DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a disposable shaving brush and, under a more general aspect, shaving tools.

Before proceeding further, it is just the case to point out that in the remainder of this description, for simplicity and clarity, reference shall be made primarily to shaving brushes and/or shaving of the beard, namely a typically male use; this should not, however, be understood in a limiting way, and the invention should not be understood as being limited to male applications, but may also be extended to female ones, such as female hair removal (e.g. legs and underarms).

Therefore, continuing the description and taking this premise into account, it can be stated that it is well known that shaving requires having a suitable soap available, adapted to form a lather for spreading on the skin, so as to facilitate the beard cutting action by the razor.

Although there are ready-to-use shaving foams dispensed in spray cans or as creams (gel), which are spread with the hands by the users, it is widespread the use of shaving soaps to be applied with the brush; this is both in daily domestic practice, and in professional practice by barbers.

While this solution is obviously practical and effective, also having been historically adopted for a very long time, it has some drawbacks under the hygienic and practical profile.

In fact, shaving brushes are usually rinsed with water after use and allowed to air dry; although this is not ideal, this course of action can be fine in one's own home when the brush is personal, but it does not seem to be hygienically correct when it is used in public or by several people, such as in barber shops, as they transmit contact diseases. In fact, it is intuitive that even after an accurate rinsing, germs, bacteria, spores, microorganisms or the like, even pathogenic ones, remain in the brush bristles, originated by different people, which can transmit infections or skin diseases in those who subsequently come into contact with the brush.

This happens also if between each use, the brush is disinfected with alcohol, Lysol or similar products, as in any case washing is done by hand and the disinfectant is not replaced each time; the proliferation of pathogenic micro-organisms in a humid environment must be taken into account.

In practice, the brush is left to soak in the same disinfectant liquid between each use, with the result of contaminating also the liquid and thus the bristles which are immersed therein.

On the other hand, autoclaves, ultraviolet or ultrasound sterilizers used, for example, for dentist, hairdresser or beautician tools are not effective for shaving brushes, since the bristles are a barrier difficult to penetrate, and therefore besides the more superficial layers, the internal ones are not reached or at least the germs that lurk therein are not killed.

It is also easy to understand that all the equipment or products for cleaning and/or treating and/or disinfecting shaving brushes are not suitable for daily personal use at home or, above all, when travelling, as they require disinfectant equipment and products that are not convenient, as they take up space in the bathroom at home and in the luggage to carry.

The present invention aims to improve this condition; in other words, it can be said that a technical problem underlying the invention is to provide a shaving brush with structural and functional features such as to overcome the drawbacks outlined above of the prior art.

The idea of solution of this problem is to provide a shaving brush or the like, of the disposable type, or to be used for a short time or a few times, so as to prevent or limit the risks of contamination with germs mentioned above.

In fact, the brushes of the disposable type can be prepared in sterile packages or otherwise protected from the outside, so as to always be ready to use in safe and hygienic conditions.

Additionally, once used they can be discarded without having to clean them, thus eliminating at the root all the drawbacks already described and related to their cleaning. According to a possible embodiment of the invention, the brush and its various parts are made of artificial materials, preferably recyclable plastic, so as to have a low cost and also a low environmental impact.

The features of the brush according to the invention are set out in the claims appended to this description.

The invention also comprises a shaving kit, whose features are also set out in the appended claims.

These features, the effects arising therefrom and the advantages achieved by the invention will become apparent in the light of the following description of an embodiment example of the invention and of some variants, made by way of non- limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Fig. 1 shows a shaving brush according to the invention;

- Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal view of the brush in fig. 1;

- Fig. 3 shows a detail of the preceding brush;

- Fig. 4 is a section along line IV-IV in fig. 3;

- Fig. 5 and 6 show respective elements of the process for manufacturing the brush of the preceding figures;

- Fig. 7 is a section along line VII- VII in fig. 6;

- Fig. 8 and 9 show respective manufacturing steps of the preceding brush;

- Fig. 10 shows a view with detached parts of a first variant of the brush of the invention;

- Fig. 11 and 12 show a longitudinal sectional and transverse view, respectively, of the brush in fig. 10;

- Fig. 13 shows a transverse section of a variant of the brush in fig. 11 and 12;

- Fig. 14 shows a view with detached parts of a second variant of the brush of the invention;

- Fig. 15 shows a longitudinal view of the brush in fig. 14;

- Fig. 16 shows a first example of a shaving kit according to the invention;

- Fig. 17 shows a second example of a shaving kit according to the invention.

