JP2011046400A - Refill adapter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an refill adapter used for a method for reducing load and to improve an efficiency of a refill operation while liquid leakage or liquid dripping worried when the content in a container is refilled are prevented. <P>SOLUTION: The adapter 1 for refill, which refills the content into a repeatedly used container 3 from a refill container 2, includes: a body consisting of a content pipe and a pneumatic pipe; an refill-container airtightly connecting mechanism for airtightly connecting the body and the refill container; an repeatedly-used-container airtightly connecting mechanism for airtightly connecting the body and the repeatedly used container; a valve capable of opening and closing the content pipe of the body and the pneumatic pipe; an extended pneumatic pipe on the refill container side in which the pneumatic pipe is extended toward the refill container from the body; and a content forcibly discharging mechanism for discharging the content in the pneumatic pipe. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to reducing the load and improving the efficiency of refilling liquid contents from a replenishing container to a reusable container. The refill adapter is used for transferring contents between containers made of paper, plastic or metal. Concerning.

  In general, in the case of products that use plastic containers as products, it is not the same container that is used for purchase, but for example, it is purchased in a container called a pouch that has been processed into a bag shape or a very thin plastic container. It is common practice to refill the product container and use the product repeatedly. This method makes it possible to reduce the weight of the container relative to the amount of use of the contents, and is useful for resource protection, waste reduction, and cost reduction.

  The shape of the pouch is changed so that the spout is processed into a long and narrow pipe shape and is repeatedly inserted into the mouth of the container for use. At that time, the operator supported the pouch bottom with one hand and the spout with the other hand, so he was constantly in tension to prevent the contents from spilling out of the container. In addition, when there is paralysis or numbness, it is difficult to maintain a certain posture without being able to support the elbows and wrists, and thus such refilling work is very difficult.

  The situation does not change even if the refilling container is a plastic container, and the refilling operation involves holding the two containers with one hand and tilting the refilling container gradually horizontally so that both mouth positions do not shift. It was necessary to make preparations that would not hinder spills during the transfer work.

  Therefore, recently, some ideas for refilling the contents have been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, the product container and the replenishing container are joined in a sealed state, and the replenishment-side seal member is repeatedly broken by the use-side nozzle so that the liquid can be leaked without monitoring. claiming that it is possible to refill with no worries. However, in the proposal, since the residual air pressurized in the head space of the container 3 for repeated use is not particularly treated, there is a problem that the container often falls due to the phenomenon of intermittent backflow of air. It was.

  Patent Document 2 can be said to be a proposal for improving the above-described drawbacks of Patent Document 1. This is a proposal in which a nozzle is provided in the pouch and the valve is opened by repetitively inserting it into the dispensing nozzle of the container 3 to be used, and the contents are replenished. . Although there is an advantage that it can be resealed, in this proposal, the nozzle diameter of the refilling nozzle must be larger than that of the refilled container, and there is a risk of overflowing from the gap, so it is not suitable for monitoring free It is. Although the shape is devised so that a pouch can be put on it, it must be pulled out in case of a leak, and it is exposed to dangers such as returning and defeating the container.

  As described above, there is not yet a refilling container that can be resealed without any risk of leakage as a refillable container, and that has a low risk of the container becoming violent and falling. Then, in order to prevent the container from being violated, the air corresponding to the volume of the contents repeatedly flowing into the container 3 is moved to the inverted gap 21 of the replenishing container 2 while touching the contents as much as possible. Thus, there was no refilling means for positively switching the air and contents between containers.

