JP2001130661A - Discharge container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a discharge container capable of stably discharging a liquid while keeping a discharge quantity at a constant level. SOLUTION: The discharge container 10 has an extensible and contractible cylindrical bellows member 44 communicating with the interior of a container main body 14 and with a discharge part through a suction valve 24 and a discharge valve 46, respectively. By extending the bellows member 44, the discharge valve 46 is closed and the suction valve 24 is opened, thereby sucking contents into the bellows member 44 from the interior of the container main body 14. By contracting the bellows member 44, the suction valve 24 is closed and the discharge valve 46 is opened, thereby discharging the contents to the discharge part from the interior of the bellows member 44. In this discharge container 10, a guide cylinder 52 with which the extensible and contractible bellows member 44 is quided is provided so as to be positioned both inside and outside, at least inside, the bellows member 44. Further, the bellows member 44 is extended by its elastic restoring force.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a discharge container which discharges contents by expanding and contracting a bellows member which connects the inside of the container and a discharge portion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a discharge container of this type, for example, a liquid discharge container disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-99741 is known. The container is provided with a cylindrical cylinder suspended from the upper opening of the container body containing the liquid into the container body, and an operation unit provided above the container body, and vertically suspended through the cylinder. And a cylindrical piston closely fitted so as to be movable in the direction.

A suction valve is provided on an inward flange portion at the lower end of the cylinder, a suction pipe is provided on a lower surface of the flange portion for communicating between the inside of the cylinder and the inside of the container, and a bellows shape which can be elastically pressed is provided on an upper surface. The lower end of the tube is attached. On the other hand, a discharge valve is provided on the inward flange portion of the upper end of the piston, a nozzle for communicating the inside of the piston with the external space is provided integrally with the operating portion on the upper surface of the flange portion, and the bellows-like shape is provided on the lower surface. The upper end of the tube is attached.

That is, an inner peripheral surface of a cylindrical cylinder and an outer peripheral surface of a piston are fitted to each other, and a bellows-like cylinder which expands and contracts with the vertical movement of the piston is provided in an inner space formed by the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the piston. Have been. The bellows-shaped cylinder has its upper end fixed to a flange at the upper end of the piston. The interior of the bellows-shaped cylinder and the nozzle communicate with each other via a suction valve provided on this flange, and the lower end of the bellows-shaped cylinder is fixed to the flange at the lower end of the cylinder. The flange is connected to a suction pipe via a suction valve provided on the flange, and communicates with the inside of the container. The suction valve is a check valve that allows the liquid to flow only from the inside of the container toward the bellows cylinder, and the discharge valve is a check valve that allows the liquid to flow only from the bellows cylinder toward the external space.

[0005] In this container, the bellows-shaped cylinder is in a compressed state when the operating portion is pressed downward, and the volume in the bellows-shaped cylinder is reduced. When the pressing force that pushes down the operation unit is released, the operation unit is raised to a position where the operation unit returns by elasticity of the bellows-shaped cylinder. At this time, the piston moves in the direction in which the volume in the bellows-like cylinder increases, so that the inside of the bellows-like cylinder becomes negative pressure, the suction valve is opened due to the pressure difference, and the liquid in the container flows into the bellows-like cylinder. . Next, when the operating portion is pressed, the piston moves down in a direction to reduce the volume in the bellows-shaped cylinder, so that the liquid in the bellows-shaped cylinder is pressed and the suction valve is closed. And
The pressure in the bellows-like cylinder increases, the discharge valve is opened, and the liquid is discharged to the outside of the container through the nozzle. That is, since the container has a structure in which the liquid corresponding to the volume change in the bellows-shaped cylinder is discharged, a constant amount of liquid can be discharged by a constant up / down stroke of the operation unit.

Therefore, in order for the conventional liquid dispensing container to discharge a predetermined amount of the liquid therein, it is necessary to keep a constant volume change in the bellows-shaped cylinder due to a constant operation of the operation unit.

