JP3916688B2

JP3916688B2 - Metered discharge container

Info

Publication number: JP3916688B2
Application number: JP11514196A
Authority: JP
Inventors: 健長沼; 香織有田; 利之小沢; 伸平井上; 和紀橋本
Original assignee: Lion Corp; Yoshino Kogyosho Co Ltd
Current assignee: Lion Corp; Yoshino Kogyosho Co Ltd
Priority date: 1996-05-09
Filing date: 1996-05-09
Publication date: 2007-05-16
Anticipated expiration: 2016-05-09
Also published as: JPH09301406A

Description

【０００１】
【発明の属する技術分野】
本発明は、流動性のある粉粒体を収容し、一定量ずつ吐出することができる定量吐出容器に関する。
【０００２】
【従来の技術】
洗剤や漂白剤などの粒状あるいは粉状の粉粒体を収容する容器として、従来、容器を倒立状態とすることで容器内の粉粒体を蓋に設けられた計量室に貯め、次いで容器を正立状態とすることでこの計量室内の粉粒体を容器と蓋との間の貯留室に移し、再び容器を倒立状態としたときに、貯留室内に一定量貯留された粉粒体を吐出することで、簡単な操作で一定量の内容物を繰り返し振り出すことができる定量吐出容器が知られている。
【０００３】
この種の定量吐出容器として、以下に示すようなものが知られている。
実公昭４２−２０６０６号公報に記載の粉末用定量容器は、図６に示すように、底付円筒本体７１と、底付円筒本体７１の上部開口に取り付けられた先すぼまり状のトラップ７２と、計器蓋７５を備えてなる。この計器蓋７５は天井板７６と周壁７７からなり、天井板７６の中央部に円筒状隔壁７３と、天井板７６の隅部に周方向に沿って複数の吐出孔７４が形成され、容器全体を単に倒立させるだけで随時繰り返し定量の内容物を取り出しできるというものである。
【０００４】
実公昭４５−１４７１６号公報に記載された粒状物質の分与装置は、図８に示すように、筒状のスカート部分９１とすり鉢状の天井板９２とを有する蓋部材９３と、小筒状吐出部９４を有する容器９５とから構成されたもので、組立てが容易であり、かつ天井板９２のコーナー部に形成された分与通路９６を通して所定量の内容物を正確に分与できるというものである。
【０００５】
実開昭５２−１４８４０号公報に記載された定量取出しキャップは、図７に示すように、定量受け皿部８１とその側方の内容物取出口８２を有するキャップ本体８３の下部に補助キャップ８４を設けたものである。
【０００６】
前記の容器または定量吐出装置は、いずれも、倒立によって蓋部材の計量室内に一定量の粉粒体を分取し、正立したときに分取した粉粒体を貯留室に移し、再度倒立したときに貯留室内の粉粒体を吐出口から吐出するという構成になっている。しかし、これらの容器には吐出口を塞ぐカバーがないので、湿気や塵埃などが入りやすく、また過って容器を落下あるいは転倒させると、内容物が吐出口からこぼれ出す問題があった。また、これらは容器内の粉粒体を補充または詰め替えすることが構造上きわめて困難であり、実質的に詰め替え容器としては使用できなかった。
【０００７】
吐出口にカバーが設けられた定量吐出容器も知られている。
実公平３−３８１３３号公報に記載された定量振出容器は、図４に示すように容器本体４５の口部４６にキャップ４７が着脱自在にはめ込まれ、このキャップ４７が主筒部材５１と、これに被さる蓋部材５２と、主筒部材５１の内部に設けられた小径の計量筒付き部材５３とを備えたもので、主筒部材５１と蓋部材５２とが三点ヒンジ機構を介して連結されている。この構造では、容器全体が容器本体４５とキャップ４７の二部材で形成され、容器内容物の補充、詰め替え、およびこの容器の組立てが容易であるというものである。
【０００８】
特開平３−２２６４６５号公報に記載されている小出しパッケージは、図５に示すように、傾斜肩部６１と首部６２を有する容器６０と、首部６２を包囲する内スカート６３と外スカート６４を有するキャップ６５とからなるもので、製造が容易であり、内容物の小出容積が一定であり、しかもこの小出容積の変更が容易であるというものである。
【０００９】
【発明が解決しようとする課題】
しかし、前記のいずれの定量吐出容器も、例えば倒立時の傾斜角や振り出し加速度などによって毎回の吐出量がばらつき、また正立状態に戻す途中でも流出が止まらない現象、いわゆる「粉切れが悪い」という現象が起こり、不都合であった。
【００１０】
本発明は、上記の課題を解決するためになされたものであって、従ってその目的は、倒立して粉粒体を吐出させるに際して、毎回の吐出量の定量性が良好であり、かつ粉切れが良好な定量吐出容器を提供することにある。
【００１１】
【課題を解決するための手段】
上記の課題を解決するために本発明は、粉粒体を収容し、上部に容器開口を有する有底筒状の容器本体と、この容器開口を内包するように容器本体に装着された有蓋筒状の定量吐出部とからなり、前記の容器開口は、その口縁部が定量吐出部の開口筒体に接続され、前記開口筒体は、定量吐出部内で上方に延びて粉粒体の注出口を形成し、前記の定量吐出部は、開口筒体の基部から外側に延びる底板部と、この底板部の周縁部から上方に立ち上がる外筒部と、この外筒部の上面を覆い、かつ前記開口筒体の上端部と接触しないように配設された天板部とを有し、前記の天板部の下面から、外筒部と開口筒体との間に、外筒部、底板部および開口筒体のいずれとも接触しないように、かつ開口筒体と間隙幅Ｗを隔てて一定の重なり長Ｌにわたって重なるように筒状のスカート部が垂下され、また前記天板部の、外筒部とスカート部との間には粉粒体の吐出口が形成され、前記のスカート部と開口筒体との間隙幅Ｗに対する重なり長Ｌの比（Ｌ／Ｗ）が、１．０〜３．０の範囲内とされており、開口筒体の内側に、面が吐出口の側に向けられた邪魔板が、開口筒体の内径にわたって垂直に取り付けられ、かつ邪魔板の上端が天板部と接触しないように開口筒体から突出して取り付けられた定量吐出容器を提供する。
【００１３】
前記の定量吐出容器は、定量吐出部が容器本体に着脱自在に装着されていることが好ましい。また、吐出口には、開閉自在なキャップが取り付けられていることが好ましい。
【００１４】
【発明の実施の形態】
以下、図面を参照して本発明の実施の形態を説明する。
図１および図２は、本発明に係る定量吐出容器の一実施形態を示すもので、ここに例示する定量吐出容器１は、概略、有底筒状の容器本体２と、この容器本体２の上部にネジ部３ａで着脱自在に螺着された定量吐出部４とからなっている。
【００１５】
前記容器本体２は、合成樹脂あるいはガラスなどで形成された容器で、上部の容器開口３から内部に洗剤、漂白剤などの流動性の粉粒体が収容されるものである。定量吐出部４は、容器本体２と外径が等しく成形され、この定量吐出容器１は、全体として円筒状の外観を有している。
【００１６】
定量吐出部４は、合成樹脂などで成形された有蓋円筒状の成形物であり、概略、底部材１５と、外筒部７と、天板部１０とから構成されている。
底部材１５は、その中央部に形成され、定量吐出部４内を上方に延びる円筒状の開口筒体１８と、その基部から外側に延びる底板部１６とからなり、この開口筒体１８は、容器開口３の口縁部と接続されて、粉粒体の注出口Ｃを形成している。
