COSMETIC PRODUCT CONTAINER AND RETENTION MECHANISM

Abstract

A cup for retaining a cosmetic substance includes a cup body having a first end, a second end, and an inner sidewall forming a cup cavity and at least one retention member disposed on the inner sidewall of the cup body and extending into the inner sidewall. The at least one retention member extends a width around a periphery of the has a width value extending around the periphery of the inner sidewall.

Claims

1. A cup for retaining a cosmetic substance, the cup comprising: a cup body having a first end, a second end, and an inner sidewall forming a cup cavity; and at least one retention member disposed on the inner sidewall of the cup body and extending into the inner sidewall, the at least one retention member extending a width around a periphery of the inner sidewall.

2. The cup of claim 1, wherein the at least one retention member includes a plurality of recesses extending inwardly into the inner sidewall in an axial pattern.

3. The cup of claim 1, wherein the at least one retention member includes a plurality of recesses extending inwardly into the inner sidewall in a radial pattern about the periphery of the inner sidewall.

4. The cup of claim 1, wherein the at least one retention member includes an upper ledge surface that cooperates with the inner sidewall to define an undercut region.

5. The cup of claim 1, further comprising a secondary retention member disposed on the inner sidewall of the cup body and extending into the cup cavity.

6. The cup of claim 5, wherein the secondary retention member comprises an elongated notch having a first end having a first width, a second end having a second width, wherein the second width is greater than the first width thereof.

7. The cup of claim 6, wherein the elongated notch includes an extension extending inwardly from the inner sidewall into the cup cavity and a notch contact face extending generally perpendicular to the extension.

8. The cup of claim 7, wherein the extension and the notch contact face cooperate to define a channel region.

9. The cup of claim 1, further comprising a floor member, the floor member defining an opening surrounded by a frustoconical surface.

10. A cosmetic product container comprising: an inner body having a first end and a second end and defining a container cavity; a cup adapted to be at least partially disposed within the container cavity, the cup including: a cup body having a first body end, a second body end, and an inner sidewall forming a cup cavity, and at least one retention member disposed on the inner sidewall of the cup body and extending into the inner sidewall, the at least one retention member extending a width around a periphery of the inner sidewall; and a cosmetic substance having a first end, a second end, and an elongated body therebetween, wherein at least a portion of the elongated body is disposed within the cup cavity.

11. The cosmetic product container of claim 10, wherein the at least one retention member includes a plurality of recesses extending inwardly into the inner sidewall in an axial pattern.

12. The cosmetic product container of claim 10, wherein the at least one retention member includes a plurality of recesses extending inwardly into the inner sidewall in a radial pattern about the periphery of the inner sidewall.

13. The cosmetic product container of claim 10, wherein the at least one retention member includes an upper ledge surface that cooperates with the inner sidewall to define an undercut region.

14. The cosmetic product container of claim 10, further comprising a secondary retention member disposed on the inner sidewall of the cup body and extending into the cup cavity.

15. The cosmetic product container of claim 14, wherein the secondary retention member comprises an elongated notch having a first end having a first width, a second end having a second width, wherein the second width is greater than the first width thereof.

16. The cosmetic product container of claim 15, wherein the elongated notch includes an extension extending inwardly from the inner sidewall into the cup cavity and a notch contact face extending generally perpendicular to the extension.

17. The cosmetic product container of claim 16, wherein the extension and the notch contact face cooperate to define an undercut region.

18. The cosmetic product container of claim 10, further comprising a floor member, the floor member defining an opening surrounded by a frustoconical surface.

19. A method of assembling a cosmetic product, the method comprising: providing a cup including a cup body having a first body end, a second body end, an inner sidewall forming a cup cavity, and at least one retention member disposed on the inner sidewall of the cup body and extending into the inner sidewall, the at least one retention member further extending a width around a periphery of the inner sidewall; inserting a cosmetic substance having a first end, a second end, and an elongated body therebetween into the cup cavity of the cup such that at least a portion of the cosmetic substance enters the at least one retention member; and at least partially disposing the cup within a container cavity of an inner body.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the cup further includes a secondary retention member disposed on the inner sidewall of the cup body, the secondary retention member extending into the cup cavity, the secondary retention member adapted to urge at least a portion of the cosmetic substance into the at least one retention member.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The above needs are at least partially met through provision of one, more than one, or any combination of the cosmetic product containers and retention mechanisms described in the following detailed description, particularly when studied in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a front elevation view of an example cosmetic product in accordance with various examples;

