Transaction product with removable cosmetic article

• US 8,091,779 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Inventors: Holt, Brian R., Ariss, Charlotte, Clegg, Timothy P., Samardzija, Primoz, Weston, Daniel A., Bender, Allison G.
• Primary Examiner(s): MAI, THIEN T
• Application Number:
  US12/139,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20090308920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 235/492, 235/493, 206/470, 206/471, 206/771, 206/462, 206/461, 705/64, 713/165, 428/40.1, 406/38, 283/81, 340/10.1
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 11/182 Credit card holders
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 44/00 Other cosmetic or toiletry articles, e.g. for hairdressers' rooms
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 44/005 for selecting or displaying personal cosmetic colours or hairstyle
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/347 Passive cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/349 Rechargeable cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/082 Features insuring the integrity of the data on or in the card

Abstract

A transaction product has an account identifier and includes one or more cosmetic articles. The cosmetic article may be held in place by a tray such that both are readily removable from the housing. The transaction product and its various components, taken together, have a visual appeal accentuated by a sense of depth provided by employing indicia on different visual planes and by using transparent and/or translucent panels. The indicia may be evocative of the nature of cosmetic article, including graphics that depict the color, texture, or other physical properties of the particular cosmetic article enclosed within the transaction product. The account identifier is associated with the housing and links the transaction product to an account or record having a value configured to be used toward one or more of a purchase and a use of goods or services.

Claims

1. A cosmetic product comprising:

a housing including an account identifier linking the cosmetic product to a financial account or a financial record, the housing including a first housing member and a second housing member coupled to the first housing member, wherein the first and second housing members are configured to articulate with respect to each other to move between an open state and a closed state, wherein the first housing member includes a first panel, and the second housing member includes a second panel opposite the first panel; and

a cosmetic article enclosed within the housing between the first panel and the second panel, wherein the cosmetic article is removable from the housing when the housing is in the open state;

wherein;

the first panel includes a transparent portion such that a portion of the cosmetic article and a portion the second panel are visible through the first panel when the housing is in the closed state and the cosmetic article is enclosed therein,

the account identifier is printed on the second panel,

the first panel and the second panel have surfaces that contact each other, the surfaces being the same size, and

the first housing member is connected to the second housing member with a hinge.

2. The cosmetic product of claim 1, wherein the account identifier includes a portion that is machine-readable and includes one or more of a bar code, a magnetic strip, a smart chip, or a radio frequency identification (RFID) device.

3. The cosmetic product of claim 1, wherein the housing is rectangular.

4. The cosmetic product of claim 1, wherein the first panel includes first indicia, and the second panel includes second indicia, and wherein the second indicia, the cosmetic article, and the first indicia each have a portion that is visible along a view axis orthogonal to the first panel.

5. The cosmetic product of claim 4, further including a tray configured to removeably secure the cosmetic article within the housing, the tray having a portion that is transparent such that the second indicia are visible therethrough.

6. The cosmetic product of claim 5, wherein the tray is removeably secured within the second housing member via an interference fit.

7. The cosmetic product of claim 4, wherein at least one of the first indicia and the second indicia include an image associated with the cosmetic article.

8. The cosmetic product of claim 7, wherein the cosmetic article includes a material configured to be applied to a human being, and wherein the image is a representation of a physical characteristic of the material.

9. The cosmetic product of claim 1, further including a latch structure releasably connecting the first housing member to the second housing member when the housing is in the closed state.

10. The cosmetic product of claim 1, wherein the cosmetic article comprises a material configured to be applied to human lips.

11. The cosmetic product of claim 10, wherein the material comprises a lip gloss.

12. The cosmetic product of claim 1, in combination with a backer coupled with and configured to support the cosmetic product.