Abstract:
The invention relates to a dish for mixing hair treatment agents, in particular flair coloring products, having a bottom, having a circumferential wall that defines an opening, and having a holder for a product identifier, in particular parts of an outer package of the hair treatment agent.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This is a continuation of the application identified as PCT/EP2005/012316 filed Nov. 17, 2005, the complete disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.  
       THE PRESENT INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a dish for mixing hair treatment agents, in particular hair coloring products, having a bottom, having a circumferential wall that defines an opening, and having a holder for a product identifier, in particular parts of an outer package of the hair treatment agent.  
         [0003]     It is often necessary and/or desirable to treat hair with hair treatment agents—such as, for example, care-providing agents, medications, bleaching agents, or hair colors or toning agents—which must be mixed. In the professional sector, disposable dishes made of recyclable plastic are usually used for this purpose.  
         [0004]     When coloring hair in the professional sector, for example, different color tints and color tones are often worked with. It is necessary in this context to maintain an overview of the different color mixtures that have been prepared. This often presents difficulties, however, since the products are often similar in appearance.  
         [0005]     It is therefore the object of the present invention to make available a dish in which the hair treatment agents, in particular hair coloring products, can be mixed and which allows easy identification of the products that have been mixed in tile dish. The dish is also intended to permit exact mixing of the hair treatment agent without over-portioning. The dish is also intended to be easy to store and to manufacture.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0006]     This object is achieved by the invention of a dish for mixing hair treatment agents, in particular hair coloring products, having a bottom, having a circumferential wall that defines an opening, and having a holder for a product identifier in particular parts of an outer package of the hair treatment agent.  
         [0007]     The dish according to the present invention for hair treatment agents, in particular hair coloring products, comprises a bottom and a circumferential wall that defines an opening. It is additionally equipped with a holder for parts of an outer package of the hair treatment agent (product identifier), in particular the hair coloring product, so that the stylist can attach an identifying piece of the outer package of the product to the dish. This piece will usually be the part of the package that indicates, for example, the color shade or color tone.  
         [0008]     For easier attachment, the holder is preferably embodied for that purpose as a clamping apparatus. The clamping apparatus can assume a number of configurations. For example, a small alligator clip or the like can be adhesively bonded onto the dish.  
         [0009]     It is particularly favorable, however, if the holder or clamping apparatus is an integral constituent of the dish, i.e. is embodied in one piece with the dish.  
         [0010]     In an embodiment, the dish comprises a rim around at least a region of the opening. This can be a rim encircling the opening, it can also surround the opening completely or only partially. Preferably in this case, the clamping apparatus is formed by the rim. Simple manufacture of the clamping apparatus together with the dish is thus possible.  
         [0011]     The rim can in particular, in order to constitute the clamping apparatus, comprise a flexible tongue separated by two slits from the surface of the remainder of the rim, The product identifier can then be clamped between tongue and rim in the manner of a paper clip.  
         [0012]     If the tongue is offset with respect to the surface of the remainder of the rim, parts of an outer package that are made of a thicker material (e.g. cardboard) can be inserted or clamped in as a product identifier. The tongue also does not then break off The offset of the tongue preferably corresponds approximately to the thickness of the rim or to its material thickness, or to the thickness of the identifier to be inserted. It is additionally favorable if the material for manufacturing the rim is elastic at the thickness that is used, so that the risk of breakage is at least diminished. A further favorable effect is obtained when the tongue rises toward the rim and thus slightly minimizes the offset.  
         [0013]     According to a further embodiment, the rim comprises at least two regions of different width. One region has a small width and other region a greater width. The region of greater width can then be used as a handle. The regions of the same width are preferably arranged on opposite sides of the opening. The clamping apparatus can be arranged in the region having a greater width.  
         [0014]     The rim can be embodied in slightly curved fashion so that it is easily graspable. It can be embodied, for example, convexly or concavely. i.e. proceeding from the opening of the dish, the rim is curved slightly downward or upward.  
         [0015]     If the bottom of the dish is indented inward, it is then easier to remove the product completely from the dish.  
         [0016]     To prevent slippage, the bottom can be equipped on the lower side with a rubber element or the like.  
         [0017]     The inner side of the wall of the dish is preferably equipped with a measurement scale for the contents of the dish, so that the product to be mixed can be measured out or apportioned, and mixed up to completion, in the dish itself without additional aids. It man be advisable for the scale to be present in duplicate on the inner side. The measurement scale is usefully introduced into the inner side of the wall upon manufacture of the dish. For example. The scale can be shaped in or impressed upon manufacture.  
