Cosmetic applicator brush and method of manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9357834-B2
Application number	US-53000108-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2008
Priority date	Apr 12, 2007
Publication date	Jun 7, 2016
Grant date	Jun 7, 2016

Abstract

A cosmetic applicator brush having a twisted wire core and an array of thermoplastic bristles with free tips extending radially outwardly from the core, wherein at least some of the bristles have shapes and/or surface textures modified at one or more localities between their free tips and the core by selective irradiation of the aforesaid locality or localities with laser energy. A method of making the brush includes the steps of assembling the core and bristles to form a brush, trimming the bristles to achieve a desired brush profile, and selectively irradiating at least some of the bristles with a laser beam at localities between the bristle tips and the core.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cosmetic applicator brush, comprising a core and an array of thermoplastic bristles with free ends radiating outwardly from the core, wherein at least some of the bristles are modified in shape by bending at one or more points of bending between their free tips and the core with local enlargements at the points of bending, and wherein the local enlargements occur only at the points of bending between unbent sections of the bristles.

2. A brush as defined in claim 1 , wherein the core is a twisted wire core and the bristles are fibers each having opposed free tips and are gripped in the core intermediate their free tips.

3. A brush as defined in claim 2 , for application of mascara, wherein at least some of said bristles are modified in shape by bending at one or more localities between their free tips and the core by selective irradiation of said one or more localities with laser energy, thereby to enhance the ability of the brush to carry and deliver mascara from a container thereof to a user's eyelashes.

4. A brush as defined in claim 2 , for application of mascara, wherein at least some of said bristles are modified in surface texture at said one or more points of bending between their free tips and the core, thereby to enhance the ability of the brush to carry and deliver mascara from a container thereof to a user's eyelashes.

5. A method of making a brush for applying cosmetic material or the like, comprising the steps of
(a) forming a twisted-in-wire brush including an elongated twisted wire core and a multiplicity of thermoplastic bristles clamped in the core and extending radially therefrom to constitute a brush bristle array projecting outwardly around the core, the bristles having free tips; and
(b) irradiating at least some of the bristles of the formed brush with laser energy at one or more selected localities intermediate their free tips and the core to selectively modify the shape of the irradiated bristles by bending them with local enlargements at points of bending, wherein the local enlargements occur only between unbent sections of the bristles.

6. A method according to claim 5 , wherein the free tips of the bristles cooperatively define a profile of the brush, and further including the step of shaping the profile by trimming at least some of the bristles of the brush after the forming step and before the irradiating step.

7. A method according to claim 5 , wherein the selective modification of the bristles includes modification of at least one of their shape and surface texture at said one or more localities.

8. A method according to claim 7 , wherein the irradiating step comprises providing a source of a focused beam of laser energy and subjecting the source and the formed brush to controlled relative motion such that the beam impinges on said one or more localities of said at least some of the bristles to effect said selective modification thereof.

Assignees

• Bow Clark
• Herlitze Horst
• Albea Services

Inventors

• Bow Clark
• Herlitze Horst

Classifications

• A46B3/16

  by wires or other anchoring means, specially for U-shaped bristle tufts · CPC title

• A46B9/021 Primary

  arranged like in cosmetics brushes, e.g. mascara, nail polish, eye shadow · CPC title

• A46B2200/1053

  Cosmetics applicator specifically for mascara · CPC title

• A46D9/02

  Cutting; Trimming · CPC title