Patent Description:
Many tries for environmental protection from various problems, such as global warming, and the like have been made in the fields of developing all kinds of products including cosmetic containers. Recycle, reuse, and easy separation and discharge of products are very important in product development, and further, the demands for eco-friendly products capable of providing environmental protection effectiveness are consistently increasing.

In spite of such trends, however, conventional cosmetic containers are configured to have cosmetic material accommodation dishes separately discharged after cosmetic materials stored therein are used up or mirrors firmly fixed thereto by means of a double-sided tape, a hot-melt adhesive, or an adhesive, so that it is very hard to separately discharge the cosmetic material accommodation dishes and the mirrors, thereby causing many problems in their separation and discharge.

Because of the above-mentioned problems, the conventional cosmetic containers have low recycling and reusing rates and require additional labors and time for their separation and discharge to thus have uneconomical problems, so that they are not eco-friendly, which causes a consumer's ignorance.

So as to solve such problems, a new cosmetic container is disclosed in Korean Patent No. <CIT>) entitled "Cosmetic container having refill container provided with sealing ring", in which the refill container made of a metal material with a low thickness is fixed to a refill container holder and a mirror is disposed inside an outer container cap. However, the refill container holder is first separated from an outer container, and next, the refill container made of the metal material is additionally separated from the outer container, so that it is very inconvenient to separate the refill container from the outer container. In specific, the mirror does not have any separation structure. Accordingly, the conventional cosmetic container has structural limitations in separating and discharging the refill container or the mirror. <CIT> discloses a cosmetic container which is easy to replace because a user does not need to use excessive force when replacing a cosmetic container containing cosmetics.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems occurring in the related art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an eco-friendly cosmetic container that is capable of allowing a cosmetic material accommodation dish seated onto a lower container to be separable from the lower container by means of the rotation of an intermediate support, so that after a cosmetic material has been used up, the cosmetic material accommodation dish is replaced with a refill dish or separately discharged very simply, quickly, and conveniently.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an eco-friendly cosmetic container that is capable of allowing a mirror disposed inside an upper container to be fixed to a cover ring separably mounted onto the upper container, so that if necessary, the mirror is replaced with new one or separately discharged from the cover ring very easily.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an eco-friendly cosmetic container that is capable of allowing a mirror to be fixed to a cover ring, so that a nameplate is located between the inner peripheral surface of the upper container and the cover ring and thus freely replaced with new one.

To accomplish the above-mentioned objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an eco-friendly cosmetic container including: a lower container having a cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion; an upper container open and closed with respect to the lower container by means of a hinge coupling structure; a cosmetic material accommodation dish seated onto the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion; and an intermediate support adapted to be rotatingly locked from an released state onto the lower container and released from a locked state over a given region thereof onto and from the lower container to separably fix the cosmetic material accommodation dish to the lower container, the intermediate support adapted to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise about the lower container to switch between the locked state and the unlocked state, characterized in that the intermediate support comprises: a holder having a cosmetic material ejecting space penetrating a bottom surface thereof to apply a cosmetic material stored in the cosmetic material accommodation dish therethrough; and a cap connected to the holder by means of a hinge on one side thereof and thus openable and closable with respect to the holder.

According to the present invention, desirably, the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion may include seating ribs adapted to prevent the cosmetic material accommodation dish seated thereonto from moving to left and right sides.

According to the present invention, desirably, the seating ribs protrude upward from the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion by a given height, while being spaced apart from each other.

According to the present invention, desirably, the intermediate support rotating with respect to the lower container may have elastic locking pieces coupled or separated to and from locking grooves formed on the lower container so that the intermediate support is locked onto the lower container or released from the locked state.

According to the present invention, the intermediate support comprises:
a holder having a cosmetic material ejecting space penetrating a bottom surface thereof to apply a cosmetic material stored in the cosmetic material accommodation dish therethrough; and a cap connected to the holder by means of a hinge on one side thereof and thus openable and closable with respect to the holder.

According to the present invention, desirably, the holder may include: an outer peripheral surface extending outward from top end periphery thereof and thus mounted on the open top end periphery of the lower container when mounted onto the lower container; a cap base extending inward from the bottom end periphery of the outer peripheral surface to thus provide the cosmetic material ejecting space; a support wall extending downward from the outer peripheral surface of the cap base; and the elastic locking pieces protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the support wall and thus locked onto the locking grooves formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lower container and released from the locked states.

