Patent Application
20220087398
The present invention relates generally to cosmetic dispensers. More particularly, disclosed herein is a keyed cosmetic dispenser and a line of such keyed cosmetic dispensers formed with differently keyed cosmetic cartridges that are engagable and operable only with correspondingly-keyed dispenser bases.
In a typical dispenser for a stick cosmetic, an elevator cup retains the cosmetic for axial extension and retraction by a rotation of a base portion relative to a body portion. Dispensers commonly employ a tubular cam member that is rotatably associated with a tubular inner body. The cam member has channels that communicate helically along the inner surface thereof, and the inner body has opposed longitudinal slots. Opposed lugs of an elevator cup, which retains the cosmetic, are received through the longitudinal slots to engage the helical channels of the cam member. A rotation of the cam member in relation to the inner body induces longitudinal travel of the elevator cup and the retained cosmetic as the lugs of the elevator cup slide along the helical channels of the cam member and are thereby driven along the longitudinal channels of the inner body. Relative rotation of the cam member and the inner body in a first direction will extend the elevator cup, and relative rotation of the cam member and the inner body in a second, opposite direction will retract the elevator cup.
It is desirable to be able to fill and refill cosmetic dispensers with cosmetic sticks, such as once a given cosmetic is spent or no longer desired. For instance, refillable cosmetic dispensers have been increasingly appreciated as being more environmentally sound and efficient while disposable packaging is often recognized as wasteful and irresponsible. Furthermore, by permitting the cosmetic of a given dispenser to be refilled, greater resources can be expended in rendering the cosmetic dispenser an aesthetically desirable, luxury item. Accordingly, a cosmetic dispenser that is simultaneously environmentally friendly and imbibed with enhanced luxury and beauty is now a sought-after advance in the art.
However, producers of cosmetic dispensers typically do not wish for their cosmetic dispenser bases to be refilled with third party cosmetics. Although beneficial for permitting extended usage of a given cosmetic dispenser, the modularity that facilitates replenishing the cosmetic often simultaneously facilitates the use of third party cosmetics relative to a given producer's cosmetic dispenser base. This can result not only in lost sales but also reputational and business harm where unbranded and inferior cosmetics are used relative to a dispenser base of a particular producer. It is also known that certain cosmetic refill cartridges and the retained cosmetic can be used altogether independently of the cosmetic base for which they were designed.
It has thus been recognized by the present inventors that it would be advantageous to devise of cosmetic insert cartridges and cosmetic dispenser bases for such cartridges that are differently keyed to one another to promote usage of keyed cosmetic insert cartridges only with correspondingly keyed cosmetic dispenser bases.
In view of the foregoing, the present invention is founded on the basic object of providing cosmetic dispensers with dispenser bases and cosmetic insert cartridges that are particularly and differently keyed to one another.
In certain practices of the invention, an object is to provide a line of keyed cosmetic dispensers with differently keyed cosmetic cartridges that are engagable and operable only with correspondingly-keyed dispenser bases.
A further object of embodiments of the invention is to provide a refillable cosmetic dispenser with a keyed dispenser base that prevents the usage of non-matching keyed cosmetic insert cartridges in relation thereto.
A related object of manifestations of the invention is to provide a keyed cosmetic insert cartridge for a refillable cosmetic dispenser that prevents usage of the insert cartridge in relation to non-keyed or differently keyed refillable dispenser bases.
An additional object of embodiments of the invention is to provide a cosmetic insert cartridge that is not operational independently of a dispenser base.
An underlying object of the invention is to provide a refillable cosmetic dispenser and cosmetic insert cartridges for such a refillable cosmetic dispenser that minimize waste thereby to be environmentally sound.
A further object of embodiments of the invention is to provide a keyed dispenser base for a keyed cosmetic dispenser that can be refilled and reused thereby to justify greater investments in luxury relative to the dispenser.
These and further objects, advantages, and details of the present invention will become obvious not only to one who reviews the present specification and drawings but also to those who have an opportunity to make use of an embodiment of the keyed refillable cosmetic dispenser and cosmetic insert cartridges for such cosmetic dispensers disclosed herein. Although the accomplishment of each of the foregoing objects in a single embodiment of the invention may be possible and indeed preferred, not all embodiments will seek or need to accomplish each and every potential advantage and function. Nonetheless, all such embodiments should be considered within the scope of the present invention.