【００１７】
外筒部７は、底板部１６の周縁部から上方に延びて定量吐出部４の外周壁をなしている。また、天板部１０は、外筒部１８の上面を覆い、かつ前記開口筒体１８の上端部と接触しないように配設された蓋部材である。
【００１８】
前記の天板部１０の下面から、開口筒体１８と同心的に円筒状のスカート部１２が垂下されている。このスカート部１２は、外筒部７、底板部１６および開口筒体１８のいずれとも接触しないように下方に延び、開口筒体１８と間隙幅Ｗを隔てて一定の重なり長Ｌにわたって重なるように配設されている。
【００１９】
以下、天板部１０とスカート部１２の内側が形成する空間を「計量室Ｂ」、スカート部１２と開口筒体１８との重なり部分の間隙を「間隙Ｄ」と称する。また、外筒部７とスカート部１２との間に形成される空間は「貯留室Ａ」と称する。
【００２０】
天板部１０の、外筒部７とスカート部１２との間、すなわち、貯留室Ａの上面には、粉粒体の吐出口１３が形成されている。また、この吐出口１３には、開閉自在なキャップ８が、ヒンジ２０および接続片８ａによって開閉自在に取り付けられている。
【００２１】
前記の定量吐出部４の構成において、間隙Ｄの間隙幅Ｗに対する重なり長Ｌの比（Ｌ／Ｗ）は、１．０〜３．０の範囲内、例えば１．５とされている。この比（Ｌ／Ｗ）（以下、「狭隘度」という）は、大きくなるほど、間隙Ｄを通過する粉粒体の流動抵抗が増大し、通過し難くなる。
【００２２】
また、開口筒体１８の内側には、その内径にわたって垂直な邪魔板９が取り付けられている。この邪魔板９は、その上端が天板部１０と接触しないように開口筒体１８から突出して取り付けられ、かつこの邪魔板９の面は、吐出口１３の側に向けられている。
【００２３】
次に、この定量吐出容器１の使用形態について図３（ａ），（ｂ），（ｃ）を用いて説明する。
先ず、この定量吐出容器１に洗剤などの粉粒体を充填するには、ネジ部３ａを回転して容器本体２と定量吐出部４とを分離し、大きく開口された容器開口３から粉粒体を容器本体２に充填した後、容器本体２と定量吐出部４とを螺着する。
【００２４】
粉粒体が充填された定量吐出容器１の内容物を定量吐出する場合は、図３（ａ）に示すように、先ずこの定量吐出容器１を、キャップ８を閉じたまま底部を上にした倒立状態とする。この操作により容器本体２内の粉粒体は、注出口Ｃを通過して落下し、計量室Ｂに流入する。このとき、間隙Ｄの狭隘度（Ｌ／Ｗ）が１．０以上とされ、間隙Ｄを通過する粉粒体に適度な流動抵抗が付与されるので、粉粒体が間隙Ｄを通過して貯留室Ａに溢れ出ることはなく、計量室Ｂを満たした状態で容器本体２からの粉粒体の落下は自然停止する。従って、計量室Ｂに流入する粉粒体の容量は常に一定となる。
【００２５】
続いて、定量吐出容器１を正立させると、図３（ｂ）に示すように、計量室Ｂ内に充填された粉粒体は、間隙Ｄを通って、貯留室Ａに流下する。このとき、間隙Ｄの狭隘度（Ｌ／Ｗ）が３．０以下とされ、間隙Ｄを通過する粉粒体の流動抵抗が過大ではないので、計量室Ｂ内に粉粒体が残留することがなく、計量室Ｂで計量された粉粒体は定量的に貯留室Ａに移行する。
このとき、注出口Ｃに邪魔板９が取り付けられているので、容器本体２への逆流が抑制され、前記の定量性が更に改善される。
【００２６】
この状態でキャップ８を開き、図３（ｃ）に示すように、定量吐出容器１を転倒または傾斜させると、貯留室Ａに貯められた粉粒体は吐出口１３から吐出される。この際、容器本体２内の粉粒体が注出口Ｃから計量室Ｂ内に流入する。しかし、この転倒または傾斜の状態においては、面を吐出口１３側に向けた邪魔板９が注出口Ｃに取り付けられているので、注出口Ｃから流出する粉粒体は、その流出量が制限され、更に間隙Ｄによってその流出が抑制されるので、貯留室Ａにまで溢れ出ることはない。
【００２７】
従って、最初の倒立−正立操作によって貯留室Ａに貯められた粉粒体のみが吐出口１３から吐出されることになり、吐出量の定量性が確保されると共に、傾斜状態から正立状態に戻す途中で余分な粉粒体がこぼれ出す、いわゆる「粉切れが悪い」という現象が回避される。
【００２８】
次に、実施例の定量吐出容器において、定量吐出部４の構成を詳しく説明する。
図１において、この定量吐出部４は、内筒部材５、外筒部材６、キャップ８、および邪魔板９から構成されている。
外筒部材６は、外筒部７の外周壁１４を形成する円筒体であって、その内周面中間部に、開口筒体１８と底板部１６とからなる底部材１５が一体に成形され、また下端部内周面には、容器開口３の周縁のネジ部３ａと螺合するネジが成形されている。
【００２９】
内筒部材５は、外筒部７において外筒部材６の上部内周面に嵌入される円筒部１１と、その上端に一体に成形された天板部１０とからなる。この天板部１０から円筒部１１内に、スカート部１２が一体に垂下される。このとき、スカート部１２および開口筒体１８のそれぞれの直径と長さは、計量室Ｂが必要な吐出量を確保し、かつ間隙幅Ｗに対する重なり長Ｌの比、すなわち、狭隘度（Ｌ／Ｗ）が１．０〜３．０の範囲内、例えば１．５となるように調節される。円筒部１１とスカート部１２との間の天板部１０には吐出口１３が形成される。
【００３０】
キャップ８は、天板部１０の全体を覆う形状に成形され、外筒部材６の上端部に、吐出口１３から離れた位置に設けられたヒンジ２０を介して搖動自在に取り付けられている。これによってこのキャップ８は、図１に示す閉じた状態から、同図に２点鎖線で示す開いた状態まで搖動することができる。
キャップ８の下面には、閉じたときに吐出口１３を密に封止する位置に、筒状のコンタクトリング２１が成形されている。
【００３１】
なおこの例では、くの字形の接続片８ａが、一方の端末をキャップ８の外面に、他方の端末を外筒部材６の外周面に、それぞれヒンジを介して取り付けられ、これらのヒンジと前記のヒンジ２０とが、いわゆる「三点ヒンジ」を構成して、キャップ８が閉位置か、開位置か、いずれかの位置を２値的に定位できるようになっている。
【００３２】
邪魔板９は長方形の板材であって、幅が開口筒体１８の内径と等しく成形され、この幅方向に、面を吐出口１３の方向に向けて差し渡され、垂直に固定されている。この邪魔板９の上端は、天板部１０と接触しない範囲内で、開口筒体１８の上端部から上方に突出していることが好ましい。このことによって、定量吐出容器の粉切れ特性が更に改善される。
【００３３】
前記の定量吐出容器１において、粉粒体の詰め替えは、ネジ部３ａを回動して容器本体２と定量吐出部４とを分離し、大径の容器開口３から粉粒体を容器本体２に充填した後、容器本体２と定量吐出部４とを螺着すればよいので、きわめて容易である。従って、この定量吐出容器１は詰め替え用容器として繰り返し粉粒体を補充して使用でき、経済的かつ省資源的である。
【００３４】
（試験例１）
前記実施例の定量吐出容器から邪魔板９を除去し、間隙Ｄの間隙幅Ｗと重なり長Ｌとを種々に変化させた定量排出容器を試作し、狭隘度（Ｌ／Ｗ）と吐出量のバラツキとの関係を測定した。
【００３５】
吐出量のバラツキは、キャップ８を閉じて１回の倒立−正立操作を行った後、キャップ８を開き、倒立して１振りする１回の吐出操作で吐出された粉粒体の体積を測定し、この吐出操作を２０回繰り返したときの吐出量の平均値を平均吐出量（Ｖ₀）とし、個々の吐出操作により得られた吐出量（Ｖ_n）の標準偏差を平均吐出量（Ｖ₀）で割り、１００倍した値を「変動係数」として求めた。判定は、この変動係数（％）が１０％以下のものを○、１０％を越えたものを×で表示した。結果を表１に示す。
【００３６】
【表１】

