Organizer for cosmetics

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6814237
  • Patent Number
    6,814,237
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, March 7, 2002
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, November 9, 2004
    20 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Mohandesi; Jila M.
    Agents
    • Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.
Abstract
A cosmetic holder is a band made of cloth, such as elastic, with a plurality of loops sized for holding and securing the cosmetic items such that a user may quickly locate, remove from the holder, use, and return to the holder a desired cosmetic item. The size of the loops is dependent on which cosmetic items are to be stored and organized. The cosmetic items ideally include a cap and a body, and the loops are sized for securing the cap. The cosmetic holder may include a covering that covers the lateral portions of the band and may cover the portion of the loops through which the cosmetic item extends to permit insertion of the cosmetic items to a proper extent. The surface or covering of the cosmetic holder may include information or aesthetic decoration. A clip may be included for securing the cosmetic holder.
Description




This application claims no priority.




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The invention relates to carrying cosmetics, and particularly to a cosmetic holder for carrying and organizing cosmetics thereby providing ease in locating a particular cosmetic item from a selection when the ability to see the cosmetics or concentrate fully on finding a particular cosmetic may be hindered.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Cosmetics come in all shapes and sizes, and are ubiquitous in the lives of many people including stage performers, field news reports, and many of ordinary women. Often times, cosmetics are applied in situations where the person is unable to devote their full attention to applying the cosmetic, or makeup. For instance, a news reporter in a vehicle rushing to the site of a new story may be applying makeup while looking out the window watching the action of the story unfold. Another instance is when a woman is putting on lipstick as she drives to work. Still another instance is when a stage performer has marred their makeup while coming off stage, and the makeup must be re-touched (corrected) before going back on stage in a short period of time.




In the event the person desiring to put on makeup is unable to devote their full attention to locating and applying the cosmetic item, each of the cosmetics ideally is located easily. As is the more common case, a purse or makeup bag will contain a number of lipsticks, eyeliners, lip-glosses, lip-balms, and other cosmetic items. The person who is, for instance, operating a motor vehicle and is simultaneously searching for a lipstick in a purse will oftentimes grab the first one that is found in a bag, examine it, determine it is not the desired lipstick, put it back, and reach for another until finding the desired lipstick (or other cosmetic item). Oftentimes, the cosmetic items are strewn about within a woman's pocketbook or purse, along with a variety of other things carried in the purse. The other items in the purse make it more difficult to find the desired, loose cosmetic, as well as the loose cosmetics make finding the other items in a purse or pocketbook more difficult to quickly locate without requiring a great share of a person's attention.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a cosmetic holder including a band with at least two loops sized for cosmetic items and securing the cosmetic items within the cosmetic holder is disclosed. The cosmetic holder may be comprised of cloth, and preferably elastic cloth where the cosmetic items are secured such that a user may simply remove or insert the cosmetic items, and where the cosmetic items otherwise remain secured. The loops may be sized for different sized cosmetic items. The cosmetic items ideally include a cap and a body, and the loops are sized for securing the cap.




The cosmetic holder may include a covering, and the covering may cover the lateral portions of the band and may cover the portion of the loops through which the cosmetic item extends. In such an embodiment, the cosmetic items may be inserted into the loops of the cosmetic holder, and the covering may permit insertion of the cosmetic items to a proper extent. The covering may be of a variety of materials, such as cloth or leather.




The cosmetic holder may include information on the surface of the cosmetic holder. The information may include identifying information of the cosmetic item secured therein, identifying information as to source or origin of the cosmetic holder, or identifying information as to source or origin of the cosmetic item. The cosmetic holder may include aesthetic decoration on the surface of the cosmetic holder. The cosmetic holder may include a clip for securing the cosmetic holder.




