US20080296320A1

US20080296320A1 - Standard Capacity Discharge Case of Liquid Content

Info

Publication number: US20080296320A1
Application number: US12/092,874
Authority: US
Inventors: Sungil Kang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-11-30
Filing date: 2006-11-14
Publication date: 2008-12-04
Also published as: JP2009517298A; JP4948544B2; KR200408260Y1; WO2007064095A1

Abstract

The present design relates in general to an automatic pencil type case enabling a user to discharge a liquid cosmetic to a brush by pressing a release button, more specifically, to an improved structure of a dispensing unit dispensing a liquid cosmetic product to thereby enhance productivity in assembly process and reduce manufacturing cost at the same time. As such, a liquid foundation case capable of discharging liquid content reserved in a body to a makeup brush through a pressing down operation of a release button, includes: a body (10) formed of a first case (11) where the liquid content is reserved and a second case (12) in which a pump tube (30) is installed; a check valve (20) mounted in the first case (11); a pump tube (30) installed inside the second case (12); a valve (50) mounted on the front end of the pump tube (30); a release button (60) for pressing down the pump tube (30); and a makeup brush (40) installed on an exposed end of the second case (12).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present design relates to an automatic pencil type case enabling a user to discharge a liquid cosmetic to a makeup brush by pressing a release button. More specifically, the present design relates to an improved structure of a discharging unit for use in discharging a liquid cosmetic product, to thereby enhance productivity in assembly process and reduce manufacturing cost at the same time.

BACKGROUND ART

Liquid cosmetic products that are liquid and volatile lost their original functions if moisture or volatile solvents are volatilized into air.
Examples of such cosmetic products containing moisture or volatile substances include eyeliner, lip-gloss, lip-color, eye serum, anti wrinkle cream, foundation cream and so on.
These cosmetics are preferably stored in a container minimizing their contact with air. There have been devised a variety of containers that can minimize contact of the cosmetics with air.
Among them is a cosmetic container dispensing a standard capacity (e.g., a fixed quantity) of liquid content through a pressing down operation of a release button, having been designed by the same applicant in previously registered Korean Utility Model Registration No. 230,104, and Korean Utility Model Nos. 2005-19631 and 2005-19787.
According to the previously registered design and the previously filed applications, when a user presses down a release button provided to a body, a screw bar rotates by the pressing down operation of the release button, and a piston screw-connected the screw bar transfers the content towards a brush for application. Even though such a container had benefits in that it is capable of dispensing a fixed quality of the liquid cosmetic and preventing volatilization of volatile substances therein, the content dispensing mechanism is so complicated that it was difficult not only to reduce production cost involved in manufacturing process, but also to input a lot of manpower to such a complicated assembly process. This led to a substantial increase in assembling time and low productivity.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

In view of the foregoing disadvantages of the previously registered design and the previously applied cosmetic containers, it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a standard capacity discharge case of liquid content in an improved dispensing structure capable of discharging the liquid content through a repeated operation, wherein a pressing down operation of a release button compresses a pump tube and the liquid content thus transferred to the pump tube is discharged towards a makeup brush, and if an external force applied to the release button is removed and thus the pump tube is pumped up, a content discharging passage is blocked while a check valve is opened to transfer the content that has been reserved in a body to the pump tube. As the structure is much simplified, ultra precision machining used in the conventional dispensing structure is no longer required, difficulties in manufacture can be resolved, manufacturing cost in connection with production can be lowered, and manpower-related expenses can be reduced thanks to the simplified work processes in assembly process. As such, productivity may be improved and mass production of the cosmetic product(s) is possible. Further, defects in the products due to functional loss of the dispensing unit are not found.

