Refill System and Cosmetic Package Incorporating Same

Abstract

Refill systems and cosmetic packages having such refill systems are provided herein. In some embodiments, a cosmetic package includes: a base having an inner volume and a drive post disposed proximate a bottom of the base, the drive post extending into the inner volume; a refill cartridge configured to be removably disposed within the inner volume of the base, the refill cartridge including a recess configured to mate with the drive post; and a cap configured to rest on the base and enclose the refill cartridge within the inner volume.

Claims

1. A cosmetic package, comprising: a base having an inner volume and a drive post disposed proximate a bottom of the base, the drive post extending into the inner volume; a refill cartridge configured to be removably disposed within the inner volume of the base, the refill cartridge including a recess configured to mate with the drive post; and a cap configured to rest on the base and enclose the refill cartridge within the inner volume.

2. The cosmetic package of claim 1, wherein the drive post and the recess each have an octagonal shape.

3. The cosmetic package of claim 1, wherein the drive post includes a relief feature along an upper edge of the drive post.

4. The cosmetic package of claim 3, wherein the relief feature is a chamfer.

5. The cosmetic package of claim 3, wherein the recess includes a relief feature along a lower edge of the recess.

6. The cosmetic package of claim 5, wherein the drive post relief feature and the recess relief feature are each a chamfer.

7. The cosmetic package of claim 1, wherein the recess includes a relief feature along a lower edge of the recess.

8. The cosmetic package of claim 7, wherein the relief feature is a chamfer.

9. The cosmetic package of claim 1, wherein the refill cartridge is magnetically retained in the base.

10. The cosmetic package of claim 9, further comprising: a magnet disposed proximate the bottom of the base, wherein the refill cartridge has a bottom formed of a magnetic material.

11. The cosmetic package of claim 10, wherein the bottom of the refill cartridge is steel.

12. The cosmetic package of claim 9, wherein a separation force to separate the refill cartridge and the base when magnetically coupled together is 0.1 to 3 kgf.

13. The cosmetic package of claim 1, wherein the cap and the base are configured to magnetically retain the cap on the base.

14. A cosmetic package, comprising: a base having an inner volume and a bottom plug disposed proximate a bottom of the base, the bottom plug including a drive post extending into the inner volume; an annular magnet disposed atop the bottom plug and having the drive post extending through the central opening of the annular magnet; a refill cartridge configured to be removably disposed within the inner volume of the base, the refill cartridge having a bottom formed of a magnetic material and including a recess configured to mate with the drive post; and a cap configured to rest on the base and enclose the refill cartridge within the inner volume.

15. The cosmetic package of claim 14, wherein the cap and the base are configured to magnetically retain the cap on the base.

16. The cosmetic package of claim 14, wherein the drive post and the recess each have an octagonal shape.

17. The cosmetic package of claim 14, wherein at least one of the drive post or the recess includes a relief feature to facilitate alignment of the recess with the drive post.

18. The cosmetic package of claim 17, wherein the relief feature is a chamfer.

19. The cosmetic package of claim 14, wherein a separation force to separate the refill cartridge and the base when magnetically coupled together is 0.1 to 3 kgf.

20. A cosmetic package, comprising: a base having an inner volume and a bottom plug disposed proximate a bottom of the base, the bottom plug including a drive post extending into the inner volume, wherein the drive post is octagonal and includes a chamfer along an upper edge of the drive post; an annular magnet disposed atop the bottom plug and having the drive post extending through the central opening of the annular magnet; a refill cartridge configured to be removably disposed within the inner volume of the base, the refill cartridge having a bottom formed of a magnetic material and including an octagonal recess configured to mate with the drive post, the recess having a chamfer disposed along a lower edge of the recess to facilitate alignment of the recess with the drive post; and a cap configured to rest on the base and enclose the refill cartridge within the inner volume, wherein the cap and the base are configured to be magnetically retained to each other.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Embodiments of the present disclosure, briefly summarized above and discussed in greater detail below, can be understood by reference to the illustrative embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the appended drawings. However, the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic, cross-sectional side view of a cosmetic package having a refill system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 2 is partial, close-up view of a bottom portion of the cosmetic package of FIG. 1.

