Apparatus and methods for modifying keratinous surfaces

• US 8,231,292 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Rabe, Thomas Elliot, Wilson, David Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, HUYEN D
• Application Number:
  US12/688,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20100224210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 401/208, 401/209, 401/219, 401/220
• US Class Current: 401/19
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 34/041 using a roller, a disc or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 40/24 Casings for two or more cosmetics
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 40/261 using a ball, a roller or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/441 Skin evaluation, e.g. for skin disorder diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/442 Evaluating skin mechanical properties, e.g. elasticity, hardness, texture, wrinkle assessment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/446 Scalp evaluation or scalp disorder diagnosis, e.g. dandruff
• 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

An apparatus for modifying a keratinous surface that has a rotatable applicator that is in fluid communication with a first modification composition. The apparatus also has a sensor and a CPU. The sensor is positioned forward of the applicator head such that as the head rolls across the keratinous surface the sensor reads the portion of the keratinous surface in front of the rolling head. The sensor readings are transmitted to the CPU, the CPU analyzes the sensor readings of the keratinous surface, and the CPU sends a signal to the applicator head to treat or not to treat the analyzed surface. When the CPU sends a signal to the applicator to treat the surface, a small portion of the first modification composition is applied to the head such that when the head rolls over the keratinous surface the first modification composition contacts the area of the keratinous surface that needs treatment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for modifying a keratinous surface comprising:

a rotatable applicator which is in fluid communication with a first modification composition;

a sensor;

a CPU;

wherein the sensor is positioned forward of the applicator such that as the applicator rolls across the keratinous surface the sensor reads the portion of the keratinous surface in front of the rolling applicator, the readings are transmitted to the CPU, the CPU analyzes the sensor readings of the keratinous surface, the CPU sends a signal to the applicator head to treat or not to treat the analyzed surface, and wherein when the CPU sends a signal to the applicator to treat the surface, a small portion of the first modification composition is applied to the applicator such that when the applicator rolls over the keratinous surface the first modification composition contacts the area of the keratinous surface that needs treatment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, where the apparatus has an applicator opening that is in fluid communication with a reservoir containing the first modification composition.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the applicator opening further comprises a wick that deposits the first modification composition onto the applicator when the wick contacts the applicator.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, where the applicator opening further comprises a printer head that sprays the first modification composition onto the applicator.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first modification composition is an adhesive, and after the apparatus treats the keratinous surface, a second modification composition is applied to the keratinous surface which sticks to the adhesive completing the modification of the keratinous surface.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein from about 1.0% to about 10% of the keratinous surface that is read by the sensor is modified by application of the first modification composition.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the applicator applies from about 0.01 μ

g to about 100 μ

g of the first modification composition to the keratinous surface when the applicator is activated by the CPU.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second modification composition.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the readings made by the sensor contain a value for a characteristic selected from the group of color, brightness, reflectance, temperature, texture, and mixtures thereof.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first modification composition is selected from the group consisting of inks, dyes, pigments, adhesives, curable compositions, optically activated compounds, hair colorants, hair removal compositions, hair growth stimulants, metal oxides, bleaching agents, texture reducing polymers, skin care compositions, and mixtures thereof.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the keratinous surface has an outer surface of from about 1 mm to about 5 mm in thickness and an inner core directly below the outer surface, and wherein the sensor reads the inner core or the keratinous surface.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the applicator applies the first modification composition in droplets having an average diameter of from about from about 0.1 μ

m to about 50 μ

m.

13. An apparatus for modifying a keratinous surface comprising:

a rotatable applicator which is in fluid communication with a first modification composition;

a sensor;

a CPU;

wherein the sensor is positioned forward of the applicator such that as the applicator rolls across the keratinous surface the sensor reads the portion of the keratinous surface in front of the rolling applicator, the readings are transmitted to the CPU, the CPU analyzes the sensor readings of the keratinous surface, the CPU sends a signal to the an operator of the device, the operator then chooses to treat or not to treat the identified portion of the keratinous surface, when the operator chooses to treat the portion of the keratinous surface she activates the CPU to apply a small portion of the first modification composition to the applicator such that when the applicator rolls over the keratinous surface the first modification composition contacts the area of the keratinous surface that needs treatment.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the signal sent to the operator is selected from the group consisting of visual, auditory, tactile and mixtures thereof.

15. An apparatus for modifying a keratinous surface comprising:

A rotatable applicator which is in fluid communication with a first modification composition;

a sensor;

wherein the sensor is positioned forward of the applicator such that as the applicator rolls across the keratinous surface the sensor reads the portion of the keratinous surface in front of the rolling applicator, the readings are compared to a pre-determined baseline, any variation from the baseline is compared to a pre-determined threshold, if the threshold is exceeded the sensor sends a signal to the applicator to treat the analyzed surface, then a small portion of the first modification composition is applied to the applicator such that when the applicator rolls over the keratinous surface the first modification composition contacts the area of the keratinous surface that needs treatment.