EP1561512B1 - Pump unit and container - Google Patents
Pump unit and container Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1561512B1 EP1561512B1 EP03811082A EP03811082A EP1561512B1 EP 1561512 B1 EP1561512 B1 EP 1561512B1 EP 03811082 A EP03811082 A EP 03811082A EP 03811082 A EP03811082 A EP 03811082A EP 1561512 B1 EP1561512 B1 EP 1561512B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- piston
- shaft
- liquid
- shaft case
- case
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 148
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 claims description 10
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- 238000005086 pumping Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 9
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 9
- 238000005192 partition Methods 0.000 description 7
- 229920003002 synthetic resin Polymers 0.000 description 7
- 239000000057 synthetic resin Substances 0.000 description 7
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 description 6
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000006866 deterioration Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000002453 shampoo Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000002452 interceptive effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000000881 depressing effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000004927 fusion Effects 0.000 description 2
- 229920001684 low density polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000004702 low-density polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012856 packing Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000004698 Polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920001971 elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000000806 elastomer Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000007257 malfunction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- -1 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000000630 rising effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000344 soap Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
- B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
- B05B11/00—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use
- B05B11/0005—Components or details
- B05B11/0027—Means for neutralising the actuation of the sprayer ; Means for preventing access to the sprayer actuation means
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
- B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
- B05B11/00—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use
- B05B11/0005—Components or details
- B05B11/0037—Containers
- B05B11/0039—Containers associated with means for compensating the pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure inside the container, e.g. pressure relief means
- B05B11/0044—Containers associated with means for compensating the pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure inside the container, e.g. pressure relief means compensating underpressure by ingress of atmospheric air into the container, i.e. with venting means
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
- B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
- B05B11/00—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use
- B05B11/01—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use characterised by the means producing the flow
- B05B11/10—Pump arrangements for transferring the contents from the container to a pump chamber by a sucking effect and forcing the contents out through the dispensing nozzle
- B05B11/1028—Pumps having a pumping chamber with a deformable wall
- B05B11/1035—Pumps having a pumping chamber with a deformable wall the pumping chamber being a bellow
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
- B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
- B05B11/00—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use
- B05B11/01—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use characterised by the means producing the flow
- B05B11/10—Pump arrangements for transferring the contents from the container to a pump chamber by a sucking effect and forcing the contents out through the dispensing nozzle
- B05B11/1042—Components or details
- B05B11/1059—Means for locking a pump or its actuation means in a fixed position
- B05B11/106—Means for locking a pump or its actuation means in a fixed position in a retracted position, e.g. in an end-of-dispensing-stroke position
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
- B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
- B05B11/00—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use
- B05B11/01—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use characterised by the means producing the flow
- B05B11/10—Pump arrangements for transferring the contents from the container to a pump chamber by a sucking effect and forcing the contents out through the dispensing nozzle
- B05B11/1042—Components or details
- B05B11/1052—Actuation means
- B05B11/1053—Actuation means combined with means, other than pressure, for automatically opening a valve during actuation; combined with means for automatically removing closures or covers from the discharge nozzle during actuation
- B05B11/1054—Actuation means combined with means, other than pressure, for automatically opening a valve during actuation; combined with means for automatically removing closures or covers from the discharge nozzle during actuation the valve being located upstream of an outlet valve
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a pump unit that is used, for example, in a pump type container for a hair shampoo or the like used in the home, and also to a container.
- pump type containers are used as containers for containing, for example, hair shampoo or soap that are used in the home.
- These pump type containers are composed of a container body and a pump unit that is removably inserted into the container body. Normally, the pump unit is constructed such that when a piston portion is pressed, the piston portion pumps liquid up from the container body as it returns to its original position. The next time the piston portion is pressed, this liquid is discharged from a discharge aperture.
- Such pump units include those that utilize a return operation in which a bellows that contracts when the piston portion is pressed once again expands when the piston portion is released so as to pump liquid into the bellows.
- the bellows is contracted so as to discharge the liquid inside the bellows from the discharge aperture (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication Nos. H10-101115 and H10-211947 ).
- a suction valve and discharge valve are provided on the bellows upstream side and downstream side.
- the direction of the discharge aperture that discharges the liquid can be freely changed. This is because, when the container is, for example, a container for hair shampoo that is used in the home, when the container is used, normally, it is not lifted up and used, but instead the head portion alone is operated so as to discharge liquid while the container itself is left standing.
- a pump unit for pumping liquid from the inside of a container body to the outside of the container body is disclosed in EP 1 486 261 A1 which was published after the priority date of the present application, but claims a priority date earlier than that of the present application.
- Such a pump unit comprises a liquid containing portion adapted to be inserted into the container body; and a piston portion inserted into the liquid containing portion, said piston portion being movable inside the liquid containing portion to move liquid from the liquid containing portion to the outside of the container body by reducing the volume of the interior of the liquid containing portion, and to move liquid from the inside of the container body to the liquid containing portion by increasing the volume of the interior of the liquid containing portion;
- said piston portion comprising a shaft case provided inside the liquid containing portion and having a female thread portion formed on an internal circumferential surface of said shaft case, an unthreaded portion formed on said internal circumferential surface of said shaft case and a first engaging portion formed at a top end of the shaft case, said first engaging portion extending inward
- the user rotates the piston head to unscrew the male-threaded part of the piston shaft and the bottom female-threaded part of the shaft case, and after pulling the piston head upwards, again rotates the piston head to screw the male-threaded part of the piston shaft into the upper female-threaded part of the shaft case, and locks the piston shaft and the shaft case together.
- a pump unit to be attached to the container body of a container is known from US 6,230,942 B1 .
- the pump unit comprises a liquid discharging cover, a cap, a liquid storing pipe, a liquid suction valve, a bottle cap, a spring, a valve film, and a pipe-like seat.
- a first end of the cap is provided with a tapered pipe and a thread, while a second end of the cap is provided with a mouth and an inner threaded portion.
- a mouth of the tapered pipe is higher than the cap, and the tapered pipe is separated from the thread of the cap and is in communication with the mouth of the cap.
- the thread of the cap can be locked onto the liquid discharging cover, and a groove is formed by the thread and is sealed on a bottom.
- a peripheral wall of the liquid storing pipe has an obliquity and tightly contacts the inner wall of the tapered pipe of the cap at positions away from the obliquity.
- the obliquity of the peripheral wall and the mouth of the tapered pipe on the cap form an annual gap therebetween.
- the present invention was conceived in view of the above described circumstances and it is an object thereof to provide a pump unit and container that enable the direction of the discharge aperture to be freely changed when in use, and that when not in use, such as when being transported, prevent liquid from running out, and that also prevent any deterioration in operability that is caused by the bellows and the like being compressed for an extended period of time.
- a pump unit as defined in claim 1.
- a container as defined in claim 4.
- an apparatus for solving the above described problems includes: a liquid containing portion that is inserted into a container body; and a piston portion that is inserted into the liquid containing portion so as to be able to move inside the liquid containing portion, and that causes liquid to be discharged from the liquid containing portion to the outside of the container body by narrowing the volume of the interior of the liquid containing portion, and causes liquid from inside the container body to move to the liquid containing portion by increasing the volume of the liquid containing portion, wherein the piston portion has: a shaft case that is provided inside the liquid containing portion and has a female thread portion formed on an internal circumferential surface thereof; and a piston head portion that protrudes outside the liquid containing portion and has a discharge aperture formed thereon, and that has a male thread portion which screws into the female thread portion formed on an external circumferential surface thereof, and that is inserted into the shaft case so as to be able to move inside the shaft case, and wherein an unthreaded portion that allows the male thread
- the piston head portion can be rotated freely inside the shaft case. Accordingly, the piston head portion can be rotated without moving the shaft case, namely, without changing the volume inside the liquid containing portion. As a result, it is possible to freely rotate the discharge aperture of the piston head portion in a separate operation from the operation to discharge the liquid inside the container body.
- an urging member (including urging members that are resilient bodies made from resin that are able to return from a direction in which they have extended) that is made from resin is provided on the shaft case and that, when the shaft case is moved in a direction that causes the volume of the liquid containing portion to be narrowed, the urging member being adapted to urge the shaft case in a return direction.
- the piston head portion is contained inside the shaft case so that the overall size thereof is made more compact, and the unit can be packaged in that state. Furthermore, because the piston head portion only is moved without the shaft case being moved, during packaging or the like, any reduction in workability is prevented that is caused by failures such as the resin urging member losing its strength and becoming fatigued by receiving a compression force opposing its own urging force for an extended period of time.
- the above described pump unit is provided in the container of the present invention.
- this container it is possible to freely rotate the discharge aperture of the piston head portion separately from the operation to discharge the liquid inside the container body. Furthermore, any deterioration in operability is prevented that is caused by the urging member being contracted for an extended period of time.
- FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a container that is provided with the pump unit of the present invention.
- the symbol 10 in FIG. 1 is a pump unit, while the symbol 11 is a container.
- the container 11 is constructed by attaching the pump unit 10 to a container body 12 that contains a hair shampoo or the like in liquid form.
- the container body 12 is a cylindrical member having a bottom that is formed from synthetic resin.
- An aperture portion 12a is formed at a top end portion thereof, and a male thread portion 13 is formed on an outer circumference of the aperture portion 12a.
- a screw cap 15 that is made from synthetic resin and is provided with a female thread portion 14 that screws together with the male thread portion 13 is removably attached to the aperture portion 12a.
- the pump unit 10 is attached to the container body 12 by means of this screw cap 15. Namely, a hole (not shown) is formed in a center portion of the screw cap 15, and by inserting a pipe shaped case 16 that is formed from synthetic resin inside this hole, the pump unit 10 is attached to the container body 12 via the screw cap 15. Note that the case 16 functions as the liquid container portion of the present invention.
- a flange 16a is formed on an outer circumferential portion of the case 16, and this flange 16a is placed in contact with an internal surface (i.e., a bottom surface) of the screw cap 15.
- Packing 17 is provided on a bottom surface side of the flange 16a, and the internal surface (i.e., the bottom surface) side of the screw cap 15 is placed in pressure contact via the packing 17 with a top edge portion of the aperture portion 12a so that an airtight seal is formed.
- a chaplet 18 is attached to a portion of the case 16 that protrudes above the screw cap 15.
- This chaplet 18 has an external cylindrical portion 18a that fits together with the outer circumferential portion of the case 16, an internal cylindrical portion 18b that is inserted inside the case 16, and an apex portion 18c that is formed at a portion directly above the internal cylindrical portion 18b.
- This chaplet 18 is attached to a top end portion of the case 16, and by nipping the screw cap 15 between the external cylindrical portion 18a and the flange 16a of the case 16, the case 16 is fixed to the screw cap 15.
- the pump unit 10 is provided with a case 16, a bellows 19 that is formed from synthetic resin and is inserted into the case 16, a shaft case 20 that is connected to the bellows 19, a piston shaft 21, a piston head 22, and a suction pipe 23.
- the shaft case 20, the piston shaft 21, and the piston head 22 constitute the piston portion of the present invention, while the piston shaft 21 and the piston head 22 constitute the piston head portion of the present invention.
- the suction pipe 23 is inserted into the container body 12, and is positioned at a bottom end side of the bellows 19. A suction end 23a that is positioned at a bottom end of the suction pipe 23 is cut on a slant.
- a top end side of the suction pipe 23 is inserted into a connecting pipe 16b that is formed on an external side of a bottom portion of the case 16.
