Stick cosmetic container

A cartridge includes a cartridge body and a holder for holding a stick cosmetic and movable forward/backward in accordance with a screw movement. A container body includes an outer cylinder for rotatably holding the cartridge body, a clicking rod movable forward/backward, a rotor rotated by a cam mechanism while moving forward together with the clicking rod when a clicking operation is performed, and a rotation rod for transmitting the rotational force of the rotor to the holder. The holder and the rotor engage with the rotation rod in the rotating direction and are slidable forward/backward. When a clicking operation is performed, the holder rotates to move forward in accordance with the screw movement. When a clicking operation is not performed, the cartridge body is rotated to move the holder forward/backward.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 (1) Field of the Invention
 The present invention relates to a stick cosmetic container.
 (2) Description of the Prior Art
 A conventionally known stick cosmetic container converts a forward movement
 of a clicking member obtained by clicking the tail end of the container
 into a rotary movement of a rotor by a cam mechanism (a clicking mechanism
 of this type will be referred to as a cam type clicking mechanism
 hereinafter) and draws out a stick cosmetic forward from the front end of
 the container in accordance with a screw movement.
 For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Sho 63 No. 31609
 discloses a technique for extending or extracting a cosmetic stick held by
 a cosmetic tray by clicking a clicking member at the tail end of the
 container forward. However, since the cosmetic moves only forward upon
 clicking, if the cosmetic stick is excessively extended for use more than
 necessary, the length of the extended portion of the cosmetic stick cannot
 be adjusted to an appropriate length. Also, since the cosmetic stick stays
 exposed from the container body, a cap is necessary for protecting the
 exposed cosmetic stick when the cosmetic container is stored.
 In Japanese Patent Publication Hei 2 No. 32883, Japanese Utility Model
 Application Laid-open Hei 1 No. 79410, Japanese Utility Model Application
 Laid-open Sho 63 No. 139813 and the like, a cosmetic stick can be extended
 and can be retracted (to be stored in the container) by a cam type
 clicking mechanism of the type described above.
 In Japanese Patent Publication Hei 2 No. 32883 described above, the
 cosmetic stick is extended by a three-split collet chuck, and the entire
 mechanism of the collet chuck is moved forward and backward by the cam
 type clicking mechanism. When the cosmetic stick is not in use, the
 projecting portion of the pivotal cam cylinder of the cam type clicking
 mechanism is set on the retracting side of the groove of a stationary cam,
 thereby storing the cosmetic stick in the cosmetic stick cylinder. In
 Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Hei 1 No. 79410 described
 above, the cosmetic stick is extended in accordance with the screw
 movement, and the cosmetic stick is moved forward and backward (to be
 stored) by using the cam type clicking mechanism. In the extending
 container of Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Sho 63 No.
 139813 described above, a rod-shaped cosmetic stick can be moved forward
 and extracted in accordance with a clicking operation by utilizing the cam
 type clicking mechanism.
 However, in the conventional stick cosmetic container capable of moving a
 cosmetic stick forward and backward, although the cosmetic stick is moved
 forward for the same length as the clicking stroke every time clicking is
 performed, when clicking is stopped (when the clicking member is restored
 to the initial position by a spring), the cosmetic stick is undesirably
 moved backward simultaneously. Therefore, although a small
 forward-movement amount corresponding to one clicking operation set by the
 cam type clicking mechanism can be obtained, every time clicking is
 performed, the cosmetic stick repeats the forward/backward movement almost
 corresponding to one clicking stroke. In this case, when the distal end of
 the cosmetic stick stays in the container, no problem will arise. When,
 however, the cosmetic stick is located near the mouth which is close to a
 position where the cosmetic stick can be used, every time clicking is
 performed, the cosmetic stick repeats an unnatural movement of protruding
 and retracting from the mouth for almost one stroke. This motion seems
 unnatural to the user and is not very preferable for a cosmetic goods.
 Also, as the exposed length of the cosmetic stick is large, the cosmetic
 stick tends to break easily.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention has been achieved in view of the above problems, and
 has as its object to provide a stick cosmetic container capable of
 smoothly obtaining a necessary extension length of a cosmetic stick by
 eliminating the unnatural, meaningless forward/backward movement of the
 cosmetic stick upon a clicking operation and capable of easily storing the
 cosmetic stick in a cartridge as required.
