HINGELESS COMPACT

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments of a vessel, particularly for cosmetics, such as a pot or compact, having an iris apparatus as a closure mechanism. Diaphragm and abutting type iris closures are disclosed for use as lids for containers for cosmetics.

Description

BACKGROUND

Vessels exist that are portable, convenient to use, and designed to contain cosmetic products for use. These types of portable vessels usually consist of a jar and lid assembly, that when assembled together provide an effective barrier for containing the product. The jar and/or lid are typically made of a glass, a plastic, a metal, combinations of the foregoing, or the like, that when closed together create a seal that can contain the product. These jar and lid assemblies may typically be sealed by a thread fastening mechanism, a snap fastening mechanism, or a clamp fastening mechanism. Some assemblies, when fastened together, can compress an o-ring or a gasket interposed by the jar and the lid. Some assemblies include hinged compacts rather than separate jars and lids.

These vessels are used in the cosmetics and personal care industries for containing a product to be applied to a body. Exemplary products include creams, gels, loose or compressed powders, and various makeup products, such as lip balm, blush/rouge, tint, petroleum products, sunscreen, etc. Portable vessels have been developed to contain products in a compact and often substantially airtight assembly. These are often built with a plastic pot and a loose plastic lid that are housed by a protective shell. However, because these vessels have a loose lid, it is difficult to manage both the loose lid and the protective shell while applying the contained product to a body. Some vessels have addressed this problem by utilizing a hinge or a tether to keep the lid with the pot. Such is the case with traditional compacts. Although useful, when open, the compact doubles its footprint and can be unwieldy.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments provide a vessel comprising a pot configured to hold a product; and an iris, comprising a plurality of leaves, which is coupled to the pot, wherein the iris is configured to create an opening for accessing the product when in an open state and to facilitate closing of the vessel when a portion of the iris is rotated relative to the pot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other aspects of the present invention are best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings embodiments that are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific instrumentalities disclosed. Included in the drawings are the following Figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container according to one embodiment employing a diaphragm iris closure in the lid. Open, half-open, and closed views are shown.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a diaphragm iris closure in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a top view of an embodiment of a diaphragm iris for use in a lid in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the internals of an embodiment of a diaphragm iris for use in a lid in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a cut-away perspective view of an exemplary diaphragm iris for use in a lid in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6 depicts various parts and arrangement thereof of an exemplary diaphragm iris for use in a lid in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 7 depicts various exemplary blade shapes and arrangements in an exemplary diaphragm iris for use in a lid in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a series of plan and perspective views of an exemplary lid incorporating a diaphragm iris in accordance with some embodiments; closed, half open, and open positions are shown.

FIG. 9 is an exploded and cross-sectional view of a cosmetic packaging including a base for housing product, and a lid incorporating an iris closure mechanism in the lid.

FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary container employing an abutting type iris mechanism as a closure in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary mechanism useful for abutting type iris mechanisms in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 12A-12E are various views of an alternative embodiment of a diaphragm iris closure mechanism employing a center post.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

A multi-part lid assembly that utilizes an iris mechanism can provide an aesthetically interesting lid to open and close a vessel containing a cosmetic or other product, especially products where an aesthetically interesting closure would be desirable to a consumer. The lid includes a retractable covering to allow access to a cosmetic product inside a pot. The iris mechanism can be closed or sealed by turning one part of the iris housing relative to another to cause a plurality of leaves to rotate relative to one another to facilitate the opening or closing of the vessel. An exemplary vessel includes two major parts, a pot for containing a product and an iris mechanism that allows an aperture to be opened and closed to provide selective access to the product when a user of the vessel desires to access the product contained therein.

