FORM-2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
& THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10 and Rule 13)
HAIR PRODUCT APPLICATION DEVICE
MARICO LIMITED, an Indian company, of, 7th Floor, Grande Palladium, 175, CST Road, Kalina, Santacruz (E), Mumbai, 400098, India
The Following Specification particularly describes the Invention and the manner in
which it is to be performed

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of hair care, and more particularly to a device and method for applying a hair product, such as a hair colorant, to the hair.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hair colouring in general is considered to be a tedious and cumbersome procedure. Current hair colouring procedures are associated with the drawbacks such as, time consuming and messy process, stains on hands and head. There is no convenient or instant way for colouring partially white / grey hair without staining the scalp and hand.
Most of the products currently available in market require a substantial amount of time to dye the hair and hence have to be retained on the head for a longer duration.
Today consumers need a product which can give them the benefit instantly to cope up with their busy schedule. The working population needs a hair colouring method to dye their hair in a very short time so that they can be ready to go out in a short time.
Dispensers and applicators for hair dye and hair care cosmetics are generally known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,305 purportedly discloses an apparatus for applying dye to hair which includes a tubular housing with an end cap that has a nozzle and stem for applying the dye to the hair. The housing contains a movable piston which the user may actuate to compress and thereby extrude the hair dye through the nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,298 purportedly discloses a device that includes a tubular element containing multiple storage compartments, each compartment containing an absorbent material. The absorbent materials may each contain a different component of a hair dye solution. The hair dye component is provided from each of the absorbent materials to multiple tines where the components are mixed together. The mixture may then be applied from the tines to the hair to be dyed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,647 purports to disclose a hair dye dispenser containing a motor that rotates an absorbent material to thereby transfer by centrifugal force hair dye from the

absorbent material to a second absorbent material located radially outward from the first absorbent material. The second absorbent material is disposed external to the dispenser for applying the hair dye to the hair.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,557 discloses a hair colorant applicator in the form of a hollow comb that applies colorant only to the base of a user's hair, easily and quickly, in order to color newly emerged hair without deepening the color of the rest of the hair.
U.S Pat. No. 5,964,226 discloses an apparatus and method for applying a hair product, such as hair colouring, to hair that can be easily used and instantly accessible, without the need to mix or pour components or ingredients, for colouring hair with any color desired.
The methods and devices known in the art fail to provide an apparatus or method as disclosed herein for applying hair products, such as hair dye, to hair in a manner that is simple to use, reliable and inexpensive to manufacture which could be used as a disposable unit, or alternatively be adapted to be simply refillable.
The present invention provides the necessary solutions such as convenience to use and apply, less time to apply the hair colorant, no staining on the scalp and hands and a ready to use design.
The present invention is also related to a hair product applicator integrated with a combing facility for better product spread ability.
The present invention provides a comb design that prevents scalp from dye stains and also enables in the convenience to use.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is provision of an application device with combing facility that applies hair product to the hair easily and quickly, without hassle.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a application device that includes a barrel body with a reservoir tank inside to receive a hair product or hair colouring substance,