According to the present invention, desirably, each locking groove and each elastic locking piece may have a reverse movement prevention projection and a reverse movement prevention groove interlocking with each other to prevent the locked state of the intermediate support onto the lower container from being reversely released.

According to the present invention, desirably, each elastic locking piece of the intermediate support may have an entry portion gradually narrower in width than a rear end portion thereof so that the elastic locking piece is easily inserted into the corresponding locking groove at initial entry.

According to the present invention, desirably, the holder may include support ribs extending downward from the underside of the cap base to thus pressurize the side peripheral surface of the cosmetic material accommodation dish so that when the intermediate support lifts up from the lower container, the cosmetic material accommodation dish lifts up in a state of hanging together with the holder, while coming into close contact with the support ribs of the holder.

According to the present invention, desirably, the holder may have grasping spaces incisedly formed on given portions of the support wall to grasp and thus separate the cosmetic material accommodation dish separated from the lower container in the state of hanging together with the holder.

According to the present invention, desirably, the cap, which is open and closed with respect to the holder, may have a bottom surface on which an inwardly concave accommodation space is formed and a sealing stepped projection protruding from the outer bottom end periphery thereof to allow the cosmetic material ejecting space formed on the bottom surface of the holder to be sealedly blocked from the outside.

According to the present invention, desirably, the holder of the intermediate support may have a locked state display portion formed thereon to notify a user of the locked state of the intermediate support onto the lower container.

According to the present invention, desirably, the intermediate support may include the holder having the cosmetic material ejecting space penetrating the bottom surface thereof to apply the cosmetic material stored in the cosmetic material accommodation dish therethrough, without having any cap.

According to the present invention, desirably, the holder may include rotation controllers formed on top end periphery of the outer peripheral surface thereof to perform the locking and releasing operations.

According to the present invention, desirably, the eco-friendly cosmetic container may further include a mirror disposed inside the upper container and supportedly fixed to a cover ring separately provided, the cover ring being separably mounted onto the upper container.

According to the present invention, desirably, the cover ring may include: a frame open in both directions; a mirror support surface formed one side inner peripheral surface of the frame; one or more elastic support pieces spaced apart from one another at given intervals on the other side of the mirror support surface; and hook members adapted to separably mount the cover ring from the upper container.

According to the present invention, desirably, the cover ring may include a separation piece adapted to perform coupling or separating to or from the upper container.

According to the present invention, desirably, the hook members may include: one or more hook pieces protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the upper container at given intervals; and one or more hook projections spaced apart from one another on the outer peripheral surface of the frame of the cover ring and thus locked onto the hook pieces and released from the locked states, so that the cover ring is directly pressurized against the upper container and separably coupled to the upper container.

According to the present invention, desirably, the hook members may include: one or more hook grooves spaced apart from each other along the inner peripheral surface of the upper container at given intervals; and one or more hook projections spaced apart from each other on the outer peripheral surface of the frame of the cover ring and thus locked onto the hook grooves and released from the locked states, so that the cover ring rotates with respect to the upper container and separably coupled to the upper container.

According to the present invention, desirably, the upper container may be made of a transparent or semi-transparent material and have a nameplate disposed therein so that the nameplate is replaced or separately discharged with new one or from the upper container by means of the separation of the cover ring to which the mirror is supportedly fixed.

According to the present invention, desirably, the open top surface of the cosmetic material accommodation dish seated onto the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion of the lower container may be covered with the cap base of the holder having the cosmetic material ejecting space, when the intermediate support is closed, so that the cosmetic material accommodation dish is prevented from escaping upward.

To accomplish the above-mentioned objects, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an eco-friendly cosmetic container including: a lower container having a cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion; an upper container open and closed with respect to the lower container by means of a hinge coupling structure; a cosmetic material accommodation dish seated onto the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion; and an intermediate support adapted to be rotatingly locked onto the lower container and released from the locked state over a given region thereof onto and from the lower container to separably fix the cosmetic material accommodation dish to the lower container, wherein the upper container has a mirror disposed therein, supportedly fixed to a cover ring, and separately discharged therefrom.