JP 2004-099082 A JP 2003-267403 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the shortcomings of the background art, and is used in a method for reducing the burden of refilling work and improving efficiency while preventing leakage of liquid leakage that is a concern when refilling the contents of a container. It is an object to provide an adapter.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object in the present invention, first, in the invention of claim 1, in a refill adapter for refilling contents from a refill container into a container for repeated use, a main body comprising a content pipe and an air pipe, a main body and refill Replenishment container secret connection mechanism for secretly connecting containers, repetitive container confidential connection mechanism for secretly connecting the main body and repeated use containers, valves that can open and close the contents piping and air piping of the main body, and replenishment from the main body Provided is a refill adapter having a replenishment container side extended air pipe whose air pipe is extended on the container side and a content forced discharge mechanism for discharging the contents in the air pipe.

  Further, the invention of claim 2 provides the refill adapter according to claim 1, wherein a repetitive use container extension pipe comprising a content pipe and an air pipe is provided on the repetitive use container side from the refill container 2. .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the refill adapter according to the first or second aspect, wherein the content forced discharge mechanism is an air pipe pressurizing mechanism that pressurizes the air pipe.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the refill adapter according to the third aspect, wherein the air pipe pressurizing mechanism has a lock mechanism for fixing the state after the pressurization is completed.

  The invention according to claim 5 provides the refill adapter according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the air pipe pressurizing mechanism is a bellows.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the refill adapter according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the bubble can open the content pipe after the air pipe is opened.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the refill adapter according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the supplementary container side extended air pipe is detachable from the main body.

  If the contents are refilled using the refill adapter according to claim 1, the replenishment container 2 having a detachable opening is attached to one side of the refill adapter, the container for repeated use is attached to the other side, and the gaps between the two It is possible to combine without any problems, preventing leakage and dripping when refilling. In addition, the contents forced discharge mechanism can discharge the contents in the replenishment container side extended air piping when the valve is not open, and this operation opens the air flow path. In addition, it is possible to perform refilling in a shorter time without causing a fall due to the pulsation of the contents.

  In particular, it is preferable that the upper end of the replenishment container side extended air pipe is a pipe having a length protruding above the liquid level of the inverted refill container 2 before refilling is started. As a result, it is possible to reliably perform the refilling operation even for the highly viscous content, and it is possible to reduce the final residual content of the refill container as much as possible.

  In the invention of claim 2, if the liquid level of the repeated use container becomes high up to the repeated use container extension pipe, the air pipe is also blocked by the contents, and the inflow of the contents before this is automatically suppressed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the contents of the reusable container from overflowing, and it is possible to automatically end the refilling work without monitoring the refilling work. Is.

  In the invention of claim 3, the air pipe pressurizing device 15 is further incorporated in the refill adapter, and the pressure in the void portion of the repeated use container 3 is slightly increased by attaching the refill adapter 1. At this point, the switching valve 12 is still closed. When this is opened, the air repeatedly pressurized in the use container 3 rises the liquid level of the air pipe 5 immersed in the contents of the replenishment container 2, overcomes the liquid pressure, and extrudes the contents from the upper end. himself reached inverted gap portion 21 of the refill container 2. By this operation, the air flow path is opened, and there is no fall caused by the pulsation of the contents, and refilling can be performed in a shorter time.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the backflow of the contents after the pressurization is completed, and it is possible to prevent the stable refilling operation from being hindered by the operation of the air pipe pressurizing mechanism. It is to make.

  In the invention of claim 5, with a simple structure, it is possible to reliably discharge the contents in the use container extension pipe and to easily grasp that the contents are discharged by the operation of the bellows, It enables stable operation.

  In the invention of claim 6, since there is a time difference from the opening of the air pipe to the opening of the contents pipe, smooth refilling is enabled. In particular, if the air pipe pressurizing mechanism pressurizes the bubble between the opening of the air pipe and the opening of the contents pipe, the refilling operation becomes smooth.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce as much as possible the difficulty of cleaning, which is a harmful effect due to the long length of the air piping.