[0007]

However, in such a conventional liquid dispensing container, before the operation unit is pressed to discharge the liquid, the operation unit always rises to extend the bellows member. The liquid is sucked from the container body into the bellows-shaped cylinder. At this time, the liquid is sucked up by the negative pressure in the bellows-shaped cylinder. In addition, the bellows-shaped cylinder is formed of a member that is elastically squeezable, has low rigidity, and is easily deformed due to a function of expanding and contracting. That is, when the inside of the bellows-shaped cylinder is set to a negative pressure in order to suck the liquid into the bellows-shaped cylinder, the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the bellows-shaped cylinder also causes the bellows-shaped cylinder to be pulled inward. As a result, the folds formed in a bellows shape and bent outward may be partially bent inward, or a plurality of folds may be connected to one and bend inward.

Therefore, even if the elevating stroke of the operating part is kept constant, the shape of the bellows-shaped cylinder has already been changed for the above-mentioned reason. However, there is a problem that the discharge amount cannot be stabilized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a discharge container which stably discharges a liquid while maintaining a constant discharge amount.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, in the discharge container according to the first aspect of the present invention, an expandable and contractible communication is provided between the inside of the container and the discharge portion via a suction valve and a discharge valve, respectively. A bellows member having a tubular shape is provided, and the discharge valve is closed and the suction valve is opened by extending the bellows member to suck the contents from the inside of the container into the bellows member, thereby contracting the bellows member to thereby operate the suction valve. In a discharge container that closes and opens a discharge valve to discharge the contents from the inside of the bellows member to the discharge part, a guide tube that is located at least inside the inside and outside of the bellows member and guides the bellows member that expands and contracts is guided. A part is provided.

That is, since the guide tube is provided at least inside the bellows member even when the bellows member is expanded and contracted, the bellows member is guided by the guide tube and is stretched and contracted along the guide tube. In addition, the folds of the bellows member do not bend to the opposite side, and a plurality of folds are not connected and bent. In particular, even when the bellows member is stretched and the contents are sucked into the bellows member and the inside of the bellows member becomes a negative pressure and the bellows member is pulled inward, the bellows member is provided inside the bellows member. The bellows member does not enter the inside of the guide cylinder because it is guided by the guide cylinder.

Therefore, even if the bellows member repeatedly expands and contracts,
The shape of the bellows member in the extended state and the contracted state of the bellows member can be appropriately maintained. Therefore, the inner volume of the bellows member in the expanded state and the inner volume in the contracted state are not changed each time and are stable, so that the discharge amount of the contents can be kept constant.

Further, in the discharge container according to the second aspect, the bellows member is extended by its elastic restoring force.

That is, since the bellows member is extended by its elastic restoring force, there is no need to separately provide a means for extending the bellows member, and the number of parts and the number of assembling steps can be reduced.

Further, since the guide tube is provided at least inside the bellows member, the bellows member is guided by the guide tube and is stably extended, and its elastic restoring force acts only in the extension direction of the bellows member. The bellows member can be efficiently expanded and contracted without loss.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 6 show an embodiment of the discharge container of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an overall sectional view of the discharge container, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pump mechanism of the discharge container, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the movable bottom plate mechanism of the discharge container, FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a contraction start state of the bellows member, FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a contraction end state of the bellows member, and FIG. It is sectional drawing.

