Device for applying a liquid medium

Abstract

A device for applying a liquid or pulverulent medium is provided. The device includes an application element that has a flexible width and that is attached between two support elements and includes at least one lateral delimiting element for the purposes of a controlled and fast application of this liquid or pulverulent medium. A kit that includes the device and a media container is provided.

Claims

1. A device for applying a liquid or pulverulent medium onto a surface, comprising: an application element that serves to apply a liquid or pulverulent medium, that is situated between two support elements, and whose width can be changed flexibly, the application element comprising at least one bristle bundle, at least one sponge, or at least one flocked means, the at least one bristle bundle being connected to the device at one end and that has a spreading aid to uniformly distribute the individual bristles of the bristle bundle and to spread them out in a plane; and two delimiting elements that are positioned laterally on the application element and that are configured in such a way that they adapt to the flexible width of the application element and they laterally delimit the media application, wherein the two delimiting elements each comprise a guide element that detects the contour of the surface and that is configured in such a way that it flexibly adapts the width of the media application to the contour of the surface during the media application, and wherein either the delimiting elements are designed to be tapered so that the pointed end enters into contours or structures of the surface and thus guides the material application appropriately, or the guide element is configured as a ball or a roller.

2. A device for applying a liquid or pulverulent cosmetic or medical product onto a surface of the body of a human or animal, comprising: an application element that serves to apply a liquid or pulverulent medium, that is situated between two support elements, and whose width can be changed flexibly, the application element comprising at least one bristle bundle, at least one sponge, or at least one flocked means, the at least one bristle bundle being connected to the device at one end and that has a spreading aid to uniformly distribute the individual bristles of the bristle bundle and to spread them out in a plane; and two delimiting elements that are positioned laterally on the application element and that are configured in such a way that they adapt to the flexible width of the application element and they laterally delimit the media application, wherein the two delimiting elements each comprise a guide element that detects the contour of the surface and that is configured in such a way that it flexibly adapts the width of the media application to the contour of the surface during the media application, and wherein the application element comprises at least one roller that can move flexibly crosswise to the axle of the roller and that runs on a flexibly movable roller axle that is affixed between the support elements, and in that the delimiting elements each consist of a plate-shaped element with a rectangular, trapezoidal, triangular, oval or circular outline.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the application element includes two rod-shaped support elements and two bristle bundles that are each attached laterally to the inside of the two rod-shaped support elements, wherein the two rod-shaped support elements are coupled so as to pivot around a pivoting axle and they are connected by at least one spring element in such a way that their pivoting motion can be pre-tensioned, and wherein during this pivoting motion, a tension is built up that counteracts the pivoting motion.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein at least one delimiting element is attached directly to the side of the application element.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid or the pulverulent or the medical product is selected from the group comprising nail polish, nail polish remover, nail care products, nail adhesives, adhesive gels, nail oil, lip care products, coatings for the dental sector, body powder, face powder, powder coatings, electrically hardening powder coatings, powder coatings that are hardened by means of UV light and powder coatings that are hardened by means of chemical processes.

6. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the device is suitable for applying the liquid medium onto the surface of toenails or fingernails, teeth, skin or hair.

7. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the surfaces of the guide elements and/or of the delimiting elements has a non-stick coating, a hydrophobic or oleophobic or superhydrophobic coating, a lotus coating or a microstructure or a nanostructure with non-stick properties.

8. A kit comprising: a device according to claim 1 or 2; and a container (media container) that holds the medium that is to be applied, into which the device can be dipped.

9. The kit according to claim 8, wherein the media container comprises a scraping implement for scraping the liquid medium off the guide elements and/or off the delimiting elements.

10. A method for applying a liquid or pulverulent medium onto a surface, comprising: providing the application element of a device according to claim 1 or 2, dipping into a media container that holds the liquid or pulverulent medium, a process in which the liquid or pulverulent medium is picked up; scraping off the excess liquid or pulverulent medium from the application element and/or off the delimiting element and/or off the guide element by means of a scraping implement, wherein the scraping implement is configured as a gap that is at a distance from the media container; and applying the liquid or pulverulent medium onto the surface by bringing the application element into contact with the surface.

