Patent Application
20110030721
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable caddy for transporting cosmetics and/or hygiene products and, more particularly, to a portable caddy including a lighted mirror which may be used either while mounted on an upper surface of the portable caddy or while completely removed from the portable caddy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable caddies, such as makeup caddies, allow one to transport items, such as cosmetics and other products, between rooms of a house, and to and from other locations, including college dormitories, hotels, and so on.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a well-designed portable caddy for transporting cosmetics, hygiene and other types of products.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable caddy that is designed to assist in the application of cosmetics and use of hygiene products.
These and other objects are achieved by a portable caddy for transporting a variety of objects and that is capable in assisting in the application of makeup. In accordance with the invention, the caddy body includes a set of drawers that are slidable into and out of the front of the caddy body, a handle pivotally connected to the top of the caddy body, and a mirror stand that includes a mirror and that rests on top of the caddy when not in use and that rests against the handle at an angle during use.
As an aspect of the present invention, the caddy body includes a brim that extends along a front of the caddy body's top and at least partially along the sides, and the mirror stand is sized to fit within the brim when in the stored position.
As another aspect of the present invention, the handle is movable between a fully lowered position and a raised position, and the ends of the handle are disposed adjacent to the brim when in the fully lowered position.
As a feature of this aspect, the handle, when in the fully lowered position, is flush with the brim.
As a further aspect of the present invention, the caddy includes a set of locking mechanisms that extend from the brim and support the mirror stand when in use.
As a feature of this aspect, the caddy includes multiple sets of locking mechanisms to allow for the mirror stand to be supported at different positions and at different angles relative to the top surface of the caddy.
As a variation of this feature, each of the locking mechanisms can be positioned at different locations along the right and left sides of the brim to support the mirror stand at a different angle for each of those different locations.
As yet another aspect of the present invention, the caddy includes a ribbed tray on its top surface.
As yet a further aspect of the present invention, the caddy includes a set of stacked drawers that are pivotally mounted to the caddy body.
As a feature of this aspect, the stacked drawers are half moon in shape and pivot from opposite sides of the caddy body.
As yet an additional aspect of the present invention, the drawers are lockable.
As another aspect of the present invention, the portable caddy includes shelves that extend from the left and right sides of the caddy body, and at least one of the shelves includes a set of holes for supporting cosmetic tools.
As a further aspect of the present invention, the mirror stand may be used separate from the caddy body.
As an additional aspect of the present invention, the mirror stand includes a set of light emitting diodes that are disposed around the mirror.
Various other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
The following detailed description, given by way of example and not intended to limit the present invention solely thereto, will best be appreciated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and parts, in which:
The present invention entails a portable caddy (or, simply, “caddy”) for transporting cosmetics and/or other personal hygiene items between various locations, including the home, a hotel, and other places. Additionally, as further discussed below, the caddy assists its user in the application of cosmetics or in the use of hygiene items in a variety of ways.
Referring now the drawings,
Just beneath the drawers 30, there is provided a second pair of drawers 32 which are pivotally connected to the body at “b” and “c.” Drawers 32 are half-moon in shape and swivel outwardly from the body 20 of the caddy 10 in opposing directions when a user grabs and pulls on their handles 31. Drawers 73 provide a butterfly configuration when swiveled to their fully open position (not shown), thereby enabling the user to easily distinguish between the items contained by each of the drawers as their contents can be contrasted side-by-side. Such configuration and swivel movement also enables full access to items contained in the drawers 32 even in tight, cramped spaces since a user is able to grasp contents within the drawers without their having to be moved to their fully open position.
Each of the drawers 30 and 32 preferably are lockable in one or more positions so that can be secured in place, either in the closed or open positions. Such locking prevents the inadvertent movement of the drawers, thereby preventing or minimizing the loss and/or shifting of the carried items when the caddy 10 is moved.
Each of the opposed side surfaces 22 of caddy 10 includes a shelf 40 that extends outwardly from the body 20. Each shelf 40 preferably includes a set of openings (or apertures) 41 into which one or more tools or other devices may be inserted. As shown, the stem 42 of an exemplary cosmetic tool 43 is inserted through opening 41 of shelf 40.