The partial cross section front view explaining the refill adapter of the state before the start of refill, the container for replenishment, and the container for repeated use. The partial cross section front view explaining the state in the middle of the refill start of the refill adapter of FIG. The partial cross section front view explaining the front assembly of the refill adapter of FIG. The partial cross section side view explaining the side assembly of the refill adapter of FIG. The partial cross section front view of the open state of the valve | bulb of the refill adapter of FIG. Partial cross-sectional side view of the open state of the refill adapter valve Fig. The partial cross section front view of the closed state of the valve | bulb of the refill adapter of FIG. Front sectional view illustrating the structure of the air pipe pressure mechanism FIG. The partial cross section front view explaining the structure of the main body cap used for refilling of the refill adapter of FIG. The fragmentary sectional front view explaining the state which the valve opening / closing lock | rock of the refill adapter of FIG. 1 acted. The partial cross section front view explaining the state by which the valve opening / closing lock | rock of the refill adapter of FIG. 1 was cancelled | released. The partial cross section front view explaining the state by which the cover ring of the refill adapter of FIG. 1 was fixed.

  The best embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

An important feature of the present invention is the use of a refill adapter 1 for connecting the reusable container 3 and the replenishing container 2 in order to prevent leakage of liquid leakage during refilling. And this adapter has a separate flow path to smooth the movement of the contents and air, and further has a function for forcibly discharging the contents to the air pipe 5 where the contents enter due to the structure, This is because the separation movement function has been improved.
Based on the above contents, the structure of the refill adapter 1 and the refill work method will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the refill adapter 1. 1 and FIG. 2 described later, the adapter rotation lock pin 141 and the cover positioning pin 142 are omitted from the drawings. The refill adapter 1 includes, from above, a refill container connecting portion 11 corresponding to a refill container confidential connection mechanism, a switching valve 12 corresponding to a combination of a valve, a main body air pipe, and a content pipe, and a part of the main body. The cover ring 13 is equivalent to the cover ring 13, the repeated container connection portion 14 that constitutes the repeated container confidential connection mechanism in combination with the cover ring 13, and the pressurizing device 15 corresponding to the content forced discharge mechanism.

  The pressure device 15, in this embodiment shows an example of configuration in the bellows. When the packing 152 is connected to the upper surface and the lower surface of the pressurizing device 15 and fixed to the repeated container connecting portion 14 and the repeated use container 3, respectively, confidentiality is maintained so that contents and air do not leak between them. The central portion is preferably deformed to be folded when compressed by the bellows structure 151, and can be restored and has elasticity such as bellows, rubber, or spring so that pressure for the packing 152 can be generated. Although it may be an automatic control device or the like, it is practical to realize it by elasticity in terms of price.

  The replenishing container connecting portion 11 has a function of attaching the replenishing container 2, preventing leakage of contents, and supporting the replenishing container 2 in an inverted state. As long as the container is detachable and does not come off when turned upside down, it can be screwed or stoppered, and the liquid retaining method can be kept confidential. Any method may be used, and inner ring fixing or top surface packing fixing may be used.

  The switching valve 12 manually opens and closes the flow path, and the structure in which the flow path is opened by matching the direction of the rotary flow path 122 with the fixed flow path 121 of the content pipe and the air pipe is structurally simple. However, a valve having another structure may be used.

  The valve operation is preferably possible only when the switching valve is unlocked and is performed with the handle 123.

  The switching valve 12 is provided with a content valve 123 for controlling the opening and closing of the content pipe for flowing the contents to the use container 3 and an air valve 124 for controlling the opening and closing of the air pipe for flowing the air to the replenishing container 2. To do.

  In this case, since the volume of the moving contents and the air are the same, it is desirable to set the flow rates to be equal in view of the effective cross-sectional area of the valve flow path, the viscosity of the contents, and energy loss due to friction.

  The repeated container connecting portion 14 manages the connection with the repeated use container 3 and the function of preventing liquid leakage. The two connecting portions are connected via the casing of the switching valve 12, and these may have an integral structure or an assembled structure. In general, it is preferable that the center axes of the two connection portions coincide with each other. However, when the center of gravity of the container is deviated from the center of each connection portion, the center axis is set to prevent the tip from falling. It is also possible to shift.

