Patent Publication Number: US-10758023-B1

Title: Cosmetic container

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application claims the priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0051165 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on May 1, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a cosmetic container, and more particularly, to a cosmetic container that is capable of being made of an eco-friendly material and intuitively identifying a cosmetic content stored therein. 
     Background of the Related Art 
     Generally, cosmetics are accommodated in various containers according to their properties, state, function or purpose, and so as to use a cosmetic material stored in the container, typically, an overcap is first open to apply the cosmetic material to a user&#39;s skin through a user&#39;s hand or puff or pumping means. 
     By the way, all parts constituting the conventional cosmetic containers are made of synthetic resin materials which are not eco-friendly, thereby causing consumption of resources, and besides, the conventional cosmetic containers need high-priced complicated devices for performing high temperature molding, thereby having limitations in lowering manufacturing costs. 
     On the other hand, the cosmetics are classified into basic cosmetics like skin a toner and a lotion, functional cosmetics like essence, and makeup cosmetics like foundation, but if it is desired to use the cosmetics, first, it should be checked whether the cosmetics are the basic cosmetics, the functional cosmetics, or the makeup cosmetics through the characters indicated on their container bodies, thereby causing many inconveniences of use. As kinds of cosmetics have been recently diversified, further, various products by line such as products for men, eco-friendly products, and the like have been launched, and accordingly, there is a need to develop a new cosmetic container capable of intuitively identifying a kind of cosmetic material stored therein. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a cosmetic container that is capable of allowing a container body to be made of a paper material to provide an eco-friendly image and capable of intuitively identifying a cosmetic content stored therein through colors indicated on an identification portion. 
     To accomplish the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, there is provided a cosmetic container including: a container body made of a paper material; an inner container inserted into the container body to store a cosmetic content; and an overcap coupled to top of the inner container to open and close the inner container, wherein as the inner container is inserted into the container body, an outer peripheral surface of the inner container comes into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the container body, thereby allowing the inner container to be coupled to the container body. 
     According to the present invention, desirably, the inner container has an identification portion formed on top thereof in such a manner as to be exposed to the outside, at the time when the inner container is coupled to the container body and the overcap, to indicate a color through which the cosmetic content is identified. 
     According to the present invention, desirably, the inner container has a plurality of coupling protrusions protruding outward from the outer peripheral surface thereof, so that as the inner container is inserted into the container body, the plurality of coupling protrusions comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container body, thereby allowing the inner container to be coupled to the container body. 
     According to the present invention, desirably, each coupling protrusion includes: a pressurizing portion extended by a given length toward up and down directions of the inner container and pressurizingly coming into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container body; and a guide slant portion extended from a lower side end portion of the pressuring portion in such a manner as to be decreased in a protruding height toward the lower side thereof to allow at least a portion thereof to be slant to form a slant surface. 
     According to the present invention, desirably, the pressurizing portion becomes narrow in width from the outer peripheral surface of the inner container toward the protruding direction thereof. 
     According to the present invention, desirably, the inner container has a seating portion protruding outward from the top outer peripheral surface thereof in such a manner as to be seated onto the top end periphery of the container body, at the time when the inner container is inserted into the container body, to cover the top end periphery of the container body. 
     According to the present invention, desirably, the container body has a support portion bent inward along a lower end periphery thereof. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a cosmetic container according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view showing the cosmetic container according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view showing the cosmetic container according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged view showing a portion ‘A’ of  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a cosmetic container according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, the present invention is disclosed with reference to the attached drawings wherein the corresponding parts in the embodiments of the present invention are indicated by corresponding reference numerals and the repeated explanation on the corresponding parts will be avoided. If it is determined that the detailed explanation on the well known technology related to the present invention makes the scope of the present invention not clear, the explanation will be avoided for the brevity of the description. Also, an embodiment of the present invention as will be discussed later will be in detail described so that it may be carried out easily by those having ordinary skill in the art, and therefore, this does not limit the idea and technical scope of the invention. In the description, every direction as will be described later may be determined with respect to the drawings, and therefore, they should be not necessarily defined on the basis of the whole scope of the present invention. 
     When it is said that one element is described as being “connected” or “coupled” to the other element, one element may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, but it should be understood that another element may be present between the two elements. In the description, when it is said that one portion is described as “includes” any component, one element further may include other components unless no specific description is suggested. Terms, such as the first, the second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be restricted by the terms. The terms are used to only distinguish one element from the other element. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a cosmetic container according to an embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view showing the cosmetic container according to the present invention,  FIG. 3  is a sectional view showing the cosmetic container according to the present invention, and  FIG. 4  is an enlarged view showing a portion ‘A’ of  FIG. 2 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 4 , the cosmetic container  1000  according to the present invention largely includes a container body  100 , an inner container  200 , and an overcap  300 . 
     The container body  100  is open on top thereof in such a manner as to accommodate the inner container  200  therein. For example, the container body  100  has a shape of a cylinder having an accommodation space formed therein. 
     According to the present invention, the container body  100  is made of a paper material. As the container body  100  is made of a paper material, like this, the cosmetic container  1000  according to the present invention provides an eco-friendly image and is manufactured more economically. Further, characters, drawings, and symbols are indicated on an outer peripheral surface of the container body  100  made of the paper material, and also, post-processes for providing various colors are easily performed, thereby reducing a defect rate. Furthermore, the container body  100  can be recycled after used, thereby advantageously avoiding environmental pollution. 
     According to the present invention, the container body  100  has a support portion  110  bent inward along a lower end periphery thereof. Accordingly, the support portion  110  has a double structure so that the container body  100  has high durability. Further, if the container body  100  is made of the paper material, a side wall periphery and an underside of the container body  100  have to be separately made and then bonded to each other, but through the inwardly bent lower end periphery of the container body  100 , the side wall periphery of the container body  100  can be more easily bonded to the underside thereof. Also, a bonded portion between the side wall periphery and the underside of the container body  100  is not exposed to the outside, thereby protecting the container body  100  from being damaged and broken. 
     The inner container  200  is accommodated in the container body  100  and has an accommodation portion  210  formed therein to store a cosmetic content. In this case, the cosmetic content is a cosmetic fluid (that is, a cosmetic material) or powder. For example, the cosmetic content includes a cosmetic material like liquid or gel type for skin care or a cosmetic material for make-up, but it may include all fluid or powder type cosmetic materials, without being limited thereto. 
     The inner container  200  has an open portion  220  formed on top thereof to discharge the cosmetic content stored in the accommodation portion  210  to the outside. Further, the inner container  200  has a screw thread formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof so that it can be coupled to the overcap  300 . 
     As the inner container  200  is inserted into the container body  100 , the outer peripheral surface of the inner container  200  comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container body  100 , so that the inner container  200  can be coupled to the container body  100 . For example, the inner container  200  has a side wall peripheral portion  230  extended downward from the top end periphery thereof by a given length, and the side wall peripheral portion  230  has a plurality of coupling protrusions  231  protruding outward from the outer peripheral surface thereof. If the inner container  200  is inserted into the container body  100 , the coupling protrusions  231  formed on the side wall peripheral portion  230  pressurizingly come into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container body  100 , so that the inner container  200  can be press-fitted onto the container body  100 . 
     According to the present invention, the coupling protrusions  231  are equally spaced apart from each other along the outer peripheral surface of the side wall peripheral portion  230 , so that they can uniformly pressurize the inner peripheral surface of the container body  100 . In detail, the number of coupling protrusions  231  is 3 to 150, and accordingly, the coupling protrusions  231  are equally spaced apart from each other along the outer peripheral surface of the side wall peripheral portion  230 . If the number of coupling protrusions  231  is 3, for example, the coupling protrusions  231  are equally spaced apart from each other along the outer peripheral surface of the side wall peripheral portion  230  at intervals of 120° with respect to the center of the inner container  200 . 
     According to the present invention, further, at least a portion of the coupling protrusions  231  may be made of an elastic or soft material. 
     Each coupling protrusion  231  includes a pressurizing portion  231 - 1  and a guide slant portion  231 - 2 . 
     The pressurizing portion  231 - 1  is extended by a given length toward up and down directions of the inner container  200  and serves to pressurize the inner peripheral surface of the container body  100  at the time when the inner container  200  is inserted into the container body  100 . According to the present invention, the pressurizing portion  231 - 1  becomes narrow in width from the outer peripheral surface of the side wall peripheral portion  230  toward the protruding direction thereof. For example, one side of the pressurizing portion  231 - 1  coming into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container body  100  is taperedly formed, which allows the inner container  200  to be more easily inserted into the container body  100 . 
     The guide slant portion  231 - 2  is extended from the lower side end portion of the pressuring portion  231 - 1  in such a manner as to be decreased in a protruding height toward the lower side thereof to allow at least a portion thereof to be slant to form a slant surface. Like this, the guide slant portion  231 - 2  as the slant surface is formed on the lower side of the pressurizing portion  231 - 1 , so that in a process of making the cosmetic container  1000 , the inner container  200  can be more easily coupled to the container body  100 . 
     The inner container  200  has a seating portion  240  formed along the top end periphery thereof in such a manner as to be seated onto the top end periphery of the container body  100  at the time when the inner container  200  is inserted into the container body  100 . For example, the seating portion  240  protrudes outward from the top outer peripheral surface of the inner container  200  in such a manner as to have a protruding height greater than the coupling protrusions  231 . According to the present invention, further, the seating portion  240  is adapted to completely cover the top end periphery of the container body  100  at the time when the inner container  200  is inserted into the container body  100 . During the cosmetic container  1000  is used or kept at a given place, accordingly, the top end periphery of the container body  100  is not exposed to the outside, thereby preventing the breakage of the container body  100 . 
     The overcap  300  is detachably coupled to top of the inner container  200  to open and close the open portion  220  and serves to block introduction of foreign matters or air in the inner container  200  to prevent a quality of the cosmetic content stored in the inner container  200  from being deteriorated. For example, the overcap  300  has a screw thread formed along the inner peripheral surface thereof in such a manner as to correspond to the screw thread formed along the outer peripheral surface of the opening portion  220  of the inner container  200 , so that through the screw coupling, the overcap  300  is detachably coupled to the inner container  200 . 
     On the other hand, the coupling methods of the parts as mentioned above are just exemplary, and accordingly, various coupling methods may be adopted according to embodiments of the present invention. Instead of the screw coupling, for example, a protrusion and a groove are press-fitted onto each other, and if the press-fitting is adopted, also, positions or shapes of the protrusion and the groove may be changed. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a cosmetic container according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown, a cosmetic container  2000  according to another embodiment of the present invention further includes an identification portion  250  formed on top of the inner container  200 . 
     The identification portion  250  is exposed to the outside (that is, a user), in a state where the inner container  200  is coupled to the container body  100  and the overcap  300 , thereby allowing the cosmetic content stored in the inner container  200  to be identified by the user. For example, as shown, the identification portion  250  has a shape of a circle surrounding the open portion  220  to which the overcap  300  is coupled and also has different colors according to kinds of cosmetic contents stored in the inner container  200 . 
     Accordingly, the cosmetic content can be intuitively identified by the user through the color of the identification portion  250 , and at the time when the cosmetic container is kept at a given place, it can be sortedly stored. In this case, further, many conveniences in use are provided. 
     According to the present invention, the entire inner container  200  has a color corresponding to the cosmetic content stored therein so that at the time when it is coupled to the container body  100  and the overcap  300 , the color of the inner container  200  is exposed to the outside through a portion of the inner container  200  exposed to the outside, thereby forming the identification portion  250 . However, the formation of the identification portion  250  as mentioned above is just exemplary, and accordingly, various formation methods may be adopted according to embodiments of the present invention, without being limited thereto. For example, a color corresponding to the cosmetic content is directly printed on a portion of the inner container  200  exposed to the outside, thereby forming the identification portion  250 . 
     As described above, the cosmetic container according to the present invention is configured to allow the container body to be made of the paper material, thereby providing an eco-friendly image and being manufactured more economically, and further, to allow characters, drawings, and symbols to be indicated on the outer peripheral surface of the container body or to allow post-processes for indicating various colors to be easily performed, thereby reducing a defect rate. 
     Furthermore, the cosmetic container according to the present invention is configured to allow the container body made of the paper material to be recycled after used, thereby avoiding environmental pollution. 
     In addition, the cosmetic container according to the present invention is configured to allow, as the inner container is inserted into the container body, the coupling protrusions formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner container to pressurize the inner peripheral surface of the container body, thereby more easily coupling the inner container and the container body and firmly supporting the shape of the container body made of the paper material. 
     Also, the cosmetic container according to the present invention is configured to allow the top edge periphery of the container body to be not exposed to the outside through the seating portion at the time when the inner container is coupled to the container body, thereby preventing the breakage of the container body. 
     Moreover, the cosmetic container according to the present invention is configured to allow the cosmetic content to be intuitively identified by the user through the color of the identification portion, so that at the time when the cosmetic container is kept at a given place, it can be sortedly stored and many conveniences in use are provided. 
     The present invention may be modified in various ways and may have several exemplary embodiments. Terms used in this application are used to only describe specific exemplary embodiments and are not intended to restrict the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that the invention covers all the modifications, equivalents, and replacements within the idea and technical scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not to be restricted by the embodiment but only by the appended claims.