Top surface 23 of the caddy 10 includes a brim portion 50. At least part of the brim portion 50 includes a carrying handle 60 that is frictionally adjustable at “d” between a fully-raised position (not shown) to allow the user to lift and carry the caddy 10, and a fully-lowered position (not shown) in which the handle lies flush with the remaining portions of the brim portion 50 when the caddy 10 is in a stored position.
Caddy 10 further includes a mirror-light stand 70 (sometimes called herein, for convenience, simply “mirror”) that includes a central mirror portion 71 and a series of battery-powered LED lights 72 on laterally opposite sides 73 and 74 thereof. It is to be understood, however, that other mirror-light stand configurations are possible. For example, the LED lights may be arranged to appear in groups or patterns, or other aesthetically pleasing or functional configurations.
Brim 50 further accommodates flanged locking mechanisms 80 on both sides for securing the mirror 70 in position. In one version, the caddy includes multiple pairs of locking mechanisms 80 to allow for the placement/holding of the mirror in multiple configurations, that is, angles. As shown in
The top surface of the caddy 10 includes a ribbed tray 90 within which, in addition to the drawers 30 and 32, the user can also store desired items. Mirror 70 may be placed fully on ribbed tray 90 in a downward position (or upward) when the mirror is not being used and during storage of the caddy. The mirror-light stand 70 may also be used alone, such as shown in
Referring again to
Versatile placement of the mirror-light stand 70, i.e., positioning atop the top surface 23 of the caddy 10, or in a freestanding position, provides the user a distinct number of advantages. For instance, positioning the mirror-light stand 70 atop the caddy 10 enables the user full use of her hands, thereby enhancing proper cosmetic application while also allowing her to select, in a non-cumbersome way, from the contents of the drawers 30 and 32. Alternatively, the ability to place the mirror-light stand 70 in a freestanding position allows the user to position the mirror-light stand 70 on one of multiple surfaces of her choosing so as to ease cosmetic application. For example, a user is able to position the mirror-light stand 70 on any surface which is located a suitable height that allows full viewing of one's facial image when cosmetics are to be applied; thereby avoiding uncomfortable positioning often associated with reflective surfaces that are immovably located at a fixed height, such as a wall-mounted mirror. These and other advantages stemming from the versatile placement of the mirror-light stand 70 will also be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
It is to be understood that while the caddy of the present invention has been described in connection with the transport of personal cosmetics and tools usable for their application, that various other items may also be carried by the caddy. When such other items are carried by the caddy, it will also be understood that its mirror-light stand may also be usable to accomplish the various objectives associated with such items. Moreover, the portable caddy of the present invention has been shown and described to be rectangular in shape and to have other structural characteristics. The portable caddy, however, may vary in dimension and shape other than those shown. For example, the portable caddy may be round or otherwise arcuately shaped.
In summary, the present invention is realized in a portable caddy which is characterized by and may be claimed as a portable caddy comprising a plurality of storage areas for containing cosmetic and/or hygienic items, and tools associated with their use, at least one of such areas being pivotally connected with the caddy for movement between a first position in which the area is aligned with the exterior and a second position in which the area is angularly disposed therefrom; and a mirror-light stand for illuminating and reflecting an image to assist in the application of the cosmetic and/or hygienic materials, the mirror-light stand being freestanding and/or moveable between a plurality of positions to optimize reflection of a user's image.
Accordingly, there is provided a container allowing personal cosmetics and tools used in their application to be carried from one location to another, while also providing a source of lighting and image reflection for insuring the proper application of such cosmetics. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as including the embodiments described herein, the alternatives mentioned above, and all equivalents thereto.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application No. 61/103,378, filed Oct. 7, 2008, and U.S. provisional application No. 61/166,084, filed Apr. 2, 2009, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61103378 | Oct 2008 | US | |
| 61166084 | Apr 2009 | US |
