JP2009196655A - Stopper structure for bottle and bottle equipped with stopper structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a stopper from falling down into a bottle in a bottle exchange type beverage server. <P>SOLUTION: A stopper structure includes a cap 3 mounted on an opening part 11 of the bottle 1, and the stopper body 4 set so as to be slidable on an inner cylindrical wall 32 projecting inward at the center of a bottom wall 33 of the cap. A cylindrical shaft 6 for opening the stopper of the server 7 exposes the hole 43 of the stopper 4 from the inner cylindrical wall 32 to be able to open the stopper under a condition that a part of the stopper 4 is left in the inner cylindrical wall 32 without penetrating the stopper 4 until the stopper 4 gets out of the inner cylindrical wall 32. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a bottle that can be opened by its own weight when the bottle is supported upside down in a water server or the like, and a bottle stopper structure.

FIG. 1 shows a bottle replaceable liquid server (7) such as a water server and a dedicated bottle (1).
The server (7) accommodates the storage container (72) in a box-shaped bottle cradle (71), and has a guide tube (73) protruding from the top surface of the cradle. A cylindrical shaft (6a) connected to the storage container (72) is positioned upward on the axis of the guide tube (73).
A faucet (not shown) is connected to the storage container (72).

The mouth (11) of the bottle (1) has a stopper structure (2).
As shown in FIG. 5, the stopper structure (2) has a cap (3) to be attached to the mouth (11) of the bottle (1) and an opening at both ends projecting inwardly at the center of the bottom wall (33) of the cap. And a stopper (4) slidably set on the inner cylindrical wall (32).
When the stopper structure (2) of the bottle (1) is fitted into the guide cylinder (73) of the bottle cradle (71) to support the bottle (1) upside down, the bottle cradle (71 ) The upper cylindrical shaft (6) relatively pushes up the plug (4), and removes the plug (4) from the cap inner cylinder wall (32) upward. At this time, the hook piece (46) provided inside the opening edge of the plug body (4) and the circumferential groove (62) provided on the outer periphery of the distal end of the cylindrical shaft (6) are engaged to form the plug body (4). Is connected to the cylinder shaft (6).
The hole (63) opened in the peripheral surface of the cylinder shaft (6) is opened by being exposed from the cap inner cylinder wall (32) into the bottle, and the liquid in the bottle (1) is opened from the hole (63) to the cylinder axis. (6) It is discharged through the inside.

When the emptied bottle (1) is lifted, the plug (4) connected to the cylinder shaft (6) is pulled down relative to the cap (3), and again, the cap inner cylinder wall (32 ). In this state, the bottle (1) is collected.
The collected bottle is washed with water, filled with fresh liquid, and then plugged with a new stopper structure (2).

However, when the cylindrical shaft (6) pushes up the plug (4), the plug (4) and the peripheral groove (62) of the cylindrical shaft (6) are not engaged with each other. When (4) protrudes from the cap inner cylinder wall (32), or when the cylinder shaft (6) is lowered relative to the cap (3), the plug (4) is removed from the cap inner cylinder wall (32). ) And the plug shaft (6) may be disengaged. That is, the stopper (4) sometimes fell into the bottle.
In this case, when the bottle (1) is collected, the bottle (1) is not clogged, so there is a risk of invasion of foreign matter and germs. This necessitates a problem that the cost required for liquid filling increases.

  The present invention reveals a bottle stopper structure and a bottle having the stopper structure that can solve the above problems by allowing the stopper body (4) to be opened without being separated from the cap inner cylinder wall (32). It is to make.

