CH715339B1 - Cosmetic jar with integrated clock. - Google Patents

Abstract

The container (4) is intended for cosmetics and has a mechanical or electronic clock (1) built into the container with a stopwatch and alarm function, for measuring the time after the container is first opened, with buttons or knobs on the container or on the clock (1) for operating the internal electronics to set a run time. This clock has at least the following functions: A: setting the current date and time, B: setting an expiration date, C: clock function: displaying the calendar year, month, day and time, D: stopwatch and alarm clock function The watch has a display (2) and can be attached to the inside of the lid (6) with a downwardly projecting edge (7), the lid (6) being attached to a container designed as a box (5) so that it can be opened via a hinge . The watch can be used to monitor the shelf life of the cosmetics, with an acoustic alarm signal sounding when the shelf life limit is reached, and the exposure times can also be monitored in this way.

Description

[0001] Cosmetic jars contain skin creams, protective creams and make-up creams, serums or powders, ie beauty products that are subject to aging and therefore usually have a recommended expiry date beyond which these products should no longer be used for health reasons. For some products, the shelf life begins when the container is first opened; for others, the manufacturer prints a fixed shelf life on the packaging. The beauty product user usually opens the packaging without noting the date of the first opening. However, all beauty products have an expiration date, and as I said, many from the first opening.

If a certain product is applied to the face, for example, or is to be applied twice in succession, this product requires a certain exposure time. You then have to wait until this has passed before applying another product, be it make-up, ink or powder.

The object of this invention is to provide a container for cosmetics, which enables the control of the shelf life as well as the control of the exposure time directly, safely and conveniently.

This object is achieved by a container for cosmetics, which includes a mechanical or electronic clock built into the container with a stopwatch and alarm function, for measuring time after the container is first opened, with buttons or knobs on the container or on the clock for operating the internal electronics for setting an expiry time.

Possible designs are shown in the figures and their function is described below.

It shows: Figure 1: A digital electronic clock, suitable for blocking with a cosmetics jar; Figure 2: A cosmetic jar with a clock integrated into its lid; Figure 3: A cosmetic jar with a clock incorporated into its threaded or collar; Figure 4: A cosmetic bottle with a watch placed and fastened around its perimeter; Figure 5: A cosmetic bottle with a watch fitted and connected to its bottle cap; Figure 6: A cosmetic tube with a watch attached to the tube; Figure 7: A cosmetic pouch with a watch attached to the pouch; Figure 8: A cosmetics jar with a clock integrated into the jar wall.

First, in Figure 1, an electronic clock 1 with a battery and an electronic display 2 is shown. On the one hand, this watch 1 is a watch with a perpetual calendar, which means that it not only shows the time, but also the calendar year, the month and the day of the week. In addition, this watch 1 has a stopwatch function and an alarm clock function and has an option for entering a date and a storage medium for storing the same. Clock 1 can therefore also display the number of days/hours/minutes/seconds up to a saved date. A Color Super Twist Nematic display or CSTN display, for example, can be used as the display. These are so-called nematic twisted cells, which ensure the display on an LCD screen. In the case of the CSTN display, it is a color display that is created using a passive matrix. This means that the individual pixels or the liquid crystals of the screen are controlled passively. In practice, CSTN displays are somewhat weaker in terms of their reproduction quality, but they consume significantly less energy, which means that the battery is spared. The lower playback performance becomes clear with the slower image build-up.

[0008] Instead of a CSTN display, a liquid crystal display can be considered, a so-called “LCD” or “LC display”. In most modern electronic devices, LCDs are used in both simple and complex forms. With this form of display, images are generated by liquid crystals polarizing light using an electrical voltage, and the watch can also be provided with acoustic elements for emitting alarm sounds. An LCD is made up of different segments that contain a large amount of liquid crystal. The alignment of the crystals in the individual segments can be controlled by the electrical voltage. This regulates the transmission of polarized light, which is guided through the segments by a backlight and filters. In the case of LCDs that are intended to display any images, the individual segments are arranged according to a grid. One then speaks of pixels or image points. The higher the number of these pixels, the sharper the image on the LCD.

