The present invention relates to a growth softening device and a growth softening method for use prior to carrying out a shaving procedure, in particular for the face. The objects of the invention are used in the field of body care, in particular related to body shaving, and are used as supporting tools for growth removal procedures in barbershops, hairdressers and beauty salons.

In the body shaving procedure, it is beneficial to properly prepare the skin and growth prior to the actual shaving for increased efficiency and user comfort. One of the key issues is the proper softening of the growth, especially the growth of the face of men, which is generally much harder than the growth of other parts of the body. Softeners for men's facial growth used prior to shaving in the form of gels, creams, ointments or oils are well known. As an alternative to the use of growth softeners, the use of hot compresses on the face is known in the technical field to cause a perceptible softening of the growth.

A steaming device for use in a shaving procedure is known from the description of US2021045512A1. The steaming device includes a base resting on a counter surface and a steam producing mechanism for producing a steam stream delivered to the skin of a user. The steaming device further includes a steam outlet disposed at a distal end relative to the base along a longitudinal axis of the device, the steam outlet being configured to output a stream of steam through at least one opening. The steaming device further comprises a steam delivery conduit comprising a receiving end and a discharge end, the receiving end being connected to the base and the discharge end being connected to the steam outlet providing a steam stream from the base to the steam outlet.

A mask for transferring moisture and heat/cold to facial skin prior to shaving is known from the description of US2020029670A1. The disclosed mask includes a length of material for placement near or on the facial skin, the material including a cloth layer configured to retain moisture, a second rubber-like layer attached to the top of the first cloth layer, and a third resilient layer attached to the top of the second rubber-like layer. During use, the mask is exposed to hot/cold water, which is absorbed into the cloth layer and then delivers the heat/cold of the absorbed water to the user's skin before/after the shaving procedure. US2473926A discloses a device for softening the growth before shaving, taking the form of a mask worn over the user's face. The mask is formed of aluminium or plastic so that it adapts to the contour of the human face and has a space that receives a moisture-absorbing pad. The mask covers the areas of the face and/or neck that are intended to be shaved. The moistureabsorbing pad conforms to the shape of the mask space and thus to the contours of the face, delivering hot moisture to the growth for a predetermined period of time to soften the growth prior to the shaving procedure.

The technical problem faced by the present invention is to provide a growth softening device for use prior to the shaving procedure, especially of the face, which will provide an improvement in the comfort and quality of shaving and an extension of the life of the shaving device itself. It is desirable that the growth softening device provides a solution that is simple in design, easy to use and at the same time safe for the user.

In the first aspect, the present invention provides a growth softening device, characterised in that it comprises a reservoir in the form of a vessel open from the top and a lid connected to the reservoir via an articulated joint, a magnetic lock being arranged opposite to the articulated joint for magnetically locking the lid in the closed position with the reservoir, the lid comprising a tank end made of a material which conducts heat well.

Preferably, the articulated joint is a hinge.

Preferably, the magnetic lock comprises first magnetic means seated in a first slot, arranged in the upper area of the reservoir, opposite to the articulated joint, and second magnetic means seated in a second slot, arranged in the lower area of the lid, opposite to the articulated joint.

Preferably, the first magnetic means and the second magnetic means are neodymium magnets, orthe first magnetic means is a neodymium magnet and the second magnetic means is a metal element attracted by a magnet, or the first magnetic means is a metal element attracted by a magnet and the second magnetic means is a neodymium magnet.

Preferably, a gasket channel is formed in the upper area of the reservoir in which the gasket is placed.

Preferably, the gasket has a flat part embedded in the bottom of the gasket channel and an upper part extending from the flat part at an angle and terminating in a tongue extending outwards from the reservoir so that the gasket tongue is arranged between the faces of the reservoir and the lid.

Preferably, the gasket is attached to the bottom of the gasket channel with adhesive.

Preferably, a protrusion extending radially outwards is arranged in the upper part of the reservoir opposite to the articulated joint.

Preferably, a rib extends vertically on the outer wall of the reservoir opposite to the articulated joint.