- a suction valve 24 that only allows liquid to flow from the container body 12 towards the case 16 is provided inside the connecting pipe 16b.
- the suction valve 24 is formed by a valve chamber 25 that is formed integrally with the connecting pipe 16b, a spherical valve body 26 that is housed inside the valve chamber 25, and a lid member 27 that is positioned at a bottom portion of the case 16.
- An aperture 25a that leads to the suction pipe 23 side is formed on a bottom portion of the valve chamber 25. Liquid inside the container body 12 flows into the valve chamber 25 through this aperture 25a via the suction pipe 23.
- the valve body 26 is housed inside the valve chamber 25 from the top portion aperture side of the case 16. If an external circumferential surface of the valve body 26 is placed in tight contact with an internal circumferential surface of the valve chamber 25 on the aperture 25a side thereof, liquid can be prevented from flowing backwards.
- the shape of the valve body 26 is not limited to a spherical shape and, provided that the valve body 26 is able to block of the aperture 25a in the valve chamber 25, it is possible to employ a variety of configurations for the valve body 26.
- the lid member 27 is a disk shaped member that is formed having a larger diameter than that of the top portion aperture of the connecting pipe 16b, namely, than that of the aperture on the top portion side of the valve chamber 25.
- An aperture 27a is formed in the lid member 27 at a position covering the top portion aperture of the valve chamber 25 that allows liquid to pass through but does not allow the valve body 26 to pass through. Examples of the shape of the aperture 27a include a shape that is cut like a cross, however, naturally the shape is not limited to this and a variety of shapes can be employed.
- the lid member 27 is fixed to the bottom portion of the case 16 by a mechanical device such as a fitting, or by adhesion or fusion, however, it is preferable that the valve body 26 is prevented from accidentally coming out from the interior of the valve chamber 25.
- the bellows 19 is fixed to the lid member 27.
- the bellows 19 is inserted together with the case 16 into the container body 12 and pumps liquid from inside the container body 12 to the outside of the container body 12.
- the bellows 19 is an example of the resilient body of the present invention.
- the bellows 19 is formed like an accordion that is able to be extended or compressed in the longitudinal direction thereof inside the case 16 (i.e., in a vertical direction), and is consequently able to return to its original position along the direction in which it has been extended.
- a bottom end portion of the bellows 19 is fixed to the lid member 27, as is described above, and is linked to the interior of the valve chamber 25 and the suction pipe 23 via the aperture portion 27a of the lid member 27.
- the bellows 19 is manufactured from low density polyethylene, and is provided with a predetermined spring constant.
- the bellows 19 is easily contracted by being pressed, which results in the volume of the interior thereof being reduced.
- this pressing force is released, the bellows 19 is easily restored to its original state, namely, to its original position in the direction in which has extended.
- This causes the volume of the interior thereof to increase. Namely, when the volume inside the case 16 is narrowed by the piston portion, the volume inside the bellows 19 is also narrowed. Conversely, when the volume inside the case 16 is increased, the volume inside the bellows 19 is also increased.
- a cylindrical press insertion portion 19a is formed on a top end side of the bellows 19.
- the press insertion portion 19a is inserted from below into a piston base 29 that is made from synthetic resin in the shape of a cylinder having a lid.
- a first connecting hole 30 that connects the interior of the bellows 19 with the interior of the case 16 is provided in the piston base 29.
- the first connecting hole 30 enables liquid that has been pumped into the bellows 19 from the container body 12, as is described below, to be temporarily discharged to the outside of the bellows 19.
- the shape and size of the first connecting hole 30 are not particularly restricted and may be optionally set insofar as they do not obstruct the flow of liquid.
- the number of first connecting holes 30 is also optional.
- the piston base 29 is formed having a smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the case 16.
- a concave portion (not shown) that fits together with the press insertion portion 19a is formed on a bottom surface side of the piston base 29.
- a toroidal groove (not shown) that fits together with a bottom end of the shaft case 20 is formed in a top portion side of an outer circumferential portion of the piston base 29.
- the shaft case 20 is formed from synthetic resin in the shape of a pipe. A bottom portion aperture in the shaft case 20 is sealed when a bottom end portion of the shaft case 20 is fitted to the piston base 29.
- the shaft case 20 is fixed to the chaplet 18 by inserting a top end portion of the shaft case 20 into the internal cylinder 18b of the chaplet 18.
- a female thread portion 20a is formed on an inner circumferential surface of the shaft case 20.
- an unthreaded portion 20b is formed at a top end portion of the inner circumferential surface of the shaft case 20, namely, above the position where the female thread portion 20a is formed.
- the female thread portion 20a meshes with the male thread portion 21a of the piston shaft 21 (described below).
- the unthreaded portion 20b is formed in a groove shape that runs in the circumferential direction around the inner circumferential surface of the shaft case 20, and rotatably supports the piston shaft 21 in the circumferential direction thereof without interfering with the male thread portion 21a of the piston shaft 21.
- FIG 2A shows a case in which the shaft case 20 is formed integrally.
- FIG. 2B shows a case in which the top end portion side where the unthreaded portion 20b is formed and the bottom portion side where the female thread portion 20a is formed are formed separately, and these are mechanically bonded by being forcibly fitted together or the like, or by adhesion or fusion so as to form a single body.
- a second connecting hole 34 (described below) is omitted.
- a first engaging portion 20c that extends slightly inwards is formed on a top end of the shaft case 20 running in a circumferential direction of the shaft case 20. As is described below, the first engaging portion 20c is formed so as to extend inwards slightly beyond the apex portion 18c of the chaplet 18.
- a protruding bar 31 is formed on an outer circumferential portion of the shaft case 20 extending in the longitudinal direction of the shaft case 20. As is shown in FIG. 3 , the protruding bar 31 fits into a groove 32 that is formed in the internal cylinder 18b of the chaplet 18. When the piston head 22 is rotated, as is described below, the protruding bar 31 functions as a rotation brake to stop the shaft case 20 rotating in conjunction with the piston head 22.
- the protruding bar 31 is able to move in the longitudinal direction of the groove 32 and, accordingly, the rising and lowering of the shaft case 20 that accompanies a pressing operation of the piston head 22 (described below) is not obstructed by the fitting of the protruding bar 31 in the groove 32.
- a single protruding bar 31 is formed in the shaft case 20, and a single groove 32 is also formed in the internal cylinder 18b of the chaplet 18 to correspond to this.
- this number is not particularly restricted, and two or more protruding bars and grooves may be provided.
- a protruding portion 33 is formed substantially in a center portion of an outer circumferential portion of the shaft case 20 running in the circumferential direction thereof.
- This protruding portion 33 may be formed intermittently or continuously along its entire length provided that it is formed away from the protruding bar 31 so as not to interfere with the protruding bar 31.
- a second connecting hole 34 that connects the interior of the case 16 to the interior of the shaft case 20 is provided at a bottom end portion of the shaft case 20.
- This second connecting hole 34 enables liquid that has been discharged to the outside from the bellows 19 and has been stored in the case 16, as is described below, to be supplied to the interior of the shaft case 20.
- the shape and size of the second connecting hole 34 are not particularly restricted and may be optionally set insofar as they do not obstruct the flow of liquid. The number thereof is also optional.
- a toroidal piston ring 35 is mounted on an outer circumferential portion of a bottom end portion of the shaft case 20.
- the piston ring 35 is placed between the protruding portion 33 and a circumferential edge portion 29a of the piston base 29, and is formed by joining together an inner ring 35a that is positioned on the shaft case 20 side and an outer ring 35b is positioned on the case 16 side in a central portion in the vertical direction thereof.
- a top portion of the inner ring 35a is in contact with the shaft case 20 such that it is able to slide easily, while a bottom portion of the inner ring 35a is formed having a smaller thickness compared to the top portion thereof so as not to cover the second connecting hole 34.
- the outer ring 35b is tightly attached to the inner circumferential surface of the case 16 such that a sufficient degree of fluid-tightness is secured, while the outer ring 35b is still able to slide.
- top and bottom end portions of the outer ring 35b form lip portions (not shown) so that the aforementioned fluid-tightness and slidability are excellent.
- the space between the protruding portion 33 and a circumferential edge portion 29a of the piston base 29 is sufficiently wider than the height of the inner ring 35a of the piston ring 35.
- the piston ring 35 is in press contact with the circumferential edge portion 29a of the piston base 29.
- the second connecting hole 34 is blocked by the inner ring 35a of the piston ring 35 so as to be fluid-tight.
- the piston ring 35 and the piston base 29 function as a discharge valve for discharging liquid.
- an air hole 36 is formed in the case 16 higher than the highest position to which the piston ring 35 is able to be raised.
- This air hole 36 connects the interior of the container body 12 to the outside via the space between the case 16 and the internal cylindrical portion 18b of the chaplet 18 and via the space between the case 16 and the external cylindrical portion 18a of the chaplet 18.
- the air hole 36 prevents what is known as "collapse" that is caused by a change in the liquid volume inside the container body 12.
- the top portion side of the case 16 that provides the area of movement of the piston ring 35 has a larger diameter than the bottom portion side thereof where the bellows 19 are housed.
- the piston shaft 21 is a circular cylinder shaped member made from synthetic resin that is continuous with the shaft case 20 and is inserted from above so as to be able to move in the shaft case 20. As is shown in FIG. 5 , a male thread portion 21 a is formed on a bottom end portion of the piston shaft 21.
- the male thread portion 21a screws together with the female thread portion 20a that is formed on the shaft case 20, and is able to be rotated in the circumferential direction thereof by means of an unthreaded portion 20b. Namely, as a result of the male thread portion 21 a of the piston shaft 21 being screwed into the female thread portion 20a, the piston shaft 21 is able to move relatively to the shaft case 20. If, however, the male thread portion 21a is not screwed into the female thread portion 20a so that the piston shaft 21 is able to rotate at the unthreaded portion 20b, the piston shaft 21 is able to rotate freely without causing the shaft case 20 to move.
- a second engaging portion 21b is formed on the piston shaft 21 slightly above the male thread portion 21a.
- This second engaging portion 21b protrudes outwards from the outer circumferential surface of the piston shaft 21, and is formed by a protruding bar that runs in the circumferential direction of the piston shaft 21.
- the second engaging portion 21b is constructed so as to removably engage with the first engaging portion 20c of the shaft case 20. Namely, as is shown in FIG.
- a narrow-diameter connecting pipe 21c is formed at a top end portion of the piston shaft 21, and the piston head 22 is connected to the connecting pipe 21c.
- the piston head 22 is integrally connected to the connecting pipe 21c, and is formed by a head body 22a and a discharge pipe 22b that is connected to the piston shaft 21.
- the head body 22a is able to be removably fitted onto the external cylinder portion 18a of the chaplet 18.
- the discharge pipe 22b is connected to the piston shaft 21, and liquid inside the container body 12 is discharged from a discharge aperture 22c that is formed by a distal end aperture of the connecting pipe 22b.
- the piston head 22 When the container 11 is not in use such as when it is being transported or stored, the piston head 22 is first pushed down slightly from the state shown in FIG. 1 so that the bottom end of the male thread portion 21 a of the piston shaft 21 is moved from the unthreaded portion 20b to the female thread portion 20a side. In this state, the piston shaft 21 is rotated. As a result, due to the meshing of the male thread portion 21 a with the female thread portion 20a, the piston shaft 21 moves to the bellows 19 side inside the shaft case 20 so that the second engaging portion 21b of the piston shaft 21 is lifted over the first engaging portion 20c and drops down. By then moving (i.e., dropping) it further, as is shown in FIG. 7 , the piston shaft 21 is contained inside the shaft case 20. In addition, the piston head 22 fits into the external cylinder portion 18a of the chaplet 18 so that this portion is covered.
