Patent Publication Number: US-10786063-B2

Title: Flow-through applicator device

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present invention. 
     Flow-through devices may be used to apply a solution to surfaces without dipping an applicator into a reservoir. The reservoir may hold the solution and a mechanism may be utilized to move the solution from the reservoir to the device applicator as solution is consumed. The device may go unused for an extended period of time, which may lead to dehydration of the applicator, for example when stored on a retailer&#39;s shelf. To prevent this, the flow-through device may be assembled with solution filled in the interior volumes of the features through which solution moves. However, a flow-through device including a cap may require two steps to fill both the cap and the internal features to prevent dehydration of the applicator. Accordingly, an improved device that retains moisture and wetness of an applicator is desired. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure relates to a flow-through device, including: a body, including a stem; a cap; a neck; a piston; and an applicator; and a bottle including a reservoir configured to hold a solution, wherein the cap is removeably attached to a first end of the body adjacent to the neck, configured to cover the applicator when attached, and includes an interior cap volume for the solution to fill, the stem is disposed at a second end of the body and attached to the neck, includes a hollow channel volume for the solution to flow through, and is configured to insert into the reservoir through an opening of the reservoir at a first end of the reservoir; the piston is attached to the stem at a predetermined distance along a length of the stem away from a bottom face of the reservoir when the stem is inserted into the reservoir, forms a seal with a sidewall of the reservoir, and is configured to displace the solution filled in the reservoir into the hollow channel volume of the stem; the applicator is attached to the neck at the first end of the body, includes an interior applicator volume and at least one flow hole configured to excrete the solution pushed through the stem by the piston, and is configured to spread the solution excreted through the at least one flow hole onto a surface; the neck is configured to rotate the attached stem, the rotation causing a movement of the piston along the length direction of the stem; and the reservoir is filled with an overfilled volume of the solution filling into the hollow channel volume of the stem, the interior applicator volume of the applicator, and the interior cap volume of the cap. 
     The foregoing paragraphs have been provided by way of general introduction, and are not intended to limit the scope of the following claims. The described aspects, together with further advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view schematic of a disassembled cosmetic flow-through applicator pen, according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view schematic of an assembled cosmetic flow-through applicator pen, according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view schematic of a cosmetic flow-through applicator pen, according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart for a method of assembling a cosmetic flow-through applicator pen, according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various aspects of the disclosed subject matter and is not necessarily intended to represent the only aspect(s). In certain instances, the description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the disclosed subject matter. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that aspects may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components may be shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the disclosed subject matter. 
     Reference throughout the specification to “one aspect” or “an aspect” means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, operation, or function described in connection with an aspect is included in at least one aspect of the disclosed subject matter. Thus, any appearance of the phrases “in one aspect” or “in an aspect” in the specification is not necessarily referring to the same aspect. Further, the particular features, structures, characteristics, operations, or functions may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects. Further, it is intended that aspects of the disclosed subject matter can and do cover modifications and variations of the described aspects. 
     It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. That is, unless clearly specified otherwise, as used herein the words “a” and “an” and the like carry the meaning of “one or more.” Additionally, it is to be understood that terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “side,” “interior,” “exterior,” and the like that may be used herein, merely describe points of reference and do not necessarily limit aspects of the disclosed subject matter to any particular orientation or configuration. Furthermore, terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., merely identify one of a number of portions, components, points of reference, operations and/or functions as described herein, and likewise do not necessarily limit aspects of the disclosed subject matter to any particular configuration or orientation. 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate schematics of a flow-through cosmetic pen  100 , according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. The flow-through cosmetic pen  100  (herein referred to as pen  100 ) may include a body  198  and a bottle  199 . The body  198  may include a cap  105 , a neck  110 , a stem  115 , and a piston  120 . The bottle  199  may include a seal  130  and a reservoir  135 . 
     The cap  105  may be disposed at a first end of the body  198  and be connected to the neck  110  when in a closed configuration, wherein the cap  105  may be removed for an open configuration. The portion of the cap  105  in contact with the neck  110  may form a seal with the neck  110  when in the closed configuration. The seal formed may prevent a solution injected into an interior of the cap  105  from leaking out. For example, the cap  105  may be twist-tightened onto the neck  110 . The seal formed may prevent foreign materials exterior to the cap  105  from entering into the interior of the cap. Non-limiting examples of methods for closing the cap  105  on the neck  110  include a snap tightening, a screw tightening, or any other method known in the art. The cap  105  may have a conical, cylindrical, rounded (as shown), or flared shape, or any predetermined shape that may hold a predetermined volume of solution in the interior. 
