Hair root applicator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9364068-B2
Application number	US-201414476862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2014
Priority date	Sep 16, 2013
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A hair-root applicator ( 10 ) of the present invention includes: a comb-teeth part ( 13 ) in which a plurality of comb teeth ( 12 ) are erected from a surface of a comb-teeth base ( 14 ); and a container ( 11 ) for containing a hair dye as a coating agent. This hair-root applicator is an applicator capable of applying, to hair-root sections of the hair, the hair dye supplied from the container ( 11 ) to the comb teeth ( 12 ). Each comb tooth ( 12 ) includes a comb-tooth body part ( 15 ) having a function of combing the hair, and a tip-end elastically deformable part ( 16 ) that is provided contiguously to the tip end of the comb-tooth body part ( 15 ) and that is made of a soft resin. A liquid introduction path ( 17 ) for the coating agent is provided inside the comb-tooth body part ( 15 ). A discharge port ( 17 a ) of the liquid introduction path ( 17 ) is opened so as to be arranged in the vicinity of the tip-end elastically deformable part ( 16 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hair-root applicator comprising a comb-teeth part in which a plurality of comb teeth are erected from a surface of a comb-teeth base, and a container for containing a coating agent, the comb-teeth base attached to said container, the hair-root applicator being capable of applying, to hair-root sections of hair, the coating agent supplied from the container to the comb teeth, wherein:
each comb tooth includes a comb-tooth body part having a function of combing the hair, and a tip-end elastically deformable part that is provided contiguously to a tip end of the comb-tooth body part and that is made of a soft resin;
the comb-tooth body part has a higher rigidity than the tip-end elastically deformable part, and has shape retainability with which it is possible to comb and part the hair;
a liquid introduction path for the coating agent is provided inside the comb-tooth body part;
a discharge port of the liquid introduction path is opened so as to be arranged in the vicinity of the tip-end elastically deformable part, or arranged so as to contact or overlap the tip-end elastically deformable part;
each comb tooth has a plurality of branched discharge ports that branch off from the discharge port of the liquid introduction path, and that each open in a surface of the comb tooth;
the comb-tooth body part has a flat transverse cross sectional shape having a major axis and a minor axis;
the branched discharge ports are provided in a pair facing the minor-axis direction of the comb-tooth body part;
the hair-root applicator includes an auxiliary-comb-teeth part that is removably attached to the comb-teeth part;
the auxiliary-comb-teeth part includes a plurality of auxiliary comb teeth that are erected from an auxiliary-comb-teeth base; and
where the auxiliary-comb-teeth part is attached to the comb-teeth base, the auxiliary comb teeth are arranged in a spacing between each pair of the comb teeth of the comb-teeth part that are adjacent to one another in the minor-axis direction.

2. The hair-root applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the soft resin forming the tip-end elastically deformable part has a tensile strength of from 1 to 10 MPa.

3. The hair-root applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the tip-end elastically deformable part has a pointed shape in which the cross-sectional area of the elastic deformation part gradually decreases toward its tip end section.

4. The hair-root applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the comb-tooth body part has a tapered shape in which the cross-sectional area of the comb-tooth body part decreases from its base end section on the side of the comb-teeth base toward the tip-end elastically deformable part located at the tip end.

5. The hair-root applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the discharge port of the liquid introduction path of each comb tooth is arranged only on the tip-end side of the comb tooth.

6. The hair-root applicator according to claim 1 , wherein:
the comb teeth are arranged such that the major-axis directions of the respective comb-tooth body parts are parallel to one another, and the plurality of the comb teeth are provided so as to be lined up with spacings therebetween in the minor-axis directions of the respective comb-tooth body parts; and
the plurality of the tip-end elastically deformable parts and the branched discharge ports are provided so as to be lined up on a single straight line along the minor-axis direction.

7. The hair-root applicator according to claim 1 , wherein a height-wise position where the discharge port is opened is included in a height-wise region that is from 1.0 to 5.5 mm from the tip end of the tip-end elastically deformable part.

8. The hair-root applicator according to claim 1 , wherein, where the auxiliary-comb-teeth part is attached to the comb-teeth base, a height-wise position of the tip end of the tip-end elastically deformable part of each comb tooth is the same as or above the height-wise position of the tip end of each auxiliary comb tooth.

9. The hair-root applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the difference in tensile strength between the comb-tooth body part and the tip-end elastically deformable part is from 5 to 40 MPa.

10. The hair-root applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the comb-tooth body part and the tip-end elastically deformable part are provided by being formed continuously and integrally.

11. The hair-root applicator according to claim 10 , wherein the comb-tooth body part and the tip-end elastically deformable part are molded continuously and integrally by coinjection molding or insert molding.

12. The hair-root applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the viscosity of the coating agent at 30° C. is from 3 to 30000 mPa·s.

13. The hair-root applicator according to claim 1 , wherein:
the container for containing the coating agent and the comb-teeth part have: a fitting structure in which the comb-teeth part and the container are fitted together so that they can be pressed upward/downward with respect to one another by a sliding operation in the container's height direction; or a fitting structure in which the comb-teeth part and the container are fitted together so that they can be pressed upward/downward with respect to one another by a twisting operation in the container's circumferential direction;
where the comb-teeth part is pressed upward with respect to the container, a liquid introduction path of the container is connected with a liquid introduction path of the comb-teeth part; and
where the comb-teeth part is pressed downward with respect to the container, the liquid introduction path of the container body is disconnected from the liquid introduction path of the comb-teeth part.

14. The hair-root applicator according to claim 13 , wherein the container is an aerosol container or a squeezable container.

15. An application method using a hair-root applicator according to clam 1 ,
the application method comprises applying the coating agent which is supplied from a discharge port of the liquid introduction path in each comb-tooth body part to the vicinity of each tip-end elastically deformable part, by pressing the tip ends of the respective tip-end elastically deformable parts against the scalp of the user and elastically deforming the tip-end elastically deformable parts while combing the hair with the comb-tooth body parts.

Assignees

• Kao Corp

Inventors

• Kodama Daisuke

Classifications

• A45D19/0008

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A45D24/26 Primary

  with flexible walls of the liquid, paste, or powder storing device · CPC title

• A45D19/02

  Hand-actuated implements, e.g. hand-actuated spray heads · CPC title

• A45D34/042

  using a brush or the like · CPC title

• A45D24/22

  Combs with dispensing devices for liquids, pastes or powders · CPC title