U.S. patent application number 11/038825 was filed with the patent office on 2006-07-20 for flexible applicator.
Invention is credited to Aaron Grunberger.
Application Number | 20060156501 11/038825 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36682298 |
Filed Date | 2006-07-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060156501 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Grunberger; Aaron |
July 20, 2006 |
Flexible applicator
Abstract
An applicator may include a stick that has a flexible section
that is before an end region of the applicator and/or is formed by
corrugations, and that may include a plurality of such sticks.
Inventors: |
Grunberger; Aaron;
(Brooklyn, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
AARON GRUNBERGER
1551 EAST 36th STREET
BROOKLYN
NY
11234
US
|
Family ID: |
36682298 |
Appl. No.: |
11/038825 |
Filed: |
January 19, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/209.1 ;
15/144.1; 604/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F 11/006 20130101;
A45D 40/262 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
015/209.1 ;
015/144.1; 604/001 |
International
Class: |
A47L 13/10 20060101
A47L013/10 |
Claims
1. An applicator, comprising: a stick including a corrugated
section.
2. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the corrugated
section is arranged in a region of an end of the stick.
3. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the corrugated
section includes a plurality of corrugated sections arranged
between a center and an end of the stick.
4. The applicator according to claim 3, wherein a first of the
plurality of corrugated sections is longer than the remaining
corrugated sections and is arranged in a region of the end.
5. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the stick is a
swab.
6. The applicator according to claim 1, further comprising: an
absorbent material.
7. The applicator according to claim 6, wherein the absorbent
material is arranged at a region of an end of the stick.
8. The applicator according to claim 7, wherein the absorbent
material is arranged intermittently between a center of the stick
and the end.
9. The applicator according to claim 8, wherein the corrugated
section includes a plurality of corrugated sections, and the
absorbent material is arranged over at least some of the plurality
of corrugated sections.
10. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the stick includes
a plurality of sticks and an adjoining section, the plurality of
sticks joined at the adjoining section.
11. The applicator according to claim 10, wherein features of a
first of the plurality stick are different than features of a
second of the plurality of sticks.
12. An applicator, comprising: a stick including: an end section;
and a flexible section that is more flexible than the end
section.
13. The applicator according to claim 12, wherein the stick
includes a first material for the flexible section and a second
material for the end section, an elasticity of the first material
being more than an elasticity of the second material.
14. The applicator according to claim 13, wherein a section of the
stick that is between a center of the stick and the flexible
section includes the second material.
15. The applicator according to claim 13, wherein the first
material is rubber and the second material is paper.
16. The applicator according to claim 12, wherein the flexible
section is a corrugated section.
17. An applicator, comprising: a plurality of adjoining sticks.
18. The applicator according to claim 17, wherein at least one of
the sticks includes a flexible section.
19. The applicator according to claim 18, wherein the flexible
section is a corrugated section.
20. The applicator according to claim 18, wherein a first of the
plurality of sticks includes features that are different than
features of a second of the plurality of sticks.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Applicators and/or swabs that have absorbent tips, for
example of cotton, are well known. They are often used for example
to apply topical medicines or makeup; or as a cleaning tool, for
example to clean a person's ears.
[0002] Conventionally, the absorbent tips are at the ends of a
single stick. One may grasp the stick and guide it for said
application or cleaning. However, especially when used on contoured
surfaces that include hard-to-reach places, it may be difficult to
guide the swab to its intended destination.
[0003] To facilitate guidance of an applicator, e.g., a swab, in
and/or to hard-to-reach places, it is conventional to provide a
swab that includes a flexible material at its end. However,
manufacturing costs of such swabs are high since at least two
materials are required (aside from the absorbent material placed on
the swab end for the absorbent tip). Furthermore, since the
flexible material is at an end of the swab, the degree of the
material's flexibility is limited since if a very flexible material
is used, the swab may be deformed when applied to a surface at the
user's intended destination, and the user may therefore be unable
to apply a desired degree of pressure to the surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 illustrates an applicator according to an example
embodiment of the present invention.
[0005] FIG. 2a illustrates an applicator according to an example
embodiment of the present invention that includes a corrugated
section.
[0006] FIG. 2b illustrates an applicator according to an example
embodiment of the present invention that includes a corrugated
section in front of an end region.
[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates an applicator according to an example
embodiment of the present invention that includes a plurality of
sticks.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] An applicator, e.g., a swab, may include at least one
flexible section. The flexible section may be arranged to allow a
user to precisely guide the applicator. In an embodiment of the
present invention, the flexible section(s) may be arranged in front
of an end of the applicator, e.g., between a proximal end and a
distal end of the applicator. In an embodiment of the present
invention, the applicator may include flexible section(s) formed by
corrugations. The corrugated section(s) may be at the end(s) of the
applicator or between the end(s) of the applicator.
[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates part of an example applicator according
to an example embodiment of the present invention. The applicator
may include a stick 1, e.g., a tubularly shaped stick. Between a
center 2 and an end section 3 of the stick 1, the stick 1 may
include a flexible section 4. The flexible section 4 may be more
flexible than the end section 3. For example, the flexible section
4 may be made of a material that is more flexible than a material
out of which the end section 3 is made. For example, the material
out of which the end section 3 is made may be wood, plastic,
polypropylene, or a hard paper, e.g., cardboard, and the material
out of which the flexible section 4 is made may be rubber, nylon,
or other conventional flexible material. The flexible section 4 may
also be more flexible than a section 5 of the stick 1 that may
extend, e.g., from the center 2 until the flexible section 4. For
example, the flexible section 4 may be made of a material that is
more flexible than a material out of which the section 5 is made.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the section 5
may be made of a material that has the same degree of flexibility
as the material out of which the end section 3 is made. For example
the section 5 and the end section 3 may be made out of the same
material. In an embodiment of the present invention, the applicator
may include an absorbent tip 6. For example, an absorbent material
may be placed on the stick 1 to form the absorbent tip 6. In one
example embodiment the absorbent material may extend over only all
or a part of the end section 3, as illustrated in FIG. 1.
