Hands-free, refillable, skin ointment applicator

[0001] Priority is claimed from my provisional application No. 62/162,945 filed May 18, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The invention relates to a hands-free, refillable, skin ointment applicator adapted to be worn on a user's wrist to enable them to rub skin ointment such as lip balm or sun screen on their face without needing to use their hands. The invention also relates to a hands-free comestible holder for dipping the comestible in the user's mouth.

[0003] Many people need to apply an immediately protective skin ointment to their faces during active participation in athletic or sporting activities when they do not have a free hand, are reluctant or unable to remove bulky and cumbersome mittens, as when skiing or in very cold weather, while others, such as small children or geriatrics, often possess very poor manipulative skills.

[0004] Thus, there exists a need for a wearable skin ointment applicator which can be employed to rub skin ointment onto the user's face without hand/finger involvement.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,315 to Nordskog teaches a container with a removable cover for small articles such as coins, sun screen, lip balm or cosmetics, adapted to be attached to a user's wristband for availability, when worn, at all times.

[0006] However, removing the cover to enable access and, actually accessing the contents, cannot be achieved hands-free, clearly requiring manipulation of the cover by the user's fingers. Furthermore, following cover removal, user's fingers must then be employed to remove the contents from the container for subsequent application to facial skin.

[0007] It is one object of the invention to provide a wearable skin ointment applicator for hands-free application by users.

[0008] It is another object of the invention to provide a wearable skin ointment applicator which can be easily refilled by the user.

[0009] According to one aspect, the invention provides a skin ointment applicator wearable on the wrist area of a user and comprising a container retaining a reservoir of ointment as a stable mound upstanding from an open top, exposed for rubbing on the user's skin by relative movement of the wrist across the face; a cover integrally connected to the container for hands-free movement between a closed position, protectively covering the ointment mound and, an open position, exposing the ointment mound for rubbing access, respectively; means for retaining the cover in the closed position; and, a tab extending from the cover for gripping by the user's mouth to pull the cover away from the base to the open position.

[0010] Preferably, guide means are provided on the applicator to maintain closing alignment of the cover and open top during closing movement.

[0011] In one embodiment, the guide means comprises a web hinge integrally joining the cover and container. In another embodiment, the guide means comprises a pair of magnets positioned, respectively, on the cover and container to be brought into proximity in the closed position.

[0012] In the latter embodiment, the magnets also comprise the means for retaining the cover in the closed position.

[0013] Preferably, the magnets are received and retained in respective pockets formed in corresponding locations in the cover and container respectively.

[0014] In another embodiment, the applicator comprises a velcro wristband and the tab is velcro, inter-engagement of the tab and wristband constituting the means for retaining the cover in the closed position.

[0015] Preferably, the container comprises a base and, a refill comprising an ointment cartridge mountable, for user release, on the base.

[0016] It is also preferred that, the ointment cartridge comprises an ointment supporting platform having one or more ointment retaining protuberances upstanding from an upper face thereof embedded in the ointment mound for anchoring the mound of ointment on the platform during application by rubbing and, complementary mounting means on the base and cartridge for releasably mounting the cartridge on the base to enable user refill.

[0017] The ointment retaining protuberances may comprise a series of segmental plates extending spaced apart in opposed relation, across a rubbing direction.

[0018] In one embodiment, the means for mounting the refill cartridge for manual release on the base comprises resilient latching legs with respective finger pieces at upper ends and latching feet at lower ends and pivotally connected intermediate their ends to the perimeter of the platform, the base comprising a bottom wall and a retaining wall upstanding around a perimeter of the bottom wall and formed with vertical, latching leg receiving slots, such that, with the latching legs aligned with the respective slots, the cartridge can be pushed down onto the base wall with the legs sliding down the slots until the latching feet engage a perimeter of the bottom wall of the base in a snap action. The cartridge can be released from the bottom wall of the base by manually squeezing the finger pieces together thereby to rock (pivot) the latching feet apart out of engagement or, at least reduce the force of their engagement, with the bottom wall portion, releasing the cartridge to enable refill to be pulled manually out of the container base by the finger pieces over-riding any residual retention force from the feet, facilitated by forming the feet with a rounded surface of engagement.

[0019] In another embodiment, latching legs depend from the perimeter of the cartridge platform and have latching feet at lower ends, the base bottom wall is formed with a series of through sockets at aligned locations and a latching ledge juts out horizontally from an inner side wall of each socket intermediate the socket ends for latching engagement with outer catch surfaces on the respective legs. Release of the legs and cartridge are effected by manually urging the feet apart /outwards so as to disengage from the respective latching ledges.

[0020] The tab may be formed by a flexible strip of velcro or be relatively stiff and formed by a land of the cover. Preferably, the land contains a magnet receiving pocket and the tab is a fin upstanding therefrom.

[0021] An ointment retaining wall may upstand around the perimeter of the platform.

[0022] It will be appreciated that references to the wrist include the forearm and that the applicator may, of course, be worn over protective outer garments.

[0023] The applicator may be used to dispense other consumable products such as non flowable comestibles, including medicines, candy, especially hot pour products that cool or can be otherwise molded into a mound.

[0048] As shown particularly in FIGS. 1-7, a skin ointment applicator 1 comprises a open topped container 2 retaining a reservoir of ointment as a stable mound 3 upstanding from the open top 5, exposed for rubbing on the user's skin; a movable cover 7, recessed for receiving and protectively covering the ointment mound 3 when closed and integrally joined at one end to the container 2 by a web hinge 8; and, a Velcro wristband/strap assembly 10.