【００３７】
表１の結果から、狭隘度（Ｌ／Ｗ）が大きくなるほど、変動係数が小さくなる傾向が認められる。特に、狭隘度（Ｌ／Ｗ）が１．０以上である試験番号４，５，６，７，８，１０，１２では、いずれも変動係数が１０％以下となって、バラツキが少ない（○）と判定された。
【００３８】
ただし、狭隘度（Ｌ／Ｗ）が大きくなりすぎると、表示していないが、倒立−正立操作の際、粉粒体が計量室Ｂから流出し難く、貯留室Ａに貯留されるまでの時間が長くかかるようになり、好ましくない。また、狭隘度を大きくするために重なり長Ｌを大にすると、定量吐出部４の縦寸法が長くなって容器のデザイン上も好ましくない。
これらの観点から、本発明において、狭隘度（Ｌ／Ｗ）は、１．０〜３．０の範囲内とする。特に狭隘度（Ｌ／Ｗ）は、１．４〜２．０の範囲内とすることが好ましい。
【００３９】
（試験例２）
邪魔板９の効果を試験した。試験例１で用いた試料番号６の定量吐出容器の開口筒体１８に、実施例１に従う邪魔板９を取り付け、試験例１の場合と同様にして変動係数（％）を求めた。結果を、邪魔板９を有しない以外は同様の構造を有する試料番号６と比較して表２に示す。
【００４０】
【表２】

