Patent Publication Number: US-2023147837-A1

Title: Refillable case for powder cosmetic product

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is related to and claims priority benefits from French Application No. 2111870, filed Nov. 9, 2021 and titled NOM ET ADRESSE DU DEMANDEUR OU DU MANDATAIRE À QUI LA CORRESPONDANCE DOIT ÊTRE ADRESSÉE, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by this reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a powder cosmetic product case comprising a base and a cover for closing the base, the base comprising: 
     a pedestal comprising a housing opening axially upwards, an upper section of the housing being delimited radially by a cylindrical wall and axially downwards by an annular bearing face; 
     a container enclosing a cavity which contains said product, the container being releasably received in the housing, the container comprising an axial opening surrounded by a rim which rests on the bearing face; 
     a ring for attaching the container by tightening the rim of the container against the bearing face. 
     TECHNICAL BACKGROUND 
     Various examples of the design of a case (or container) for receiving a powder cosmetic product, such as loose powder or similar products used for make-up, are known from the prior art. 
     In particular, cases are known in which the cavity containing the cosmetic product is delimited by flexible walls so that a bottom wall of the cavity can be lifted without significant effort by the finger of a user. This allows the desired amount of cosmetic product to be fed to a sifter that is stretched into the opening of the cavity. 
     Such a cavity is very advantageous because it allows the desired amount of cosmetic product to be obtained without the risk of spilling it next to the case and without any particular effort. In addition, such a cavity allows access to almost all of the cosmetic product present in the cavity. 
     In addition, to preserve the environment as much as possible, it is preferable to avoid having to repurchase an entire case when you want to renew or change your cosmetic product. 
     In order to solve this problem, it has already been proposed to realize the cases that can be refilled with cosmetic product containers. Such containers comprise little material and are therefore easier to manufacture and recycle. 
     However, the current containers have sufficiently rigid walls to be easily handled during their replacement and to properly hold the cosmetic product during its use. 
     There is a need to easily and cleanly replace containers with a wall that is too flexible to be handled without deformation in the existing cases. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a case for powder cosmetic product comprising a base and a cover for closing the base, the base comprising: 
     a pedestal comprising a housing opening axially upwards, an upper section of the housing being delimited radially by a cylindrical wall and axially downwards by an annular bearing face; 
     a container enclosing a cavity which contains said product, the container being releasably received in the housing, the container comprising an axial opening surrounded by a rim which rests on the bearing face; 
     a ring for attaching the container by tightening the rim of the container against the bearing face; 
     The case is characterised in that the cylindrical wall comprises at least two opposite indentations which give access to at least the rim of the container, the ring being attached by removable attachment means in the housing, two lateral faces for gripping the attachment ring being accessible through the indentations, the attachment ring comprising means of angular indexing of the attachment ring by cooperation with the indentations. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the ring is attached to the pedestal by attachment means by snap fitting in an axial direction. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the ring comprises two axial extension tabs which are elastically deformable in flexion and which are intended to be snap fitted with two notches carried by the pedestal to form said attachment means by snap fitting. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the notches are arranged in line with the indentations, each tab having an upper segment comprising the gripping face which is arranged in coincidence with an associated indentation, the tabs being capable of being constrained towards a state of disengagement of the notches by radial pinching of their upper segment through the indentations. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the angular indexing means comprise at least one projection extending from the gripping face of each tab and intended to be axially nested with the associated indentation. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the container comprises a flexible sifter that is stretched across its opening. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the sifter is attached to the rim of the container by means of a frame. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the frame has a sealing lip at its periphery against which the ring is intended to be tightened. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the container has at least one wall that is sufficiently flexible so that a bottom wall of the container can be easily lifted by the finger of a user up to come into contact with the sifter. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the bottom of the pedestal has a window for access to the bottom wall of the container. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the attachment ring is housed over its entire height in the cylindrical wall of the pedestal hiding a peripheral wall of the attachment ring. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the gripping face is formed by a segment of the peripheral wall. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, for the understanding of which reference is made to the attached drawings which are briefly described below. 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a case realized according to the teachings of the invention, the case occupying a closed position. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of the case in  FIG.  1   , the case occupying an open position. 
         FIG.  3    is a larger scale view showing the top of a base of the case of  FIG.  1    in perspective. 
         FIG.  4    is an exploded perspective view showing the various components of a base of the case of  FIG.  1    from a first viewing angle. 