with an opening or port by which the inside of the reservoir communicates with the outside. The device includes a felt or applicator tip disposed in the opening, the felt having a first end disposed on the inside of the reservoir and a second end disposed outside of the reservoir, and a cap adapted to cover the second end of the felt and to seemingly connect to the barrel.
Another object of invention is the design of the application device that is created to easily use and instantly colour the grey / white hair specifically near the root / scalp of the user's hair and randomly spread across.
Yet another object of invention is to replace the tradition way of hair colouring which involves a laborious and difficult process.
Another object of the invention is to provide the application device with a combing facility which aligns the hair during hair product application to have a better spreadability and avoid stains on scalp during hair product application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A hair product application device comprises a main body with a reservoir place inside the main body which contains a hair product or hair colouring substance, an integral applicator having a first portion disposed inside the reservoir and a second portion disposed through an opening to the outside of the main body, and a top cap adapted to cover the second portion of the applicator and sealingly attach to the main body. The applicator transports the hair product from the reservoir to the outer surface of the second portion of the applicator by capillary action, from where the hair product may be transferred by direct contact to the hair to be treated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a hair product application device according to the present
invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of felt and felt holder assembly of a hair product application
device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a hair product application device according to the present
invention.
FIG. 4 is a front view showing assembly of reservoir and bottom cap of a hair product
application device according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a front view showing the angle of felt / comb of a hair product application device
according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a comb structure showing the gap G between each teeth of the
hair product application device according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The hair product application device 100 comprises of a housing assembly which acts as a felt holder through which the hair product is dispensed. Moreover, a comb-like structure is formed on the felt holder or felt housing that aids in convenience to use, better product spread ability and prevent the scalp from dye stains.
Various shapes for the felt can be provided such as rectangle, square, ellipse, round, or a combination of geometrical shapes. The shape of the felt on the elevation is dependent more on the shape of the said felt housing.
FIG. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, designated generally as device 100, having a barrel 1 that defines a reservoir 4 which is secured inside the barrel 1. The reservoir 4 is a substantially closed region having an opening through which a hair product or hair care solution can be delivered from the device 100 to the hair. The hair product or hair care solution may include, for example, hair colouring substances such as permanent, semi-permanent, washable, or leave-in hair dye, hair bleach, hair frosting, or other solutions for the treatment of hair, such as conditioners or setting solutions. A felt or applicator tip 5, which is partially contained within the reservoir 4 and partially outside the reservoir 4, interacts with the inside of the reservoir 4 in order to absorb hair care solution and deliver it to the outside of the reservoir 4, for example, by capillary action.
The opening of the reservoir 4 may be adapted to receive the applicator tip 5. The applicator tip 5 may be, for example, felt, fibre, sponge rubber, or any other material capable of felting a hair care solution from the reservoir 4 to the outer surface of the applicator tip 5 by capillary

action. The applicator tip 5 is disposed in the opening of the reservoir 4 having a first portion 5.1 of the applicator tip 5 inside the reservoir 4 and second portion 5.2 exposed outside the reservoir 4. The applicator tip 5 is positioned in manner that it fits well within the opening so that there is no passage of air between the outside and the inside of the reservoir 4. This may also be accomplished by properly shaping the applicator tip 5 with a groove or other opening to accomplish the pressure equalization. Allowing pressure equalization may, for example, avoid a pressure differential that hinders the flow of hair care solution through the applicator tip 5 from the inside to the outside of the reservoir 4.
Dispensing means, preferably formed from either fibrous or porous materials, which include a small sponges, felt, or the like material pad, may be inserted into the opening. These dispensing means are effective to draw out by capillary action the liquid products contained in the internal passageway and issue and distribute said liquids during the product application.
The device further comprises a felt holder or felt housing 6 according to FIG. 2 to hold and secure the felt 5 in place. Extension A and Extension B as shown in FIG. 2 can vary depending on the size of the application device. The said felt holder or felt housing 6 also comprises a comb structure 7 that is formed at the top and serves as a comb to brush the hair during the application of hair product. The said felt holder 6 has a curvy profile as the extension to the integrated comb 7 that can align and help in the proper fitment of the felt 5. The adjacent wall which follows the curvy profile is extended to the base which helps in holding the felt 5. As presented in FIG. 3, the comb structure comprises of teeth 9. The number of teeth 9 varies depending on the felt housing structure.
According to FIG. 4, the reservoir is fitted in the bottom cap 3. The reservoir is inserted into the blind hole 8 in the bottom cap 3. The bottom cap 3 along with the reservoir is fitted by a snap lock. The bottom cap 3 is made as a unitary structure that receives the reservoir as well as the barrel 1, which is the outer casing. The barrel 1 is provided with the provision to receive the felt holder or felt housing structure 6. The felt holder or felt housing 6 secures a felt 5 within its structure. When the whole assembly of felt holder or felt housing 6 and the felt 5 placed in the felt holder or felt housing 6, the felt 5 is easily disposed into the reservoir tank 4.

