US20120027497A1

US20120027497A1 - Cosmetic container

Info

Publication number: US20120027497A1
Application number: US12/845,256
Authority: US
Inventors: Tao-Chen Huang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-07-28
Filing date: 2010-07-28
Publication date: 2012-02-02

Abstract

A cosmetic container includes a PET tube having an open end and a close end, wherein the close end has a connecting section, and the connecting section formed with at least one external thread at its outer periphery and a bottom; a painting assembly including a pen segment screwed with the open end, a brush segment wedged in the pen segment and an upper cap mounted around the pen segment; and an attached member having a threaded hole for receiving and fixing the connecting section at the thread.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to containers, and more particularly, to a cosmetic container with improved airtightness that prevents an article contained therein from drying or deteriorating due to oxidation, which cosmetic container is also structurally improved in combination between components thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
With the rapid change of modern fashion and aesthetic perception, painting with cosmetic products on skin and nails to manifest personal style has become a trend. In particular, traditional cosmetic applicators or brushes are no more satisfying for modern cosmetic applications which involve drawing patterns or designs on skins or nails. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,474 issued to the applicant of the present application has disclosed a multi-purpose nail enamel applicator that incorporates a pen head for drawing and a brush member for painting. The cosmetic container is provided with multiple airtight structures around the pen head and the upper cap member, so as to prevent air from invading via any interval between the components and preventing the components from loosening after repeated opening and closing. Thus, the patent exactly improves traditional cosmetic containers in airtightness, thereby protecting liquid contained therein from deteriorating or hardening.
However, the traditional cosmetic container has weakness in addition to the inferior airtightness that may cause its content to deteriorate. That is, its body wherein a cosmetic product is received is typically made of Nylon (polyamide resin) through injection molding. The body made of Nylon is inherently inferior in airtightness and fails to properly isolate the content from external air. Consequently, the content tends to soon deteriorate, and this causes inconvenience and diseconomy to users. For overcoming the defect, an improvement has been made about making the body with Nylon and PP (polypropylene). However, the admixture material has poor ductility and transparency while the airtightness is nevertheless not perfect because the admixture material, when made into a container, possesses pores. As the resultant container is very rigid due to its poor ductility, a relatively large force is required to squeeze it and apply its content, thereby inconveniencing its users.
Referring to the foregoing patented cosmetic container, it has a lower end formed as a diameter-reduced connecting end for coupling a lower cap that facilitates standing stably. Alternatively, two said cosmetic containers are connected at the connecting ends thereof with a connecting ring, so that cosmetic products for different purposes or of different colors can be carried conveniently. Conventionally, the cosmetic container is formed by blowing a preform under high pressure and high temperature. The preform is to be provided with a threaded end for coupling the pen head and an opposite end as the closed bottom end. However, conventionally, for smooth bottle-blowing process and mold-releasing process, it is difficult to provide the bottom end with threads, and thus the bottom end can only engage the decorative cap or the connecting ring by means of a close-fit or wedge mechanism. As the close-fit or wedge mechanism is limited in providing firm combination, when an external force is applied between the cosmetic containers or between its bottom end and the combined decorative cap or the connecting ring, the close-fit or wedge mechanism tends to be broken and cause uncoupling of the components. In addition, also because of the problem of shaping in the bottle-blowing process and mold-releasing process, the container typically has all its coroners and edges formed as chamfered. This can even highlight the weakness of the close-fit or wedge mechanism because when the bottom end combines with the decorative cap or the connecting ring, the chamfered edge is more likely to slide along and eventually disengage from the decorative cap or the connecting ring under external force, and is less effective in positioning the bottom end as compared with a non-chamfered, square edge.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a cosmetic container, which is structurally improved to enhance its overall airtightness and to strengthen combination between its components.
According to the present invention, the cosmetic container comprises:
a PET tube being a hollow container with an open end and a close end, the open end having an outer periphery formed with at least one external thread, the close end having a connecting section and an outer periphery formed with at least one thread, and the connecting section having a bottom;
a painting assembly including a pen segment screwed with the external thread of the open end, a brush segment wedged in the pen segment and an upper cap mounted around the pen segment; and
an attached member having a threaded hole for receiving the connecting section therein and being screwed with the connecting section at the thread.
The primary objective of the present invention is to make the tube with PET, which is a material featuring excellent airtightness, so as to effectively prevent air from invading the tube and thereby protecting a content contained in the tube from deteriorating or hardening.
Another objective of the present invention is to combine the connecting section of the tube and the attached member with the thread and the threaded hole so as to improve the traditional approach where only a close-fit or wedge mechanism is implemented and incurs the problems of weak combination and easy disengagement.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide the right-angle or acute-angle connecting rim between the bottom and the thread, so that the tube can be combined with the attached member with improved firmness and security as compared with the prior-art device wherein the chamfered edge is likely to make the tube disengaged from the attached member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cosmetic container of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially exposed view of the cosmetic container;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a painting assembly of the cosmetic container;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of an upper cap of the cosmetic container;

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing showing assembly of a pen head of the cosmetic container;

FIG. 6 is an applied view of the cosmetic container;

