The present invention relates to a tube with automatic opening action for cosmetics in stick form such as lipsticks, lip glosses, lip protectors and the like.

As is known, the market already offers tubes for lipsticks and the like substantially constituted by a cylindrical body inside which a cup for the stick of lipstick, lip salve, lip gloss and the like is slidingly accommodated; said stick is made to perform a translatory motion by means of the rotation of a ring or in any case of a part located on the outside of the cylindrical body.

In these embodiments, the rotation of the ring causes the translatory motion of the lipstick, but it is first of all necessary to remove the closure cap of the cylindrical body.

It is therefore unavoidably necessary to have both hands free in order to be able to use the tube, i.e. one hand to remove the lid and the other hand to extract the lipstick or the like by means of a rotation of the ring.

In order to obviate this drawback, tubes have already been marketed in which closure is performed by means of a substantially shutter-like element which is made to slide so that it can be arranged so as to close the open end of the cylindrical body or so that it can be removed when the product is to be used.

These embodiments, however, have proved themselves to be constructively very complicated and furthermore scarcely practical, since the presence of the shutter-like element considerably affects both the shape and the structure of the tube, so that these embodiments in practice have had no success.

An aim of the present invention is indeed to solve the above described problem by providing a tube for cosmetics in stick form such as lipsticks, lip glosses, lip protectors and the like, which allows to obtain, with a single actuation, both the opening and closure of the tube and the translatory motion for extracting the cosmetics in stick form.

Within the scope of the above aim, a particular object of the present invention is to provide a tube which can be used with only one hand and furthermore has the same external appearance as conventional tubes for cosmetics in stick form.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tube which can be obtained with a small number of components which are quick and simple to assemble.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tube which, by virtue of its particular constructive characteristics, is capable of giving the greatest assurances of reliability and safety in use.

With these aims and objects and other objects in mind, there is provided, according to the present invention, a tube with automatic opening action for cosmetics in stick form such as lipsticks, lip glosses, lip protectors and the like, which comprises a cylindrical body forming a cylindrical cavity in which a cup for cosmetics and the like in stick form is accommodated, said cup being able to perform a translatory motion by virtue of the action of a ring which is rotatably associated with said cylindrical body and can be accessed from outside, characterized in that said ring is connected to shutters which are mounted so as to oscillate and control the open end of said cavity, said shutters being arrangeable, by virtue of the rotation of said ring, in a closed position, in which they are superimposed on the open end of said cavity, and in an open position, in which they are arranged laterally with respect to the open end of said cavity outside the region affected by the translatory motion of said cosmetic in stick form.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment thereof, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

• figure 1 is a schematic view of the tube with automatic opening action, according to the present invention;
• figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the tube;
• figure 3 is a top plan view of the tube in closed position;
• figure 4 is a sectional view of the tube, taken along an axial plane, with the shutters in closed position;
• figure 5 is a sectional view of the tube, taken along an axial plane, with the shutters in open position and with the cosmetic in stick form still in retracted position;
• figure 6 is a sectional view of the tube, taken along an axial plane, with the cosmetic in stick form, such as lipstick and the like, in extracted position;
• figure 7 is a partially sectional view of the detail of the shutters in closed position;
• figure 8 is a view of the detail of the shutters in open position;
• figure 9 is a partially sectional view of the detail of the shutters in open position with the lipstick extracted.

With reference to the above figures, the tube with automatic opening action for cosmetics in stick form such as lipsticks, lip glosses, lip protectors and the like, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a cylindrical body 2 inside which there is a cavity 3 in which a cup 4 for containing a cosmetic is slidably accommodated.

More in detail, inside the cavity 3 there is an actuation body 10 rotatably accommodated inside the body 2 and defining, on its internal surface, a helical groove 11 in which an engagement tooth 13 engages; said tooth protrudes radially from the cup 4.

For the axial translatory motion of the cup 4 there is a fixed guiding body 20 which is located inside the guiding body 10, is accommodated inside the cylindrical body 2 and is rigidly coupled thereto.

For connection between the guiding body 20 and the cylindrical body 2, the guiding body 20 has a polygonal end 21 which couples in a corresponding polygonal seat 22 formed on the bottom of the body 2.

The guiding body 20 furthermore has a slot 25 which allows the passage of the tooth 13 which engages the groove 11, so that the rotation of the actuation body causes the axial translatory motion of the cup 4 and consequently the protrusion and retraction of the cosmetic in stick form 4a which is connected to said cup.

In order to rotate the actuation body 10 there is a ring 30 which is arranged so as to continue the shape of the cylindrical body 2 and is rigidly rotationally coupled to the actuation body 10 by virtue of the engagement of shoulders 15, which extend longitudinally from the actuation body 10, in grooves 31 formed on the internal surface of the ring 30.

The ring 30 furthermore has, at the end of the grooves 31, coupling teeth 32 which engage the ends of the shoulders 15 so as to prevent the axial extraction of the ring once assembly has been performed.

The particularity of the present invention resides in the fact that at the end of the guiding body 20, at the region where the cavity 3 opens, there is a portion shaped so as to form a spherical portion, designated by the reference numeral 40, on which shutters 50 engage; said shutters are oscillatably mounted and in practice control the open end of the cavity.

The shutters, as will become apparent hereinafter, by virtue of rotation of the ring, can be arranged in a closed position, in which they are superimposed on the open end of the cavity, and in an open position, in which they are arranged laterally with respect to the open end of the cavity, outside the region affected by the translatory motion of the cosmetic in stick form 4a.

More in detail, the shutters 50 are shaped so as to form spherical portions, are sector-shaped and guided in their oscillation by virtue of engagement with circular protrusions 51 located at the ends of the shoulders 15, which engage in circular recesses 52 located at the ends of the sector-shaped shutters 50.

The shutters 50 are furthermore provided with an actuation pin 53 located in the lower median portion and extending toward the internal surface; said pin engages guiding grooves, generally designated by the reference numeral 60, formed at the spherical portion 40 of the actuation body.

The guiding grooves 60 have an open end portion 60a which is located at the upper edge of the protrusion 40 and which blends with an inclined central portion 60b which in practice is the portion which moves the shutters and ends with a circumferential portion 60c extending at right angles with respect to the axis over an extent substantially equal to half of a circumference.

Rotation of the ring 30, which is rigidly associated with the actuation body 10, also causes the rotation of the shutters 50 about the axis of the cylindrical body 2.

In this manner, by virtue of the engagement of the actuation pins 53 with the grooves 60, the shutters are oscillatably moved about the fulcrum point, constituted by an axis which is perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical body 2 and is defined by the line which joins the circular protrusions 51 arranged diametrically opposite to each other.

During closure, as shown in figures 7 and 3, the pin 53 is accommodated in the portion 60a of the groove; by turning the ring, the guiding pin 53 runs along the inclined portion 60b, consequently opening the shutters, as shown in figure 8.

It should be noted that the movement of the shutters is in step with the movement of the cup 4; for this purpose, the guiding slot 25 has a corresponding shape.

In particular, when the pin 53 moves along the portion 60b which opens the shutters, the tooth 13 of the cup 4 is accommodated in the lower horizontal portion 25a of the slot 25.

Therefore, during the opening of the shutters the cup does not move correspondingly.

The cup performs a translatory motion when the tooth 13 is in the axial portion 25b of the slot and, correspondingly, the pin 53 is accommodated in the groove 60c which, since it extends horizontally, i.e. in a plane at right angles to the axis of the cylindrical body 2, does not move the shutters, which thus remain in open position; during this step, the cup performs its upward translatory motion, so that it can protrude freely without interfering with said shutters.

The axial portion 25b of the slot ends with a horizontal upper portion 25c which in practice acts as retainer to prevent the accidental retraction of the cup.

Movements in the opposite direction are obtained during the closure of the tube; in fact, by turning the ring 30, during a first step the shutters 50 remain open and the tooth 13 initially runs along the slot 25c and then along the axial slot 25b, performing the axial translatory motion so as to retract into the container.

During this step, the shutters remain open, since the pin 53 is accommodated in the portion 60c of the groove 60. Once the retraction of the cup 4 has ended, when the tooth 13 runs along the portion 25a of the slot 25, the pin 53 runs along the portion 60b of the groove 60, so that the shutters close until the pin 53 is accommodated in the end portion 60a, which keeps the shutters in closed position.

With the described arrangement it is therefore possible to actuate the tube with a single hand even during opening; i.e., the ring 30, in addition to producing the translatory motion of the cup and thus the extraction and retraction of the cosmetic in stick form, also actuates the shutters which produce the opening and closing action in step with the translatory motion of the cup.

To the above it should furthermore be added that it is advantageously possible to apply to the bottom of the container 2 an eyelet 70 which allows to connect the tube to a cord and the like; the eyelet is provided with elastic teeth 71 for snap-together coupling with the bottom.

From the above description it can thus be seen that the tube according to the present invention achieves the intended aim and objects, and in particular the fact is stressed that a tube is provided which allows, by actuation with a single hand, to both open the tube and produce the translatory motion of the cosmetic in stick form, consequently considerably simplifying the use of said tube.

It is furthermore important to stress the fact that these improved characteristics have been obtained without radically modifying the structure of conventional tubes for cosmetics in stick form.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept.

All the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials employed, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the scope of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.