[SPECIFICATION] [Invention Title] NANO ION SPRAYER [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a cosmetic device for spraying a functional liquid. More particularly, it relates to a nano-ion sprayer that can increase skin permeability by spraying functionalized nanoparticles. [Background Art]

In general, various types of functional liquids are used for maintaining anti-aging, smoothness, skin elasticity, and brightness functions with various skin care techniques such as moisturizing, softening, nutrient supply, whitening, and wrinkle care. A user applies or rubs a desired functional liquid on the face by using the hands so that the skin absorbs the liquid.

However, the applying or rubbing method has a problem in that the functional liquid cannot be applied to a specific spot in the face so that the use amount of the liquid increases, and skin permeability of the functional liquid is not satisfactory.

Accordingly, various spraying devices for spraying functional liquids to the skin have been developed and used. However, the particle size of the liquid sprayed to the skin is large even if the spraying device is used so that active components cannot efficiently permeate the skin and the functional liquid is unnecessarily wasted.

The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for

enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

[DETAILED DESCRIPTION] [Technical Problem]

The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a nano-ion sprayer having an advantage of facilitating efficient absorption of effective components of a functional liquid into the skin or hair.

In addition, the nano-ion sprayer according to the present invention can prevent waste of the functional liquid. [Technical Solution]

An exemplary nano-ion sprayer according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a storage unit for storing a liquid therein and a nano-unit installed in the storage unit and changing the liquid into nanoparticles. In addition, the nano-ion sprayer may include a main body that communicates with the storage unit and has an opening at a front end thereof through which the nanoparticles are emitted.

Further, the opening of the main body may include a filter for selectively filtering the nanoparticles. The storage unit may be integrally installed in the main body.

The storage unit may be separately provided from the main body, and may be attachably and detachably combined to the main body.

The nano-unit may include at least one of nozzle members that spray

compressed liquid, an intake member that is installed with a predetermined gap from each of the nozzle members for circulation of the functional liquid in the storage unit, and a nanoplate installed at a distance from an outlet of each of the nozzle members and against which the functional liquid sprayed with the compressed liquid is collided.

Accordingly, when a highly compressed liquid is supplied through the nozzle, the functional liquid is moved up through the predetermined gap and sprayed through a front end of each of the nozzle members. The sprayed functional liquid collides against the nanoplate and is changed into fine nanoparticles.

The nanoplate may have a protrusion protruded from a center thereof.

In addition, the nanoplate may have a structure formed by ring-shaped protrusions that each consecutively protrude with a predetermined gap from a center thereof. The sprayer according to the present invention may include a pulse-providing unit for providing a pulse with a predetermined waveform, such as a low frequency wave, a middle frequency wave, or a high frequency wave, to the sprayed nanoparticles.

The sprayer may include an oxygen supplier for supplying oxygen to the sprayed nanoparticles.

The sprayer may include a laser irradiating unit for radiating a low-output laser together with the sprayed nanoparticles.

[Advantageous Effects]

As described, the sprayer according to the present invention sprays

nanoparticle functional liquid to the skin so that skin permeability of effective components included in the functional liquid can be maximized and the effect of the functional liquid can be maintained for a long period of time.

In addition, a small amount of the functional liquid can give a desired effect by changing the functional liquid into nanoparticles.

Further, a current with a predetermined waveform flows through the nanoparticles so that a massage effect can be provided, and the massage effect can increase the skin permeability.

In addition, oxygen is sprayed together with the functional liquid to the skin, thereby providing moisture and skin anti-aging effects.

[Brief Description of the Drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a nano-ion sprayer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the nano-ion sprayer, taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the nano-ion sprayer, taken along the line the line B-B according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the nano-ion sprayer according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a nano-substrate according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view for describing operation of the nano-ion

sprayer according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram that partially shows the nano-ion sprayer according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

* Description of Reference Numerals Indicating Primary Elements in the Drawings *

10: storage unit 11 : outlet 12: cap 20: main body 21 : opening 22: lower body 23: supply opening 24: cap 25: front-end cover 26,28,31 : hole 27: protrusion 30: filter

40: nano-unit 41 : nozzle member

42: spraying hole 43: intake member

44: hole 45,55: nanoplate

46: insertion pipe 47,51 : hose

48: driving unit 49: protection cover

50: slot 52: oxygen supplier

53: supporting plate 54,56: protrusion

60: pulse generator 61 : electric wire

62: hole 70: laser diode

71 : power source unit

[Best Mode]

The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with

reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The drawings are schematic and not proportionally scaled down.