  Further, the cover ring 13 is a component having a connection function with the repeated use container 3. The cover ring 13 is repeatedly attached so as to cover the container connecting portion 14 from above and can be integrated with the container connecting portion 14 repeatedly through a built-in pin, but other structures may be used. .

  Next, the procedure of the refill work in FIGS. First, the refill container 2 is set upright and the refill adapter 1 is installed. It is inverted After assembling the two assembled repeated use container 3.

  In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the container 3 for repeated use has a structure having a measuring nozzle 41, and the case where the main body cap 4 is attached will be described below.

  First, the packing 128 on the lower surface of the pressurizing device is applied to the measuring nozzle 41 to push the bellows, and the refill adapter lock mechanism having the structure shown in FIG. 9 is used for connection. At this time, the internal pressure of the repeated use container 3 is increased by the pressurizing device, and the pressure increased by operating the switching valve 12 is transmitted to the air pipe 5, and the air including the replenishment container side extended air pipe is included. extruding the contents entered inside the pipe upwards. In order to effectively perform this function, it is desirable that the switching valve 12 has a structure in which a time difference is provided in the valve opening so that the handle 125 is rotated and the air piping is first communicated and the contents flow when the handle is further rotated. . And a time difference by changing the shape of the rotation unit 122 in FIG. 8. Smooth refilling is possible by opening the flow path of the contents after opening the air flow path by the upper air operation. This refilling state is shown in FIG. If left in this way, the contents are repeatedly refilled into the container 3 for use, but the contents are automatically stopped up to the repeated use container extension pipe. Finally, the lock mechanism is locked again, the refill adapter is repeatedly separated from the use container 3, and after being inverted, the lock is removed, and the contents in the contents pipe are returned to the refill container from the refill container. Remove the refill adapter and finish the work.

  Incidentally, a description based on operation of the lock mechanism in this case from 10 to 12. First, in a state where the cover ring 13 and the repeated container connecting portion 14 are combined with the adapter rotation lock pin 142, the inner protruding portion of the lock pin is pushed downward in accordance with the slide groove 42 of the main body cap 4, and at this time, the main body cap 4 The pressurizing device 15 sandwiched between the repeated use container connection portions 14 is compressed, and the packings 152 attached to the upper and lower sides thereof are compressed, thereby sealing the liquid material. It shows the positional relationship between the lock mechanism at this time is shown in FIG 10.

  When the cover ring 13 is rotated to the right when reaching the lower limit, the adapter rotation lock pin 142 reaches the groove end point of the main body cap 4 and the refill adapter 1 stops rotating. FIG. 11 is described so far.

  When the cover ring 13 is further rotated from there, the lock pin is pushed inward by the action of the cam, inserted into the connection portion positioning groove 43 of the repeated use container 3, and coupled to the repeated use container 14. When the cover ring 13 is further rotated, the cover positioning pin 143 engages and stops. This state is shown in FIG.

  Various methods can be used for the connection between the refill adapter 1 and the container 3 for repeated use. A screw, particularly a multi-head screw having a small rotation angle, may be used in combination.

  In order to finish the cleaning operation of the air pipe 5 before the refilling operation in an instant, it is installed so that one end of the air pipe 5 protrudes from the liquid surface of the replenishing container 2 inverted. In this way, once the contents are discharged from above the air pipe 5, the contents will never enter the air pipe 5, so that smooth refilling is possible thereafter. By the way, this method is not easy to handle because it is necessary to lengthen the pipe length. Therefore, it is preferable that the air pipe 5 has a structure in which the refilling container extension air pipe is detachable from the refill adapter 1 and is assembled only when necessary.