With reference to the drawings listed and starting from figures 1-4, reference numeral 1 therein indicates as a whole a shaving brush according to the invention.

Brush 1 comprises a handle or grip 2, to which bristles 3 are associated; as can be seen, the shape of brush 1 is similar to that of traditional brushes but apart from this apparent aesthetic similarity, brush 1 is an innovation compared to the prior art, both from a structural and a functional point of view, as will be better seen hereinafter.

Firstly, it should be noted that according to a preferred embodiment, both handle 2 and bristles 3 and more in general all the components of brush 1 are made of recyclable plastic material; this makes the brush particularly suitable for a single use (so-called disposable), as it can be easily disposed with the common urban separate collection of plastic.

Therefore, the materials with which handle 2, bristles 3 and the other components of brush 1, where present, are made, are typically comprised in a group including polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP) , polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), nylon, etc.; other materials can still be used in addition to these listed above, preferably thermoplastic materials with good processing properties, especially by injection molding as will be better seen hereinafter.

Additionally, as an alternative or in combination with recyclable materials, the plastic material of bristles 3 and/or handle 2 of brush 1 may be of a biodegradable type; in this case, plastics based on one or more compounds are preferably used, such as Polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHA), Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), Polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV), Polyhydroxyesanoate (PHH).

These materials are commercially available from producers of so-called bioplastics. Also the fastening of bristles 3 with handle 2 can be done in any appropriate manner, for example by mechanical assembly of separate parts, or by co-molding of the plastic with the bristles, or even by molding in a single solution of both.

The choice of one of these options will depend on various factors, such as the material of bristles 3 and handle 2, which can be different (e.g. one polyethylene and the other polyvinyl chloride, or combinations of the other materials), the shape and/or size of the handle, the length and diameter of the bristles, their flexibility (to have more or less soft brushes) and other product-related (brush) parameters or the manufacturing process (e.g. finishes, time, cost, availability of raw materials, etc.). In the example depicted in the figures, body 20 of handle 2 preferably has, in the area closest to the junction of bristles 2, an upper portion or neck 21 which is slightly wider than the rest of body 20.

The latter is shaped in an ergonomic manner for a more effective gripping by the user and to this end, its lower portion (with reference to figure 1) is shaped with a recess 22 and a rounded base end 23, or otherwise shaped so as to adapt well to the palm of the closed hand grasping the brush.

According to the embodiment of the invention shown in figures 1-4, inside neck 21 of handle 2 is a base 30 supporting bristles 3.

Such a base 30 can be made of any suitable material, like the support of bristles 3.

However, according to a preferred embodiment, base 30 is made of a moldable plastic material and bristles 3 are associated with base 30 during the molding of base 30.

For this reason, bristles 3 are made of the same material as base 30 or in any case a material compatible with it, namely such that bristles 3 are incorporated in the molten plastic matrix during the molding process, so as to ensure a reliable fixing thereof.

As for handle 2 of the brush, also base 30 is made of a recyclable plastic material, preferably comprised in a group including polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), nylon.

Base 30, which in the example shown has a circular geometry like that of body 20 of handle 2 in which it is inserted, preferably comprises an edge or peripheral wall 31 that is raised, which has an advantageous dual function: that of lateral containment of bristles 3 which extend outwards, and that of coupling with the inner wall of neck 21 of handle 2, for the fastening of the base itself. To this end, the coupling of base 30 with neck 21 of the handle may be of the mechanical shaft-hole type, preferably with an interference fit, by exploiting the elasticity of the plastic material the coupled components are made of, or by molding or co-molding, i.e. introducing base 30 in a mold (not shown in the figures) in which body 20 of handle 2 is formed.

