Patent Application
20250127277
The present disclosure generally relates to a cosmetic container for separately storing at least two different types of liquid products and for mixing two liquid products at the time of initial use, and then discharging the mixed products in a single pumping operation.
In general, liquid or paste cosmetics, hereafter referred to as “liquid contents,” are typically stored in cosmetic containers equipped with pump dispensers. Users dispense a specific amount of liquid content from the cosmetic container by repeatedly pressing a pump dispenser head thereof.
However, there is a recent trend towards mixed-type cosmetics that offer multiple effects in a single product. These products may combine a liquid base component with other ingredients like powders or specific-effect liquids (e.g., vitamins or whitening agents). To maintain the effectiveness of such functional cosmetics and prevent deterioration during distribution, the mixing of the base component and additional ingredients is often done by consumers just before using the product. Consequently, there is a growing need for dual cosmetic containers capable of blending and dispensing multiple cosmetic products simultaneously.
Such a dual cosmetic container allows users to mix and use various cosmetics with differing raw materials, each with its unique shelf life. This ensures an extended overall shelf life and maximizes the efficacy of the mixed cosmetics.
United states Patent Number U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,644A discloses a container for separately storing at least two products, mixing those products and for dispensing the mixture includes a first reservoir for liquid and a second cylindrical reservoir for powder. The second reservoir has a mouth that is contiguous with the first reservoir. A movable wall blocks the mouth of the second reservoir. A cylindrical part is movable from a position outside the second reservoir through the second reservoir and into the first reservoir after penetrating the mouth of the first reservoir by displacing the movable wall to thereby displace the powder into the first reservoir.
It is the object of the present disclosure to provide a cosmetic container with a cosmetic mixing function that is easy to operate, and has a simple and cost-effective construction.
Accordingly, there is provided a cosmetic container that house two distinct cosmetic products within separate compartments, thereby facilitating user-driven mixing. This cosmetic container simplifies the blending process, enabling users to mix the two cosmetic products with ease through the straightforward rotation of a dialer.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the cosmetic container is configured to dispense a fluid product such as a liquid or any other fluid like product, according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. The product can be more viscous than water or, optionally, even pasty. The cosmetic container according to the present disclosure is used for mixing two different types of liquid products at the time of initial use and then discharging the mixed contents in a single pumping operation. More particularly, the cosmetic container is configured for mixing a first product with a second product. The first product and the second product are liquid products. The first product is contained in a first product container, and a pump dispenser fastened to a neck formed at an upper end of the first product container. An open lower end of the first product container is attached to a second product container in a sealing manner. The second product is housed in a reservoir cavity of the second product container.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the cosmetic container comprises the first product container, the second product container, a pump dispenser, an outer cap, a seal cap, a piston, an elevator and a dialer. The cosmetic container allows a user to easily mix the first and the second products within the cosmetic container before the first use, with a simple twist of the dialer. The dialer is designed to rotate around and enclose the second product container. Meanwhile, the elevator is securely threaded into a lower portion of the second product container, situated beneath the reservoir cavity of the second product container. Within this reservoir cavity, the piston is slidably positioned, below the second product. When the dialer is turned, it initiates an upward movement of the elevator, which, in turn, exerts pressure on the piston located inside the second product container. As the piston ascends towards an upper end of the second product container, a central rod, located on the piston's upper side, punctures a breakable region of the seal cap that seals the upper section of the second product container. Consequently, the second product contained in the second product container is expelled into the first product container.
