Patent Publication Number: US-6341913-B1

Title: Mascara brush and storage container therefor

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The claimed invention relates to an improved brush for applying cosmetic products and a storage container therefor, in particular an improved brush for applying mascara to the eyelashes and a storage container to store the improved brush and an amount of mascara for application to the eyelashes. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The use of brushes to apply mascara to the eyelashes is well known in the prior art. Various types of brushes have been employed to accomplish this task with the most common designs either changing the configuration of the brush shaft or changing the bristle profile to achieve different results. 
     Some examples of mascara brushes having varying designs are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,165,755, 4,600,328, 5,860,432, and 5,941,254. U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,755 issued to Cassai discloses an adjustable mascara wand with a straight shaft extension having a cone shaped bristle profile that is pivotally secured to a main shaft to allow the shaft extension to pivot so that the user can adjust the brush for differing applications. This brush has two major problems when applying mascara to the eyelashes. First, the width of the combined bristle rows does not enable the user to cover the entire eyelash width with one stroke, thus making it necessary to perform several strokes. Second, the configuration of the bristle profile makes it necessary for the user to angle the brush in order to reach the interior and exterior portions of the eyelashes. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,328 issued to Clements discloses a mascara applicator with two brushes having bristles configured as oppositely oriented cones. The oppositely oriented cones provide different bristle profiles for the right and left eyes, however these brushes still produce the same problems as previously mentioned. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,432 issued to Gueret discloses a brush having a straight or curved stem and a bristle profile defined by two peak lines having a specific curvature. The curvature of the bristle profile helps the user to reach the interior and exterior portions of the eyelashes, but the width of the combined bristle rows does not enable the user to cover the entire eyelash width with one stroke, thus making it necessary to perform several stokes. Second, the placement of the bristles on the shaft requires the user to rotate their wrist in order to apply the mascara effectively to the opposite eye thus making it awkward for the user. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,254 issued to Heler discloses a mascara brush having a straight shaft and a spiral configuration of bristles that is capable of mounting an eye liner pencil in the handle of the mascara brush. While the spiral configuration provides effective means for transferring the mascara from the bristles to the eyelashes, the user is still faced with the same problems previously mentioned. 
     While these brushes produce satisfactory results when applying mascara to a person&#39;s eyelashes, there still remains a need for a mascara brush that can be used to apply mascara to the eyelashes of both eyes that cover the entire width of the eyelashes without need to rotate the wrist or angle the brush to reach the interior and exterior regions of the eyelashes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is the object of the claimed invention to provide an improved mascara brush and storage container therefor by providing a mascara brush that allows a person to apply mascara to substantially all of the eyelashes of an eye without having to angle the brush to reach the smaller eyelashes at the interior or exterior portion of the eye. 
     Another objector of the claimed invention is to provide an improved mascara brush and storage container therefor that allows the user to apply mascara to the eye opposite the hand being used to hold the mascara brush without having to rotate the wrist in order to apply mascara. 
     This is accomplished by providing an improved mascara storage and application device for applying mascara to eyelashes comprising a cylindrical storage container capable of containing an amount of mascara and accepting a mascara brush of sufficient length to simultaneously reach substantially all of the eyelashes of an eye, the cylindrical storage container comprising a substantially flat bottom surface, a top surface having a threaded neck portion with an aperture therethrough, the aperture sized and shaped to wipe excess mascara from a mascara brush when removing the mascara brush from the cylindrical container, waisted exterior side surfaces for gripping the cylindrical storage container, a mascara brush for applying mascara to the eyelashes, the mascara brush comprising, a handle having a first and second end configured for right and left handed users, the second end of the handle having a circular recessed portion with a wall section and a floor section, the wall section having a set of threads extending therefrom being complementary to the threads of the threaded neck portion, a shaft having a first end inserted into the handle and a second end, the shaft extending from the second end of the handle having a first portion adjacent the handle and a second portion juxtaposed the first portion, the length of the first portion and second portion of the shaft having sufficient combined length to simultaneously reach substantially all of the eyelashes of the eye, a first row of bristles connected to the shaft beginning adjacent the handle and extending substantially perpendicular from the shaft in a continuous clockwise spiral of decreasing length about the first portion of the shaft and terminating at the second portion of the shaft, a second row of bristles connected to the shaft beginning at the second end of the shaft and extending substantially perpendicular from the shaft in a continuous clockwise spiral of decreasing length about the second portion of the shaft and terminating at the first portion of the shaft so that a person can apply a substantially even amount of mascara across substantially all of the eyelashes of both eyes using one hand. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the improved mascara storage and application device. 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the improved mascara storage and application device. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial plan view of the improved mascara brush. 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of the improved mascara brush. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a right handed person using the improved mascara brush on the right eye. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a right handed person using the improved mascara brush on the left eye. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, an improved mascara brush  10  and storage container therefor  100  are illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4. 
     FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the mascara brush  10  stored in the storage container  100 . The storage container  100  has waisted exterior side surfaces  101  to allow the user to grip the storage container  100  while inserting or removing the mascara brush  10  from the storage container  100 . The storage container  100  is of sufficient size to store the mascara brush  10  and an amount of mascara  90 . 
