JP5288615B2 - Pump type foam discharge container - Google Patents

Description

  According to the present invention, the nozzle body of the pump integrally installed in the container body is pushed down so that the liquid contained in the container is mixed with the air sucked from the outside of the container and bubbled in the state of the nozzle body. The present invention relates to a pump-type foam discharge container that discharges from a discharge port, and more particularly, to a pump-type foam discharge container that can suppress or prevent the generation of noise when a nozzle body of a pump is pressed down.

  As a container for shampoos, hand soaps, body soaps, facial cleansers, hair conditioners, shaving agents, etc., the pump nozzle body that is installed integrally with the container body is pushed down (and released) against the spring force. For a pump-type foam discharge container that discharges from the discharge port of the nozzle body in a foamed state by mixing the liquid contained in the container with the air sucked from outside the container by operating, conventionally, Various structures have been proposed and are already in practical use.

  In such a conventionally known pump-type foam discharge container, as described in the following patent documents, a double cylinder in which a large-diameter air cylinder and a small-diameter liquid cylinder are integrally formed concentrically, An air chamber that sucks in air outside the container, a liquid chamber that sucks up liquid in the container, and an air by means of a piston body that integrates an air piston that slides into contact with the air cylinder and a liquid piston that slides into contact with the liquid cylinder A mixing chamber for mixing and bubbling the air from the chamber and the liquid from the liquid chamber, and an air passage for communicating the air chamber and the mixing chamber are formed. Each is provided with a check valve.

  Then, the nozzle body connected to the upper end of the piston body is pushed down against the urging force of the spring and then released, so that when the nozzle body and the piston body rise, the air outside the container Air is sucked into the air chamber and the liquid in the container is sucked into the liquid chamber to prepare for foaming. After that, the nozzle body is pushed down against the urging force of the spring, so that the air from the air chamber and the liquid chamber After the liquid is supplied to the mixing chamber and formed into bubbles in the mixing chamber, the bubbles are discharged from the discharge port through the bubble passage of the nozzle body.

  Each of the air chambers of such a pump-type foam discharge container has an intake hole for sucking air outside the container into the air chamber and an air passage for supplying air from the air chamber to the mixing chamber. However, in the ones described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below, only a check valve using a ball valve is provided in the intake hole, and a check valve is provided at the inlet of the air passage. On the other hand, in the devices described in Patent Documents 3 and 4, a check valve is provided at the intake hole and a check valve is also provided at the inlet of the air passage.

  That is, in those described in Patent Documents 3 and 4, an elastic valve body made of a soft synthetic resin in which a check valve for an intake hole and a check valve for an inlet of an air passage are integrally formed is used. In the elastic valve body in which the cylindrical base portion, the outer valve portion, and the inner valve portion are integrally formed, the thin annular outer valve portion extending outward from the vicinity of the lower end portion of the cylindrical base portion is the intake hole. A check valve is provided, and a thin annular inner valve portion extending inward from the vicinity of the lower end of the cylindrical base portion serves as a check valve at the inlet of the air passage.

  In the pump-type foam discharge container using such an elastic valve body, when the air chamber is at atmospheric pressure, the inner valve portion and the outer valve portion of the elastic valve body are in a state where the air passage and the intake hole are closed, respectively. When the air chamber is pressurized by pushing down the nozzle body, the outer valve portion remains in the closed state of the intake hole, and the inner valve portion opens the inlet of the air passage. When the air in the pressurized air chamber is sent to the mixing chamber through the air passage, and when the push-down of the nozzle body is released and the air chamber becomes negative pressure, the inner valve portion Returning to the state where the inlet of the passage is closed, the outer valve portion opens the intake hole, and the outside air is sucked into the air chamber.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-7963 International Publication No. WO92 / 08657 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-69161 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-324357

  By the way, according to the pump-type foam discharge container of the type described in Patent Documents 3 and 4 described above, the check valve is provided at the inlet of the air passage so that it remains in the mixing chamber and the foam passage during foam discharge. It is possible to prevent the bubbles from flowing back to the air chamber through the air passage. Furthermore, by using an elastic valve body in which the cylindrical base part, the outer valve part, and the inner valve part are integrated, it functions as two check valves that open and close the intake hole and the air passage with one component, respectively. As a result, the number of parts can be reduced, which not only facilitates the assembling work but also reduces the manufacturing cost.

  Therefore, this type of pump-type foam discharge container is actually widely used, but when this type of pump-type foam discharge container is used and the nozzle body is pushed down, the pump may make a noise. There is. About this sounding, although it was pointed out by consumers, a relatively high sound is generated from the pump when it is depressed 4 or 5 times after the first depression. Until now, it has not been considered as a problem because it is completely inaudible.

  On the other hand, this type of pump-type foam discharge container has been widely used by consumers because of its wide convenience, and in recent years it has been used for various purposes. As a result of the demand for increasing the size of foam and increasing the amount of foam discharged at one time, with conventional products, the amount of foam discharged by a single depression is set to 1.0 cc and 1.5 cc in terms of liquid volume. However, it has become necessary to develop products with 2.0 cc, 2.5 cc, and 3.0 cc.