The discharge container 10 of the present embodiment is basically
A container body 14 containing the liquid L, and a fixing cap 16 attached to the mouth and neck 14a of the container body 14 in a liquid-tight manner.
And an operation unit 20 having a liquid discharge hole 20c serving as a discharge unit, which is attached to the fixed cap 16 so as to be relatively movable in the vertical direction, and an operation unit provided between the fixed cap 16 and the operation unit 20 and pressed down. A compression spring 18 serving as a restoring means for returning the moving member 20; a cylindrical cylinder 22 provided in the fixed cap 16 and inserted into the mouth and neck portion 14a and having a liquid suction hole 16a at a lower end thereof; A cylindrical piston portion 26, which is fitted inside the cylindrical cylinder 22 slidably around its outer periphery, and a cylindrical piston portion 2.
6, a guide cap 50 having guide cylinders 52 provided at appropriate intervals along the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 6, one end of which is inside the cylindrical cylinder 22, and the other end is the cylindrical piston 26 and the guide cylinder 52. , A liquid-suction hole 16a and a liquid-discharge hole 20c communicating with each other, and a tubular bellows member 44 provided to be extendable and contractible; As the internal volume of the bellows member 44 increases due to the cylindrical piston portion 26, the suction valve 24 that allows the liquid L to flow from inside the container body 14 into the bellows member 44, and the cylindrical portion of the operation portion 20 that moves by pressing operation. A discharge valve 46 for discharging the liquid L from the bellows member 44 to the liquid discharge hole 20c as the internal volume of the bellows member 44 is reduced by the piston portion 26;
4 and an inner cap 54 for accommodating the suction valve 24 between the cylindrical cylinder 22 and the cylindrical cylinder 22.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the discharge container 10
A container main body 14 containing the liquid L, a fixed cap 16 attached to the mouth and neck portion 14a of the container main body 14, and a vertically movable outer periphery of the upper end of the fixed cap 16, which is attached upward by a compression spring 18. Operation unit 20 having a liquid ejection hole 20c which is urged and forms an ejection unit
And a bellows member 44, which is fixed to the operation part 20 and the fixed cap 16 in a liquid-tight manner and is interposed in a stretchable manner, and by utilizing the vertical relative movement between the fixed cap 16 and the operation part 20, Each time the operation unit 20 is pressed down, the liquid L in the container body 14 is discharged from the liquid discharge hole 20c by a fixed amount.

Here, the structure of the discharge container 10 of the present embodiment will be described in detail. The movable bottom plate 12 which rises with the decrease of the liquid L is provided in the container body 14, and a fixed bottom plate 14b is fitted to a lower end portion.

A fixed cap 16 attached to the mouth-and-neck portion 14a of the container body 14 is cylindrically inserted from the mouth-and-neck portion 14a into the container body 14 in a liquid-tight manner so that the lower end reaches the liquid L. A cylinder 22, a bellows-fixed cylinder 15 erected at appropriate intervals along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical cylinder 22,
A suction valve holding cylinder 17 is provided along the inner peripheral surface of the bellows fixing cylinder 15 at an appropriate interval. A suction valve 24 is housed in the suction valve holding cylinder 17, and an inner cap 54 is fitted from above to hold the suction valve 24. Here, the suction valve has a valve structure that allows the flow of the liquid L from the container body 14 side to the inside of the bellows member 44, while blocking the reverse flow.

The inner cap 54 includes a fixed cylindrical portion 54a fitted on the outer periphery of the suction valve holding cylinder 17 and a ceiling portion 54b closing the upper end thereof. At the center of the upper surface of the top portion 54b, a valve-opening rod 58 that pushes up the seating portion 46a of the discharge valve 46 to maintain the discharge valve 46 in an open state while the operating portion 20 is pressed down to the lowest position. Has been established. Above the valve-opening rod 58, a seating portion 28a that sits on a valve seat 28b of the on-off valve 28 described later to form a valve mechanism.
Are formed. Also, the top portion 54b of the inner cap 54
A supply hole 54c is provided around the valve opening rod 58 to communicate the inside and outside of the inner cap 54 and guide the liquid L in the container body 14 into the bellows member 44.

The operating section 20 has a cylindrical side wall 20a.
And a pressing operation plate 20b for closing the upper end thereof, and a liquid discharge hole 20c is provided in the center of the pressing operation plate 20b. On the lower surface of the pressing operation plate 20b, a cylindrical piston portion 26 which is slidably and closely fitted to the cylindrical cylinder 22 is vertically provided, and the guide cap 50 is appropriately spaced along the inner peripheral surface thereof. Is vertically mounted.

