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Title:
APPLICATOR FOR APPLYING A LIQUID COSMETIC PRODUCT
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2017/148887
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
The present invention relates to an applicator (4) for applying a cosmetic product, comprising an applicator member (5) defining an application surface that is intended to come into contact with a body surface of a user and is in the form of a block of deformable material, said applicator member being mounted on a gripping member (41) by way of at least one holding and fastening system comprising at least one peripheral skirt (42) that defines, with an end wall (43), a housing for receiving a mounting foot of the applicator member, characterized in that the holding and fastening system comprises at least one complementary clamping ring (70) that is able to compress a part of the mounting foot that is situated at a non-zero distance from a base surface of said mounting foot, said base surface being oriented towards the end wall of the holding and fastening system when the applicator member is disposed in the housing of the holding and fastening system, the clamping ring having at least one clip-fastening means that is able to cooperate with at least one complementary clip- fastening means (46) of the peripheral skirt of the holding and fastening system.

Inventors:
BERHAULT ALAIN (FR)
CAULIER ERIC (FR)
SANCHEZ MARCEL (FR)
Application Number:
PCT/EP2017/054556
Publication Date:
September 08, 2017
Filing Date:
February 28, 2017
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
OREAL (FR)
International Classes:
A45D34/04
Foreign References:
EP1094011A12001-04-25
EP1634616A12006-03-15
FR2962890A12012-01-27
FR2814651A12002-04-05
FR2832297A12003-05-23
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
JOUANNEAU, Lionel (FR)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS

1. Applicator (4) for applying a cosmetic product, comprising an applicator member (5) defining an application surface (50) that is intended to come into contact with a body surface of a user and is in the form of a block of deformable material, said applicator member being mounted on a gripping member (41) by way of at least one holding and fastening system comprising at least one peripheral skirt (42) that defines, with an end wall (43), a housing for receiving a mounting foot (52) of the applicator member, characterized in that the holding and fastening system comprises at least one complementary clamping ring (70) that is able to compress a part of the mounting foot that is situated at a non-zero distance from a base surface of said mounting foot, said base surface being oriented towards the end wall of the holding and fastening system when the applicator member is disposed in the housing of the holding and fastening system, the clamping ring having at least one clip-fastening means (71) that is able to cooperate with at least one complementary clip-fastening means (46) of the peripheral skirt of the holding and fastening system.

2. Applicator (4) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the end wall (43) of the holding and fastening system comprises at least one tooth (45) that is able to pass into the base surface of the foot (52) of the applicator member (5).

3. Applicator (4) according to either one of Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the clamping ring (70) has an end that is intended to be oriented towards the end wall (43) of the holding and fastening system, said end having an at least partially peripheral radial shoulder (72) that is able to engage with an at least partially peripheral complementary slot (58) in the mounting foot (52) of the applicator member (5).

4. Applicator (4) according to Claim 3, characterized in that the radial shoulder (72) has a surface that is intended to be oriented towards the end wall (43) of the holding and fastening system and has at least one coupling tooth (75) that is able to pass into a corresponding surface of the peripheral slot (58) in the applicator member (5).

5. Applicator (4) according to either one of Claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the slot (58) in the mounting foot (52) of the applicator member (5) is situated more or less halfway up said mounting foot.

6. Applicator (4) according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the end wall (43) of the holding and fastening system has at least one, notably central, spike (44) that extends substantially perpendicularly to the end wall at least partially through the clamping ring (70) and is able to pass into a corresponding cavity (59) in the mounting foot (52) of the applicator member (5), said spike preferably protruding from the skirt (42) of the holding and fastening element.

7. Applicator (4) according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the clamping ring (70) extends over about half the height of the mounting foot (52) of the applicator member (5).

8. Assembly (1) for packaging and applying a liquid cosmetic product, comprising both a body that forms a reservoir (3) intended to contain the cosmetic product (P) to be applied and an applicator (4) according to any one of Claims 1 to 7.