In a preferred embodiment, the second product container has a generally cylindrical shape along a main axis of the cosmetic container, and which is tightly and sealingly mounted on the lower end of the first product container. The first product container has a cylindrical sidewall with an empty inside to hold the first product, and a neck with a thread is provided at a top portion thereof to mount the pump dispenser. In addition, a lower part of the cylindrical sidewall of the first product container is open and has a large diameter part having an expanded inner diameter while forming a stepped jaw so that the second product container can be attached inside the opened lower part. Preferably, an inner surface of lower part of the cylindrical sidewall of the first product container includes a locking groove that receives a corresponding second locking protrusion formed on an outer surface of the second product container. The circumferential dimensions of an upper portion of the outer sidewall of second product container are complementary to those of an inner periphery of a lower portion of the first product container such that the upper portion of the outer sidewall of the second product container is sealingly disposed inside the first product container.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the second product container includes at least one reservoir sidewall defining the reservoir cavity for storing the second product. The second product container includes an open upper end formed by an upper end of the reservoir sidewall. At the lower end of the reservoir cavity, the reservoir sidewall includes a transversely extending annular ring wall, which serves to outline the lower boundary of the reservoir cavity. Moreover, a cylindrical skirt extends downward in the axial direction from an inner edge of this annular ring wall. This cylindrical skirt also incorporates two opposing inner threads, situated at or near the upper section of the cylindrical skirt.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the second product container includes an outer sidewall located radially outwardly to the reservoir sidewall. An upper end of the outer sidewall is connected to the reservoir sidewall by a transverse shoulder wall positioned at a middle portion of the reservoir sidewall. A lower end of the outer sidewall defines an open lower end of the second product container.
According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the open upper end of the second product container, that is defined by the open upper end of the reservoir sidewall, is adapted to be sealed by an seal cap. Meanwhile, a lower portion of the outer sidewall along with the lower open end of the second product container is enclosed by the dialer. The dialer is rotatably connected to the outer sidewall of the second product container.
In another aspect of present disclosure, the second product is housed within the reservoir cavity, positioned above the piston, while the top opening of the reservoir cavity is sealed by the seal cap. This seal cap comprises a top wall and a sidewall that extends downward from the top wall. A breakable region is incorporated into the top wall, which can be separated from the rest of the top wall when subjected to sufficient pressure. This breakable region is created through an annular groove on the upper surface of the top wall. Furthermore, an inner surface of the sidewall of the seal cap features an annular locking groove. This locking groove on the seal cap accommodates a corresponding first locking protrusion located on the outer surface of the reservoir sidewall of the second product container, effectively coupling the seal cap to the second product container.
According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the second product container accommodates the elevator in a manner where the elevator effectively seals the lower opening of the reservoir cavity. The elevator is threaded engagement to the cylindrical skirt of the second product container by engaging the two opposed inner threads of the second cosmetic container with threads formed on an outer surface of the elevator. These inner threads of the second product container are protruded threads, while the threads on the elevator are grooved threads.
Further, the elevator comprises a transverse top wall and a lower cylindrical sidewall extending downwardly from a lower surface of the transverse top wall. A connecting skirt extends upwardly from an upper surface of the transverse top wall and is located centrally on the transverse top wall. The lower cylindrical sidewall further includes a closed upper end and an open lower end opposed to the upper end thereof. Together, the top wall, the open lower end and the lower cylindrical side wall of the elevator create an internal cavity within the elevator. The outer surface of the lower cylindrical sidewall of the elevator has threads formed thereon. The transverse top wall includes an annular flange that extends radially outwards as a radial extension of the transverse top wall.
Furthermore, when the elevator is a non-extended and initial state, in the second product container, the annular flange of the transverse top wall of the elevator makes contact with the annular ring wall of the second product container. This contact effectively closes the opening of the reservoir cavity. In this state, the connecting skirt of the elevator extends into the reservoir cavity of the second product container, and the lower cylindrical sidewall threadedly engages with the inner surface of the cylindrical skirt through corresponding threads.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the threads of the elevator are grooved threads that are provided with stopper protrusions at both ends thereof. These stopper protrusions mark the limits of the elevator's movement, defining the retracted and fully extended positions. When the threads of the second product container is abutted against the stopper protrusion located at upper end of the threads of the elevator, is prevented from ascending (advancing) any further. When the threads of the second product container is abutted against the stopper protrusion located at lower ends of the threads of the elevator, the elevator is prevented from descending any further.
According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the dialer includes a sidewall having an open upper end and a bottom end closed by a bottom wall. The dialer includes an inner column coaxially arranged with the dialer and integrally formed with dialer. The inner column extending in an axial upward direction from on an inner surface of the bottom wall. The dialer is rotatably coupled to the second product container and moves the elevator by its rotation. Furthermore, an outer diameter of the dialer's sidewall matches that of the first product container, which ensures a smooth, seamless appearance on the outer surface of the cosmetic container. This design choice eliminates the need for any stepped portions or irregularities in the container's external appearance.
