EP0328793A1

EP0328793A1 - Machine for the production of packages of powder cosmetic products and package thus obtained

Info

Publication number: EP0328793A1
Application number: EP88202497A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dario Ferrari
Original assignee: Intercos Italiana SpA
Current assignee: Intercos Italiana SpA
Priority date: 1988-01-22
Filing date: 1988-11-09
Publication date: 1989-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 2008-11-09
Also published as: DE3880822D1; ES2040327T3; EP0328793B1; DE3880822T2

Abstract

The process provides for the immission and the pressing of cosmetic powder (21) directly inside a cavity (22) in a case (1). A package of cosmetic products is thus obtained in which the individual cavities (22) of the case (1) act as containment seats for the cosmetic powders.

Description

The present invention is concerned with a process and a machine for the production of packages of powder cosmetic products, as well as the package thus obtained.
Current packages of powder cosmetic products include a rigid case equipped with one or more shaped cavities to receive the respective cosmetic powders previously introduced and pressed in small boxes or bases made of metal or plastic.
These packages have a drawback in that the packaging operation has to be carried out in two steps, first the introduction and pressing of the powders in their respective small boxes and secondly the transfer of the small boxes full of powder to the respective cavities or hollow spaces of the case.
This implies a manufacturing process which is comparatively long and laborious and the necessity of storing a certain quantity of small cases before and after their filling. Moreover the final aesthetic presentation is not ideal because the edges of the small boxes are inevitably visible between the walls of the case's cavities and the pressed powders. Lastly the use of small metal boxes, far more widespread than the plastic ones, constitutes a limitation of the variety of figures which can be obtained with the cosmetic products.
In view of this state of the art, the object of the present invention is to accomplish a process and a machine to allow the production of powder cosmetic product packages without the above drawbacks.
According to the invention said object has been achieved with a process characterized in that it includes the direct immission of cosmetic powder into at least one shaped cavity of a small containment case and the pressing of said powder in said cavity.
In this way the manufacturing process is faster, since the step wherein the transfer of the filled boxes from the filling machine to the case is saved. Any storage need is eliminated and the cost of the package itself is lower thanks to the absence of the small box and its corresponding processing. The final aesthetic appearance is much better and the variety of the figures which can be accomplished is substantially increased.
Still according to the invention a machine has been accomplished for the execution of the above process, characterized in that it includes a mobile frame with at least one tubular compartment, which frame can be placed over said case so that said compartment coincides with a cavity of the case, means for controlled feeding of cosmetic powder associated with said compartment and at least one pressing piston housed in a slidable way in said compartment to execute the pressing of the powder fed in said compartment and in the underlying cavity of the case.
It is also possible to have a further pressing piston which can be subsequently placed and pressed over the case for a further and final pressing of the powder.
One possible embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, as a non-limiting example, in the enclosed drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a top plan of a portion of a multi-cavity case, ready to receive cosmetic powders according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 shows the same case in a cross-section along the line II-II of Fig. 1, positioned in a filling and pressing machine according to the present invention;
Fig.s 3 to 7 show a succession of operating steps of the machine of Fig. 2;
Fig. 8 shows a top plan of the package of cosmetic products at the end of the filling and pressing step carried out by the machine of Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 shows a portion of the part of the base 1 of a rigid case, whose lid has been removed for greater clarity of the drawing.
Said part of the base is equipped with a plurality of shaped cavities 2 for receiving the respective cosmetic powders and with a further elongated cavity 3 to receive a small brush to be used in taking out the powders.
In Fig. 2 the above part of the base of the case is shown inserted into a filling and pressing machine 4 according to the invention, which includes in general a mobile frame 5, means for feeding the cosmetic powders 6 and slidable pressing pistons 7.
The mobile frame 5 has a peripheral outline which coincides substantially with that of the group of cavities 2 of the case 1 and is divided into as many parallel vertical compartments 8 as there are cavities as above, each compartment 8 having the same section and arrangement of a corresponding cavity 2 so that it can be placed over it as if it were an upward continuation of it. To this end the lower extremities of the surrounding and dividing walls 9 of the different compartments have shapes 10 which can be combined with the upper extremities of the corresponding surrounding and dividing walls 11 of the cavities 2 of the case.
Each compartment 8 of the mobile frame 5 is associated with a corresponding means 6 for supplying cosmetic powder consisting of a hopper 12 and a screw feeder 13 passing through an opening 14 of the corresponding wall 9 of the frame 5. The opening 14 has a height such that it permits the vertical movement of the frame 5 without it being necessary to withdraw the screw feeder 13.
Inside each compartment 8 of the mobile frame 5 there is a respective pressing piston 7 housed in a slidable way, whose cross-section is identical with that of the respective compartment 8 and therefore with the underlying cavity 2 of the case 1. The various pressing pistons 7 have their respective stems 15 which are integral with one another (as are the pistons 7) by means of a common plate 16 equipped with an appropriate operating means 17.
The machine also comprises a further pressing piston 18 (Fig. 6), which is equipped with a pressing face 19 with a shape that is complementary to that of the cavity group 2 of the case 1 and is in particular equipped with grooves 20 for receiving the upper extremity of the case's dividing walls 9.
In Fig. 1 the machine according to the invention is shown in its position at rest, with the frame 5 raised with respect to the case 1, which is still empty.
As shown in Fig. 3, the first operating step consists in lowering the frame 5 so that its walls 9 are up against the cases's underlying walls 11.
By operating the screw feeders 13 predetermined amounts (either the same or different from one another) of cosmetic powders 21 are fed to the various compartments 8 of the mobile frame 5 and from here to the respective cavities 2 of the case (Fig. 4).
At this point the pressing pistons 7 are lowered to effect a partial pressing of the powders in the different cavities 2, so that the powders themselves are sufficiently compacted to continue the process (Fig. 5).
In the subsequent step the frame 5 is removed and the pressing piston 18 (Fig. 6) is positioned above the case 1, to be lowered (or the case may be raised) so that the powders which have been previously introduced and partially pressed in the cavity 2 (Fig. 7) may now be fully compacted, in a uniform way.
When the process is terminated the case 1 is as illustrated in Fig. 8, that is with the cosmetic powders 21 well pressed in the cavities 2, which act as direct containers for the powders themselves.
Finally a small brush 22 for taking out the powders is introduced into cavity 3.
Note that the shape of the case 1 and the number and shape of the cavities are purely indicative. With the process as described and with a machine equipped with frame 5 and with appropriately shaped pressing pistons 7 it is actually possible to prepare packages of any other shape, given the principle that the powders are directly introduced and pressed into the case's different cavities.

