초록 ▼

A versatile, convenient-to-use, unitary, cosmetic compact of increased stability, having a base, a hinged cover capable of rotating with respect to the base and an article carrier that is capable of translation and rotation with respect to the base, via a selective rotation mechanism. The combinatio

A versatile, convenient-to-use, unitary, cosmetic compact of increased stability, having a base, a hinged cover capable of rotating with respect to the base and an article carrier that is capable of translation and rotation with respect to the base, via a selective rotation mechanism. The combination of a decoupled motion of the article carrier with respect to the base and the fact that the cover and article carrier move independently, creates a versatile, tri-fold compact that may be held in the hand similar to a bi-fold compact or placed on a surface in various useful configurations, including lying flat, extended base and stable A-frame configurations. The compact has an elegant, playful feel, while being versatile, stable, simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A tri-fold cosmetic compact comprising: a base that comprises: two lateral walls that each have a groove, wherein each groove has first and second sections; the first section being a straight groove that has a height, and that runs along one lateral wall of the base and that

What is claimed is: 1. A tri-fold cosmetic compact comprising: a base that comprises: two lateral walls that each have a groove, wherein each groove has first and second sections; the first section being a straight groove that has a height, and that runs along one lateral wall of the base and that opens into the second section; the second section being a circular groove that has a diameter that is larger than the height of the straight groove; a pair of parallel, straight walls bounding the straight groove; and a circular wall bounding the circular groove; an article carrier connected to the base via a selective rotation mechanism, wherein the article carrier comprises two lateral walls, each having a pivot element on its interior, each pivot element being formed as a truncated cylinder having only one straight edge, wherein the straight edge is longer than the height of the straight groove, but shorter than the diameter of the circular groove; and a cover hingedly attached to the base, such that, the cover and article carrier are able to move independently of each other. 2. The compact of claim 1 wherein the pivot elements straight edge of the article carrier extend into the grooves of the base. 3. The compact of claim 2, wherein when the straight edge is in the straight grooves, downward rotation of the article carrier with respect to the base is prevented by the straight edge abutting the wall of the straight grooves and upward rotation of the article carrier is prevented by a portion of the article carrier contacting a portion of the base. 4. The compact of claim 3 wherein, when the straight edge is in the circular grooves, the article carrier can rotate either up or down, with respect to the base. 5. The compact of claim 4 wherein the article carrier is able to rotate at least 90° upward and at least 90° downward. 6. The compact of claim 5 wherein once the article carrier is rotated with respect to the base, the compact is able to maintain the rotated configuration against the weight of the compact. 7. The compact of claim 6 that is able to assume a stable A-frame configuration. 8. The compact of claim 1 wherein the cover is able to rotate at least 90°, with respect to the base. 9. The compact of claim 8 that is able to assume an extended base configuration. 10. The compact of claim 8 that is able to assume a lying flat configuration. 11. The compact of claim 1 wherein the base is capable of receiving one or more cosmetic items. 12. The compact of claim 11 wherein one or more skin preparations are disposed in the base. 13. The compact of claim 11 wherein one or more applicators are disposed in the base. 14. The compact of claim 1 wherein the article carrier is capable of receiving one or more auxiliary articles. 15. The compact of claim 14 wherein a mirror is disposed in the article carrier. 16. The compact of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the cover is see through. 17. The compact of claim 16 wherein at least a portion of the cover is transparent.