According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, an annular locking groove is formed at an inner surface of the sidewall of the dialer. A third locking protrusion is formed at the outer surface of the outer sidewall of the second product container. The annular locking groove of the dialer receives the third locking protrusion of the second product container. Due to this, the dialer can rotate with respect to the second product container without being separated from the second product container.
Further, a receiving cavity is formed between the sidewall of the dialer and the inner column. The receiving cavity is configured to accommodate a lower portion of the second product container. When the lower portion of the second product container is inserted into the dialer, the outer sidewall and the cylindrical skirt is housed within the receiving cavity of the dialer. The inner column of the dialer, the lower cylindrical sidewall of the elevator, and the cylindrical skirt of the second product container are coaxially sleeved sequentially from inside out.
According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the piston is positioned to move within the reservoir cavity of the second product container. When the need arises to expel the second product from the reservoir cavity, the piston is moved axially in the direction of the upper end of the second product container. The piston is movable, for example, by means of the elevator that pushes the piston in an upward direction. The elevator is particularly designed so that the piston lies on top of the elevator. The piston is moved from the lower end of the reservoir cavity in the direction of the upper end of the reservoir cavity with the aid of the elevator when the second product is needed to be expelled out from the second product container for mixing with the first product.
Furthermore, the piston comprises a piston body and two piston lips, situated around the outer periphery of the piston body. These two lips are designed to establish a secure and leak-tight sliding contact with the inner surface of the reservoir sidewall, thus forming a seal within the reservoir cavity. The piston is advantageously made as a single part. In addition, the piston includes a connecting annular sleeve that extends downwards from the piston body and is configured to securely connected to the connecting skirt of the elevator. Thus, when the elevator moves axially upwards in the reservoir cavity along with it the piston is also pushed to be moved in upward direction. Furthermore, the piston body includes a central rod coaxially located on the piston body and extending upward from the piston body. The central rod of the piston includes a slanted upper edge that is configured to exert force on the breakable region causing it to fracture and detach from the remaining section of the seal cap. As a result of this action, an aperture is created within the seal cap. This aperture serves as the conduit for enabling the discharge of the second product into the first product container for mixing with the first product.
The elevator is coupled with the dialer to convert the rotational motion of the dialer into a linear reciprocating motion. The inner column of the dialer has a no-circular cross-section and similarly the lower cylindrical sidewall of the elevator features an inner perimeter configured to match the non-circular cross-sectional shape of the inner column. In the preferred embodiment, the inner column of the dialer has a rectangular shape, characterized by two opposing flat sides and two opposing curved sides. The lower cylindrical sidewall of the elevator is mounted over the rectangular inner column of the dialer to prevent any relative rotational movement between the elevator and dialer during operation. Consequently, when in use, the elevator consistently moves relative to the dialer along the axial direction. The elevator thus can elevate inside the reservoir cavity in conjunction with the rotation of the dialer. That is, the elevator is coupled with the dialer to convert the rotational motion of the dialer into a linear reciprocating motion.
According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the pump dispenser has a support body threadedly mounted on the neck of the first product container. The support body includes a coupling part having threads a that engages with the threads a formed on outer surface of the neck of the first product container. The support body is configured to secure a pumping assembly that is disposed in neck of the first outer container. The pumping assembly includes a cylinder having a pressure chamber a formed therein to temporarily store the product from the first product container that is sucked therein through a suction tube secured to a lower end of the cylinder. The pump assembly further includes a hollow piston rod, a lower end of which is located in the cylinder and an upper end of which passes through the central portion of the support body. The hollow piston rod is configured to be moved/slide up and down. Further, there is provided a check valve that opens and closes an inlet formed at a bottom of the cylinder according to the pressure change in the pressure chamber. A dispensing head is fastened to an upper end of the hollow piston rod, and the dispensing head has a discharge port formed on one side thereof. A coil spring is provided between the piston rod and the support body for elastically supporting the piston rod upward together with the dispensing head. When dispensing head is pressed downwardly, the piston rod moves down to compress the coil spring, consequently, the pressure in the pressure chamber increases, and the product temporarily stored therein are transferred to the piston rod and is discharged to the outside through the discharge port of the dispensing head. When the external force pressing the dispensing head is removed, the piston rod rises again by the elastic support force of the coil spring and the check valve is opened. The product stored in the first product container is sucked again through the suction tube. It is well within the scope and ambit of present disclosure that various other types of dispensing mechanisms or other pump mechanisms known in the art can be used to dispense the product from the first product container.
