APPLICATOR

Abstract

 The present invention develops an applicator (1) of, more or less viscous, creamy, cleaning, inking and/or polishing substances of the type used for cleaning and polishing surfaces, particularly footwear, and comprising a grasping body, a reservoir for containing cleaning liquid and a sponge impregnated with said cleaning, inking and polishing substance, said applicator comprising a base (2) containing a reservoir (4) with active substance therein, the lid of which is a piston-membrane (6) having a porous and mobile surface relative to said base (2); said piston-membrane (6) of said reservoir (4) containing said active substance being provided with hermetic sealing means.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention develops an applicator for creamy products or liquids of the type used for cleaning and taking care of surfaces, particularly footwear.

PRIOR ART

[0002] Footwear cleaning sponges impregnated with cleaning or polishing liquid by means of a plurality of methods known in the art are widely known, said liquid being applied through pressing against the surface to be treated.

[0003] Actually, there exist in the technical field of substance applicators and dispensers a large number of developments that, by emphasizing different inventive aspects, are intended to be used in the various needs for these devices arising in everyday life.

[0004] One of the problems that dispensing devices for cleaning and polishing surfaces, such as footwear, have to face is the difficulty of providing a suitable supply of substance to the element that will eventually come into contact with the surface and at the same time attaining an adequate spreading of said substance across said cleaning element so as to eventually avoid both liquid dripping before, during and after use, and drying-out and deterioration of said surface between uses.

[0005] One of main objects of the new invention is to provide a cleaning and/or polishing cream applicator having a large-dimensioned reservoir, relative to the size applicator assembly, which contains said substance to be applied in order to make said applicator efficient for a sustained period of time.

[0006] It is another of the main objects of the present invention to provide an applicator for cleaning surfaces, particularly footwear, which provides an efficient dosing of the cleaning and/or polishing substance so that the working surface of the application becomes suitably impregnated.

[0007] And it is another of the main objects of the present invention to get said dosing of active substance on the working surface that is in contact with the surface to be treated by the dispenser to occur with no losses or discharges, or drippings that may stain the user o any surface exposed to said dispenser.

[0008] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a polishing block for cleaning and polishing surfaces, which by reason of its constructional shape permits a suitable application thereof, even on surfaces that are hardly reachable.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser that allows to see from the outside the content and quantity of cleaning substance contained therein.

[0010] And yet another of the objects of the present invention is to seek an embodiment of the dispenser that provides a convenient grasping means for use thereof.

[0011] Finally, another of the objects of the present invention is to provide a device for applying polishing, cleaning and/or inking substances that is economical in its manufacture and comprises a reduced number of elements, mainly made from plastic material, and that permits production in a manufacturing process that is low-cost in its very nature.

[0012] These and other objects are the ones that are attained with the invention that is described below.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The invention describes an applicator for cleaning, inking and polishing surfaces, such as footwear surfaces, comprising an assembly that incorporates receptacle containing an active, cleaning, inking and polishing substance.

[0014] Said receptacle is in contact via a porous membrane, actually a piston, with a sponge capable of being impregnated with said active substance, said sponge being supported by said porous membrane or piston.

[0015] The assembly is sealed by means of a lid that covers the interior of the device and hermetically closes the application sponge.

[0016] The joints of the various elements between the stationary and moving parts are accomplished by sealing or hermetic closure means, such that even if there takes place a relative movement of same, that does not cause an ensuing discharge of active substance to the outside.

[0017] Said sealing means are mainly provided by a double annular closing flange around the piston-membrane that separates the substance reservoir supporting the application sponge.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] For a better understanding of the invention, the present specification is accompanied by drawings that illustrate by way of a non-limiting example a suitable application of said invention. Like reference numerals indicate like elements throughout the drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective representation of the applicator assembly characteristic of the preferred embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 shows a top view of the applicator of the previous figure.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the applicator of the previous figures with its elements in an exploded view and aligned with each other.

Figure 4 shows a plan view of the piston-membrane element of the applicator. The line AA indicates the point where the transverse section of figure 6 is performed.

Figure 5 is a perspective representation of the piston-membrane of the previous figure.

Figure 6 shows a transverse section, along cut AA of figure 4, of the piston-membrane in the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 7 shows an enlarged detail of figure 6, specifically its end denoted with letter "B".

Figure 8 represents an elevational sectional view of the applicator of the invention in its preferred embodiment showing the various elements comprising it and their mutual relation.

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The invention consists of an applicator (1) of, more or less viscous, creamy, cleaning, inking and/or polishing substances of the type used for cleaning and polishing surfaces, particularly footwear, and comprising a grasping body (9), a reservoir (4) for cleaning liquid and a sponge (7) impregnated with said cleaning, inking and polishing substance.

[0020] The applicator (1) forms an assembly comprising a base (2) that contains a reservoir (4) for active substance, the lid of which is a piston-membrane (6) having a surface with orifices or pores, said lid being mobile relative to said base (2). The lid is provided with ribs or lugs (15) that extend into cavities made in an impregnable sponge (7) for improving coupling thereof.

[0021] Said lug (15) permits vertical centering and balancing of the impregnable sponge (7) such that in the downward movement thereof contact between said sponge (7) and the surface of said piston-membrane (6) occurs evenly throughout their parts.

