Patent Publication Number: US-7219674-B1

Title: Template and method for applying makeup to eyebrows

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to templates for guiding the application of makeup onto eyebrows. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   Correctly applying makeup to the eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil or other device requires a great deal of skill. Often the eyebrow makeup will be applied to give the eyebrow a different shape or appearance. Relatively short eyebrows can be made to appear longer; thin eyebrows can be made to appear thicker; eyebrows with a non-distinctive shape can be given a very dramatic flair, and so forth. Creating these special appearances not only requires some artistic talent, but also demands high precision because the human eye will quickly notice small differences between a pair of eyebrows. Accordingly, there have been many attempts in the past to produce a satisfactory template that can conveniently and effectively guide the application of makeup to eyebrows. 
   Conventional stencils can be adhesively secured around a person&#39;s eyebrows. Adhesives are generally inconvenient, but even if the template is held in place by hand, this reduces the room available for the other hand that is applying makeup to the eyebrow. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,860,433 and 6,336,462; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/00234028. 
   Some eyebrow stencils are held in place with a headband. A headband can muss a hairdo and is rather awkward and embarrassing to use in a restaurant&#39;s restroom or other public facility. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,718,145; 5,186,190 and 5,662,129. 
   U.S. Design Patent 291,607 shows a tree-like structure, but its usefulness as an eyebrow template is unclear. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,870 an eyebrow guide has an arm 21 that can be adjusted with two degrees of freedom in order to set the height and angle of the eyebrow contour guide. However, arm 21 will cover one eye. Also, this guide cannot be conveniently used to fix the guide with relation to the person&#39;s face since it is free to move relative to the face. 
   See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,300,864 and 1,566,661; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0015214. 
   Accordingly, there is a need for an improved device that will guide the application of makeup to eyebrows in an effective and efficient manner. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided an eyebrow template for applying makeup to a person&#39;s eyebrows. The template has a saddle that is shaped to be placed against the bridge of the person&#39;s nose. The template also has a pair of guides each attached to the saddle and each having a guide opening for guiding the application of makeup to the person&#39;s eyebrows. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method employing a pair of templates attached by stems to a saddle is performed in order to apply makeup to a person&#39;s eyebrows. The method includes the step of placing the saddle against the bridge of the person&#39;s nose with the templates outlining the person&#39;s eyebrows. Another step is applying makeup to the person&#39;s eyebrows using the templates to guide makeup application. 
   By employing devices and methods of the foregoing type, one is able to conveniently and effectively apply makeup to eyebrows. In a preferred embodiment a curved saddle is designed to lay on the bridge of the person&#39;s nose. Stems extending from the saddle can support a pair of templates preferably in the form of loops. The preferred stems are flexible to allow adjustment of the templates relative to the person&#39;s eyebrows. On the other hand, the preferred loops are themselves designed to allow some flexing to accommodate the curvature of the forehead, but have a structure that essentially prevents alterations to the size of the opening in the loop to prevent changing the shape that will be applied by the template. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above brief description as well as other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of presently preferred but nonetheless illustrative embodiments in accordance with the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a template structured and used in accordance with principles of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the template of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the template of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a detailed fragmentary view of the saddle of the template of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  5 — 5  of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a detailed fragmentary view of a saddle and stems that is an alternate of that of  FIG. 6 ; and 
       FIGS. 7A–7D  are front views of guides that are alternates to that of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1–5  the illustrated eyebrow template has a saddle  10  that is designed to fit around the bridge of the nose of a person P. Saddle  10  is shown with a shape that is downwardly flared. The shape of saddle  10  may be rather complex to agree with the average anatomy, but may be generally described as a frustoconical section that extends about 180°. In some embodiments saddle  10  may be 0.25 to 1.0 inch (0.6 to 2.5 cm) tall. 
   Preferably, saddle  10  may be a soft plastic that does not irritate the person&#39;s skin. While in some embodiments saddle  10  may be somewhat flexible and springy in order to clip to the bridge of a person&#39;s nose, such clipping is unnecessary. In fact, in most embodiments, saddle  10  will simply be held in place with one of the person&#39;s fingers. In some embodiments saddle  10  will be formed from a curved metal band that is coated with a soft plastic, epoxy, or other material. 
   Integrally connected to saddle  10  are a pair of stems  12 . Stems  12  initially slant inwardly along converging proximal sections  12 A to follow the outline of the bridge of the person&#39;s nose. From there stems  12  slant outwardly along diverging distal sections  12 B. 
   In some embodiments stems  12  will be plastic coated wires.  FIG. 5  shows stem  12  having a wire W with plastic coating C. Wire W will enable one to readily bend the stems  12  to adjust the present device. 
   In other embodiments, the stems  12  may be continuous plastic (no wire core) integrally molded with saddle  10  and made of a single plastic material that will give saddle  10  and stems  12  the appropriate flexibility. In still other embodiments the device can be made from a mold that allows injection of different types of materials so that saddle  10  and stems  12  will be made of different plastics. 
   Stems  12  support the guides  14 , shown herein in the form of elongated loops. The guides  14  have guide openings  14 A that are designed to act as a template for applying makeup to a person&#39;s eyebrows. As shown in  FIG. 3 , guides  14  curve to follow the shape of the person&#39;s forehead. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the guides  14  have convex upper edges  14 B and concave lower edges  14 C, generally following the normal curvature of the person&#39;s eyebrows. 