 As the result of extensive studies, the present inventors combined a cam
 type clicking mechanism and a screw movement, allowed a driving force that
 acts forward upon a clicking operation to be transmitted to the cosmetic
 stick only as a rotational force, and enabled the cosmetic stick to be
 extended and retracted also with a screw movement through a rotating
 operation separate from the clicking operation, thereby solving the above
 problems.
 More specifically, the first gist of the present invention resides in a
 stick cosmetic container comprising a cartridge for detachably holding a
 stick cosmetic and a container body on which the cartridge is mounted,
 characterized in that the cartridge mainly comprises a substantially
 cylindrical cartridge body and a holder for detachably holding the
 cosmetic stick at a front portion thereof to be disposed in the cartridge
 body and movable forward and backward in accordance with a screw movement
 when being rotated with respect to the cartridge body, the container body
 comprises; an outer cylinder, a clicking member, a clicking spring, a
 rotor, a driving spring, and a rotation rod, wherein the outer cylinder
 rotatably holding the cartridge body, the clicking member moving forward
 and backward in the outer cylinder upon being clicked, the clicking spring
 urging the clicking member backward, the rotor being restrained from
 rotating when a clicking operation is not performed, while the rotor being
 rotated when the clicking operation is performed through a predetermined
 angle by a cam mechanism converting a driving force of the clicking member
 into a rotational force while moving forward together with the clicking
 member, the driving spring urging the rotor backward, and the rotation rod
 being disposed in the outer cylinder to transmit a rotational force of the
 rotor to the holder and rotating the holder when the rotor is rotated;
 wherein at least the holder among the holder and the rotor is movable
 forward/backward with respect to the rotation rod, and the holder rotates,
 when the clicking operation is performed, through a predetermined angle
 upon reception of the rotational force from the rotor through the rotation
 rod to move forward in accordance with the screw movement, and becomes
 movable forward/backward when the clicking operation is not performed,
 upon rotation of the cartridge body with respect to the outer cylinder.
 The second gist of the present invention resides in a stick cosmetic
 container according to the first gist of the invention, characterized in
 that the rotation rod has an outer flange constrained in a space defined
 between a front surface of an inner flange provided to an inner
 circumferential surface of the outer cylinder and a rear surface of a
 stopper incorporated in the outer cylinder.
 The third gist of the present invention resides in a stick cosmetic
 container according to the first gist of the invention, characterized in
 that a portion of the rotation rod which corresponds to at least a movable
 range of the rotor has a polygonal section, and a through hole of the
 rotor also has a polygonal inner shape.
 The fourth gist of the present invention resides in a stick cosmetic
 container according to the first gist of the invention, characterized in
 that a forward movement of the rotation rod is regulated by a tension
 spring provided between a clicking cap fitted in a rear end of the
 clicking member and the rotation rod.
 The fifth gist of the present invention resides in a stick cosmetic
 container according to the first gist of the invention, characterized in
 that a holder lock is fitted in a rear end of the cartridge body.
 The sixth gist of the present invention resides in a stick cosmetic
 container according to the fifth gist of the invention, characterized in
 that a guide cylinder of which a forward/backward movement is regulated by
 a front end face of the holder lock is fitted around the holder.
 The seventh gist of the present invention resides in a stick cosmetic
 container according to the sixth gist of the invention, characterized in
 that the guide cylinder comprises a rotary holder that transmits a
 rotational force of the rotation rod, and a connecting portion having an
 inner shape corresponding to a shape of a distal end of the rotation rod
 is formed on a rear end portion of the rotary holder.
 Finally, the eighth gist of the present invention resides in a stick
 cosmetic container according to the sixth gist of the invention,
 characterized in that the guide cylinder comprises a rotary holder that
 transmits a rotational force of the rotation rod, and a rear end of the
 rotary holder interlocks with a following member through an engaging
 structure having a substantially sawtooth-shaped mesh portion.
 The stick cosmetic container according to the present invention has the
 above configuration. Thus, when the user performs a clicking operation,
 the clicking member moves forward. The rotor is rotated by the cam
 mechanism while moving forward together with the clicking member. As the
 rotational force of the rotor is transmitted to the holder through the
 rotation rod, the holder also rotates. At this time, since at least the
 holder is movable forward/backward with respect to the rotation rod, it
 accepts the rotational force of the rotation rod but does not accept the
 forward/backward driving force of the rotation rod. As the holder rotates
 with respect to the cartridge body, it moves forward in accordance with
 the screw movement, thereby moving forward the cosmetic stick held by the
 holder. When the clicking operation is stopped, the clicking member and
 the rotor are moved backward by the clicking spring and the driving
 spring, respectively, to return to where they had been before the clicking
 operation was performed.