Initially, prior to the first use of the cosmetic container in line with this disclosure, the first product is housed within the first product container, while the second product is stored within the second product container. Consequently, the first product and the second product remain segregated. To initiate the mixing of these two liquid products, the user rotates the dialer in relation to the first product container. This action results in the synchronous rotation of both the inner column and the elevator, driven by the dialer. Given that the second product container remains stationary relative to the first product container, the elevator, during its rotational motion, concurrently moves upward along the threads a of the second product container. As the elevator ascends, it exerts upward pressure on the piston, compelling it to move in an upward direction. As the piston rises, the central rod of the piston applies pressure, causing the rupture of the breakable region, thus creating an opening (aperture) within the seal cap. This aperture allows the second product to flow into the first product container, facilitating its mixture with the first product. The piston eventually reaches to its highest position, displacing the entire second product from the reservoir cavity into the first product container, and making contact with the inner surface of the seal cap.
Thereafter, the user can then shake the cosmetic container for uniformly mixing the first and second products. When the user removes the outer cap and presses the dispensing head of the pump dispenser, the first product and the second product that were mixed inside the first product container are discharged to the outside. In a preferred embodiment, the outer cap is removably coupled to the pump dispenser.
Additional advantages, features, characteristics and aspects of the present invention follow from the claims and the following description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawing.
A more complete appreciation of the present disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
As shown throughout the drawings, like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts. While illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure have been described and illustrated above, it should be understood that these are exemplary of the disclosure and are not to be considered as limiting. Additions, deletions, substitutions, and other modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not to be considered limited by the foregoing description.
The terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has” and “having”), “contain” (and any form of contain, such as “contains” and “containing”), and “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a system or method that “comprises,” “has,” “contains,” or “includes” one or more elements possesses those one or more elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements or steps. Likewise, an element of a system or method that “comprises,” “has,” “contains,” or “includes” one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features. Furthermore, a structure that is configured in a certain way must be configured in at least that way, but also may be configured in a way or ways that are not specified.
The cosmetic container 1 comprises the first product container 30, the second product container 70, a pump dispenser 20, an outer cap 10, a seal cap 40, a piston 50, an elevator 60 and a dialer 80. An open lower end of the first product container 30 is attached to a second product container 70 in a sealing manner. The cosmetic container 1 allows a user to easily mix the first and the second products within the cosmetic container 1 before the first use, with a simple twist of the dialer 80. The dialer 80 is designed to rotate around and enclose the second product container 70. Meanwhile, the elevator 60 is securely threaded into a lower portion of the second product container 70, situated beneath its reservoir cavity 72. The piston 50 is slidably positioned within the reservoir cavity 72 beneath the second product P2. When the dialer 80 is rotated relative to the first and the second product containers 30, 70, the dialer 80 initiates an upward movement of the elevator 60, which, in turn, exerts pressure on the piston 50 located inside the second product container 30. As the piston 50 ascends towards an upper end of the second product container 70, a central rod 57, located on the piston's upper side, punctures a breakable region 43 of the seal cap 40 that seals the upper section of the second product container 70. Consequently, the second product P2 contained in the second product container 70 is expelled into the first product container 30.
In the present embodiment, the second product container 70 has a generally cylindrical shape along a main axis of the cosmetic container 1, and which is tightly and sealingly mounted on the lower end of the first product container 30. The first product container 30 has a cylindrical sidewall 32 with an empty inside to hold the first product P1, and a neck 31 with a male thread 31a is provided at a top portion thereof to mount the pump dispenser 20. In addition, a lower part of the cylindrical sidewall 32 of the first product container 30 is open and has a part 33 having an expanded inner diameter while forming a stepped jaw 34 so that the second product container 70 can be attached inside the opened lower part. As shown in
As shown in
The second product container 70 includes an outer sidewall 73 located radially outwardly to the reservoir sidewall 31. An upper end of the outer sidewall 73 is connected to the reservoir sidewall 71 by a transverse shoulder wall 76 positioned at a middle portion of the reservoir sidewall 71. A lower end of the outer sidewall 73 defines an open lower end 71b of the second product container 70.