Relative scales and ratios in the drawings are enlarged or reduced for the purpose of accuracy and convenience, and the scales are random and not limited thereto. In addition, like reference numerals designate like structures, elements, or parts throughout the specification. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a nano-ion sprayer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the nano-ion sprayer of FIG. 1 , taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the nano-ion sprayer includes a storage unit 10 having liquid contents flowing inside thereof, a nano-unit 40 installed in the storage unit 10 and that changes the liquid contents into nanoparticles, a main body 20 having an opening 21 connected to the storage unit 10 and having a front end through which the nanoparticles can be emitted, and a filter 30 installed in the opening 21 of the main body 20 and filtering liquid contents that have not been changed into nanoparticles. Hereinafter, the liquid contents flowing inside the storage unit 10 will be described as a functional liquid according to the present exemplary embodiment.

As a container having an opened upper portion, the storage unit 10 stores the functional liquid and forms a lower structure of the sprayer. The main body 20 is connected to the opened upper portion of the storage unit 10.

The functional liquid that is changed into the nanoparticles by the nano-unit 40 is moved up to the main body 20 that is mounted on the upper portion of the storage unit 10 and externally sprayed through the opening 21 formed in the front end of the main body 20. The nano-ion sprayer has a handle for convenience in use. In the present exemplary embodiment, the storage unit 10 becomes the handle and the main body 20 is almost horizontally mounted thereon such that the opening 21 of the main body 20 is protruded almost perpendicular to the handle. In order to easily spray the nanoparticles to the skin, a user grasps the handle, that is, the storage unit 10, and turns the protruded front end of the main body toward the skin. The entire structure of the sprayer according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and it can be realized in various ways.

The storage unit 10 may be installed to be fixed to the main body 20 or may be attachably combined to the main body 20.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, an outlet 1 1 is formed in a bottom side surface of the storage unit 10 for draining the functional liquid that flows inside the storage unit 10. The outlet 1 1 has a cap 12 for opening/closing the outlet 1 1 as necessary. The main body 20 has a cylindrical shape that is hollow inside, and a first end thereof is opened in order to form an opening 21 for spraying the nanoparticles and a second end is closed.

According to the present exemplary embodiment, a lower body 22 that communicates with the inside of the main body 20 is installed to a lower center

portion of the main body 20 such that the storage unit 10 is substantially inserted inside of the lower body 22. Accordingly, the lower body 22 forms an external shape of the handle.

In addition, a supply unit 23 is formed on the upper portion of the main body 20 to supply the functional liquid to the storage unit 10 that communicates with the main body 20. The supply unit 23 has a cap 24 for opening/closing the supply unit 23 as necessary.

The functional liquid is supplied through the supply unit 23 to the main body 20 and fills the storage unit 10 installed in the lower part of the main body 20.

In addition, the filter 30 is installed in the opening 21 formed on the front end of the main body 20 for selectively filtering the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles generated by the storage unit 10 move upward and flow to the opening 21 , but large-sized particles of the functional liquid included with the nanoparticles agglomerate and fall down to the storage unit 10. The filter 30 installed in the opening 21 finally filters large-sized particles included with the nanoparticles so that only nanoparticles can be sprayed out through the opening 21.

A front-end cover 25 that covers the filter 30 for protection and substantially contacts a user's skin is externally installed in the opening 21.

The front-end cover 25 has a plurality of holes 26 formed in a front surface thereof so the nanoparticles are emitted therethrough, and externally protruding protrusions 27 are formed between the respective holes 26. The protrusions 27 impart pressure to the skin when the front-end cover 25 contacts

the skin in order to stimulate and massage the skin. Therefore, the nanoparticles emitted from the holes 26 of the front-end cover 25 can be efficiently absorbed into the skin.