9. Packaging and application assembly (1) according to Claim 8, characterized in that the gripping member (41) forms a closure cap for said reservoir (3), the applicator (4) being able to move between a storage position in which the gripping member closes the reservoir and the applicator member (5) is disposed inside said reservoir, and an application position in which the gripping member has been separated from the reservoir and the applicator member has been extracted from said reservoir.

10. Packaging and application assembly according to Claim 8, characterized in that the gripping member is connected to the reservoir in a non-removable manner, the applicator member being disposed outside said reservoir and in fluidic communication with an inner space of said reservoir containing the cosmetic product.

Description:
Applicator for applying a liquid cosmetic product

The present invention relates to an applicator for applying a liquid cosmetic product.

The expression "cosmetic product" is understood to mean any product as defined in Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on cosmetic products.

The applicator is intended more particularly for the application of a cosmetic product to a human keratin surface, such as the skin, the lips or the nails. The cosmetic product may notably be a care product or makeup product, for example a liquid foundation, a nail varnish, a lipstick, a cream, an oil, a haircare product, etc.

Generally, an applicator comprises an applicator member mounted on a gripping member, the applicator member defining an application surface that is intended to come into contact with a body surface of the user.

The gripping member may in particular be a cap of a reservoir, the applicator member being loaded with cosmetic product from the outside, or the reservoir itself (pen applicator, for example), the applicator member being fed with cosmetic product from the inside.

The applicator member is mounted on the gripping member by way of a holding and fastening element comprising a housing for receiving and retaining a fastening part or foot of the applicator member.

The holding element may be attached to the gripping member or produced in one piece therewith.

In particular, the applicator member is a foam or a deformable, in particular compressible, elastomeric applicator member.

By way of example, the documents FR2962890, FR2814651 and FR2832297, which describe such applicators, can be cited.

The document FR2962890, notably Figure 2, describes an applicator comprising a gripping part on which an application membrane is mounted. To this end, the gripping part has a mounting skirt that defines a housing for receiving a fastening part of the membrane. The fastening part of the membrane is retained on the mounting skirt in a fixed manner, for example by being adhesively bonded or welded to an internal or external surface of the mounting skirt, or in a removable manner, for example by a friction fit, snap-fastening or a force fit.

The document FR2814651 describes an application element fastened to a cover by way of a mounting skirt in which the application element is adhesively bonded, welded or snap-fastened.

The document FR2832297 describes an applicator comprising a reservoir that forms a gripping member and bears an intermediate element, inside which an applicator member is housed and retained.

To this end, the intermediate element defines an internal cylindrical housing having a side wall and a substantially flat transverse wall that forms the bottom of the housing.

The housing of the intermediate element communicates with the inside of the reservoir via a passage that passes through a hollow shaft extending along a longitudinal axis of the housing.

The applicator member is mounted inside the housing around the hollow shaft. The applicator member is in the form of a block of porous material, typically a foam, at least a part of which is elastically compressible.

The applicator member is fastened inside the housing of the intermediate element notably by adhesive bonding or snap-fastening, preferably in a removable manner.

It has been found that systems for mounting the applicator member are not entirely satisfactory.

In particular, in the case of an applicator member adhesively bonded to the mounting element, it has been found that the adhesive can tend to break down, notably in contact with the cosmetic product or some of the compounds thereof (notably when the cosmetic product contains volatile compounds). After a period of time, the holding of the applicator member is no longer optimally ensured.

Furthermore, cosmetic applicators are subjected to numerous back-and-forth sideways movements which can lead to the fastening becoming worn and fragile.

Thus, it is generally preferable to make use of fastening by mechanical retention, as mentioned in the documents cited above. However, such mechanical fastening can also prove insufficient and there is a need for an improved mechanical fastening solution that allows the applicator member to resist the, notably sideways or tensile, application forces.

Furthermore, mechanical fastening methods are generally relatively complex and there is a need for a more simple fastening system that makes assembly easier.

