EP4225100A1

EP4225100A1 - A container for a single-dose product

Info

Publication number: EP4225100A1
Application number: EP21798463.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luca GUERINI ROCCO
Original assignee: Axia Srl
Current assignee: Axia Srl
Priority date: 2020-10-06
Filing date: 2021-10-04
Publication date: 2023-08-16
Also published as: WO2022074694A1; IT202000023482A1

Abstract

The present invention is aimed at the sector of containers, and in particular concerns a container of the type for a single-dose product, and disposable, for a product, particularly a cosmetic product, such as a lipstick, a mascara, an eyeshadow, etc. Said container (1) for a single-dose product comprises: - a gripping portion (2); - an applicator (3) that supports said product; - a closing lid (4). Said applicator (3) comprises a shaped rigid surface on which an amount of said product necessary for a single application, adapted to make said container (1) disposable, is deposited.

Description

A CONTAINER FOR A SINGLE-DOSE PRODUCT

Technical field

The present invention relates to the sector of containers, and in particular concerns a container of single-dose and disposable type, particularly for a cosmetic product, such as a lipstick, a mascara, an eyeshadow, etc.

Hereunder reference will be made in particular to the cosmetic sector, but it is evident that the solution described and claimed may be applied more generically also to other products for personal care in single-dose containers, such as medical products for treating the skin of the face and body.

Background art

With the new health emergency, in the packaging sector, and in particular in the cosmetic sector, there has been an increase in the need to protect consumers through containers that prevent the contamination of products, not just cosmetic products destined for sale, but above all cosmetic display units and testers through which products are normally tested and selected.

The more conventional containers for cosmetic products, whether lipsticks, mascaras, eyeshadows, etc., essentially comprise a gripping portion, an applicator for said cosmetic product and a closing lid.

Said cosmetic product can be in solid form, such as a stick of product for treatment of the lips, which can be a coloured or neutral paste, supported by said applicator and sliding inside said container, or in liquid form, such as a fluid for treatment of the eyelashes, contained in a specific reservoir from which said applicator obtains it.

Currently, the market provides both standard containers containing several grams of cosmetic product, and miniature containers, i.e. containers of very small size, particularly utilised in this period of health emergency with the idea of offering the consumer a test sample of the product of single-dose type and hence in “disposable” containers.

Unfortunately, although in “miniature” format, these containers, due to their conventional shape only of smaller size, contain an amount of cosmetic product that is sufficient for several applications. In an application of disposable type, in order to prevent contaminations, the user is obliged to throw away of the cosmetic product container immediately after applying the tester: the amount of cosmetic product wasted is considerable, estimated at over 1 gram per container. This amount of product, if considered on the large scale, constitutes an economic damage for cosmetic manufacturers, as well as being damaging for the environment as often these products that are not biodegradable.

Currently, containers for products that are truly single-dose and disposable and that do not contain a surplus of cosmetic product in addition to the amount necessary for one, and only one, application, do not exist on the market.

Moreover, the containers currently found on the market are not made of biodegradable material, while there is an increasing market demand for respect for the environment and the possibility of recycling and/or composting the containers.

Presentation of the invention

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to produce a container for a single-dose product, in particular a cosmetic, which besides being aesthetically pleasing, of small size, practical and easy to handle, is effectively disposable and single-dose, in compliance with the current strict health and hygiene regulations.

A further object of the invention is to produce a container for a single-dose product that can be produced easily and inexpensively respecting the environment.

These objects are achieved with a container for a single-dose product comprising:

- a gripping portion;

- an applicator that supports said product;

- a closing lid, characterized in that said applicator comprises a shaped rigid surface on which an amount of said cosmetic product necessary for a single application, adapted to make said container disposable, is deposited.

According to a first aspect of the invention, said applicator comprises a supporting stem for said shaped rigid surface.

In a preferred embodiment, said applicator comprises a spatula that forms said shaped rigid surface.

Alternatively, said spatula is coplanar with said supporting stem or is inclined with respect thereto.

