GB2369108A

GB2369108A - A case, suitable for storing a personal accessory, with an external actuating means moveable to cause a co-operating abutting means to eject the contents

Info

Publication number: GB2369108A
Application number: GB0111302A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gary Roy Conway
Original assignee: Optoplast PLC
Current assignee: Optoplast PLC
Priority date: 2000-11-21
Filing date: 2001-05-09
Publication date: 2002-05-22
Also published as: GB0111302D0; GB0028362D0

Abstract

A case (1, fig 1) suitable for removably storing a personal accessory 15 comprises a body 3, which may be generally elongate and tubular, with a cavity and opening and a moveable abutment means 31 co-operable with an external actuating means 11 to eject the contents of the case (1, fig. 1) so they it at least protrudes from the opening. A movement in the actuating means 11 causes a corresponding movement in the abutment means 31. This may be an inverse relationship, such as by using a flexible curved strip 29 such that a downwards movement of the actuator 11 causes and upward movement of the abutment means 31. Alternately the relationship may be direct as in fig.7. The personal accessory 15 may be such as a pair of spectacles, tampon, cigar or the like. The case (1, fig. 1) may further feature a lid (41, fig.8) and latching arrangement (51, 53, 53a, 53b, 55, 57, 59, fig.8) which may be co-operable with the actuating means 11 to latch the lid (41,fig.8) closed when desired, and to allow opening of the lid (41,fig.8) when is it desired to eject the personal accessory 15.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN CASES FOR PERSONAL ACCESSORIES

This invention relates to a case for storing a personal accessory. The invention has particular, but not exclusive, relevance to spectacles cases and tampon holders.

It is advantageous to make cases for personal accessories as small as possible so that they can be easily carried around, either on the person or in hand luggage. One way of making the case as small as possible is to design its shape to match closely the dimensions of the personal accessory it is intended to carry.

Spectacles cases are known which are formed by an elongate tubular body, which defines a cavity in which the pair of spectacles can be stored. The case has an opening at one end through which the pair of spectacles can be removed from the case. A problem with such a spectacles case is that if the cavity is made to match closely the dimensions of a pair of spectacles, then it is difficult to insert fingers into the case to manually remove the pair of spectacles. Many users therefore turn the case so that the opening faces downwards and the pair of spectacles falls out of the case under the force of

gravity. This is disadvantageous because the pair of spectacles is not in control and could, for example, fall to the ground and be damaged.

Tampon holders are also known which are formed by an elongate tubular body, which defines a cavity in which one or more tampons can be stored, having an opening through which the tampons can be removed from the holder.

If such a tampon holder is turned so that the opening faces downwards then, in addition to the above-described problem of possible damage to the stored tampons, a problem occurs that more than one tampon can fall out requiring the user to replace any tampons that are not immediately required.

It will be appreciated that the above-described problems are also associated with other cases for personal accessories, for example cases for storing cigars.

The object of the present invention is to provide a case for personal accessories which overcomes at least one of the above-described problems and disadvantages.

An aspect of the present invention provides a case for removably storing a personal accessory, the case

comprising : a body defining a cavity in which the personal accessory may be stored and an opening through which the personal accessory can be removed; abutting means slidably mounted within the tubular body for movement towards and away from the opening and operable to abut against a personal accessory stored in the case; and actuating means movably mounted to the outside of the elongate body, wherein the actuating means is arranged to co-operate with the abutting means so that movement of the actuating means causes a corresponding movement of the abutting means. With such an arrangement a user is able to eject the personal accessory from the case in a controlled manner by moving the actuating means.