In one embodiment, the invention can be characterized as a keyed refillable cosmetic dispenser for a stick cosmetic with a keyed cosmetic insert cartridge and a keyed dispenser base for receiving the keyed cosmetic insert cartridge. The keyed cosmetic insert cartridge has an elongate body with a proximal end and a distal end, an elevator cup disposed within the elongate body for retaining the stick cosmetic, and a rotary extension and retraction mechanism for selectively adjusting the elevator cup between a retracted position and an extended position relative to the elongate body. The keyed cosmetic insert cartridge and the keyed dispenser base have a matching key pattern combination wherein a key pattern retained by the elongate body matches a key pattern retained by the dispenser base.
In certain embodiments, the elongate body comprises an inner body, and the insert cartridge further comprise a spiral member concentric with the inner body. The inner body has at least one longitudinal track therethrough, the spiral member has at least one spiral formation, and the elevator cup has a sidewall and at least one lug that projects from the sidewall, through the at least one longitudinal track, and into engagement with the at least one spiral formation. Under this construction, the elevator cup can be manipulated between the retracted position and the extended position by a relative rotation between the inner body and the spiral member.
As disclosed herein, the elongate body can have a keyway member, such as a keyway plate, with a keyway with the key pattern formed in the keyway in the keyway member. Further, the dispenser base can have a key member with the key pattern being formed on the key member. For instance, the key member can comprise a column, and the key pattern can be formed on the column.
According to manifestations of the invention, the key patterns of the cosmetic insert cartridge and the dispenser base can comprise matching patterns of surface deviations that intermesh when the keyed cosmetic insert cartridge is received by the keyed dispenser base such that a rotary driving engagement is established between the keyed dispenser base and the elongate body. For example, the key patterns of the cosmetic insert cartridge and the dispenser base can comprise matching patterns of protuberances and indentations, such as but not limited to matching patterns of ridges and channels. By way of example, the key pattern formed in the keyway of the keyway member can take the form of circumferentially spaced teeth separated by channels, and the key pattern formed on the key member can take the form of plural teeth sized and angularly spaced over the key member to align with and be received into the channels between the teeth of the key pattern of the keyway member. The teeth of the key pattern of the keyway member and the teeth of the key pattern of the key member can have matching pitches, and the teeth of the key pattern of the keyway member can be evenly spaced over 360 angular degrees. Meanwhile, it is disclosed herein that the key pattern of the key member can comprise first and second series of teeth spaced over less than 360 angular degrees, such as with each series of teeth spaced over approximately 90 degrees.
Exploiting the keyed refillable cosmetic dispensers disclosed herein, a line of keyed refillable cosmetic dispensers for stick cosmetics can be provided. The line of cosmetic dispensers can be formed, for example, with first and second keyed refillable cosmetic dispensers, each with a keyed cosmetic insert cartridge with a key pattern and a keyed dispenser base for receiving the cosmetic insert cartridge. The cosmetic insert cartridge and the dispenser base of the first keyed refillable cosmetic dispenser have a matching first key pattern combination wherein the key pattern of the cosmetic insert cartridge matches the key pattern of the dispenser base, and the cosmetic insert cartridge and the dispenser base of the second keyed refillable cosmetic dispenser have a matching second key pattern combination wherein the key pattern of the cosmetic insert cartridge matches the key pattern of the dispenser base. The second key pattern combination is different than the first key pattern combination whereby the key pattern of the cosmetic insert cartridge of the first keyed refillable cosmetic dispenser matches the key pattern of the of the keyed dispenser base of the first keyed refillable cosmetic dispenser but not the key pattern of the keyed dispenser base of the second refillable cosmetic dispenser. It is within the scope of the invention for the line of cosmetic dispensers to include third and further keyed refillable cosmetic dispensers with further, different key pattern combinations.