Referring to
Referring to
The circumferential dimensions of an upper portion of the outer sidewall 73 of second product container 70 are complementary to those of an inner periphery of a lower portion of the first product container 30 such that the upper portion of the outer sidewall 73 of the second product container 70 is sealingly disposed inside the first product container 30.
As shown in
Referring to
Referring to
The threads 67 of the elevator 60 are grooved threads that is provided with stopper protrusions 67a, 67b at both ends thereof. The stopper protrusions 67a define retracted and an advanced extremities of the elevator 60. When the threads 75a of the second product container 70 is abutted against the stopper protrusion 67a located at upper ends of the threads 67 of the elevator 60, is prevented from ascending (advancing) any further. When the threads 75a of the second product container 70 is abutted against the stopper protrusion 67b located at lower ends of the threads 67 of the elevator 60, the elevator 60 is prevented from descending any further.
Referring to
An annular locking groove 87 is formed at an inner surface of the sidewall 81 of the dialer 80. A third locking protrusion 78c is formed at the outer surface of the outer sidewall 73 of the second product container 70. The annular locking groove 87 of the dialer 80 receives the third locking protrusion 78c of the second product container 70. Due to this, the dialer 80 can rotate with respect to the second product container 70 without being separated from the second product container 70.
A receiving cavity 89 is formed between the sidewall 81 of the dialer 80 and the inner column 86. The receiving cavity 89 is configured to receive a lower portion of the second product container 70, see
Referring to
Referring to
The elevator 60 is coupled with the dialer 80 to convert the rotational motion of the dialer 80 into a linear reciprocating motion. Referring to
The pump dispenser 20 has a support body 21 threadedly mounted on the neck 31 of the first product container 30. The support body 21 includes a coupling part 22 having threads 22a that engages with the threads 31a formed on outer surface of the neck 31 of the first product container 30. The support body 21 is configured to secure a pumping assembly that is disposed in neck 31 of the first outer container 30. The pumping assembly includes a cylinder 23 having a pressure chamber 23a formed therein to temporarily store the product from the first product container 30 that is sucked therein through a suction tube 24 secured to a lower end of the cylinder 23. The pump assembly further includes a hollow piston rod 25 a lower end of which is located in the cylinder 23 and an upper end of which passes through the central portion of the support body 21. The hollow piston rod 25 is configured to be moved/slide up and down. Further, there is provided a check valve 26 that opens and closes an inlet 27 formed at a bottom of the cylinder 23 according to the pressure change in the pressure chamber 23a. A dispensing head 28 is fastened to an upper end of the hollow piston rod 25, and the dispensing head 28 has a discharge port 28a formed on one side thereof. A coil spring 29 is provided between the piston rod 25 and the support body 21 for elastically supporting the piston rod 25 upward together with the dispensing head 28. When dispensing head is pressed downwardly, the piston rod 25 moves down to compress the coil spring 29, consequently, the pressure in the pressure chamber 23a increases, and the product temporarily stored therein are transferred to the piston rod 25 and is discharged to the outside through the discharge port 28a of the dispensing head 28. When the external force pressing the dispensing head 28 is removed, the piston rod 25 rises again by the elastic support force of the coil spring 29 and the check valve 26 is opened. The product stored in the first product container 30 is sucked again through the suction tube 24. It is well within the scope and ambit of present disclosure that various other types of dispensing mechanisms or other pump mechanisms known in the art can be used to dispense the product from the first product container 30.
Next, the use of the cosmetic container 1 according to the present disclosure configured as described above and the effects thereof will be described with reference to
Initially, prior to the first use of the cosmetic container 1 in line with this disclosure, as illustrated in
Thereafter, the user can then shake the cosmetic container 1 for uniformly mixing the first and second products P1, P2. When the user removes the outer cap 10 and presses the dispensing head 28 of the pump dispenser 20, the first product P1 and the second product P2 that were mixed inside the first product container 30 are discharged to the outside.
The present disclosure is not limited to, the broadest in accordance with the basic idea disclosed herein. It should be interpreted as having a range. Skilled artisans may implement the pattern of the non-timely manner by combining, replacement of the disclosed embodiments shape, this would also do not depart from the scope of the invention. In addition, those skilled in the art may readily change or modifications to the disclosed embodiments, based on the present specification, such changes or modifications also belong to the scope of the present disclosure will be apparent.