Preferably, the reservoir has an axial symmetry and contains a swell in the lower part above the bottom of the reservoir and a constriction in the central part.

Preferably, the reservoir is formed of a material that constitutes a good thermal insulator, preferably a plastic, preferably a polylactide.

Preferably, the bottom is made of copper sheet, bronze sheet, brass sheet, aluminium sheet or silver sheet.

Preferably, the external surface of the bottom has a roughness class above 4, Ra <10, Rz<40.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of softening growth, characterised in that it includes steps in which: a) the growth is moistened with hot water, b) the growth is washed with soap, c) shaving gel is applied to the growth, d) the growth softening device as defined in the first aspect of the invention is filled with hot water, e) skin with growth is massaged with a growth-softening device by applying the bottom to the skin, f) wait from 2 min to 8 min.

Preferably, in step b), hard soap is used.

Preferably, in step d), the outer surface of the bottom is additionally wetted with hot water. Preferably, in step e), the massage is performed in circular movements for at least 40 seconds.

Preferably, after step f) the skin is rinsed with water and steps b) to f) are repeated.

The growth softening device according to the present invention, taking the form of a hermetically sealed reservoir filled with hot water from, for example, the domestic hot water network, enabling the effective transfer of a sufficient amount of heat accumulated in said water, to the surface of the facial skin, by means of massage immediately before shaving, results in an effective and perceptible softening of the growth prior to the shaving procedure. The efficiency of the heat transfer was obtained by using a metal sheet of small thickness and high thermal conductivity for the working surface of the growth softening device. On the other hand, a sufficient amount of heat was obtained by making the reservoir, filled with hot water, large enough so that the amount of heat accumulated in the hot water enables the temperature of the facial skin to be significantly increased during the massage process. In order to insulate the heat, accumulated in the hot water, the reservoir is made of a plastic material that provides good thermal insulation. The use of a gasket and a closure system based on a magnetic lock results in the desired tightness of the growth softening device, which translates directly into increased safety of use. Furthermore, the use of an articulated joint of the lid to the reservoir, together with a radial outward protrusion, contributes to user comfort by ensuring easy opening of the growth softening device. The inclusion of a vertically extending rib on the outer surface of the reservoir helps to locate the magnetic lock. In turn, the use of a bottom reservoir with a roughness class of 4 contributes to the comfort of use of the growth softening device without causing skin irritation.

The solution according to the invention is illustrated in the following embodiments and is illustrated in the drawings where:

Fig. 1 shows a vertical cross-section of a growth softening device according to one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a front view of the growth softening device from fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a top view of the growth softening device from fig. 1;

Fig. 4 shows a bottom view of the growth softening device from fig. 1;

Fig. 5 shows an enlargement of the magnetic lock detail of the growth softening device from fig. 1;

Fig. 6 shows a magnification of the detail of the gasket channel and gasket of the growth softening device of fig. 1.

Example

Figs. 1 - 6 show in various views an embodiment of a growth softening device according to the present invention. The depicted growth softening device has the form of a sealed container comprising two main segments: a reservoir 1 and a lid 2. The reservoir 1 and the lid 2 are hingedly connected to each other by means of an articulated joint 3, which in the present embodiment takes the form of a hinge 3. The reservoir 1, is made of a plastic material which provides an adequate degree of thermal insulation, allowing the user to comfortably hold the reservoir 1 in his hand when it is filled with water at a temperature ranging from 40° C to 60° C. In the present embodiment, the reservoir 1 has been manufactured from polylactide, however, this is not a limitation of the scope of the present invention and in alternative embodiments it is possible to make the reservoir 1 from another material provided that adequate thermal insulation is provided. In addition, the wall thickness of the reservoir 1 is also conducive to achieving the desired insulating properties and advantageously the walls of the reservoir 1 have a thickness in the range of 1 mm to 5 mm.

The illustrated embodiment of the growth softening device comprises a reservoir 1 which has a symmetrical structure with respect to the vertical axis, as best illustrated in figs. 3 and 4. In the upper part, adjacent to the lid 2, the reservoir 1 is provided with a flange 4, constituting a circumferential protrusion extending outwards from the reservoir 1, in which a channel 5 of the gasket is formed, into which a gasket 6 is inserted. The channel 5 of the gasket together with the gasket 6 are best illustrated in the enlarged details shown in figs. 5 and 6. As illustrated in cross-section, in fig. 6, the gasket 6 has a flat part seated in the bottom of the gasket channel 5 and an upper part extending from the flat part at an angle and terminating in a tongue extending outwards from the reservoir 1 in such a way that, in the closed position of the reservoir 1 and the lid 2, the tongue of the gasket 6 is arranged between the front surface of the flange 4 and the front surface of the ring 12, ensuring liquid tightness and thus safety of use.

In the flange 4, opposite to the hinge 3, the first magnetic means 7 is fixed in the first slot 8. In the present embodiment of the growth softening device, the first magnetic means 7 takes the form of a neodymium magnet.

The lid 2, which is the second main component of the growth softening device according to the present invention, comprises a bottom 11 made of a material which is well thermally conductive and a ring 12 made of a thermally insulating material with characteristics analogous to those of the reservoir 1. In the present embodiment, the ring 12 is also formed of polylactide, but this is not a limitation of the scope of the invention.

The bottom 11 is seated on the ring 12 inseparably and tightly. The ring 12, opposite to the hinge 3, is provided with a tongue-shaped protrusion 13. In the ring 12, opposite to the hinge 3, there are second magnetic means 14 arranged in a corresponding second slot 15. In the present embodiment, the second magnetic means 14 also constitutes a neodymium magnet. The polarity of the neodymium magnet constituting the second magnetic means 14 is such that it is attracted by the neodymium magnet constituting the first magnetic means 7. The set of magnetic means 7, 14 constitutes a magnetic lock 16.

The magnetic means 7, 14 are fixed in the slots 8, 15 deep enough so that when the lid 2 is closed, the distance between them does not exceed 2 mm. This provides the required force of interaction between the magnetic means 7, 14 and thus the force of pressure of the ring 12 against the gasket 6, for the desired tightness of the growth softening device according to the present invention. The tightness of the growth softening device is ensured by: the cross- sectional shape of the gasket 6, as shown in figs. 5 and 6, the use of soft silicone for its manufacture and the adhesive between the gasket 6 and the bottom of the channel 5. The use of the adhesive between the gasket 6 and the bottom of the channel 5 is also intended to prevent the gasket 6 from being pulled out of the channel 5 during the opening of the growth softening device.

In the growth softening device according to the present invention, the assembly of the magnetic means 7, 14 forming the magnetic lock 16 is not limited to the illustrated embodiment in the form of two oppositely polarized neodymium magnets, and in alternative embodiment it is possible to use one neodymium magnet as the first magnetic means 7 and a metal element attracted by the magnet, such as ferromagnetic steel, iron, cobalt, nickel or their alloys, as the second magnetic means 14 or vice versa: one neodymium magnet as the second magnetic means 14 and a metal element attracted by the magnet, such as ferromagnetic steel, iron, cobalt, nickel or their alloys, as the first magnetic means 7. In this way, additional economic advantages can be gained in the form of a cheaper way of manufacturing the growth softening device.

In the present embodiment of the growth softening device, the bottom 11 is made of copper sheet in order to provide good thermal conductivity for the heat transfer from the hot water contained in the reservoir 1 to the skin tissue of the user's face during the massage process. In order to protect the copper sheet from corrosion, its surface is coated with an anticorrosion coating, for example with chrome. The outer surface of the bottom 11 is characterised by a roughness class of more than 4, Ra <10; Rz <40, which allows for a good sliding of the growth softening device overthe facial skin surface during use. The transition of the face surface of the bottom 11 into the side surface is made by means of a curvature with a radius of 6 - 10 mm, so that no sharp edge is formed at this point. This is important for the smooth movement of the growth softening device in the massage process from the flat zones of the cheek or the convex zones of the chin to the concave zones - between the chin and the neck.