         FIG.  5    is a view similar to  FIG.  4    that depicts the various components of a base of the case of  FIG.  1    from a second viewing angle. 
         FIG.  6    is an axial cross-sectional view along the cross-sectional plane  6 - 6  of  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  7    is an axial cross-sectional view along the cross-sectional plane  7 - 7  of  FIG.  3   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In the following description, elements with identical structure or similar functions will be referred to by the same reference. 
     In the remainder of the description, an axial orientation parallel to a main axis of the case, and indicated by the arrow “A” which is directed from bottom to top, will be adopted. Radial orientations extending radially with respect to the main axis of the case from the inside to the outside will also be adopted. Tangential orientations that are orthogonal to the axial and radial orientations will also be adopted. 
     In the embodiments of the case shown in the figures, said main axis constitutes an axis of rotation for screwing the cover onto a base of the case. 
     The terms “top” and “bottom”, “above” and “below”, “upper” and “lower” are used as geometric reference frame in relation to the axial orientation as shown in the figures and independently of the direction of the gravity of the earth. 
       FIG.  1    shows a case  10  for a powder cosmetic product in closed position, and  FIG.  2    shows the same case  10  in open position. 
     A powder cosmetic product is for example loose powder to be used for make-up. For example, it is a powder cosmetic product applied to the face with an applicator (not shown), in particular by means of a brush or a sponge (or any other equivalent means). 
     Preferably, the powder cosmetic product is intended to be applied by means of a brush which is here separate from said case  10 . 
     The case  10  of powder cosmetic product comprises at least one cover  12  and a base  14  that are movably mounted relative to each other between at least one closed position, shown in  FIG.  1   , and an open position of the case  10 , shown in  FIG.  2   , in which the cover  12  is removed from the base  14 . 
     The cover  12  is intended to be screwed onto an associated thread  34  of the base  14 . The case  10  has a main axis O determining the axial direction. The base  14  is located at the bottom and the cover  12  at the top. The cover  12  is more particularly intended to be screwed by rotation about the main axis O on the base  14 . 
     The cover  12  and the base  14  have a complementary shape that gives the case  10  its aesthetic appearance, in particular in closed position. 
     In a non-limiting way, the case  10  has a general cylindrical shape of revolution centred on said main axis O. 
     Alternatively, the case could have another general shape, in particular a parallelepiped shape, in particular a square or rectangular shape. 
     Advantageously, the case  10  is a “compact” type case, i.e. sized so that it can be conveyed, in particular but not exclusively in a bag, for example a handbag of a user. 
     Preferably, the cover  12  is removable from the base  14 , i.e., the cover  12  is separate from the base  14  in the open position of the case  10  as shown in  FIG.  2   . 
     Alternatively, the cover could be connected to the base by means of a flexible attachment allowing it to be screwed and unscrewed from the base. 
     The base  14  comprises a cavity  16  for receiving said product, visible for example in  FIG.  6   . The cavity  16  opens axially upwards through an opening  18  into an axially upwardly open bowl  20  outside the base. 
     A sifter  22  equipped with passage orifices of the product is arranged in the opening  18  to form a delimitation between the cavity  16  and the bowl  20 . 
     As shown in more detail in  FIGS.  4  and  5   , the base  14  comprises several components assembled. 
     The base  14  comprises a pedestal  24 , a container  26  and a ring  28  for attaching the container  26  in the pedestal  24 . This configuration allows the container  26  to be replaced when it is empty or when a cosmetic product is desired to be changed in a clean and quick manner, while retaining the rest of the case  10 . This configuration is therefore both economic and ecological. 
     For this purpose, the pedestal  24  comprises a housing  29 . The housing  29  is divided into two sections. A lower section  30  of the housing  29  is intended to receive the container  26 , while an upper section  31  of the housing  29  is intended to receive the bowl  20  allowing to collect the powder cosmetic product present on the sifter  22  by means of an applicator without risk of spilling it everywhere. 
     The upper section  31  of the housing  29  is radially delimited by a cylindrical wall  32 . The cylindrical wall  32  comprises on its external face the thread  34  for screwing the cover  12 . The cylindrical wall  32  comprises a free upper end edge  35 . 
     At the junction between the lower section  30  and the upper section  31  of the housing  29 , an annular bearing face  36  oriented axially upwardly is arranged. The annular bearing face  36  surrounds a passage to allow for housing the container  26  in the lower section  30  of the housing  29 , as will be explained later. This bearing wall  36  is here formed by a shoulder, the diameter of the lower section  30  being smaller than the diameter of the upper section  31  of the housing  29 . 
