Applicator device and cap

Claim 1

In a device comprising: (a) applicator means having a coating member at an end; (b) a closing cap having an open end defining an entry orifice and a closed end, said cap sealingly covering said end of said applicator means and thereby also covering the coating member of the applicator means, said closing cap defining a reservoir space in said closed end; (c) moistened reservoir means in said reservoir space of said closing cap for keeping the coating member moist; (d) a closing element in the closing cap movable between first and second positions, an open area within the closing element which surrounds the coating member when the closing element is in said second position, wherein when said closing element is in said first position it closes off the reservoir space from the open area and when said closing element is in the second position it opens the reservoir space to the open area; and (e) a means for moving the closing element into the first position when the closing cap is pulled off the applicator means whereby insertion of the applicator into the cap moves the closing element to the second position; the improvement wherein: (f) the closing cap has an inner collar near its entry orifice and a stop located opposite said entry orifice; (g) the closing element is a longitudinally elastic cap which, in said second position, surrounds the coating member, is shortened and is matched to the shape of the closing cap while remaining spaced from the inner wall of the closing cap; (h) said closing element has at the closing cap entry orifice an edge pressed axially by the applicator means during the attachment of the closing cap onto the applicator means and interacting with the collar, this edge being movable axially of the closing cap by means of the applicator means in such a way that the edge rests against the collar to substantially seal the reservoir space in the first position of the longitudinally elastic closing element, and is separated from the collar in the other position of the closing element; (i) the closing element has as end located opposite to the closing cap entry orifice, wherein the closing element end rests against the stop of the closing cap at the end located opposite said closing cap entry orifice for the coating member; (j) in the relaxed state of the closing element, the distance between the end of the closing element and said edge is no less than the distance between the stop of the closing cap and the collar of the closing cap; and (k) between said edge and said end of the closing element resting against the stop are means defining slits which open during the shortening of the closing element when the closing cap is attached onto the applicator means.