Technical Solution

In accordance with one aspect of the present design, there is provided a liquid foundation case capable of discharging liquid content reserved in a body to a makeup brush through a pressing down operation of a release button, the case including: a body (10) formed of a first case (11) where the liquid content is reserved and a second case (12) in which a pump tube (30) is installed; a check valve (20) mounted in the first case (11); a pump tube (30) installed inside the second case (12); a valve (50) mounted on the front end of the pump tube (30); a release button (60) for pressing down the pump tube (30); and a makeup brush (40) installed on an exposed end of the second case (12).
The other objectives and advantages of the invention will be understood by the following description and will also be appreciated by the embodiments of the invention more clearly. Further, the objectives and advantages of the invention will readily be seen that they can be realized by the means and its combination specified in the claims.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

As mentioned above and will be described below, the standard capacity discharge case of liquid content according to the present design is built in a manner that when a user presses a pump tube 30 installed inside a second case 12, the pump tube 30 is compressed to thereby liquid content having been held in the pump tube 30 is discharged towards a makeup brush 40 through a content discharge passage 32; and when an external force applied to the release button 60 is removed and thus, the pump tube 30 is pumped up, a content inlet 31 having been blocked by an opening/closing bar 22 of a check valve 20 is opened and the content reserved in a first case 11 flows in the pump tube 30. Accordingly, the present design can be advantageously used for simplifying the structure of a cosmetic container having a brush and for resolving difficulties in manufacture by eliminating ultra precision machining used in the conventional dispensing means. Also, the present design can reduce manufacturing cost in connection with production, and further manpower-related expenses thanks to the simplified work processes in assembly process. As such, productivity may be improved and mass production of the cosmetic product(s) becomes possible. Further, the present design can prevent deteriorations in reliability of cosmetic products caused by functional loss of the content dispensing means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and features of the present design will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a standard capacity discharge case of liquid content according to the present design;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main portion of the standard capacity discharge case of liquid content according to the present design;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary sectional view showing a state before a release button on the standard capacity discharge case of liquid content according to the present design is pressed;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary sectional view showing a state where liquid content is discharged through a pressing down operation of the release button on the standard capacity discharge case of liquid content according to the present design;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary sectional view sequentially showing respective steps of removing a pressing force onto the release button on the standard capacity discharge case of liquid content according to the present design to thereby let a pump tube pumped up and be refilled with liquid content reserved in a body;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a standard capacity discharge case of liquid content according to another embodiment of the present design; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a standard capacity discharge case of liquid content according to still another embodiment of the present design.

