Lipstick And Similar Holder

Abstract

A lipstick or like holder is largely of the conventional kind having two relatively rotatable coaxial sleeves of plastics material. The inner sleeve has an external operating knob and the outer sleeve is fitted by force into a metallic reinforcing and/or decorative tube. A godet for supporting the stick is slidable axially in the inner sleeve and has at least one lug extending through a slot in the inner sleeve and engaging a slot in the outer sleeve, one slot being longitudinal and the other helicoidal. An integral extension of the metallic sleeve projects beyond that end of the outer sleeve adjacent to the operating knob. There are then two opposed faces, one on the extension and the other on the inner tube. Bosses on one or other of those faces exert a braking force on the other face so as to prevent unwanted relative rotation of the plastics sleeves. The improvement consists in disposing the bosses irregularly with respect to the axis of the sleeves whereby a smoother braking action is obtained.

Description

This invention relates to holders for housing sticks of pasty material, such as lipsticks, paints, pomades, cosmetics, pharmaceutical or veterinary products and the like, of the type comprising two co-axial sleeves of moulded plastics material which can be turned one relatively to the other, a godet for supporting the stick, and movable axially in the inner sleeve, an external operating knob fast with the inner sleeve, at least one lug on the godet and extending through a slot in the inner sleeve, and engages a slot in the outer sleeve, one of the slots being longitudinal and the other helicoidal, a metallic reinforcing tube into which the outer sleeve is fitted by force, and a removable cover closing the whole. The tube may also have a decorative function.

The principal object of that earlier patent was to provide improved braking means operative to reduce the likelihood of unwanted relative rotational movement between the sleeves. With a view to achieving that object the patent was characterized by the provision of an extension to the metallic tube extending beyond that end of the outer sleeve adjacent to the operating knob, two opposed surface, one being afforded by the said extension and the other being afforded by the inner sleeve, and at last onee boss or radial projection on one of said opposed surfaces, the boss or bosses exerting a braking force on the other of said opposed surfaces.

In the previous patent there are described embodiments in which the said bosses for braking the relative rotation of the sleeves are equidistant. But, it is quite difficult to obtain relatively thin metal tubes which are and which remain truly round, or even inexpensive components of plastics material which are not non-circular, so that, when one sleeve is rotated relatively to the other when the holder is in use, the aforementioned bosses encounter irregularities in the cylindrical surface against which they bear, which results in a variable resistance giving rise to a disagreeable, jerky, rotational movement. The non-circularity increases moreover in use and particularly during storage due to the fact that the bosses uniformly spaced around the circumference progressively accentuate the initial non-circularity.

The aim of the present invention is to improve the holders in question with a view to improve the smoothness and regularity of their operation.

To this end, according to the present invention there is provided a holder of the type which is the subject of said previous patent, characterized in that the spacing between the bosses is irregular so that there is a significant improvement in the regularity of the braking effect obtained.

In one preferred embodiment, there are three bosses, two of which are separated by an arc of about 90.degree. and the third is distant from each of the others by an arc of about 135.degree..

The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of non-limitative examples, two embodiments of holders for sticks of pasty material improved in accordance with the invention.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section along line 1--1 of FIG. 2 of a first embodiment,

FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is transverse section of a variant.

The holder for housing a stick of pasty material such as lipstick, paint, pomade, cosmetic, pharmaceutical or veterinary product, or the like, shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 comprises, as in the embodiments described in the previous patent, a godet or support 1 for carrying the stick of pasty material and mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in an inner sleeve of plastics material 2 provided with a cylindrical operating knob 4 and with intermediate portion 22 therebetween. To this end, the support 1 has, projecting from its outer cylindrical surface, two diametrically opposed lugs, such as 3, which can slide in two longitudinal slots, such as 5, formed in the cylindrical wall of the inner sleeve 2.

