Applicator device
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present application is directed to an applicator device, and more particularly to an applicator device and method for applying dye to hair. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     There have previously been known in the art devices such as &#34;fountain combs&#34; for applying solutions and the like to hair. These fountain combs generally consist of a hollow shaft into which an applied material is housed and a comb portion having apertures between the comb teeth through which the applied material is expelled. However, prior to the present invention, fountain combs and the like have been difficult to operate with one hand regardless of the dexterity or handedness of the operator and have been crudely assembled such that any applicator nozzle thereof expels an uncontrolled flow of material. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention overcomes the above problems found in the art by providing a hair dye applicator which is easily operated with a single hand to manually expel a controlled rate of flow of hair dye or the like from an applicator nozzle. 
     Further, the present invention allows for complete disassembly for cleaning purposes and includes at least a disposable plastic liner therein for receiving dye material. 
     Still further, the present invention allows for partial disassembly of a nozzle portion thereof in order to orient the applicator nozzle to accommodate the right or left handedness of the operator. 
     In addition, the hair dye applicator of the present invention is conveniently and easily operable even by an operator with small hands and avoids axial slippage of the piston member therein during use. 
     More specifically, the present invention provides an applicator comprising: a hollow tubular sleeve member having screw-threads on opposing open ends thereof; 
     an end cap threadably attachable to a first end of said sleeve member; 
     a discharge nozzle threadably attachable to a second end of said sleeve member; 
     a collapsible material receptacle removably fit within said sleeve member adjacent the second end thereof; and 
     a piston member slidable within said sleeve member; 
     wherein said piston member is manually actuable for compression against said material receptacle thereby extruding the contents of said material receptacle to said discharge nozzle; 
     said sleeve member including a longitudinally formed slot extending from the first end thereof to a position adjacent the second end of said sleeve member and a longitudinal protrusion formed on an inner surface thereof spaced a predetermined distance apart from said slot, and said piston member including an actuator member formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof and a longitudinal channel formed on the outer surface thereof such that said actuator member and said channel of said piston member mate, respectively, with said longitudinal slot and said longitudinal protrusion of said sleeve member, thereby avoiding twisting of said piston within said sleeve member upon manually sliding said piston member. 
     Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of a hair dye applicator according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2A is an exploded view of the hair dye applicator shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a mixing cap for use with the hair dye applicator of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view showing details of an applicator nozzle for use in the hair dye applicator of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the applicator nozzle mounted to a body portion of the hair dye applicator of the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view of an alternative applicator nozzle for use with the hair dye applicator of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of the alternative applicator nozzle shown in FIG. 5 attached to a body portion of the hair dye applicator of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring generally to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an applicator device 10, particularly for use in applying dye or tint to hair such that the applied material flows in an even pattern onto the hair with reduced time and effort on the part of an operator. 
     The applicator device 10 includes a hollow tubular housing or sleeve member 12, preferably formed of a thin shell of see-through plastic or the like to enable the operator to maintain visual contact with the contents of the applicator, thereby visually determining correspondence between a remaining amount of material and a remaining amount of hair to be coated. The tubular sleeve has a first end 14 and a second end 16 provided therewith, each of the first and second ends 14, 16, respectively being machined with screw-threads 18 thereon. Additionally, a longitudinal slot 26 is formed within the tubular sleeve which is open at the first end 14 of the tubular sleeve 12 and terminates at a point adjacent the screw-threads 18 of the second end 16. At a position spaced apart from the longitudinal slot 26, there is formed a longitudinal protrusion on an inner surface of the tubular sleeve 12. The functioning of each of the longitudinal slot 26 and the longitudinal protrusion 28 will be more fully described below. 
     As shown most clearly in FIG. 2, a discharge nozzle 32 is constructed as a two-piece member including an applicator collar 22 and an integrally formed piece having a disc shaped base 30, a material distributor housing or head 33 and a hollow stem portion 34 connecting the base 30 and the distributor head 33. The disc 30 is formed of a soft rubber material in order to enhance sealing of the nozzle to the tubular sleeve 12. The collar 22 has an opening 36 formed therein through which the stem portion 34 is slidably received. It can be seen that the disc shaped base 30 is in fact a flange type arrangement at the base end of the hollow stem 34 and that the hollow stem graduates into the distributor portion 33 of the discharge nozzle 32. Since the stem 34 and the discharge nozzle 33 are of a hollow construction, dye or tinting material will be extruded therethrough for application to hair via the distributor portion 33 once the discharge nozzle is attached to the tubular sleeve. In particular, upon screwing the collar 22 to the second end 16 of the tubular sleeve 12, the flange or disc base 30 will be forced into sealing contact against an inner surface of the collar, such that the stem 34 and distributor portion 33 extend freely above the collar 22, thereby removing the sliding motion between parts of the discharge nozzle. 
     A piston 40 is provided to be slidably received within the tubular housing, reciprocation of the piston occurring in a longitudinal direction of the tubular sleeve. As most clearly shown in FIG. 2, the piston 40 includes a manual actuator button 42 and a longitudinally formed recess 44 on an exterior surface thereof. When the piston 40 is inserted into the tubular sleeve 12, the actuator button slidably fits within the longitudinal slot 26 while the longitudinal recess 44 of the piston 40 mates with the longitudinal protrusion 28 of the tubular sleeve 12. The engagement of the piston 40 with the tubular sleeve 12 as described, enables the piston 40 to longitudinally reciprocate within the tubular sleeve 12 without incurring axial rotation thereof. Accordingly, upon manual actuation of the piston 40 by pressing ones thumb against the actuator button 42, an easy sliding motion will be imparted to the piston without painful or annoying slippage of the thumb from the actuator button. Thus, an even, slow, smooth dispensing of material will occur at the discharge nozzle 32, due to increased control by the operator. 
     In order to eliminate messy cleanup and to ensure smooth operability of the sliding piston 40, the material such as dye or tint is completely contained within a disposable plastic liner or bag 38. This bag 38 is merely inserted into the second end 16 of the tubular sleeve 12 with enough overlap of the bag 38 to fold over the screw-threads 18 of the tubular sleeve. Upon attachment of the discharge nozzle 32 to the tubular sleeve 12, the bag 38 will be securely held in place. As shown in FIG. 2B, there is additionally provided a mixing cap 24 which is also machined to threadably engage with the second end 16 of the tubular sleeve 12. Use of the mixing cap 24 will enable the operator to mix and store dye and tint within the tubular sleeve 12 for an extended period of time without loss of the material therein. 
     An additional unique feature of the applicator device 10 is the parting wand holder 46 for selectively retaining a parting wand 48 therein. The parting wand holder 46 may either be integrally formed with or attached to the exterior of the tubular sleeve 12, and is of a shape and material to elastically clip the parting wand 48 therein. In order to provide an operator-friendly applicator, a parting wand holder 46 is formed on opposing sides of the tubular sleeve 12. Thus, the parting wand may be conveniently snap fitted into either of the parting wand holders 46 for easy access thereto, regardless of right or left hand use of the applicator 10 by an operator. 
     The discharge nozzle of FIG. 1 is shown enlarged in order to examine the detail thereof, the features of the distributor head 33 being further shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4. In particular, the distributor head 33 includes a tubular base portion 60 interrupted by a plurality of comb teeth bases 50 formed therein at predetermined intervals defined by a corresponding plurality of openings 54. Each of the bases 50 are provided with angular extensions 52 above the surface of the tubular base portion 60. Dye or tint material compressed within the disposable bag 38 is forced through the stem 34 into the distributor housing 33 and is dispensed at the plurality of openings 54. The purpose of the tooth extensions 52 is to maintain the application of dye a predetermined distance away from the scalp. A preferred height of the tooth extensions 52 is 5.0 mm, but may be preformed of various other heights, as the industry demands. 
     As shown primarily in FIG. 4, the distributor housing 33 is positioned at a predetermined angle with respect to the stem 34. Because of this unique feature, the discharge nozzle 32 can be comfortably adjusted to accommodate both left and right handed operators. By simply loosening the collar portion 22 and rotating the distributor head 33 to a desired orientation and tightening the collar back down against the tubular sleeve 12, virtually any orientation of the discharge nozzle 32 may be achieved. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown a modification of the discharge nozzle portion of the applicator described above, whereby tinting of hair is performed. 
     All parts are identical to those described above with the exception of the distributor head and will not be renumbered or described again in connection with this embodiment. 
     The distributor head 33 includes a tubular base member 60 terminating in a longitudinally formed discharge opening 62. Adjacent each edge of the discharge opening 62, there is provided a nylon pad preferably 2 mm thick and 3.0 mm wide to enable an even distribution of tint mixture onto the hair strand. Similar to the dye distributor head described above, the tint distributor head 32 is mounted at a predetermined angle with respect to the stem portion 34 to facilitate use thereof in virtually any orientation by both left and right handed operators. 
     While the applicator device described above may be constructed of various shapes and sizes, the inventor has established preferred dimensions of selected parts thereof which particularly facilitate the dispensing of materials such as hair dye and hair tint which are mixed to desired consistencies and therefore require minimum opening dimensions to ensure a smooth, laminar flow and guarantee successful application of dye and tint to the hair. 
     For example, to enable the easy gripping of the tubular sleeve 12 by virtually any operator, the diameter thereof should be approximately 60.0 mm. The height of the piston 40 is 15.0 mm and the longitudinal slot 26 is 5.0 mm wide. The stem portion 34 of the discharge nozzle 32 is 10.0 mm in diameter and 25.0 mm in overall height. The diameter of the tubular base 60 of the distributor head 33 is 15.0 mm with the openings 54 thereof tapering from 3.0 mm at the base thereof to 1.5 mm adjacent the comb tooth extensions 52. Due to the differing consistency and reduced rate of application of the tint material, the tubular base 60 thereof is only 10.0 mm in diameter with the longitudinal opening having a 1.5 mm cross sectional dimension. 
     The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.