[Title of Invention]

FOAM INJECTED APPLICATOR

[Technical Field]

[0001]

The present invention relates to an applicator made of a foamed material. The present invention also relates to a liner application device for cosmetics, comprising such an applicator.

[Background Art]

[0002]

It is a known practice to apply makeup, for example, the eyelids, brows, and lips by drawing a line with a liner applicator.

[0003]

WO 2020/128219 discloses a cosmetic product application device. This device comprises a gripping member and an applicator element integral with the gripping member. The applicator element is at least partially made of a foamed plastic. The application device can be applied as a part of an assembly for packaging and applying a cosmetic product.

[0004]

KR 10- 2018-0105392 discloses an eyeliner. This eyeliner includes a body unit having a core material with a cosmetic product stored therein and an application tip having one end touching the core material of the body unit and the other end exposed to the outside of the body unit to dispense the cosmetic product. A window may be formed on one part of the application tip. A user can easily draw lines on their eyes more accurately and precisely along the contour of eye.

[0005]

US 2018/0246767 discloses a device for packaging and applying eyeliner.

This device includes a container containing the eyeliner to be applied and an applicator tip defining an application surface for applying the eyeliner contained in the container, having at least one cavity opening on the application surface and being elongated along a longitudinal axis, the cavity being bordered laterally by two walls, the free edges of which, on the application surface side, are convex in shape about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cavity.

[0006]

FR 2799939 discloses an applicator for a cosmetic. This applicator comprises an application element and a removable protection element delimited by a separation zone, the application element being produced in a foam and comprising one or more particulate compounds intended to be released after removal of the protective element, in particular to be brought into contact with a surface to be treated or to make up or to release a product in contact with said surface, characterized in that the element of protection is made of a foamed material and obtained by molding in one piece with the application element.

[0007]

It is an object of the present invention to make the liner application such as eyeliner application easier.

[Disclosure of Invention]

[0008]

1. According to one aspect, the present invention provides an applicator. The applicator may comprise: an application part extending from a connecting portion to a tip portion along a second axis, wherein the application part has a maximum width along a first axis perpendicular to the second axis and a maximum height along a third axis perpendicular to both the first and second axes at the connecting portion; an attaching part extending from the connecting portion to a base portion along the second axis, away from the application part; wherein the application part has a shape of which two convex surfaces protruding away from each other are combined along the third axis and has two side edges corresponding to intersectional lines of the two convex surfaces.

[0009] In one embodiment according to the present invention, the applicator may comprise a window part which may be a through hole penetrating the application part.

The applicator may be made of a porous material such as foamed polyethylene with a porosity of between 50% and 80% and average pore diameter of between 5 pm and 50pm. [0010]

In one embodiment according to the present invention, the width of the application part of the applicator may be decreased from the connecting portion to the tip portion by the side edges. The side edges of the applicator may be determined according to an arc having a predetermined radius of curvature.

[0011]

In one embodiment according to the present invention, the attaching part of the applicator may comprise an attaching hole extending from the base portion toward the connecting portion along the second axis. The applicator may have a shape which is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the second axis.

[0012]

According to another aspect, the present invention provides an application device. The application device may comprise: a body defining a reservoir containing liquid to be applied; a closure cap to be fixed to the body to prevent the liquid from drying; and an applicator mentioned above, wherein the applicator is fixed to the body or the closure cap and absorbs and holds the liquid to be applied which may be a cosmetic liquid.

[Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0013]

The present invention can be better understood on reading the following description of non-limiting embodiments thereof, and on examining the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an applicator according to the present invention,

- Figure 2 shows a plan view along the z-axis of the applicator according to the present invention, - Figure 3 shows a side view along the x-axis of the applicator according to the present invention,

- Figure 4 shows a front view along the y-axis of the applicator according to the present invention, and

- Figure 5 shows schematic view of a liner application device comprising the applicator according to the present invention.

[Description of Embodiments]

[0014]

Figures 1 to 4 show an embodiment of an applicator 1 according to the present invention. An applicator 1 of the present invention has an elongated shape in one direction. An x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis are applied to the applicator. The x-axis x corresponds to a direction in which the applicator 1 has a maximum width. The y-axis y corresponds to a longitudinal direction of the applicator 1 and is perpendicular to the x- axis x. The z-axis z corresponds to a direction in which the applicator 1 has a maximum height and is perpendicular to both the x-axis x and the y-axis y.

[0015]

The applicator 1 consists of an application part 2 and an attaching part 3 which are aligned to the y-axis y. The application part 2 extends from a connecting portion 21 to a tip portion 22 along the y-axis y. The attaching part extends from the connecting portion 21 to a base portion 31 along the y-axis y, away from the application part 2.

[0016]

The application part 2 has a width along the x-axis x, a length along the y-axis y, and a height along the z-axis z. The application part 2 has a maximum width along the x-axis x and a maximum height along the z-axis z at the connecting portion 21. The application part 2 may have a shape of which two convex surfaces protruding away from each other are combined along the z-axis z.

[0017]

Two side edges 24 correspond to intersectional lines of the two convex surfaces, and the application part 2 is delimited by these side edges along the x-axis x. The width of the application part 2 is decreased from the connecting portion 21 to the tip portion 22 by the side edges 24 which are shaped according to an arc having a predetermined radius of curvature. The two side edges 24 cross at the tip portion 22. The connecting portion 21 terminates with a flat surface which is perpendicular to the y-axis y in this embodiment.

