JP2011178433A - Trigger spray - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a trigger spray for easily aiming at a target, for setting a liquid running out direction and a finger operating direction in the same direction and for not applying too much force to a manifold in using by smoothly bending the manifold. <P>SOLUTION: In this trigger spray A including a lid base 11 mounted on a container mouth, a base body 9 mounted on the lid base, a cylinder 2 integrally formed with the base body, a piston 1 for sliding in the cylinder, a balance arm 7 supported turnably on the base body and keeping one end pivoted on the piston, a spring 6 for applying return force to the balance arm 7, a slider 3 abutting on the other end of the balance arm and turning the arm by pushing it horizontally, and a manifold 5 connecting an attachment 1 to the base body, the manifold is bendable and makes liquid in the piston spray from the nozzle 4 through the manifold 5 by pushing in the slider 3 toward a nozzle side and moving it. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a trigger spray that ejects, from a nozzle, liquid in a cylinder that leads to a container by pushing down a piston by rotating the trigger.

Conventionally, a spray container is used to spray a liquid such as a medicine.
For example, a trigger spray is used for a pump dispenser that is a spraying mechanism attached to a spray container (see Patent Document 1).
In this trigger spray, a trigger member 207 that is refracted into a “<” shape on a base so as to freely rotate is joined to a piston 201, and a free end of the trigger member 207 is brought into contact with a horizontally movable slider 203. (See FIG. 8).

With such a structure, the operation of pulling the slider 203 becomes linear, and the operation of the person who uses the trigger spray becomes simple.
Further, since the slider 203 has a shape that does not protrude from the width of the container, it is not bulky and is convenient for carrying.

JP 2008-114103 A Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-231415

However, since the nozzle part 204 joined to the piston 201 is not fixed to the housing 210 in the trigger spray described in Patent Document 1, when the slider 203 is pulled down and the piston 201 is lowered, the nozzle part accompanies the movement. There was a problem that 204 also descended.
Therefore, when using the trigger spray, it is difficult to aim at the target, and it is difficult to accurately inject the liquid to a predetermined location.

In order to solve this problem, a countermeasure can be considered in which the nozzle portion is fixed to the housing and the nozzle portion and the piston are connected by a connecting pipe having flexibility.
However, even if such a structure is incorporated in the trigger spray described in the above-mentioned patent document, the joint between the piston and the trigger member is inside the position of the rotation axis of the trigger member, that is, the contact between the slider and the trigger member. Because of the position on the part side, the connecting pipe cannot always sufficiently follow the vertical movement of the piston.
In other words, in such a structure, since the length of the connecting pipe is not sufficient, an unreasonable force is generated by the vertical movement of the piston, and the smooth movement of the slider is also adversely affected.

For this reason, the inventors have already developed a trigger spray that is easy to aim at and that does not apply excessive force to the connecting pipe (see Patent Document 2).
However, even in this trigger spray, the liquid ejecting direction and the finger operation direction (direction of pushing the finger) are opposite, so that they are not necessarily matched from the viewpoint of original ergonomic usability.
That is, in particular, infants who handle trigger spray for the first time often do not have the learning effect of finger operation and often make a mistake in the direction of liquid ejection.
Since the direction in which the force is applied and the direction in which the liquid pops out are different, the chemical liquid may be inadvertently injected onto the face.
This is because the liquid is ejected in the direction opposite to the direction in which the trigger moves.

The present invention has been developed to solve the above problems.
That is, the object of the present invention is to bend the connecting tube smoothly and to use it easily, and to make the direction of the liquid jump out and the direction of the finger operation the same direction, and an unreasonable force is also applied to the connecting tube. There is no trigger spray to provide.

  As a result of intensive studies based on the background of the problems as described above, the present inventors have found that the above problems can be solved by changing the arrangement of the sliders, and the present invention has been completed based on the findings. It is a thing.

  That is, the present invention provides (1) a lid base attached to the container mouth, a base body 9 attached to the lid base, a cylinder integrated with the base body, and a piston sliding in the cylinder. A balance arm pivotally supported by the base body and having one end (first end) pivotally attached to the piston, a spring for providing a restoring force to the balance arm, and the other of the balance arm A slider that abuts against one end (second end) and rotates the balance arm by pressing in the horizontal direction, a housing attached to the base body, a nozzle portion fixed to the housing, and the nozzle portion A connecting pipe for connecting the piston is provided. The connecting pipe has flexibility, and the slider is pushed and moved toward the nozzle part to cause the liquid in the piston to be ejected from the nozzle part through the connecting pipe. It resides in the gar spray.

  Moreover, this invention exists in the trigger spray of the said (1) description which (2) and a slider can move along a base body.

  Further, the present invention resides in (3) the trigger spray according to the above (1), wherein the base body is provided with a hook-like standing latching portion, and a balance arm is supported on the latching portion.

  Further, the present invention resides in (4), the trigger spray according to the above (1), wherein the balance arm has the second end moved upward and the first end moved downward by the movement of the slider.

  The present invention also relates to (5) a locking portion formed by a base having a base portion and a curved spring portion that protrudes in a U shape from the base portion and is connected at the tip, and the base portion is formed on the base body. The trigger spray according to (1) described above is stopped and is connected to a hooking claw formed at the first end of the balance arm.

  Moreover, this invention exists in the trigger spray of the said (1) description with which the cover base and the base body are integrated.

  In addition, as long as the objective of this invention is met, the structure which combined said (1) to (6) suitably is also employable.

  In the trigger spray of the present invention, since the nozzle portion fixed to the housing and the piston are coupled by a connecting pipe having flexibility, the nozzle portion does not move up and down even when the piston moves up and down. As a result, the user of the present invention can accurately eject the liquid to the target location.

Further, in order to move the piston up and down, the pivot shaft of the balance arm pivotally attached to the piston includes a pivot attachment portion between the piston and the balance arm, and a contact portion between the second end portion of the balance arm and the slider. , The connecting pipe can be lengthened and can sufficiently follow the vertical movement of the piston.
Therefore, the slider can also move smoothly.
By pushing the slider toward the nozzle side and moving it, the liquid in the piston is ejected from the nozzle part via the connecting tube, so the direction of movement of pushing the finger is the same as the direction of liquid ejection, and ergonomics Excellent operation is possible.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a trigger spray according to the present embodiment, showing a state before the slider is pulled. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views illustrating the trigger spray according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2A illustrates a state in the middle of pulling the slider, and FIG. 2B illustrates a state after the slider is pulled. FIG. 3 is an external view of the trigger spray of the present embodiment, FIG. 3 (A) is a view seen from an oblique front, FIG. 3 (B) is a view seen from the rear, and FIG. 3 (C) is a trigger. It is a figure of the state which grasps and sprays a spray with a hand. FIG. 4 is a development view of components constituting the trigger spray of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the cylinder, the spring, the balance arm, the base body, and the slider are mutually incorporated. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a trigger spray provided with an inverted valve device. FIG. 6 (A) shows a normal state and FIG. 6 (B) shows an inverted state. FIG. 7 is an external view showing an example in which the slider protrudes, FIG. 7A shows a state in which the slider protrudes from the notch window, and FIG. 7B shows a state below the notch hole in the housing. The part is shown as a concave curve and the thumb is placed on that part. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional trigger spray.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as necessary.
In the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
Further, the positional relationship such as up, down, left and right is based on the positional relationship shown in the drawings unless otherwise specified.
Further, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are not limited to the illustrated ratios.

1 and 2 are cross-sectional views showing the trigger spray of the present embodiment and showing the internal structure.
FIG. 1 shows before the slider is retracted.

FIG. 2 shows the slider after it has been retracted.
FIG. 2A is a diagram showing the state after the slider is pulled, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing the state after the slider has been pulled.

FIG. 3 is an external view of the trigger spray according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 3A is a view seen from diagonally forward, FIG. 3B is a view seen from the rear, and FIG. 3C is a view showing a state where the trigger spray is held and ejected.

  FIG. 4 is a development view of components constituting the trigger spray of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the spring, the balance arm, the base body, and the slider are assembled with each other.
The trigger spray A of the present embodiment is attached to the mouth of a container B containing a chemical solution such as a deodorant, and when used, the finger is applied to the slider 3 provided therein to push the liquid into the liquid Is ejected from the nozzle portion 4.

The trigger spray A according to the present embodiment has a special arrangement structure in which the liquid ejection direction and the finger operation direction are the same direction.
The slider is disposed on the housing at a position opposite to the nozzle portion.
This point will be described in detail later.
On the other hand, the trigger spray A of this embodiment has a structure in which the position (height) of the nozzle portion 4 does not change even when the slider 3 is pushed.
For this reason, the user can accurately eject the liquid to the target location.
This is realized by connecting the nozzle portion 4 fixed to the housing 10 and the piston 1 via a connecting pipe 5 having flexibility.

Further, in order to make the connecting pipe 5 longer and reliably follow the movement of the piston 1 in the vertical direction, the connecting shaft 72 of the balance arm 7 for moving the piston 1 up and down includes the piston 1 and the balance arm 7. Are disposed between the pivot attachment portion and the contact portion between the second end 73 of the balance arm 7 and the slider 3.
Further, by disposing the rotation shaft at such a position, a large space can be obtained and the connecting pipe 5 can be lengthened, so that the vertical movement of the piston 1 can be sufficiently followed.

  Since the connecting pipe 5 becomes longer, the degree of freedom of movement of the connecting pipe itself increases, and the connecting pipe 5 can be bent without difficulty by the movement of the piston 1, and no extra force is applied to the connecting pipe 5.

Next, the trigger spray A will be specifically described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the trigger spray A is attached to the container B, and includes a piston 1, a cylinder 2, a slider 3, a nozzle portion 4, a connecting pipe 5, a spring 6, A balance arm 7, a suction tube portion 8, a base body 9, a lid base 11, and a housing 10 are provided. The cylinder 2 and the base body 9 are integrally formed.

The nozzle portion 4 is fitted and fixed to the front of the housing 10 from the inside, and is exposed to the outside through a notch hole 10 </ b> A formed in the housing 10.
Further, the nozzle portion 4 and the piston 1 are coupled via a connecting pipe 5.
The lid base 11 is attached to the container mouth, and the base body 9 is attached to the base 11.
Here, the nozzle part 4, the connecting pipe 5, and the piston 1 can be integrally formed. In this case, the connecting pipe 5 is thinned to increase the flexibility.
It is also possible to impart flexibility by using a different material for only the portion of the connecting tube 5 by multicolor molding.

In this way, the nozzle portion 4 is fixed to the front of the housing 10 and the nozzle portion 4 is coupled to the piston 1 via the connecting pipe 5 having flexibility, so that the piston 1 moves downward as the slider 3 moves. Even if it moves to, it will follow by only the connecting pipe 5 being bent.
Therefore, the nozzle portion does not move downward with the movement of the piston as in the prior art, and the position (height) of the nozzle portion 4 does not change.
In addition, it is preferable that a large number of annular ribs (not shown) are formed on the outer periphery of the connecting pipe 5, so that even if bent, the cross section of the connecting pipe is not deformed, so that the liquid does not deteriorate.

By the way, the slider 3 rotates a balance arm 7 described later.
That is, when using the trigger spray A toward the target to be sprayed (usually opposite to the user), this is a portion where the thumb is applied.
The pushing force applied here is converted into a force for pushing down the piston 1 by the balance arm 7 in contact with the slider 3.
In addition, since it is a principle to use the nozzle part 4 facing away from the user in this way, when the target is in front, the wrist is twisted and the slider part 3 is used with the nozzle part 4 facing forward. Will do.
There is no risk that the liquid will be ejected in the direction opposite to the direction of the conventional drawing, and there is no danger that the infant or child will accidentally inject the liquid onto his / her face.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a pair of engaging protrusions 1 </ b> A extending outward from each other is formed on the side surface of the piston 1, and the engaging protrusions 1 </ b> A are engaged with the engaging portion 71 (side wall) of the balance arm 7. The piston 1 and the balance arm 7 are pivotally attached to each other by being fitted into the inner part 7A).

  Further, a connecting shaft 72 (see FIG. 1) for connecting the pair of left and right side walls 7A is formed on the balance arm 7, and this connecting shaft 72 is a latch portion 91 (integrated with the base body 9). The hook 91 is supported in a freely pivotable manner (stands up from the base body 9 in a hook shape) (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

From the pair of left and right side walls 7A of the balance arm 7, an extending portion 7C extending obliquely upward is formed.
A second end portion 73 that is an end portion of the extending portion 7 </ b> C is in contact with the slider 3 that is movably attached to the base body 9 in the horizontal direction.
Since the second end portion 73 is formed in a curved surface shape, the friction when the slider 3 is pulled is reduced as much as possible.

When the slider 3 is pushed inward of the trigger spray A, the slider 3 pushes the second end 73, and the balance arm 7 rotates upward (counterclockwise in FIG. 1) about the connecting shaft 72.
When the balance arm 7 moves upward, the pivoting portion (engagement protrusion 1A) between the piston 1 and the balance arm 7 is positioned on the opposite side of the slider 3 with the connecting shaft 72 interposed therebetween, so that the piston 1 moves downward. Pushed down.

The spring 6 gives a restoring force to return the balance arm 7 pushed down by the horizontal movement of the slider 3 to its original position. As shown in FIG. 4, the base 62B and the base 62B are U-shaped. The pair of curved spring portions 61A projecting from each other, and a connecting portion 62A for connecting the tip ends of the two curved spring portions.
Then, the spring 62 is fixed to the base body 9 by fitting the base portion 62B into the locking portion 92 provided on the base body 9 (see FIG. 5).

On the other hand, the connecting portion 62A is hooked by a pair of latching claws 74A formed at the first end 74 of the balance arm 7, and the return force that the spring 6 applies to the balance arm 7 is the same as that of the connecting portion 62A. It is transmitted to the balance arm 7 through the contact portion with the pawl 74A.
In this embodiment, since the shape of the connecting portion 62A is a round bar, the contact resistance with the latching claw 74A is minimized, and the restoring force provided by the spring 6 is efficiently transmitted to the balance arm 7.

The slider 3 is disposed on the base body 9 at a position opposite to the nozzle portion 4.
A notch window 10B is formed in the housing 10, and a part of the slider 3 is exposed in the notch window 10B.
As shown in the figure, the slider 3 is composed of a side wall 31 and a bottom wall 32, and the cross section is formed in an arc shape, and a T-shaped member 33 is provided below the cross section (see FIGS. 4 and 5). .
The T-shaped member 33 is fitted into a T-shaped groove 94 formed in the base body 9.
For this reason, the slider 3 can be moved in parallel on the base body 9 in a stable state without being left and right.

The suction tube portion 8 constitutes a flow path for allowing the liquid contained in the container to which the trigger spray A is attached to flow into the cylinder 2.
The suction tube portion 8 can also be formed integrally with the cylinder 2.
The cylinder 2 is provided with a first valve FV for sucking up the liquid and preventing the inflowing liquid from flowing back into the container.
In the normal state, the first valve FV is pressed against the valve seat by the water pressure of the liquid stored in the cylinder 2, but when the liquid in the cylinder 2 is jetted and then becomes negative pressure due to the return of the piston 1, the valve Leave the seat and open the passage.

  On the other hand, the housing 10 functions as a cover for protecting the piston 1, the spring 6, and the like from external impacts or dirt, and is mounted and fixed to the base body 9.

Next, the operation of the trigger spray of this embodiment will be described.
First, the nozzle portion 4 is directed outward (that is, facing away from the user), the trigger spray is grasped by hand together with the container, and a thumb is applied to the slider 3 exposed in the cutout window 10B of the housing 10.
When the slider 3 is pushed inward of the trigger spray A (that is, toward the nozzle portion), the second end 73 of the balance arm 7 moves upward along the bottom wall portion 32 formed inside the slider 3. .
In this case, the bottom wall portion 32 corresponds to the cam surface.
As a result, the balance arm 7 rotates upward (counterclockwise in the figure) with the connecting shaft 72 as a fulcrum.
At this time, since the second end 73 is formed in a curved surface, friction with the slider 3 is reduced as much as possible.

When the second end 73 of the balance arm 7 rotates upward, the balance arm 7 pushes the piston 1 downward, so that the liquid in the cylinder 2 is compressed.
At this time, since the connecting shaft 72 is disposed between the second end 73 and the engaging protrusion 1A, the connecting pipe 5 can sufficiently follow the movement of the piston 1.
More specifically, the connecting shaft 72 is disposed between a contact portion between the slider 3 and the second end portion 73 and a pivot attachment portion (engagement protrusion 1A) between the balance arm 7 and the piston 1. Therefore, the connecting pipe 5 can sufficiently follow the movement of the piston 1.
As a result, the slider 3 can move smoothly.

The compressed liquid passes through the piston 1, passes through the connecting pipe 5, and is ejected from the nozzle portion 4 to the outside.
Thus, the direction in which the liquid is ejected and the direction in which the slider 3 is pressed with the finger are the same, and the ejection direction is not erroneous with respect to the target.
It is also excellent in ergonomics and usability.
After the liquid is ejected from the nozzle portion 4, the thumb is released from the slider 3, and the balance arm 7 returns to the original position by the restoring force of the spring 6.
Then, since the piston 1 moves up, the pressure in the cylinder 2 becomes negative, the first valve FV is opened, and the liquid in the container is sucked up through the suction tube portion 8.

  When the inside of the cylinder 2 is filled with the sucked liquid, the slider 3 is drawn again and the same operation is repeated.

[Other Embodiments]
In the trigger spray of this embodiment, it is possible to change the design so that the liquid can be sucked even when the container is inverted.
FIG. 6 shows an example in which an inverted valve device 12 is provided in order to allow liquid to be sucked even when inverted.
FIG. 6A shows a normal time, and FIG. 6B shows an inverted state.
The inverted valve device 12 includes a coupling portion 12 </ b> A and can connect the cylinder 2 and the suction tube portion 8.

Although the present invention has been described above by taking the embodiment as an example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the slider 3 can be projected from the cutout window 10B.
The protruding part has an advantage that it can be easily pushed with a finger.
When the lower portion 10C of the notch hole 10A of the housing 10 has a concave curve as shown in the figure, as shown in FIG. 7B, the thumb may be applied to the portion and the slider may be pushed with the index finger. it can.
Further, for example, the base body is attached to the container mouth portion via the lid base 11, but it is naturally possible to integrate the base 11 and the base body 9.

  In addition, for example, a cap having a plurality of types of ejection ports may be attached to the tip of the nozzle portion so that the shape of the liquid to be ejected when using the trigger spray can be selected.

  The outer shape of the trigger spray may be a shape whose cross section is other than a rectangle, for example, an ellipse or an ellipse.

The present invention relates to a trigger spray that ejects liquid in a cylinder that is communicated with a container by pushing down a piston by rotating the trigger from a nozzle, and is pivotally attached to the piston in order to move the piston up and down. Since the pivot axis of the balance arm is located between the pivoting part of the piston and the balance arm and the contact part between the second end of the balance arm and the slider, the connecting pipe can be lengthened. And can sufficiently follow the vertical movement of the piston.
Since the slider is pushed into the nozzle side and moved, the liquid ejecting direction and the finger pushing direction are the same, and the ejection direction is not mistaken for the target.
Moreover, as long as this principle is utilized, it is applicable also to the spray mechanism other than this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Piston 1A ... Engagement protrusion 2 ... Cylinder 3 ... Slider 31 ... Side wall part 32 ... Bottom wall part 33 ... T-shaped member 4 ... Nozzle part 5 ... Connection pipe 6 ... Spring 61A ... Curve spring part 62A ... Connection part 62B ... Base portion 7 ... Balance arm 7A ... Side wall portion 7C ... Extension portion 71 ... Engagement portion 72 ... Connection shaft 73 ... Second end portion 74 ... First end portion 74A ... Suspension claw 8 ... Suction tube portion 9 ... Base body 91 ... Hanging portion 92 ... Locking portion 94 ... Groove portion 10 ... Housing 10A ... Notched hole 10B ... Notched window 10C ... Lower portion 11 ... Land base 12 ... Inverted valve device 12A ... Coupling portion 201 ... Piston 203 ... Slider 204 ... Nozzle part 207 ... Trigger member 210 ... Housing A ... Trigger spray B ... Container FV ... First valve

Claims (6)

A lid attached to the container mouth, a base attached to the lid, a cylinder integrated with the base,
A piston sliding in the cylinder;
A balance arm rotatably supported by the base body and having one end (first end) pivotally attached to the piston;
And a spring for applying a restoring force to the balance arm;
A slider that abuts the other end (second end) of the balance arm and rotates the balance arm by pressing in the horizontal direction;
A housing attached to the base body, a nozzle portion fixed to the housing, and a connecting pipe connecting the nozzle portion and the piston;
The connecting pipe is flexible;
A trigger spray characterized in that a liquid in a piston is ejected from a nozzle part through a connecting pipe by pushing and moving a slider toward the nozzle part side.   2. The trigger spray according to claim 1, wherein the slider is movable along the base body.   The trigger spray according to claim 1, wherein the base body is provided with a hook-shaped hooking portion, and a balance arm is supported on the hooking portion.   The trigger spray according to claim 1, wherein the balance arm has a second end moved upward and a first end moved downward by movement of the slider.   The spring is composed of a base and a curved spring portion that is bent in a U shape from the base and is connected at the tip, and the base is locked to a lock formed on the base body, and the link at the tip is a balance arm. The trigger spray according to claim 1, wherein the trigger spray is hooked on a hooking claw formed at the first end portion of the nozzle.   The trigger spray according to claim 1, wherein the lid base and the base body are integrated.

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