Claims

1. Process for the production of powder cosmetic product packages, characterized in that it includes the preparation of a case (1) equipped with at least one shaped cavity (2), the direct immission of a cosmetic powder (21) in at least one said cavity (2) and the pressing of said cosmetic powder (21) in said cavity (2).

2. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that said pressing of the cosmetic powder comprises a first step of partial pressing and a second step of final pressing.

3. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises the preparation of a case (1) equipped with a plurality of shaped cavities (2) separate from one another, the selective filling of said cavities (2) with the respective amounts of cosmetic powders (21), the partial pressing of the individual powders in the respective cavities (2) and finally the final pressing of all the above powders in all the above cavities (2).

4. Machine for the accomplishment of the process according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes a mobile frame (5) with at least one tubular compartment (8), which frame can be placed over said case (1) so that said compartment (8) coincides with at least one said cavity (2) of the case (1), means (6) for controlled supply of cosmetic powder associated with said compartment (8) and at least one pressing piston (7) housed in a slidable way in said compartment (8) to operate the pressing of the powder supplied in said compartment (8) and in the underlying cavity (2) of the case.

5. Machine according to claim 4, characterized in that said pressing piston (7) is operated so that it carries out a partial pressing of the powder while there is a further pressing piston (18) for the final pressing of the same powder.

6. Machine according to claim 4, characterized in that it includes a mobile frame (5) with tubular compartments (8), which frame can be superimposed over said case (1) so that each compartment (8) may coincide with the respective cavity (2) of the case (1), respective means (6) for the controlled feeding of cosmetic powders associated with said compartments (8) and individual pressing pistons (7) housed in a slidable way in said compartments (8) for partially pressing the powders (21) fed in said compartments (8) and in the underlying cavities (2) of the case, there being moreover a further pressing piston (18) equipped with a pressing face (19) shaped in a complementary manner to the assembly comprising said cavities (2) of the case and which can be superimposed and pressed onto the case itself (1) subsequently to said frame (5) for the final pressing of all the powders previously introduced and partially pressed in said cavities (2) of the case.

7. Package of powder cosmetic products obtained with the process according to claim 1, comprising a case (1) equipped with at least one shaped cavity (2), characterized in that said shaped cavity (2) acts as a containment seat for the cosmetic powder (3) directly introduced and pressed in said cavity (2).