  Therefore, the present inventors have designed a pump-type foam discharge container in which the pump structure is almost the same as that described in Patent Document 4 described above, and the amount of foam discharged at one time is 3.0 cc in liquid conversion. When I started prototyping, created a prototype and started a performance test, it produced a very loud noise when pushed down when it was first used. Such loud noise is not acceptable to consumers, and the present inventors have investigated the cause of this, and as a result, the air in the pressurized air chamber closed the air passage. It has been found that when the inner valve portion is elastically deformed upward and flows into the air passage while opening the inlet of the air passage, the inner valve portion of the elastic valve body vibrates and generates noise.

  With regard to the sound that is unacceptable to consumers, the prototype pump-type foam discharge container has changed the amount of foam discharged by a single push-down of the nozzle body from the air chamber to the mixing chamber. Since the amount of air to be fed has more than doubled, not only has the force to deform the inner valve part (annular thin film) of the elastic valve body increased, but the flow rate of air through the narrow air passages has also increased. On the other hand, the inner valve portion of the elastic valve body is fixed to the cylindrical base portion on the base end side (outer end side), and the distal end side (inner end side) can be freely displaced and is vibrated by an external force. Because of its easy structure, it is easy to vibrate in small increments due to the flow of high-velocity air flowing from the air chamber into the air passage. It is speculated that a loud noise was generated.

  An object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-described problems. Specifically, a check valve with a thin annular valve portion is provided at the inlet of an air passage communicating the air chamber and the mixing chamber. The pump-type foam discharge container is made to be able to suppress or prevent the noise caused by the vibration of the valve portion of the check valve due to the flow of air sent from the pressurized air chamber to the air passage. It is to be an issue.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a double cylinder in which a large-diameter air cylinder and a small-diameter liquid cylinder are integrally formed concentrically, an air piston slidably contacting the air cylinder, and a liquid An air chamber for sucking air outside the container, a liquid chamber for sucking up liquid in the container, air from the air chamber, and liquid from the liquid chamber. A mixing chamber for mixing and foaming, and an air passage communicating with the air chamber and the mixing chamber are formed,
An intermediate connecting portion for an air piston that is formed by concentrically and integrally forming a small-diameter cylindrical stem portion for connecting a liquid piston and a large-diameter cylindrical piston portion that is in sliding contact with an air cylinder via an intermediate connecting portion. An air hole is formed in the air chamber, an air passage is formed between the stem portion and the liquid piston, and a check valve for opening and closing the air hole and the air passage is provided.
As a check valve that opens and closes the air passage, an elastic valve body with a thin annular inner valve extending inward from near the lower end of the cylindrical base, the upper end of the cylindrical base is connected to the intermediate connecting portion of the air piston. In the state of being held, provided to open and close the inlet of the air passage by the inner valve portion,
When the air chamber is at atmospheric pressure and negative pressure, the inlet of the air passage is closed by the inner valve portion of the elastic valve body, and when the air chamber is pressurized, the distal end side of the inner valve portion of the elastic valve body is upward. In the pump-type foam discharge container in which the inlet of the air passage is opened by elastic deformation,
When the air chamber is pressurized, the tip of the inner valve portion of the elastic valve body is elastically deformed upward, while the inlet of the air passage is opened by a predetermined amount, the tip of the inner valve portion For the air, the stopper part for contacting the upper surface of the inner valve part and preventing further elastic deformation of the inner valve part is opposed to the upper surface of the inner valve part of the elastic valve body. It is provided in the lower surface side of the intermediate connection part of a piston, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the pump type foam discharge container of the present invention as described above, when the nozzle body is pushed down, the pressurized air in the air chamber presses the inner valve portion of the elastic valve body that opens and closes the air passage. Then, the tip end side is elastically deformed upward to open the inlet of the air passage, and air is allowed to flow into the air passage at a high speed. At that time, the tip end side of the inner valve portion of the elastic valve body The upward elastic deformation of the air passage is restricted by the stopper portion when the inlet of the air passage is opened by a predetermined amount (the free displacement of the inner valve portion is suppressed). Therefore, even if high-speed air passes along the inner valve portion, the width of the vibration of the inner valve portion resulting therefrom is extremely small.

  Moreover, even if a part of the inner valve part between the contact part with the stopper part and the tip is still a part that can be freely displaced, this part is necessarily narrow (the length in the radial direction is extremely short). Since this region becomes a region and the amount of displacement of this portion also decreases, the width of vibration generated as high-speed air passes is also reduced. As a result, even if the flow velocity of the air flowing into the air passage is large, the vibration of the inner valve body due to this air becomes extremely small, and the noise of the pump is suppressed or prevented.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the whole structure of the container in a nozzle body about an Example (Example 1) of the pump type foam discharge container of this invention in an upper limit position. (The horizontal line connecting the ends of the cylindrical portion is partially omitted without displaying it. The display of the contained liquid is also omitted.) It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the whole structure of the container in which the nozzle body of the pump type foam discharge container shown in FIG. 1 is a lower limit position. (In addition, like FIG. 1, about the horizontal line which connects edge parts in a cylindrical part, it has partially omitted, not displaying all. Moreover, the display of the accommodated liquid is abbreviate | omitted. .) It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the piston for air used for the pump type foam discharge container shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing, in an enlarged manner, a portion in which an elastic valve element serving as both check valves is provided with respect to an inlet hole of an air chamber and an inlet of an air passage in the pump type foam discharge container shown in FIG. 1. is there. In another embodiment (embodiment 2) of the pump-type foam discharge container of the present invention, the portion provided with the elastic valve body serving as both check valves is enlarged with respect to the intake hole of the air chamber and the inlet of the air passage. FIG. It is a partial expanded longitudinal cross-sectional view which expands and shows the part provided with the elastic valve body used as both check valves with respect to the suction hole of an air chamber, or the inlet of an air passage about the prior art example of a pump type foam discharge container. .