[0009] As a further alternative, a display with organic light-emitting diodes, that is to say with organic light-emitting diodes, can be used. Unlike LCDs, OLED displays work without a backlight. While an LCD acts like a filter for the light developed in the background, OLEDs themselves emit colored light. These displays do not require any crystals to generate images. The big advantage of OLED displays is that they are very thin and can be placed on almost any material. They require very little energy, which saves battery life. Using keys and/or rotary knobs 3, the various functions can be selected and used on a menu that is shown on the display.

These mentioned displays require separate buttons or knobs to operate the functions. A touch screen, i.e. a display that enables the electronics inside to be controlled by touching the display, does not require such buttons or rotary knobs. Modern mobile phones have been without a conventional keyboard for years. Instead, text is entered via the touch-sensitive display. One can distinguish different types of touch screens. Cell phones mainly use capacitive or resistive touch screens. Capacitive touchscreens can only be used with hands or conductive pens, which excludes operation with gloves or prosthetic hands. Since resistive touchscreens react to pressure, they can also be operated with gloves.

The main menu is set by pressing a separate button or by means of a "button" on the touch screen of such a watch on a cosmetics container, which offers the following selection, for example. A: Setting the current date and time B: Setting an expiration date C: Clock function: Displaying the calendar year, month, day and time D: Stopwatch and alarm clock function

If you select A, the last calendar year set appears, the month, the day and the time. With a button or a rotary knob 3 you can switch to the various displays of the calendar year, month, day and time on the display 2 . With each selected time function, another button or rotary knob 3 can be used to scroll forwards or backwards to set the desired time. The process is completed by pressing a SET button. Clock 1 is now set.

If you select function B, you can enter a desired expiry time of a product there in the same way as for function A, usually a specific calendar year with month, in which case the time is irrelevant. An alarm function can also be switched on or off. This function is now also programmed by pressing the SET button. When the selected month is reached, an acoustic warning tone sounds over a built-in loudspeaker, which is silenced by pressing the SET button. A prerequisite for the sounding of the warning tone is that the lid of the box is open, so that this warning tone does not sound continuously in the absence of a user. This can be realized by the watch only generating a warning signal when certain conditions are met, for example by being in a certain position or by certain electrical contacts being open or closed. In the selected function C, the current time is displayed with day, month and calendar year. When menu D, the stopwatch function, is selected, the clock shows 00:00. As with setting the time, a runtime can now be selected, for example 05:30, for 5 minutes and 30 seconds. This running time is confirmed with the SET button. A second press of the SET button will set the clock to zero and if a start button is pressed the clock will start running it will emit a warning tone when 05:30 is reached. In this way, for example, an exposure time can be precisely adhered to, even if the user moves away from the can for a short time. The clock can also be used to remind the user of the usage interval, e.g. every three days, once a week, etc. To do this, you simply set the stopwatch to such a duration that it emits a signal at the desired time, e.g. in three days to wake up when a particular cream should be reapplied. This avoids forgetting the active substance to be applied regularly at certain intervals. In addition, there is the possibility that the exposure time can be fixed with the clock. This also applies to activation/triggering when the jar is opened by removing the protective film on the cream. Because the clock offers a stopwatch function, it can of course also be used as an alarm clock or timer for other purposes. At this point it should be mentioned, without making a special figure, that the built-in clock can have an analogue display, so that an hour hand, a minute hand and a second hand are displayed instead of presenting the time in digital form. In a luxury version, even a mechanical watch with such hands is conceivable. The watch, whether electronic or mechanical, may be fitted with a battery to provide power. In a variant, it can be a rechargeable battery. An associated solar cell can be installed on the clock or on the container, which continuously recharges the battery.

A first embodiment of a cosmetic case 4 with an integrated time stopwatch 1 is shown in FIG. The cosmetic box 4 is here an oval container 5 with an associated hinged lid 6 with a downwardly projecting edge 7. Various cosmetic utensils can be accommodated in this cosmetic box 1 - brushes, tweezers, mascara sticks, nail files, etc. In addition, various make-up Colours, creams, ointments and powders. Certain products have a shelf life limit or they may also require a certain exposure time. Clock 1 can be programmed in such a way that the entire menu can be run through for different products, as already described above, for example for 10 different products. The expiration time function as well as the exposure time function can then be assigned to 10 different products, each product being assigned a number and this number can be stuck to the relevant product in the cosmetic jar with an adhesive, or written on it with a permanent marker written. This ensures that a product that is too old is never used again, thus avoiding skin irritation or infections.

Another embodiment is shown in FIG. Here such a watch 1 is attached to the top of the lid 8 of a cosmetics jar 9, which contains, for example, a specific cream or ointment. A spring ring can be built into the lid 8 down along its resting lid part, which is relieved when the lid 8 is removed from the can 9 . Only then is the alarm function, the emission of a warning tone, possible. This ensures that no alarm tone can sound continuously if the can is closed and the user is not present.

4 shows a cosmetics bottle that is equipped with a clock 1 as described above. The watch 1 can be attached to the bottle body 11 like a wristwatch, for example with a rubber-elastic band 10 or with a buckle. As an alternative, the clock can also be built into the bottle or integrated into the bottle wall.

In an embodiment according to FIG. 5, the watch 1 is connected to the bottle cap or is coupled together with a cap 12 . It can be a watch case 17, which has a hollow-cylindrical recess at the bottom, with which it can be placed over a conventional 28 mm or 36 mm screw cap 12 of a bottle. The inner walls of the hollow-cylindrical recess can be equipped with spring steel arranged at an oblique angle to the radial line of the hollow cylinder, which protrudes very slightly and which clamps in the release direction with the outside of the closure cap 12 of the bottle and thus enables the closure cap to be easily released by turning the watch case.

6 shows an embodiment in which a clock 1 described above has a housing which forms a base 13 for the clock 1, the base 13 being designed so that it fits on the round circumference of a filled tube 14 . It can be attached to the same by means of its Velcro fastener. A strip of part of a chain fastener is glued to the tube 14. The associated other strip with the counterpart of the Velcro is glued to the inside of the curvature of the base 13. When the tube 14 is then almost used up, this watch 1 can be removed from it again and attached to a new tube.

7 shows an embodiment of a cosmetics bag 15 with a pressure closure 16. The watch 1 is attached to the bag 15 with its housing. One strip of part of a chain clasp is glued to the outside of the pouch 15 and the other strip is glued to the underside of the case of the watch 1 to be fitted. When the content of the bag is used up, this watch 1 can be removed from it and attached to a new bag.

8 shows an embodiment of a cosmetics jar 4 with a screw-on lid 12. The clock 1 is integrated with its housing in the wall of the jar and shows how a sophisticated display 1 can be designed. There are three boxes to the right of the wide display. If, for example, a blue light is displayed in the top box, this means that this can 4 has never been opened, or in relation to the content: not yet active. It is a first opening guarantee. If the middle box is green, it means that the content of the once opened can is ok, ready for use, so the content is ok. If the bottom box lights up red, this means: content is unusable. This is the case if the content has exceeded a certain age. In the large display, the top line shows from the left: day, hour, minute, second. Specific numbers are displayed below, for example from the left: 208, which means that the content is still available for use for 208 days, 15 hours, 22 minutes and 14 seconds. This period of time runs like an hourglass every second until the display shows 000, 00, 00, 00 and then the red warning light at the bottom right lights up immediately. The current calendar day and the current time are shown in the line at the bottom of the display.

Furthermore, the clock can be used to remind the user of the usage interval, eg every three days, once a week, etc. Another function is to display the exposure time of the product, so that an optimal result is achieved . There are also many other functions that work with the help of acoustic and visual signals and can support the user in using the cosmetic products correctly.