  In this refilling method, if it is clear that the internal volume of the replenishing container 2 is less than the void capacity of the reusable container 3, it can be left as it is and refilling without constant monitoring is possible. Therefore, this method is effective for refilling high-viscosity contents such as shampoo, honey and candy. Moreover, it is effective also for the purpose of dripping the liquid adhering to the inner surface of the replenishing container 2 to the end by maintaining the inverted state. This can further improve the recycling rate in container recycling.

  Also, if the replenishment container 2 has a larger capacity than the refill amount, the contents and air pipes are extended from the switching valve in the vicinity of the line of repetitive use 3 and a repetitive use extension pipe is installed. Then, since the air flowing toward the replenishing container 2 is shut off, the pressure in the inverted gap 21 gradually decreases to a negative pressure, and the flow of the contents also stops. In other words, this is an automatic stop, and this structure enables filling work in a state where monitoring is not necessary, and has the effect of reducing labor costs.

An attempt was made to replenish white shampoo with a 400 ml replenishing container when there was no remaining amount in a repeated use container having a filling volume of 500 ml and a full capacity of 550 ml. This was refilled using the refill adapter of claim 1. The specification of the main part is that the refilling container is colorless and transparent, the upper end position of the air pipe 7 when the refilling container is inverted is 30 mm below the liquid level, the minimum diameter of the air flow path is 3 mm, the inner diameter of both containers is 25 mm, the minimum cross-sectional area of the content distribution path 3.5 cm ^2, the volume change of the pressure device was 50 cm ^3. First, connect both containers via a refill adapter, erect the container to be used repeatedly, open the switching valve and start timing, and measure the number of times the container has fallen and the time until the refill is completed without supporting by hand. It was. The end time was the time when it was confirmed that the switching valve flow path had passed through the top surface of the replenishing container. The results are shown in Table 1.

  In Example 1, using the refill adapter set so that the upper end position of the air pipe 7 is 5 mm above the liquid level when the refill container is inverted, the number of container overturns during refill and the refill time are measured. The results are shown in Table 1.

  In Example 1, using the refill adapter from which the air piping was removed, the number of container overturns during refill and the refill time were measured, and the results are shown in Table 1.

  The table is as follows.

  The present invention is used for the operation of refilling contents from a replenishing container into a reusable container.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Refill adapter 2 ... Container for replenishment 3 ... Container for repeated use 4 ... Main body cap 5 ... Pipe for air 11 ... Container connection part for replenishment 12 ... Switching valve 13 ... Cover ring 14 ... Repeater container connection part 15 ... Pressurization apparatus 21 ... Inverted gap 41 ... Measuring nozzle 42 ... Slide groove 43 ... Positioning groove 121 ... Fixed flow path 122 ... Rotary flow path 123 ... Content flow path 124 ... Air flow path 125 ... Handle 151 ... Bellows 152 ... Packing 141 ... Adapter rotation Lock pin 142 ... Cover positioning pin

Claims (7)

  In a refill adapter for refilling contents from a refill container into a reusable container, a main body composed of a content pipe and an air pipe, a refill container secure connection mechanism for secretly connecting the main body and the refill container, and a main body and a reusable container Repetitive use of a container for confidential connection, a valve that can open and close the contents piping and air piping of the main body, an air piping that extends from the main body to the replenishing container, and an extended air piping and air for the replenishing container A refill adapter having a content forced discharge mechanism for discharging the content in the pipe.   The refill adapter according to claim 1, wherein a repetitive use container extension pipe comprising a content pipe and an air pipe is provided on the repetitive use container side from the replenishing container.   The refill adapter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the content forced discharge mechanism is an air pipe pressurizing mechanism that pressurizes the air pipe.   4. The refill adapter according to claim 3, wherein the air pipe pressurizing mechanism has a lock mechanism for fixing a state after the pressurization is finished.   The refilling adapter according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the air pipe pressurizing mechanism is a bellows.   The refill adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the bubble can open the contents pipe after the air pipe is opened.   The refill adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the replenishment container side extended air pipe is detachable from the main body.

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