APPLICATOR WITH INTERCHANGEABLE WANDS

Abstract

An apparatus for dispensing liquid, powder, gel, goop or other viscous preparations requiring applicators, such as, without limitation, mascara, lip coverings, eyeliners, eye shadows, eyebrow products, glues, medications and the like is disclosed. The apparatus is comprised of a cap comprising a receptacle for receiving a wand, having means for temporarily coupling the wand at one end with the receptacle and an applicator head on the opposite end. Depending on use, the application head may be a brush, pad, molded bristle brush, flat brush or the like. The apparatus may be used to apply lipstick, glue, medication, gels, goops, viscous preparations, powders and the like. After use, the applicator wand can be removed and another wand can be interchanged into the same cap for another use or application. In an alternate embodiment, to manage the varying applicator heads, a custom wiper may be fitted into the neck of the base containing the liquid/powder/gel. In another embodiment, the wiper is flexible to self-adjust to each applicator head currently being used.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dispensing cosmetics liquid or powder to be applied, comprising: a removal cap, a base that contains the cosmetics liquid or powder contents to be applied, a removal cap that is capable of being temporarily affixed to the base, whereby when the cap is affixed to the base, the contents of the base will not spill out, one or more wands having a proximate end and a distal end, an applicator head attached to the proximate end of each wand, a connector permanently affixed to the distal end of each wand, a reciprocal receptacle attached to the inside of the cap capable of receiving and temporarily locking the connector on the wand into place into the cap, whereby the user may select a wand containing a preferred applicator head and temporarily locking the wand in the receptacle in the cap by inserting the connector on the wand into the receptacle in the cap, and whereby when a new wand is desired or needed, the prior wand may be removed by unlocking the connector from the receptacle, and installing a new wand containing a new applicator head and a new connector in its place.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, whereby the receptacle in the cap is threaded along the inside wall and the reciprocal connector on the wand is correspondingly threaded on the outside wall, whereby the connector can be threaded into the receptacle to temporarily lock the wand in place.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connector further comprises slots or indentations through the sides or bottom thereof and the receptacle further comprises arms, knobs, extensions or the like located on the inside thereof, whereby the arms, knobs, extensions or the like located in the receptacle are temporarily inserted into the slots or indentations in the connector so as to lock the wand into place in the cap.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, whereby the receptacle in the cap and the connector on the wand are designed so that a single twist of the wand in one direction will temporarily lock the wand into place within the cap and a single twist of the wand in the other direction will unlock the wand for removal from the cap.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the applicator head may be a stiff, fluffy, large, small, curved, flat, molded, pointed, straight, bristled or bent brush, a stiff, fluffy, or foamy applicator pad or be comprised of any other applicator head known in the art.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cap is temporarily secured to the base using well known methods in the art such as, without limitation, the cap screwing onto the base, the cap being twisted and locked onto the base, the cap being snapped on the base so that the contents of the base is fully secured when the cap is secured to the base and a secure seal is formed between the cap and the base.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base is configured so that any applicator head and wand temporarily affixed to the cap may be inserted into the base contents for transport, storage and use.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the base can be any shape so long as along its longitudinal axis it is deep enough to contain a wand affixed to the cap therein and the cap can be taken on or off without disturbing the applicator head.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a flexible wiper system affixed within the inside circumference at the neck of the base whereby when the applicator head is pulled out of the contents through the flexible wiper system, any excess contents may be removed.

10. An apparatus for dispensing liquids, viscous materials, medication, glues, powders to be applied to a surface, comprising: a base that contains the liquids, viscous materials, medication, glues, powder contents to be applied, a removable cap that is capable of being temporarily affixed to the base, whereby when the cap is affixed to the base, the contents of the base will not spill out, one or more wands having a proximate end and a distal end, an applicator head attached to the proximate end of each wand, a connector which is permanently affixed to the distal end of each wand, a reciprocal receptacle attached to the inside of the cap capable of receiving and temporarily locking the connector on the wand into place into the cap, whereby the user may select a wand containing a preferred applicator head and removably affixing it to the cap by temporarily locking the connector in the receptacle in the cap and whereby when a new wand is desired or needed, the prior wand may be removed by unlocking the connector from the receptacle, and a new wand containing a new applicator head and a new connector may be installed in its place.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, whereby the receptacle in the cap is threaded along the inside wall and the reciprocal connector is correspondingly threaded on the outside, whereby the connector can be threaded into the receptacle to temporarily lock the connector in place.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, whereby the receptacle has slots or indentations through the sides or bottom thereof into which arms, knobs, extensions or the like located on the outside or in the connector temporarily lock the connector into place in the receptacle in the cap.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, whereby the receptacle and the connector are designed so that a single twist of the wand will temporarily and securely lock the connector in place, so that it may be removed and replaced at a later time.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the applicator head may be a stiff, fluffy, large, small, curved, flat, molded, pointed, straight, bristled or bent brush, a stiff, fluffy, or foamy applicator pad or be comprised of any other applicator head known in the art.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the cap is temporarily secured to the base using well known methods in the art such as, without limitation, the cap screwing onto the base, the cap being twisted and locked onto the base, the cap being snapped on the base so that the contents of the base is fully secured when the cap is secured to the base and a secure seal is formed between the cap and the base.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the base is configured so that any applicator head and wand temporarily affixed to the cap may be inserted into the base contents for transport, storage and use.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the base can be any shape so long as along its longitudinal axis it is deep enough to contain a wand affixed to the cap therein and the cap can be taken on or off without disturbing the applicator head.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a flexible wiper system that is permanently affixed around the inside circumference at the neck of the base whereby when the applicator head is pulled out of the contents through the flexible wiper system, any excess contents may be removed.

19. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the wand has a non-slip area thereon.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a exploded perspective view of the apparatus of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in a closed position.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a partial cross sectional side view of a preferred embodiment of a cap and wand of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a partial cross sectional side view of an alternate preferred embodiment of a cap and wand of the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a partial cross sectional side view of another alternate preferred embodiment of a cap and wand of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In the following descriptions of the invention, terms such as top, bottom, first end and second end, horizontal, longitudinal, and the like are used herein merely for ease of description and refer to the orientation of the components shown in the FIGURES and are not meant to limit the invention in any way. Throughout all the FIGURES, like numerals refer to like parts such that corresponding elements are generally indicated by same reference numerals. The embodiments depicted herein are illustrative of the invention and are not meant to limit the invention in any way. It should also be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by diagrammatic representations and by fragmentary views. In certain instances, details, which are not necessary to understand the present invention or which render other details difficult to perceive, may have been omitted.

[0019] Generally the invention may be described as follows. Referring first to FIGS. 1-3, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown as it is used in connection with cosmetics and more particularly mascara. In FIG. 1, the apparatus 10 of the present invention comprises a cap 12 and a contents base 14 and a wand 16 (shown in FIG. 2) having an applicator head 18 at one end 28 and a connector 20 on the other end 26. In this illustrated embodiment, the contents base 14 has a generally cylindrical main body and the cap 12 has a cylindrical main body, the relative length of each being a preference of the manufacturer. When the invention is used for medical or construction applications, the relative shapes and sizes of the cap 12 and base 14 may change depending on the contents of the base 14 and the length of the wand 16. For example, the base and cap may be rectangular or any other complementary shapes.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the base 14 also includes a flexible wiper system 19 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) affixed at or near the neck 30 of the base 14 for wiping any excess content off of the applicator head 18. Specifically, a flexible wiper system 19 may be permanently affixed around the insider circumference of the neck 30 of the base 14 or it may be an accessory piece 19 that can be inserted into the neck 30 of the base 14 and locked therein or glued in place. This wiper system 19 is designed on the inside to remove excess liquid, powder, gel, goop and the like from the applicator head 18, regardless of its size, configuration, or shape. In a preferred embodiment, the wiper will ensure no excess product is left on the respective wand to prevent clumpy application.

[0021] The contents base 14 is open at neck 30 and it is through this opening that the contents of the base may be accessed. The contents base 14 has a closed end 32 so that the contents may be held within the base 14. The cap 12 is designed to secure the contents of the base 14 when the cap 12 and bottom 14 are in a completely closed position as is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In a preferred embodiment, the cap 12 may have threads 36 proximate the inside of the neck 30 so that it can be screwed onto the corresponding threads 34 of the contents base 14, but any method known in the art of temporarily securing the cap 12 to the base 14 so that it may be opened and closed, may be used.

[0022] Referring more particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, a preferred embodiment of an apparatus 10 according to the present invention is shown. In the preferred embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-3, the apparatus is configured for mascara. However, by changing the applicator wand 16 to a different wand with a different applicator head 18, the apparatus 10 could be used to contain and apply lipstick, lip gloss, eye shadow, eyebrow gloss or any other cosmetic. In addition, with additional modifications, the apparatus 10 could be used to contain and apply glue, medicine or any other viscous material that needs to be applied via an applicator. The only limitation to the apparatus is that the base 14 whether a tube, bottle, jar, container, etc. be configured so as to be able to properly enclose the wand 16 with the applicator head 18, which is secured to the cap, within the contents contained within the base 14. Alternatively, the length of wand 16 is chosen so that at least the applicator head 18 is proximate to the inside bottom surface 33 of base 14.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the cap 12 contains a receptacle 38 designed to receive and temporarily lock a reciprocal connector 20 attached to wand 16 in place. Specifically, the receptacle 38 in the cap contains an arm or an extension 22 which may be inserted into indentation or channel 23 in the connector 20 for temporarily locking the connector in place.

