JP2013216335A - Tray for water server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tray for water server which can prevent water leakage between a needle and a plastic bag.SOLUTION: A plastic bag full of drinking water to be fed to a body section is loaded and set in a tray 3 for water server which includes a supporting surface 20 residing in a bottom section 19 of the tray 3 for water server and supporting the plastic bag, a needle receiving section 39 residing at a lowest position on a surface on a loading/setting side of the plastic bag in the bottom section 19 of the tray 3 for water server, and a needle 11 relatively moving in a vertical direction in the needle receiving section 39 and introducing drinking water in the plastic bag to the body section of a water server by piercing the bottom surface of the plastic bag. The needle receiving section 39 protrudes to be higher than a bottom surface position of the plastic bag when the plastic bag is loaded and set on assumption that the needle receiving section 39 is not present.

Description

  The present invention relates to a water server. In particular, the present invention relates to a water server tray for placing a plastic bag filled with drinking water in order to supply drinking water to a water server body.

  A so-called water server is used as a device for setting cold water and hot water by setting a gallon bottle containing drinking water in the upper part of the machine. The water server is installed in a home or the like and is mainly used as follows. That is, a gallon bottle filled with drinking water is distributed from a manufacturer or the like, and the user sets the distributed gallon bottle on the top of the water server. And if a user pushes a switch when drinking water, drinking water will be supplied to a cup.

  By the way, in the case of the water server used by filling a gallon bottle with drinking water and providing it to the user, there are the following problems. In other words, there is a problem in that a distributor who distributes gallon bottles to users needs to collect the gallon bottles that have been emptied for reuse, and thus it takes time to collect the gallon bottles. In addition, there is a problem that the user side needs to store an empty gallon bottle until the contractor collects the gallon bottle, and a storage space must be secured. Furthermore, due to the hygiene problem due to repeated reuse of gallon bottles and the structure in which drinking water must be supplied to the water server body while inflating the gallon bottle when using the water server, There is a problem that various germs invade and propagate.

  Then, instead of filling drinking water into a gallon bottle, for example, a water server for filling drinking water in a plastic bag made of a plastic film such as a plastic bag and supplying drinking water has been developed (for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the water server disclosed in Patent Document 1, a hole is formed in a plastic bag by a needle provided in a bottle holder (water server tray) for setting a plastic bag filled with drinking water, and formed in the needle. The drinking water filled in the plastic bag is supplied to the water server body through the flow path.

  Moreover, the needle provided in the bottle holder has a pointed shape with a thin and sharp tip so that a hole can be made in the plastic bag. For this reason, in order to prevent injuries at the sharp tip of this needle, a bottle holder with a mechanism in which the needle is housed in the bottom of the bottle holder and does not protrude when the plastic bag is not set in the bottle holder is proposed (Patent Document 2).

  That is, in Patent Document 2, by pressing the bottle holder toward the water server main body from the top to the bottom, the needle urged and housed by the spring below the bottom of the bottle holder is pushed upward and protrudes. It has become. A hole is formed in the plastic bag by the protruding needle, and the drinking water filled in the plastic bag can be supplied to the water server body.

  By the way, in the case of the water server which fills a plastic bag with drinking water and supplies drinking water like patent document 1 and 2 mentioned above, water may leak from between a plastic bag and a needle. In particular, when the drinking water in the plastic bag decreases, the adhesion between the plastic bag and the needle decreases, and a gap is formed between the needle and the plastic bag, and the drinking water leaks from this gap.

  Therefore, a needle provided with a non-slip portion made of rubber has been proposed (Patent Document 3). In patent document 3, the adhesiveness of the plastic bag filled with drinking water and a needle can be improved by providing a non-slip | skid part in a needle.

JP 2011-44646 A Registered Utility Model No. 3164948 Registered Utility Model No. 3168193

  By the way, Patent Document 3 has a configuration in which a non-slip portion is provided on the needle in order to improve the adhesion of the portion where the plastic bag (plastic bag) and the needle are in contact with each other. That is, Patent Document 3 is an invention made by paying attention to the needle.

  However, when the plastic bag is stored in the water server tray (bottle holder), if the plastic bag is wrinkled, the wrinkle becomes a factor that inhibits the adhesion between the plastic bag and the needle. In particular, many wrinkles are formed in a plastic bag which is formed of a thin plastic film and whose outer shape is easily deformed by the influence of external pressure or the like. For this reason, in such a plastic bag whose outer shape is easily deformed, the generation of wrinkles is a particularly serious problem as a factor that hinders adhesion to the needle.

  Therefore, the inventors focused on how to devise a water server tray on which the plastic bag is installed so as to suppress the generation of wrinkles in the plastic bag.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such a new problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a water server tray capable of preventing water leakage between a needle and a plastic bag. To do.

  A water server tray according to the present invention is a water server tray on which a plastic bag filled with drinking water to be supplied to a water server body is placed in order to solve the above-described problems, and the water server tray A support surface for supporting the plastic bag, a needle receiving portion provided at the lowest position on the surface on the side where the plastic bag is placed, at the bottom of the water server tray, A needle that moves relative to the inside of the needle receiving portion in the vertical direction, pierces the bottom surface of the plastic bag, and guides the drinking water in the plastic bag to the water server body, and the needle receiving portion includes the needle. From the bottom position of the plastic bag when the plastic bag is placed with no receiving part Projects upward.

