Make-up tool and holder assembly

A make-up tool and holder assembly includes a holder body substantially in the shape of a plate, a plurality of cavities formed in the holder body through the entire thickness thereof, and a plurality of tools each having at one end thereof a make-up head and having a dimension capable of being accommodated in a respective cavity. The tools are arranged to be secured in the cavities in a detachable manner so that any desired tool can be separated from the holder body for use alone.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a portable assembly holding a plurality of 
make-up tools for applying cosmetic materials to a human face, nail or 
other area. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Conventionally a make-up tool such as a brush has been contained in a 
vanity case together with a cosmetic material. However, recent 
developments are such that consumers tend to prefer a vanity case 
containing plural cosmetic materials of different sorts or of different 
colors. Such a tendency also requires that plural make-up tools be carried 
with the vanity case, but a fundamental requirement regarding size of the 
vanity case prevents it from being so enlarged as to be sufficient to 
contain plural tools together with the several kinds of cosmetic 
materials. 
In view of the above situation, there has been proposed a make-up tool and 
holder assembly for carrying plural tools separately from the vanity case. 
One such assembly is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model KOKAI No. 
59-193310, in which a holder comprises a pair of plates connected to each 
other by a pin to which ends of plural tools are permanently and 
integrally pivotted. The pin is so located that the tools are usually 
positioned between the plates. When a user wishes to perform a make-up 
operation, any desired tool is rotated about the pin until a head thereof 
is positioned opposite to the plates with respect to the pin. 
Japanese Utility Model KOKAI No. 60-12315 discloses another assembly in 
which plural tools are arranged on a cylindrical holder along the 
circumferential directon thereof and are integrally pivotted at one end to 
lower edge of the holder. When desired, any of the tools can be rotated 
about the pivot so as to project downwardly from the holder for use in a 
make-up separation. 
Further, Japanese Utility Model KOKAI No. 61-163525 discloses a tool 
assembly comprising a pair of brushes which are pivotably and integrally 
connected to each other at the base ends thereof. The brushes can be 
aligned with each other where the heads are positioned at opposite ends of 
the assembly for use thereof, and can be arranged side-by-side for storage 
or carriage. 
In all of the above prior art arrangements the tool is integrally connected 
to the holder or to another tool, and it is therefore impossible to use 
the desired tool alone separately from the holder and other tools. This 
more or less detracts from the operability of the tool, particularly when 
a delicate make-up operation is needed. Additionally, the prior art holder 
increases the thickness of the assembly, resulting in an inconvenience 
when carrying the assembly in a hand bag or other small bag. 
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a make-up 
tool and holder assembly which makes it possible to carry a plurality of 
tools apart from a vanity case and in which any desired tool can be 
separated from a holder for use alone. 
Another object of the invention is to provide an assembly in which tools 
may be separated from and attached to a holder by simple operations. 
A further object of the invention is to provide an assembly the thickness 
of which can be reduced substantially to a thickness of the tool. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to the invention, a make-up tool and holder assembly comprises a 
holder body substantially in the shape of a plate, a plurality of cavities 
formed in the holder body through the entire thickness thereof, a 
plurality of tools each having at one end thereof a make-up head and 
having a dimension capable of being accommodated in a respective cavity, 
and menas for securing the tool in the cavity in a detachable manner. 
During use, any desired tool can be separated from the holder body and can 
be used alone, thus improving operability of the tool. The arrangement 
that the tools are accommodated in the cavities formed through the entire 
thickness of the holder body makes it possible to reduce a thickness of 
the assembly to a minimum level. 
In certain embodiments of the invention, the cavity is entirely surrounded 
by the marginal walls of the holder body. The securing means may include a 
flexible hinge portion which permits at least a part of the tool including 
the head to project over the holder body. Alternatively, the securing 
means may comprise means for pivotably connecting the tool to the holder 
body. 