The nano-unit 40 that generates the nanoparticles will now be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

The nano-unit 40 includes a plurality of nozzle members 41 , intake members 43, and nanoplates 45. Each of the plurality of nozzle members 41 is formed protruding upward from a bottom surface of the storage unit 10 and has a spray hole 42 formed at a front end thereof for spraying a compressed fluid. Each intake member 43 covers a nozzle member 41 while having a predetermined gap from an external circumferential surface of each of the nozzle members 41 , and has a hole 44 formed in a front end thereof. The nanoplates 45 are separately installed in each of the intake members 43 and the functional liquid sprayed with the compressed fluid is collided thereagainst. In the present exemplary embodiment, air is used as the compressed fluid. Oxygen may alternatively be used as the compressed fluid. In this instance, the air or oxygen may be entirely or partially supplied to all of the plurality of nozzle members. Here, the air imparts a specific effect to the sprayer, and will be described later. With the above-described structure, highly compressed air is supplied to the nozzle member 41 and the functional liquid is drawn upward through a gap between the intake member 43 and the nozzle member 41 due to negative pressure so that the functional liquid is sprayed out through the hole 44 of the intake member 43. The sprayed functional liquid collides against the nanoplate

45 and is broken into fine nanoparticles.

In the present exemplary embodiment, four of the nozzle members 41 are serially disposed. Each of the nozzle members 41 has a cone shape having a pointed end toward an upper portion thereof, and a spray hole 42 formed in a front end of each nozzle member 41 penetrates the nozzle member

41.

An insertion pipe 46 is formed protruding in a lower external side of the storage unit 10 and communicates with the nozzle member 41 , and an air supply hose 47 is connected, by insertion, to the insertion pipe 46. As shown in FIG. 1 , each of the nozzle members 41 of the sprayer is connected to a driving unit 48 for supplying air to each of the nozzle members 41 through the air supply hose 47. The driving unit 48 may be formed as a high-speed fan, a blower, or a compressor.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 10 further includes a protection cover 49 formed in a lower end thereof for protecting the insertion pipe 46 that is externally protruded from the storage unit 10. The protection cover 49 is formed as a container that covers the insertion pipe 46, and a slot 50 to which the hose is inserted is formed in a lower part thereof.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, air can be supplied through the nozzle member 41.

In this case, one of the four nozzle members 41 is connected to an air supplier 52 through an air supply hose 51.

Accordingly, one of the nozzle members 41 supplies highly pure oxygen and the other nozzle members 41 supply air.

Since oxygen is injected through the nozzle members 41 , nanoparticles of the functional liquid are sprayed to the skin together with oxygen through the opening 21 of the main body 20. Accordingly, a much greater amount of concentrated oxygen can be supplied to the skin so that skin aging can be prevented, and a natural moisturizing effect can be increased by fast absorption of the functional liquid into the skin.

An interior circumferential plane of the intake member 43 is formed corresponding to the external circumferential plane of the nozzle member 41 so that the intake member 43 has a structure that externally covers the nozzle member 41. In addition, the front end of the intake member 43 has a hole 44 that is formed in a location corresponding to the spray hole 42 of the nozzle member 41.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the intake members 43 respectively inserted into the nozzle members 41 are connected to each other. In addition, a predetermined gap is formed between each of the intake members 43 and the nozzle member 41 , and a lower portion of the intake members 43 is at a predetermined distance from the bottom plane of the storage unit 10. In order to install each intake member 43 in the nozzle member 41 as in the manner described above, a supporting plate 53 is installed at lateral sides of each cylindrical-shaped intake member 43, as shown in FIG. 3. The supporting plate 53 contacts internal planes that face each other and the bottom plane of the storage unit 43.

Accordingly, the supporting plate 53 supports the intake member 43 at a distance from the nozzle member 41 while contacting the internal and bottom

planes of the storage unit 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, when centering the nozzle member 41 , the lateral bottom planes of the storage unit 10 are inclined toward the nozzle member 41. Accordingly, all of the functional liquid can be used since the functional liquid in the storage unit 10 is collected to the nozzle member 41.

The supporting plates 53 also have an inclined structure corresponding to the bottom planes of the storage unit 10 so that the supporting plate 53 becomes adjacent to the inclined bottom planes of the storage unit 10. A non-inclined portion of the supporting plate 53 and the bottom plane of the storage 10 have a height difference since the non-inclined portion of the supporting plate 53 is raised upward from the bottom plane, thereby forming an area at which the functional liquid is circulated.

