JP4557635B2 - Packaging apparatus including a support body having a plurality of applicators and a spacer extending between the applicators, a treatment method using the packaging apparatus, and a manufacturing method of the packaging apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for packaging a plurality of applicators, for example an applicator of the type that is in the form of a non-woven or other material flexible disk.

  Such applicators are known, in particular, from US Pat.

  In the invention described in Patent Document 1, each applicator is provided with a central opening, and the applicators are stacked on a support rod that is immersed in a container containing liquid. The support is provided with a handle that can extract the support from the container. With such a device, the user finds it very difficult to grasp only one applicator at a time. In addition, the risk that the user may contaminate an applicator that has not yet been used cannot be ignored.

Patent Documents 2 and 3 describe devices that are clearly the same and have the same drawbacks.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,983,369 U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,482 US Pat. No. 5,894,927

  The present invention is to provide a novel packaging device that solves these drawbacks.

The present invention provides this object in a first aspect of the present invention.
With multiple applicators;
A support for receiving the applicator, comprising a number of spacers arranged between these applicators, two successive spacers joined at one end in the form of a hinge;
It is achieved by a packaging device characterized by having:

  By providing a spacer, the user can easily grasp the applicator and reduce the risk of fouling the unused applicator present on the support. The risk of piercing applicators together is also reduced or eliminated.

  Suitably, the present invention avoids contact between two successive applicators, which is especially a two-sided type, i.e. an applicator with a different substance on the opposite side that must not touch during storage. It can be effective in the case of.

  Furthermore, the applicator can be easily mounted between the spacers by connecting one end portions of the spacers to each other with a hinge.

  Preferably, two consecutive spacers are connected to each other by a film hinge.

  Also preferably, the support is constructed as a single piece by molding a plastic material, such as a polyolefin.

  Also preferably, the device comprises a container into which the support can be inserted, especially when in the storage configuration.

  The container may include, for example, a main body and a lid configured to be removably fixed to the main body so as not to leak.

  The container can be useful to protect the applicator from contamination and can improve the protection of the applicator placed in the container. In particular, the container can store the applicator in a moist atmosphere.

  By way of example, the container can comprise a threaded neck and the lid can be configured to thread fit the neck. By assembling the lid on the main body in this way, a leak-free closure can be easily obtained.

  Each applicator can be impregnated with at least one substance, in particular a cosmetic or care product which may be a liquid or a powder.

  The material that soaks into the applicator may or may not be a liquid that fills the container.

  As an example, two surfaces of at least one applicator are impregnated with different materials. In that case, the spacer may be configured to avoid contact between the faces of different applicators supported by the support. As an example, an applicator with two surfaces impregnated with different materials can comprise two outer layers separated by an impermeable intermediate layer.

  The support can be configured to co-operate with the container to prevent complete removal from the container. In particular, when the container is filled with liquid, it can act, for example, to reduce the risk of liquid splashing out of the container.

  In particular, the support may comprise a base portion configured to elastically continuously deform to pass through the opening of the container and to prevent the support from leaving the container completely. The maximum lateral dimension of the base part, in particular the maximum diameter, is greater than the minimum lateral dimension of the top part of the container, in particular the minimum diameter of the neck.

  When the support is in the stowed configuration, the support can be placed on the bottom (21b) of the container via the base portion of the support.

  As an example, the base portion can comprise a number of elastically deformable tabs.

  Each tab may comprise a radially outward portion that may extend downwardly by a chamfered bottom portion to facilitate insertion of the support into the container.

  If the container includes a neck defining a shoulder (24) at the bottom end, the tab may abut against the shoulder to hold the support within the container.

  The spacer can be configured in various ways, in particular in the form of an optionally perforated plate with a transverse dimension that is smaller or larger than the transverse dimension of the applicator. The term “transverse dimension” is used to mean a dimension measured perpendicular to the axis about which the associated spacer rotates.

  In particular, the spacers can extend approximately parallel and approximately equidistant from each other when the support is in the stowed configuration.

  The spacer may be arranged such that when the support is in the stowed configuration, at least one applicator extends beyond the spacer adjacent to it and particularly beyond the spacer on the side remote from the hinged side. .

  The packaging device can comprise many types of applicators, for example in connection with the purpose of the applicator. The number of applicators can be in the range of 10-30, for example.

  The applicator can have a variety of shapes, but the applicator is preferably disk-shaped so that the applicator is packaged in a container with a body having a cylindrical side wall and a lid threadedly fitted to the body. can do.

  The applicator may also have a shape other than a disk shape, for example the applicator may be oval or polygonal, in particular square or rectangular.

  The thickness of the support depends on the nature of the substance to be applied and the surface to be treated and can range, for example, from 0.5 mm to 3 mm.

  The support can comprise a top portion connected by hinges to an adjacent spacer, the top portion advantageously comprising a handle member in the form of, for example, an outwardly facing tongue.

  The top portion may have a transverse dimension that is greater than the transverse dimension of the spacer and a transverse dimension that is slightly greater than the transverse dimension of the applicator.

  The term “transverse dimension” is used to mean a dimension measured perpendicular to the axis about which the top portion pivots.

  When the support is in a configuration housed in a container, the top portion can be used to withdraw a portion of the support from the container, particularly in a configuration that provides an applicator where the spacers can be at unequal angles to each other. Can be used to

  The top portion can have a circular or other contour and can completely or partially cover the underlying applicator.

  The top portion may be provided with an opening, particularly in its central region.

  In another aspect of the invention, the present invention provides an applicator support having multiple spacers configured as a single piece by connecting one end together and molding a plastic material.

  The support may comprise a trunk consisting of a continuous body of segments connected to each other by a plurality of film hinges each having a spacer connected thereto.

The present invention also provides a separate or related to the above,
A container;
With multiple applicators;
A support for receiving the applicator, comprising a number of spacers disposed between the applicators;
Two continuous spacers are joined at one end in the form of a hinge so that the support is elastically deformed to pass through the opening of the container and prevent the support from leaving the container completely. A packaging device is provided that comprises a configured base portion.

In another aspect of the present invention, the present invention also provides a method for the cosmetic treatment of skin, mucous membranes, nails or hair, in particular using the packaging device as described above,
Rotating at least one spacer with respect to the other spacers so that the applicator located between the two spacers can be removed; and removing the applicator and applying cosmetics using the applicator To do;
including.

  Prior to removal of the applicator, the support is partially extracted from the container so that the plurality of applicators can be hermetically packaged and / or the plurality of applicators can be impregnated with the material to be applied.

In another aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing the above packaging device, the method comprising:
Providing the filler with a support comprising a number of spacers interconnected at one end with hinges;
Inserting an applicator between the spacers;
including.

  As an example, the step of inserting an applicator between the spacers is to separate the two consecutive spacers so that the two consecutive spacers form an upwardly-opening V shape, and the applicator is moved between the two consecutive spacers. This can be done by sliding vertically between the spacers.

  In particular, the applicator inserted between the spacers can be stacked on a dispenser provided with a pressing member that can press the applicator one by one against a transfer member constituted by, for example, a rotationally driven roller.

  In particular, the dispenser can be placed on a support to be filled with a plurality of applicators, which are stacked horizontally on the dispenser.

  During filling, the trunk of the support comprising the hinges connecting the spacers to each other can be supported against a rounded holder member so that the spacer can be easily expanded into a fan configuration.

  During filling, the support can be moved relative to the holder member so as to form an empty space formed between two consecutive spaces below the dispenser, whereby the applicator can be formed in this way. Can be inserted.

  The base portion of the support can be moved vertically to cause and / or involve movement of the support relative to the holder member.

  Once the support is filled, it is inserted into the container in a folded state.

  The support can in particular be pushed into the container with sufficient force to pass through the opening of the container by elastic deformation of the base part of the support.

  Thereafter, suitably the container can be at least partially filled with liquid and sealed closed.

    The invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The packaging device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a support 10 and a container 20 in which the support 10 is arranged inside.

  The container 20 has a main body 21 with a longitudinal axis X, and a neck portion 22 is provided at the top end of the main body 21, the neck portion 22 is provided with an outer screw, and a lid 23 is screwed to the screw to implement the container. Sealed.

  In the example described, the body 21 of the container 20 comprises a cylindrical side wall 21a and a bottom wall 21b around the axis X, and is constructed by molding, for example, plastic material or glass.

  The bottom end of the neck 22 cooperates with the cylindrical side wall 21a to form an angled shoulder 24.

  The support 10 includes a base portion 11, and a trunk 15 extending substantially parallel to the axis X is connected to the base portion 11 when the support is placed in the container 20 in the storage configuration.

  The trunk 15 carries a number of spacers 12 which extend substantially perpendicular to the axis X in the storage configuration. As an example, the spacers 12 can extend all from the same side of rank 15. For example, the spacers 12 are accurately stacked on each other in the vertical direction, and are all the same, for example.

  The top end of the trunk 15 is connected to the top portion 13, and the top portion 13 includes a handle member 14. In the example described, the handle member is in the shape of a tongue facing upwards.

  The base portion 11 comprises a plate 19 extending perpendicular to the axis X and extended downwards by a number of tabs 18, each tab comprising a radially outwardly bent portion 18a and a chamfered bottom end 18b. Yes.

  In the example described, the spacers 12 are in the form of plates each having a tapered free end 12a and connected to the trunk 15 via the opposite end 12b. The spacer ends 12a, 12b can be stacked vertically when the device is in the stowed state.

  The apparatus comprises a number of straight segments 16, each segment 16 being connected vertically to the associated spacer 12 except for the first segment 16 from the bottom, the first segment 16 being the plate 19 of the base portion 11. Connected vertically.

  The segments 16 are connected to each other by a film hinge 17 so that two consecutive spacers 12 are connected to each other by a hinge connection.

  The top portion 13 is connected to the trunk 15 by a film hinge 17.

  As the support 10 is moved upward in the container 20, the tabs 18 of the base portion 11 abut against the shoulder 24, thereby holding the support 10 in the container.

  In the example described, the support 10 is constructed as a single piece by molding a plastic material.

  An applicator 30 is inserted between the spacers 12, and another applicator 30 is inserted below the top portion 13, as seen in particular in FIG.

  In the illustrated example, the applicator 30 has a circular contour 31 as shown in FIG. 3, and the diameter of the applicator 30 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the container neck 22 in the illustrated example.

  As can be seen in FIG. 1, the applicators 30 can be larger in size than the spacers 12 so that the portion 32 of each applicator 30 extends beyond the spacers 12.

  However, the size of the top portion 13 is advantageously sized to cover the entire lower applicator 30, including the portion 32 that extends beyond the associated spacer 12.

  In the stowed state, the spacers 12 can all extend parallel to each other. Two consecutive spacers avoid crushing the applicator 30 inserted between the spacers, particularly in the vicinity of the end 12b of the spacers, especially when in the stowed state or when holding the applicator. Can be configured as follows.

  The device 1 can be used as follows.

  The user can remove the lid 23 as shown in FIG. 5 and lift the top portion 13 in the direction of arrow F as shown in FIG.

  When the top portion 13 is lifted, the support 10 can be lifted along the axis x, as shown in FIG. 7, and this upward movement is optionally supported by the trunk 15 supported on one side of the neck 22. Makes it easier. Accordingly, by rotating the top portion 13 while supporting the trunk 15 with respect to the neck portion 22, the remaining portion of the support 10 can be lifted with respect to the container, and the support 10 has a fan shape. The outside of the container can be taken up, thereby easily holding the applicator.

  The user can take out the applicator 30 located directly below the top portion 13 and, when using the applicator further, the user can apply the application one after another, for example in the form shown in FIG. Can be removed and many spaces between the spacers 12 are emptied, but some applicators 30 remain between the spacers located in the container 20. When the last applicator 30 is removed, as shown in FIG. 9, the base portion 11 is supported, for example, against the shoulder 24, and the rest of the support 10 is in the form of a fan.

  While the user is picking up one applicator 30, the risk of touching adjacent applicators 30 is reduced.

  Further, each applicator 30 can slide relatively easily over the lower spacer 12, thereby easily holding the applicator 30 without having to sandwich the applicator 30 between fingernails. It becomes like this.

  Furthermore, when the container 20 is filled with a liquid, the support 10 can be partially pulled out of the container, so that the user can avoid immersing his / her finger in the liquid.

  The packaging device can be manufactured as follows.

  After being manufactured as a one-piece plastic molded body, the support body 10 is transferred to the filling portion as shown in FIG.

  The trunk 15 can be placed against a holder member 40 having a rounded top surface 41.

  The top portion 13 of the support 10 is oriented substantially vertically so that the space 42 between the top portion and the adjacent spacer 12 is V-shaped with an upward opening.

  The filling part has a dispenser 45 with a pusher 46 which accommodates the horizontal stack of applicators 30 and can push the applicator 30 along the arrow P against the transfer member 47. By way of example, the transfer member 47 is in the form of a roller, and rotating it moves the applicator 30 in contact with the transfer member 47 downward into the associated space located vertically downward. As filling progresses, the base portion 11 of the support 10 moves upward so that the trunk 15 can move on the rounded surface 41 of the holder member 40 and the remaining empty space 42 is perpendicular to the dispenser 45. As shown in FIG. 11, the support 10 is gradually moved downward and becomes a fan shape while being filled.

  Once all the applicators 30 have been inserted between the spacers 12, the support 10 is closed, the spacers 12 are substantially parallel to each other and turned upside down as shown in FIG. 21 can be inserted.

  During this insertion, as shown in FIG. 13, the tab 18 on the base portion 11 passes through the neck 22 while being elastically deformed radially inward.

  The container is then swung to the right and filled with a liquid that would possibly impregnate the applicator 30, and then a lid 23 is applied as shown in FIG.

  In a variant, the container is not filled with any liquid and the applicator is impregnated with at least one substance before being inserted between the spacers 12.

  Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

  In particular, the form of the top portion 13 of the support 10 can be changed, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, it is not necessary to cover the entire lower applicator 30, and the top portion 13 can be, for example, two opposite straight sides. Is provided.

  Further, the applicator 30 can have a non-circular shape. For example, the applicator 30 may have a rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 17 or a rectangular shape as shown in FIG.

  The applicator 30 can have a variety of structures, and in particular, the applicator 30 can comprise at least one layer of woven or non-woven fabric, or a layer of foam, or a layer carrying a flocked coating.

  In particular, the applicator 30 can be configured as a multilayer structure comprising, for example, two outer layers 51, 52 containing different substances and an impermeable intermediate layer 53 arranged between these outer layers. Due to the presence of the spacer 12, contact between a layer 52 of one applicator 30 and a layer 51 of an adjacent applicator 30 can be avoided, and in particular, the materials contained in the layers 51, 52 are incompatible. Is advantageous.

  In the description of the specification, including the claims, the term “having, comprising, or consisting of” is synonymous with “having at least one, comprising at least one, or consisting of at least one” unless otherwise specified. Should be understood.

1 is a schematic axial cross-sectional view of a packaging device constructed in accordance with the present invention. The top view seen along the arrow II of FIG. 1 after removing a lid | cover. The top view which isolate | separates and shows an example of an applicator. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing details of the apparatus of FIG. 1. The figure which shows how to use an apparatus. The figure which shows how to use an apparatus. The figure which shows how to use an apparatus. The figure which shows how to use an apparatus. The figure which shows how to use an apparatus. The figure which shows how to manufacture an apparatus. The figure which shows how to manufacture an apparatus. The figure which shows how to manufacture an apparatus. The figure which shows how to manufacture an apparatus. The figure which shows how to manufacture an apparatus. The figure similar to FIG. 2 which shows the deformation | transformation embodiment of a support body. The figure similar to FIG. 2 which shows the deformation | transformation embodiment of a support body. The figure similar to FIG. 3 which shows the deformation | transformation embodiment of an applicator. The figure similar to FIG. 3 which shows the deformation | transformation embodiment of an applicator. The partial fragmentary sectional view of a two-side type applicator.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Packaging apparatus 10: Support body 11: Base part 12: Spacer 12a: Tapered free end part 12b: Opposite end part 13: Top part 14: Handle member 15: Trunk 16: Segment 17: Film hinge 18: Tab 18a: Radially bent part 18b: Chamfered bottom end 19: Plate 20: Container 21: Main body 21a: Cylindrical side wall 21b: Bottom wall 22: Neck 23: Lid 24: Angled shoulder 30: Application 31: Circular outline 32: Part of applicator 30 40: Holder member 41: Rounded top surface 42: Space 45: Dispenser 46: Pusher 47: Transfer member 51: Outer layer 52: Outer layer

Claims (40)

Multiple applicators (30);
A support (10) for receiving the applicator;
A container (20) into which the support (10) is inserted;
Have
The container (20) comprises a body (21), a neck (22) and a lid (23) configured to be removably secured to the body,
The support comprises a number of spacers (12) arranged between the applicators, two successive spacers being joined in one hinge form by a film hinge (17) ;
It said support Ri single piece der molded plastic material,
The support comprises a top portion (13) hinged to an adjacent spacer; the top portion (13) comprises a handle member (14);
The support comprises a trunk (15) carrying spacers, and all spacers (12) extend from the same side of the trunk;
The trunk (15) comprises a series of segments (16) joined by film hinges (17) each connected to a spacer (12);
When the top portion (13) is lifted, the support (10) is also lifted along the longitudinal axis (X) of the body (21) of the container (20) and the trunk (15) is connected to the neck ( 22) and the top portion (13) is rotated while the trunk (15) is in contact with one side of the neck (22). A packaging device, characterized in that the support (10) is fan-shaped outside the container .   2. The packaging device according to claim 1, wherein the plastic material is polyolefin. The packaging device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the lid is configured to be fixed to the main body so as not to leak. A packaging device according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the container comprises a threaded neck (22) and the lid (23) is threadedly fitted to the neck. Each applicator (30), at least one of the packaging apparatus of any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the material is impregnated. 6. The packaging device according to claim 5 , wherein the substance is a liquid or a powder. The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein each applicator (30) is impregnated with a substance filling the container. At least two surfaces of a single applicator (30), the packaging apparatus of any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that different materials are impregnated. The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , characterized in that the spacer (12) is configured to avoid contact between the faces of different applicators supported by a support. Support (10) is, either the container (20) from the claims 1-9, characterized in that it is configured to cooperate with container (20) so as to prevent the possible sampling completely one The packaging device according to item. The support comprises a base portion (11) configured to pass through the opening of the container by elastically and continuously deforming so as to prevent the support from being able to leave the container completely. The packaging device according to claim 10 . 12. The packaging device according to claim 11, wherein when the support is in the stowed configuration, the support is placed on the bottom (21b) of the container via the base portion (11) of the support. 13. A packaging device according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the base part (11) comprises a number of elastically deformable tabs (18). Each tab (18) has a portion extending radially outward, and this portion extends downward by a chamfered bottom portion (18b) so that the support can be easily inserted into the container. The packaging device according to claim 13 . Neck of the container (22) defines a shoulder portion (24) to the bottom end, the tab (18) abuts against the shoulder portion so as to hold the support member in a container according to claim 13 or claim 14 The packaging device described. The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 15 , wherein the spacer (12) comprises a plate. The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 16 , wherein a transverse dimension of the spacer is smaller than a transverse dimension of the applicator. When the support is in the retracted configuration, the spacer (12) packing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that extending substantially equidistant and substantially parallel to one another. When the support is in the retracted configuration, so as to extend beyond at least one applicator adjacent thereto spacer, any one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that the spacer (12) is configured The packaging device described. When the support is in the retracted configuration, so as to extend beyond the spacer on the side of at least one applicator away from the hinged side, according to claim 1 to 19, characterized in that the spacer is arranged The packaging device according to any one of claims. The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 20 , characterized in that the number of applicators (30) is in the range of 10-30. The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 21 , wherein the applicator has a disc shape. The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 22 , wherein the thickness of the support is in the range of 0.5 mm to 3 mm. The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 23 , wherein the handle member has a shape of a tongue facing outward. Top portion (13) comprises a larger cross dimension than the transverse dimension of the spacer, the packaging of any one of claims 1-24, characterized the retaining clips also a slightly larger transverse dimension than the transverse dimension of the applicator apparatus. 26. A packaging device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the top portion (13) completely covers the lower applicator (30). 27. A packaging device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the top portion is provided with an opening (49) therethrough . Two consecutive spacers, packing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 27, characterized in that it is configured to form as avoid crushing the applicator positioned therebetween spacer. Packaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 28, characterized in that all spacers are identical. 30. A packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 29 , wherein each spacer comprises two ends, and when the device is in a storage configuration, the two ends of the spacer are vertically stacked. In a method of treating skin, mucous membranes, nails or hair with a cosmetic using the packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 30 ,
Rotating at least one spacer (12) relative to the other spacer (12) to a position where the applicator (30) located between the two spacers can be removed; and removing the applicator Applying cosmetics using the applicator;
A method comprising the steps of: Before removing the applicator, the support can be partially extracted from the container (20) so that the plurality of applicators can be hermetically packaged and / or the plurality of applicators can be impregnated with the material to be applied. 32. The method of claim 31 , wherein: The method of manufacturing a packaging device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 30,
Providing the filler with a support comprising a number of spacers interconnected at one end with hinges;
Inserting an applicator between the spacers;
The manufacturing method of the packaging apparatus characterized by including. The step of inserting the applicator between the spacers separates the two consecutive spacers so that the two consecutive spacers form an upwardly open V shape, and the applicator is between the two consecutive spacers. 34. The method of manufacturing a packaging device according to claim 33, wherein the method is performed by sliding vertically. Applicator interposed between the spacer claim 34, wherein the stacked dispenser (45) having a pressing member capable of one by one pressing the applicator against the transfer member (47) (46) Manufacturing method for packaging equipment. 36. The method of manufacturing a packaging apparatus according to claim 35 , wherein the transfer member is composed of a roller that is driven to rotate. A support supports the holder member (40) during filling, and a base portion of the support causes movement of the support (10) relative to the holder member (40) and / or its movement. 37. The method of manufacturing a packaging device according to any one of claims 33 to 36 , wherein the packaging device is moved vertically so that The manufacturing method of the packaging apparatus according to any one of claims 33 to 37 , wherein the support is inserted into the container in a folded state. The method for manufacturing a packaging device according to claim 38 , wherein the support is configured to pass through the opening of the container by elastic deformation of the base portion. 40. A method of manufacturing a packaging device according to claim 39, wherein the container is at least partially filled with a liquid and is hermetically closed.

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