US2663450A - Compartmented container - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 22, 1953 BOURCART 2,663,450

COMPARTMENTED CONTAINER Filed Nov. 19, 1951 FIGJ.

Pic-3.2.

INVENTOR.

' EMlLE-AUGUSTE BOURCART W.MFQ

H IS ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 22, 1953 N [TED STATES PAT ENT 2,663,450

GOMPARTKMENTED CONTAINER Emile. Auguste Bourcart, New Y ork, NJY.

Application November 19, 1951, Serial =No.257.,124

This invention relates to; improvements :in con Ltainers for cosmetics, salves, .ointments, lotions, perfumes and the like, which are used as beauty aids, and it relates particularly to a compact and attractive beauty or cosmetic .kit having a plurality of boxes or cups for receiving cosmetics and .the like, in which the boxes are arranged and related .i-na novel and more convenient way.

The beauty .aid kits provided heretofore usually :consist of a .box .or bag which contains :a plurality of containers, such as, jars, bottles, boxes and the like, to receivecreams, lotions, perfumes, powder, :rouge, lipstick and the like, these contai-ners :being fitted into compartments or loops in the boxes -or the bags. These kits are usually "bulky and are motv entirely satisfactory for the reason that the contents :of the containers :often leak out, the containers drop out -of the compartments or loops and care must be exercised in replacing the containers into their respective loops or compartments, as otherwise they do not fit properly and are not firmly retained therein.

The present invention overcomes the undesirable characteristics and disadvantages of the prior beauty aid kits by providing an "article which includes a plurality of containers such .as %-boxes .and/ or rials :or bottles all of which are of such shape and dimensions as to fit snugly but removably in :a tubular shell having removable end closures so that the containers can be inserted into and removed from shell conveniently and without scattering them. The individual containers are provided with tightly fitted lids or closures which prevent leakage of their :con- :tents. One or .more .of the containers :can be provided with stoppersor caps which permit liquids such as perfumes, lotions and the like to be carried therein without leaking.

The opposed ends of the containers (bottoms and lids) are formed with -.complemental recesses and projections which interiit to loosely connect the containers and support them as a stack or column when they are removed from the shell. Th interfitting projections and recesses also act to hold the containers against rattling or displacement in the shell.

The shell and the boxes, vials, bottles and the like, may be made of metal, plastic, combinations of the same and other materials of ornamental and attractive appearance. The shell and end closure caps may be made of base metals which may be plated with precious metals, they may be provided with appropriate surface ornamentation or they may be made of transparent material to disclose the containers therein. The individual containers may be made of like ma- 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-23) terialspr of different materials of transparent or opaque type and they may be provided with separate or integral indicia indicating the contents thereof. By suitable selection of materials,

5 itis possible to produce-a very attractive over-all appearance and to provide. a wide variety of colors, surface ornamentation .and combinations of the same.

For a better understanding of the present .-invention, reference maybe had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 .is a view in longitudinal section through a typical device embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in section through one of the containers of the kit showing the cap or lid separated from the container;

.Fig. .3 is a View in section through :a 'container suitable for reception of liquids; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the closure caps for the shell illustrating the compartments formed therein.

The invention will .be described with reference to .an article of the type embodying the present invention in which the outer shell is of cylindrical shape and the elements or containers 3%- ting therein are of corresponding cross-sectional shape. It will be understood, however, that the outer shell or container .may be of regular or irregular polygonal cross section or oval or any other desired shape. Also the outer surface of the shell may be engraved, fluted or otherwise ornamented or decorated.

As shown in Fig. l, a typical cosmetic kit includes an outer shell member fill which, as indicated above, is generally circular in cross section. The shell is provided with an upper end closure :Ill having a threaded extension '22 engageable with the internal threads 13 at the upper end of the shell It. I The opposite end of the shell is also provided with an end closure Hi having a threaded section l5 en'gageable with an internally threaded section it at the lower end of the tube. The closure cap It has a flange '1? which overlies and abuts against the lower end of the tube. Also, as shown in Fig. l, the closure 14 has a series of recesses 18, i9 and 2B in its upper surface, these recesses being separated by a series of radial partitions 2 l, 22 and 23 to form compartments to receive rouge, eye make-up, or the like. The compartments are closed by means of a lid 24 which is retained in position covering the compartments by means of pins or detents 25 on the lid which engage in inclined slots 26 in the rim portion 21 surrounding the compartments I8 to 20.

