EP2028964B1

EP2028964B1 - Cosmetic container

Info

Publication number: EP2028964B1
Application number: EP06843832.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Joong Hyun Ki
Original assignee: Yonwoo Co Ltd
Current assignee: Yonwoo Co Ltd
Priority date: 2006-05-25
Filing date: 2006-11-15
Publication date: 2015-07-29
Anticipated expiration: 2026-11-15
Also published as: WO2007139261A1; EP2028964A4; KR200423018Y1; EP2028964A1; ES2550582T3

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates, in general, to cosmetic containers and, more particularly, to a cosmetic container, which is constructed to prevent a cover from being undesirably opened by external shocks, and to keep the interior of the container more tightly airtight, thus preventing the moisture of cosmetic contents from evaporating. Such a cosmetic container is known from US 2003/0192892

Background Art

Generally, pressed powder or liquid foundation which is used for a makeup foundation is generally stored in a thin and flat container, called a compact, and is thus marketed.
Such a cosmetic container includes a receptacle which is concave at an upper portion thereof to hold cosmetics therein, and a cover which is hinged to the receptacle. A locking button is provided on the receptacle. When the cover is closed, the locking button engages with a protrusion which is provided on the cover, thus locking the container. Meanwhile, when the locking button is pushed, the cover is opened.
However, the conventional cosmetic container is problematic in that the cover is simply put on the receptacle, so that the airtightness of the concave part is not maintained, and thus the cosmetics held in the concave part are easily dried and thus cannot be used. Further, such a cosmetic container is usually put into a handbag or a similar article to be carried, and is taken out of the handbag to be used when necessary. However, the locking button may collide with personal items which are contained in the handbag, and thus the cover may unexpectedly open, and thus the cosmetics become useless. Moreover, the contents may spill from the cosmetic container, thus soiling the handbag.
In order to solve the problems, a cosmetic container having a subsidiary receptacle has been developed. The subsidiary receptacle, having at a predetermined position thereof a hinge part, is hinged to a main receptacle and accommodated in a concave part of the main receptacle. Thus, when a cover is closed, the cover presses the subsidiary receptacle, so that the bottom of the subsidiary receptacle seals the contents held in the concave part. However, even though the subsidiary receptacle is pressed by the cover, the hinge part of the subsidiary receptacle is not pressed. Thus, the conventional cosmetic container is problematic in that the subsidiary receptacle cannot perfectly seal the contents held in the concave part, so that the quality of the contents may still change.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cosmetic container, which prevents a cover from being undesirably opened due to external shocks, and which is constructed so that a hinge shaft of a subsidiary receptacle moves downwards as the cover presses the subsidiary receptacle, thus allowing the bottom of the subsidiary receptacle to evenly seal contents, therefore preventing the moisture of the contents from evaporating.

Technical Solution

In order to accomplish the object, the present invention provides a cosmetic container, including an inner receptacle 14 which has a concave part 10 for holding cosmetics therein, a hinge-shaft seat 11 which is provided on the circumference of the inner receptacle 14, with a communication channel 19 provided to a side of the hinge-shaft seat to communicate with the concave part 10, a subsidiary receptacle 20 which has at a predetermined position thereof a hinge shaft 46 inserted into the hinge-shaft seat 11, and is provided in the concave part 10, an outer receptacle 12 for accommodating the inner receptacle 14 therein, a rotary ring 16 rotatably mounted to the outer circumferential surface of the outer receptacle 12, and a cover 18 hinged to the rotary ring 16 and closing an upper end of the inner receptacle 14, wherein the inner receptacle 14 has on an outer circumferential surface thereof a locking groove 40, a first end of the locking groove having an inlet 44 which communicates with an upper surface of the inner receptacle 14, and a second end of the locking groove being inclined downwards, the cover 18 has on an inner surface thereof a locking protrusion 38 to correspond to the inlet 44 of the locking groove 40, and the hinge-shaft seat 11 is formed to be deeper than a diameter of the hinge shaft 46 such that the hinge shaft 46 is movable in the hinge-shaft seat 11, whereby when the cover 18 is closed and then rotated so that the locking protrusion 38 is inserted into the locking groove 40, the hinge shaft 46 of the subsidiary receptacle 20 enters the hinge-shaft seat 11 because the cover 18 presses the subsidiary receptacle.
According to an aspect of the invention, the subsidiary receptacle 20 has on a bottom thereof a packing member 54 having elasticity.

