JP2012006601A - Foam dispensing container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a foam dispensing container capable of dispensing foam in stable quality while homogenizing the quality of foam.SOLUTION: The foam dispensing container includes: an expanded flow path serving as a liquid introduction channel communicated with a gas-liquid mixing chamber from the container body via a tube, and having a flow path sectional area larger than that of a tube; and branched flow paths which are branched into a plurality of flow paths to communicate with the gas-liquid mixing chamber. The foam dispensing container is configured such that the flow path sectional area of one of the branched flow paths is smaller than that of the tube, and the total flow path sectional area of the plurality of branched flow paths is larger than that of the tube.

Description

  The present invention relates to a foam discharge container that discharges foam formed from an opening by mixing foamable liquid and air contained in the container body by pressurizing the container body from the outside, and particularly its foam quality stability. Regarding improvement.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a foam discharge container that discharges bubbles formed by foaming a foamable liquid contained in a container body by manually pressurizing the body of the container having elasticity. In such a foam discharge container, in order to form foam, it is necessary to mix foamable liquid and air in a mixing chamber provided in the lid. For this reason, a foam discharge container is widely used in which an air hole for taking in air from the inside of the container body is provided in the lid, and bubbles are formed by mixing air supplied from the container and foamable liquid (for example, patents). Reference 1).

  Here, for example, in the foam discharge container of Patent Document 1, by introducing air into the gas-liquid mixing chamber from a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction, the foam quality is improved as compared with the case where air is introduced from one location. It is disclosed that it is possible. However, in this foam discharge container, since the foamable liquid is introduced from one place below the gas-liquid mixing chamber, the contact area between the foamable liquid and the air is small, and the two may not be sufficiently mixed. Foam quality was not stably obtained. In addition, a large amount of foamable liquid flows into the gas-liquid mixing chamber at a time by pressing, and the foamable liquid may be discharged without being sufficiently mixed with air. That wasn't enough. In addition, conventionally, the flow quality of the tubular body has been adjusted by changing the flow passage cross-sectional area of the tubular body to change the amount of foamable liquid supplied to the gas-liquid mixing chamber to adjust the foam quality. By changing the cross-sectional area of the road, the flow rate of the liquid supplied to the gas-liquid mixing chamber changes, and as a result, the mixing state of the gas and liquid in the gas-liquid mixing chamber also changes. Trial and error required to find the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the tubular body that can obtain a large amount of the work required adjustment of the foam quality in some cases.

Patent No. 2934145

  The present invention has been made in view of the prior art. That is, the problem to be solved is to provide a foam discharge container capable of discharging foam with stable foam quality while further homogenizing the foam quality. There is to do.

  As a result of the diligent study conducted by the present inventors in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, as a liquid introduction path that communicates from the inside of the container body to the gas-liquid mixing chamber via the pipe body, a larger flow path disconnection than the pipe body is achieved. An enlarged flow path section having an area and a branch flow path section that branches into a plurality of flow path sections and communicates with the gas-liquid mixing chamber are provided. A large amount of foamability can be obtained by pressing once by configuring the total of the cross-sectional areas of the plurality of branch flow passage parts to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the flow path and larger than the cross-sectional area of the pipe. The liquid supply to the gas-liquid mixing chamber can be stabilized without the liquid flowing into the gas-liquid mixing chamber. The inventors have found that it can be discharged, and have completed the present invention.

  That is, the foam discharge container according to the present invention includes a container main body made of an elastic material, a lid attached to the mouth of the container main body, and a tube communicating the inside of the trunk of the container main body with the lid body. And the container body is pressurized from the outside, whereby the foamable liquid accommodated in the body portion of the container body and the air existing in the upper space in the container body are provided in the lid body. In a foam discharge container that mixes in a gas-liquid mixing chamber to form bubbles, and discharges the bubbles from the opening of the lid, the lid is disposed in the body portion of the container body through the tube. A liquid introduction path for introducing foamable liquid into the gas-liquid mixing chamber, an air introduction path for communicating with the upper space in the container body, and for introducing air into the gas-liquid mixing chamber; When the container is pressurized, the container body is sealed to seal the container book Is opened when the pressure is reduced, and communicates with the outside through the container body and sucks air from the outside, communicates with the liquid introduction path and the air introduction path, and connects the foamable liquid and the air. A gas-liquid mixing chamber that forms bubbles by mixing, a bubble discharge passage that communicates with the downstream side of the gas-liquid mixing chamber, and a bubble that is provided at the downstream end of the bubble discharge passage and discharges the bubbles to the outside An enlarged flow passage portion having a flow passage cross-sectional area larger than that of the tubular body, and communicating with the enlarged flow passage portion. A flow path of one flow path section in the branch flow path section that has at least a branch flow path section that branches into the flow path section and that each branched flow path section communicates with the gas-liquid mixing chamber The cross-sectional area is smaller than the flow path cross-sectional area of the tubular body, and a plurality of flows in the branch flow path section It is characterized in that the total sum of the flow path cross-sectional area of the parts is configured to be larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of the tubular body.

