JP2022086578A - Syringe container - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a syringe container allowing for suppressing user's mis-handling.SOLUTION: A syringe container 10 comprises: a container body 1; an inner cap 40; a syringe tube 20 that is fixed to the inner cap 40; an outer cap 50 that is restricted from rotating a predetermined quantity or more about a container axis O with respect to the inner cap 40; a working member 60 that is restricted from rotating about the container axis O with respect to the outer cap 50 and vertically moves relatively to the inner cap 40 by rotating about the container axis O with respect to the inner cap 40; an operation part 71 that protrudes upward through a through-hole 52a formed in a top wall 52 of the outer cap 50; and a piston 30 and a slide-cylinder portion 66 that mutually slide when the working member 60 vertically moves relatively to the inner cap 40. Between the outer cap 50 and the container body 1, a slide member 100 is provided to slide relatively to the container body 1 or the outer cap 50 when the outer cap 50 rotates relatively to the container body 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a dropper container.

Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1, a dropper container having a dropper tube has been used. In the configuration of Patent Document 1, when the outer cap (cover) is rotated with respect to the container body, the outer cap rises with respect to the container body and the contents are sucked up by the dropper tube. After that, by pressing the operation unit (push button) against the outer cap, the contents can be discharged.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-33056

In the dropper container of Patent Document 1, when the lid is rotated in the opening direction when sucking the contents into the dropper tube, the movable lid first screwed up with respect to the lid base (first operation), and then the lid. The base is screwed up with respect to the mouth and neck (second movement). Here, in Patent Document 1, since the frictional force of the lid base with respect to the container body is large, the operating force in the first operation is smaller than the operating force in the second operation. For this reason, the user may misunderstand that the first operation is a play on the mechanism (an operation not related to the ejection function), and the first operation may be stored in an intermediate state. As a result, the next suction operation may be defective, or liquid leakage may occur due to a decrease in sealing property.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a dropper container capable of suppressing erroneous operation by a user.

In order to solve the above problems, the dropper container according to one aspect of the present invention includes a bottomed tubular container body for accommodating the contents, an inner cap screwed to the mouth of the container body, and the inner part. A drop tube fixed to the cap and opened in the container body, an outer cap whose rotation around the container axis is restricted to a predetermined amount or more with respect to the inner cap, and rotation around the container axis with respect to the outer cap are restricted. At the same time, an actuating member that moves up and down with respect to the inner cap by rotating about the container axis with respect to the inner cap, and an operation portion protruding upward through a through hole formed in the top wall of the outer cap. A piston and a sliding cylinder portion that slide with each other when the operating member moves up and down with respect to the inner cap are provided, and the outer cap is attached to the container body between the outer cap and the container body. On the other hand, a sliding member that slides with respect to the container body or the outer cap when rotating is provided.

According to the above aspect, when the outer cap is rotated around the container axis with respect to the container body, the outer cap rotates with respect to the inner cap within a predetermined amount range. At this time, the operating member whose rotation with respect to the outer cap is restricted also rises while rotating with respect to the inner cap. As a result, the piston and the sliding cylinder portion slide with each other, so that the internal space of the dropper tube becomes a negative pressure, and the contents of the container body can be sucked up from the opening of the dropper tube.
In this way, the operation unit is not involved in the operation for sucking up the contents in the dropper tube, and the operation part, the outer cap, and the operating member are integrally raised with respect to the inner cap, so that when sucking up the contents. The amount of protrusion from the outer cap of the operation unit does not change. Therefore, according to the above aspect, it is possible to provide a dropper container in which a change in the amount of protrusion with respect to the outer cap of the operating portion is suppressed.
Further, when the outer cap rotates with respect to the container body, the sliding member slides with respect to the container body or the outer cap. With this configuration, the difference in torque (operating force) between the operation of the outer cap rotating with respect to the inner cap and the container body and the operation of the inner cap rotating with the outer cap with respect to the container body can be reduced. Therefore, the operability can be further improved. Further, the user can store the dropper container with both the outer cap and the inner cap sufficiently rotated in the tightening direction.

Here, at least a part of the sliding member may be elastically deformable.

In this case, the magnitude of the torque generated by the sliding member sliding with respect to the container body or the outer cap can be stabilized.

According to the above aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a dropper container capable of suppressing erroneous operation by the user.

It is a vertical sectional view of the dropper container which concerns on this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of the outer cap and the inner cap of FIG. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the outer cap of FIG. 1 is rotated with respect to the inner cap. It is a bottom view of the packing of FIG. It is a vertical sectional view which shows the state which raised the dropper assembly of FIG. 1 with respect to a container body. It is a vertical sectional view of the dropper container which concerns on the 1st modification. It is a top view of the sliding member of FIG. It is a vertical sectional view of the dropper container which concerns on the 2nd modification.

Hereinafter, the dropper container of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the dropper container 10 includes a container body 1, a dropper tube 20, a piston 30, an inner cap 40, an outer cap 50, an operating member 60, a button portion 70, and an inner plug 80. , A packing 90, and a sliding member 100. The container body 1 is formed in the shape of a bottomed cylinder and contains the contents. As the content, for example, a drug such as a water-repellent drug applied (discharged) to the human body (skin), a liquid cosmetic, or the like can be used. The components in this embodiment are made of a resin material.

The dropper tube 20, the piston 30, the inner cap 40, the outer cap 50, the operating member 60, the button portion 70, the packing 90, and the sliding member 100 constitute the dropper assembly 2. Although the details will be described later, when the dropper container 10 is used, the dropper assembly 2 is removed from the container body 1.

(Direction definition)
In the present embodiment, the central axes of the container body 1 and the dropper tube 20 are located on a common axis. Hereinafter, this common axis is referred to as a container axis O, a direction along the container axis O is referred to as a vertical direction, the mouth portion 1a side is referred to as an upper side, and the bottom side of the container body 1 is referred to as a lower direction along the vertical direction. Further, in a plan view seen from the vertical direction, the direction that intersects the container axis O is referred to as the radial direction, and the direction that orbits around the container axis O is referred to as the circumferential direction.

The inner cap 40 has a screwing cylinder portion 41, an upper cylinder portion 42, an annular portion 43, a holding cylinder portion 44, a connection portion 45, an inner cylinder portion 46, and a first seal portion 47. ing. The threaded cylinder portion 41 surrounds the mouth portion 1a from the outside in the radial direction. A female threaded portion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the threaded cylinder portion 41. The female screw portion is screwed to the male screw portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 1a, so that the screwing cylinder portion 41 is attached to the mouth portion 1a. Therefore, when the inner cap 40 is rotated around the container shaft O with respect to the container body 1, the inner cap 40 moves up and down with respect to the container body 1. An inner protrusion 41b is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the threaded cylinder portion 41 so as to project outward in the radial direction.

The annular portion 43 extends radially inward from the upper end portion of the threaded cylinder portion 41, and is formed in an annular shape in a plan view. The upper cylinder portion 42 extends upward from the annular portion 43. A first engaging portion 42a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper cylinder portion 42. The first engaging portion 42a of the present embodiment is a spiral groove. The holding cylinder portion 44 extends upward from the inner peripheral edge of the annular portion 43. The holding cylinder portion 44 holds the piston 30. The inner cylinder portion 46 is located inside the holding cylinder portion 44 in the radial direction. The connecting portion 45 connects the upper end portion of the holding cylinder portion 44 and the upper end portion of the inner cylinder portion 46. The first seal portion 47 extends downward from the lower end of the inner cylinder portion 46 and is formed in a cylindrical shape.

The upper end portion of the dropper tube 20 is radially sandwiched by the holding cylinder portion 44 and the inner cylinder portion 46. At the lower end of the holding cylinder portion 44 (inner peripheral surface of the annular portion 43), a protrusion 44a projecting inward in the radial direction is formed. The protrusion 44a is undercut fitted to the dropper protrusion 21 protruding radially outward from the dropper tube 20. With these configurations, the dropper tube 20 is fixed to the inner cap 40. Although not shown, the lower end of the dropper tube 20 is open near the bottom of the container body 1. The dropper tube 20 is formed with a dropper flange 22 that projects outward in the radial direction. The dropper flange 22 is located between the packing 90 and the holding cylinder portion 44.

The outer cap 50 has a peripheral wall 51 and a top wall 52. The peripheral wall 51 surrounds the inner cap 40, the operating member 60, and the button portion 70 from the radial outside. On the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 51, an outer protrusion 51b and a locking projection 51c that project inward in the radial direction are formed. The outer protrusion 51b faces the inner protrusion 41b in the vertical direction, and is located below the inner protrusion 41b. A vertical gap is provided between the outer protrusion 51b and the inner protrusion 41b. The outer cap 50 can be raised with respect to the inner cap 40 until the outer protrusion 51b abuts on the inner protrusion 41b. The locking projection 51c is formed at the lower end of the peripheral wall 51. The locking projection 51c supports the sliding member 100 from below. As a result, the sliding member 100 is prevented from falling off from the outer cap 50 downward.

A vertical rib 53 that protrudes inward in the radial direction and extends in the vertical direction is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 51. A plurality of vertical ribs 53 are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction, and a detent 62 for the actuating member 60 is located between the vertical ribs 53. As a result, the relative rotation of the outer cap 50 and the operating member 60 around the container shaft O is restricted. The number of vertical ribs 53 may be one, and a plurality of detents 62 may be formed so as to sandwich the vertical ribs 53 in the circumferential direction.

Below the vertical rib 53 on the peripheral wall 51, a fitting protrusion 54 projecting inward in the radial direction is formed. By undercut fitting the fitting protrusion 54 to the operating member 60, downward movement of the operating member 60 with respect to the outer cap 50 is restricted.
The top wall 52 extends radially inward from the upper end of the peripheral wall 51. A through hole 52a is formed in the top wall 52.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of inner engaging portions 41a are formed on the inner cap 40, and a plurality of outer engaging portions 51a are formed on the outer cap 50. The plurality of inner engaging portions 41a project radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the screwing cylinder portion 41, and are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. The plurality of outer engaging portions 51a project radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 51, and are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. A gap in the circumferential direction is formed between the inner engaging portion 41a and the outer engaging portion 51a.

When the outer cap 50 is rotated with respect to the container body 1 around the container axis O (R direction in FIG. 2), the outer cap 50 becomes the inner cap 40 until the outer engaging portion 51a abuts on the inner engaging portion 41a. However, when the outer cap 50 is further rotated with respect to the container body 1, the outer cap 50 and the inner cap 40 are integrally rotated with respect to the container body 1. That is, the outer engaging portion 51a and the inner engaging portion 41a regulate the rotation of the outer cap 50 around the container shaft O by a predetermined amount or more with respect to the inner cap 40. While the outer cap 50 is rotating with respect to the inner cap 40, the inner cap 40 does not rotate with respect to the container body 1. The R direction in FIG. 2 is a direction in which the inner cap 40 is loosened from being screwed to the mouth portion 1a. Hereinafter, the R direction is referred to as a loosening direction R.

As shown in FIG. 1, the operating member 60 has an engaging cylinder portion 61, a detent 62, a partition wall 63, a columnar portion 64, a second seal portion 65, and a sliding cylinder portion 66. ing. The engaging cylinder portion 61 surrounds the upper cylinder portion 42 from the outside in the radial direction. A second engaging portion 61a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the engaging cylinder portion 61. The second engaging portion 61a of the present embodiment is a protrusion that protrudes radially inward from the engaging cylinder portion 61. When the second engaging portion 61a, which is a protrusion, is located inside the first engaging portion 42a, which is a spiral groove, the operating member 60 rotates about the container shaft O with respect to the inner cap 40. , The operating member 60 moves up and down with respect to the inner cap 40.

The detent 62 projects radially outward from the engaging cylinder portion 61. The partition wall 63 extends radially inward from the engaging cylinder portion 61. A plurality of communication holes 63a are formed in the partition wall 63. The number of communication holes 63a may be one. The columnar portion 64 extends downward from the radial center portion of the partition wall 63. The columnar portion 64 has a hollow shape, but may have a solid shape. The second seal portion 65 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending downward from the lower end of the columnar portion 64. The second seal portion 65 is fitted inside the first seal portion 47. In the present embodiment, the first seal portion 47 and the second seal portion 65 form a seal portion that switches communication between the inside of the dropper pipe 20 and the inside of the working space S and the cutoff thereof.

The sliding cylinder portion 66 extends downward from the partition wall 63. The sliding cylinder portion 66 is located between the upper cylinder portion 42 and the holding cylinder portion 44 in the radial direction. Further, the piston 30 is arranged between the sliding cylinder portion 66 and the holding cylinder portion 44.
The piston 30 has a mounting portion 31, a flange portion 32, and a sliding portion 33. The mounting portion 31 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is externally fitted to the holding tubular portion 44. As a result, the piston 30 is fixed to the inner cap 40. The flange portion 32 extends radially outward from the central portion in the vertical direction of the mounting portion 31, and is formed in an annular shape in a plan view. The sliding portion 33 extends vertically from the radially outer end of the flange portion 32 and is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the sliding cylinder portion 66. The sliding portion 33 is formed to be thin and elastically deformable.

The button unit 70 has an operation unit 71 and a fixing unit 72. The fixing portion 72 is formed in an annular shape in a plan view, and is sandwiched and fixed between the operating member 60 and the outer cap 50. Therefore, the operating member 60, the outer cap 50, and the button portion 70 move up and down as a unit, and the position of the button portion 70 with respect to the outer cap 50 does not change. The operation unit 71 is an elastic film curved so as to be convex upward, and can be elastically deformed downward. The operation unit 71 is made of an elastically deformable material such as rubber or elastomer. Through the through hole 52a of the outer cap 50, the operating portion 71 projects upward from the top wall 52 of the outer cap 50.

In the present embodiment, the space surrounded by the operating member 60, the piston 30, and the inner cap 40 is referred to as an operating space S. The volume of the working space S increases or decreases as the working member 60 moves up and down with respect to the inner cap 40 (see FIG. 3). When the operating member 60 moves up and down with respect to the inner cap 40, the sliding portion 33 of the piston 30 slides with respect to the sliding cylinder portion 66 of the operating member 60. The working space S communicates with the internal space of the operation unit 71 (the space between the operation unit 71 and the partition wall 63) by the communication hole 63a formed in the partition wall 63. The volume of the internal space of the operation unit 71 increases or decreases as the operation unit 71 elastically deforms.

The inner plug 80 has a fixed cylinder portion 81, an ironing piece 82, and a connecting portion 83. The fixed cylinder portion 81 is fitted in the mouth portion 1a, and the connecting portion 83 is placed on the upper end of the mouth portion 1a. The ironing piece 82 projects radially inward from the fixed cylinder portion 81 and is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the dropper tube 20. The ironing piece 82 is formed so as to be elastically deformable, and when the dropper tube 20 is detached upward from the container body 1, the contents adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the dropper tube 20 are scraped off. A plurality of ventilation holes 82a are formed in the ironing piece 82 at intervals in the circumferential direction. The connecting portion 83 is an annular flange portion that protrudes radially outward from the upper end of the fixed cylinder portion 81, and an annular packing 90 is sandwiched between the connecting portion 83 and the annular portion 43 of the inner cap 40. ..

The packing 90 is formed of an elastic body such as rubber. The packing 90 has an annular packing main body 91, a plurality of convex portions 92, and a plurality of concave portions 93. Each convex portion 92 protrudes downward from the packing main body 91, and each concave portion 93 is recessed downward from the upper surface of the packing main body 91. As shown in FIG. 4, the convex portions 92 and the concave portions 93 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, and the positions in the circumferential direction are the same as each other. That is, each concave portion 93 is arranged directly above each convex portion 92. Each concave portion 93 and each convex portion 92 overlap each other in a plan view.

In a state where the inner cap 40 is tightened to the mouth portion 1a of the container body 1, the packing 90 is sandwiched between the connecting portion 83 of the inner plug 80 and the annular portion 43 of the inner cap 40 in a compressed state. Therefore, an upward urging force due to the elastic restoring force of the packing 90 acts on the inner cap 40. Since the concave portion 93 is arranged substantially directly above the convex portion 92, when the packing 90 is compressed, the convex portion 92 is smoothly crushed upward. As a result, the sealing property between the inner plug 80 and the inner cap 40 by the packing 90 is satisfactorily ensured. Below the packing 90, a retaining 23 protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the dropper tube 20 is located. The retaining 23 regulates the packing 90 from falling out of the dropper tube 20 downward.

The sliding member 100 is formed in an annular shape and is provided between the outer cap 50 and the container body 1. The sliding member 100 is supported from below by the locking projection 51c of the peripheral wall 51. As a result, the sliding member 100 is prevented from falling off from the outer cap 50 downward. The sliding member 100 surrounds the mouth portion 1a of the container body 1 from the outside in the radial direction. The mouth portion 1a has a screwed portion (a portion where a male screw is formed) to which the inner cap 40 is screwed, and an enlarged diameter portion having a larger outer diameter than the screwed portion and located below the screwed portion. , Is included. A sliding member 100 is arranged between the enlarged diameter portion and the outer cap 50, and the sliding member 100 is in contact with the enlarged diameter portion. The sliding member 100 of the present embodiment has a hard portion 100a and a soft portion 100b formed of a material softer than the hard portion 100a.

The soft portion 100b is formed of an elastically deformable material (for example, an elastomer or the like). The hard portion 100a is formed of a material (for example, low density polyethylene) that is harder than the soft portion 100b. The soft portion 100b is located inside the hard portion 100a in the radial direction. At the lower end of the soft portion 100b, a protrusion protruding inward in the radial direction is formed. The protrusion of the soft portion 100b is compressed and deformed (elastically deformed) in the radial direction by abutting on the mouth portion 1a of the container body 1. As a result, when the sliding member 100 slides with respect to the mouth portion 1a, friction due to the elastic force is generated. The hard portion 100a is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 51, and has a function of holding the soft portion 100b. The sliding member 100 can be formed, for example, by insert molding in which one of the hard portion 100a and the soft portion 100b is used as an insert product. Alternatively, the sliding member 100 may be formed by two-color molding. Both the hard portion 100a and the soft portion 100b may be cylindrical. Alternatively, a plurality of soft portions 100b may be fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the tubular hard portion 100a at intervals in the circumferential direction. Alternatively, a structure may be adopted in which a plurality of non-cylindrical parts composed of a hard portion 100a and a soft portion 100b are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction.

Next, the operation of the dropper container 10 configured as described above will be described.

In the unused state of the dropper container 10 (state at the time of shipment), as shown in FIG. 1, the operating member 60 is located at the lower end position with respect to the inner cap 40. In this state, the second seal portion 65 is fitted inside the first seal portion 47, and the inside of the dropper tube 20 and the working space S are sealed. Therefore, the contents in the dropper tube 20 are suppressed from flowing into the working space S.

When the outer cap 50 is rotated with respect to the container body 1 in the loosening direction R around the container shaft O from the state shown in FIG. 1, the outer engaging portion 51a abuts on the inner engaging portion 41a (see FIG. 2). The outer cap 50 rotates with respect to the inner cap 40. This operation is referred to as "first rotation operation" in the present embodiment. Since the relative rotation between the outer cap 50 and the operating member 60 is regulated by the rotation stopper 62 and the vertical rib 53, the operating member 60 also rotates together with the outer cap 50 in the first rotation operation. That is, in the first rotation operation, the operating member 60 also rotates with respect to the inner cap 40.

When the operating member 60 rotates with respect to the inner cap 40, the first engaging portion 42a and the second engaging portion 61a engage with each other, and the operating member 60 rises with respect to the inner cap 40 together with the outer cap 50. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the volume of the working space S is increased, and the second seal portion 65 is separated upward from the first seal portion 47. As the volume of the working space S increases, the pressure inside the working space S becomes negative, and the pressure inside the dropper tube 20 also becomes negative. Therefore, the contents of the container body 1 are sucked up into the dropper tube 20. This series of operations is called "sucking operation".

The amount of the contents sucked up in the dropper tube 20 is determined by the amount of change in the volume of the working space S. Further, the amount of change in the volume of the working space S is determined by the amount of increase of the working member 60 with respect to the inner cap 40, that is, the amount of rotation of the working member 60 with respect to the inner cap 40. The amount of rotation is determined by the distance between the outer engaging portion 51a and the inner engaging portion 41a in the circumferential direction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to suck up a substantially fixed amount of contents into the dropper tube 20 by rotating the outer cap 50 with respect to the inner cap 40.

When the outer cap 50 is further rotated in the loosening direction R with respect to the container body 1 in a state where the outer engaging portion 51a is in contact with the inner engaging portion 41a in the loosening direction R, the inner cap 40 is also a container together with the outer cap 50. It rotates with respect to the main body 1. This operation is referred to as a "second rotation operation" in the present specification. During the second rotation operation, the outer protrusion 51b abuts on the inner protrusion 41b from below, so that the inner cap 40 is prevented from falling downward from the outer cap 50. By the second rotation operation, the screwing of the screwing cylinder portion 41 to the mouth portion 1a is released, and as shown in FIG. 5, the dropper assembly 2 is detached upward from the container body 1. After that, for example, by grasping the outer cap 50 by hand and pressing the operation unit 71 with the thumb, the contents held in the dropper tube 20 can be discharged.

When the dropper assembly 2 is reattached to the container body 1, when the outer cap 50 is rotated with respect to the container body 1 in the tightening direction (rotational direction opposite to the loosening direction R), the outer engaging portion 51a and the inner engagement portion 51a are engaged. The outer cap 50 idles with respect to the inner cap 40 until the joint portion 41a abuts in the tightening direction. This operation is referred to as a "third rotation operation" in the present specification. During the third rotation operation, the first engaging portion 42a and the second engaging portion 61a are engaged with each other, and the operating member 60 and the outer cap 50 are lowered with respect to the inner cap 40 and the container body 1. As a result, the volume of the working space S is reduced, but since the second sealing portion 65 has not yet entered the first sealing portion 47 at this stage, the air in the working space S is pushed out into the dropper pipe 20. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in pressure in the working space S and the dropper tube 20, and it is possible to suppress variation in the suction amount of the contents in the next suction operation.

After that, when the outer cap 50 is further rotated in the tightening direction, the outer engaging portion 51a and the inner engaging portion 41a come into contact with each other in the tightening direction, and the inner cap 40 also rotates in the tightening direction with respect to the container body 1. This operation is referred to as a "fourth rotation operation" in the present specification. By the fourth rotation operation, the inner cap 40 rotates by a predetermined amount in the tightening direction to return to the state shown in FIG.

As described above, when the dropper assembly 2 is removed from the container body 1, the first rotation operation and the second rotation operation are performed. Here, in the second rotation operation, the torque is larger than that in the first rotation operation by the amount that the inner cap 40 is rotated with respect to the container body 1. From the user's point of view, when shifting from the first rotation operation to the second rotation operation, the operating force (torque) becomes large, which may cause a sense of discomfort.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the sliding member 100 is provided between the container body 1 and the outer cap 50. In the first rotation operation, torque is applied due to the sliding member 100 sliding with respect to the mouth portion 1a of the container body 1. In the first rotation operation, the outer cap 50 rises with respect to the container body 1, and when the container body 1 is rotated by a predetermined amount, the contact between the sliding member 100 and the mouth portion 1a is reduced or released. Therefore, in the subsequent second rotation operation, the torque due to the sliding member 100 sliding with respect to the container body 1 or the outer cap 50 is not applied. Thereby, the difference in the operating force between the first rotation operation and the second rotation operation can be reduced. Further, since the torque (operating force) is increased by the sliding member 100, it is possible to prevent the outer cap 50 or the inner cap 40 from being unexpectedly loosened when the dropper container 10 is carried in a bag or the like. ..

The above-mentioned action and effect can be obtained even if the shape of the sliding member 100 is changed. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the sliding member 100 may have an outer ring 101 and a plurality of elastic pieces 102. The outer ring 101 is annular in plan view. A plurality of elastic pieces 102 (three in FIG. 7) are arranged on the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 101 at intervals in the circumferential direction. Each elastic piece 102 is formed with a slit 102a extending in the circumferential direction. Further, a sliding protrusion 103 protruding inward in the radial direction is formed at the central portion of each elastic piece 102 in the circumferential direction. According to this configuration, when the sliding protrusion 103 abuts on the mouth portion 1a of the container body 1, each elastic piece 102 is elastically deformed so that each slit 102a is crushed in the radial direction. Therefore, when the sliding member 100 slides with respect to the mouth portion 1a, friction based on the elastic force is generated.

According to the shapes of FIGS. 6 and 7, even if the sliding member 100 is not formed of a soft material, torque can be generated when the sliding member 100 and the container body 1 slide. Therefore, the sliding member 100 may be made of a single material (for example, low density polyethylene) that is not a soft material.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, the sliding member 100 may be attached to the mouth portion 1a. In this case, the dropper assembly 2 does not include the sliding member 100. In the example of FIG. 8, the sliding member 100 has a hard portion 100a fitted to the holding protrusion 1b of the mouth portion 1a and a soft portion 100b located on the radial outer side of the hard portion 100a. In this case, when the outer cap 50 rotates with respect to the container body 1, the soft portion 100b slides with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the outer cap 50 to generate torque. That is, the sliding member 100 may be attached to either the container body 1 or the outer cap 50.

As described above, the dropper container 10 of the present embodiment has a bottomed cylindrical container body 1 for accommodating the contents, an inner cap 40 screwed to the mouth portion 1a of the container body 1, and an inner cap 40. The dropper tube 20 fixed to the outer cap 40, the outer cap 50 whose rotation around the container shaft O with respect to the inner cap 40 is restricted by a predetermined amount or more, and the inner cap whose rotation around the container shaft O with respect to the outer cap 50 is restricted. An operating member 60 that moves up and down with respect to the inner cap 40 by rotating around the container shaft O with respect to 40, and an operation unit 71 protruding upward through a through hole 52a formed in the top wall 52 of the outer cap 50. A piston 30 and a sliding cylinder portion 66 that slide with each other when the operating member 60 moves up and down with respect to the inner cap 40 are provided. Then, a sliding member 100 that slides with respect to the container body 1 or the outer cap 50 when the outer cap 50 rotates with respect to the container body 1 is provided between the outer cap 50 and the container body 1. There is.

According to such a configuration, the operation unit 71 is not involved in the operation for sucking the contents into the dropper tube 20, and the operation unit 71, the outer cap 50, and the operating member 60 are integrated with respect to the inner cap 40. Since it rises, the amount of protrusion of the operation unit 71 from the outer cap 50 does not change when the contents are sucked up. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the dropper container 10 in which the change in the amount of protrusion of the operation unit 71 with respect to the outer cap 50 is suppressed.

Further, when the outer cap 50 rotates with respect to the container body 1, the sliding member 100 slides with respect to the container body 1 or the outer cap 50. With this configuration, the difference in torque (operating force) between the first rotation operation and the second rotation operation can be reduced. Therefore, the operability can be further improved.

Further, at least a part of the sliding member 100 is elastically deformable. For example, in the examples of FIGS. 1 and 8, the soft portion 100b is elastically deformable, and in the example of FIG. 7, the elastic piece 102 is elastically deformable. With these configurations, the magnitude of the torque generated by the sliding member 100 sliding with respect to the container body 1 or the outer cap 50 can be stabilized.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the first engaging portion 42a of the embodiment is a spiral groove and the second engaging portion 61a is a protrusion, but the shapes of the first engaging portion 42a and the second engaging portion 61a are appropriately changed. It is possible. Specifically, the first engaging portion 42a may be a male screw portion and the second engaging portion 61a may be a female screw portion. Even with such a configuration, when the operating member 60 rotates about the container shaft O with respect to the inner cap 40, the operating member 60 can be moved up and down with respect to the inner cap 40.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the operation unit 71 itself is an elastic film, but for example, another member may be arranged above the elastic film and the member may be used as the operation unit. Also in this case, the elastic film is elastically deformed by pressing the member which is the operation unit, and the volume of the internal space of the elastic film is reduced, so that the contents can be discharged.

Further, the outer surface of the mouth portion 1a (particularly, the portion in contact with the soft portion 100b of the sliding member 100) may be a smooth surface or a surface provided with irregularities. The unevenness can be provided, for example, by forming a plurality of vertical ribs on the mouth portion 1a at intervals in the circumferential direction. In the configuration in which the surface provided with the unevenness and the soft portion 100b slide, the amount of increase in torque (operating force) can be adjusted by the shape or number of the unevenness.

In addition, it is possible to replace the constituent elements in the above-described embodiment with well-known constituent elements as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the above-described embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined.

1 ... Container body 1a ... Mouth part 20 ... Dropper pipe 30 ... Piston 40 ... Inner cap 41c ... Second protrusion 47 ... First seal part (seal part) 50 ... Outer cap 60 ... Acting member 65 ... Second seal part (seal) Part) 66 ... Sliding cylinder part 71 ... Operating part 100 ... Sliding member O ... Container shaft S ... Working space

Claims (2)

A bottomed cylindrical container body that houses the contents,
The inner cap screwed to the mouth of the container body and
A dropper tube fixed to the inner cap and opened in the container body,
An outer cap whose rotation around the container axis is restricted to a predetermined amount or more with respect to the inner cap,
An actuating member that is restricted from rotating around the container axis with respect to the outer cap and moves up and down with respect to the inner cap by rotating around the container axis with respect to the inner cap.
An operation unit protruding upward through a through hole formed in the top wall of the outer cap,
A piston and a sliding cylinder portion that slide with each other when the operating member moves up and down with respect to the inner cap are provided.
A dropper is provided between the outer cap and the container body with a sliding member that slides with respect to the container body or the outer cap when the outer cap rotates with respect to the container body. container. The dropper container according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the sliding member is elastically deformable.

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