Advantageous Effects

As described above, according to the present invention, a cosmetic container is constructed so that a cover 18 is hinged to a rotary ring 16 which is rotatably coupled to an outer receptacle 12, and downward inclined locking grooves 40 and locking protrusions 38 are provided on an inner receptacle 14 accommodated in the outer receptacle 12 and the cover 18, respectively. Thus, by closing and rotating the cover 18, the cosmetic container is locked. Therefore, the cosmetic container prevents the cover 18 from being unexpectedly opened due to external shocks.
Further, a hinge-shaft seat 11 of the inner receptacle 14, into which a hinge shaft 46 of a subsidiary receptacle 20, placed in a concave part 10 of the inner receptacle 14, is inserted, is formed to be deeper than the diameter of the hinge shaft 46, and an elastic packing member 54 is provided on the bottom of the subsidiary receptacle 20. Thus, as the cover 18 is closed and rotated, the hinge shaft 46 moves downwards in the hinge-shaft seat 11, so that the entire bottom of the subsidiary receptacle 20 uniformly contacts the contents held in the concave part 10, and thereby the contents are precisely sealed and the evaporation of moisture is prevented. Therefore, the cosmetic container of the invention prevents the quality of the contents from changing.
Further, the packing member 54 is provided on the bottom of the subsidiary receptacle 20, thus more precisely sealing the contents, therefore more efficiently preventing the quality of the contents from changing.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a cosmetic container, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the assembled state of the cosmetic container, according to this embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the cosmetic container, according to this embodiment, in which a cover of the cosmetic container is opened; and
FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the cosmetic container, according to this embodiment, in which the cover of the cosmetic container is closed.

Mode for the Invention

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description. Hereinafter, the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a cosmetic container, according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the assembled state of the cosmetic container, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are sectional views showing the cosmetic container, in which FIG. 3 shows the cosmetic container when a cover of the cosmetic container is opened, and FIG. 4 shows the cosmetic container when the cover of the cosmetic container is closed.
As shown in the drawings, the cosmetic container of the present invention includes an inner receptacle 14 which has in an upper portion thereof a concave part 10 for containing cosmetics therein. The inner receptacle 14 is accommodated in an outer receptacle 12. A rotary ring 16 is rotatably fitted over the outer circumference of the outer receptacle 12. A cover 18 is hinged to the rotary ring 16 and is coupled to the upper end of the inner receptacle 14. A subsidiary receptacle 20 is inserted into the concave part 10.
A shoulder part 22 is provided on the outer circumference of the upper portion of the outer receptacle 12, so that the rotary ring 16 is fitted over the shoulder part 22. The rotary ring 16 is rotatably fitted over the shoulder part 22 of the outer receptacle 12. The cover 18 is hinged at a predetermined portion thereof to an extension part 34 which is provided on the upper portion of the rotary ring 16. A mirror 36 is provided on the bottom of the cover 18.
The concave part 10 is defined in the upper portion of the inner receptacle 14 to contain the cosmetics therein. A hinge-shaft seat 11 is provided in the upper portion of the circumference of the inner receptacle 14, so that a hinge shaft 46, which will be described below, is inserted into the hinge-shaft seat. According to this embodiment, the hinge-shaft seat 11 is formed so that its upper surface is open. Of course, the upper surface of the hinge-shaft seat 11 may not be open. A communication channel 19 is formed in the inside wall of the hinge-shaft seat 11 to allow the hinge-shaft seat 11 to communicate with the concave part 10. Further, the concave part 10 is defined in the central region of the inner receptacle 14. A ring-shaped protruding step 28 is provided on the inner circumference of the lower portion of the concave part 10 in such a way as to extend and protrude in the circumferential direction of the concave part. Thereby, the circumference of the bottom of the subsidiary receptacle 20, which will be described below, is in close contact with the protruding step 28.
Further, locking grooves 40 and locking protrusions 38 are provided on the inner receptacle 14 and the cover 18, respectively, so that the locking protrusions 38 engage with the locking grooves 40, and thus the cover 18 is locked to the inner receptacle 14 and the outer receptacle 12. That is, one or more ribs 42 protrudes downwards from the circumference of the lower surface of the cover 18, and each of the locking protrusions 38 is provided on the corresponding rib 42 in such a way as to face the outer circumference of the inner receptacle 14. In this case, the locking grooves 40 are formed on the outer circumference of the inner receptacle 14, especially, on the circumference of the upper portion of the inner receptacle 14, to correspond to the locking protrusions 38.
Further, an inlet 44 is formed at one end in each locking groove 40 in such a way as to communicate with the upper surface of the inner receptacle 14, and the other end of each locking groove is inclined downwards from the inlet. Thus, when the cover 18 is closed, the locking protrusions 38 provided on the cover 18 are inserted into the corresponding locking grooves 40 through the inlets 44 of the locking grooves 40. As the cover 18 is rotated, the locking protrusions 38 move downwards along the locking grooves 40, so that the cover 18 is in close contact with the inner receptacle 14. According to this embodiment, the ribs 42 are made of elastic material so that the ribs can bend outwards. Thus, when the rotary ring 16 is rotated and the cover 18 is closed in the state in which the locking protrusions 38 are not aligned with the inlets 44 of the locking grooves 40, the ribs 42 are bent outwards and the locking protrusions 38 pass over the circumferential surface of the inner receptacle 14 to be inserted into the locking grooves 40.
The subsidiary receptacle 20 has on one side thereof the hinge shaft 46, which is inserted into the hinge-shaft seat 11 of the inner receptacle 14 in such a way as to move up and down, with a handle 48 provided on the other side of the subsidiary receptacle. A puff holding part 52 is provided in the upper portion of the subsidiary receptacle 20 so that a puff 50, used to apply cosmetics to the skin, is seated in the puff holding part. A coupling part 47, which couples the subsidiary receptacle 20 to the hinge shaft 46, is positioned in the communication channel 19, which allows the hinge-shaft seat 11 to communicate with the concave part 10. According to this embodiment, the upper portion of the communication channel 19 is open. However, the upper portion of the communication channel may be closed, so that the communication channel, which allows the inside wall of the hinge-shaft seat 11 to communicate with the concave part 10, has the shape of a hole.
Further, a packing member 54 having elasticity is provided on the bottom of the subsidiary receptacle 20. The packing member 54 is in close contact with the protruding step 28 of the concave part 10, thus closing the concave part 10. As shown in FIG. 3, when the cover 18 is closed, the upper end of the subsidiary receptacle 20 contacts the bottom of the cover 18. Thus, when the cover 18 presses the subsidiary receptacle 20, the subsidiary receptacle is pressed down due to the elastic packing member 54 which is provided on the bottom of the subsidiary receptacle. At this time, the hinge shaft 46 moves down in the hinge-shaft seat 11.
Thus, when the cover 18 is closed and thereafter the cover 18 is rotated, the locking protrusions 38 are moved downwards along the locking grooves 40, so that the cover 18 is pulled downwards. Thereby, the cover 18 presses the upper surface of the subsidiary receptacle 20, and the packing member 54 provided on the bottom of the subsidiary receptacle 20 comes into close contact with the protruding step 28, thus sealing the concave part 10 which contains the cosmetics therein. As the cover 18 presses the subsidiary receptacle, the hinge shaft 46 of the subsidiary receptacle 20 is moved down in the hinge-shaft seat 11 of the inner receptacle 14, and the coupling part 47 is moved down in the communication channel 19. Thus, the entire surface of the packing member 54, which is provided on the bottom of the subsidiary receptacle 20, is in uniform contact with the contents held in the concave part 10, thus efficiently sealing the contents, therefore preventing the quality of the contents from changing.
Further, when the cover 18 is rotated in the direction opposite the closing direction and thereafter the cover 18 is pulled upwards, the locking protrusions 38 are removed from the locking grooves 40 through the inlets 44 of the locking grooves, so that the cover 18 is opened. At this time, the subsidiary receptacle 20 is pushed up by the elasticity of the packing member 54, the hinge shaft 46 is moved up to an inlet of the hinge-shaft seat 11, and the coupling part 47 is moved up in the communication channel 19. Further, in the state where the cover 18 and the rotary ring 16 are rotated while a user opens the cover 18 and puts on makeup, the cover 18 may be closed. In this case, the ribs 42 move outwards, so that the locking protrusions 38 pass over the outer surfaces of the lower receptacles 12 and 14, and are inserted into the locking grooves 40. Thereby, the cover 18 is locked.
The cosmetic container, constructed as described above, locks the closed cover 18, using the locking grooves 40 and the locking protrusions 38 inserted into the locking grooves 40, thus very firmly locking the cover 18. Therefore, the cosmetic container of the invention prevents the cover 18 from being undesirably opened while the cosmetic container is put into a handbag and is carried, thus preventing the cosmetics from becoming useless and soiling the interior of the handbag. Further, the locking grooves 40 are inclined downwards, so that the cover 18 is in close contact with the inner receptacle 14 when the cover 18 is rotated, thus preventing moisture from evaporating from the cosmetics held in the inner receptacle 14. In particular, the packing member 54 is provided on the lower surface of the subsidiary receptacle 20 placed in the concave part 10, and the protruding step 28 is provided on the concave part 10, so that the packing member 54 engages with the protruding step 28, thus keeping the cosmetic container airtight. The cosmetic container of the present invention minimizes the volume of space included in the airtight portion, thus very efficiently preventing moisture from evaporating from the cosmetics. Further, since the ribs 42 are made of elastic material, it is possible to close and lock the cover 18 without the need to align the locking protrusions 38 with the inlets 44 of the locking grooves 40. Thus, it is very convenient to use the cosmetic container.
Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the score of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