     FIG. 2 shows a side sectional view of the mascara brush  10  and mascara  90  stored in the storage container  100 . The storage container  100 , has a substantially flat bottom surface  102  and a top surface  103  that has a threaded neck portion  104  with an aperture  105  through which the mascara brush  10  is inserted or removed from the storage container  100 . The size of the aperture  105  is smaller than the outer diameter  11  of the bristles  12  of the mascara brush  10  so that the aperture  105  performs a wiping action against the bristles  12  of the mascara brush  10  when removing the mascara brush  10  from the storage container  100  to remove excess mascara from the bristles  12 . 
     The mascara brush  10  has a handle  20  that is adapted for right and left handed users with a first end  21  and a second end  22 . A circular recess  23  within the second end  22  of the handle  20  having a floor section  23 A and a set of female threads  24  in the walls  25  of the circular recess  23  is sized to accept the threaded neck portion  104  of the storage container  100 . 
     The stem  30  of the mascara brush  10  is inserted into the second end  22  of the handle  20  and extends from the handle  20  to a length  31  that will allow the shaft  40  to reach the bottom of the storage container  100 . 
     Referring to FIG. 3, the shaft  40  is made of twisted wire  49  molded into the stem  30  with the bristles  12  passing between the twisted wire  49 . For explanatory purposes, the shaft  40  and the spiraling bristle row configurations  41  and  42  are split into a first portion  43  and second portion  44  as shown in FIG. 4 at the center point of the shaft  45 . The bristles  13  that are connected to the shaft  40  on the first portion  43  of the shaft  40  are connected to the shaft  40  in a clockwise spiraling bristle row configuration  41  about the shaft  40  when looking down the long axis X—X of the shaft  40  from the handle end  26 . The length of the bristles  12  connected to the first portion  43  of the shaft  40  decrease from a beginning length  46  near the handle  20  to a terminating length  47  near the center point  45  of the shaft  40 . 
     The bristles  12  that are connected to the shaft  40  on the second portion  44  of the shaft  40  are connected in a counter-clockwise spiraling bristle row configuration  42  about the shaft  40  when looking down the long axis X—X of the shaft  40  from the end of the mascara brush  48 . The length of the bristles  14  connected to the second portion  44  of the shaft  40  decrease from a beginning length  49  near the end of the mascara brush  48  to a terminating length  50  near the center point of the shaft  45 . The resulting bristle profile  51  of the mascara brush  10  provides bristles  13 , and  14  in opposite spiraling directions  41  and  42  for use on both eyes  201  and  301 . 
     FIG. 5 shows the spiral configuration  41  of the bristles  13  nearest the handle  20  facilitates transferal of mascara  90  from the mascara brush  10  to the eyelashes  203  near the exterior portion of the eye  204  by stroking the shorter eyelashes  203  in the direction that they grow from the eye  201 . The spiral configuration  42  of the bristles  14  of the second portion  44  of the mascara brush  10  facilitates transferal of mascara  90  from the mascara brush  10  to the shorter eyelashes  205  near the interior portion of the eye  206  by stroking the shorter eyelashes  205  in the direction that they grow from the eye  201 . The combined overall width  52  of the spiraling bristle rows  41  and  42  that cover the first portion  43  and the second portion  44  provides a bristle profile  51  that is wide enough to cover substantially all of the eyelashes  200  and  300  of one eye  201  or  301  simultaneously. In one embodiment, the combined width  52  of the spiraling bristle rows  41  and  42  is 1⅛″, and in another embodiment, the combined width  52  is 1¼″. However, varying widths  52  of spiraling bristle rows  41  and  42  are contemplated within this approximate range. The overall width  52  of the spiraling bristle rows  41  and  42  help the user to place an even amount of mascara  90  across the eyelashes  200  and  300  of an eye  201  or  301  by reducing the number of strokes necessary to obtain a desirable amount of mascara coverage. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a person using the mascara brush  10  with their right hand  202  to place mascara  90  on the eyelashes  200  of the right eye  201 . The overall width  52  of the spiraling bristle rows  41  and  42  covers substantially all of the eyelashes  201  simultaneously. The longer bristles  15  connected to the first portion  43  of the shaft  40  near the handle  20  touch the shorter eyelashes  203  near the exterior portion of the eye  204 . The longer bristles  16  connected to the second portion  44  of the shaft  40  near the end  48  of the mascara brush  10  touch the shorter eyelashes  205  near the interior portion of the eye  206 . 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a person using the mascara brush  10  with their right hand  202  to place mascara  90  on the eyelashes  300  of the left eye  301  without having to rotate the wrist  302  in order to properly apply mascara  90  to the eyelashes  300  of the left eye  301 . The overall width  52  of the spiraling bristle rows  41  and  42  covers substantially all of the eyelashes  200  or  300  simultaneously. The longer bristles  15  connected to the first portion  43  of the shaft  40  near the handle  20  touch the shorter eyelashes  303  near the interior portion of the eye  304 . The longer bristles  16  connected to the second portion  44  of the shaft  40  near the end  48  of the mascara brush  10  touch the shorter eyelashes  305  near the exterior portion of the eye  306 .