In a preferred embodiment, the actuating means and the abutting means are attached to respective ends of an elongate flexible strip which is slidably movable from a position in which the actuating means is adjacent the opening and the abutting means is remote from the opening to a position in which the actuating means is remote from the opening and the abutting means is adjacent the opening. In this preferred arrangement, the actuating means is moved away from the opening which makes it particularly suitable to be operated by a thumb while the case is being held within one hand, thereby allowing the

user to grasp the personal accessory with the other hand. Preferably the elongate strip is slidably mounted within a guide groove to prevent any unwanted deformation of the elongate strip impairing the performance of the ejection mechanism.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a spectacles case comprising: an elongate tubular body defining a cavity for receiving a pair of spectacles and an opening through which the pair of spectacles can be removed; abutting means slidably mounted within the body for movement towards and away from the opening, the abutting means operable to abut against a pair of spectacles stored in the case; and actuating means movably mounted to the outside of the body, wherein the actuating means is arranged to cooperate with the abutting means so that movement of the actuating means causes a corresponding movement of the abutting means thereby enabling a pair of spectacles stored in the case to be moved along the longitudinal axis of the tubular body from a first position in which the pair of spectacles in wholly within the tubular body to a second position in which the pair of spectacles protrudes from the elongate tubular body.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a tampon holder comprising : an elongate tubular body defining a cavity for receiving at least one tampon and an opening via which a tampon can be removed; abutting means slidably mounted within the body for movement towards and away from the opening, the abutting means operable to abut against a tampon stored in the case; and actuating means movably mounted to the outside of the body, wherein the actuating means is arranged to co-operate with the abutting means so that movement of the actuating means causes a corresponding movement of the abutting means thereby enabling a tampon stored in the case to be moved along the longitudinal axis of the tubular body from a first position in which the tampon is wholly within the tubular body to a second position in which the tampon protrudes from the elongate tubular body.

Various embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front perspective view from above and one side of a tampon holder forming a first embodiment of the invention with the lid open;

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view from above and one side of the tampon holder shown in Figure 1 with the lid closed; Figure 3 is a side view of a female half of the tampon holder shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a side view of a male half of the tampon holder shown in Figure 1 with the lid attached in a closed position and an ejection mechanism arranged in a fully-withdrawn position; Figure 5 is a side view of the male half of the tampon holder shown in Figure 1 with the lid attached in a partially-open position and the ejection mechanism arranged in a partially-withdrawn position; Figure 6 is a side view of the male half of the tampon holder shown in Figure 1 with the lid attached in an open position and the ejection mechanism arranged in a fully-ejected position; Figure 7 is a side view of a male half of a tampon holder forming a second embodiment of the invention with the lid attached in an open position and the ejection mechanism

arranged in a partially-withdrawn position ; Figure 8 is a partial side view of the male half of an alternative tampon holder with the lid attached in a closed position; Figure 9 is a partial side view of the male half of a tampon holder shown in Figure 8 with the lid attached in a open position; Figure 10 is a partial side view showing in detail a latching mechanism for the tampon holder shown in Figure 8 in a first configuration in which the latching mechanism holds the lid in the closed position; Figure 11 is a partial side view showing in detail the latching mechanism of the tampon holder illustrated in Figure 8 in a second configuration; Figure 12 is a partial side view showing in detail the latching mechanism of the tampon holder illustrated in Figure 8 in a third configuration; Figure 13 is a partial side view showing in detail the latching mechanism of the tampon holder illustrated in

Figure 8 in a fourth configuration ; and Figure 14 is a partial side view showing in detail the latching mechanism of the tampon holder illustrated in Figure 8 in a fifth configuration.

A tampon holder forming a first embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. As shown in Figure 1, the tampon holder 1 is formed by an elongate tubular main body 3, one end 5 of which is open (hereinafter referred to as the open end 5) and the other end 7 of which is sealed (hereinafter referred to as the closed end 7). A lid 9 is attached to the main body 3 at the open end 5 to allow the open end 5 to be sealed. The lid has a resilient protrusion 9a co-operable with a recess 9b (shown in Figures 3 to 6) adjacent the open end 5 to retain the lid in the closed position.

As shown in Figure 2, a button 11 is slidably mounted in a slot 13 which extends along part of the length of the main body 3. As will be described hereinafter, by moving the button 11 along the slot 13 in the direction away from the open end 5, a tampon 15 (shown in Figure 1) stored in the tampon holder 1 is ejected through the open

end 5.