[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates a partial cross-sectional front elevation view of the example cosmetic product of FIG. 1 having an example retention mechanism in the form of a cup in accordance with various examples;

[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an example spiral member of the example cosmetic product of FIGS. 1 & 2 in accordance with various examples;

[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the example cup and an example inner body of the example cosmetic product of FIGS. 1 & 2 in accordance with various examples;

[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates a side elevation view of the example cup of FIGS. 1, 2 & 4 in accordance with various examples;

[0016] FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional side elevation view of the example cup of FIG. 5 in accordance with various examples;

[0017] FIG. 7 illustrates a top plan view of the example cup of FIGS. 3 and 4 in accordance with various examples;

[0018] FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the example cup of FIGS. 3-5 in accordance with various examples;

[0019] FIG. 9 illustrates an upper perspective view of the example cup of FIGS. 3-6 in accordance with various examples;

[0020] FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative example cup in accordance with various examples;

[0021] FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-sectional side elevation view of the example cup of FIG. 8 in accordance with various examples; and

[0022] FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative example cup in accordance with various examples.

[0023] Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various examples. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible examples are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various examples. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Generally speaking, pursuant to these various approaches, cosmetic product containers and retention mechanisms are provided that adequately retain a cosmetic substance during use as well as in the event of inadvertent drops and/or bumps. The approaches described herein provide firm retention of the cosmetic substance while reducing or eliminating potentially harmful stress regions. As such, the systems described herein may be used to contain and retain a multitude of cosmetic substances having varying degrees of material softness.

[0025] Turning to the Figures, a cosmetic product 10 is provided that includes a cosmetic product container 100 that contains and applies a cosmetic substance 101. The cosmetic product container 100 includes an inner body 102 having a track 106, a spiral member 110, a shell 116, and a retention mechanism or cup 120. In the illustrated examples, the cosmetic substance 101 is in the form of a lipstick or lip balm product. It is to be appreciated that the cosmetic substance 101 may be any type of cosmetic, hair care, body care, and/or skincare product that may be applied to a user. Other examples are possible. In some of these examples, the cosmetic substance 101 may include strong or otherwise aggressive chemicals and/or ingredients such as, for example, volatiles. The cosmetic substance 101 includes a first end 101a, a second end 101b, and an elongated body 101c extending therebetween along a longitudinal axis (A). Further, the cosmetic substance 101 defines an outer cross-sectional dimension (DO). In the illustrated examples, the outer cross-sectional dimension DO is in the form of an outer diameter or circumference. However, other examples are possible.

[0026] Generally speaking, the inner body 102 at least partially retains components of the cosmetic product container 100 in an inner body cavity 103. The inner body 102 defines a ledge 104 formed on an outer surface thereof. In some arrangements, a securement mechanism (not illustrated) may be used to engage a portion of a cap (not illustrated) to conceal the cosmetic substance 101 for storage purposes. Any number of suitable securement mechanisms may be used such as, for example, a snap-fit coupling, a friction-fit coupling, a threaded connection, and the like. Other examples are possible. In yet other examples, a base (not illustrated) may be provided to encapsulate at least a portion of the inner body 102. Such a base may couple with a portion of the cap, if provided.

[0027] The track 106 includes a first end 106a and a second end 106b. The inner body (which, in some examples, may be referred to as an outer container) 102 may also include an inner surface 108. The spiral member 110 is provided with a helical arrangement 112 on an inner surface thereof, and is rotatably engaged with the inner body 102.

[0028] The shell 116 is provided to prevent a user from observing portions of the inner body 102 and the spiral member 110. The shell 116 includes a lip 117 that engages a portion of the inner body 102 to restrict movement in a direction along the longitudinal axis A. In the illustrated examples, the shell 116 is arranged to rotate with the spiral member 110 relative to the inner body 102. It is to be appreciated that any of the inner body 102, the spiral member 110, and/or the shell 116 may include any number of additional features and/or components to assist in use of the cosmetic product container 100, but for the sake of brevity, such features and/or components will not be discussed in substantial detail herein.