The foregoing discussion broadly outlines the more important goals and features of the invention to enable a better understanding of the detailed description that follows and to instill a better appreciation of the inventors' contribution to the art. Before any particular embodiment or aspect thereof is explained in detail, it must be made clear that the following details of construction and illustrations of inventive concepts are mere examples of the many possible manifestations of the invention.
In the accompanying drawing figures:
The keyed refillable cosmetic dispenser disclosed herein is subject to a variety of embodiments, each within the scope of the invention. However, to ensure that one skilled in the art will be able to understand and, in appropriate cases, practice the present invention, certain preferred embodiments of the broader invention revealed herein are described below and shown in the accompanying drawing figures.
Turning more particularly to the drawings, a keyed refillable cosmetic dispenser according to the invention is indicated generally at 10 in
When a keyed cosmetic cartridge 15 is fully engaged within a correspondingly keyed dispenser base 18, a relative rotation can be produced between the inner body 14 and the spiral member 16, such as by a gripping of the dispenser base 18, a gripping of the upper shell 24, and a relative rotation therebetween. Relative rotation in a first rotational direction, such as in a clockwise direction in the illustrated example, yields an axial extension of the elevator cup 12, and a relative rotation between the inner body 14 and the spiral member 16 in a second, opposite rotational direction yields an axial retraction of the elevator cup 12. Accordingly, when the cartridge 15 and the dispenser base 18 are fully engaged, the elevator cup 12, and thus a retained stick of cosmetic 100, can be selectively adjusted between the retracted disposition depicted, for instance, in
The cosmetic dispenser 10 can be considered to have a proximal end defined as the closed bottom of the dispenser base 18 while the tip of the tubular shell 24 can be considered to define a distal end of the cosmetic dispenser 10. Each component of the cosmetic dispenser 10 can generally be described under that convention. It should be noted that, while terms such as member or the like are employed in relation to the spiral member 16 and possibly other components of the cosmetic dispenser 10, each could be formed unitarily as a single piece of material or from multiple subcomponents joined by any effective method to form the respective structure. Additionally, except as otherwise described or claimed, the elevator cup 12, the inner body 14, the spiral member 16, the components of the dispenser base 18, the tubular shells 22 and 24, and each other component of the cosmetic dispenser 10 can be formed from any suitable material and by any effective method. Although the components of the cosmetic dispenser 10 are not limited as to material, the shells 22 and 24 in one practice of the invention are formed from a rigid material, such as a metal, while the elevator cup 12, the inner body 14, the spiral member 16, and the dispenser base 18 are formed of plastic.
One embodiment of the inner body 14 is shown apart from the remainder of the keyed cosmetic dispenser 10 in
First and second opposed longitudinal tracks 38 communicate along a substantial length of the body portion 36 of the inner body 14. The longitudinal tracks 38 are disposed in general opposition and pass entirely through the body portion 36 to comprise slots. With this, the elevator lugs 52 of the elevator cup 12, which is shown apart in
The first and second longitudinal tracks 38 in this embodiment have distal lateral track segments at the distal ends thereof and proximal lateral track segments at the proximal ends thereof. The distal lateral track segments can be employed to lock the elevator cup 12 in an extended disposition, and the proximal lateral track segments lock the elevator cup 12 in a retracted disposition. With this, inadvertent movement, namely unintended extension or retraction, of the elevator cup 12 and the retained cosmetic stick 100 is prevented.
The elevator cup 12 is shown apart from the remainder of the cosmetic dispenser 10 in
As shown in
The inner diameter of the skirt 48 is marginally greater than the outer diameter of the annular bearing wall 45 of the inner body 14. One or more protuberances 42, which in this case comprise the end portions of resiliently deflectable fingers, project radially outward from the annular bearing wall 45 of the inner body 14 to establish a localized effective diameter greater than the undeflected inner diameter of the skirt 48. Under this construction, the protuberances 42 deflect and frictionally engage the skirt 48 thereby to create a frictional engagement between the inner body 14 and the spiral member 16 during a relative rotation therebetween. The pressing of the protuberances 42 against the skirt 48 provides smooth and consistent frictional resistance to the rotation of the inner body 14 relative to the spiral member 16.