A cosmetic container, comprising:
an inner receptacle (14) having a concave part (10) for holding cosmetics therein;

a hinge-shaft seat (11) provided on a circumference of the inner receptacle (14), with a communication channel (19) provided to a side of the hinge-shaft seat to communicate with the concave part (10);

a subsidiary receptacle (20) having at a predetermined position thereof a hinge shaft (46) which is inserted into the hinge-shaft seat (11), and provided in the concave part (10);

an outer receptacle (12) for accommodating the inner receptacle (14) therein;

a rotary ring (16) rotatably mounted to an outer circumferential surface of the outer receptacle (12); and

a cover (18) hinged to the rotary ring (16) and closing an upper end of the inner receptacle (14), wherein

the inner receptacle (14) has on an outer circumferential surface thereof a locking groove (40), a first end of the locking groove having an inlet (44) which communicates with an upper surface of the inner receptacle (14), and a second end of the locking groove being inclined downwards,

the cover (18) has on an inner surface thereof a locking protrusion (38) to correspond to the inlet (44) of the locking groove (40), and

the hinge-shaft seat (11) is formed to be deeper than a diameter of the hinge shaft (46) such that the hinge shaft (46) is movable in the hinge-shaft seat (11),

whereby

when the cover (18) is closed and then rotated so that the locking protrusion (38) is inserted into the locking groove (40), the hinge shaft (46) of the subsidiary receptacle (20) enters the hinge-shaft seat (11) because the cover (18) presses the subsidiary receptacle.
The cosmetic container according to claim 1, wherein the subsidiary receptacle (20) has on a bottom thereof a packing member (54) having elasticity.