Abstract:
A device is provided for stably retaining bottles of nail polish, and other items associated with self-administered nail care, manicures or other cosmetic applications, while in a relaxed and seated position to thereby avoid spillage or mishaps with the nail polish, the device being especially structured and shaped to attach to the user&#39;s leg.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates to the application of cosmetics and the accessories that are used to facilitate the application of cosmetics. Specifically, the present invention relates to a device for stably retaining bottles of cosmetics during the application process to prevent spillage and to keep products in one convenient place. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    For women who like to paint their nails, there has always been a level of difficulty encountered in applying nail polish without experiencing some mishap or spillage. Bottles of nail polish are small and tend to be easily bumped or dropped when the brush and associated lid of the bottle are in use. The accumulation of other nail care products in the same area, such as files, cotton pads and nail polish remover, can increase the likelihood that the nail polish bottle will be disturbed, thereby leading to spillage or other mishaps. 
         [0005]    An added problem in the process of painting one&#39;s nails is where the process is undertaken. Some women like to paint their nails at night before going to bed. A greater majority of women, and particularly young girls, like to paint their nails while conducting some other activity, such as sitting in front of the television or talking on the phone, or both. In such instances, the nail polish bottle may be precariously balanced on the user&#39;s leg, or may be wedged in the crook of a knee to stabilize the bottle while the polish is being applied. However, if the women reaches for a cotton pad, or even reaches for the phone or the remote control for the television, disaster is likely to follow. 
         [0006]    The desire to multi-task while putting on nail polish or other cosmetics merely compounds the difficulties encountered in the process of applying various makeup products. So does the desire to relax in a seated position, on the couch or a bed, present challenges to applying cosmetics without a mishap. 
         [0007]    Thus, it would be beneficial to provide a device for stably retaining bottles of nail polish or other fluid cosmetics, and other items associated with self-administered manicures or makeup routines, especially when applying makeup or nail polish in a relaxed and seated position. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    In accordance with the present invention, a cosmetics retaining device is provided for stably retaining containers of liquid cosmetics and other cosmetic items while applying the cosmetics, and is specifically structured to be attached to a user&#39;s body in order to render the cosmetics close at hand while being stably secured in a position so that the cosmetics do not spill, or get dropped or disturbed. While the invention is described herein with respect to retaining items for the application of nail polish in a self-administered manicure, the invention may also be used for retaining other forms of makeup, such as face makeup, to facilitate the application of such makeup. 
         [0009]    The cosmetics retaining device of the present invention generally comprises a holding device that is structured for retaining cosmetics items in a stable and upright position while in use. The holding device, therefore, includes at least one compartment containing a material that is structured for retention of cosmetics items in a stable and upright position. The material used in the compartment varies widely, but one exemplary material may be a dense foam having openings formed in the material that are sized to receive and snugly retain items, such as containers of liquid. 
         [0010]    The holding device may also be structured with other compartments that are configured for retaining accessory items that do not necessarily need to be maintained in an upright position, but that are desirably held in a position and at a place that facilitates handling and use. The holding device may be structured with openable drawers and other compartments that provide enclosed storage for various items. 
         [0011]    The holding device is specifically structured for attachment to the user&#39;s body to facilitate ready access to the cosmetics while the person is in a seated position. To that end, the holding device is shaped with a contoured bottom that has a surface for orientation toward and contact with the user&#39;s body. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom of the holding device has an arcuate contour that may register comfortably and stably against a portion of the user&#39;s leg, such as a thigh or calf area. 
         [0012]    The holding device is also provided with an attachment system that enables the securement of the holding device to the user&#39;s body. The attachment system may be any apparatus or device that secures the holding device against or about a portion of the user&#39;s body. Exemplar devices for the attachment system may include an elastically deformable continuous strap, a plurality of straps that are joinable in some manner, such as by hook and loop members, or a pair of movable arms having a modulus of flexibility to grasp a portion of the user&#39;s body. 
         [0013]    The cosmetic retaining device may also include a lid for enclosing the compartment or compartments of the holding device, thereby providing storage for cosmetic items. The lid may, in one embodiment, be tethered to the holding device. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    In the drawings, which currently illustrate the best mode for carrying out the invention: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a view in cross section of the invention of  FIG. 1 , taken at line  2 - 2 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a view in cross section of the invention of  FIG. 1 , taken at line  3 - 3 ; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the invention in use, attached to a user&#39;s body. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]      FIG. 1  illustrates a preferred embodiment of the cosmetics retainer device  10  of the present invention, which generally comprises a holder device  12  and attachment system  14  for securing the holder device  12  to a person&#39;s body. The holder device  12  has a wall  16  and a bottom  18 . The holder device  12  may be formed with at least one compartment  20  defined by at least a portion of the wall  16  and the bottom  18  of the holder device  12 . 