In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, in combination with cosmetic items where one of the cosmetic items includes a cap and a body, a cosmetic holder including an elastic band with at least two loops, the loops sized for cosmetic items and securing cosmetic items within the cosmetic holder, the cosmetic items being secured such that a user may simply remove or insert the cosmetic items but the cosmetic items otherwise remain secured, the loops being sized for securing said cap, is disclosed. The cosmetic holder of the combination may include a covering that covers the lateral portions of the band and covers the portion of the loops through which the cosmetic item extends, where the cosmetic items are inserted into the loops of the cosmetic holder, and where the covering permits insertion of the cosmetic items such that the cap is secured and the body may be easily removed for using the cosmetic item. The cosmetic holder of the combination may include information on the surface of the cosmetic holder. The cosmetic holder of the combination may include aesthetic decoration on the surface of the cosmetic holder.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




In the drawings,





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a cosmetic holder of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a top plan view of the first embodiment of the cosmetic holder of the present invention;





FIG. 3A

is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a cosmetic holder of the present invention; and





FIG. 3B

is a perspective view of the second embodiment of a cosmetic holder of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Referring to

FIG. 1

, a first embodiment of a cosmetic holder


10


of the present invention is depicted. The cosmetic holder


10


secures a plurality of cosmetic items


14


. The cosmetic holder


10


comprises a band


12


with a generally one-piece construction made of elastic or another type of cloth whereby the cosmetic items


14


may be secured as to allow the deliberate insertion or removal of the cosmetic item


14


from the cosmetic holder


10


while retarding or preventing the accidental removal of the item


14


.




The band


12


is formed so as to have a plurality of loops


32


, each loop sized for the cosmetic items


14


(see FIG.


2


). At least two loops


32


are provided as a minimum, while a maximum is determined primarily by the utility to a user based upon the size of the cosmetic holder


10


and number of cosmetics items


14


carried. Generally, the band


12


would include from three to seven loops as it is believed this is the range of number of items the most common user would carry. As depicted, the cosmetic items


14


may be lipstick


16


, lip-gloss


18


, lip-liner


20


, and eyeliner


22


. This list is meant to be exemplary and non-exclusive, as other cosmetic items may be secured (such as mascara).




The loops


32


are appropriately sized for the various cosmetic items


14


. Generally, lipsticks


16


, for instance, are within a narrow range of diametrical size. Lip-liner


20


and eyeliner


22


are also, generally, within a narrow range of diametrical size. The preferred material for the loops


32


is elastic cloth so that the slight variance in size of cosmetic items of a particular type is rendered generally irrelevant.




The ideal cosmetics items


14


for the cosmetic holder


10


are cosmetic items


14


with a two-piece body construction comprised of a cap


26


and a body


28


wherein the body


28


contains the makeup to be applied, and the cap


26


protects the makeup from physical or environmental damage. The cosmetic item


14


is inserted into a loop


32


such that the cap


26


is secured in the loop


32


. In this manner, the body


28


may be removed for using and applying the cosmetic while the cap


26


remains secure.




The contents or makeup of cosmetic items


14


are identifiable by the exterior of the cosmetic item


14


. The body


28


of a lipstick


16


has a bottom end


34


to which a label or identifying insignia is affixed. The body


28


of a lip-liner


20


or an eyeliner


22


has a band of color on its exterior designating both what the item


14


is (i.e., eyeliner


22


) and what color the item


14


is.




In use, the holder


10


has a plurality of cosmetic items


14


secured therein as inserted by the user of the holder


10


. When a user desires a particular item


14


, the entire holder


10


and the items


14


may be located easily in a purse or pocketbook, and the holder


10


organizes the items


14


. A user may glance at the items


14


in the array as secured so as to scan across the identifying information of the items


14


. This allows a user to avoid fumbling through a purse or makeup bag for a particular item


14


. Instead, the user is able to quickly locate by feel all desired makeup items


14


without looking away from, for example, a roadway upon which the user is driving. Then, the items


14


may be held up for selecting the desired item


14


, often with a quick glance. The body


28


of the desired item


14


then may be removed from the cap


26


and holder


10


, while the cap


26


remains secure. Once the makeup or cosmetic has been applied, the body


28


may be returned to the holder


10


and cap


26


.