The guide cap 50 has an outer cylindrical portion 50a and an inner cylindrical portion 50b which are concentric with the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the mounting cylindrical portion 27, and a bottom portion 50c for closing the lower ends thereof. Are formed. The inner cylinder 50b
A discharge valve 4 having a valve structure that allows the flow of the liquid L from the inside of the bellows member 44 to the liquid discharge hole 20c while blocking the reverse flow between the upper end of the press operation plate 20b and the lower surface of the pressing operation plate 20b.
6 are held.

A discharge valve hole 5 opened and closed by the discharge valve 46 is provided inside the inner cylindrical portion 50b of the bottom portion 50c.
0d is formed. Further, a liquid discharge passage 40 is provided vertically from an end portion of the discharge valve hole 50d so as to communicate the inside of the bellows member 44 and the liquid discharge hole 20c. The liquid discharge passage 40 forms a flow path for discharging the liquid L from the inside of the bellows member 44 to the liquid discharge hole 20c with a decrease in the internal volume of the bellows member 44 due to the pressing operation, and the lower end is reduced in diameter. A valve seat 28b is formed.

That is, the valve-opening rod 58 provided on the inner cap 54 inside the bellows member 44 is inserted into the liquid discharge passage 40 from below to be relatively movable up and down, and the operating section 20 is pushed up. Then, the seat 28a at the upper end of the valve opening rod 58 is seated on the valve seat 28b. Thereby, the on-off valve 28 for blocking the flow of the liquid L from the bellows member 44 to the liquid discharge passage 40 is formed, and constitutes a leak preventing means when the discharge container 10 falls.

Further, the bottom 5 of the guide cap 50
0c is provided with a guide tube portion 52 that is vertically suspended at an appropriate interval from the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical piston portion 26 of the operation portion 20 in a state where the guide cap 50 is attached to the operation portion 20. .

The bellows member 44 has its upper end fitted to the guide cap 50 and its lower end fitted to the bellows fixing cylinder 15 provided on the fixing cap 16. Further, a compression spring 18 is provided between the fixed cap 16 and the operation unit 20 so as to extend and contract along the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical cylinder 22 of the fixed cap 16. Being energized.

That is, the bellows member 44 has a lower end fixed to the fixing cap 16 and an upper end fixed so as to be movable following the vertical movement of the operation unit 20. It is provided so that it contracts while being guided by the portion 26 and the guide tube portion 52, and is extended by the compression spring 18 while being along the cylindrical piston portion 26 and the guide tube portion 52 when the pressing force is released. .

Then, the inside of the container body 14 and the liquid discharge hole 20c
This means that the bellows member 44 allows the suction valve 24 and the on-off valve 2
8 and the discharge valve 46.

Further, the operating portion 20 is engaged with the outer peripheral portion of the fixed cap 16 and the side wall portion 20a of the operating portion 20 when the operating portion 20 is biased by the compression spring 18 and is at the uppermost position to hold the operating portion 20. A disengagement prevention means 64 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the operation unit 20 is not pressed, the operation unit 20 is pushed up by the compression spring 18 to be at the uppermost position, and the bellows member 44 is extended. At the same time, the suction valve 24, the on-off valve 28, and the discharge valve 46 are all closed.

Then, when the operation section 20 is pressed, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the bellows member 44 is guided and guided by the tubular piston portion 26 and the guide tubular portion 52 so as to be housed therebetween, and the on-off valve 28 and the discharge valve 46 are opened. At this time, the content in the bellows member 44 is pressurized and discharged from the liquid discharge hole 20c by the amount of change in the internal volume of the bellows member 44. When the operation unit 20 is pressed down to the lowermost position, the bellows member 44 is contracted as shown in FIG. 5 to be housed neatly between the tubular piston portion 26 and the guide tubular portion 52, and the inner cap 54. Keeps the discharge valve 46 open.

