Applicator for cold treatment

Abstract

Applicator (3) for cold treatment, comprising an applicator housing (5) with an inlet opening (18) and a leak tight tip (23). The applicator housing (5) encloses a channel body (20) extending between the inlet opening (18) and the leak tight tip (23). The applicator (3) is mounted or mountable in a releasable manner onto a pressurized dispenser (2) comprising a nozzle (7), such that the inlet opening (18) is in fluid communication with the nozzle (7). The applicator housing (5) is moveable between a rest position and a pressed position to activate the nozzle (7). The applicator housing (5) has release openings (26) which are closed in the pressed position.

Claims

1. Applicator for cold treatment, comprising an applicator housing with an inlet opening and a leak tight tip, the applicator housing enclosing a channel body extending between the inlet opening and the leak tight tip; the applicator being mounted or mountable in a releasable manner onto a pressurized dispenser comprising a nozzle, such that the inlet opening is in fluid communication with the nozzle, the applicator housing being moveable between a rest position and a pressed position to activate the nozzle; characterized in that the applicator housing has one or more release openings which are closed in the pressed position.

2. The applicator according to claim 1, further comprising a coupler with a lower side mountable or mounted to the pressurized dispenser, and an upper side provided with a coupler recess; wherein the applicator housing and the coupler recess have matching outlines enabling movement of the applicator housing within the coupler recess between the rest position and the pressed position; wherein the coupler recess has a bottom with a nozzle passage opening in line with the inlet opening in the applicator housing.

3. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the channel body comprises capillary channels extending between the inlet opening of the applicator housing and the leak tight tip.

4. The applicator according to claim 3, wherein the channel body is made of a capillary foam.

5. The applicator according to claim 3, wherein the channel body has side walls sealed by a liner.

6. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the applicator housing has walls spaced from the channel body.

7. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the bottom of the applicator housing comprises an inwardly protruding bottom part defining the inlet opening and spacing a bottom face of the channel body from the bottom of the applicator housing.

8. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the tip is formed by an insert partly received in a recess of the top end of the channel body and an opening of the applicator housing in line with the recess.

9. The applicator according to claim 8, the insert being a metal insert or an insert of a material impregnated with a therapeutically active ingredient.

10. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the applicator housing comprises a slit which is configured to be elastically moved between a closed position and an open position exposing the leak tight tip.

11. Assembly of an applicator according to claim 1 and a matching pressurized dispenser containing a refrigerant liquid.

12. Assembly according to claim 11, wherein the pressurized dispenser comprises a circumferential seam joint forming a snap connection with a matching circumferential recess of the applicator.

13. The applicator according to claim 2, wherein the channel body (20) comprises capillary channels extending between the inlet opening (18) of the applicator housing (5) and the leak tight tip (23).

14. The applicator according to claim 4, wherein the channel body has side walls sealed by a liner.

15. The applicator according to claim 4, wherein the channel body is made of a highlighter felt polyester.

16. The assembly according to claim 11, wherein the snap condition is formed at a bottom side of the coupler.

17. The applicator according to claim 2, wherein the applicator housing has walls spaced from the channel body.

18. The applicator according to claim 2, wherein the bottom of the applicator housing comprises an inwardly protruding bottom part defining the inlet opening and spacing a bottom face of the channel body from the bottom of the applicator housing.

19. The applicator according to claim 2, wherein the tip is formed by an insert partly received in a recess of the top end of the channel body and an opening of the applicator housing in line with the recess.

20. The applicator according to claim 2, wherein the applicator housing comprises a slit which is configured to be elastically moved between a closed position and an open position exposing the leak tight tip.

Description

[0029] The invention will be further explained with references to the accompanying drawings, showing exemplary embodiments.

