US20110243642A1

US20110243642A1 - Rolling-ball style cosmetic container structure

Info

Publication number: US20110243642A1
Application number: US13/160,290
Authority: US
Inventors: Jun Zhang
Original assignee: Chuen Chern Co Ltd
Current assignee: Chuen Chern Co Ltd
Priority date: 2009-06-29
Filing date: 2011-06-14
Publication date: 2011-10-06

Abstract

A rolling-ball style cosmetic container structure includes a tube, an axle sleeve, a hollow piston rod, a resilient member and an exterior cap. The axle sleeve includes a holding space, an inner flange, an outer flange, a resistant holding surface and a material discharge hole. The hollow piston rod includes a flanged disk, an annular flange, a receiving space, a central bore, a rod part and a material discharge cap. The hollow piston rod closes the material discharge hole in the retracted position and being with the central bore, the holding space, and the material discharge hole in fluid communication when the hollow piston rod is in the extended position. A supporting unit is formed in the receiving space to support the rolling balls but does not totally restrict the rolling balls' movement, and the rolling balls' final positions can be determined by the material discharge cap.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a cosmetic container structure and more particularly to a rolling-ball style cosmetic container structure that can not only prevent liquid overflow when its enclosure cap is screwed off for usage, but also prevent liquid from leaking when its enclosure cap is screwed on.
2. Description of Related Art
Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, a rolling-ball style cosmetic container includes a tube 1, a sleeve part 2 and a cap 5. The sleeve part 2 has a central bore 3. The sleeve part 2 is mounted a ball 4 in the central bore 3. The tube 1 contains cosmetic liquid. The sleeve part 2 is connected to the tube 1 by being sleeved inside the opening. The tube 1 comprises a first threaded part. The cap 5 comprises a second threaded part. The first threaded part of the tube 1 is threadedly connected to the second threaded part of the cap 5.
However, conventional rolling-ball style cosmetic container may not have the function of leaking-proof. Thus, the liquid may leak out easily when it is in storage or pressed. It may be annoying for the user to deal with the problem of leaking.
Besides, the liquid directly contacts with the ball so the amount of discharging liquid can't be controlled. Conventional rolling-ball style cosmetic container may discharge too much liquid at one time and causes waste of the cosmetic liquid contained in the tube. Furthermore, the sealing of the conventional rolling-ball style cosmetic container is not reliable and thus cosmetic liquid materials contained therein may become dry or deteriorate in quality.
Furthermore, when using soft-tubes or container made from soft materials, the sealing of the inner tube solely depends on the rolling balls, and the sealing may be affected by outside conditions such as temperature, pressure, etc. and when the user screw off the cap, the liquid inside may automatically shoot out, sometimes including the rolling balls. Therefore, conventional containers are made of hard materials along with the rolling balls. Even though the container made of hard materials can solve the problem mentioned above, it may be difficult to squeeze out the liquid with high viscosity when the container is made of hard materials. Thus, the need for improvement still exists.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a rolling-ball style cosmetic container structure including a tube, an axle sleeve, a hollow piston rod, a resilient member and an exterior cap. The tube includes a containing space for containing liquid, an opening and a threaded part, the opening arranged axially at one end and the threaded part mounted near the opening. The axle sleeve includes a holding space, an inner flange, an outer flange, a resistant holding surface and a material discharge hole extending between the holding space and the containing space of the tube. The resistant holding surface formed inside the axle sleeve that is connected to the tube by being sleeved at inside of the opening. The hollow piston rod includes a flanged disk, an annular flange, a receiving space, a central bore and a rod part. The receiving space is used for placing at least one rolling ball, the flanged disk is mounted on the rod part, the annular flange is mounted on the rod part, and the hollow piston rod is movably mounted in the holding space of the axle sleeve between an extended position and a retracted position. The hollow piston rod closes the material discharge hole in the retracted position and being with the central bore, the holding space, and the material discharge hole in fluid communication when the hollow piston rod is in the extended position.
The hollow piston rod also includes a material discharge cap with a plurality of position restricting holes and the number of the position restricting holes is identical to the number of the rolling balls. The material discharge cap is threadedly mounted on the hollow piston rod and the position restricting holes are configured to prevent the rolling balls from falling out. A sealing gasket is placed between the hollow piston rod and the material discharge cap to further prevent the liquid inside from leaking.
A supporting unit which may include one or more supporting bars can be formed in the receiving space to support the rolling balls and the supporting unit will not completely restrict the movement of the rolling balls thereon. In other words, the rolling ball's initial position is not so restricted on the supporting unit and the rolling ball's final position can be determined by the position restricting holes of the material discharge cap. In one embodiment, the supporting unit can be cross-shaped. In other embodiments, the supporting unit can be of other shapes as long as it serves the purpose of supporting but not totally restricting the movement of the rolling balls thereon. Since each rolling ball's initial position is not restricted by the supporting unit, the assembling process can be simplified without involving labors, which can not only increase the assembling efficiency by using automatic assembling process, but also reduce the possibility of contaminating of the liquid inside indirectly from the labor. Furthermore, this improved design can solve the problem that the rolling ball may be stuck in conventional receiving space when the problem of misalignment of the rolling ball occurs.
The resilient member includes a first end and a second end, the first end contacts with the resistant holding surface, the second end contacts with the annular flange of the piston rod. The annular flange is greater than the inner flange. The annular flange is stopped by the inner flange. The exterior cap has a pressing member and an inner threaded portion; the inner threaded portion threadedly connected to the threaded part of the tube. The pressing member presses the hollow piston rod and constricts the resilient member; the rod part blocks the material discharge hole of the axle sleeve from leaking. The exterior cap is removably connected to the tube to enclose the opening.
In a first aspect of the invention the tube is a flexible tube.
In a second aspect of the invention the tube is a blow-molding container.
In a third aspect of the invention the tube is an injection-molding container and pen-shaped.
In a fourth aspect of the invention the tube is an injection-molding vacuum container.
In a fifth aspect of the invention the receiving space is mounted three rolling balls.
By utilizing the invention, the following advantages are obtained. First, the present invention has the function of valve assembly to be able to control the amount of discharging liquid. The present invention has the function of leaking-proof. When the cap is capped, the hollow piston rod blocks the material discharge hole tightly. Thus, the present invention doesn't have the problem of leaking liquid.
The invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a first preferred embodiment of a rolling-ball style cosmetic container in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rolling-ball style cosmetic container in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the rolling-ball style cosmetic container when uncapped;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the rolling ball style cosmetic container according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a third preferred embodiment of the rolling-ball style cosmetic container according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a conventional rolling-ball style cosmetic container; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional rolling-ball style cosmetic container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, a rolling-ball style cosmetic container structure includes a tube 10, an axle sleeve 20, a hollow piston rod 30, a resilient member 40 and an exterior cap 50. The tube 10 includes a containing space 11 for containing liquid, an opening 12 and a threaded part 13, the opening 12 arranged axially at one end. The threaded part 13 is mounted near the opening 12.
The axle sleeve 20 includes a holding space 21, an inner flange 212, an outer flange 211, a resistant holding surface 22 and a material discharge hole 23 extending between the holding space 21 and the containing space 11 of the tube 10. The resistant holding surface 22 is ladder-shaped. The resistant holding surface 22 formed inside the axle sleeve 20. The axle sleeve 20 is connected to the tube 10 by being sleeved at the inside of the opening 12.
The hollow piston rod 30 includes a flanged disk 31, an annular flange 321, a receiving space 33, a central bore and a rod part 32. The receiving space 33 is for mounting at least one rolling ball 34, the flanged disk 31 is mounted on the rod part 32, the annular flange 321 is mounted on the rod part 32, the hollow piston rod 30 is movably mounted in the holding space 21 of the axle sleeve 20 between an extended position and a retracted position. The hollow piston rod 30 closes the material discharge hole 23 in the retracted position and being with the central bore 35, the holding space 21, and the material discharge hole 23 in fluid communication when the hollow piston rod 30 is in the extended position.
The hollow piston rod 30 also includes a material discharge cap 37 with a plurality of position restricting holes 371 and the number of the position restricting holes 371 is identical to the number of the rolling balls 34. The material discharge cap 37 is threadedly mounted on the hollow piston rod 30 and the position restricting holes 371 are configured to prevent the rolling balls 34 from falling out. A sealing gasket 38 is placed between the hollow piston rod 30 and the material discharge cap 37 to further prevent the liquid inside from leaking.
A supporting unit 331 which may include one or more supoorting bars 332 can be formed in the receiving space 33 to support the rolling balls 34 and the supporting unit 331 will not completely restrict the movement of the rolling balls 34 thereon. In other words, the rolling ball 34's initial position is not so restricted on the supporting unit 331 and the rolling ball 34's final position can be determined by the position restricting holes 371 of the material discharge cap 37. In one embodiment, the supoorting bars 332 can be arranged to be cross-shaped. In other embodiments, the supporting bars 332 can be arranged to be other shapes (triangular, square, circular, etc.) as long as the supporting bars 332 serve the purpose of supporting but not totally restricting the movement of the rolling balls 34 thereon. Since each rolling ball 34's initial position is not restricted by the supporting unit 331, the assembling process can be simplified without involving labors, which can not only increase the assembling efficiency by using automatic assembling process, but also reduce the possibility of contaminating of the liquid inside indirectly from the labor. Furthermore, this improved design can solve the problem that the rolling ball 34 may be stuck in conventional receiving space when the problem of misalignment of the rolling ball 34 occurs.
The resilient member 40 includes a first end and a second end, the first end contacts with the resistant holding surface 22, the second end contacts with the annular flange 321 of the hollow piston rod 30. The annular flange 321 is greater than the inner flange 212. The annular flange 321 is stopped by the inner flange 212.
The exterior cap 50 has a pressing member 52 and an inner threaded portion 51. The inner threaded portion 51 is threadedly connected to the threaded part 13 of the tube 10. The pressing member 52 presses the hollow piston rod 30 and constricts the resilient member 40. The rod part 32 blocks the material discharge hole 23 of the axle sleeve to avoid leaking. The exterior cap 50 is removably connected to the tube 10 to enclose the opening 12.
Preferably, the tube 10 is a flexible tube.
Preferably, the tube 10 is a blow-molding container.
Preferably, the tube 10 is an injection-molding container and pen-shaped.
Preferably, the tube 10 is an injection-molding vacuum container.
Preferably, the receiving space 33 is mounted three rolling balls 34.
In use as shown in FIG. 3, an individual may first unscrew the cap 50 and remove the cap 50 from the tube 10. The resilient member 40 is a spring. The hollow piston rod 30 is immediately pushed forward by the expanding spring pushing the annular flange 321. Also, the material discharge hole 23 is not blocked by the rod part 32. Hence, the tube 10 is in fluid communication with the central bore 35 of the hollow piston rod 30 through the material discharge hole 23. An individual can use the present invention to discharge cosmetic liquid to massage and nourish skin. The annular flange 321 may be blocked by the inner flange 212 to prevent the hollow piston rod 30 to depart from the axle sleeve 20.
The exterior cap 50 is removably connected to the tube 10 to enclose the opening 12 by utilizing the pressing member 52 to press the hollow piston rod 30 to block the material discharge hole 23.
By utilizing the invention, the following advantages are obtained. First, the present invention has the function of valve assembly to be able to control the amount of discharging liquid. The present invention has the function of leaking-proof. When the cap 50 is capped, the hollow piston rod 30 blocks the material discharge hole 23 tightly. Thus, the present invention doesn't have the problem of leaking liquid.
The present invention is an improvement of the inventor's prior invention that has been granted as U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,360. Combining with the hollow piston rod (30), material discharge cap (37) and the sealing gasket (38), the problems mentioned above and shortcomings of conventional rolling-ball cosmetic pens can be solved and eliminated and the container made of soft materials can be used along with the rolling balls. The valve design in the present invention can also control the flow of the liquid in the tube.
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. A rolling-ball style cosmetic container structure comprising:

a tube including a containing space for containing liquid, an opening and a threaded part, the opening arranged axially at one end and the threaded part mounted near the opening;

an axle sleeve including a holding space, an inner flange, an outer flange, a resistant holding surface and a material discharge hole extending between the holding space and the containing space of the tube; the resistant holding surface formed inside the axle sleeve and the axle sleeve connected to the tube by being sleeved inside of the opening;

a hollow piston rod including a flanged disk, an annular flange, a receiving space, a central bore and a rod part, the receiving space used for receiving at least one rolling ball, the flanged disk and the annular flange being mounted on the rod part, and the hollow piston rod movably mounted in the holding space of the axle sleeve between an extended position and a retracted position, wherein the hollow piston rod closes the material discharge hole in the retracted position and is with the central bore, the holding space, and the material discharge hole in fluid communication when the hollow piston rod is in the extended position,

wherein a supporting unit which comprises a plurality of supporting bars is formed in the receiving space to support the rolling balls but does not completely restrict the rolling balls' movement, and the hollow piston rod further comprises a material discharge cap with a plurality of position restricting holes, the material discharge cap threadedly mounted on the hollow piston rod and the position restricting holes configured to secure each rolling ball's position in the receiving space;

a resilient member comprising a first end and a second end, the first end contacts with the resistant holding surface, the second end contacts with the annular flange of the piston rod, the annular flange being greater than the inner flange, the annular flange being stopped by the inner flange; and

an exterior cap having a pressing member and an inner threaded portion; the inner threaded portion threadedly connected to the threaded part of the tube; the pressing member presses the hollow piston rod and constricts the resilient member; the rod part blocks the material discharge hole of the axle sleeve to avoid leaking; the exterior cap being removably connected to the tube to enclose the opening.

2. The cosmetic container structure of claim 1, wherein the tube is a soft/flexible tube.

3. The cosmetic container structure of claim 1, wherein the tube is a blow-molding container.

4. The cosmetic container structure of claim 1, wherein the tube is an injection-molding container and pen-shaped.

5. The cosmetic container structure of claim 1, wherein the tube is an injection-molding vacuum container.

6. The cosmetic container structure of claim 1, wherein the supporting bars are arranged to be cross-shaped.

7. The cosmetic container structure of claim 1, wherein the number of the position restricting hole is identical to the number of the rolling ball.

8. The cosmetic container structure of claim 1, wherein the hollow piston rod further comprises a sealing gasket to prevent the liquid in the tube from leaking.

9. The cosmetic container structure of claim 7, wherein three rolling balls are positioned in the receiving space.