Alternatively, it may also extend over other parts of the stick 1
(not shown). For example, it may extend over the end section 3 and
the flexible section 4. In one example embodiment of the present
invention, the end section 3 itself and/or the flexible section 4
themselves may be made out of an absorbent material to form the
absorbent tip 6. In one example embodiment, the stick 1 may include
two ends, such that the features of the stick 1 from the center 2
to each end section 3 are approximately identical.
[0010] According to one example embodiment of the present
invention, the applicator may include a plurality of flexible
sections 4 arranged intermittently between the center 2 and the end
section 3. The plurality of flexible sections 4 may be more
flexible than the rest of the sections of the stick 1.
[0011] In one example embodiment, a first flexible section 4 of the
plurality of flexible sections 4 may be more flexible than the rest
of the plurality of flexible sections 4. For example, in one
embodiment, the first flexible section 4 may be longer than the
other flexible sections 4. In another embodiment, the flexible
section 4 may be made of a material that has a higher degree of
elasticity than a material or materials out of which the other
flexible sections 4 are made. The first flexible section 4 may be
arranged, e.g., immediately in front of the end section 3.
[0012] In one example embodiment of the present invention, the
degree of flexibility of each of or a number of the plurality of
flexible sections 4 may vary.
[0013] FIG. 2a illustrates a part of an example applicator
according to an example embodiment of the present invention. A
stick 1 may be made out of, e.g., paper, plastic, etc. The stick 1
may include a flexible section. The material out of which the
flexible section is made may be the same as or different than that
of other sections of the stick 1 that are not flexible. According
to this embodiment, the flexible section may be a corrugated
section 7. The corrugated section 7 may be at the end section 3, as
illustrated in FIG. 2a. Alternatively, it may be in the same
position as that of the flexible section 4 of FIG. 1, as
illustrated in FIG. 2b. In one example embodiment, the stick 1 may
include multiple corrugated sections 7 placed intermittently along
the stick 1. For example, the stick 1 may include a combination of
the features shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b. Such an arrangement may
allow for guiding the stick 1 through a canal with many curves. In
one example embodiment of the present invention, the stick 1 may
include a first long corrugated section 7 at a region of the end
section 3, and may include a plurality of second corrugated
sections 7 that may be shorter than the first corrugated section 7.
The second corrugated sections 7 may be arranged in front of the
first corrugated section 7 when viewed in a direction from the
center 2 to the end section 3. Accordingly, the user may have
increased control of the stick 1 since the flexible sections
arranged in front of the first corrugated section 7 are short
and/or are not as flexible as the first corrugated section 7.
[0014] In one example embodiment the present invention, the
applicators of FIGS. 2a and 2b may include an absorbent tip 6 as
described with respect to FIG. 1. In one example embodiment the
stick 6 may include a plurality of absorbent sections in addition
to the absorbent tip 6. For example, according to the embodiment
which provides for a plurality of flexible sections, the stick 1
may include an absorbent material between each of the flexible
sections. Alternatively, the absorbent material may be placed over
the flexible sections. Alternatively, an absorbent material may be
placed over the entire stick 1. In one example embodiment, the
stick 1 may include two ends, such that the features of the stick
from the center 2 to each end section 3 are approximately
identical. Alternatively, the stick 1 may include from the center 2
to one end section 3 features corresponding to one of the sticks 1
shown in one of FIGS. 1, 2a, and 2b, and may include from the
center 2 to the other end section 3 features corresponding to
another of the FIGS. 1, 2a, and 2b. According to one embodiment of
the present invention, the stick 1 may include only one absorbent
tip 6 at one end section 3 of the stick 1. Alternatively, the stick
1 may include an absorbent tip 6 at each end section 3 of the stick
1.
[0015] According to an example embodiment of the present invention,
the applicator may include a plurality of sticks 1 interconnected
at an adjoining section 8, e.g., at a center. In one example
embodiment, the plurality of sticks may each be differently
arranged, e.g., to provide a user with various options. For
example, FIG. 3 illustrates an applicator that includes three
sticks 1 corresponding to the sticks 1 shown in FIGS. 1, 2a, and
2b. In one example embodiment, each of, or a number of the sticks 1
may include a flexible section immediately adjacent to the
adjoining section 8. The user may accordingly use a first one of
the plurality of sticks 1 without the other of the plurality of
sticks 1 hindering the use of the first of the plurality of sticks
1. In an alternative example embodiment, the adjacent section 8 may
itself be a flexible section.
[0016] Those skilled in the art can appreciate from the foregoing
description that the present invention can be implemented in a
variety of forms. For example, the multi-stick applicator of FIG. 3
may include sticks with features other than those shown in FIGS. 1,
2a, and 2b. Therefore, while the embodiments of this invention have
been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the
true scope of the embodiments of the invention should not be so
limited since other modifications will become apparent to the
skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, specification,
and following claims.
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