On this inner sleeve 2, can be rotated an outer sleeve 7 also of plastics material and retained axially by two shoulders 11, 12 on the inner sleeve. In the inner face of the cylindrical wall of the outer sleeve 7 are formed two diametrically opposed helicoidal slots 13, 14 in which the ends of the lugs 3 of the sliding support are engaged.

On the outer sleeve 7 there is fitted, by force, a metallic reinforcing tube 18 of which one end presents a base 19 with an aperture as indicated at 21, for the passage of the stick of pasty material. Finally, the whole is covered with a standard cover which, for simplicity of illustration, is not shown.

In order to avoid the risk of the two sleeves 2 and 7 turning relatively one to the other due to the effect of vibration while the holder is closed and to avoid the risk of the end of the stick of pasty material coming into contact with the bottom of the cover, as well as to prevent the stick, when extended for use, re-entering the holder on its own while in use, there is provided a braking system which comprises, on the cylindrical surface of the annular shoulder of the inner sleeve, as already provided in the embodiments described in the previous patent, braking bosses 23 which bear frictionally with a certain pressure against the smooth cylindrical inner surface of an extension of the outer metallic tube 18 beyond that end of the outer sleeve 7 which is adjacent to the operating knob 4. In the example illustrated, there are three bosses 23A, 23B and 23C, which are not equidistant. In this example the two bosses 23B and 23C are distant from one another by an arc of about 90.degree., while the boss 23A is at a distance of about 135.degree. from each of the two bosses 23B and 23C.

Because the spaces which separate the three bosses are not of the same length, faults of non-circularity of the metallic tube 18 are not in practice felt when, during use, one of the sleeves is rotated inside the other. The bosses bear uniformly against the inner face of the metallic tube 18 which they deform resiliently and uniformly in the course of rotation.

FIG. 3 shows in transverse section similar to that of FIG. 2, a variant which only differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 in the fact that the braking bosses 25A, 25B, 25C are formed by longitudinal indentations in the tube 18, in place of projecting from the inner sleeve; they bear against the continuous smooth cylindrical surface of the shoulder 12 of the inner sleeve. Here again, the unequal disposition of the bosses induces a permanent elastic deformation of the tube 18 which overcomes the effects which would be produced by a lack of circularity of the shoulder 12 of the inner sleeve or of the tube 18, during use.

Of course the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and represented which are given by way of examples. Modifications can be introduced without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A holder for a lipstick or a similar stick of pasty material, comprising: a substantially cylindrical inner sleeve of plastic material having a cylindrical sleeve portion defining a slot; an outer sleeve of plastic material having a slot and rotatably mounted on said inner sleeve; a stick holding cup provided with an outer radially extending lug engaging said slots, one of said slots being longitudinal and the other slot being helical; and a metallic protecting tube force fitted over said outer sleeve, said inner sleeve further comprising an operating knob and an intermediate portion connecting said operating knob to said cylindrical sleeve portion at one end of said sleeve portion, said connecting portion being located beyond the corresponding end of said outer sleeve, and a corresponding terminal portion of said metallic tube surrounding said connecting portion to define a circumferential clearance delimited by the outer surface of said connecting portion and the inner surface of said terminal portion, one of said surfaces delimiting said clearance having a plurality of unequally spaced projections adapted for frictional engagement with the other one of said clearance delimiting surfaces, said projections providing within said circumferential clearance a plurality of arcuate zones wherein said surfaces are in frictional engagement with each other alternating with a plurality of zones of unequal width wherein said surfaces are spaced from each other, and said metallic tube being in frictional engagement with said inner sleeve only at said spaced projections.

2. The holder of claim 1, wherein said unequally spaced projections are outwardly projecting bosses provided on the peripheral surface of said intermediate portion.

3. The holder of claim 1, wherein said circumferential clearance has three projections, two of which are angularly spaced at an angle of about 90 degrees, the third projection being located at an angle of about 135 degrees with respect to each of the two other projections.

4. The holder of claim 1, wherein said unequally spaced projections are inwardly projecting bosses provided on said terminal portion of said metallic tube.