MASCARA APPLICATOR HAVING RETRACTABLE BRUSH

Abstract: A mascara applicator and container comprising: (a) a reservoir for mascara having an opening; (b) a brush wiper disposed in said opening; (c) a brush mounted on a shaft for movement of the brush through said wiper between a position inside of said reservoir and a position outside of said reservoir; (d) a removable cap adapted to simultaneously close said opening and push said brush to its position inside of said reservoir; (e) means for pushing said brush to its position outside of the reservoir when the cap is removed; and (f) means for preventing said brush and shaft from be­ coming detached from said reservoir when the brush is out­ side of said reservoir.

Description: This invention relates to an improved applicator and container for mascara that is easier to use than prior-art devices. During recent years eye makeup has received increased emphasis and numerous mascara applicators have been designed which curl, color, comb and more evenly distribute the mascara on the lashes. Efforts to increase the portability and ease of use of mascara applicators have given rise to a variety of designs. Most of the prior art applicators include a cap with a protruding applicator which is inserted into a reservoir in a container in order to become loaded with mascara. When removed, the applicator passes through a wiper which removes the excess mascara. Although these mascara applicator devices are relatively spill-proof, they are inconvenient to use because the applicator brush and reservoir are in separate units. The user must continually insert the applicator into the bottle to reload the brush with mascara. DE-A-3 335 093 describes a mascara applicator having a squeezable and flexible outer container which constitutes the reservoir for holding the cosmetic product therein. Within the container, there is a rigid inner housing having a common opening with the flexible outer container. The inner housing serves for housing an applicator having a brush and being movable through the opening. The applicator has a shaft and the inner housing contains a spring for forcing the applicator out of the inner housing. The opening of the outer container and inner housing may be closed by a cap having a plug portion for forcing the brush back into the housing when the cap is being reapplied thereon. A drawback of this device resides in that the housing must be squeezed to apply the mascara to the brush and, on the other hand, that the shaft and brush will wobble when the brush is moved forward. Thus, there is a danger that the mascara applicator will be bent during use and does not allow an exact mascara application to the lashes. US-A-2 944 274 describes a fountain brush for the application of liquid substances to a surface. A tubular casing defining a reservoir chamber contains an applicator having a brush fixed to a movable holder and valve device. The holder and valve device has a shaft guided with respect to the casing by a centering device. The known liquid applicator for applicating liquids, such as laquer, to a surface is not comparable to a mascara applicator because mascara is a thick, semi-solid paste-like material that is applied with a brush having stiff bristles perpendicular to the shaft. It is the object of the present invention to provide a mascara applicator and container as defined in the pre-characterizing part of claim 1, that allows for an exact handling and mascara application to the lashes. This object is solved with the invention by the features of claim 1. The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an applicator in accordance with the invention with its cap in place, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the applicator of Fig. 1 with the cap removed, Fig. 3 is a cut-away view of the cap shown in Figures 1 and 2, Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the bottom end of an alternative embodiment of the inventive applicator having an extra centering ring, Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bottom end of an alternative embodiment of the inventive applicator wherein the shaft passes outside of the bottom end of the reservoir, Fig. 6 is a cut-away view of an alternative embodiment of the cap, Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the applicator of Fig. 1 taken along section 7-7 thereof, Figures 8, 9 and 10 illustrate alternative embodiments of centering rings, and Fig. 11 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the applicator showing its brush extended, ready for use. Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a mascara container and applicator in accordance with the invention showing its cap in place. Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but with the cap removed. Figure 3 is a cut-away perspective view of the cap. As shown in Figures 1 and 2 a container 10 having reservoir 11 is provided. Preferably the container and reservoir have an elongated shape with a top end 12 and a bottom end 14. The reservoir has an opening 15 at its top end. Container 10 also functions as a handle when the mascara is applied as described later. The configuration of container 10 can be modified to suit its handle function. For example, it can be generally round with shallow indentations for the user's fingers. Container 10 can be made from molded rigid plastic or thin-walled sheet metal. A brush wiper 16 is disposed in the opening. Wiper 16 can be of any conventional mascara brush wiper design. Such wipers usually have an orifice 17 having a fixed size. Alternatively, the size of the orifice may be adjustable. Wiper 16 may be made of conventional flexible material. The wiper is held in place by friction against the walls of the opening. Alternatively, a bend on the walls of the opening may be provided to hold the wiper in place. A brush 18 mounted on a shaft 19 is provided. The brush can be made of any conventional shape for applying mascara. The brush's material may be bristle, spines, or the like. The brush and shaft are adapted for movement such that the brush can move through wiper 16 from a position wherein the brush is inside of reservoir 11 (Figure 1) to a position wherein the brush is outside of reservoir 11 (Figure 2). The movement occurs when shaft 19 slides longitudinally in reservoir 11. A centering ring 20 can be placed within reservoir 11 to guide shaft 19 during its longitudinal movement. A removable cap 21 adapted to simultaneously close opening 15 and push brush 18 to its position inside the reservoir is provided. Figure 1 shows the cap in position closing the opening. The cap may be held in its position by a simple friction fit, or by other means such as threads or an annular rib. In the embodiment shown, a pin 22 pushes the brush through wiper 16 into reservoir 11 when the cap is in place. See Figure 1 and 3. A key component of the invention is a means for pushing brush 18 to its position outside of reservoir 11 when cap 21 is removed. This component is necessary because mascara is very viscous and orifice 17 of wiper 16 is usually tight-fitting against the brush for effective wiping of excess mascara. Hence, simply turning the container upside down or shaking the container would not cause the brush to slide through orifice 17. A pushing means must be provided. The preferred pushing means is a spring. In the embodiment shown, spring 23 is compressed along shaft 19 against centering ring 20 and a widened section 24 of shaft 19. It can be seen from Figures 1 and 2 that when cap 21 with its pin 22 is removed, spring 23 expands to push brush 18 to its position outside of reservoir 11. Means are also provided for preventing the brush and shaft from becoming detached from the reservoir when the brush is outside of the reservoir. In the embodiment shown, widened section 24 of shaft 19, which will not fit through orifice 17, serves this function. The apparatus of Figure 1 to 3 functions as follows. When the user wishes to apply mascara, she removes cap 21 from container 10. Spring 23 immediately expands along shaft 19 against centering ring 20 and widened section 24, pushing shaft 19 longitudinally along reservoir 11 and toward top end 12 of container 10. Brush 18 is pushed through orifice 17 of wiper 16. In other words, removing cap 21 causes the apparatus to move from the position shown in Figure 1 to that shown in Figure 2. Excess mascara is automatically wiped from the brush as it passes through the wiper. The user then applies mascara to her lashes with the exposed brush using container 10 as a handle. When more mascara is needed on the brush, the user merely pushes the brush back into the reservoir with the cap. Alternatively, if the longitudinal depth of wiper 16 is short, the user can merely push the brush against a hard surface to cause the brush to re-enter reservoir 11. Of course many alternative embodiments to that shown in Figures 1 to 3 are possible. Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the lower portion of reservoir 11 having two centering rings 20 and 20' located there. Upper centering ring 20' makes shaft 19 more stable and allows spring 23 to be shorter. Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the lower end of reservoir 11 wherein shaft 19 protrudes from the bottom end 14 of container 10. In this embodiment spring 23 may be completely omitted and the user pushes on the protruding end of shaft 19 to move the brush out of the reservoir. Figure 6 is a cut-away sectional view of a cap wherein pin 22 is fastened to a disk inside the cap. This arrangement makes the pin shorter and, therefore, less likely to bend. Figure 7 is a sectional view along section 7-7 of Figure 1, showing shaft 19, spring 23, and centering ring 20. In this embodiment, centering ring 20 fits tightly against shaft 19 and the walls of container 10 so that ring 20 forms the bottom of reservoir 11. No mascara can get into bottom end 14 of container 10. However, if it is desirable to expand the capacity of reservoir 11, the centering devices 20a, 20b, or 20c, as shown respectively in Figures 8, 9, and 10 may be used. Figures 8, 9 and 10 are views similar to Figure 7. Instead of tight centering rings, the centering devices are pillow-shaped (item 20a of Figure 8), X-shaped (item 20b of Figure 9), or Y-shaped (item 20c of Figure 10). Of course, many other shapes for the centering device are possible. Figure 11 shows the external appearance of a device in accordance with the invention. Container 10' has an annular ring 25 to hold cap 21 in place. For aesthetic appearance and easier application of mascara, container 10' has a tapered top section 12'.