Further, the foam discharge container is configured such that at least a part of the cross-sectional area of the enlarged flow path part is larger than a total of the cross-sectional areas of the plurality of flow path parts in the branch flow path part. It is preferred that
Further, in the foam discharge container, at least a part of the flow passage cross-sectional area of the enlarged flow passage portion is 1.5 times or more the total sum of the flow passage cross-sectional areas of the plurality of flow passage portions in the branch flow passage portion, It is preferable that it is 3 times or less.

  Further, in the foam discharge container, the air introduction path has a plurality of flow path portions, and the air introduction path and the liquid introduction path are alternately arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the gas-liquid mixing chamber. It is suitable.

  The foam discharge container according to the present invention includes, as a liquid introduction path communicating from the container body to the gas-liquid mixing chamber via the pipe body, an enlarged flow path section having a larger flow path cross-sectional area than the pipe body, A branch flow path section that branches into the flow path section and communicates with the gas-liquid mixing chamber, and that the cross-sectional area of one branch flow path section is smaller than the flow path cross-sectional area of the tubular body, The total sum of the channel cross-sectional areas of the branch channel parts is configured to be larger than the channel cross-sectional area of the tubular body. For this reason, the amount of liquid supply to the gas-liquid mixing chamber can be stabilized without a large amount of foaming liquid flowing into the gas-liquid mixing chamber by a single press, and as a result, the foam quality can be further improved. While homogenizing, the foam can be discharged with a stable foam quality.

It is a perspective view which shows the foam discharge container concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the lid of a foam discharge container concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the cover body of the foam discharge container concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the inside stopper of a foam discharge container concerning one embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, the perspective view of the foam discharge container concerning one Embodiment of this invention is shown.
As shown in FIG. 1, a foam discharge container 10 according to the present embodiment includes a container main body 12 that stores a foamable liquid, and a lid 14 that is detachably attached to an upper end of the container main body 12. A tube 16 that communicates with the lid 14 and extends into the container main body 12 and presses the body of the container main body 12 from the outside with the foam discharge container 10 in an upright state. The foaming liquid contained in the body of the container body 12 and the air present in the upper space in the container body 12 are mixed in the lid body 14 to form bubbles, and the lid body The bubbles are discharged from the 14 openings. Here, the material of the container body 12 is made of a material having elasticity that can be deformed by pressurization (usually, a plastic material). For example, so-called squeeze properties, that is, pressability and squeeze back properties (restorability). Polypropylene resins such as polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), medium-density polyethylene (MDPE), and low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which are excellent in quality, are used alone or as appropriate Can be used. In the present embodiment, the container body 12 is made of polypropylene.

In FIG. 2, the expanded sectional view of the cover body 14 in the foam discharge container 10 concerning this embodiment is shown.
The lid 14 according to the present embodiment includes an inner plug 20 that is fitted to the tube body 16, a mixer 22 that is fitted to the inner plug 20, a base cap 24 that is fitted to the mixer 22, and the base cap 24. A front end nozzle 26 to be fitted, a first mesh 28 attached between the base cap 24 and the mixer 22, a second mesh 30 attached between the base cap 24 and the front end nozzle 26, and a ball valve 32, and these components are assembled together. These components are also usually made of a plastic material. In this embodiment, for example, the base cap 24 and the inner plug 20 are made of polypropylene (PP), and the mixer 22 is made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). , Each is formed.

  The inner plug 20 has a tubular body 16 inserted in the lower cylindrical portion 20B from below. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the tube body 16 can discharge all the foamable liquid inside the container body 12 when the foam discharge container 10 is tilted toward the discharge port. It is bent into a “<” shape so that it can be made, and the tip opening of the tube 16 is directed in the same direction as the discharge port of the tip nozzle 26 at the bottom of the container body 12. Further, the upper cylindrical portion 20A of the inner plug 20 has a two-stage cylindrical shape having different inner diameters, and the mixer 22 is inserted from above the mixer 22 leaving a predetermined gap.

