WO1991015135A1

WO1991015135A1 - Applicator for resins and varnishes

Info

Publication number: WO1991015135A1
Application number: PCT/CH1991/000075
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Herrli
Original assignee: Peter Herrli
Priority date: 1990-04-02
Filing date: 1991-03-26
Publication date: 1991-10-17
Also published as: AU7498391A; CH683062A5; CA2056426A1; EP0476085A1

Abstract

The applicator proposed comprises a tubular casing (31), a device (5, 6, 7, 8) for metering the resin or varnish, with a control element (5) and an exchangeable unit (32) which can be inserted in and removed from the casing (31). This unit comprises a reservoir (1) closed off by a longitudinally moving piston (10), the side of the reservoir remote from the piston having a brush (2) which can be covered over by a lid (27). The lid has a lid insert element (37) which projects into the lid and is designed so that, when the lid (27) is in place, as little space as possible remains between the brush (2) and the inside wall of the insert element. Between the lid inside wall and the outside surface of the insert element (37) is a spongy element (4) for absorbing a liquid ready for use by the brush (2). The piston (10) can be displaced in steps along the reservoir (1) by the metering device (5, 6, 7, 8).

Description

Applicator for applying resin and lacquer substances

Technical field

The present invention relates to an applicator for applying resin and lacquer substances, in particular nail lacquer, according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

State of the art

An applicator of the type mentioned above is disclosed in European patent application EP 0 237 487. The applicator has a hollow cylindrical storage container, at one end of which a brush is arranged for applying the nail polish and at the other end a cylindrical piston can be moved against the nail polish located in the storage container.

In the registration it is pointed out that the applicator can be refilled with lacquer. This can be done either by pouring from a container or by inserting a cartridge that can be cut open. In both cases, the plunger must be completely removed from the applicator. As a result, there is a risk that surrounding objects such as pieces of furniture may be contaminated by the nail varnish still adhering to the piston. Pouring nail polish from a container is also not everyone's cup of tea. Pouring contamination would be the order of the day. Inserting a cartridge could help here. However, cutting the latter with scissors can also lead to contamination from leaking paint. Likewise, reinserting the piston is certainly difficult for many people. Furthermore, it is provided that, if necessary, the brush with its holder can also be exchangeable. This manipulation, which must certainly be carried out a few times in the case of a refillable applicator, at least leads to dirty hands. One can hardly expect the user of the applicator to perform mechanical work such as replacing the brush.

With the metering device disclosed in the abovementioned application, it is either difficult to achieve a sufficient sealing of the storage container with respect to the piston, or else to enable a fine metering of the nail polish.

Improved metering devices are known, however, and are disclosed, for example, in German Offenlegungsschrift DE-OS 22 07 288 or in GB patent application 2,150,424.

In the German published patent application, a rotary knob is arranged at the rear end of the applicator, by means of the rotation of which a piston can be displaced along a storage container. The piston is connected on its side facing away from the storage container with a threaded rod which extends into a sleeve which is connected to the rotary knob so as to be rotatable. _^ This sleeve has an internal thread in a partial area, which is in engagement with the threaded rod. Purely by rubbing the piston on the inner wall surface of the storage container, the aim is to ensure that the piston does not turn when the rotary knob is turned, but rather moves along the storage container.

In the aforementioned English patent application, a metering device is provided with a feed mechanism, in which, by actuating a push button, the piston closing the storage container is moved wisely. The piston is also connected to a threaded rod on its side facing away from the storage container.

Neither of these two last-mentioned disclosures contain embodiments which indicate simple refilling and repeated use of the applicator.

Disclosure of the invention

It is therefore the object of this invention to propose an applicator which is constructed in such a way that a

Refilling can take place without any problems and contamination risks, the refilling also being intended to solve the problem of replacing the brush. This object is achieved with the features listed in the characterizing part of patent claim 1.

Preferred embodiments of the applicator have features which are contained in the dependent claims. A preferred embodiment indicates, for example, how the cover for covering the brush of the applicator must be designed, that bending of the bristles is prevented as much as possible when the cover is placed on, while at the same time drying out the brush should be avoided as long as possible.

A further preferred embodiment shows that it is also possible with the applicator according to the invention to equip it with a metering device in such a way that the nail polish is applied to the brush precisely and in the correct amount.

Market studies have shown that applicators are preferred that are not fully transparent from the outside. Further embodiments of the invention Applicators therefore provide means that, despite a non-transparent design, the fill level and / or the color of the contents of the storage container can be determined from the outside.

