LIP BALM APPLICATOR AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A LIP BALM APPLICATOR

Abstract

A new lip balm applicator is described, which comprises an upper portion and a lower portion which have interengageable connecting means and a support for supporting a solidified lip balm material. The lower portion comprises supporting ribs formed on the inner surface of the lower portion and a lower opening having a closing lid and the solidified lip balm material is circumventing at least part of the supporting ribs. Further a novel method for manufacturing a lip balm applicator is described.

Claims

1. A lip balm applicator comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, which portions have interengageable connecting means for connecting the upper and lower portions, and a support for supporting a solidified lip balm material, wherein the lower portion comprises supporting ribs formed on the inner surface of the lower portion, which provide the support, whereas the supporting ribs are formed projecting from the inner surface essentially in a direction parallel to the central axis of the lower portion, and the lower portion comprises a lower opening having a closing lid and the solidified lip balm material is circumventing at least part of the projecting supporting ribs.

2. The lip balm applicator according to claim 1, wherein two or more supporting ribs are connected in the upper region of the lower portion by a bridging part.

3. The lip balm applicator according to claim 2, wherein two adjacent supporting ribs are connected in pairs in by an arcuate bridge.

4. The lip balm applicator according to claim 2, wherein the supporting ribs are interconnected by a ring as bridging part.

5. The lip balm applicator according to claim 1, wherein the upper portion comprises an outer spherical or ellipsoid part which is connected to an inner spherical or ellipsoid part that forms the mould and cover of the lip balm material.

6. The lip balm applicator according to claim 5, wherein the outer spherical or ellipsoid part is connected to the inner spherical or ellipsoid part by a snap-fit connection.

7. The lip balm applicator according to claim 5 wherein the outer and inner spherical or ellipsoid parts are spaced apart by a gap.

8. A method for manufacturing a lip balm applicator comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, which portions have interengageable connecting means for connecting the upper and lower portions, and a support for supporting a solidified balm material, wherein the method comprises following steps: forming on the inner surface of the lower portion supporting ribs projecting from the inner surface essentially in a direction parallel to the central axis of the lower portion, which supporting ribs provide the support, and providing the lower portion with a lower opening, which can be closed by a closing lid, the upper portion and the lower portion are assembled by interengaging the connecting means, the assembled lip balm applicator is then turned upside down, thereafter a liquified lip balm material is poured into the opening until at least part of the projecting supporting ribs are covered by the liquified balm material, and then the lip balm material is allowed to cool down in order to solidify and the opening is closed by the closing lid.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein two or more supporting ribs are formed to be connected in the upper region of the lower portion by a bridging part and at least the bridging part is covered by the liquified lip balm material.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the projecting supporting ribs are formed to be interconnected by a ring as bridging part.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0019] In the following, the invention is described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a lip balm applicator in perspective view in closed condition,

[0021] FIG. 2 shows the upper portion of the lip balm applicator,

[0022] FIG. 3 shows the lower portion of the lip balm applicator,

[0023] FIG. 4 shows a filling cup in a perspective view from above,

[0024] FIG. 5 shows the filling cup in a perspective view from below,

[0025] FIG. 6 shows the closure part of the lip balm applicator, and

[0026] FIG. 7 shows three cross-sections through the lip balm applicator in three different production stages.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] In the figures, the same reference numbers are used for the same elements.

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a lip balm applicator 1 with an upper portion 2, a lower portion 3 and a closure lid 4. The lip balm applicator 1 has a rotational symmetrical shape. As can be seen from this figure, the upper portion 2 has a half-ellipsoid shape, like the top of an egg. The lower portion 3 has partly a frusto-spherical shape which is cut-off at the lower end.

[0029] In FIG. 2 the upper portion 2 is depicted in perspective view from below. At the lower end 5 a ring 6 is provided with an inner thread 7 and adjacent to the ring 6 a ring-shaped connecting means 8 with a plurality of inner protrusions 9 is provided. The inner protrusions 9 are provided at a distance to each other by the width of an individual protrusion. The inner thread 7 has an incision 10, which is used for a click connection with the lower portion 3 (see below).

[0030] In FIG. 3 the lower portion 3 is shown in a perspective view from above. At the outer upper end 11 an outer thread 12 is provided, which is commensurate to the inner thread 7. Thus, the inner thread 7 and the outer thread 12 provided an interengageable connecting means for the upper portion 2 and the lower portion 3. At the inner wall 13 of the lower portion 3 supporting ribs 14 are provided, which are projecting to the inside and are directed parallel to the central axis A of the lip balm applicator 1 and thus of the lower portion 3 (see FIG. 7A). Adjacent projecting ribs 14 in pairs are connected at the upper end 11 by a curved narrow bridge 15. There are four pair of bridged projecting ribs 14 which face each other. The lower end 16 of the lower portion 3 has a circular opening 17. All projecting ribs 14 may also be interconnected by a ring or the like. The thread 12 shows a wedge-shaped stop element 18 and a protruding click element 19, which engages with the incision 10 of the upper portion 2, when the upper portion 2 and the lower portion 3 are interengaged by a screwing action. The upper portion 2 and the lower portion 3 can easily be disengaged by a counter-screwing action whereas there is a little friction between the protruding click element 19 and the incision 10.

[0031] FIGS. 4 and 5 show a filling cup 20 in perspective view from above and from below respectively. The filling cup 20 has an ellipsoidal shape and is provided with a broader outer rim 21, on which an upper ring 22 with outer protrusions 23, which are distributed over the ring 22 with a larger width of about ten times the width of an individual protrusion 23. As immediately can be seen, the protrusions 9 and 23 have the same shape and thus the same width.

[0032] FIG. 6 shows the closure lid 4, which is shaped as a flat circular disc 26 with an upper ring-shaped rim 27, which is provided with an inner step 28 towards the outer edge 29 of the disc 26. This closure lid 4 is provided for closing the opening 18 of the lower portion 3.

[0033] In FIGS. 7A to 7C a cross-section of the lip balm applicator 1 are shown. FIG. 7A shows the central axis A of the lip balm applicator 1. In FIG. 7A the lip balm applicator 1 is empty, in FIG. 7B the lip balm applicator 1 is filled with a lip balm 30 which partly circumvents the projecting ribs 14 and the curved narrow bridge 15. In FIG. 7C the lip balm applicator 1 closed with the closure lid 4 is ready for use.

[0034] In order to provide a lip balm applicator 1 ready for use, the upper portion 2, the filling cup 20 and the lower cup 3 are assembled, i.e. the filling cup 20 is snap fitted into the upper portion 2 by interengaging the outer protrusions 23 with the inner protrusions 9, i.e. one outer protrusion 23 is pinched between two adjacent inner protrusions 9. In this manner the filling cup 20 is part of the upper portion 2, whereas the filling cup 20 and the upper portion 2 are spaced apart by a gap. Thereupon, the upper portion 2 is interengaged with the lower portion 3 by the inner thread 7 and and the outer thread 12. The present invention is not limited in this regard, as any other locking mechanism as bayonet connection or the like can be used to frictionally connect the upper portion 2 with the lower portion 3.

[0035] The assembled lip balm applicator 1 with the open opening 17 is turned upside down and filled with hot liquified lip balm material 30 until at least the curved narrow bridges 15 of the lower portion 3 are covered by the liquified lip balm. After that the lip balm material 30 is allowed to cool down in order to solidify. The open lip balm applicator 1 is then closed by the closure lid 4.

[0036] While the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to a particular embodiment thereof, it should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications to this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present.