To accomplish the above-mentioned objects, according to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an eco-friendly cosmetic container including: a lower container having a cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion; an upper container open and closed with respect to the lower container by means of a hinge coupling structure; a cosmetic material accommodation dish seated onto the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion; and an intermediate support adapted to be rotatingly locked onto the lower container and released from the locked state over a given region thereof onto and from the lower container to separably fix the cosmetic material accommodation dish to the lower container, wherein the upper container has a mirror disposed therein, supportedly fixed to a cover ring, and separately discharged therefrom, the upper container is made of a transparent or semi-transparent material, and between the underside of the cover ring and the inner peripheral surface of the upper container is located a nameplate.

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:.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Referring to <FIG>, an eco-friendly cosmetic container <NUM> according to the present invention includes: a lower container <NUM>, an upper container <NUM>, a cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM>, an intermediate support <NUM>, a mirror <NUM>, a cover ring <NUM> for covering the mirror <NUM>, and a nameplate <NUM>.

The lower container <NUM> and the upper container <NUM> are configured to be open in opposite directions to each other and connected to each other by means of a hinge H1 disposed on their one side to be thus open and closed.

The hinge H1 is configured to allow hinge protrusions formed as both side walls of an open incised groove of the lower container <NUM> to be insertedly coupled to hinge grooves facingly formed on a hinge block of the upper container <NUM>.

The upper container <NUM> connected to the lower container <NUM> by means of the hinge H1 serves as a cap for the cosmetic container <NUM>.

Moreover, the lower container <NUM> and the upper container <NUM> are locked onto each other and released from the locked states by means of a locker R1.

The lower container <NUM> and the upper container <NUM> may be made of various materials such as a synthetic resin and may be transparent, opaque, or semi-transparent.

In specific, the upper container <NUM> is either transparent or semi-transparent if the nameplate <NUM> is applied and is then coupled to the lower container <NUM>, so that the nameplate <NUM> can be seen through the upper container <NUM>.

The lower container <NUM> has a cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM> formed on the bottom thereof.

The cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM> has seating ribs 111a adapted to prevent the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> seated thereonto from moving to left and right sides.

The seating ribs 111a protrude upward from the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM> by a given height, while being spaced apart from each other.

Desirably, one or more seating ribs 111a protrude from the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM>, while being spaced apart from each other, so that it is easy to seat or separate the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> onto or from the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM>.

The cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> seated onto the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM> is stably supported by the seating ribs 111a supporting the side peripheral surface thereof.

The lower container <NUM> has one or more locking grooves <NUM> spaced apart from one another along the inner peripheral surface thereof and having one side open in the same direction to one another and the other hand blocked.

The cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> serves to store a cosmetic material for various makeup purposes therein and is open in one direction to provide a space in which the cosmetic material is stored.

The cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> has various concavo-convex portions <NUM> formed on the bottom thereof to stably fill the cosmetic material therein and to prevent the cosmetic material from moving while it is being used.

Further, the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> is made of a material such as a synthetic resin and a metal.

If the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> is made of a metal, it has a relatively low thickness, and desirably, the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> is made of one or more materials selected from stainless steel, Iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), tungsten (W), nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), titanium (Ti), zinc (Zn), and gallium (Ga).

The cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> is replaceable with a refill dish after the cosmetic container stored therein has been used up.

The cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> is can be stably seated and separated onto and from the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM> by means of rotary opening and closing of the intermediate support <NUM>.

The intermediate support <NUM> comprises a holder <NUM> having a cap base 141a and a cosmetic material ejecting space 141a-<NUM> penetrating the cap base 141a to apply the cosmetic material stored in the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> therethrough and a cap <NUM> connected to the holder <NUM> by means of a hinge H2 on one side thereof and thus openable and closable with respect to the holder <NUM>.

In the same way as the hinge H1 connecting the lower container <NUM> and the upper container <NUM>, the hinge H2 is configured to allow hinge protrusions formed as both side walls of an open incised groove of the holder <NUM> to be insertedly coupled to hinge grooves facingly formed on a hinge block of the cap <NUM>.

When mounted onto the lower container <NUM>, the holder <NUM> of the intermediate support <NUM> allows an outer peripheral surface 141b extending outward from top end periphery thereof to be mounted on the open top end periphery of the lower container <NUM>.

Further, the holder <NUM> includes the cap base 141a extending inward from the bottom end periphery of the outer peripheral surface 141b of the holder <NUM>, a support wall 141c extending downward from the outer peripheral surface of the cap base 141a, and elastic locking pieces 141d protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the support wall 141c and thus locked onto locking grooves <NUM> formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lower container <NUM> and released from the locked states.