Brief description of the drawings

The applicator according to the invention is described in more detail, for example, with reference to drawings. 1 shows a longitudinal section through an applicator according to the invention, FIG. 2 shows a partial cross section through the applicator according to FIG. 1, along lines II-II, FIG. 3 shows a cross section through the rotary knob of the applicator, along the lines III-III in Fig. 1,

4 shows a partially sectioned view of an applicator with an exchange unit inserted, FIG. 5 shows an exchange unit, FIG. 6 shows an applicator according to FIG. 4, without an exchange unit, and

Fig. 7 shows a section through the housing part of the

6 along the lines VII-VII.

BEST WAY OF IMPLEMENTING THE INVENTION The applicator shown in FIG. 1 essentially has an outer, cylindrical shape. At one end of the cylinder there is a removable cover 27 with an internal chamber 3, which is formed between the outer wall surface of a cover insert part 37 and the inner cover wall and in which a liquid-absorbing element 4 is arranged. In the liquid-absorbing element 4 are means, for example alcohol, to keep a brush 2 ready for use. The cover insert part 37 has at least one locking cam 39. The lid 27 is designed to be rotatably closable by the said locking cam 39 and a helical groove arranged on a storage container closure part 38. An annular seal 40 arranged on the end part 38 prevents the. Operational readiness means. The brush 27, which is arranged around a thin nail polish dispensing channel 25, which is present in the end part 38, can be covered with the cover 27. The cover insert part 37 is essentially hollow-cylindrical. It is widened towards the opening of the cover, so that the brush 2 can be centered easily when the cover is put on. The inner circumferential surface of the lid insert 37 is essentially matched to the contour of the brush 2 and the adjoining end part 38 of the storage container 1. So that an atmosphere saturated with the ready-to-use agent is created as quickly as possible when the lid is in place, there should be as little space as possible between the brush 2 or the end part 38 and the lid insert part 3_7. This can make a significant contribution to the long-term effectiveness of the operational readiness means. The

Cover insert part 37 also serves to mechanically shield the element 4.

This prevents the same from swelling, which would make the opening for the brush 2 smaller. The above-mentioned channel 25 opens into a storage container 1. This is enclosed by a cylindrical housing part 31 and is on its side opposite the channel 25 by a piston 10 which can be displaced along the cylindrical housing part. closed. The housing part 31 is extended beyond the storage container 1 on the side facing away from the brush 2. This extension is referred to below as the end region and is designated by reference number 11. The storage container 1 with the piston 10 and the end part 38, on which the brush 2 is arranged, forms together with the cover 27 an exchange unit 32 which can be inserted and removed in the housing part 31. The insertion and removal of the latter is described further below.

At the end of said end region 11 facing away from the storage container 1, an operating element, in the exemplary embodiment shown a rotary knob 5, is arranged. The rotary knob 5 is operatively connected to the piston 10 via coupling elements 6, 7. The metering device identified by 5, 6, 7 and 8 converts a rotary movement carried out on the rotary knob 5 via the coupling elements 6, 7 into an axial movement of the piston 10. The inside of the rotary knob 5 has a cavity 12, in which a driving element 15 with a hexagon socket 20 is arranged coaxially to the longitudinal axis and connected to the sleeve-shaped cover wall via webs 30. A driver rod 6, which is axially non-displaceably mounted on the end of the end region 11 facing away from the storage container 1, has an end which penetrates the aforementioned hexagon socket 20 and is designed as an elastic spreading device with two forks 21. Barbs 22 for holding the rotary knob 5 are arranged on the forks 21 and, after the latter has been pushed on, partially overlap the corresponding end face of the driving element 15. The expansion device rests on two opposite sides of the hexagon socket 20. The driver rod 6 is also rotated by turning the rotary knob. With a Cover 23, an opening of the rotary knob facing away from the end region 11 can be covered. The driving rod 6, which extends approximately over the entire end region 11, engages in the opening of a longitudinally displaceable threaded hollow rod 7. The latter has an external thread 18 which is in engagement with an internal thread attached to a ring 8. The ring 8 is connected with its outer surface 29 approximately at the transition point of the storage container 1 to the end region 11 with the inner wall of the sleeve. This connection can either be an adhesive point or a welding point or, as is often done in plastic injection molding, by means of suitably designed, interlocking grooves and elevations by pressing or snapping. A slit-shaped opening 33, which runs in the longitudinal direction of the applicator and extends over the end region 11, serves as a display means for making the position of the hollow threaded rod 7 visible and thus the fill level of the storage container. However, it would also be possible to open the slit-shaped opening in the region of the

To mount storage container 1 in the wall of the housing part 31, as indicated by the reference number 49. Provided that the storage container 1 consists of a transparent material in its tubular part, this embodiment has the advantage that not only the fill level but also the color of the storage container content is visible.