The bottle stopper structure of the present invention includes a cap (3) to be attached to the bottle mouth portion (11), and an inner cylindrical wall (32) having both end openings projecting inwardly at the center of the bottom wall (33) of the cap. It is comprised by the plug body (4) slidably set.
The stopper (4) is formed in a cylindrical body that is closed on the bottom side of the bottle and opened on the opposite side, and has a hole (43) in the peripheral wall (41).
The plug (4) and the cap (3) have a plug (4) that fits inside the cap inner wall (32) and the hole (43) of the plug (4) is hidden by the inner wall (32). The closing position and the opening position where the plug (4) is not separated from the inner cylinder wall (32) and the hole (43) of the plug (4) is exposed to the outside of the cap inner cylinder wall (32). A slide stroke restricting means (5) is provided which allows the plug (4) to slide only between the two.
The stopper shaft (4) and the tube shaft (6) on the bottle cradle (71) are engaged with each other when the stopper shaft (4) is pushed into the opening position and connected to the stopper shaft (6). When force in the plugging direction is applied to the body (4) and the cylinder shaft (6), the plug body (4) is pulled by the cylinder shaft (6) so that it fits within the cap inner wall (32) and closes. An engagement / disengagement means (47) for disengaging the plug body (4) from the cylindrical shaft (6) is provided.

  The bottle of the present invention has the stopper structure (2) in the mouth portion (11).

According to the bottle stopper structure of the present invention, when the stopper is opened, the stopper body (4) is only pushed up until the hole (43) of the peripheral wall (41) is exposed upward from the inner cylindrical wall (32) of the cap. It is. That is, since the plug (4) is not pulled out from the cap inner wall (32) to the inside of the bottle, there is no possibility that the plug (4) falls into the bottle.
Moreover, since the stopper (4) is not removed from the cap inner cylinder wall (32), the stopper (4) can be more securely prevented from being removed from the inner cylinder wall (32) toward the bottom of the bottle. . For this reason, it is possible to increase the engagement strength when the cylindrical shaft (6) is pushed up to engage the cylindrical shaft (6) with the plug (4). Therefore, when the emptied bottle (1) is lifted from the server (7), the cylindrical shaft (6) can reliably pull the plug (4) back to the closed position.
Since empty bottles can be recovered in a closed state, contamination in the bottles during the recovery process is prevented. For this reason, after collecting the bottle, it is possible to refill the bottle (1) by removing the old stopper and washing the bottle (1) with water, eliminating the need for disinfecting the bottle and refilling the bottle (1) with liquid. Can be reduced.
For the existing server (7), the cylindrical shaft (6) is shortened so that the plug (4) can be pushed up so as not to be detached from the inner cylindrical wall (32), and the cylindrical shaft (6) It is only necessary to open the tip, that is, to replace the cylinder shaft (6), and no major modification is required.

FIG. 2 shows the stopper structure (2) applied to the mouth (11) of the bottle (1), the guide cylinder (73) and the cylinder shaft (6) of the liquid server (7).
The server (7) is as described in the conventional example, but as described later, only the cylinder shaft (6) is changed from the conventional one.

  The stopper structure (2) includes a cap (3) attached to the bottle mouth part (11) and a stopper (4) set in the cap. Both the cap (3) and the plug (4) are made of synthetic resin.

  The cap (3) includes an outer cylindrical wall (31) that is tightly fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the bottle mouth portion (11), a bottom wall (33) that annularly closes the outer end of the outer cylindrical wall (31), and an annular shape It has an inner cylindrical wall (32) with both ends opened extending inwardly from the hole edge of the bottom wall (33).

The plug body (4) is formed in a cylindrical body that is fitted into the cap inner cylindrical wall (32), the cap annular bottom wall (33) side is opened, and the other end is closed by a bottom plate (42).
One or more holes (43) are formed in the peripheral wall (41) of the plug (4). The hole (43) is for discharging the liquid in the bottle (1), and in the embodiment, two large rectangular holes are opened facing the bottom plate (42).

  The plug (4) and cap (3) have a plug (4) that fits inside the cap inner cylindrical wall (32) and the hole (43) of the plug (4) is blocked by the inner cylindrical wall (32). A plug-opening position where the plug body (4) is not separated from the inner cylinder wall (32) and the hole (43) of the plug body (4) is exposed to the outside of the cap inner cylinder wall (32). A slide stroke restricting means (5) is provided which allows the plug (4) to slide only between the two.