[0030] FIG. 1: shows a first exemplary embodiment of an assembly of a dispenser with an applicator in cross section;

[0031] FIG. 2: shows the assembly of FIG. 1 with the applicator in a pressed down position;

[0032] FIG. 3: shows the applicator of FIG. 1 during treatment;

[0033] FIG. 4: shows a second exemplary embodiment;

[0034] FIG. 5: shows a third exemplary embodiment;

[0035] FIG. 6: shows the embodiment of FIG. 5 when activated.

[0036] FIG. 1 shows an assembly 1 of a pressurized dispenser 2 and an applicator 3 for cold treatment. The applicator 3 comprises a coupler 4 and an applicator housing 5. The assembly 1 is shown in cross section and is essentially cylindrically symmetrical about its longitudinal axis L.

[0037] The pressurized dispenser 2 is shaped as a standard aerosol container with a top end having a circumferential seam joint 6 around a nozzle 7. The pressurized dispenser 2 contains a refrigerant liquid. Pressing down the nozzle 7 releases the refrigerant liquid from the pressurized dispenser 2 via the nozzle 7.

[0038] The coupler 4 has a lower end with a circumferential recess 8 forming a releasable snap fit or clamp fit connection with the seam joint 6 of the pressurized dispenser 2.

[0039] The coupler 4 has an upper end provided with a coupler recess 9 receiving the applicator housing 5. The coupler recess 9 and the applicator housing 5 have matching cylindrical outlines so the applicator housing 5 fits within the coupler recess 9 and can be freely slid up and down within the coupler recess 9. Other outlines can also be used as long as the applicator housing 5 fits within the coupler recess 9 only allowing movement guided by the shape of the coupler recess 9, e.g., a sliding fit allowing sliding movement in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the assembly 1.

[0040] The coupler recess 9 has a bottom 10 with a central nozzle passage opening 11. The nozzle 7 of the pressurized dispenser 2 projects through the nozzle passage opening 11. The bottom of the coupler recess 9 is substantially flush with an upper face of a base 12 of the nozzle 7.

[0041] The applicator housing 5 has a cylindrical lower end 13 fitting within the coupler recess 9, and a substantially conical truncated top end 14. Between the top end 14 and the lower end 13, the applicator housing 5 has two oppositely extending flanges 15 providing grip for a user and allowing the user to push down the applicator housing 5.

[0042] The lower end 13 of the applicator housing 5 has a bottom with an inwardly protruding cylindrical part 16 receiving a tip 17 of the nozzle 7. This protruding part 16 is provided with a central inlet opening 18 aligned with the nozzle tip 17.

[0043] The applicator housing 5 has an interior space 19 enclosing a channel body 20. The channel body 20 extends between the protruding bottom part 16 and the top end of the applicator housing 5. A set of fins 21 extending upward from the bottom of the applicator housing 5, serve to lock the channel body 20 in place.

[0044] The channel body 20 is wider than the protruding bottom part 16. As a result, the lower end of the channel body 20 protrudes from all sides with respect to the protruding bottom part 16. The lower end of the channel body 20 comprises a section 22 in fluid communication with the nozzle 7. In this exemplary embodiment, the section 22 is formed by a recess receiving the outer tip of the protruding bottom part 16.

[0045] The channel body 20 is cylindrical or it may have any other suitable outline. The channel body 20 is made of a highlighter felt polyester. This is a foamy material with numerous capillary channels extending in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the assembly, i.e., from the nozzle to the top end of the applicator housing 5. The cylindrical side wall of the channel body is sealed by a liner 27, which is substantially impermeable for refrigerant liquid and refrigerant vapour. Due to the liner 27 any refrigerant liquid can only flow via the bottom section of the channel body 20.

[0046] The truncated top end 14 of the applicator housing 5 is provided with a leak tight tip 23 of a thermally conductive material, in particular stainless steel, chromated copper or a similar metal. This tip 23 is formed by an insert partly received in a matching recess 24 at the top side of the channel body 20 and protruding through a matching opening 25 in the truncated top end of the applicator housing 5. Any gap between the opening 25 and the insert 24 is sealed to prevent any leakage of refrigerant liquid.