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate formation of a tube of the cosmetic container;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of a lower end of the cosmetic container; and

FIG. 10 is another aspect of the cosmetic container of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, a cosmetic container of the present invention comprises primarily a tube 10, a painting assembly 20 and an attached member 60, which will be described in detail below.
The tube 10 is in nature a container with an open end 11 and a close end 12, and is made of PET. The open end 11 has its outer periphery formed with at least one external thread 111. The close end 12 has a connecting section 121, whose outer periphery is also formed with at least one thread 122. The connecting section 121 has a bottom 123 with a flat surface or a concave surface, so that a right-angle or acute-angle connecting rim 124 is formed between the connecting section 121 and the bottom 123.
The painting assembly 20 includes a pen segment 30 screwed with the external thread 111 of the open end 11, a brush segment 40 wedged in the pen segment 30 and an upper cap 50 mounted around the pen segment 30.
The pen segment 30 has a pen head cover 31 and a pen head seat 32.
The pen head cover 31 is screwed with the external thread 111 and has a mounted end 311 at an end opposite to the open end 11. The mounted end 311 is formed with a through opening 312, and there is an arched guiding portion 314 formed at an inner periphery of the pen head cover 31 near the through opening 312.
The pen head seat 32 is covered inside the pen head cover 31 and has a pen head 321 that is allowed to pierce through the through opening 312. The pen head seat 32 and the pen head 321 are centrally hollow and intercommunicated, and the pen head 321 is terminated by a hemispherical end.
The brush segment 40 has a fastening seat 41 wedged into and thereby connected with the pen head seat 32. The fastening seat 41 is hollow and extended with a hollow shaft 42 at an end opposite to the pen head seat 32. The shaft 42 is terminally attached with a brush 421 and is formed laterally with at least one leading hole 422 near the fastening seat 41 so that the shaft 42 is centrally, partially or entirely, hollow from the leading hole 422 to the fastening seat 41. The fastening seat 41 is further provided with a flange 43 while the pen head cover 31 has its inner periphery formed with a circular groove 313, so that the flange 43 can be fittingly received in the circular groove 313. The fastening seat 41 further has a raised portion 44 that matches an inner periphery of the open end 11 in shape, so that the fastening seat 41 and the open end 11 can be combined in an airtight manner.
The upper cap 50 includes therein a mounting sleeve 51 corresponding to the mounted end 311. The mounting sleeve 51 has a diameter-reduced opening so that when capping the pen head cover 31, the upper cap 50 fittingly embraces the mounted end 311 in an airtight manner (as shown in FIG. 4). Therein, the mounting sleeve 51 has a close end formed with a recess 52 for receiving the pen head 321.
The attached member 60 has a threaded hole 61 for receiving the connecting section 121 and fixing the connecting section 121 at the thread 122. The attached member 60 may be a base or a connecting ring.
Basing on the configuration of the disclosed cosmetic container as described above, its operation will be explained in details below.
As shown in FIG. 5, for smoothly inserting the tiny pen head 321 into the tiny through opening 312, when the pen head seat 32 is assembled into the pen head cover 31, the arched guiding portion 314 inside the pen head cover 31 near the through opening 312 serves to lead the pen head seat 32 and the pen head 321 toward the through opening 312. In addition, also because of the minuteness of the through opening 312 and the pen head 321, if it is intended to achieve the close fit between the minuteness of the through opening 312 and the pen head 321, the required precise processing would be costly. For coping with the need of airtightness, the present invention adopts a closed film 315 at the through opening 312 during manufacturing of the pen head cover 31, so that when the pen head 321 pierces through the film 315 for the first time, an opening is formed and the film 315, with its elastic nature, provides an airtight edge between the through opening 312 and the pen head 321, so as to block external air from invading without the concerns about precise processing and costs raised thereby.
The present invention functions for dual content-applying purposes. The first usage is as shown in FIG. 3, wherein the pen head cover 31 together with the upper cap 50 is unscrewed from the external thread 111 of the open end 11, and the brush segment 40 is drawn out from the tube 10. The brush 421 attached to the shaft 42 is configured to soak in a liquid content of the tube 10 so that a user can directly use the brush segment 40 to paint.
In the second use, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper cap 50 is detached from the pen head cover 31, and the tube 10 is upside-down to make the pen head 321 point downward. At this time, the liquid content in the tube 10 flows toward the fastening seat 41 at the open end 11 due to the gravity. Since the fastening seat 41, the shaft 42, the pen head seat 32 and the pen head 321 are all hollow and intercommunicated, the liquid content slows into the shaft 42 through the leading hole 422, and then passes the fastening seat 41 and the pen head seat 32 to be finally dispatched at the pen head 321 for the user to paint with the pen head 321. As mentioned above, the pen head 321 is provided with the hemispherical end, so it can directly touch or draw on the user's skin or nail without the risk of hurting or scratching the touched skin or nail.
The tube 10 made of PET is superior in airtightness and transparency while being light yet tough, so as to appropriately prevent substance in the container from having moisture escaping and hardening while blocking external air from invading and causing the substance in the container to deteriorate, thus being a suitable container for cosmetic products. In addition, the PET tube 10 has good resilience, so the dispatching rate and amount of the content delivered at the pen head 321 can be easily controlled by adjusting a squeezing force a user exerts to the tube 10, thereby varying the thickness of strokes made by the pen head 321.
The tube 10 is made of a PET preform through high-temperature and high-pressure bottle blowing. Since the only threaded portion at the open end of the preform available in the traditional process is occupied by the external thread 111 of the tube 10, and the lower end of the bottle tends to have the problem of defective or even absent threads in the traditional process, the tube 10 of the present invention may have to be made by device and method given below instead of the traditional process.
Referring to FIG. 7 for a mold assembly applicable to making the tube 10 of the present invention, the mold assembly has a pair of mold halves 70 that can be drawn together or separated so as to, when drawn together, define a mold cavity 71 for forming the tube 10. A lower end of the cavity 71 corresponding to the connecting section 121 is an open end, and a movable block 72 is configured to move vertically while the cavity 71 is provided with threading grooves 73 for forming the connecting section 121. Thereby, in the bottle-blowing process for the tube 10, a preform is heated to become plastic and a high-pressure gas is introduced into the preform to inflate and shape the preform with the cavity 71. Afterward, the movable block 72 is driven to push the semi-finished container inward the cavity 71 (as shown in FIG. 8). As the movable block 72 and the high-pressure gas both work on the lower edge of the semi-finished container in vertical directions, the material of the semi-finished container is pushed to fill the threading grooves 73, so as to form even and precise threads 122. Meantime, the movable block 72 pushing inward the cavity makes the connecting section 121 have a bottom 123 together with the right-angle or acute-angle connecting rim 124 between the connecting section 121 and the bottom 123.
In FIG. 9, the attached member 60 is a base. The connecting section 121 of the tube 10 and the attached member 60 are screwed together with the threads 122 and the threaded hole 61, so as to be combined with improved security as compared with the traditional approach where only a close-fit or wedge mechanism is implemented. When an external force other than an unscrewing force is exerted to the tube 10 and the attached member 60, since there is no chamfered edge between the periphery of the threaded hole 61 of the attached member 60 and the connecting section 121, the attached member 60 is secured from disengaging the connecting section 121.
Referring to FIG. 10, when the attached member 60 is a connecting ring, the threaded hole 61 passes through the attached member 60, and two said tubes 10 can be combined through the attached member 60 settled therebetween. The connecting sections 121 of the two tubes 10 are combined at two ends of the attached member 60 so that the bottoms 123 of the two tubes 10 abut against each other in the threaded hole 61 of the attached member 60, to thereby be more capable of resisting external force that to be disengaging the tubes 10 and the attached member 60.
The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment and it is understood that the embodiment is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Moreover, as the contents disclosed herein should be readily understood and can be implemented by a person skilled in the art, all equivalent changes or modifications which do not depart from the concept of the present invention should be encompassed by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cosmetic container, comprising:

a PET tube being a hollow container with an open end and a close end, the open end having an outer periphery formed with at least one external thread, the close end having a connecting section and an outer periphery formed with at least one thread, and the connecting section having a bottom;

a painting assembly including a pen segment screwed with the external thread of the open end, a brush segment wedged in the pen segment and an upper cap mounted around the pen segment; and

an attached member having a threaded hole for receiving the connecting section therein and being screwed with the connecting section at the thread.

2. The cosmetic container of claim 1, wherein the bottom of the connecting section has a flat surface or a concave surface.

3. The cosmetic container of claim 1, wherein the attached member is a base or a connecting ring.

4. The cosmetic container of claim 1, wherein the pen segment comprises:

a pen head cover screwed with the external thread and having a through opening at an end opposite to the open end; and

a pen head seat wedged in the pen head cover and having a pen head configured to pierce through the through opening, wherein the pen head seat and the pen head are hollow and centrally intercommunicated.

5. The cosmetic container of claim 4, wherein an airtight edge is formed at between the through opening and the pen head.

6. The cosmetic container of claim 4, wherein the pen head is terminated by a hemispherical end.

7. The cosmetic container of claim 4, wherein an arched guiding portion is formed at an inner periphery of the pen head cover near the through opening for facilitating smooth receiving of the pen head.

8. The cosmetic container of claim 4, wherein the brush segment has a fastening seat wedged into and thereby connected with the pen head seat, the fastening seat being hollow and extended with a hollow shaft at an end opposite to the pen head seat, and the shaft being terminally attached with a brush and formed laterally with at least one leading hole near the fastening seat.

9. The cosmetic container of claim 8, wherein the fastening seat is further provided with a flange while the pen head cover has an inner periphery formed with a circular groove, so that the flange is allowed to be fittingly received in the circular groove, and the fastening seat further has a raised portion that matches an inner periphery of the open end in shape, so that the fastening seat and the open end are allowed to be combined in an airtight manner.

10. The cosmetic container of claim 4, wherein the pen head cover has a mounted end at an end opposite to the open end while the upper cap includes therein a mounting sleeve so that the upper cap removably covers the pen head cover, and the mounting sleeve has a close end formed with a recess for receiving the pen head.