[0029] The cup 120 is provided to securely retain the cosmetic substance 101. The cup 120 includes a cup body 124 that has a first end 124a, a second end 124b, an inner sidewall 124c, and a cup cavity 125. Generally speaking, the cosmetic substance 101 is at least partially disposed within the cup cavity 125. The cup body 124 further includes a cup retention member 130 positioned on an exterior surface thereof. The cup body 124 may be formed from any number of desired materials.

[0030] With reference to FIG. 2, the cup body 124 is adapted to be disposed within the inner body 102. Upon coupling the cup body 124 with the inner body 102, the cup retention members 130 are positioned within the track 106 of the inner body 102 to guide relative movement therebetween in the axial direction. As will be discussed in detail below, the cup retention members 130 are also arranged to engage the helical arrangement 112 formed on the spiral member 110.

[0031] The cup body 124 further includes any number of retention members 134 disposed on the inner sidewall 124c. Each of these retention members 134 is in the form of a recess that extends into the inner sidewall 124c. Put differently, the retention members 134 may be in the form of fixed pockets that are debossed or otherwise formed into the inner sidewall 124c.

[0032] Each recess formed by the retention member 134 may include an upper ledge surface 136. In some examples, this upper ledge surface 136 cooperates with the inner sidewall 124c to define an undercut region. In some examples, this undercut region forms an approximately 90 angle. However, other examples of suitable angles formed by these surfaces are possible depending on desired manufacturing approaches and the like. In some of these examples, each retention member 134 extends inwardly into the inner sidewall 124c a distance between approximately 0.10 mm and 5 mm, and preferably between approximately 0.05 mm and approximately 2 mm. Notably, this depth dimension is relatively shallow to allow cosmetic substances 101 formed from softer compositions to better flow into these regions during assembly.

[0033] In the illustrated examples, each retention member 134 has a width or arc value 134a that spans a distance on the inner sidewall 124c of the cup body 124. As shown in the Figures, this width value 134a is generally wide in that the retention member 134 extends around approximately 20% of the inner periphery of the cup body 124 or more. It is to be appreciated that the width value 134a and/or the shape of the retention member 134 may be modified to improve retaining performance of cosmetic substances 101 having varying material characteristics such as, for example, softness and the like.

[0034] With reference to FIGS. 6, 8, and 9, a number of retention members 134 may be positioned about the inner sidewall 124c of the cup body 124 in a radial pattern or arrangement. It is to be appreciated that any number of retention members 134 may be incorporated into the cup body 124.

[0035] During the assembly process, and as will be discussed below, the first end 101a of the cosmetic substance 101 is inserted into the cup cavity 125. In some arrangements, the outer diameter of the cosmetic substance 101 is equal to or slightly larger than the inner diameter of the inner sidewall 124c. In some examples, the first end 101a of the cosmetic substance 101 may have a slightly tapered arrangement relative to the shape of the cup cavity 125 to support insertion of the cosmetic substance 101 therein. In other examples, the cup cavity 125 may be slightly tapered relative to the cosmetic substance 101 to accommodate insertion. In either of these arrangements, upon fully inserting the cosmetic substance 101 into the cup cavity 125, additional cosmetic substance 101 will flow into each retention member 134. As a result, the cosmetic substance 101 is effectively locked into place within the cup cavity 125 while having additional surface contact with the cup body to promote retention.

[0036] In some examples, the cup 120 may include any number of optional features. For example, the cup body 124 may additionally include any number of optional secondary retention members 140 in the form of tapered elongated ribs or notches that extend or protrude into the cup cavity 125. Each of these secondary retention members 140 may include a first end 140a having a first width value and a second end 140b having a second width value. As illustrated in FIGS. 6, 8, and 9, the first ends 140a of the secondary retention members 140 are generally narrower than the second ends 140b thereof in the tangential direction such that a draft angle is formed relative to a central point in the secondary retention member 140. In some examples, this draft angle may be between approximately 5 and approximately 25. Other examples are possible.

[0037] Additionally, the second ends 140b of the secondary retention members 140 protrude further into the cup cavity 125 than the first ends 140a thereof. Further, it is to be appreciated that while the illustrated secondary retention members 140 are provided as being oriented generally vertically (i.e., generally parallel to the longitudinal axis L), in some examples, the secondary retention members 140 may be arranged in a helical or other arrangement (not illustrated). Other arrangements are possible.