Claims (10)

1. Container (4) for cosmetics, which includes a mechanical or electronic clock (1) with stopwatch and alarm function built into the container, for measuring the time after the container is first opened, with buttons or rotary knobs (3) on the container or on the clock (1) for operating the internal electronics to set an expiry time. 2. Container (4) for cosmetics with mechanical or electronic clock (1) with stopwatch and alarm function according to claim 1, characterized in that the built-in clock (1) is an electronic clock with an electronic display (2) for a digital or is an analog display, and buttons or rotary knobs (3) are attached to its housing, by means of which the internal electronics can be operated, with these electronics offering at least the following functions and making them visible on the display (2): A: Setting the current date and time, B: set an expiry date, C: clock function: displays the calendar year, month, day and time, D: Stopwatch and alarm clock function and that the watch (1) can be supplied with energy from a rechargeable battery, which can be charged via an associated solar cell. 3. Container (4) for cosmetics with mechanical or electronic clock (1) with stopwatch and alarm function according to claim 1, characterized in that the built-in clock (1) is an electronic clock with an electronic display (2) for a digital or is an analog display and the display is a touch screen, by means of which the internal electronics can be operated, these electronics offering at least the following functions and making them displayable on the display (2): A: Setting the current date and time, B: set an expiry date, C: clock function: displays the calendar year, month, day and time, D: Stopwatch and alarm function one indicator acts as a tamper evidence by lighting up as long as the container has never been opened, a further indicator once the container has been opened shows whether the contents are still in order, and a third indicator shows when the contents have exceeded an adjustable age , and that the watch (1) can be supplied with energy from a rechargeable battery, which can be charged via an associated solar cell. 4. Container (4) for cosmetics with mechanical or electronic clock (1) with stopwatch and alarm function according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the container has a can (5) with a matching lid (6). edge (7) projecting downwards, the lid being able to be opened more than 90° from the box (5) via a hinged connection, and the clock (1) being built into the underside of the lid (6) and its alarm functions are effective only in an oblique, display-up position. 5. Container (4) for cosmetics with a mechanical or electronic clock (1) with a stopwatch and alarm function according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the container has a can (9) with a matching lid (8). edge protruding downwards, the clock (1) being installed on top of the lid (8) and the lid (8) resting on the edge of the can via loaded spring rings, so that the alarm function of the clock (1) is only effective when the spring rings are relieved . 6. Container (4) for cosmetics with mechanical or electronic clock (1) with stopwatch and alarm function according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the container is a bottle and the clock (1) like a wristwatch can be placed around the circumference of the bottle body (11) by means of a rubber-elastic band (10). 7. Container (4) for cosmetics with mechanical or electronic clock (1) with stopwatch and alarm function according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the container is a bottle, and the clock (1) in the bottle is installed or is installed in the bottle wall. 8. Container (4) for cosmetics with a mechanical or electronic clock (1) with a stopwatch and alarm function according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the container is a bottle and the clock (1) in a housing (17) which has a hollow-cylindrical recess on its underside with spring steels arranged therein at an oblique angle to the radial, which protrude just into the hollow-cylindrical recess, and this housing (14) over the twist-lock cap (12) of the bottle with a snug fit can be slipped on, and the rotary closure cap (12) can be unscrewed from the bottle when rotated in the release direction as a result of the spring steels jamming. 9. Container (4) for cosmetics with a mechanical or electronic clock (1) with a stopwatch and alarm function according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the container is a tube and the clock (1) in a housing (13) is housed, which forms a curved base at the bottom, so that the watch can be placed appropriately on the circumference in the front area of the tube (14), the housing (13) being held on the tube (14) by means of one or more Velcro fasteners. 10. Container (4) for cosmetics with mechanical or electronic clock (1) with stopwatch and alarm clock function according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the container is a reclosable plastic bag (15) and the clock (1) is accommodated in a housing which can be placed on the bag (15) by means of a flat underside, the housing being held on the bag by means of one or more Velcro fasteners.