The slide stroke restricting means (5) comprises a closing position positioning means (51) for determining the closing position of the plug body (4) and an opening position determining means (52) for determining the opening position of the plug body (4).
The capping positioning means (51) includes a flange (44) at the bottom outer peripheral portion of the plug (4) and an inner tip of the cap inner cylinder wall (32) with which the flange can abut.

The plug opening positioning means (52) is provided on the inner surface of the inner end of the cap inner cylindrical wall (32), and on the outer peripheral surface on the opening side of the plug (4). ) And a ridge (45) that can be hooked on.
In the embodiment, the projection (34) on the cap inner cylindrical wall (32) is in close sliding contact with the peripheral wall (41) of the plug (4), and the protrusion (45) on the plug (4) is in the cap. The sealing effect is enhanced by closely contacting the cylindrical wall (32).

  When the plug shaft (6) pushes the plug body (4) into the opening position, the plug shaft (6) is engaged with and connected to the tube shaft (6). 6) When a force in the direction of plugging is applied to the plug body, the plug body (4) is pulled by the cylinder shaft (6) to fit inside the cap inner cylinder wall (32) and plugged. Engaging / disengaging means (47) for disengaging the shaft (6) is provided.

The engagement / disengagement means (47) is a circumferential groove projecting inward over the entire periphery of the opening edge of the plug body (4) and recessed on the tip end side of the cylindrical shaft (6) on the server (7). It is a hanging piece (46) which engages with (62). The hanging piece (46) is formed to be slightly expanded over the entire circumference of the plug peripheral wall (41).
The cylindrical shaft (6) has a small-diameter portion (61) formed at the tip, and the circumferential groove (62) is opened around the base end outer periphery of the small-diameter portion (61).
The small-diameter portion (61) of the cylindrical shaft (6) has a thickness that fits into the peripheral wall (41) of the plug body (4), and the outer peripheral edge of the small-diameter portion (61) has an arc shape over the entire circumference. It is a fitting guide surface (64).
The lower part of the cylindrical shaft (6) is expanded in diameter to serve as a stopper (65) against the lowering of the plug structure (2).

  When the bottle (1) is turned upside down and the stopper structure (2) is fitted into the guide cylinder (73) of the server (7) and the cap (3) is supported against the stopper (65) of the cylinder shaft (6) The shaft (6) pushes up the plug (4), and the hole (43) on the peripheral surface of the plug (4) is exposed above the cap inner cylinder wall (32). However, the cylindrical shaft (6) is formed so as not to remove the plug (4) from the inner cylindrical wall (32), that is, shorter than the conventional cylindrical shaft, and the tip of the cylindrical shaft (6). Has an opening (60).

  FIG. 2 shows a closed state of the plug structure (2). The bottom flange (44) of the plug body (4) abuts the tip of the cap inner cylindrical wall (32), and the hole ( 43) is closed by the cap inner cylinder wall (32), and the protrusion (34) on the inner surface of the tip of the cap inner cylinder wall (32) is in close contact with the peripheral wall (41) of the plug body (4). The hole (43) of 4) is located below the ridge (34), and no leakage of the liquid in the bottle occurs between the cap inner cylinder wall (32) and the stopper (4).

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the stopper structure (2) of the bottle (1) is fitted into the guide cylinder (73) of the server (7) and opened.
In the process of fitting the stopper structure (2) into the guide cylinder (73), the cylinder shaft (6) hits the plug body (4), the bottle (1) is lowered by its own weight, and the cylinder shaft (6) is plugged ( 4) Push up. At the fully open position of the plug (4), the protrusion (45) of the plug (4) and the protrusion (34) of the inner wall of the cap (32) are caught, and the plug (4) comes out further. Is blocked. The tip guide surface (64) of the cylindrical shaft (6) slides into the plug body (4), and the peripheral groove (62) and the hook piece (46) of the plug body (4) are engaged. At this time, the cap (3) hits the stopper (65) of the cylindrical shaft (6), and the bottle (1) is supported at a fixed position.

