SKIN FORMULATION DISPENSER FOR USE WITH OR AS PART OF A SONIC APPLICATOR

• US 20110082409A1
• Filed: 10/01/2009
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L'Oreal SA
• Original Assignee: Pacific Bioscience Laboratories Incorporated (L'Oreal SA)
• Inventors: Reishus, Richard A., Pilcher, Kenneth A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,882,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 35/003 Portable hand-held applicators having means for dispensing or spreading integral media hand-held massage devices with liquid delivery A61H7/003

Abstract

The skin formulation dispenser includes a housing and a reservoir positioned within the housing containing a skin formulation. The dispenser includes an outlet nozzle from which the skin formulation exits and a pump assembly connecting the reservoir to the nozzle. An actuator is provided by which a user can mechanically apply pressure to the pump assembly to move the formulation from the reservoir to the nozzle. The nozzle extends from an end portion of the dispenser into a mating opening in an infuser portion of the applicator in such a manner to insure that the dispenser is authorized for use in the applicator, wherein the nozzle is configured so as to permit movement of the formulation by reasonable force from the reservoir through the nozzle while also preventing overly rapid evaporation of the formulation exiting from the nozzle.

Claims

1. A dispenser for use as a part of a skin formulation applicator assembly, comprising:

a dispenser housing;

a reservoir positioned within the housing containing a skin formulation for treatment of a skin condition;

an outlet nozzle assembly through which a skin formulation from the reservoir exits for delivery;

a valve pump assembly connecting the reservoir to the nozzle; and

an actuator member by which the user can move a skin formulation present in the reservoir through the nozzle, wherein the diameter of an outlet port of the nozzle has a value which permits the skin formulation to be conveniently moved, without undue effort, by user action on the actuator, while limiting evaporation of the fluid sufficiently to maintain effectiveness of the formulation, wherein the outlet port opening is within the range of 0.035 inches to 0.05 inches.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the outlet port opening is approximately 0.04 inches.

3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the outlet port opening to the length of the outlet port portion of the nozzle is within the range of 1:

3 to 1;

6.

4. The dispenser of claim 3, wherein the ratio is 1:

4.8.

5. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the nozzle has an outlet end with an outside diameter within the range of 0.05 to 0.20 inches.

6. The dispenser of claim 5, wherein the diameter is approximately 0.125 inches.

7. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the nozzle has an extending portion which protrudes from the housing, and wherein the length of the extending portion is within the range of 0.30 inches to 0.475 inches.

8. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the length of the extending portion is approximately 0.435 inches.

9. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an end member having a cavity therein to receive a tip member portion of an infuser portion of the applicator assembly.

10. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispenser includes an interior surface portion between the end member and an adjacent end of the dispenser which mates tightly with an upper edge portion of an infuser portion of the applicator assembly, aligning the disperser with the infuser portion, so that magnetic attraction elements on the dispenser and the infuser portion can tend to prevent the dispenser from separating from the infuser portion.

11. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the exterior surface of the nozzle is configured to just fit within an opening in the upper surface of an infuser portion of the applicator assembly, providing a reliable mating between the dispenser portion and the infuser portion and an indication that the dispensing portion is an authorized part of the applicator assembly.

12. A dispenser for use as part of a skin formulation applicator assembly, comprising:

a dispenser housing which includes a lower end member which is positioned slightly inboard of a lower edge of the dispenser housing;

a reservoir positioned within the housing containing a skin formulation; and

a delivery assembly, including a nozzle, for delivering the skin formulation from the reservoir to the nozzle portion by a user operating an actuating mechanism, wherein the nozzle includes a portion which extends beyond the end member, the extending portion configured to just fit into a mating opening in an infuser portion of the applicator assembly, providing an assurance that the dispenser is authorized for use in the applicator assembly.

13. The dispenser of claim 12, wherein the lower end member further includes a cavity to receive a tip member part of the infuser portion when the dispenser is mated with the infuser.

14. The dispenser of claim 12, wherein an interior surface of the dispenser inboard of the lower edge thereof is configured to mate tightly with an upper edge portion of the infuser, aligning the dispenser with the infuser portion, so that magnetic attraction members on the dispenser and the infuser portion can tend to prevent the dispenser and the infuser portion from separating.

15. The dispenser of claim 14, wherein the lower edge of the dispenser has a wavy configuration which mates with a corresponding wavy configuration of the upper edge of the infuser.