According to a possible embodiment, said spatula is circular in shape and comprises two faces, where at least one of said faces has a convex surface.

According to a further embodiment, said spatula comprises a comb.

Advantageously said container is made of a recyclable and/or biodegradable and/or compostable material.

According to a further aspect of the invention, said gripping portion and said applicator form one piece.

According to a possible variant of embodiment, said container is modular and comprises means for reversible association between said gripping portion and said applicator. In particular, said means for reversible association comprise a hole produced on said gripping portion adapted to house the stem of said applicator.

Advantageously, the nature of the material forming said gripping portion is different from the nature of the material forming said applicator, so that the rigidity of the gripping portion is greater with respect to that of the applicator.

In a preferred variant of the invention, said gripping portion comprises an inner cavity, a free lower edge and a stepped upper edge, where said cavity is adapted to house the applicator of a second container and said free lower edge is adapted to co-act through interference with the stepped upper edge of this second container, so that said containers are stackable.

Advantageously, said single-dose product is applied to said shaped rigid surface by means of electronically controlled dipping or spraying techniques.

Preferably, said product is selected from a cosmetic, medical, pharmaceutical or healing product.

Advantageously, said product is of cosmetic type and its amount is less than 1 gram, preferably less than 1 decigram.

The container for a single-dose product according to the invention, in all its variants of embodiment, has numerous advantages:

- a minimum amount of product is used, precisely a single dose, i.e., the dose of product necessary for one application, thereby eliminating waste and reducing consumptions with economic advantages;

- the size of the applicator and of the container can be truly reduced, resulting in easier transport, better management of logistics and storage and a reduction in indirect costs;

- as this is truly a “disposable” product, as the product is in fact dosed for a single application, problems concerning hygiene and the risk of contamination and contagion between users are eliminated, above all when this is a cosmetic product that is used as tester in large scale retail;

- the container is made with recyclable/biodegradable/compostable materials, with advantages of an environmental nature.

Even more advantageously, each container can be customized, producing spatulas in a wide variety of shapes, particularly suitable for the type of product or area of application, as well as also being decorated even only simply with references to trademarks and brands.

Due to its small size and many different shapes, the container for a singledose product thus produced can advantageously also be use as gadget.

The container in the modular variant, with gripping portion and applicator that can be associated with one another, is particularly versatile, both during production where different applicators can be associated with a universal gripping portion according to orders and market requirements, and during sales where kits can be provided containing a gripping portion and a plurality of interchangeable applicators of the same or different shape, on which products of different nature and/or colour are deposited.

Moreover, the modularity of the container makes it possible to use different materials for the two components - gripping portion and applicator: it is clear that the gripping portion, which must last in time and be handled by the user, will require the use of a more rigid and stronger material, while the applicator, which will come into contact even with delicate areas of the face to apply the cosmetic product, will require the use of a material that is less rigid, so as to make it softer and more flexible than the gripping portion.

The possibility of the containers being stackable considerably reduces the overall dimensions and volumes for transport and storage of the containers, also on retail display units; it is possible to create mini kits of cosmetic products, for example by stacking lipstick/mascara/eyeshadow containers coordinated with one another. Several containers stacked on one another only require one closing lid (as the cavity of the gripping portion acts as protection for the applicator of the adjacent container) with advantages in the saving of materials and consequent saving in costs.

Brief description of the drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the detailed description set forth below with the aid of the figures, which represent preferred embodiments thereof, illustrated by way of non limiting example, wherein:

Fig. 1 represents, in a front view, a container for a single-dose product according to the invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 represent, respectively in a front view and an axonometric view, a portion of the container of Fig. 1 ;

Figs. 4 and 5, 6 and 7, 8 and 9, represent, respectively in a front view and an axonometric view, a portion of a container for a single-dose product according to possible variants of embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 10 represents, in a sectional axonometric view, several containers according to the invention stacked on one another;

Figs. 11 , 12 and 13 represent, respectively in an axonometric view, in a side view and in a longitudinal section, a first component of the container for a single-dose product in the modular variant thereof according to the invention;

Figs. 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d represent, in a section along a vertical plane, a second component of the container for a single-dose product in its modular variant according to the invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention With particular reference to Figs. 1 -3, there is illustrated a container 1 for a single-dose product, particularly for a cosmetic product, even more particularly a lipstick, according to the invention.