     Here, the container  26  encloses the cavity  16  which contains said cosmetic product. The container  26  is releasably received in the housing  29  of the pedestal  24 . 
     The cavity  16  is delimited radially by a peripheral wall  38  and axially downward by a bottom wall  40 , visible for example in  FIG.  6   . The sifter  22  is intended to be attached to an upper end edge  42  of the peripheral wall  38 . The edge  42  radially delimits the axial opening  18  of the cavity  16  upward. 
     In the embodiment shown in the figures, at least one of the peripheral wall  38  and the bottom wall  40  is made of a material that is sufficiently flexible so that a user can lift the bottom wall  40  up to bring into contact with the sifter  22  by simply pressing on the bottom wall  40  with a finger of the hand. For this purpose, the housing  29  of the pedestal  24  is closed downward by a bottom  41  which is perforated with a window  43  for access to the bottom wall  40  of the container  26 . 
     Such an arrangement thus allows the cosmetic product to be passed over the sifter  22  by lifting the bottom wall  40 , without having to tip the container  26  to drop the cosmetic product. 
     The sifter  22  is a flexible sifter which is made, for example, in the form of a grid, of nylon or other material, consisting of a set of meshes each delimiting one of the orifices for the passage of the powder cosmetic product out of the cavity. 
     The sifter  22  is stretched across the opening  18  of the container  26 . To maintain this tension despite the flexibility of the wall  38  of the container  26 , the sifter  22  is here carried by a frame  44  of complementary shape to that of the outline of the opening  18 , here of circular shape, centred on the main axis O. The frame  44  is made of a much stiffer material than the peripheral wall  38  and/or the bottom wall  40  of the container  26 . The frame  44  is sufficiently rigid to maintain the tension in the sifter  22 . 
     The frame  44  is for example made of a plastic material over-moulded on the periphery of the sifter  22 . 
     The sifter  22  is mounted on the edge  42  of the container  26  by means of the frame  44 . Specifically, the frame  44  is mounted by snap fitting on the upper edge  42  of the container  26 . Thus, the container  26  and the sifter  22  are attached to each other to form a single component that is easy to house in the pedestal  24  and replace. The frame  44  allows the upper end of the peripheral wall  38  to be made more rigid. The container  26  thus maintains an opening  18  of same shape, in this case circular, at all times during the use of the case  10 . 
     The container  26  further comprises a rim  46  that surrounds the opening  18 , as shown in  FIGS.  5  and  6   . The rim  46  projects radially outwardly from the upper edge  42  of the peripheral wall  38 . The frame  44  of the sifter  22  allows to provide structural rigidity to the peripheral wall  38  at the level of the edge  42 , as well as at the level of the rim  46 . 
     When the container  26  is positioned in its housing  29 , it rests by means of its rim  46  which rests on the bearing face  36  of the pedestal  24 , as shown in  FIG.  6   . The peripheral wall  28  is here entirely hidden by the pedestal  24 . 
     Since the container  26  is very flexible, it would be complicated to extract it from the top of the housing  29  by exerting a pressure through the window  43  without spilling the remaining powder it contains to the outside. It is therefore preferable to be able to grip it by a more rigid portion, namely by the rim  46 , made more rigid by the frame  44 . 
     To allow the container  26  to be easily grasped by the frame  44  and/or the rim  46 , the cylindrical wall  32  of the pedestal  24  comprises at least two radially opposed indentations  48  that provide access to at least the rim  46  of the container  26 . The indentations  48  are realized in the upper edge  35  of the cylindrical wall  32 . They extend downwards up to the face  36  of the bearing surface. Each indentation  48  allows a user to grasp the rim  46  by squeezing it diametrically with the pads of two fingers. 
     The attachment ring  28  of the container  26  is attached by releasably attachment means in the housing  29  by tightening the rim  46  of the container  26  against the bearing face  36 , as shown in  FIG.  6   . The ring  28  thus holds the container  26  firmly in its housing  29 . 
     The attachment ring  28  comprises a peripheral wall  50  that has an external diameter slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the cylindrical wall  32  of the pedestal  24  so that the ring  28  is received in the upper section  31  of the housing  29  with a radial clearance that allows it to be mounted and dismounted, as shown in  FIG.  3   . Because the ring  28  is received in the cylindrical wall  32 , it does not interfere with the thread  34  located on the external face of the cylindrical wall  32 , as shown in  FIG.  7   . 
     The peripheral wall  50  is received in a peripheral interstice that is reserved between the rim  46  of the container  26  and the cylindrical wall  32  of the pedestal  24 . 
     A lower end edge of the peripheral wall  50  of the attachment ring  28  is here intended to come into contact of an annular shoulder face of the upper section  31  of the housing  29  which is staged above outwardly relative to the bearing face  36  when the attachment ring  28  is mounted in the pedestal  24 . 
     The attachment ring  28  also comprises an annular upper wall  52  inclined in the direction of the opening  18  of the container  26  that radially delimits the bowl  20 . The upper wall  52  extends radially inward from an upper end edge of the peripheral wall  50 . The upper wall  52  thus forms a funnel that allows the cosmetic product to slide towards the sifter  22 . For this purpose, the upper wall  52  has an inner diameter that is approximately equal to the diameter of the sifter  22 . 
     The attachment ring  28  is housed over its entire height in the cylindrical wall  32  of the pedestal  24 , i.e., it does not protrude above the upper edge  35  of the cylindrical wall  32 . To this end, the attachment ring  28  here has a height less than or equal to the height between the shoulder face  49  and the upper end edge  35  of the cylindrical wall  32  of the pedestal  24 . The peripheral wall  50  is thus hidden by the cylindrical wall  32  of the pedestal  24 . Thus, only the upper face of the upper wall  52  of the attachment ring  28  is visible. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS.  5  and  6   , the upper wall  52  has a lower annular face  54  which is intended to press against the rim  46  of the container  26  around its entire periphery when the attachment ring  28  is mounted in the pedestal  24 . Here, the annular face  54  presses against the rim  26  by means of the frame  44  of the sifter  22 . Thus, the attachment ring  28  holds the container  26  firmly in position in its housing  29 . The rim  46  is tightened axially between the attachment ring  28  and the bearing face  36 . 
     The attachment ring  28  is mounted in a sealing manner around the container  26 . To this end, the frame  44  has a flexible sealing lip  56  that extends radially outward from the circumference of the frame  44 . An annular bead  57  extending from a lower face of the upper wall  52  of the attachment ring  28  is intended to tightly come into contact axially against the lip  54  to ensure a good sealing preventing the cosmetic product from passing between the container  26  and the attachment ring  28  when the attachment ring  28  is mounted on the pedestal  24 . 
     The attachment ring  28  is here attached to the pedestal  24  by snap fitting attachment means in an axial direction. For this purpose, the attachment ring  28  comprises two axially extending attachment tabs  58  which are elastically deformable in flexion. Each attachment tab  58  is equipped at its free lower end with a crampon  60  which is intended to be fitted, here radially outwards, into a notch  62  of the pedestal  24 . Thus, each attachment tab  58  is flexible between a fitting state of the clamp  60  in its notch  62 , towards which it is elastically biased, as shown in  FIG.  6   , and a disengaged state, in which it is flexed radially inward and in which it is stressed against the elastic bias, not shown. 
     An upper segment of the attachment tabs  58 , ensuring the connection with the rest of the ring  28 , is formed by a portion of the peripheral wall  50  delimited, along the circumference of the ring  28 , by two axial slits  64  which are made in the peripheral wall  50  and which open downwards, as shown in  FIG.  5   . These two slits  64  thus promote the flexibility of each attachment tab  58 . 
     Each clamp  60  is arranged at a lower end of a lower portion of each attachment tab  58  that extends axially projecting from a lower edge of the upper segment formed in the peripheral wall  50 . 
     The attachment tabs  58  are here two in number and they are arranged diametrically opposite to the main axis O of the case  10 . 
     The notches  62  are here arranged in line with the indentations  48  as shown in  FIG.  6   . The notches  62  are more particularly arranged below the bearing face  36 . The notches  62  are accessible to the tabs  58  by means of passages realized in the shoulder face  49 . The upper segment of each tab  58  is arranged in coincidence with an indentation  48 . This upper segment has a lateral face  65  for gripping the attachment ring  28 , which is accessible through the indentation  48 . Each lateral gripping face  65  is thus formed by a segment of the external face of the peripheral wall  50  of the attachment ring  28 . This arrangement allows a user to bias the attachment tabs  58  towards their disengaged state by biasing them directly with their fingers through the indentations  48  by radial pinching. Thus, the attachment ring  28  can be easily removed. 
     In order to allow the attachment ring  28  to be correctly positioned with respect to the pedestal  24 , the attachment ring  28  comprises means for angular indexing by cooperation with the indentations  48 . 
     The angular indexing means comprise at least one projection  66  that extends radially outward from the lateral gripping face  65  of at least one attachment tab  58 , in this case both attachment tabs  58 . The projection  66  is axially nested with the associated indentation  48 . These projections  66  come in abutment against the upper edge  35  of the cylindrical wall  32  of the pedestal  24  when they are not aligned with an indentation  48 . Each projection  66  here has a thickness equal to the thickness of the cylindrical wall  32  of the pedestal  24 . In particular, this allows to ensure that the projection  66  does not interfere with the screwing of the cover  12 . 
     The projections  66  also allow the ring  28  to be immobilized in rotation about the main axis O with respect to the pedestal  24 . 
     The cover  12  for closing the housing  29  is intended to be screwed onto the thread  34  of the pedestal  24  between a fully unscrewed position, as shown in  FIG.  2   , and a fully screwed position, as shown in  FIG.  1   , in which it is brought axially closer to the sifter  22  to allow the cavity  16  to be sealed. The screwing is done by rotating the cover  12  around the main axis O of the case  10 . 
     To facilitate the recycling of the case  10 , the attachment ring  28  and the pedestal  24  are made of one or more materials that can be processed by the same recycling stream. 
     Preferably, the pedestal  24  and the attachment ring  28  are made of a plastic material. 
     The plastic material may be selected from polypropylene (PP), recycled polypropylene (R-PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), recycled polyethylene terephthalate (R-PET), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), polyethylene (PE), such as the low density polyethylene (LDPE) and/or the high density polyethylene (HDPE), composite material, post-consumer recycled material (PCR and/or similar material). Preferably, it is polypropylene and/or polyethylene terephthalate, whether recycled or not. 
     Advantageously, all the parts, namely the pedestal  24 , the attachment ring  28  and the cover  12 , are made of a plastic material selected from polypropylene and/or polyethylene terephthalate. 
     In addition, the use of plastic materials, especially similar plastic materials for the entire pot, allows to facilitate the recycling. In particular, the polypropylene and the polyethylene terephthalate are two plastic materials whose recycling cycle is well known. 
     The pedestal  24 , the attachment ring  28  and the cover  12  can be made in 3D printing. Such a printing method allows in particular to realize very freely these parts presenting patterns and shapes participating to the aesthetic aspect of the case  10 . 
     The attachment ring  28  and the pedestal  24  are made of polypropylene (PP), for example. 
     When replacing a container  26 , the cover  12  of the case  10  is first removed. Then the user places the base  14  by its bottom  41  in one hand, leaving the cylindrical wall  32  accessible. With the other hand, he pinches between two fingers the upper segments of the diametrically opposed attachment tabs  58  through the indentations  48 . This same gesture allows the user to grasp the attachment ring  28 . With the tabs  58  thus constrained to their disengaged state, the user can freely slide the attachment ring  28  axially upwards so as to extract it from the housing  29 . 
     Then, after having removed the attachment ring  28 , the user grasps the container  26  between two fingers of his free hand by its rims  46  through the indentations  48 . He can then lift the container  26  equipped with its sifter  22  to extract it from its housing  29 . Because the frame  44  makes the upper edge  42  of the container  26  sufficiently rigid, the container  26  does not deform and the cosmetic product remaining inside the container  26  does not spill out. 
     This arrangement therefore allows for safe handling of the container  26  with flexible walls. 
     The user can then insert a new container  26  equipped with its sifter  22  into the housing  29  by gripping it by its rim  46  between two diametrically opposed fingers. The fingers can accompany the container  26  through the indentations  48  until it is placed on the bearing face  36 . 
     The user can then insert the attachment ring  28  into the upper section  31  of the housing  29  to attach the new container  26  in place. The projections  66  allow the attachment ring  28  to be correctly oriented so that the attachment tabs  58  are inserted in coincidence with the indentations  48  for being snap fitted in an automatic manner with their notch  62 . To do this, the user simply pushes the attachment ring  28  axially downwards. To this end, the clamps  60  are, for example, equipped with an inclined ramp that allows them to automatically flex upon contact as they slide towards the notch  62  before being elastically returned to their fitted state once they face the notch  62 . 
     The invention thus allows a user to cleanly and quickly replace a container  26  with very flexible wall.