JP2021070481A - Container device, refill container device and replacement method of inner container of container device - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent increase in the number of components.SOLUTION: A container device includes: an inner container 2 for storing the content; an outer container 3 for storing the inner container 2 so as to be replaceable from an upper part opening; and a cap 4 for closing the upper part opening of the inner container 2 detachably. At a bottom surface 2c of the inner container 2, a reception part 2d for receiving a pushing force is provided. Between the outer container 3 and the inner container 2, a lock mechanism 5 is provided. When an operation member provided at a cap 9 for refill container of a refill container device is inserted in an operation opening 3d provide at a bottom plate 3b of the outer container 3 and the reception part 2d is pushed up, the locking of the lock mechanism 5 is removed and the inner container 2 can be taken out, and the inner container 2 can be replaced with a refill container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a container device capable of refilling the contents by exchanging the inner container, a refill container device for the container device, and a method for exchanging the inner container of the container device.

There is a container device in which the inner container is interchangeably housed in the outer container, and the contents such as cream can be refilled by exchanging the inner container. As a container device of this type, for example, there is a container device disclosed in Patent Document 1 (FIGS. 20 and 21). The container device 101 is provided with an operating member 102, which is a separate component, at the bottom of the outer container 101, and the inner container 103 housed in the outer container 101 is pushed upward to be replaced.

During normal use, as shown in FIG. 20, the inner container 103 is housed in the outer container 101, and the locking portion 104 provided on the outer container 101 locks the lock piece 105 provided on the inner container 103. As a result, the inner container 103 is held. In this state, the lock piece 105 is not elastically deformed, and the operating member 102 is pushed down by the lock piece 105.
Then, as shown in FIG. 21, when the operating member 102 is pushed up, the lock piece 105 is elastically deformed and disengaged from the locking portion 104, and the inner container 103 is pushed up. This makes it possible to remove and replace the inner container 103.

The refill container for refilling used in the container device 100 is usually sold separately from the container device 100, and is traded in a state where the opening of the refill container is closed with a cap.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-195405

However, the container device 100 is provided with an operating member 102 as a separate component on the bottom of the outer container 101. Therefore, the number of parts constituting the container device 100 increases, which leads to an increase in manufacturing cost.
An object of the present invention is to provide a container device capable of suppressing an increase in the number of parts and reducing a manufacturing cost, a refill container device for the container device, and a method for exchanging an inner container of the container device.

In order to achieve such an object, the container device of the present invention has an inner container having a peripheral wall and a bottom plate and accommodating the contents, and an outer container having a peripheral wall and a bottom plate and interchangeably accommodating the inner container through an upper opening. It is equipped with a container and a cap that detachably closes the upper opening of the inner container, and a receiving part that receives a pushing force is provided on the bottom surface of the inner container, and an outer container is provided between the outer container and the inner container. When the inner container is housed in the container, the inner container is locked to the outer container, and a pushing force acts on the receiving portion of the inner container through the operation opening provided on the bottom plate of the outer container to cause the inner container A locking mechanism that unlocks when pushed up is provided, and the locking mechanism has a convex portion provided on one of the outer container and the inner container and a concave portion provided on the other. The convex portion and the concave portion are fitted in a direction orthogonal to the action direction of the pushing force.

Therefore, when the receiving portion of the inner container is pushed up through the operation opening provided in the bottom plate of the outer container, the locking mechanism is unlocked and the inner container is raised. As a result, the inner container can be removed from the outer container and replaced.

Further, the refill container device of the present invention is for the container device of the above invention, and includes a refill container having the same shape as the inner container and a refill container cap that detachably closes the upper opening of the refill container. The refill container cap is provided with an operating member that is inserted into the operating opening of the outer container and pushes up the receiving portion of the inner container.

Therefore, the inner container of the container device can be removed from the outer container by using the operating member provided on the refill container cap. After removing the inner container from the outer container, when the refill container is housed in the outer container, the refill container is locked to the outer container by the locking mechanism. After that, the refill container can be used as a new inner container by replacing the refill container cap attached to the refill container with the cap of the container device. That is, the inner container of the container device can be replaced to refill the contents.

Further, the method for exchanging the inner container of the container device of the present invention is a method for exchanging the inner container of the container device of the above invention using the refill container device of the above invention, and the operating member of the cap for the refill container is used for the container device. The inner container is removed by inserting it into the operating opening of the outer container and pushing up the inner container, and the container is replaced with a refill container.

Therefore, by preparing a new refill container device for replacement, it is possible to prepare the necessary items for refilling the contents.

According to the present invention, since it is not necessary to newly add parts for replacing the inner container, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of parts and reduce the manufacturing cost.

An example of the embodiment of the container device of this invention is shown, and it is the side view of the state which cut out the left side from the center line. It is a figure which shows the inner container of the container device of FIG. It is the figure which shows the inner container, and cut out a part of the side surface on the side where the locking portion with a wide width W is provided. It is a top view of the inner container. It is the bottom view of the container in the same. The outer container of the container device of FIG. 1 is shown, and the side surface thereof is partially cut out. It is a top view of the outer container. It is a bottom view of the same outer container. The cap of the container device of FIG. 1 is shown, and is a side view of a state in which the left side from the center line is cut out. It is sectional drawing which shows the locking part of the container device of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the convex part of the locking part. It is sectional drawing which shows the concave part of the locking part. It is a side view which shows an example of embodiment of the refill container apparatus of this invention. The refill container cap of FIG. 13 is shown, and is a side view of a state in which the left side from the center line is cut out. It is a top view of the cap for the refill container. It is for demonstrating the method of exchanging an inner container, and is the cross-sectional view which shows the state before pushing up the inner container. It is for demonstrating the exchange method of the inner container, and is sectional drawing which shows the state which pushed up the inner container. Other embodiments of the locking mechanism are shown, where FIG. .. Yet another embodiment of the locking mechanism is shown, where (a) is a cross-sectional view of the peripheral wall of the outer container provided with a recess, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of a vertical plate portion of the inner container provided with a convex portion. is there. It shows the conventional container device and is the cross-sectional view of the state before pushing up the inner container. It is sectional drawing which shows the conventional container device, and the state which pushed up the inner container.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<Container device>
1 to 12 show an example of an embodiment of the container device of the present invention. The container device 1 includes an inner container 2 having a peripheral wall 2a and a bottom plate 2b and accommodating the contents, and an outer container 3 having a peripheral wall 3a and a bottom plate 3b and accommodating the inner container 2 interchangeably from an upper opening. It is provided with a cap 4 that detachably closes the upper opening of the container 2. The inner container 2, the outer container 3, and the cap 4 are molded of, for example, resin.

The inner container 2 is shown in FIGS. 2 to 5. The peripheral wall 2a of the inner container 2 has a cylindrical shape, and as it approaches the bottom, it curls up and continues to the circular bottom plate 2b. A receiving portion 2d that receives a pushing force, which will be described later, is provided on the bottom surface 2c of the inner container 2. In this embodiment, a convex receiving portion 2d is provided on the bottom surface 2c. However, the receiving portion 2d does not necessarily have to have a convex shape, and the bottom surface 2c of the inner container 2 may be used as it is, or the bottom surface 2c may be provided with a concave receiving portion 2d. good.

Further, in the present embodiment, receiving portions 2d are provided at four locations on the bottom surface. The four receiving portions 2d are arranged at equal intervals on the circumference centered on the center of the bottom surface 2c. By arranging the four receiving portions 2d on the circumference centered on the center of the bottom surface 2c at equal intervals, the inner container 2 can be pushed up straight in a well-balanced manner.
However, the number of receiving portions 2d is not necessarily limited to four, and the number of installations can be appropriately changed as long as the inner container 2 can be pushed up straight in a well-balanced manner. Further, it is not always necessary to arrange each receiving portion 2d on the circumference centered on the center of the bottom surface 2c, and it can be appropriately changed as long as the inner container 2 is pushed up straight in a well-balanced manner when receiving a pushing force. is there.

A screw portion 2e for detachably attaching the cap 4 is provided on the upper portion of the peripheral wall 2a. Further, a flange 2f is provided between the peripheral wall 2a and the threaded portion 2e. By placing the flange 2f on the stepped portion 3c provided on the peripheral wall 3a of the outer container 3, the inner container 2 is housed in the outer container 3 in a state where the bottom plate 2b of the inner container 2 is slightly lifted from the bottom plate 3b of the outer container 3. can do. In the present embodiment, the plan view shape (shape seen from above) of the outer container 3 is substantially square, and the plan view shape of the flange 2f is made substantially square in accordance with this shape.

The inner container 2 contains, for example, cream as the content. However, the content is not limited to cream, and may be a compacted aggregate of powders, a solid, a liquid, or the like.

6 to 8 show the outer container 3. The peripheral wall 3a of the outer container 3 has a square tubular shape, and the bottom plate 3b has a substantially square shape in a plan view. A step portion 3c on which the flange 2f of the inner container 2 is placed is provided on the upper end edge of the inner surface of the peripheral wall 3a. The step portion 3c is formed to match the shape of the flange 2f of the inner container 2, and as described above, the flange 2f cannot be placed on the step portion 3c unless the direction of the inner container 2 is aligned with a predetermined direction. It has become.

The bottom plate 3b of the outer container 3 is provided with an operation opening 3d. The operation opening 3d is a hole that penetrates the bottom plate 3b, and is provided at a position facing the receiving portion 2d of the inner container 2. In the present embodiment, operating openings 3d are also provided at four locations in accordance with the four receiving portions 2d arranged at equal intervals on the circumference, and the four operating openings 3d are provided at equal intervals on the circumference. Have been placed.

FIG. 9 shows the cap 4. The cap 4 is detachably attached to the screw portion 2e of the inner container 2. In the present embodiment, when the cap 4 is attached to the inner container 2, the peripheral wall 3a of the outer container 3 and the peripheral wall 4a of the cap 4 appear to be continuous, and the entire container device 1 is a cube to the user. It can give the impression that it is a container with a shape.

A lock mechanism 5 is provided between the outer container 3 and the inner container 2. 10 to 12 show the lock mechanism 5. The lock mechanism 5 has a convex portion 5a provided on either one of the outer container 3 and the inner container 2, and a concave portion 5b provided on the other one. In the present embodiment, the inner container 2 is provided with the convex portion 5a and the outer container 3 is provided with the concave portion 5b. However, the outer container 3 may be provided with the convex portion 5a and the inner container 2 may be provided with the concave portion 5b.

The convex portion 5a is provided on, for example, a vertical plate portion 5c provided on the bottom surface of the flange 2f of the inner container 2, and the concave portion facing surface (the surface that fits with the concave portion 5b) 5d is a curved surface that draws a gentle arc. It has become. Further, the concave portion 5b is provided, for example, in the stepped portion 5e provided on the stepped portion 3c of the peripheral wall 3a of the outer container 3, and the convex portion facing surface (the surface that fits with the convex portion 5a) 5f also forms a gentle arc. It is a curved surface to draw. Since the curved surface and the curved surface are fitted to each other in this way, the locking of the lock mechanism 5 (fitting of the convex portion 5a and the concave portion 5b) can be released with a relatively small force. Therefore, even a woman can easily replace the inner container 2.

When the inner container 2 is housed in the outer container 3, the lock mechanism 5 locks the inner container 2 with respect to the outer container 3. That is, while inserting the vertical plate portion 5c provided on the flange 2f of the inner container 2 into the step portion 5e of the lock mechanism 5 provided on the peripheral wall 3a of the outer container 3, the inner container 2 is inserted into the step portion 3c of the outer container 3. When the flange 2f of the above is placed, the convex portion 5a fits into the concave portion 5b and locks the inner container 2 to the outer container 3.
The convex portion 5a and the concave portion 5b fit in a direction orthogonal to the removal direction of the inner container 2. Therefore, the inner container 2 can be more reliably locked to the outer container 3.

On the other hand, when a pushing force acts on the receiving portion 2d of the inner container 2 through the operation opening 3d to push up the inner container 2, the lock mechanism 5 is unlocked. That is, when the inner container 2 is pushed up by the operation member 6 described later, the convex portion 5a is disengaged from the concave portion 5b and the lock mechanism 5 is released from the lock.

In the present embodiment, since the outer container 3 has a substantially square shape in a plan view, lock mechanisms 5 are provided at four locations according to this shape. That is, the lock mechanism 5 is provided at positions corresponding to the four sides of the square. By providing the lock mechanisms 5 at all the positions corresponding to the four sides of the square, the inner container 2 can be more reliably moved with respect to the outer container 3 even if external forces act on the cap 4 and the inner container 2 from various directions. Can be locked. However, it goes without saying that the lock mechanism 5 does not have to be provided at all the positions corresponding to the four sides of the square.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the positional relationship between the lock mechanism 5 and the receiving portion 2d is such that the receiving portion 2d is located between the adjacent lock mechanisms 5 when viewed from above or below the container device 1. They are arranged so as to face each other. That is, the receiving portion 2d is provided at a position equidistant from the two adjacent lock mechanisms 5. With such an arrangement, the pushing force acting on the receiving portion 2d can be equally dispersed and acted on the two adjacent lock mechanisms 5. Therefore, when looking at the four receiving portions 2d as a whole, the pushing force can be applied equally to the four locking mechanisms 5, and the inclination of the inner container 2 when pushing up the inner container 2 can be satisfactorily prevented.

The container device 1 includes an orientation means for aligning the inner container 2 and the cap 4 with respect to the outer container 3. In the present embodiment, a first facing means using the lock mechanism 5 and a second facing means using the flange 2f of the inner container 2 and the step portion 3c of the outer container 3 are provided. The first facing means and the second facing means are adapted so that the inner container 2 and the cap 4 are oriented in the same direction.

The first facing means changes the dimension of the width W by only one of the four locking mechanisms 5. In the present embodiment, the width W is narrowed, but it may be widened. As a result, unless the directions of the inner container 2 and the cap 4 are aligned with each other, the narrow convex portion 5a and the narrow concave portion 5b cannot be fitted so as to face each other, and the inner container 2 is fitted into the outer container 3. Cannot be accommodated. Therefore, the inner container 2 and the cap 4 can be aligned in a predetermined direction.

The second facing means changes only one shape of the four corners of the flange 2f of the inner container 2. In the present embodiment, three corners of the four corners of the flange 2f are rounded, and the remaining one corner is cut in a straight line. As a result, the flange 2f cannot be placed on the stepped portion 3c unless the directions of the inner container 2 and the cap 4 are aligned with each other, and the inner container 2 cannot be accommodated in the outer container 3. Therefore, the inner container 2 and the cap 4 can be aligned in a predetermined direction.

It is not always necessary to provide both the first facing means and the second facing means, and either one may be omitted. Further, both the first facing means and the second facing means may be omitted. When both are omitted, the container 2 and the cap 4 can be stored in the outer container 3 without worrying about the orientation of the cap 4.

<Refill container device>
FIG. 13 shows an example of an embodiment of the refill container device of the present invention. The refill container device 7 is for the container device 1, and includes a refill container 8 having the same shape as the inner container 2 and a refill container cap 9 that detachably closes the upper opening of the refill container 8. .. The refill container 8 and the refill container cap 9 are molded of, for example, resin.
Similar to the inner container 2, the refill container 8 is provided with a convex portion 5a and a vertical plate portion 5c of the lock mechanism 5. However, when the inner container 2 is provided with the recess 5b of the lock mechanism 5, the refill container 8 is also provided with the recess 5b.

14 and 15 show the refill container cap 9. An operating member 6 is provided on the upper surface of the refill container cap 9 so as to be inserted into the operating opening 3d of the outer container 3 and push up the receiving portion 2d of the inner container 2. That is, the operating member 6 pushes up the receiving portion 2d of the inner container 2 when the inner container 2 of the container device 1 is replaced with the refill container 8, and has the same number as the receiving portion 2d at a position corresponding to the receiving portion 2d. Is provided only. In the present embodiment, since the four receiving portions 2d are arranged on the circumference at equal intervals, four operating members 6 are also provided, and the four receiving portions 2d are arranged on the circumference at equal intervals. ing.

<How to replace the inner container 2 of the container device 1>
When the inner container 2 of the container device 1 becomes empty due to the use of the contents, the inner container 2 is replaced with the refill container 8. A refill container device 7 is prepared in addition to the container device 1. Then, the inner container 2 is replaced as follows.
That is, the operating member 6 provided on the refill container cap 9 of the refill container device 7 is inserted into the operating opening 3d of the outer container 3 of the container device 1 to push up the inner container 2 (FIG. 16). By pushing up the inner container 2, the lock by the lock mechanism 5 is released, and the inner container 2 is released from the outer container 3 (FIG. 17). Then, when the inner container 2 is replaced and a new refill container 8 is accommodated in the outer container 3, the lock mechanism 5 locks the refill container 8 to the outer container 3. As a result, the inner container 2 is replaced with the refill container 8 and the contents are refilled. The replaced refill container 8 becomes a new inner container 2.

When pushing up the inner container 2 by the operating member 6 of the refill container cap 9, the refill container cap 9 may be attached to the refill container 8 or may be removed. Considering that the contents are contained in the refill container 8, it is preferable that the refill container cap 9 is attached to the refill container 8.
After removing the inner container 2 from the outer container 3 and replacing it with the refill container 8, if the refill container cap 9 is attached to the refill container 8, remove it. Then, by attaching the cap 4 to the screw portion 2e of the new inner container 2, the refilling work of the contents is completed.

In this way, the inner container 2 of the container device 1 can be removed from the outer container 3 by using the operating member 6 provided on the refill container cap 9 of the refill container device 7. Since the operating member 6 is provided on the refill container cap 9, it is not necessary to newly add the inner container 2 and the parts for removing the refill container 2. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of parts of the container device 1 and the refill container device 7, and it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost.

It should be noted that the above-described embodiment is an example of a suitable embodiment for carrying out the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be carried out without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, in the above description, the plan view shape of the outer container 3 is substantially square, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be a polygon such as a circle, a rectangle, a pentagon, or a hexagon.

Further, in the above description, the lock mechanism 5 is composed of the convex portion 5a and the concave portion 5b, and the concave portion facing surface 5d of the convex portion 5a and the convex portion facing surface 5f of the concave portion 5b are curved surfaces. , 5f is not limited to curved surfaces. For example, as shown in FIGS. 18 (a) and 18 (b), the shape may have an inclined surface of 5 g, or as shown in FIGS. 19 (a) and 19 (b), in the removing direction of the inner container 2. The shape may have a surface 5h orthogonal to the surface, or any other shape may be used.

Further, in the above description, the lock mechanism 5 is composed of the convex portion 5a and the concave portion 5b, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this configuration. If the lock mechanism 5 is used, the inner container 2 is locked to the outer container 3 when the inner container 2 is housed in the outer container 3, while the lock is released when the inner container 2 is pushed up by the operating member 6. Is.

For example, it can be applied to the field of containers for storing cosmetics, chemicals, and the like.

1 Container device 2 Inner container 2a Peripheral wall of inner container 2b Bottom plate of inner container 2c Bottom plate of inner container 2d Receiving part of inner container 3 Outer container 3a Peripheral wall of outer container 3b Bottom plate of outer container 3d Opening for operation of outer container 4 Cap 5 Lock mechanism 5a Convex 5b Concave 6 Operating member 7 Refill container device 8 Refill container 9 Refill container cap

Claims (3)

An inner container that has a peripheral wall and a bottom plate and stores the contents,
An outer container that has a peripheral wall and a bottom plate and that accommodates the inner container interchangeably through the opening at the top.
A cap that detachably closes the upper opening of the inner container,
It is a container device equipped with
A receiving portion that receives a pushing force is provided on the bottom surface of the inner container.
Between the outer container and the inner container, when the inner container is housed in the outer container, the inner container is locked to the outer container and an operation provided on the bottom plate of the outer container. A locking mechanism is provided in which a pushing force acts on the receiving portion of the inner container through the opening to release the lock when the inner container is pushed up.
The lock mechanism has a convex portion provided on one of the outer container and the inner container, and a concave portion provided on the other.
A container device characterized in that the convex portion and the concave portion are fitted in a direction orthogonal to the removal direction of the inner container. The refill container device for the container device according to claim 1.
A refill container with the same shape as the inner container,
A refill container cap that detachably closes the upper opening of the refill container,
With
The refill container device is characterized in that the refill container cap is provided with an operating member that is inserted into the operating opening of the outer container and pushes up a receiving portion of the inner container. The method for exchanging the inner container of the container device according to claim 1, which uses the refill container device according to claim 2.
A container device characterized in that the inner container is removed and replaced with the refill container by inserting the operating member of the refill container cap into the operating opening of the outer container of the container device and pushing up the inner container. How to replace the inner container.

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