The main body 3 is formed by male and female body shell halves 17 and 19 of moulded plastics material. The female half 17, as shown in Figure 3, has six holes 21a to 21f formed therein, and the male half 19, as shown in Figure 4, has six projections 23a to 23f configured to be inserted in a tight fit into respective ones of the six holes 21 in order to hold the main body 3 together. The plane of contact between the female half 17 and the male half 19 bisects the main body 3 lengthwise through the slot 13. As can be seen in Figure 4, the lid 9 (which is also made of a moulded plastic material) has a hole through which the projection 23a can pass to form a pivot mounting.

As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the button 11 is connected to an elongate flexible strip 25 at a position near one end of the strip 25. When the main body 3 is assembled, the strip 25 is slidably mounted to the main body 3 by locating one of the longitudinal edges of the strip 25 in a first guide groove 27 formed in the female half 17 and the other of the longitudinal edges of the strip 25 in a second guide groove 29 formed in the male half 19. The first and second guide grooves 27, 29 have a first linear

portion which extends adjacent the slot 13 along the length of the first and male halves 17, 19 respectively and a second linear portion which extends along the length of the side opposing the slot 13, and a semicircular portion which curves around adjacent to the closed end 9 to connect the first and second portions.

As can be seen from Figure 4, the inner surface of the tubular main body 3 defines an elongate cavity along the length of which a cylindrical pusher 31 can move. The pusher 31 is connected to the end of the strip 25 remote from the button 11 and therefore the pusher 31 can be moved along the length of the cavity by sliding the button 11 along the slot 13. The button 11, strip 25 and pusher 31 form an ejection mechanism which, in this embodiment, is also made from moulded plastic. When the ejection mechanism is in a retracted configuration, with the button 11 adjacent the open end 5 and the pusher 31 adjacent the closed end 7, the flexible strip 25 closes the slot 13 to protect the contents of the tampon holder from ingress of foreign material through the slot 13.

As outlined above, in this embodiment a tampon holder is assembled from four pieces of moulded plastic, namely: the female half 17; the male half 19; the lid 9; and the ejection mechanism formed by the button 11, the strip 25 and the pusher 31. This makes the tampon holder straightforward and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

The operation of the tampon holder 1 will now be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. As shown in Figure 4, two tampons 15 are located longitudinally end to end within the cavity and the lid 9 is closed. The protrusion 9a engages the recess 9b to retain the lid closed. The pusher 31 is adjacent the closed end 7 and the button 11 is adjacent the open end 5.

When, as illustrated in Figure 5, a user moves the button 11 along the slot 13 away from the open end 5 (the direction marked A in Figures 5 and 6), the strip 25 is moved in the guide grooves 27 and 29 and the pusher 31 moves within the cavity away from the closed end 7 (the direction marked B in Figures 5 and 6) and abuts one of the tampons 15, which in turn abuts the other tampon 15 which pushes open the lid 9. As the user moves the button 11 further away from the open end 5, as shown in Figure 6, the tampon 15 adjacent the open end 5 protrudes through the opening and can be lifted out by the user. It will be appreciated that the user can eject the tampon

15 adjacent the pusher 31 by moving the button 11 still further away from the open end 5. It will be appreciated that if a tampon 15 has been removed from the tampon holder 1, it can be replaced at a later time by a new tampon.

By arranging the ejection mechanism so that as the button 11 is moved away from the open end 5, the tampons emerge through the open end 5, the tampon holder 1 can easily be held in one hand of a user and the button 11 moved by the thumb of that hand leaving the other hand free to take hold of the emerging tampon. It is not, however, essential that the button 11 be moved away from the open end 5 to eject a tampon 15.

A second embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to Figure 7 in which features which are identical to those of the first embodiment have been referenced with the same numerals. As in the first embodiment, the main body of the tampon holder is formed by a female half (not shown) having six holes and a male half 19 with six projections 23 for fitting in respective ones of the holes in the female half.

In the second embodiment, the button 11 is connected adjacent to the pusher 31 so that movement of the button 11 along the slot 13 causes the pusher 31 to move in the same direction along the slot 13. Thus, the button 11 is adjacent the closed end 7 when two tampons 15 are located in the cavity, and the button 11 is moved towards the open end 5 to remove the tampons from the tampon holder.

In the above embodiments, the lid 9 is opened by pressure applied via a tampon 15. A third embodiment will now be described with reference to figures 8 to 14 in which the lid is held shut when the button is positioned adjacent the open end of the tampon holder, and automatically flips open in response to movement of the button in a direction away from the open end. In figures 8 to 14 components which are the same as in the first embodiment have either been removed in the interest of clarity or referenced by the same numerals.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in the third embodiment the tampon holder 1 has a lid 41 which pivots about a pivot pin 43 which is mounted in bearings (not shown) provided in the male and female body halves. In Figures 8 and 9 the portion of the lid 41 adjacent to the pivot pin 43 has been removed to reveal a torsion spring 45 through

which the pivot pin 43 passes. One end 47a of the torsion spring 47 is mounted in a recess 49 in the male body half 17 while the other end 47b of the spring is positioned adjacent the lid 41 so that when the lid 41 is in the closed position, as shown in Figure 8, a rotational bias force is generated in the direction marked C in Figure 8.

A lug 51 protrudes from the inner surface of the lid 41 (i. e. the surface facing the cavity when the tampon holder 1 is closed) and, as shown in Figure 8, when the lid 41 is closed engages with one end (hereafter called the lid-end 53a) of an elongate rocker 53 which is pivotally mounted to the male body half for rotation about a pivot point 55. The button 57 of the tampon holder has a latch portion 59 which, as shown in Figure 8, when the lid 41 is closed engages the other end (hereafter called the button-end 53b) of the rocker 53.

As shown in Figure 9, when the button 57 is moved away from the open end so that the latch portion 59 no longer engages the button-end 53b of the rocker 53, the lug 51 disengages from the lid-end 53a of the rocker 53 and the rotational bias force provided by the torsion spring 45 flips open the lid 41.

The interaction between the lug 51, the rocker 53 and the button 57 will now be described in more detail with reference to Figure 10, which illustrates the lid 41 in a closed position, Figures 11 to 13, which illustrate the lid 41 being opened, and Figure 14, which illustrates the lid 41 being closed.

Figure 10 shows in detail the interaction of the lug 51, rocker 53 and button 57 when the lid 41 is closed. As shown, the insertion of the button-end 53b of the rocker 53 in a recess 61 formed between the main body of the button 57 and the latch portion 59 of the button 57 causes the latch portion to deform. The rocker 53 is prevented from rotating in a clockwise direction (in the description of this embodiment, clockwise and anticlockwise refer to the views shown in Figures 8 to 14) about the pivot point 55 by the latch portion 59. A first rocker latch surface 69 at the button-end 53b of the rocker 53 engages a button latch surface 71 to prevent the button 71 from disengaging with the rocker 53.

A recess formed in the lid-end 53a of the rocker 53 engages a stop spring 63 mounted to the male body half which applies a force to the rocker 53 in the direction

marked D in Figure 10 to prevent rotation of the rocker in the anti-clockwise direction. A lug latch surface 65 engages a second rocker latch surface 67 at the lid-end 53a of the rocker 53 to prevent the lid from opening. In this way, the rocker 53 is prevented from rotating and the lid 41 is held in a closed position.

When the button 57 is moved away from the lid 41 by a user, the latch portion 59 further deforms as the button latch surface 71 slides over the first rocker latch surface 69 until, as shown in Figure 11, a first rocker cam surface 73 at the button-end 53b of the rocker 53 engages a button cam surface 75 on the button 57. The force applied in the direction D by the stop spring 63 provides a torque urging the rocker 53 to rotate in the clockwise direction about the pivot point 55 which in combination with the resilient force provided by the deformed latch portion 59 urges the button, via the interaction between the first rocker cam surface 73 and the button cam surface 75, away from the lid 41 (in the direction marked E in Figure 11).

Figure 12 shows the lug 51, rocker 53 and button 57 at the point when the button 57 disengages from the rocker 53. As can be seen in Figure 12, the rotational bias

force from the torsion spring 43 urges, via the reaction force between the lug latch surface 65 and the second rocker latch surface 67, the rocker 53 to rotate about the pivot point 55 in the clockwise direction until, as shown in Figure 13, the lug 51 disengages from the rocker 53 and the lid 41 flips open under the rotational bias force provided by the torsion spring 43.

The lid 41 can be latched closed by moving the button 57 towards the open end 5, past the point where the button cam surface 75 engages the first rocker cam surface 73 generating a reaction force at the first rocker cam surface 73 which rotates the rocker 53 in an anticlockwise direction, until the recess in the lid end 53a engages the stop spring 63 and the button-end 53b is inserted in the recess 61 in the button 57 with the first rocker latch surface 69 engaging the button latch surface 71. When the lid 41 is then closed, as shown in Figure 14, a lug cam surface 81 of the lug 51 engages a second rocker cam surface 83 at the lid-end 53a of the rocker 53 generating a reaction force which rotates the rocker 53 in a clockwise direction so that the stop spring 63 disengages from the recess in the lid-end 53a of the rocker 53 and the latch portion 59 of the button 57 further deforms. When the lug cam surface 81 has

traversed to the end of the second rocker cam surface 83, the resilient force provided by the deformed latch portion 59 of the button 57 rotates the rocker 53 about the pivot point 55 in the anti-clockwise direction to a position where the lug latch surface 65 engages the first rocker latch 67 and the lid 41 is held closed.

The lid 41 can also be latched closed by first closing the lid 41 and then moving the button 57 towards the open end 5 until the button-end 53b of the rocker 53 is inserted in the recess 61 in the button 57. It will be appreciated that if, when the lid 41 is closed, the lug 51 engages with the rocker 53 then the lug cam surface 81 will engage the second rocker cam surface 83 and force the rocker 53 out of the way of the lug 51.

A number of modifications can be made to the abovedescribed embodiments without departing from the concept of the invention.

It will be appreciated that other mechanisms could be used to hold the lid 41 of the third embodiment in the closed position. For example, a latch portion could be provided on the button which interacts directly with the lug 51. As the latch portion comes into contact with the

lug, a cam surface on the lug may engage a cam surface on the latch portion causing deformation of the latch portion as the lug cam surface slides over the latch portion cam surface to a point of maximum deformation, after which the resilient force provided by the deformed latch portion may engage a latch surface on the lug and a latch surface on the latch portion of the button.

Another alternative mechanism for opening the lid 9 of the first and second embodiments is to provide a protruding lip portion on the lid 9 which can be moved by a user to open the lid.

In the first embodiment, the flexible strip 25 closes the slot 13 when the ejection mechanism is in the retracted configuration. Alternatively, the slot could be permanently closed by a wall projecting from one or both of the male and female halves 17 and 19, adjacent the inwardly facing surface of the strip 25.

The tampon holder need not be made from moulded plastic, but could be made from other materials such as aluminium.

It will also be appreciated that the concept of the invention can equally well be applied to other cases for personal accessories, for example spectacles cases, by adjusting the dimensions of the main body.

Claims

1. A case removably storing a personal accessory, the case comprising: an elongate tubular body defining a cavity in which the personal accessory is stored and having an opening at one end; abutting means slidably mounted within the tubular body for longitudinal movement relative thereto, the abutting means operable to abut against the personal accessory stored in the case; and external actuating means moveably mounted to the elongate tubular body, wherein the actuating means is arranged to cooperate with the abutting means so that movement of the actuating means causes a corresponding movement of the abutting means and the personal accessory along the longitudinal axis of the tubular body from a first position in which the personal accessory is wholly within the tubular body to a second position in which the personal accessory protrudes from said opening of the tubular body.

2. A case removably storing a personal accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating means and the abutting means are attached to respective ends of an elongate strip, the elongate strip being slidably

moveable between a first position in which the actuating means is adjacent said opening and the abutting means is remote from said opening and a second position in which the actuating means is remote from said opening and the abutting means is adjacent said opening.

3. A case removably storing a personal accessory as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a guide groove in which the elongate strip is slidably mounted.

4. A case removably storing a personal accessory as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising: lid means operable to move between a closed position, in which the lid means closes said opening of the cavity, and an open position, in which the personal accessory is able to protrude through the opening; and latch means operable to engage the lid means to maintain the lid means in the closed position.