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent 
from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof when taken 
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring first to FIGS. 1 through 7 of the drawings, a make-up tool and 
holder assembly according to a first embodiment of the invention generally 
comprises a holder body 10 and a plurality of make-up tools 12 and 14, 
which are shown in FIG. 1 as being accommodated within the holder body 10. 
As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the holder body 10 is in the form of a 
rectangular plate with its thickness substantially equal to the thickness 
of tools 12, 14. Formed in the body 10 through its entire thickness are a 
first cavity 16 for accommodating the tool 12 therein, and a second cavity 
18 for accommodating the tool 14 therein. These cavities are arranged 
side-by-side and separated from each other by a partition 20 which is 
integral with the marginal portion 22 of the body 10. 
The first cavity 16 is of an elongated rectangular shape in plane view and 
is thus defined by a pair of transverse walls 24 and a pair of 
longitudinal walls 26. A projection 28 is formed on one of the transverse 
walls 24, i.e. on the right hand wall in the illustrated embodiment, to 
extend into the first cavity 16 and has a width less than that of the 
caviity 16 so that it is spaced from the longitudinal walls 26. As seen 
from FIG. 4B, the thickness of this projection 28 is reduced toward thel 
ongitudinal center thereof to provide a flexible hinge portion 30 which 
permits the projection 28 to bend upwardly and downwardly beyond the plane 
of the holder body 10. A plug member 32 of a thin plate-shape projects 
from the inner end of the projection 28, it being adapted to fit into the 
tool 12 as hereinafter described. Further, each longitudinal wall 26 is 
formed thereon with a small protrusion 34 for supplemental engagement with 
the tool 12. 
Similarly, a projection 40 extends from the right-hand transverse wall 36 
defining the second cavity 18 and has a flexible hinge portion 42, a plug 
member 44 for the tool 14 extending from the anner end of the projection 
40. Each longitudinal wall 38 has a small protrusion 41. The wall defining 
the left-hand end of the cavity 16 is rounded to conform with a round end 
of the to/l 14. 
As shown in FIG. 3, the tool 12 is a brush for applying a powder or other 
cosmetic eaterial to a human face, and includes a base portion 48 and 
natural or synthetic fibers 50 attached to one end of the base portion 48 
by means of a band member 52. The other end of the base portion 48 is 
formed with a slot 54 into which the plug member 32 of the body 10 is 
adapted to fit for holding the tool 12 in the cavity 16. A recess 56 is 
provided on each side wall of the base portion 48 to engage with the 
respective protrusion 34. The tool 14 is intended to be used for a 
different sort of cosmetic material, such as a rouge, and comprises a base 
portion 58 and a head 60 of soft rubber or sponge attached to one end of 
the base portion 58. Similar to the tool 12, a slot 62 is formed in the 
other end of the base portion 58 for receiving the plug member 44 while a 
recess 64 is provided on each side wall to engage with the respective 
protrusion 46. 
The entire assembly can be accommodated in a casing 66 as shown in FIG. 7 
for convenience of carrying the same. Whenever a suer wishes to make up 
her face, the assembly can easily be taken out from the casing 66. 
It is now assumed that the tools 12 and 14 are retained in the holder body 
10 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. When a user desires to use one of the tools, 
e.g. the tool 12, it is separated from the holder body 10. This can be 
achieved by following operation. First the base portion 48 of tool 12 is 
pressed in a direction of arrow X in FIGS. 5A and 5B i.e. in the upward 
direction, by a user's finger while the holder body10 is gripped by the 
other hand. Such a pressure causes the protrusions 34 of the body 10 to 
disengage from the recesses 56 of the tool 12 and at the same time causes 
the projection 28, which is connected to the tool 12 through the plug 
member 32, to bend at the hinge portion 30 in such a manner as to lift the 
tool 12 over the plane of the body 10 as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. 
Thereafter, the tool 12 is pulled in a direction of arrow Y in FIG. 6 to 
release the engagement between the plug member 32 and the slot 54 and to 
separate the tool 12 from the holder body 10. 