  For a pump-type foam discharge container in which a check valve with a thin annular valve portion is provided at the inlet of an air passage communicating with the air chamber and the mixing chamber, the flow of air fed from the pressurized air chamber into the air passage The purpose of making it possible to suppress or prevent the noise caused by the vibration of the valve portion of the check valve is to be elastic when the air chamber is pressurized, as specifically shown in the following embodiments. While the tip side of the inner valve portion of the valve body is elastically deformed upward, with the inlet of the air passage being opened by a predetermined amount, the upper side of the inner valve portion is in contact with the upper surface on the tip side. A stopper portion for preventing upward elastic deformation of the inner valve portion is provided on the lower surface side of the intermediate coupling portion of the air piston so as to face the upper surface of the distal end side of the inner valve portion of the elastic valve body. That's it.

  It should be noted that the pump-type foam discharge container according to each of the following examples contains a liquid containing a surfactant such as shampoo, hand soap, body soap, facial cleanser, hair styling agent, shaving agent, etc. in the container body. The overall structure of the pump-type foam discharge container that is to be stored and in which the display of the stored liquid is omitted will be described below. As shown in FIG. 1, the pump-type foam discharge container 1 includes a nozzle body. 4, a cylinder body 5, and a piston structure 6. The nozzle body 4 is positioned outside the container body 2 and above the cap 3, and the cylinder body 5 is disposed on the container body 2. A piston body 6 comprising an air piston 7 and a liquid piston 8 that is suspended from the mouth portion toward the inside is disposed inside the cylinder body 5 that is fixed to the lower surface side of the cap 3 so as to be vertically movable. .

  The cap 3 that is attached to the mouth of the container has an opening at the center of the top plate, and a cylindrical guide stem 31 is provided above the periphery of the opening. On the other hand, the nozzle body 4 disposed outside the container includes an inner cylinder portion 41 that is connected to the upper end portion of the piston body 6 to form a discharge passage on the inner side, and an outer peripheral surface of the guide stem portion 31 of the cap 3. The adjacent outer cylinder part 42 is integrally formed. The nozzle body 4 moves up and down together with the integrally connected piston body 6 while being guided by the guide stem portion 31 of the cap.

The nozzle body 4 and the piston body 6 that move up and down integrally with respect to the cylinder body 5 fixed to the lower surface side of the cap 3 are a spring force of a coil spring 11 interposed between the cylinder body 5 and the piston body 6. 2, the nozzle body 4 and the piston body 6 are pushed down against the biasing force of the coil spring 11 from the upper limit position of the nozzle body 4 as shown in FIG. It can be pushed down to such a lower limit position.

  The structure of the pump-type foam discharge container 1 as described above will be described in more detail. A cap 3 that is detachably attached to the mouth of the container body 2 is made of a synthetic resin such as a thermoplastic resin, A top plate portion 32 having an opening, a cylindrical guide stem portion 31 rising upward from the periphery of the opening portion of the top plate portion 32, and a cylindrical skirt portion depending from the peripheral edge of the top plate portion 32 33 is formed integrally, and on the inner surface side of the skirt portion 33, a screw portion for screwing with the mouth portion of the container body 2 is formed, and on the lower surface of the top plate portion 32, a cylindrical shape is formed. A cylinder holding portion (holding the air cylinder 51) and a cylindrical piston contact portion (contacting the air piston 7) are suspended concentrically.

  The cylinder body 5 is formed by injection molding of a thermoplastic resin or the like so that the large-diameter cylindrical air cylinder 51 and the small-diameter cylindrical liquid cylinder 52 are concentrically connected via a frustoconical connecting portion. And a flange portion formed at the upper end of the air cylinder 51 is inserted into the lower surface side of the top plate portion 32 of the cap 3, so that the cylinder body 5 is formed. The upper end of the cylinder body 5 is integrally fixed to the cap 3 in a concentric manner, and the cap 3 is crowned (screwed) onto the mouth of the container body 2 so that the cylinder body 5 is lowered from the mouth of the container body 2. It will be suspended from (inside the container).

  Such a cylinder body 5 is provided with an air hole E for introducing air into the head space of the container body 2 (the space above the liquid level in the container) above the air cylinder 51. In addition, a funnel-shaped valve seat is formed at the lower end of the liquid cylinder 52, and the liquid contained in the container body 2 is introduced into the liquid cylinder 52 below the valve seat. A liquid introduction pipe 15 is connected by press fitting, and the lower end of the liquid introduction pipe 15 extends to the vicinity of the bottom of the container body 2.

  The piston body 6 disposed in the cylinder body 5 so as to be movable up and down includes an air piston 7 and a liquid piston 8 which are integrally molded as individual parts by injection molding of thermoplastic resin, etc. The piston body 6 is concentrically connected and assembled. The air piston 7 slides along the inner surface of the cylinder wall of the air cylinder 51, and the liquid piston 8 is the cylinder of the liquid cylinder 52. The upper end of the piston body 6 (the upper portion of the stem portion 71 of the air piston 7) is connected to the lower end of the inner cylinder portion 41 of the nozzle body 4.