Thereafter, when the pressing force pressing down the operating portion 20 is released, the operating portion 20 is pushed up by the compression spring 18 as shown in FIG. The bellows member 44 is extended along with the bellows member 44, and its internal volume increases, so that the inside of the bellows member 44 becomes a negative pressure. Therefore, the discharge valve 46 is closed and the suction valve 24 is opened, so that the liquid L in the container body 14 is sucked into the bellows member 44 by an amount corresponding to the change in volume. At this time, the movable bottom plate 12 is sequentially raised by the amount that the liquid L in the container body 14 is sucked into the bellows member 44, and the liquid-tight state inside is maintained. Then, when the operation unit 20 is pushed up and returns to the uppermost position again, the bellows member 44 returns to the extended state as shown in FIG. 1, and the inside thereof is filled with the liquid L, and the suction valve 24, the open / close valve 28 and the discharge All of the valves 46 are closed.

With the above configuration, the discharge container 1 of the present embodiment
0, a guide cylinder 52 is provided to guide the bellows member 44 when the bellows member 44 expands and contracts.
Is formed so as to expand and contract between the cylindrical piston portion 26 and the guide cylindrical portion 52 located outside the bellows member 4.
4 is guided by the guide tubular portion 52 and the tubular piston portion 26 and is orderedly expanded and contracted, so that the folds of the bellows member 44 do not bend to the opposite side or a plurality of folds are connected to one another to bend. In particular, even when the bellows member 44 is stretched and the liquid L is sucked into the bellows member 44, even if the inside of the bellows member 44 becomes negative pressure and the bellows member 44 is pulled inward, the bellows member 44 is pulled inside. Since it is guided by the provided guide cylinder 52, it does not enter the inside of the guide cylinder 52.

Therefore, even if the bellows member 44 repeatedly expands and contracts, the shape of the bellows member 44 in the extended state and the contracted state of the bellows member 44 can be appropriately maintained. Accordingly, since the inner volume of the bellows member 44 in the expanded state and the inner volume in the contracted state do not change each time and are stable, the discharge amount of the liquid L can be kept constant.

In the above embodiment, the guide portion for guiding the bellows member 44 when the bellows member 44 expands and contracts is formed by the cylindrical piston portion 26 inside and outside the bellows member 44 and the guide cylinder portion 5.
Although the form of 2 is shown, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is sufficient if the guide cylinder 52 is provided at least inside the bellows member 44.

The pump mechanism of the present embodiment has a structure in which the liquid L is discharged by a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the space expanded and contracted by the pressing operation of the operation section 20 and the upward biasing of the compression spring 18. I have. Therefore, in order to establish this pump mechanism, it is necessary to maintain the space to be expanded or contracted in a liquid-tight state. In the present embodiment, since the space to be expanded and contracted is formed by using the bellows member 44, the space to be expanded and contracted is formed in one member, and there is no seam therein. That is, unlike the case where a space expanded and contracted only by the cylinder and the piston is formed, since different members are not combined, there is no seam, and the sliding portions thereof are provided with a stroke length of the piston or more, or the sliding portions are high. No fitting accuracy is required. Therefore, when the bellows member 44 is used, since the frictional resistance during the pressing operation is small, the pressing force for operating the operation unit 20 can be reduced, and the operability is good. In addition, since high processing accuracy is not required, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

FIG. 7 shows a modification of the above-described embodiment. Hereinafter, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

The operation section 20 of the above embodiment is a nozzle-equipped operation section 60 in which a nozzle from which the liquid L is discharged is provided integrally with the operation section 20. This operation unit 60 with a nozzle
A raised portion 60d is formed at the center of the upper surface, and a large-diameter hole 60e extending from the discharge valve 46 to the inside of the raised portion 60d is formed.
On the other hand, the nozzle-like protrusion 60
and a communication hole 60g formed at the center of the nozzle-shaped protrusion 60f is communicated with the large-diameter hole 60e to form the liquid discharge hole 60c.

