Patent Publication Number: US-6712537-B2

Title: Solvent container with dual purpose dispenser

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a multi-functional dispenser, particularly to one convenient to be assembled and disassembled, and possible to economize producing time and cost. 
     Two conventional multi-functional dispensers respectively disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,477shown in FIG.  1  and U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,474 shown in FIG. 2, titled “MULTI-FUNCTIONAL FINGER ENAMEL DISPENSER”, are made with the same technique and have the same feature. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the multi-functional finger enamel dispenser includes a resilient hollow tube  10  and a brush pencil  20 . The brush pencil  20  is composed of a brush pencil body  21 , a brush rod  22  and a pencil cap  23 . The brush pencil body  21  has opposite ends communicating with each other and is provided at the bottom with an open hole  211  with an inner threaded portion  212  to be threadably fitted with an outer threaded portion  13  of the hollow tube  10 . Further, the brush pencil body  21  has its inner intermediate portion shrunken into a shoulder  214 , and is disposed inside with a conical pencil head  24  having a projecting ring  241  on top resting on the shoulder  214 , with the pencil tube  242  of the pencil head  24  extending out of the brush pencil body  21  through the open hole  213  on top. 
     In addition, a connect member with female threads  215  is provided between the inner threaded portion  212  and the shoulder  214  of the brush pencil body  21 , and a connect base  221  with male threads  227  is fitted protruding on top of the brush rod  22 . The outer diameter of the upper connect portion  222  of the connect base  221  is equal to the inner diameter of the opening  243  of the pencil head  24 , with the connect base  221  fixed with the connect member of the brush pencil body  21 . The connect base  221  further has a stuffing ring  223  shrunken at the bottom and having an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the opening  12  of the resilient hollow tube  10 . Then, the brush rod  22  has a plurality of solvent guiding holes  224  bored along the rod wall at a proper location under its connect base  221 , with the solvent guiding holes opened through upward to make the top of the brush rod  22  formed into an open hole  225  and having a brush hair  226  fixed on the bottom. 
     However, the conventional finger enamel dispenser described above has the following disadvantages. 
     1. High producing time and cost: The conventional device is made of at least five essential components including a brush pencil body, a pencil head, a pencil tube, a connect base and a brush rod, being complicated to combine the components with one another. 
     2. Not easy to be assembled and disassembled: The combination among its components is complicated, so it is not easy to be disassembled for cleaning in case the pencil head, the pencil tube or the connect base should be blocked, and it is difficult to be assembled after cleaning. 
     3. Unsafe in using: The pencil head tightly pushed by the brush rod is fixed inside the brush pencil body, and the pencil tube at the end portion of the pencil head is in a fixed condition, therefore the pencil tube is liable to damage the surface of a finger nail in case of an excessive force in paining it. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The objective of the invention is to offer a multi-functional dispenser easy to be assembled and disassembled and possible to economize producing time and cost. 
     The multi-functional dispenser of the invention includes a container body, a pencil head bolder, a brush rod and a top cover. The feature is that the hollow brush rod head of the brush rod has its outer circumferential edge formed into a projecting rim, and the hollow cavity of the pencil head holder has a bottom connect opening formed with an engage groove so as to let the brush rod and the pencil head holder engaging with each other directly. Besides, the pencil head holder and its top solvent outlet tube are formed integral, thus, preventing the solvent outlet tube from moving biasly to ensure safety in using, and lowering producing time and cost. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     This invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional finger enamel dispenser disclosed in an U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,477: 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional finger enamel dispenser disclosed in an U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,474: 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a multi-functional dispenser in the present invention: 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the multi-functional dispenser i n the present invention: 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the line A—A in FIG.  4 : 
     FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a pencil head holder in the present invention: 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the line B—B in FIG.  4 : 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the multi-functional dispenser in a using condition in the present invention: 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the multi-functional dispenser in a using condition in the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A preferred embodiment of a multi-functional dispenser in the present invention includes a container body  3 , a pencil head holder  4 , a brush rod  44  and a top cover  5  as main component combined together. 
     The container body  3  is an interior hollow container for filling in a solvent such as finger enamel or correcting agent. The container body  3  is provided with a bottom base  31  at the bottom and male threads  30  around the outer circumferential edge of a mouth on top for the pencil head holder  4  to be threadably fitted therein. Further, the container body  3  is made of resilient soft material to be easily pressed with fingers. 
     The pencil head holder  4  is formed with female threads  40  around the bottom inner edge to engage threadably with the male threads  30  on top of the container body  3 . The pencil head holder  4  is formed inside with a hollow cavity  41  having its top end shrunken and provided with a solvent outlet tube  42  protruding out of the pencil head holder  4 , and a connect opening  43  formed at the bottom for receiving the brush rod  44 . 