【００４１】
表２の結果から、邪魔板９を取り付けた試料番号１３の定量吐出容器は、邪魔板がない試料番号６のものに比べ、変動係数が改善されている。これは、邪魔板９の存在によって粉粒体の流動が制限され、粉切れ特性が改善された結果によるものである。粉切れ特性が改善されたことによって、試料番号１３の定量吐出容器は優秀（◎）と判定された。
【００４２】
前記実施例は、本発明の好ましい定量吐出容器の一例であるが、本発明はこの構成に限定されるものではない。例えば、容器本体や定量吐出部、更に内部構造としてのスカート部、開口筒体などの横断面形状は、それぞれ独立に、または統一的に円形、楕円形、方形、またはそれらの変形であってよい。
【００４３】
邪魔板は、実施例では開口筒体の中心を通る内径に垂直に差し渡されているが、面が吐出口１３の方向に向けられていれば、中心から外れた位置に取り付けられていてもよく、また垂直でなくてもよい。更に、２枚以上が取り付けられていてもよく、これらの邪魔板は、必ずしもその双方の側部が開口筒体の内壁に接合されていなくてもよい。
【００４４】
定量吐出部４と容器本体２とは、着脱できないように一体化されていてもよい。しかし、詰め替え容器として用いる場合は着脱自在とされていることが好ましい。着脱自在とする場合の接合は、実施例１に示したネジによる方法以外に、例えば定量吐出部４と容器本体２との接合部周面に、それぞれ対応する凹／凸条を形成し、これらの係合により接合する構成、またはネジと凹／凸条とを組み合わせた構成などであってもよい。
【００４５】
キャップの形状や構成も前記実施例のものに限定されない。要は吐出口１３を開閉自在に閉塞できればよいので、天板部１０全体ではなく吐出口１３のみを局部的に覆うものであってもよく、またキャップの開閉を、ヒンジ方式によらず、スライド方式によって、または栓のように分離方式によって行うものであってもよい。
【００４６】
【発明の効果】
以上説明したように本発明の定量吐出容器は、スカート部と開口筒体との間隙幅Ｗに対する重なり長Ｌの比（Ｌ／Ｗ）が、１．０〜３．０の範囲内とされているので、倒立−正立−振り出しの一連の操作において、余分の粉粒体が吐出されることなく、吐出量のバラツキ少なく円滑に吐出される定量性の良好な定量吐出容器が得られる。
開口筒体の内側に、面が吐出口の側に向けられた邪魔板が、天板部と接触しないように取り付けられていれば、倒立状態から正立状態に戻す途中で余分な粉粒体がこぼれ出す、いわゆる「粉切れが悪い」という現象が回避され、定量性が更に向上する。
定量吐出部が容器本体に着脱自在に装着されていれば、粉粒体の詰め替えがきわめて容易となり、詰め替え用容器として繰り返し使用できるので、経済的かつ省資源的である。
吐出口に、開閉自在なキャップが取り付けられていれば、振り出し操作中、また不注意による転倒などに際して粉粒体が流出飛散することなく、また容器内に湿気や塵埃の侵入を防ぐことができる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】本発明の定量吐出容器の一実施例を示す縦断面図。
【図２】図１に示す定量吐出容器を、スカート部１２と開口筒体１８との重なり部を含む面で切った横断面図。
【図３】（ａ），（ｂ），（ｃ）の順に、図１に示す定量吐出容器の動作を説明する部分縦断面図。
【図４】従来の定量吐出容器の一例を示す部分縦断面図。
【図５】従来の定量吐出容器の他の一例を示す部分縦断面図。
【図６】従来の定量吐出容器の他の一例を示す部分縦断面図。
【図７】従来の定量吐出容器の他の一例を示す部分縦断面図。
【図８】従来の定量吐出容器の他の一例を示す部分縦断面図。
【符号の説明】
１…定量吐出容器、
２…容器本体、
３…容器開口、
４…定量吐出部、
７…外筒部、
８…キャップ、
９…邪魔板、
１０…天板部、
１２…スカート部、
１３…吐出口、
１６…底板部、
１８…開口筒体、
Ａ…貯留室、
Ｂ…計量室、
Ｃ…注出口、
Ｄ…間隙、
Ｗ…間隙幅、
Ｌ…重なり長。[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fixed-quantity discharge container that accommodates a fluid granular material and can discharge a fixed amount.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a container for storing granular or powdery granular materials such as detergents and bleaching agents, conventionally, the container is inverted and stored in the measuring chamber provided on the lid. When the powder in the measuring chamber is moved to the storage chamber between the container and the lid by setting it upright, and when the container is turned upside down again, a certain amount of powder stored in the storage chamber is discharged. Thus, there is known a fixed discharge container that can repeatedly shake out a certain amount of contents with a simple operation.
[0003]
As this type of quantitative discharge container, the following are known.
As shown in FIG. 6, a quantitative container for powder described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 42-20606 includes a bottomed cylindrical main body 71 and a tapered trap 72 attached to the upper opening of the bottomed cylindrical main body 71. And an instrument lid 75. The instrument lid 75 includes a ceiling plate 76 and a peripheral wall 77. A cylindrical partition wall 73 is formed at the center of the ceiling plate 76, and a plurality of discharge holes 74 are formed along the circumferential direction at the corners of the ceiling plate 76. It is possible to take out the contents of a fixed amount repeatedly at any time simply by inverting.
[0004]
As shown in FIG. 8, the particulate material dispensing apparatus described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 45-14716 includes a lid member 93 having a cylindrical skirt portion 91 and a mortar-shaped ceiling plate 92, and a small cylindrical shape. It is composed of a container 95 having a discharge portion 94, is easy to assemble, and can accurately dispense a predetermined amount of contents through a dispensing passage 96 formed in the corner portion of the ceiling plate 92. It is.
[0005]
As shown in FIG. 7, the quantitative take-out cap described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 52-14840 is provided with an auxiliary cap 84 at the lower part of a cap body 83 having a constant-rate receiving portion 81 and a content outlet 82 on its side. It is provided.
[0006]
In either case, the container or the quantitative discharge device dispenses a certain amount of powder particles into the measuring chamber of the lid member by inversion, transfers the powder particles collected when upright to the storage chamber, and then inverts again. When this is done, the granular material in the storage chamber is discharged from the discharge port. However, since these containers do not have a cover for closing the discharge port, moisture and dust easily enter, and there is a problem that the contents spill out from the discharge port if the container is dropped or overturned. In addition, it is extremely difficult to replenish or refill the powder particles in the container, and they cannot be practically used as a refill container.
[0007]
A fixed amount discharge container having a cover at the discharge port is also known.
As shown in FIG. 4, the quantitative dispensing container described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-38133 has a cap 47 detachably fitted in the mouth 46 of the container body 45, and the cap 47 is connected to the main cylinder member 51 and the cap 47. A lid member 52 covering the main cylinder member 51 and a small-diameter measuring cylinder-equipped member 53 provided inside the main cylinder member 51. The main cylinder member 51 and the lid member 52 are connected via a three-point hinge mechanism. ing. In this structure, the entire container is formed of two members, a container main body 45 and a cap 47, and it is easy to refill, refill, and assemble the container contents.
[0008]
As shown in FIG. 5, the dispensing package described in JP-A-3-226465 has a container 60 having an inclined shoulder portion 61 and a neck portion 62, and an inner skirt 63 and an outer skirt 64 surrounding the neck portion 62. It consists of a cap 65, is easy to manufacture, has a constant small volume of contents, and is easy to change the small volume.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in any of the above-described quantitative discharge containers, for example, the discharge amount of each time varies depending on the tilt angle or swing acceleration at the time of inversion, and the phenomenon that the outflow does not stop even while returning to the upright state, so-called “poor powder” This phenomenon was inconvenient.
[0010]
