotation with a 
control button 11. By this fact, by screwing nut 10 along pin 7 in the 
direction of the other end terminating by the head 7a, a pressure is 
exerted on the face 4b and since the opposed face 4a is retained by the 
head 7a, displacement of nut 10 produces a joint deformation of edges 4c, 
4d of opening 4 and of the peripheral wall of roller 5, as shown in FIG. 
4. This joint deformation thus permits conserving a dispensing slot having 
a practically constant width between the peripheral face of roller 5 and 
opening 4. 
Due to the presence of bearings 8, 9 between the ends of roller 5 and the 
transverse edges of opening 4, the axial pressure exerted to deform this 
roller 5 does not have an influence on its rotation. Among the advantages 
of this device, one can also mention that the supple material utilized for 
roller 5 provides a softer and thus more agreeable contact with the skin. 
In addition, according to a preferred embodiment, the peripheral wall of 
this roller 5 is formed with the aid of a supple tubular element 5a, 
permitting it to mate more closely with the profile of the surface on 
which the wax must be applied, when the peripheral surface of roller 5 is 
not placed under tension by nut 10. In effect, when roller 5 is utilized 
in its nondeformed state, as illustrated by FIG. 3, its peripheral surface 
can mate with, to a certain extent, the profile of the surface on which 
the wax must be deposited, for example a slight convexity of this surface. 
POSSIBILITIES OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION 
The invention finds its application in the field of wax depilatory 
appliances and particularly in that of appliances for the general public.