Cosmetic container with replaceable inserts

Abstract

A cosmetic container having a cover, a base, and a base insert is provided. The base is coupled to the cover at a rotatable hinge. The rotatable hinge has a freedom of rotation to configure the cover and the base between a first angle and a second angle and between the second angle and the third angle. The base insert is removably coupled to the base. The base insert is secured to the base when an angle between the cover and the base is between the first angle and the second angle. The base insert begins decoupling from the base when the angle between the cover and the base is greater than the second angle.

1 . A cosmetic container comprising:
 a cover having a hinge cam;   a base having a front base wall and a back base wall, the base being coupled near the back base wall to the cover at a rotatable hinge, the rotatable hinge having a freedom of rotation to configure the cover and the base between a first angle and a second angle and between the second angle and a third angle, the base having one or more interior slots on an interior surface of the front base wall; and   a base insert having a front insert wall and a back insert wall that extend between a top insert surface and a bottom insert surface, the cover being near the top insert surface and the base being near the bottom insert surface, the base insert being removably coupled to the base, the base insert being in the form of a palette with a depression for receiving a cosmetic product, the base insert having
 one or more protrusions along the front insert wall, the one or more protrusions being, respectively, removably received within the one or more interior slots of the base, and 
 a contact feature adjacent to the hinge cam and near the back insert wall and the bottom insert surface, the contact feature having a curvature that matches a curvature of at least a portion of the hinge cam; 
   wherein in a first position the base insert is secured to the base when an angle between the cover and the base is between the first angle and the second angle, the one or more protrusions being respectively engaged within the one or more interior slots of the base in the first position, the contact feature being free of pressure from the hinge cam in the first position,   wherein in a second position the base insert begins to decouple from the base at a third angle between the cover and the base that is greater than the second angle, the decoupling being caused by pressure between the contact feature and the hinge cam, the engagement between the one or more protrusions and the one or more interior slots causing flexure of the base insert within the base, and   wherein in a third position, the base insert is completely decoupled from the base solely in response to continued rotation of the cover at a fourth angle that is greater than the third angle, the one or more protrusions being disengaged from the one or more interior slots and the contact feature being free from contact with the hinge cam.   
     
     
         2 . The cosmetic container of  claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the cosmetic container includes a square, a rectangle, a circle, or a polygon. 
     
     
         3 . The cosmetic container of  claim 1 , wherein the base includes an overhang of a snap-fitting slot and the base insert includes a snap-fit feature such that when the base insert is secured to the base, the snap-fit feature of the base insert engages the overhang of the snap-fitting slot of the base. 
     
     
         4 - 8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The cosmetic container of  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the cover is about 4.6 mm and a thickness of the base is about 10 mm. 
     
     
         10 . The cosmetic container of  claim 1 , wherein the contact feature of the base insert provides a resistance to further rotate the cover past the second angle. 
     
     
         11 . The cosmetic container of  claim 1 , wherein the first angle is about 0 degrees, the second angle is about 135 degrees, and the third angle is about 190 degrees. 
     
     
         12 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for replacing a base insert of a cosmetic container, the method comprising:
 providing a base insert that is removably coupled between a base and a cover;   initially, in a first position, engaging near a front side of the cosmetic container one or more protrusions of the base insert with respective ones of one or more interior slots of the base, a contact feature of the base insert being free of pressure from a hinge cam of the cover, the first position being achieved in response to an angle between the cover and the base is between a first angle and a second angle;   in response to rotating the cover to a third angle that is greater than the second angle, achieving a second position in which base insert begins to decouple from the base, the decoupling being caused by pressure between the contact feature and the hinge cam, the engagement between the one or more protrusions and the one or more interior slots causing flexure of the base insert within the base; and   in response to rotating the cover to a fourth angle that is greater than the third angle, achieving a third position in which the base insert is completely decoupled from the base, the one or more protrusions being disengaged from the one or more interior slots in the third position, the contact feature being free from contact with the hinge cam in the third position.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising snapping in another base insert in the base to replace the base insert. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the first angle is about 0 degrees, the second angle is about 135 degrees, and the third angle is about 190 degrees. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the cosmetic container includes a square, a rectangle, a circle, or a polygon. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the base insert is in the form of a palette with a depression for receiving a cosmetic product. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein a shape of the depression includes a circle, a square, a polygon, a rectangle, or any combination thereof.