DE20011097U1 - Stack of containers, in particular for cosmetics - Google Patents

Description

UPPERT, STACHOW, SCHMDT &

vaicistjf.waic« l. ^: u:auu3rif-atc-niAuc:noVi Surepgen Trademark; Auaineys June 21, 2000

P. O. Box 30 02 00, f>514:2 ßergisKJ Gladbacn

Telephone *49(0)2204,9233-0

Telephone +49(0;22Q4.826«$ c

Dead Sea Cosmetics GmbH 63303 Dreieich

Container stacks, especially for cosmetics

The invention relates to a stack of several containers, in particular for storing different cosmetic preparations.

Cosmetic preparations are often used in the form of so-called care series, which consist of several different preparations that are applied in different quantities to different areas of the skin or body. Because of the limited shelf life of the preparations, they are usually sold in quantities that are sufficient for use over a medium period of time, for example around a month. Unnecessarily large packaging is often used, especially for smaller quantities. As a result, the cosmetic preparations require a relatively large amount of space in the area where they are used, for example on a dressing table. It is also difficult to display them in such a way that they appear neat and aesthetic.

The invention has for its object to provide a stack of containers, in particular for storing different cosmetic preparations, which requires little space, enables orderly storage and conveys an aesthetic impression.

This object is achieved by a container stack according to the main claim.

Since the containers are stacked on top of each other, the space required is only as large as the largest container. Simply stacking them on top of each other creates a certain aesthetic and orderly impression compared to the disorderly placement of different containers next to each other. The necessary stability of the stack is achieved by means that make it difficult to move the containers on the lids underneath.

The number of containers in the stack can be any. Stacks with 3 to 6 containers are preferred, and 4 or 5 containers are particularly preferred.

The base of the container can be made of any material, especially those that are commonly used for packaging in the cosmetics industry, such as porcelain, glass, thermoplastic. These materials can be made opaque or colored by adding white or colored pigments. A suitable material for the lid is metal such as brass or plastic, which may be metallized and/or painted.

When closed, the lid of each container is secured against at least sideways movement. This is done, for example, by a cylindrical projection on the base, onto which the cap-shaped lid is pushed or screwed, or by a bulge on the underside of the lid that engages in the opening of the cavity.

Preferably, the containers are arranged in the stack so that their size decreases continuously from bottom to top. To achieve this, the containers must all be different sizes. This is usually the case with care ranges, for example, because the quantities measured for a certain period of use for the various preparations are different. Such an arrangement increases the stability of the stack and improves the aesthetic impression.

A suitable means of making it more difficult to move the containers on the lids is to increase the friction between the bottom of the container and the lid. This could be, for example, matting on both sides. You can also cover both surfaces with a rough material such as felt.

Preferably, the base and lid of the container are designed in such a way that when the container is placed on the lid underneath, parts of both components engage with one another in a form-fitting manner. It is particularly preferred that the base underside has a recess and the lid top has a bulge that can be accommodated by the recess. The recess and bulge can be flat in relation to the thickness of the lid and the base of the container, since only a certain resistance to displacement is required. They can be circular, whereby a container can be placed on the lid in any direction. Other shapes, such as triangles, squares, ellipses, star shapes, can be used if placement should only be possible in a certain orientation. This can be desirable, for example, if the side walls of the container are decorated with a pattern that extends over the entire stack.

The container bases can have any shape, for example that of a square, hexagonal or octagonal prism. They are preferably rotationally symmetrical with respect to a vertical axis, particularly preferably cylindrical or barrel-shaped.

The side walls of the containers are preferably roughened by means of a coating or other surface treatment. This allows them to be gripped safely during use, even if the fingers are contaminated with one of the preparations and are therefore slippery. In addition, the side walls can be labelled and/or decorated with patterns.

The cavity in the bottom of each container, which can be closed with the lid, is generally filled with the corresponding cosmetic preparation. However, it is particularly advantageous if the preparation is not filled directly into the cavity, but into an insert container that can be inserted into the cavity. The cavity and insert container preferably have a shape that widens towards the top, for example that of a truncated cone or pyramid, with the smaller base facing downwards.

The insert container is preferably made of a thermoplastic material. Its wall thickness can be small, as it only has to hold the composition and withstand the stresses of transport. When the preparation is used, it is no longer subjected to stress, as you only touch the base of the container and the lid.

It is particularly preferable to close the insert container after filling it with the preparation. This can be done

known manner, for example with a heat-sealing film which is removed after insertion into the base of the container and before use of the preparation.
5

The use of the insert container has the advantage that the effort required for packaging the preparation is significantly reduced. The containers in the stack are generally made of a stronger material for easier handling and a solid appearance and are optionally

also elaborately decorated. However, the container stack only needs to be manufactured and purchased once and can then be refilled as often as required by replacing the insert containers. This reduces both the costs and the amount of waste compared to the one-time use of the stable and representatively designed packaging that is common today.

The invention is explained below using an embodiment.

Figure 1 shows the front view of a container stack according to the invention. In the interest of clarity, the exemplary stack 1 consists of only three containers. These include the barrel-shaped container bases 2, 3, 4 and the lids 5, 6, 7. The size of both components decreases from bottom to top.

In Figure 2, the three containers are shown individually. It can be seen that the lid 5 has a bulge 8 and the lid 6 has a bulge 9. The container bases 2, 3, 4 are provided with recesses 10, 11, 12 on their underside. The bulge 8 fits into the recess 11 with a small amount of play; the bulge 9 fits into the recess 12 accordingly. The recess 10 in the container base 2

is not needed in this example. However, it allows the use of base 2 in stacks of more than three containers, thus saving the need to manufacture and store another base.

The following figures show the middle container made up of the base 3 and the lid 9 in a top view (Fig. 3) and bottom view (Fig. 4). In Fig. 3 you can see the circular bulge 9 of the lid 6, which fits into the recess 12 of the base 4. Fig. 4 shows the circular recess 11 in the underside of the base 3, which accommodates the bulge 8 in the lid 5 below.

Finally, Figure 5 shows the same container in a sectioned view of parts. The lower part of the container 3 has a cylindrical extension 14 at the top, which extends the cavity 13 upwards and over which the lid 6 can be put. The cavity 13 has the shape of a truncated cone and can suitably accommodate the insert container 15, which contains the preparation not shown here and which is closed with the removable, heat-sealed film 16, which is protected by the lid 17.

LSPPERT, STACH8W,

PO Bay. 30 02 08, 0-5&iacgr; 412 öergiscM Gladbacü

Tslefori &Kgr;9{0)2204.9233·0 Tslefax +49(0)2204.82608

Dead Sea Cosmetics GmbH 63303 Dreieich 10

List of reference symbols

1 container stack

2, 3, 4 container bases

5, 6, 7 lid

8, 9 Curvatures of the lids 10, 11, 12 Recesses of the undersides of the bases

13 Cavity

14 cylindrical attachment 15 insert container

16 Heat sealing foil

17 Lid

Claims (9)

1. Container stack ( 1 ) comprising several containers standing on top of each other, in particular for storing different cosmetic preparations, characterized in that - each container has a lower part ( 2 , 3 , 4 ) with a cavity ( 13 ) open at the top and a removable lid ( 5 , 6 , 7 ) closing the opening of the cavity, - each container, except the lowest one, rests with its underside on the lid of the next lower container and - the contacting container bases and/or lids are provided with means which make it difficult to move a container on the lid underneath. 2. Container stack according to claim 1, characterized in that the size of the containers in the stack decreases continuously from bottom to top. 3. Container stack according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the means increase the friction between the lid and the container bottom. 4. Container stack according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the means enable a positive connection between the container bottom and the lid. 5. Container stack according to claim 1, 2 or 4, characterized in that the lids have bulges ( 8 , 9 ) and the container undersides have recesses ( 11 , 12 ) which can accommodate the bulges of the lid underneath. 6. Container stack according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the lower parts ( 2 , 3 , 4 ) are cylindrical or barrel-shaped. 7. Container stack according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the side walls of the containers are decorated, labeled and/or roughened. 8. Container stack according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the cavity ( 13 ) has the shape of a truncated cone or pyramid and contains a suitably shaped insert container which receives the preparation. 9. Insert container ( 15 ) for containers of the container stack according to claim 8, filled with a cosmetic preparation and sealed with a peelable film ( 16 ).