COSMETIC PRODUCT APPLICATION DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to a cosmetic product application device (10) comprising: - a cup (30) having at least one lug (32); - a guide (14) having a slot (22, 24) through which a lug (32) associated with the cup (30) passes, the slot (22, 24) having an upper edge (26); - a sheath (40) internally comprising a helical groove (42, 44) for receiving the lug (32) of the cup (30); - the lug (32) having an upper flat (90a); characterized in that the upper edge (26) of the slot (22, 24) is inclined with respect to a radial plane. Figure for the abstract: Figure 5

Description

Title of the invention: DEVICE FOR APPLYING A COSMETIC PRODUCT GRAPE Technical field of the invention

[0001] The invention relates to a device for applying a cosmetic product, in particular a cosmetic product applicator, said device comprising:

[0002] - a cup intended to receive the grape and comprising at least one radial lug;

[0003] - at least one guide comprising a tubular body which includes an opening upper outlet of the grape, in which the cup is mounted to slide axially, the guide having at least one slot which is crossed by at least one associated lug of the cup, the slot being delimited axially towards the opening by an upper edge;

[0004] - a tubular sheath in which the body is mounted for rotation, the sheath internally comprising at least one helical groove for receiving at least one lug of the cup, the rotation of the guide relative to the sheath causing an axial movement of the cup between an extreme position deployed through the opening in which the lug is against the upper edge of the slot and an extreme retracted position;

[0005] - at least one lug having a flat upper surface. Technical background

[0006] Prior art devices of this type used for packaging a cosmetic product, such as a cosmetic stick, particularly but not exclusively for a lipstick stick, are known. Such a cosmetic stick will be referred to hereafter and in the claims as a "stick".

[0007] The grape is held by its base in a cup which slides axially between at least one retracted position and a cosmetic product application position in which at least part of the cosmetic product grape extends axially out of the device.

[0008] In a known manner, such kinematics is obtained by means of a rotating mechanism comprising a guide and a sheath which, mounted concentrically, comprise for one at least one slide and for the other at least one helical groove which are respectively crossed radially by at least one lug integral with the cup carrying the grape.

[0009] The cup generally comprises a pair of lugs, the two lugs being arranged diametrically opposite each other, the guide then being provided with two slides and the sheath with two helical grooves.

[0010] The actuation of the mechanism is generally controlled manually by applying a rotational movement to the base of the device, which rotational movement is transmitted to the mechanism to cause the axial displacement of the cup containing the cosmetic product.

[0011] One of the methods used to arrange the grape in the cup consists of first assembling the various components of the device, except for the cover, and then positioning the cup in its fully extended position. The grape, previously molded, is then forced into the cup. The cup has ribs that penetrate the grape to hold it in place. The cup is then slid into its fully retracted position, and the device is fitted with its cover.

[0012] To perform the grape insertion operation, the base of the device is generally positioned and held on a support, while a sliding element carrying the grape is lowered axially relative to the support to allow the grape to be inserted into the cup. The final position of the sliding element after the insertion operation is determined relative to the position of the support.

[0013] It is therefore necessary that the bottom of the cup, in its fully extended position, be positioned very precisely relative to the base of the device. In particular, the positioning tolerance of the cup relative to a reference position must be very small, for example, less than or equal to 0.2 mm. In the field of cosmetic products, great importance is indeed placed on the quality and aesthetics of the product.

[0014] If the bottom of the cup is too high, the grape may be crushed against the bottom, resulting in its deformation.

[0015] Conversely, if the cup is too low, the grape may not be sufficiently inserted into the cup. The grape may then wobble in the cup and touch the edges of the guide. This would again result in damage to the grape.

[0016] It is therefore necessary that the cup be held stably in its fully extended position. Furthermore, it is also necessary to position the cup precisely in height relative to the base. Summary of the invention

[0017] The invention provides a device for applying a cosmetic product, in particular a cosmetic product applicator, said device comprising:

[0018] - a cup intended to receive the grape and comprising at least one radial lug;

[0019] - at least one guide comprising a tubular body which includes an opening upper exit of the grape, in which the cup is mounted to slide axially, the guide having at least one axial slot extending from the bottom of the guide which is crossed by at least one associated lug of the cup, the slot being delimited by a straight upper edge;

[0020] - a tubular sheath in which the body is mounted for rotation, the sheath internally comprising at least one helical groove for receiving at least one lug of the cup, the rotation of the guide relative to the sheath causing an axial movement of the cup between an extreme position deployed through the opening in which the lug is against the upper edge of the slot and an extreme retracted position;

[0021] - at least one lug having a flat upper surface.

[0022] The application device according to the invention is characterized in that the upper edge of at least one slot is inclined with respect to a radial plane.

[0023] According to another aspect of the invention, the helical groove has a constant angle of inclination, the upper flat of the lug having the same angle of inclination as the helical groove and cooperating with an upper wall of said helical groove, the upper edge of at least one slot having the same angle of inclination as the upper flat of the lug so that in the extreme deployed position, the lug is in contact with the upper edge over the entire width of the upper flat.

[0024] According to another aspect of the invention, the at least one slot has an upper end section which has a width substantially equal to the width of the lug, the lug being housed in said end section of the at least one slot in the extreme deployed position of the cup.

[0025] According to another aspect of the invention, at least one slot has a passage restriction arranged at the lower entrance of the upper end section of said slot.

[0026] According to another aspect of the invention, at least one slot is delimited in the width direction by two axial edges, the restriction of passage being achieved by at least one projection made in one and / or the other of the axial edges.

[0027] According to another aspect of the invention, at least one slot is axially through-hole in a direction opposite to the opening.

[0028] According to another aspect of the invention, the passage of the lug through the passage restriction is achieved by elastic separation of the axial edges of at least one slot.

[0029] According to another aspect of the invention, when the cup occupies its fully deployed position, the lug is axially clamped between the upper edge of at least one slot and the projection under the effect of the elastic restoring force of the axial edges, the cup being thus locked in its extreme deployed position until an axial force greater than a force to overcome the passage restriction is applied to the cup.

[0030] According to another aspect of the invention, the lug comprises a lower flat parallel to the upper flat, the lower flat cooperating with a lower wall of the associated helical groove of the sheath.

[0031] According to another aspect of the invention, the sheath, the guide and the cup are made of the same plastic material, in particular polypropylene.

[0032] According to another aspect of the invention, the sheath forms a base of the device on which a removable cover is intended to be fixed directly. Brief description of the figures

[0033] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the reading of the detailed description which follows, for the understanding of which reference will be made to the attached drawings briefly described below.

[0034] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view representing a cosmetic product application device made according to the teachings of the invention.

[0035] Fig. 2 is an axial cross-sectional view of the application device of Fig. 1 in a mounted state and in which a cup occupies an extreme retracted position.

[0036] Fig. 3 is an axial cross-sectional view of the application device of Fig. 1 in a mounted state and in which a cup occupies an extreme deployed position.

[0037] The [Fig.4] is an axial sectional view which represents only a guide to the application device of the [Fig.1].

[0038] Fig. 5 is a larger-scale side view which represents a section of the guide of Fig. 5 taken at the level of an upper end of a receiving slot of a lug of the cup, the cup being mounted in the guide and occupying its extreme deployed position.

[0039] Fig. 6 is a larger scale view of the detail surrounded by the circle "VI" on Fig. 2, which represents means for axially fixing the guide to a sheath of the device. Detailed description of the invention

[0040] By convention, the "axial" direction corresponds in the figures to that of the main axis A of the cosmetic product application device (also called mechanism), such as a cosmetic product bullet, in particular a lipstick bullet, and the "radial" direction is directed orthogonally to the axial direction by radiating from the main axis.

[0041] A plane orthogonal to the axis "A" will be called a "radial plane" in the rest of the description and in the claims.

[0042] In the detailed description of the figures that follows, the terms "upper" and "lower" or "top" and "bottom" will be used without limitation in reference to the axial direction, the upper part of the device corresponding to that through which the grape of cosmetic product exits the device for application.

[0043] Similarly, the terms "outside or external" and "inside or internal" are used with reference to the radial direction, an outside element being radially further away from axis A than an inside element.

[0044] The figures illustrate a device 10 comprising an actuation base 11.

[0045] Preferably, the cosmetic product (represented in dotted lines in figures 2 and 3) is a cosmetic product 12 grape and, more particularly, the cosmetic product 12 grape is a lipstick intended to be applied by rubbing, alternatively a lip balm.

[0046] The device 10 is designed to expel the cosmetic product by at least one rotational movement.

[0047] The device 10 has an axis A, called the principal axis.

[0048] The device 10 comprises at least one first element, conventionally and hereafter referred to as guide 14. The guide 14 is particularly visible in Figures 1 to 3, as well as in [Fig. 4],

[0049] The guide 14 mainly comprises a tubular body 16 which extends axially from a lower end 18 of the guide 14 to an upper outlet opening 20 intended to be traversed by the cosmetic product grape 12.

[0050] Preferably, the guide 14 has at least one slot passing radially through the wall of the body 16. Each slot forms a slide. The guide 14 here has a first slot 22 and a second slot 24 passing radially through the wall of the body 16. The slots 22, 24 are arranged diametrically opposite each other.

[0051] The two slots 22, 24 extend axially within the body 16 of the guide 14. Each slot 22, 24 has straight, parallel, oriented axial edges 25. The two slots 22 are axially closed at their upper ends. Each slot 22, 24 is more specifically delimited axially towards the opening 20 by an upper edge 26. The upper edge 26 is straight in shape.

[0052] The slots 22, 24 open into the lower end 18 of the body 16. Thus, a lower section of the body 16 is divided into two legs 27 by the slots 22, 24. The legs 27 are capable of being elastically flexed so that the axial edges 25 can be pulled apart from each other.

[0053] In the unconstrained position of the legs 27, the slots 22, 24 have a constant width "1" along their entire length, as shown in [Fig. 4]. This width "1" is intended to allow the guidance of a cup 30.

[0054] The device 10 includes the cup 30 which receives the grape 12 of cosmetic product as illustrated in figures 2 and 3.

[0055] The cup 30 is intended to be mounted to slide axially in the guide 14, between an extreme retracted position, as shown in [Fig.2], and an extreme deployed position, as shown in [Fig.3].

[0056] The retracted extreme position corresponds to a position in which the grape 12 is inside the device 10 for protection and storage, and the cup 30 is in the lower end-of-travel position as illustrated in [Fig. 2]. In this position, the grape 12 is surrounded and protected by the guide 14, with the free upper end of the grape 12 located below the level of the upper opening 20.

[0057] The extreme deployed position corresponds to a position in which the grape 12 is deployed axially upwards so that its free end extends out of the device 10 through the opening 20 and the cup 30 is in the upper end-of-stroke position as illustrated in [Fig.6].

[0058] The cup 30 can also be in intermediate positions between its two extreme retracted and deployed positions, called intermediate application positions.

[0059] As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the cup 30 has at least one lug 32, preferably two lugs 32. Each lug 32 protrudes radially outwards, said lugs 32 being each engaged in one of the slots 22, 24 of the guide 14 and passing through them to extend radially outwards beyond the external cylindrical surface of the body 16 of the guide 14.

[0060] The width "1" of each slot 22, 24 is substantially equal to the width of the associated lug 32 so as to allow the associated lug 32 to be received with a circumferential clearance allowing axial sliding of the cup 30 relative to the guide 14 without tightening the lug 32.

[0061] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the device 10 includes means for locking the end of travel of the cup 30 in its fully extended position. To this end, at least the first slot 22 has an upper end section 22a having a width "1" substantially equal to the width of the lug 32, the lug 32 being housed in said upper end section 22a of the slot 22 in the fully extended position of the cup 30, as shown in [Fig. 5]. The slot 22 further has a passage restriction 33a arranged at the lower entrance of the upper end section 22a of the slot 22.

[0062] The passage restriction 33a is here achieved by a projection 35a which extends only from one of the axial edges 25 towards the other axial edge.

[0063] In an unrepresented variant of the invention, the restriction of passage to the upper end section of the slot is achieved by projections extending from each of the opposite axial edges.

[0064] The width "la" of the slot 22 at the passage restriction 33a is slightly less than the width of the lug 32. Thus, when it is desired to make the lug 32 pass through the passage restriction 33a, it is necessary to apply to the cup 30 an axial force "Fa" for passing which is greater than the force required for its sliding along the rest of the slot 22. This force "Fa" for passing must in particular allow the tabs 27, and therefore the edges 25, to be elastically separated.

[0065] When the cup 30 occupies its extreme deployed position, as long as a force greater than or equal to this axial crossing force "Fa" has not been applied to it, the cup 30 is locked in the extreme deployed position.

[0066] To allow automatic separation of the edges 25, the projection 35a has a rounded shape which cooperates with the associated lug 32 to separate the edges 25.

[0067] The upper end section 22a also has an axial length substantially equal to the axial length of the associated lug 32. Thus, when the cup 30 is in its fully extended position, the lug 32 is housed in the upper end section 22a of the slot 22, and the tabs 27 are returned to their rest position. In this position, the projection 35a is preferably in contact with the lug 32. The lug 32 is thus held by the projection 35a against the upper end edge 26 of the slot 22 by the elastic return force of the axial edges 25 towards each other. In this way, the cup 30 is held immobile in its fully extended position.

[0068] Furthermore, as illustrated in [Fig. 4], the device 10 also includes means for locking the end of travel of the cup 30 in its fully retracted position. To this end, at least the first slot 22 has a lower end section 22b having a width "1" substantially equal to the width of the lug 32, the lug 32 being housed in said lower end section 22b of the slot 22 in the fully retracted position of the cup 30. The slot 22 also has a passage restriction 33b arranged at the upper entrance of the lower end section 22b of the slot 22.

[0069] The restriction 33b of passage to the lower end section 22b of the slot 22 is achieved by projections 35b which extend from each of the opposite axial edges 25 of the slot 22.

[0070] In an unrepresented variant of the invention, the passage restriction is achieved by a projection which extends from only one of the axial edges towards the other axial edge.

[0071] The width "1b" of the slot 22 at the passage restriction 33b is slightly less than the width of the lug 32. Thus, when it is desired to pass At the lug 32, the passage restriction 33b requires an axial force "Fb" to be applied to the cup 30, which is greater than the force required for its sliding along the rest of the slot 22. This passage force "Fb" must, in particular, allow the tabs 27, and therefore the edges 25, to be elastically separated. However, since this passage restriction 22b is located at the free lower end of the tabs 27, the force "Fb" required to overcome it is less than the force "Fa" required to overcome the passage restriction 22a arranged near the upper end 22a of the slot 22 by lever arm effect.

[0072] The lower end section 22b further has an axial length substantially equal to the axial length of the associated lug 32. Thus, when the cup 30 is in its fully retracted position, the lug 32 is housed in the lower end section 22b of the slot 22, and the tabs 27 are returned to their rest position. The projections 35b are preferably in contact with the lug 32 to immobilize the cup 30.

[0073] As illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the cup 30 comprises a cylindrical wall 34 extending axially. The wall 34 defines a recess 36 that receives the lower part of the grape 12. The recess 36 is open upwards by an inlet 33. The recess 36 is axially delimited downwards by a bottom 37. The inner face of the cylindrical wall 34 is provided with ribs 38 which are intended to fix the grape 12 firmly in the recess 36.

[0074] The device 10 includes a second element, conventionally and hereafter called the sheath 40. As represented here, the sheath 40 has a cylindrical shape with main axis A.

[0075] Preferably, the sheath 40 internally comprises at least one groove receiving the free end of a lug 32 associated with the cup 30. The sheath 40 here comprises two diametrically opposed grooves 42, 44, with which the free ends of the lugs 32 of the cup 30 cooperate during operation. The sheath 40 comprises an internal wall 46 provided with said helical grooves 42, 44. The grooves 42, 44 here have a helical shape. Thus, each groove is delimited by two upper and lower walls 92 having a slope forming a constant helical angle "a" with a radial plane.