The type of material of the bottom 11 is not limited to chrome-coated copper sheet, and in alternative embodiments of the growth softening device it is possible to make the bottom 11 of another material providing good heat conduction properties, such as bronze sheet, brass sheet, aluminium sheet or silver sheet, especially with a thickness in the range of 0.05 mm to 3 mm, advantageously coated with an anti-corrosion coating suitable for the material.

As best illustrated in figs. 1 and 2, the reservoir 1 has a variable diameter along its height. From the bottom 9 of the reservoir, towards the top, the diameter increases up to about % of its height, then decreases up to about of its height and increases again, resulting in a swelling in the lower part and a constriction in the higher part. The shape of reservoir 1, including the swelling and constriction, is important for its ergonomic grip in the hand. In addition, a rib 10 is provided on the outer wall of the reservoir 1, from the bottom 9 of the reservoir to the first slot 8, opposite to the hinge 3, in the plane of the axis of symmetry. The rib 10 acts as an organoleptic indicator of the position of the magnetic lock 16 to facilitate the user to find it during the application of the growth softening device. The protrusion 13 has a dual role: it is an organoleptic indicator of the position of the magnetic lock 16 making it easier for the user to find it when operating the growth softening device, and it is a lever arm that reduces the force required to open the lid 2 against the force of the magnetic lock 16.

The growth softening method according to one embodiment of the invention proceeds in the following steps: a) The growth is moistened with hot water (preferably in the range of 50° C to 52° C), b) The growth is washed with solid soap (moisturising soaps are preferred), c) Shaving gel is applied to the growth (in the case of facial shaving, the gel application is preferably below the cheekbone), d) The growth softening device according to the present invention is filled with hot water and the outer surface of the bottom 11 is advantageously wetted with hot water, e) Massage the skin with a growth using a growth softening device by applying the bottom 11 to the skin, preferably in a circular motion for at least 40 seconds, f) Wait of 2 min to 8 min.

After performing the method shown above, a moistened and significantly softened growth is obtained, which can be shaved directly. In an alternative embodiment of the growth softening method after step f), it is possible to wash off the foam remaining on the skin and to repeat steps b) - f) for an even more noticeable softness of the growth.

In the method outlined above, solid soap is used in step b), as liquid soaps do not allow for the full effect. In step c), on the other hand, it is not recommended to use shaving foam instead of shaving gel, as the resulting foam is too "dry". The simultaneous use of soap in step b) and shaving gel in step c) is important to achieve the desired growth softening effect. Moistening the outer surface of the bottom 11 with hot water in step d) is intended to moisten the surface of the bottom 11 and to pre-heat it. The massage of the skin with the growth performed in step e) is carried out to obtain foam from the shaving gel applied to the skin. The massage is then continued so that the foam is as thick as possible overthe entire growth area. If the foam obtained is too thick or "dry", the working surface of the lid 2 can be moistened with a few drops of hot water and the massage continued for a few more seconds. In step f), waiting for a period of 2 to 8 minutes ensures that the water and detergent molecules contained in the foam are given sufficient time to diffuse into the follicles and hair of the growth. It is not advisable to keep the foam on the skin for longer than 8 minutes, as it becomes excessively "dry" after this time, causing the growth to harden again.

Once the growth has been softened in the manner shown in this embodiment of the invention, the actual shaving procedure can be proceeded with. For this purpose, the razor blade is moistened with hot water and the blade is rinsed with hot water only during shaving. After shaving, the face is thoroughly rinsed with hot or warm water, dried and the aftershave is applied.

List of references:

I - reservoir

2 - lid

3 - articulated joint

4 - flange

5 - gasket channel

6 - gasket

7 - first magnetic means

8 - first slot

9 - bottom of reservoir

10 - rib

II - bottom panel

12 - ring

13 - protrusion

14 - second magnetic means

15 - second slot

16 - magnetic lock