Abstract:
A sifting apparatus and container for storing and dispensing material, such as cosmetic powder are described. Two sifters are arranged so their holes are not aligned, and a resilient material is placed between the sifters to create a gap that allows powder to pass out from a storage cavity to a surface accessible by the user. In a second configuration, at least one of the sifters is displaced toward the other sifter to reduce or eliminate the gap, thus reducing or preventing the flow of material through the sifters.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Cosmetic materials such as those used for cosmetic foundation are typically provided as a compacted or a loose powder. Loose materials, including loose powder, are becoming more common due in part to the fact that loose material provides improved coverage of the material on a surface. The loose material may be provided in a container with a perforated surface or sifter so that the powder is shaken out of the perforations and the powder can be applied onto an applicator. This configuration is problematic in that the loose material has a tendency to move up through the perforations during handling and/or jostling of the container, such as the movements associated with carrying the container in a handbag, pocket, or purse. The loose material may deposit above the perforated surface and/or on the cap and may at least partially spill out when the container is opened. 
     SUMMARY 
     This disclosure relates to sifters and containers usable for holding, retaining, and/or dispensing material, among other things, powdered or powder-like cosmetic products. According to one implementation, a sifting apparatus is disclosed having a first sifter, a second sifter engaged with the first sifter such that a gap is present between a portion of the first sifter and a portion of the second sifter to permit material to pass through the first sifter, the second sifter, and the gap; and a displacement mechanism to displace the second sifter toward the first sifter to prevent the flow of the material through the first sifter, the second sifter, and the gap. 
     Containers are also disclosed that have a base, a first sifter, a second sifter and a cover. The first sifter may be engaged with the base and may have at least one sifting hole for sifting materials that have a powder-like consistency. A second sifter may be engaged with the first sifter and may have at least one sifting hole. The two sifters are engaged so that the sifting holes are not in direct alignment. A gap is present between at least a potion of the two sifters which allows material to flow through both sifters and the gap. When the second sifter is displaced towards the first sifter, such as when the cover is engaged with the base, the gap is reduced and thereby restricts the flow of material. A resilient material or spring may be used to create and/or maintain the gap when the cover is removed. 
     Several methods for filling the disclosed containers are also disclosed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items. 
         FIG. 1  shows an exploded view of a container having a compression sifter, according to one exemplary implementation. 
         FIG. 2  shows an elevational view of the container of  FIG. 1  in its closed position. 
         FIG. 3  shows a top plan view of the container of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 1 , taken along line  3 - 3  in  FIG. 3 , when in the closed position. 
         FIG. 5  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 1 , taken along line  3 - 3  in  FIG. 3 , when in the open position. 
         FIG. 6  shows an exploded view of a container having a compression sifter, according to another exemplary implementation. 
         FIG. 7  shows an elevational view of the container of  FIG. 6 , when in the closed position. 
         FIG. 8  shows a top plan view of the container of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 9  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 6 , taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 8 , when in the closed position. 
         FIG. 10  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 6 , taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 8 , when in the open position. 
         FIGS. 11A and 11B  depict an alternate configuration utilizing a cartridge to assist filling the container with material to be dispensed. 
         FIG. 12  depicts an alternate configuration utilizing a bottom cap to assist filling the container with material to be dispensed. 
         FIG. 13  depicts alternative cross sections of the resilient material. 
         FIG. 14  shows an exploded view of a container having a compression sifter, according to another exemplary implementation. 
         FIG. 15  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 14 , when in the closed position. 
         FIG. 16  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 14 , when in the open position. 
         FIG. 17  shows an exploded view of a container having a compression sifter, according to another exemplary implementation. 
         FIG. 18  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 17 , when in the closed position. 
         FIG. 19  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 17 , when in the open position. 
         FIG. 20  shows an exploded view of a container having a compression sifter, according to another exemplary implementation. 
         FIG. 21  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 20 , when in the closed position. 
         FIG. 22  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 20 , when in the open position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Containers having displacement sifter mechanisms will now be described with reference to the figures. The sifter mechanism may have one or more sifters, each sifter having one or more holes. The holes in the sifter may be uniform or varied both in size, topography, shape, and so forth. While the disclosure is described in the context of sifters for powdered cosmetics products, the displacement sifter mechanisms may be useful for other powdered or powder-like products, such as baby powder, foot powder, medicinal powders, and the like. They may also be useful for handling liquids and other non-powdered material. 
       FIG. 1  shows an exploded view of a container  100  having a displacement sifter mechanism according to one exemplary implementation. IN this configuration, the displacement sifter mechanism may be referred to as a compression sifter as a compression member may be placed between two sifter portions. In a displacement sifter  102 , a gap between portions of the first sifter  104  and a second sifter  106  provides a pathway for material to pass between the storage cavity  108  in a base  110  and the dispensing surface  112 . When the sifters are displaced toward one another, this gap is reduced, which obstructs the pathway and thus prevents material from being passed by the sifters. The displacement may be provided by pressure from a cover  114  engaging a bottom portion  116  comprising the base  110 , the first sifter  104 , and the second sifter  106 , through engagement with a lever or cam, by rotating a threaded member, or through any other suitable displacement mechanism. 
     The container  100  may be provided with a first sifter  104  engaged with the base  110  in such a fashion as to leave a storage cavity  108 . The first sifter  104  may be integral to the base or may be secured or fixed to the base  110  by friction, glue, threaded engagement, ribs or other contoured features, or other suitable means. 
     The first sifter  104  may have one or more holes  118  for sifting loose material, such as facial powder, makeup, or the like, stored within the storage cavity  108 . The first sifter  104  may also have one or more protrusions  120  extending toward and aligned with holes  122  in the second sifter  106 . Here the protrusions  120  are shown shaped as truncated cones; however they may be in any suitable shape including cones, cylinders, pyramids, hemispheres, cubes, and so forth. 
     The second sifter  106 , which is engaged with the first sifter  104 , may have a circumferential rim  124  and an upper surface  112  for dispensing and/or retrieving material via the holes  122 . Although not shown, the second sifter  106  may also have protrusions aligned with the holes  118  in the first sifter  104  A cover  114  may be removably affixed to any portion of the bottom portion  116 . 
     The base  110  may be filled with material in several ways. For example, the storage cavity  108  in base  110  may be filled with material, then the first sifter  104  and remaining components are assembled. 
       FIG. 2  shows an elevational view of the container  100  of  FIG. 1  in its closed position wherein the cover  114  and base  110  are proximate and engaged. As shown in  FIGS. 1-5 , the cover  114  is secured to the base  110  using threads; however the cover  114  may be secured to the base  110 , or to a potion of the bottom portion  136 , using a rib, groove, hinge, clasp, latch, or other suitable means. 
       FIG. 3  shows a top plan view of the cover  114  of the container of  FIG. 1 . Other shapes for the container are also possible. For example, the container  100 , or any portion thereof, may be round, elliptical, triangular, cubical, conical, spherical, or other shape suitable for mounting the sifters and providing a storage cavity. 
       FIG. 4  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 1  in the “closed” position. The second sifter  106  may be secured to the first sifter  104  by friction or other suitable means. Additionally or alternatively, one or more ribs, or tabs  402  on the first sifter  104  may be configured to engage with one or more grooves  404  in the second sifter  106 . Groove  404  may be a generally circular groove along the outer circumference of second sifter  106 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the holes  122  in the second sifter  106  are aligned with protrusions  120  which extend from the first sifter  104  towards the second sifter  106 . The pressure from the cover  114  in a closed position upon the circumferential rim  124  or other portion of the second sifter  106  compresses a resilient material  406  forcing the second sifter  106  towards the first sifter  104 , and causes the protrusions  120  to occlude holes  122  and thus prevent material from passing from the storage cavity  108  onto the upper surface  112  of the second sifter  106 . Additionally or alternatively, the holes  122  from the first sifter  104  may be misaligned with the holes  118  in the second sifter  106  so that the sifter components themselves provide the occlusion. Upon displacement of the sifters  106  and  104 , such as by affixing the cover  114 , the first and second sifters  106  and  104  would come into contact with, or closer proximity to, each other and prevent material from traveling through the sifter holes  122  and/or  118  and/or gap  408 . 
     The resilient material  406  may be a co-molded thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) or other suitable material and may be molded, extruded, and/or formed according to other conventional methods. When embodied as a generally circumferential ring, the resilient member  406  may also deform and seal a gap  408  between the first sifter  104  and the second sifter  106 . The resilient material  406  may be formed on the side of the second sifter  106  facing the first sifter  104 . The resilient material  406  may alternatively be provided on the first sifter  104  on the side facing the second sifter  106 , or as a separate component entirely. The displacement caused by the displacement mechanism, such as cover  114 , may elastically alter, compress, and/or deform the resilient material  406 . When the displacement mechanism is disengaged, the resilient material, may recover, decompress, and/or elastically return to a less compressed, altered and/or deformed state as described with reference to  FIG. 5 . The resilient material may have in whole or part elastic or semi-elastic properties. 
     The cover  114  may have a sealing layer  410  engaged with or integral to the cover  114  for pressing or touching the second sifter  106  to further prevent the unintentional spillage of powder or other material from container  100 . Alternatively, there may be a sealing layer affixed to the circumferential rim  124 . The sealing layer  410  may be waxed paperboard, Teflon, TPE, or other suitable material. 
     A supporting member  412  may extend from the first sifter  104  to the base  110 . Base  110 , first sifter  104 , second sifter  106 , and cover  114  may be constructed of polypropylene, metal, plastic, wood, or other suitable material and may be molded or formed according to conventional methods. 
       FIG. 5  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 1 , taken along line  3 - 3  in  FIG. 3 , in the open position with cover  114  removed. The cover  114  no longer presses second sifter  104 ; thus, the resilient material  406  recovers, decompresses, and/or elastically returns to a less compressed, altered and/or deformed state to separate the first sifter  104  and the second sifter  106 , creating or expanding gap  408  between them. Material may thus flow freely from the storage cavity  108  via the holes  118  in the first sifter  104  and the holes  122  in the second sifter  106  to the upper surface  112  of the second sifter  106 . 
     Like the configuration shown in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 6  shows another exemplary implementation in an exploded view of a container  600  with a base  602 , first sifter  604 , second sifter  606 , and cover  608 . This implementation differs from that shown in  FIG. 1  in that the protrusions  610  on the first sifter  604  are larger to accommodate the larger holes  612  in the second sifter  606 . Additionally, the first sifter  604  in this embodiment has support arms  614  for the protrusions  610  extending radially from the center to the rim, providing larger holes  616  in the first sifter  604 . The protrusions  610  may obscure the holes  612 , with or without extending beyond the surface  618  of the second sifter  606  to prevent material from passing between the storage cavity  620  and the surface  618  of the second sifter  606 . Additionally or alternatively, material may be prevented from passing between the storage cavity and the surface  618  of the second sifter  606  by misaligning the holes  612  in the second sifter  606  with the holes  616  in the first sifter  604 . 
       FIG. 7  shows an elevational view of the container of  FIG. 6 , when in the closed position. 
       FIG. 8  shows a top plan view of the container of  FIG. 6 . 
       FIG. 9  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 6 , taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 8 , when in the closed position. 
       FIG. 10  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 6 , taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 8 , when in the open position. 
     Additionally, the implementation shown in  FIGS. 6-10  also illustrates how the upper surface  618  of the second sifter, such as second sifter  606 , may be concave. This upper surface  618  may assist in directing powder or other material into the one or more holes  612  and, thus, into the storage cavity  620 . This concave or sloped surface  618  may reduce the amount of powder or other material above the second sifter  606  when the container  600  is held in an upright position, such as when a user is preparing to close the container  600 . Additionally or alternatively, the concavity of the upper surface  618  may aid in collecting the material for an application, such as for engaging the material with a brush or other applicator. Reducing the amount of powder above the second sifter  606  may reduce the amount of powder that may be spilled while the container  600  is closed or when the container  600  is initially opened. 
       FIGS. 11A ,  11 B, and  12  depict alternate configurations in which the base  1102  of the container  1104  has an opening  1106 . In these configurations, a bottom container  1108  or cap  1206  may be designed to engage or be fixed to base  1102  through a press fit, friction fit, threaded engagement, friction, glue, or other securing method or means. As shown in  FIGS. 11A , and  11 B, base  1102  has an integral first sifter  1110 . 
     According to the implementation shown in  FIGS. 11A and 11B , the bottom container  1108  may have side walls and an open top and may be filled with material  1112  to be dispensed. In this implementation, the cartridge may be prefilled before the cartridge is engaged with the base. 
       FIG. 11B  shows the bottom cartridge  1108  as engaged with container  1102 . Bottom container  1108  may be secured or fixed to the base  1102  by friction, glue, threaded engagement, ribs or other contoured features, or other suitable means. 
       FIG. 12  shows a variation of the container shown in  FIGS. 11A and 11B , in which the first sifter  1202  and bottom portion  1204  are integral, but instead of cartridge  1108 , the bottom portion is provided with a bottom cap  1206 . This configuration allows a user to load powder into the bottom portion  1204  of the container  1208  by a process of inverting the container  1208 , with the bottom cap  1206  removed, filling the bottom portion  1204  with material, and affixing cap  1206  to enclose the material within container  1208 . The bottom cap  1206  may be engaged with the bottom portion  1204  by press fit, friction fit, threaded engagement, friction, glue, or other securing method or means. Ribs may assist in maintaining the engagement of bottom cap  1206  with bottom portion  1204 . These variations of the cartridge,  1108 , cap  1206 , and/or the integral bottom portion  1102  and sifter  1110  may also be implemented in the implementations shown and described with reference to  FIGS. 1 through 10 . 
       FIG. 13  depicts variations of cross-sections that the resilient material  406  may have including a substantially U-shaped cross section  1302   a , solid circular cross section  1302   b , a solid square cross section  1302   c , a hollow circular cross section  1302   d , a combination square and generally sinusoidal or zigzagged cross section  1302   e , a sinusoidal or zigzagged cross section  1302   f , a substantially H-shaped cross section  1302   g , a helical or spring shape  1302   h , a chevron cross section  1302   i , a wave spring  1302   j , or other suitable shape. It should be noted that the resilient material may be continuous as a generally ring shaped member placed between the first and second sifters, or the resilient material may have one or more discrete components that operate to create and/or maintain a gap between the first and second sifters, such as sifters  106  and  104 , when the displacement mechanism, such as cover  114 , is removed or disengaged. 
       FIG. 14  shows another exemplary implementation of a compression sifter. Like the configuration shown in  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 14  shows another exemplary implementation in an exploded view of a container  1400  with a base  1402 , first sifter  1404 , second sifter  1406 , and cover  1408 . This implementation differs from that shown in  FIG. 6  in that the resilient material  1410  is shown as a separate piece, and non-central holes  1412  of the second sifter  1406  are sealed by sealing ring  1414  when in the closed position. In another implementation not depicted, resilient material  1410  and sealing ring  1414  may be a single piece, or may be co-molded onto first sifter  1404 . 
       FIG. 15  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 14 , when in the closed position, where the sealing ring  1414  is obscuring the non-central holes  1412  of the second sifter  1406 . 
       FIG. 16  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 14 , when in the open position. The displacement mechanism, in this case, cover  1408  is disengaged. The resilient material  1410 , may therefore recover, decompress, and/or elastically return to a less compressed, altered and/or deformed state as shown and described with reference to  FIG. 15 . This action creates a gap  1602  to permit passage of material from the base  1402  to the second sifter  1406 . 
     Like the configuration shown in  FIG. 14 ,  FIG. 17  shows another exemplary implementation in an exploded view of a container  1700  with a base  1402 , first sifter  1404 , second sifter  1406 , and cover  1408 . This configuration may utilize resilient material  1410 . Element  1410  may be entirely of resilient material, or a resilient elastomeric material may be overmolded onto a non-resilient piece to provide for a lesser amount of compression. This implementation differs from that shown in  FIG. 14  in that the first sifter  1404  has threads  1702  which engage with matching threads  1704  on the second sifter  1406 . Rotation of the cap  1408  engages cogs  1706  on the second sifter  1406  causing the second sifter to rotate, and, in turn, causing the resilient material  1410 , if provided, to be compressed. This action engages holes  1412  with the seal  1414  and central protrusion  1416  (if any) on the first sifter  1404 . The pitch of threads  1702  and corresponding threads  1704  may be different then the pitch of the threads on the base  1402  and the corresponding threads in the cap  1408  to facilitate operation. More particularly, the pitch of threads  1702  and corresponding threads  1704  may be steeper than the pitch of the threads on the base  1402  and the corresponding threads in the cap  1408 . 
       FIG. 18  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 17 , when in the closed position, where the sealing ring  1414  is obscuring the non-central holes  1412  of the second sifter  1406 . 
       FIG. 19  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 17 , when in the open position. The displacement mechanism, in this case, cover  1408  is disengaged. The resilient material  1410 , may therefore recover, decompress, and/or elastically return to a less compressed, altered and/or deformed state as shown and described with reference to  FIG. 18 . This action creates a gap  1902  to permit passage of material from the base  1402  to the second sifter  1406 . Of course, the gap could also be created by the rotation of the second sifter in relation to the first sifter. 
     Like the configuration shown in  FIG. 14 ,  FIG. 20  shows another exemplary implementation in an exploded view of a container  2000  with a base  1402 , first sifter  1404 , second sifter  1406 , and cover  1408 . This implementation differs from that shown in  FIG. 14  in that elements  1410  and  1414  may not be resilient and springs  2002  or other suitable members are used to maintain a gap between first sifter  1404  and second sifter  1406 . 
       FIG. 21  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 20 , when in the closed position, where the sealing ring  1414  is obscuring the non-central holes  1412  of the second sifter  1406  and the springs  2002  are compressed. 
       FIG. 22  shows a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 20 , when in the open position. The displacement mechanism, in this case, cover  1408  is disengaged. The springs  2002 , may therefore recover, decompress, and/or elastically return to a less compressed, altered and/or deformed state as shown and described with reference to  FIG. 21 . This action creates a gap  2202  to permit passage of material from the base  1402  to the second sifter  1406 . 
     Although details of specific implementations and embodiments are described above, such details are intended to satisfy statutory disclosure obligations rather than to limit the scope of the following claims. Thus, the claims are not limited to the specific features described above.