JP2003284977A - Aerosol apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an aerosol apparatus which can be mildly actuated, and can be continuously operated while hardly feeling a resistance by a spring, and is easily used even when it is jetted to the back or downward. <P>SOLUTION: This aerosol apparatus 10 is provided with a container 11, a valve 12 opened by operating a stem 13 provided on the top end of the container, and an operating mechanism 15 for opening the valve. The operating mechanism 15 is provided with a jog dial 24 freely rotatably held on the container 11 in such a way that the surface draws an approximately circular arc locus, and a lever 25 placed between the jog dial and the stem 13 of the valve 12 and lowering the stem 13 in accordance with operation of the jog dial 24. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an aerosol device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A general aerosol device has a valve 102 at the upper end of a container 101, as shown in FIG. The valve 102 has a tubular stem 103 that connects the inside and the outside of the container by pushing it downward, and a push button 104 attached to the upper end of the stem. The stem 103 is normally urged upward by a spring.
Then push the push button 104 down to open the valve,
The contents are ejected from the nozzle 105 on the front surface of the push button 104. When the push button 104 is released, the stem 103 moves up by the urging force of the spring, and the valve closes.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, a shoulder cover 106 fitted to the upper end of the container 101 and a spout 108 connected to the shoulder cover by a hinge 107 and fitted to the stem 103 are provided. Aerosol devices are known. When the pushing portion 109 provided at the base of the spout 108 is pushed down, the spout 108 swings around the hinge in the direction of arrow P, pushing down the stem 103, and the contents can be ejected through the spout 108.

It is also known that the valve is opened by tilting the stem. This has a stem that is biased by a spring so as to return to an upward neutral position, and when the stem is tilted, the contents can be ejected from a nozzle or spout fitted to the stem.

[0005]

The valve 102 of the aerosol device, when the valve 102 is opened and the contents are injected, lowers the push button against the spring pushing up the stem of the valve. The power of is needed. Further, since the push button 104 is pushed down with the index finger while the container is held by the hand, it may be difficult to use, for example, when ejecting it toward the back. Also in FIG.
The aerosol device of, when the tip of the spout is directed downward and ejected in the form of foam, it is necessary to twist the wrist to press the pushing portion 109 with the forefinger, and even when pushing with the thumb, the force to grip the container becomes weak, It is difficult to put force on your thumb.

On the other hand, in the case of the tilt type valve described above, the spring is bent laterally to open the valve, so that the valve can be lightly operated. However, there is a problem that it is activated accidentally when removing the cap. In addition, when it is used on the back or the like, it may be difficult to use as in the case described above.

The present invention provides an aerosol device which can be operated softly, can be operated continuously without feeling the resistance of a spring, and can be easily used even when jetting to the back or downward. The task is to do so.

[0008]

An aerosol device of the present invention (claim 1) is a container, a valve opened by the operation of a stem provided at the upper end of the container, and an injection attached to the stem of the valve. A member and an operating mechanism that acts on the ejecting member to open the valve, the operating mechanism operates so as to draw a substantially arcuate trajectory, and the ejecting member is lowered or lowered in response to the operation. It is characterized by having an operation member for tilting.

In such an aerosol device, it is preferable that a transmission mechanism is provided between the operation member and the injection member for lowering or tilting the injection member in response to an arcuate operation of the operation member (claim). Item 2). Further, it is preferable that the operation member is provided so as to be rotatable about an axis with respect to an outer member attached to the container (claim 3).
Further, it is preferable that the operation amount of the operation member is larger than the operation amount of the stem corresponding to the operation amount (claim 4). Further, it is preferable that the transmission mechanism has a lever provided with a force point that engages with the operation member and an action point that engages with the injection member (claim 5). Further, the transmission mechanism may include an input portion that engages with the operation member, and a cam surface that is in sliding contact with the ejection member (claim 6).

[0010]

In the aerosol device of the present invention (Claim 1), the ejecting member can be lowered or tilted to eject the contents only by operating the operating member so as to draw an arcuate locus. it can. Such an arcuate operation of the operation member is an operation of stroking the surface of the container with either the index finger or the thumb, and is therefore easier than the operation of pushing it toward the center of the container. . In particular, even when the operator holds the container by turning his / her hand toward the back side or when holding the container downward, the operator can comfortably operate the container while firmly grasping it.

In such an aerosol device, when a transmission mechanism for lowering or tilting the ejection member according to an arcuate operation of the operation member is provided between the operation member and the ejection member (claim 2), the operation is performed. Various changes can be given between the operation direction and amount of the member and the operation direction and amount of the injection member, and the aerosol device can be easily designed according to the purpose. Further, when the operating member is provided so as to be rotatable around the axis with respect to the outer member attached to the container (claim 3), the operating resistance of the operating member is reduced and the operating force is reduced. When the operation amount of the operation member is larger than the operation amount of the stem corresponding to the operation amount (claim 4),
The operating force of the operating member can be reduced. Thereby, the aerosol device can be used more lightly. Further, since the movement of the ejection member is small with respect to the movement of the operation member, the delicate operation of the ejection state is facilitated.

When the transmission mechanism has a lever (Claim 5), since the arcuate movement of the operating member can be directly transmitted to the movement around the fulcrum of the action point of the lever, the force transmission efficiency is improved. high. On the other hand, even when the transmission mechanism uses a cam mechanism (claim 6), it is easy to convert the arcuate movement of the operating member into a rectilinear movement of the injection member, and increase the force during the cam action. You can

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an embodiment of an aerosol device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a partially cutaway side view showing an embodiment of an aerosol device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of an operating state of the aerosol device of FIG. 1,
3a and 3b respectively show a partially cutaway side view and a partially cutaway rear view of another embodiment of the aerosol device of the present invention, and FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 relate respectively to the aerosol device of the present invention. FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9 are side cross-sectional views showing still another embodiment of the aerosol device of the present invention. FIG. 10a is a side view of the aerosol device of the present invention. 10B is a side sectional view showing still another embodiment, and FIG. 10B is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 10A.

The aerosol device 10 shown in FIG.
1 and a valve 12 attached to the upper end of the container,
A push button (injection member) 14 attached to the stem 13 of the valve and an operating mechanism 15 for operating the push button are provided. The container 11 is made of aluminum, tin, stainless steel or other metal, pressure resistant glass,
The same conventional aerosol container made of synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate can be used. The valve 12 may be the same as the conventional one. For example, a cylindrical housing 16 having a bottom, a stem 13 housed in the housing so as to be vertically movable, and a stem hole of the stem 13 are sealed. It can be composed of a valve rubber, a spring for constantly biasing the stem upward, and a mounting cup 17 for attaching the housing 16 to the container 11. A nozzle 18 for ejecting the content is attached to the front surface of the push button 14.

The operating mechanism 15 includes a shoulder portion 20 of the container 11.
A bottomed cylindrical outer member 21 attached to the first member, a first shaft 22 and a second shaft 23 provided on the outer member, and
A jog dial (operation member) 24 rotatably attached to the shaft 22 and a lever (transmission member) 25 rotatably provided on the second shaft 23 are provided. The first shaft 22 is attached near the periphery of the outer member 21, and the second shaft 23 is provided at a position passing substantially through the center of the outer member. The second axis 23 is substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the container 11, and the first axis 22 is substantially parallel to the second axis 23. First shaft 22 and second shaft 23
May be rotatably attached to the outer member 21. In that case, the jog dial 24 and lever 25 are the first
It is fixed to the shaft 22 and the second shaft 23.

The lever 25 has an action portion (action point) 27 for pushing the push button 14 when the lever rotates about the second shaft 23, and an arm portion (force point) 28 for engaging the jog dial 24. It is provided. Ie lever 2
5 is a lever having the second shaft 23 as a fulcrum. The action portion 27 is a cam surface whose distance from the second shaft 23 changes, and has a shape in which a portion having a longer distance contacts the upper surface of the push button 14 as the lever 25 rotates in the direction of arrow P1. There is. The jog dial 24 has a lever 25
There is a notch or recess 29 that engages the arm 28 of the. The surface 29a on the lower side of the concave portion 29 smoothly moves when the jog dial 24 rotates.
8 is curved in a convex shape that is convex outward. The lower surface of the lever arm 28 is provided with the jog dial 2
4 is concavely curved so as to smoothly contact the lower surface 29a of the recess 29. Instead of the recess 29,
It is also possible to provide a protrusion that engages with the arm portion 28 of the lever 27.

A slit or opening 31 for accommodating the jog dial 24 is formed on the rear surface side (right side in FIG. 1) of the outer member 21, and the first shaft 22 is attached to the inner wall of the slit. . A slit or opening 32 that allows the nozzle 18 to move up and down is formed on the front surface side. Further, on the front side of the inner surface of the outer member 21, there is provided a stopper 34 for preventing excessive rotation of the lever 25, which abuts on the arm portion 28 of the lever 25. The lower end surface 35 of the outer member 21 is shaped so as to abut the shoulder portion 20 of the container 11, and an engagement protrusion 38 that is engaged with the flange 37 of the mounting cup 17 that is caulked to the container 11 is provided on the inner periphery thereof. Has been. The stopper 3
4 is not provided, the lever 25 is rotated sufficiently to move the lever 2
It is also possible to fix the push button 14 so as to keep pressing it at the front end 25a of No. 5 and to make it possible to inject the entire amount. Further, the lever 25 may be further rotated so that it is broken or broken when a certain amount of force is applied from the lever 25 to the stopper 34, so that the entire amount of the aerosol product can be injected when the aerosol product is discarded.

Aerosol device 1 constructed as described above
For 0, the index finger S can be extended with the container 11 held, and the jog dial 24 can be rotated with the index finger. As shown in FIG. 2, when the jog dial 24 is rotated in the clockwise direction (arrow P2 direction), the lower surface 29a of the recess 29 is engaged with the lower surface of the arm portion 28 of the lever 25, and the lever 25 is rotated counterclockwise. It is rotated in the direction of arrow P1.
As a result, the action portion 27 of the lever 25 pushes the upper surface of the push button 14, and the push button 14 and the stem 13 are pushed down. As a result, the valve is opened and the content is ejected from the nozzle 18. At that time, the index finger S operating the jog dial 24 is not an operation of pushing a specific part,
Since it suffices to simply stroke the surface of the aerosol device 10 by stroking it, it can be easily ejected even to a portion such as the back where the arm needs to be rotated.

When the index finger is released from the jog dial 24, the stem 13 and the push button 14 are lifted by the biasing force of the spring that biases the stem 13 upward. This causes the lever 25 to rotate clockwise and the jog dial 24
Rotates counterclockwise and returns to its original state. The thumb can be used instead of the index finger.

The rotation angle of the lever 25 based on the rotation of the jog dial 24 is smaller than the rotation angle of the jog dial 24. That is, at the beginning of rotation of the jog dial 24, a portion of the upper surface 29 a of the recess 29 on the radially inner side contacts the tip of the arm portion 28 of the lever 25. Therefore, the operation amount of the lever 25 (the operation amount of the lever) with respect to the operation amount of the jog dial 24 becomes small according to the ratio of the radius R of the jog dial 24 and the radius r of the inner portion.
Furthermore, since the distance L from the second shaft 23 of the lever 25 to the tip of the arm 28 is longer than the distance l from the second shaft 23 to the action part 27, the operation of the action part 27 with respect to the operation amount of the arm 28 also in this part. The amount (manipulation amount) decreases. Further, based on the curve of the curved surface (cam surface) of the action portion 27, the lever 25
The amount of push-down of the push button 14 with respect to the operation angle may decrease. Therefore, the amount of depression of the push button 14 is considerably smaller than the amount of operation of the jog dial 24, and the amount of depression can be finely adjusted with the jog dial 24. Further, since the operation amount of the jog dial 24 is larger than the pushing amount of the stem, the operation force of the jog dial 24 can be smaller than the force of the spring urging the stem 18. Therefore, the operation becomes easier.

FIGS. 3a and 3b show a case in which the operating mechanism 40, which is substantially the same as in the case of FIG. 1, is applied to a spout type aerosol device 41. In this operation mechanism 40, as shown in FIG. 3A, slits or openings 3 for accommodating the jog dial 24 are formed from the upper surface to the side surface of the outer member 21.
1 is formed. The jog dial 24 is the first shaft 22.
Is rotatably attached to the inner surface of the opening 31 of the outer member 21. The jog dial 24 projects from the upper surface and the side surface of the outer member 21. The stem 18 of the valve is replaced by a spout (injection member) 4 instead of a push button.
The lower end of 2 is fitted. A flange 43 is provided at the base of the spout 42.

The lever 25 is bent in a U-shape when viewed from above so as to avoid the spout 42. That is, the left and right same-shaped lever pieces 25a and 25b and their arm portions 2
It is composed of a connecting piece 25c for connecting the eight members.
Then, as shown in FIG. 3b, the left and right lever pieces 25a, 2
From the vicinity of the center of 5b, the second shafts 23a,
3b is protruding. The second shafts 23a and 23b are fixed to the lever pieces 25a and 25b in a cantilever state, and their free ends are rotatably attached to the outer member 21, respectively. Therefore, the entire lever 25 is
It is rotatable about the axes of a and 23b. However, since the arm portion 28 of the lever 25 contacts the outer member 21, the upward rotation range is limited by the top surface. Therefore, in this embodiment, the stopper as in the case of FIG. 1 is unnecessary. In addition,
Even if there is no top surface, the connecting piece 25c interferes with the spout 42, so that the lever 25 is restricted from rotating in either the up or down direction. Therefore, although it is not so preferable, the spout 42 can be used as a stopper in some cases.

In the aerosol device 41 of this embodiment,
The recess 29 of the jog dial 24 is the connecting piece 2 of the lever 25.
5c is engaged. Therefore, when the jog dial 24 is rotated in the direction of arrow P2 with the index finger or thumb,
The connecting piece 25c of the lever 25 is pushed up, whereby the lever 25 rotates in the direction of arrow P1. As a result, the action portions 27 of the left and right lever pieces 25a and 25b uniformly push the flange 43 of the spout 42 downward. Thereby, the stem 13 is pushed down, and the contents are ejected from the tip of the spout 42.

In the case of an aerosol device using such a spout 42, since the spout 42 is operated downward, that is, the aerosol device 41 is turned upside down, the thumb may be easier to operate than the index finger. . Further, since the protrusion on the upper surface side can be operated in addition to the protrusion on the side wall side of the jog dial 24, various usage patterns can be selected depending on the site to be used and the preference of the user. In addition, also in the push button type aerosol device 10 of FIG. 1, the jog dial 24 may be projected to the upper surface side.

The operating mechanism 50 shown in FIG. 4 is provided with two operating portions 27a and 27b at the lower portion of the lever 25. That is, one acting portion 27a is provided on the tip side of the second shaft 23, and the other acting portion 27b is provided on the rear end side of the second shaft 23. Therefore, when the lever 25 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the action portion 27a on the tip side is pushed by the push button
When is pressed down and rotated clockwise, the action portion 27b on the rear end side presses down the push button 14. Therefore, the jet can be ejected by rotating the jog dial 24 in either direction.

Even in the case of the aerosol device shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the jog dial 24 is rotated upward (counterclockwise) to rotate the lever 25 in the clockwise direction, whereby the arm portion of the action portion 27 is located. It is also possible to push the push button 14 or the like at the end. However, the operating mechanism 50 of FIG.
As described above, by providing the action portions 27a and 27b clearly divided into two places on the lower portion of the lever 25, the ejection can be performed more reliably by the rotation of the jog dial 24 in both directions.

In the operating mechanism 52 shown in FIG. 5, the jog dial 24 has a shallow recess 2 that engages with the arm 28 of the lever 25.
An embodiment in which a plurality of 9 are provided is shown. In this embodiment, six recesses 29 are provided around the jog dial 24 at substantially equal intervals. Therefore, by rotating the jog dial 24 in the same direction, the lever 2 is inserted into the recess 29.
The push button 14 can be pushed by the lever 25 every time the arm portion 28 of No. 5 is engaged, and the nozzle 18 can intermittently eject. The number of recesses 29 may be two or more, but a degree of fixation of 3 to 8 is preferable.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, all the jog dials are rotatably provided around the horizontal axis. This is because it is usually easier to operate with your finger. However, the jog dial can be pivotally provided around the vertical axis for the purpose of use or for other purposes. FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of an operating mechanism 54 of such an aerosol device.
In this embodiment, the jog dial 24 is the axis C of the container.
It is provided so that it can rotate freely. The lower surface 54 of the jog dial 24 is a cam surface inclined in the circumferential direction, and a cam 43a having a cam surface that cooperates with the cam surface is provided on the upper surface of the flange 43 of the push button or spout 42. In addition, you may provide the protrusion 43b which cooperates with the lower surface 54.

When the jog dial 24 is rotated in the direction of the arrow Q, the spout 42 and the stem are pushed in, and when the jog dial 24 is rotated in the opposite direction, the spout 42 and the stem are lifted by the spring in the valve. Since the inclination of the cam surface of this is large, the frictional force between the cam surfaces is large, and therefore the jog dial 24 cannot be rotated in the returning direction by the restoring force of the spring. Therefore, the rotation of the jog dial 24 can be stopped at an appropriate position, and the injection can be continued in that state.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the operation member is constituted by the jog dial which is rotatable about the axis.
As shown in FIG. 5, the operation member may be composed of the operation piece 57 that slides on the arcuate guide surface 56. This operation piece 5
In order to transmit the movement of 7 to the stem 13, for example, the operating piece 57 may be provided with a protruding piece 58 for operating the lever 25.
The operation piece 57 and the projection piece 58 are connected by a connection piece 60 that slides in the slit 59 formed in the outer member 21. Also in this case, when the operation piece 57 is rotated upward, the lever 25 is operated counterclockwise by the protruding piece 58, and the push button 14 can be pushed down by the lever 25.

In each of the above-described embodiments, a transmission member such as a lever is provided. However, like the operating mechanism 61 shown in FIG. 8, the push button 14 is pushed down or tilted directly on the inner surface of the recess 29 provided in the jog dial 24. It can also be configured to be ejected. In this embodiment, projections 62 and 63 that come into contact with the push button 14 are provided on the inner surface of the recess 29 so as to make the pushing position as constant as possible. In this embodiment, there is no transmission member, and the inner surface of the concave portion 29 of the jog dial or the projections 62, 63 constitutes a transmission mechanism. In addition, in the operation mechanism of FIG.
The push button 1 by rotating the
It is also possible to press 4 directly. In that case, the operating piece 57 or the protruding piece 58 is the transmission mechanism. .

In the operation mechanism 64 shown in FIG. 9, the first gear 65 is fixed to the jog dial 24 or the first shaft 22, and the oval or oval cam 66 is rotatably supported by the second shaft 23. There is. A second gear 67 meshing with the first gear 65 is fixed to the cam 66. The number of teeth of the first gear 65 is larger than the number of teeth of the second gear 67, so that the first gear 65 and the second gear 67 have a speed increasing action. However, since the push-down amount of the push button 14 is reduced by the cam 66, the movement amount of the push button 14 is smaller than the movement amount of the outer peripheral surface of the jog dial 24 as a whole. Therefore, the operation force of the jog dial 24 is lightened, and the push button 14 can be delicately pressed by the jog dial 24.

The operating mechanism 7 shown in FIGS. 10a and 10b.
0 is substantially the same as the operating mechanism 64 of FIG. 9 except that the number of teeth of the second gear 67 is smaller than that of the first gear 65. Since the first gear 65 and the second gear 67 have a decelerating action, the operating force of the jog dial 24 can be further reduced, and the jog dial 24 can be further reduced.
With, the push button 14 can be operated more delicately.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the restoring force of the spring for returning the stem is used to rotate the jog dial to the original position. However, separately from this, a biasing means such as a spiral spring is used. It can also be adopted. In the aerosol device described above, it is an advantage that the jog dial operates smoothly, but in some cases, as shown by the phantom line in FIG. 3, it is elastically and intermittently engaged with the uneven portion 68 formed on the surface of the jog dial 24. A matching spring piece 69 may be provided. In that case, a click feeling can be given as the jog dial 24 rotates.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view showing an embodiment of an aerosol device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of an operating state of the aerosol device of FIG.

3a and 3b are a partially cutaway side view and a partially cutaway rear view, respectively, showing another embodiment of the aerosol device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of essential parts showing another embodiment of the operating mechanism relating to the aerosol device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of essential parts showing still another embodiment of the operating mechanism relating to the aerosol device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of essential parts showing still another embodiment of the operating mechanism relating to the aerosol device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing still another embodiment of the aerosol device of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing still another embodiment of the aerosol device of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing still another embodiment of the aerosol device of the present invention.

10a is a sectional side view showing still another embodiment of the aerosol device of the present invention, and FIG. 10b is a sectional view of FIG. 10a.
It is a XX line sectional view.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a main part showing an example of a conventional aerosol device.

FIG. 12 is a side view of essential parts showing another example of a conventional aerosol device.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Aerosol device 11 containers 12 valves 13 stems 14 push button 15 Operation mechanism 16 housing 17 mounting cup 18 nozzles 20 shoulder 21 Outer member 22 1st axis 23 Second axis 24 Jog dial 25 lever 27 Action part 28 Arms 29 recess 29a Lower surface 31, 32 openings 33 head 34 Stopper 35 Bottom face 37 flange 38 Engagement protrusion S index finger 40 Operation mechanism 41 Aerosol device 42 spout 43 flange 25a, 25b Lever piece 25c connecting piece 50 operation mechanism 27a, 27b Action part 52 Operation mechanism C axis 54 Lower surface 56 guideway 57 Operation piece 58 Projection 59 slits 60 connecting pieces 61 Operation mechanism 62, 63 protrusion 64 operating mechanism 65 1st gear 66 cam 67 Second gear 68 Concavo-convex part 69 spring piece

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 3E014 PB01 PB02 PB04 PB08 PB09                       PC02 PC03 PD01 PE14 PF08                       PF09 PF10                 3E084 AA02 AA12 AA22 AA23 AA24                       AA32 AB01 BA03 CA01 CB02                       DA01 DB08 DB13 DB18 FA09                       FC04 FD08 KA16 KB06 LC01                       LC06 LD30                 4F033 RA02 RC09 RC24

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A container, a valve opened by operating a stem provided at an upper end of the container, an injection member attached to the stem of the valve, and an operating mechanism which acts on the injection member to open the valve. An aerosol device comprising: an operating mechanism that operates so as to draw a substantially arcuate trajectory, and that has an operating member that lowers or tilts the injection member in response to the operation. 2. The aerosol device according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission mechanism provided between the operation member and the injection member for lowering or tilting the injection member in response to an arcuate operation of the operation member. 3. The aerosol device according to claim 1, wherein the operation member is provided so as to be rotatable around an axis with respect to an outer member attached to the container. 4. The aerosol device according to claim 1, wherein the operation amount of the operation member is larger than the operation amount of the stem corresponding to the operation amount. 5. The aerosol device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission mechanism has a lever having a force point that engages with the operation member and an action point that engages with the ejection member. 6. The aerosol device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission mechanism includes an input portion that engages with the operation member, and a cam surface that is in sliding contact with the ejection member.