Packaging for Cosmetic Product

The present invention relates to a packaging for cosmetics of the type specified in the preamble of the first claim.

Specifically, this invention relates to a packaging for liquid or cream/pasty cosmetic product (hereinafter simply referred to as liquid) including a deformable tank, normally denoted by the anglophone term “squeezable”, adapted to allow the product contained therein to be pushed towards the applicator by means of manual pressure on the walls of the tank.

As known, squeezable cosmetic packaging includes a deformable tank through which the cosmetic product, generally liquid, contained therein can be expelled. Furthermore, the packaging may include an integrated or external applicator, equipped with a soft, possibly spongy, means that allows the cosmetic product to be applied on a user's skin.

Examples of this type of packaging are described in the patent documents US-B-8585309, EP-B-3233654, EP-B-3723541, and CN-U-206761069.

The packaging described by these documents overall include soft applicators external to the tank or integrated with the tank but fixed or in any case placed close to the cosmetic product's exit duct.

Therefore, the known technique described includes some significant drawbacks. In particular, the fact that the packaging includes a soft applicator on which the cosmetic product, liquid or creamy, directly rests as it exits the tank implies that the applicator gets very dirty and soon needs to be replaced.

However, normally, the soft applicator is bound to the tank and cannot be easily replaced and in any case removed therefrom.

Therefore, the packaging of the known technique is effectively performing for a relatively short period.

In this situation, the technical task underlying the present invention is to devise a packaging for cosmetic product capable of substantially overcoming at least part of the aforementioned drawbacks.

Within the scope of said technical task, an important aim of the invention is to achieve a packaging for cosmetic product that allows increasing the longevity of the soft applicator.

Another important aim of the invention is to make a cosmetic packaging that allows the soft applicator present in the packaging to be easily replaced, if necessary. The technical task and the specified aims are achieved by a cosmetic packaging as claimed in attached claim. Preferred technical solutions are highlighted in the dependent claims.

In this document, measurements, values, shapes, and geometric references (such as perpendicularity and parallelism), when associated with words like “approximately” or other similar terms such as “almost” or “substantially,” are to be understood as allowing measurement errors or inaccuracies due to production and/or manufacturing errors and, above all, allowing a slight deviation from the value, measurement, shape, or geometric reference associated with it. For example, such terms, when associated with a value, preferably indicate a deviation not exceeding 10% of the value itself.

Moreover, when used, terms like “first,” “second,” “upper,” “lower,” “main,” and “secondary” do not necessarily identify an order, priority of relationship, or relative position, but can simply be used to more clearly distinguish different components from one another.

Unless otherwise specified, as is clear from the following discussions, terms like “treatment,” “computing,” “determination,” “calculation,” or similar, refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or similar electronic computing device that manipulates and/or transforms data represented as physical entities, such as electronic quantities of registers of a computer system and/or memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within computer systems, registers, or other information storage, transmission, or display devices. Measurements and data reported in this text are to be considered, unless otherwise indicated, as made in International Standard Atmosphere ICAO (ISO 2533:1975).

Referring to the Figures, the cosmetic packaging according to the invention is globally denoted by number.

The packagingis designed to contain liquid or creamy cosmetic products. In general, the packagingis preferably, but not necessarily, of the squeezable type, that is, designed to allow pushing the cosmetic product contained therein towards the applicator by means of manual pressure onto the walls of packaging.

In this regard, preferably, packagingcomprises a tank. Tankis the part of packagingdesigned to contain the cosmetic product, whether in liquid or creamy form. Furthermore, tankis preferably deformable in such a way that it can be manually squeezed by a user exerting enough pressure to allow the cosmetic product contained therein to come out.

Alternatively, tankmay be rigid, i.e. undeformable, or not necessarily deformable, and may include a pump mechanism to push the cosmetic product out of tank.

Naturally, tankpreferably includes at least one access.

Accessis an opening made on tankto allow access to its interior, possibly, for example, to allow refilling tankwhen the latter is depleted.

Packagingalso includes a dispenser.

Dispenseris designed to convey the cosmetic product from tankto the external environment of tank. Thus, dispenseris in fluid open connection with tank.

In particular, dispenseris connected to tankat access. In this regard, indeed, dispenserpreferably comprises a cap.

Capis substantially couplable to tankat access. Thus, capis removably bound to tankin such a way as to allow its closing and opening, on command, by coupling or decoupling capto tank.

Preferably, dispenserincludes at least one conduit.

Conduitis preferably rigid. Thus, conduitis preferably not deformable by the sole manual force of a user.

Therefore, terms like deformable, soft, rigid are always to be construed in relation to an external manual force applicable by an average adult human user onto the components of packagingwithout particular effort. Consequently, said terms are to be referred to in relation to the forces applied by a user during the normal use of the cosmetic product and therefore of packaging.

Conduit, in any case, is preferably in fluid open connection with tank. Thus, conduitis the portion of dispenserdesigned to convey the cosmetic product exiting from tank.

In particular, preferably, conduitdevelops along a main axis. The main axisis a virtual axis that determines the development trajectory of conduit.

The main axisis to be understood, in a broad sense, as a development direction that can be straight or even curved.

In any case, conduitdefines a channel.

Channelis for passage purposes and is therefore the hole of conduitthrough which the cosmetic product goes through as it exits from tank.

Conduit, advantageously, includes a support surface.

The support surfaceis positioned at a free end of conduit.

Thus, the support surfaceis adapted to collect the cosmetic product exiting from channel.

Said free end identifies the end of conduitdistant from tankwhen dispenseris connected to tank.

Thus, the support surfaceis a low-thickness element (appropriately compared to the rest of packaging), preferably flat, acting as a sort of tray for the cosmetic product exiting from channel.

Even more in detail, support surfacecould be configured in such a way as to close conduit. Therefore, support surfacemight also further include a hole. If present, advantageously, holeis a through-hole. Moreover, holeis preferably in fluid open connection with channelthus appropriately putting channelin fluid open connection with the outside.

Therefore, holepreferably defines an extension, on a plane aligned with support surface, smaller than channel.

Even more in detail, support surfacecould include a relief. If present, reliefdevelops on the perimeter of the support surfaceand is facing outward, that is, opposite channel. Thus, in this sense, reliefcan create a sort of frame adapted to prevent the cosmetic product on support surfacefrom spreading beyond it.

Dispenser, therefore, also includes a first body.

The first bodyis preferably a stubby element. It is also, at least partially, soft. Thus, first bodyis preferably deformable by human manipulation. Moreover, first bodyis designed to allow the application of the cosmetic product onto the skin. Therefore, first bodyon one side is able to support and/or soak up the cosmetic product, on the other to spread the cosmetic onto the skin.

First body, preferably, is distinct from conduit. Moreover, advantageously first bodyincludes a recess. Recessis configured to accommodate at least part and in detail the entirety of conduit, appropriately in a removable manner, and thus reciprocally to bind first bodyand conduitwhen conduitis in recess. Moreover, it is configured to accommodate conduit. In particular, recessis preferably peripheral so as to allow inserting and thus engaging conduitin recessthrough appropriately by their reciprocal movement along a direction at least partly radial to axis

Furthermore, advantageously, the recessaccommodates the conduitin such a way that the first bodyembraces the conduitwithout interfering with the support surfaceso that the cosmetic product is always accessible by the user when collected on the support surface, as shown in all.

Packagingcan include further detailed features.

If the case, as already mentioned, capis preferably couplable to tankat access. Moreover, capis preferably integral with conduit.

First bodyinstead preferably includes at least a base.

Baseis preferably rigid.

Moreover, baseis adapted to rest on capwhen first bodyand conduitare coupled.

Therefore, first bodyincludes at least a wall. Wallis preferably also rigid. In addition, wallis integral with base.