Systems and methods of preserving customized cosmetic products

Abstract

The disclosure herein teaches a method for preserving cosmetics, including hair dye, that are prone to oxidation. The method uses an apparatus for automatically sealing and resealing, so as to prevent oxidation immediately and thereafter the cosmetic products are dispensed, or breached, from their manufacturer packaging. In the proposed apparatus, this is done by producing negative pressure inside a chamber while the cosmetic product is inside an unsealed container within the chamber. The vacuum is produced by a pump connected to an on-off valve, which is directly or indirectly actuated under micro-controlled processes. The one-way flow of air from the chamber to the apparatus' exterior produces negative pressure inside the chamber. Packaging can be sealed by outside influence or sealed by the pressure difference between the outside environment and the inside of the packaging upon the rapid repressurizing of the chamber. These processes prevent oxidation or degradation of the cosmetic product therein. Data related to the properties of the sealed cosmetic product or products is captured and stored in the device in transient or permanent memory and aggregated, analyzed and retrieved at will by a user. Communication and interaction between user and machine can occur physically (using a switch and a luminous indicator), or wirelessly with a mobile device. The resulting product, created to unique specifications from the original manufacturer packaging, can now be stored for an extended period of time without significant degradation of the efficacy.

1 . A method of preserving a cosmetic product, comprising:
 obtaining at least one vessel configured to having a closure to allow for sealing and unsealing of the vessel;   preparing at least one cosmetic formulation;
 filling the at least one vessel with the prepared at least one cosmetic formulation; 
 partially sealing the vessel for the prepared cosmetic formulation, such that the closure is affixed but does not close off the prepared cosmetic formulation from the outside environment; 
 placing the at least one partially sealed vessel containing the prepared cosmetic formulation into a vacuum chamber; 
 starting the vacuum chamber such that the vacuum chamber removes at least some of the gaseous fluid inside the chamber and the vessel becomes completely sealed as a result of the difference in pressure between the interior of the vessel and the chamber environment when the chamber pressure normalizes; 
 opening the vacuum chamber once an indication is given to open the vacuum chamber; 
 checking the vessel and lid or other packaging to ensure that vessel is sealed; 
   wherein the cosmetic product is preserved after being dispensed from its original packaging.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the closure comprises an antioxidant tablet. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the vessel comprises an antioxidant tablet. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the vessel volume is replaced with inert gas acting as an antioxidant agent. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein vacuum chamber is connected wirelessly to a computing device. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the vessel comprises a uniquely identifiable tag. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the cosmetic formulation is prepared and filled by an automated dispensing system. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the automated dispensing system is located within the vacuum chamber such that the cosmetic formulation is prepared, filled and sealed in a closed environment within the vacuum chamber. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the indication is activated under microcontroller direction to detect a threshold repressurization indicating that the sealing process is complete. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the indication is in the form of sound, light, or digital format. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the computing device comprises an application interface to interact with the vacuum chamber. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the vacuum chamber comprises a weighing plate and a loadcell to measure and tare the container and subsequent cosmetic formulation. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the vacuum chamber includes a sensor to measure and detect the pressure of fluids in the system. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the system comprises a sensor to measure and detect the properties of fluids in the system. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the system comprises a sensor capable of detecting successful sealing by calculating inflow and outflow volumes.