[0049] The wristband 10 comprises a central strip 11 of double-sided velcro, a lower, comfort , lining strip 12 of one-sided velcro having an upper, active side adhered to a lower side of the central strip 11. An upper strip 13 of double sided Velcro has one end portion 14 looped through an eye structure 15, integrally formed with a free end of the cover, and bent back to adhere to itself so as to be fastened to the free end of the cover 7 and with the other end portion 16 adhered, releasably, to the upper side of the central strip 11 forming a tab.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 4, the user can release the end portion 16 from the central strip 11 by pulling with their teeth, to raise the cover 7 to an open position exposing the mound 3 extending out from the container top for rubbing application to their skin. After ointment application, the cover 7 can be closed simply by pushing with the lips or chin and is guided back over the open tp 5 by the web hinge 8 and the Velcro end portion pressed back into adherence with the central strip 11, securing the cover in the closed position, protectively covering the ointment mound 3.

[0051] More particularly, the container comprises a base member 20 and a refill 21 mounted, releasably, on the base member.

[0052] The base member 20 comprises a flat bottom wall 23 around the periphery of which upstands a retaining wall 24 formed with a pair of vertical, slots 25 on respective opposite sided of the base member. A rectangular section, sleeve-like conduit 26 is formed integrally with the underside of the bottom wall 23 and threadingly receives and locates a medial portion of the central Velcro strip 11 to mount the base member on the strip, with the lower, one-sided, comfort strip 12 extending under the conduit also adhering to the strip 11.

[0053] As shown particularly in FIGS. 7 to 9, the refill 21 comprises a one-piece ointment cartridge 27 with an ointment supporting platform 28 having three segmental anchoring fins 29 extending there-across, upstanding from an upper, ointment bearing face 30 in spaced apart, face to face relation, preferably, transversely of a rubbing direction, for maintaining maximum ointment mound stability. As clear from a comparison of FIG. 8 and FIG. 5, 7 or 9, the fins are embedded in the ointment mound 3 to anchor the mound on the platform 28 during rubbing application to the skin.

[0054] The refill 21 comprises a pair of resilient latching legs 31 with respective finger pieces 32 and (cylindrical) latching feet 33 formed at upper and lower end portions, respectively, and integrally, pivotally connected at a location 35 intermediate their ends to the perimeter of the platform 28 . The refill can be mounted on the base member by registering the latching legs 31 in the respective slots 25 on the base member and pushing the cartridge down onto the bottom wall 23 with the legs sliding down the slots until the latching feet engage the periphery of the bottom wall 23 in a snap action. The cartridge can be manually released from the base member by a squeeze and pull action—manually squeezing the finger pieces 32 together to rock the latching feet 33 apart, out of engagement/or at least reduce their engagement with the bottom wall, releasing the cartridge, and pulling the finger pieces upward thereby removing the refill from the container base.

[0055] The flat top surface of the cover facilitates mounting a personal logo, portrait, or flat, solid state watch thereon as chosen by a user

[0056] In additional embodiments, for ease of understanding, elements identical to the first embodiment are indicated by the same reference numerals while modified elements are indicated by primed reference numerals.

[0057] In the second embodiment, shown in FIGS. 10 to 15, the principal modifications concern the structure of the container 2′ in that the retaining wall (24) is omitted from the base member 20′ so that the upper surface 23′ is essentially flat and, instead, a retaining side wall 35 upstands from the entire perimeter of the platform 28′ of the cartridge 27′. The cartridge has four, equi-spaced, latching legs 31′, (without finger pieces), which only depend from the periphery of the cartridge platform, (not above it), terminating in latching feet 33′ which clip, releasably over the periphery of the base at edge portions 36 (FIG. 13) with one leg passing through an aperture in the web hinge 8′

[0058] The base member can be made of a more flexible plastic material to permit easier release of the cartridge legs therefrom.

[0059] As the finger pieces have been omitted, (for example, to eliminate upstanding spigot structures), to release/de-mount the cartridge from the base member, the user must urge the latching feet apart using a suitable tool or their finger nails.

[0060] In other material respects, the structure and function are materially similar to the first embodiment

[0061] In the third embodiment, shown in FIGS. 16 to 22, for improved safety and comfort when worn, the applicator 1″, except for a cartridge of hard plastic, is made of a relative soft, rubber-like, material enabling the wrist band 10′ to be integrally formed with the base member 20″. The guide means comprises a pair of magnets 39 and 40, positioned, in respective pockets 41 and 42, formed in corresponding laterally extending lands 43 and 44, formed on the cover 7″ and base member 20″, respectively, to extend transversely of the strap 10″, aligned to be brought into proximity in the closed position (FIGS. 16 and 22), thereby also to secure the cover closed. The cover opens to a position extending transversely, clear of the wrist band, instead of overlying the wrist band, as in prior embodiments.

[0062] The bottom wall 23″, (FIGS. 19 and 20), is formed with four through-sockets 46 each having a latching ledge 47 jutting out horizontally, intermediate upper and lower ends which engages with a respective latching foot 33′ of the cartridge 27′, which is identical to that of the second embodiment.

In the latter embodiment, the magnets also comprise the means for retaining the cover in the closed position.

[0063] The cover release tab is formed by a flange/fin 53 upstanding from the land 43 on the cover, (FIGS. 16 and 17).

[0064] Release of the legs and cartridge from the base member are effected by manually urging apart (outwards) the exposed lower end portions of the feet, their release being aided by flexure of the base.

[0065] A fourth embodiment is a modification of the third embodiment as it does not employ a separate, removable, refill cartridge. Instead, the ointment anchoring fins 29′ and retaining wall 35′ are integrally formed with the base, as shown in FIG. 23.

[0066] It will be appreciated that references to the wrist include the forearm and that the applicator may, of course, be worn over protective outer garments.