  In the above state, the hole (43) of the plug body (4) is exposed and opened above the inner cylinder wall (32) of the cap, and the liquid in the bottle flows from the hole (43) to the tip of the cylinder shaft (6). Is discharged from the opening (60) through the inside of the cylindrical shaft (6).

When the emptied bottle (1) is lifted from the server (7), the plug (4) engaged with the circumferential groove (62) of the cylinder shaft (6) is not lifted, and the cap (3) is attached to the cylinder axis. (6) Slide up the outer periphery of the plug (4).
Since the cap inner cylinder wall (32) is lifted while guiding the plug body (4), the plug body (4) is prevented from being elastically deformed easily, whereby the hook piece (46) of the plug body (4) is prevented. ) And the circumferential groove (62) of the cylindrical shaft (6) are not inadvertently released.
The cap (4) is lifted together with the cap (3) from the time when the inner end of the cap inner cylindrical wall (32) hits the flange (44) of the plug (4). 46) is forcibly pulled by the edge of the circumferential groove (62) of the cylinder shaft (6) and elastically deformed, and the mutual engagement is released.
Since the hanging piece (46) spreads outward, that is, tilts freely with respect to the circumferential groove (62), if a strong downward force is applied to the hanging piece (46), the plug (4) and the cylindrical shaft ( 6) is easily disengaged.

As described above, when opening the bottle (1), it is only necessary to push up the stopper (4) until the hole (43) of the peripheral wall (41) is exposed upward from the inner cylindrical wall (32) of the cap. That is, since it is not necessary to remove the stopper (4) from the cap inner cylinder wall (32) to the inside of the bottle, there is no possibility that the stopper (4) falls into the bottle.
Further, since it is not necessary to remove the plug body (4) from the cap inner cylinder wall (32), it is possible to more securely prevent the plug body (4) from being removed from the cap inner cylinder wall (32). For this reason, when the tube shaft (6) pushes up the plug (4), the engagement strength when the tube shaft (6) and the plug (4) are engaged can be increased. Therefore, when the cylinder shaft (6) moves relative to the cap inner cylinder wall (32) in the closing direction, the plug body (4) can be reliably pulled back to the closing position.
After collecting the empty bottle, the old stopper structure can be removed and the bottle (1) can be filled with fresh water by simply washing it with water, so that disinfection work on the bottle is unnecessary.
For the existing server (7), the stopper (4) is shortened so that it can be pushed up so as not to be detached from the inner cylinder wall (32), and the tip of the cylinder shaft (6) is opened. That is, it is only necessary to replace the cylinder shaft (6), and no major modification is required.

  The above description of the embodiments is for explaining the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the invention described in the claims or reducing the scope thereof. In addition, the configuration of each part of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the technical scope described in the claims.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing of a server and a bottle. It is sectional drawing which shows the stopper structure (closed state) of a bottle mouth part, and a part of server. It is principal part sectional drawing of the stopper structure (opening state) of the state which set the bottle to the server. It is a perspective view of the plug used in the plug structure of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the stopper structure of a prior art example. It is a perspective view of the stopper used with the stopper structure of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

1 bottle
11 Mouth 2 Plug structure 3 Cap
32 Inner cylinder wall 4 Plug body
41 perimeter wall
43 holes
47 Engagement / disengagement means 5 Slide stroke restriction means
51 Closing positioning means
52 Opening positioning means 6 Tube shaft 7 Server

Claims (6)

A cap (3) to be attached to the mouth (11) of the bottle (1) and a plug body slidably set on an inner cylindrical wall (32) projecting inwardly at the center of the bottom wall (33) of the cap (4) and when the bottle (1) is supported upside down on the bottle cradle (71), the stopper (4) is pushed in by the upward cylindrical shaft (6) on the bottle cradle (71). In the bottle stopper structure that can be opened with
The stopper (4) is formed in a cylindrical body that is closed on the bottom side of the bottle and opened on the opposite side, and has a hole (43) in the peripheral wall (41).
The plug (4) and cap (3) have a plug (4) that fits inside the cap inner cylindrical wall (32) and the hole (43) of the plug (4) is blocked by the inner cylindrical wall (32). A plug-opening position where the plug body (4) is not separated from the inner cylinder wall (32) and the hole (43) of the plug body (4) is exposed to the outside of the cap inner cylinder wall (32). A slide stroke restricting means (5) is provided which allows the plug (4) to slide only between
When the plug shaft (6) pushes the plug body (4) into the opening position, the tube shaft (6) is engaged with and connected to the tube shaft (6). When force in the plugging direction is applied to the shaft (6), the plug body (4) is pulled by the tube shaft (6) to fit inside the cap inner wall (32) and plugged, and then the tube shaft (6) A bottle stopper structure provided with engagement / disengagement means (47) for disengaging from the bottle. The slide stroke restricting means (5) includes a closing position positioning means (51) for determining the closing position of the plug body (4) and an opening position determining means (52) for determining the opening position of the plug body (4).
The capping positioning means (51) comprises a flange (44) on the bottom outer periphery of the plug (4) and an inner tip of the cap inner cylinder wall (32) with which the flange can come into contact.
The plug opening positioning means (52) is provided on the inner surface of the inner end of the cap inner cylinder wall (32), and on the outer peripheral surface on the opening side of the plug body (4). The stopper structure of the bottle according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion (45) can be hooked onto the stopper.   The engagement / disengagement means (47) engages / disengages in a circumferential groove (62) formed inwardly extending over the entire circumference of the opening edge of the plug body (4) and formed on the distal end side of the cylindrical shaft (6). 3. The bottle stopper structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bottle stopper structure is a piece (46). A cap (3) to be attached to the bottle mouth portion (11) and a stopper (4) which is slidably set on an inner cylindrical wall (32) projecting at the center of the bottom surface of the cap and having both ends opened. The stopper structure (2) is provided, and when the bottle (1) is supported upside down on the bottle holder (71), the stopper body (4) is pushed in by the upward cylindrical shaft (6) of the bottle holder (71). In bottles that can be opened with
The stopper (4) is formed in a cylindrical body that is closed on the bottom side of the bottle and opened on the opposite side, and has a hole (43) in the peripheral wall (41).
The plug (4) and cap (3) have a plug (4) that fits inside the cap inner cylindrical wall (32) and the hole (43) of the plug (4) is blocked by the inner cylindrical wall (32). A plug-opening position where the plug body (4) is not separated from the inner cylinder wall (32) and the hole (43) of the plug body (4) is exposed to the outside of the cap inner cylinder wall (32). A slide stroke restricting means (5) is provided which allows the plug (4) to slide only between
When the plug shaft (6) pushes the plug body (4) into the opening position, the tube shaft (6) is engaged with and connected to the tube shaft (6). When force in the plugging direction is applied to the shaft (6), the plug body (4) is pulled by the tube shaft (6) to fit inside the cap inner wall (32) and plugged, and then the tube shaft (6) The bottle is provided with engagement / disengagement means (47) for disengaging from the bottle. The slide stroke restricting means (5) includes a closing position positioning means (51) for determining the closing position of the plug body (4) and an opening position determining means (52) for determining the opening position of the plug body (4).
The capping positioning means (51) comprises a flange (44) on the bottom outer periphery of the plug (4) and a tip of the cap inner cylinder wall (32) with which the flange can abut,
The plug opening positioning means (52) is provided on the inner surface of the inner end of the cap inner cylinder wall (32), and on the outer peripheral surface on the opening side of the plug body (4). The bottle according to claim 4, comprising a ridge (45) that can be hooked on the boss.   The engagement / disengagement means (47) engages / disengages in a circumferential groove (62) projecting inward over the entire circumference of the opening edge of the plug body (4) and recessed on the distal end side of the cylindrical shaft (6). 6. Bottle according to claim 4 or 5, which is a piece (46).

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