Patent Publication Number: US-2007095780-A1

Title: Scalp massaging container cap

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/732,554 filed Nov. 3, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates generally to a cap or cover for a container that includes an integral scalp-massaging portion. In certain embodiments, the cap or cover is adapted for use on a standard bottle or container of a hair or scalp treatment product.  
      As used herein, the term container refers to bottles and other similar containers that have an opening at one end and dispense a product. The term liquid refers to liquids and other flowable substances, including gels, creams, and the like. The term cap refers to caps, lids, and dispensers and substantially concave covers that attach to existing caps, lids, and dispensers.  
      The use of shampoo, conditioner, hair-restoration medication or other hair and scalp products is a regular part of the daily routine for many individuals. However, for many individuals, this routine can present difficulties.  
      Some people, especially young children, have difficulty shampooing their own hair because they are unsure of how much shampoo to use and/or they do not understand the need to work the shampoo into their hair. Because of this, they tend to use too much or too little shampoo and/or only rub the shampoo on the top of their head, thus failing to adequately shampoo the hair on the sides and back of their heads. Even when a child has an understanding of how much shampoo to use and the need to work it into all of their hair, the child can have difficulty due to the texture of their hair (i.e., extremely curly or kinky hair).  
      Many women have difficulty applying hair and scalp products due to their fingernails. Often, women will grow or apply long fingernails and/or apply ornate fingernail polish that they do not wish to damage during the application of hair and scalp products.  
      Some people have difficulty applying hair and scalp products due to damaged or diseased fingertips and/or fingernails that can make it painful to manually apply the product. Similarly, those suffering from disabilities or arthritis can find it difficult and painful to manually apply hair and scalp products.  
      Furthermore, those with excessively curly or coarse-textured hair can find that their fingers and/or fingernails cannot adequately penetrate their hair in order to properly work in the hair or scalp treatment products. This is also a problem with applying treatments to some pets.  
      What would be useful is a means to avoid the need for an individual to use their fingers and/or fingernails to massage their scalp and/or apply and work in hair and scalp treatment products and/or apply and work in pet hair treatments. What would also be useful is a means that more effectively penetrates curly or coarse-textured hair for the application of these products. It would be further useful to have a means for measuring these hair and scalp treatment products prior to their application.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention provides various embodiments of a container cap or cover that includes a plurality of comb-like teeth at a bottom edge that are effective to massage the scalp and work in hair and scalp treatment products.  
      The cap has walls that form a substantially concave interior region into which shampoo, conditioner, detangler, relaxer, dye, medication, or other such hair or scalp treatment liquids can be poured into and, optionally, measured. Structure is provided in the interior of the cap for retention of the cap on a bottle or other similar container.  
      In various embodiments, the cap can optionally include features such as measuring indicia, dividing walls, molded finger grips, and a pouring spout  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  illustrates a cross-section of an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-section of another embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 3  illustrates an axial view of an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 4  illustrates an elevation view of an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 5A  illustrates an axial view of another embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 5B  illustrates a cross-section of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in  FIG. 5A ;  
       FIG. 6A  illustrates an elevation view of an embodiment of the invention that incorporates a spout;  
       FIG. 6B  illustrates an axial view of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in  FIG. 6A ;  
       FIGS. 7A, 7B ,  7 C, and  7 D illustrate some possible tooth configurations useful with embodiments of the invention;  
       FIG. 8  illustrates an elevation of an embodiment of the invention that incorporates a looped handle;  
       FIG. 9  illustrates an embodiment of the invention in combination with a container;  
       FIG. 10  illustrates a basic embodiment of the invention; and  
       FIGS. 11A, 11B , and  11 C illustrate various views of yet another embodiment of the invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      A cap or cover for a container is disclosed. The cap includes an integral scalp-massaging portion in the form of a plurality of comb-like teeth extending at an open end.  
      In certain embodiments, the cap or cover is adapted for use on a standard container of a hair or scalp treatment product. As illustrated in a cross-section of a cap in  FIG. 1 , a basic embodiment of the cap  10  includes a closed end  15  and a peripheral side wall  11  extending from the closed end  15 . Although shown as an end wall, the closed end  15  is not limited to being a separate wall and may take other forms, such as any closed terminus of the peripheral side wall.  
      At an edge of the peripheral side wall  11  opposite the closed end  15 , the peripheral side wall  11  terminates with a plurality of comb-like teeth  12 . The comb-like teeth  12  can take any form suitable for manipulating hair and/or massaging a scalp. From a practical standpoint, the cap is preferably formed from a suitable plastic and the comb-like teeth  12  are preferably formed integral with the cap in order to reduce the cost and complexity of the cap. However, any suitable material may be used for the cap and/or the comb-like teeth and the comb-like teeth can be manufactured separately and attached to the edge of the cap in any known manner. The length, shape, and flexibility of the comb-like teeth  12  can be varied depending on the intended end use. In this manner, flexible, gently-shaped teeth can be provided for use with baby shampoo for fine, straight hair, whereas stiffer, sharper (i.e., shaped for better penetration) teeth can be used with a hair relaxer for course, kinky hair. In  FIG. 1 , the comb-like teeth  12  are substantially triangular in shape.  
       FIG. 1  depicts a cap  10  in an orientation in which it can hold a liquid. Indicia line  16  can be provided inside the cap  10  to indicate the amount of liquid that is recommended for the particular hair or scalp treatment. The cap  10  further includes a structure  14  for releasably securing the cap to a container of hair or scalp treatment liquid. In  FIG. 1 , the structure  14  is a sleeve extending from the closed end  15  which is sized to engage the top portion of a container by sliding on and being retained by friction and/or gravity. When mounted on a container, the cap  10  with typically have its teeth  12  pointed downward since the cap  10  will usually engage a cap of a container located at the upper end thereof.  