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to have a good quantitative property of the discharge amount every time the powder particles are discharged in an inverted manner, and the powder is broken. Is to provide a good quantitative discharge container.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a bottomed cylindrical container body that contains a granular material and has a container opening at the top, and a covered cylinder that is attached to the container body so as to contain the container opening. The container opening is connected to the opening cylindrical body of the quantitative discharge section, and the opening cylindrical body extends upward in the quantitative discharge section to inject the granular material. An outlet is formed, and the fixed discharge portion covers a bottom plate portion extending outward from a base portion of the opening cylindrical body, an outer cylinder portion rising upward from a peripheral edge portion of the bottom plate portion, and an upper surface of the outer cylinder portion; and A top plate portion disposed so as not to contact the upper end portion of the opening cylindrical body, and an outer cylinder portion and a bottom plate between the outer cylinder portion and the opening cylindrical body from the lower surface of the top plate portion. Over a certain overlap length L with no gap between the opening cylinder and the gap width W. A cylindrical skirt portion is suspended so as to overlap, and a discharge port for a granular material is formed between the outer cylinder portion and the skirt portion of the top plate portion, and the skirt portion and the opening cylinder body The baffle plate in which the ratio (L / W) of the overlap length L to the gap width W is in the range of 1.0 to 3.0, and the surface is directed to the discharge port side inside the opening cylinder. However, there is provided a metering discharge container which is vertically attached over the inner diameter of the opening cylinder and is attached so as to protrude from the opening cylinder so that the upper end of the baffle plate does not contact the top plate portion.
[0013]
It is preferable that the fixed-quantity discharge container has a fixed-quantity discharge unit detachably attached to the container main body. Moreover, it is preferable that a cap that can be freely opened and closed is attached to the discharge port.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show an embodiment of a metering discharge container according to the present invention. A metering container 1 exemplified here is roughly a bottomed cylindrical container body 2 and the container body 2. It consists of a quantitative discharge part 4 which is detachably screwed to the upper part by a screw part 3a.
[0015]
The container body 2 is a container formed of synthetic resin or glass, and contains fluid particles such as a detergent and a bleaching agent inside the upper container opening 3. The fixed amount discharge section 4 is formed to have the same outer diameter as the container main body 2, and the fixed discharge container 1 has a cylindrical appearance as a whole.
[0016]
The fixed amount discharge unit 4 is a covered cylindrical molded product formed of synthetic resin or the like, and generally includes a bottom member 15, an outer cylinder portion 7, and a top plate portion 10.
The bottom member 15 is formed at a central portion thereof, and includes a cylindrical opening cylinder 18 that extends upward in the fixed amount discharge section 4 and a bottom plate portion 16 that extends outward from the base thereof. It is connected to the rim of the container opening 3 to form a spout C for the granular material.
[0017]
The outer cylinder portion 7 extends upward from the peripheral edge portion of the bottom plate portion 16 to form the outer peripheral wall of the fixed discharge portion 4. The top plate portion 10 is a lid member that covers the upper surface of the outer cylinder portion 18 and is disposed so as not to contact the upper end portion of the opening cylinder body 18.
[0018]
A cylindrical skirt portion 12 is suspended from the lower surface of the top plate portion 10 concentrically with the opening cylinder 18. The skirt portion 12 extends downward so as not to contact any of the outer cylinder portion 7, the bottom plate portion 16, and the opening cylinder body 18, and overlaps with the opening cylinder body 18 over a certain overlap length L with a gap width W therebetween. It is arranged.
[0019]
Hereinafter, the space formed by the top plate portion 10 and the inside of the skirt portion 12 is referred to as “weighing chamber B”, and the gap at the overlapping portion between the skirt portion 12 and the opening cylindrical body 18 is referred to as “gap D”. The space formed between the outer cylinder portion 7 and the skirt portion 12 is referred to as “reservoir chamber A”.
[0020]
A powder outlet 13 is formed between the outer cylinder 7 and the skirt 12 of the top plate 10, that is, on the upper surface of the storage chamber A. In addition, an openable / closable cap 8 is attached to the discharge port 13 by a hinge 20 and a connecting piece 8a.
[0021]
In the configuration of the quantitative discharge unit 4 described above, the ratio (L / W) of the overlap length L to the gap width W of the gap D is in the range of 1.0 to 3.0, for example, 1.5. As this ratio (L / W) (hereinafter referred to as “the degree of narrowing”) increases, the flow resistance of the powder passing through the gap D increases and the passage becomes difficult.
[0022]
Further, a baffle plate 9 that is perpendicular to the inner diameter is attached to the inside of the opening cylinder 18. The baffle plate 9 is mounted so as to protrude from the opening cylinder 18 so that the upper end of the baffle plate 9 does not come into contact with the top plate portion 10, and the surface of the baffle plate 9 is directed toward the discharge port 13.
[0023]
Next, the usage form of this fixed-quantity discharge container 1 is demonstrated using FIG. 3 (a), (b), (c).
First, in order to fill the fixed quantity discharge container 1 with a granular material such as a detergent, the screw part 3a is rotated to separate the container main body 2 and the fixed quantity discharge part 4 from the large opening of the container opening 3. After filling the body into the container main body 2, the container main body 2 and the quantitative discharge unit 4 are screwed together.
[0024]
When quantitatively discharging the contents of the quantitative discharge container 1 filled with the powder and granule, as shown in FIG. 3A, the quantitative discharge container 1 is first placed with the bottom portion up while the cap 8 is closed. Inverted. By this operation, the granular material in the container main body 2 falls through the spout C and flows into the measuring chamber B. At this time, the narrowness (L / W) of the gap D is set to 1.0 or more, and an appropriate flow resistance is imparted to the powder passing through the gap D, so that the powder passes through the gap D. It does not overflow into the storage chamber A, and the dropping of the granular material from the container main body 2 naturally stops while the measuring chamber B is filled. Accordingly, the volume of the powder particles flowing into the measuring chamber B is always constant.