[0038] Each secondary retention member 140 additionally includes an extension 144 that extends into the cup cavity 125 as well as a notch contact face 148 that extends generally perpendicular to the extension 144. The extension 144 and the notch contact face 148 cooperate to define a channel region 150 between the notch contact face 148 and the inner sidewall 124c of the cup body 124.

[0039] As illustrated in the various figures, in some arrangements, the secondary retention members 140 are positioned at or near the retention members 134. As a result, when the cup 120 is so equipped with the secondary retention members 140, upon inserting the cosmetic substance 101 into the cup cavity 125, a portion of the cosmetic substance 101 may be gently urged or directed by the secondary retention members 140 into the retention members 134. More specifically, as a portion of the cosmetic substance 101 enters the channel region 150, the tapered width arrangement of the second end 140b thereof causes the cosmetic substance 101 to be displaced. Because the retention members 134 are in the form of pockets, this cosmetic substance 101 may be displaced into these pockets. Notably, such an arrangement avoids creating a high insertion force exerted on the cosmetic substance 101 during assembly. It is to be appreciated that in some examples, the outer diameter of the cosmetic substance 101 needn't be greater or equal to the inner diameter of the inner sidewall 124c because the secondary retention members 140 occupy additional volume in the cup cavity 125. Additionally, it is noted that the channel region 150 may also serve to retain the cosmetic substance 101 within the cup cavity 125.

[0040] In some examples, the cup body 124 may additionally include a floor member 132 positioned at or near the first end 124a thereof. This floor member 132 may provide additional support for the first end 101a of the cosmetic substance 101. In some examples, the floor member 132 may include a frustoconical or angled surface 133. This frustoconical surface 133 may also assist with directing the cosmetic substance 101 into the retention members 134. More specifically, upon inserting the first end 101a of the cosmetic substance 101 into the cup cavity 125, the angled arrangement of the frustoconical surface 133 may urge the cosmetic substance 101 outwardly and into the retention members 134. Further, in some examples, the floor member 132 may include any number of through bores or openings 132a that are surrounded by the frustoconical surface 133, which allows for backfilling of the cosmetic substance 101.

[0041] Upon inserting the cosmetic substance 101 into the cup cavity 125, the cosmetic substance 101 may additionally at least partially encapsulate the secondary retention members 140, whereupon the secondary retention members 140 may restrict or otherwise limit rotation of the cosmetic substance 101 with respect to the cup cavity 125 about the longitudinal axis A. In other examples, the cosmetic substance 101 may be inserted into the cup cavity 125 via other approaches such as, for example, any number of backfilling techniques. In any of these filling techniques, the retention members 140 restrict or otherwise limit rotation of the cosmetic substance 101.

[0042] So arranged, in examples where the secondary retention members 140 and the frustoconical surface 133 are provided, these components cooperate to squeeze or otherwise push the cosmetic substance 101 outwardly and into the retention members 134.

[0043] To assemble the cosmetic product container 100, the cup retention member 130 of the cup body 124 is positioned within a notch 109 of the track 106 to temporarily to retain the cup body 124 in a relatively fixed position with respect to the longitudinal axis A. However, in other examples, the cup body 124 may not be coupled with the inner body 102 at this point. The first end 101a of the cosmetic substance 101 is then inserted into the cup cavity 125. Because the outer cross-sectional dimension DO of the cosmetic substance 101 is similar to the inner cross-sectional dimension of the inner sidewall 124c, such insertion of the cosmetic substance 101 causes a portion of the elongated body 101c of the cosmetic substance 101 to contact the inner sidewall 124c and ultimately enter each retention member 134. The upper surface 136 and the additional surfaces of the retention members 134 create increased surface area, and thus frictional, contact with the cosmetic substance 101.