         [0018]     The dish described above advantageously dimensioned and equipped in such a way that it is stackable, i.e. multiple dishes inserted into one another form a stack that requires less space than the dishes arranged individually.  
         [0019]     Further features, details, and advantages of the invention are evident from the description below of an exemplifying embodiment with reference to the drawings, in which: 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWING FIGURES  
       [0020]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view, obliquely from above, of a dish according to the invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a plan view from above of the dish of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is a plan view from below of the dish of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  is a side view of a section along line IV-IV in  FIG. 3 ; and  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  shows a stack of two dishes according to  FIG. 1 , in section along line V-V in  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0025]     The dish for mixing hair color agents that is depicted in the Figures is labeled  1  in its entirety, and is constituted by a bottom  2  and a circumferential wall  3  widening therefrom. The entire dish  1  and its constituents are manufactured integrally from a suitable plastic material having, little thickness, e.g. by deep drawing from a plastic by injection molding from plastic pellets.  
         [0026]     Bottom  2  has an approximately circular cross section. Wall  3  thus has, viewed in section, approximately the conformation of an upside-down truncated cone (cf.  FIG. 5 ).  
         [0027]     Bottom  2  is indented inward and has in section an approximately convex shape, so that hair coloring agent in the dish tends to collect in the region of the transition between bottom  2  and wall  3 . This allows easy and maximally complete removal. Bottom  2  comprises a circumferential groove  13  in the lower side, into which a rubber insert  12  is inserted so that dish  1  does not slide during mixing.  
         [0028]     Wall  3  defines, on the upper side, a opening  4  likewise having an approximately circular cross section. Extending outward from opening  4  is a circumferential rim  5  that is increasingly curved outward and slightly upward.  
         [0029]     Rim  5  comprises regions of different width, regions of the same width being located on opposite sides of opening  4 . Two regions  9  of greater width are respectively located to the left and right (as seen in  FIG. 2 ), and two regions  10  of lesser width are located at the top and bottom (as seen in  FIG. 2 ). Because of the slight upward curve, regions  9  of greater width can easily be grasped with one&#39;s hand, and serve as handles. Regions  9  are equipped for that purpose, with a blunt end face  14  that has in each case an edge curving slightly toward opening  4 .  
         [0030]     Embodied in rim  5  is a holder  6  in the form of a clamping apparatus for parts of the outer package of the hair coloring agent. A part of the outer package on which the information regarding the color shade or color tone is presented is preferably used for this purpose. This part, in most cases a small rectangle of cardboard, is clamped in the clamping apparatus in the manner of a paper clip, so that the information is readily visible from above.  
         [0031]     In the example depicted, holder  6  is arranged in one of the regions  9  of greater width. The holder is located between the blunt end face  14  and region  10  of lesser width, so that dish  1  can nevertheless be easily grasped.  
         [0032]     Holder  6  is constituted by a flexible tongue  7  that is separated by two slits  8  from the remainder of rim  5  and is offset downward toward bottom  2  with respect to surface  11  of the remainder of the rim. The offset of tongue  7  with respect to the remainder of rim  5  corresponds approximately to the thickness of rim  5  or to the thickness, in the region of rim  5 , of the material used. Tongue  7  is thus flexibly joined to the remainder of rim  5  only by a “kinked” region  15 , but is embodied integrally with said rim. It can thus yield downward in the direction of bottom  2  under slight pressure when the rectangle of cardboard is clamped in, and can clamp the piece of cardboard between itself and rim  5  without breaking.  
         [0033]     In addition, a measurement scale  16  is impressed on the inner side of wall  3 , which scale permits measurement, apportioning, and dilution of the hair coloring agent without further aids (cf.  FIGS. 1 and 5 ). It is impressed upon manufacture of dish  1 .  
         [0034]     It is apparent from  FIG. 5  that dish  1  is dimensioned and configured in such a way that it stackable onto further dishes of identical size and conformation, for example for storage and packaging, thus making good use of space. 
     1 . Dish      2 . Bottom      4 . Opening      5 . Rim      6 . Holder      7 . Tongue      8 . Slits      9 . Region      10 . Region      11 . Surface of rim      12 . Rubber insert      13 . Groove      14 . End face      15 . Kinked region      16 . Measurement scale