     The neck  110  may be partially hollow and have an interior with an inner diameter. In one aspect, the stem  115  is attached to a sidewall of the interior of the neck  110 . In one aspect, the stem  115  may be a detachable feature, wherein the stem  115  may be inserted into the interior of the neck  110  and mated with a lock. The stem  115  may be removed from the lock when maintenance of the part is desired. 
     The stem  115  may be disposed at a second end of the body  198  and attached to a side of the neck  110  opposite the cap  105 . The stem  115  may be a hollow tube shape and include a first end of the stem  115  disposed towards the first end of the body  198 , and a second end of the stem  115  disposed towards the second end of the body  198 . The stem  115  may allow flow of the solution from the second end of the stem  115  to the first end of the stem  115 . The stem  115  may be attached such that a rotation of the neck  110  may rotate the stem  115 . The stem  115  exterior surface may be screw threaded. The piston  120  may be a ring shape with a screw thread in an interior of the piston  120  matching the screw thread of the stem  115 . The piston  120  may be mounted on the stem  115  and disposed at a predetermined length L 2  along the stem  115  away from the second end of the stem  115 . The piston  120  mounted on the stem  115  may form a seal between the interior of the piston  120  and the screw thread of the stem  115 . 
     In one aspect, the body  198  may be inserted into an opening disposed at a first end of the bottle  199 , wherein the second end of the stem  115  is inserted first. The first end of the bottle  199  may have an outer diameter substantially equal to or slightly thinner than the inner diameter of the neck  110 . The first end of the bottle  199  may be inserted into the interior of the neck  110  and the seal  130  may form a seal with the sidewall of the interior of the neck  110  to prevent leakage. The seal  130  may be made of a deformable material that deforms against the sidewall of the interior of the neck  110  when the first end of the bottle  199  is inserted in the neck  110 . 
     The reservoir  135  may be a predetermined volume of empty space in an interior of the bottle  199  configured to hold a solution. For example, the reservoir  135  may hold mascara. For example, the reservoir  135  may hold ink. For example, the reservoir  135  may hold a solution having non-Newtonian behavior. For example, the reservoir  135  may hold at least one selected from the group consisting of hair gel, eyebrow gel, lip gloss, concealer, liquid blush, and pigmented ink. The predetermined volume may be determined based on a desired quantity of solution for use with the pen  100 . The cross-sectional shape (a plane orthogonal to a length direction) of the reservoir  135  may be designed to match the cross-sectional shape of the piston  120 . The reservoir  135  may include sidewalls extending along the length direction of the bottle  199  and a bottom face disposed at a second end of the bottle  199 . An outer diameter of the piston  120  may be just slightly narrower than an inner diameter of the reservoir  135  and the piston  120  may form a seal between an outer surface of the piston  120  in contact with an interior surface of the reservoir  135  when the piston  120  is inserted into the reservoir  135 . The piston  120  may include a lower face, wherein the lower face is the surface of the piston  120  facing towards the second end of the stem  115 . The predetermined length L 2  along the stem  115  away from the second end of the stem  115  where the piston  120  is mounted on the stem  115  may allow the lower face of the piston  120  to come to rest after being inserted at a predetermined length L 1  along the stem  115  away from the bottom face of the reservoir  135 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional schematic of a flow-through cosmetic pen  100 , according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. In the interior of the cap  105 , the body  198  may include an applicator  305  attached at its base to the interior sidewall of the neck  110 . The applicator  305  may include at least one flow hole  310  (herein referred to as holes  310 ). In one aspect, the holes  310  may be disposed on a predetermined side of the applicator  305 . In one aspect, the holes may be distributed over the entire surface of the applicator  305 . The holes  310  may be configured to excrete the solution received from the stem  115 . 
     The applicator  305  may include a material on an exterior surface of the applicator  305  configured to spread said solution. For example, the material may be flocking adhered to an adhesive coating on the applicator  305  configured to spread lip gloss. For example, the material may be bristles configured to spread ink. 
     The reservoir  135  may be filled with a predetermined volume of solution, wherein a hollow channel volume of the stem  115 , an interior applicator volume of the applicator  305 , and an interior cap volume of the cap  105  are at least partially filled when the body  198  is inserted into the bottle  199 . The piston  120  may form a seal with the reservoir  135  and push any overfilled solution in the reservoir  135  into the hollow channel volume of the stem  115  and subsequently fill at least partially the interior applicator volume of the applicator  305  and the interior cap volume of the cap  105 . The predetermined value may be determined based on the geometry of the stem  115 , applicator  305 , and cap  105 . For example, the stem  115  may be cylindrical with the hollow portion also being cylindrical, the applicator  305  may have an ellipsoid shape, and the cap  105  may have an ellipsoid shape, wherein the applicator  305  and cap  105  are shaped like half of an ellipsoid. Thus, the volume of the extra solution needed to fill the stem  115 , applicator  305 , and cap  105  may be expressed as the volume of the hollow channel of the stem  115  (V stem ) that may hold solution plus the interior volume of the applicator  305  (V appl ) plus the interior volume of the cap  105  (V cap ), minus the volume of the sidewall of the stem  115  that is submerged in the reservoir  135  (V displaced ), or
 