  The air piston 7 of the piston body 6 connects a small-diameter cylindrical stem portion 71 located in the upper portion thereof and a large-diameter cylindrical piston portion 73 located in the lower portion thereof via an intermediate connecting portion 72. The piston 73 is formed integrally, and the lower end of the piston portion 73 can ensure sufficient airtightness with the inner surface of the cylinder wall of the air cylinder 51, and lightly slides up and down with respect to the inner surface of the cylinder wall. A sliding seal portion having a predetermined width is integrally formed so as to be movable.

  The sliding seal portion of the piston portion 73 of the air piston 7 is formed with a predetermined width and is in close contact with the inner surface of the cylinder wall of the air cylinder 51 at both upper and lower ends in the width direction. In the state where the air piston 7 is at the upper limit position with respect to the opened air hole E, the sliding seal portion of the piston portion 73 closes the air hole E as shown in FIG. 7 is pushed down from the upper limit position, and the sliding seal portion of the piston portion 73 moves downward, so that the air hole E is opened as shown in FIG.

  The upper portion of the stem portion 71 of the air piston 7 serves as a connection portion with the nozzle body 4 (a portion where the lower portion of the inner cylinder portion 41 of the nozzle body 4 is externally fitted), and the lower portion serves as a connection portion with the liquid piston 8. The upper portion of the stem portion 71 regulates the lower limit position when the inner cylinder portion 41 of the nozzle body 4 is fitted, and is used for the liquid. In order to regulate the upper limit position when the upper end portion of the piston 8 is inserted, the diameter of the piston 8 is reduced to a cylindrical portion having a smaller diameter than the lower portion.

  The liquid piston 8 of the piston body 6 has a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole, and on the inner surface side of the upper end portion thereof, a bowl-shaped (or funnel-shaped) valve seat portion whose diameter increases as the inner diameter increases upward. An annular protrusion 81 having a radial protrusion at the outer edge is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the midway part, and near the lower end of the liquid cylinder 52 (liquid cylinder 52) on the inner surface side of the lower end part. The upper end of the coil spring 11 is in contact with the upper end of the cylindrical locking body 12 mounted inside.

  The coil spring 11 is made of stainless steel having excellent content resistance, and the piston body 6 is always urged upward in the cylinder body 5 by the spring force. Further, as shown in FIG. The lower limit position of the piston body 6 in the cylinder body 5 is regulated by 81. The coil spring 11 is interposed between the liquid cylinder 52 and the liquid piston 8, but may be interposed between the air cylinder 51 and the air piston 7. .

  By the cylinder body 5 and the piston body 6 having the above-described structure, an air chamber A is formed outside the liquid piston 8 inside the air cylinder 51 covered with the air piston 7. A liquid chamber B is formed inside the liquid cylinder 52, and a mixing chamber C is formed above the liquid chamber B and inside the upper portion of the stem portion 71 of the air piston 7. Air is introduced into the container body 2. An air hole E for opening air is formed in the upper portion of the air cylinder 51, and an air intake hole F for introducing air into the air chamber A is formed in the intermediate connecting portion 72 of the air piston 7.

  And in order to form the air passage D for sending air from the air chamber A to the mixing chamber C in the part from the lower end of the stem part 71 in which the liquid piston 8 is press-fitted to the mixing chamber C, the stem On the lower inner surface side of the portion 71, a plurality of ribs (the air passages D between the ribs) are formed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. In order to form the air passage D between the inner surface of the stem portion 71 and the outer surface of the liquid piston 8, not only the convex rib but also a concave vertical groove (each vertical groove becomes the air passage D). Alternatively, it may be provided not on the inner surface side of the stem portion 71 of the air piston 7 but on the outer surface side of the liquid piston.

  As described above, the cylinder body 5 and the piston body 6 form the air chamber A, the liquid chamber B, the mixing chamber C, and the air passage D, respectively, and an air hole E is opened in the cylinder body 5 (upper part of the air cylinder 51). The piston body 6 (the intermediate coupling portion 72 of the air piston 7) has an intake hole F, whereas the valve seat formed near the lower end of the liquid cylinder 52 has a ball valve (bottom Ball) 13 is placed, and the valve seat portion and the ball valve 13 constitute a first check valve for opening an inlet at the lower end of the liquid chamber B when the liquid chamber B has a negative pressure. .

  Further, inside the liquid piston 8 and the liquid cylinder 52, a rod-shaped valve body 14 having an inverted frustoconical valve body formed on the outer surface side of the upper end is disposed. A cylindrical locking body 12 capable of passing liquid is mounted above the valve seat portion, and the rod-shaped valve body 14 is held by the cylindrical locking body 12 so as to be movable up and down by a predetermined range. The outlet of the upper end of the liquid chamber B is opened when the liquid chamber B is pressurized by the valve seat portion formed at the upper end portion of the liquid piston 8 and the valve body portion formed at the upper end portion of the rod-shaped valve body 14. The 2nd check valve for doing is constituted.

  Further, when the air chamber A whose volume is changed by the vertical movement of the piston body 6 (when the piston body 6 is lifted), the air chamber A is inserted into the air chamber A from the intake hole F formed in the intermediate coupling portion 72 of the air piston 7. Intake air F and air passage so that air is supplied to the mixing chamber C from the air chamber A through the air passage D when the air chamber A is pressurized (when the piston body 6 is lowered). A third check valve common to D is formed by an annular protrusion 81 formed on the lower surface outside the intake hole F of the intermediate connection portion 72 of the air piston 7 and the outer peripheral surface of the midway portion of the liquid piston 8. The elastic valve body 16 is composed of an upper surface and an elastic valve body 16 made of a soft synthetic resin that is integrally formed by injection molding or the like. The elastic valve body 16 includes an intermediate coupling portion 72 of the air piston 7 and a liquid piston 8. The liquid piston 8 is disposed concentrically with the annular protrusion 81.