[0024] The connector 20 is located at one end 26 of an axial wand 16 that has an applicator head 18 permanently affixed to the opposite end 28. The applicator head 18 may be a stiff, fluffy, large, small, curved, flat, molded, pointed, straight, bristled or bent brush, a stiff, fluffy, or foamy applicator pad, or be comprised of any other type and shaped applicator head that is known in the art. The wand 16 can be any shape, cylindrical, square, rectangular or some combination of same. In a preferred embodiment shown in the FIGURES, the applicator head 18 is shown as a straight bristled brush. However, the rod may be any configuration so long as it can fit easily within a base 14.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, as well alternate embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the receptacle 38 in the cap 12 and the connector 20 on the wand 16 are designed so that a single twist of the wand 16 in one direction may temporarily lock the wand 16 securely into place in the receptacle 38 in the cap 12. Likewise, a single twist of the wand 16 in the opposite direction will unlock the wand 16 from the cap 12. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a single twist and lock connector 20 on the wand is received by an equal but opposite single twist and lock receptacle 38 to temporarily lock the wand 16 to the component cap 12. A prospective external view of a twist and lock connector 20 that is affixed to the distal end of wand 16 is shown in FIG. 1, as is a prospective external view of the receptacle 38 located in the cap 12.

[0026] In an alternate preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 4, there is no separate receptacle 38 in the cap 12 as the cap is threaded along the inside wall 38a. Likewise, there is no reciprocal connector on the wand 16. Rather, the outside of wand 16 is threaded with a thread corresponding in size and shape so that it may be tightly threaded into the inside wall 38a of the cap 12 to temporarily screw and lock the wand 16 in place in the cap 12. By unscrewing threaded end 20a of the wand 16 from the threads 38a in the cap 12, the wand 16 can be unlocked, removed and replaced.

[0027] In yet another alternate preferred embodiment, the cap 12 contains a permanent connector receptacle 25 that is similar to the twist and lock connector 20b shown in FIG. 1. In an alternative embodiment, such as shown in FIG. 5, the cap 12 also has a hole 38b in addition to receptacle 25 which corresponds to the size and shape of the end of the wand. In addition, the wand has an extender arm that is inserted into the lock connector 20b in the cap. Specifically, a simple insertion and twist of wand 16 into the hole 38b, will cause the extender arm 27 to enter the corresponding slot in the connector 20b and lock the wand 16 into place in cap 12.

[0028] In yet a further alternate embodiment as shown in FIG. 6, the cap 12 contains a hole 38c with one or more indentations 37 in its wall. Wand 16 may have corresponding extensions 20c on the external wall proximate its end 26 or it may contains a connector (not shown) with corresponding extensions 20c. The wand 16 then may be inserted into the hole 38c and twisted to cause the extender(s) 20c to enter corresponding indentations 37 in the hole 38c in the cap 12 to lock the wand 16 into place in cap 12.

[0029] In FIGS. 1, 3, 5 and 6 in lieu of the extensions, arms, knobs, retractable extensions or the like may be used, so long as there are corresponding slots or indentations located in the corresponding piece so that the wand 16 can be temporarily locked into the cap 12. Likewise, any receptacle 22 can be used in the cap 12 to temporarily lock a corresponding connector 20 on the wand 16 so long as the wand 16 may be removed and replaced. When the wand 16 is securely connected to the component cap 12, the wand 16 can be inserted applicator head first into the base 14 or bottle (not shown) containing the product contents.

[0030] In all embodiments of the present invention, a non-slip coating or non-slip pad 40 (shown in FIG. 5) may be used on the wand 16 so that it will be easier to grab.

[0031] When the user is ready to use the apparatus of the present invention, the user simply removes the cap 12 from the open end of the base 14 and selects a wand 16 with an applicator head designed for their preferred usage. By way of example and not limitation, when the apparatus 10 of the present invention is used for mascara, the user selects a wand 16 having a brush designed for their preferred finished look, then the cap 12 is removed from the base 14 and the user would attach the selected wand 16 and lock it into place in the receptacle 22 inside the cap 12. Once secured, the applicator head is ready to be inserted into the open end of the contents base containing the mascara formula and applied to lashes, brows, or other area as desired. If a flexible wiper system 19 is installed in the base, the wand is directed through the center of the wiper system, wands can be changed out while using the same formula base. The user simply unlocks the wand in the cap, cleans it and returns it to a storage container, then temporarily secures the preferred wand into the cap that may then be dipped into the contents so that the user can apply the contents with the new applicator head.

[0032] While particular embodiments and methods of the present invention have been shown and illustrated herein, it will be understood that many changes, substitutions and modifications may be made by those persons skilled in the art. It will be appreciated from the above description of presently preferred embodiments and methods that other configurations and techniques are possible and within the scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments and methods specifically discussed hereinabove.