2 shows a cross section through the driving rod 6 and through the threaded hollow rod 7. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the driving rod is cross-shaped in cross section and comprises four first ribs 17. The threaded hollow rod 7 has four second ribs 16 projecting into its cavity , which extend over the entire length of the hollow threaded rod, and in Cross-section are evenly distributed over the circumference. The driving rod 6 can be inserted between the second ribs 16 in such a way that it is longitudinally displaceable but not rotatable relative to the hollow hollow rod 7. The transferred to the driving rod 6

Rotary movement of the rotary knob 5 is transmitted to the threaded hollow rod 7. As a result of the engaging threads 18, 19, this moves in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the applicator. The end of the threaded hollow rod 7 abutting the piston 10 has a shoulder 26 which bears against the piston 10 in a funnel-shaped indentation 28. The piston 10 is provided with an O-ring 24 for sealing the storage container 1.

In order to be able to precisely and finely dose the delivery of the nail polish stored in the storage container 1 to the brush 2, latching means 9, 13 are provided, which essentially enable the piston 10 to be moved forward step by step. In the present exemplary embodiment, these latching means, according to FIG. 3, are arranged in the form of flags 9 in the rotary knob 5. The lugs 9 extend, starting from the mentioned driving element 15 of the rotary knob 5, in a spiral in the direction of the rotary knob wall 14. At the end of the end region 11 facing the rotary knob, the inner peripheral wall is arranged along essentially sawtooth-shaped notches 13 into which the resilient lugs 9 click into place. This engagement is made possible because the end region mentioned and the rotary knob overlap over a short region. The latching means 9 and the notches 13 can, for example, be designed such that the rotary knob 5 can only be rotated in one direction.

A compression spring 43 is located between the end face of the driving element 15 facing away from the storage container and the forks of the expansion device 21 a washer 41 and an end plate 42 held. The rotary knob 5 can be lifted off the applicator by a path determined by the distance between the two disks mentioned. The flags 9 snap out of the notches 13 and the hollow threaded rod 7 can be turned back into its initial position. When the rotary knob 5 is released, snap-in bevels 44, which are arranged on the side of the snap-in notches 13, ensure that the snap-in tabs 9 are returned to the snap-in notches 13.

A preferred exemplary embodiment for the simple insertion and removal of the exchange unit 32 already mentioned is explained with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7. It is envisaged that it can be at least partially inserted into the housing part 31 and can be snapped onto it. By simple handling, the replacement part 32 should also be able to be snapped out or unclipped and removed from the housing part 31 at any time. The example shown provides that an elongated cam 36 is arranged on the storage container, and protrudes on the lateral surface. On the inner surface of the housing part 31 there is an insertion groove 45 which, towards the open end of the housing part 31, has an extension 34 for problem-free attachment of the neck 36 when inserting the exchange unit 32. When the cam 36 is in contact with the rear end of the groove 45, the exchange unit 32 can be rotated relative to the housing part 31, which means that the cam, overcoming a latching obstacle 46, snaps into a viewing window 35. This is a slot-shaped opening in the housing part 31, the contour of which essentially corresponds to the contour of the cam 36. Since the reservoir 1 with the cam 36 is made of a transparent thermoplastic material, The filling level and the color of the paint substance in the storage container can be read through the window. The aforementioned slot-shaped opening serves on the one hand to hold the exchange unit 32 in the housing part 31 and on the other hand as a viewing window. The mutually abutting surfaces of the cam 36 latched in the viewing window 35 and the latching obstacle 46 are directed essentially radially, so that disengagement is impossible. In contrast, an extension groove 47 is arranged on the side of the viewing window 35 facing away from the insertion groove 45. A disengagement obstacle 48 that can be overcome by the cam is present on the corresponding side of the viewing window 35 against the cam. According to the example shown, this disengagement obstacle can consist of a side surface of the viewing window which forms an inclined plane and which abuts a correspondingly beveled surface of the cam. By turning the exchange unit 32 further, the wall of the viewing window is raised by the side surface of the cam and the cam can get into the exit channel 47. The exchange unit 32 can be removed from the housing part. In FIG. 7, what has just been described is clearly illustrated on the basis of a partial section. The mode of operation of the engagement and disengagement of the cam 36 is self-explanatory.

The exchange unit 32 comprises, as already said, the storage container 1 and the cover 27 with its internal chamber 3. The storage container 1 is on its side facing the cover 27 with the end part 38, also mentioned, on which the part shown in FIGS 4 and 5 brushes which are not visible are closed. On the side facing away from the cover 27, the reservoir is closed with the piston 10. The Lid 27 is preferably, as described at the beginning, of a rotatably lockable design. A problem-free engagement and disengagement of the exchange unit is ensured if the insertion groove 45 and the disengagement channel 47 are arranged on the inner circumference of the housing part 31 in the direction of closure of the cover 27.

