REFILLABLE MAKEUP PALETTE WITH SLIDING DRAWER MECHANISM

SUMMARY

Disclosed is a palette for a cosmetic product. A palette refers to a container to hold one or multiple options for a cosmetic product, usually in various shades, such as for eyeshadow, blush, and the like. The palette includes a compact lid, a compact base, and a sliding drawer. The drawer can slide in and out from the compact base. When the drawer is in the closed position, the lid can be opened and the compositions can be accessed for use from the top. When the drawer slides out of the base, individual pans can be removed and replaced with pans having other selections, such as colors, wet or dry powders, eyeshadow or lip gloss, etc.

The refillable pans can be easily accessed and removed from front or top. The sliding drawer incorporates pan-retention features. In one example, a spring tab is the main pan retention feature which presses the pan against the sliding tray top-ceiling which holds the pan in place. The upward pressure will prevent the pan movement during the merchant shipping or handling.

There are two examples to construct the drawer which is the main structure of housing the pans. In one example, the top frame of the drawer is not movable and fixed. So, the individual pans slide in the front-back direction, in order to refill/replace the pans. In another example, the top frame (i.e., lids) of the drawer is connected by a living hinge. So, when the lids are opened, the pans can be retrieved from the top. The drawer can have multiple lids connected by living hinges in one example, or other hinge mechanisms, such as snap-hinge or pin-hinge in other examples.

Most of the pans are made from recyclable materials, including steel, aluminum, or commercial plastic, which can be recycled in the regular waste management system.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical illustration of a palette in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical illustration of the palette of FIG. 1 with the lid open to access the pan;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatical illustration of the palette of FIG. 1 with one example of the drawer with a fixed frame;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatical illustration of the palette of FIG. 1 exploded to show individual parts;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatical illustration of a cross section of the palette of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatical illustration of a palette in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatical illustration of the palette of FIG. 6 with one example of the drawer with a lid;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatical illustration of a cross section of the palette of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatical illustration of a palette in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatical illustration of the palette of FIG. 9 with the lid open to access the pan;

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatical illustration of the palette of FIG. 9 with one example of the drawer with a fixed frame; and

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatical illustration of a cross section of the palette of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Conventionally pressed powder pans have a wide range of tolerance regarding the pan size. There are gaps between the pan and the tray which holds the powder pan. Conventional palettes fail to secure the pan, therefore, the pan will move inside of the tray during the handling and transportation, possibly resulting in damaging the pressed powder and causing breakage.

Disclosed is a palette that provides a tray with retention features to secure the individual pan or pans to the tray to provide the extra powder/bulk protection after manufacturing, and also provides for easier removable of the pans for refilling the palette.

Spatially relative terms are used to describe features of the palette. Spatially relative terms include such terms as “front,” “back,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “center,” “bottom,” “top,” and the like. Spatially relative terms may be used herein for ease of description to describe one feature or the feature's relationship to another feature or feature as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the palette other than the orientation depicted in the figures, and the spatially relative terms should be adjusted to be interpreted accordingly.

FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are diagrammatical illustrations of the palette 300 in accordance with one embodiment. The palette 300 includes a lid 302, a base 304 and a sliding drawer 306. The lid 302 is connected to the base 304, for example, at the back side via any hinge mechanism that allows opening the lid 302. The lid 302 is closed by the clasp 308 at the front to secure the lid 302 to the base 304 in the closed position. The palette 300 is a generally rectangular six-sided structure. Therefore, the corresponding lid 302 and base 304 are generally defined by a shape that is also rectangular and six-sided. FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical illustration of the palette 300 in the open position. The lid 302 may optionally include a mirror 310 attached to the underside of the lid 302.

As seen in FIG. 3, the drawer 306 slides in and out from one side of the base 304. The base 304 is constructed so as to form a drawer compartment 320 to accommodate the sliding drawer 306 within the base.

In FIG. 3, the base 304, and more particularly the drawer compartment 320, is formed from upright walls on three of four sides. There is an upright wall 328 on the front side and an upright wall 330 on the back side, the lengths of which make up the left to right dimension of the base 304 and drawer compartment 320. There is an upright wall 332 on the right side, the length of which makes up the front to back dimension of the drawer compartment 320. The fourth side on the left of the base 304 has an opening 334 to allow the drawer 306 to slide in and out from the left side. The right wall 332 can be extended forward of the front wall 328 to a second front wall 342 of the base 304. A short upright wall 356 on the left side of the base 304 together with the extension of the right wall 332 to the front wall 342 form a tray 336 for storing brushes, pencils, and the like.