Referring again to
The inner diameters of the body portions 36 and 44 of the inner body 14 and the spiral member 16 and the outer diameter of the peripheral wall 50 of the elevator cup 12 are calibrated to allow the elevator cup 12 to slide longitudinally within the inner body 14 and the spiral member 16, such as by having the outer diameter of the peripheral wall 50 be slightly less than the inner diameter of the body portion 36 of the inner body 14. Similarly, the elevator lugs 52 and the opposed spiral channels 46 are dimensioned to enable a sliding of the elevator lugs 52 along the spiral channels 46, such as by having the distance between the outer tips of the elevator lugs 52 slightly less than the distance between the opposed surfaces of the spiral channels 46.
When the cartridge 15 is assembled with the inner body 14 received into the spiral member 16, the skirt 48 of the spiral member 16 extends to surround the distal portion of the annular bearing wall 45 while the proximal portion of the base 40 of the inner body 14 extends proximally beyond the proximal end of the skirt 48 and beyond the spiral member 16 in general. With the proximal portion of the inner body 14 exposed and accessible, it would be possible to rotate the inner body 14 in relation to the spiral member 16 and, in so doing, to extend and retract the elevator cup 12 and a retained cosmetic. With the proximal portion of the base 40 exposed, the cosmetic cartridge 15 could in theory be used and operated independently of a dispenser base 18.
According to the present invention, however, the proximal portion of the inner body 14, which would otherwise be exposed and accessible, is encased by the lower shell 22 but for a keyhole opening defined by a bottom ring 28 of the lower shell 22. Looking more particularly to
With further reference to
The dispenser base 18 retains a concentric key member 20 that is particularly keyed to be received into a keyway 60 of a correspondingly-keyed inner body 14. When the cosmetic dispenser 10 is fully assembled, the key member 20 is fixed within the proximal portion of the elongate tubular member 62 of the dispenser base 18, such as by integral formation or, as here, by being fitted into place. The key member 20 can be fixed in place within the proximal end of the inner body 14, such as but not limited to by a snap-fit engagement, adhesive, sonic welding, or some other method or combination thereof.
The structure of the key member 20 can be further understood with reference to
For the key member 20 of the dispenser base 18 to be matingly received into the keyway 60 of the cosmetic cartridge 15, the key pattern 80 of the key member 20 must match the key pattern 65 of the keyway plate 32. The key patterns 65 and 80 comprise patterns of surface deviations spaced along the inner periphery of the keyway 60 and along the outer periphery of the key tip 84. In certain embodiments, when viewed in plan along the longitudinals of the cosmetic cartridge 15 and the dispenser base 18, the key patterns 65 and 80 can be characterized as comprising series or patterns of ridges, ribs, or other protuberances, potentially separated by channels, furrows, or other lowered sections or indentations. The key patterns 65 and 80 are formed to complement one another to permit the key tip 84 to be received into the keyway 60 with the key patterns 65 and 80 intermeshed. When the key patterns 65 and 80 are intermeshed, a driving engagement is established between the dispenser base 18 and the inner body 14.
The scope of the invention is not limited to any particular pattern type or to any specific key patterns 65 and 80. A number of illustrative but not limiting key patterns 65 and 80 are shown and described herein. A first key pattern combination is depicted in
Another key pattern combination is illustrated in
Turning to
By virtue of the key patterns 65 and 80 of the inner body 14 and the dispenser base 18, a refillable cosmetic dispenser 10 is thus provided wherein the dispenser base 18 and the cosmetic insert cartridge 15 are particularly keyed to one another with matching key patterns 65 and 80. A series of different, matching key patterns 65 and 80 can be established to provide a line of keyed cosmetic dispensers 10 with different key pattern combinations, each key pattern combination resulting in a keyed cosmetic cartridge 15 that is engagable and operable only with the correspondingly-keyed dispenser base 18 of that key pattern combination. The ability to provide individually keyed refillable cosmetic dispensers 10 could be exploited, by way of example and not limitation, to enable a producer of cosmetic dispensers 10 to key one model of the keyed cosmetic dispenser 10 specific to one cosmetic manufacturer or specific to one cosmetic line of a given manufacturer, such as with the key pattern combination shown in
The type and number of key pattern combinations are essentially limitless. Matching key patterns 65 and 80 can be created, by way of example and not limitation, by varying the shape, size, number, or other structural characteristic of surface deviations establishing the key patterns 65 and 80. The resulting keyed cosmetic dispensers 10 prevent the usage of non-matching keyed cosmetic insert cartridges 15 in relation to particularly keyed cosmetic dispenser bases 18. Moreover, cosmetic insert cartridges 15 keyed as taught herein prevent usage of the insert cartridge 15 in relation to non-keyed or differently keyed refillable dispenser bases 18. Still further, by virtue of the encasing lower shell 22, the assembled cosmetic insert cartridge 15 is not operational independently of a dispenser base 18.
