GB2129758A - Cosmetic container display means - Google Patents

Abstract

A unitary apparatus molded of plastics material for displaying a cosmetic container attached thereto with shrinkable wrapping includes a generally thin and elongated member having a L-shaped hanger portion 22 having an opening 20 for positioning over a point of support, and a container support portion 12 extending vertically downward from the hanger portion and having a plurality of rounded edge members 14a,14b,16a,16b to prevent slipping of the wrapping and the container after the container has been attached to the support portion. A coloured element 24 attached to the hanger portion indicates the color of the cosmetic e.g. a lipstick, in the container. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cosmetic container display means The present invention relates generally to apparatus for displaying cosmetic containers and, in particular, to apparatus for displaying cylindrical cosmetic containers of the type used for lipstick or mascara.

The state of the art for displaying cosmetic containers of the type used for lipstick or mascara has not seen any recent advances. These containers are usually placed directly upon a shelf, boxed and placed on a shelf, or packaged in clear plastic in a cardboard frame and hung from a bar or the like. The latter method of displaying lipstick containers is quite bulky in addition to being expensive because each different color of the cosmetic requires a different cardboard frame with appropriate color information.

The prior art does not teach a simple display apparatus which can suspend a cosmetic container, such as a lipstick container, from a display bar in a compact and efficient manner and which does not utilize unique labeling for the different colors of lipstick and the like. Such a device would simplify the packaging of the cosmetic by the manufacturer.

Additionally, many of the labels used in conjunction with lipstick containers, which have printed thereon the color of the lipstick, are subject to color fade, thereby misleading the consumer as to the true color of the contents of the container. It would be most advantageous if some means of accurately the indicating the color of the lipstick could be quickly affixed to the display apparatus - especially if a commom unlabeled display apparatus could be attached to different colors of cosmetic, with any information which is unique to the different colors being provided by the indicating means.

Also, many packaging techniques today utilize shrinkable plastic wrapping. Various techniques, including heat, are used to shrink the wrapping around a product. One problem, however, with the shrink wrapping technique in the prior art is that when a container is wrapped to a support member, the wrapping may be subject to slipping along the support member, thereby raisng the possibility that the container may become separated from the support. A simple and efficient apparatus for suspending a cosmetic container from a vertical support which utilizes shrinkable wrapping and which insures that such slipping would not occur would greatly simplify the packaging of the container.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to suspend a cosmetic container, such as a iipstick container, from a display bar or the like in a simple and efficient manner.

Yet another object of the present invention is to simplify the display packaging of a cosmetic by minimizing unique package labeling.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an accurate and efficient indication of the color of the contents of the lipstick container which is compatible with a display apparatus usuable commonly with different colors of a cosmetic.

A further object of the present invention is to efficiently package cosmetic containers such as lipstick containers in a manner utilizing shrinkable wrapping techniques.

The present invention meets the foregoing objects by providing an apparatus for displaying objects attached thereto by shrinkable wrapping which includes a support against which the object is attached with the wrapping, a hanger vertically adjoining the support and having an arcuate opening for positioning over a point of support such as a bar to suspend the object from the point of support, and provisions for preventing slipping ofthewrap- ping after the object is attached to the support.

In accordance with one feature of the invention, the apparatus can comprise a unitary member of plastic material, with the hanger being a generally thin and elongated member haying an L-shape, and with the support portion of the apparatus depending vertically downward from the hanger portion. The provisions for preventing slippage of the shrinkable wrapping can include a plurality of rounded members extending outwardly from opposed edges of the support portion that stretch the wrapping to prevent both the wrapping and the object from slipping along the support.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the object to be displayed can be a cosmetic container or the type used for lipstick or mascara, and the apparatus can include provisions attached to the hanger portion for indicating the color of the contents of the container. This feature can include a generally planar and oval disc coated with or molded of a color representative of the cosmetic in container.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and from the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a display apparatus according to the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the apparatus of Figure 1 with an object attached thereto with shrinkable wrapping.

Figure 3 shows a rear view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Figures 4 and 5 show cross-sectional views of the attaching, to the apparatus of Figure 1, of a means for indicating the contents of the object displayed with the apparatus.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Figure 1 shows an apparatus 10 according to the present invention for displaying cosmetic containers of the type used to hold lipstick, mascara, etc. Figures 2 and 3 show a cosmetic container 36 attached to the aparatus 10 by means of a shrinkable wrapping 38.

The apparatus 10 includes a support portion 12 and a hanger portion 22. The support portion 12 is a generally thin and elongated member, while the hanger portion 22 is a generally thin, L-shaped member.

