U.S. patent number 3,754,557 [Application Number 05/217,352] was granted by the patent office on 1973-08-28 for liquids and fluids dispensing applicator assembly.
Invention is credited to Paul J. Moore.
United States Patent |
3,754,557 |
Moore |
August 28, 1973 |
LIQUIDS AND FLUIDS DISPENSING APPLICATOR ASSEMBLY
Abstract
The assembly comprises a comb having hollow teeth in fluid
communication with a fluid conduit formed in the spine of the comb.
The conduit opens on an aperture which threadedly receives threaded
necks of shampoo containers, and the like, or, selectively, a
threaded coupling end of a flexible hose.
Inventors: |
Moore; Paul J. (Plains,
PA) |
Family
ID: |
22810709 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/217,352 |
Filed: |
January 12, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
132/114; 401/287;
401/289 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45D
24/22 (20130101); A46B 11/063 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A46B
11/00 (20060101); A46B 11/06 (20060101); A45D
24/22 (20060101); A45D 24/00 (20060101); A45d
024/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;132/112-116
;285/177,235,260 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Peshock; Robert
Assistant Examiner: Eskovitz; J. N.
Claims
I claim:
1. An applicator assembly for dispensing fluid, and for conducting
fluids therethrough, comprising:
an elongated comb;
said comb having a rigid, imperforate handle at one end thereof, a
spine portion co-extensive of and contiguous with said handle, and
a plurality of teeth depending perpendicularly, relative to said
handle, from the other end thereof;
said comb further having a conduit formed within said spine
portion;
each tooth having a passageway formed therein which opens at one
end onto said conduit and which opens at the end opposite on the
depending termination of said tooth;
said comb also having at least one aperture formed therein,
intermediate said plurality of teeth and said handle, which opens
onto said conduit;
said aperture having means for threadedly engaging a threaded
coupling; and
a universal coupler, in threaded engagement with said aperture,
said coupler having a plurality of coaxially and threadedly engaged
coupling sleeves of discrete cross-sectional dimensions, one of
said sleeves having threads formed therein and a cross-sectional
dimension which complement said aperture and which effect said
threaded engagement of said coupler with said aperture; wherein
said sleeves of said universal coupler each have a plurality of not
less than three threaded surfaces for effecting engagement thereof
with sources of fluid; and
said threaded surfaces of said plurality thereof comprise a
threaded inside diameter and a threaded outside diameter.
2. An applicator assembly, according to claim 1, wherein:
all sleeves of said universal coupler, excepting one, are of common
length.
3. An applicator assembly, according to claim 1, wherein:
said one sleeve of said universal coupler is of greater length than
any other sleeve of said universal coupler.
Description
This invention pertains to applicator assemblies for dispensing
liquids and for conducting fluids therethrough, and in particular
to an applicator assembly of the type noted especially fitted for
universal application and use, and incorporating a comb.
It is already known in the prior art to form hollow teeth in a comb
for the more efficient dispensing of fluids, from the teaching of
U.S. Pat. No. 3,101,086; issued Aug. 20, 1963; to S. S. Di Vito;
for instance. Such prior teaching, however, most often has no
provisioning on the comb for a rigid handle which is so necessary
to competent use.
There is some prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 3,376,065, being typical,
which does disclose the use of an integral handle for the
hollow-tooth comb, but in such art there is either no provisioning
or no suggestion of the use of a flexible hose. Yet, the
provisioning and accommodation of a hose with a hollow-tooth
comb-type dispener is virtually a necessity.
The primary purpose of the hollow-tooth comb-type dispenser is to
insure the penetration of the fluid dep into the scalp or skin of
the subject. Now, this being so, it is no less necessary that
washing or drying lfuids also be facilely accommodated for the same
deep penetration -- efficiently to purge and dry the scalp or
skin.
It is an object of this invention to answer the needs left unfilled
by the prior art fluid dispensing applicators. It is another object
to cure the defects found in the prior art fluid dispensers.
Specifically, it as an object of this invention to set forth an
applicator assembly for dispensing fluids, and for conducting
fluids therethrough, comprising an elongated comb; said comb having
a rigid handle at one end thereof, a spine portion co-extensive of
an contiguous with said handle, and a pluraltiy of teeth depending
perpendicularly, relative to said handle, from the other end
thereof; said comb further having a conduit formed within said
spine portion; each tooth having a passageway formed therein which
opens at one end onto said conduit and which opens at the end
opposite on the depending termination of said tooth; said comb also
having at least one aperture formed therein, intermediate the ends
thereof, which opens onto said conduit; said aperture having means
for threadedly engaging a threaded coupling a flexible hose; said
hose having first coupling means on one end thereof, for threadedly
engaging said aperture, and second coupling means on the opposite
end thereof for effecting engagement thereof with a souce of fluid;
and a universal coupler, having a plurality of coaxially and
threadedly engaged coupling sleeves of discrete cross-sectional
dimensions, one of said sleeves having threads formed therein and a
cross-sectional dimension which complements said aperture and
accommodates threaded engagement of said one sleeve with said
aperture.