 When clicking is performed, the cosmetic stick moves forward for a forward
 amount corresponding to the rotating angle of the rotor. Thus, every time
 a clicking operation is performed, the cosmetic stick always performs only
 the forward movement. This eliminates the unnatural, meaningless
 forward/backward movement of the conventional cosmetic stick that takes
 place every time clicking is performed, so that a necessary extension
 length of the cosmetic stick can be obtained smoothly.
 When clicking is not performed, the cartridge body moves forward/backward
 upon being rotated with respect to the outer cylinder. More specifically,
 when clicking is not performed, the rotary movement of the rotor is
 constrained and the holder and the rotor engage with the rotation rod in
 the rotating direction. Thus, when the cartridge body is rotated in a
 predetermined direction with respect to the outer cylinder, the holder and
 the cosmetic stick move either forward or backward in accordance with the
 screw movement. As a result, after it is used, the cosmetic stick that has
 been exposed by clicking can be easily retracted and stored by rotating
 the cartridge body.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
 The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with
 reference to the accompanying drawings.
 The first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a stick
 cosmetic container 8 of the first embodiment has a cartridge 4 for
 detachably holding a stick cosmetic 2, and a container body 6 on which the
 cartridge 4 is mounted. The cosmetic stick 2 is a lipstick, an eyeshadow,
 an eyeliner, an eyebrow pencil, or the like.
 The cartridge 4 is mainly constituted by a substantially cylindrical
 cartridge body 10, a holder 12, and a holder lock 26, as shown in FIG. 2.
 The holder 12 detachably holds the cosmetic stick 2 at its front portion
 and is disposed in the cartridge body 10. When the holder 12 rotates with
 respect to the cartridge body 10, it can move either forward or backward
 in accordance with a screw movement. The holder lock 26 is fitted in the
 rear end of the cartridge body 10.
 A spiral groove 10a is formed in the inner wall of the cartridge body 10
 about the central axis of the cartridge. A screw projection 12a adapted to
 threadably engage with the spiral groove 10a is provided at substantially
 the central portion in the forward-to-backward direction of the holder 12.
 When the holder 12 rotates relative to the cartridge body 10, the screw
 projection 12a moves in the spiral groove 10a, so that the holder 12 and
 the cosmetic stick 2 move in the cartridge body 10 either forward or
 backward. A hollow portion 12b having a polygonal cross section is formed
 in the rear portion of the holder 12.
 The container body 6 has an outer cylinder 14, an inner cylinder 28, a
 clicking rod (corresponding to a clicking member) 16, a clicking cap 30, a
 clicking spring 18, a rotor 20, a driving spring 22, and a rotation rod
 24, as shown in FIG. 2. The outer cylinder 14 rotatably holds the
 cartridge body 10. The inner cylinder 28 is fitted in the outer cylinder
 14. The clicking rod 16 moves forward/backward in the outer cylinder 14
 upon a clicking operation. The clicking cap 30 is fitted in the rear end
 of the clicking rod 16 and is clicked by the user. The clicking spring 18
 urges the clicking cap 30 and the clicking rod 16 backward. When a
 clicking operation is not performed, the rotation of the rotor 20 is
 constrained. When a clicking operation is performed, the rotor 20 is
 rotated through a predetermined angle by a cam mechanism that converts the
 driving force of the clicking rod 16 into a rotational force, while it
 moves forward together with the clicking rod 16. The driving spring 22
 urges the rotor 20 backward. The rotation rod 24 is disposed in the outer
 cylinder 14 such that its movement in the forward/backward direction is
 constrained. The rotation rod 24 transmits the rotational force of the
 rotor 20 to the holder 12.
 As shown in FIG. 2, the outer cylinder 14 has a projection 14a formed on
 the inner circumferential surface of the mouth of its front end in the
 circumferential direction. This projection 14a is fitted in an annular
 groove 10b in the outer circumferential surface at the rear end portion of
 the cartridge body 10. The inner circumferential surface of the mouth of
 the outer cylinder 14 loosely fits on the outer circumferential surface of
 the cartridge body 10. Hence, although the cartridge body 10 cannot move
 forward/backward with respect to the outer cylinder 14 due to the presence
 of the projection 14a, it is rotatable in the circumferential direction.