The hanger portion 22 includes a generally arcuate opening 20 for hanging the apparatus 10 from a display bar 34 or the like attached to a display wall 32, as shown in Figure 2. The support portion 12 includes two pairs of generally rounded members 14a, 14b, 16a, 16b projecting outwardly from opposed sides of the member 12. These members 14a, 14b, 16a, 16b prevent a cosmetic container from slipping along the support 12 after the container has been attached to the support 12 by shrinkable wrapping 38 by stretching or frictionally binding the wrapping 38. It should be noted that the shrinkable wrapping 38 need only extend past the two pairs of rounded members 14a, 14b, 16a, 16b extending outwardly from the support portion 12.Furthermore, the apparatus 10 will work with various types of shrinkable wrapping.

As shown in Figure 2, the bottom portion 18 of the L-shaped hanger 22 is provided with a gusset 19 to strengthen the hanger portion 22. The length of the bottom portion 18 of the hanger portion 22 is not particuiarly critical, but should position the upper portion of the hanger 22 approximately over the container to be displayed, such that the container hangs in a balanced manner.

At the top of the hanger portion 22 are two apertures 26 and 28 to which may be attached a indicating means 24 to indicate the color of the cosmetic in the container, when, for example, the container contains lipstick or mascara. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the indicating means 24 is provided with two bosses 38 and 40 which snap into the apertures 26 and 28. The indicating means 24 may be any convenient shape, either oval, rectangular, etc. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the indicating means may be provided with a flattened portion 30 to appear like a lipstick after use.

The use of such an indicating means 24 provides two distinct advantages. First, it allows the display apparatus 10to be unmarked and unlabeled priorto the attaching of a cosmetic thereto. Any color and/or product identification information need only be attached to the indicating means 24. Accordingly, the need for unique labeling on the basic display apparatus is eliminated. This allows the packaging of the cosmetic can be done very quickly as the cosmetic containers can be attached to identical display apparatus 10 and then the indicating means 24 can be snapped onto the hanger portion 22 thereof.

Secondly, the indicating means 24 allows a very accurate indication of the color of the cosmetic within the container to be attached to the apparatus 10 for inspection of the consumer. As mentioned previously, the paper labels currently used on cosmetic displays, which have the colors printed thereon, are subject to fading. With the indicating means 24, a color may be baked or painted on to give an accurate color indication. Alternately, and preferably the indicating means 24 may be molded of colored material which matches the color of the cosmetic in the container.

As can be appreciated, the use of the apparatus 10 of the present invention allows many cosmetic containers 36 to be displayed within a relatively small space because the size of the apparatus 10 is only slightly larger than the cosmetic container 36.

Furthermore, the apparatus 10 is adaptable not only for many types of cosmetic containers, but for various other containers as well. While lipstick and mascara containers have been mentioned as a specific application for the invention, the present invention could also be used with such containers as perfume containers, and also with virtually any container which can be attached by shrinkable wrapping or the like to the apparatus 10.

Regarding the materials used for the present invention, the apparatus 10 may be molded of any plastic material such as styrene. Other materials may also be used, such as metal.

Having thus described my invention, what is

Claims (8)

claimed is: CLAIMS

1. An apparatus for displaying objects attached thereto by shrinkable wrapping, comprising: support means for providing a support against which said object is attached with said wrapping; hanger means, vertically adjoining said support means and including an opening for positioning over a point of support, for suspending said object from said point of support; and.

holding means on said support means for preventing slipping of said wrapping after said object is attached to said support means.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1,wherein: said support support means comprises a generally thin and elongated member of plastic material, said member being of generally the same width and length as said displayed object.

3. An aparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: said hanger means comprises a generally thin and L-shaped member of plastic material adjoining said support means, whereby said L-shaped member projects forwarded from said support means, with said object being attached to said support means beneath said L-shaped member.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: said holding means comprises a plurality of members extending outwardly from opposed edges of said support means, whereby said members stretch said wrapping to prevent said wrapping and said object from moving along said support means.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: all of the aforesaid support, hanger and holding means comprise a unitary member of plastic material.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: said displayed object comprises a container; and said apparatus further comprises means, attached to said hanger means, for indicating the contents within said container and means for attaching said indicating means to said hanger means.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein: said indicating means comprises a generally planar disc having a color substantially identical to that of the contents within said container; and, said attaching means comprises at least one boss extending from said disc and at least one aperture in said hanger means and where said disc is attached to said hanger means by said boss being fit into said aperture,.

8. A unitary apparatus for displaying a cosmetic container attached thereto with shrinkable wrap ping, said apparatus being molded of plastic material and comprising: a generally thin and elongated member having an L-shaped hanger portion including an opening for positioning over a point of support and a container support portion extending vertically downward from said hanger portion; a plurality of holding means extending from said support portion for preventing slipping of said wrapping and said container after said container has been attached thereto; and, indicating means, attached to said hanger portion, for indicating the color of the cosmetic in said container, said indicating means including a disc of the same color of said cosmetic, said hanger means being suspended from said point of support with said disc positioned outwardly.