The present invention aims to achieve all or some of these objectives and, to this end, proposes an applicator for applying a cosmetic product, comprising an applicator member defining an application surface that is intended to come into contact with a body surface of a user and is in the form of a block of deformable material, said applicator member being mounted on a gripping member by way of at least one holding and fastening system comprising at least one peripheral skirt that defines, with an end wall, a housing for receiving a mounting foot of the applicator member, characterized in that the holding and fastening system comprises at least one complementary clamping ring that is able to compress a part of the mounting foot that is situated at a non-zero distance from a base surface of said mounting foot, said base surface being oriented towards the end wall of the holding and fastening system when the applicator member is disposed in the housing of the holding and fastening system, the clamping ring having at least one clip-fastening means that is able to cooperate with at least one complementary clip-fastening means of the peripheral skirt of the holding and fastening system.

Thus, by providing an additional clamping ring that can be mounted on the skirt by clip-fastening, assembly is made much easier, the ring bearing the applicator member only having to be introduced into the housing until it is clip-fastened to the skirt.

The clamping ring can be made removable so as to allow possible replacement of the applicator member with an identical, for example new, or different applicator member.

Furthermore, the clamping ring compresses only a part of the mounting foot of the applicator member at a distance from a base of said mounting foot.

As a result, the mounting foot has a compressed portion, with a reduced cross section, and a base portion that is not compressed or less compressed, with a larger cross section. The base portion, which is not compressed or less compressed, has a wider cross section which opposes an extraction movement with a longitudinal component, including sideways travel movements, of the applicator member out of the ring and thus contributes greatly to fastening and retaining said applicator member.

Moreover, the compression of a part of the mounting foot of the applicator member increases the friction between the mounting foot and the ring, this also contributing towards overall retention.

According to a first variant embodiment, the applicator member is made from a foam, and preferably is a block of foam.

According to a second variant embodiment, the applicator member is made from an elastomeric material, and preferably is a block of elastomer. Use could notably also be made of an applicator member made of silicone, for example.

Depending on the feeding of cosmetic product and the desired loading of product on the applicator member, the applicator member could, if need be, have more or less open porosity. Alternatively, if there is no desire for the product to diffuse into or through the applicator member, the material used could have a closed porosity or even be non-porous.

In an advantageously complementary manner, the applicator member has an application surface that is at least partially flocked, or even completely flocked.

Advantageously, the level of compression is at least 10%, preferably at least 20%, or even at least 30% with respect to the cross section of the applicator member in the non-compressed or less compressed state in the housing. In order to maintain good capillary action of the applicator member and good comfort on application, it is appropriate not to excessively compress the foot of said applicator member. To this end, the level of compression is preferably less than 40%>, or even than 35%.

The level of compression could be altered depending on the compressibility of the material of the applicator member.

Specifically, the level of compression depends notably on the thickness of the clamping ring which, when introduced into the housing for receiving the mounting foot of the applicator member in order to be clip-fastened therein, causes a reduction in the cross section of said housing and thus partial compression of the applicator member. In an advantageously complementary manner, the end wall of the holding and fastening system comprises at least one tooth that is able to pass into the base surface of the foot of the applicator member. The teeth help to fasten the applicator member by limiting sideways movements, notably in rotation.

In an advantageously complementary manner, the clamping ring has an end that is preferably intended to be oriented towards the end wall of the holding and fastening system, said end having an at least partially peripheral radial shoulder that is able to engage with an at least partially peripheral complementary slot in the mounting foot of the applicator member.

The presence of such a shoulder that is able to pass into a corresponding slot made in the mounting foot of the applicator member makes it possible to further increase the holding and fastening of the applicator member. This is because the shoulder passing into the slot acts as a stop that prevents any longitudinal movement of the applicator member. The stop also limits the sideways travel movements.

Preferably, the peripheral radial shoulder has a surface that is intended to be oriented towards the end wall of the holding and fastening system and has at least one coupling tooth that is able to pass into a corresponding surface of the peripheral slot in the applicator member.

