JP3558822B2 - Liquid container stopper - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a stopper having a so-called push-push mechanism for opening and closing an opening of a liquid container.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The applicant of the present invention has previously filed a patent application for a liquid container having a push-push mechanism built therein, which can be realized with a simple structure (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-327845).
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The plug according to the above patent application has an advantage of a simpler structure than the conventional one, but an operation button pressed down by a user with a fingertip is a rotating operation member (mechanism shaft, (Sometimes referred to as a mechanism rotation axis, etc.), and is configured to rotate as well as move up and down by operation of a fingertip. Therefore, when the operation button is pressed down with the fingertip, the operation button may not be easily rotated due to friction with the fingertip, and there is a possibility that opening and closing of the valve body may be uncertain.
[0004]
In addition, a plug provided with a push-push mechanism can generate sound due to collision of components inside the mechanism when operating the operation button to open and close the valve body, thereby opening and closing the valve body to the user. Although desirable for realizing the feeling, conventionally, a sound generating mechanism is not actively provided, and as described above, the sound is generated by the collision between the components of the push-push mechanism. For this reason, there is a problem that the sound is indistinct and the user feels that opening and closing is weak.
[0005]
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a stopper for a liquid container that ensures opening and closing of a valve body and generates a clear sound when the valve is opened and closed.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention inserts a rotation operation member 22 into a guide cylinder 21 provided on the plug body 1 so as to be movable up and down, and interlocks with the rotation operation member 22 and urges in a valve closing direction. The valve body 14 is provided at the lower end of the liquid passage 12 of the plug 1 so as to be openable and closable, and the corrugated unevenness 31 having a constant pitch meshes with the plug 1 and the rotation operating member 22 at the lower end of the stroke of the rotation operating member 22. , 31 ′ are formed in an annular shape, and the valve closing positioning grooves 32 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary operation member 22 at an integer pitch of twice or more the waveform irregularities 31, 31 ′. A valve-closing slide inclined surface 33 gradually rising in the rotation direction of the rotation operating member 22, an engaging surface 34 descending downward from the upper end of the inclined surface 33, and the inclined surface from the lower end of the engaging surface 34. Valve opening slide inclined in the same direction as 33 And a lower end of the engagement surface 34 is formed at a position higher than a lower end of the valve closing positioning groove 32, and the valve opening positioning groove 36 is formed by the engagement surface 34 and the valve opening sliding inclined surface 35. A positioning projection 38 is formed on the inner surface of the guide cylinder 21 of the plug 1 so as to be removably fitted in the valve closing positioning groove 32 and the valve opening positioning groove 36, and the positioning projection 38 is formed by the valve closing positioning groove 32. In the stopper of the liquid container in which the waveform irregularities 31, 31 ′ have a slight phase shift in the rotational direction in the closed state fitted with
The operation button 23 is inserted into the guide cylinder 21 of the plug 1 so as to be movable up and down, cannot rotate, and does not come out. The operation button 23 is put on the rotation operation member 22, and the operation button 23 and the rotation operation are performed. A small sound projection 43 is provided on one of the opposing surfaces of the member 22 facing the upper and lower sides with the same pitch as the pitch of the corrugations 31 and 31 ′, and the other opposing surface has the same pitch or an integral multiple of the above pitch, and In the valve closed state, a small sound emitting concave portion 44 having the same phase shift as the phase shift of the waveform irregularities 31 and 31 'is provided so as to be able to be fitted and detached from the small convex portion 43 (claim 1). .
[0007]
The operation button 23 is provided with an outward flange 41, and the outward flange 41 is provided with a notch 42 into which the positioning projection 38 formed on the guide cylinder 21 of the plug 1 is fitted. Item 2), and the head 24 of the rotary operation member 22 is vertically movably inserted into the operation button 23, and the operation button 23 is formed of a transparent body, and the rotary operation member 22 in the valve closed state is formed. The head 24 can be visually recognized from the outside through the operation button 23, and a viewing window 46 that cannot be visually recognized in the valve open state is provided in the plug 1 (claim 3).
[0008]
Embodiment
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a liquid container 2 such as a pot to which a stopper 1 is attached has a shoulder member 5 attached to an inner container 4 housed in a body member 3, and an opening 6 of the shoulder member 5 is attached to the inner container. 4 and the shoulder member 5 and the shoulder cover 7 constitute a discharge port 8. The stopper 1 is detachably screwed to the inner periphery of the shoulder member 5 and opens and closes between the opening 6 and the discharge port 8.
[0009]
The stopper 1 has a stopper main body 9 and a stopper cover 11 fitted to the upper end thereof, as shown in FIG. The lower end of the plug body 9 is open, and a liquid passage 12 is provided between the open portion and the peripheral wall facing the discharge port 8. The lower end of the plug body 9 is a valve seat 13 against which the valve body 14 is pressed.
[0010]
The valve stem 15 of the valve body 14 is inserted into a valve support cylinder 16 provided inside the plug body 9, and a spring receiving member 17 is attached to a portion of the valve stem 15 that has escaped upward from the upper end of the valve support cylinder 16. An elastic member 18 such as a coil spring for urging is interposed between the spring receiving member 17 and the valve support cylinder 16, and the valve body 14 is pressed against the valve seat 13 by its elasticity. A cylindrical portion 19 having an open upper end is provided around the valve support cylinder 16 concentrically therewith.
[0011]
At the center of the upper end surface of the plug cover 11, a guide tube 21 is provided, which is lowered downward. A rotation operation member 22 is inserted into the guide tube 21, and an operation button 23 is inserted above the rotation operation member 22. You.
[0012]
The rotary operation member 22 has a head 24 at an upper end, an outer horizontal step 25 at the lower end of the head 24, and a downward peripheral wall 26 at the outer peripheral edge of the horizontal step 25. The lower end of the peripheral wall 26 is open.
[0013]
The peripheral wall 26 has a large diameter portion 27 in the lower half and a small diameter portion 28 in the upper half that is small in thickness. The inner peripheral step 29 caused by the difference in diameter between the large-diameter portion 27 and the small-diameter portion 28 is spaced apart from the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 19 of the plug body 9 by the vertical stroke of the rotary operation member 22. The upper end of the cylindrical portion 19 is fitted to the inner surface of the peripheral wall 26. On the respective opposing surfaces of the inner peripheral step portion 29 and the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 19, continuous triangular corrugations 31 and 31 'having the same pitch and the same size are formed in the circumferential direction.
[0014]
Further, on the boundary between the small diameter portion 28 and the large diameter portion 27 on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary operation member 22, valve closing positioning grooves 32 are formed in the vertical direction at a constant pitch in the circumferential direction as shown in FIG. The pitch P of the valve closing positioning groove 32 (see FIG. 4A) is set to twice the pitch of the triangular waveform irregularities 31, 31 '.
[0015]
The pitch P of the valve closing positioning groove 32 may be set to an integral multiple pitch of two or more of the triangular waveform irregularities 31, 31 '. In this case, the opening position can be set to two or more. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the pitch is set to be three times the pitch. By forming another valve-closing slide inclined surface 35 ′ slightly lower than the valve-closing slide inclined surface 35, the depth is different. Two valve closing positioning grooves 34, 34 'are formed. By doing so, it is possible to set two opening positions with different valve opening degrees in one operation cycle.
[0016]
Between the valve-closing positioning grooves 32, a valve-closing slide inclined surface 33 that gradually increases from one valve-closing positioning groove 32 in the rotation direction of the rotary operation member 22 (see the arrow A in FIG. 4A); Through an engagement surface 34 descending downward from the upper end of the inclined surface 33, a valve-opening sliding inclined surface 35 parallel to the inclined surface 33 is formed. The engagement surface 34 and the valve-opening slide inclined surface 35 constitute a valve-opening positioning groove 36. The above-described valve-closing slide inclined surface 33 and the valve-opening slide inclined surface 35 are not necessarily parallel, but are desirably parallel in operation described later.
[0017]
The lower end 37 of the valve opening positioning groove 32 is also an inclined surface parallel to each of the slide inclined surfaces 33 and 35.
[0018]
On the other hand, on the inner peripheral surface of the guide cylinder 21 of the stopper cover 11, a positioning projection 38 in the vertical direction at the same pitch as the valve closing positioning groove 32 in the circumferential direction is detachably fitted in the valve closing positioning groove 32. It is formed. The lower end of the positioning projection 38 is inclined parallel to the lower end 37 of the valve closing positioning groove 32.
[0019]
In addition, an inward flange 39 is provided at the upper end of the guide cylinder 21 (see FIG. 2).
[0020]
The operation button 23 has a cap shape having an outward flange 41 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and is provided between the inward flange 39 and the rotary operation member 22 inside the guide cylinder 21. , And the outward flange 41 is engaged with the inward flange 39 to prevent the guide tube 21 from falling off.
[0021]
The operation button 23 is placed on the rotation operation member 22 by vertically inserting the head 24 of the rotation operation member 22 into the lower end opening portion. The upper end of the operation button 23 is It protrudes to the top.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 3, a notch 42 in the vertical direction is provided on the outward flange 41 of the operation button 23 at a pitch of the positioning projection 38, and the positioning projection 38 fits into the notch 42. 4 (see FIG. 4A), whereby the operation button 23 is vertically and non-rotatably inserted into the guide cylinder 21.
[0023]
The lower surface of the outward flange 41 of the operation button 23 and the upper surface of the horizontal step portion 25 of the rotary operation member 22 vertically oppose each other. Small sounding projections 43 are provided in the circumferential direction at the same pitch as the pitch of 31 ′, and small sounding recesses 44 that fit in and out of the small protrusions 43 are provided on the upper surface of the horizontal step 25 at the same pitch.
[0024]
Note that the small sound projections 43 may be provided at intervals of an integral multiple of the pitch. Alternatively, the small sound projection 43 may be provided on the horizontal step 25, and the small sound recess 44 may be provided on the lower surface of the outward flange 41.
[0025]
In the valve-closed state in which the positioning protrusion 38 is fitted in the valve-closing positioning groove 32, as shown in FIG. 4A, the triangular waveform unevenness 31 'on the cylindrical portion 19 side of the plug body 9 and the rotation operating member 22 There is a slight phase shift P 'from the triangular waveform unevenness 31 on the side. Also, the small sound projection 43 and the small recess 44 have the same phase shift.
[0026]
On the other hand, in the upper surface of the plug cover 11, slight operation button guard 45 surrounding the outside of the guide tube 21 at a predetermined distance above the guide tube 21 is integrally formed with the plug cover 11, the operation button guard 45 A viewing window 46 is provided on both sides of a column 47 provided between the plug cover 11 and the upper surface.
[0027]
The upper half of the operation button 23 is inserted into the operation button guard 45 and protrudes upward. The operation button guard 45 protects the operation button 23 by surrounding the operation button 23.
[0028]
The operation button 23 is formed of a transparent resin, and the rotation operation member 22 is formed of a colored resin. As a result, the head 24 inserted into the operation button 23 can be seen through the viewing window 46 through the insertion button 23.
[0029]
Note that instead of coloring the head 24, a character display such as "close" may be given.
[0030]
When the rotary operation member 22 is in the valve closed state, the head 24 thereof can be seen from the outside (see FIG. 5A). It is provided at a position that cannot be seen through (see FIG. 5B).
[0031]
The stopper according to the embodiment is as described above, and the following operation will be described.
[0032]
Now, in the valve closed state as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4A, when the user presses down the top of the operation button 23 with a fingertip, the rotary operation member 22 is lowered together with this and the valve closing positioning groove 36 is moved to the positioning protrusion 38. At the lower end of the push-down stroke, the triangular corrugations 31 on the rotary operation member 22 mesh with the triangular corrugations 31 'on the plug body 9 side. Due to the engagement, the rotation operation member 22 rotates in the direction of the arrow A by an amount obtained by subtracting the phase shift P ′ from ピ ッ チ of one pitch of the triangular waveforms 31 and 31 ′, and completely engages (FIG. 4B )reference).
[0033]
Due to the above rotation of the rotary operation member 22, the small sound generating concave portion 44 is fitted to the small sound generating convex portion 43 of the operation button 23. At this time, since a downward force from the fingertip is acting on the operation button 23, a large and clear sound is generated when the small sounding projection 43 and the small recession 44 are fitted to each other, and the user is audible to the user. , And tactilely sense the valve opening through the fingertip.
[0034]
When the finger is released from the operation button 23, the valve member 14, the rotation operation member 22 and the operation button 23 are pushed upward by the elastic member 18, disengagement of the triangular waveform irregularities 31 and 31 ′, and lower end of the positioning projection 38 The rotation operating member 22 rotates in the direction of arrow A by the horizontal component force based on the inclination angle of the valve opening slide inclined surface 35, and the positioning projection 38 fits into the valve opening positioning groove 36. As a result, the valve body 14 is prevented from rising, and is kept in the valve-open state (FIG. 4C). At the same time, the fitting of the small sound projection 43 and the small recess 44 is released.
[0035]
In the above-described valve-open state, the position of the rotary operation member 22 is lower than in the valve-closed state, so that the head 24 cannot be seen through the viewing window 46. This makes it possible to visually recognize that the valve is open from the outside.
[0036]
Next, when the operation button 23 is depressed again, the rotary operation member 22 is lowered, the valve opening positioning groove 36 is disengaged from the lower end of the positioning projection 38, and the triangular waveform irregularities 31 and 31 'are meshed with each other. Rotate by the same amount as in the above case (see FIG. 4D). As a result, the sounding small convex portion 43 and the small concave portion 44 are fitted again, and a large and clear sound is generated due to the collision at that time, and the user closes audibly and tactilely as in the case described above. Make the valve sense.
[0037]
When the finger is released from the operation button 23, the valve body 14, the rotation operation 22 and the operation button 23 are pushed upward by the elastic member 18, disengaging the triangular corrugations 31, 31 ′ and closing the lower end of the positioning projection 38. The valve slide inclined surface 33 hits, and the rotary operation member 23 rotates in the direction of arrow A by the horizontal component force generated by the inclination angle. As a result, the positioning protrusion 38 fits into the next valve closing positioning groove 36, and the fitting of the small sound projection 43 and the small recess 44 is released, thereby returning to the original state (see FIG. 4A). At this time, since the head 24 of the rotary operation member 22 rises within the operation button 23, it is possible to visually recognize that the valve is in the closed state by viewing the head 23 from the viewing window 46.
[0038]
In the course of operating the operation button 23 as described above, the small sound projection 43 and the small recess 44 generate a large and clear sound when the valve is opened and closed, and also due to collision or contact between the members. Although a certain amount of sound is generated, these sounds are sounds of indistinct noise level as compared with the sound when the small sounding projection 43 and the small recession 44 are fitted, and can be clearly distinguished.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the stopper of the liquid container according to the present invention, when operating the operation button with a fingertip, the operation button itself does not rotate, and the rotary operation member rotates according to the vertical movement of the operation button. For this reason, the opening and closing of the valve is not affected by the frictional resistance generated between the operation button and the fingertip, and the valve is opened and closed reliably.
[0040]
In addition, by using the rotation of the rotary operation member with respect to the operation button and fitting the small sound projection and small recess provided on the opposing surfaces of the two, a clear sound is generated according to the opening and closing of the valve. The opening and closing of the valve can be sensed to the person by hearing and touch. Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to visually sense.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment; FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the same plug; FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a partial cross section of the same plug; FIG. 4 (a) to (d); 5A is a partial front view of the same plug when the valve is closed, and FIG. 6B is a partial front view of the same plug when the valve is opened. FIG. [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Plug body 2 Liquid container 3 Body member 4 Inner container 5 Shoulder member 6 Opening 7 Shoulder cover 8 Discharge port 9 Plug body 11 Plug cover 12 Liquid passage 13 Valve seat 14 Valve body 15 Valve rod 16 Valve support cylinder 17 Spring receiving member 18 Elastic member 19 Tube portion 21 Guide tube 22 Rotating operation member 23 Operation button 24 Head 25 Horizontal step 26 Peripheral wall 27 Large diameter portion 28 Small diameter portion 29 Inner peripheral step 31, 31 'Triangular corrugation 32 Close valve positioning groove 33 Close Valve slide inclined surface 34 Engagement surface 35, 35 'Valve open slide inclined surface 36, 36' Valve opening positioning groove 37 Lower end 38 Positioning projection 39 Inward flange 41 Outward flange 42 Notch 43 Sounding small convex portion 44 Sounding small concave portion 45 Operation button guard 46 Viewing window 47 pillar

Claims (3)

A rotary operation member 22 is vertically movably inserted into a guide cylinder 21 provided on the plug 1, and the valve 14, which is interlocked with the rotation operation member 22 and urged in the valve closing direction, is moved to the liquid of the plug 1. The corrugated irregularities 31 and 31 ′ having a constant pitch are formed at the lower end of the passage 12 so as to be openable and closable at the lower end of the stopper 1 and the rotary operation member 22 so as to mesh with each other at the lower end of the stroke of the rotary operation member 22. A valve closing positioning groove 32 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the member 22 at an integral pitch of twice or more of the waveform irregularities 31, 31 ′, and between the valve closing positioning grooves 32 in the rotation direction of the rotation operating member 22. A gradually increasing valve closing slide slope 33, an engagement surface 34 descending downward from the upper end of the slope 33, and a valve opening slide slope inclined from the lower end of the engagement surface 34 in the same direction as the slope 33. 35, and the engagement surface 3 Is formed at a position higher than the lower end of the valve closing positioning groove 32 to form a valve opening positioning groove 36 by the engagement surface 34 and the valve opening sliding inclined surface 35. A positioning projection 38 is formed on the inner surface so as to be removably fitted in the valve closing positioning groove 32 and the valve opening positioning groove 36, and the above-mentioned waved unevenness 31 is formed in the valve closed state in which the positioning projection 38 is fitted in the valve closing positioning groove 32. , 31 ′ in the stopper of the liquid container having a slight phase shift in the rotation direction,
The operation button 23 is inserted into the guide cylinder 21 of the plug 1 so as to be movable up and down, cannot rotate, and does not come out. The operation button 23 is put on the rotation operation member 22, and the operation button 23 and the rotation operation are performed. A small sound projection 43 is provided on one of the opposing surfaces of the member 22 facing the upper and lower sides with the same pitch as the pitch of the corrugations 31 and 31 ′, and the other opposing surface has the same pitch or an integral multiple of the above pitch, and A plug for a liquid container, wherein a small sounding recessed portion 44 having the same phase shift as the phase shifts of the corrugations 31 and 31 'in the valve closed state is provided so as to be detachable from the small convex portion 43. The operation button 23 is provided with an outward flange 41, and the outward flange 41 is provided with a notch 42 for fitting the positioning projection 38 formed on the guide cylinder 21 of the plug 1. The stopper of the liquid container according to claim 1. The head 24 of the rotary operation member 22 is vertically movably inserted into the operation button 23, and the operation button 23 is formed of a transparent body. 3. The stopper for a liquid container according to claim 1, wherein a viewing window 46 that is visible from the outside through the operation button 23 and is not visible when the valve is open is provided in the stopper 1.

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