In base 30 are also holes or seats 32, where ends 3a of bundles or tufts 5 of bristles 3 supported by base 30 are fitted.

To this end, with reference to figures 5-9, the process of manufacturing base 30 comprises a molding step implemented with a half-mold 50, provided with a series of channels 51 where bundles 5 of bristles 3 are inserted.

As said, the latter are made of synthetic material (i.e. they are not natural) and may be obtained by any appropriate solution, depending on the materials, the length and diameter, or other production criteria; therefore, there may be bristles 3 custom-made (i.e. with predetermined length and diameter) separately, by injection or extrusion of the filaments, or by cutting them to size from long strands produced industrially in rolls or coils.

Alternatively, it is possible to mold bristles 3 together with base 30, thus making a single piece with both the ones and the other.

In the example considered, bristles 3 are made by injection in a mold 40 where there are injection dies 41, consisting essentially of prismatic inserts where the capillaries conduits 42 are formed in a size like that the bristles to produce.

Inserts 41 are installed into corresponding housing seats 43 and the molten plastic fed by an external injector I is carried by a collector 47 at the entrance of the various injection dies 41 mounted in the mold; the latter may have different lengths, and the number and diameter of channels 42 may also differ.

Once bristles 3 have been made, in the production process of the brush they are gathered into bundles 5, preferably of different lengths so as to impart the usual shape of brush 1; it is noted that, however, this is not strictly necessary as the bristles could also be all the same length.

Moreover, in this case, the brush profile may also be obtained by supporting bristles 3 with a base 30 that is not flat (i.e. different from that in the figures), but which may instead be convex or rounded to obtain a different distribution in height of the bristles. Irrespective of this, in the example considered after inserting bundles 5 of bristles in channels 51 of the upper half-mold 50, this is associated with a lower half-mold 55 in which the molten plastic fed by a conduit 52 is injected, as indicated by the arrow in figure 9.

The molten plastic material injected into mold 55 spreads into the cavities in its interior to form base 30 with its edge 31 and embed ends 3a of bristles 3 gathered in bundles 5, which remain thus fixed.

The piece thus obtained, consisting of base 30 and bristles 3, is then assembled with handle 2 to form the final brush 1; as mentioned above, the assembly can be done in different ways, both by mechanically coupling base 30 with neck 21 of handle 2, or by physically incorporating the first one into the second, co-molding body 20 of the handle together with base 30. Other solutions may still be devised by the man skilled in the art, depending on the different production and manufacturing requirements of the brushes. Irrespective of the solution adopted, according to a preferred embodiment, handle 2 of the brush is preferably provided with an internal cavity 25, which extends from base 23 up to neck 21.

Such a cavity 25, which can have a cylindrical, prismatic or other shape, in addition to lightening body 20 of the handle, reduces the plastic material needed to make it and therefore also its weight and production costs; it can be advantageously used for housing other elements useful for shaving, as will be seen in more detail hereinafter. To this end, cavity 25 is advantageously accessible from the outside; preferably, as shown in the figures, this occurs by an opening 26 provided on end 23 of handle 2: this feature makes it possible to have a direct access to the cavity and its contents, for the purposes which shall become clearer hereinafter.

However, as an alternative, handle 2 may be made into two pieces coupled as a shell divided in a half crosswise, for example at recess 22, so as to have access to cavity 25 by pulling apart the coupled parts of handle 2, as is the case for some containers or storage boxes.

From the foregoing, it is possible to understand how brush 1 of the invention solves the technical problem underlying it.

In fact, its configuration and the materials used for its manufacture allow obtaining a hygienically safe, ready for use product, suitable for a single use, i.e. disposable.

A brush thus conceived therefore solves any hygiene-sanitary problem, since it can be packaged in closed and/or sealed packaging, such as flexible bags, rigid containers such as boxes, or displays of the so-called "blister" type and the like, under controlled hygienic conditions of the packaged product.

Once the package has been opened, a brush 1 is available which is hygienically safe and can be discarded after use; the recyclability of the materials with which the brush is made makes the disposal thereof advantageously simple.

In particular, for this purpose, low cost plastic materials, preferably recyclable and/or biodegradable can be used, so as to also have a low environmental impact, once the brush has been discarded after use.

This applies both to bristles 3 and to handle 2 and other components, which are made of industrially processable materials with automated machinery and technologies; the cost of the brush is therefore favored for production on an industrial scale.

Additionally, brush 1 lends itself to be advantageously integrated with other functions such as, preferably, those of housing and/or dispensing the shaving soap.

This feature is present in the variants of the invention shown in figures 10-14, in which parts structurally and/or functionally corresponding to those already described are indicated with the same reference numerals.

Therefore, as can be seen, in this case cavity 25 inside handle 2 of the brush houses a dose 60 of shaving soap, which can be formed in different ways, depending on the solutions.

For example, in the variant in figures 10-12 the shaving soap is contained in a small container 61 in the form of a vial, bottle or the like, made of plastic, rubber or other flexible material, so that it can be pressed to dispense the soap, similar to what is done with a common soap dispenser.

The latter is in liquid or in any case fluid form, such as gels, and according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, is dispensed directly to the base of bristles 3 through a series of passages 63 formed in base 30. In practice, a user by applying a force F axially (as indicated by the arrow in figure 11) on container 61, which in the figures is specially configured as a bellows so as to facilitate the squeezing thereof, the soap exits and can flow into passages 63 to reach base 3 of the bristles.

To this end, the passages lead into points of base 30 that are sandwiched to the fitting seats 32 of the bristles.

In this way, the user can use brush 1 of the invention to soap his face without the need to have additional soap aside; the advantage of such a solution is clear in travel or in similar situations, where shaving soap is not available (or is not convenient).

It is however understood that other configurations may also be used for passages 63 of the soap from container 61 and for bristles 3 in base 30; figure 13 shows a transverse section similar to the preceding one, but in which seats 32 supporting bristles 3 are arranged in a circular crown with respect to base 30, while there is provided a central passage 63 for the shaving soap from the base container 61.

This solution is simpler than the preceding one but still effective.

In any case, container 61 and the soap of dose 60 may also be in the form of spray can and foam, in order to have a further mode of application of the brush of the invention. In other words, as a possible evolution or alternative, rather than squeezing the pipette container, a spray can may be inserted under the bristles making the foam exit directly into the bristles.

Figures 14 and 15 show another variant of the preceding solutions, in which instead of container 61, a porous support matrix 71, preferably spongy, is arranged on the shaving soap, which can be squeezed so as to eject the soap contained therein and push it into passages 63 up to the base of bristles 3.

Matrix 71 may be dry, and thus it must be washed for use also if it is kept into cavity 25, or impregnated with fluid soap (liquid or gel) so as to be immediately ready for use. However, it should be noted that although the presence of passages 63 into the support base 30 of bristles 3 is an advantageous feature of the invention, as it allows the effective flow of soap while shaving also when the brush is passed on the face, i.e. without interrupting the spreading action, they could also be absent.

In this case, the utility of the cavity 25 inside handle 2 of the brush continues, as it represents an advantageous seat for a dose 60 of soap with no overall increase in the dimensions of the brush.

In that case, dose 60 can be extracted from cavity 25 and used by a person to spread it on the face or on bristles 3.

This makes the brush of the invention particularly suitable for being a shaving kit, along with a razor, for travel or for hotel guests, or as a simple home accessory.

An example of a possible kit 100, which can also be commonly called shaving kit, is shown in the accompanying figure 16, where together with brush 1 in the same package is also a razor 101.

Kit 100 is contained in a closed package 102, such as an envelope or a "blister" as shown in figure 14, preferably sealed, especially if in brush 1 there is a dose 60 of shaving soap that is embedded in a spongy wet or spray matrix. In that case, it is also preferable that packaging 102 is slightly vacuum or otherwise sealed to prevent leakage to the outside.

Another embodiment advantageously made possible by the invention is shown in figure 17, where razor 101 is associated with the shaving brush 1 by an adhesive, a tape or a molded or heat-sealed joint at one or more points 105 along handle 2.

All these features and the advantages of the invention just summarized are within the scope of the following claims.