- the bellows 19 are not compressed but are maintained in an expanded state. Accordingly, no failures such as fatigue and the like are generated in the bellows 19 by the bellows 19 being compressed for an extended period of time.
- the piston head 22 is rotated so that the male thread portion 21 a of the piston shaft 21 is made to lift up along the female thread portion 20a of the shaft case 20.
- the second engaging portion 21b of the piston shaft 21 passes the unthreaded portion 20b, is lifted over the first engaging portion 20c of the shaft case 20, and moves to the top portion side thereof where it is engaged.
- the piston shaft 21 and the shaft case 20 are integrated, and the container 11 is placed in the working state shown in FIG. 1 .
- the piston head 21 and the shaft case are integrated, and a fluid-tight state between these two is further secured.
- the piston shaft 21 i.e., the piston head 22
- the piston shaft 21 can be freely rotated without interfering with the shaft case 20.
- the bellows 19 are restored in the extension direction and are returned to the state shown in FIG. 1 .
- the interior of the bellows 19 changes to a negative pressure.
- the piston base 29 moves upwards to accompany the return of the bellows 19 in the extension direction.
- the piston ring 35 is also pushed upwards by the piston base 29. Consequently, the circumferential edge portion 29a of the piston base 29 is once again placed in tight contact with the internal ring 35a of the piston ring 35, and the second connecting hole 34 is once again blocked.
- the liquid holding portion 16c also changes to a negative pressure. This results in liquid being suctioned from the container body 12 into the bellows 19 and from the interior of the bellows 19 into the liquid holding portion 16c.
- the interiors of the liquid holding portion 16c and the bellows 19 each become filled with liquid.
- the piston base 29 is in tight contact with the internal ring 35a of the piston ring 35, the second connecting hole 34 is closed and back flow of liquid from the piston head 22 side to the container body 12 interior side is obstructed.
- the resin bellows 19 are maintained in an expanded state and are not compressed even during packaging and the like.
- the bellows 19 and the shaft case 20 are connected together via the liquid holding portion 16c inside the case 16 by the first connecting hole 30 and the second connecting hole 34. Accordingly, liquid that has been suctioned into the bellows 19 is held not only inside the bellows 19 but also in the liquid holding portion 16c.
- the resin bellows 19 is used as a member that urges the shaft case 20 in a direction that restores the volume inside the case 16.
- a resin coil spring i.e., an urging member
- another optional structure namely, a structure that is cylindrical and has returning force (i.e., urging force) equivalent to a spring as the resilient body instead of the bellows 19.
- FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of a container provided with the pump unit of the present invention.
- the symbol 40 in FIG. 1 is a pump unit, while the symbol 41 is a container. Note that, in the pump unit 40 and container 41 shown in FIG. 9 , the same symbols are given to component elements that are the same in the pump unit 10 and container 11 shown in FIG. 1 , and a description thereof is omitted.
- valve rod 44 is placed above the lining pipe 16b inside the case 16.
- This valve rod 44 is a rod shaped member that extends upwards from a bottom portion side (i.e., the connecting pipe 16b side) of the case 16.
- a through hole for liquid 44a that is connected to the connecting pipe 16b is formed inside the valve rod 44.
- a valve portion 44b that expands outwards is formed on a top end portion of the valve rod 44.
- a lidded, cylindrical fixing portion 44c that fixes the valve rod 44 to an inner surface of the case 16 is also formed at a bottom portion side of the valve rod 44, and a bottom end portion of the bellows 42 is fixed to the fixing portion 44c.
- the hole (i.e., the liquid through hole 44a) that is formed in the fixing portion 44c has a smaller diameter than that of the spherical valve body 26 of the suction valve 24 so that the valve body 26 is prevented from being removed from the top of the valve chamber 25.
- the bellows 42 is manufactured from low density polyethylene in an accordion shape that is able to be extended or contracted in the longitudinal direction thereof inside the case 16 (i.e., in a vertical direction), and is consequently able to return to its original position along the direction in which it has extended.
- the bellows 42 is connected to the suction pipe 23 via the liquid through hole 44a in the valve rode 44 and the connecting pipe 16b.
- the bellows 42 is easily contracted by being pressed, which results in the volume of the interior thereof being reduced.
- this pressing force is released, the bellows 42 is easily restored to its original state, namely, to its original position in the direction in which has extended. This causes the volume of the interior thereof to increase.
- the bellows 42 also has a predetermined spring constant.
- a cylindrical press insertion portion 42a is formed at a top end side of the bellows 42, and a partition 42b is formed inside the press insertion portion 42a.
- a hole (not shown) is formed in a center portion of the partition 42b. This hole is formed such that it can be removably engaged with the valve portion 44b of the valve rod 44, and the aperture of this hole is blocked so as to be fluid-tight when the hole is engaged with the valve portion 44b.
- the valve portion 44b and the partition 42b function as a valve.
- the press insertion portion 42a is inserted into the bottom end side of the shaft case 43 so as to be fluid-tight.
- the shaft case 43 is provided with a female thread portion 20a, an unthreaded portion 20b, and a first engaging portion 20c (not shown).
- the shaft case 43 differs from the shaft case 20 in that a large diameter portion 45 is formed on a bottom end portion of an outer circumferential portion of the shaft case 43, and in that a concave portion 46 (see FIG. 10 ) is formed at a position corresponding to the air hole 16d that is formed in the case 16, and a shut-off valve 47 is mounted inside this concave portion 46.
- the diameter of the large diameter portion 45 is larger than that of other locations on the shaft case 43 by an amount that corresponds to the thickness of the internal cylindrical portion 18b of the chaplet 18. As a result, the large diameter portion 45 is substantially in contact with an internal surface of the case 16. By employing this type of structure, rattling of the shaft case 43 inside the case 16 is prevented.
- the shut-off valve 47 is formed from polyethylene or another elastomer, and, as is shown in FIG. 10 , is constructed by integrally connecting an engaging portion 47a, which is mounted inside the concave portion 46, with a valve body 47b, which is positioned on the case 16 side and opens and shuts the air hole 16d, in central portions in the height direction of each.
- the valve body 47b is formed so as to be tightly attached to the inner circumferential surface of the case 16 such that fluid-tightness is secured, while the valve body 47b is still able to slide along the case 16.
- top and bottom portions of the valve body 47b are formed as lip portions (not shown) so that excellent fluid-tightness and slidability are secured.
- a piston head portion that is formed by the piston shaft 21 and the piston head 22 is provided with a male thread portion 21a and a second engaging portion 21b.
- This piston head portion differs from the example shown in FIG. 1 in that a discharge valve 48 that only allows the discharge of liquid from the piston shaft 21 side to the piston head 22 side is provided inside the connecting pipe 21c.
- the discharge valve 48 has the same structure as the above described suction valve 24.
- the discharge valve 48 is provided with a valve chamber 49 that is formed integrally with the connecting pipe 21c, and has a spherical valve body 50.
- the piston head 22 When the container 11 is not in use such as when it is being transported or stored, as is shown in FIG. 11 , the piston head 22 is first rotated so that the piston shaft 21 is contained inside the shaft case 43. In addition, the piston head 22 fits into the external cylinder portion 18a of the chaplet 18 so that this portion is covered. As a result, because the piston shaft 21 and the piston head 22 are contracted, packaging and the like of the container 11 is easy. Moreover, in this state, because the piston head 22 is not able to be further pressed down, it is not possible for the liquid inside to be forcibly discharged.
- the bellows 42 are not compressed but are maintained in an expanded state. Accordingly, no failures such as fatigue and the like are generated in the bellows 42 by the bellows 42 being compressed for an extended period of time.
- valve portion 44b of the valve rod 44 fits into the hole (not shown) in the partition 42b of the press insertion portion 42a of the bellows 42 so that the aperture of the hole is blocked so as to be fluid-tight, even if the container 41 falls over, the liquid inside the container body 12 is unable to be discharged from the discharge aperture 22c via the bellows 42.
- the shut-off valve 4 blocks the air hole 16d. As a result, even if the container 41 is inadvertently knocked over, liquid inside the container body 12 is prevented from leaking outside through the gap between the chaplet 18 and the shaft case 43 via the air hole 16d.
- the piston shaft 21 and the shaft case 43 are integrated, and the container 41 is placed in the working state shown in FIG. 9 .
- the piston head 21 and the shaft case 43 are integrated, and a fluid-tight state between these two is further secured.
- the piston shaft 21 i.e., the piston head 22
- the piston shaft 21 can be freely rotated without interfering with the shaft case 43.
- the air inside the bellows 42 is compressed as a result of the bellows 42 being compressed, because the suction valve 24 is shut, the air inside the bellows 42 flows into the shaft case 43, and is discharged to the outside through the hole in the piston shaft 21, the discharge valve 48, and the discharge pipe 22b.
- the resin bellows 42 are maintained in an expanded state and are not compressed even during packaging and the like. Accordingly, no failures such as fatigue and the like are generated in the bellows 42 by the bellows 42 being compressed for an extended period of time. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent any deterioration in the workability of the pump unit 40 that 29 is caused by the bellows 42 being compressed for an extended period of time.
- shut-off valve 47 is provided at a position on the shaft case 43 that corresponds to the air hole 16d formed in the case 16, during use, the air hole 16d is opened by the operation of the piston portion, resulting in the pressure inside the container body 12 being maintained at substantially atmospheric pressure. In addition, when not in use, the air hole 16d is shut by the shut-off valve 47 so that leakages of liquid from the air hole 16d are prevented.
- the shaft case 43 does not rotate around the case 16 in the circumferential direction of the case 16, irrespective of the fact that the bellows 42 are formed in a spiral configuration, the shaft case 43 is not rotated by the torque of the bellows 42. As a result, the shut-off valve 47 that is provided on the shaft case 43 is kept at a position corresponding to the air hole 16d. Moreover, it is possible to prevent torque from the spiral-shaped bellows 42 being transmitted to the piston head 22 so that malfunctions such as deteriorations in the operability thereof are prevented.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a pump unit that is used, for example, in a pump type container for a hair shampoo or the like used in the home, and also to a container.
- Conventionally, pump type containers are used as containers for containing, for example, hair shampoo or soap that are used in the home. These pump type containers are composed of a container body and a pump unit that is removably inserted into the container body. Normally, the pump unit is constructed such that when a piston portion is pressed, the piston portion pumps liquid up from the container body as it returns to its original position. The next time the piston portion is pressed, this liquid is discharged from a discharge aperture.
- Such pump units include those that utilize a return operation in which a bellows that contracts when the piston portion is pressed once again expands when the piston portion is released so as to pump liquid into the bellows. When the piston portion is once again pressed, the bellows is contracted so as to discharge the liquid inside the bellows from the discharge aperture (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication Nos.
H10-101115 H10-211947 - In order to pump liquid into the bellows or discharge liquid from inside the bellows in accordance with this type of piston pressing operation or return operation, a suction valve and discharge valve are provided on the bellows upstream side and downstream side.
- In a container that is to be manufactured commercially, it is desirable, particularly in a working state, that the direction of the discharge aperture that discharges the liquid can be freely changed. This is because, when the container is, for example, a container for hair shampoo that is used in the home, when the container is used, normally, it is not lifted up and used, but instead the head portion alone is operated so as to discharge liquid while the container itself is left standing.
