Patent Publication Number: US-2022232946-A1

Title: Container with brush head

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Technical Field 
     The present invention relates generally to a tool for cleaning and for skincare, and more particularly to a container with a brush head. 
     Description of Related Art 
     Cleaning facial skin to wash excessive oil and dust off could prevent skin pores from being blocked by the oil, so that the facial skin could be kept clean and glowing. Generally, a process of washing face includes wetting face with water by hands, squeezing a little bit of facial cleanser into a palm, rubbing the facial cleanser in the palm until it lathers up, applying the lathered cleanser to the face, gently massaging the face, and finally rinsing the cleanser away from the face. The bubble could take the oil and dirt away from the facial skin. 
     A conventional process of washing face is done by hands. Although the face could be simply cleaned, the dead skin cells of the face are not easy to remove. To some people, washing face with hands cannot clean thoroughly, so there are many kinds of facial brushes on the market. By working the facial brush on the face, the bristles of the facial brush can help to remove the dirt in the pores and the dead cells on the surface. Therefore, the face can be cleaned thoroughly to make the face skin ready for absorbing the skincare product. 
     So far, when the user uses the conventional facial brush, the user should squeeze the cleanser into a palm of one hand and hold the conventional facial brush with the other hand to lather up the cleanser to generate bubbles. After that, use the facial brush having the bubbles to massage and clean up the facial skin. However, the process of using the facial brush is complicated, so that is not convenient for the user to use. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the above, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a container that could store a liquid and has bristles, wherein an output of the liquid could be controlled, thereby simplifying the process of using the facial brush. 
     The present inventive subject matter provides a container including a bottle, a valve body, and a brush head. The bottle has an opening. The valve body is engaged with the bottle and covers the opening, wherein the valve body has a through hole that communicates with the opening. The brush head includes a base seat and a plurality of bristles, wherein the base seat is engaged with the valve body and is rotatable relative to the valve body between a first position and a second position. The base seat has an outlet port. When the base seat is located at the first position, the outlet port communicates with the through hole. When the base seat is located at the second position, the base seat blocks the through hole. The bristles are disposed on the base seat. 
     The brush head is rotatable between the first position and the second position to regulate the output of the liquid to start or to stop. With such design, the container with the brush head could promote the convenience of use and provide a good user experience. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the container with the brush head of an embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the container with the brush head of the embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a partially exploded view of the container of the embodiment according to the present invention, showing the valve body is exploded; 
         FIG. 4  is a partially exploded view of the container in  FIG. 3  seen from another perspective; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the outer cylinder of the embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of the valve body and the brush head in  FIG. 2 , showing the assembly orientation of thereof; 
         FIG. 7  is similar to  FIG. 6 , showing the annular wall of the brush head is located between the outer cylinder and the internal cylinder; 
         FIG. 8  is similar to  FIG. 7 , showing the base seat of the brush head is located at the first position ; 
         FIG. 9  is a sectional view taken along the  9 - 9  line in  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is similar to  FIG. 8 , showing the base seat of the brush head is located at the second position; 
         FIG. 11  is a sectional view taken along the  11 - 11  line in  FIG. 10 ; and, 
         FIG. 12  is a sectional view taken along the  12 - 12  line in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 12 , a container  100  of an embodiment according to the present invention includes a bottle  10 , a valve body  20 , and a brush head  30 . 
     The bottle  10  is adapted to store a liquid and has an opening  10   a . The valve body  20  is engaged with the bottle  10  and covers the opening  10   a . The valve body  20  includes an outer cylinder  22 , an internal cylinder  24 , and an end plate  26 , wherein the outer cylinder  22  fits around the internal cylinder  24 , and the end plate  26  is engaged with the internal cylinder  24 . In the current embodiment, the outer cylinder  22  is non-rotatably connected to the internal cylinder  24 , and the internal cylinder  24  is non-rotatably connected to the end plate  26  as well. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , an edge of the internal cylinder  24  of the current embodiment has two first positioning portions  241 , and another edge of the internal cylinder  24  has two second positioning portions  242 . Each of the first positioning portions  241  is formed by recessing into the edge of the internal cylinder  24  along an axial direction of the internal cylinder  24 . Each of the second positioning portions  242  is formed by recessing into the another edge of the internal cylinder  24  along a radial direction of the internal cylinder  24 , wherein the another edge of the internal cylinder  24  is a flange edge that is formed by protruding outwardly along the radial direction of the internal cylinder  24 . 