  That is, in the third check valve, as shown in FIG. 4, a short cylindrical tubular base portion 16a and a thin annular outer valve portion 16b (intake hole) extending outward from the vicinity of the lower end of the tubular base portion 16a. An elastic valve body 16 comprising a valve portion that opens and closes F and a thin annular inner valve portion 16c (a valve portion that opens and closes the inlet of the air passage D) that extends inward from the vicinity of the lower end of the cylindrical base portion 16a. The upper portion of the cylindrical base portion 16a is held by an annular recess 72a formed in the intermediate connecting portion 72 of the air piston 7 (may be sandwiched), and the lower end of the cylindrical base portion 16a is used for liquid The air chamber A is positioned at the upper end of the air chamber A while being supported by an appropriate number of radial protrusions 81 a formed at the outer end of the annular protrusion 81 of the piston 8.

  In such a third check valve, when the air chamber A is at atmospheric pressure, the distal end side of the outer valve portion 16b of the elastic valve body 16 is located outside the intake hole F of the intermediate coupling portion 72 as shown in FIG. Both the inlet of the air passage D and the air intake hole F are closed by contacting the lower surface of the portion 72b and the tip side of the inner valve portion 16c contacting the upper surface of the annular protrusion 81. When the piston body 6 is lowered and the air chamber A is pressurized, the distal end side of the inner valve portion 16c of the elastic valve body 16 is displaced upward (elastically deformed), and from the upper surface of the annular protrusion 81. By separating, the inlet of the air passage D is opened, and when the piston body 6 rises and the air chamber A becomes negative pressure, the distal end side of the outer valve portion 16b of the elastic valve body 16 moves downward. The intake hole F is opened by being displaced (elastically deformed) and away from the lower surface of the portion 72b outside the intake hole F of the intermediate connecting portion 72.

  The nozzle body 4 serving as a push-down head for the pump-type foam discharge container 1 is located directly above the bubble passage G extending from the outlet (downstream side) of the mixing chamber C to the discharge port 43 in the cylinder of the cylindrical inner cylinder portion 41. Then, it is formed in an inverted L shape so as to extend to the discharge port 43 along the top portion, and is spaced from the top portion of the nozzle body 4 where the discharge port 43 is formed to the inner cylinder portion 41. Concentrically, the outer cylinder part 42 having a diameter larger than that of the inner cylinder part 41 is integrally suspended. In addition, on the lower side of the top portion of the nozzle body 4, intake ports 44 and 45 are formed for sucking outside air into the air passage H between the inner cylinder portion 41 and the outer cylinder portion 42.

  The lower end of the inner cylinder portion 41 of the nozzle body 4 is integrally connected to the stem portion of the air piston 7 by fitting the upper end portion of the stem portion 71 of the air piston 7 from below into the inner cylinder. The connecting portion passes through the opening formed in the center portion of the top plate portion 32 of the cap 3, so that the nozzle body 4 and the piston body 6 respectively disposed inside and outside the container main body 2 are connected to the cap 3. Will be connected integrally.

  In addition, a porous body holder 17 in which a sheet-like porous body is stretched at both ends is connected to the foam passage G of the nozzle body 4 on the downstream side of the mixing chamber C prior to the connection with the air piston 7. The porous body holder 17 is inserted into the inside and is used for passing the foam formed in the mixing chamber C and homogenizing it. For example, a porous body holder 17 such as a net knitted with a synthetic resin yarn is used. The porous sheet is welded and attached to both ends of a cylindrical synthetic resin spacer, and is downstream (closer to the discharge port 43) than the mesh of the porous sheet on the upstream side (side near the mixing chamber C). The mesh of the porous sheet on the side) is formed to be finer.

  The use state of the pump-type foam discharge container having the structure as described above will be described below. From the production until the consumer starts using the nozzle body 4 as shown in FIG. The piston body 6 is at the upper limit position. In this state, the air hole E for supplying air into the container through the air passage H between the inner cylinder part 41 and the outer cylinder part 42 is slidable with the air piston 7. The first check valve by the ball valve 13, the second check valve by the rod-shaped valve body 14, and the third check valve by the elastic valve body 16 are all closed by the dynamic seal portion.

  From such a state, when the nozzle body 4 is first pushed down and the nozzle body 4 and the piston body 6 are lowered to the lower limit position as shown in FIG. 2, the first check valve by the ball valve 13 is closed and the liquid is discharged. While the lower end inlet of the chamber B is closed, the second check valve by the rod-shaped valve body 14 is opened and the upper end outlet of the liquid chamber B is opened. Further, when the air chamber A is pressurized by the lowering of the piston body 6, in the third check valve by the elastic valve body 16, the air in the pressurized air chamber A is the outer valve portion of the elastic valve body 16. In order to apply an upward pressing force to 16b and the inner valve portion 16c, the outer valve portion 16b has its tip side (outer end side) in contact with the lower surface of the intermediate coupling portion 72 outside the intake hole F. In the inner valve portion 16c, the tip end side (inner end side) is elastically deformed upward and away from the upper surface of the annular protrusion 81. The inlet of the air passage D is opened.