The shell II] also contains, as illustrated in Fig. 1, a series of small cylindrical boxes 28, 29, 39 and 3!. These boxes are alike and only one of them will be described herein. As shown in Fig. 2, the box 28 has a cup-like bottom portion 33 and an upper rim portion 34 of reduced thickness. A cap or lid 35 fits over the rim 34 and is releasably retained thereon by means of the pins or detents 3E and 31 on the lid 35 and the inclined slots 38 in the rim 34. It will be understood, of course, that the positions of the slots and. the pins can be reversed and pins or detents may be formed on the rim 34 and the grooves or slots in the lid 35.

The shell may receive another type of container in the form of a vial or bottle 49 as shown in Fig. 3. The vial 49 has a cup-like base portion 4| like the box 28 described above but its upper end carries a disc 42 which has a threaded filling and discharge neck 43 thereon. a The neck is closed by means of an internally threaded closure cap or lid 44. The threaded connection between the neck 43 and the lid 44 prevents leakage from the vial so that perfumes, lotions and the like may be carried therein. The lid or cap '44 may have a disc 45 of resilient material, such as nylon or other alcohol resistant plastic therein, to engage and seal the neck of the vial.

The upper end closure for the tube has a centrally located recess 45 to receive the lid or cap 44 of the vial. A liner or disc 4! formed of resilient material such as rubber or a resilient or rubbery plastic material such as vinyl resin or nylon sheet is positioned in the recess to engage the cap of the vial and prevent it from rattling and being marred.

The lid 24 of the end closure l4 and the lids of the several boxes 28 to 3|, for example the lid 35, are provided with projecting portions 48 and 49, respectively, which are engageable in complementally shaped recesses 59 and 5| in the bottoms of the superimposed boxes 28 to 31 and the vial 40. The height of the projections and the depth of the recesses preferably are such that when the shell It! is removed from the as sembled containers, they will remain in stacked relation and will not slide or tilt readily relative to each other. The projections preferably are between about one-sixteenth of an inch and oneeighth of an inch in height and the recesses are of corresponding depth. The provision of the interfitting projections and recesses on the containers facilitates their removal from the shell and their return into the shell.

Each of the boxes 28 to 3| may be used to carry a different type of material such as a face cream, an ointment, salve or powder, while the vial 49 may be used for perfume or lotion. The compartments I8, 19 and 20 may be used for rouge, lip paint or the like, as may be required. Substantial quantities of these materials may be carried in the several containers despite the fact that the over-all length of the shell and its end closures may be on the order of five inches and its over-all diameter may be on the order of one and one-quarter to one and one-half inches.

It will be apparent that the device utilizes the space available with the greatest efficiency and enables a great many cosmetics of different types to be stored and carried in a minimum of space. Moreover, the container is markedly different in appearance from the prior types of cosmetic or beauty kits and presents a novel and highly attractive appearance.

It will be understood, of course, that the size and proportions of the device may be varied widely and that the details of the containers may also be modified as well as their shape and the number and size of the containers carried by the shell and that a great many different kinds of materials or combinations of materials may be used in the production of the article.

Accordingly, the form of the invention described above should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A kit for cosmetics and the like comprising a tubular shell, closure members detachably connected to the opposite ends of said shell, a plurality of separate containers in said shell, each container having a hollow cup-like body and a detachable lid fitting tightly on said body, and cooperating interfitting recesses and projections on said bodies and lids to hold said containers in a stack upon removal from said shell, the uppermost container in said stack having a narrow threaded neck and a threaded closure cap for engaging said neck in liquid-tight relation, said containers fitting snugly and slidably in said shell and between said end closures to prevent shifting and rattling of said containers.

2. The kit set forth in claim 1 in which the closure member for one end of said shell has a plurality of compartments in its inner surface, and a lid detachably connected thereto for covering said compartments.

3. The kit set forth in claim 1 in which the closure member at the adjacent end of said shell has a recess therein to receive said neck and closure.

EMILE AUGUSTE BOURCART.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 880,082 Kendrick Feb. 25, 1908 1,492,381 Lindenmayer Apr. 29, 1924 1,616,834 Vogler Feb. 8, 1927 2,147,886 Devine Feb. 21, 1939 2,358,955 Weston Sept. 26, 1944 2,412,325 Devine et a1. Dec. 10, 1946 2,514,573 Harrison July 11, 1950 2,595,113 Taberer Apr. 29, 1952

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