A supporting plate 53 may be provided in each of the intake members 43, and in a structure where the four nozzle members 43 are serially connected as in the present exemplary embodiment, only the outermost intake member 53 may have the supporting member 53.

As described, the intake member 43 is installed with a predetermined gap from an external surface of the nozzle member 41 so that the functional liquid moves to the spray hole 42 of the nozzle member 41 through the gap. The nanoplate 45 is a plate structure for collision of the functional liquid that sprayed while being highly compressed. The functional liquid is collided against the nanoplate 45 and broken into nanoparticles.

Here, the nanoplate 45 should break a large quantity of the functional liquid into the nanoparticles when the functional liquid is collided thereto.

Therefore, the nanoplate 45 according to the present exemplary embodiment has a protrusion 54 having a convex hemispherical shape formed protruding at a center portion of the nanoplate 45 as shown in FIG. 4. The protrusion 54 formed in the nanoplate 45 may have various shapes other than the hemispherical shape. However, the inventor of the present invention has proven that production of the nanoparticles can be maximized by forming the hemispherical protrusion 54 in the nanoplate 45 through various experiments with various structures of the nanoplate 45. In addition, the hemispherical protrusion 54 further includes a small ring-shaped protrusion (not shown) formed on a surface thereof along a radiation direction from the center thereof.

FIG. 5 shows a nanoplate according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. According to the other exemplary embodiment, a nanoplate 55 has a structure formed by ring-shaped protrusions 56 that respectively protrude along a radial direction from the center thereof with a predetermined gap therebetween. Although the amount of nanoparticles emitted from the protrusion 56 having the ring-shaped protrusion 56 is small compared to that emitted from the nanoplate 45 of FIG. 4, the nanoplate 55 can emit finer nanoparticles than those emitted from the nanoplate 45 of FIG. 4.

The shape of the protrusion 56 is not restricted to the round-shaped ring, and it may vary such as as a square-shaped ring or a pentagon-shaped ring.

FIG. 6 schematically shows operation of the nano-unit 40.

As shown in FIG. 6, the highly compressed air supplied to the nozzle member 41 through the hose 47 is sprayed at a high speed through the spray hole 42 formed in the front end of the nozzle member 41. Thus, the functional

liquid in the storage unit 10 is drawn up through the gap between the nozzle member 41 and the intake member 43 due to the flowing speed of the liquid.

The functional liquid drawn up through the gap is sprayed through the hole 44 in the front end of the insertion member 43, together with the air sprayed through the spray hole 42.

Here, a diameter D of the spray hole 42 of the nozzle member 41 in the present exemplary embodiment may be approximately between 0.2mm and

0.9mm. A spray hole having a diameter D of less than 0.2mm is problematic to manufacture and it deteriorates the spray amount. When the diameter D of the spray 42 is greater than 0.9mm, it may not properly function as a spray hole.

In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, a distance L between the protrusion 54 of the nanoplate 45 and the front end of the intake member 43 may be approximately 1.5mm to 12mm. If this nanoplate 45 is used, the size of nanoparticles becomes greater than 0.4 microns, but generation of nanoparticles is increased. When the distance L between the protrusion 54 of the nanoplate 45 and the front end of the intake member 43 is less than 1.5mm, the spray amount is deteriorated, and when the distance L is greater than 12mm, the nanoparticles become coarse and generation of nanoparticles is decreased.

In the case of a nanoplate 55 of FIG. 5, a distance between a protrusion 56 of the nanoplate 55 and the front end of the intake member 43 may be between 0.5mm to 1.5mm. When the nanoplate 55 is used, generation of nanoparticles is decreased, but the size of the nanoparticles is reduced to be less than 0.4 microns. When the distance between the protrusion 56 of the nanoplate 55 and the front end of the intake member 43 is less than 0.5mm, the

spray amount of deteriorated, and when the distance is greater than 1.5mm, the nanoparticles becomes coarse and generation of nanoparticles is decreased.