  Therefore, when the consumer starts use and first pushes down the nozzle body 4, the air piston 7 and the liquid piston 8 are pushed down at the same time, so that the air chamber A pressurized by the air piston 7 is pressed. From the bubble passage G of the nozzle body 4, since the pressurized air is fed from the liquid chamber B to the mixing chamber C and only the air accumulated from the liquid chamber B pressurized by the liquid piston 8 is fed to the mixing chamber C. Only air is discharged.

  When the first nozzle body 4 is released from being pushed down, the upward biasing force of the coil spring 11 raises the nozzle body 4 and the piston body 6 to the upper limit position as shown in FIG. After the second check valve by the rod-shaped valve body 14 is closed and the upper end outlet of the liquid chamber B is closed, the liquid chamber B becomes negative pressure due to the rise of the piston body 6 (liquid piston 8). The first check valve by the valve 13 is opened and the lower end inlet of the liquid chamber B is opened. In addition, the air chamber A becomes negative pressure due to the rise of the piston body 6 (air piston 7), so that in the third check valve by the elastic valve body 16, the decompressed air in the air chamber A is elastic valve body 16. Since the outer valve portion 16b and the inner valve portion 16c are pulled back downward, the outer valve portion 16b is elastically deformed downward at the distal end side (outer end side) and is intermediately connected outside the intake hole F. By separating from the lower surface of the portion 72, the intake hole F is opened. On the other hand, in the inner valve portion 16c, the front end side (inner end side) is in contact with the upper surface of the annular protrusion 81, and the air The entrance of the passage D will be closed.

  As a result, the liquid in the container main body 2 is sucked into the liquid chamber B through the liquid introduction pipe 15, and the inner cylinder portion 41 and the outer cylinder portion 42 are introduced into the air chamber A from the intake ports 44 and 45 of the nozzle body 4. The external air is supplied from the intake hole F through the air passage H between the two, whereby the preparation state for discharging the bubbles is completed.

  In addition, since the volume of the head space of the container main body 2 is increased by the amount of liquid sucked up from the container main body 2 into the liquid chamber B, the head space is in a negative pressure state as it is. 1 to the state shown in FIG. 1, the air hole E remains open and passes through the air passage H between the inner cylinder portion 41 and the outer cylinder portion 42 from the intake ports 44 and 45 of the nozzle body 4. Since external air is immediately sucked into the container body 2 from the air hole E, such a negative pressure state in the head space is immediately eliminated.

  As described above, when the liquid chamber B is filled with the liquid and the nozzle body 4 is pushed down again at the stage where the state shown in FIG. 1 is restored, the piston body 6 (the air piston 7 and the liquid piston 8). ) And the check valves (first to third check valves) operate in the same manner as the above-described push-down operation. As a result, the air chamber A and the liquid chamber B are pressurized as the piston body 6 is lowered. As a result, the air in the air chamber A is pumped into the mixing chamber C through the air passage D, and the liquid in the liquid chamber B is fed into the mixing chamber C. Further, after passing through the porous sheet of the porous body holder 17 to form fine bubbles, the bubbles are discharged from the discharge port 43 through the bubble passage G of the nozzle body 4.

  When the push-down operation of the nozzle body 4 is released from the state shown in FIG. 2, the piston body 6 (the air piston 7 and the liquid piston 8) and the check valves (first to third check valves) are As a result, the liquid chamber B is again sucked into the liquid chamber B through the liquid introduction pipe 15 and the air hole A is fed into the air chamber A. By supplying air, it is in a state of preparation for discharging bubbles, and thereafter, a desired amount of bubbles is discharged from the discharge port 43 of the nozzle body 4 by repeatedly depressing the nozzle body 4 and releasing the operation. Can be made.

  By the way, in the pump type foam discharge container as described above, with respect to the intake hole F for introducing air into the air chamber A and the air passage D for supplying air from the air chamber A to the mixing chamber C, As a third check valve common to both, as shown in FIG. 4, a short cylindrical tubular base portion 16a and a thin annular outer valve portion 16b extending outward from the vicinity of the lower end of the tubular base portion 16a ( An elastic valve provided with a valve portion for opening and closing the intake hole F) and a thin annular inner valve portion 16c (a valve portion for opening and closing the inlet of the air passage D) extending inwardly from the vicinity of the lower end of the cylindrical base portion 16a. A body 16 is provided.

  When the air chamber A is at atmospheric pressure, the elastic valve body 16 includes a lower surface of the portion 72b outside the intake hole F of the intermediate connection portion 72 of the air piston 7 and a liquid piston as shown in FIG. 8 is in contact with the upper surface of the annular projecting portion 81 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the middle portion, but when the air chamber A is pressurized by the push-down operation of the nozzle body 4, the tip of the outer valve portion 16b The side is in contact with the lower surface of the intermediate connecting portion 72 and the intake hole F is closed, but the distal end side of the inner valve portion 16c is elastically deformed upward and is separated from the upper surface of the annular protrusion 81. Thus, the inlet of the air passage D is opened.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when air in the air chamber A is pressure-fed to the mixing chamber C by pressurizing the air chamber A by pushing down the nozzle body 4 and opening the inlet of the air passage D as shown in FIG. 6. In the conventional structure, due to the flow of air having a high flow velocity flowing from the air chamber A into the air passage D, the inner valve portion 16c whose tip side is elastically deformed upward can freely vibrate without any suppression. Therefore, there arises a problem that a loud noise occurs when the inner valve portion 16c freely vibrates and shakes in small increments.

