IP Library Granted Patent US 12,239,196
Granted Patent B2
US 12,239,196 · App. 17/187,583 · Granted Mar 4, 2025

Control systems, devices, and methods for formulation delivery

Inventors: Ji Lee (New York, NY); Carolina Canamaque (Madrid, ES); Joseph Grez (North Bend, WA)
Assignee: L'Oreal
A45D19/0083A45D19/005A45D24/28A46B11/0051A46B11/0065A46B11/0096A46B2200/1046
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,239,196
App. No.
17/187,583
Granted
Mar 4, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Formulation delivery systems, formulation delivery devices, and formulation cartridges for the same are provided. Formulation delivery systems include a reusable handle, a formulation dispensing assembly, and a controller. The formulation dispensing assembly includes a reciprocating nozzle assembly and a pump. The reciprocating nozzle assembly is fluidically-coupleable to the formulation cartridge or the cleaning cartridge received within the reusable handle. Formulation delivery devices include a reusable handle configured to receive a formulation cartridge therein, and a formulation dispensing assembly disposed in the reusable handle. The formulation dispensing assembly includes fluid conduits, a pump fluidically connected to the fluid conduits, a reciprocating nozzle assembly, and a controller. Formulation cartridges include a reusable cartridge body, a valve frame, and a disposable refill packet reversibly-coupleable to the reusable cartridge body. The disposable refill packet includes a formulation packet and a body portion configured for insertion into the reusable cartridge body.

Claims (52)

1. A formulation delivery system, comprising:

a reusable handle to reversibly receive a formulation cartridge comprising a formulation therein and a cleaning cartridge comprising a cleaning liquid therein to remove residual formulation from the formulation delivery system;

a formulation dispensing assembly including a reciprocating nozzle assembly and a pump, the reciprocating nozzle assembly fluidically-coupleable, via one or more fluid conduits, to the formulation cartridge, or the cleaning cartridge, received within the reusable handle;

a controller including computational circuitry and logic to toggle between at least a cleaning routine and formulation routine responsive to one or more inputs indicative of the cleaning cartridge or the formulation cartridge inserted into the reusable handle; and

computational circuitry configured to:

accept and store at least one user profile input;

create, based upon the at least one user profile input, a user-specific routine providing instructions for using the formulation delivery device to apply a formulation to a hair of a user at an interval determined to improve health of the hair of the user; and

display the user-specific routine on a mobile device.

2. The formulation delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises logic, which when executed, causes the formulation delivery system to:

authenticate the formulation cartridge after insertion into the reusable handle; and

execute, based upon authenticating the formulation cartridge, the formulation routine by dispensing the formulation from the formulation cartridge through the formulation dispensing assembly.

3. The formulation delivery system of claim 2 , wherein the controller comprises logic, which when executed, causes the formulation delivery system to adjust at least one device operating parameter based upon authenticating the formulation cartridge.

4. The formulation delivery system of claim 3 , wherein the at least one device operating parameter is at least one of a flow rate of the pump or a reciprocating rate of the reciprocating nozzle assembly.

5. The formulation delivery system of claim 2 , wherein the controller comprises logic, which when executed, causes the formulation delivery system to:

awaken from a sleep state to an awake state upon at least one of: pressing a button on the reusable handle, insertion of the formulation cartridge into the reusable handle, or insertion of the cleaning cartridge into the reusable handle; and

return to the sleep state after a predetermined inactivity period.

6. The formulation delivery system of claim 2 , wherein the controller comprises logic, which when executed, causes the formulation delivery system to determine, based upon a dispensed time of the formulation from the authenticated formulation cartridge, a remaining formulation quantity.

7. The formulation delivery system of claim 6 , wherein the reusable handle comprises a visual indicator that signals the remaining formulation quantity.

8. The formulation delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises logic, which when executed, causes the formulation delivery system to:

authenticate the cleaning cartridge after insertion into the reusable handle; and

execute, based upon authenticating the cleaning cartridge, the cleaning routine by dispensing the cleaning liquid from the cleaning cartridge through the formulation dispensing assembly.

9. The formulation delivery system of claim 8 , wherein the cleaning routine operates the pump at a higher speed than the formulation routine to effectively remove residual formulation from the formulation dispensing assembly.

10. The formulation delivery system of claim 1 , comprising an application for operation on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of a mobile device and comprising logic, which constitutes at least part of the computational circuitry.

11. The formulation delivery system of claim 10 , wherein the application comprises logic, which when executed by the mobile device, causes the mobile device to execute a calibration routine comprising:

instructing a user to position the reusable handle at a plurality of calibration locations of a body portion of the user;

recording the calibration locations; and

adjusting the user-specific routine based upon the calibration locations.

12. The formulation delivery system of claim 10 , wherein the application comprises logic, which when executed by the mobile device in response to an operating parameter input from the user, causes the controller to adjust at least one device operating parameter.

13. The formulation delivery system of claim 10 ,

further comprising a position sensor that transmits a position signal of the reusable handle to the controller;

wherein the controller comprises logic, which when executed, causes the controller to transmit a second position signal to the mobile device based upon the position signal;

wherein the application comprises logic, which when executed by the mobile device, causes the mobile device to display a correct application indication based upon the second position signal.

14. The formulation delivery system of claim 10 ,

further comprising a position sensor that sends a position signal to the controller;

wherein the controller comprises logic, which when executed, causes the controller to transmit a second position signal based upon the position signal to the mobile device;

wherein the application comprises logic, which when executed by the mobile device, causes the mobile device to:

transmit a third position signal based upon the second position signal to an analytic platform;

retrieve a user suggestion from the analytic platform based upon the third position signal; and

display the user suggestion.

15. A formulation delivery system, comprising:

a reusable handle to receive a cartridge, the cartridge forming part of a formulation product line including a plurality of different cartridge types, each cartridge type selected from a cleaning cartridge type or a formulation cartridge type;

a formulation dispensing assembly including a reciprocating nozzle assembly fluidically couple-able to the cartridge received within the reusable handle;

a controller including computational circuitry and logic configured to: authenticate the cartridge after insertion into the reusable handle; and execute, based upon authenticating the cartridge:

a cleaning routine that dispenses a cleaning liquid from the cartridge through the formulation dispensing assembly to remove residual formulation from the formulation delivery system, or

a haircare formulation routine that dispenses a haircare formulation from the cartridge through the formulation dispensing assembly; and

computational circuitry configured to:

accept and store at least one user profile input;

create, based upon the at least one user profile input, a user-specific routine providing instructions for using the formulation delivery device to apply a formulation to a hair of a user at an interval determined to improve health of the hair of the user; and

display the user-specific routine on a mobile device.

16. The formulation delivery system of claim 15 , comprising an application for operation on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of a mobile device and comprising logic, which constitutes at least part of the computational circuitry.

17. The formulation delivery system of claim 16 , wherein the application comprises logic, which when executed by the mobile device, causes the mobile device to select at least one formulation of a plurality of different formulations from the formulation product line, for a selected formulation, based upon at least one of the user profile inputs or user-specific routine inputs.

18. The formulation delivery system of claim 17 , wherein the application comprises logic, which when executed by the mobile device, causes the mobile device to display a purchase interface for the selected formulation.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 12, 2021
From: LEE, JI; CANAMAQUE, CAROLINA; GREZ, JOSEPH
To: L'OREAL
Reel/Frame 057294/0661 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220273084A1 · Sep 1, 2022
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