     The brush rod  44  is provided on top with a hollow brush rod head  440  communicating with the hollow cavity  41  of the pencil head holder  4 . Then, one or more solvent guiding holes  441  are bored on the brush rod  44  adjacent to the hollow brush rod head  440  to let the solvent get into the hollow brush rod head  440  and filled up the hollow cavity  41  of the pencil head holder  4  through these solvent guiding holes  441 . Thus, a proper amount of solvent can be squeezed out through the solvent outlet tube  42  when the container body  3  is pressed. Besides, a brush hair  45  is fixed at the bottom of the brush rod  44  for smearing. 
     The top cover  5  for covering up the upper portion of the pencil head holder  4 , as shown in FIG. 5, is formed with a stuffing member  51  on the inner top to let the solvent outlet tube  42  of the pencil head holder  4  completely sealed in this stuffing member  51  to prevent the solvent from seeping out when the top cover  5  is covered around the pencil head holder  4 . 
     The feature of the invention is that the hollow brush rod head  440  of the brush rod  44  has its out circumferential edge formed into a projecting rim  442 , and the hollow cavity  41  of the pencil head holder  4  has its bottom connect opening  43  bored with an engage groove  430  to correspond to the projecting rim  442  so as to permit the brush rod  44  and the pencil head holder  4  to engage with each other directly. 
     Specifically, the brush rod  44  and the pencil head holder  4  are combined together by the engagement of the projecting rim  442  and the engage groove  430  so the brush rod  44  can easily be disengaged from the connect opening  43  of the brush head holder  4  for cleaning in case the solvent outlet tube  42  of the pencil head holder  4  or the hollow brush rod head  440  of the brush rod  44  is blocked. Besides, the projecting rim  442  and the engage groove  430  are impossible to be damaged in using, because they are made of flexible material. After cleaning, simply press the brush rod  44  to be fitted in the connect opening  43  of the pencil head holder  4  to let the projecting rim  442  of the hollow brush rod head  440  meshed with the engage groove  430  of the connect opening  43 . 
     The solvent outlet tube  42  and the pencil head holder  4  are made integral, so the solvent outlet tube  42  cannot slide or move biasly, as shown in FIG.  6 . If a user carries on painting with an excessive force (over 1.5 kg), the solvent outlet tube  42  will sink in the pencil head holder  4  to prevent damage to the surface of a finger nail, ensuring safety in painting finger nails, lowering producing time and cost due to comparatively few components and simple producing processes, and heightening competitive force of products. 
     Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, the intermediate circumferential portion of the pencil head holder  4  for engaging the top cover  5  is formed with toothed rings  46 , and the top cover  5  has its inner circumferential wall formed with one or more engage teeth  52  matching with the toothed rings  46  and respectively having one or more teeth. 
     When the top cover  5  is mounted around the pencil head holder  4 , the engage teeth  52  of the top cover  5  can easily mesh with the toothed rings  46  of the pencil head holder  4 . Thus, when the top cover  5  is fitted with and turned around the pencil head holder  4 , the pencil head holder  4  can synchronously be screwed in or out along the male threads  30  of the container body  3  for facilitating using the brush hair  45 . 
     In using, as shown in FIG. 8, when the container body  3  is filled up with finger enamel to be used for painting, just pull up the top cover  5  and press the container body  3  with fingers to let the solvent flow into the hollow cavity  41  of the pencil head holder  4  through the solvent guiding hole  43  and then get it out for use through the solvent outlet tube  42 . When the brush hair  45  is to be used for smearing the surface of finger nails, only let the top cover  5  fitted around the pencil head holder  4  and then directly turned around to let its engage teeth  52  meshed with the tooth rings  46  of the pencil head holder  4 , and thus the pencil head holder  4  is synchronously turned around and disengaged from the container body  3  to let the brush hair  45  ready for use. 
     As can be noted from the above description, the invention has the following advantages. 
     1. Having high practicability. The brush rod and the pencil head holder are combined together by meshing the projecting rim with the engage groove so the brush rod is easy to be disengaged from the pencil head holder for cleaning. Besides, the projecting rim of the brush rod and the engage groove of the pencil head holder are made of fixable material, so they will not be damaged in using. After cleaning, the brush rod is directly pressed and inserted in the connect opening of the pencil head holder to let the projecting rim fitted with the engage groove, thus, facilitating assembling and disassembling. 
     2. Economizing producing cost. The solvent outlet tube and the pencil head holder are formed integral, not only preventing the solvent outlet tube from sliding or moving biasly to ensure safety in using, but also greatly lowering producing time and cost due to comparatively few components and simple producing and assembling processes, and heightening competitive force of products. 
     3. Having extensive adaptability: The container body can be filled with finger enamel solvent for painting finger nails or filled with correcting agent for correcting words. 
     While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.