Said container 1 is compact, is of small size, substantially cylindrical in shape, and essentially comprises:

- a gripping portion 2;

- an applicator 3 adapted to support said cosmetic product;

- a closing lid 4.

Said container 1 is practical and easy to handle: in a possible embodiment said gripping portion 2 and said applicator 3 form one piece, obtained through an injection process with modular moulds.

Said gripping portion 2 is cylindrical in shape, comprises an upper base 11 , an inner cavity 8, a free lower edge 9 and an upper edge provided with a step 10 produced around said upper base 11 .

Said closing lid 4 can be made of transparent material and thus allow in detail the shape of said applicator 3 to be viewed, so as to intuitively identify the cosmetic product in the container.

As mentioned above, said applicator 3 comprises a shaped rigid surface on which an amount of said cosmetic product necessary for a single application and adapted to make said container 1 disposable is deposited.

The products that can be housed in the container according to the invention are all cosmetics with physical properties that allow them to adhere and not to drip, such as pastes, powders and thick viscous fluids.

Said product is applied to said shaped rigid surface by means of electronically controlled dipping or spraying techniques.

An amount di cosmetic product likely to be necessary and sufficient for a single application is estimated to be less than 1 gram, advantageously in the order of milligrams.

Said applicator 3 comprises a supporting stem 5 for said shaped rigid surface and a spatula 6 that forms said shaped rigid surface.

Said supporting stem 5 extends from said cylindrical gripping portion 2, orthogonally to a base thereof.

Said supporting stem 5 serves also to space the spatula 6 from the gripping portion 2 to avoid accidental contact between the product and the fingers of the user, thus preventing the product, already in a minimum amount, from being wasted.

Said spatula 6 is coplanar with said supporting stem 5, both belonging to a plane orthogonal to said gripping portion 2.

Said spatula 6 is circular in shape, like a sort of disc, and comprises two faces 6a, 6b.

In particular, one of said faces, i.e., the face 6a on which the product is applied, for example a lipstick in paste form, has a convex, sort of rounded, surface.

With particular reference to Figs. 4 and 5, said spatula 6 comprises both faces 6a, 6b with convex surfaces: said shaping is particularly advantageous for applying a product of foundation type, offering a double supporting surface for the cosmetic product that in this case must be sufficient to treat a larger area of the face with respect to the lips alone.

It is clear that an applicator with a single rounded face can in any case be used to support a foundation, just as alternatively an applicator with two rounded faces can be used to support a lipstick in paste form.

With particular reference to Figs. 6 and 7, said spatula 6 is inclined with respect to the supporting stem 5: said shaping is particularly advantageous for applying an eyeshadow, as said spatula 6 must adapt to the fold of the eyelid and to the hollowness of the eye.

With particular reference to Figs. 8 and 9, said spatula 6 comprises a comb 7: said shaping is particularly advantageous for applying a mascara, where the teeth of the comb 7 will separate the eyelashes while depositing the cosmetic product.

Fig. 10 illustrates a kit composed of a plurality of containers 1 of products, also of different nature from one another, stacked on top of one another. The applicator 3 of each container 1 is contained in the cavity 9 of the gripping portion 2 of the adjacent container 1 and the stepped upper edges 10 of each container 1 co-act through interference with the free lower edge 9 of the adjacent container 1 so as to create a stack. The end container 1 is instead closed at the top by its lid 4 to protect the last applicator 3.

In all the variants illustrated, the container 1 is made with a recyclable and/or biodegradable and/or compostable material, so as to optimise, also during disposal, its “disposable” nature.

With particular reference to Figs. 11 -14, these illustrate a particular variant of the container 1 of the invention, where said container 1 is modular and composed of two elements, a gripping portion 2 and an applicator 3, couplable to each other through means for reversible association.

As mentioned above, said gripping portion is cylindrical in shape and its upper base 11 comprises a hole 12 into which the stem 5 of said applicator 3 can be inserted. Said hole 12 and said stem 5 form said means for reversible association between said gripping portion and said applicator.

In the variant of Figs. 11 -13, said gripping portion 2 is ergonomic and comprises concave shaped portions 13 particularly easy for gripping with the fingers of the user.

Purely by way of example, Figs. 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d illustrate possible variants of applicators 3, where a spatula 6 with a wide variety of shapes, to be selected based on the type of cosmetic product and the area of the face to be treated, is provided above the stem 5. All the spatulas 6 have a three- dimensional geometric shape provided with at least one curved surface and are advantageously configured as solids of revolution.

The modularity of the container makes it possible also to choose materials of different nature for gripping portion and applicator, provided they are recyclable and/or biodegradable and/or compostable materials.

The container 1 for a cosmetic product according to the invention has been described with reference to its use as a tester in shops, beauty stores and large-scale retail, where before making the purchase, final users wish to test and try the cosmetic product on their own skin, to evaluate colour, coverage, consistency, etc. With the container 1 of the invention the cosmetic product is tested in total safety and in compliance with all health and hygiene standards.

It is clear that a single-dose and disposable container 1 as described above, due to the limited overall dimensions and the small amounts of product present, is suitable to be used for gadget, gifts, free samples, or also for assembling kits for special and dedicated occasions composed of several different containers.

As specified above, in the present invention a container of a coloured cosmetic product, suitable for make-up has been described, but said container can advantageously also be used for medical and pharmaceutical products for personal care. One example could be the container illustrated in Figs. 1 -3 where the applicator, instead of being covered with a coloured paste of lipstick type, is covered with an ointment for the treatment of infections of the lips, i.e. for the localized treatment of the most common herpes.

Claims

1 . A container (1 ) for a single-dose product comprising:

- a gripping portion (2);

- an applicator (3) that supports said product;

- a closing lid (4), characterized in that said applicator (3) comprises a shaped rigid surface on which an amount of said product necessary for a single application, adapted to make said container (1 ) disposable, is deposited.

2. The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said applicator (3) comprises a supporting stem (5) for said shaped rigid surface.

3. The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said applicator (3) comprises a spatula (6) that forms said shaped rigid surface.

4. The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that said spatula (6) is coplanar with said supporting stem (4) or is inclined with respect thereto.

5. The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claim 4, characterized in that said spatula (6) is circular in shape and comprises two faces (6a, 6b), where at least one of said faces (6a, 6b) has a convex surface.

6. The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claim 3, characterized in that said spatula (6) comprises a comb (7).

7. The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claim 1 , characterized in that it is made with a recyclable and/or biodegradable and/or compostable material. The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said gripping portion (2) and said applicator (3) form one piece. The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claim 1 , characterized in that it is modular and comprises means for reversible association between said gripping portion (2) and said applicator (3). . The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claims 2 and 9, characterized in that said means for reversible association comprise a hole (12) produced on said gripping portion (2) adapted to house the stem (5) of said applicator (3). . The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claim 9, characterized in that the nature of the material forming said gripping portion (2) is different from the nature of the material forming said applicator (3). . The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said gripping portion (2) comprises an inner cavity (8), a free lower edge (9) and a stepped upper edge (10), where said cavity (8) is adapted to house the applicator (3) of a second container (1 ) and said free lower edge (9) is adapted to co-act through interference with the stepped upper edge (10) of this second container (1 ), so that said containers (1 ) are stackable. . The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said product is applied to said shaped rigid surface by means of electronically controlled dipping or spraying techniques. . The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said product is selected from a cosmetic, medical, pharmaceutical or healing product. . The container (1 ) for a single-dose product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said product is of cosmetic type and said amount of said cosmetic product is less than 1 gram.

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