 As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, cam portions 28a extending in the
 forward-to-backward direction are formed at, e.g., six positions in the
 circumferential direction, of the rear portion of the inner
 circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 28. Grooves 28b are formed
 among the adjacent cam portions 28a. Inclined surface cams 28c are formed
 on the front end surfaces of the adjacent grooves 28b and cam portions
 28a.
 Of FIGS. 3A to 3C, FIG. 3A is a longitudinal sectional view of one side of
 the inner cylinder 28 of the first embodiment, FIG. 3B is a sectional view
 taken along the line B--B of FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3C is a developed view
 taken along the line A-O-A' of FIG. 3B.
 As shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C, projections 16a adapted to fit in the
 grooves 28b are formed at, e.g., six positions in the circumferential
 direction, of the outer circumferential surface at the front end portion
 of the clicking rod 16. These projections 16a are located in the grooves
 28b both when the clicking operation is and is not performed. An inclined
 surface cam 16b inclined in the same direction as that of the inclined
 surface cam 28c is formed on the front end face of each projection 16a.
 Of FIGS. 4A to 4C, FIG. 4A is a longitudinal sectional view of one side of
 the clicking rod 16 of the first embodiment, FIG. 4B is a view seen from
 the direction of an arrow B of FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4C is a developed view
 taken along the line A-O-A' of FIG. 4B.
 As shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C, the rotor 20 has a substantially
 cylindrical shape. Ribs 20a extending in the forward-to-backward direction
 are formed at, e.g., three positions in the circumferential direction, of
 the outer circumferential surface of the rotor 20. An inclined surface cam
 20b is formed on the rear end of each rib 20a. The inclined surface cams
 20b have shapes corresponding to the inclined surface cams 28c and the
 inclined surface cams 16b, and abut against the inclined surface cams 28c
 when a clicking operation is not performed.
 Of FIGS. 5A to 5C, FIG. 5A is a side view of the rotor 20 of the first
 embodiment, FIG. 5B is a view seen from the direction of an arrow B of
 FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5C is a sectional view taken along the line C--C of FIG.
 5B.
 The rotation rod 24 has an outer flange 24a at its substantially central
 portion in the forward-to-backward direction, as shown in FIG. 2. The
 outer flange 24a is arranged in a space between the front surface of an
 inner flange 14b protrudedly provided on the inner circumferential surface
 of the outer cylinder 14 and the rear surface of a stopper 32 incorporated
 in the outer cylinder 14. Thus, the forward/backward movement of the outer
 flange 24a is constrained. The rotation rod 24 supports the rotor 20 at
 its rear portion to be slidable in the forward/backward direction, and
 engages with the rotor 20 in the rotating direction. For example, a
 portion of the rotation rod 24 corresponding to at least the movable range
 of the rotor 20 is formed of a polygonal section, and a through hole 20c
 of the rotor 20 is also formed of a polygonal inner shape. Hence, although
 the rotor 20 is movable in the forward/backward direction with respect to
 the rotation rod 24, it is restrained from rotating by the rotation rod
 24. The front portion of the rotation rod 24 is formed of a polygonal
 section corresponding to the shape of the hollow portion 12b of the holder
 12, supports the holder 12 to be slidable in the forward/backward
 direction, and engages with the holder 12 in the rotating direction, in
 the same manner as the relationship with respect to the rotor 20.
 When a clicking operation is performed, the holder 12 rotates through a
 predetermined angle, upon reception of a rotational force from the rotor
 20 through the rotation rod 24, to move forward in accordance with the
 screw movement. When a clicking operation is not performed, the cartridge
 body 10 is rotated with respect to the outer cylinder 14 to move the
 holder 12 forward/backward.
 The operation of the first embodiment will be described in detail. The
 extending operation of the cosmetic stick 2 by clicking will be described
 first. When the user holds the stick cosmetic container 8 and clicks the
 clicking cap 30 at its tail end forward, the clicking rod 16 also moves
 forward. As shown in FIG. 6A, the clicking rod 16 moves forward as its
 projections 16a are guided in the grooves 28b of the inner cylinder 28.
 Simultaneously, the clicking rod 16 pushes the inclined surface cams 20b
 of the rotor 20 with its inclined surface cams 16b. At this time, the
 rotor 20 receives a rotational force from the inclined surface cams 16b.