- Moreover, in addition to this requirement, the problem arises that, if the suction valve or discharge valve comes open if the container falls over, then the liquid runs out from the discharge aperture.
- In order to solve this type of problem, conventionally, in particular, when the container is not in use such as when it is being transported or stored, the piston portion is pressed down so as to compress the bellows, and in this state the container is packaged and stored.
- However, as described above, if the piston portion is pressed down for an extended period of time so that the bellows are left in a compressed state, the bellows become weakened. Even if the compression of the bellows by the piston portion is then released when the container is subsequently used, there are cases when the bellows do not return properly to their original condition. As a result, there is a tendency for the problem to arise that the liquid cannot be sufficiently suctioned so that the operability deteriorates markedly.
- A pump unit for pumping liquid from the inside of a container body to the outside of the container body is disclosed in
EP 1 486 261 A1 which was published after the priority date of the present application, but claims a priority date earlier than that of the present application. Such a pump unit comprises a liquid containing portion adapted to be inserted into the container body; and a piston portion inserted into the liquid containing portion, said piston portion being movable inside the liquid containing portion to move liquid from the liquid containing portion to the outside of the container body by reducing the volume of the interior of the liquid containing portion, and to move liquid from the inside of the container body to the liquid containing portion by increasing the volume of the interior of the liquid containing portion; said piston portion comprising a shaft case provided inside the liquid containing portion and having a female thread portion formed on an internal circumferential surface of said shaft case, an unthreaded portion formed on said internal circumferential surface of said shaft case and a first engaging portion formed at a top end of the shaft case, said first engaging portion extending inwardly and running in a circumferential direction of the shaft case; and a piston shaft having a bottom end portion inserted into the shaft case and a top end portion connected to a piston head which protudes outside the liquid containing portion and has a discharge aperture formed thereon, said piston shaft having a male thread portion formed on an external circumferential surface on said bottom end portion of the piston shaft, said male thread portion being adapted to screw into the female thread portion for storing the piston shaft into the shaft case. To use the container equipped with such a pump unit, the user rotates the piston head to unscrew the male-threaded part of the piston shaft and the bottom female-threaded part of the shaft case, and after pulling the piston head upwards, again rotates the piston head to screw the male-threaded part of the piston shaft into the upper female-threaded part of the shaft case, and locks the piston shaft and the shaft case together. - A pump unit to be attached to the container body of a container is known from
US 6,230,942 B1 . The pump unit comprises a liquid discharging cover, a cap, a liquid storing pipe, a liquid suction valve, a bottle cap, a spring, a valve film, and a pipe-like seat. A first end of the cap is provided with a tapered pipe and a thread, while a second end of the cap is provided with a mouth and an inner threaded portion. A mouth of the tapered pipe is higher than the cap, and the tapered pipe is separated from the thread of the cap and is in communication with the mouth of the cap. The thread of the cap can be locked onto the liquid discharging cover, and a groove is formed by the thread and is sealed on a bottom. A peripheral wall of the liquid storing pipe has an obliquity and tightly contacts the inner wall of the tapered pipe of the cap at positions away from the obliquity. The obliquity of the peripheral wall and the mouth of the tapered pipe on the cap form an annual gap therebetween. - The present invention was conceived in view of the above described circumstances and it is an object thereof to provide a pump unit and container that enable the direction of the discharge aperture to be freely changed when in use, and that when not in use, such as when being transported, prevent liquid from running out, and that also prevent any deterioration in operability that is caused by the bellows and the like being compressed for an extended period of time.
- According to the invention there is provided a pump unit as defined in claim 1. In addition there is provided a container as defined in claim 4.
- In the pump unit of the present invention, an apparatus for solving the above described problems is provided that includes: a liquid containing portion that is inserted into a container body; and a piston portion that is inserted into the liquid containing portion so as to be able to move inside the liquid containing portion, and that causes liquid to be discharged from the liquid containing portion to the outside of the container body by narrowing the volume of the interior of the liquid containing portion, and causes liquid from inside the container body to move to the liquid containing portion by increasing the volume of the liquid containing portion, wherein the piston portion has: a shaft case that is provided inside the liquid containing portion and has a female thread portion formed on an internal circumferential surface thereof; and a piston head portion that protrudes outside the liquid containing portion and has a discharge aperture formed thereon, and that has a male thread portion which screws into the female thread portion formed on an external circumferential surface thereof, and that is inserted into the shaft case so as to be able to move inside the shaft case, and wherein an unthreaded portion that allows the male thread portion of the piston head portion to rotate freely in the circumferential direction of the shaft case is formed on the shaft case.
- According to this pump unit, because the male thread portion of the piston head portion is in a state of being screwed into the female thread portion of the shaft case, if the piston head portion is simply pressed without being rotated, then the piston head portion and the shaft case move integrally and the volume inside the liquid containing portion is narrowed. Accordingly, by performing a pressing operation on the piston head portion, it is possible to discharge liquid from the liquid containing portion to the outside of the container body via a discharge aperture.
- In addition, by forming an unthreaded portion on the shaft case, the piston head portion can be rotated freely inside the shaft case. Accordingly, the piston head portion can be rotated without moving the shaft case, namely, without changing the volume inside the liquid containing portion. As a result, it is possible to freely rotate the discharge aperture of the piston head portion in a separate operation from the operation to discharge the liquid inside the container body.
- In this pump unit, it is preferable that an urging member (including urging members that are resilient bodies made from resin that are able to return from a direction in which they have extended) that is made from resin is provided on the shaft case and that, when the shaft case is moved in a direction that causes the volume of the liquid containing portion to be narrowed, the urging member being adapted to urge the shaft case in a return direction.
- If this type of structure is employed, then by stopping the pressing of the piston head portion after the volume of the interior of the liquid containing portion has been narrowed by pressing the piston head portion, the shaft case is restored by the urging member, which results in the piston head portion also being returned to its original position. Accordingly, if a further discharge of liquid is desired, by then once again pressing the piston head after it has returned, the discharge of liquid can be made.
- If the male thread portion of the piston head portion is screwed into the female thread portion of the shaft case by rotating the piston head portion, then without moving the shaft case it is possible to store only the piston head portion inside the shaft case, for example. Accordingly, when, for example, this pump unit is incorporated inside the container body and is being transported, the piston head portion is contained inside the shaft case so that the overall size thereof is made more compact, and the unit can be packaged in that state. Furthermore, because the piston head portion only is moved without the shaft case being moved, during packaging or the like, any reduction in workability is prevented that is caused by failures such as the resin urging member losing its strength and becoming fatigued by receiving a compression force opposing its own urging force for an extended period of time.
- Moreover, in order to solve the above described problems, the above described pump unit is provided in the container of the present invention.
- According to this container, it is possible to freely rotate the discharge aperture of the piston head portion separately from the operation to discharge the liquid inside the container body. Furthermore, any deterioration in operability is prevented that is caused by the urging member being contracted for an extended period of time.
-
-
FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing the schematic structure of the first embodiment of a container that is provided with the pump unit of the present invention. -
FIG. 2A is a side cross-sectional view of a shaft case. -
FIG. 2B is a side cross-sectional view of a shaft case. -
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the principal portions as seen in cross section for describing the rotation locking mechanism of a shaft case relative to a chaplet. -
FIG. 4A is a side cross-sectional view showing a closed state of a valve for describing a mechanism in which a piston ring forms a discharge valve. -
FIG. 4B is a side cross-sectional view showing a closed state of a valve for describing a mechanism in which a piston ring forms a discharge valve. -
FIG. 5 is a component drawing as seen in cross section of principal portions of a piston shaft and piston head. -
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of principal portions of the container shown inFIG. 1 for describing an engagement of a second engaging portion with a first engaging portion. -
FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which leakage of liquid is prevented when the container shown inFIG. 1 is not in use such as during transportation. -
FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view for describing a working state of the container shown inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view showing the schematic structure of another embodiment of a container that is provided with the pump unit of the present invention. -
FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the principal portions of the container shown inFIG. 9 , and is a view for describing a shut-off valve that blocks an air hole. -
FIG 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which leakage of liquid is prevented when the container shown inFIG. 9 is not in use such as when it is being transported. -
FIG. 12 is a side cross-sectional view for describing a working state of the container shown inFIG. 9 . - The present invention together with the drawings will now be described in detail.