As for the end wall, the teeth help to limit any sideways movement and notably any rotation of the applicator member in its housing. In combination with the teeth on the end wall, holding is particularly effective.

According to a preferred embodiment, the slot in the mounting foot of the applicator member is situated more or less halfway up said mounting foot. Preferably, the slot is situated between 30 and 60% of the height of said mounting foot with respect to its base.

In a complementary manner, the end wall of the holding and fastening system has at least one, notably central, spike that extends substantially perpendicularly to the end wall at least partially through the clamping ring and is able to pass into a corresponding cavity in the mounting foot of the applicator member.

Thus, by providing a, notably central, spike, the compression and clamping of the applicator member at the ring are further increased. Preferably ,the spike extends along the entire length of the clamping ring and passes all the way through it.

Preferably, the spike on the end wall protrudes from the skirt of the holding and fastening system. Such a feature helps to limit the amplitude of travel for the applicator member.

It will be noted that when cosmetic product is fed from the inside of the applicator member, the spike can be hollow and act as a cannula for feeding product.

Advantageously, the clamping ring extends over about half the height of the mounting foot of the applicator member. Preferably, the clamping ring extends over at least 40% of the height of the mounting foot. Preferably, the clamping ring extends over at most 90% of the height of the mounting foot.

This makes it possible to have a relatively large compressed portion of the mounting foot while keeping a non-compressed or less compressed portion of the mounting foot that is also relatively large, in order to ensure good retention of the applicator member.

The present invention also relates to an assembly for packaging and applying a liquid cosmetic product, comprising both a body that forms a reservoir intended to contain the cosmetic product (P) to be applied and an applicator according to the invention.

According to a first embodiment, the gripping member forms a closure cap for said reservoir, the applicator being able to move between a storage position in which the gripping member closes the reservoir and the applicator member is disposed inside said reservoir, and an application position in which the gripping member has been separated from the reservoir and the applicator member has been extracted from said reservoir.

According to a second embodiment, the gripping member is connected to the reservoir in a non-removable manner, the applicator member being disposed outside said reservoir and in fluidic communication with an inner space of said reservoir containing the cosmetic product.

The present invention will be understood better from reading the following detailed description, with reference to the appended drawing in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic depiction, in longitudinal cross section, of a packaging and application assembly equipped with an applicator according to the invention.

- Figure 2 is a schematic depiction, in longitudinal cross section, of an applicator member with which the assembly from Figure 1 is equipped.

- Figure 3 is a schematic depiction, in longitudinal cross section, of a clamping ring for mounting and fastening the applicator member from Figure 1.

- Figure 4 is a schematic depiction in top view of the ring from Figure 3. The assembly 1 comprises a body 2 forming a reservoir 3 that contains a cosmetic product P to be applied and an applicator 4 comprising an applicator member 5 mounted on a gripping member 41.

The body 2 has a free upper edge 21 delimiting an opening 22 of said reservoir 3. More specifically, the opening 22 is situated at a free upper end of a neck 24 of the body 2.

The body 2 has rotational symmetry. The opening 22 has a circular cross section. Obviously, other shapes are conceivable.

At the opening 22, the body 2 has a housing 7 that is able to receive the applicator member 5, said housing 7 being at least partially delimited by a dividing wall 8 with the reservoir 3.

The dividing wall 8 has at least one through-orifice 9 in direct fluidic communication with the reservoir 3.

The dividing wall 8 may be attached to the reservoir 3, as illustrated, or be made in one piece with the body of the reservoir by moulding.

In this case, the dividing wall 8 is carried by a ring 60 surmounting the opening 22.

The ring 60 may be mounted on the body 2 by any means, notably by clip- fastening or adhesive bonding. It may or may not be removable.

In this case, the ring 60 is able to engage with the neck 24.

To this end, the ring 60 comprises an external peripheral wall 61 and an internal peripheral wall 62 that together define a mounting skirt.

The mounting skirt also provides leaktightness to the product. At the top, the applicator 4 comprises a gripping member 41 on which the applicator member 5 is mounted.