According to the discharge container 10 of the present embodiment, the liquid is discharged by the user's hand inserted below the liquid discharge hole 60c of the nozzle-shaped protrusion 60f protruding from the side of the discharge container 10. L can be picked up directly. Therefore, since the liquid L does not adhere around the liquid discharge hole 60c, the discharge container 10 is not stained. In addition, it is excellent in hygiene because it is received directly by hand.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the bellows member 44 is formed of a material having elasticity without using the compression spring 18 serving as the restoring means of the operating section 20, and the elasticity of the bellows member 44 is increased. The bellows member 44 is extended by the force and the operation unit 20 is pushed up.

According to the present embodiment, since the bellows member 44 expands due to its elastic restoring force, there is no need to separately provide a means for extending the bellows member 44, and the number of parts and the number of assembly steps can be reduced.

Further, since the guide tube portion 52 is provided at least inside the bellows member 44, the bellows member 44 is guided by the guide tube portion 52 and is stably extended, and its elastic restoring force is reduced in the extending direction of the bellows member 44. And the bellows member 44 can be efficiently expanded and contracted without loss.

[0044]

As described above, in the discharge container according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the bellows member is systematically expanded and contracted along the guide tube provided inside thereof, the bellows member can be appropriately fitted. Shape can be maintained. In particular, even if the inside of the bellows member becomes a negative pressure, the bellows member is guided into the guide tube portion inside the bellows member, so that the bellows member does not enter the inside of the guide tube portion and can be maintained outside the guide tube portion. it can.

Therefore, even if the bellows member repeatedly expands and contracts,
An appropriate shape can be maintained. Therefore, since the inner volume of the bellows member is stable without changing at the time of expansion and contraction, the discharge amount of the contents can be kept constant.

Further, in the discharge container according to the second aspect, since the bellows member is expanded by its elastic restoring force, there is no need to separately provide a means for extending the bellows member, so that the number of parts and the number of assembling steps can be reduced.

Further, since the bellows member is guided and stably expanded by at least the guide cylinder provided inside the bellows member, the bellows member can be efficiently expanded and contracted without losing its elastic restoring force.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall sectional view showing one embodiment of a discharge container of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a pump mechanism of the discharge container of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a movable bottom plate mechanism of the discharge container of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a contraction start state of the bellows member of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where contraction of the bellows member of FIG. 1 is completed.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the bellows member of FIG. 1 in the middle of extension.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Discharge container 14 Container main body 14a Neck and neck part 16 Fixing cap 18 Compression spring 20 Operation part 20c Liquid discharge hole 22 Cylindrical cylinder 24 Suction valve 26 Cylindrical piston part 44 Bellows member 46 Discharge valve 50 Guide cap 52 Guide cylinder part 54 Inside Cap 60 Operation unit with nozzle L Liquid

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3E014 PA01 PB03 PB08 PC03 PC18 PD13 PE02 PE04 PE09 3E084 AA05 AA12 AB01 BA02 CA01 CB02 DA01 DB12 FA09 GA01 GA08 GB01 LB02 LC01 LD23 LD27

Claims (2)

[Claims] A retractable tubular bellows member is connected to the inside of a container and a discharge part via a suction valve and a discharge valve, respectively, and the discharge valve is closed and the suction valve is closed by extending the bellows member. A discharge container that opens to suck the contents from the inside of the container into the bellows member, contracts the bellows member, closes the suction valve and opens the discharge valve to discharge the contents from the bellows member inside to the discharge part. A discharge container provided with a guide cylinder portion which is located at least inside the inside and outside of the bellows member and guides the bellows member which expands and contracts. 2. The discharge container according to claim 1, wherein the bellows member is extended by its elastic restoring force.