MODE FOR THE INVENTION

The above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages will be more apparent by the following detailed description in association with the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a standard capacity (e.g., a fixed quantity) discharge case of liquid content according to the present design is constituted by a body 10 formed of a first case 11 for reserving liquid content and a second case 12 undercut connected to the first case 11; a check valve 20 installed on the front end of the first case 11; a pump tube 30 installed inside the second case 12; a valve 50 mounted on the front end of the pump tube 30; and a makeup brush 40 installed on the front end of the second case 12.
The first case 11 of the body 10 has an opened top, and encloses a piston 11 a pushing up the reserved liquid content.
The check valve 20 installed on the top of the first case 11 is provided with a content transfer passage in form of rib frame 21, to allow the liquid content to flow into the pump tube 30, and an opening/closing bar 22 for selectively blocking or opening a content inlet 31 of the pump tube 30 through the medium of the rib frame 21.
The pump tube 30 disposed in the second case 12 that is undercut connected to the first case 11 includes a pressed plate 33 pressed down by a release button 60 on the outer circumferential surface, and a cushion leg 34 formed on the opposite side of the pressed plate 33.
The content inlet 31 is formed on one end of the pump tube 30, so that the liquid content reserved in the first case 11 of the body 10 may flow in the pump tube 30 through it.
A content outlet 32 is formed on the opposite side of the content inlet 31, and a ring-shaped frame 32 a is formed on the outside of the content outlet 32 to thereby open and block it by an internal discharge pressure generated in the pump tube 30.
The content outlet 32 is mounted with a body 52 of a valve 50 having a cross-shaped rib frame 51 which enables discharging the content as it comes in contact with an inner wall of the second case 12.
The makeup brush 40 is installed on the front end of the second case 12 so that it may be in contact with the rib frame 51 of the valve 50. In particular, the makeup brush 40 is installed at a fixed plate 41 having a nozzle tip 42 at the center.
The second case 12 is covered with a cap 70 to prevent any foreign substances from mixing into the makeup brush 40.
When a user wants to use the liquid content reserved in the first case 11 of the body 10 of the standard capacity discharge case, she first needs to remove the cap 70 mounted on the second case 12, and as depicted in FIG. 4 she needs to press the release button 60 provided onto a release button mount groove 12 a of the second case 12, thereby extruding the pump tube 30.
The release button 60 pressing down the pump tube 30 is operated by pressing an extruded top portion 61.
Accordingly, when the user presses the release button 60, a pressurization unit 62 presses the pressed plate 33 and the pump tube 30 is compressed as shown in FIG. 5.
As the pump tube 30 is compressed by the release button 60, a discharge pressure is generated inside the pump tube 30.
If the discharge pressure is generated in the pump tube 30, the content inlet 31 is blocked by being adhered onto the opening/closing bar 22 of the check valve 20, while the content outlet 32 is opened by the discharge pressure.
A front end portion of the content outlet 32 having been opened by the discharge pressure is widened with respect to the ring-shaped frame 32 a formed on the outside of the content outlet 32 until it gets separated from the valve 50. Then, the liquid content held in the pump tube 30 is discharged to the makeup brush 40 through a space thus formed.
After discharging the content from the pump tube 30 to the makeup brush 40 by pressing down the release button 60, the user releases the button, that is, removes an external force applied to the release button 60.
If the external force on the release button 60 is removed, the release button 60 returns to its original position with help of the pump tube 30 which, by its elastic nature, gets pumped up.
When the pump tube 30 gets pumped up, the content outlet 32 and the content inlet 31 formed therein are in a state shown in FIG. 6, respectively.
That is to say, when the pump tube 30 gets pumped up, the discharge pressure applied to the content outlet 32 disappears, and the content outlet 32 is closely adhered to the valve 50. Meanwhile, an area around the content inlet 31 goes through elastic transformation by a vacuum pressure generated inside the pump tube 30, and the content inlet 31 having been blocked by the opening/closing bar 22 of the check valve 20 is separately open.
Once the content inlet 31 is open, the content having been reserved in the first case of the body 10 passes by the check valve 20 and is filled in the pump tube 30 through the content inlet 31.
When the liquid content flows in the pump tube 30 from the first case 11, the piston 11 a installed inside the first case 11 shifts as shown in FIG. 2, so that the content may be adjacent to the content inlet 31 of the pump tube 30.
In this manner, the cosmetic liquid content is discharged to the makeup brush 40 and the user puts on makeup using it.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 7, the release button 60 may not be formed separately but in an integral manner with the pump tube 30.
Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a tube may be used as a substitute for the piston 11 a.
When the putting on the makeup is over, the user covers the second case 12 with the cap 70, to protect the makeup brush 40 from contamination by foreign substances.
While the present invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A standard capacity discharge case of liquid content, comprising:

a body (10) provided with a piston (11 a) for pushing the content;

a check valve (20) opening/closing a content inlet;

a pump tube (30) which the content from the body (10) flows in and is discharged;

a valve (50) disposed at a content outlet (32) of the pump tube (30);

a makeup brush installed on the front end of the body (10); and

a release button (60) pressing down the pump tube (30).

2. The case according to claim 1, wherein the body (10) is formed of a first case (11) and a second case (12).

3. The case according to claim 1, wherein the release button (60) is not formed separately but in an integral manner with the pump tube (30).

4. The case according to claim 1, wherein the pump tube (30) has a content inlet (31) formed on one end and a content outlet (32) discharging the content by being widened with respect to a ring-shaped frame (32 a) formed on an outer circumferential surface on opposite side.

5. The case of claim 1 or claim 3, wherein a thin tube (80) is installed in the body (10) as a substitute for the piston (11 a).