The gripping member 41 forms a lid and is able to engage in a removable manner with an upper peripheral wall 63 of the ring 60, thus closing the reservoir 3 in a leaktight manner. More particularly, the peripheral wall 63 of the ring 60 bears an external thread that is able to engage with a complementary internal thread of the gripping member 41.

When not in use, and when the gripping part 41 is screwed onto the ring 60, the applicator member 5 is received in the housing 7 (Figure 1).

Thus, the applicator 4 is able to move between a storage position in which the gripping member 41 closes the reservoir 3 and the applicator member 5 is disposed inside said reservoir, and an application position in which the gripping member 41 has been separated from the reservoir 3 and the applicator member 5 has been extracted from said reservoir 3.

The applicator member 5 is shown on its own in Figure 2.

The applicator member 5 is a block of porous material, notably with open porosity, for example a block of foam.

In particular, the applicator member 5 is made from a polyurethane foam, in particular of the S90 type (DIN 4102-9 standard). Such a material is deformable and in particular compressible.

More specifically, the applicator member 5 has a head 51 that defines an application surface 50 intended to come into contact with a body surface of a user, and is extended by a foot 52 intended for mounting said applicator member 5 on the gripping member 41. The application surface 50 is flocked.

In the embodiment shown, the mounting foot 52 has a length of around 11 mm. The diameter is equal to around 1 1 mm or even slightly greater (in this case 11.3 mm).

The applicator member 5 has an axisymmetric overall shape about a longitudinal central axis. The head 56 has a conical overall shape. The foot 52 has a substantially cylindrical cross section.

It will be noted that the head 51 has a base with a cross section slightly larger than the cross section of the foot 52 and thus has a shoulder 57 intended to allow the applicator member to rest on its holding and fastening system, which will be described below. This shoulder 57 makes it possible in particular to give the applicator member a better hold.

It will also be noted that the applicator member 5 has, along the foot 52, a central cutout 59 that is intended for the insertion of a spike 44 of the holding and fastening system, which will be described below.

The mounting foot 52 also has an external peripheral slot 58. The slot 58 in the mounting foot 52 of the applicator member 5 is situated more or less halfway up said mounting foot 52. The slot has a thickness of around 1 mm.

The mounting of the applicator member 5 on the gripping part will now be described.

The gripping member 41 is equipped with a holding and mounting system for the applicator member 5, comprising a peripheral skirt 42 that defines, with an end wall 43, a housing for receiving the mounting foot 52 of the applicator member 5.

The housing for receiving the mounting foot 52 has a shape complementary to said mounting foot 52, specifically in this case a cylindrical shape.

The housing for receiving the mounting foot 52 has an internal cross section substantially identical to the cross section of the mounting foot 52. In this case, the inside diameter of the cylindrical skirt 42 is substantially equal to the outside diameter of the mounting foot 52. Thus, in the absence of additional stress, the mounting foot

52 is not compressed radially and can simply be inserted into the housing.

The end wall 43 of the holding and fastening system has at least one central spike 44 extending substantially perpendicularly to the end wall 43. The central spike 44 is intended to engage with the cutout 59 in the applicator member 5.

The spike 44 extends along a sufficient length for it to protrude from the skirt

42.

It will be noted that the spike 44 has a substantially constant cross section along its length. However, the spike 44 has a slightly frustoconical free end so as to make it easier to introduce it into the cutout 59 in the applicator member 5.

The end wall 43 has a set of teeth 45 that are disposed on a periphery away from the central spike 44. In accordance with the present application, the holding and fastening system also comprises a clamping ring 70, shown on its own in Figures 3 and 4.

The clamping ring 70 has a substantially cylindrical shape. The ring 70 is intended to be introduced into the interior of the skirt 42 and, to this end, has an outside diameter substantially identical to the inside diameter of said skirt 42.

The clamping ring 70 is intended to be held inside the skirt 42 by clip- fastening. To this end, said clamping ring 70 has, on an outer periphery, a clip- fastening groove 71 that is intended to engage with an internal peripheral rib 46 of the skirt 42. Of course, the opposite configuration is also possible.

As indicated above, the compression of the applicator member 5 depends essentially on the thickness of the wall of the clamping ring 70, that is to say the difference between its internal cross section and its external cross section.

The difference between the internal cross section of the clamping ring 70 and the external cross section of said clamping ring 70 is at least 20%, preferably at least 30%. According to the embodiment shown, it is around 32% - 35%.

The clamping ring 70 has an end that is intended to be oriented towards the end wall 43 of the holding and fastening system, said end having an at least partially peripheral inner radial shoulder 72 that is able to engage with the complementary slot 58 in the mounting foot 52 of the applicator member.

The shoulder 72 has a surface that is intended to be oriented towards the outside of the clamping ring 70, and more specifically towards the end wall 43 of the holding and fastening system. This surface of the shoulder 72 has a set of coupling teeth 75, similar to the teeth 45 on the end wall 43, that are able to pass into a corresponding surface in the peripheral slot of the applicator member 5.

Like the teeth 45, the teeth 75 are disposed on a periphery of the shoulder 72. The teeth 75 are disposed such that they are located opposite the teeth 45 on the end wall 43 when the clamping ring 70 is fitted.

On the opposite side from the shoulder 72, the clamping ring 70 has an open second end. In this case, this end of the clamping ring 70 is intended to come into contact with the shoulder 57 under the application head 51 of the applicator member The applicator member 5 is fitted on the gripping member in the following manner.

First of all, the applicator member 5 is joined to the clamping ring 70.

To this end, the mounting foot 52 of said applicator member 5 is compressed and introduced through the clamping ring 70 via the open end on the opposite side from the shoulder 72.

The mounting foot 52 is pulled through the clamping ring 70 until the shoulder 72 passes into the corresponding slot 58 in the applicator member 5.

The teeth 75 on the shoulder then pass into an inner surface of said slot 58. The clamping ring 70 thus extends between the slot 58 and the shoulder 57 of the applicator member and compresses the corresponding part of the mounting foot 52.

A base part of the mounting foot 52, situated between the slot 58 and a free end of said mounting foot 52, protrudes from the clamping ring and is not compressed by the latter.

The applicator member 5 and clamping ring 70 assembly is then simply inserted into the housing of the gripping part 43 defined by the skirt 42 and the end wall 43.

More specifically, the applicator member is inserted until the base end of the mounting foot 52 comes into contact with the end wall 43. The teeth 45 then pass into the base surface of the mounting foot 52.

The clamping ring 70, for its part, is inserted until it is clip-fastened to the skirt

42.

During insertion, the central spike 44 passes into the corresponding cutout 59 in the applicator member and contributes towards the holding of the assembly.

Thus, while the clamping ring 70 is being fitted on the applicator member 5, the latter has a compressed intermediate portion and a non-compressed or less compressed base portion which helps to retain the applicator member 5 in a longitudinal direction.

While the assembly formed by the applicator member 5 and the clamping ring

70 is being fitted, the insertion of the central spike 44 into the recess 59 also increases the compression of the applicator member at the clamping ring. The central spike 44 also contributes towards good holding of the assembly and notably towards limiting travel movements.

The base portion of the applicator member 5 is held between the spikes 45 on the end wall 43 and the spikes 75 carried by the shoulder 72 of the clamping ring 70 and prevents the applicator member 5 from rotating.

Thus, the holding of the applicator member 5 on the gripping member 4 is optimal while remaining relatively simple in terms of assembly.

According to a second embodiment (not shown), the gripping member is connected to the reservoir in a non-removable manner, the applicator member being disposed outside said reservoir and in fluidic communication with an inner space of said reservoir containing the cosmetic product. Such packaging and dispensing assemblies are shown notably in the documents cited above. Cosmetic product could advantageously be fed through a hollow central spike 44 that forms a dispensing cannula.