     The end plate  26  of the valve body  20  has a through hole  26   a  that communicates with the opening l 0   a  of the bottle  10 . The end plate  26  has two first positioning members  261 , wherein the two first positioning members  261  is formed by protruding outwardly along a radial direction of the end plate  26 . When the end plate  26  is engaged with the internal cylinder  24 , each of the two first positioning members  261  is arranged in one of the two first positioning portions  241  of the internal cylinder  24 , thereby preventing the end plate  26  from circumferentially moving relative to the internal cylinder  24 . An edge of the outer cylinder  22  has two second positioning members  221  that are formed by protruding along an axial direction of the outer cylinder  22  and away from the outer cylinder  22 . When the outer cylinder  22  is engaged with the internal cylinder  24 , each of the second positioning members  221  is arranged in one of the two second positioning portions  242  of the internal cylinder  24 , thereby preventing the outer cylinder  22  from circumferentially moving relative to the internal cylinder  24 . Another edge of the outer cylinder  22  has a flange formed by protruding outwardly in a radial direction of the outer cylinder  22 . When the valve body  20  is engaged with the bottle  10 , the outer cylinder  22  is tightly fitted around by an edge of the opening  10   a , and the edge of the opening l 0   a  abuts against the flange of the outer cylinder  22 , thereby avoiding the valve body  20  falling into the bottle  10  when the valve body  20  is pressed. 
     It is worthy to mention that a connection between the outer cylinder  22  and the bottle  10  is not restricted to interference fit. In other embodiments, the connection between the outer cylinder  22  and the bottle  10  could be other detachable connections or other secured connections. For example, when the outer cylinder  22  is detachably connected to the bottle  10 , the outer cylinder  22  is threadedly connected to or interlocked with the bottle  10 . When the outer cylinder  22  is secured to the bottle  10 , the outer cylinder  22  is welded or adhered to the bottle  10 . However, a manner of connection between the outer cylinder  22  and the bottle  10  is not limited to the above mention. 
     The brush head  30  includes a base seat  32  and bristles  34 , wherein the base seat  32  includes a base board  322  and an annular wall  324 . The base board  322  has an outlet port  322   a  and two side surfaces  322   b ,  322   c  that face opposite direction. The bristles  34  are disposed at the side surface  322   b  of the base board  322  that is opposite to the bottle  10 . The annular wall  324  is disposed on another side surface  322   c  of the base board  322  and is arranged along a circumference of the base board  322 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4  to  FIG. 7 , the brush head  30  is rotatably connected to the valve body  20  in a manner enabling the brush head  30  to be rotatable relative to the valve body  20 . More specifically, an inner circumference of the outer cylinder  22  of the valve body  20  has an engaging structure, wherein the engaging structure includes a retaining ring  222  and a set of blocking blocks. The retaining ring  222  is arranged around the inner circumference of the outer cylinder  22  and has a first end  222   a  and a second end  222   b  which are disconnected to each other. A disconnected portion between the first end  222   a  and the second end  222   b  constitutes a gap  222   c.    
     The set of blocking blocks includes at least a first block  223  and a second block  224 . In the current embodiment, the set of blocking blocks could further include a third block  225 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the first block  223 , the second block  224 , and the third block  225  of the engaging structure are located at a side of the retaining ring  222  that faces toward a direction away from the brush head  30 . The first block  223  is near the first end  222   a  and is located between the second block  224  and the first end  222   a . The third block  225  near the second end  222   b . In the current embodiment, the third block  225  is disposed right at the second end  222   b . An outer circumference of the annular wall  324  of the brush head  30  is disposed with a protrusion  325 , wherein the protrusion  325  has a maximum length in a circumferential direction of the annular wall  324  that is smaller than a distance between the first end  222   a  and the second end  222   b , thereby facilitating the protrusion  325  to pass the gap  222   c.    
     It is worthy to mention that the first block  223  is spaced from the second block  224 , and a distance between the first block  223  and the second block  224  is greater than the maximum length of the protrusion  325  in the circumferential direction of the annular wall  324 . In the axial direction of the outer cylinder  22 , the third block  225  has a length that is greater than a length of the first block  223 . When the brush head  30  is engaged with the valve body  20 , the annular wall  324  is surrounded by the outer cylinder  22 . When the brush head  30  is rotated relative to the valve body  20 , the protrusion  325  on the annular wall  324  is blocked by the third block  225  to stop the rotation of the brush head  30 , thereby avoiding the brush head  30  to be rotated in an incorrect direction by a user, which is a fool-proof design. 