  This point will be described in more detail. In the case of the conventional structure as shown in FIG. 6, the cylindrical base portion 16 a is held (clamped) by the annular recess 72 a of the intermediate coupling portion 72 of the air piston 7. In the elastic valve body 16, when the air chamber A is pressurized, the tip side of the inner valve portion 16c is pushed up and displaced by the pressing force of the air from below, and the displaced inner valve portion 16c is displaced. Since the pressurized high-speed air passes through the lower surface side and proceeds to the air passage D, the inner valve portion 16c receives a force that mainly vibrates in the vertical direction by this air flow. Since the distal end side (inner end side) of the direction valve portion 16c is free upward, the inner valve portion 16c freely vibrates without any suppression, and as a result, the inner valve portion 16c. Makes a loud sound by free shaking and shaking in small increments Ri so that the will be generated.

  Each embodiment of the pump-type foam discharge container of the present invention for solving the problem of loud noise as described above will be described below. Note that the entire structure of the pump-type foam discharge container as described above is omitted, and only the third check valve portion is described.

  In this embodiment (embodiment 1), as shown in FIG. 4, a short cylindrical tubular base portion 16a and a thin annular outer valve portion 16b (intake air) extending outward from the vicinity of the lower end of the tubular base portion 16a. An elastic valve body including a valve portion that opens and closes the hole F) and a thin annular inner valve portion 16c that extends inward from the vicinity of the lower end of the cylindrical base portion 16a (a valve portion that opens and closes the inlet of the air passage D). 16, the lower surface of the intermediate coupling portion 72 of the air piston 7 projects inwardly of the annular recess 72 a that holds the cylindrical base portion 16 a of the elastic valve body 16, and projects downward from the lower surface of the intermediate coupling portion 72. An annular convex portion is formed integrally with the lower surface of the annular convex portion as a stopper portion 72c for contacting the upper surface side of the inner valve portion 16c to suppress free vibration of the inner valve portion 16c. Yes.

  As described above, when the stopper portion 72c is formed by the convex portion projecting downward from the lower surface of the intermediate coupling portion 72 of the air piston 7, the stopper portion 72c is not limited to the annular convex portion that is continuous in the circumferential direction, but is substantially in the circumferential direction. It may be a plurality of convex portions arranged in a ring at regular intervals, and when forming such a plurality of convex portions, the number of convex portions arranged in the circumferential direction is the inner valve portion. Depending on the contact area with 16c (the number of protrusions may be small if the contact area at one location is large), but two or more may be used when the protrusions are arranged at equal intervals. From the viewpoint of more effectively preventing noise, 3 to 6 is preferable.

  In addition, when a plurality of convex portions are formed at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction as the stopper portion 72c, even if the tip side of the inner valve portion 16c is displaced upward and contacts the lower surface of each convex portion, In the portion between the convex portions, the portion of the inner valve portion 16c (the portion that does not contact the lower surface of the convex portion) facing the portion between the convex portions is slightly above due to the pressing force of the high-speed air that collides As a result, a larger amount of air can enter the air passage D than the case of the annularly continuous convex portion, and as a result, the resistance against the depression of the nozzle body 4 is also reduced accordingly. Thus, when the consumer pushes down the nozzle body 4, it is difficult to give a feeling that it is difficult to push down.

  In this embodiment (Embodiment 2), the free vibration of the inner valve portion 16c is suppressed by contacting with the upper surface side of the inner valve portion 16c of the elastic valve body 16 as compared with that shown in the first embodiment. The specific structure of the stopper portion 72c is different. That is, in this embodiment (Example 2), as shown in FIG. 5, the lower end of the stem portion 71 is between the stem portion 71 of the air piston 7 and the inner peripheral wall of the annular recess 72a of the intermediate connecting portion 72. A part of the intermediate coupling portion 72 is formed in an annular valley so as to connect the lower end of the inner peripheral wall of the annular recess 72a, and the lower surface of this valley is in contact with the upper surface side of the inner valve portion 16c. A stopper portion 72c for suppressing free vibration of the inner valve portion 16c is provided.

  In addition, when a part of the intermediate coupling part 72 is formed as an annular valley part as the stopper part 72c, this valley part is not an end part of the air piston 7, but an intermediate part. The flowability of the molten resin during molding is good, the moldability is good, and the stopper portion 72c is connected to two vertical walls, so that the component strength of the air piston 7 is further improved. Can do.

  In any of the third check valves of the above-described embodiments (Embodiments 1 and 2) as described above, the piston body 6 is lowered by the push-down operation of the nozzle body 4 and the air chamber A is added. By being pressed, the distal end side of the inward valve portion 16c of the elastic valve body 16 is displaced upward (elastically deformed) and separated from the upper surface of the annular protrusion 81, whereby the inlet of the air passage D is opened. At this time, when the front end side of the inner valve portion 16c is displaced upward to a position where the inlet of the air passage D is opened by a predetermined amount, the front end side of the inner valve portion 16c is not displaced further upward. It is made to be restrained by a stopper portion 72 c provided in the intermediate coupling portion 72 of the piston 7.