The pot portion of the vessel can be made of any suitable material and shape to meet the packaging and aesthetic needs of the vessel. The pot can be, for example, a cylindrical jar made of plastic, glass, metal, wood, ceramic, composite, or any combination thereof. The iris mechanism can be any of the irises described herein and can be made of any suitable material for the application, as understood by a person of ordinary skill. Exemplary irises can include iris diaphragms that utilize overlapping leaves or iris mechanisms that utilize leaves that form a substantially closed seal when the leaves are rotatably abutted. Those exemplary leaves can be configured to generally not touch when an aperture is created when opening the iris. Leaves and the iris housing components can be made from plastic, metal, paper, rubber, polymer, or any combination thereof. It should be understood that the iris housing need not be made of the same material as the pot or leaves, but could be made from any material including but not limited to those used in the pot, such as metal, glass, plastic, or wood. The iris mechanism can be coupled to the pot via a compression, press fit, friction fit, welding, adhesive, a screw mechanism, or by molding a part of the housing into the structure of the pot.

Exemplary Iris Mechanisms

A suitable iris for use as a closure in a cosmetic product can include an iris diaphragm (FIG. 1) or abutting iris (FIG. 10). It should be understood that many of the features described herein can be used to understand the operation of diaphragm-type and butting-type irises.

An iris diaphragm typically comprises a number of overlapping curved leaves mounted in a circle around an aperture, which can be rotated in unison to adjust the diameter of the aperture. Iris diaphragms are commonly used with spot lights, to narrow or broaden the beam of light. They are also commonly used to regulate the amount of light entering an optical instrument, for example a camera.

An iris diaphragm comprises a base provided with an aperture, a rotatable element provided with a corresponding aperture, and a number of curved leaves, one end of which is mounted in a fixed pivotal position to one of the element or base, and the other end of which are mounted in a sliding pivotal position to the other of the element or base.

The leaves can be mounted at equal points around the circumference of the aperture, and are so shaped that the curve along their inner edge corresponds to the curvature of the aperture, so when they are in the fully retracted position the aperture is unobstructed. Various shapes of leaves and numbers of leaves can be used to choose a predetermined curved or geometric shape as the aperture of the iris opens and closes when the aperture base and rotatable element are rotatably moved relative to one another.

When the element or the base is rotated the leaves are rotated about their fixed pivot and cross over the aperture. Most irises can move from a fully open position to a substantially fully closed position in approximately 110 degrees of rotation.

FIG. 1 includes 3 top-down photographs of a cosmetic vessel using an iris closure for a lid. Vessel 40 includes a diaphragm-type iris 41 mounted on a cylindrical pot 42, such that the aperture created when open allows access to a cosmetic product 43.

FIGS. 2-5 show various views of an iris diaphragm 1 comprising a base 2, a rotatable disc 3 and a number of leaves 4 (for clarity, only one leaf is shown in FIG. 2). A first end 5 of the leaf 4 is rotatably attached to an opening 6 provided in the disc 3, by means of a burst hole joint 7. A second end 8 of the leaf 4 is provided with a pin 9 which is positioned in a slide 10, which is provided in the base 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the disc 3 is provided with eighteen apertures 6, one for each of the eighteen burst hole joints 7 on each of the overlapping leaves 4. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4 the base 2 (the outline of which is shown in broken lines) is provided with eighteen slides 10, and each leaf 4 is provided with a pin 9, which is positioned in one slide 10.

The disc 3 is positioned in a slot 11 (as shown in FIG. 2) provided in the base 2, and it is provided with an operating handle 12, positioned in a further slot 13 (as shown in FIG. 3) provided in the base 2.

When the disc 3 is rotated by the handle, the end 5 of each leaf 4 is drawn in a circular direction by the joints 7. The joints 7 also rotate on their own axis due to the second ends 8 of each leaf 4 being positioned in the stationary slides 10.

As a result of the above described action, each pin 9 is moved along each slide 10. In the movement from fully retracted to fully advanced, each pin moves first towards the center of the iris aperture 14, then back in the opposite direction as the joints 7 follow their circular course.

The leaves 4 are so shaped that the above described actions result in the iris aperture 14 closing. The aperture can be opened, or placed in any desired position, by the positioning of the handle 12.

Iris diaphragm 1 is provided with a narrow width, Distance A, due to the narrow width of the burst hole joints 7 and the pin 9 and slide 10 mechanisms. It will be appreciated that Distance A is restricted only by the capacity to machine the pin 9 onto the leaf 4. The width of the iris diaphragm 1 is determined by size of pin 9 which can effectively be attached to the leaf 4.

In an alternative construction, not shown, the pivotal arrangements are reversed and the openings 6 are provided on the base 2, and the slides 10 are provided on the rotatable element 3.

An exemplary iris diaphragm for use as a lid to provide a closure that can be opened and closed by rotating a disc relative to the housing. It should be understood that this motion can be accomplished with or without the use of a handle. FIG. 1 shows and embodiment without a handle, while FIG. 8 depicts an embodiment having a lever as a handle.

FIG. 5 provides a cutaway view of an alternative design for an iris diaphragm. Iris 20 includes a plurality of overlapping leaves, such as leaf 21. Two pins 22 and 23 at a common end of leaf 21 allow the other end to slide over the other leaves, while allowing the two pins to change the angle of the leaf as the iris base is moved relative to a rotatable portion. Pin 23 can be constrained in a bushing or hole in the iris base while pin 22 engages a slot in the rotatable portion that allows pin 22 to slide in a slot, while the slot rotates relative to the hole containing pin 22. This allows the relative angle of pins 22 and 23 to change as the iris mechanism is rotated, allow the leaves to create an aperture that changes size, creating an opening/closure.

FIG. 6 provides some further detail on the operation of iris 20, and shows an exemplary shape for the leaves (referred to as blades in FIG. 6). Pin 23 can be constrained by holes in the base plate, while pin 22 can be constrained by slots in the blade actuation ring. The position of the leaves is shown in an open position and a half open position to allow understanding of how the rotatable leaf motion results in an aperture of changing size, which allows the iris to act as a lid, allowing closing of the aperture to form a closed lid.

FIG. 7 shows multiple alternative leaf shapes for use with an iris. The corresponding aperture in a half-open state is also shown. A suitable leaf can therefore be selected based on the desired complexity (number of leaves) and aesthetic shape of the aperture as it opens and closes. Exemplary Iris-closed vessels

In state 45, iris 41 is substantially open, creating a wide opening to allow easy access to cosmetic product 43. In state 46, iris 41 is partially closed, creating a concentrically smaller aperture, creating an aesthetically pleasing closing experience. In state 47, iris 41 is closed, providing a substantially closed lid, which allows product 43 to be stored without drying out or spilling, depending on the type of iris and product used. For example, where product 43 is a cream or powder and vessel 40 is intended to be used for transporting product 43 in a purse or pocket, iris 41 may be designed to provide a substantially tight seal when closed in state 47, preventing leaking of product 43.

FIG. 8 shows some further views (corresponding to those of FIG. 1) of a diaphragm iris that may be used with some embodiments. Closed, half-open, and open positions are shown in plan and perspective views.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary embodiment with an exploded view of the pot (base) having a discrete product pan that can act as a base to hold the product within the pot. The lid can be rotated relative to the base. A small actuator lever in the iris mechanism engages a corresponding groove in the lid, allowing a separate decorative lid portion to control the engagement of the iris mechanism to open and close the aperture.

FIG. 10 is a combination of perspective and top views of a vessel 50 that uses a butting-type iris 51 to provide a closure for the contents of pot 52. When iris 51 is in a closed state 53, the convex and concave surfaces of the leaves form an effective butting seal. The bezel of iris 51 can be twisted to move the leaves through states 54-56, increasing the size of the aperture, allowing the user to place iris 51 in an opened state 57. Iris 51 can have a mechanism similar to that shown in FIG. 8, but has a thinner bezel, allowing the leaves, when opened to protrude outside the edges of the bezel to form an aesthetic flower pattern.

FIG. 11 is a photo of an exemplary butting-type iris 30, turned upside down to see operation. Top plate 31 includes pivotally mounted leaves, such as leaves 34 and 35. Top plate 31 may be rotatably coupled to bottom plate 32. Bottom plate 32 can be coupled to the cosmetic vessel, allowing a user to rotate top plate 31 relative to the pot, causing the leaves to restrict or open the aperture. Top plate 31 would be seen as a thick bezel by the user, allowing concealment of the leaves when opened. When the user rotates top plate 31, leaves 34 and 35 rotate together, allowing the convex portion of leaf 34 to engage and butt with the concave portion of leaf 35, creating a butt-joint, closing the aperture. Accordingly, this type of iris may be referred to herein as a butting-type iris. By selecting suitable materials and shapes for the leaves, the leaves may form a substantially tight closure or seal. In some embodiments, a coating can be applied to the abutting surfaces to help provide better sealing. For example, PTFE, plastic, rubber, polymer, or other material may be used to enhance the sealing properties of the leaves. It should be understood that generally, leaves in butting-type irises can be thicker than the leaves of a diaphragm iris, which are often thin, foil-like leaves.

