Patent Publication Number: US-2007108092-A1

Title: Egg-shaped container

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to an egg-shaped container for packaging a variety of products such as cosmetics and the like. In one aspect, the egg-shaped container of the present invention has a level (flat) bottom, and in another invention the container has a slanted bottom which can nevertheless support the container in stable position.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Egg-shaped containers have been used for packaging various products such as cosmetics and the like, and for display of the packaged products. One such container is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,379, issued to Hermann Kappler. The egg-shaped contained described therein is hollow and is formed of two parts fitted together along a seam about the widest diameter of the container and is disposed partially within a cylinder, with the seam being surrounded by the container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,444, issued to Cecil F. Adickes describes an egg-shaped toy article having a base in which a weight is located in order to insure that the egg-shaped article will always return to an upright position.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,736 issued to Richard L. Bell and Richard T. Walker describes a tamper proof display package having a generally spheroidal shaped article.  
      Publication No. U.S. 2002/0033397 A1, dated Mar. 21, 2002 describes an apparatus which allows a user to place an Easter egg in an upright position. In order to maintain the egg in a stable upright position, a weight is placed in the lower half portion as shown in the single FIGURE of that publication.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      An egg-shaped container formed of an upper half portion which is removably attached to the lower half portion. The bottom of the lower half portion has an outer surface and an inside surface. The inside surface of the bottom portion has a flat generally centralized section or, in a different embodiment of the invention, has a generally centralized slanted portion. In both embodiments, when the egg-shaped container is placed in an upright position it will retain such position during storage. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      In the drawings wherein the like reference numerals are used to designate like parts:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an egg-shaped container according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a front side elevational view of the container shown in  FIG. 1  having a flat bottom portion;  
       FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of the container shown in  FIG. 2 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an egg-shaped container according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a front side elevational view of the container shown in  FIG. 4  having a slanted bottom portion;  
       FIG. 6  is a bottom plan view of the container shown in  FIG. 5 , and  
       FIG. 7  is an exploded, partly perspective view of the egg-shaped container shown as  FIG. 1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring first to  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  3  and  7  which describe one embodiment of the invention, the egg-shaped container is generally designated as  11  and comprises an upper half portion  13  and a lower half portion  15 . The top of the lower half portion  15  is circumferentially recessed to define an edge  17 , which may be threaded as in  19 . Thus, the top portion  13  is removably attached to the edge  17  to form the egg-shaped container  11 .  
      The top and bottom portions of the egg-shaped container are made of a suitable plastic such as but not limited to polypropylene, high impact polystyrene and polyethylene, and are formed by molding. During molding or forming the lower half  15 , a portion of its inside bottom surface is so formed as to define a flat or level portion  21  such that when the egg is placed in an upright position it will remain in stable position. The flat portion  21  need only be of such dimensions as to insure that the egg-shaped container will remain in stable upright position when the container is placed on a display shelf or in storage.  
       FIGS. 4, 5  and  6  illustrate an egg-shaped container as in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  3  and  7 , the only difference being is that the bottom of the lower half of the egg-shaped container is slanted without destabilizing the container when it is on display or placed in storage. Thus referring to  FIGS. 4, 5  and  6 , the egg-shaped container  111  comprises the upper half portion  113  and the lower half portion  115 , with the two half portions  113  and  115  removably attached to each other as in the prior embodiment. The inside surface of the bottom of the lower half portion  115  is formed to have a slanted portion  117  located generally centrally on the inside surface of the bottom portion. The degree of slanting and the dimensions of the slanted portion are so selected as to assure that the container will retain a stable position while slightly tilted to one side because of the slanted bottom portion. This configuration permits more informational materials to be printed on one side of the container when the container is on display.  
      The egg-shaped container may be made in a variety of sizes and colors and used to package cosmetic products, putties or other articles by simply removing the top portion, placing the product within the container and closing the container for display.