-
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a container that is provided with the pump unit of the present invention. Thesymbol 10 inFIG. 1 is a pump unit, while thesymbol 11 is a container. Thecontainer 11 is constructed by attaching thepump unit 10 to acontainer body 12 that contains a hair shampoo or the like in liquid form. - The
container body 12 is a cylindrical member having a bottom that is formed from synthetic resin. Anaperture portion 12a is formed at a top end portion thereof, and amale thread portion 13 is formed on an outer circumference of theaperture portion 12a. Ascrew cap 15 that is made from synthetic resin and is provided with afemale thread portion 14 that screws together with themale thread portion 13 is removably attached to theaperture portion 12a. Thepump unit 10 is attached to thecontainer body 12 by means of thisscrew cap 15. Namely, a hole (not shown) is formed in a center portion of thescrew cap 15, and by inserting a pipe shapedcase 16 that is formed from synthetic resin inside this hole, thepump unit 10 is attached to thecontainer body 12 via thescrew cap 15. Note that thecase 16 functions as the liquid container portion of the present invention. Aflange 16a is formed on an outer circumferential portion of thecase 16, and thisflange 16a is placed in contact with an internal surface (i.e., a bottom surface) of thescrew cap 15.Packing 17 is provided on a bottom surface side of theflange 16a, and the internal surface (i.e., the bottom surface) side of thescrew cap 15 is placed in pressure contact via the packing 17 with a top edge portion of theaperture portion 12a so that an airtight seal is formed. - A
chaplet 18 is attached to a portion of thecase 16 that protrudes above thescrew cap 15. Thischaplet 18 has an externalcylindrical portion 18a that fits together with the outer circumferential portion of thecase 16, an internalcylindrical portion 18b that is inserted inside thecase 16, and anapex portion 18c that is formed at a portion directly above the internalcylindrical portion 18b. Thischaplet 18 is attached to a top end portion of thecase 16, and by nipping thescrew cap 15 between the externalcylindrical portion 18a and theflange 16a of thecase 16, thecase 16 is fixed to thescrew cap 15. - The
pump unit 10 is provided with acase 16, a bellows 19 that is formed from synthetic resin and is inserted into thecase 16, ashaft case 20 that is connected to thebellows 19, apiston shaft 21, apiston head 22, and asuction pipe 23. Note that theshaft case 20, thepiston shaft 21, and thepiston head 22 constitute the piston portion of the present invention, while thepiston shaft 21 and thepiston head 22 constitute the piston head portion of the present invention. - The
suction pipe 23 is inserted into thecontainer body 12, and is positioned at a bottom end side of thebellows 19. Asuction end 23a that is positioned at a bottom end of thesuction pipe 23 is cut on a slant. - A top end side of the
suction pipe 23 is inserted into a connectingpipe 16b that is formed on an external side of a bottom portion of thecase 16. Asuction valve 24 that only allows liquid to flow from thecontainer body 12 towards thecase 16 is provided inside the connectingpipe 16b. Thesuction valve 24 is formed by avalve chamber 25 that is formed integrally with the connectingpipe 16b, aspherical valve body 26 that is housed inside thevalve chamber 25, and alid member 27 that is positioned at a bottom portion of thecase 16. - An
aperture 25a that leads to thesuction pipe 23 side is formed on a bottom portion of thevalve chamber 25. Liquid inside thecontainer body 12 flows into thevalve chamber 25 through thisaperture 25a via thesuction pipe 23. - The
valve body 26 is housed inside thevalve chamber 25 from the top portion aperture side of thecase 16. If an external circumferential surface of thevalve body 26 is placed in tight contact with an internal circumferential surface of thevalve chamber 25 on theaperture 25a side thereof, liquid can be prevented from flowing backwards. Note that the shape of thevalve body 26 is not limited to a spherical shape and, provided that thevalve body 26 is able to block of theaperture 25a in thevalve chamber 25, it is possible to employ a variety of configurations for thevalve body 26. - The
lid member 27 is a disk shaped member that is formed having a larger diameter than that of the top portion aperture of the connectingpipe 16b, namely, than that of the aperture on the top portion side of thevalve chamber 25. Anaperture 27a is formed in thelid member 27 at a position covering the top portion aperture of thevalve chamber 25 that allows liquid to pass through but does not allow thevalve body 26 to pass through. Examples of the shape of theaperture 27a include a shape that is cut like a cross, however, naturally the shape is not limited to this and a variety of shapes can be employed. Thelid member 27 is fixed to the bottom portion of thecase 16 by a mechanical device such as a fitting, or by adhesion or fusion, however, it is preferable that thevalve body 26 is prevented from accidentally coming out from the interior of thevalve chamber 25. - The bellows 19 is fixed to the
lid member 27. The bellows 19 is inserted together with thecase 16 into thecontainer body 12 and pumps liquid from inside thecontainer body 12 to the outside of thecontainer body 12. The bellows 19 is an example of the resilient body of the present invention. The bellows 19 is formed like an accordion that is able to be extended or compressed in the longitudinal direction thereof inside the case 16 (i.e., in a vertical direction), and is consequently able to return to its original position along the direction in which it has been extended. A bottom end portion of thebellows 19 is fixed to thelid member 27, as is described above, and is linked to the interior of thevalve chamber 25 and thesuction pipe 23 via theaperture portion 27a of thelid member 27. The bellows 19 is manufactured from low density polyethylene, and is provided with a predetermined spring constant. The bellows 19 is easily contracted by being pressed, which results in the volume of the interior thereof being reduced. In contrast, when this pressing force is released, thebellows 19 is easily restored to its original state, namely, to its original position in the direction in which has extended. This causes the volume of the interior thereof to increase. Namely, when the volume inside thecase 16 is narrowed by the piston portion, the volume inside thebellows 19 is also narrowed. Conversely, when the volume inside thecase 16 is increased, the volume inside thebellows 19 is also increased. - A cylindrical
press insertion portion 19a is formed on a top end side of thebellows 19. Thepress insertion portion 19a is inserted from below into apiston base 29 that is made from synthetic resin in the shape of a cylinder having a lid. A first connectinghole 30 that connects the interior of thebellows 19 with the interior of thecase 16 is provided in thepiston base 29. The first connectinghole 30 enables liquid that has been pumped into thebellows 19 from thecontainer body 12, as is described below, to be temporarily discharged to the outside of thebellows 19. Note that the shape and size of the first connectinghole 30 are not particularly restricted and may be optionally set insofar as they do not obstruct the flow of liquid. The number of first connectingholes 30 is also optional. - The
piston base 29 is formed having a smaller diameter than the internal diameter of thecase 16. A concave portion (not shown) that fits together with thepress insertion portion 19a is formed on a bottom surface side of thepiston base 29. A toroidal groove (not shown) that fits together with a bottom end of theshaft case 20 is formed in a top portion side of an outer circumferential portion of thepiston base 29. - The
shaft case 20 is formed from synthetic resin in the shape of a pipe. A bottom portion aperture in theshaft case 20 is sealed when a bottom end portion of theshaft case 20 is fitted to thepiston base 29. Theshaft case 20 is fixed to thechaplet 18 by inserting a top end portion of theshaft case 20 into theinternal cylinder 18b of thechaplet 18. As is shown inFIG. 2A and FIG. 2B , afemale thread portion 20a is formed on an inner circumferential surface of theshaft case 20. In addition, an unthreadedportion 20b is formed at a top end portion of the inner circumferential surface of theshaft case 20, namely, above the position where thefemale thread portion 20a is formed. Thefemale thread portion 20a meshes with themale thread portion 21a of the piston shaft 21 (described below). The unthreadedportion 20b is formed in a groove shape that runs in the circumferential direction around the inner circumferential surface of theshaft case 20, and rotatably supports thepiston shaft 21 in the circumferential direction thereof without interfering with themale thread portion 21a of thepiston shaft 21. -
FIG 2A shows a case in which theshaft case 20 is formed integrally.FIG. 2B shows a case in which the top end portion side where the unthreadedportion 20b is formed and the bottom portion side where thefemale thread portion 20a is formed are formed separately, and these are mechanically bonded by being forcibly fitted together or the like, or by adhesion or fusion so as to form a single body. In these drawings, a second connecting hole 34 (described below) is omitted. - A first engaging
portion 20c that extends slightly inwards is formed on a top end of theshaft case 20 running in a circumferential direction of theshaft case 20. As is described below, the first engagingportion 20c is formed so as to extend inwards slightly beyond theapex portion 18c of thechaplet 18. - As is shown in
FIG. 1 , a protrudingbar 31 is formed on an outer circumferential portion of theshaft case 20 extending in the longitudinal direction of theshaft case 20. As is shown inFIG. 3 , the protrudingbar 31 fits into agroove 32 that is formed in theinternal cylinder 18b of thechaplet 18. When thepiston head 22 is rotated, as is described below, the protrudingbar 31 functions as a rotation brake to stop theshaft case 20 rotating in conjunction with thepiston head 22. Here, the protrudingbar 31 is able to move in the longitudinal direction of thegroove 32 and, accordingly, the rising and lowering of theshaft case 20 that accompanies a pressing operation of the piston head 22 (described below) is not obstructed by the fitting of the protrudingbar 31 in thegroove 32. Note that, inFIG. 3 , a single protrudingbar 31 is formed in theshaft case 20, and asingle groove 32 is also formed in theinternal cylinder 18b of thechaplet 18 to correspond to this. However, this number is not particularly restricted, and two or more protruding bars and grooves may be provided. - A protruding
portion 33 is formed substantially in a center portion of an outer circumferential portion of theshaft case 20 running in the circumferential direction thereof. This protrudingportion 33 may be formed intermittently or continuously along its entire length provided that it is formed away from the protrudingbar 31 so as not to interfere with the protrudingbar 31. - A second connecting
hole 34 that connects the interior of thecase 16 to the interior of theshaft case 20 is provided at a bottom end portion of theshaft case 20. This second connectinghole 34 enables liquid that has been discharged to the outside from thebellows 19 and has been stored in thecase 16, as is described below, to be supplied to the interior of theshaft case 20. In the same way as for the first connectinghole 30, the shape and size of the second connectinghole 34 are not particularly restricted and may be optionally set insofar as they do not obstruct the flow of liquid. The number thereof is also optional. - A
toroidal piston ring 35 is mounted on an outer circumferential portion of a bottom end portion of theshaft case 20. Thepiston ring 35 is placed between the protrudingportion 33 and acircumferential edge portion 29a of thepiston base 29, and is formed by joining together aninner ring 35a that is positioned on theshaft case 20 side and anouter ring 35b is positioned on thecase 16 side in a central portion in the vertical direction thereof. A top portion of theinner ring 35a is in contact with theshaft case 20 such that it is able to slide easily, while a bottom portion of theinner ring 35a is formed having a smaller thickness compared to the top portion thereof so as not to cover the second connectinghole 34. Theouter ring 35b is tightly attached to the inner circumferential surface of thecase 16 such that a sufficient degree of fluid-tightness is secured, while theouter ring 35b is still able to slide. In particular, top and bottom end portions of theouter ring 35b form lip portions (not shown) so that the aforementioned fluid-tightness and slidability are excellent. - Here, in the normal state shown in
FIG. 1 andFIG. 4A (i.e., in a state in which thepiston head 22 is not being pressed), the space between the protrudingportion 33 and acircumferential edge portion 29a of thepiston base 29 is sufficiently wider than the height of theinner ring 35a of thepiston ring 35. Moreover, in this state, thepiston ring 35 is in press contact with thecircumferential edge portion 29a of thepiston base 29. As a result, the second connectinghole 34 is blocked by theinner ring 35a of thepiston ring 35 so as to be fluid-tight. By blocking the second connectinghole 34 using thepiston ring 35 and thepiston base 29 so that the second connectinghole 34 is made fluid-tight, or alternatively by opening up the second connectinghole 34, as is described below, thepiston ring 35 and thepiston base 29 function as a discharge valve for discharging liquid. - Note that, as is shown in
FIG. 1 , anair hole 36 is formed in thecase 16 higher than the highest position to which thepiston ring 35 is able to be raised. Thisair hole 36 connects the interior of thecontainer body 12 to the outside via the space between thecase 16 and the internalcylindrical portion 18b of thechaplet 18 and via the space between thecase 16 and the externalcylindrical portion 18a of thechaplet 18. Theair hole 36 prevents what is known as "collapse" that is caused by a change in the liquid volume inside thecontainer body 12. - The top portion side of the
case 16 that provides the area of movement of thepiston ring 35 has a larger diameter than the bottom portion side thereof where thebellows 19 are housed. - The
piston shaft 21 is a circular cylinder shaped member made from synthetic resin that is continuous with theshaft case 20 and is inserted from above so as to be able to move in theshaft case 20. As is shown inFIG. 5 , amale thread portion 21 a is formed on a bottom end portion of thepiston shaft 21. - The
male thread portion 21a screws together with thefemale thread portion 20a that is formed on theshaft case 20, and is able to be rotated in the circumferential direction thereof by means of an unthreadedportion 20b. Namely, as a result of themale thread portion 21 a of thepiston shaft 21 being screwed into thefemale thread portion 20a, thepiston shaft 21 is able to move relatively to theshaft case 20. If, however, themale thread portion 21a is not screwed into thefemale thread portion 20a so that thepiston shaft 21 is able to rotate at the unthreadedportion 20b, thepiston shaft 21 is able to rotate freely without causing theshaft case 20 to move. - A second engaging