[0025]
Subsequently, when the fixed amount discharge container 1 is erected, the granular material filled in the measuring chamber B flows down to the storage chamber A through the gap D as shown in FIG. At this time, the narrowness (L / W) of the gap D is set to 3.0 or less, and the flow resistance of the powder passing through the gap D is not excessive, so that the powder remains in the measuring chamber B. And the powder particles weighed in the measuring chamber B quantitatively move to the storage chamber A.
Since the baffle plate 9 is attached to the spout C at this time, the backflow to the container main body 2 is suppressed and the said quantitative property is further improved.
[0026]
In this state, when the cap 8 is opened and the fixed discharge container 1 is overturned or inclined as shown in FIG. 3C, the granular material stored in the storage chamber A is discharged from the discharge port 13. At this time, the granular material in the container body 2 flows into the measuring chamber B from the spout C. However, in the state of falling or inclining, the baffle plate 9 whose surface is directed toward the discharge port 13 is attached to the spout C, so that the amount of outflow of the powder particles flowing out from the spout C is limited. Furthermore, since the outflow is suppressed by the gap D, it does not overflow into the storage chamber A.
[0027]
Therefore, only the granular material stored in the storage chamber A by the first inversion-upright operation is discharged from the discharge port 13, and the quantitative property of the discharge amount is ensured and the erecting state is changed from the inclined state. The phenomenon of so-called “poor powder breakage”, in which excessive powder particles spill out on the way back to, is avoided.
[0028]
Next, in the fixed discharge container of the embodiment, the configuration of the fixed discharge unit 4 will be described in detail.
In FIG. 1, the fixed amount discharge portion 4 is composed of an inner cylinder member 5, an outer cylinder member 6, a cap 8, and a baffle plate 9.
The outer cylindrical member 6 is a cylindrical body that forms the outer peripheral wall 14 of the outer cylindrical portion 7, and a bottom member 15 composed of an open cylindrical body 18 and a bottom plate portion 16 is integrally formed at an intermediate portion of the inner peripheral surface thereof. Moreover, the screw | thread screwed together with the thread part 3a of the periphery of the container opening 3 is shape | molded by the inner peripheral surface of a lower end part.
[0029]
The inner cylinder member 5 includes a cylindrical part 11 fitted into the upper inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder member 6 in the outer cylinder part 7, and a top plate part 10 formed integrally with the upper end thereof. A skirt portion 12 is integrally suspended from the top plate portion 10 into the cylindrical portion 11. At this time, the respective diameters and lengths of the skirt portion 12 and the opening cylindrical body 18 ensure the discharge amount necessary for the measuring chamber B, and the ratio of the overlap length L to the gap width W, that is, the narrowness (L / W) is adjusted within a range of 1.0 to 3.0, for example, 1.5. A discharge port 13 is formed in the top plate portion 10 between the cylindrical portion 11 and the skirt portion 12.
[0030]
The cap 8 is formed in a shape that covers the entire top plate portion 10, and is slidably attached to the upper end portion of the outer cylinder member 6 via a hinge 20 provided at a position away from the discharge port 13. Accordingly, the cap 8 can swing from the closed state shown in FIG. 1 to the open state shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG.
A cylindrical contact ring 21 is formed on the lower surface of the cap 8 at a position where the discharge port 13 is tightly sealed when closed.
[0031]
In this example, the U-shaped connection piece 8a is attached to the outer surface of the cap 8 with one terminal and the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder member 6 with one terminal, respectively. The hinge 20 forms a so-called “three-point hinge” so that the position of the cap 8 in the closed position or the open position can be determined in a binary manner.
[0032]
The baffle plate 9 is a rectangular plate material, the width of which is formed to be equal to the inner diameter of the opening cylinder 18, and the surface is passed in the direction of the discharge port 13 in the width direction, and is fixed vertically. It is preferable that the upper end of the baffle plate 9 protrudes upward from the upper end portion of the opening cylindrical body 18 within a range that does not contact the top plate portion 10. This further improves the powder breakage characteristics of the quantitative discharge container.
[0033]
In the above-mentioned fixed amount discharge container 1, the refilling of the granular material is performed by rotating the screw portion 3 a to separate the container main body 2 and the constant discharge portion 4, and removing the granular material from the large-diameter container opening 3. After filling the container, the container body 2 and the fixed quantity discharge unit 4 may be screwed together, which is extremely easy. Therefore, this fixed-quantity discharge container 1 can be used by replenishing powder particles repeatedly as a refill container, and is economical and resource-saving.
[0034]
(Test Example 1)
The baffle plate 9 is removed from the fixed discharge container of the above embodiment, and a fixed discharge container in which the gap width W and the overlap length L of the gap D are changed in various ways is experimentally manufactured. The narrowness (L / W) and discharge amount The relationship with variation was measured.
[0035]
Dispersion of the discharge amount is the volume of the granular material discharged by one discharge operation in which the cap 8 is closed and the cap 8 is opened and then the cap 8 is opened and inverted and shaken once. The average value of the discharge amount when this discharge operation is repeated 20 times is defined as the average discharge amount (V ₀ ), and the standard deviation of the discharge amount (V _n ) obtained by each discharge operation is the average discharge amount ( divided by V _0), I was asked to 100 times the value as a "coefficient of variation". In the determination, those having a coefficient of variation (%) of 10% or less are indicated by ◯, and those exceeding 10% are indicated by ×. The results are shown in Table 1.
[0036]
[Table 1]