In the case that the generation of the nanoparticles has priority over other particles, the nanoplate 45 of FIG. 4 is used, and when fineness of the nanoparticles has priority over the generation of the nanoparticles, the nanoplate 55 FIG. 5 is used in order to satisfy desired conditions.

The functional liquid that is sprayed at a high speed, together with air, collides against the protrusion 54 of the nanoplate 45 at a predetermined distance from the intake member 43 and is broken into smaller particles and becomes nanoparticles. At this time, hydrogen bonding in the functional liquid is broken so that the functional liquid has negative charges. Accordingly, nanoparticles containing a large quantity of negative ions can be sprayed through the opening 21 of the main body 20.

Through this process, a misty functional liquid having particles that are larger than the nanoparticles among the functional liquid that has collided against the nanoplate 45 is changed into droplets by being agglomerated and returns to the storage unit 10.

Nanoparticles generated through the above process rise along with air flow inside the storage unit 10 and move inside the main body 20 that is connected to the storage unit 10. The nanoparticles having moved inside the main body 20 are passed through the filter 30 in the opening 21 at the front end of the main body 20 and externally sprayed after large-sized particles are filtered.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 7, the sprayer according to the exemplary

embodiment of the present invention includes a pulse-providing unit for providing a current with a specific waveform such as a low frequency wave to the nanoparticles sprayed through the opening 21 of the main body 20.

The pulse-providing unit includes a pulse generator 60 for generating a pulse output signal having a specific waveform and an output unit electrically connected to the pulse generator 60 and directly applying the pulse output signal to the sprayed nanoparticles.

The output unit according to the present exemplary embodiment is formed of the filter 30 installed in the opening 21. Thus, the filter 30 is formed of a conductor, and is electrically connected to the pulse generator 60 through an electric wire 61 as a medium.

The electric wire 61 that is electrically connected to the pulse generator 60 is internally installed to the main body 20 through a rear end of the main body 20. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, a hole 62 is formed penetrating along a length direction in an internal side of the main body 20, and it extends between the filter 30 and the main body 20. Accordingly, the electric wire 61 that enters through the rear end of the main body 20 is inserted to the hole 62 such that the electric wire 61 is electrically connected to the filter 30.

The pulse generator 60 includes an oscillation unit and generates a pulse output signal from a direct-current power source, and since structures for generating low-frequency waveforms have already been disclosed, further descriptions will be omitted.

The output pulse generated by the pulse generator 60 is applied to an output, that is, the filter 30, through the electric wire 61. The filter 30 applies an

output pulse such as a low frequency pulse to the misty nanoparticles that pass through the filter 30.

Therefore, the low-frequency pulse delivered through the nanoparticles touch the skin of a user so that the low-frequency pulse is applied to the skin. The low-frequency pulse performs tapping, massaging, and pressing functions on the skin so that the nanoparticles can be deeply soaked into the skin.

In addition, the sprayer according to the present embodiment further includes a laser irradiating unit for irradiating a low-level laser to the skin.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the laser irradiating unit includes a laser diode 70 installed in a center part of the rear end of the main body 20 and irradiating the low-level laser toward the opening 21 of the main body 20, and a power unit 71 connected to the laser diode 70 through an electric wire for supplying power thereto.

Here, the low-level laser output from the laser diode 70 refers to red visible rays having a wavelength of more than 600nm and infrared rays having a wavelength of 1000nm, and intensity of the output laser is between 10OmW to

50OmW while the amount of energy per unit area is between 0.05W/cm2 to 5.0

W/cm2.

In addition, according to the present exemplary embodiment, the low-level laser irradiated from the laser diode 70 should be irradiated to the user's skin through the opening 21 of the main body 21. Thus, the front-end cover 25 installed in the opening 21 has a hole 28 in a center portion thereof, and a hole 31 is further formed at a center portion of the filter 30 as shown in FIG. 7.

When the power unit 71 is driven and power is applied to the laser diode 70, the laser diode 70 outputs a low-level laser beam and light irradiated therefrom is irradiated to the user's skin through the hole 31 of the filter 30 and the hole 28 of the front-end cover 25. As described, nanoparticles can be more deeply absorbed into the skin by stimulating the skin by irradiating the laser to the skin, together with the nanoparticles sprayed through the opening.

While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.