[0010] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional side view of a bottom portion of a refill cartridge for a cosmetic package having a refill system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a portion of a base of a refill cartridge of a cosmetic package having a refill system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 5 is an isometric top view of a portion of a base of a refill cartridge of a cosmetic package having a refill system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 6 is an isometric bottom view of a refill cartridge for a cosmetic package having a refill system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 7 is a top view of a base of a cosmetic package having a refill system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 8 is a bottom view of a base of a cosmetic package having a refill system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 9 is an exploded schematic side view showing interrelation of major components of a cosmetic package having a refill system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. The figures are not drawn to scale and may be simplified for clarity. Elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Embodiments of refill systems and cosmetic packages having such refill systems are provided herein. Although the refill system and cosmetic package described herein illustratively holds lipstick, the inventive refill systems and cosmetic packages can be used to store and apply any liquid or solid cosmetics, including fragrances. The inventive refill systems and cosmetic packages disclosed herein advantageously provide a convenient refillable package having a sleek, attractive, and easy to use refill cartridge.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic, cross-sectional side view of a cosmetic package 100 having a refill system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The cosmetic package 100 generally includes a cylindrical base 102, cap 104, and refill cartridge 106. The refill cartridge 106 is disposed within an opening of the base 102 and removably coupled to the base 102 such that the refill cartridge 106 can be completely removed and replaced after refilling or with a different refill cartridge. The cap 104 is configured to fit over a portion of the refill cartridge 106 that protrudes above the base 102 and to rest on the base 102 to protect the refill cartridge 106 (and any product contained therein).

[0020] In some embodiments, the cap 104 includes an outer cap 108 and an inner cap 110. A cap weight 112 can be disposed between the outer cap 108 and the inner cap 110 to provide improved feel and stability in the cap 104. The cap weight can be any suitable material with sufficient mass to provide a desired weight given the size of the cap weight 112, such as iron, steel, or the like. In some embodiments, a magnet 114 can be disposed proximate to a bottom portion of the cap 104 to facilitate securely retaining the cap 104 on the base 102, as discussed in more detail below. For example, the magnet 114 can be disposed between the outer cap 108 and the inner cap 110 to more securely retain the magnet 114 within the cap 104 and/or to hide the magnet 114 from view. The magnet 114 can be any suitable magnet having a magnetic strength that is strong enough to retain the cap 104 when disposed on the base 102 and that is weak enough to facilitate manual removal of the cap 104 by a user. For example, in some embodiments, a separation force between the cap 104 and the base 102 can range from 0.1 to 3 kilogram-force (kgf), such as about 0.3 to 2 kgf. In some embodiments, the magnet 114 can be a neodymium magnet, such as but not limited to an N33 or N38 magnet or the like. Alternatively or in combination, in some embodiments the cap 104 can be retained on the base 102 with the same separation forces by, for example, providing a snap or friction fit between the cap 104 and the base 102.

[0021] The base 102 generally includes an outer shell 118 that surrounds the components of the base 102 and provides a sleek, unified outer appearance and/or more finished look. The outer shell 118 surrounds an annular inner shell 120 having a central opening to an inner volume configured to receive the refill cartridge 106. The inner shell 120 can be glued or otherwise fixed to the outer shell 118. A base plug 122 can be disposed at the bottom of the inner shell 120. The base plug 122 can be secured in any suitable manner to the bottom of the inner shell 120 (e.g., press fit, bonded, pinned, screwed, or the like). A drive post 124 extends from base plug 122 axially along a central axis of the base 102 into the hollow central opening of the inner shell 120. The drive post 124 interfaces with the refill cartridge 106 to control dispensing or position of product contained in the refill cartridge 106 as discussed in more detail below. The drive post 124 and the base plug 122 can be separate components coupled together or the drive post 124 and the base plug 122 can be formed from a single piece of material.

