Cosmetics container

A cosmetic container having a coil-spring shaped holding portion, which is provided at the front end of a push rod, for holding a stick type cosmetic material. The rear end of a stick type cosmetic material is inserted into the center hollow-portion of the coil-spring holding portion. Ribs are optionally provided on the inner surface of the coil-spring holding portion for biting into a stick type cosmetic material to more securely hold the stick type cosmetic material. Even without these ribs, the spring-type holding portion holds a stick type cosmetic material elastically tight by making the inner diameter of the coil-spring smaller, because the coil-spring shaped holding portion holds a stick type cosmetic material elastically. If pressure is applied to a held stick type cosmetic material from the side, the coil-spring shaped holding portion bends and prevents damage to the held stick type cosmetic material. If an axial force is applied to a stick type cosmetic material to extract it from the container, for example if the container is dropped, the spring portion of the coil-spring holding portion will axially stretch to resiliently or elastically hold the stick type cosmetic material to prevent it from being damaged and/or extracted from the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a cosmetic container for feeding a stick type 
cosmetic material such as, for example, lipstick, eye-liner, eye-brow 
definer, etc. More particularly, this invention relates to a cosmetic 
container for feeding a stick type cosmetic material utilizing an improved 
holding portion, which holds the stick type cosmetic material in the 
container. 
Basically, a container for feeding a stick type cosmetic material has a 
holding portion, which is called a chuck or a cup, to hold the stick type 
cosmetic material. 
FIG. 13 shows a cross-sectional view of the holding portion of a prior art 
container for feeding a stick type cosmetic material 801. The holding 
portion 803 comprises a bar member 809 and a cavity 805, which is formed 
on the top end of the bar member 809. The rear or bottom end of the stick 
type cosmetic material 801 is inserted into the cavity 805 and is held 
therein by the elasticity of the side wall 804 of the cavity 805. Vertical 
slots 807 are so arranged on the side wall 804 of the cavity 805 as to add 
more elasticity to the side wall 804 and so as to more elastically hold 
the rear or bottom end of the stick type cosmetic material 801 in the 
cavity 805. 
However, with the structure of the holding portion of the prior art as 
shown in FIG. 13, the holding portion 804 does not have sufficient 
flexibility. Therefore, when the stick type cosmetic material is inserted 
into the holding portion, or when the assembled unit is dropped, the stick 
type cosmetic material 801 is sometimes broken, or comes out of the 
holding portion. Such a problem does not often occur, but it cannot be 
ignored because if the stick type cosmetic material becomes damaged, this 
will be a fatal defect for the cosmetic container. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a container for 
feeding a stick type cosmetic material which will not damage the stick 
type cosmetic material. 
According to a first feature of the present invention, in a container for 
feeding a stick type cosmetic material wherein the stick type cosmetic 
material is advanced and retracted, the improvement comprises a 
coil-spring shaped holding portion engaged with an end portion of the 
stick type cosmetic material and which holds the stick type cosmetic 
material in a case of the container such that the stick type cosmetic 
material is elastically movable relative to the container at least in a 
longitudinal direction of the container. According to an aspect of the 
invention, a container for feeding a stick type cosmetic material, 
comprises a front cylinder having a bore in which the stick type cosmetic 
material is mounted so as to be advance or retracted relative to said 
front cylinder; a main cylinder coupled to said front cylinder in an axial 
direction of said front cylinder so as to be rotatable relative to said 
front cylinder, for feeding the stick type cosmetic material axially of 
said front and main cylinders in advancing and retracting directions; and 
a coil-spring shaped holding portion at a front end of said push rod for 
engaging an end portion of the stick type cosmetic material and for 
holding the stick type cosmetic material such that the stick type cosmetic 
material is elastically movable relative to said push rod and relative to 
said front and main cylinders at least in the axial direction of said 
front and main cylinders. The holding portion itself can be integrated 
with the push rod into one body, or it can be another part, such as a 
chuck, fixedly attached to the push rod. 
According to another aspect of the invention, a container for feeding a 
stick type cosmetic material, comprises a main body having a push rod 
housed therein such that said push rod is movable relative to said main 
body in an axial direction of said push rod and said main body; and a 
cartridge, rotatably attached to a front end of said main body, which 
feeds the stick type cosmetic material in said axial direction. The push 
rod is movable axially inside of said cartridge when said main body and 
said cartridge are relatively rotated. The cartridge has a chuck which is 
engageable with said push rod, said chuck having a coil-spring shaped 
holding portion, said coil-spring shaped holding portion being engaged 
with an end portion of the stick type cosmetic material for holding the 
stick type cosmetic material such that the stick type cosmetic material is 
elastically movable relative to said push rod and relative to said 
cartridge and main body at least in the axial direction of said cartridge 
and main body. 
In a case where the stick type cosmetic material is injected (while being 
warmed up to be softened for injection molding) into the opening of the 
container after assembling of the container, the cosmetic material enters 
into between the tendrils (coils) of the coil-spring shaped holding 
portion, and thereafter cools and becomes firm. Therefore, the stick type 
cosmetic material will be strongly held by the coil-spring shaped holding 
portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIGS. 1A and 1B show a container for feeding a stick type cosmetic material 
2 according to one embodiment of this invention. FIG. 1A shows a 
cross-sectional view of the whole container which is completely assembled, 
and FIG. 1B shows a cross-sectional view of the main cylinder. 
FIG. 2 shows a cross-section taken along line II--II in FIG. 1A. 
FIG. 3 shows a side view of the push rod 4 of FIG. 1A. 
As seen in FIG. 1A, the container 1 for feeding a stick type cosmetic 
material 2 comprises a front cylinder 3, a push rod 4, and a main cylinder 
5. The front cylinder 3 is so connected to the main cylinder 5 that the 
main cylinder 5 can rotate axially relative to the front cylinder 3. The 
push rod 4 is housed inside of the front cylinder 3 and is axially 
slidable in the front cylinder 3 but is not rotatable relative to the 
front cylinder 3. 
The push rod 4 is also spirally engaged with the main cylinder 5 via a 
spiral threaded engagement 37 (to be described later). Accordingly, when 
the front cylinder 3 and the main cylinder 5 are rotated relative to each 
other, the push rod 4 will advance or retract axially in the front 
cylinder 3. 
The front cylinder 3 is a hollow cylinder, which has a bore 13 where the 
stick type cosmetic material 2 and the push rod 4 are slidably moved. 
About 1/4 of the lower portion of the inner diameter of the front cylinder 
3 is wider than the upper portion, so as to be attached to the outer 
circumference of the upper portion of the main cylinder 5. At least one 
vertical or axially directed groove 15 is formed at the middle portion of 
the bore 13 of the front cylinder 3. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a 
group of projections 37 are formed on the outer surface of the push rod 4. 
The projections 37 are engaged with the axial groove 15, so the front 
cylinder 3 and the push rod 4 can be synchronously engaged with each other 
but are essentially non-rotatable relative to each other. 
A coil-spring shaped holding portion 31 (see FIGS. 1A and 3) is formed on 
the front end of the push rod 4. A rear or lower end of a stick type 
cosmetic material 2 is inserted into the center bore of the coil-spring 
holding portion 31 and is firmly engaged and retained in the push rod 4. 
By virtue of this arrangement, the stick type cosmetic material 2 is 
connected to push rod 4 and is moved axially with the push rod 4. 
As shown in FIG. 3, the group of projections 37 are provided on 
approximately the lower half surface of the push rod 4, and these 
projections 37 are arranged linearly in two rows which extend in the axial 
direction with an angle of 180.degree. between the rows in the 
circumferential direction. These projections 37 are also so arranged as to 
occupy one part of two of imaginary external threads on the outer surface 
of the push rod 4. These projections 37 are not only used to serve as 
synchronously engageable "ribs" which are elongated axially or vertically, 
but they also serve as external screw threads. That is, the projections 37 
are engaged with the synchronously engageable vertical or axial grooves 15 
(FIG. 2) as synchronously engageable ribs, and they also spirally engage 
with projections 41 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B) which are formed as an internal 
thread, of the main cylinder 5. The projections 37 are arranged and 
inclined so as to serve as the external thread which threadedly engages 
the internal thread 41. 
Each one of the projections 37 has an oval-shape profile, as seen in FIG. 
3, and they are also arranged with an angle of 90.degree. from the parting 
line which is made by injection molding of the push rod 4. Moreover, the 
projections 37 are wider in width than the width of the slits 42 
(described later). Therefore, the spiral engagement of the projections 37 
and the internal thread 41 is smoothly accomplished. 
The rear end of the push rod 4 is a wider diametered section 39, as seen in 
FIGS. 1A and 3. The outer diameter of the wider diametered section 39 is 
almost the same as the diameter at the peak of the projections 37. Because 
the lower surface of the wider diametered section 39 meets the upper 
surface of the end flange 51 of the main cylinder 5, the retracting 
extremity of the push rod 4 is limited. Also, since the upper surface 39a 
of section 39 meets the internal thread 41 at the uppermost position of 
the push rod 4, the advancing extremity of the push rod 4 relative to the 
cylinders 3 and 5 is limited. The wider diametered section 39 can be 
inserted into the main cylinder 5 by opening or spreading the slit 42 (see 
FIG. 1B) of the main cylinder 5 to expand the opening of the internal 
thread to accept the wider diametered section 39. 
The main cylinder 5 has a hollow-cylindrical shape with a closed bottom 51. 
The connecting section 43 of the main cylinder 5 is narrower (i.e., has a 
smaller diameter), and the slits 42 are formed in the connecting section 
43 from the upper surface toward the rear end. The slits 42 are formed 
linearly in two rows in the axial direction with a circumferential angle 
of 180.degree. therebetween. The internal thread-like projections 41 are 
formed at the upper inner circumference of the connecting section 43 of 
the main cylinder 5. These internal thread-like projections 43 are 
arranged in two rows, and each has about a semicircle length for each 
thread. 
The connecting section 43, which comprises about the upper-half portion of 
the main cylinder 5 with the narrower diameter, is fit into the wider 
inner diameter connecting hole or opening 21 of the connecting section 19 
of the front cylinder 3, whereby the front cylinder 3 and the main 
cylinder 5 are connected together. An annular circumferential ridge 47 
(see Fig. 1B), which is provided at the bottom of the connecting section 
43 of the main cylinder 5, is snappingly engaged with an annular recess 23 
provided on the rear or lower end of the connecting section 19 of the 
front cylinder 3, to serve as a stopper and to positively retain (hold) 
the front cylinder 3 on the main cylinder 5, with the cylinders 3, 5 
relatively rotatable. By an O-ring 6, engaged in groove 45 (FIG. 1B), 
moderate rotational friction will occur between the front cylinder 3 and 
the main cylinder 5, and because of this rotational friction, each part of 
the container will be able to operate smoothly. Of course, the container 
will also function well without the O-ring 6. 
The effect of the axially directed slits 42 of the main cylinder 5 will be 
described hereinafter. The slits 42 help the internal thread 41 to open 
outward when the internal thread has a spreading pressure applied thereto. 
In the container for feeding a stick type cosmetic material as shown in 
FIG. 1A, the main cylinder 5 has a closed bottom (end flange 51), so it is 
necessary to insert the push rod 4 into the main cylinder 5 from the tip 
or top opening of the main cylinder 5. However, the wider diametered 
section 39 is formed on the rear end of the push rod 4 to limit the stroke 
end, and therefore, the tip or top opening of the main cylinder 5 cannot 
accept the push rod 4 because of the inwardly protruded portion of the 
internal thread 41. But, because of the axial slits 42, when the wider 
diametered section 39 is pushed into the opening of main cylinder 5, the 
slits 42 will help enable the internal thread portion 41 to open or spread 
outward enough to accept the wider diameter section 39, and the wider 
diametered section 39 can thus pass through the internal thread 41 and be 
received in the inner bore of the main cylinder 5, as seen in FIG. 1A. 
Accordingly, if the stick type cosmetic material 2 is to be fed by using a 
fine pitch screw thread, the pitch of the internal thread 41 must be fine, 
too. As compared with the prior art internal thread which has to be made 
by injection molding with a core pin rotationally pulled out after 
molding, the main cylinder 5 of the container of the present invention has 
the slits 42, so the core pin of the injection molding apparatus can be 
just pulled out without rotation, since the slits 42 increase resilience 
of the upper molded end (detailed explanation will follow). By virtue of 
the combination of the groups of oval-shaped projections 37 and the 
internal thread member 41 with the slits 42, an inexpensive container with 
a fine stroke pitch can be provided easily and economically. 
As explained above, the bottom of the main cylinder 5 has an integral end 
flange 51 to reduce the number of members by one, since a separate closure 
member is not needed. However, because of this end flange 51, the core pin 
for injection molding for the main cylinder 5 must be pulled out from the 
tip or top opening of the main cylinder 5, since it cannot be pulled out 
from the bottom end 51 in FIG. 1A. However, as seen in the drawings, the 
inner diameter of the hollow portion of main cylinder 5 under the internal 
thread 41 is obviously wider than the inner diameter of the portion of the 
crest of the internal thread 41; therefore, the core pin may damage the 
internal thread 41 when it is withdrawn after molding. However, by the 
slits 42 which help the internal thread open or spread outward, the core 
pin can be pulled out of the main cylinder 5 without damaging the internal 
thread 41 at all. 
The container for feeding a stick type cosmetic material as shown in FIG. 
1A is assembled as follows: first the bottom 39 of the push rod 4 is 
inserted into the main cylinder 5. Then the combination of the push rod 4 
and the main cylinder 5 is pushed into the front cylinder 3 from the lower 
opening of the front cylinder 3. After this assemblage, the connecting 
section 43 of the main cylinder 5 looks as if it is surrounded by a wider 
O-ring because the outer surface of the connecting section 43 is 
surrounded by the connecting section 19 of the front cylinder 3. Because 
of this engagement of portions 19 and 43, the internal thread 41 will not 
open or spread outward even though it has the slits 42, and the spiral 
engagement between the internal thread 41 and the external thread-like 
group of projections 37 will be positively maintained. According to the 
embodiment described in FIG. 1A, the container is made a little longer 
because the vertical ribs 37, formed by the groups of the projections 37 
of the push rod 4, and which engage in axial grooves 15 (FIG. 2), have an 
axial length as long as the length of the feeding length of the stick type 
cosmetic material 2. However, it is possible to shorten the length of the 
container by shortening the length of the straight portion 33 of the push 
rod 4 and the length of the bore 13 of the front cylinder 3. In that case, 
the stick type cosmetic material 2 will slide inside of the portion of the 
bore 13, which has the vertical or axial grooves 15, but this is no 
problem to the operation of the apparatus. 
FIG. 4A shows a side view of one embodiment of a coil spring shaped holding 
portion having a coil-spring shape. FIG. 4B shows a plan view of the 
holding portion of FIG. 4A. 
The coil-spring shaped holding portion 101 is formed on the front or top 
end of the push rod 4', to form a single body with the push rod 4'. The 
coil spring portion 103 is spirally elongated upward from the front end of 
the push rod 4'. On the inner circumference of the coil spring portion 
103, inwardly protruding ribs 105 are formed. Ribs 105 bite into the stick 
type cosmetic material 2 and hold it more firmly. A recess 107 is 
optionally formed between the front end of the push rod 4' and the holding 
portion 101 to make the rear end of the stick type cosmetic material 2 
stay more comfortably and firmly. The ribs 105 may be omitted. Even when 
there are no ribs 105 on the coil portion 103, it is possible to hold the 
cosmetic material 2 effectively and elastically by making the inner 
diameter of the coil portion 103 narrower (smaller) than the outer 
diameter of the stick type cosmetic material 2. Also, if the stick type 
cosmetic material 2 has an extracting or pulling out force applied 
thereto, such as if the container is dropped, the coil-spring portion 103 
will be axially stretched and will hold and retain the stick type cosmetic 
material 2. Thus, the coil portion 103 is effective to prevent damage to 
the stick type cosmetic material even due to dropping. 
FIG. 5 shows a side view of a chuck utilized for the container for feeding 
a stick type cosmetic material according to another embodiment of this 
invention. The cartridge type container for feeding a stick type cosmetic 
material utilizing the chuck of FIG. 5 is shown in FIG. 12 (to be 
described later). This container comprises a main body which has an 
axially slidable push rod, and a detachable cartridge which is attached 
onto the front end of the main body. The axially slidable stick type 
cosmetic material 2 is housed inside of the cartridge, and the push rod 
advances or retracts inside of the cartridge by the relative rotation of 
the main body and the cartridge. This container is characterized in that 
it has the chuck of FIG. 5 which has a coil-spring shaped holding portion 
for holding the stick type cosmetic material 2. 
The chuck 401 shown in FIG. 5 has a coil-spring shaped holding portion 403 
which holds the stick type cosmetic material 2 by inserting its rear end 
into the bore of the holding portion 403. The front end of the holding 
portion (left side in FIG. 5) has a flat surface, and a tapered portion 
402 is provided on the inner surface of the holding portion 403. A butt 
(axially directed projecting portion) 405 is formed protrudely on the 
outer circumference of the center portion of the chuck 401, and this butt 
will be engaged with the vertical or axial grooves (see grooves 15 of FIG. 
2) which are formed on the bore of the cartridge, which the chuck 401 will 
be attached to (not shown in the drawing). 
The spring retaining section 406 is formed on the outer surface of the rear 
end (right side in FIG. 5) of the chuck 401, and the pull-spring for 
automatic returning of the chuck 401 is retained onto the spring retaining 
section 406. The spring retaining projections 407, 407' (two in number) 
which are formed on the spring retaining section 406, are provided to hold 
the pull-spring. The window or opening 409 which is formed between the 
spring retaining projection 407 and 407', is opened and penetrated through 
the spring retaining section 406. Because of this window 409, the space 
between both spring retaining projections 407 and 407' can be contracted 
by the fingers to enable the pull-spring to pass easily over the 
projections 407, 407' when the pull spring is attached onto the spring 
retaining section 406. The push rod (not shown in FIG. 5) is housed inside 
of the main body and meets the meeting section 411 formed on the rear of 
the chuck 401. Therefore, the chuck 401 and the stick type cosmetic 
material 2 can advance or retract together. 
FIG. 6 shows a side view of the chuck of FIG. 5 with a stick type cosmetic 
material 2 which is horizontally pressured. 
As shown in FIG. 6, the coil-spring shaped holding portion 403 bends from 
the bottom thereof to hold firmly the stick type cosmetic material 2. If 
the coil-spring shaped holding portion 403 did not have such elasticity, 
the stick type cosmetic material 2 would receive pressure directly and 
would be broken by the applied pressure. However, such an accident will 
not occur to the container according to this embodiment of the present 
invention because of the elasticity of the lower portion of the 
coil-spring shaped holding portion 403. The number of wires from which the 
coil of the coil-spring 403 is made, can be more than two. Alternatively, 
the coil-spring 403 can be a doulbe spiral Also the butts 405, the spring 
retaining projections 407, 407', and the window 409 can be omitted, 
depending on the usage of the container. 
FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a lipstick container according to an 
embodiment of the present invention. 
The lipstick container of FIG. 7 comprises a cylinder 423 having a spiral 
internal groove 425, a rotational lower cylinder 427, and a cup 433. Among 
these members, the cylinder 423 and the rotational lower cylinder 427 are 
almost the same as the ones which are used for a prior art lipstick 
container. That is, the spirally grooved cylinder 423 is rotationally 
attached on the upper outer circumference of the rotational lower cylinder 
427. A spiral groove 425 is formed on the inner surface of the cylinder 
423, and slits 429, which are elongated axially, are formed on the upper 
portion of the rotational lower cylinder 427. 
The butts 435, which are protruded outwardly from the cup 433, are fitted 
into the slits 429 of the rotational cylinder 427, and the protruded 
portion of the butts 435 is projected over the slits 429 to spirally 
engage with the spiral grooves 425 of the cylinder 423. Therefore, when 
the cylinder 423 and the rotational cylinder 427 are relatively rotated, 
the cup 433 moves along the spiral groove 425 to make the lipstick advance 
or retract. This mechanism of feeding a lipstick is almost the same as the 
former typical prior art type of lipstick container. 
The new characteristic feature of the lipstick container in FIG. 7 is the 
lipstick holding portion 431 of the cup 433. 
FIG. 8 shows a side view of the cup 433 of FIG. 7 which holds the stick 
type cosmetic material 2. The coil-spring shaped lipstick holding portion 
431 is formed on the cup 433. The lipstick holding portion 431 comprises a 
spiral spring portion 439, and an upper ring 437, which is provided on the 
front or upper end of the spring 439. The ring 437 holds the lipstick 
tightly to keep it from dropping off, and the spring 439 gives the holding 
portion flexibility and resilience. With such a structure of the lipstick 
holding portion, the lipstick is held firmly and elastically. Also the 
ring 437 can be formed at a lower area to receive the cosmetic material, 
contrary to FIG. 8. 
FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the construction of a cartridge of a 
container for feeding a stick type cosmetic material according to another 
embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10A shows a cross-sectional 
side view of the disassembled cartridge cylinder of the container of FIG. 
9. Fig. 10B shows a sectional view taken along line XB--XB in FIG. 10A. 
Referring to FIG. 9, inside of the cartridge cylinder 502, a chuck 531 
which holds the end of a stick type cosmetic material 505, is so housed as 
to be slidable axially. The chuck 531 is urged in a backward (retracted) 
direction by a pull spring 541. 
The first characteristic feature of the cartridge of this embodiment of 
FIG. 9 is that the cartridge cylinder 502 has a double-cylindrical form, 
which comprises (see also FIG. 10A) an outer cylinder 503 and an inner 
cylinder 504, of which about the first half is inserted into the outer 
cylinder 503. The inner diameter of the tip opening 513 is the sum of the 
outer diameter of the stick type cosmetic material 505 (e.g., about 2 mm) 
plus a clearance for the sliding space (e.g., a total inner diameter of 
about 2.2 mm). This tip opening 513 supports the front end of the stick 
type cosmetic material 505 diametrically while also permitting the 
cosmetic material 505 to be axially slidable. 
The inner diameter of the outer cylinder 503 gets wider from the tip 
opening 513 to the back or bottom end thereof. For example, the inner 
diameter of the outer cylinder 503 at the level 551 is about 4.6 mm. And 
from the level 551 to the attachment section 557, which is the rear end of 
the outer cylinder 503, is the double cylindrical portion that comprises 
the outer cylinder 503 and the inner cylinder 504 where it meets and joins 
the inner circumference of the outer cylinder 503. As shown in FIG. 10A, 
the rolet or serrated or keyed portion 553 is a combination of vertical 
ribs 553b formed on the outer circumference of the inner cylinder 504 and 
vertical grooves 553b formed on the inner circumference of the outer 
cylinder 503, and prevents rotational aberration which would otherwise 
occur between the outer cylinder 503 and the inner cylinder 504. The 
engagement ridge and recess 555 is a combination of an annular recess 555a 
and an annular ridge 555b, and prevents axial aberration which occurs 
between the outer cylinder 503 and the inner cylinder 504. By the rolet 
553 and the engagement ridge and recess 555, both outer cylinder 503 and 
inner cylinder 504 can be a cartridge cylinder 502, which looks like one 
body. From the viewpoint of the outer appearance, both cylinders look like 
one-body, because the joint of both cylinders is at the corner of the 
attachment section 557, though there is no problem if they do not look 
like one-body. 
The second characteristic feature of the cartridge of the container for 
feeding a stick type cosmetic material shown in FIG. 9 is the inner 
projections 559 which are formed on the inner surface of the bore (rear 
end portion of the vertical groove 521) and which function as a 
chuck-stopper. The front end of the inner projections 559 are 
perpendicular to the inner circumference of the bore, and they form a 
slope to the rear or bottom end (in this embodiment, the base or each 
projection 559 is about 1.5 mm, and the height is about 0.45 mm). Because 
of this shape, it is easy for the butt 560 of the chuck (described later) 
to be inserted, but it is hard for the chuck to come off. 
The inner cylinder 504 is made by plastic injection molding, and the chuck 
stopper is made by a couple of core pins of the mold, which are inserted 
from the front end and rear end. That is, when the inner cylinder is 
molded, a front-side core pin, which is elongated from the front portion 
of the bore 552 to the upper surface of the inner projections 559, and a 
rear-end core pin, which is elongated from the engageable grooves 523 to 
the lower surface of the inner projection 559, are inserted into the mold. 
The upper surface of the inner projections 559 are formed by the lower 
surface of the front-side core pin, and the lower surface of the 
projections 559 are formed by the upper surface of the rear end core pin. 
It is possible to utilize this kind of molding technique because the front 
portion of the bore of the inner cylinder 504 is elongated straightly 
(diameter about 3.1 mm, and the diameter between the bottom of the 
vertical grooves is about 4.6 mm). The outer diameter of the chuck 531 is 
about 3.0 mm, therefore a sliding space (clearance) of about 0.1 mm is 
added to the diameter of the bore. Also, the outer diameter of the chuck 
is added to the outer diameter of the stick type cosmetic material, which 
is about 2 mm, plus the thickness of the chuck 531 itself. On the other 
hand, the front portion of the bore of the outer cylinder 503 is about 2.2 
mm; that is, the outer diameter of the stick type cosmetic material is 
about 2.0 mm+sliding (clearance) space of about 0.1 mm.times.both 
side-about 2.2 mm. After all, the diameter of the bore of the inner 
cylinder 504 (about 3.1 mm) has to be wider, by about twofold of the 
thickness of the chuck 513, than the front portion of the diameter 513 of 
the outer cylinder 503 (about 2.2 mm). Accordingly, if the cartridge 
cylinder 502 is attempted to be made in one-body with the inner 
projections 559 by injection molding, the molding core pin which is 
between the front portion of the bore 513 and the inner projection 559 
will be under-cut, and the cartridge cylinder cannot be molded as one 
single body. Because of such reason, the cartridge cylinder 502 is divided 
into the outer cylinder 503 and the inner cylinder 504, and the bore 513 
is formed on the outer cylinder and the inner projections 559 are formed 
on the inner cylinder 504. 
Another characteristic feature of the cartridge of the container for 
feeding a stick type cosmetic material of the present invention is the 
bending structure of the chuck. 
That is, the attaching section of the chuck where the chuck stopper is 
attached, can bend inwardly to go through the chuck stopper when the chuck 
is inserted into the cylinder from the rear end in the process of 
assemblage of the cartridge, and then returns to its original shape and 
prevents the chuck from retracting. 
FIG. 11 shows a side view of the chuck used in the cartridge of the 
container of FIG. 9 for feeding a stick type cosmetic material. 
The chuck 531 in FIG. 11 has a coil-spring shaped holding portion 532, and 
the rear end of the stick type cosmetic material is inserted into the bore 
of the holding portion 532 to be held therein. The upper surface of the 
holding portion 532 is flat, and a tapered lead-in portion 534 is formed 
on the inner surface of the upper end of the holding portion 532, so the 
stick type cosmetic material can be inserted easily. The coil-spring 
shaped holding portion 532 elastically holds the stick type cosmetic 
material relative to the body of the chuck, and prevents damage to the 
cosmetic material. 
The butts 560, 560' are so formed so as to protrude outwardly on the outer 
surface of the axially center portion of the chuck 531. The side sections 
of these butts 560, 560' are engaged with vertical grooves (vertical 
grooves 521 in FIG. 9) of the cartridge in which the chuck is inserted. 
The upper surface of the butts 560, 560' are slanted, and the lower 
surfaces are flatly perpendicular to the axial direction. As shown in FIG. 
9, the lower surface of the butts 560, 560' abut against the upper 
surfaces of the respective inner projections 559 of the bore of the 
cartridge cylinder 502 to prevent the chuck from dropping off. 
In FIG. 11, a bend window 562 which is opened widely between butts 560 and 
560' of the chuck 531, is formed on the chuck 531. Therefore, if the chuck 
531 gets such pressure that both butts 560 and 560' are pinched toward 
each other, both sides of the bend window 562 are bent inward and the 
butts 560 and 560' are drawn inward too. Because of this, the butts 560, 
560' of the chuck 531 can pass through the inner projections 559, so when 
the chuck 531 is inserted into the cartridge cylinder 502 from the rear 
end, the chuck 531 is inserted easily. Moreover, after the chuck 531 is 
passed through, the butts 560, 560' will return (spring back by the 
resilience of the material) to their original shape, so the chuck cannot 
retract because the upper surface of the inner projections 559 meets the 
lower surface of the butts 560, 560'. Both surfaces contacting, to prevent 
the chuck 531 from retracting, are vertical against the retracting 
direction of the chuck, so the pressure of the contact of both surfaces 
will not affect the structure of the bend window 562. Therefore, the butts 
560, 560' will not be drawn inwardly by them. 
The spring retaining section 537 is formed on the outer surface of the rear 
or lower end of the chuck 531. The pull-spring (541 in FIG. 9) for 
automatic-returning of the chuck 531 is engaged with the spring retaining 
section 537. The wire of this pull-spring 541 is hooked to engage the 
spring retaining projections, which are formed on the spring retaining 
section 537. The window 538 is opened and penetrated through the chuck 
section 537 between the spring retaining projections 539, 539', and 
because of this window 538, the space between both retaining projections 
539, 539' is reduced by pinching both projections 539, 539' to enable the 
wire of the pull-spring 531 to pass over the rear end of the chuck 531 
easily. Then the rear end of the chuck 531 meets with the push rod (671 in 
FIG. 12) housed in the main body, and the chuck 531 and the stick type 
cosmetic material are advanced or retracted by the push rod. 
The assembling method of the cartridge in FIG. 9 will now be described. 
First, the front portion of the wire of the pull-spring 541 is forced onto 
the spring retaining portion 537 of the chuck 531 to be engaged with the 
spring retaining projections 539, 539'. Because of this engagement, the 
chuck 531 and the pull-spring 541 are assembled. 
Next, from the rear end of the bore of the inner cylinder 504, the assembly 
of the chuck 531 and the pull-spring 541 is inserted. At this time, the 
rear end of the chuck 531 is pushed by a thin stick. Under this 
circumstance, the upper surface of the butts 560, 560' of the chuck 531 
meet with the lower surface of the inner projections 559. Both surfaces 
have a slanted surface that makes them easy to slide relative to each 
other, and the butts 560, 560' are drawn inward because of the bend window 
562, the butts 560, 560' of the chuck 531 can pass between the inner 
projections 559 smoothly. Then, the lower surface of the butts 560, 560' 
meet with the upper surfaces of the respective inner projections 559. 
Therefore, the chuck 531 can not come out of the cylinder. At this point, 
the rear end 545 (wider diametered section) of the pull-spring 541 is 
attached to the spring retaining surface 519, and because of that, the 
spring 541 is stretched. Therefore, the chuck 531 is always in tension. 
Next, the cartridge cylinder 502 is assembled by inserting the front end of 
the inner cylinder 504 into the outer cylinder 503. Both cylinders are 
retained axially and diametrically by the rolets 553 and the engagement 
ridge and recess, and then, the assembly of the cartridge is finished. 
Also, the chuck 531 can be inserted into the inner cylinder 504 after the 
cartridge is assembled. However, it is preferred (in terms of practical 
manufacturing) to keep assembled inner cylinders in stock as unit, and 
then assemble an outer cylinder according to a user's order on shape, 
color, decoration and printing. 
FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of the cartridge in FIG. 9 and the 
inner structure of the cartridge and a main body of the container to which 
the cartridge will be attached. 
The main body 650 of the container for feeding a stick type cosmetic 
material comprises a body cylinder 651, internal threaded member 661, push 
rod 671, brush 678, cap 680, C-shaped ring 695, and spring 701. The body 
cylinder has a hollow-cylindrical shape, and a connectable section 653 is 
formed on the opening of the body cylinder. Near the upper end of the 
connectable section 653, an annular connectable recess 654 is also formed. 
The connectable projections 525, formed on the outer surface of the 
cartridge cylinder 502 described above, are snappingly engaged (due to the 
resilience of the materials used) with the annular connectable recess 654 
to thereby connect the cartridge and the main body. 
The body cylinder 651 has a simple cylindrical shape, with four vertical 
internal grooves 652, which are elongated linearly in four rows with an 
angle of 90.degree. between the rows in the circumferential direction. The 
butts 677, formed on the outer surface of the flange 675 of the push rod 
671, are engaged with the vertical grooves 652 so as to be axially 
slidable in the body cylinder 651, so the push rod 671 and the body 
cylinder 651 can synchronously rotate. 
The brush holder 679 is mounted on the rear end of the body cylinder 651. 
The brush 678 is used by users for example to shade eyeliner or eye-color. 
The cap 680 is put on over the brush 678, and on the connectable section 
of the brush holder 678 and the body cylinder 651. An annular ridge 715 is 
formed on the brush holder 679 and an annular recess 714 is formed on the 
body cylinder 651 to connect them together. 
The cylindrical internally threaded member 661 is provided inside the body 
cylinder 651, and two lines of the spiral grooves 663 are formed on the 
inner circumference of the bore of the internal thread 661. Instead of two 
lines, the spiral groove can have only one line, or more than two lines. 
The spiral grooves 663 are engaged with the group of projections 673 which 
are formed on the outer circumference of the push rod 671; that is, both 
the spiral grooves and the group of projections will operate as a 
combination of engaged internal-thread-and-external-thread devices. Also, 
four engageable ribs 665, which are elongated axially, are formed on the 
outer circumference of the internally threaded member 661. When the 
cartridge is attached to the main body of the container, these ribs 665 
are engaged with the synchronously engageable axially directed grooves 523 
which are formed on the inner surface of the lower portion of the 
cartridge cylinder 511 to cause cartridge cylinder 511 to synchronously 
rotate with the internally threaded member 661. 
A coil spring 701 is arranged between the upper surface of the flange 675 
of the push rod 671 and the lower surface of the annular recess member 
713. Spring 701 surrounds the push rod 671, and urges the push rod 671 in 
a backward (downward) direction between both surfaces. Because of the 
spring 701, when the cartridge is pulled out of the main body, the 
internal thread 661 becomes free so that the push rod 671 will 
automatically return to the retracted position from the former position, 
without a rotational movement. Therefore, whenever the cartridge is 
replaced, the push rod 671 is always kept at the retracted position, and 
the stick type cosmetic material will never be fed out inadvertently when 
a new cartridge is attached. Thus, damage to the stick type cosmetic 
material can be prevented. Also, when the push rod 671 is automatically 
returned, the push rod 671 and the body cylinder are not relatively 
rotated, so the spring 701 will smoothly move without a twisting force. 
The retracting extremity of the push rod 671 is determined by the lower 
surface of the C-shaped ring 695 and the upper surface of the internally 
threaded member 661 which are attached. The C-shaped ring is set on the 
annular groove, which is provided on the outer circumference of the push 
rod 671. It is fed out into the cartridge cylinder with the push rod, and 
the C-shaped ring 695 prevents the push rod 671 from retracting when its 
lower surface meets the upper surface of the internally threaded member 
661. 
The O-ring 526, which is arranged on the outer surface of the cartridge 
501, gives regular rotational resistance to the cartridge cylinder 511 and 
the body cylinder 651. If there is no rotational resistance between them, 
the push rod 671, the internal thread 661, and the cartridge cylinder 511 
will run idle and the push rod 671 will return to the retracted extremity 
by the force of the spring 701 and the pull-spring 541. 
A flat portion 711, which has flat-circumference without the group of 
projections 673, is formed on the lower portion of the push rod 671 of the 
main body 650 of the container. The diameter of the flat portion 711 is 
the same as the diameter of the other portions of the push rod 671 with 
the projections 673. When the push rod 671 is at the advanced extremity, 
the flat portion 711 is located at a position where it will be engaged 
with the internally threaded member 661. Accordingly, in this condition, 
if the cartridge and the main body are relatively rotated, the internally 
threaded member 661 and the push rod 671 will run idle. Also the push rod 
671 is forced to the backward (retracted) direction by the spring 701 and 
the pull-spring 541 of the cartridge. So, when they run idle, there is an 
interference and an audible noise, because the projections 673 of the push 
rod are coming into and going out of the spiral grooves 663. Therefore by 
this audible noise the user can notice that the stick type cosmetic 
material is at the most advanced extremity (i.e. it is at the advancing 
limit). 
From the descriptions above, it is seen that the container for feeding a 
stick type cosmetic material of the present invention has the following 
effects: 
(1) The container for feeding a stick type cosmetic material utilizes a 
coil-spring shaped holding portion for the stick type cosmetic material, 
thus holding the stick type cosmetic material elastically. Therefore, even 
if the container has pressure applied thereto, or if the container is 
dropped, the stick type cosmetic material can be prevented from being 
damaged. 
(2) In the container for feeding a stick type cosmetic material according 
to one embodiment of the present invention, the chuck is engaged with a 
chuck stopper only by inserting the chuck from the rear end of the inner 
cylinder. Accordingly, it is easy to assemble the cartridge. 
Various modifications and alterations can be made within the scope of the 
appended claims. Features of one embodiment can be combined with other 
embodiments, consistent with proper operation. While the principles of the 
invention have been described above in connection with specific apparatus, 
it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way 
of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention.