Cosmetic Refill Keyed Skirt Assembly for Correct Base Mounting

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing interchangeable cosmetic product receptacles face issues with users incorrectly inserting refills, leading to potential damage to the mechanism and inconsistency in product dispensing, as compatibility is not easily identifiable.

Innovation Solution

A refill design featuring a skirt with grooves and/or ribs that longitudinally extend along its inner surface, cooperating with corresponding grooves and/or ribs on the actuation base to ensure proper mounting and prevent damage, allowing only compatible refills to activate the dispensing mechanism.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If interchangeable dispensing assemblies are used in cosmetic receptacles, then the ability to change refills is improved, but the risk of inserting incorrect refills increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverefill interchangeabilityVSAvoidmechanism functionality

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs asymmetric groove and rib configurations where the refill contains specific grooves that must align with corresponding ribs on the base. This asymmetric design creates a unique geometric key-lock mechanism that only allows correct refills to be inserted, preventing incompatible refills from being mounted while maintaining interchangeability of compatible refills.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The groove-rib interface acts as an intermediary mechanism between the refill and base. This intermediate structural element verifies compatibility before allowing assembly, mediating the connection to ensure that only properly matched refills can be installed on the base, thus preventing mechanism malfunction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If compatibility verification mechanisms are added to the refill-base assembly, then the prevention of incorrect assembly is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassembly compatibilityVSAvoidrefill structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the compatibility verification function with the existing structural components of the refill and base. The grooves and ribs are integrated into the standard geometry of these parts, combining the verification mechanism with the structural assembly rather than adding separate verification components, thus minimizing complexity increase.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The refill and base automatically verify their compatibility through the groove-rib geometric relationship during the assembly process. The system self-verifies compatibility without requiring external verification mechanisms, labels, or additional components - the structure itself provides the verification function through its inherent geometric design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP4082387B1Cosmetic product container and refill for such a container

Publication Date: 2026.05.20 ALBEA SERVICES SAS

Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5

AI summary

The invention proposes a refill (18) intended to be removably mounted on an actuation base (16) and configured to receive a cosmetic product, said refill (18) comprising a plurality of grooves (44) and/or ribs configured to cooperate respectively with all or part of a plurality of ribs (46) and/or grooves of the actuation base (16) so as to permit the mounting of the refill (18) on the actuation base (16) to permit an entry and/or exit of the cosmetic product, the grooves (44) and/or ribs of the refill (18) extending longitudinally over a part of the height of an internal skirt (26) towards a first end of the refill (18).