         [0020]    The holder device  12  may be constructed of any material that is relatively stiff to thereby provide a relatively rigid box-like container. Exemplar materials that may be used to form the holder device  12  include, but are not limited to, paper-based products, such as chipboard or paperboard, plastic, wood and treated fabrics. 
         [0021]    The compartment  20  contains a retaining material  22  that is suitably structured, manufactured or arranged for retaining liquid-containing bottles in a stable and upright position to prevent spillage or upset of the bottles. As used herein, the term “bottle” or “bottles” means or refers to any container that contains a spillable substance or fluid, and is not meant to be limited to conventional glass or plastic bottles. 
         [0022]    The retaining material  22  preferably has a degree of stiffness that enables the retaining material  22  to retain objects in a vertical orientation, yet has a degree of resilience that enables the retaining material  22  to spring back or resume a selected form once the object is removed from the retaining material  22 . In one particularly suitable embodiment, the retaining material  22  may be a dense, open- or closed-cell foam material having openings  24  (e.g., slits) formed in it for receiving bottles or other objects in a manner that snugly and stably retains the bottles in an upright position to prevent spillage of fluid from the bottles. Such materials may include bonded foams, gel foams and viscoelastic foams (i.e., “memory foam”). 
         [0023]    When a foam material is used as the retaining material  22 , it may be preferred that the foam is secured in some manner to the inside of the holder device  12 , such as by application of an adhesive material between the retaining material  22  and the inside of the holder device  12 . Securing the retaining material  22  to the inside of the holder device  12  prevents the retaining material  22  from be removed from the holder device  12  when extracting cosmetic containers from the foam material. 
         [0024]    The holder device  12  may further be configured with a first compartment  20 , as previously described, and a second compartment  28  that is separated from the first compartment  20  by a partition  30 . The second compartment  28  may contain a retaining material as well, or may, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , be an open space into which other cosmetic items may be positioned, such as nail files, cotton swabs, scissors, closed bottles of nail polish or remover, and the like. 
         [0025]    The cosmetic retaining device is particularly configured for use when in a seated and relaxed position, as is often the position assumed by women when applying cosmetics, and particularly nail polish. Because it is recognized that attempting to put nail polish on while in a seated position can lead to potential spilling of the nail polish bottle and/or nail polish remover bottle, the present invention provides a means for retaining such bottles in an upright and stable position. Moreover, the present invention provides an additional means for stabilizing the cosmetic items by providing means for attaching the holder device  12  to the person&#39;s body. 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  shows one exemplary method for attaching the cosmetic retaining device of the present invention to a portion of the user&#39;s body. In recognition of the fact that many women apply nail polish while in a seated position, often in front of the television, and especially with their legs folded in some fashion, the holder device  12  is structured with a contoured bottom  18  to approximate the contour of a leg  34  ( FIG. 4 ). Thus, the bottom  18  of the holder device  12  may be configured with an arcuate contour, as best seen in  FIG. 2 , which provides a surface  36  for orientation against the user&#39;s leg. 
         [0027]    The attachment system  14  for securing the holder device  12  to the user&#39;s body may be any apparatus or device that enables stable securement of the holder device  12  to the body. By way of example only, the attachment system  14  may comprise an elastically-deformable, continuous band  38  of material that expands and contracts to approximate the girth of the user&#39;s leg and secures the holder device  12  to the leg  34 . 
         [0028]    Alternatively, and in a particularly suitable embodiment shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the attachment system  14  may be a plurality of straps  40 ,  42  that are secured to the holder device  12  and have free ends  44 ,  44  that are structured with means  48  for joining the straps  40 ,  42  together. Such means  48  for joining the straps  40 ,  42  may include hooks, snaps, buckles or hook and loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro®). One type of material that may be used for making the straps  40 ,  42  is a neoprene material, although numerous other materials are equally suitable. 
         [0029]    The cosmetic retaining device  10  may further include a lid  50  ( FIG. 1 ) sized to register on the holder device  12 . The lid  50  may be entirely separable from the holder device  12  or may be tethered by some means to the holder device  12  so that the lid  50  is not lost or displaced. The holder device  12  may also include other or additional compartments, such as a drawer  52 , shown in  FIG. 4 , in which additional items can be held and stored. The holder device  12  may include additional attached features such as, for example, a mirror (not shown) or a fanlight  54  that pivots into and out of position for use in applying cosmetics. 
         [0030]    The present invention is particularly directed to a device for retaining cosmetic items in a stable and readily handy method during the application of the cosmetics, such as in applying nail polish. However, the cosmetic retaining device can be adapted to use for any similar purpose. Hence, reference to or depiction of details of the invention are by way of illustration only and are not meant to limit the invention.