In practice, the cosmetic insert cartridge 15 can be assembled as in
A dispenser cap 68 as shown in
When a keyed cosmetic cartridge 15 is engaged with a matching keyed dispenser base 18, the elevator cup 12, the inner body 14, and the spiral member 16 cooperate to form a rotary extension and retraction mechanism. By the engagement of the release member 20 with the locking member 22, the inner body 14 is rotationally fixed relative to the dispenser base 18, and the upper shell 24 is rotationally fixed relative to the spiral member 16. The inner body 14 can then be manually rotated in relation to the spiral member 16 by, for instance, a gripping of the keyed dispenser base 18 and a relative rotation of the base 18 and the shell 24. The elevator cup 12, and thus a lipstick member 100 retained by the elevator cup 12 as in
As the inner body 14 is rotated in relation to the spiral member 16, the elevator cup 12 is prevented from rotating in relation to the inner body 14 by engagement of the lugs 52 with the longitudinal tracks 38 of the inner body 14. With that, the lugs 52 of the elevator cup 12 slide along the helical channels 46 of the spiral member 16 to yield an axial movement of the elevator cup 12 and the retained lipstick 100. Relative rotation in a first direction will induce an extension of the elevator cup 12 while relative rotation in a second, opposite direction will induce a retraction of the elevator cup 12 and the retained cosmetic stick 100. When desired, such as when a given stick cosmetic 100 is spent or when a different color or type of cosmetic 100 is desired, a user can disengage the keyed cosmetic cartridge 15 retaining the cosmetic 100 to be replaced from the keyed dispenser base 18. A different, but again correspondingly-keyed, cosmetic insert cartridge 15 into the cosmetic base 18.
It will be understood that terms of orientation may be referenced herein merely provide a complete understanding of the disclosed keyed refillable cosmetic dispenser 10 and are not limiting of the invention. Other nomenclature and conventions may be used without limitation of the teachings herein. Furthermore, the various components disclosed herein are merely illustrative and are not limiting of the invention. For example, except as limited by the claims, each of the components discussed herein may include subcomponents that collectively provide for the structure and function of the disclosed component. Furthermore, one or more components, sometimes referred to as members or otherwise herein, could be combined as a unitary structure while still corresponding to the disclosed components. Additional components that provide additional functions, or enhancements to those introduced herein, may be included. For example, additional components and materials, combinations of components or materials, and perhaps the omission of components or materials may be used to create embodiments that are nonetheless within the scope of the teachings herein.
When introducing elements of the present invention or embodiments thereof, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive such that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. As used herein, the term “example” or “exemplary” is not intended to imply a superlative example. Rather, “exemplary” refers to an embodiment that is one of many possible embodiments.
With certain details and embodiments of the present invention for a keyed refillable cosmetic dispenser 10 disclosed, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that numerous changes and additions could be made thereto without deviating from the spirit or scope of the invention. This is particularly true when one bears in mind that the presently preferred embodiments merely exemplify the broader invention revealed herein. Accordingly, it will be clear that those with major features of the invention in mind could craft embodiments that incorporate those major features while not incorporating all of the features included in the preferred embodiments.
Therefore, the following claims shall define the scope of protection to be afforded to the invention. Those claims shall be deemed to include equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention. It must be further noted that a plurality of the following claims may express, or be interpreted to express, certain elements as means for performing a specific function, at times without the recital of structure or material. As the law demands, any such claims shall be construed to cover not only the corresponding structure and material expressly described in this specification but also all legally cognizable equivalents thereof.