portion 21b is formed on thepiston shaft 21 slightly above themale thread portion 21a. This secondengaging portion 21b protrudes outwards from the outer circumferential surface of thepiston shaft 21, and is formed by a protruding bar that runs in the circumferential direction of thepiston shaft 21. The secondengaging portion 21b is constructed so as to removably engage with the first engagingportion 20c of theshaft case 20. Namely, as is shown inFIG. 6 , in a working state in which thepiston head 21 is lifted up to its highest position, and themale thread portion 21a is placed inside the unthreadedportion 20b of theshaft case 20, by then lifting the secondengaging portion 21b onto the first engagingportion 20c so that the secondengaging portion 21b is positioned above the first engagingportion 20c, the secondengaging portion 21b is engaged with the first engagingportion 20c. In addition, at this time, because themale thread portion 21a of thepiston head 21 is positioned below the first engagingportion 20c, the result is that the first engagingportion 20c is sandwiched between the secondengaging portion 21b and themale thread portion 21a. In this structure, in a working state when thepiston head 21 has been lifted up relative to theshaft case 20, a fluid-tight state is secured between the top portion aperture of theshaft case 20 and thepiston shaft 21. - Note that, as is described above, because the edge on the inner side of the
apex portion 18c of thechaplet 18 is formed slightly retracted from the edge of the first engagingportion 20c, it does not interfere with the second engagingportion 21 b. - As is shown in
FIG. 1 , a narrow-diameter connecting pipe 21c is formed at a top end portion of thepiston shaft 21, and thepiston head 22 is connected to the connectingpipe 21c. - The
piston head 22 is integrally connected to the connectingpipe 21c, and is formed by ahead body 22a and adischarge pipe 22b that is connected to thepiston shaft 21. Thehead body 22a is able to be removably fitted onto theexternal cylinder portion 18a of thechaplet 18. Thedischarge pipe 22b is connected to thepiston shaft 21, and liquid inside thecontainer body 12 is discharged from adischarge aperture 22c that is formed by a distal end aperture of the connectingpipe 22b. - Next, a method of using the
container 11 that is provided with thepump unit 10 having the above described structure will be described. - When the
container 11 is not in use such as when it is being transported or stored, thepiston head 22 is first pushed down slightly from the state shown inFIG. 1 so that the bottom end of themale thread portion 21 a of thepiston shaft 21 is moved from the unthreadedportion 20b to thefemale thread portion 20a side. In this state, thepiston shaft 21 is rotated. As a result, due to the meshing of themale thread portion 21 a with thefemale thread portion 20a, thepiston shaft 21 moves to thebellows 19 side inside theshaft case 20 so that the secondengaging portion 21b of thepiston shaft 21 is lifted over the first engagingportion 20c and drops down. By then moving (i.e., dropping) it further, as is shown inFIG. 7 , thepiston shaft 21 is contained inside theshaft case 20. In addition, thepiston head 22 fits into theexternal cylinder portion 18a of thechaplet 18 so that this portion is covered. - As a result, because the
piston shaft 21 and thepiston head 22 are contracted, packaging and the like of thecontainer 11 is easy. Moreover, in this state, because thepiston head 22 is not able to be further pressed down, it is not possible for the liquid inside to be forcibly discharged. - In addition, because the
piston shaft 21 is contained inside theshaft case 20 without theshaft case 20 being pressed down, thebellows 19 are not compressed but are maintained in an expanded state. Accordingly, no failures such as fatigue and the like are generated in thebellows 19 by thebellows 19 being compressed for an extended period of time. - Moreover, in this state, because the second connecting
hole 34 is blocked by thepiston ring 35, the interior of thecase 16 and thebellows 19 side andshaft case 20 side are not connected. Accordingly, even if thecontainer 11 falls over, the liquid inside thecontainer body 12 and bellows 19 is unable to pass through theshaft case 20 and be discharged from thedischarge pipe 22b. - Furthermore, because the
piston shaft 21 is not exposed to the outside, there is no soiling of thepiston shaft 21. - Next, in order to transform the
container 11 from the state shown inFIG. 7 into a working state, thepiston head 22 is rotated so that themale thread portion 21 a of thepiston shaft 21 is made to lift up along thefemale thread portion 20a of theshaft case 20. As a result, the secondengaging portion 21b of thepiston shaft 21 passes the unthreadedportion 20b, is lifted over the first engagingportion 20c of theshaft case 20, and moves to the top portion side thereof where it is engaged. - As a result, the
piston shaft 21 and theshaft case 20 are integrated, and thecontainer 11 is placed in the working state shown inFIG. 1 . At this time, by sandwiching the first engagingportion 20c of theshaft case 20 between the second engagingportion 21 b and themale thread portion 21 a of thepiston head 21, as is described above, thepiston head 21 and the shaft case are integrated, and a fluid-tight state between these two is further secured. - Moreover, because the
male thread portion 21 a of thepiston shaft 21 is still positioned within the unthreadedportion 20b, if thepiston head 22 is simply rotated without being pressed, then the piston shaft 21 (i.e., the piston head 22) can be freely rotated without interfering with theshaft case 20. - In this state, as is shown in
FIG. 8 , if thepiston head 22 is pressed down, then themale thread portion 21 a of thepiston shaft 21 is placed in a state of engagement with thefemale thread portion 20a of theshaft case 20. Accordingly, thepiston shaft 21 and theshaft case 20 move integrally, so that when theshaft case 20 is lowered, thebellows 19 is compressed. - If the
piston head 22 is pressed in this manner, then as is shown inFIG. 4B , theshaft case 20 and thepiston base 29 are lowered, and shifts downwards relative to thepiston ring 35 that is in tight contact with the internal surface of thecase 16. As a result, the bottom end portion of theinternal ring 35a of thepiston ring 35 and thecircumferential edge portion 29a of thepiston base 29 are separated so that the second connectinghole 34 is opened, and the interior of thecase 16 and the interior of theshaft case 20 are open to each other. Note that, because the protrudingportion 33 is formed on theshaft case 20, if, after the second connectinghole 34 has been opened, the pressing of thepiston head 22 is continued further, then theinternal ring 35a of thepiston ring 35 is pushed down integrally with theshaft case 20 by the protrudingportion 33. - If the
shaft case 20 is pressed down in this manner, the air inside thebellows 19 is compressed and thesuction valve 24 is shut. As a result, the air inside thebellows 19 passes through the first connectinghole 30 and enters thecase 16. It then further passes through the second connectinghole 34 and enters theshaft case 20. It then passes through the hole in thepiston shaft 21 and thedischarge pipe 22b and is discharged to the outside. - Next, if the pressing of the
piston head 22 is released, thebellows 19 are restored in the extension direction and are returned to the state shown inFIG. 1 . As a result, the interior of thebellows 19 changes to a negative pressure. In addition, at this time, thepiston base 29 moves upwards to accompany the return of thebellows 19 in the extension direction. As a result of this, thepiston ring 35 is also pushed upwards by thepiston base 29. Consequently, thecircumferential edge portion 29a of thepiston base 29 is once again placed in tight contact with theinternal ring 35a of thepiston ring 35, and the second connectinghole 34 is once again blocked. - At this time, the rise of the
internal ring 35a of thepiston ring 35 is restricted by the bottom end of the internalcylindrical portion 18b of thechaplet 18 so that this rise is not more than is necessary. As a result, a sufficiently tight contact is secured between thecircumferential edge portion 29a of thepiston base 29 and theinternal ring 35a. - When the
piston ring 35 and thepiston base 29 are lifted up in this manner and the second connectinghole 24 is blocked, the volume of aliquid holding portion 16c that is formed by the space inside thecase 16 that is also outside thebellows 19 is also increased. Consequently, this space also changes to a negative pressure in the same way as the interior of thebellows 19. - When the interiors of the
liquid holding portion 16c and thebellows 19 change to a negative pressure in this manner, thevalve body 26 of thesuction valve 24 is lifted up so that thesuction valve 24 is opened. This results in the liquid being suctioned from thecontainer body 12 through thesuction pipe 23 and into thebellows 19 so that the interior of thebellows 19 is filled with the liquid. - Next, if this pressing operation is repeated, the
suction valve 24 is closed. As a result, any flow of the liquid inside thebellows 19 back into thecontainer body 12 is obstructed, so that the liquid in thebellows 19 is discharged into theliquid holding portion 16c. In addition, new liquid from the interior of thecontainer body 12 flows into thebellows 19. - Subsequently, as is shown in
FIG. 8 , when thepiston head 22 is again pressed, thesuction valve 24 is shut, and any flow of the liquid inside theliquid holding portion 16c and thebellows 19 back towards thecontainer body 12 is obstructed. The liquid inside theliquid holding portion 16c and thebellows 19 whose flow back towards thecontainer body 12 has been obstructed is discharged to the outside via the hole in thepiston shaft 21, thedischarge pipe 22b, and thedischarge aperture 22c. At this time, simultaneously with the pushing out of the liquid inside thebellows 19 by a single pressing operation of thepiston head 22, the volume of theliquid holding portion 16c inside thecase 16 is narrowed by thepiston base 29 and thepiston ring 35, so that liquid inside thisliquid holding portion 16c is also pushed out. As a result, a greater volume of liquid can be discharged than is the case conventionally. Namely, compared with when the discharge is achieved using only the compression force of thebellows 19, a greater quantity of liquid can be discharged equivalent to the amount that the volume of theliquid holding portion 16c has been narrowed. - Next, when the pressing on the
piston head 22 is released, as is described above, at the same time as thebellows 19 returns to its original position and the interior of thebellows 19 is changed to a negative pressure, theliquid holding portion 16c also changes to a negative pressure. This results in liquid being suctioned from thecontainer body 12 into thebellows 19 and from the interior of thebellows 19 into theliquid holding portion 16c. The interiors of theliquid holding portion 16c and thebellows 19 each become filled with liquid. At this time, because thepiston base 29 is in tight contact with theinternal ring 35a of thepiston ring 35, the second connectinghole 34 is closed and back flow of liquid from thepiston head 22 side to thecontainer body 12 interior side is obstructed. - Note that in the above operation, because the interior of the
container 12 is connected via theair hole 36 to the outside of thecontainer 11, when the liquid is discharged from thecontainer body 12, air flows in from the outside corresponding to the volume of liquid that has been discharged. As a result, the generation of "collapse" in thecontainer body 12 is prevented, and the shape of thecontainer body 12 is constantly maintained in substantially its original shape. - In this type of
pump unit 10 andcontainer 11 that uses thepump unit 10, by forming the unthreadedportion 20b on theshaft case 20, thepiston shaft 21 can be rotated freely inside theshaft case 20. Accordingly, it is possible to rotate thepiston head 22 without moving theshaft case 20, namely, without contracting thebellows 19. As a result, because it is possible to freely rotate the direction of thedischarge aperture 22c of thepiston head 22 separately from the operation to discharge the liquid inside thecontainer body 12, the user friendliness of the container 11 (i.e., of the pump unit 10) is improved. - Moreover, because it is possible to move only the
piston head 22 and thepiston shaft 21 without moving (i.e., depressing) theshaft case 20, the resin bellows 19 are maintained in an expanded state and are not compressed even during packaging and the like. - In addition, because the first connecting
hole 30 is provided in thepress insertion portion 19a in the top portion of thebellows 19, and because the second connectinghole 34 is provided in theshaft case 20, thebellows 19 and theshaft case 20 are connected together via theliquid holding portion 16c inside thecase 16 by the first connectinghole 30 and the second connectinghole 34. Accordingly, liquid that has been suctioned into thebellows 19 is held not only inside thebellows 19 but also in theliquid holding portion 16c. As a result, if thepiston head 22 is pressed after the liquid has been accumulated in thebellows 19 and theliquid holding portion 16c, it is possible to discharge the liquid from inside thebellows 19 by compressing thebellows 19, and at the same time, it is possible to discharge the liquid from theliquid holding portion 16c by narrowing the volume of theliquid holding portion 16c. Accordingly, compared with when the discharge is achieved using only the compression force of thebellows 19, a greater quantity of liquid can be discharged equivalent to the amount that the volume of theliquid holding portion 16c has been narrowed. - Moreover, by engaging the second
engaging portion 21b of thepiston shaft 21 with the first engagingportion 20c of theshaft case 20, it is possible to ensure that the space between thepiston shaft 21 and theshaft case 20 is fluid-tight. As a result, even if thecontainer 11 is inadvertently knocked over during use, liquid inside thecontainer body 12 is prevented from leaking out from the gap between thepiston shaft 21 and theshaft case 20. - Note that, in the present embodiment, when the
shaft case 20 is moved in a direction in which it narrows the volume inside the case (i.e., a liquid containing portion) 16, the resin bellows 19 is used as a member that urges theshaft case 20 in a direction that restores the volume inside thecase 16. However, in the present embodiment, because liquid is accumulated not only inside thebellows 19, but also in theliquid holding portion 16c of thecase 16, instead of thebellows 19, it is also possible to use, for example, a resin coil spring (i.e., an urging member) and cause liquid from thesuction pipe 23 to flow directly into theliquid holding portion 16c. In addition, it is also possible to use another optional structure, namely, a structure that is cylindrical and has returning force (i.e., urging force) equivalent to a spring as the resilient body instead of thebellows 19. -
FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of a container provided with the pump unit of the present invention. Thesymbol 40 inFIG. 1 is a pump unit, while thesymbol 41 is a container. Note that, in thepump unit 40 andcontainer 41 shown inFIG. 9 , the same symbols are given to component elements that are the same in thepump unit 10 andcontainer 11 shown inFIG. 1 , and a description thereof is omitted. - In the
pump unit 10 shown inFIG. 1 , once liquid has been supplied from inside thebellows 19 to theliquid holding portion 16c of thecase 16, it is then supplied to the interior of theshaft case 20. Thispump unit 40 andcontainer 41 differ principally from thepump unit 10 andcontainer 11 shown inFIG. 1 in that, in thepump unit 40 shown inFIG. 9 , liquid from inside thebellows 42 is supplied directly to ashaft case 43. - Namely, in this
pump unit 40 andcontainer 41, avalve rod 44 is placed above thelining pipe 16b inside thecase 16. Thisvalve rod 44 is a rod shaped member that extends upwards from a bottom portion side (i.e., the connectingpipe 16b side) of thecase 16. A through hole forliquid 44a that is connected to the connectingpipe 16b is formed inside thevalve rod 44. Avalve portion 44b that expands outwards is formed on a top end portion of thevalve rod 44. A lidded, cylindrical fixingportion 44c that fixes thevalve rod 44 to an inner surface of thecase 16 is also formed at a bottom portion side of thevalve rod 44, and a bottom end portion of thebellows 42 is fixed to the fixingportion 44c. The hole (i.e., the liquid throughhole 44a) that is formed in the fixingportion 44c has a smaller diameter than that of thespherical valve body 26 of thesuction valve 24 so that thevalve body 26 is prevented from being removed from the top of thevalve chamber 25. - The bellows 42 is manufactured from low density polyethylene in an accordion shape that is able to be extended or contracted in the longitudinal direction thereof inside the case 16 (i.e., in a vertical direction), and is consequently able to return to its original position along the direction in which it has extended. By inserting the
valve rod 44 inside thebellows 42, thebellows 42 is connected to thesuction pipe 23 via the liquid throughhole 44a in the valve rode 44 and the connectingpipe 16b. The bellows 42 is easily contracted by being pressed, which results in the volume of the interior thereof being reduced. In contrast, when this pressing force is released, thebellows 42 is easily restored to its original state, namely, to its original position in the direction in which has extended. This causes the volume of the interior thereof to increase. The bellows 42 also has a predetermined spring constant. - A cylindrical
press insertion portion 42a is formed at a top end side of thebellows 42, and apartition 42b is formed inside thepress insertion portion 42a. A hole (not shown) is formed in a center portion of thepartition 42b. This hole is formed such that it can be removably engaged with thevalve portion 44b of thevalve rod 44, and the aperture of this hole is blocked so as to be fluid-tight when the hole is engaged with thevalve portion 44b. By employing this type of structure, thevalve portion 44b and thepartition 42b function as a valve. In addition, thepress insertion portion 42a is inserted into the bottom end side of theshaft case 43 so as to be fluid-tight. - In the same way as the
shaft case 20 shown inFIG. 1 , theshaft case 43 is provided with afemale thread portion 20a, an unthreadedportion 20b, and a first engagingportion 20c (not shown). Theshaft case 43 differs from theshaft case 20 in that alarge diameter portion 45 is formed on a bottom end portion of an outer circumferential portion of theshaft case 43, and in that a concave portion 46 (seeFIG. 10 ) is formed at a position corresponding to theair hole 16d that is formed in thecase 16, and a shut-offvalve 47 is mounted inside thisconcave portion 46. - The diameter of the
large diameter portion 45 is larger than that of other locations on theshaft case 43 by an amount that corresponds to the thickness of the internalcylindrical portion 18b of thechaplet 18. As a result, thelarge diameter portion 45 is substantially in contact with an internal surface of thecase 16. By employing this type of structure, rattling of theshaft case 43 inside thecase 16 is prevented. - The shut-off
valve 47 is formed from polyethylene or another elastomer, and, as is shown inFIG. 10 , is constructed by integrally connecting an engagingportion 47a, which is mounted inside theconcave portion 46, with avalve body 47b, which is positioned on thecase 16 side and opens and shuts theair hole 16d, in central portions in the height direction of each. Thevalve body 47b is formed so as to be tightly attached to the inner circumferential surface of thecase 16 such that fluid-tightness is secured, while thevalve body 47b is still able to slide along thecase 16. In particular, top and bottom portions of thevalve body 47b are formed as lip portions (not shown) so that excellent fluid-tightness and slidability are secured. - As is shown in
FIG. 9 , when theshaft case 43 has risen to its highest position inside thecase 16, the shut-offvalve 47 blocks theair hole 16d. When theshaft case 43 is lowered inside thecase 16 by the operation of thepiston head 22, theair hole 16d is opened. - In the same way as the example shown in
FIG. 1 , a piston head portion that is formed by thepiston shaft 21 and thepiston head 22 is provided with amale thread portion 21a and a secondengaging portion 21b. This piston head portion differs from the example shown inFIG. 1 in that adischarge valve 48 that only allows the discharge of liquid from thepiston shaft 21 side to thepiston head 22 side is provided inside the connectingpipe 21c. - The
discharge valve 48 has the same structure as the above describedsuction valve 24. Thedischarge valve 48 is provided with avalve chamber 49 that is formed integrally with the connectingpipe 21c, and has aspherical valve body 50. - Next, a method of using a
container 11 that is provided with apump unit 10 having the above structure will be described. - When the
container 11 is not in use such as when it is being transported or stored, as is shown inFIG. 11 , thepiston head 22 is first rotated so that thepiston shaft 21 is contained inside theshaft case 43. In addition, thepiston head 22 fits into theexternal cylinder portion 18a of thechaplet 18 so that this portion is covered. As a result, because thepiston shaft 21 and thepiston head 22 are contracted, packaging and the like of thecontainer 11 is easy. Moreover, in this state, because thepiston head 22 is not able to be further pressed down, it is not possible for the liquid inside to be forcibly discharged. - In addition, because the
piston shaft 21 is contained inside theshaft case 43 without theshaft case 43 being pressed down, thebellows 42 are not compressed but are maintained in an expanded state. Accordingly, no failures such as fatigue and the like are generated in thebellows 42 by thebellows 42 being compressed for an extended period of time. - In addition, because the
valve portion 44b of thevalve rod 44 fits into the hole (not shown) in thepartition 42b of thepress insertion portion 42a of thebellows 42 so that the aperture of the hole is blocked so as to be fluid-tight, even if thecontainer 41 falls over, the liquid inside thecontainer body 12 is unable to be discharged from thedischarge aperture 22c via the bellows 42. - Because the
shaft case 43 is at its highest position inside thecase 16 without being pressed down, the shut-off valve 4 blocks theair hole 16d. As a result, even if thecontainer 41 is inadvertently knocked over, liquid inside thecontainer body 12 is prevented from leaking outside through the gap between thechaplet 18 and theshaft case 43 via theair hole 16d. - Next, in order to put the
container 41, which is in the state shown inFIG. 11 , in a working state, the same operation is performed as for thecontainer 11 shown inFIG. 1 . - As a result, in the same way as for the
container 11, thepiston shaft 21 and theshaft case 43 are integrated, and thecontainer 41 is placed in the working state shown inFIG. 9 . At this time, by sandwiching the first engagingportion 20c of theshaft case 20 between the second engagingportion 21 b and themale thread portion 21a of thepiston head 21, thepiston head 21 and theshaft case 43 are integrated, and a fluid-tight state between these two is further secured. - Moreover, because the
male thread portion 21a of thepiston shaft 21 is positioned within the unthreadedportion 20b, if thepiston head 22 is simply rotated without being pressed, then the piston shaft 21 (i.e., the piston head 22) can be freely rotated without interfering with theshaft case 43. - In this state, as is shown in
FIG. 12 , if thepiston head 22 is pressed down, then theshaft case 43 and thepiston shaft 21 with which it is integrated are lowered, so that thebellows 42 is contracted. If thepiston head 22 is pressed down, then the shut-offvalve 47 is also lowered in conjunction with the lowering of theshaft case 43 and theair hole 16d is opened up by the shifting of the shut-offvalve 47 from a position where it blocks theair hole 16d. - When the
shaft case 43 is pressed down and thebellows 42 is compressed, thepartition 42b of thepress insertion portion 42a of thebellows 42 is lowered below thevalve portion 44b of thevalve rod 44, and the engagement between thevalve portion 44b and the hole (not shown) in thepartition 42b is released, so that the hole in thepartition 42b is opened. - Moreover, although the air inside the
bellows 42 is compressed as a result of thebellows 42 being compressed, because thesuction valve 24 is shut, the air inside thebellows 42 flows into theshaft case 43, and is discharged to the outside through the hole in thepiston shaft 21, thedischarge valve 48, and thedischarge pipe 22b. - Next, when the pressing of the
piston head 22 is released, thebellows 42 are restored in the extension direction and are returned to the state shown inFIG. 9 . As a result, the interior of thebellows 42 changes to a negative pressure. In addition, at this time, theshaft case 43 also moves upwards in conjunction with the return of thebellows 42 in the extension direction. As a result of this, the shut-offvalve 47 once again blocks theair hole 16d. - When the interior of the
bellows 42 changes to a negative pressure, thevalve body 26 of thesuction valve 24 is lifted up so that thesuction valve 24 is opened. As a result, liquid is suctioned from thecontainer body 12 through thesuction pipe 23 and into thebellows 42, so that the interior of thebellows 42 is filled with liquid. - Next, as is shown in
FIG. 12 , if this pressing operation is repeated, thesuction valve 24 is closed. As a result, any flow of the liquid inside thebellows 42 back into thecontainer body 12 is obstructed, so that the liquid in thebellows 42 flows into theshaft case 43, and is further discharged to the outside through the hole in thepiston shaft 21, thedischarge valve 48, and thedischarge pipe 22b. - Next, when the pressing on the
piston head 22 is released, as is described above, thebellows 42 is restored and the interior of thebellows 42 changes to a negative pressure. Liquid is suctioned from thecontainer body 12 into thebellows 42, and the interior of thebellows 42 is filled with liquid. In addition, theshaft case 43 is also lifted up in conjunction with the restoral of thebellows 42, and the shut-offvalve 47 once again blocks theair hole 16d. - Note that, in the above described operation, because the interior of the
container body 12 is connected with the outside of thecontainer 41 by theair hole 16d and by the space between thechaplet 18 and theshaft case 43, when liquid is discharged from the interior of thecontainer body 12, air corresponding to the volume of discharged liquid flows in from the outside. As a result, the generation of "collapse" in thecontainer body 12 is prevented, and the shape of thecontainer body 12 is constantly maintained in substantially its original shape. - In this type of
pump unit 40 andcontainer 41 that uses thepump unit 40, by forming the unthreadedportion 20b on theshaft case 40, thepiston shaft 21 can be rotated freely inside theshaft case 43. Accordingly, because it is possible to freely rotate the direction of thedischarge aperture 22c of thepiston head 22 separately from the operation to discharge the liquid inside thecontainer body 12, the user friendliness of the container 41 (i.e., of the pump unit 40) is improved. - Moreover, because it is possible to move only the
piston head 22 and thepiston shaft 21 without moving (i.e., depressing) theshaft case 43, the resin bellows 42 are maintained in an expanded state and are not compressed even during packaging and the like. Accordingly, no failures such as fatigue and the like are generated in thebellows 42 by thebellows 42 being compressed for an extended period of time. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent any deterioration in the workability of thepump unit 40 that 29 is caused by thebellows 42 being compressed for an extended period of time. - Because the shut-off
valve 47 is provided at a position on theshaft case 43 that corresponds to theair hole 16d formed in thecase 16, during use, theair hole 16d is opened by the operation of the piston portion, resulting in the pressure inside thecontainer body 12 being maintained at substantially atmospheric pressure. In addition, when not in use, theair hole 16d is shut by the shut-offvalve 47 so that leakages of liquid from theair hole 16d are prevented. - Because the
shaft case 43 does not rotate around thecase 16 in the circumferential direction of thecase 16, irrespective of the fact that thebellows 42 are formed in a spiral configuration, theshaft case 43 is not rotated by the torque of thebellows 42. As a result, the shut-offvalve 47 that is provided on theshaft case 43 is kept at a position corresponding to theair hole 16d. Moreover, it is possible to prevent torque from the spiral-shapedbellows 42 being transmitted to thepiston head 22 so that malfunctions such as deteriorations in the operability thereof are prevented. - Note that the present invention is not limited to the above described examples, and various modifications are possible. For example, as is described above, it is also possible to use another optional structure, namely, a structure that is cylindrical and has returning force (i.e., urging force) equivalent to a spring as the resilient body instead of using the
bellows 19. - As has been described above, in the pump unit of the present intention and the container provided with this pump unit, because an unthreaded portion is formed on the shaft case, it is possible for the piston head portion to be freely rotated inside the shaft case. As a result, it is possible to freely rotate the discharge aperture of the piston head portion separately from any operation to discharge liquid from inside the container body, so that the user-friendliness of the pump unit is improved.