[0018]

Accordingly, the application part 2 has a shape of a substantially isosceles triangle seen along the z-axis z, and the cross-sectional shape of the application part 2 in a plane perpendicular to the y-axis y has an almond-like shape whose cross-sectional area is gradually decreased from the connecting portion 21 to the tip portion 22. Furthermore, the shape of the application part 2 is symmetrical with respect to a plane consisting of the y- axis y and the z-axis z, and is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the y-axis y.

[0019]

The application part 2 has a window part 26 at substantially center of the application part 2. The window part 26 may be a through hole penetrating the application part 2 in this embodiment. The window part 26 has a width along the x-axis x and a length along the y-axis y.

[0020]

The window part 26 has a semicircular wall 27 proximal to the connecting portion 21 and two side walls 28 extending from each side of the semicircular wall 27 to an apex portion 29 proximal to the tip portion 22. The window part 26 has a maximum width between joints of the semicircular wall 27 and each of the side walls 28, and decreases toward the apex portion 29. Each of the side walls 28 may be a flat surface or a curved surface. Accordingly, the window portion 26 has a shape of a teardrop seen along the z-axis z. Edges of the window part 26 may be chamfered.

[0021]

The window part 26 contributes to increase the flexibility of the application part 2, and thus, to increase comfort for a user. The window part 26 also contributes to improve eyesight for a user when drawing on, for example, eyeliner while looking at a mirror through the window 26. [0022]

The attaching part 3 has a substantially cylindrical shape about the y-axis y in this embodiment. The attaching part 3 may also have a rectangular parallelepiped shape or a frusto-conical shape. Although the attaching part 3 is centered on the application part 2 with respect to the y-axis y, the attaching part 3 may be offset along the x-axis x and/or y-axis y.

[0023]

The attaching part 3 may be formed integrally with the application part 2. Alternatively, the attaching part 3 may be separately formed from the application part 2 and joined together with the application part 2. The attaching part 3 has a diameter substantially the same as the maximum height of the application part 2 in this embodiment, but is not limited to this.

[0024]

The attaching part 3 comprises an attaching hole 32 into which a rod of the application device below described may be inserted. The attaching hole 32 extends from the base portion 31 toward the connecting portion 21 along the y-axis y and terminates in the vicinity of the connecting portion 21. The attaching hole 32 may extend beyond the connecting portion 21.

[0025]

The application part 2 and the attaching part 3 are made of a porous material. Iri particular, the application part 2 and the attaching part 3 are made of foamed polyethylene with a porosity of between 50% and 70% and average diameter of the pore of between 5 pm and 50pm in this embodiment. The other porous material such as foamed polyurethane may be used depending on the application.

[0026]

The application part 2 and the attaching part 3 may be made of the same material,· ^, or the application part 2 and the attaching part 3 may be made of materials different from each other. The applicator 1 made of porous material may have very smooth surfaces and a complex design.

[0027] Next, an example of utilization of the applicator 1 according to the present invention is explained below. Figure 5 shows an example of a liner application device 100 for drawing lines with cosmetic liquid, comprising the applicator 1 of the present invention. The liner application device 100 comprises a body 110 in the form of a pen having an elongated shape along the y-axis y, which defines a reservoir for containing a cosmetic liquid to be applied on a user’s skin, such as an eyeliner.

[0028]

The liner application device 100 also comprises a closure cap 120 to be detachably attached on the body 110 by an appropriate means such as snap fastening, screwing, and friction. The closure cap 120 has a function of preventing the cosmetic liquid in the reservoir from drying when the closure cap 120 is attached on the body 110. [0029]

The applicator 1 is fixed on one end of the body 110 by, for example, pressfitting the attaching part 3 into the body 110. The attaching part 3 becomes fluid communication with the reservoir when the applicator 1 is fixed to the body 110. The applicator 1 absorbs the cosmetic liquid in the reservoir and impregnates the liquid therein since the applicator 1 is made of a porous material. The cosmetic liquid contained in the reservoir reaches the tip portion 22 of the application part 2 via the attaching part 3.

[0030]

The closure cap 120 is normally attached on the body 110 when the liner application device 100 is not used. The applicator 1 fluidically communicating with the reservoir and impregnating the cosmetic liquid is covered with the closure cap 120 when the closure cap 120 is fixed on the body 110. The closure cap 120 prevents from drying the cosmetic liquid in this state.

[0031]

The closure cap 120 is removed from the body 110 when the liner application device 100 is used. The application part 2 of the applicator 1 is exposed when the closure cap 120 is removed from the body 110. The application part 2 impregnates the cosmetic liquid, and users can draw lines on skin by touching the application part 2 on their skin. The thickness of the lines can be changed depending on an angle at which the application part 2 touches the skin.

[0032]

Alternatively, the closure cap 120 may comprise a rod (not shown) extending from the closure cap 120 along the y-axis y, and the applicator 1 may be attached at the end distal to the closure cap 120. The applicator 1 can be fixed to the rod by, for example, press-fitting the rod into the attaching hole 32. The closure cap 120 is normally attached on the body 110 when the liner application device 100 is not used.

[0033]

When the closure cap 120 is attached to the body 110, the applicator 1 is dipped in the cosmetic liquid contained in the reservoir and impregnates the cosmetic liquid. When in use, removing the closure cap 120 from the body 110 causes the applicator 1 to be drawn from the reservoir, and the cosmetic liquid impregnated can be applied.

[0034]

Although the embodiment of the present invention is described to be used for an eyeliner application, the present invention can be used for any kind of cosmetic application.