Claims: A mascara applicator and container comprising: (a) a reservoir (11) for mascara having an opening (15); (b) a brush wiper (16) disposed in said opening; (c) a brush (18) mounted on a shaft (19) for movement of the brush through said wiper between a position inside of said reservoir and a position outside of said reservoir; (d) a removable cap (21) adapted to simultaneously close said opening and push said brush to its position inside of said reservoir; (e) means (23) for pushing said brush to its position outside of the reservoir when the cap is removed; and (f) means (24) for preventing said brush and shaft from becoming detached from said reservoir when the brush is outside of said reservoir, characterized in that the reservoir (11) is rigid, and there is provided a centering device (20) to guide the shaft with respect to the reservoir during the shaft's entire movement. The applicator and container of claim 1 wherein the reservoir (11) is elongated, the shaft (19) is oriented longitudinally in the reservoir, the means for pushing the brush outside of the reservoir is a spring (23), and the means for preventing detachment of the brush and shaft is a widened section (24) of the shaft that is larger than the wiper (16). The applicator and container of claim 2 wherein the spring (23) pushes against the centering device (20) and the widened section (24) of the shaft. The applicator and container of any one of claims 1, 2 and 3 wherein container (10) tapers toward the opening (15) and the cap has a pin (22) to push the brush (18) into the resevoir (11).

Inventors: KINGSFORD, TED I.
Applicants: MAYBE HOLDING COMPANY
Application year: 1986
Main classification: A45D40
IPC codes: A45D34, A45D40