11. The device according to claim 2, wherein the delimiting elements each are a circular plate mounted so as to be rotatable around the axis of rotation.

12. The device according to claim 2, wherein the liquid or the pulverulent medium or the pulverulent cosmetic or the medical product is selected from the group comprising nail polish, nail polish remover, nail care products, nail adhesives, adhesive gels, nail oil, lip care products, coatings for the dental sector, body powder, face powder, powder coatings, electrically hardening powder coatings, powder coatings that are hardened by means of UV light and powder coatings that are hardened by means of chemical processes.

Description

(1) These and other aspects of the invention are described in detail in the figures and in the examples of embodiments. The figures show the following:

(2) FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the device according to the invention together with the media container according to the invention, which can be closed with a cover.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a side cross sectional view (A) as well as a top view, likewise in a cross section, with an enlarged view of the area of the lateral guide (B) of the media container, as well as in (C), likewise in a cross section, with a different configuration of the suction element (shown by a broken line) inside the container.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a side cross sectional view through the media container, which is configured as a bottle in this embodiment.

(5) FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the device according to the invention, configured as a pen, together with a pen cap configured as a container, in a side view (on the right) or in a cross sectional view (on the left) along the cross section line A-A.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention with an application element consisting of a bristle bundle in a side view and, on the right, in a side view with a surface that is to be processed.

(7) FIG. 6 shows a side view of another preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention with a support element consisting of two bristle bundles affixed to the lateral delimiting elements, namely, together with a surface that is to be processed, in a side view at the lower right, and in a perspective view at the lower left.

(8) FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the device according to the invention in a side view with two delimiting elements that each have an articulation.

(9) FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the device according to the invention in a side view in which the rod-shaped support elements are made of a flexible material that permits pivoting.

(10) FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the device according to the invention in a side view with a roller as the application element, and additionally, a side view of this embodiment in conjunction with a surface that is to be processed.

(11) FIG. 10 shows relevant distances and dimensions of a device according to FIG. 6.

EMBODIMENTS

(12) The embodiment in FIG. 1 shows the kit according to the invention comprising the device 10 for applying the liquid medium as well as a media container 12 with a cover 11 to close the media container. The device 10 is inserted through the opening 13 into the storage chamber in order to be stored. For purposes of applying the product, the cover 11 of the media container 12 is removed and the device 10 is inserted into the media container 12 from above, where it is dipped into the liquid medium that is present in the middle trapezoidal chamber. In this context, the delimiting elements 14 or the guide elements are moved along the V-shaped lateral guides, causing excess liquid medium to be scraped off both sides of the delimiting elements 14.

(13) FIG. 2 shows the media container 22 with the opening 23 for storing the device. As the cross section in B shows, the round storage chamber 23 is surrounded by absorptive material—shown by cross hatching—that ensures that excess material is removed and/or that, when soaked with solvent, prevents the liquid medium from drying up. The device is inserted in such a way that the application element dips into the liquid medium between the V-shaped lateral guide 26, where it can pick up the medium. The guide element or the delimiting element is inserted into the gap 201 so that it does not come into contact with the liquid medium. Remaining liquid medium is scraped off while being pulled through the gap 201 that functions as a scraping implement 25. The enlarged depiction illustrates the position of the scraping implement—a foam in this embodiment—in the media container 22. In the embodiment shown in (C), the lower storage area and the upper application area form a joint foam element that consequently, in contrast to the device of (A), does not have a separation.

(14) Another embodiment of the media container 32 is shown in FIG. 3. In this case, the scraping implement 35 is integrated into the upper part of the neck of the bottle.

(15) FIG. 4 shows a special embodiment of the device 40 in the form of a pen with a closure cap 401 that, in one embodiment, can concurrently also serve as the media container of the pen-shaped device. In the media container embodiment, the closure cap has a scraping implement 45 on the opening side. Here, the support elements 441 can pivot relative to each other around a pivoting axle 47 and are joined via a flexible strip 48 in the form of a spring element. The two application elements 49 are each affixed to the insides of the delimiting elements 44.

