JP2009001315A - Container for drinking water - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a container for drinking water which is not deformed by shrinkage even if the container to be mounted on a drinking water supply system such as a water server is formed thin for disposal and used on an existing drinking water supply system. <P>SOLUTION: The inner peripheral face of a tubular opening part 12a formed on a cap 12 closing the opening part 11a of a container main body 11 is formed with a groove 12b communicating both of its ends in the axis direction. The outer peripheral face of an inner plug 13 closing the opening part 12a is provided with a protrusion 13b fittable in the groove 12b. When a container 1 is mounted on a drinking water supply system 2 so that the aqueduct 22 of the system 2 is fitted in the opening part 12a, outside air comes into the container 1 through a gap by the groove 12b formed between the aqueduct 22 and the opening part 12a for preventing the inside of the container 1 from being negatively pressurized and deformed by shrinkage. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a container for containing drinking water, and more particularly to a drinking water container that is used by being attached to a drinking water supply device.

  In recent years, drinking water supply devices called water servers and dispensers have been placed in homes, etc., and drinking water contained in containers is delivered to homes, and the containers are attached to the drinking water supply devices, so that the drinking water inside them can be supplied. Services that can be taken out at any time by cooling or heating have been put into practical use.

  In this type of service, generally, a container for containing drinking water is a blow-molded resin bottle, and its thickness is considerably increased so that it can be used repeatedly. A supplier collects the used containers, and after cleaning, fills them with drinking water again and delivers them to homes.

In this drinking water container, a cylindrical opening is formed in the center of a cap that is attached to the mouth of the container main body so as to project and open in a cylindrical shape on the container main body side. It is a structure in which a stopper is fitted. The drinking water supply device is provided with a water conduit that protrudes upward, and the drinking water is fitted into the inside of the cylindrical opening formed in the cap of the drinking water container. Invert the container and attach it to the drinking water supply device. At this time, the inner plug is pushed up by the water conduit, whereby the water conduit enters the container through the cylindrical opening, and the water inlet provided near the tip of the water conduit opens into the container. Then, it flows into the tank of the apparatus via the water conduit through the water conduit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-335713 (see paragraph numbers [0020], [0023], FIGS. 2 and 3)

  By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional drinking water supply service, it is necessary to deliver a container filled with drinking water, collect an empty container after use, wash it, refill it with drinking water, and deliver it again. There is. The man-hours for the home delivery and cleaning cannot be reduced, and this is a bottleneck for reducing the cost of this type of service.

  It is clear that the cost can be greatly reduced by making the drinking water container disposable and stopping the delivery to the retail store etc. or at least making the container disposable and eliminating the recovery / washing process It is.

  In order to make a container disposable, it is made thinner than the thickness of a container used for repeated use currently used for this type of service, for example, about 2 liters in a PET bottle with a commercially available one. In addition, it is essential to reduce the cost and make it easy to dispose as resource waste.

  However, when a container with a reduced thickness as described above is attached to the drinking water supply apparatus, the container contracts and deforms when the drinking water in the container flows into the tank of the apparatus through the introduction pipe. It has been found that there is a problem that this happens.

  That is, in the above-mentioned drinking water supply apparatus, the water conduit is usually a double pipe structure, the inside is a water passage and the outside is an air passage, and the container is attached to guide the drinking water inside. At the same time as it flows down into the tank of the apparatus through the passage inside the water pipe, air flows into the container through the passage outside the conduit, and as a result, a part of the container is replaced with air. However, there are many cases where the flow rate (flow velocity) of the air flowing into the container is not sufficient, and there is a slight time difference until the air having the same volume as the outflowed water flows. This time difference is not particularly a problem with conventional containers with increased wall thickness for repeated use, but for containers with reduced wall thickness, shrinkage occurs due to the generation of negative pressure inside the container due to the time difference. It will be deformed. As a material of this type of container, since PET is usually used, there is a problem that shrinkage deformation once generated hardly returns and is not preferable in appearance.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a container for drinking water to be attached to a drinking water supply device is made thin so as to be disposable, and is used by being attached to an existing drinking water supply device. However, an object of the present invention is to provide a container for drinking water that does not shrink and deform.

