Liquid cosmetic container

• US 6,270,273 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2000
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Suzuno Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Suzuno Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Ohba, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Walczak, David J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN N
• Application Number:
  US09/581,425
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 401/118, 401/119, 401/121, 401/122, 401/126-130
• US Class Current: 401/122
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 34/047 with adjustable wiping action

Abstract

A liquid cosmetic container which has a secure mechanism for defining the limit of the aperture regulation of a remover 13 is provided. In addition, the degree of aperture of the remover 13 is not influenced by the operation of putting or removing a cap 3. The liquid cosmetic container is provided with the cap 3, and an aperture-regulating ring 7 engages with an upper outer face of a container main body 19. A neck 5 which has an aperture regulating section 11 on the rear end moves in an axial direction in response to rotations of the aperture-regulating ring 7, thereby varying the diameter of a central aperture 119 of the remover 13. Furthermore a rotation-limiting piece 103 extends from a lower end of the aperture-regulating ring 7 and a rotation-limiting projection 136 is provided on an outer face of the container main body 19 which is under an engaging surface of the aperture-regulating ring 7. The rotation of the aperture-regulating ring 7 is regulated by the contact of the rotation-limiting piece 103 with the rotation-limiting projection 136.

Claims

1. A liquid cosmetic container, comprising:

a container main body which contains liquid cosmetics;

a cap which closes an aperture of said container main body; and

a bar shaped applicator which is freely insertable into and detachable from said main body and which is fixed to said cap;

wherein a remover, which is composed of an elastic body having a central aperture and strokes an outer portion of said bar shaped applicator by said aperture, is provided in said container main body;

an aperture-regulating ring, which freely rotates about an axial direction of said container main body, is provided at an upper part of said container main body;

a neck, which has a section engaged with said cap and can move in the axial direction in response to rotations of said aperture-regulating ring, is provided;

a diameter of the central aperture of said remover is varied according to a rotational angle of said aperture-regulating ring;

said neck being provided so as to be freely slidable in a vertical direction and non-rotatable with respect to said main body;

an aperture regulating section is provided on a lower end of said neck; and

said neck is moved in the axial direction due to spiral engagement of said aperture-regulating ring with said neck and the diameter of the central aperture of said remover is varied in response to pressure of said aperture regulating section on said remover according to the movement of said neck.

2. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 1, wherein regulation of the diameter of the central aperture of said remover is performed by a rotation of said aperture-regulating ring through an angle of 360°

or less.

3. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 1, wherein means for limiting a rotation of said aperture-regulating ring to a predetermined range are provided between said aperture-regulating ring and said container main body.

4. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 3, wherein said aperture-regulating ring is engaged with an upper outer circumference of said container main body;

a rotation-limiting piece extends from a lower end of said aperture-regulating ring;

a rotation-limiting projection is provided on an outer face of said container main body, said outer face is under an engaging face of said aperture-regulating ring; and

a rotation of said aperture-regulating ring is limited by contact of said rotation-limiting piece with said rotation-limiting projection.

5. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 1, wherein said container main body comprises:

a bottle, having an aperture, said remover being placed on the bottle'"'"'s aperture; and

a cover which covers the bottle.

6. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 1, wherein said container main body is a cylindrical body with a base whose upper section is opened;

a support ring which is retained at a step formed at an upper section of an interior of said cylindrical body is further provided;

said neck engages with said container main body through said support ring so as to be freely slidable in the vertical direction and non-rotatable; and

said remover is fixed to said support ring.

7. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 1, wherein regulation of the aperture diameter of said remover is performed by a rotation of said aperture-regulating ring through an angle of 360°

or less.

8. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 1, wherein means for limiting a rotation of said aperture-regulating ring to a predetermined range are provided between said aperture-regulating ring and said container main body.

9. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 8, wherein said aperture-regulating ring is engaged with an upper outer circumference of said container main body;

a rotation-limiting piece extends from a lower end of said aperture-regulating ring;

a rotation-limiting projection is provided on an outer face of said container main body, said outer face is under an engaging face of said aperture-regulating ring; and

a rotation of said aperture-regulating ring is limited by contact of said rotation-limiting piece with said rotation-limiting projection.

10. A liquid cosmetic container, comprising:

a container main body in which liquid cosmetics are contained;

a bar shaped applicator which is freely insertable into and detachable from said container main body;

a cap which closes an aperture of the container main body and is fixed to said applicator;

a neck, disposed on a first upper section of said container main body, which has a section engaged with said cap;

a remover, disposed on a second upper section of said container main body and composed of a resilient material defining a central aperture, for stroking an outer circumference of said bar shaped applicator by the material defining said aperture;

an aperture regulating section which extends from a lower section of said neck, abuts with said remover, and varies a diameter of the central aperture of said remover; and

an aperture-regulating ring which rotatably engages with said container main body and spirally engages with said neck, wherein a synchronous engagement section is provided between said container main body and said neck in order for said container main body and said neck to freely slide in a vertical direction and to be synchronously engaged with each other; and

said neck and said aperture regulating section are moved in a vertical direction by a rotation of said aperture-regulating ring with respect to said container main body, whereby a degree of aperture of the central aperture of said remover is varied.

11. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 10, wherein means for regulating rotations of said aperture-regulating ring are further provided, whereby a regulation limit of a diameter of the central aperture of said remover is defined.

12. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 11, wherein said container main body is a cylindrical body with a base whose upper section is opened;

a support ring which is retained at a step formed at an upper section of an interior of said cylindrical body is further provided;

said neck engages with said container main body through said support ring so as to be freely slidable in a vertical direction and non-rotatable; and

said remover is fixed to said support ring.

13. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 11, wherein said container main body comprising:

a bottle having an aperture on which said remover is placed; and

a cover which covers said bottle.

14. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 10, wherein said aperture-regulating ring engages with an upper outer circumference of said container main body;

a rotation limiting piece extends from a lower end of said aperture-regulating ring;

a rotation limiting projection is provided on an outer face of said container main body which is under an engaging surface of said aperture-regulating ring; and

rotations of said aperture-regulating ring are regulated by contact of said rotation limiting piece with said rotation limiting projection.

15. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 10, wherein said container main body comprises:

a bottle having an aperture, said remover being placed on the bottle'"'"'s aperture; and

a cover which covers said bottle.

16. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 10, wherein said container main body comprising:

a bottle having an aperture on which said remover is placed; and

a cover which covers said bottle.

17. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 10, wherein said container main body is a cylindrical body with a base whose upper section is opened;

a support ring which is retained at a step formed at an upper section of an interior of said cylindrical body is further provided;

said neck engages with said container main body through said support ring so as to be freely slidable in a vertical direction and non-rotatable; and

said remover is fixed to said support ring.

18. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 17, wherein said remover is composed of a downwardly tapering member which has a central aperture and a ring section which extends in a lower direction from an outer circumference of said remover;

an upper support ring which abuts with an upper end of said ring section of said remover and a lower support ring which abuts with an inner face of said ring section of said remover are provided; and

said remover is gripped between both of said support rings.

19. A liquid cosmetic container according to claim 18, wherein said upper support ring is fixed to said container main body;

and a synchronous engagement section is provided between an inner face of said upper support ring and said neck in order for said upper support ring and said neck to freely slide in a vertical direction and to be synchronously engaged with each other.

20. A container comprising:

a container main body;

a bar shaped applicator having an outer portion, said applicator being adapted to be freely insertable into and detachable from said container main body;

a cap fixed to said applicator;

an aperture-regulating ring disposed at an upper portion of said container main body, and being adapted to rotate about an axis of said container main body;

a remover, disposed in said container main body, and composed of an elastic body having an inner portion defining a central aperture, the aperture having a diameter which is varied according to a rotational angle of said ring, wherein the inner portion of said elastic body is adapted to stroke the outer portion of said applicator;

a neck, engaged with said cap, and movable in an axial direction due to rotation of said ring, said neck being freely slidable in the axial direction and non-rotatable with respect to said container main body; and

an aperture-regulating section, disposed on a lower portion of said neck, and being adapted to apply a pressure to said remover based on rotation of said ring,

wherein said neck is spirally engaged with said ring, rotation of said ring varies the pressure applied by said aperture-regulating section to said remover, and varying the pressure applied by said aperture-regulating section to said remover varies the diameter of said aperture.

21. The container of claim 20, wherein said container is adapted to contain a liquid.

22. The container of claim 21, wherein the liquid is a cosmetic.