Short Title: Container for a liquid with a metering nozzle The invention relates to a container for a liquid, and more especially for a liquid of low viscosity, such as nail polish, water-based adhesive, tinctures, etc., which con- tainer is provided with an outlet opening, which outlet opening is provided with metering means which serve to allow the product from the container to be applied to and distributed over a desired surface in a metered, desired quantity, which metering means comprise a nozzle-shaped member or small nozzle and distributing means, which nozz- le-shaped member is attached, with the aid of attachment means, in or on the outlet opening of the container and which nozzle-shaped member is provided with a hollow cham- ber, which hollow chamber is in communication with the inside of the tube via the outlet opening of the container, which is also the inlet opening of the hollow chamber, and the distributing means comprise a distributing member and a small brush, which brush comprises a number of hairs and is arranged in the region of the outlet opening of the hollow chamber, and which distributing member is situated in the hollow chamber, and which nozzle-shaped member is provided with a cap or lid, which is able to cover the outlet ope- ning of the nozzle.

A container of this kind is known, for example, from Bri- tish patent GB 769,621. A drawback of this known container for a liquid is that when the container is held with the outlet opening downwards the outlet opening is blocked by the small brush which lies enclosed in a chamber in the region of the outlet opening. This makes it impossible, in the position in which the container is held with the outlet opening downwards, for liquid still to flow outwards, and certainly not for the liquid to flow outwards in a metered fashion. This would only be possible by shaking the contai- ner, but in so doing the contents, if they are a thin liquid, can easily be splashed around, which is extremely undesirable for liquids such as water-based adhesive or

nail polish.

Containers are also known which comprise a tube and are used for viscous liquids, such as adhesive, etc. Since these liquids are extremely viscous, i.e. are thickly liquid, these liquids can easily be metered out of the tube by pressing on the wall of the tube. Since these liquids are very viscous, the opening can be relatively large.

However, tubes have hitherto proven unsuitable as packaging for liquids, such as aqueous liquids, whose viscosity is low. If water or aqueous liquids, such as certain cosmetic products, thin water-based paint or other liquids whose viscosity approximately corresponds to that of water, are packaged in a tube, it is necessary for the outlet opening to be small in order to be able to remove only small quan- tities of the liquid from the tube. However, hitherto no tube has as yet appeared on the market with a size of outlet opening which is suitable for allowing liquids of a low viscosity to be packaged in tubes of this kind. Moreo- ver, it has been found that if a tube with a small outlet opening is to be used to apply such a liquid of low visco- sity to a small brush, so that this brush can then be used to be able to distribute the liquid over a desired surface, it is very difficult not to apply more than the desired quantity to a brush.

It is also known to market cosmetic products of low visco- sity, such as for example nail polish, in a small bottle, a small brush being arranged in the cap of the bottle, which brush projects into the liquid nail polish. A drawback of this type of packaging is that it cannot easily be carried around in a lady's handbag, since the shaking of the bottle in the bag, which bottle can adopt any position, causes the liquid also to wet part of the stem of the brush; if the brush is then removed from the bottle, the brush and the wet stem will contain far too much liquid, which is again disadvantageous in use. Moreover, packaging of this nature is relatively expensive with respect to the quantity of the material to be packaged, in this case the nail polish. As a

result, the selling price of the product itself, i.e. the nail polish, is mede unnecessarily high by the expensive packaging.

Other cosmetic products, such as for example eyeliner and lipstick, are marketed in a packaging which is produced from hard plastic, use being made of a rotary mechanism in order to be able to push the product out of the packaging in small quantities and in order then to be able to use this quantity. The costs of packaging of this kind are also relatively high with respect to the price of the material packaged, most certainly if small quantities of the product are packaged in packaging of this kind.

Less expensive packaging, such as tubes, have never been considered hitherto for cosmetic products of low viscosity or for other products, such as colorants, water-based adhesives, tinctures, etc., since these containers have the drawback that it is very difficult to remove small quanti- ties of the packaged product from a tube and then place it on a small brush, with which it is spread over the desired surface. Moreover, as soon as an excessive quantity comes out of a tube, it is no longer possible to put the excess back in the tube. As a result, a relatively large amount of the product is lost, so that the product is expensive to use and moreover quickly makes the outlet opening dirty, with the result that the packaging can no longer be closed correctly, which is a drawback, for example, for storage in a handbag if the product is, for example, a cosmetic pro- duct, such as nail polish. If the outlet opening of the tube is cleaned well, far too much of the product is again lost, so that the product becomes expensive to use.

The object of the invention is to provide a packaging specially for products whose viscosity is low, such as cosmetic products, water-based products, alcohol-based products, etc., and the costs of which for producing the packaging are lower than for the forms of packaging known hitherto, and in which the contents of the packaging, for

example a cosmetic product, can be removed from the packa- ging in desired small amounts and in a very well metered manner before being placed on a brush so as then to spread this quantity over a defined surface using the brush.

The object of the invention is achieved using a container by the fact that the container comprises a small sleeve made of soft material, one end of which is closed and the other end of which is open, such as a tube, which open end is provided with the nozzle-shaped member, and the contai- ner can contain a product, for example a cosmetic product such as nail polish, lipstick, eyeshadow, or another thin liquid, such as a tincture or other water-based or alcohol- based substances, etc., and by the fact that the outlet opening of the hollow chamber of the nozzle-shaped member is provided with a number of small passages, in such a manner that the distributing member which is situated in the hollow chamber cannot close off the entire outlet opening.

These measures according to the invention allow a product whose viscosity is low, such as a water-based product, for example nail polish, water-based adhesive, an alcohol-based product, for example a tincture, etc., to be pressed out- wards from a tube in a very well metered manner and then, due to the fact that a number of hairs, forming a brush, are arranged in or close to the outlet opening of the tube or container, which hairs always protrude beyond the outlet opening, the product from the tube can easily be applied to the body, for example the nails or the face. A packaging of this kind is much less expensive than all known forms of packaging for cosmetic products and moreover is easy to carry and very lightweight. Moreover, it has been found that if the cosmetic product is placed in the packaging in a defined composition thickness, it was possible to press any desired quantity of the cosmetic product out of the tube without the brush containing an excess of the cosmetic product.

The invention will be explained in more detail with refe- rence to the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a view of a tube with cap and metering mem- ber according to the invention: Fig. 2 shows an enlarged cross-section of part of the tube with the metering member on line II-II from Figure 1; Fig. 3 shows an enlarged cross-section of the outlet opening on line III-III from Figure 2; Fig. 4 shows a cross-section of the outlet opening as depicted in Figure 2, without brush; Fig. 5 shows a cross-section of another possible embodi- ment of a tube with metering member according to the invention; Fig. 6 shows a cross-section through the nozzle-shaped member on line V-V from Figure 5; Figure 1 shows a tube 1 according to the invention. One end 2 of the tube 1 is closed in a known manner. The other end 3 is provided with metering means 4 which are attached to the open end of the tube 1. The tube 1 with the metering means 4 is closed off by a cap 5.

Figure 2 shows a cross-section of part of the tube 1 on line II-II from Figure 1. Distributing means 4, which in this case comprise a small nozzle 7, are arranged on the outlet opening 6 of the tube 1. The tube 1 comprises a flexible wall 8 made of, for example, a plastic, to which a cylindrical outlet member 9 is attached, which is prefera- bly made from a hard plastic. The outlet opening of the tube 1 is reduced in size with the aid of a small disc-like plate 10 with an opening in it. The nozzle 7 is attached to the tube, for example with the aid of a screw thread, although preferably by adhesive bonding using a two-pack adhesive, so that it is not possible for any liquid to leak out between the tube and the distributing means 4 or nozzle 7. In the nozzle 7 there is provided a hollow cavity 11, in which a small brush 12 is accommodated, which brush compri-

ses a small plastic holder 13 in which hairs 14 are atta- ched. The open end of the tube is provided with a small plate 10 with a small opening 15 in order to close off the inlet opening of the open chamber 11 in such a manner that the brush 12 remains enclosed in the hollow chamber.

Obviously, the open end of the tube may also be selected to be so small that the open end or outlet opening 6 of the tube 1 is smaller than the cross-section of the small plastic holder 13 of the brush 12. In order to avoid evapo- ration of the contents of the tube when not in use and to prevent the liquid which is still present in the brush after use from evaporating, which would cause the brush to become hard owing to the drying of the liquid present therein, a cap 5 can be clamped onto the nozzle 7 as usual with the aid of clamping means 16. The diameter of the small plastic holder 13 is preferably only slightly less than the diameter of the hollow chamber 11, so that the liquid forming the contents of the tube can be pressed past the small plastic holder. A number of small passages 18, which are illustrated more clearly in Figure 3, are arran- ged in the region of the outlet opening 17.

Figure 3 shows a cross-section on line III-III from Figure 2 of the outlet opening 17 of the tube according to the invention. Figure 4 corresponds to the cross-section as illustrated in Figure 2, but without the brush and cap. To allow the contents of the tube, such as nail polish, to be pressed out of the tube in a metered fashion when the tube 1 has the brush 12 directed downwards, small passages 18 are arranged in the region of the outlet opening 17 of the open chamber 9, with the result that when the small holder 13 of the brush (in this figure shown by dashed lines) closes off the outlet opening 17 of the chamber 9 precisely the desired quantity of nail polish can be pressed outwards from the tube via the small passages. The size and number of small passages used determines the rate at which the liquid can be pressed out of the tube, into the brush, under pressure exerted by the fingers. The number of small passages and the size of the cross-section of the small

passages depend on the viscosity of the liquid, for example nail polish, which is to be packaged in the tube. An extra advantage of these small passages in the wall of the outlet opening 17 of the nozzle 7 is that the liquid is pressed directly into the base of the brush, with the result that the brush is wetted by the liquid but there will not be any drops running along the outer surface of the brush. It is also very possible, however, to arrange the small passages in the small holder 13 of the brush instead of in the wall of the outlet opening of the nozzle 7.

Figure 5 shows a cross-section of another possible embodi- ment of the tube 1, which is likewise provided with distri- buting means 4 according to the invention. Distributing means 4 are attached to the open end 6 of the tube 1, which distributing means comprise a nozzle 7, in which there is a hollow chamber 11, in which hollow chamber 11 a small ball 19 can move between a first limit position and a second limit position. In one position, the ball 19 closes off the open end 6 of the tube 1, which open end corresponds to the inlet opening of the hollow chamber 11. In the other posi- tion, it closes off the outlet opening 17 of the hollow chamber 11. A number of hairs 14, which together with the nozzle 7 form a small brush 12, are attached in and around the outlet opening 17 of the nozzle 7. The nozzle 7 is here closed off by a cap 5 which is attached to the nozzle with the aid of clamping means 16.

In the region of the outlet opening 17 of the nozzle 7 there are arranged small passages 18; as a result, it is possible, when the ball 19 closes off the outlet opening 17 of the chamber 9 in the second position, for liquid never- theless to flow past the ball via the small passages 18. By shaking the ball to and fro, the tube at the same time being held with the outlet opening 6 downwards, a large quantity of the contents of the tube can be taken out of the tube. However, by pressing on the walls of the tube a specific desired quantity of the contents of the tube can be forced outwards via the small passages. The rate at

which the contents of the tube can be pressed past the ball, via the small passages, depends on the cross-section of the small passages 18.

Figure 6 shows a cross-section of the tube as illustrated in Figure 5. In order to allow the contents of the tube, such as nail polish, to be pressed out of the tube when the tube 1 and the brush 12 are directed downwards, small passages 18 are arranged in the region of the outlet ope- ning 10 of the open chamber 9 in the nozzle 7, with the result that when the ball 19 closes off the outlet opening 10 of the chamber 9, sufficient nail polish can neverthe- less be pressed out from the tube. The size and number of small passages used depends on the viscosity of the nail polish which is provided in the tube.