A cap 2 is also provided which engages with application device barrel body 1. The top cap 2 is made of any suitable plastic material that has good strength and stability. The top cap 2 has grooves formed on the inner side. The grooves formed on the inner side of the top cap 2 engage the projections that are formed on the barrel body 1 around the neck portion by snap lock to form a closure assembly. During use, the top cap 2 has to be removed from the barrels neck to access the dispensing facility.
Further, the dispensing action of the hair product from the device is due to a capillary action. The product is filled in the reservoir tank 4 where, it is transferred from the reservoir tank 4 to the other component which is the felt 5 that is made of combination of polymers e, g. PE, PP, PS, TPE by capillary action.
In practice, the user grasps the hair product application device. The hair product that is stored in the reservoir tank 4 is conveyed to the felt 5 through capillary action. The reservoir is made of polymer fibres and is cushiony as a sponge. The hair product which is in the liquid state is dosed by the way of injecting the liquid or by the capillary force. Due to the placement of the reservoir in an upright position in the product bath, the fibres absorb the product by capillary force. The hair product is then conveyed from the bottom portion of the felt 5 to the top portion of the felt 5. The user places the teeth 9 of the comb against the scalp at the front of the head. The application device with the comb is drawn through the hair to the back of the head while maintaining contact of the tips witii the scalp. By the capillary action, the hair product is dispensed to force the hair product onto the hair. Upon reaching the back of the head, the application device with comb is withdrawn from the head and placed on the scalp at the front of the head beside the previous pass. This process is repeated until the entire hair has been covered. The specially designed comb structure 7 is designed in such a way that during application, the felt 5 doesn't touch or interact with scalp or skin preventing the stains. The comb structure 7 is designed to an angle which ranges from 1 to 89 degrees that provides good ergonomic feature during application.
The present invention may be explained further by way of an example for a better understanding and is not to be considered to be limiting. The hair application device according to the present invention can have various shapes for the felt such as, rectangle, square, ellipse, round or combinations thereof. The shape of the felt on the elevation is dependent on the felt housing. The angle of the felt or comb structure may range from 1 to 89

degree as shown in FIG. 5. The width of the said felt or comb structure can range from 3mm to 25mm with the number of teeth on the comb varying from 2 to 7 depending to the comb structure. The gap between each tooth on the comb may vary from 0.5mm to 5mm. As shown in the Fig. 2, Extension A ranges from 0.25mm to 2mm and Extension B ranges from 0.25mm to 2mm.
While the present invention is capable of various modifications and alternate constructions, it is not intended to limit the invention. Rather, it is intended to cover ali modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the claims.

CLAIMS
1. A hair product application device comprising a dispensing part having
i) an outer body portion forming a hollow portion to house a tank-like structure that acts as
a reservoir that supplies the product to the dispensing means; ii) a top cover portion adapted as a closure means; iii) a bottom cover portion adapted for receiving the outer body portion of the said
dispensing unit and the said tank-like structure; iv) a dispensing means for dispensing the product; and v) a housing structure integrally and/or angularly connected with a plurality of teeth.
2. The application device according to claim 1, wherein the said dispensing unit is provided with a felt that acts as the uniform dispenser.
3. The application device according to claims 1-2, wherein the said felt has a top end and a bottom end, with the bottom end of the felt being disposed in the reservoir and the top end of the felt being disposed outside the barrel, and the product being delivered from the bottom end of the felt to the top end of the felt.
4. The application device according to claim 1, wherein the said dispensing unit comprising a -housing structure integrally connected with a plurality of teeth wherein the structure is
formed at an angle.
5. The application device according to claim 4, wherein, the said housing structure embraces
and secures the felt in place with the reservoir.
6. The application device according to claim 4, wherein the said housing structure is integrally connected with a plurality of teeth that represent a comb-like structure.
7. The application device according to claim 6, wherein the said plurality of teeth that represent a comb-like structure have extensions.
8. The application device according to claim 4, wherein the said housing structure has a provision to fit with the barrel from the top wherein the said barrel is further provided with a provision to receive the housing structure.

9. The application device according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of teeth connected with
the said housing structure has extensions is proportionately varied with the size of the
application device.
10. The application device according to claim 1, wherein the said bottom cover which
embraces the reservoir is snap-fitted with the said barrel.