The base 304 includes a bottom piece 326 that can be a separate piece or integral with the base 304 and fits into the base 304, thus forming the bottom of the base 304, the tray 336, and the drawer compartment 320 as best seen in FIG. 5.

The base 304 includes a generally horizontal upper border 312 supported by the tops of the walls 328, 330, and 332. The upper border 312 extends inward on all four sides from the walls 328, 330, and 332 and opening 334, thereby leaving an area of reveal on the underside of the border 312 against which the top of the drawer 306 can abut. Further, the inner edges of the border 312 create a rectangular opening for accessing the pan on the drawer 306 when in the closed position. The underside of the upper border 312 maintains the drawer 306 in place from moving up.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatical illustration showing removal of the drawer 306 from the side of the base 304. As seen in FIG. 4, the drawer 306 is constructed with one or a plurality of individual pan compartments 344, and the individual pan 314 is removable from the pan compartment 344. FIG. 4 shows a single pan 314 and pan compartment 344. The size of the pan compartment 344 will be in relation to the size of the pan 314. A pan 314 is generally a six-sided structure which fits into the six-sided pan compartment 344. The pan 314 can be formed of a unitary piece of thin walled material having a bottom, left, right, front, and back walls with the top being entirely open, thereby exposing the top edges of the right, left, front, and back walls.

One example of a drawer 306 has a fixed integral upper frame 316 fixed to and forming the top side of the drawer 306. The frame 316 can be formed as a single unitary piece that is fixed horizontally on top side of the drawer 306, and the frame 316 cannot swing open. The upper frame 316 is provided with one or more openings equal to the number of pans 314 to allow accessing each pan 314, which in FIG. 4, includes a single pan. One example of the upper frame 316 is formed by two long stringers 346, 364 extending generally parallel to each other in the long left to right dimension. The long stringers 346, 364 are connected by right 348 and left 390 cross stringers connecting the two long stringers 346, 364 at the ends, thereby forming the opening of the top frame 316. The area of reveal underneath the long stringers 346, 364 and cross stringers 348, 390 of the frame 316 can be sufficient so that the top of the pan 314 can rest against the underside of the frame 316, but, the area of reveal underneath the long stringers 346, 364 and cross stringers 348, 390 should not be so large so that access to the pressed powder in the pan 314 is overly restricted.

Referring to FIG. 4, the frame 316 is constructed so as to house the pan 314 in a manner that allows the pan 314 to slide out from the front or back side of the drawer 306 when the drawer 306 is slid out from the base 304. The six-sided pan compartment 344 has the top side being the frame 316, a back piece connected to the frame 316 that can prevent the pans 314 from sliding out of the rear of the drawer 306. A pan compartment 344 has a vertical cross member 322 for the right side and a vertical cross member 392 for the left side. The vertical cross members 322, 392 are attached to the underside of the cross stringers 348, 390. A floor piece 324 connects the lower end of the right cross member 322 to the lower end of the left cross member 392. The floor piece 324 extends between the vertical cross members 322, 392 in the left to right dimension. The floor piece 324 is located on the bottom and forms the bottom side of the pan compartment 344. The pan compartment 344 is generally a box-shaped compartment, the six sides of which include an opening in the front or back, two vertical right and left cross members 322, 392 forming the right and left sides, the underside of the frame 316 forming the top side, and the floor piece 324 is the bottom of the pan compartment 344, and an angled long stringer 346 forming the rear side of the pan compartment 344. An angle long stringer 346 is a piece having two long members joined together along the long edges at about 90 degrees to each other as seen in FIG. 5.

The floor piece 324 is connected perpendicular to the two adjacent vertical cross members 322, 392. The floor piece 324 can be manufactured to include a spring tab 318.

