Cosmetic Container with Retractable Applicator and Elastic Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cosmetic product containers, such as lipstick and mascara bottles, face issues with unintended operation due to lack of protection against external objects and aesthetic concerns, as well as difficulties in easy extraction and retraction of the applicator element.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring an elastically compressible device with two axial recoil configurations, allowing the applicator element to retract completely into the tubular storage element, preventing accidental extraction and providing a sleek aesthetic by eliminating visible lines on the container's side wall, while enabling easy extraction with minimal effort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the application element is left protruding from the tubular storage element, then easy extraction is achieved, but protection against unintended operation is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The application element is nested within the tubular storage element when not in use, with the applicator head retracted inside the tube. This nesting configuration protects against unintended operation by preventing external objects from catching on protruding parts, while still allowing easy extraction when needed by simply pushing the element outward.
Solution Approach 2:
The application element is designed to be dynamically movable between a retracted position (inside the tubular storage element) and an extended position (protruding from the tube). This dynamic configuration allows the system to adapt between protection mode (retracted) and ease of extraction mode (extended), resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
2Reliability
If the application element retracts completely into the tubular storage element, then protection against unintended operation and aesthetic appearance are improved, but extraction mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex extraction mechanisms (springs, lateral projections, wheels, racks) are removed from the system. Instead, a simple push action on the applicator shaft directly transfers force to move the application element between retracted and extended positions, significantly reducing device complexity while maintaining full retraction capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The application element is designed to be self-actuating through direct force application. When the user pushes the applicator shaft, the force is directly transmitted to move the application element without requiring intermediate mechanical components. The element serves its own extraction function, eliminating the need for complex extraction mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If a spring is used to urge the support outward, then automatic positioning is achieved, but device complexity and risk of unintended operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spring mechanism is completely removed from the system. Automatic positioning is achieved not through active spring force, but through the natural elastic deformation of the applicator shaft itself, which returns to its original shape after being compressed during retraction, automatically pushing the application element back into position.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical spring system is replaced with the elastic properties of the applicator shaft material. The shaft's elasticity provides the necessary restoring force for automatic positioning, substituting a simple material property for a complex mechanical spring mechanism, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining automatic positioning functionality.
4Ease of operation
If the tubular body bottom is opened for direct pressure control, then extraction control is simplified, but aesthetic appearance deteriorates and dust accumulation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The applicator shaft serves as an intermediary element that transmits user force from the closure (external interface) to the application element (internal component). This indirect force transmission through the shaft allows extraction control to be exercised through the intact closure surface, maintaining aesthetic appearance while preventing dust accumulation, without requiring an opening in the tubular body bottom.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures secure protection against unintended operation and maintains a refined appearance, allowing for easy and effortless extraction of the applicator element, enhancing both safety and aesthetics in cosmetic product containers.
Implementation Method 1
un patent describes an 'device élastiquement compressible' with two axial recoil configurations that enables the applicator element to move between retracted and projected positions through elastic deformation and recovery
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The container (10) has an application unit (11), engaged in a tubular storage unit (12), supported on a sheath (15) slidingly connected to the unit (12) by an elastically compressible device (16) with minimum and maximum axial withdrawal configurations. A transversal side (11A) of the unit (11) flushes an annular end (12B) of the unit (12) in the minimum withdrawal configuration. The side (11A) is in a projection relative to the end (12B), at a distance greater than the axial sinking course of the device (16) in the maximum withdrawal configuration.