GB2048218A - Box for Cleaning Sticks Such as Cotton Buds - Google Patents

Abstract

A box for sticks 20 for personal hygiene comprises a container having an aperture 2 for withdrawal of the sticks 20, a door element 3 being provided for movement between a first position where it closes said aperture, and a second position where it clears the aperture. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Box for Cleaning Sticks Such as Cotton Buds The present invention relates to a box, particularly effective to contain sticks for the personal cleaning or hygiene.

As it is known are nowadays available on the market sticks for the personal hygiene or cleaning and, in particular for cleaning the ears and nostrils of children and new-borns, which sticks consist of a rod like element which, at the ends thereof is provided with suitably wrapped cotton flocks.

Said cleaning sticks are put on the market within box-like envelopes, generally made of paperboard, having the drawback of not permitting an ordered arrangement of said sticks, which, inevitably, especially as the box has been partially emptied, have a trend to mutually cross and locate in such a way as to render comparatively difficult the withdrawing operation of said sticks.

Another drawback of the conventionally used stick packages, consists in that the paperboard box does not permit to see the contained product from outwardly, thereby a remarkable incentive to the purchase fails.

Furthermore, the known cleaning stick packages or boxes have drawbacks with respect to the product introducing step and, moreover, they are difficult to pile-up, for the exhibition and sale.

The task of the present invention is to eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks, by providing a box specifically studied, for sticks for the personal cleaning or hygiene, in which said cleaning sticks may be located in a vertical arrangement, even at the withdrawing step by the user and which, furthermore, is susceptible to be opened and closed in a quick and easy way.

Within the thereinabove stated task, a particular object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning stick box which, while being structurally simple, is effective to remarkably accelerate the filling step of said box by the maker and which, furthermore, is effective to facilitate the product exhibition by the retailer.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning stick box which may be easily obtained starting from easily commercially available materials, which does not request for the making thereof complex or high cost equipment to be used and which, furthermore, is greatly competitive from a merely economic point of view.

The aforesaid task and objects, and other objects which will become more apparent thereinafter, are achieved by a box particularly effective to contain sticks for the personal hygiene or cleaning, according to the invention, characterized in that it comprises a box-like envelope provided, at the side surface thereof, with a window effective to allow for said sticks to be withdrawn.

Furthermore a door element is provided, effective to vertically translate and movable from a first position, at which said door element closes said window, to a second position at which said door element clears the opening delimitated by said window and/or vice versa.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a box particularly effective to contain sticks for the personal cleaning or hygiene, illustrated as a non limitative example only in the accompanying drawings, where: Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating said cleaning stick box with the door thereof at the closed position; Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating that same cleaning stick box with the door thereof at the open position; Fig. 3 is a perspective exploded view illustrating said box as seen from the bottom; Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating said box bottom portion.

Referring particularly to the number references of the aforesaid figures, the box particularly effective to contain personal cleaning sticks, according to the invention, comprises a box-like envelope, indicated by (1), having preferably a substantially square-base parallelepiped shape, made of an optically transparent plastics material.

At the top of a face of the side surface, a window (2) is formed said window having, for example, a rectangular opening.

At the face in which said window (2) is formed, a door element (3) is provided which, preferably, is able of vertically translate and being movable from a first position thereat it closes said window (2), to a second position thereat it clears said opening delimitated by said window (2) and/or vice versa.

The face therethrough said window (2) is formed is delimitated by vertical shoulders (4) therewith slidingly engage the side extensions (5) of said door element (3), in such a way as to provide a guide for the vertical sliding of said door (3).

Furthermore, on said side extensions (5), knurled zones (6) are possibly provided effective to facilitate the gripping by the user for opening and closing said box.

At the upper edge, towards the inner portion of said door (3), projections (7) are provided with by respectively engaging the lower edge and upper edge of said window (2), act as a detent or stop element for the vertical translation of said door (3).

In order to facilitate, during the filling step, the introducing operation of said stick elements, the box bottom (1 0) is made as a separated one and may be introduced by pressure in such a way as to fit in housing seats (11) as formed at the lower inner edge of the side face of the box (1).

In other words, upon carrying out the filling operation of said box by said sticks (20), the bottom (10) is pressure applied, said bottom having a slightly piramidal shape, in such a way as to insert the edges of said bottom into the housing seats (11) thereby making the coupling a stable one.

On the upper face of the box like envelope (1) angle projections (30) are provided, effective to facilitate the piling up of several boxes for the sale exhibition.

The cleaning stick box according to the invention may be used in a truly simple way.

In fact, as an user desires to withdraw a cleaning stick (20), it is sufficient to cause said door (3) to translate or move.

In this way, the user may easily withdraw a stick, which presents always in a vertical position or arrangement.

Furthermore, in order to prevent said sticks from mutually crossing or horizontally locate, the box like envelope is designed in such a way that the base side thereof is of less length with respect to the length of a single stick, thereby said sticks always maintain a vertical position, thereby facilitating the withdrawing operation.

Another interesting characteristic is that the instant box is made of an optically transparent material and, therefore, the buyer may easily see the contents. This characteristic constitutes without doubt an incentive for the sale.

From the above description it should be apparent that the invention fully achieves the intended objects.

In particular it is pointed out the fact that the instant box always maintains in a stable position, both during the door (3) opening and closing steps, and during the withdrawing of the sticks by the user.

Practically the used materials, while the better results have been obtained by using an optically transparent plastics material, and the particular size and shapes may be any depending on the needs.

Obviously said door (3), in addition to be able of translating, may also rotate and be located at any other surface portions of the box body.

Claims (9)

Claims

1. A box, particularly effective to contain sticks for the personal hygiene or cleaning, characterized in that it comprises a box-like envelope, provided, through the side surface thereof, with a window effective to permit said cleaning sticks to be withdrawn, a door element being furthermore provided effective to vertically translate and being movable from a first position thereat it closes said window, to a second position thereat it clears the opening delimitated by said window and/or vice versa.

2. A box according to the preceding c;aim, characterized in that said box-like envelope has a substantially parallelepiped shape.

3. A box, according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said box-like envelope is made of an optically transparent material.

4. A box, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the face therethrough said window is formed is delimitated by vertical shoulders effective to act as a guide for side extensions extending from said door element, for vertically moving said door element.

5. A box, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises, on said side extensions, knurled portions effective to facilitate the gripping of said door eiement.

6. A box, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises, at the upper inner edge of said door element, projections effective to engage the upper and lower edges of said window in order to act as an end of stroke element for the vertical translation of said door element.

7. A box, according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the bottom of said box-like envelope may be pressure coupled to the inside of the faces delimitating said side surface, the edges of said bottom being effective to house in housing seats as provided at the inner lower edge of said side faces.

8. A box, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises, on the upper face of said box-like envelope, angled projections effective to engage the inner edge of a box-like envelope superimposed on said box-like envelope.

9. A box, particularly effective to contain sticks for the personal hygiene or cleaning, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said door is susceptible to rotate and/or to be located at any other surface portions of the box body.

1 0. A box, particularly effective to contain sticks for the personal cleaning or hygiene, according to the preceding claims and as broadly described and illustrated in the preceding description and several figures of the accompanying drawings.