The horizontal width of the cross stringers 348, 390 of the frame 316 extends beyond the width (i.e., thickness) of the vertical cross members 322, 392 therefore, the cross stringers 348, 390 have an area of reveal when viewed from the underside of the frame 316. The horizontal width of the long stringers 346, 364 of the frame 316 can also have an area of reveal on the underside. Therefore, the pressed powder in the pan 314 can be accessed from the top opening in the frame 316, and the tops of the walls of the pan 314 can be hidden from view from the top by the frame 316, which also functions to retain the pan 314. The pan 314 is pressed from the bottom by the spring tab 318 formed out of the floor piece 324 in the pan compartment 344 thereby pushing the pan 314 against the underside of the frame 316.

Referring to FIG. 5, the construction of the frame 316 is illustrated. A cross section is taken across the middle of the pan compartment 344. Notable is the upper side of the frame 316, particularly the upper surfaces of the long stringers 346, 364, are located on the underside of the upper border 312 of the base 304. The rear long stringer 346 can have the angled cross section, thereby providing a back stop 360 that stops the pan 314 at the back of the pan compartment 344. The front long stringer 364 can have a rectangular cross section without an angle piece pointing down, thereby allowing the pan 314 to slide forward only.

The spring tab 318 can be a thinned section of the floor piece 324. The spring tab 318 can be cut on three sides, for example, out of the floor piece 324. The spring tab 318 is configured so that the spring tab 318 when unbiased can protrude or be proud above the top surface of the floor piece 324, thereby can produce an upward biasing force on the pan 314 as the pan 314 is inserted within the pan compartment 344. The spring tab 318 will press on the bottom side of the pan 314, and the top edges of the walls of the pans 314 can press on the undersides of the long stringers 346, 364 and also on the underside of the cross stringers 348, 390 (not shown in FIG. 5).

Referring to FIG. 3 or 4, a handle 362 is attached to the left side of the drawer 306. The front to back dimension of the handle 362 can be similar to the front to back dimension of the base 304 minus the area for the tray 336, so the handle 362 generally fills in for the left side where the base 304 has the opening 334. The handle 362 can be a rectangular shape with an opening on the bottom to allow pulling the drawer 306 out.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, another example of a drawer 406 will be described. The palette 400 illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 can use the same lid 302 and base 304 as described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. Additionally, like numbers represent like parts.

Referring to FIG. 7, the fixed integral top frame 316 of drawer 306 is replaced by a pan compartment lid 350 fixed to the back side the drawer 406, but is not fixed to the front side of the drawer 406, which allows the pan compartment lid 350 to swing open allowing the pan to be removed from above by lifting it up from the pan compartment. Similar to drawer 306, the drawer 406 also has a pan compartment 444 to accommodate the pan 314. Generally, the pan compartment 444 for a pan 314 is bordered on top by the underside of the lid 350.

A pan compartment lid 350 is attached to a long stringer 352 extending in the long left to right dimension at the rear of the drawer 406. The long stringer 352 at the rear side of the drawer 406 is for attaching the pan compartment lids 350 via a living hinge 354. A living hinge 354 can be a thinned flexible section of material integral to both the pan compartment lid 350 and the long stringer 352 which flexes to allow the pan compartment lid 350 to swing up but also connects the pan compartment lid 350 to the drawer 406. The long stringer 352 also acts as a back stop that can prevent the pan 314 from sliding out of the rear of the drawer 406. The pan compartment 444 is bordered on the right and left sides by a right vertical cross member 422 and a left vertical cross member 492. The floor piece 496 connects the right vertical cross member 422 to the left vertical cross member 492. The floor piece 496 extends between the vertical cross members 422, 492 in the long left to right dimension. Accordingly, the pan compartment 444 is generally a box-shaped compartment, the six sides of which include an opening in the front, the right and left vertical cross members 422, 492 forming the right and left sides, the floor piece 496 as the bottom side, the underside of the pan compartment lid 350 forming the top side, and the long stringer 352 forming the rear side of the pan compartment 444. In contrast to the pan compartment 344, the pan compartment 444 can also be opened from the top by opening the pan compartment lid 350.

The floor piece 496 is connected perpendicular to the right and left vertical cross members 422, 492. The floor piece 496 can be manufactured to include the spring tab 318, which can be thinned in the horizontal plane to allow flexing, and further cut on three sides being attached only on one side to allow for flexing up and down. When unbiased, the spring tab 318 is made to be proud of the horizontal top surface of the floor piece 496.