[0022] In some embodiments, the drive post 124 can include an opening 136 to reduce the weight of the base plug 122 and the amount of material used in fabricating the base plug 122. The opening 136 can also provide a region for air flow during insertion of refill cartridge 106 to facilitate ease of insertion. FIG. 7 depicts a top view of the base plug 122 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure to more clearly show one exemplary configuration of the drive post 124 and the protrusion 210 (discussed below with respect to FIG. 2). FIG. 8 depicts a bottom view of the base plug 122. As shown in FIG. 8, in some embodiments, the base plug 122 can be hollow and can include one or more ribs 802 defining one or more recesses 804. Although two perpendicular ribs 802 defining four recesses 804 are shown, other numbers of ribs can be provided at varying angles to define different numbers of recesses. Alternatively, ribs 804 can be omitted and the base plug 122 can be solid or the base plug 122 can be hollow with a single recess 804.

[0023] Returning to FIG. 1, a magnet 126 can be disposed atop the base plug 122. In some embodiments, the magnet 126 can be secured mechanically between the base plug 122 and a ledge formed in the inner shell 120, for example, by providing a counterbore into the bottom portion of the inner shell 120. In some embodiments the magnet 126 can alternatively or additionally be glued or otherwise bonded to the base plug 122. In some embodiments, one or more protrusions (e.g., protrusion 210 shown in FIGS. 2 and 7) can extend from the upper surface of the base plug 122 to support the magnet 126 in a spaced apart relation to the base plug 122, forming a gap therebetween. An adhesive or other bonding agent can be disposed in the gap to secure the magnet 126 to the base plug 122. The magnet 126 can have a ring shape to allow the drive post 124 to extend through and beyond the magnet 126.

[0024] The magnet 126 can be any suitable magnet having a magnetic strength that is strong enough to retain the refill cartridge 106 when disposed in the base 102 during use and handling of the cosmetic package and that is weak enough to facilitate manual removal of the refill cartridge 106 by a user. For example, in some embodiments, a separation force between the magnet 126 and the refill cartridge 106 can range from 0.1 to 3 kilogram-force (kgf), such as about 0.3-1.2 kgf. In some embodiments, the magnet 126 can be a neodymium magnet, such as but not limited to an N33 or N38 magnet, or the like.

[0025] At the top of the inner shell 120, an annular shoulder 128 can be disposed partially within the inner shell 120, with an upper portion of the shoulder 128 extending axially from the inner shell 120 (and beyond the outer shell 118 as well). The shoulder 128 can be held in place in any suitable manner, such as by gluing or bonding or by friction such as press fit, detent, interlock, or the like. In some embodiments, an annular groove can be provided in the inner shell 120 configured to mate with a corresponding annular protrusion formed on the outer wall of the shoulder 128. Pressing the shoulder 128 into the inner shell 120 elastically deforms at least one of the shoulder 128 or the inner shell 120 to allow the protrusion to move into the groove and secure the shoulder 128 in place. The shoulder 128 facilitates alignment of the cap 104 on the base 102.

[0026] A base ring 130 may be disposed at a top end of the outer shell 118, adjacent to the shoulder 128. The base ring 130 provides a flat upper surface for mating with the cap 104. The base ring 130 may include an inner lip extending downward from the upper surface. A magnet 116 can be disposed in the region bounded by the upper surface and inner lip of the base ring 130, inner wall of the outer shell 118, and upper surface of the inner shell 120. The magnet 116 operates in conjunction with the magnet 114 of the cap 104 to facilitate securely retaining the cap 104 on the base 102. The magnet 116 can be any suitable magnet having a magnetic strength that is strong enough to retain the cap 104 when disposed on the base 102 and that is weak enough to facilitate manual removal of the cap 104 by a user. For example, in some embodiments, a separation force between the cap 104 and the base 102 can range from 0.1 to 3 kilogram-force (kgf), such as about 0.3-2 kgf. In some embodiments, the magnet 116 can be a neodymium magnet, such as but not limited to an N33 or N38 magnet, or the like. In some embodiments, one of the magnet 114 or the magnet 116 can be replaced with a magnetic material.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1 but also in greater detail in FIG. 2, the refill cartridge 106 is configured to be movably disposed within the central opening of the base 102 (as indicated by arrows in FIG. 2). For example, the refill cartridge 106 is configured to be placed into and retained in the central opening of the base 102, and selectively covered or enclosed by the cap 104, and can be manually removed from the base 102. A gap 208 is disposed between the refill cartridge 106 and the base 102 to facilitate insertion and removal as well as relative rotation therebetween.

[0028] The refill cartridge 106 generally includes an outer shell 132 having an inner volume. The refill cartridge is configured to be retained within the base 102 by the magnetic field provided by the magnet 126. For example, a bottom 134 of the refill cartridge 106 may be formed of a magnetic material, such as iron, steel, or the like. Alternatively, a magnetic material may be disposed above but proximate to the bottom 134 of the refill cartridge 106 such that the magnetic field of the magnet 126 provides suitable attractive force to retain the refill cartridge 106. The bottom 134 of the refill cartridge can also provide a mass or weight to the refill cartridge 106 to advantageously provide enhanced feel and improved manual handling and alignment of the refill cartridge 106.

[0029] The bottom 134 of the refill cartridge 106 is configured to interface with the drive post 124 of the base plug 122. For example, the bottom 134 can include a recess 202 (as shown in FIG. 2) having a size and shape to receive the drive post 124 with enough clearance to allow the bottom 134 of the refill cartridge 106 to rest on the bottom of the base 102 (e.g., on the magnet 126). The drive post 124 and the recess 202 can generally include any suitable lock-and-key configuration. However, in some embodiments, the drive post 124 and the recess 202 have an octagonal shape. The inventors have discovered that the octagonal shape advantageously provides sufficient robust force transfer to the refill cartridge 106 while simultaneously facilitating ease of alignment of the refill cartridge 106 to the drive post 124 as compared to other shapes or configurations. For example, the inventors have discovered that, with the octagonal shape, the refill cartridge 106 can more easily align with, and in many cases to self-align with, the drive post 124. The octagonal shape further is relatively easy to manufacture and provides a long lifetime by resisting deformation or breakage as compared to shapes having sharper corners or thinner portions.

[0030] As best depicted in FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the entrance to the recess 202 can include a relief feature 204, such as a radius, bevel, chamfer, or the like. In some embodiments, the relief feature 204 is a chamfer at an angle of about 30 to about 60 degrees. Alternatively or in combination, the drive post 124 can include a relief feature 206, such as a radius, bevel, chamfer, or the like. In some embodiments, the relief feature 206 is a chamfer at an angle of about 35 to about 55 degrees.

[0031] In some embodiments, the bottom 134 of the refill cartridge 106 is a monolithic structure, such as the bottom 300 shown in FIG. 3. Individual features of the bottom 300 can also individually be incorporated into the bottom 134 without requiring the combination or inclusion of all features described with respect to the bottom 300. The bottom 300 includes an annular base 302 with a central axial protrusion 304. In some embodiments, the protrusion 304 is circular/cylindrical. However the protrusion can have other shapes as discussed in more detail below with respect to the bottom 104. A recess 306, similar to the recess 202, is disposed within the central axial protrusion 304. A relief feature 310 is disposed about the opening of the recess 306 along a bottom surface 312 of the bottom 300. A top edge 308 of the central axial protrusion 304 can also include a relief feature, such as a radius, bevel, chamfer, or the like. An outer lower edge 314 of the annular base 302 can also include a relief feature, such as a radius, bevel, chamfer, or the like. FIG. 4 depicts a bottom view of the monolithic bottom 300 more clearly showing the octagonal shape of the recess 306. FIG. 5 depicts an isometric top view of the monolithic bottom 300 more clearly showing the configuration of the base 302 and protrusion 304. FIG. 6 depicts an isometric bottom view of the refill cartridge 106 showing the outer shell 132 and the bottom 134 along with the recess 202 (or recess 306) configured to mate with the drive post 124.