After use, the tool 12 is again accommodated in the holder body 10 by the 
reverse of the above operations, that is, by first fitting the base 
portion 48 over the plug member 32 and then pressing the base portion 48 
to engage the protrusions 34 with the recesses 56. It is apparent that the 
tool 14 can be separated from and accommodated into the holder body 10 by 
the same operations as discussed above regarding the tool 12. 
The plug-slot structures may be reversed, that is, the projection 28 may be 
formed with a slot and the base portion 48 may have a plug member adapted 
to fit in the slot. Also, the number of cavities in the holder body 10 and 
the number of tools to be accommodated therein are optional and may be 
more than two. 
As mentioned above, any desired tool can be used in a form totally 
separated from the holder body 10, thus improving operability of the tool. 
The tools 12 and 14 are separated from and attached to the holder body 10 
by simple operations, particularly due to provison of the flexible hinge 
portions 30 and 42. Further, it is sufficient that the holder body 10 is 
as tihck as the tools 12 and 14, which enables the entire assembly to be 
made as thin as possible for convenience of carriage. 
A second embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 8 is similar to 
the first embodiment, except that a flexible hinge portion is provided in 
a tool itself. Thus, a tool 70, i.e. a brush in the illustrated example, 
has a base portion 72 with a reduced thickness portion 74 to provide the 
flexible hinge portion for permitting the base portion 72 to bend thereat. 
A holder body 80 has a pair of cavities 82 each for accommodating a 
respective tool 70, and a plug member 86 extends from one of the 
transverse walls 84 defining the cavity 82 to fit into a slot 76 of the 
tool 70. Formed on each longitudinal wall 88 is a protrusion 90 adapted to 
engage with a recess 78 of the tool 70, as in the first embodiment. 
When it is desired to use the tool 70 accommodated in the holder body 80, a 
pressure is applied to the tool 70 in the direction of arrow X in FIG. 9 
so that the base portion 72 is bent at the hinge portion 74 while 
releasing the engagement between the protrusion 90 and the recess 78. 
Thereafter, the tool 70 can be separated from the holder body 80 by simply 
pulling the base portion 74 in the direction Y. The two identical tools 
(i.e. brushes) 70 may be used for coating differently colored powders on a 
face, for example. 
FIGS. 10 through 12 illustrate a third embodiment of the invention, in 
which a holder body 92 includes three cvities 94, 96 and 98 for 
accommodating three different tools 100, 102 and 104, respectively, the 
tool 102 being a small brush for make-up of a narrow area. In the cavity 
94 a spindle 106 extends transversely between the longitudinal walls 108 
at a positio adjacent one of the transverse walls 110, and a protrusion 
112 is provided on each longitudinal wall 108. A base portion 114 of the 
tool 100 has at its end remote from the fibers a groove 116 the width of 
which is grdually reduced toward its inner end where the groove 116 is 
connected to a semicircular hole 118. Groove 116 and hole 118 extend 
between the side walls of the base portion 114, so that the spindle 106 
may fit into the hole 118 through the groove 116 for pivotably securing 
the tool 100 in the cavity 94 as shown in FIG. 11B. A recess 120 is formed 
on each side of the base portion 114 to engage with the respective 
protrusion 112. The other cavities 96, 98 and tools 102, 104 have similar 
structures and further description thereof will be omitted. 
Assuming now that the tools are accommodated in the respective cavities as 
illustrated in FIG. 11A, a pressure in the direction X in FIG. 12A applied 
to any desired tool, i.e. the tool 100 in the illustrated example, causes 
that tool to rotate about the spindle 106 while releasing the 
protrusion-recess engagement. Thereafter, by pulling the tool 100 in the 
direction Y in FIG. 12B the spindle 106 is disengaged from the hole 118 by 
slightly expanding the groove 116, permitting the tool 100 to separate 
from the holder body 92. As the inner end of groove 116 has a dimension 
slightly smaller than the diameter of the spindle 106, andy accidental 
separation of the tool 100 is prevented in cooperation with the protrusion 
112 and recess 120. 