The pan compartment lid 350 replaces the integral frame 316. The pan compartment lid 350 is not fixed to the vertical cross members 422, 492, but is fixed to the rear long stringer 352 via the living hinge 354, and the pan compartment lid 350 can swing up to allow a pan 314 to be removed from the front or from the top, as there is no fixed frame to prevent its removal from the top. The pan compartment lid 350 can be fixed at the front side via a clasp 494 that attaches to the front side of the floor piece 496. When the pan compartment lid 350 is clasped at the front, this presses the top of the pan 314 against the underside of the pan compartment lid 350, and the bottom of the pan 314 presses down against the spring tab 318, thereby retaining the pan 314.

The pan compartment lid 350 forms an opening to allow access to the pressed powder from the upper side of the pan 314. An example of a pan compartment lid 350 is a unitary structure with a front member 358 and a parallel back member 368. Both front member 358 and back member 368 extend lengthwise to the drawer compartment 320. The pan compartment lid 350 has a right edge cross member 370 and a left edge cross member 372. The front and back members 358, 368 function to retain the top of the pan 314 similar to the long stringers 346, 364 of the integral frame 316. The right edge cross member 370 and the left edge cross member 372 function to retain the top of the pan 314 similar to the right and left vertical cross members 422, 492 of the integral frame 316.

Also similar to drawer 306, the drawer 406 retains the pans 314 to be accessible from the openings in the pan compartment lid 350, and the tops of the walls of the pan 314 can be hidden from view from the top. The pan 314 is pressed from the bottom against the underside of the pan compartment lid 350 by the spring tab 318 formed out of the floor piece 496 in each pan compartment 444. Specifically, the spring tab 318 presses the pan 314 so that the top edges of the pan 314 are pressed against the undersides of the front and back members 358, 368, and the right edge and left edge cross members 370, 372 of the lid 350.

Referring to FIG. 8, the pan compartment lid 350 of drawer 406 is shown to provide a similar function as the fixed frame 316 of drawer 306. The upper sides of the pan compartment lid 350, particularly the upper surfaces of the front member 358 and back member 368, are located on the underside of the upper border 312 of the base 304. Here, the underside of the upper border 312 can also be used to fix the pan compartment lid 350 in place, such that the clasp on the pan compartment lid 350 may be unnecessary for fixing the pan compartment lids 350 in place.

The spring tab 318 can be formed from a thinned section of the floor piece 496. The spring tab 318 can be cut on three sides of the floor piece 496, so that the spring tab 318 protrudes above the top surface of the floor piece 496, so that the spring tab 318 can produce an upward biasing force on the pan 314 as the pan 314 is inserted within the pan compartment 444 and pressed down by the closing of the pan compartment lid 350. The spring tab 318 will press on the bottom side of the pan 314, and the top edges of the walls of the pan 314 will press on the undersides of the pan compartment lid 350, particularly, on the right edge cross member 370, the left edge cross member 372, and the front and back members 358, 368. Thereby, the pan 314 is retained by the pan compartment lid 350.

Referring to FIGS. 9, 10, 11, and 12, another example of a drawer 406 will be described. The palette 500 illustrated in FIGS. 9, 10, 11, and 12 has features described for the palette of FIGS. 1 to 5 with the following differences.

The palette 500 includes a lid 502, a base 504 and a sliding drawer 506. A difference of the palette 500 is that the drawer 506 can slide out from the front of the base 504. The lid 502 is connected to the base 504, for example, at the back side via any hinge mechanism that allows opening the lid 502. The lid 502 is closed by the clasp 508 at the front to secure the lid 502 to the base 504 in the closed position. The lid 502 may include a mirror 510 attached to the inside surface of the lid 502. The palette 500 is a generally rectangular six-sided structure. Therefore, the corresponding lid 502 and base 504 are generally defined by a shape that is also rectangular and six-sided.

As seen in FIG. 11, the drawer 506 slides in and out from the front of the base 504. The base 504 is constructed so as to form a drawer compartment 520 to accommodate the sliding drawer 506 within the base.

In FIG. 11, the base 504, and more particularly the drawer compartment 520, is formed from upright walls on three of four sides. There is an upright wall 530 on the back side. There is an upright wall 532 on the right side and an upright wall 528 on the left side, the lengths of which make up the front to back dimension of the drawer compartment 520. The front fourth side of the base 304 has an opening 534 to allow the drawer 506 to slide in and out from the front.