  In order to solve the above problems, a container for drinking water according to the present invention is a container that contains drinking water and is attached to a drinking water supply device and is used. A cap attached to the mouth portion is provided, and a cylindrical opening that protrudes and opens in a cylindrical shape toward the bottom of the container body is integrally formed at the center of the cap, and the cylindrical opening In the drinking water container in which an inner stopper that seals the opening is fitted on the inner peripheral side, a groove is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical opening of the cap to communicate both axial ends thereof. In addition, the inner plug is characterized by a convex portion that fits into the groove and seals it (Claim 1).

  Here, in this invention, the structure (Claim 2) suitably employ | adopted as the taper surface from which the width | variety and depth become near the said edge part side vicinity of the bottom side edge part of the said container main body is employ | adopted suitably. can do.

  In the present invention, a groove is formed in the cylindrical opening formed at the center of the cap attached to the mouth portion of the container main body so that both ends in the axial direction communicate with each other. The problem is to be solved by allowing air to flow into the container body.

  That is, when the container according to the present invention is attached to the above-described drinking water supply device, the water conduit enters the inside of the cylindrical opening at the center of the cap and pushes up the inner plug, thereby the inside of the container body and the device through the water conduit In this case, the drinking water in the container flows down, but at this time, the groove formed to connect both ends in the axial direction to the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical opening, The inside of the container and the outside air communicate with the water conduit, and air flows into the container through this groove. In other words, regardless of the structure and size of the air inflow path to the container in the drinking water supply device, the air flows in by the structure on the container side, and the container body can be prevented from contracting and deforming. Here, in the storage state of the container or the like, the groove is reliably sealed by the convex portion formed in the inner plug.

  Further, as in the invention according to claim 2, when the container is removed from the drinking water supply device, the vicinity of the end portion on the container body side of the groove is formed as a tapered surface that expands toward the end portion side. It can promote that a convex part fits into a groove | channel.

  According to the present invention, when a drinking water container attached to a drinking water supply device called a server, a dispenser or the like is disposable, its thickness is reduced and the device is attached to the drinking water supply device to supply water. Even if the flow rate of air flowing into the container due to the structure on the side is small, the container does not shrink and deform when drinking water is supplied because air flows into the container due to the structure on the container side. .

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a right side view thereof. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the structure of the cap 12 and the inner plug 13, (A) is a plan view, and (B) is a BB cross-sectional view thereof. Further, FIG. 4 is a plan view (A) of only the cap 12, its BB sectional view (B) and bottom view (C), and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the inner plug 13 (A) and its B- It is B sectional drawing.

  A container 1 according to the present invention includes a container body 11, a cap 12 for sealing the mouth portion 11 a, and an inner plug 13 for sealing by being fitted into a cylindrical opening 12 a described later of the cap 12. And a handle 14 attached to the neck 11b of the container body 11.

  The container body 11 is a blow molded product using PET resin, and a male screw is formed on the outer periphery of the neck portion 11b following the mouth portion 11a, and the cap portion 12 is screwed into the male screw to seal the mouth portion 11a. Is done. The capacity of the container body 11 is 6 liters in this example, and is considered so that it can be easily handled at home. The wall thickness of the container body 11 is about 120 to 150 g with a 6 liter container body.

  The handle 14 is made of a separate member and is swingably supported by a protrusion 11c integrally formed near the lower end of the neck 11b of the container body 11. A recess 11e in which the handle 14 is accommodated is formed in the shoulder portion 11d of the container body 11 so as to correspond to the swinging ends on both sides of the handle 14.

