Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is related to French Patent Application Ser. No. 10 60625 filed Dec. 16, 2010 and takes priority therefrom. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a device for applying epilation wax, allowing for a precise application from the standpoint of thickness as well as dimensions of the application. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Wax dispensers which are constituted of a head mounted on a flexible container are known. The container ensures the containment of the wax and the head ensures the distribution of the wax thus stored in the container. 
         [0004]    The wax generally used is adapted to be made more fluid by a temperature increase. This fluidity is limited so as to enable an application of the wax in a thin layer, but without running, while also ensuring a sufficient wettability vis-à-vis the hairs and/or fine hairs to be removed. When cooling, the wax imprisons the hairs. The wax is adapted not to adhere to the skin. The wax thus deposited then only has to be removed by traction to ensure the hairs imprisoned within the wax are pulled out. 
         [0005]    To facilitate this pulling operation, it is possible to lay a small strip of mesh or non-woven material on the laid out wax, immediately after application, when the latter is still sticky and has a “tacking” power, so the small strip is also imprisoned in the cooling wax matrix, becoming affixed to this small strip. A traction on the strip facilitates grasping and makes pulling out the wax/hairs assembly including the hairs possible. 
         [0006]    Waxes are presently of a different nature, based on synthesis polymers. More and more, these new waxes are based on natural, sugar-based polymers. The advantages of these waxes are numerous. First, these waxes use sugars which are known to originate from agricultural products and are thus renewable. In addition, these products are naturally biodegradable, and require no recycling. The cleaning is carried out with water, and therefore without necessitating any sort of solvent and without generating any waste. 
         [0007]    However, there still remains the problem of the wax application and practicality of this operation. This wax application and removal operation must indeed be simple, fast, precise, without requiring skill, and, most importantly, with no risk to the user. Another constraint is cleaning the device since the device must be reusable after a first use in a simple and fast manner without requiring complex cleaning or disassembly. 
         [0008]    The device according to the invention not only targets the above objections, but, also targets other industrial objectives: simplicity of fabrication to limit costs, increased affordability of the device, a limited number of pieces to facilitate its assembly and its automation on a conveyor, and durable and reliable functioning, without blockages. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1 : a perspective view of the device according to the present invention, in an application state; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2 : an exploded, perspective view of the device according to the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3 : a top, perspective view, providing details of the application head; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4 : a bottom, perspective view, providing details of the application head; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5 : a detailed view of the movable applicator; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6 : a cross-sectional detailed view of the head screwed on the body of the device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    The device according to the present invention will now be described in detail according to a particular, non-limiting embodiment; this description being made with reference to the annexed drawings. 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  shows a complete device for applying wax according to the invention. This device comprises a body  10  and an applicator head  12  attached to said body. This body  10  is made in a known manner out of plastic. The shape is obtained by extrusion blow molding, for example. A preform or parison made of plastic material is placed in a mold and the body is formed by molding, possibly by blowing air under pressure. In this case, the body  10  has a substantially cylindrical shape with upper  14  and lower  16  ends,  FIG. 2 . This hollow body  10  comprises an open neck  18  placing the inner volume of the body  10  out in the open, this open neck being provided with an outer screw thread  20 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , located on a shoulder  22 , constituting the upper end  14  of the body  10 . 
         [0017]    The lower end  16  remains opened after being removed from the mold so as to enable the filling of the device according to the invention with the product to be dispensed, epilation wax in the present case. The filling is carried out with a covering of said open neck  18  with a conventional cap, the applicator head  12  being made separately and mounted immediately before use, in lieu of the cap. 
         [0018]    Once the body has been filled, this body  10  is sealed at the lower end  16  by flattening followed by border to border welding, constituting a segment substantially equal to the diameter of the body before flattening, measured perpendicular to this end. The body  10  can have a different shape than that illustrated, the drawn shape having, however, satisfactory design and ergonomics while providing a suitable capacity. The nature of the plastic material used is compatible with the wax which it contains so that, on the one hand, the wax does not adhere and, on the other hand, it allows the wax to be placed at the temperature of use, as explained later. 
         [0019]    The head  12  is composed of two pieces, shown in detail in  FIGS. 3 ,  4 , and  5 , namely a base  26  and a movable applicator  28 . The base  26  in  FIGS. 3  and  4  comprises a peripheral envelope  30  with an open housing  32  having a substantially rectangular shape. The housing  32  thus comprises two longitudinal lateral surfaces  34 - 1  and  34 - 2  and two transverse lateral surfaces  36 - 1  and  36 - 2  and a bottom  38 . The longitudinal lateral surfaces  34 - 1  and  34 - 2  each have an arc-shaped upper border with a large radius of curvature, whereas the two transverse lateral surfaces  36 - 1  and  36 - 2  have rectilinear borders. Generally, the edge of these 4 borders is rounded and the angles also have a curvature in order to avoid any harm to the skin during application as will be explained later. Each of the longitudinal lateral surfaces  34 - 1  and  34 - 2  is provided, perpendicular to the apex of the arch, with a groove  40 - 1  and  40 - 2  ( FIG. 6 ), open toward the free border of each of the surfaces and closed toward the inside of the housing, the shape being semi-circular. Each groove  40 - 1  and  40 - 2  bears, immediately perpendicular to the border of said longitudinal lateral surface  34 - 1  and  34 - 2 , a lip  42 - 1  and  42 - 2 , having a triangular section, with a slope oriented toward the bottom  38  of the housing, facilitating the insertion and blocking the removal. Thus, each groove  40 - 1  and  40 - 2  is delimited to form a bearing  44 - 1  and  44 - 2 . 
