WO1999000035A1

WO1999000035A1 - Article for the application of a hair treatment substance

Info

Publication number: WO1999000035A1
Application number: PCT/EP1998/003808
Authority: WO
Inventors: Edgardo Bianco
Original assignee: Ciaodesign Di Edgardo Bianco & C Sas
Current assignee: Ciaodesign Di Edgardo Bianco & C Sas
Priority date: 1997-06-27
Filing date: 1998-06-22
Publication date: 1999-01-07
Anticipated expiration: 1999-12-27
Also published as: ITTO970130U1; ITTO970130V0; AU8629298A; IT236076Y1

Abstract

An article for the application of a hair treatment substance consisting of a substantially rigid body (1) defining in one piece of an absorbing material both a support (2) and a plurality of teeth or pins (3) projecting from the support. The body (1) is soaked or filled or coated with the hair treatment substance, is sealed or sealable within an airtight openable package (6), and is disposable as a whole.

Description

"Article for the application of a hair treatment substance ' '

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Background of the invention

The present invention is related to an article for the application of a hair treatment substance particularly intended for an extemporary use in such situations the treatment substance (for instance a detergent, or refreshing or simply voluminizing product) is not immediately available or accessible to the user. The article of the invention may be for instance provided for in travel outfits, or as an aid for hair care by bedridden people, or more generally as an object to be kept in a pocket within reach to any event .

State of the prior art

Such articles, in the shape of a comb or brush designed so as to release in use a substance for hair treatment, are known for instance from US-5, 062435, US- 5,261,426, US-5, 325878, US-5 , 343 , 880 , EP-A-0251189 and EP-A-0497080. The solutions proposed in the above listed documents all have a common feature consisting of the provision of a more or less conventional support structure, to which it is fixed or within which it is incorporated an absorbing material element soacked with the treatment substance or to which the substance is supplied by a reservoir also connected to the support structure. In some cases, as for instance in US- 5,062,435 and US-5 , 325 , 878 , the absorbing element can be replaced.

These known solutions have thus all the drawback of being relatively complicated from the constructive point of view, and thus expensive, which has limited, if not prevented, commercial widespread diffusion thereof. On the other hand there is a felt need of a simple, functional and unexpensive article adapted to enable the users to take promptly care of their own hair treatment, whenever the necessary substances are not immediately available or accessible, exactly as in the case of detergent or refreshing napkins for hands and skin cleaning.

Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is thus to meet the above demand, and to provide an article for application of a hair treatment substance which is extremely practical, convenient, functional and of a very low cost.

According to the invention this object is achieved by an article for the application of a hair treatment substance, the main feature of which resides in that it consists of a substantially rigid body defining in one piece of an absorbing material both a support and a plurality of teeth or pins projecting from the support, the body being soacked or filled or coated with the hair treatment substance, being sealed or sealable within an airtight openable package, and being disposable as a whole.

The absorbing material of which the body is formed may be conveniently a natural material, preferably balsa wood, or in alternative a synthetic porous material .

In both cases, to the aim of enhancing absorbtion of the treatment substance upon packaging of the article, the body may advantageously be provided with a pierced structure. By virtue of this arrangement, the article according to the invention is adapted to be soacked with treatment substances of any kind, either in a fluid state or in the form of paste or powder, providing detergent and/or disinfectant and/or refreshing and/or perfuming and/or voluminizing and/or conditioning and/or anti-parasitic and/or colouring and/or decolouring and/or lubricating and the like effects .

Moreover the sealed packaging and the disposable nature of the article according to the invention warrant the maximum degree of sanitary safety for the user .

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be disclosed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, purely provided by way of non limiting example, showing one of the several envisageable embodiments thereof.

In the drawings:

- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view of an article for the application of a hair treatment substance according to the invention, enclosed within an airtight package,

- Figure 2 is a view same as figure 1 showing the article after withdrawal from the package, and

- Figure 3 is a sectioned and enlarged view along line III-III of figure 1.

Detailed description of the invention

The article shown by example in the drawings is designed as a comb, constituted by a single body defining a root or support portion 2 from which a row of co-planar teeth 3 are projecting, having a uniform or, as in the case of the shown example, different thickness and mutual distancing.

The body 1 of the comb has a substantially rigid or anyway self-bearing structure and is constituted in its entirety by an absorbing material, in the sense that such material is capable to store a substance for hair treatment consisting of a liquid, a paste or even a powder. With particular reference to the case the hair treatment substance is liquid, the body 1 of the comb is made of a hydrophilic material, conveniently a natural and unexpensive material, such as balsa wood. In alternative, the body 1 of the comb may be made of a synthetic porous material, for instance open-celled polyurethane or the like. Synthetic material of this type are also adapted to confer to the comb body 1 the capability of incorporating, directly upon forming the comb itself, powder and the like hair treatment substances .

As clarified in the above, the comb body 1 made of the above materials is normally provided with a structural strength sufficient to the needs of use. However, in case the structural rigidity of the body 1 is to be further increased, a reinforcement longitudinal core 4, for instance constituted by a simple channel-like profiled element made of plastic material, may be incorporated as shown within the upper area of the support portion 2.

Moreover, to the aim of promoting absorbtion of the hair treatment substance soacking or filling or coating the body 1, the support portion 2 and possibly also the teeth 3 may be formed with a plurality of piercing 5 opening outwardly.

The comb according to the invention is normally sealingly fitted within an airtight package 6, for instance constituted by a bag or envelope made of heat- welded plastic material. The package 6 also conveniently constitutes the means by which the body 1 of the comb is soacked in the hair treatment substance. Accordingly, upon packaging, the hair treatment substance is supplied within the envelope, sealed at one end thereof , and thus the comb is introduced thereinto. The envelope 6 is thus sealingly closed also at the other end, whereby integrity of the treatment substance absorbed by the comb is preserved until withdrawal thereof from the envelope 6 for use.

By virtue of the above disclosed simple, essential and unexpensive construction, the comb according to the invention as a whole consists of a disposable article, in the sense that it is intended for one single use.

The treatment substance of which the comb according to the invention is soacked or filled or coated with can be of any kind, for instance detergent and/or disinfectant and/or refreshing and/voluminizing and/or conditioning and/or anti-parasitic and/or colouring and/or decolouring and/or lubricating etc. In case this substance is a fluid, it may conveniently include a volatile agent such as a alcoholic liquid, to the aim of providing quick evaporation following application thereof onto the hair.

Naturally, the details of construction and the embodiments may be widely varied with respect to what has been disclosed and illustrated, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention, such as defined in the appended claims. Thus, for instance, though in the example disclosed with reference to the drawings the invention is embodied by a comb, it is to be pointed out that the invention may be designed as a brush or anyway according to any other suitable construction, including in one single piece a support and a plurality of teeth or pins projecting from the support .

Claims

1. An article for the application of a hair treatment substance, characterised in that it consists of a substantially rigid body (1) defining in one piece made of an absorbing material both a support (2) and a plurality of teeth or pins (3) projecting from the support, said body (1) being soacked or filled or coated with said hair treatment substance, being sealed or sealable within an airtight openable package (6), and being disposable as a whole.

2. Article according to claim 1, characterised in that at least said support (2) of the body (1) has a pierced structure.

3. Article according to claim 1, characterised in that said hair treatment substance comprises a fluid.

4. Article according to claim 1, characterised in that said hair treatment substance comprises a paste.

5. Article according to claim 1, characterised in that said hair treatment substance comprises a powder.

6. Article according to any of claim 1 through 5, characterised in that said hair treatment substance is selected in the class of detergent and/or disinfectant and/or refreshing and/or perfuming and/or voluminizing and/or conditioning and/or anti-parasitic and/or colouring and/or decolouring and/or lubricant substances .

7. Article according to any of claim 1 through 6, characterised in that said hair treatment substance includes a volatile liquid.

8. Article according to claim 1, characterised in that said absorbing material is a natural material, preferably balsa wood.

9. Article according to claim 1, characterised in that said absorbing material is a synthetic porous material .

10. Article according to any of the preceding claims characterised in that it is a comb.

11. Article according to any of claims 1 through 9, characterised in that it is a brush.