     Additionally, as illustrated in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 9 , in the current embodiment, the outer cylinder  22  is disposed with another engaging structure which is as same as the engaging structure, wherein the two engaging structures are radial symmetrically arranged on two halves of the inner circumference of the outer cylinder  22 , respectively. Simultaneously, the annular wall  324  has correspondingly disposed with another protrusion  325 , wherein the two protrusions  325  on the outer circumference of the annular wall  324  are opposite to each other. With such design, the stability of the engagement between the brush head  30  and the valve body  20  could be enhanced. However, a number of the engaging structure and a number of the protrusion  325  are not limited to two. In the following description, one of the engaging structures and corresponding one of the protrusions  325  on the annular wall  324  are taken as an example to explain the engagement between the brush head  30  and the valve body  20 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , when the annular wall  324  is inserted between the outer cylinder  22  and the internal cylinder  24 , the protrusion  325  could pass through the gap  222   c  of the valve body  20 . As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the brush head  30  is rotated to allow the protrusion  325  to pass through the first block  223  and be located between the first block  223  and the second block  224 . When the protrusion  325  is located between the first block  223  and the second block  224 , the protrusion  325  continuously abuts against the retaining ring  222 , thereby engaging the brush head  30  and the valve body  20 . At the same time, as illustrated in  FIG. 12 , the end plate  26  is touched by the side surface  322   c  of the base board  322  without the bristles  34 , thereby avoiding the liquid remaining between the end plate  26  and the base board  322 . The protrusion  325  is restricted between the first block  223  and the second block  224 , thereby enabling the base seat  32  to be rotated relative to the valve body  20  between the first position P 1  (as shown in  FIG. 8 ) and a second position P 2  (as shown in  FIG. 10 ). 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , when the protrusion  325  abuts against the first block  223 , the base seat  32  is located at the first position P 1  to allow the outlet port  322   a  communicating with the through hole  26   a  of the end plate  26 . As illustrated in  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 11 , when the protrusion  325  abuts against the second block  224 , the base seat  32  is located at the second position P 2  to allow the base board  322  of the base seat  32  sealing the through hole  26   a . In the current embodiment, when the base seat  32  is located between the first position P 1  and the second position P 2 , a part of the end plate  26  blocks a portion of the outlet port  322   a  of the base seat  32  to change an area where the outlet port  322   a  is overlapped with the through hole  26   a  of end plate  26 , thereby adjusting a supplying volume of the liquid in the bottle  10 . The liquid includes, but not limited to, a cleaning fluid, a skincare liquid, and water. 
     For ensuring the user to easily and correctly identify the orientation of the base seat  32  relatively to the valve body  20 , the brush head  30  of the current embodiment is disposed with an indicating mark  326  which is located on an outer circumference of the base board  322  of the base seat  32 . A location of the indicating mark  326  corresponds to a location of the protrusion  325 , namely the indicating mark  326  and the protrusion  325  are aligned on an axial line. The outer cylinder  22  of the valve body  20  is disposed with an opening mark  226  and a closing mark  227 , wherein the opening mark  226  corresponds to the first block  223 , and the closing mark  227  corresponds to the second block  224 . More specifically, the opening mark  226  is aligned with a side of the first block  223  which faces the second block  224 , and the closing mark  227  is aligned with a side of the second block  224  which faces the first block  223 . With such design, when the indicating mark  326  is aligned with the opening mark  226 , the user could know the base seat  32  is located at the first position P 1 , and the outlet port  322   a  completely communicates with the through hole  26   a , thereby allowing the liquid in the bottle  10  to be poured out at a maximum rate. On the contrary, when the indicating mark  326  is aligned with the closing mark  227 , the user could know the base seat  32  is located at the second position P 2 , and the base board  322  completely blocks the through hole  26   a , so that the liquid in the bottle  10  could not flow out from the bottle  10 . When the indicating mark  326  is located between the opening mark  226  and the closing mark  227 , a part of the base board  322  blocks a portion of the through hole  26   a . The user could adjust a volume of the liquid flowing out from the bottle  10  by changing a distance between the indicating mark  326  and either the opening mark  226  or the closing mark  227 . 
     Additionally, the container  100  of the current embodiment could further include a lid  40 , wherein the lid  40  is detachably engaged with the base seat  32  of the brush head  30  and encloses the bristles  34 , thereby preventing the bristles  34  from being polluted and avoiding the liquid leakage resulting from carelessly rotating the brush head  30 . Practically, the lid  40  could be connected to either the bottle  10  or the valve body  20 . 
     In another embodiment, the first positioning portions and the second positioning portions of the internal cylinder could be formed by protruding outwardly instead of recessing. Simultaneously, the first positioning members of the end plate and the second positioning members of the outer cylinder could be formed by recessing instead of protruding. With such design, the first positioning members of the end plate could be engaged with the first positioning portions of the internal cylinder by interlocking, and the second positioning members of the outer cylinder could be engaged with the second positioning portions of the internal cylinder by interlocking to form the valve body of the another embodiment. However, means of engaging the outer cylinder and the internal cylinder, and means of engaging the internal cylinder and the end plate are not limited to the above-mentioned. The outer cylinder, the internal cylinder, and the end plate could be integrally formed as a monolithic unit, thereby constituting the valve body for being detachably connected to the bottle. Alternatively, the bottle, the outer cylinder, and the internal cylinder could be integrally formed as a monolithic unit, and the end plate is detachably connected to the internal cylinder. Additionally, a number of the first and second positioning portions is not limited to two, and it could be one or more than three, wherein the number of the first and second positioning members corresponds to the number of the first and second positioning portions. 
     Additionally, the number of the engaging structure on the outer cylinder of the valve body corresponds to the number of the protrusion of the brush head, wherein the numbers of the engaging structures and the protrusions are not restricted to two as described in the abovementioned embodiment, they could be one or more than three on the required demand. 
     To sum up, the volume of the liquid flowing out from the bottle of the container of the embodiments according to the present invention could be regulated by rotating the brush head relatively to the valve body between the first position P 1  and the second position, so that the convenience and the comfort of using could be enhanced. 
     It must be pointed out that the embodiment described above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present invention.