In this case, given portions of the support wall 141c corresponding to the elastic locking pieces 141d protruding therefrom are partially incised on both sides thereof so that the elastic locking pieces 141d are elastically locked onto the locking grooves <NUM>.

Moreover, as shown in <FIG>, each elastic locking piece 141d has an entry portion 141d-<NUM> gradually narrower in width than a rear end portion 141d-<NUM> so that the elastic locking piece 141d can be easily inserted into the corresponding locking groove <NUM> at initial entry.

Further, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, each locking groove <NUM> and each elastic locking piece 141d have a reverse movement prevention projection 112a and a reverse movement prevention groove 141d-<NUM> for preventing the locked state of the intermediate support <NUM> onto the lower container <NUM> from being reversely released, owing to the reverse rotation of the intermediate support <NUM>, after the intermediate support <NUM> has rotated in a locking direction onto the lower container <NUM> to stably support the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM>.

As the intermediate support <NUM> rotates in the locking direction (in a clockwise direction for the conveniences of the description), therefore, the elastic locking pieces 141d formed on the support wall 141c of the holder <NUM> move and are thus locked onto the locking grooves <NUM> formed on the lower container <NUM>, so that the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM>, which is seated onto the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM> of the lower container <NUM>, is stably locked onto the lower container <NUM>. In this case, the intermediate support <NUM> is prevented from the arbitrary reverse rotation with respect to the lower container <NUM> by means of the interlocking between the reverse movement prevention projections 112a formed on the locking grooves <NUM> and the reverse movement prevention locking pieces 141d-<NUM> formed on the elastic locking pieces 141d, thereby enabling the locked state to be more stably maintained.

As the intermediate support <NUM> rotates in a releasing direction (in a counterclockwise direction for the conveniences of the description), contrarily, the elastic locking pieces 141d formed on the support wall 141c of the holder <NUM> are ejected from the locking grooves <NUM> formed on the lower container <NUM>, so that the locked state is forcedly released to allow the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> to become separately discharged from the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM>.

When the intermediate support <NUM> rotates in the locking direction, meanwhile, the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> seated onto the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM> of the lower container <NUM> is configured to allow the open top peripheral surface thereto to be covered with the cap base 141a of the holder <NUM> having the cosmetic container ejecting space 141a-<NUM>, thereby being prevented from escaping upward.

According to the present invention, when the intermediate support <NUM> is released from the locking state onto the lower container <NUM>, the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> can be freely separately discharged from the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM> of the lower container <NUM>, without any interference with the holder <NUM>.

On the other hand, as shown in <FIG>, when the intermediate support <NUM> is released from the locking state onto the lower container <NUM>, given portions of the outer peripheral surface of the holder <NUM> forcedly come into close contact with the open top end periphery of the lower container <NUM> by means of support ribs 141e extending downward from the underside of the cap base 141a, so that upon separation of the intermediate support <NUM> from the lower container <NUM>, the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> lifts up in a state of hanging together with the holder <NUM> and is thus separable from the lower container <NUM>.

In this case, the support wall 141c of the holder <NUM> of the intermediate support <NUM> has grasping spaces 141f formed on given portions thereof so that the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM>, which is separated from the lower container <NUM> in the state of hanging together with the holder <NUM>, can be grasped on the exposed portions by the grasping spaces 141f and thus separated from the holder <NUM>.

Even if the grasping spaces 141f are not formed on the support wall 141c, it is possible that after the cap <NUM> is open with respect to the holder <NUM>, the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> is ejected and thus separated by means of the cosmetic material ejecting space 141a-<NUM>, but as the grasping spaces 141f are formed on the given portions of the support wall 141c of the holder <NUM>, the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> can be quickly separated even in a state where the cap <NUM> is not open intentionally.

Further, the cap <NUM>, which is open and closed with respect to the holder <NUM> by means of the hinge H2, has a bottom surface 142a on which an inwardly concave accommodation space 142b is formed.

The accommodation space 142b serves to store all types of makeup tools such as a makeup puff.

Moreover, the cap <NUM> has a handle 142c adapted to perform opening and closing operations with respect to the holder <NUM>.

Further, as shown in <FIG>, the cap <NUM> has a sealing stepped projection 142d protruding from the outer bottom end periphery thereof to allow the cosmetic material ejecting space 141a-<NUM> formed on the bottom surface 141a of the holder <NUM> to be sealedly blocked from the outside.