   Since the guides  14  have a loop-like shape they are relatively compact. In preferred embodiments the guides  14  will be at most 2 cm tall. It is much preferred that the guide openings  14 A maintain the same size even if guides  14  are flexed by the user to follow the curvature around a person&#39;s forehead. In some embodiments the size of the guide openings  14 A is maintained by making guide  14  of relatively stiff or relatively thick material. In some instances the guide  14  may be molded with a different plastic material than stem  12 . In other embodiments guide  14  may be made from a sheet metal stamping that is then coated with plastic. Such a sheet metal stamping will allow the guide  14  to flex around the forehead but will not allow alteration of the size of the guide opening  14 A. Embodiments employing a sheet metal stamping may be welded to the wire core of the stems  12  as applicable. 
   It will be appreciated, however, that in some embodiments the illustrated device will not have a metal core in any of its components and will be molded from a single plastic material (or in some cases from multiple plastic materials). Also, in some embodiments saddle  10 , stems  12 , and guides  14  may be manufactured separately and then secured together by gluing, by welding, by mortise and tenon joints, etc. 
   Referring to  FIG. 6 , the separate saddle  110  is shown with a pair of cylindrical columns  116  having on top the sockets  118 . The sockets  118  are designed to receive and hold the tips  112 A of stems  112 . The outer portions of stems  112  can be the same as the stems shown in  FIG. 1  and may terminate in the guides  14 , also shown in  FIG. 1 . The advantage with the design of  FIG. 6  is that the guides associated with stems  112  can have different shapes so that the user can apply makeup in different styles. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 7A–7D , examples of various eyebrow styles are given for the previously mentioned guides. For example, the guide  214  of  FIG. 7A  (supported by stem  212 ) offers a bold design wherein guide opening  214 A outlines a thick eyebrow with a well-defined arch. The guide  314  of  FIG. 7B  (supported by stem  312 ) offers an easy design wherein guide opening  214 A outlines a moderately sized eyebrow with a gentle arch. The guide  414  of  FIG. 7C  (supported by stem  412 ) offers a slim design wherein guide opening  414 A outlines a thin eyebrow with a simply curved arch. The guide  514  of  FIG. 7A  (supported by stem  512 ) offers a long design wherein guide opening  514 A outlines a long, thick, angular eyebrow with a well-defined arch. 
   The guides of  FIGS. 7A–7D  may be a set of replacement guides that are separate from the previously mentioned saddle. In particular, these guides may be supplied in pairs of right and left guides with stems having tips that can plug into sockets as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
   To facilitate an understanding of the principles associated with the foregoing apparatus, its operation will be briefly described. The template of  FIG. 1  can be positioned with the saddle  10  placed against the bridge of the person&#39;s nose. While saddle  10  can operate as a clip, preferably saddle  10  will simply be held in place with one of the fingers of the person P or another person who is applying makeup to person P. Once in position, the user can adjust the position of guides  14  by taking advantage of the flexibility of stems  12 . In embodiments where stems  12  are plastic-coated wires, the wires will have a certain flexibility and will be relatively soft so that they can be bent into a position that will then remain static. In particular, the height and angle of guides  14  can be adjusted to align with the person&#39;s eyebrows. It will be noted that the alignment can altered from exact alignment in the event that one desires to change the angular orientation or position of the person&#39;s natural eyebrows. 
   It will be appreciated that in some instances emphasis will be placed on applying the makeup to the eyebrows symmetrically. In those instances the stems  12  may be made relatively inflexible to enforce symmetry. In other embodiments, the plastic of the guides can be heat treated to allow initial adjustment but then turning rigid maintain symmetry. For example, the stems  12  can be supplied in a relatively flexible condition. However on heating, the stems  12  will become relatively rigid. Alternatively, the stems can be supplied relatively rigid but can be heated and softened so that they are pliable for a brief period of time while the guide position is being adjusted. This heat can be applied by a hairdryer, or by placing the device in hot water. 
   In any event, once the guide position is established, a hand other than the one holding saddle  10 , can be used to apply makeup to an eyebrow with, for example, an eyebrow pencil. 
   An advantage of the foregoing device is that it is relatively compact and discrete. Thus a person may accurately apply eyebrow makeup using the mirror of a restaurant&#39;s bathroom without drawing attention. Moreover, the compact nature of the device allows easy storage in a purse, pocket etc. 
   It will be appreciated that various modifications may be implemented with respect to the above described, preferred embodiments. For example, the size and shape of the various components can be altered depending upon the desired portability, strength, makeup effect, etc. Also, the template can be formed by molding, stamping, machining, etc. In addition, the template can be formed of several separate components that can be joined at various locations. Furthermore, the relative heights of the saddle and stems can be changed by allowing them to extend over various percentages of the distance from the bridge of the person&#39;s nose to the eyebrows. Moreover, in some embodiments the guides can be replaceable as a single unit that is integrated into a generally V-shaped item that connects to a saddle. Also, the replaceable guides can connect to the saddle using a socket formed in either the saddle or the guide or by other connection means. In addition, the illustrated guides and stems can be designed with a fluid transition that is not distinct, but is a relatively gradual transition. 
   Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.