[0032] Returning to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the refill cartridge 106 is configured to extend and retract a product based upon manual rotation of the refill cartridge 106 with respect to the base 102. For example, in some embodiments, the refill cartridge 106 can include an elevator 138 to selectively extend or retract product 146. The elevator 138 generally includes an outer shell 140, an inner body 142, and a holder 144. A simplified description of one suitable elevator 138 is described below. However, other product position control mechanisms, including other elevators 138 as known in the art can be used. Alternatively, in embodiments where product extension and/or retraction is not desired or necessary, for example when configured to hold and/or dispense a fragrance or other liquid, the elevator 138 can be omitted.

[0033] The outer shell 140 of the elevator 138 is rotationally fixed to the outer shell 132 of the refill cartridge 106 and includes one or more spiral tracks disposed in sidewalls of the outer shell 140.

[0034] The inner body 142 is disposed in and adjacent to the outer shell 140. The inner body 142 is rotationally movable with respect to the outer shell 140 and includes one or more vertical tracks along a length of desired axial movement of the product 146. The inner body 142 is rotationally movable with respect to the outer shell 132 of the refill cartridge 106 and is rotationally fixed with respect to the bottom 134 of the refill cartridge 106. For example, the inner body 142 can be at least one of press fit, glued, pinned, threaded onto, or otherwise fixed to the bottom 134. The bottom 134 can be rotationally movable with respect to the outer shell 132 of the refill cartridge 106. The bottom 134 can extend slightly beyond the bottom of the outer shell 132 to prevent interference between the outer shell 132 and the magnet 126.

[0035] For example, the bottom 134 includes a post 135 that fits into a corresponding opening in the inner body 142 of the elevator 138. The post 135 can generally be any shape, such as square, triangular, hexagonal, circular, or the like. In non-circular embodiments, corners of the shape further facilitate prevention of rotation of the post 135 with respect to the inner body 142. In some embodiments, the post 135 is glued in addition to having a friction fit. In some embodiments, one or more of the inner body 142 or the post 135 can include anti-rotation features (e.g., ribs, grooves, protrusions, or the like) to help ensure the inner body 142 and the bottom 134 remain rotationally locked and move as one solid entity.

[0036] A holder 144 is disposed in and adjacent to the inner body 142 and includes one or more radial protrusions that correspond to and fit within the one or more vertical tracks of the inner body 142. The one or more radial protrusions further extend through the vertical tracks and into the one or more spiral tracks of the outer shell 140. The one or more protrusions of the holder 144 rotationally fix the holder 144 with respect to the inner body 142 while allowing axial movement of the holder 144 along the one or more vertical tracks of the inner body 142.

[0037] In operation, rotation of the bottom 134 of the refill cartridge 106 with respect to the outer shell 132 (for example, by holding the outer shell 132 and rotating the base 102) will in turn rotate the inner body 142 and holder 144 with respect to the outer shell 140 of the elevator. During rotation, the holder 144 is displaced axially along the one or more vertical tracks in a direction dependent upon direction of rotation. Rotation in one direction will cause the holder to move closer to the top of the refill cartridge 106 and rotation in the other direction will cause the holder to move closer to the bottom of the refill cartridge.

[0038] FIG. 9 is an exploded schematic side view showing interrelation of major components of a cosmetic package having a refill system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, in some embodiments, a refill cartridge 106 can be configured to hold a solid product (as indicated by configuration 902), such as product 146 disclosed above. In other embodiments, a refill cartridge 106 can be configured to hold a liquid product (as indicated by configuration 904), such as but not limited to a fragrance, perfume, cologne, aftershave, deodorant, or the like. In the configuration 904 to hold a liquid product, the elevator function of the refill cartridge 106 is not needed and can be omitted.

[0039] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof.