Article for packaging fusible substances, a package obtained with said article, and a method for the manufacture of said package

A single-use article for packaging fusible substances, in particular for sampling purposes, can be formed in one piece and has a tubular stem. One end of the stem terminates in a perforated dome which supports a thin layer of substance to be sampled and carries a removable cover.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to the packaging industry, more particularly 
for packaging fusible substances which are normally semi-rigid at the 
usual ambient temperatures, such as lipsticks and other cosmetics or 
pharmaceutical products or household cleaning products. The invention is 
more precisely concerned with the packaging of such substances in small 
quantities, especially for sampling and for a single use. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
It has already been proposed to sample lipstick in the form of a small 
stick, one end of which is coated with paste by dipping in the same manner 
as matches, as described in French patent No. 1,270,008. But this limited 
presentation of lipstick is unsuitable for testing standard commercially 
available lipstick under normal conditions on account of the fact that it 
has neither the same surface nor the same shape and does not permit full 
appreciation of the color and appearance of the standard lipstick. 
It has also been proposed to mold in a bowl-shaped mold, solid substances 
which are fluidified in the hot state such as antiperspirant products, 
then to dip a perforated cup superficially in the mass which is still in 
the liquid state and is subsequently allowed to cool and to solidify, 
whereupon said cup is fixed on the end of a handle which will facilitate 
handling of the solid block for applications on the body, as described in 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,557. However, this type of package calls for the use 
of quantities of substance which are too large for a sampling operation. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is concerned with the packaging of small quantities 
of thermofusible substances for a single use and especially a sampling 
operation, in a simple and inexpensive package which can readily be 
mass-produced, which entails the use of only an extremely small quantity 
of substance, and which nevertheless offers the appearance and shape of 
the end of the stick of substance as normally marketed. 
The invention is directed to a single-use article for the individual 
packaging of a small quantity of fusible substance to be applied on a 
surface by manual friction. Said article comprises a tubular stem open at 
one end and terminating at the other end in a perforated dome for 
supporting the substance in a thin layer over its entire surface, the base 
of said dome being provided externally with means for supporting a movable 
cover in a fluid-tight manner, the internal ogival cavity of said cover 
being located in spaced relation to the external surface of the dome at a 
short distance which determines the thickness of the layer of substance. 
The cover can advantageously be molded in one piece with the tubular stem 
and is joined thereto by means of an articulation tongue which is capable 
of folding and unfolding so as to permit engagement of the cover on the 
base of the dome and subsequent disengagement of said cover in order to 
use the article. 
In order to prevent any impairment in air during storage, the article 
considered can be completed by a plug for sealing the open end of the 
tubular stem. This seal plug can be molded in one piece with the stem and 
can be joined to this latter by means of a folding articulation strip or 
else said plug can constitute a separate part which may be inserted within 
and at the inner end of the tubular stem. 
The seal plug can be constituted by an external decorative case which 
covers the tubular stem, said case being associated with a complementary 
decorative cap which is placed over the cover and fixed on this latter. 
An article in accordance with the invention can be associated with a 
display stand, the base of which offers a plurality of supports for a 
corresponding number of articles. 
In order to ensure a presentation which is identical with the commercial 
product, the ogival cavity of the cover will have the same shape as the 
molded end of the corresponding cosmetic stick and in particular a 
lipstick. 
It is usually an advantage, especially for packaging colored substances and 
in particular of cosmetics, to ensure that at least the cover is of 
transparent material so that it may thus be possible to appreciate the 
coloring of the substance without any need to withdraw the cover. 
The invention is also concerned with a package, in particular for sampling 
a small quantity of fusible substances to be applied on a surface by 
manual friction, especially of cosmetics, pharmaceutical products and 
household cleaning products. Said package is essentially constituted by an 
article as considered in the foregoing in which the space between the 
cover and the dome as well as at least part of the interior of the dome 
are filled with the packaged substance. 
The invention is also directed to a method of manufacture of the package 
under consideration in which the substance to be packaged is fluidified, 
then poured into the article with the cover engaged on the dome until the 
space between the cover and the dome as well as the interior of the dome 
have been filled while leaving the remainder of the tubular stem empty, 
the substance being finally allowed to solidify by cooling within the 
article.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
In these figures, corresponding elements are designated by the same 
reference numerals which may be followed by an index. The respective 
dimensions and proportions of these elements may not be complied with for 
the sake of enhanced clarity of the drawings. 
The article in accordance with the invention as illustrated in the figures 
essentially comprises a tubular stem 1 molded in one piece and made, for 
example, of polyethylene or polypropylene which is preferably transparent. 
Said tubular stem 1 is open at one end 2 and terminates at the other end 
in a conical dome 3 pierced by four lateral openings 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, the 
cylindrical base 4 of which serves as a fluid-tight support for the 
engagement of the corresponding base of a cover 5. Said cover is attached 
to the tubular stem 1 by means of a hinged connection in the form of a 
folding tongue 7 which is molded in one piece with the stem 1 and its dome 
3 as shown in FIG. 1. A small raised portion 8 within the cover 5, on the 
side opposite to the tongue 7, is adapted to cooperate with a 
corresponding cavity 9 of the base 4 of the dome 3 so as to maintain the 
cover 5 closed down on the dome 3 as shown in FIG. 2. A radial lug 10 
which projects from the base of the cover 5 facilitates handling of this 
latter for the purpose of closing-down the cover (FIG. 2) and subsequent 
withdrawal of this latter at the time of use (FIG. 5) as indicated by 
arrows in these figures. Between the dome 3 and the closed-down cover 5, 
there remains an empty space 11 having a substantially constant clearance. 
After molding of the assembly (FIG. 1), the cover 5 is closed down on the 
dome 3 (FIG. 3), whereupon the substance to be packaged which has 
previously been fluidified by heating is then poured by means of a nozzle 
12 through the open end 2 of the tubular stem 1 until the space 11 between 
the dome 3 and the cover 5 as well as the interior 13 of the dome (FIG. 4) 
are filled, thus ensuring that, after solidification of the substance, its 
useful layer 14 which is located outside the dome 3 is well anchored to 
its bottom portion 15 located inside the dome 3 through the openings 6 of 
the dome. The ogival internal cavity 16 of the cover 3 serves as a mold 
for the outer portion of the layer 14 of substance. Preferably in the case 
of cosmetics, said internal cavity has the same shape (a conventional 
ogive of revolution, a cant face, a dihedron or the like) as the useful 
end of the commercially available stick of the same substance. Thus, after 
withdrawal of the cover 5 (FIG. 5), the user of the package thus formed is 
provided with the same conformation of the substance for a test as the 
commercial stick which the user can purchase. 
If necessary, the tongue 7 can be made breakable by means of a 
reduced-strength zone 17 which facilitates folding of the tongue and 
serves to separate the cover from the remainder of the article for greater 
ease of access to the layer of substance 14 at the time of use. 
The package (FIG. 5) formed by pouring a substance (FIG. 4) into an article 
(FIGS. 1 to 3) can be completed by a seal plug 18 (FIG. 6) which is 
introduced in the open end 2 of the tubular stem 1. Said plug 18 is 
advantageously provided with a flange 19 having the same external diameter 
as the stem 1. It endows the tubular stem with greater rigidity and gives 
the package a more attractive appearance while protecting the bottom 
portion 15 of substance against any degradation produced by the 
atmosphere. 
The seal plug 18 can consist of a separate part as shown in full lines in 
FIG. 6 or else can be molded in one piece with the remainder of the 
article if it is attached to the tubular stem 1 by means of a folding 
strip 20 which is similar to the tongue 7 of the cover 3, as indicated in 
dotted outline in FIG. 6. 
The package illustrated in FIG. 7 is similar to that of FIGS. 5 and 6 but 
the tubular stem 1 is covered with a decorative case 21, the blind base of 
which engages in the open end 2 of the tubular stem so as to form an 
end-plug 18a. A decorative cap 22 is removably fitted on the open end of 
the case 21 and thus completes this latter. Said cap is provided with an 
internal rib 23 having a frusto-conical cross-section which is 
snap-actingly engaged in a complementary groove of the base of the cover 
5a to which the cap is thus secured. In this embodiment, the cover 5a is 
independent of the tubular stem 1 and of the dome 3. 
FIG. 8 illustrates a package which is similar to that of FIGS. 5 and 6. In 
this case the open end 2 of the tubular stem 1 is removably engaged on a 
tubular nipple 24 which extends upwards from one face of a plate 25 
forming a display stand for a plurality of similar packages. The nipples 
can be open (24) or closed (24a). Each nipple can advantageously have an 
external annular rim 26 at that end which is introduced into the tubular 
stem of a package in order to ensure that this latter can be more 
effectively maintained on the nipple while being easy to insert and to 
withdraw. Complementary protection of the bottom portion 15 of substance 
against the external atmosphere can be provided by a plug 18b which is 
inserted in the inner end of the tubular stem 1 as indicated in dashed 
outline in FIG. 8.