The present invention relates generally to the field of protecting people from the negative effects of ultra-violate rays, and specifically to methods and apparatus for applying sunscreen lotion to the body of a user.
The cosmetic and health-related dangers of being exposed to the ultra-violet (“UV”) rays found in sunlight have become a major concern of people worldwide. Among the negative effects resulting from UV ray exposure are skin cancer and increased “wrinkling” of the skin. Despite these dangerous and unwanted consequences, people continue to frequent beaches, pools, and resorts where they tend to spend substantial portions of their days exposed to the direct sunlight. One very common way in which people protect themselves from the harmful effects of the sun is to apply sunscreen lotion to their skin. Sunscreen contains compositions that shield the wearer's skin from the UV rays contained in sunlight. Thus, applying sunscreen to the skin allows the user to spend his or her day in the direct sunlight while minimizing the risk of the negative effects associated with such exposure.
The amount of UV ray protection that a sunscreen lotion provides to a user depends on a number of variables, such as frequency of application, the amount of sunscreen lotion applied per application, and the particular sun protection factor (“SPF”) of the sunscreen lotion being used. Sunscreen lotions come in various grades having SPF ratings, the most common of which vary from 2 to 45. The higher the SPF factor of a sunscreen lotion, the more protection that sunscreen lotion will provide to the user. For example, a sunscreen lotion having an SPF rating of 2 provides very little protection from UV rays as compared to a sunscreen lotion having an SPF rating of 45. However, because sunscreen lotion also prevents tanning of the skin, all users do not wish to maximize UV ray protection by choosing a sunscreen lotion with the highest possible SPF rating. Thus, what is considered a desirable grade of sunscreen lotion to be applied to the skin varies from person to person.
Currently, when a person is at a beach, pool, or other outside area and they desire to utilize the protective effects of sunscreen lotion, they apply the sunscreen lotion to their skin by squeezing the lotion from the bottle into their hands. Once in their hands, the sunscreen lotion is applied to the remaining areas of their skin by manually rubbing it on the skin. This manual application has a number of drawbacks, the most significant which is the inability of the user to reach all areas of their skin. Even with the help of a second person, uneven distribution of the sunscreen lotion can occur, resulting in an uneven tan or unwanted exposure of certain areas of the skin to UV rays. Thus, improved methods and apparatus for applying sunscreen lotion to the skin are needed.
While a number of apparatus do exist that are capable of automatically applying sunscreen lotion to the skin of a user, these apparatus have a number of deficiencies and are not suited for convenient outdoor use. Examples of such apparatus are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,122, Parker et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,593, McClain; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,192, McClain. Typically, these existing apparatus are used to apply sun-tanning compositions to the body of a user and are located indoors within tanning spas. User access to these apparatus is regulated by an operator or other person working at the spa. Because these apparatus are located indoors, the circuitry and other susceptible components of these machines are not adequately protected from outdoor elements. Nor are these apparatus designed to provide the necessary privacy to a user in an outdoor public setting. As such, these apparatus can not be positioned outdoors at such places as on a beach or near a pool, the exact places where people most often experience the immediate need to apply sunscreen lotion. In addition to not being physically adapted for outdoor use, existing apparatus can not be placed on beaches and achieve economic success because access to existing apparatus can not be restricted without hiring extra personnel to monitor and operate the machines and collect revenue. Thus, a need still exists for an economically efficient machine that can effectively apply sunscreen lotion to a user in an outdoor setting.