When the cap <NUM> is closed, in specific, the cosmetic material ejecting space 141a-<NUM> penetratingly formed on the bottom surface 141a of the holder <NUM> is sealedly blocked from the outside by means of the sealing stepped projection 142d, so that while the cosmetic container is carried or kept in place, the cosmetic material placed in the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> is effectively prevented from leaking or scattering to the outside.

Further, the holder <NUM> of the intermediate support <NUM> has a locked state display portion <NUM> formed thereon to notify a user of the locked state of the intermediate support <NUM> onto the lower container <NUM>.

The locked state display portion <NUM> is incisedly formed on the outer peripheral surface 141b of the holder <NUM> to correspond to the hinge H1 when the intermediate support <NUM> is locked onto the lower container <NUM>, and of course, the locked state display portion <NUM> may be freely formed in various methods.

An example, not according to the present invention, in which the intermediate support <NUM> has only the holder <NUM>, without any cap <NUM>, is herein also disclosed, as shown in <FIG>.

In this case, the holder <NUM> is configured in the same manner as in the intermediate support <NUM> having the cap <NUM>, excepting the hinge H2 connected thereto, and therefore, an explanation of the holder <NUM> will be avoided for the brevity of the description.

As the intermediate support <NUM> has only the holder <NUM>, the simplification in the number of parts can be achieved.

In this case, however, the holder <NUM> further includes rotation controllers <NUM> formed on top end periphery of the outer peripheral surface 141b thereof.

The rotation controllers <NUM> may be formed on the top end periphery of the holder <NUM> of the intermediate support <NUM> configured to have both of the holder <NUM> and the cap <NUM>.

In this case, the rotation controllers <NUM> have the shapes of protrusions as shown, and otherwise, they may have free shapes such as concavo-convex portions only if their function can be achieved.

When the holder <NUM> rotates, the rotation controllers <NUM> generate friction with the user's hand palm to prevent the holder <NUM> from slipping from his or her hand palm, and otherwise, the holder <NUM> may simply rotate using other tools.

The rotation of the holder <NUM> is performed more easily by means of the rotation controllers <NUM>, and through the rotation of the holder <NUM>, further, it is possible that the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> is locked onto the lower container <NUM> and released from the locked state onto the lower container <NUM>.

According to the present invention, the mirror <NUM> is disposed in the interior of the upper container <NUM> and thus used for makeup.

The mirror <NUM> is made of glass or other glass-replaceable materials and formed as a concave or convex mirror.

The mirror <NUM> is separably fixed to the upper container <NUM> by means of a cover ring <NUM> detachable from the inner peripheral surface of the upper container <NUM>.

The cover ring <NUM> includes a frame <NUM> open in both directions thereof, a mirror support surface <NUM> formed one side inner peripheral surface of the frame <NUM> to seat one side peripheral surface of the mirror <NUM> thereonto when the mirror <NUM> is fittedly pushed in one direction, one or more elastic support pieces <NUM> spaced apart from one another at given intervals on the other side of the mirror support surface <NUM>, and hook members <NUM> adapted to perform the detachable operation from the upper container <NUM> and having parts as will be discussed below formed on the upper container <NUM>.

Further, the cover ring <NUM> includes a separation piece <NUM> adapted to separate the mirror <NUM> from the frame <NUM>. The separation piece <NUM> may have various shapes such as a handle according to the separation and coupling structures of the hook members <NUM>.

The mirror <NUM> is manufactured independently and thus coupled to the cover ring <NUM>, and accordingly, the mirror <NUM> does not have any conventional structure in which it is attached to the upper container <NUM> by means of a double-side tape or adhesive.

Further, the mirror <NUM> is elastically supported stably between the mirror support surface <NUM> and the elastic support pieces <NUM> of the cover ring <NUM>, so that unless a strong external force is applied, the mirror <NUM> is not arbitrarily separated from the cover ring <NUM>. If it is desired to replace or separate the mirror <NUM>, the cover ring <NUM> is first separated from the upper container <NUM>, and next, the mirror <NUM> pushes toward the elastic support pieces <NUM>, so that the locked state of the mirror <NUM> onto the elastic support pieces <NUM> is released to cause the mirror <NUM> to be separated from the cover ring <NUM>, thereby enabling the mirror <NUM> to be separately discharged from the cover ring <NUM> more easily and quickly.

However, the hook members <NUM>, which are adapted to detachably mount the cover ring <NUM> onto the upper container <NUM>, are not limited to the specific embodiment of the present invention, and the detachable mounting may be freely performed by means of pressurizing, rotating, and the like.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, the hook members <NUM> include one or more hook pieces 164a protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the upper container <NUM> at given intervals and hook projections 164a-<NUM> spaced apart from one another on the outer peripheral surface of the frame <NUM> of the cover ring <NUM> and thus locked onto the hook pieces 164a and released from the locked states, so that the cover ring <NUM> is directly pressurized against the upper container <NUM> and thus separably coupled to the upper container <NUM>.

In the case where the pressurizing method using the hook pieces 164a and the hook projections 164a-<NUM> of the hook members <NUM> is applied, the cover ring <NUM> is first located inside the upper container <NUM>, then pressurized against the upper container <NUM>, and finally lockedly coupled to the upper container <NUM>. If it is desired to separate the cover ring <NUM> from the upper container <NUM>, the cover ring <NUM> is ejected from the upper container <NUM> by means of the separation piece <NUM> in the opposite direction to the pressurizing direction, and otherwise, if the upper container <NUM> hits on an object to which shocks are applied, such as a desk, a table, and the like, so that the cover ring <NUM> may be easily ejected from the upper container <NUM>.

Further, as shown in <FIG>, the hook members <NUM> include one or more hook grooves 164b spaced apart from each other along the inner peripheral surface of the upper container <NUM> at given intervals and hook projections 164b-<NUM> spaced apart from each other on the outer peripheral surface of the frame <NUM> of the cover ring <NUM> and thus locked onto the hook grooves 164b and released from the locked states according the rotation of the cover ring <NUM>, so that the cover ring <NUM> is separably coupled to the upper container <NUM> by means of its rotation.

In the case where the rotation method using the hook grooves 164b and the hook projections 164b-<NUM> of the hook members <NUM> is applied, the cover ring <NUM> is first located inside the upper container <NUM>, places the hook projections 164b-<NUM> on the hook grooves 164b, rotates in one direction, and finally fittedly coupled to the upper container <NUM>. If it is desired to separate the cover ring <NUM> from the upper container <NUM>, the cover ring <NUM> rotates in the opposite direction to one direction, and accordingly, a coupling force between the cover ring <NUM> and the upper container <NUM> is released, so that the cover ring <NUM> is separated from the upper container <NUM>.

In this case, it is convenient to rotate the cover ring <NUM> by means of separation pieces <NUM>, but if necessary, the cover ring <NUM> may rotate by using specific portions thereof, without having any separation pieces <NUM>.

Further, as shown in <FIG>, the nameplate <NUM> is additionally disposed between the underside of the cover ring <NUM> to which the mirror <NUM> is fixed and the inner peripheral surface of the upper container <NUM>.

The nameplate <NUM> is made of various materials, such as metal, paper, film, photo, and the like and has various patterns, pictures, or prints formed thereon according to its purposes or functions.

When the cover ring <NUM> is separated from the upper container <NUM>, the nameplate <NUM> is naturally separated from the interior of the upper container <NUM>, so that the nameplate <NUM> is easily replaced with new one or separately discharged from the upper container <NUM>.

If the nameplate <NUM> is disposed inside the upper container <NUM>, further, the upper container <NUM> is desirably made of a transparent or semi-transparent material so that the nameplate <NUM> can be seen through the upper container <NUM>.

According to the present invention, even the nameplate <NUM> is replaceable or separately dischargeable through the cover ring <NUM> from the upper container <NUM>, without being attached to the upper container <NUM> by means of an adhesive, so that while the functions of the nameplate <NUM> are provided to the maximum, many conveniences in using the eco-friendly cosmetic container of the present invention can be provided for the user.

Under the above-mentioned configuration, the fixed and separated states of the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> in the eco-friendly cosmetic container <NUM> according to the present invention will be explained.

If it is desired to fix the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> to the lower container <NUM>, the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> is first seated onto the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM> of the lower container <NUM>. As a result, the given portions of the side peripheral surface of the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> are fixedly supported against the seating ribs 111a to prevent the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> from escaping upwards. In the state, the intermediate support <NUM> is located inside the lower container <NUM> in a state of allowing the outer peripheral surface 141b to be seated on the open top peripheral surface of the lower container <NUM>, and further, after the elastic locking pieces 141d protruding from the support wall 141c of the holder <NUM> are located onto the open front surfaces of the hook grooves <NUM> of the lower container <NUM>, the intermediate support <NUM> rotates in the locking direction (in the clockwise direction) to allow the elastic locking pieces 141d to be forcedly inserted and thus locked onto the locking grooves <NUM>, so that the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> is supportedly fixed to the interior of the lower container <NUM>. Further, the open top end periphery of the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> is pressurized against the cap base 141a of the holder <NUM> to prevent the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> from moving to the left and right sides. As a result, the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM>, which is seated onto the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM> of the lower container <NUM>, is prevented from moving to every direction so that it can be stably fixed to the lower container <NUM>. In addition, when the cap <NUM> is closed, the cosmetic material ejecting space 14a-<NUM> of the holder <NUM> is blocked by means of the sealing stepped projection 142d to prevent the cosmetic material stored in the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> from leaking or scattering to the outside, and contrarily, only when the cap <NUM> is open, the cosmetic material ejecting space 141a-<NUM> is open to allow the ejection of the cosmetic material.

After the cosmetic material has been used up, if it is desired to replace the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> with a refill cosmetic material accommodation dish or separate the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> from the lower container <NUM>, the intermediate support <NUM> being in the locked state rotates in the locking-releasing direction (in the counterclockwise direction). As a result, the elastic locking pieces 141d forcedly escape from the interiors of the hook grooves <NUM>, and then, the intermediate support <NUM> lifts up to allow the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> to be in a separable state. In this case, the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> freely remains in the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM>, separately from the intermediate support <NUM>, or the side peripheral surface of the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> comes into contact with the support ribs 141e of the holder <NUM> to allow the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> to lift up, together with the intermediate support <NUM>. Accordingly, the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM>, which freely remains in the cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion <NUM> after the separation of the intermediate support <NUM>, is ejected from the lower housing <NUM>, and otherwise, the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> lifting up together with the intermediate support <NUM> is simply separated from the intermediate support <NUM> by means of the grasping spaces 141f of the holder <NUM>.

The cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> according to the present invention is stably fixed to the lower container <NUM>, without using any double-sided tape or adhesive applied in the conventional practices, and is separated from the lower container <NUM> by means of the simple rotation of the intermediate support <NUM>, so that the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> can be replaced with the refill dish or separately discharged from the lower container <NUM> by everybody in convenient and easy manners.

Next, the fixed and separated states of the mirror <NUM> in the eco-friendly cosmetic container <NUM> according to the present invention will be explained.

According to the present invention, the mirror <NUM> itself is not supportedly fixed to the interior of the upper container <NUM>, but the mirror <NUM> is mounted inside the upper container <NUM> and thus replaceable and separately discharged with new one or from the upper container <NUM> through the cover ring <NUM>. After the mirror <NUM> is first located on the portions of the frame <NUM> on which the elastic support pieces <NUM> are formed, the back surface of the mirror <NUM> is pressurized forward so that the front surface of the mirror <NUM> is fixedly coupled supportedly to the mirror support surface <NUM>. Accordingly, the mirror <NUM> is fitted between the mirror support surface <NUM> and the elastic support pieces <NUM>, and unless the mirror <NUM> is forcedly separated, the mirror <NUM> is kept in the stable coupled state to the cover ring <NUM>. Further, the cover ring <NUM> to which the mirror <NUM> is fixed is forcedly pressurized against the upper container <NUM> or rotates in one direction, so that the cover ring <NUM> is coupled integrally to the upper container <NUM>. In specific, as the cover ring <NUM> is forcedly pressurized against the upper container <NUM> or rotates in one direction (in the clockwise direction), the hook members <NUM> are fixedly coupled to one another, so that the cover ring <NUM> is fixedly coupled to the upper container <NUM>.

If it is desired to replace or separately discharge the mirror <NUM>, contrarily, an external force is applied to the frame <NUM> of the cover ring <NUM> to cause the cover ring <NUM> to be forcedly ejected from the upper container <NUM>, and otherwise, the cover ring <NUM> rotates in the other direction (in the counterclockwise direction) to cause the cover ring <NUM> to be separated from the upper container <NUM>. Next, the mirror <NUM> is forcedly separated from the cover ring <NUM> and thus replaced or separately discharged. When the cover ring <NUM> is separated from the upper container <NUM>, the separation becomes convenient by using the separation pieces <NUM>.

According to the present invention, the mirror <NUM> is stably fixed to the upper container <NUM>, without using any double-sided tape or adhesive applied in the conventional practices, and is separated from the upper container <NUM> by means of the simple separation of the cover ring <NUM>, so that the mirror <NUM> can be replaced with new one or separately discharged from the upper container <NUM> by everybody in convenient and easy manners.

According to the present invention, further, the configuration wherein the mirror <NUM> is fixedly supported against the cover ring <NUM> and separated from the upper container <NUM> by means of the cover ring <NUM> is adopted, it is very convenient to replace or separate the nameplate <NUM>. To do this, the upper container <NUM> is made of the transparent or semi-transparent material, and after the nameplate <NUM> is placed between the cover ring <NUM> and the upper container <NUM>, the cover ring <NUM> is separated from the upper container <NUM>, thereby making possible to replace or separately discharge the nameplate <NUM> with new one or from the upper container <NUM>.

According to the present invention, the eco-friendly cosmetic container <NUM> is configured to allow the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM>, the mirror <NUM>, and the nameplate <NUM>, which are difficult in their replacement or separate discharge in the conventional practices, to be replaced with new ones or separately discharged by everybody in convenient and easy manners, thereby being provided as an eco-friendly product with no inconveniences in their separate discharge.

According to the present invention, the eco-friendly cosmetic container <NUM> is configured to allow all of the parts excepting the cosmetic material accommodation dish <NUM> replaceable by a refill dish to be continuously usable, except in certain cases, thereby preventing the waste of resources, minimizing the number of parts thrown away to reduce the environmental pollution caused by the waste parts, and enabling the user to buy only the part as needed to reduce his or her cosmetic product purchase cost.

As described above, the eco-friendly cosmetic container according to the present invention allows the cosmetic material accommodation dish seated onto the interior of the lower container to be stably mounted and separated onto and from the lower container by means of the rotation of the intermediate support, so that the cosmetic material accommodation dish can be separately discharged from the lower container very conveniently and easily and thus replaced with a refill dish.

Further, the eco-friendly cosmetic container according to the present invention allows the mirror disposed inside the upper container to be separably mounted on the upper container by means of the cover ring, so that if necessary, the mirror can be replaced or separately discharged very conveniently, easily and quickly.

Moreover, the eco-friendly cosmetic container according to the present invention allows the cover ring to which the mirror is fixed to be detachably mounted onto the upper container, so that the nameplate can be placed between the cover ring and the inner peripheral surface of the upper container, thereby enabling the nameplate to be replaced or separately discharged very easily.

In addition, the eco-friendly cosmetic container according to the present invention allows the cosmetic material accommodation dish that is replaced with a refill dish after the cosmetic material has been used up or the mirror to be separated from the lower container or the upper container quickly and conveniently, so that there are no difficulties in separately discharging the cosmetic material accommodation dish or the mirror, thereby enabling the cosmetic container to be provided as an eco-friendly product.

Claim 1:
An eco-friendly cosmetic container (<NUM>) comprising:
a lower container (<NUM>) having a cosmetic material accommodation dish seating portion (<NUM>);
an upper container (<NUM>) open and closed with respect to the lower container (<NUM>) by means of a hinge (H1,H2) coupling structure;
a cosmetic material accommodation dish seated onto the cosmetic material accommodation dish (<NUM>) seating portion (<NUM>); and
an intermediate support (<NUM>) adapted to be rotatingly locked from a released state and released from a locked state over a given region thereof onto and from the lower container (<NUM>) to separably fix the cosmetic material accommodation dish (<NUM>) to the lower container (<NUM>), characterized in that the intermediate support (<NUM>) is adapted to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise about the lower container to switch between the locked state and the unlocked state, and in that the intermediate support (<NUM>) comprises:
a holder (<NUM>) having a cosmetic material ejecting space (141a-<NUM>) penetrating a bottom surface (142a) thereof to apply a cosmetic material stored in the cosmetic material accommodation dish (<NUM>) therethrough; and
a cap (<NUM>) connected to the holder (<NUM>) by means of a hinge (H1,H2) on one side thereof and thus openable and closable with respect to the holder (<NUM>).