- Furthermore, by rotating the piston head portion so that the male thread portion of the piston head portion is screwed into the female thread portion of the shaft case, without moving the shaft case it is possible to store only the piston head portion inside the shaft case, for example. As a result, during packaging or the like, any reduction in workability is prevented that is caused by failures such as the resin urging member losing its strength and becoming fatigued by receiving a compression force opposing its own urging force for an extended period of time.
Claims (4)
- A pump unit (10) for pumping liquid from the inside of a container body (12) to the outside of the container body (12), said pump unit (10) comprising:a liquid containing portion (16) adapted to be inserted into the container body (12); anda piston portion (20, 21, 22) inserted into the liquid containing portion (16), said piston portion (20, 21, 22) being movable inside the liquid containing portion (16) to move liquid from the liquid containing portion (16) to the outside of the container body (12) by reducing the volume of the interior of the liquid containing portion (16), and to move liquid from the inside of the container body (12) to the liquid containing portion (16) by increasing the volume of the interior of the liquid containing portion (16); said piston portion (20, 21, 22) comprising a shaft case (20) provided inside the liquid containing portion (16) and having a female thread portion (20a) formed on an internal circumferential surface of said shaft case (20), an unthreaded portion (20b) formed on said internal circumferential surface of said shaft case (20) and a first engaging portion (20c) formed at a top end of the shaft case (20), said first engaging portion (20c) extending inwardly and running in a circumferential direction of the shaft case (20); anda piston shaft (21) having a bottom end portion inserted into the shaft case (20) and a top end portion connected to a piston head (22) which protrudes outside the liquid containing portion (16) and has a discharge aperture (22c) formed thereon, said piston shaft (21) having a male thread portion (21a) formed on an external circumferential surface on said bottom end portion of the piston shaft (21), said male thread portion (21a) being adapted to screw into the female thread portion (20a) for storing the piston shaft (21) into the shaft case (20), whereinsaid unthreaded portion (20b) is formed at a top end portion of the inner circumferential surface of the shaft case (20), said piston shaft (21) has a second engaging portion (21b) formed on an outer circumferential surface of the piston shaft (21), said second engaging portion (21b) being formed by a bar which extends outwardly from said outer circumferential surface of the piston shaft (21) and runs in a circumferential direction of the piston shaft (21), said first engaging portion (20c) being sandwiched between said second engaging portion (21b) and the male thread portion (21a) when said male thread portion (21a) is placed inside said unthreaded portion (20b) to allow the male thread portion (21a) to rotate freely in the circumferential direction of the shaft case (20).
- A pump unit according to claim 1, wherein an urging member (19) that is made from resin is provided on the shaft case (20), said urging member (19) being adapted to urge the shaft case (20) in a return direction when the shaft case (20) is moved in a direction to reduce the volume of the interior of the liquid containing portion (16).
- A pump unit according to claim 2, wherein the urging member (19) is a resilient body made from resin that is able to return from a direction in which it has been extended.
- A container (11) having a container body (12) to which a pump unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 is attached.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2002330475 | 2002-11-14 | ||
JP2002330475A JP3986947B2 (en) | 2002-11-14 | 2002-11-14 | Pump unit and container |
PCT/JP2003/014205 WO2004043610A1 (en) | 2002-11-14 | 2003-11-07 | Pump unit and container |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1561512A1 EP1561512A1 (en) | 2005-08-10 |
EP1561512A4 EP1561512A4 (en) | 2009-04-29 |
EP1561512B1 true EP1561512B1 (en) | 2011-08-17 |
Family
ID=32310595
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP03811082A Expired - Lifetime EP1561512B1 (en) | 2002-11-14 | 2003-11-07 | Pump unit and container |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1561512B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP3986947B2 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2003301898A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2004043610A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2015017910A1 (en) * | 2013-08-07 | 2015-02-12 | Waste-Not-Basket, Inc. | Fluid dispensing device with removable nozzle |
CN110891695B (en) * | 2017-05-25 | 2021-11-09 | 里克包装系统有限公司 | Distributor pump and distributor |
US11173508B2 (en) * | 2017-11-15 | 2021-11-16 | Rieke Packaging Systems Limited | Pump dispensers |
US10335816B1 (en) * | 2018-08-29 | 2019-07-02 | Armin Arminak | All plastic water resistant pump |
Family Cites Families (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPS60145282U (en) * | 1984-03-08 | 1985-09-26 | 株式会社吉野工業所 | manual pump |
JP2529553Y2 (en) * | 1991-08-29 | 1997-03-19 | 株式会社吉野工業所 | Liquid ejector |
JPH0624762U (en) * | 1992-09-01 | 1994-04-05 | 株式会社三谷バルブ | Jet pump |
JP3924821B2 (en) | 1996-09-30 | 2007-06-06 | 株式会社吉野工業所 | Liquid jet pump |
JPH10211947A (en) | 1997-01-28 | 1998-08-11 | Yoshino Kogyosho Co Ltd | Support case for liquid ejection pump |
US6230942B1 (en) | 1999-10-21 | 2001-05-15 | Roy Kuo | Metered dispensing pump device preventable of water permeation |
WO2003078074A1 (en) * | 2002-03-15 | 2003-09-25 | Advanex Inc. | Pump unit and container |
AU2002328625A1 (en) * | 2002-08-16 | 2004-03-03 | Advanex Inc. | Pump unit and container |
-
2002
- 2002-11-14 JP JP2002330475A patent/JP3986947B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2003
- 2003-11-07 AU AU2003301898A patent/AU2003301898A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2003-11-07 WO PCT/JP2003/014205 patent/WO2004043610A1/en active Application Filing
- 2003-11-07 EP EP03811082A patent/EP1561512B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2004043610A1 (en) | 2004-05-27 |
EP1561512A4 (en) | 2009-04-29 |
AU2003301898A1 (en) | 2004-06-03 |
EP1561512A1 (en) | 2005-08-10 |
JP3986947B2 (en) | 2007-10-03 |
JP2004160387A (en) | 2004-06-10 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
JP4006332B2 (en) | Fluid storage container | |
US5772078A (en) | Combined turret and closure seal | |
EP1371579A1 (en) | Valve mechanism for tube-type fluid container | |
US6666355B2 (en) | Fluid dispensing device | |
KR100963155B1 (en) | Airless pump have duplication cosmetic case | |
US20200307864A1 (en) | Cosmetic container | |
JP2005218946A (en) | Fluidizing body discharge pump | |
EP1561512B1 (en) | Pump unit and container | |
KR101403741B1 (en) | Cosmetics container | |
KR101141317B1 (en) | Pump dispenser | |
KR200395670Y1 (en) | pump cosmetics vessel | |
KR100932782B1 (en) | Tube container with internal expansion restoring force | |
JP2006315745A (en) | Tubular container with pump | |
KR20060122451A (en) | Pump cosmetics vessel | |
KR200393325Y1 (en) | A vessel | |
KR200393943Y1 (en) | A vessel | |
JP2008296948A (en) | Fluid discharge pump | |
US5568886A (en) | Combined turret and closure seal | |
WO2004069420A1 (en) | Pump unit and container | |
WO2003078074A1 (en) | Pump unit and container | |
JP6929598B2 (en) | Double container | |
JP4141751B2 (en) | Pump unit and container | |
WO2002064264A1 (en) | Valve unit and container | |
JP2019177899A (en) | Discharge container | |
KR101757393B1 (en) | Pump container having a cap for replacement |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 20050512 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IT LI LU MC NL PT RO SE SI SK TR |
|
AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Extension state: AL LT LV MK |
|
DAX | Request for extension of the european patent (deleted) | ||
RBV | Designated contracting states (corrected) |
Designated state(s): DE FR GB |
|
A4 | Supplementary search report drawn up and despatched |
Effective date: 20090401 |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 20090615 |
|
RIC1 | Information provided on ipc code assigned before grant |
Ipc: B05B 11/00 20060101AFI20110121BHEP |
|
GRAP | Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR1 |
|
GRAS | Grant fee paid |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR3 |
|
GRAA | (expected) grant |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: B1 Designated state(s): DE FR GB |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: GB Ref legal event code: FG4D |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R096 Ref document number: 60338096 Country of ref document: DE Effective date: 20111013 |
|
PLBE | No opposition filed within time limit |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT |
|
26N | No opposition filed |
Effective date: 20120521 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R097 Ref document number: 60338096 Country of ref document: DE Effective date: 20120521 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: GB Payment date: 20121122 Year of fee payment: 10 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: FR Payment date: 20121217 Year of fee payment: 10 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Payment date: 20130122 Year of fee payment: 10 |
|
GBPC | Gb: european patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20131107 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: FR Ref legal event code: ST Effective date: 20140731 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20140603 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R119 Ref document number: 60338096 Country of ref document: DE Effective date: 20140603 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: FR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20131202 Ref country code: GB Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20131107 |