      However, since some containers have bottom outlets, the “cap” in this situation will mount at a lower end and should have a closed end  15  suitable for supporting the container.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates another embodiment of a cap  20  in accordance with the present invention. Cap  20  has a rounded transition from the closed end to the peripheral side wall and includes comb-like teeth  22  that are rounded. In this embodiment, the structure  24  for releasably securing the cap  20  to a container is a raised ridge  24  that engages a mating portion on a container in a friction or press fit. A plurality of indicia marks  26  are optionally provided so as to allow a user to measure a desired amount of liquid.  
       FIG. 3  illustrates one possible axial view of a cap  10  from  FIG. 1 . The outer shape of the cap  10  can take many forms and one example is illustrated as elliptical in  FIG. 3  since many hair treatment products come in containers having substantially elliptical outer walls. While not a requirement that the cap  10  match the container shape, for aesthetic and practical reasons, a substantial matching of the shapes is preferred so that the overall package has a pleasing look and so that the comb-like teeth will not snag on objects.  
       FIG. 4  illustrates an elevational view of another possible embodiment of the invention, in which cap  40  has rounded comb-like teeth  42  and further includes a plurality of finger grips or detents  48  spaced about the periphery of the cap  40 . Such spaced grips  48  can provide the user with improved grip of the cap  40 , which will often be used in wet, soapy environments that can cause slipperiness. The grips  48  can be molded detents, patches of textured surface, or any other suitable grip improvement means.  
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  illustrate an embodiment in which the cap  50  replaces a conventional screw-on cap of a container. Such an embodiment can be included with a product as the OEM cap or can be sold as an aftermarket cap for use with the product. In this configuration, the cap  50  includes suitable comb-like teeth  52  and integrates a threaded cap portion  54  to both secure the inventive cap to the container and cap (i.e., close) the container. In this embodiment,  FIG. 5A  illustrates a cap  50  that is preferably used with a container having a round outer wall section.  
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate an elevation and axial view of another embodiment of the present invention. In this form, the cap  60  includes comb-like teeth  62  on the open edge of the peripheral side wall, which also includes a pouring spout  65 . The peripheral side wall further includes four finger detents  68  on one side of the spout  65  and a thumb detent  68  on the other side of the spout  65 . In this form, caps can be customized for individuals that are right-handed or left-handed when pouring liquid from the cap.  
      The comb-like teeth of the invention can be any suitable shape. Tooth profiles that are tapered or rounded at the tip allow the tip to penetrate hair yet be sufficiently soft and/or flexible so as not to scratch the scalp.  FIG. 7A  illustrates a tooth with a triangular profile.  FIG. 7B  illustrates a tooth with a rounded profile.  FIG. 7C  illustrates a tooth with a triangularly-tapered profile.  FIG. 7D  illustrates a tooth with a parabolic profile. Of course, numerous other tooth profiles are also usable with the invention.  
       FIG. 8  illustrates a cap  80  with comb-like teeth  82 , and which further includes a looped handle  88  extending from the closed end of the cap  80 . Such a handle can have multiple functions. If the cap  80  is attached to a container in a sufficiently secure manner, the looped handle  88  can be used to carry and hang the container. The looped handle  88  can also assist those without sufficient grip strength in handling the cap  80  so as to remove the cap  80  from a container, use the cap  80  to apply and work in a hair or scalp treatment, and replace the cap  80  back on the container. To accomplish this, a user slips one or more fingers through the looped handle  88  (preferably with the palm facing the same direction as the comb-like teeth) in order to handle the cap  80 .  
       FIG. 9  illustrates a typical deployment of a cap  90  on a container  91  which has an opening at a top potion thereof. As can be seen, the teeth of cap  90  are unobtrusive and do not adversely impact the overall packaging of the product.  
      As illustrated in a cross-section of a cap in  FIG. 10 , another basic embodiment of the cap  100  includes a closed end  105  and a peripheral side wall  101  extending from the closed end  105 . At an edge of the peripheral side wall  101  opposite the closed end  105 , the peripheral side wall  101  terminates with a plurality of comb-like teeth  102 . In  FIG. 10 , the comb-like teeth  105  are substantially rounded in shape. The cap  100  further includes a structure  104  for releasably securing the cap to a container of hair or scalp treatment liquid. In  FIG. 10 , the structure  104  is comprised of one or more tabs extending from either the inner side of side wall  101  or the closed end  105  and which is sized to engage a mating portion of a container by friction or press-fit. Indeed, numerous cap attachment elements are known in the art and any suitable attachments can be used with the present invention.  
       FIGS. 11A, 11B , and  11 C disclose yet another embodiment of the invention. As seen in the cross section of cap  110  in  FIG. 11A , the peripheral side walls of cap  110  are diverging. The comb-like teeth  112  are formed in a manner found in conventional combs and brushes, comprised of a long narrow body with a ball element at the end. As more clearly seen in  FIGS. 11A and 11B , the retention structure  114  is a comprised of portions of a split cylinder. Each of these portions flex somewhat and allow the cap to grip an associated container. The cap  110  can optionally include a dividing wall  118  so as to form smaller measuring volumes.  
       FIG. 11C  illustrates an elevational view of the cap  110 . As an alternative to individual finger grips,  FIG. 11C  shows optional detents  116  that are placed on opposite sides of the cap  110 . In use, the thumb is located in one detent  116 , and one or more fingers are located in the opposing detent  116 .  
      A container cap with integral comb-like teeth has been described. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed and that the examples and embodiments described herein are in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art of the present invention will recognize that other embodiments using the concepts described herein are also possible. Further, any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.