5. A case removably storing a personal accessory as claimed in claim 4, further comprising biassing means for applying a bias force operable to move the lid means from the closed position to the open position.

6. A case removably storing a personal accessory as claimed in claim 5, wherein said actuating means is

operable to co-operate with the. latch means so that movement of the actuating means disengages the latch means from the lid means, thereby causing the lid means to move to the open position under the bias force applied by the biassing means.

7. A case removably storing a personal accessory as claimed in claim 6, wherein the latch means comprises a rocker rotatably mounted to the tubular body, wherein the actuating means is operable to engage the rocker to prevent rotational movement when the lid means is maintained in the closed position by the latch means, and wherein the rocker comprises a rocker latch surface operable to engage a lid latch surface provided on the lid means to maintain the lid means in the closed position.

8. A case removably storing a personal accessory as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tubular body is made from moulded plastic.

9. A case removably storing a personal accessory as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the personal accessory is a tampon.

10. A case removably storing a personal accessory as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the personal accessory is a pair of spectacles.

11. A spectacle case comprising: an elongate tubular body defining a cavity for receiving a pair of spectacles and having an opening at one end; abutting means slidably mounted within the body for longitudinal movement relative thereto, the abutting means operable to abut against a pair of spectacles stored in the case; and actuating means moveably mounted to the outside of the body, wherein the actuating means is arranged to cooperate with the abutting means so that, in use, movement of the actuating means causes a corresponding movement of the abutting means thereby urging a pair of spectacles stored in the case along the longitudinal axis of the tubular body from a first position in which the pair of spectacles is wholly within the tubular body to a second position in which the pair of spectacles protrudes from the elongate tubular body.

12. A tampon holder comprising: an elongate tubular body defining a cavity for

receiving at least one tampon and at an opening at one end ; abutting means slidably mounted within the body for longitudinal movement relative thereto, the abutting means operable to abut against a tampon stored in the case; and actuating means moveably mounted to the outside of the body, wherein the actuating means is arranged to cooperate with the abutting means so that, in use, movement of the actuating means causes a corresponding movement of the abutting means thereby enabling a tampon stored in the case to be moved along the longitudinal axis of the tubular body from a first position in which the tampon is wholly within the tubular body to a second position in which the tampon protrudes from the elongate tubular body.

13. A tampon holder according to claim 12, wherein the tubular body defines a cavity operable to store two or more tampons.

14.'A case for removably storing a personal accessory, the case comprising: an elongate tubular body defining a cavity for storing the personal accessory, the elongate tubular body

having an opening at one end ; lid means operable to move between a closed position, in which the lid means closes said opening of the cavity, and an open position, in which the personal accessory is able to protrude through the opening; latch means operable to engage the lid means to maintain the lid means in the closed position; abutting means slidably mounted within the tubular body for longitudinal movement relative thereto, the abutting means operable to abut against a personal accessory stored in the case; and external actuating means movably mounted to the elongate tubular body, wherein the actuating means is arranged to co-operate with the abutting means so that movement of the actuating means from a first position to a second position causes a corresponding movement of the abutting means thereby enabling a personal accessory to be moved along the the longitudinal access of the tubular body from a storage position which the personal accessory is wholly within the tubular body to an ejection position in which the personal accessory protrudes from said opening of the tubular body, wherein said actuating means is operable to cooperate with the latch means so that movement of the actuating means away from said first position disengages the latch means from the lid means.

15. A case according to claim 14, further comprising biassing means for applying a bias force operable to move the lid means from the closed position to the open position.

16. A method of dispensing a personal accessory, the method comprising the steps of: storing the personal accessory in a case having abutting means located in the case and actuating means for moving the abutting means mounted to the outside of the case; and moving the actuating means to cause the abutting means to urge the personal accessory from a first position in which the personal accessory is wholly within the case to a second position in which the personal accessory protrudes from the case.

17. A tampon holder substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to or as illustrated in Figures 1 to 6.

18. A tampon holder substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to or as illustrated in Figures 7 to 14.