In some embodiments, the pot can include a screw mechanism, similar to that used in a deodorant container that allows the product to rise relative to the base of the pot when the iris lid is rotated relative to the pot. The product can be held in a pan within the pot. There can also be a tray or holder to hold the product pan. The holder can include pegs protruding from the sides (e.g., 2-4), which slideably mate into a helical slot on the base. The lid can be mechanically coupled to those pegs much like the lid is coupled to the mechanism lever in FIG. 12. As the lid rotates, actuating the mechanism, it also rotates the pegs attached to the tray holder, which can move the holder up and down since the pegs go through a helical slots in the area of the base that holds the tray.

FIGS. 12A-E show an alternate embodiment of a vessel having an iris closure. Vessel 100 includes a foil-type iris 102 and a center post 104. The center post may be employed in any iris to help facilitate closure, and for other purposes. Center post 104 can be a cylinder arranged symmetrically with iris 102 so that iris 102 need not close completely to form a closure. Center post 104 allows simpler irises to be used that are not configured to close to substantially zero radius. Iris 102 is configured to close about center post 104. This may allow cheaper materials and/or thinner foils to be used. Housing/pot 110 supports iris 102 and center post 104, as well as provides space for at least one cosmetic product.

As shown in FIG. 12A, where vessel 100 is in a partially open position, multiple wells 106, 107, and 108 can provide space for multiple cosmetic products, such as different shades of eye shadow. FIG. 12B shows iris 102 in a substantially closed position, where iris 102 closes to substantially surround center post 104. In some embodiments, iris 102 is configured to touch center post 104 to form a closure. In some embodiments, iris 102 is configured not to touch center post 104, which can protect iris 102 from damage or wear. FIG. 12B shows iris 102 in a substantially open position, providing a user access to cosmetic products in wells 106, 107, and 108.

FIG. 12D depicts a 3D perspective of vessel 100 in an open position (iris 102 has been removed to show detail). Housing 110 includes two portions, a bezel 112 and a base 114, which is molded to form, or coupled to, center post 104 and wells 106, 107, and 108. Bezel 112 can be rotated relative to base 114 to selectively open or close iris 102 to provide access to the cosmetic products contained in vessel 100. FIG. 12E depicts a 3D perspective of vessel 100 in an open position.

It should be appreciated that other types and shapes of irises can be used. Irises need not be limited to round apertures when fully opened. Furthermore, non-coplanar leaf configurations may be used if suitable for a given application. For example, leaves may form a dome or cone when closed.

Claims

1. A vessel comprising: a pot configured to hold a product; andan iris, comprising a plurality of leaves, which is coupled to the pot, wherein the iris is configured to create an opening for accessing the product when in an open state and to facilitate closing of the vessel when a portion of the iris is rotated relative to the pot.

2. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the iris is a butting-type iris.

3. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the iris is an iris diaphragm.

4. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the product is a cosmetic product.

5. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the portion of the iris comprises a bezel that may be rotated to cause the plurality of leaves to rotate to form a closure.

6. The vessel of claim 5, wherein the bezel is configured to substantially conceal leaves when the iris is in the open state.

7. The vessel of claim 5, wherein the bezel is configured to allow the leaves to protrude outside the bezel when the iris is in the open state.

8. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of leaves each include a convex and a concave surface that are configured to mate with the concave and convex surfaces, respectively, of adjacent leaves.

9. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the pot comprises a housing including a plurality of wells configured to contain a plurality of cosmetic products.

10. The vessel of claim 1, further comprising a center post, wherein the iris is configured to close around the center post.

11. The vessel of claim 10, wherein the iris is configured to substantially touch the center post to form a closure.