Although only one cam 36 and one viewing window 35 are shown in the exemplary embodiment shown, in a preferred embodiment these can be arranged twice offset by 180 °. Each of the viewing windows 35 are assigned an insertion groove and an exit channel.

The reservoir 1 is closed after filling by inserting the piston. The exchange unit 32 is also designed as a refillable return unit, taking into account the current environmental protection concept.

The individual parts of the applicator are preferably produced from thermoplastic materials. All parts that come into contact with the alcohol-containing paint substance must be made of a thermoplastic that is impermeable to alcohol or of another material. For luxury versions it is also conceivable to produce individual parts of metal or plastic with a metallized surface. There are no limits to the design in this regard.

Claims

1. Applicator for applying resin and lacquer substances, in particular nail polish, with a sleeve-shaped housing part (31), a storage container (1), a brush (2), a cover (27) for covering the brush (2) with a chamber (3) formed inside the cover (27) with an element for receiving a liquid for the permanent keeping of the brush, and a metering device (5, 6, 7, 8) for the resin and lacquer substances an operating procedure (5), characterized in that the storage container (1) closed with a longitudinally displaceable piston (10), the brush (2) arranged on the storage container and the cover (27) can be inserted into and removed from the housing part (31) Form exchange unit (32).

2. Applicator according to claim 1, characterized gekenn¬ characterized in that the lid (17) is rotatably connectable to the storage container (1), and that between the lid and the storage container, a seal (30), essentially for gas-tight sealing of the Lid interior, is effective.

3. Applicator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized ge indicates that the cover (27) has a substantially hollow cylindrical cover insert part (37) projecting into the cover inside, that the cover insert part (37) against the opening of the cover (27) is expanded and that the inner lateral surface of the cover insert (37) is adapted to the contour of the brush (2) and the adjoining area of the storage container (1) to avoid a cavity.

4. Applicator according to claim 3, characterized gekenn¬ characterized in that the chamber (3) with the element (4) between the outer wall surface of the insert part (37) and the inner wall surface of the lid (27) is arranged and that the insert part for mechanical Shielding the element (4) against the brush (2) is determined.

5. Applicator according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the exchange unit (32) is at least partially insertable into the housing part (31) and that means (35, 36, 45, 46, 47, 48) for mutual Latching and disengaging said parts (31, 32) on the housing part (31) and / or on the exchange unit (32) are arranged.

6. Applicator according to claim 5, characterized in that the latching means (45, 46) and the unlatching means (47, 48) of the housing part (31) are arranged on its inner circumferential surface and in that the latching means (45, 46) and the disengaging means (47, 48) in the closing direction of the cover are present at least once and in the above-mentioned order.

7. Applicator according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that display means (33) for indicating the fill level of the storage container (1) are present.

8. Applicator according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that display means (35, 36, 49) for displaying the fill level and the color of the contents of the storage container (1) are present.

9. Applicator according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the parts surrounding the storage container (1) are made of a thermoplastic and alcohol-impermeable plastic.

10. Applicator according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the operating element is a rotary knob (5) arranged on the end of the housing part (31) facing away from the storage container (1), that latching means (9, 13) are present and that by actuating the rotary knob (5), the piston (10) closing the reservoir (1) can be moved into the interior of the reservoir, this movement due to the detent means (9, 13) essentially done gradually.

ιι. Applicator according to Claim 10, characterized in that the latching means (9, 13) comprise at least one spring-elastic latching lug (9) and at least one latching notch (13), that the latching lug (9) in the rotary knob (12) having a cavity (12) 5) is arranged and spirally from the center against the

Rotary knob wall (14) extends and that the Einrastker¬ be formed on the inside of the housing part (32J.

12. Applicator according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the metering device comprises a driving rod (6) which is immovable in the axial direction and is rotatably connected to the rotary knob (5) that on the piston (10) The threaded rod (7) facing the rotary knob (5) bears with an external thread so that the driving rod (6) more or less fits into the threaded hollow depending on the position of the piston (10). rod (7) protrudes and is longitudinally displaceable relative to the latter, means (16, 17) for preventing mutual rotation on the driver rod

(6) and in the hollow threaded rod (7).

13. Applicator according to claim 12, characterized gekenn¬ characterized in that the external thread of the hollow threaded rod

(7) with a ring (8) which is present in the housing part (31) and has an internal thread.

14. Applicator according to one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that means (21, 41, 42, 43, 44) for canceling the mutual latching action of the latching flag (9) and the latching notch (13) are present.