WO2015144271A1

WO2015144271A1 - Jar container for cosmetic products

Info

Publication number: WO2015144271A1
Application number: PCT/EP2014/079469
Authority: WO
Inventors: Licia Crosta
Original assignee: G. Candiani S.R.L.
Priority date: 2014-03-27
Filing date: 2014-12-30
Publication date: 2015-10-01
Also published as: ITVA20140011U1

Abstract

A container for cosmetic products is disclosed, comprising a rigid jar and a closing cover mutually removably engageable, wherein the cover consists of two cup-shaped bodies, a main outer body (1) and an inner protection body (2), one permanently coupled with the other, between which a housing chamber (3) is defined, the main outer body (1) having a cut-out (5) through which a pick-up spatula (6) is inserted which is housed at least partly in said housing chamber (3).

Description

JAR CONTAINER FOR COSMETIC PRODUCTS

DESCRIPTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a jar container, for paste products meant for the cosmetic sector and, more pre^¬ cisely, to such a container equipped with a small pick-up spatula .

Background Art

In the cosmetic sector, packaged containers of paste or cream products are widely known, generally in form of prismatic jar or open-top cylindrical jar and equipped with a lid which is applied on the top opening of the jar.

The use of these creams generally occurs by scooping them out with a finger, introduced in the jar after lid re- moval, and spreading them on the desired body part.

However, for certain types of creams which - by the nature thereof and/or by the unitary cost thereof - must be scooped out in small amounts, it is preferred to associate with the jar a small spatula, which serves both for scoop- ing out the cream in the jar, and possibly also for spread^¬ ing the cream.

As far as known in the art, this small spatula is freely inserted into a further packaging box (i.e. second^¬ ary package) of the jar. However, that implies that, after the first use, the spatula can be placed only in the pack^¬ aging box (which, however, is generally discarded, after the first opening thereof) or it is placed in temporary po^¬ sitions, with the risk of becoming lost.

A variety of other solutions also exist, typically used in the food sector, for coupling a spoon or other small-sized tool with a cover or other packaging portion. Since such a tool in the food sector is generally used in a disposable manner, the coupling thereof with the packaging typically occurs in a breakable manner. In other words, the tool is molded or otherwise manufactured together with the packaging, also due to economic reasons, and then detached therefrom by tearing and breaking a temporary connecting element.

The tool is hence rough and unfinished, but especially it is free after the uncoupling thereof from the packaging component .

One example of such a disposable prior art is dis- closed in US3955742, where the tool is integral with the lid and, upon separation of the tool from the lid, the container cannot be used any longer.

Vice versa, in the cosmetic field there is the need to supply a small spatula having a smooth and pleasant finish, which can be reused multiple times, preserving functionali^¬ ty of the jar, and hence which can be stored in a safe and handy manner.

Summary of the invention

The problem lying at the bottom of the present inven- tion is that of proposing an arrangement of a packaging jar structure, cover thereof and scoop-out spatula, which over^¬ come the above-cited drawbacks and which allows to always maintain the spatula in a safe and easily accessible posi^¬ tion, without adversely affecting the aesthetic appearance of the packaging.

This object is achieved through the features mentioned in the attached claims.

In particular, according to a first aspect of the invention, it is supplied a container for cosmetic products, comprising a rigid jar and a closing cover mutually remova^¬ bly engageable, wherein the cover consists of two cup- shaped bodies, a main outer body and an inner protection body, one permanently coupled with the other, between which a housing chamber is defined, the main outer body having a cut-out through which a pick-up spatula is inserted which is housed at least partly in said housing chamber.

According to a preferred embodiment, said housing chamber is defined between the inner ceiling of said main outer body and the top surface of said inner protection body .

According to another aspect, in the thickness of a first skirt wall of said main body a recess for the inter- locking coupling of a second skirt wall of said inner pro^¬ tection body is formed, the height of said recess corres^¬ ponding to the height of said second skirt wall of the pro^¬ tection body. Said recess is of a smaller height than the height of said first skirt wall of the main body so that coupling of the two cup-shaped bodies results in the defi^¬ nition of said housing chamber.

According to another aspect, said second skirt wall of said protection body terminates with a perimeter ridge pro^¬ jecting outwards apt to snap-engage with a corresponding annular groove of said outer body.

A further aspect of the invention provides that said spatula essentially consists of a thin, semi-rigid small slat which is radially housed in said housing chamber pass^¬ ing through said cut-out.

Preferably, said spatula is equipped with a gripping tooth at one end, which forms a stopping abutment against the edge of said cut-out. Said gripping tooth is configured so as to end flush with the surface of said cover, once it has been inserted into said cut-out.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention will in any case be more evident from the following detailed de^¬ scription, given purely as a non-limiting example and illu- strated in the attached drawings, wherein:

fig. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled cover, according to the invention, for a packaging jar of a cosmetic cream;

fig. 2 is a bottom plan, partly clear view of the cover of fig. 1 ;

fig. 3 is a cross-section view of the same assembled cover, according to the line III-III of fig. 2 ;

fig. 4 is equally a cross-section view of the same as- sembled cover, but according to the line IV-IV of fig. 2 ; fig. 5A is a cross-section view of the outer element which makes up the cover according to the invention;

fig. 5B is a cross-section view of the inner element which makes up the cover according to the invention;

figs. 6, 7 and 8 represent a scoop-out spatula accord^¬ ing to the invention, in a perspective, top-plan and longitudinal-section view, respectively.

Detailed Description of a preferred embodiment

A container for a paste-like cosmetic product con- sists, in a manner known per se, of a housing jar, closed at the mouth thereof by a cover. The container is generally prismatic, typically cylindrical but also of different shapes .

According to the invention, the cover consists of an outer main body 1, of a general cup shape, within which an inner protection body 2, equally of a general cup shape, is housed and engaged.

Outer main body 1 imparts the desired aesthetic shape to the cover. It determines the structural resistance of the cover and is made of a rigid and strong material, for example a thermoplastic material such as a copolymer of acrylonitrile-styrene (SAN) or ABS, possibly externally treated (lacquering, metallization, ...) to impart the de- sired color and finishing effects.

Inner protection body 2 is of a thinner and lighter material and has greater elasticity and yielding, to be able to tightly couple within main body 1 and sealingly en- gage with the open edge of the jar. It is made, for exam^¬ ple, of more yielding thermoplastic material, such as poly^¬ propylene (PP) .

Preferably inner body 2 is made of clear material, be^¬ cause that imparts a sensation of greater lightness to the cover, once it is assembled with main body 1 of the cover. The inner body 2, once assembled, is hence interposed and engaged (through screw coupling or snap-fit coupling) between the main body 1 of the cover and the housing jar, defining a sealing means of the container.

On the inner side of protection body 2 a membrane of oily paper or the like (not shown) is possibly provided, to prevent contact of the top surface of cosmetic product with the plastic material of body 2.

As can be easily detected from figures 3 and 4, main body 1 has a skirt wall la, on the inner side of which an annular recess S for housing the skirt wall 2a of protec^¬ tion body 2 is formed.

The stable engagement of protection body 2 in the re^¬ cess of main body 1 occurs mainly by interference, with a snap engagement. For such purpose, protection body 2 is cup-shaped (fig. 5B) having a mouth edge provided with a perimeter annular rib 2b, projecting outwards, intended to snap engage with a corresponding annular groove lb of main body 1. Moreover, preferably, in the proximity of annular rib lb, the outer surface of skirt wall 2a of protection body 2 is provided with a knurled band 2c (for example with short axial rifling) , which engages with a matching annular knurled band lc provided on the inner surface of the skirt wall la. This arrangement has the function of enhancing mu^¬ tual engagement of the two parts, preventing relative rota^¬ tion of the inner protection body 2 and the main body 1 of the cover.

Inner body 2 furthermore has, projecting from the in^¬ ner side surface thereof, short portions of ribbings 4 which, in a manner known per se, define helical ribbings intended to engage with threading grooves formed on the outer upper edge of the containment jar of the cosmetic cream (not shown) . This configuration allows the screwing of the cover on the jar. However, it is not ruled out to be able to provide a different configuration for a different coupling of the cover to the jar, which does not specifi^¬ cally form an object of the present invention.

According to a peculiar aspect of the present inven^¬ tion, the height of inner body 1 is smaller than the depth of the inner compartment of main body 1. Similarly, corres^¬ pondingly, the height dimension of recess S in the skirt wall la is maintained smaller than the height of the entire skirt wall la, and is chosen depending on the height dimen^¬ sion of skirt wall 2a.

This configuration is determined so that, when inner body 2 is definitively coupled with main body 1, between the inner vault Id of outer body 1 and the top surface 2d of inner body 2, a free chamber 3 remains, the function of which is described here in the following.

The main body 1 of the cover furthermore has a small cut-out 5, on the top corner thereof, between recess S and vault Id. The cut-out runs through the thickness of main body 1 and opens towards chamber 3 for the function de^¬ scribed here in the following.

According to the invention, cut-out 5 is used for the introduction of a pick-up spatula 6, in the way visible in figures 2 and 4.

Spatula 6 (figs. 6-8) essentially consists of a thin, semi-rigid small slat, which is provided with a tooth 6a at one end and with a shallow recess 6b in correspondence of the opposite end. The width of spatula 6 corresponds, less an insertion play, to the width of cut-out 5. The length of spatula 6 is smaller than the inner diameter of vault Id, since it must be radially housed within chamber 3.

As a matter of fact, spatula 6 is conceived to be in- serted into cut-out 5 with the end 6b thereof, then caused to slide within chamber 3, until tooth 6a rests on the con^¬ tour of the mouth of cut-out 5, ending up flush with the outer surface of the cover (see fig. 1) .

As shown in fig. 2, the size of the spatula 6 is such that its length is almost equivalent to the main diameter of the cover, while the width is almost corresponding to the width of a human finger, i.e. about 1 cm. The thickness of the spatula 6 is slightly smaller than the height of the chamber 3 (see figs. 3 and 4), so that there isn't space for large movements of the spatula within the chamber 3, while allowing a smooth sliding upon inserting and withdrawing into and from the cut-out 5. These dimensions allow to obtain a good housing within the chamber 3 and the best aesthetic result on the external appearance of the cover.

In order to maintain spatula 6 inserted in the housing thereof consisting of the cover chamber 3, a thicker or wider area is provided in correspondence of gripping tooth 6a, so that the last portion of the insertion travel occurs with interference with cut-out 5. Alternatively, an addi- tional ribbing or projecting tooth (not shown) may be provided which forcedly engages with a corresponding recess in cut-out 5.

Shallow recess 6b serves to accommodate a measured amount of cream.

As can be evinced from the above-reported description, the solution according to the invention perfectly achieves the objects set forth in the preliminary remarks. As a mat- ter of fact, with utter simplicity and inexpensiveness it is possible to obtain in the cover a seat for a small spa^¬ tula, which can be easily removed and used a plurality of times. The spatula, perfectly finished and of a smooth and pleasant appearance, remains inserted in the cover and is not lost, nor is it a hindrance within the packaging.

However, it is understood that the scope of the above- described invention must not be considered limited to the particular embodiment shown, but extends to any other technically equivalent construction variant.

For example, the shape of gripping tooth 6a may also be very different from the one illustrated, giving an aes^¬ thetic contribution to the outside of the container which may be minimal (if perfectly connected to and of the same color as the cover) , but also individualizing or distinc- tive (different color and/or evident shape) .

Moreover, it is not ruled out that spatula 6 may have an even different operating end, for example provided with a scoop-out capillary or with an absorbing pad, should the cosmetic product to be treated have a rather liquid or ra- ther powder consistency.

Claims

1. Container for cosmetic products, comprising a rigid jar and a closing cover mutually removably engageable, cha^¬ racterized in that the cover consists of two cup-shaped bo- dies, a main outer body (1) and an inner protection body (2), one permanently coupled with the other, between which a housing chamber (3) is defined, and in that the main out^¬ er body (1) has a cut-out (5) through which a pick-up spa^¬ tula (6) is inserted which is housed at least partly in said housing chamber (3) .

2. Container as in claim 1, wherein said housing chamber (3) is defined between the inner ceiling of said main outer body (1) and the top surface of said inner protection body (2 ) .

3. Container as in 2, wherein in the thickness of a first skirt wall (la) of said main body (1) a recess (S) for the interlocking coupling of a second skirt wall (2a) of said inner protection body (2) is formed, the height of said recess (S) corresponding to the height of said second skirt wall (2a) of the protection body (2) .

4. Container as in 3, wherein said recess (S) is of a smaller height than the height of said first skirt wall (la) of the main body so that coupling of the two cup- shaped bodies (1, 2) results in the definition of said housing chamber (3) .

5. Container as in 3 or 4, wherein said second skirt wall (2a) of said protection body (2) terminates with a pe^¬ rimeter ridge (2b) projecting outwards apt to snap-engage with a corresponding annular groove (lb) of said outer body (1) .

6. Container as in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said spatula (6) essentially consists of a thin, semi-rigid small slat which is radially housed in said housing chamber (3) passing through said cut-out (5) .

7. Container as in 6, wherein said spatula (6) is equipped with a gripping tooth (6a) at one end, which forms a stopping abutment against the edge of said cut-out (5) .

8. Container as in 7, wherein said gripping tooth (6a) is configured so as to end flush with the surface of said cover, once it has been inserted into said cut-out (5) .