In an embodiment of the present invention depicted in

FIGS. 3A and 3B

, the cosmetic holder


10


may include an outer covering


50


. The covering


50


is a generally cloth material that is attached to the loops


32


of the holder


10


. Alternatively, the covering


50


may be leather or another material. The covering


50


covers the lateral portions and the bottom of the band


12


, the bottom of the band being the portion through which the cap


26


of the cosmetic items


14


extends. The covering


50


provides a utility and an aesthetic to the holder


10


. The utility of the covering


50


is that the covering


50


is designed so that a cap


26


of a cosmetic item


14


is not pushed through the loop


32


entirely, thereby preserving the ability of the body


28


to be easily removed. The aesthetic of the covering


50


is that covering


50


may by decorated with a design


40


(such as tie-dyed, or plaid, or colors) or a logo, such as a brand or trade name


38


.




Furthermore, the aesthetic appeal and style of the cosmetic holder


10


may be enhanced or based upon the covering


50


or the band


12


. Different holders


10


could be made for different seasons and decorated as such. In addition, the holders


10


could be made for different styles, such as a holder


10


for more formal events which require formal wear and items with similar cachet, or a holder


10


for other casual events, such as a baseball game or outing. The loops


32


and band


12


of the holder


10


could be decorated, or the covering


50


could be decorated.




The loops


32


may include a window (not shown) into which identifying information may be inserted. Alternatively, other means may be provided on the loops


32


for identifying information, or the means may be provided on the covering


50


. The covering


50


, if provided, or the loops


32


may also provide space for or be used for a design, identifying information of the makeup or the manufacturer, a logo, or a fashion designer's name.




It should be noted that certain changes could be made to the cosmetic holder


10


. For example, a clip


36


could be added for securing the holder


10


to a particular portion of a purse or makeup bag. The arrangement of the loops


32


need not be in a line as is depicted in the

FIGS. 1

,


2


,


3


A, and


3


B, instead being any other different arrangement, such as being in two rows, or in an arrangement whose configuration of loops


32


for eyeliner


22


or lipstick


16


are differently configured.




While the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and techniques that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. In combination with cosmetic items, one of said cosmetic items including a cap and a body, a cosmetic holder comprising:an elastic band including at least two loops, said loops sized for cosmetic items, and said loops thereby securing said cosmetic items within the cosmetic holder, wherein said cosmetic items are secured such that a user may simply remove or insert said cosmetic items wherein said cosmetic items otherwise remain secured, wherein said loops are sized for securing said cap; wherein said cosmetic holder further comprises a covering wherein said covering covers only the lateral portions of the band and the portion of the loops through which the cosmetic item extends, wherein cosmetic items are inserted into said loops of the cosmetic holder, and wherein said covering permits insertion of the cosmetic items such that the cap is secured and the body may be easily removed for using the cosmetic item.
  • 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said cosmetic holder further includes aesthetic decoration on the surface of the cosmetic holder.
  • 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said cosmetic holder is comprised of cloth.
  • 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said cloth is elastic cloth.
  • 5. The combination of claim 1 said cosmetic holder is comprised of leather.
  • 6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said loops are sized for different sized cosmetic items.
  • 7. The combination of claim 1 further including a clip for securing said cosmetic items.
  • 8. In combination with cosmetic items, one of said cosmetic items including a cap and a body, a cosmetic holder comprising:an elastic band including at least two loops, said loops sized for cosmetic items, and said loops thereby securing said cosmetic items within the cosmetic holder, wherein said cosmetic items are secured such that a user may simply remove or insert said cosmetic items, wherein said cosmetic items otherwise remain secured, wherein said loops are sized for securing said cap; wherein said cosmetic holder further comprises a covering wherein said covering covers only the lateral portions of the band and the portion of the boos through which the cosmetic item extends, wherein cosmetic items are inserted into said loons of the cosmetic holder, and wherein said covering permits insertion of the cosmetic items such that the cap is secured and the body may be easily removed for using the cosmetic item; wherein said cosmetic holder includes information on the surface of the cosmetic holder.
  • 9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said information includes one or more of the following: identifying information of the cosmetic item secured therein; identifying information as to source of origin of the cosmetic holder; or identifying information as to source or origin of the cosmetic item.
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2183428 McNary Dec 1939 A
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4069954 Rauch Jan 1978 A
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5174447 Fleming Dec 1992 A
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5816408 Indelicato Oct 1998 A
5967391 Hunt Oct 1999 A
6189697 Davis Feb 2001 B1