 However, as the rear end portions of the ribs 20a are constrained by the
 side surfaces of the cam portions 28a and the inclined surface cams 28c,
 the rotor 20 does not rotate but slidably moves forward on the rotation
 rod 24.
 When the inclined surface cams 20b of the rotor 20 coincide with the
 inclined surface cams 28c of the cam portions 28a, the rotor 20 becomes
 rotatable as its ribs 20a are released from the side surfaces of the cam
 portions 28a, as shown in FIG. 6B, and rotates for an amount corresponding
 to one step of the inclined surface cams 16b upon reception of a surface
 pressure from the inclined surface cams 16b of the clicking rod 16. When
 the user releases the clicking cap 30, the clicking rod 16 and the rotor
 20 are moved backward by the clicking spring 18 and the driving spring 22,
 respectively, to be restored to where they had been before a clicking
 operation was performed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6C, the rotor 20
 slides backward on the rotation rod 24 while further rotating until the
 side surfaces of its ribs 20a abut against the side surfaces of the next
 cam portions 28a, and waits for a next clicking operation.
 In this manner, the rotor 20 rotates through a predetermined angle upon one
 clicking operation due to the cam type clicking mechanism. The rotational
 force of the rotor 20 is transmitted to the holder 12 through the rotation
 rod 24. Thus, when the holder 12 rotates, the screw projection 12a on the
 holder 12 moves in the spiral groove 10a, so that the holder 12 and the
 cosmetic stick 2 move forward for a predetermined amount while they slide
 on the rotation rod 24 in accordance with a screw movement. FIG. 7 shows a
 state wherein the cosmetic stick 2 is moved forward by several clicking
 operations to project from the opening at the front end of the cartridge
 body 10.
 An operation required for extending and retracting the cosmetic stick 2
 without performing a clicking operation will be described. When the
 clicking operation is not performed, rotary movement of the rotor 20 is
 constrained and the holder 12 and the rotor 20 engage with the rotation
 rod 24 in the rotating direction. Thus, when the cartridge body 10 is
 rotated in a predetermined direction with respect to the outer cylinder
 14, the holder 12 and the cosmetic stick 2 can be moved either forward or
 backward in accordance with the screw movement.
 According to the first embodiment that effects in this manner, in a
 clicking operation, every time the clicking operation is performed, the
 cosmetic stick 2 always performs only the forward movement. The unnatural,
 meaningless forward/backward movement of the conventional cosmetic stick
 that takes place every time the clicking operation is performed is thus
 eliminated, so that a necessary extension length of the cosmetic stick can
 be obtained smoothly. After use, the cosmetic stick 2 (see FIG. 7) that
 has been exposed by the clicking operation can be easily retracted in the
 cartridge body 10 by rotating the cartridge body 10.
 As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in the cartridge 4, a guide cylinder 34 whose
 forward/backward movement is regulated by the front end face of the holder
 lock 26 may be fitted around the holder 12. A slit 34a is formed in the
 guide cylinder 34 in its longitudinal direction, and the screw projection
 12a of the holder 12 is fitted in the spiral groove 10a as it is exposed
 from the slit 34a. Therefore, this guide cylinder 34 protects the cosmetic
 stick 2 from the spiral groove 10a during a screw movement or while
 storing the cosmetic stick 2, and smoothly guides the forward/backward
 movement of the holder 12 during a screw movement.
 The second embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a
 stick cosmetic container 8A of the second embodiment is obtained by
 removing the inner cylinder 28 and the stopper 32 from the basic
 arrangement of the first embodiment and forming cam portions 28a, grooves
 28b, and inclined surface cams 28c on the inner circumferential surface of
 the outer cylinder 14. In addition to these changes, another inner
 cylinder 36 is fitted in the front side portion of the outer cylinder 14,
 and the rear portion of a cartridge body 10 is mounted in the inner
 cylinder 36. The front end of a driving spring 22 is supported by the rear
 end face of the inner cylinder 36. The backward movement of a rotation rod
 24 is regulated by the front surface of the bottom wall of the inner
 cylinder 36, and the forward movement of the rotation rod 24 is regulated
 by a tension spring 38 provided between a clicking cap 30 and the rotation
 rod 24. The cam type clicking mechanism of the second embodiment functions
 substantially in the same manner as that of the first embodiment, and its
 description will thus be omitted.