Further objects and featues of this invention will become more
apparent by reference to the following description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying FIGS. in which:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal, cross-sectional view of the novel
hollow-tooth comb of the applicator assembly, according to the
invention;
FIG. 2 is an end view of the conduit aperture, taken along section
2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a discontinuous, mostly cross-sectional and longitudinal
view of the flexible hose of the novel applicator assembly;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view, in cross-section, of the
compliant-sleeve coupling end of the hose of FIG. 3, the same being
shown in rolled-out disposition; and
FIG. 5 is longitudinal or axial cross-sectional view of the
inventive universal coupler of the novel applicator assembly,
according to the invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the novel applicator assembly comprises a comb
10 having a rigid handle 12 (only a portion of which is shown) and
a spine 14, the spine being co-extensive of said handle 12 and
contiguous therewith. The spine 14 has a conduit 16 formed therein,
and the comb 10 has at threaded aperture 18 formed therein
substantially whereat the handle 12 and the spine 14 meet, said
aperture 18 opening onto the conduit 16.
A plurality of teeth 20 depend from the comb 10, perpendicularly
from the spine 14 and halde 12, and each of the teeth is hollow;
the same have a passageway 22 formed therein which communicates, at
24, with the conduit 16.
Conduit 16, shown in an end view in FIG. 2, has a threaded surface
formed therein at 26 for threadedly engaging a source of fluid, and
has a prescribed inside diameter here represented as "Z."
Referring now to FIG. 3, the flexible hose 28 can be seen in
cross-section. Hose 28 has a first coupling 30 at one end thereof,
the latter having a knurled annulus, and comprises means (not
shown) accommodating both sealing and rotation of the coupling 30
about the hose 28. Such end couplings are well known in the art, so
further discussion thereof is deemed not necessary here, however,
coupling 30 contemplates such a component having external threads
32, ahd having an outside diameter of "z" dimension, which
complement the threads and diameter of aperture 18. Hose 28,
according to this embodiment, is formed of plastic. However, rubber
and like flexible material could well be used.
Adjacent to one end of hose 28, and internally thereof, are formed
a plurality of diverse-diameter ribs 34, 36, 38 and 40. A
complementary plurality of tapered surface annuluses recede from
the ribs, the annuluses bearing index numbers 42, 44, 46 and 48.
Any combination of a rib and an annulus will cooperate to engage a
depending pipe-outlet of a faucet, or the like, to secure the hose
end thereat. For wider-mouth engagement requirements, hose 28
further has a thinner gauge compliant sleeve 50 contiguous
therewith. The sleeve 50 terminates in an annular ring 52 with
which sleeve 50 is rolled up for storage. Such storage disposition
is shown in FIG. 3, whereas a fragmented end of sleeve 50 is shown
rolled out in FIG. 4. This compliant sleeve facilitates the fluid
coupling of the hose 28 with the output pipe of a hair dryer, or
the like.
From what is known in the prior art, it is customarily necessary to
have a prescribed bottle, with a prescribed neck or throat size and
thread, to threadedly engage the same with a hollow-tooth comb-type
of applicator. Now, this is rather limiting, as the multitude of
shampoos, rinses, scalp medicants, and the like which are available
on the market are merchandised in a plurality of bottle types. What
has been needed in the art is a universal type of coupler which
will accommodate various supply throat sizes and threads to a fixed
size and thread of admittance aperture, such as aperture 18. To
this end, my invention comprises such a universal coupler having a
plurality of throat or neck sizes and threads.
The universal coupler 54, shown in FIG. 5, comprises a base coupler
sleeve 56 having an outside diameter of "Z" and having threads
thereabout, at 58, which complement the threads and diameter of
aperture 18 (FIGS. 1 and 2). Further, sleeve 56 has two sets of
inside diameters and threads, at 60 and 62, to accommodate coupling
thereof with fluid sources of two diverse diameters and threads.
Sleeves 64, 66, and 68, coaxially and threadedly coupled to sleeve
56, are similarly dimensioned and threaded for progressively
large-mouthed fluid sources. The threaded cooperation of all the
sleeves 56, 64, 66, and 68 facilitates the retraction of given ones
to allow coupling access to a prescribed one, so that all threaded
surfaces of each of the sleeves can be made available for use. Such
relative positioning or movement of the sleeves is represented by
the dashed-line positionings in FIG. 5.
Not unlike the prior art applicators, the instant applicator
assembly insures the deep-down skin or scalp treatment with fluids,
such as shampoos and the like, for human application, and flea
and/or tick ablutions and the like for aminal application. Further,
however, the applicator assembly here presented and disclosed
teaches the use of a flexible hose, and sets forth coupling
accommodation of the hose, for the necessary hygienic flushing of
the skin and scalp in the same penetration as effected by the
treatment fluids. In addition, the novel comb here set forth
incorporates a rigid handle so that, if the treatment fluid
comprises a flexible bottle, the latter can be deployed in threaded
engagement with aperture 18 and squeezed against the handle 12 to
cause the discharge of the fluid from the bottle. Often enough it
will be sufficient to so engage the container or bottle and allow
the fluid to flow therefrom, freely, into conduit 16. Then, to
flush the scalp -- and to purge the comb as well -- it is only
necessary to thread coupling 30 into aperture 18, and secure the
other end of hose 28 to a cource of water, or whatever. Then too,
as noted, the compliant sleeve 50 will facilitate the attachment of
the comb to a hair dryer, or the like.
While I have described my invention in connection with a specific
embodiment thereof, it is to be clearly understood that this is
done only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of
my invention as set forth in the objects thereof and in the
accompanying claims.
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