[0037]
From the results in Table 1, it can be seen that the coefficient of variation tends to decrease as the narrowness (L / W) increases. In particular, in the

test numbers

4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12 in which the narrowness (L / W) is 1.0 or more, the variation coefficient is 10% or less and the variation is small (◯ ).
[0038]
However, when the degree of narrowness (L / W) becomes too large, it is not displayed, but it is difficult for the granular material to flow out of the measurement chamber B during the upside-down operation, and until the storage chamber A is stored. It takes a long time, which is not preferable. In addition, if the overlap length L is increased in order to increase the narrowness, the vertical dimension of the fixed discharge unit 4 becomes longer, which is not preferable in terms of the container design.
From these viewpoints, in the present invention, the narrowness (L / W) is in the range of 1.0 to 3.0. In particular, the narrowness (L / W) is preferably in the range of 1.4 to 2.0.
[0039]
(Test Example 2)
The effect of the baffle plate 9 was tested. A baffle plate 9 according to Example 1 was attached to the opening cylindrical body 18 of the fixed discharge container of sample number 6 used in Test Example 1, and the coefficient of variation (%) was obtained in the same manner as in Test Example 1. The results are shown in Table 2 in comparison with Sample No. 6 having the same structure except that the baffle plate 9 is not provided.
[0040]
[Table 2]