 In place of the holder 12 of the first embodiment, a holder 40 for holding
 a cosmetic stick 2 and a rotary holder 42 to be fitted around the holder
 40 are disposed in the cartridge body 10. A connecting portion having an
 inner shape corresponding to the shape (e.g., a crisscross section) of the
 distal end of the rotation rod 24 is formed on the rear end portion of the
 rotary holder 42. A slit similar to the that of the guide cylinder 34 is
 formed in the rotary holder 42 in the forward-to-backward direction. More
 specifically, this rotary holder 42 has the function of the guide cylinder
 34 and also serves to transmit the rotational force of the rotation rod 24
 to the holder 40. In the first embodiment, when the cartridge 4 is not
 mounted, the rotation rod 24 projects out from the mouth of the outer
 cylinder 14. In contrast to this, in the second embodiment, the distal end
 of the rotation rod 24 is entirely stored in the outer cylinder 14, as
 shown in FIG. 11. Therefore, even if the user erroneously drops a
 container body 6, damage to the rotation rod 24 can be prevented.
 The third embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a
 stick cosmetic container 8B of the third embodiment is obtained by adding
 a substantially sawtooth-shaped mesh portion 42a to the rear end of a
 rotary holder 42 of the basic arrangement of the second embodiment. As
 shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, a container body 6 has a tail end shaft 44 and a
 push rod 46. The tail end shaft 44 is fitted to the rear end of an outer
 cylinder 14. The push rod 46 is fitted in a rotation rod 24 from the front
 side and has a mesh portion 46a engaging with the mesh portion 42a. The
 cam type clicking mechanism of the third embodiment functions
 substantially in the same manner as that of the first and second
 embodiments, and its description will thus be omitted. The engaging
 structure of the rotary holder 42 and the push rod 46 is satisfactorily
 configured if it is capable of transmitting the rotation of the front end
 of the push rod 46 to the rotary holder 42. An engaging structure other
 than the substantially sawtooth-shaped mesh portions 42a and 46a, for
 example, a structure in which a rod portion having a polygonal cross
 section (modified profile) and a hollow portion having a cross section of
 the same shape as this are fitted with each other (e.g., the engaging
 structure of the rotor 20 and the rotation rod 24 in the rotating
 direction of the first embodiment or the engaging structure of the holder
 12 and the rotation rod 24 in the rotating direction) may also be
 employed.
 A rotor 20 and the rotation rod 24 are fixed by press fitting. When
 clicking is performed, the rotor 20 rotates the rotation rod 24. A front
 side portion 24b of the rotation rod 24 is formed to have a
 modified-profile cross section, and is inserted in a hole 46b having the
 same shape as that of the modified-profile cross section formed in the
 rear end portion of the push rod 46. Thus, the rotation rod 24 is slidable
 in the forward/backward direction with respect to the push rod 46, while
 it engages with the push rod 46 in the rotating direction. The push rod 46
 is urged forward by a driving spring 22, and its mesh portion 46a engages
 with the mesh portion 42a of the rotary holder 42, so that the push rod 46
 can transmit a rotational force to the rotary holder 42.
 According to this third embodiment, when a clicking cap 30 is clicked, the
 rotor 20 rotates the rotation rod 24 in accordance with the cam mechanism
 while it moves forward, in the same manner as in the first and second
 embodiments. However, since the rotation rod 24 and the rotor 20 are fixed
 by press fitting, in the third embodiment, the rotation rod 24 moves
 forward together with the rotor 20 while rotating. The rotational force of
 the rotation rod 24 is transmitted to the rotary holder 42 through the
 push rod 46, thereby moving a holder 40 forward in accordance with a screw
 movement. At this time, although the rotation rod 24 moves forward, it is
 slidable with respect to the push rod 46. Hence, the forward driving force
 of the rotation rod 24 is not transmitted to the push rod 46 or the rotary
 holder 42. Therefore, in this third embodiment as well, since a cosmetic
 stick 2 always repeats only its forward movement, the unnatural,
 meaningless movement of the cosmetic stick is eliminated, so that a
 necessary extension length of the cosmetic stick 2 can be obtained
 smoothly.
 Note that the first to third embodiments described above are the aspects of
 the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the technical
 scope of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments at all.
 As has been described above, according to the present invention, the
 unnatural, meaningless movement of the cosmetic stick upon clicking is
 eliminated, so that a necessary extension length of the cosmetic stick can
 be obtained smoothly. In addition, the cosmetic stick can be easily
 retracted and stored in the cartridge.