  The cap 12 is formed with a cylindrical opening 12a that protrudes and opens in a cylindrical shape toward the container main body 11 at the radial center thereof, and an inner plug 13 is fitted into the cylindrical opening 12a. Thus, the cylindrical opening 12a is sealed. Grooves 12b extending in the axial direction are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical opening 12a at positions that divide the circumferential direction into four equal parts. Each of these grooves 12b communicates with both axial ends of the cylindrical opening 12a. The vicinity of the end of each groove 12b on the container main body 11 side is a tapered surface 12c that increases in depth and width toward the end.

  The inner plug 13 has a tubular shape as a whole, and a flange portion 13a is formed on the container main body side 1, and the flange portion 13 comes into contact with the end surface of the cylindrical opening 12 on the container main body side 1. The position in the axial direction is restricted and can be moved only to the container body 1 side. The inner plug 13 is formed with convex portions 13b at positions that divide the circumferential direction into four equal parts, and each convex portion 13b has a required length in the axial direction in this example. The cap 12 is fitted into the grooves 12b of the cylindrical opening 12a to seal the grooves 12b.

  A state in which the embodiment of the present invention is attached to a known drinking water supply device 2 called a water server or the like is shown in FIG.

  In order to hold the container 1 at the top, the drinking water supply device 2 is formed with a container holding part 21 having a concave conical surface whose diameter increases toward the upper side, and a water conduit 22 is formed at the center. It protrudes upward. The water conduit 22 communicates with a tank (not shown) of the supply device, and a water inlet 22a is provided near the tip.

  The container 1 filled with drinking water is attached so that the water guide pipe 22 is fitted into the cylindrical opening 12a with the cap 12 facing downward, that is, in an inverted state. In this state, the shoulder portion 11d of the container body 11 is in contact with and held by the container holding portion 21. Further, in this state, the handle 14 attached to the container 1 is accommodated in the recess 11e formed in the shoulder 11d of the container main body 11, and does not interfere with the container holding part 21. In this state, the water conduit 22 pushes up the inner plug 13 fitted in the cylindrical opening 12a of the cap 12, and the inner plug 13 is held at the tip of the water conduit 22 as shown in the figure. The water conduit 22 enters the container 1 and the water conduit 22a is opened in the container 1.

  When the amount of water in the tank is reduced by operating the drinking water supply device 2 to supply water with the container 1 attached, the drinking water in the container 1 passes through the water inlet 22a through the water inlet 22a and enters the tank. To flow down. At this time, the water guide pipe 22 of the drinking water supply device 2 has a double structure, and it is considered that air flows into the container 1 to replace the water flowing down from the container 1 through the outer passage. However, as described above, depending on the device, the flow rate or inflow speed of the air is not sufficient, and the inside of the container 1 may be negatively compressed and deformed. Then, since the gap by the four grooves 12b exists between the cylindrical opening 12a of the cap 12 and the water conduit 22, and the inside of the container 1 communicates with the outside, the drinking water in the container 1 flows down. Accordingly, air does not flow into the container 1 through the groove 12b, and the container 1 does not become negative pressure. That is, according to the embodiment of the present invention, air flows into the container 1 by the structure of the container 1 regardless of the structure of the drinking water supply device 2, thereby preventing the container 1 from contracting and deforming.

  Moreover, according to the above embodiment of the present invention, the mouth portion 11a of the container body 11 is sealed with the cap 12 screwed into the container body 11, so that it is not attached to the drinking water supply device. There is also the advantage that internal drinking water can be used.

  Furthermore, since the tapered surface 12c is provided in the vicinity of the bottom end of the container body 11 of the groove 12b of the cylindrical opening 12a, it is easy to attach the inner plug 13 to the cap 12, and for example, drinking water There is also an advantage that when the container 1 is removed after the container 1 is attached to the supply device 2 and the drinking water remains inside, the inner plug 13 is easily fitted into the cylindrical opening 12a.

  Here, in the above embodiment, a male screw is formed on the outer periphery of the neck portion 11b of the container main body 11, and the female screw formed on the inner periphery of the cap 12 is screwed into the male screw, thereby sealing the mouth portion 11a of the container main body 1. Although the example which stopped is shown, this invention is not limited to this, You may attach a cap with respect to the neck part of a container main body by what is called a click. An example is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 shows a plan view (A) of the cap 120 and a BB cross-sectional view (B) thereof, and the container body 110 and the inner stopper 13 are respectively indicated by imaginary lines. In the example of FIG. 7, several ring-shaped protrusions 110 f are formed on the outer periphery of the neck portion 110 b of the container body 110, and the inner periphery of the cap 120 is larger than the outer diameter of the ring-shaped protrusion 110 f. A slightly small-diameter inflatable portion 120d is formed, and the most advanced one of the ring-shaped protrusions 110f passes through the inflatable portion 120d, and the tip surface thereof is in contact with the top surface of the cap 120. The mouth 110a is sealed. In this sealed state, in addition to the top surface of the cap 120, the inner ring 120e formed on the top surface and the inner peripheral surface of the cap 120 abut against the opposing portion of the container body 110 to ensure the sealing. It is taken into consideration.

  Also in such a clerk-type cap 110, on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical opening 120a similar to the previous example formed in the center in the radial direction, the circumferential direction is divided into four equal parts, respectively in the axial direction. An extending groove 120b is formed. The inner plug 13 is the same as that of the previous embodiment, and convex portions 13b are formed at positions that divide the circumferential direction into four equal parts, and these convex portions 13b correspond to the cylindrical openings 120a of the cap 120, respectively. Each groove 120b is sealed by fitting in the groove 120b.

  Even in the case of using such a clerk-type cap 120, the groove 120b is formed, and the convex portion 13b that fits into the groove 120b is formed in the inner plug 13, so that the operation is exactly the same as the previous example. There is an effect.

  In each of the above embodiments, four grooves 12b or 120b of the cylindrical opening 12a or 120a and four convex portions 13b of the inner plug 13 are provided, but the number thereof is one or more and any plural number. Of course there may be. Needless to say, the cross-sectional shapes of the grooves 12b and the protrusions 13b are arbitrary.

It is a front view of an embodiment of the invention. It is a right view of FIG. It is structure explanatory drawing of the cap 12 and the inner stopper 13 of embodiment of this invention, (A) is a top view, (B) is the BB sectional drawing. It is structure explanatory drawing of the cap 12 of embodiment of this invention, (A) is a top view, (B) is the BB sectional drawing, (C) is a bottom view. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is structure explanatory drawing of the inner stopper of embodiment of this invention, (A) is a top view, (B) is the BB sectional drawing. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the state which attached embodiment of this invention to the drinking water supply apparatus. It is the top view (A) of the cap of other embodiment of this invention, and its BB sectional drawing (B).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container 11 Container main body 11a Mouth part 11b Neck part 11c Protrusion 11d Shoulder part 11e Recess 12, 120 Cap 12a, 120a Cylindrical opening part 12b, 120b Groove 12c Tapered surface 13 Middle plug 13a Flange part 13b Protrusion part 14 Handle 2 Drinking water Supply device 21 Container holding part 22 Water conduit 22a Water inlet

Claims (2)

A container that contains drinking water and is used by being attached to a drinking water supply device. The container includes a container body that contains drinking water, and a cap that is attached to the mouth of the container. A cylindrical opening that projects in a cylindrical shape toward the bottom side of the container body is integrally formed, and an inner plug that seals the opening is formed on the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical opening. In the drinking water container to be fitted,
A groove is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical opening of the cap so as to communicate both axial ends thereof, and the inner plug is provided with a convex portion that fits into the groove and seals the groove. A container for drinking water. The container for drinking water according to claim 1, wherein the vicinity of the bottom end of the container main body of the groove is formed in a tapered surface having a width and a depth deeper toward the end.

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