The base 504 includes a bottom piece 526 that can be a separate piece or integral with the base 504 and fits into the base 504, thus forming the bottom of the base 504 and the drawer compartment 520.

The base 504 includes a generally horizontal upper border 512 supported by the tops of the walls 528, 530, and 532. The upper border 512 extends inward on all four sides from the walls 528, 530, and 532 and opening 534, thereby leaving an area of reveal on the underside of the border 512 against which the top of the drawer 506 can abut. Further, the inner edges of the border 512 create a rectangular opening for accessing the pan on the drawer 506 when in the closed position. The underside of the upper border 512 maintains the drawer 506 in place from moving up.

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatical illustration showing removal of the drawer 506 from the front of the base 504. As seen in FIG. 11, the drawer 506 is constructed with one or a plurality of individual pan compartments 544, and the individual pan 514 is removable from the pan compartment 544. The size of the pan compartment 544 will be in relation to the size of the pan 514. The pan 514 is generally a six-sided structure which fits into the six-sided pan compartment 544. The pan 514 can be formed of a unitary piece of thin walled material having a bottom wall, left, right, front, and back with the top being entirely open, thereby exposing the top edges of the right, left, front, and back walls.

Similar to drawer 306, drawer 506 has a fixed integral upper frame 516 fixed to and forming the top side of the drawer 306. The frame 516 can be formed as a single unitary piece that is fixed horizontally on top side of the drawer 506, and the frame 516 cannot swing open. The upper frame 516 is provided with an opening to allow accessing the pan 514. One example of the upper frame 516 is formed by two long stringers 546, 564 extending generally parallel to each other in the long left to right dimension. The long stringers 546, 564 are connected by a right 548 and left 590 cross stringers connecting the two long stringers 546, 564 at the ends, thereby forming the opening of the top frame 516. The area of reveal underneath the long stringers 546, 564 and cross stringers 548, 590 of the frame 516 can be sufficient so that the top of the pan 514 can rest against the underside of the frame 516, but, the area of reveal underneath the long stringers 546, 564 and cross stringers 548, 590 should not be so large so that access to the pressed powder in the pan 514 is overly restricted.

The frame 516 is constructed so as to house the pan 514 in a manner that allows the pan 514 to slide out from the side of the drawer 506 when the drawer 506 is slid out from the front of the base 504. The six-sided pan compartment 544 has the frame 516 for the top side, the right side cross stringer 548 can be formed into an angle with an edge extending down to prevent the pan 514 from sliding out of the right side of the drawer 506. The pan compartment 544 has a longitudinal member 522 below the frame 516 for the back side, and a longitudinal member 592 (not shown) below the frame 516 for the front side. The longitudinal members 522, 592 are attached to the underside of the long stringers 546, 564. A floor piece 524 connects the lower end of the front and back longitudinal members 522. The floor piece 524 forms the bottom side of the pan compartment 544. The floor piece 324 can be manufactured to include the spring tab 318.

Referring to FIG. 11, the construction of the frame 516 is illustrated. A cross section is taken across the middle of the pan compartment 544. Notable is the upper side of the frame 516, particularly the right 548 and left 590 cross stringers are located on the underside of the upper border 512 of the base 504. The right cross stringer 548 can have the angled cross section, thereby providing a stop that prevents the pan 514 from sliding out of the right side of the pan compartment 544. The left cross stringer 590 can have a rectangular cross section thereby allowing the pan 514 to slide out from the left side of the drawer 506.

The spring tab 518 can be a thinned section of the floor piece 524. The spring tab 518 can be cut on three sides, for example, out of the floor piece 524. The spring tab 518 is configured so that the spring tab 518 can protrude above the top surface of the floor piece 524, thereby can produce an upward biasing force on the pan 514 as the pan 514 is inserted within the pan compartment 544. The spring tab 518 will press on the bottom side of the pan 514, and the top edges of the walls of the pan 514 can press on the undersides of the back and front long stringers 546, 564 and also on the underside of the right and left cross stringers 548, 590.

Referring to FIG. 11, a front compartment 536 for brushes, pencils, and the like is attached to and forms a part of the drawer 506. Here, the compartment 536 can also function as a handle to allow pulling out the drawer 506.

While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

REFILLABLE MAKEUP PALETTE WITH SLIDING DRAWER MECHANISM

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CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS