(en)A cosmetics holder assembly having a body that defines an inside holding area for holding the cosmetics material. The body has a bottom inside surface with at least one upwardly extending side wall that defines an aperture in the body for allowing access to the inside holding area. A sifter is connectable to the upwardly extending side wall or the bottom and has a sifter surface (e.g., application surface) that is positioned at least partially across the aperture of the body. A cosmetics retainer is removably connected to the sifter surface. The cosmetics retainer has a bottom surface configured to block the sifter surface to prevent cosmetics in the inside holding area from passing through the sifter surface.

1.ApplicationNumber: US-14832308-A
1.PublishNumber: US-2009205673-A1
2.Date Publish: 20090820
3.Inventor: RICHARDSON CHRISTINE M.

4.Inventor Harmonized: RICHARDSON CHRISTINE M(US)

5.Country: US
6.Claims:
(en)A cosmetics holder assembly having a body that defines an inside holding area for holding the cosmetics material. The body has a bottom inside surface with at least one upwardly extending side wall that defines an aperture in the body for allowing access to the inside holding area. A sifter is connectable to the upwardly extending side wall or the bottom and has a sifter surface (e.g., application surface) that is positioned at least partially across the aperture of the body. A cosmetics retainer is removably connected to the sifter surface. The cosmetics retainer has a bottom surface configured to block the sifter surface to prevent cosmetics in the inside holding area from passing through the sifter surface.

7.Description:
(en)CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefits of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/066,621, filed Feb. 22, 2008, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61,066,079, filed Feb. 19, 2008. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.


FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of cosmetics, more particularly a retainer insert for a cosmetics holder assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the cosmetics industry there are several types of cosmetics having a variety of different uses. Some cosmetics come in the form of a powder or beads while others are liquid or semi-solid in nature. Cosmetics are sold in small portable containers that usually will accompany a type of applicator such as a brush, application pad, wand, or sponge to apply the cosmetics to the skin of the user. These applicators are designed to absorb or hold the cosmetics material and apply the material to the skin.
Cosmetics containers typically have some sort of aperture or opening with an application area that is covered by a lid that allows the cosmetics material to be accessed through the use of the applicator. One particular problem with cosmetics container designs is that they are not always suitable for persons who travel frequently. Although a lid is present to prevent the cosmetics from dumping out of the container, there is nothing to prevent the material from contacting the inside surface of the lid or prevent the cosmetics from accessing the application area. Some manufacturers use their applicators to cover the aperture; however, these applicators are designed to absorb or hold the cosmetics material and apply the material to the skin. The applicator can sponge up the cosmetics and either waste cosmetics material or make use of the applicator difficult due to an undesired amount of cosmetics being on the applicator. Thus, there is a need for container assemblies that retain the cosmetics material in a desired holding area during transport and travel. Furthermore, there is a need for providing container assemblies that do not rely on a cosmetics applicator for retaining the cosmetics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a cosmetics holder assembly having a body that defines an inside holding area for holding the cosmetics material. The body has a bottom inside surface with at least one upwardly extending side wall that defines an aperture in the body for allowing access to the inside holding area. A sifter is connectable to the upwardly extending side wall or the bottom and has a sifter surface (e.g., application surface) that is positioned at least partially across the aperture of the body. A cosmetics retainer is removably connected to the sifter surface. The cosmetics retainer has a bottom surface configured to block the sifter surface to prevent cosmetics in the inside holding area from passing through the sifter surface.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a cosmetics retainer assembly;
FIG. 2 is an exploded side perspective view of the cosmetics retainer assembly;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cosmetic retainer;
FIG. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional side plan view of the cosmetics retainer assembly;
FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the cosmetics retainer;
FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the cosmetics retainer;
FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the cosmetics retainer; and
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional plan view of an alternate embodiment of the cosmetics retainer assembly.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
Referring generally to FIGS. 1-4 , a cosmetics holder assembly 10 and cosmetics retainer 32 are shown. The cosmetics holder assembly 10 can take many different forms. For example, the cosmetics holder assembly 10 can have an elongated tubular or cylindrical shape, a rectangular, circular, square, triangular, trapezoidal, or oblong shape depending on the particular container design. Thus, the present invention is not limited in any way to the shape of the cosmetics holder assembly. Cosmetics holder assembly 10 has a body 12 that has a bottom inside surface 14 with at least one upwardly extending side wall 16 . The upwardly extending side wall 16 terminates to form an aperture 18 of the body. The bottom inside surface 14 and portions of the upwardly extending side wall 16 form an inside holding area 20 for receiving and holding cosmetics material 22 .
A lid 24 is operably configurable to be removably fastened to the body 12 in order to cover the aperture 18 . The outside surface of the body 12 has threads 26 which are configured to mate with threads 27 on the lid 24 in order to facilitate the connection of the lid 24 to the body 12 . While this particular embodiment describes threads 26 on the body 12 and threads 27 on the lid 24 , it is within the scope of this invention to use a different type of fastening mechanisms and thus it is not necessarily limited to the use of threads.
A sifter 28 is positioned within the aperture 18 of the body 12 . The sifter 28 has a sifter surface 29 that at least partially covers the aperture 18 and is faced apart from the bottom inside surface 14 and the cosmetics material 22 . The sifter surface 29 allows the cosmetics material 22 to be accessed. This particular embodiment shows holes 25 in the sifter surface 29 that allow the cosmetics material 22 to be accessed. However, it is possible to use some other type of configuration other than holes for allowing access between the cosmetics material 22 and the sifter surface 29 . In this particular embodiment the cosmetics material 22 is a solid powder type substance and the sifter surface is used to gain access to the cosmetics material 22 in controlled amounts by shaking the body 12 at an angle to allow the cosmetics material 22 to pass through the sifter surface 29 . A user can then use a brush, pad, or other applicator to apply the cosmetics material 22 to the skin. The sifter 28 has a sifter locking flange 30 that is used to connect the sifter 28 to the body 12 . It is within the scope of this invention for the sifter 28 to be integrated with the body 12 in order to avoid having additional components. It is also within the scope of this invention to not have the sifter 28 present at all.
A cosmetics retainer 32 has an elastic body 34 that is shaped to fit into the aperture 18 of the cosmetics holder assembly 10 . The cosmetics retainer 32 is shown in this particular embodiment as having a cylindrical type of shape however, it can take any type of form. The elastic body 34 is made of a foam or other elastic type material that allows the body 34 to bend or change shape and then expand back to its original shape. This allows for the body 34 to fit into the aperture 18 tightly so that it will stay in place by expansion. The body 34 has a top surface 36 , a bottom surface 38 , and at least one side wall 40 extending between the top surface 36 and the bottom surface 38 . The body 34 can take any type of shape depending on the shape of the aperture 18 . The body 34 can either be pre-formed to match the shape of the aperture or it can be bent or compressed by the user to fit the cosmetics retainer 32 into the desired aperture 18 .
The bottom surface 38 is configured to face toward the inside holding area 20 which has the cosmetics material 22 therein. The elastic body 34 is made of a type of material that will resist absorption of the cosmetics material 22 . The type of material used to make the elastic body will depend upon the type of cosmetics material being used. Some possible examples would include polymeric types of foam having a relatively small porosity, polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, or olefins materials. However, the present invention is not limited to these types of material rather any type of elastic material is within the scope of this invention. The bottom surface 38 can also have an impermeable layer 42 applied. This impermeable layer is not always necessary; however, it can be present to resist the sticking of the cosmetics material 22 to the bottom surface 38 of the elastic body 34 . While the elastic body 34 will resist absorbing the material, the impermeable layer 42 will allow cosmetics material 42 to not stick to the bottom surface 38 . The impermeable layer can also possibly be of a polymeric material such as Mylar or can be made of another type of material such as Teflon that would resist the static attraction between the cosmetics material 22 and the elastic body 34 .
The bottom surface 38 in the present embodiment of the invention would cover the holes 25 in the sifter surface 29 to prevent the cosmetics material from passing through the sifter surface 29 during transport of the cosmetics holder assembly 10 . The elastic body 34 would expand to hold the cosmetics retainer 32 in place and keep the impermeable layer 42 pressed firmly against the sifter surface 29 .
Referring now to FIGS. 5-7 , alternative embodiments of the sifter assembly are shown. With regard to FIG. 5 , a cosmetics retainer 132 is shown having an elastic body 136 . A grip 144 is connected to the elastic body 136 and extends from the elastic body. The grip 144 shown in FIG. 5 is a flexible tab that can be grasped by the user to lift the cosmetics retainer 132 out of the aperture 18 of the cosmetics holder assembly 10 . The grip 144 provides a user with an easier way of removing the cosmetics retainer. Similarly, FIG. 6 shows a cosmetics retainer 232 having an elastic body 236 . A grip 244 is shown as being a divot removed from out of the elastic body 236 that allows a user to use the tip of their fingernail or finger as leverage to pull the cosmetics retainer 232 out of the aperture 18 . FIG. 7 shows another alternate embodiment of a cosmetics retainer 332 having a body 336 . A grip 344 is shown in this particular embodiment as a protrusion extending from the surface of the elastic body 336 . A user can pinch the grip 344 with their fingers to pull the cosmetics retainer 332 from the aperture 18 . With this particular embodiment, when the lid 24 is connected to the body 12 the grip 344 can be compressed since it is elastic.
Referring now to FIG. 8 , an alternate embodiment of a container assembly 410 is shown. In this particular embodiment a body 412 of the container assembly has a bottom surface 414 with at least one upwardly extending side wall 416 that defines a cosmetics holding area. A cosmetics material 422 is shown in this particular embodiment as being beads of cosmetics material. While beads of cosmetics material are shown other types of materials can be used such as powder or semi-liquid cosmetics materials. A cosmetics retainer 432 is positioned within the body 412 and has an impermeable layer 442 that contacts the cosmetics material 422 . The cosmetics retainer 432 prevents the cosmetics material 422 from moving the body 412 or from contacting the insider surface of a lid 424 that is connected to the body 412 . This embodiment of the invention illustrates how a cosmetics retainer can be used without the presence of a sifter. In the application as shown in FIG. 8 , a cosmetics retainer 432 is slightly larger in diameter than the cosmetics retainer shown in FIG. 4 because there is no retainer present. The impermeable layer 442 resists absorption of the cosmetics material 442 by the cosmetics retainer 432 .
The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.