         [0020]    The bottom  38  of the housing is flat with a channel perpendicular to the angles between said bottom and the transverse and longitudinal lateral surfaces. The bottom  38  bears at its center a hole  46  for communication between the body  10  and the open housing  32 . Under the bottom  38 , as shown in detail in  FIG. 6  also, a skirt  46  is provided comprising a screw thread  48 , produced by molding, adapted to cooperate in a sealed manner with the external screw head  20  of the open neck  18 . 
         [0021]    The movable applicator  28  is a wheel  50  comprising a peripheral rolling surface  52  and two domed surfaces  54 - 1  and  54 - 2 . This wheel  50  is provided with two cylindrical tabs  56 - 1  and  56 - 2  projecting perpendicularly to the rotation axis, forming a rotating shaft, arranged on both sides of the median plane. These tabs  56 - 1  and  56 - 2  have a shape adapted to cooperate in rotation with the bearings  44 - 1  and  44 - 2  of the longitudinal lateral walls  34 - 1  and  34 - 2  provided to receive them. The surface  52  for peripheral rolling of the wheel  50  comprises transverse grooves  58  having a sinusoidal cross-section, if the succession of grooves on the periphery in the median plane is considered. The depth of these grooves depends on the properties of the wax at application temperature as will be explained later. 
         [0022]    Therefore, assembling the head is simple since the wheel  50  is inserted in the open housing  32 , the tabs  56 - 1  and  56 - 2  are in abutment on the lips  42 - 1  and  42 - 2  and an additional pressure causes the passage of the tabs beyond the lips to lodge themselves by ratcheting in bearings  44 - 1  and  44 - 2 . The tabs are thus maintained in these bearings and are free in rotation. The base  26  bearing the movable applicator  28  can thus be screwed on the body  10 . The three pieces are thus assembled to form the device according to the invention shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0023]    The device according to the invention is filled with a suitable wax, particularly, but not exclusively, sugar-based. To use it, the body  10  of the device is placed in a water bath, for example, or in any other hot water container with a conventional cap, the cap being advantageously oriented downward. The applicator head  12  is mounted only at the time of use. The first advantage is to dissolve the possible wax drippings resulting from a previous use. In parallel, the volume of wax contained is heated to the temperature suited to its application. 
         [0024]    It then suffices to unscrew the conventional cap to mount the applicator head by screwing and placing the wheel in contact with the skin on the area to be epilated, and then roll the wheel by translational displacement while maintaining pressure to deposit the wax on the desired area. The wheel ensures the dosage at the same time as the spreading. Indeed, placing the wheel  50  in rotation makes it possible to circulate the wax coming from the body  10  which passes through the hole  46  to come out in the space situated between the wheel and the bottom  38 . The wheel functions as a mini wheel with blades, the blades being the transverse grooves  58  which ensure the distribution of wax at a suitable volume. 
         [0025]    Similarly, the grooves in contact with the wax applied onto the skin allow for latching which sets said wheel into rotation, regulating the thickness of the applied wax. It must be noted that the contours can be followed precisely since the transverse borders do not hinder the maneuvers. The longitudinal lateral borders, being substantially perpendicular to the rotational axis of the wheel  50  are not a hindrance either. The wheel  50  is thus clear over more than half its circumference, which makes it very accessible. It must be noted that the wheel  50  rotates freely by creating in the open housing  32  a passage adapted for the wax to be expelled via the hole  46 . It must also be noted that the domed surfaces  54 - 1  and  54 - 2  prevent the wax from exiting the space created between one or the other of the lateral transverse surfaces  36 - 1  and  36 - 2  and the peripheral rolling surface  52  of the wheel, according to the displacement direction of the device. This allows a very precise, even dosing, with no gaps, proportional to the translational movement and thus proportional to the length of application. 
         [0026]    In order to feed the wheel to dose the quantity of wax, a slight pressure must be exerted on the flexible body  10 . It must be noted here also that even if the exerted pressure is accidentally substantial, the volume distributed cannot be substantial since the static flow is very limited since the wheel must rotate to free the necessary applicable volume. At the end of use, the applicator head  12  is disassembled, then rinsed for a future application and the body  10  receives the conventional cap again to ensure the remaining volume of wax is preserved. 
         [0027]    During the next use, the device is again ready to be put back in service by proceeding with the same steps as those carried out during the first use.

Technology Category: a