[0076] Furthermore, the two lugs 32 of the cup 30 are generally rounded and advantageously feature an upper flat 90a and an upper flat 90b. The flats 90a, 90b are parallel. They are configured to cooperate with the walls 92 of the helical grooves 42, 44 of the sleeve 40, as shown in [Fig. 5]. More specifically, the flats 90a, 90b have the same slope as the walls 92. The flats 90a, 90b thus have an inclination forming the same angle "a" of inclination with a radial plane than that of the walls 92 of the helical grooves 42, 44.

[0077] In other words, each lug 32 extends in a direction similar to the direction of the helical groove 42, 44 in which it is engaged.

[0078] This particular shape of the lugs 32 is adapted to the shape of the helical grooves 42, 44 so as to facilitate their sliding and to ensure that they remain engaged without coming out, even if a user forces rotation. The risk of stripping the cup 30 is thus reduced.

[0079] In addition, the flats 90a, 90b also extend through the associated slot 22, 24. As explained previously, when the cup 30 is in its fully extended position, the lug 32 is pressed against the upper end edge 26 of the associated slot 22, 24.

[0080] However, due to the inclination of the upper flat 90a, if the upper edge were perpendicular to the axial direction, the lug 32 would only be in contact with the upper edge at one point, where enormous pressure would be exerted. This could cause plastic deformation of the lug and / or the upper edge, creating play that would allow the lug to move relative to the slot. Furthermore, in such an arrangement, contact at only one point of each lug with the upper edge of the associated slot could cause the cup to tilt around an axis passing through the two points of contact.

[0081] To ensure that the cup 30 is stable in its fully extended position, the upper edge 26 of each slot 22, 24 has the same angle "a" of inclination with respect to a radial plane as the upper flat 90a of the lug 32, so that in its fully extended position, the lug 32 bears against the upper edge 26 across the entire width of the upper flat 90a. Thus, the clamping force of the lug 32 against the upper edge 26 is distributed over the entire width of the lug 32, as shown in [Fig. 5]. The cup 30 therefore occupies a stable and well-defined fully extended position relative to the guide 14.

[0082] The sheath 40 is formed in one piece with the base 11 of the device 10. The sheath 40 has, respectively, an upper edge 50 located at its upper axial end and a lower edge 52 located at its lower axial end, said edges 50 and 52 being circumferentially continuous. The upper edge 50 defines an upper opening 51 of the sheath 40. The base 11 also has a radial bottom 53 extending from the lower edge 52 to completely close the sheath 40 downwards. The sheath 40 and the bottom 53 are formed in one piece.

[0083] The sheath 40 is intended to be snapped onto the guide 14 to obtain, after assembly, the device 10 shown in particular in Figures 2 and 3. In position mounted, the opening 20 of the guide 14 is arranged above the upper edge 50 of the sheath 40.

[0084] The guide 14 is mounted for rotation within the sleeve 40 about the main axis "A". The guide 14 is thus received concentrically inside the sleeve 40. For this purpose, the body 16 of the guide 14 has an external diameter substantially equal to the internal diameter of the sleeve 40, with a radial clearance allowing their relative rotation.

[0085] In the embodiment shown in detail in [Fig. 6], the elastic snap-fit ​​is achieved here, by way of non-limiting example, by at least one annular groove 54 (here two grooves) extending inward from an upper portion of the inner face of the sheath 40. A bead 56 associated with each groove 54 extends radially in projection from the outer face of the body 16 of the guide 14. The bead 56 is intended to snap elastically into the groove 54 of the sheath 40 when the body 16 of the guide 14 is inserted axially, from top to bottom, through the upper opening 51 of the sheath 40. This assembly by means of beads 56 and grooves 54 makes it possible to fix the guide 14 axially relative to the sheath 40 while allowing their rotation relative to each other around the axis. "HAS".

[0086] For precise axial positioning of the duct 40 relative to the guide 14, a positioning face of the guide 14 is intended to bear axially against a positioning face opposite the duct. In the example shown in the figures, the guide 14 has an upper section 60, located axially above the tabs 27, which has a shoulder 58 radiating outwards from the tabs 27. This shoulder 58 bears axially against the upper edge 50 of the duct 40 when the guide 14 is mounted in the duct 40. The shoulder 58 of the guide 14 thus forms the positioning face of the guide 14, while the upper edge 50 of the duct 40 forms the positioning face of the duct 40.

[0087] In such a device 10, rotating the guide 14 via its upper end section 60 relative to the base 11 comprising the sheath 40 causes an axial movement of the cup 30, more precisely an upward or downward movement of the cup 30 depending on the direction of rotation. When the cup 30 occupies its fully extended position, the cup 30 extends entirely within the guide 14, as shown in [Fig. 3].

[0088] The cosmetic product grape 12 moves axially with the cup 30 between the extreme deployed position and the extreme retracted position.

[0089] As illustrated in [Fig. 2], when the cup 30 is in its fully retracted position, it is preferable to be able to close the device 10 with a cover 62 to prevent contamination or damage to the cosmetic product grape. In this regard, the removable cover 62 is intended to be attached directly to the base 11 with the sheath 40 when the device 10 is not in use.

[0090] According to one embodiment, the sheath 40 has an upper end section 64 having means on its outer wall for fixing the cover 62, for example by friction. More particularly, the sheath 40 has an upward-facing shoulder face 66 against which an annular lower end edge 68 of the cover 62 is intended to abut in the mounted position.

[0091] The guide 14, the cup 30, the base 11 and the cover 62 are advantageously made of plastic.

[0092] Preferably, the guide 14, the cup 30, the base 11 and the cover 62 are made of the same plastic material.

[0093] The plastic material can be selected from polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), recycled polyethylene terephthalate (R-PET), a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), polyethylene (PE), such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and / or high-density polyethylene (HDPE), a composite material, a post-consumer recycled (PCR) material and / or a similar material.

[0094] This includes plastic material with a hardness between 70 shore A and 90 shore D.

[0095] Preferably, it is made of recycled or non-recycled polypropylene and / or polyethylene terephthalate.

[0096] Thus, advantageously, all the components of the device 10 are made of plastic material preferably chosen from polypropylene and / or polyethylene terephthalate.

[0097] The plastic components can be easily obtained by injection and lead to a lightweight device 10.

[0098] Furthermore, the use of plastics, particularly similar plastics, for the entire device 10 facilitates recycling. In particular, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate are two plastics whose recycling cycle is well established.

[0099] The force "Fa" required to overcome the upper restriction 33a is predetermined based on the material constituting the device 10. In particular, it must be high enough to allow effective locking of the cup 30 in its fully deployed position during transport and during the packaging of the grape 12. However, it must be low enough not to damage the components, especially the helical groove 42, 44

[0100] During assembly of the device, the cup 30 is inserted axially into the guide 14 through its lower end 18. The lugs 32 are each inserted into the associated slot 22, 24 through their open lower end.

[0101] Then, the base 11, which includes the sheath 40, receives the guide 14, thus equipped with the cup 30, through its upper opening 51 until the ridges 56 click into place. grooves 54. The shoulder 58 of the guide 14 is then against the upper edge 50 of the sheath 40. The lugs 32 of the cup 30 are each received in an associated helical groove 42, 44.

[0102] At this point, the cup 30 does not yet contain the cosmetic product grape 12. To prepare for receiving the grape 12, the cup 30 is moved to its fully extended position in which it is stably held in place by the projection 25a and by the upper edge 26 of each slot 22, 24 in cooperation with the associated lug 32.

[0103] Generally, the assembled device 10 is transported, with the cup 30 locked in its fully deployed position, to the grape packaging site 12. The assembly site for the device 10 and the grape packaging site 12 may be located at very large distances from each other, for example, several tens or hundreds of kilometers. The force "Fa" required to overcome the upper restriction 33a is generally defined so that the devices 10 can withstand normal vibrations or shocks during transport without the cup 30 leaving its fully deployed position.

[0104] The axial position of the bottom 37 of the cup 30 is then precisely determined relative to the bottom 53 of the base. Indeed, the axial position of the bottom 37 of the cup 30 relative to the guide 14 is determined by the distance between the lugs 32 and the bottom 37 of the cup 30. The axial position of the lugs 32 relative to the shoulder face 58 of the guide is determined by the distance between the upper edges 26 of the slots 22, 24 and the shoulder 58 of the guide. The axial position of the shoulder face 58 of the guide 14 is determined by the axial distance between the upper edge 50 of the sheath 40 and the bottom 53 of the base 11. Thus, the chain of dimensions for determining the axial position of the bottom 37 of the cup 30 is reduced to three values, which makes it possible to reduce the axial positioning tolerance, for example to 0.2 mm.

[0105] This therefore allows the pre-molded cosmetic product grape 12 to be correctly inserted into the cup 30, ensuring a secure fit and preventing its degradation. The axial force exerted by the grape 12 on the cup 30 during its insertion is less than the axial force required to overcome the upper passage restriction 33a at the lugs 32.

Claims

Demands

1. Device (10) for applying a cosmetic product, in particular a grape (12) of cosmetic product, having an axis "A", referred to as the main axis, said device (10) comprising: - a cup (30) intended to receive the grape (12) and comprising at least one radial lug (32); - at least one guide (14) comprising a tubular body (16) which includes a top opening (20) for the exit of the grape (12), in which the cup (30) is mounted to slide axially, the guide (14) comprising at least one axial slot (22, 24) extending from the bottom of the guide (14) which is crossed by at least one associated lug (32) of the cup (30), the slot (22, 24) being delimited by a straight upper edge (26); - a tubular sheath (40) in which the body (16) is mounted for rotation, the sheath (40) internally comprising at least one helical groove (42, 44) for receiving at least one lug (32) of the cup (30), the rotation of the guide (14) relative to the sheath (40) causing an axial movement of the cup (30) between an extreme position deployed through the opening (20) in which the lug (32) is abutted against the upper edge (26) of the slot (22, 24) and an extreme retracted position; - at least one lug (32) having an upper flat (90a); characterized in that the upper edge (26) of the at least one slot is inclined with respect to a radial plane orthogonal to the main axis (A), the upper edge (26) of the at least one slot (22, 24) having the same angle (a) of inclination with respect to the radial plane as the upper flat (90a).

2. Device (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the helical groove (42, 44) has a constant angle (a) of inclination, the upper flat (90a) of the lug having the same angle (a) of inclination as the helical groove (42, 44) and cooperating with an upper wall (92) of said helical groove (42, 44), the upper edge (26) of at least one slot (22, 24) having the same angle (a) of inclination as the upper flat (90a) of the lug (32) so that in the extreme deployed position, the lug (32) is in contact with the upper edge (26) over the entire width of the upper flat (90a).

3. Device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one slot (22) has an upper end section (22a) which has a width (1) substantially equal to the width of the lug (32), the lug (32) being housed in said end section (22a) of the at least one slot (22) in the extreme deployed position of the cup.

4. Device (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that at least one slot (22) has a passage restriction (33a) arranged at the lower inlet of the upper end section (22a) of said slot (22).

5. Device (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that at least one slot (22) is delimited in the width direction by two axial edges (25), the restriction (33a) of passage being achieved by at least one projection (25a) made in one and / or the other of the axial edges (25).

6. Device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one slot (22) is axially through-opening in a direction opposite to the opening (20).

7. Device (10) according to the preceding claim, taken in combination with claim 4, characterized in that the passage of the lug (32) through the passage restriction (33a) is achieved by elastic separation of the axial edges (25) of at least one slot (22).

8. Device (10) according to the preceding claim taken in combination with claim 5, characterized in that, when the cup (30) occupies its extreme deployed position, the lug (32) is axially clamped between the upper edge (26) of at least one slot (22) and the projection (25a) under the effect of the elastic restoring force of the axial edges (25), the cup being thus locked in its extreme deployed position as long as an axial force greater than a force for crossing the passage restriction is not applied to the cup.

9. Device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lug (32) has a lower flat (90b) parallel to the upper flat (90a), the lower flat (90b) cooperating with a lower wall (92) of the associated helical groove (42, 44) of the sheath (40).

10. Device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sheath (40), the guide (14) and the cup (30) are made of the same plastic material, in particular polypropylene.

11. Device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sheath (40) forms a base (11) of the device on which a removable cover (62) is intended to be fixed directly.

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