  According to the configuration described above, the needle receiving portion is provided at the lowest position on the surface on the side where the plastic bag is placed in the bottom portion of the water server tray. For this reason, the lowest position on the bottom surface of the plastic bag contacts the needle receiving portion. The bottom portion of the plastic bag that comes into contact with the needle receiving portion is lifted upward. As described above, when the bottom surface of the plastic bag is lifted by the needle receiving portion, a force (tension) that pulls the plastic film forming the plastic bag toward the support surface acts on the lifted portion. Due to this tension, the wrinkles formed in the plastic film are stretched, and as a result, the wrinkles are eliminated in the vicinity of the apex of the raised portion of the plastic bag.

  Further, the needle is configured to move relatively in the vertical direction within the needle receiving portion and pierce the plastic bag. For this reason, the needle can pierce the bottom portion of the plastic bag lifted by the needle receiving portion, and can lead the drinking water in the plastic bag to the water server body.

  Here, as described above, the bottom portion (plastic film portion) of the plastic bag into which the needle pierces is in a state where wrinkles are eliminated and a force pulled toward the support surface is working. For this reason, when the needle pierces the plastic bag, a hole corresponding to the shape of the tip of the needle is formed in the plastic bag, and the outer surface of the needle extending from the tip and the broken portion of the plastic film abut. The torn portion of the plastic film is stretched in the needle movement direction (upward) due to the ductility of the plastic film, and the plastic film is entangled and stuck to the outer surface of the needle. That is, the needle and the plastic bag (plastic film) are brought into close contact with each other by surface contact. Thereby, a high sealing effect can be exhibited between the plastic film of the plastic bag and the needle.

  Therefore, the water server tray according to the present invention has the effect of preventing water leakage between the needle and the plastic bag.

  In the water server tray according to the present invention, in the above-described configuration, a drop portion that falls so as to be lower than the height position of the support surface may be formed on the outer periphery of the needle receiving portion.

  According to the configuration described above, the depression portion is formed on the outer periphery of the needle receiving portion. For this reason, in a plastic bag, it will be in the state which force generate | occur | produced toward this depression part by moving toward this depression part where the drinking water in a plastic bag became low.

  Here, when the plastic bag part in a state where such a force toward the sagging part is generated is lifted by the needle receiving part, and when the plastic bag is lifted by the needle receiving part without the sagging part being formed Compare with. At this time, if the height at which the plastic bag is lifted is the same, the tension applied to the plastic film is greater in the former than in the latter. In other words, when the same tension is applied to the plastic film, the former can lift the plastic bag lower than the latter.

  For this reason, when the depression part is formed, the needle receiving part lowers the height of the needle bag so as to protrude above the bottom position of the plastic bag when the plastic bag is placed on the assumption that the needle receiving part is not provided. be able to.

  Therefore, in the water server tray according to the present invention, it is possible to cope with the case where it is desired to suppress the height at which the needle receiving portion protrudes.

  Moreover, the tray for water servers which concerns on this invention may be further provided with the buffer part which shape changes according to the pressure which acts from the said plastic bag in the front-end | tip part of the said needle receiving part in the above-mentioned structure.

  Here, the buffer portion can be realized by, for example, an elastic material having flexibility such as a sponge made by foaming a synthetic resin such as polymer gel, elastomer, silicon, or polyurethane.

  According to the above configuration, since the buffer portion is provided at the tip portion of the needle receiving portion, the tip portion of the needle receiving portion may have a shape along the shape of the plastic bag that is deformed by being lifted by the needle receiving portion. it can. For this reason, uniform tension can be generated in the plastic film in the plastic bag portion lifted by the needle receiving portion.

  For this reason, after a needle stabs into a plastic bag, a plastic film can carry out surface contact substantially uniformly along the outer periphery of a needle. In this way, since the plastic film is in surface contact with the needle substantially uniformly along the outer periphery of the needle, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the surface that partially contacts becomes small and water leaks therefrom.

  Therefore, a more stable sealing effect can be exhibited between the plastic film of the plastic bag and the needle.

  Moreover, the tray for water servers which concerns on this invention WHEREIN: The above-mentioned structure WHEREIN: The said needle receiving part may be comprised with the flexible elastic material from which a shape deform | transforms according to the pressure which acts from the said plastic bag. Here, examples of the flexible elastic material include a sponge made by foaming a synthetic resin such as polymer gel, elastomer, silicone, or polyurethane.

  According to the above configuration, since the needle receiving portion is made of a flexible elastic material, the needle receiving portion can be shaped along the shape of the plastic bag that is deformed by being lifted by the needle receiving portion. . For this reason, uniform tension can be generated in the plastic film in the plastic bag portion lifted by the needle receiving portion.

  For this reason, after a needle stabs into a plastic bag, a plastic film can carry out surface contact substantially uniformly along the outer periphery of a needle. Thus, since the plastic film is in surface contact with the needle substantially uniformly along the outer periphery of the needle, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the surface that makes partial contact becomes small and water leaks therefrom.

  Therefore, a more stable sealing effect can be exhibited between the plastic film of the plastic bag and the needle.

  The water server tray according to the present invention is configured as described above, and has an effect of preventing water leakage between the needle and the plastic bag.

It is a figure which shows an example of schematic structure of the water server which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the principal part structure of the tray for water servers with which the water server shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is the side view which showed typically an example of the form which looked at the plastic bag which concerns on this Embodiment from the side. It is the top view which showed typically an example of the form which looked at the plastic bag which concerns on this Embodiment toward the downward direction from the upper direction. It is a top view which shows an example of the planar shape of the tray for water servers shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the principal part structure of the needle accommodating part with which the tray for water servers shown in FIG. 2 is provided. In the water server which concerns on this Embodiment, it is a figure which shows an example of the attachment state which attached the tray for water servers to the main-body part. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the positional relationship of the supply port shielding part and the needle receiving part in the drinking water supply port with which the tray for water servers which concerns on embodiment of this invention is provided. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the positional relationship of the supply port shielding part and the needle receiving part in the drinking water supply port with which the tray for water servers which concerns on embodiment of this invention is provided.

  Hereinafter, a specific configuration example of the water server 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout all the drawings, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

(Water server configuration)
The configuration of the water server 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a water server 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a main configuration of the water server tray 3 provided in the water server 1 illustrated in FIG. 1.

  The water server 1 according to the present embodiment is an instrument that provides cold water and hot water by setting a plastic bag 10 filled with drinking water at the top of the machine. In this embodiment, the plastic bag 10 is filled with drinking water such as natural water. The plastic bag 10 filled with drinking water has a structure consisting of an inner layer, an intermediate layer, and an outer layer, and is molded using a low-density polyethylene for the inner layer, nylon for the intermediate layer, and a plastic film made of unstretched polypropylene for the outer layer. It may be what you did. Alternatively, the plastic bag 10 may be molded using a plastic film having a two-layer structure using polyethylene or PET (polyethylene terephthalate) having different properties. The plastic bag 10 is a material that is easy to stick to the surface of the needle 11 as much as possible when a hole is opened by a needle 11 to be described later, and that does not allow harmful substances to dissolve in the filled drinking water. It is preferable that the material is made of a material having sufficient strength against the pressure.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the water server 1 includes a main body (water server main body) 2 and a water server tray 3 placed on the upper portion of the main body 2.

  The main body 2 receives drinking water from the plastic bag 10 set in the water server tray 3 and provides the user with the supplied drinking water as cold water or hot water. In this embodiment, the exterior of the main body 2 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that extends long in the vertical direction (vertical direction). The main body 2 includes a cooling tank 21 that cools and holds drinking water by a cooling device (not shown) and a heating tank 22 that heats and holds drinking water by a heater (not shown). In addition, the main body 2 is provided with a cold water discharge port 23 for discharging cold water cooled in the cooling tank 21 and a hot water discharge port 24 for discharging hot water heated in the heating tank 22. ing. In the main body 2, a heating tank 22 is disposed below the cooling tank 21, and a part of the drinking water that has been sent to the cooling tank 21 is sent to the heating tank 22.

  The water server 1 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which two discharge ports, a cold water discharge port 23 and a hot water discharge port 24, are provided outside the main body 2, but for cold water and hot water. It is good also as a structure provided only with one discharge port which serves as both. When comprised in this way, the main-body part 2 will have a switching mechanism so that the cold water from the cooling tank 21 and the hot water from the heating tank 22 can each be switched and discharged to a discharge port.

  In FIG. 1, the side on which the cold water discharge port 23 and the hot water discharge port 24 are provided is the front side, and the side facing the front side (the back side in FIG. 1) is the rear side. In the water server 1, the side on which the water server tray 3 is disposed is the upper side, and the side on which the main body 2 is disposed is the lower side.

  Although details will be described later on the upper surface 25 of the main body 2, insertion holes (not shown) for inserting the leg portions 12 a to 12 d of the water server tray 3 at the four corners, and a needle accommodating portion 13 described later. A receiving portion 26 that is recessed downward is formed.

  The water server tray 3 is a tray that functions as a cradle for the plastic bag 10 when the plastic bag 10 filled with drinking water is set in the water server 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the water server tray 3 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with the top opened, and the plastic bag 10 is inserted from above. The inserted plastic bag 10 is placed on the bottom 19 of the water server tray 3.

  In the present embodiment, the size relationship between the size of the plastic bag 10 and the size of the water server tray 3 is set to be as follows. Here, the size of the water server tray 3 used for comparison is a projection area (horizontal projection area) when the water server tray 3 is viewed downward in the vertical direction. More precisely, the water server tray 3 is configured such that the inner dimension is larger on the upper side than the lower side, and the storage chamber 4 (FIG. 2) is a lower compartment having a smaller inner dimension. Horizontal projection area).

  Further, the size of the plastic bag 10 is a horizontal projected area in the assumed state when it is assumed that the plastic bag 10 fully filled with drinking water is maintained without being deformed.

  Based on the above assumption, the size relationship between the size of the plastic bag 10 and the size of the water server tray 3 is set so that the size of the water server tray 3 is selected in a range of 80% or more of the size of the plastic bag 10. Has been. When set in such a range, the amount of wrinkles generated in the plastic bag 10 placed on the water server tray 3 can be reduced.

  Further, a cylindrical drinking water supply port 30 extending downward is formed at the bottom 19 of the water server tray 3. The drinking water supply port 30 functions as a receiving port for supplying drinking water filled in the plastic bag 10 to the main body 2. Furthermore, a cylindrical needle housing portion 13 having a diameter smaller than that of the drinking water supply port 30 is provided below the drinking water supply port 30. As will be described in detail later, the needle housing portion 13 houses a needle 11 for opening a hole in the plastic bag 10 set in the water server tray 3.

  In addition, four legs 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d are also provided at the four corners of the bottom 19 of the water server tray 3. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the rear leg portions 12c and 12d are not shown because they are the back surfaces of the front leg portions 12a and 12b.

  The water server tray 3 is detachable from the main body 2. That is, the leg portions 12 a to 12 d can be fixed to the main body portion 2 by being inserted into insertion holes (not shown) provided in the main body portion 2 and inserted into the receiving portion 26 of the needle accommodating portion 13. On the contrary, the leg portions 12a to 12d can be removed from the main body portion 2 by being extracted from the insertion hole or by being extracted from the receiving portion 26 of the needle accommodating portion 13.

  The plastic bag 10 set in the water server 1 according to the present embodiment has a so-called pillow shape as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 by sealing both ends of the cylindrical plastic film. Molded. And the inside of this plastic bag 10 is filled with drinking water. FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing an example of a form of the plastic bag 10 according to the present embodiment viewed from the side. FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing an example of a form in which the plastic bag 10 according to the present embodiment is viewed from above to below. 3 and 4 show a state in which the plastic bag 10 is filled with water. As shown in FIG. 4, the planar shape of the plastic bag 10, that is, the shape when viewed from the upper side to the lower side is substantially rectangular, which is similar to the planar shape of the water server tray 3.

(Configuration of tray for water server)
Next, the configuration of the water server tray 3 will be described more specifically with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7 in addition to FIG. 2 described above. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an example of a planar shape of the water server tray 3 shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a configuration of a main part of the needle accommodating portion 13 provided in the water server tray 3 illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an attached state in which the water server tray 3 is attached to the main body 2 in the water server 1 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the water server tray 3 has an outer wall 18 erected in the vertical direction and a bottom portion 19 inclined in a mortar shape toward the center of the water server tray 3 at the lower end portion of the outer wall 18. Prepare.

  The outer side wall 18 forms the side surface of the water server tray 3. The cross-sectional shape (the cross-sectional shape surrounded and formed by the outer wall 18) of the water server tray 3 in the horizontal direction is substantially similar to the horizontal projection surface shape of the plastic bag 10, that is, a substantially rectangular shape. It has become. However, in the water server tray 3, the upper dimension is larger in the upper side than in the lower side. That is, the outer wall 18 is stepped so that the inner dimension of the water server tray 3 increases as it goes upward.

  For this reason, a plastic bag 10 filled with drinking water is introduced from above with a larger inner dimension, and the plastic bag 10 is stored in a predetermined position in a lower compartment having a smaller inner dimension, that is, the storage chamber 4. It has become. At this time, the plastic bag 10 is held in a state of being placed on the bottom 19 surface.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom portion 19 surrounds the outer periphery of the cylindrical drinking water supply port 30 disposed so as to extend downward in the center and the uppermost position of the drinking water supply port 30. And a support surface 20 that supports the plastic bag 10 formed in the water server tray 3. In addition, the drinking water supply port 30 is closed by a supply port shielding part 37.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper surface of the supply port shielding part 37 is a drop port from the support surface 20 to the drinking water supply port 30 (boundary between the support surface 20 and the drinking water supply port 30). Is located. That is, the supply port shielding part 37 is disposed at the uppermost position of the drinking water supply port 30 and at the height position B in FIG. Here, the height position of B is referred to as a reference position B. Although this reference position B can be said to be the uppermost position of the drinking water supply port 30 as described above, it is a depression that starts to fall downward from the support surface 20 along the direction in which the drinking water supply port 30 extends. It can also be said.

  The support surface 20 is a surface that supports the placed plastic bag 10 and has a so-called mortar shape that is gently inclined toward the drinking water supply port 30. For this reason, when the plastic bag 10 is put into the water server tray 3, the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the plastic bag 10 is supported by the support surface 20, and the central portion of the bottom surface protrudes upward from the supply port shielding portion 37. It will be in the state lifted by the needle receiving part 39 mentioned later.

  The inner surface of the support surface 20 (the surface on the side in contact with the plastic bag 10) is made of a material that does not exert a large frictional force on the plastic bag 10. In order to prevent a large frictional force from acting between the inner surface of the support surface 20 and the plastic bag 10, the inner surface of the support surface 20 may be coated with, for example, fluorine or silicon, or contain fluorine or silicon. A sheet may be attached. Or you may form the support surface 20 as a material which added the slidability improvement agent. Examples of slidability improvers include oil lubricants, synthetic lubricants, natural waxes, metal soaps, olefin resins, fluororesins, silicone resins, polyester resins, and other polymer lubricants, or molybdenum disulfide or graphite. Solid lubricants can be used.

  As described above, the external shape of the drinking water supply port 30 is a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction and downward in the center of the bottom portion 19. A cylindrical needle accommodating portion 13 having a diameter smaller than that of the drinking water supply port 30 and extending downward from the drinking water supply port 30 is formed below the drinking water supply port 30. . Moreover, as above-mentioned, the drinking water supply port 30 is obstruct | occluded the inside by the supply port shielding part 37 in the uppermost position (the height position of B of FIG. 2). As will be described later, a sagging portion can be formed on the outer periphery of the needle receiving portion 39 by disposing the supply port shielding portion 37 at a position lower than the uppermost position of the drinking water supply port 30.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the supply port shielding portion 37 has a circular shape corresponding to the inner peripheral shape of the drinking water supply port 30. On the other hand, the cross-sectional shape of the supply port shielding part 37 is T-shaped as shown in FIG. 2, and the inside is hollow so that the needle 11 can be inserted. A needle receiving portion 39 protruding upward from the supply port shielding portion 37 is disposed at the center of the supply port shielding portion 37. A through hole 34 communicating with the hollow portion of the supply port shielding portion 37 is formed at the center of the needle receiving portion 39. When the plastic bag 10 is set in the water server tray 3, the through hole 34 is formed. The needle 11 projects upward from below through 34, and can penetrate the bottom surface of the plastic bag 10.

  Note that the radius of the through hole 34 is larger than the radius of the cross-sectional shape of the needle 11 in the horizontal direction, but it is preferable to have a size that does not cause a large gap between the through hole 34 and the needle 11. Specifically, for example, the gap between the through hole 34 and the needle 11 is preferably 1 mm or less. When configured in this manner, the plastic film does not enter the gap when the plastic bag 10 is placed, and wrinkles are not formed.

  The needle receiving part 39 lifts the bottom part of the plastic bag 10 pierced by the needle 11 upward. Further, the needle receiving portion 39 receives the needle 11 protruding from below after the plastic bag 10 is set in the water server tray 3 so that the needle 11 sticks into the plastic bag 10 in a state of protruding in the vertical direction. It is also something that helps. The proximal end portion of the needle receiving portion 39 is fixed inside the supply port shielding portion 37.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the needle receiving portion 39 has a hemispherical shape (dome shape) having a predetermined curvature, and the needle receiving portion 39 is a plan view. The diameter of the horizontal projection plane shape is 26 mm, for example. However, the shape of the needle receiving portion 39 is not limited to this. As will be described later, the bottom surface of the plastic bag 10 lifted by the needle receiving portion 39 protrudes upward from the support surface 20. The needle receiving portion 39 may have a shape that does not hinder the overhanging state.

  In particular, the curve of the curved surface at the tip of the needle receiving portion 39 is preferably such that the plastic film forming the plastic bag 10 can be in close contact with the needle receiving portion 39 without sagging.

  In addition, a ring-shaped cushion portion (buffer portion) 33 is disposed at the distal end portion of the needle receiving portion 39 and on the outer periphery of the through hole 34. The cushion part 33 should just be a thing in which a shape deform | transforms according to the pressure which acts from the plastic bag 10. FIG. For example, it may be formed from a polymer gel mainly composed of a copolymer of polyethylene and styrene. More specifically, the cushion portion 33 is composed of such a main agent and oil, and the structure thereof has a stitch structure formed by the main agent. The oil is paraffinic oil. The cushion part 33 should just be a flexible elastic material, and is not limited to the polymer gel mentioned above. For example, it may be an elastomer or silicon. Alternatively, a sponge made by foaming a synthetic resin such as polyurethane may be used.

  The needle 11 and the cushion part 33 are preferably coated with a so-called antibacterial agent, which is an antibacterial substance.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the needle housing part 13 includes a needle 11, a spring 14, a needle holder 15, a joint part 16, and a pipe receiving part 17. An opening 36 is formed at the lower end of the needle housing portion 13.

  The needle 11 is for making a hole in the plastic bag 10 and has an elongated cylindrical shape with a sharp pointed tip. An opening 47 is formed at the tip of the needle 11, and a flow path is formed in the needle 11 so as to communicate with the opening 47 and send drinking water toward the lower main body 2.

  The joint 16 joins the needle 11 to the needle holder 15, and one end thereof covers the outer periphery of the lower end (base end side) of the needle 11 with the needle 11. The other end is inserted into the needle holder 15 and fixed. The joint portion 16 has a cylindrical shape in which the outer diameter of the center portion is larger than the outer diameter of both end portions in the vertical direction, so-called narrowed both ends (see FIGS. 2 and 6). And the junction part 16 is hollow so that the outer periphery of the needle 11 can be covered and can hold | maintain the needle 11, and the drinking water sent through the needle 11 can be sent toward the main body part 2 below. It has become.

  The needle holder 15 holds the needle 11 joined through the joint portion 16 in the needle housing portion 13, and an internal pipe 27 (see FIG. 10 described later) provided in the main body portion 2. It accepts and joins with this internal piping 27. As shown in FIG. 6, the needle holder 15 has a cylindrical shape along the inner periphery of the needle housing portion 13, and the end surface (upper side end surface) on which the joint portion 16 is inserted and fixed has a joint portion. 16 is recessed downwards so that 16 can be received. Further, a pipe receiving part 17 for receiving and accommodating the internal pipe 27 connected to the cooling tank 21 in the main body part 2 is provided on the end face (lower end face) opposite to the side where the joint part 16 is fixed. Is formed. In the needle holder 15, the drinking water that circulates in the joint portion 16 passes through the pipe receiving portion 17 between the portion where the joint portion 16 is inserted and the portion where the pipe receiving portion 17 is formed. A flow path is formed so as to flow through the pipe 27 (see FIG. 7).

  When the water server tray 3 containing the plastic bag 10 is not placed on the main body 2, the needle holder 15 is accommodated by the spring 14 disposed in the space between the drinking water supply port 30. It is pressed to the lower side of the portion 13 (see, for example, FIG. 2). For this reason, the needle 11 is arranged in a state of being accommodated in the needle accommodating portion 13.

  The pipe receiving portion 17 has a cylindrical shape whose outer peripheral dimension is smaller than that of the needle holder 15, and inside the pipe 27, as shown in FIGS. It is hollow in the shape along the outer periphery.

  Then, when the water server tray 3 containing the plastic bag 10 is placed on the upper portion of the main body 2, the tip of the internal pipe 27 is inserted into the hollow portion of the pipe receiving part 17, and fitted into the pipe receiving part 17. Is pushed upward. Thereby, the needle 11 accommodated in the needle accommodating part 13 penetrates the through-hole 34 of the drinking water supply port 30 arrange | positioned above the needle accommodating part 13, and protrudes.

(Needle protrusion mechanism)
Next, the protrusion mechanism of the needle 11 penetrating the plastic bag 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 7 described above.

  Specifically, the needle 11 passes through the through hole 34 and protrudes from the bottom portion 19 (needle receiving portion 39 of the drinking water supply port 30) as follows. That is, before the water server tray 3 on which the plastic bag 10 is placed is attached to the main body 2, as shown in FIG. 2, the needle holder 15 is pressed below the needle housing portion 13 by the spring 14. The pipe receiving part 17 is in a state of projecting from an opening part 36 provided below the needle housing part 13. A plastic bag 10 filled with drinking water is set in the water server tray 3 and placed on the main body 2. More specifically, the leg portions 12 a to 12 d are inserted and fixed in the four insertion holes formed in the upper surface 25 of the main body portion 2, and the needle accommodating portion 13 protruding downward is arranged at the center portion of the upper surface 25. It is fixed by being fitted into the receiving portion 26 formed in the above.

  The receiving portion 26 is adjacent to the cooling tank 21 at the bottom, and an internal pipe 27 communicating with the inside of the cooling tank 21 passes through the center of the bottom of the receiving portion 26 and protrudes upward. For this reason, when the needle accommodating part 13 is fitted into the receiving part 26, the internal pipe 27 and the pipe receiving part 17 are fitted, and the needle holder 15 is pushed upward in the needle accommodating part 13 through the pipe receiving part 17. As a result, the needle 11 joined to the needle holder 15 via the joint portion 16 moves upward along the insertion path 35 and protrudes upward from the through hole 34. The needle 11 is pierced into the plastic bag 10 set in the water server tray 3 and opens a hole in the plastic bag 10.

  As described above, since the needle 11 is accommodated in the needle accommodating portion 13 before the water server tray 3 is attached to the main body portion 2, the user is prevented from being injured at the tip of the needle 11. Can do.

(Positional relationship between supply port shield and needle receiver)
Here, with reference to FIG. 8, the positional relationship of the supply port shielding part 37 and the needle receiving part 39 in the drinking water supply port 30 is demonstrated. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the positional relationship between the supply port shielding portion 37 and the needle receiving portion 39 in the drinking water supply port 30 provided in the water server tray 3 according to the present embodiment.

  The inventor has found that it is effective to prevent water leakage by penetrating the needle 11 through the plastic bag 10 in a state where the portion of the bottom surface of the plastic bag 10 through which the needle 11 penetrates is lifted upward. . In particular, it was found that water leakage can be more effectively prevented by adjusting the protruding amount of the needle receiving portion 39 protruding from the upper surface of the supply port shielding portion 37.

  More specifically, when the height of the upper surface of the supply port shielding portion 37 (the surface on the side in contact with the set plastic bag 10) is set to the height position of the reference position B as shown in FIG. If the protruding amount h of the needle receiving portion 39 protruding upward from the reference position B is 3 mm, the occurrence of water leakage could not be prevented satisfactorily. However, when the protruding amount h of the needle receiving portion 39 protruding upward from the reference position B is 5 mm or more, no water leak occurred. Here, the reference position B is the bottom surface position of the plastic bag 10 when the plastic bag 10 is placed on the assumption that the needle receiving portion 39 is not provided.

  Here, the principle capable of preventing water leakage will be described through a state change of the plastic bag 10 until the needle 11 pierces the plastic bag 10. That is, when the user fills the water server tray 3 with the plastic bag 10 filled with drinking water, the plastic bag 10 is pushed downward by the weight of the filled drinking water, The outer periphery is supported by the support surface 20. On the other hand, the center of the bottom surface of the plastic bag 10 is lifted upward by the needle receiver 39 as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the center portion of the bottom surface of the plastic bag 10 is lifted from the reference position B by about 5 mm. As described above, when the bottom surface of the plastic bag 10 is lifted by the needle receiving portion 39, a force (tension) for pulling the plastic film forming the plastic bag 10 toward the support surface 20 acts on the lifted portion. Due to this tension, wrinkles formed in the plastic film are stretched, and as a result, the wrinkles are eliminated in the vicinity of the apex of the raised portion of the plastic bag 10.

  Thereafter, the needle 11 pierces the plastic bag 10 portion lifted by the needle receiving portion 39. That is, the tip of the needle 11 breaks and pierces the plastic film forming the plastic bag 10. The portion pierced by the needle 11 is in a state in which wrinkles are eliminated as described above and tension is applied to the plastic film. For this reason, the plastic bag 10 can be formed with a hole having a size corresponding to the shape of the tip of the needle 11. That is, it is possible to prevent the formation of a hole that is significantly larger than the outer peripheral dimension of the tip.

  Thus, in the needle 11, since the hole of the dimension according to the shape of the tip portion can be formed, the outer surface of the needle 11 extending straight from the tip portion and the portion where the plastic film is torn Abut. The portion where the plastic film is in contact with the needle 11 is stretched in the moving direction (upward) of the needle 11 due to the ductility of the plastic film, and as a result, the plastic film is entangled and stuck to the outer surface of the needle 11. (See FIG. 8). That is, the needle 11 and the plastic bag 10 (plastic film) are in surface contact.

  As described above, the needle 11 and the plastic bag 10 (plastic film) are brought into close contact with each other, so that a high sealing effect can be exhibited.

  And when the inventor earnestly examined, it turned out that the height difference required in order to make sufficient tension | pulling force work below so that the wrinkle of the plastic bag 10 may not arise in this needle receiving part 39 is 5 mm or more.

  Furthermore, as described above, the tip of the needle receiving portion 39 is provided with the cushion portion 33. For this reason, the tip end portion of the needle receiving portion 39 can be shaped along the shape of the plastic bag 10 deformed by being lifted by the needle receiving portion 39. For this reason, in the plastic bag 10 part lifted by the needle receiving part 39, uniform tension can be generated in the plastic film.

  For this reason, after the needle 11 pierces the plastic bag 10, the plastic film can be brought into surface contact substantially uniformly along the outer periphery of the needle 11. Thus, since the plastic film is in surface contact with the needle 11 substantially uniformly along the outer periphery of the needle 11, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a partially contacting surface becomes small and water leaks therefrom. .

  Therefore, a more stable sealing effect can be exhibited between the plastic film of the plastic bag 10 and the needle 11.

(Modification)
In the present embodiment, the position of the upper surface of the supply port shielding portion 37 in the drinking water supply port 30 of the water server tray 3 is configured to coincide with the reference position B. However, the position of the supply port shielding part 37 may be arranged further downward in the drinking water supply port 30. For example, the inventor arranged the upper surface position of the supply port shielding part 37 to be a position 3 mm lower than the reference position B as shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the positional relationship between the supply port shielding portion 37 and the needle receiving portion 39 in the drinking water supply port 30 provided in the water server tray 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  At this time, the distance from the reference position B to the tip position where the plastic bag 10 has fallen into the drinking water supply port 30 when the plastic bag 10 is placed on the assumption that the needle receiving portion 39 is not provided is the drop amount f. To do. Further, a virtual state in which the plastic bag 10 falls into the drinking water supply port 30 when the plastic bag 10 is placed on the assumption that there is no needle receiving portion 39 is indicated by a one-dot chain line as a virtual state D. Here, for the convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the sagging amount f matches the distance from the reference position B to the upper surface position of the supply port shielding portion 37.

  As a result of intensive studies in such a configuration, when the protruding amount h of the needle receiving portion 39 from the reference position B is 3 mm (that is, when the protruding amount from the supply port shielding portion 37 is 6 mm), the plastic bag 10 and the needle It was discovered that there was no water leak from between 11. As a result of further experiments, it has been found that water leakage can be prevented if the tip position of the needle receiving portion 39 is 3 mm or more from the height position where the tip position is lowered from the reference position B by the drop amount f. That is, it is understood that water leakage can be prevented if the plastic bag 10 is placed without the needle receiving portion 39 and is 3 mm or more from the bottom surface of the plastic bag 10 dropped into the drinking water supply port 30. It was.

  In other words, when the upper surface position of the supply port shielding part 37 is arranged so as to be lowered by a predetermined distance from the reference position B (in other words, the depression part that is lower than the position of the support surface 20 on the outer periphery of the needle receiving part 39) The following effects can be further obtained with respect to prevention of water leakage between the plastic bag 10 and the needle 11.

  That is, when the upper surface position of the supply port shielding part 37 is arranged so as to be lowered by a predetermined distance from the reference position B, the plastic bag 10 falls on the supply port shielding part 37 due to the weight of the filled drinking water. A dip occurs.

  In the sagging portion of the plastic bag 10, the potable water filled in the plastic bag 10 moves toward the sagging portion where the drinking water has become low, so that a force toward the sagging portion is generated.

  Here, when the plastic bag 10 part in a state where such a force toward the depressed part is generated is lifted by the needle receiving part 39, the plastic bag 10 is moved to the needle receiving part 39 in a state where the depressed part is not formed. Compare with the case of lifting by. At this time, if the height at which the plastic bag 10 is lifted is the same, the tension applied to the plastic film is greater in the former than in the latter. In other words, when the same tension is applied to the plastic film, the former can lift the plastic bag lower than the latter.

  For this reason, when the above-described depression portion is formed, the needle receiving portion 39 protrudes above the bottom surface position of the plastic bag 10 when the plastic bag 10 is placed on the assumption that the needle receiving portion 39 is not provided. The height to be made can be lowered.

  Moreover, although the needle receiving part 39 which concerns on this Embodiment is formed with hard plastic resin, it is not limited to this. For example, the needle receiver 39 may be formed of a flexible elastic material such as a sponge made by foaming a synthetic resin such as silicon, elastomer, polymer gel, or polyurethane. Thus, when the needle receiving part 39 is formed of a flexible elastic material, when it contacts the plastic bag 10, the needle receiving part 39 itself is deformed in accordance with the deformation of the plastic bag 10 itself. For this reason, the needle receiving part 39 can be made into the shape along the shape of the plastic bag 10 which deform | transformed by being lifted by this needle receiving part 39. FIG. Therefore, in the plastic bag 10 portion lifted by the needle receiving portion 39, uniform tension can be generated in the plastic film.

  For this reason, after the needle 11 pierces the plastic bag 10, the plastic film can make surface contact substantially uniformly along the outer periphery of the outer surface of the needle 11. Thus, since the plastic film is in surface contact with the needle 11 substantially uniformly along the outer periphery of the needle 11, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a partially contacting surface becomes small and water leaks therefrom. .

  Further, in the water server tray 3 according to the present embodiment, the needle receiving portion 39 is configured to be joined to the supply port shielding portion 37. However, the support surface 20, the supply port shielding portion 37, and the needle receiving portion 39 may be integrally formed at the bottom of the water server tray 3.

  Moreover, although the upper surface of the supply port shielding part 37 was a flat shape in the horizontal direction, it is not limited to this. For example, it may have a shape that is recessed in a mortar shape toward the center of the supply port shielding portion 37.

  Moreover, although the drinking water supply port 30 was located in the center in the bottom part 19 of the tray 3 for water servers, it is not limited to this. For example, the drinking water supply port 30 may be provided near one end portion of the bottom portion 19. Thus, the position where the drinking water supply port 30 is provided is arbitrary at the bottom portion 19. For this reason, the position at which the supply port shielding part 37 is provided is also arbitrary at the bottom part 19. Accordingly, the position where the needle receiving portion 39 is provided is also arbitrary at the bottom portion 19, but the needle receiving portion 39 may be provided at the lowest position on the surface of the bottom portion 19 on which the plastic bag 10 is placed. Is preferred. In other words, when the plastic bag 10 is placed on the water server tray 3 on the assumption that the needle receiving portion 39 is not provided, the needle receiving portion 19 is located at a position corresponding to the position where the bottom surface of the plastic bag 10 is lowest. Is preferably provided.

  From the foregoing description, many modifications and other embodiments of the present invention are obvious to one skilled in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be construed as illustrative only and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. The details of the structure and / or function may be substantially changed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  According to the present invention, liquid leakage can be prevented between a plastic bag filled with a liquid and a needle for opening a hole in the plastic bag. In particular, it can be effectively used in a water server in which drinking water is supplied by a plastic bag filled with drinking water.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water server 2 Main body part 3 Water server tray 10 Plastic bag 11 Needle 13 Needle accommodating part 14 Spring 15 Needle holder 18 Outer side wall 19 Bottom part 20 Support surface 30 Drinking water supply port 33 Cushion part 34 Through-hole 37 Supply port shielding part 39 Needle receiving part 47 Opening

Claims (4)

A water server tray on which a plastic bag filled with drinking water to be supplied to the water server body is placed,
Located on the bottom of the water server tray, a support surface for supporting the plastic bag,
A needle receiving portion provided at the lowest position on the surface on which the plastic bag is placed at the bottom of the water server tray;
A needle that relatively moves in the vertical direction in the needle receiving portion, pierces the bottom surface of the plastic bag, and guides drinking water in the plastic bag to the water server body,
The water receiving tray is configured such that the needle receiving portion protrudes above the bottom surface of the plastic bag when the plastic bag is placed on the assumption that the needle receiving portion is not provided.   2. The water server tray according to claim 1, wherein a depressed portion is formed on the outer periphery of the needle receiving portion so as to be lowered so as to be lower than a height position of the support surface.   The water server tray according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a buffer portion whose shape is deformed in accordance with a pressure acting from the plastic bag at a tip portion of the needle receiving portion.   The water server tray according to claim 1, wherein the needle receiving portion is made of a flexible elastic material whose shape is deformed in accordance with pressure acting from the plastic bag.

Images