(16) As an augmentation to FIG. 4, FIG. 5 provides a spreading aid 510 that, in this embodiment of the device 50, uniformly distributes the individual bristles of the application element 59 and spreads them out in a plane. Moreover, the device 50 is depicted during the media application onto the schematically indicated surface 502 of a fingernail.

(17) In contrast to FIG. 5, the device 60 in FIG. 6 does not have one but rather two application elements 69, which are affixed laterally on the two delimiting elements 64 and which fan open during the media application onto a schematically indicated fingernail surface 602, thereby forming an application surface.

(18) FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the device 70 in which the application element 79 is affixed as a bristle bundle that extends from the stem 701, and during its media application, it is delimited by two delimiting elements 74 that each have a pivoting axle 77.

(19) Another embodiment of the device 80 is shown in FIG. 8, in which the two bristle bundles, as application elements 89, are held in sleeves which, in turn, are affixed to the inside of the support elements 841. These support elements, which run in parallel, are made of a flexible material and, in their end position, they open up into the delimiting elements 84.

(20) FIG. 9 shows the embodiment of the device 90 with a roller-shaped application element 99 in the initial position as well as on a schematically indicated surface 902 of a fingernail during the media application. Here, the roller 99 is configured with spiral-shaped indentations that allow the width to be varied. Furthermore, this roller is mounted on a flexible rotating axle 901 that stretches between two support elements 941. The delimiting elements are configured at both ends of the roller as circular end plates 94 that, as guide elements, have an outer edge 96, as a result of which they can follow along a surface structure or contour such as a groove, fold or edge.

(21) Based on the device shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 10 shows dimensions or distances that are relevant to the invention. The depicted device has two bristle bundles as the application element having a length L.sub.AE. The bristle bundles are affixed in such a manner that a distance Δ.sub.AE-BE is formed between the edge of the bristle bundles and the inner edge of the guide element. The guide element opens up into a tip having the width B.sub.EE. In the case of a pair of bristle bundles that end concavely or convexly, the guide elements are arranged on the front at a distance Δ.sub.FE-AE:convex or Δ.sub.FE-AE:concave thereto. In (B), a device shown in a perspective view has a delimiting element whose width B.sub.BE is wider than the depth of the bristle bundles affixed to the inside thereof as application elements having a depth T.sub.AE.

Definitions

(22) In the context of the present invention, a delimitation of the media application towards the “outside” means that the media is prevented from being spread from the side of the delimiting element facing the application element to the side of the delimiting element facing away from the application element.

(23) The person skilled in the art can glean additional variants of the invention and their execution from the preceding disclosure, from the figures and from the patent claims.

(24) In the patent claims, terms such as “encompass”, “comprise”, “contain”, “have” and the like do not exclude additional elements or steps. The use of the indefinite article does not preclude the plural. Each individual device can execute the functions of several of the units or devices cited in the patent claims. The reference numerals indicated in the patent claims are not to be construed as a limitation of the means and steps employed.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(25) device: 10, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 container cover: 11 media container: 12, 22, 32 opening for storing the device: 13, 23 container opening: 33 delimiting element(s): 14, 44, 54, 64, 74, 84, 94 guide element: 56, 66, 76, 96 scraping implement: 25, 35 lateral guide: 26 pivoting axle: 47, 57, 67, 77 spring element: 48, 58, 68 application element: 49, 59, 69, 79, 89, 99 gap to receive the guide element: 201 pen cap: 401 spreading aid: 501 surface: 502, 602, 902 stem: 701 elastic guide: 901 support element: 141, 441, 541, 641, 741, 841, 941

REFERENCES OF DIMENSIONS

(26) L.sub.AE length of the application element B.sub.FE width of the guide element at its tip T.sub.AE depth of the application element B.sub.BE width of the delimiting element Δ.sub.AE-BE distance between the application element and the delimiting element Δ.sub.FE-AE:concave distance on the front between the guide element and the application element with a concave configuration Δ.sub.FE-AE:convex distance on the front between the guide element and the application element with a convex configuration