(19)Fresh off Patent
(45) Week of Oct 19, 2026 No. 7 3,667 lapsed 70 listed
Garden & Yard · lapsed Sep 4, 2026

Flexible aerosol wand for self-application of sunscreen

A spray system that connects a flexible, shape-retaining tube to an aerosol valve so a user can bend the tube to aim spray onto hard-to-reach body areas. The tube contains one or more malleable wires bonded in the tube wall and a nozzle at the distal end that atomizes the fluid into droplets; the nozzle is retained by an interference between a wire-formed loop and a ridge on an insert. Intended users are consumers applying topical aerosols such as sunscreen alone.

Sheet 1 of the patent drawingsSheet 2 of the patent drawingsSheet 3 of the patent drawings

(57) What the patent covered

This write-up was generated by AI from the patent's text and may contain mistakes, so check it against the original patent before relying on it.

Claim 1 requires: an aerosol canister with valve and valve actuator; a tube whose wall contains at least one malleable wire bonded into the sidewall that retains a user-configured shape and forms a circumferential loop at the tube’s distal end; and a nozzle with an insert that fits into the tube bore and whose ridge interferes with the wire loop to retain the nozzle. The nozzle must atomize material into droplets of a selected size range. Claim 9 recites the same features framed as a nozzle assembly.

Distinguishing feature: Embedding one or more malleable wires bonded in the tube wall that form a retaining circumferential loop at the tube tip and mechanically retain an insert-type nozzle by interference.

Novelty 3/5. Bendable applicator tubes and flexible wands for aerosols existed; the combination of wires bonded in the tube wall forming a loop that interferes with a nozzle insert was a specific improvement over common fixed-direction aerosol straw extensions.

Manufacturing

Extrude tube with wires placed into the wall during or after extrusion (co-extrusion or overmolding), cut to length, form distal circumferential loop of wire, injection-mold nozzle insert, assemble nozzle insert into tube by press-fit interference, attach tube to valve actuator (snap-fit or threaded) and perform final assembly.

Materials: Thermoplastic elastomer or polyethylene tube wall, Malleable metal wire(s), e.g. steel or copper alloy, Plastic nozzle insert, e.g. injection-molded polypropylene or ABS, Elastomeric gasket or seal (likely silicone or rubber).

Manufacturability 4/5. Parts are several simple components (extruded tube with embedded wire(s), injected nozzle/actuator) with hand or semi-automated press-fit assembly; requires tooling for extrusion dies and injection molds and handling of small metal wires.

Market demand

This design, or something very close to it, is on sale now. Typical retail price: $8–$15. SprayWhip explicitly markets as a bendable spray wand for self-application of sunscreen; Honu has public-facing messaging about spray wand technology; Banana Boat listing shows a continuous spray aerosol product commonly used for sunscreen.

Demand check by web search, week of Oct 12, 2026. Listings change frequently.

Buyers: Consumers applying aerosol sunscreen, insect repellent, or topical aerosols to hard-to-reach areas.

Sourcing

Factories list this type of product on supplier marketplaces, at about $2.85–$4.88 per unit with a typical minimum order of 400 units. Factory cost is roughly 19–61% of the typical retail price, before shipping, duties and marketplace fees. Listings are for flexible/wand-extensions or bendable spray triggers compatible with aerosol spray systems; many offer OEM/private-label customization, tooling, and packaging options, though exact product matching the sunscreen-specific design may vary by vendor.

Supplier prices are from public listings found by web search, quoted before customization, shipping and duties. Use them to decide whether to request a quotation.

Before manufacturing

No related continuation or divisional patents in force were found. Design patents, trademarks and unrelated patents may still cover the product.

None obvious; practical issues include atomizer/nozzle sizing for droplet size, secure sealing at valve/actuator, and durability of wire bond in the tube wall.

About 1.5% of lapsed patents are later revived by their owners. This page is a research lead, not legal advice. Obtain a freedom-to-operate opinion before manufacturing.

Claim 1, as granted

1. An aerosol applicator system for self-application of sunscreen, comprising: a canister in which is disposed the sunscreen and an aerosol propellant under pressure; a valve disposed in a top portion of the canister which opens upon being pressed to allow the sunscreen to be propelled out of the canister by the propellant through a valve stem that extends from the valve; a valve actuator mechanically coupled to the valve; a tube having a tube wall with a bore therein, and having a first end configured to be coupled to the valve actuator, the tube wall including at least one wire disposed in and bonded to the sidewall of the tube and which retains the tube in a shape upon being configured into the shape by a user and wherein a ridge is formed along the at least one wire within the bore or on an outside of the tube; and a nozzle coupled to a second end of the tube opposite the first end; wherein the at least one wire forms a circumferential loop at the second end of the tube, and wherein the nozzle includes an insert portion that fits within the bore of the tube at the second end of the tube, the insert portion including a ridge that interferes with the circumferential loop to retain the nozzle in the tube.