EP1240842A1

EP1240842A1 - Airtight container, in particular for cosmetic products in powder with highly volatile components

Info

Publication number: EP1240842A1
Application number: EP02356045A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sergio c/o Laffon S.p.A. Crosta
Original assignee: Laffon SpA
Current assignee: Laffon SpA
Priority date: 2001-03-14
Filing date: 2002-03-07
Publication date: 2002-09-18
Also published as: ITMI20010535A1; US20020158070A1

Abstract

An airtight container, in particular for cosmetic products in powder, even with highly volatile components, composed of an element to contain the product, provided with an opening for the release of said content, and a lid (11) to close said opening. According to the present invention, between said lid (11) and the opening, which consists of a perforated surface (23) of the containing element, a sealing device (22) is inserted which prevents the product contained therein from leaking out.

Description

The present invention refers to an airtight container, in particular for cosmetic products and similar in powder with highly volatile components.
Said container is a container commonly used in the health and beauty sector, of the type comprising an element to contain the cosmetic product and a lid to close said element.
Nowadays, volatile products can be added to some of these cosmetic products which are in continual development, in order to fix the cosmetic product with extreme immediacy.
These products also have the advantage of not dirtying, thanks to their very nature.
The volatile nature of these added products however, constitutes a limit to the entire cosmetic product so produced. In fact, it is evident that if the volatile component of the cosmetic product volatilises, the entire product cannot maintain its particular and advantageous characteristics given by this added product.
Furthermore, it should be remembered that the products, after production and before reaching the final user, are generally stored for a long period of time. This makes it even more important to maintain the integrity and the quality of the cosmetic type product, especially if it includes a volatile component.
A tentative solution to this problem was tried by sealing the exposed surface of the cosmetic product by means of a self-adhesive label.
This solution also has evident limits since, once the sealing has been removed when the product is used for the first time, the problem returns and the product degenerates rapidly.
Again, a solution was sought by introducing a gasket between the lid and the containing element, which became operative every time the container was closed.
However, neither can this solution resist with time since the gasket, suitably calibrated for airtightness, is unable to continue to perform its airtight action due to the cold creeping of the plastic material of which the lid and the container element are made. Therefore, with time the parts under stress partially lose their characteristics of dimensional stability.
In alternative, another solution was sought by screwing the lid on to said product-containing element.
However, the disadvantage of this solution for the final user is that it is always necessary to ensure that the lid has been screwed on properly and as tightly as possible, making certain that the threads are kept clean from any possible residual cosmetic powder contained therein.
The general aim of this invention is to resolve the above-mentioned technical problems in an extremely simple, economical and particularly functional manner.
The above aim is reached by manufacturing an airtight container, in particular for cosmetic products in powder, even with highly volatile components, having the characteristics set forth in the enclosed claims.
The structural and functional characteristics of this invention and its advantages compared to the known art will be even clearer and more evident from an examination of the following description, referred to the enclosed drawings which show a container manufactured according to the innovative principles of the invention itself.
In the drawings:
- figure 1 illustrates a cross-section of a first embodiment of an airtight container, in particular for cosmetic products in powder, closed according to the invention;
- figure 2 illustrates an exploded view of figure 1 comprising a lid and a containing element for the cosmetic product, in particular in powder;
- figure 3 is a plan view from above of the containing element in figure 2;
- figure 4 is a lateral view of the containing element in figure 2.
With reference to the drawings, the airtight container subject of this invention is generally indicated with 10 and, in the example of the first embodiment illustrated in figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, according to the invention, it is of a cylindrical shape, also commonly called stick.
The container 10 comprises a lid 11, which covers an element containing the cosmetic product, particularly in powder, composed of a measuring device 12 and a base 13 which encloses it.
The lid 11 is made up of a cylindrical casing 20, shaped like a glass, on the bottom of which a sealing device is placed composed of a cylindrical body 21 in soft material, generally sponge-like, elastically deformable, above which a disk in closed-cell material 22 is placed, such as to prevent evaporation of the volatile substances generally present in the cosmetic powders.
The measuring device 12 is composed of a cylindrical casing, shaped like a glass, on the bottom of which there are one or more dosage holes 23. On said perforated surface, on the outside of the casing, there is a self-adhesive label 24, generally provided with a non-adhesive tab 25.
The measuring device 12 can air-tightly engage the base 13 by means of a snap fit, produced by a catch for example in position 26 between a circumferential groove made on the outside of the measuring device 12 and a corresponding circumferential projection made on the inside of the base 13.
The base 13 is also composed of a cylindrical casing, shaped like a glass, provided internally with a circumferential seat 27 to facilitate centring of the open end of the measuring device 12.
Moreover, on the open side and outside the casing, the base 13 has for example two circumferential projections 28, which snap into the corresponding internal circumferential grooves 29 made in the open side of the lid 11. In this way, rapid and airtight sealing is guaranteed between the lid 11 and the containing element, by means of the elastic deformation which is created in the lid 11 at the moment in which the container is closed.
Figure 3 illustrates a plan view from above of the product-containing element, provided with a self-adhesive label 24, in this case transparent.
The measuring device 12 is filled with the cosmetic product, after making sure that the perforated end has been closed with the self-adhesive label 24, and then the open part of the measuring device 12 is filled. Once filled, the measuring device 12 is closed by pressing on to the base 13: this operation is facilitated by the presence of the circumferential seat 27 which helps centring between the measuring device 12 and the base 13; this is illustrated in figure 4, where the self-adhesive label 24 is shown in an exploded view.
The lid 11 brings about the airtight closure of the cosmetic product, in particular in powder, inside the containing element.
In particular, after the product has been used for the first time, which takes place after removing the self-adhesive label 24 by means of the non-adhesive tab 25, the lid 11 brings about the airtight closure of the cosmetic product in powder also thanks to the sealing device formed by the cylindrical body 21 and the disk in closed-cell material 22. In fact, the height of the cylindrical body 21 is greater than the distance between the bottom of the lid 11 and the perforated surface of the measuring device 12, measured when the lid 11 is positioned to close the containing element: in this way, with the lid closed, the soft and elastic material is compressed inside the cylindrical body 21 which so causes the disk in closed-cell material 22 to be pressed against the perforated surface of the measuring device 12, so preventing the product from leaking out and guaranteeing airtight sealing. This packing is illustrated in figure 1.
The coverings of the container and more precisely the casing 20, the measuring device 12 and the base 13 can be manufactured using moulded plastic material.
From the above description which refers to the drawings, it appears evident that the substantial characteristic is the presence of the sealing device formed by the cylindrical body 21 and the disk 22. This device (besides preventing the product from leaking out) maintains the airtight closure in time and prevents any volatile product contained in the cosmetic product from escaping, working with the closure 28, 29.
Therefore, the aim set forth in the preamble is in this way reached.
It is evident that the various components of the container can be of many different shapes, even different from those illustrated as a non-limiting example in the drawings, as likewise the materials used can be different.
The protection scope of the invention is, therefore, delimited by the enclosed claims.

Claims

An airtight container, in particular for cosmetic products in powder, even with highly volatile components, comprising an element to contain the product, provided with an opening for the release of said product, and a lid (11) to close said opening, characterised in that between said lid (11) and the opening, which consists of a perforated surface (23) of the containing element, a sealing device (22) is inserted which prevents the product from leaking out.
Container according to claim 1, characterised in that said sealing device is composed of material (22) of the closed-cell type.
Container according to claims 1 or 2, characterised in that said material (22) is kept in contact with the opening of the containing element by an elastically deformable body (21).
Container according to claim 1, characterised in that the airtight closure of said container is brought about by snap engaging elements between the containing element and the lid (11).
Container according to claim 4, characterised in that said snap engaging elements are composed of a projection on the lid (11) or on the containing element and of a groove on the containing element or on the lid (11) respectively.
Container according to claim 1, characterised in that said product-containing element comprises a base (13) and a measuring device (12), which are closed after the cosmetic product has been introduced.
Container according to claim 1, characterised in that said perforated surface (23) is covered by a self-adhesive label (24) to seal the product until it is used for the first time.