[0047] The wall of the applicator housing 5 has a number of release openings 26 just below the flanges 15. The walls of the applicator housing 5 are spaced from the channel body 20. Also the bottom 10 of the applicator housing 5 is spaced from the channel body 20, except where the channel body 20 is supported by the inward protruding bottom part 16, so as to create a direct flow path from the bottom of the channel body 20 to the release openings 26.

[0048] FIG. 1 shows the assembly 1 with the applicator housing 5 in a rest position, with the applicator housing 5 passively resting on top of the nozzle 7 of the pressurized dispenser 2. In this position, the release openings 26 are not closed and the interior spacing of the applicator housing 5 is in open communication with the ambient air via the release openings 26.

[0049] From this position, the user can push down the applicator housing 5 into a pressed position, as shown in FIG. 2. In this position, the release openings 26 are fully closed by the wall of the coupler recess 9 and the nozzle 7 of the pressurized dispenser 2 is pressed down. Liquid refrigerant is dispensed from the nozzle 7 via the inlet opening 18 in the protruding bottom part 16 into the capillary channels of the channel body 20. The capillary channels are too small to allow evaporation of the refrigerant liquid. Part of the liquid will escape via the bottom of the channel body 20 to the interior space 19 of the applicator housing 5 but as long as the applicator housing 5 is in the pressed position, refrigerant vapour cannot escape through the release openings 26. Pressure will build up in the applicator housing interior 19 and a saturated vapour pressure develops, resulting from an equilibrium of refrigerant vapour and liquid. Hence, in the pressed position evaporation of refrigerant liquid in the applicator 3 is negligible and too little to create a substantial cooling effect.

[0050] The user can then lift the applicator housing 5. The nozzle 7 stops dispensing the refrigerant liquid from the pressurized dispenser 2. The release openings 26 are opened allowing refrigerant vapour to escape. Liquid refrigerant in the applicator housing 5 is now free to evaporate and extracts heat from the thermally conductive leak tight tip 23. The user can simply remove the applicator housing 5 from the coupler 4 and treat the skin disorder with the cooled leak tight tip 23, while keeping distance from the pressurized dispenser 2, as shown in FIG. 3, which shows treatment of a disorder on a person's finger 29. The relatively small applicator housing 5 is easy to handle compared to prior art applicator heads which remain coupled to the dispenser during treatment.

[0051] The metal insert 23 as shown in FIG. 1 is particularly useful for the treatment of warts. For other skin disorders it may be useful to combine the cold treatment with topical application of a therapeutically active agent. In that case, other types of tips may be used. An example of an alternative embodiment with an alternative tip is shown in FIG. 4. This tip 28 is particularly suitable for the treatment of verruca. The tip 28 is made of a relatively soft, compressible absorbing material with an interior reservoir 29 filled with a therapeutically active substance, e.g., an acid. At the face contacting the channel body the tip is sealed by a liner 30 which is impermeable for the liquid refrigerant.

[0052] Other alternative tips include a cross shaped tip for the treatment of insect bites or a spreadable tip for skin tags.

[0053] FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of an assembly 31 of the same construction as the embodiment of FIG. 1, except that it has an applicator housing 32 with a tip 33 fully covered by the top wall of the housing. The top wall of the applicator housing 32 is provided with a longitudinal slit 34, separating wall parts 36A, 36B. By pinching the applicator housing 32, or by applying a pressing force F on the two flanges 35, the wall parts 36A, 36B are spread apart and are forced to move elastically in opposite directions X, X′ in order to expose the cooled tip 33, as shown in FIG. 6. After the applicator housing is removed from the coupler 4, the refrigerant is allowed to escape via the release openings 37 to trigger the cooling effect, and the opened slit 35 can be positioned on a skin tag or a biting tick or the like. Subsequently, the flanges 35 are released, allowing the slit 34 to close and pinch the skin tag or tick. Meanwhile the cooled tip 33 cools the treated disorder.