 V   extra   =V   stem   +V   appl   +V   cap   −V   displaced  
 
wherein the hollow channel volume of the stem  115  may be given as the volume of a cylinder with radius R 3  and length L 2 +L 3 , or V stem =πR 3   2 (L 2 +L 3 ),
 
wherein the interior volume of the applicator  305  may be given as the volume of half an ellipsoid having radii R 2  and R 4 , or V appl =⅔πR 2   2 R 4 ,
 
wherein the interior volume of the cap  105  may be given as the volume of half an ellipsoid having radii R 1  and R 6  minus the volume of the applicator  305  exterior half-ellipsoid having radii R 2  and R 5 , or V cap =⅔πR 1   2 R 6 −⅔πR 2   2 R 5 ,
 
wherein the volume of the sidewall of the stem  115  may be given as the volume of the stem  115  minus the volume of the inner hollow portion, or V displaced =πR 2   2 L 2 −πR 3   2 L 2 .
 
     Thus, by filling the reservoir  135  with the extra volume of solution, V extra , the solution will be pushed by the piston  120  into the stem  115 , applicator  305 , and cap  105  such that they are filled and no solution is forced out of the cap  105 . If the geometry of the specific parts were to change, e.g. the applicator  305  may have a pointed conical shape instead or the cap is rectangular instead, the volume expression for said shape may be used in place of the equations above. It may be appreciated that myriad shapes may be used for the stem  115 , applicator  305 , and cap  105  depending on the desired applicator or aesthetic appeal of the pen  100 . Moreover, it may be appreciated that the aforementioned parts may be filled partially instead of fully. 
     In one aspect, after joining the body  198  and the bottle  199 , the neck  110  may be rotated to spin the thread on the stem  115 , which in turn may translate the piston  120  in a direction towards or away from the bottom face of the reservoir  135 . When the piston  120  is translated in a direction towards the bottom face of the reservoir  135 , the solution in the reservoir  135  may be pushed into the stem  115  to exit out of the applicator  305  via the flow holes  310 . The neck  110  may be rotated to translate the piston  120  is partially or entirely down the length of the stem  115  in order to push out some or all of the solution in the reservoir  135  as a user uses said solution. 
     It may be appreciated that other types of pens  100  may be used with other types of mechanisms for pushing solution out of the reservoir  135  into the stem  115 . For example, a click pen may be used. In one aspect, depressing a button at a second end of the bottle  199  may translate the piston  120  towards the bottom face of the reservoir  135 . The click-type applicator may utilize a mechanism wherein depressing said button causes a rotation in a rotary cam element (neck  110 ) thereby moving a screw shaft (stem  115 ) and moving a piston (piston  120 ) forward to push out a solution. See U.S. Pat. No. 9,375,068 entitled “CLICK-TYPE APPLICATOR”, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a flow chart for a method of assembling the pen  100 , according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. In step S 301 , the predetermined volume of solution to fill the reservoir  135  is determined, the predetermined volume having an overfilled volume. In step S 303 , the reservoir  135  is filled with the predetermined volume of solution, wherein the overfilled volume is configured to be displaced and flow out of the reservoir  135  and at least partially into the hollow channel volume of the stem  115 . In step S 305 , the body  198  is inserted into the bottle  199 , which in turn displaces the overfilled solution and at least partially into the hollow channel volume of the stem  115 . 
     The over-filling of the reservoir  135  such that the solution is forced into the stem  115 , applicator  305 , and cap  105  may present multiple advantages. In one advantage, the applicator  305  may have solution already soaked into material applied to the surface of the applicator  305  (e.g. flocking, bristles, etc.) and the pen  100  is ready for use upon first opening. This may present a convenience feature for users since rotation of the neck  110  is not required to immediately use the product. In one advantage, the applicator  305  is soaked in the solution and no air is present to dry out the material applied to the surface of the applicator  305  or dry out solution partially filled in the stem  115 . In one advantage, the lack of air in the cap  105  prevents bacterial growth in the solution. In one advantage, the lack of air decreases the rate of drying of the applicator  305  which may permit use of more volatile solvents. 
     A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. For example, preferable results may be achieved if the steps of the disclosed techniques were performed in a different sequence, if components in the disclosed systems were combined in a different manner, or if the components were replaced or supplemented by other components. 
     The foregoing discussion describes merely exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Accordingly, the disclosure is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting of the scope of the disclosure, as well as the claims. The disclosure, including any readily discernible variants of the teachings herein, defines in part, the scope of the foregoing claim terminology such that no inventive subject matter is dedicated to the public.