In a modified form illustrated in FIG. 13, a pair of bosses 122 are 
provided on the respective longitudinal walls 108 instead of the spindle 
106, while a pair of bores 124 are drilled in the respective side walls of 
the base portion 114. The tool can be pivotably secured in the cavity by 
fitting the bosses 122 into the bores 124 while resiliently deforming the 
marginal portion of the holder body 92. 
Another modification of the assembly is shown in FIG. 14, in which the base 
portion 114 has a boss 126 on each side wall thereof whle a groove 128 for 
receiving the respective boss 126 is formed in each longitudinal wall 108 
defining the cavity. As best shown in FIG. 15, the boss 126 is in the 
shape of a flat barrel defined by bulged edges 130 and linear edges 132 
with its longitudinal axis being oblique with respect to the upper surface 
115 of the base portion 114, and has a width W1 defined between the linear 
edges 132. The groove 128 comprises a semicircular section 134 of a 
dimension sufficient to receive the boss 126 therein and a vertically 
extending entrance 136 having a width W2 which is slightly larger than the 
width W1 of the boss 126. This entrance section 136 extends to the upper 
surface of the holder body 92 so as to allow the boss 126 to fit into the 
semicircular section 136 through the entrance 136. 
In FIGS. 16A and 16B the tool is accommodated in the cavity of the holder 
body 92. In order to take out the tool, a pressure is applied thereto in 
such a manner as to rotate the base portion 114 in the direction X in FIG. 
17A while releasing the engagement at 112 and 120. The base portion 114 is 
rotated until it is inclined at a certain angle with the holder body 92 
and until the boss 126 takes an upright position where it aligns with the 
entrance section 136 of the groove 128 (FIG. 17B). Thereafter, by pulling 
the tool upwardly the boss 126 is released from the groove 128 to separate 
the tool from the holder body 92 as shown in FIG. 18. The arrangement that 
the boss 126 is inclined and normally does not align with the groove 
entrance 136, prevents the tool from accidentally separting from the 
holder body 92. 
A fgurth embodiment as illustrated in FIGS. 19 through 21 includes a holder 
body 140 which has a pair of cavities 142 for accommodatang two tools 144 
and 146 having different heads. Each cavity 142 is three-sided, that is, 
it is defined by a pair of longitudinal walls 152 and one transverse wall 
154 white the other transverse side is open. In the illustrated example 
the cavities are oppositely opened, thus rendering the holder body 140 of 
a shape of the letter Z or reversed S in plan view. If desired, however, 
these cavities may open in the same direction. Formed on each longitudinal 
wall 152 is an elongated projection or rib 156 which has at its tip end a 
small protrusion 158. A base portion 160 of each tool has at the 
respective side walls thereof a pair of slits 162 and recesses 164 formed 
on the inner end walls defining the slits 162. The protrusion 158 is 
adapted to engage with the recess 164 when the rib 156 is slidably fitted 
into the slit 162 for securing the tool in the cavity. 
When it is desired to use the tool that is accommodated in the holder body 
as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the tool can easily be separated from the 
holder body 140 by pulling the tool outwardly through the open end of the 
cavity with the ribs 156 sliding relative to the slits 162. After 
completing a make-up operation, a user may simply insert the tool into the 
cavity. 
In any of the above embodiments, any desired tool can be used alone 
separately from other tools and the holder body, and this facilitates a 
make-up operation by a user. The user can separate the tool from and 
attach it to the holder body by simple operations. Further, the holder 
body can be as thick as the tools, enablign the entire assembly to be thin 
for convenience of carriage. 
Although the present invention has been described with reference to 
preferred embodiments thereof, many modifications and alterations may be 
made within the spirit of the invention.