Applicator for personal care compositions
A dispenser has a multi-piece, multi-material, screw, user-engagable element, and reciprocal compliance spring arrangement.
1. A personal care dispenser/applicator apparatus comprising:
a barrel having:
a bottom end;
a top end; and
a sidewall extending between the bottom end and the top end;
a piston upwardly moveable within the barrel from a first position to a second position;
a body of a personal care composition at least partially within the barrel between the piston and the top end; and
an actuator coupled to the piston to shift the piston upward and comprising:
a user-engagable element;
a screw member having:
a threaded first portion engaged to the piston for relative rotation about a first axis; and
a second portion engaged to the user-engagable element to permit a user-induced rotation of the user-engageable element about the first axis to, in turn, rotate the first portion while accommodating a shift of the screw member relative to the user-engageable element along the first axis; and
a spring, separately formed from the user-engageable element and the screw member and coupled to the screw member and user engageable member to bias the screw member from a relatively raised first position to a relatively lowered second position,
wherein:
interfitting portions of the user-engageable member and the barrel cooperate to retain the user-engageable member against translation along the first axis but hold the user engageable member for rotation around the first axis.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the barrel has first camming members; and
the screw member has second camming members cooperating with the first camming members so that rotation of the user-engageable member in a first direction about the first axis causes a camming interaction of the first and second camming members to lift the screw member from the second position to the first position against a force from the spring and then release the screw member to return to the second position.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein:
the first camming members and second camming members are pluralities of longitudinally protruding teeth cooperating to form a ratchet substantially preventing rotation opposite said first direction.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the spring is a sheet steel spring having a plurality of flexing portions extending inward to a central aperture and separated by slots; and
the screw member is retained to the spring by one of:
a separate fastener; and
a barb on the screw member.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the spring is a sheet steel spring having a plurality of flexing portions extending inward to a central aperture and separated by slots; and
the screw member is retained to the spring by a barb on the screw member.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the user-engageable member consists essentially of a polypropylene first piece;
the screw member consists essentially of a polypropylene second piece; and
the spring consists essentially of a third piece, not essentially of polypropylene.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the composition is a soft stick antiperspirant; and
the apparatus has an apertured applicator portion proximate the barrel top and optionally unitarily-formed therewith, upward movement of the piston causing an extrusion of the composition through the applicator.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the user-engageable member consists essentially of a first piece not essentially of acetal copolymer;
the screw member consists essentially of a second piece not essentially of acetal copolymer; and
the spring consists essentially of a third piece of material dissimilar to at least one of the first and second pieces.
9. A method comprising:
manufacturing a plurality of first apparatus according to claim 1 ; and
manufacturing a plurality of second apparatus according to claim 1 ;
wherein one of:
the screw members of the first and second apparatus are identical while the user-engageable members of the first and second apparatus are not identical; and
the screw members of the first and second apparatus are not identical while the user-engageable members of the first and second apparatus are identical.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein:
the springs of the first and second apparatus are identical while the compositions of the first and second apparatus are not identical.
11. A personal care dispenser/applicator apparatus for dispensing a personal care composition, the apparatus comprising:
a barrel having:
a bottom end;
a top end; and
a sidewall extending between the bottom end and the top end;
an apertured applicator proximate the barrel top end;
a piston upwardly moveable within the barrel from a first position to a second position;
a body of a personal care composition at least partially within the barrel between the piston and the applicator; and
an actuator coupled to the piston to shift the piston upward and comprising:
a user-engagable element;
a screw member having:
a threaded first portion engaged to the piston for relative rotation about a first axis; and
a second portion engaged to the user-engagable element to permit a user-induced rotation of the user-engageable element about the first axis to, in turn, rotate the first portion while accommodating a shift of the screw member relative to the user-engageable element along the first axis; and
a spring, separately formed from the user-engageable element and the screw member and coupled to the screw member and user engageable member to bias the screw member from a relatively raised first position to a relatively lowered second position,
wherein:
interfitting portions of the user-engageable member and the barrel cooperate to retain the user-engageable member against translation along the first axis but hold the user engageable member for rotation around the first axis.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein:
the applicator and barrel are a single unitary molding.
13. A personal care dispenser/applicator apparatus for dispensing a personal care composition, the apparatus comprising:
a barrel having:
a bottom end;
a top end; and
a sidewall extending between the bottom end and the top end;
an apertured applicator proximate the barrel top end;
a piston upwardly moveable within the barrel from a first position to a second position; and
an actuator coupled to the piston to shift the piston upward and comprising:
a user-engagable element;
a screw member having:
a threaded first portion engaged to the piston for relative rotation about a first axis; and
a second portion engaged to the user-engagable element to permit a user-induced rotation of the user-engageable element about the first axis to, in turn, rotate the first portion while accommodating a shift of the screw member relative to the user-engageable element along the first axis; and
means for providing residual pressure after a discharge of composition and comprising at least one element separately formed from the user-engageable element and the screw member, the means having a first portion engaging the user-engagable element and a second portion engaging the screw member.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein:
the composition is a soft stick antiperspirant.
15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein:
the means comprises a sheet steel spring;
the first portion of the means comprises a peripheral portion;
the second portion of the means comprises a central aperture; and
the user-engagable element comprises a wheel.
16. A personal care dispenser/applicator apparatus comprising:
a barrel having:
a bottom end;
a top end; and
a sidewall extending between the bottom end and the top end;
a piston upwardly moveable within the barrel from a first position to a second position;
a body of a personal care composition at least partially within the barrel between the piston and the top end; and
an actuator coupled to the piston to shift the piston upward and comprising:
a user-engagable element;
a screw member having:
a threaded first portion engaged to the piston for relative rotation about a first axis; and
a second portion engaged to the user-engagable element to permit a user-induced rotation of the user-engageable element about the first axis to, in turn, rotate the first portion while accommodating a shift of the screw member relative to the user-engageable element along the first axis; and
a spring, separately formed from the user-engageable element and the screw member and coupled to the screw member and user engageable member to bias the screw member from a relatively raised first position to a relatively lowered second position, the spring comprising a sheet having a central portion engaging the screw member and a peripheral portion engaging the user-engagable element so as to provide said bias via flexing.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein:
the spring has a plurality of flexing portions extending inward to a central aperture and separated by slots; and
the screw member is retained to the spring by one of:
a separate fastener; and
a barb on the screw member.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:
the spring is a sheet steel spring.
19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:
the spring is a sheet steel spring.
20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein:
the spring has plurality of flexing portions extending inward to a central aperture and
separated by slots; and
the screw member is retained to the spring by a barb on the screw member.