[0044] Accordingly, the retention member or members 134 apply a gentle retaining force against the elongated body 101c of the cosmetic substance 101. It is to be appreciated that any number of characteristics such as, for example, any number of desired dimensions of the retention member 134 and/or material characteristics of the cosmetic substance 101 may be modified to generate a relatively gentle or relatively firm retention force against the cosmetic substance 101 without causing excessive damage or deformation along the elongated body 101c due to the significant surface area contact between the retention members 134 and the elongated body 101c. In some approaches, material properties of the cosmetic substance 101 may dictate the quantity and dimensions of each retention member 134 to ensure the cosmetic substance 101 is not damaged or otherwise deformed during insertion or use.

[0045] With reference to FIG. 2, upon assembling the cup 120 within the inner body 102, the lip 117 of the shell 116 may then be positioned over the inner body 102. In some examples, and as previously noted, the spiral member 110 and the shell 116 may be fixed with each other while being rotatable relative to the inner body 102 while the cup 120 may be translatable along the longitudinal axis A relative thereto (via the track 106). Because the cup retention members 130 are insertably engaged with the helical arrangement 112 of the spiral member 110, to advance the cup 120 (and thus, the cosmetic substance 101), causing it to protrude outwardly beyond the shell 116, a user may twist one of the inner body 102 relative to the shell 116 and the spiral member 110, causing relative rotation therebetween. This relative rotation causes the cup retention members 130 to traverse the helical arrangement 112 while being constrained to axial motion along the track 106.

[0046] It is also to be appreciated that the cup 120 may be provided in any number of varying shapes and/or configurations. As non-limiting alternative examples, FIGS. 10-12 illustrate alternative cups 220, 320 that may be incorporated into the cosmetic product container 100. These cups 220, 320 include similar features as the cup 120, and as such, are provided with reference numerals having identical two-digit suffixes. For the sake of brevity, such components will not be described in further detail. In these examples, the cups 220, 320 have additional retention members 234, 334 that are in a stacked, axial, or vertical pattern or arrangement. In FIGS. 10 and 11, the secondary retention members 240 have a generally parallel arrangement in that the second ends 240b thereof do not have a substantially greater width than the first ends 240a thereof. In FIG. 12, the secondary retention members 340 have a tapered arrangement similar to the secondary retention members 140 presented in FIGS. 1-9.

[0047] So configured, the cup and product described herein securely retains the cosmetic substance without damaging portions thereof. The cup advantageously increases surface area in shear contact with the cosmetic substance 101 compared with traditional designs, thereby increasing friction to assist with retaining the cosmetic substance 101 within the cup cavity 125 during use, drops, and/or other unintended movements. Additionally, the present disclosure takes the approach of accommodating expansion of the cosmetic substance 101 as compared with providing a compressive force thereon. Further, the presently described cup and product do not include additional stress concentration areas that may otherwise result in the cosmetic substance being fractured, stretched, or otherwise damaged during unintentional movements. The cups described herein may also provide additional stability to protect the cosmetic substance in the event of a drop or bump event. More specifically, the cup may maintain alignment of the cosmetic substance so that it does not become misaligned after a drop or bump. Such misalignment may cause the cosmetic substance to contact interior portions of the product during upward application, which in turn may damage or smear the cosmetic substance.

[0048] In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments have been described. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present teachings. Additionally, the described embodiments/examples/implementations should not be interpreted as mutually exclusive and should instead be understood as potentially combinable if such combinations are permissive in any way. In other words, any feature disclosed in any of the aforementioned embodiments/examples/implementations may be included in any of the other aforementioned embodiments/examples/implementations.

[0049] The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims. The claimed invention is defined solely by the appended claims including any amendments made during the pendency of this application and all equivalents of those claims as issued.

[0050] Moreover in this document, relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms comprises, comprising, has, having, includes, including, contains, containing or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by comprises . . . a, has . . . a, includes . . . a, contains . . . a does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains the element. The terms a and an are defined as one or more unless explicitly stated otherwise herein. The terms substantially, essentially, approximately, about or any other version thereof, are defined as being close to as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, and in one non-limiting embodiment the term is defined to be within 10%, in another embodiment within 5%, in another embodiment within 1% and in another embodiment within 0.5%. The term coupled as used herein is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly and not necessarily mechanically. A device or structure that is configured in a certain way is configured in at least that way, but may also be configured in ways that are not listed.

[0051] The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

[0052] The patent claims at the end of this patent application are not intended to be construed under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless traditional means-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as means for or step for language being explicitly recited in the claim(s).