[0041]
From the results in Table 2, the coefficient of variation of the fixed-quantity discharge container of Sample No. 13 to which the baffle plate 9 is attached is improved compared to that of Sample No. 6 without the baffle plate. This is due to the result that the powder flow is limited by the presence of the baffle plate 9 and the powder breakage characteristics are improved. Due to the improvement of the powder cutting property, the quantitative discharge container of Sample No. 13 was determined to be excellent (◎).
[0042]
Although the said Example is an example of the preferable fixed quantity discharge container of this invention, this invention is not limited to this structure. For example, the cross-sectional shapes of the container main body, the constant discharge portion, the skirt portion as the internal structure, and the opening cylinder may be each independently or uniformly circular, elliptical, rectangular, or a modification thereof. .
[0043]
In the embodiment, the baffle plate is passed perpendicularly to the inner diameter passing through the center of the opening cylindrical body. However, if the surface is directed toward the discharge port 13, the baffle plate may be attached at a position off the center. It does not have to be vertical. Furthermore, two or more sheets may be attached, and these baffle plates do not necessarily have to be joined to the inner wall of the opening cylinder at both sides thereof.
[0044]
The fixed quantity discharge part 4 and the container main body 2 may be integrated so that it cannot be attached or detached. However, when used as a refill container, it is preferable that the container is detachable. In addition to the method using screws shown in the first embodiment, for the case of making it detachable, for example, corresponding concave / convex ridges are respectively formed on the peripheral surface of the joint portion between the quantitative discharge portion 4 and the container body 2. The structure which joins by engagement of this, or the structure which combined the screw | thread and the concave / convex ridge etc. may be sufficient.
[0045]
The shape and configuration of the cap are not limited to those of the above embodiments. In short, since it is sufficient that the discharge port 13 can be freely opened and closed, the discharge port 13 may be locally covered instead of the entire top plate portion 10, and the cap can be opened and closed regardless of the hinge system. It may be performed by a method or by a separation method like a stopper.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the constant rate discharge container according to the present invention, the ratio (L / W) of the overlap length L to the gap width W between the skirt portion and the opening cylindrical body is in the range of 1.0 to 3.0. Therefore, in a series of operations of inversion, erecting, and swinging out, there is obtained a quantitative discharge container with good quantitativeness that is discharged smoothly with little variation in the discharge amount, without discharging excessive powder particles.
If a baffle plate with the surface facing the discharge port is attached to the inside of the opening cylinder so that it does not come into contact with the top plate, excess powder particles will be returned from the inverted state to the upright state. The phenomenon of so-called “poor powder breakage” that spills out is avoided, and quantitativeness is further improved.
If the fixed-quantity discharge part is detachably attached to the container body, the refilling of the powder particles becomes extremely easy and can be used repeatedly as a refilling container, which is economical and resource-saving.
If a cap that can be freely opened and closed is attached to the discharge port, powder particles will not flow out and scatter during the swing-out operation or inadvertent falling, and moisture and dust can be prevented from entering the container. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a constant-volume discharge container according to the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view of the constant rate discharge container shown in FIG. 1 cut along a plane including an overlapping portion of a skirt portion 12 and an open cylindrical body 18. FIG.
3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view for explaining the operation of the metering discharge container shown in FIG. 1 in the order of (a), (b), (c).
FIG. 4 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional quantitative discharge container.
FIG. 5 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing another example of a conventional metered discharge container.
FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing another example of a conventional metered discharge container.
FIG. 7 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing another example of a conventional metered discharge container.
FIG. 8 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing another example of a conventional metered discharge container.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... Quantitative discharge container,
2 ... Container body,
3 ... container opening,
4 ... Quantitative discharge part,
7 ... outer cylinder,
8 ... Cap,
9 ... Baffle board
10 ... top plate,
12 ... skirt part,
13 ... discharge port,
16 ... bottom plate,
18 ... Open cylinder,
A ... Reservoir,
B ... Weighing room,
C: spout,
D ... Gap,
W ... Gap width,
L: Overlapping length.

Claims

Containing powder particles, consisting of a bottomed cylindrical container body having a container opening at the top, and a covered cylindrical quantitative discharge part mounted on the container body so as to contain this container opening,
The opening of the container is connected to the opening cylinder of the metering discharge portion at the lip.
The opening cylindrical body extends upward in the fixed amount discharge part to form a spout for the granular material,
The quantitative discharge section includes a bottom plate portion extending outward from a base portion of the opening cylindrical body, an outer cylinder portion rising upward from a peripheral portion of the bottom plate portion, an upper surface of the outer cylinder portion, and A top plate portion disposed so as not to contact the upper end portion;
From the lower surface of the top plate portion, the outer cylinder portion, the bottom plate portion, and the opening cylinder body are not in contact with each other between the outer cylinder portion and the opening cylinder body, and the opening cylinder body and the gap width W are separated from each other. A cylindrical skirt portion is suspended so as to overlap over a certain overlap length L, and a discharge port for a granular material is formed between the outer cylinder portion and the skirt portion of the top plate portion,
The ratio (L / W) of the overlap length L to the gap width W between the skirt portion and the opening cylindrical body is in the range of 1.0 to 3.0,
A baffle plate whose surface is directed to the discharge port side is vertically attached to the inside of the opening cylinder, and the upper end of the baffle plate does not come into contact with the top plate from the opening cylinder. A fixed- volume discharge container characterized by being protruded and attached.

The quantitative discharge container according to claim 1, wherein the quantitative discharge portion is detachably attached to the container body.

2. The quantitative discharge container according to claim 1, wherein a cap that can be opened and closed is attached to the discharge port.