  The mixer 22 is provided with a communication port 22C at a step portion between the lower cylindrical portion 22B and the upper cylindrical portion 22A. Then, the mixer 22 and the inner plug 20 are arranged so that the foamable liquid in the container body 12 and the air in the upper space of the container body 12 can be introduced into the mixer 22 through the communication port 22C, respectively. Are fitted leaving a predetermined gap. That is, the foamable liquid inside the container body 12 is introduced from the communication port 22C into the mixer 22 through the gap 16 and the inner plug 20 (liquid introduction path). On the other hand, the gap is opened into the upper space of the container body 12, and the air in the upper space is introduced from the communication port 22C into the mixer 22 through the gap (air introduction path). Thereby, for example, the foamable liquid and air pushed out from the container main body 12 when the container main body 12 is pressurized from the outside are introduced into the mixer 22 through the communication ports 22C, respectively. Inside, bubbles are mixed with each other. In the present embodiment, six communication ports 22 </ b> C are formed on the stepped cylindrical cross section of the mixer 22 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Further, the air introduction path connected to the communication port 22C is formed by six gaps provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Similarly, the liquid introduction path is an upper cylindrical portion of the inner plug 20. 20A and the cylindrical section of the lower cylindrical portion 22B of the mixer 22 are formed by six gaps provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The upper cylindrical portion 22 </ b> A of the mixer 22 has a double cylindrical shape and is fitted to the cylindrical wall 24 </ b> C of the base cap 24.

  The base cap 24 has a threaded portion 24D formed in the lower portion thereof, and the lid 14 is detachably attached to the container body 12 by the threaded portion 24D being threadedly engaged with the mouth of the container body 12. ing. Further, the tip nozzle 26 is fitted into the tip-side cylindrical portion 24 </ b> A of the base cap 24 with the second mesh 30 attached. Thereby, foamable liquid and air are mixed in the gas-liquid mixing chamber formed in the mixer 22 to generate bubbles, and the generated bubbles are transferred into the housing 24B of the base cap 24 via the first mesh 28. The foam is homogenized by being pushed out. Further, the foam that has passed through the housing 24B is pushed out to the tip nozzle 26 through the second mesh 30 and discharged from the opening (bubble discharge passage).

  The base cap 24 is provided with a predetermined size of the outside air inlet 24E so as to communicate with the upper space of the container body 12, and a ball valve 32 is enclosed in the vicinity of the outside air inlet 24E. . When the inside of the container body 12 is pressurized, the ball valve 32 is pressed toward the outside air inlet 24E to seal the inside of the container body 12, while when the inside of the container body 12 is depressurized, the ball valve 32 is pressed. Moves, the outside air inlet 24E is opened, and the inside of the container body 12 communicates with the outside. In the present embodiment, the outside air suction port 24E can be sealed or opened by the ball valve 32, but other types of valve structures such as a plate valve may be used.

Next, the configuration of the liquid introduction path and the air introduction path in the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the lid body 14 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3A, in the lid body 14 of the present embodiment, the foamable liquid in the container body 12 is introduced into the mixer 22 in the gap between the mixer 22 and the inner plug 20. The liquid introduction path q and the air introduction path p for introducing the air in the upper space of the container body 12 into the mixer 22 are formed. Further, the liquid introduction path q and the air introduction path p merge in the vicinity of the upstream side of the communication port 22C of the mixer 22, and both communicate with the inside of the mixer 22 through the same communication port 22C. .

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the liquid introduction path q in the present embodiment is in direct communication with the flow path r of the tubular body 16 and has a flow passage cross-sectional area larger than the tubular body flow path r. A first enlarged flow path part q1, a second enlarged flow path part q2 that communicates with the first enlarged flow path part q1 and has a larger flow cross-sectional area than the first enlarged flow path part q1, The second expanded flow path portion q2 is communicated with and branched into a plurality of flow path portions, and each flow path portion is constituted by a branched flow path portion q3 communicated into the mixer 22. That is, the foamable liquid pushed out from the inside of the container main body 12 when the container main body 12 is pressurized from the outside passes through the pipe channel r, passes through the liquid introduction channel q, the first expansion channel part q1, the first After passing through the two enlarged flow path portions q2 and the branch flow path portion q3 in this order, they merge with the air introduction path p in the vicinity of the upstream side of the communication port 22C of the mixer 22, and are introduced into the mixer 22 through the communication port 22C. Is done.

  The liquid introduction path q in the present embodiment is formed as a through hole provided in the inner plug 20 and a gap in the contact surface between the mixer 22 and the inner plug 20. That is, the first enlarged flow path part q1 is formed by a through hole provided in the inner plug 20, and the second enlarged flow path part q2 and the branch flow path part q3 are composed of the mixer 22 and the inner plug 20. It is formed as a gap in the contact surface. Here, the outer diameter of the mixer 22 is the same as or slightly larger than the inner diameter of the inner plug 20 at the corresponding position. Thereby, the 2nd expansion flow path part q2 and the branch flow path part q3 can be accurately formed by easy assembly only by making the mixer 22 fit in the inside plug 20.

  Here, for example, when the flow path cross-sectional area of the liquid introduction path q is configured to be narrower than the flow path cross-sectional area of the tube flow path r, the flow rate of the liquid supplied into the mixer 22 Becomes too fast, and the foamable liquid is discharged without being sufficiently mixed with air, so that good foam quality may not be obtained. For this reason, in the liquid introduction path q of the present embodiment, both the first expanded flow path portion q1 and the second expanded flow path portion q2 are configured to be larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of the tubular flow path r. Since the flow rate of the liquid supplied into the mixer 22 is suppressed and the foaming liquid and air are sufficiently mixed in the mixer 22, a good foam quality can be obtained.

  Furthermore, in the liquid introduction path q of the present embodiment, a branch channel part q3 branched into a plurality of channel parts is provided on the downstream side of the second enlarged channel part q2. By providing the branch flow path part q3, the contact area between the foamable liquid and air is increased as compared with the case where the foamable liquid is supplied into the mixer through only one flow path part. , Foam quality can be homogenized. Further, in the branch channel part q3 of the present embodiment, the total sum of the channel areas of the plurality of branch channel parts q3 is configured to be larger than the channel cross-sectional area of the tubular body r. As described above, since the supply speed of the foamable liquid into the mixer 22 is suppressed as described above, the foamable liquid and air can be sufficiently mixed, and good foam quality can be obtained. On the other hand, in the branch channel part q3 of the present embodiment, the channel cross-sectional area of one branch channel part q3 is configured to be smaller than the channel cross-sectional area of the tube r. When the channel cross-sectional area of one branch channel part q3 is larger than the channel cross-sectional area of the tube body r, the amount of foamable liquid flowing into each branch channel part q3 varies, and each branch channel part q3. Since the flow rate and flow rate of the foamable liquid supplied from the inside to the mixer 22 become uneven and uneven mixing of the foamable liquid and the gas occurs, it is possible to stably supply a good foam quality. become unable.

  Further, in the liquid introduction channel q of the present embodiment, the channel cross-sectional area of the second enlarged channel part q2 is configured to be larger than the total sum of the channel areas of the plurality of branch channel parts q3. Yes. As a result, the flow rate of the foamable liquid in the second enlarged flow path part q2 in the direction of the branch flow path part q3 is suppressed to be lower than the flow rate in the branch flow path part q3. For this reason, even when the flow passage cross-sectional area of the tubular body is changed to change the flow rate and flow velocity of the foamable liquid, the influence of the change in flow velocity is reduced, and the flow of the foamable liquid in the branch flow passage portion q3. Can be made uniform, and good foam quality can be obtained. In addition, it is desirable to adjust the flow path cross-sectional area of the second enlarged flow path part q2 to be 1.5 times or more and 3 times or less of the total of the cross-sectional area of the branch flow path part q3.

In the foam discharge container of the present embodiment, specifically, the flow path cross-sectional area of the flow path r of the tubular body 16 is about 3 mm ² , the cross-sectional area of the first enlarged flow path portion q 1 is about 5 mm ² , and the second The channel cross-sectional area of the enlarged channel part q2 is about 12.5 mm ² , and the channel cross-sectional area of one of the branch channel parts q3 formed by six channels is about 1 mm ² . The total of the cross-sectional areas of the six channels is about 6 mm ² .

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the inner plug 20 in the present embodiment.
The inner plug 20 is composed of an upper cylindrical portion 20A having an inverted convex shape and a two-stage cylindrical shape having different inner diameters, and a lower cylindrical portion 20B having a smaller diameter, and the upper cylindrical portion 20A includes A mixer 22 (not shown) is inserted from above while leaving a predetermined gap, while a tubular body 16 (not shown) is inserted into the lower cylindrical portion 20B from below.

As shown in FIG. 4, the inner wall of the upper cylindrical portion 20A of the inner plug 20 has a semicircular groove 20D having a predetermined width and depth in the vicinity of the upper end of the lower cylindrical portion 20B from the central stepped portion. Are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical cross section. In the present embodiment, the groove 20D creates a gap between the inner wall of the lower cylindrical portion 20B of the inner plug 20 and the outer wall of the lower cylindrical portion 22B of the mixer 22, thereby forming the liquid introduction path q. .
Further, on the inner wall of the upper cylindrical portion 20A of the inner plug 20, a notch-shaped groove 20C having a predetermined width and depth is evenly provided in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical cross section from the upper edge to the central step. Six are formed at intervals. In this embodiment, when the mixer 22 is inserted into the inner plug 20 by the groove 20C, the inner wall of the upper cylindrical portion 20A of the inner plug 20 and the outer wall of the upper cylindrical portion 22A of the mixer 22 A gap is created between them, and the air introduction path p is formed.

  In the present embodiment, six air introduction paths p and six liquid introduction paths q are formed by the groove 20C and the groove 20D with a predetermined width and depth, respectively, but the size and number of the grooves 20C and 20D are the same. Can adjust the amount of air and foamable liquid introduced into the mixer, and therefore the size or number of the grooves may be appropriately set according to the nature of the foamable liquid and the desired foam quality. .

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the liquid introduction path q is formed by providing the groove 20D on the inner wall of the upper cylindrical portion of the inner plug 20, the mixer 22 facing the inner wall of the upper cylindrical portion 20A. The liquid introduction path q may be formed by providing a similar groove on the outer wall of the lower cylindrical portion 22B. Similarly, in this embodiment, the air introduction path p is formed by providing the groove 20C on the inner wall of the upper cylindrical portion 20A of the inner plug 20, but it faces the inner wall of the upper cylindrical portion 20A. The air introduction path p may be formed by providing a similar groove on the outer wall of the upper cylindrical portion 22A of the mixer 22 that performs.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Foam discharge container 12 Container main body 14 Cover body 16 Pipe body 20 Inner plug 22 Mixer 24 Base cap 26 Tip nozzle 28 First mesh 30 Second mesh 32 Ball valve

Claims (4)

A container body made of an elastic material; a lid attached to the mouth of the container body; and a tube body that connects the inside of the body of the container body and the lid body; The foaming liquid contained in the body portion of the container body and the air existing in the upper space in the container body are mixed in a gas-liquid mixing chamber provided in the lid body to generate foam. In the foam discharge container for discharging the foam from the opening of the lid,
The lid is
A liquid introduction path that communicates with the inside of the body of the container body through the tube and introduces a foamable liquid into the gas-liquid mixing chamber;
An air introduction path that communicates with the upper space in the container body and introduces air into the gas-liquid mixing chamber;
Outside air that is closed when the container body is pressurized and seals the inside of the container body, and is opened when the container body is decompressed to communicate with the outside through the container body and to suck air from the outside. The inlet,
A gas-liquid mixing chamber that communicates with the liquid introduction path and the air introduction path, and mixes foamable liquid and air to form bubbles;
A bubble discharge passage communicating with the downstream side of the gas-liquid mixing chamber;
A foam outlet provided at the downstream end of the foam discharge passage, for discharging the foam to the outside;
Have
The liquid introduction path is
An enlarged flow path portion communicating with the tubular body and having a larger flow passage cross-sectional area than the tubular body;
The branch flow channel communicates with the enlarged flow channel portion, branches into a plurality of flow channel portions, and each of the branched flow channel portions has at least a branch flow channel portion communicating with the gas-liquid mixing chamber. The flow passage cross-sectional area of one flow passage portion in the passage portion is smaller than the flow passage cross-sectional area of the tube body, and the total sum of the flow passage cross-sectional areas of the plurality of flow passage portions in the branch flow passage portion is the tube body. A foam discharge container configured to be larger than a cross-sectional area of a flow path. In the foam discharge container according to claim 1,
The cross-sectional area of at least a part of the enlarged flow path part is configured to be larger than the total sum of the cross-sectional areas of a plurality of flow path parts in the branch flow path part. Foam discharge container. The foam discharge container according to claim 2,
The channel cross-sectional area of at least a part of the enlarged channel part is 1.5 times or more and 3 times or less of the total of the channel cross-sectional areas of the plurality of channel parts in the branch channel part. A foam discharge container. In the foam discharge container according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The air introduction path has a plurality of flow path portions;
The foam discharge container, wherein the air introduction path and the liquid introduction path are alternately arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the gas-liquid mixing chamber.

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