[0022] The top portion (3) of said applicator (1) includes a grasping body (9) which by means of a support (8) holds in place said impregnable sponge (7) for applying the cleaning, polishing and/or inking substance.

[0023] Users of the applicator of the present invention can at a glance check whether there is active substance left thanks to the fact that in the preferred embodiment of the invention the base (2) and the reservoir (4) are made from transparent plastic.

[0024] In use, users remove the lid (10) off the applicator (1) and by exerting a slight pressure on the upper portion (3) of the applicator (1) against the base (2), the impregnable sponge (7) becomes impregnated in a similar way to that a sponge becomes impregnated in an inkpad, although with the certainty that they cannot get stained thanks to the piston-membrane (6) separating the substance reservoir (4) from said sponge (7). Said membrane permits flowing of the active substance through the pores (16) thereof upon receiving a slight pressure but prevents discharge of said substance from said reservoir (4).

[0025] Once the impregnable sponge (7) has already absorbed cleaning substance through the upper portion (3) of the applicator (1), users can begin to treat the desired surface whose care is sought. As is shown in the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the applicator (1) is pointed-shaped at one end thereof to facilitate use in hardly reachable places, this accomplishing one of the goals sought by the invention.

[0026] Further, thanks to the constructional embodiment that is provided at least in the preferred embodiment of the present invention and to the fact that the grasping means (9) has cavities (5), gripping of the invention is facilitated, this resulting in an applicator that is easy and simple to use.

[0027] It will be appreciated with respect to other embodiments of the Prior Art that there exists a small-dimensioned impregnation surface of the impregnable sponge (7) that is in contact with the active substance, and that just the very use of the cleaning block against the surface onto which it is applied affords an adequate spreading all over the surface of said impregnable sponge (7). It will also be appreciated that in the present invention the contact and impregnation surface between the impregnable sponge (7) and the active substance is the highest possible and represents the entire application surface of said impregnable sponge (7).

[0028] The mechanism for impregnating said sponge (7) benefits from the movement of the piston-membrane (6), this ensuring a smooth flow between the substance reservoir (4) and the impregnable sponge (7).

[0029] Furthermore, the tightness of said reservoir (4) is attained in the present invention by means of a double sealing closure on the annular contact surface between said piston-membrane (6) and the base body (2).

[0030] As is shown in the figures, the impregnable sponge (7) exerts pressure on said piston-membrane (6), which is enclosed by a proximate annular wall (11) that is associated to another low annular wall (12) having annular upper and lower outward deformation, thereby two sealing circles (13 and 14) being respectively formed, an upper sealing circle and a lower sealing circle, relative to the plane of the piston-membrane (6).

[0031] Construction of these two sealing circles (13 and 14) that abut against the edges of the base (2) proves to be simple and effective because they can be manufactured with a suitable tolerance, since, due to their very nature, even if their diameter is slightly higher than that of the diameter of the base, their relative elasticity permits an optimum adaptation of their perimeter to the wall of said base (2).

[0032] As for the upper portion (3) of the applicator, as can be seen in the corresponding figures, it can be constructed in three separate parts that are subsequently joined through coupling of their annular ends, this resulting in an applicator (1) manufactured mainly form plastic material, which optimizes the molding operations required for its construction.

[0033] Figure 8 shows the coupling of the different parts that make up the applicator (1) of the invention in its preferred embodiment, as has been set forth throughout the present description.

[0034] It is understood that in the present case any details that do not alter the essence of the invention can be varied.

Claims

1. APPLICATOR (1) of, more or less viscous, creamy, cleaning, inking and/or polishing substances of the type used for cleaning and polishing surfaces, particularly footwear, and comprising a grasping body, a reservoir for containing cleaning liquid and a sponge impregnated with said cleaning, inking and polishing substance, CHARACTERIZED in that it comprises a base (2) containing a reservoir (4) with active substance therein, the lid of which is a piston-membrane (6) having a porous and mobile surface relative to said base (2); said piston-membrane (6) of said reservoir (4) containing said active substance being provided with hermetic sealing means.

2. APPLICATOR (1), according to the preceding claim, CHARATERIZED in that said hermetic sealing means of said piston-membrane (6) consist of establishing two sealing circles (13 and 14) by means of an annular wall (12) having ends that are warped towards the walls of said base (2).

3. APPLICATOR (1), according to the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that the upper portion (3) thereof is formed by a grasping body (9), which by means of a support (8) holds in place the impregnable sponge (7) for applying the cleaning, polishing and/or inking substance.

4. APPLICATOR (1), according to the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that said piston-membrane (6) having orifices or pores is provided with at least one rib or lug (15) that extends into a symmetric cavity of said impregnable sponge (7).

5. APPLICATOR (1), according to the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that said base (2) is made from transparent plastic material.

6. APPLICATOR (1), according to the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that said grasping body (9) is provided with cavities (5) that afford convenient gripping thereof.

7. APPLICATOR (1), according to the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that said applicator (1), or at least the impregnable sponge (7) for application thereof, is pointed-shaped at an end for facilitating use thereof in hardly reachable places.

Drawing