  The amount of foam to be discharged by pressing the nozzle body 4 once (the amount of air supplied from the air passage D to the mixing chamber C by pressing the nozzle body 4) may differ depending on the container. The flow rate of the air flowing from the air chamber A to the air passage D is also affected by the fluctuation range of the pushing speed of the consumer pushing down the nozzle body 4 and the inflow speed of the liquid flowing from the liquid chamber B into the mixing chamber C at the same time. Further, the vibration width in the vertical direction of the inner valve portion 16c also slightly changes as the flow velocity of the air passing through the lower surface side of the inner valve portion 16c changes. Therefore, the extent to which the upward displacement of the distal end side of the inward valve portion 16c is specifically suppressed is determined according to the minimum amount of displacement required by experimenting with each container in advance. The position (height) of the stopper portion 72c is set.

  By the stopper portion 72c having such a set position (height), the upward displacement of the tip side of the inner valve portion 16c is suppressed when it is displaced by a predetermined amount, whereby the nozzle body 4 is pushed down. By pressurizing the air chamber A and opening the inlet of the air passage D, when the air in the air chamber A is pressure-fed to the mixing chamber C, a high flow velocity of air flows from the air chamber A to the air passage D. However, since the upward displacement is suppressed by the stopper portion 72c and the inner valve portion 16c cannot vibrate greatly (free vibration), the inner valve portion 16c does not vibrate little by little to generate a loud noise. .

  That is, at a position away from the cylindrical base portion 16a connected to the inner valve portion 16c, there is a stopper portion 72c that contacts the inner valve portion 16c that is displaced upward, so that the inner valve portion 16c is The portion between the cylindrical base portion 16a and the stopper portion 72c cannot be freely displaced upward, and the width capable of vibrating in the vertical direction is limited (free vibration is suppressed). In addition, the portion from the position where the inner valve portion 16c comes into contact with the stopper portion 72c to the tip is a portion capable of free vibration, but this portion extends from the tip of the inner valve portion 16c to the cylindrical base portion 16a. Since the length is shorter than the length, the width capable of free vibration is limited to a small amount (free vibration is suppressed). As a result, when the nozzle body 4 is pushed down, even if the inner valve portion 16c of the elastic valve body 16 vibrates, the vibration remains small, and thus a loud noise that reaches the human ear is generated. There is no.

  As mentioned above, although each Example of the pump type foam discharge container of this invention was described, this invention is not limited only to the specific structure as shown to each said Example, For example, said In each embodiment, as a check valve that opens and closes the inlet of the air passage D that allows the air chamber A and the mixing chamber C to communicate with each other, a check valve that is common to both the intake hole F and the air passage D, that is, Although the elastic valve body 16 in which the cylindrical base portion 16a, the outer valve portion 16b, and the inner valve portion 16c are integrally formed is used, the inlet of the air passage D is not limited to such an elastic valve body 16. A ball described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 as a check valve for opening and closing the intake hole F with respect to a check valve that opens and closes (an elastic valve body integrally formed with the cylindrical base portion 16a and the inner valve portion 16c). A check valve that opens and closes the inlet of the air passage D by using another check valve such as a valve; It is intended a non-return valve for opening and closing the pores F may be as separate.

  In each of the above embodiments, a thin annular check valve made of a soft synthetic resin is used as the inner valve portion 16c, and the inner valve portion 16c is thus annular. Thus, it is possible to avoid the trouble and trouble of aligning the inner valve portion 16c and the air passage D. However, if it is intended to align the position, it is not particularly necessary to make an annular shape. The annular shape of the inner peripheral edge of the inner valve portion 16c is changed to an appropriate shape such as a polygonal shape or an uneven shape in which convex and concave are alternated. Needless to say, the portion corresponding to the entrance of the passage D may be appropriately changed in design, such as having a width that can close the entrance of the air passage D.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pump type foam discharge container 2 Container body 3 Cap 4 Nozzle body 5 Cylinder body 6 Piston body 7 Piston for air 8 Piston for liquid 16 Elastic valve body 16a Cylindrical base part 16b Outer valve part 16c Inner valve part 51 Cylinder for air 52 Cylinder for liquid 71 Stem portion (for piston for air) 72 Intermediate connection portion for 72 (for piston for air) Stopper portion 73 Piston portion for (for piston for air) A Air chamber B Liquid chamber C Mixing chamber D Air passage F Intake hole

Claims (5)

A double cylinder in which a large-diameter air cylinder and a small-diameter liquid cylinder are integrally formed concentrically; a piston body in which an air piston that is in sliding contact with the air cylinder and a liquid piston that is in sliding contact with the liquid cylinder are integrated; The communication between the air chamber for sucking air outside the container, the liquid chamber for sucking up the liquid in the container, the mixing chamber for mixing the air from the air chamber with the liquid from the liquid chamber, and the air chamber and the mixing chamber. Air passage to be formed,
An intermediate connecting portion for an air piston that is formed by concentrically and integrally forming a small-diameter cylindrical stem portion for connecting a liquid piston and a large-diameter cylindrical piston portion that is in sliding contact with an air cylinder via an intermediate connecting portion. An air hole is formed in the air chamber, an air passage is formed between the stem portion and the liquid piston, and a check valve for opening and closing the air hole and the air passage is provided.
As a check valve that opens and closes the air passage, an elastic valve body with a thin annular inner valve extending inward from near the lower end of the cylindrical base, the upper end of the cylindrical base is connected to the intermediate connecting portion of the air piston. In the state of being held, provided to open and close the inlet of the air passage by the inner valve portion,
When the air chamber is at atmospheric pressure and negative pressure, the inlet of the air passage is closed by the inner valve portion of the elastic valve body, and when the air chamber is pressurized, the distal end side of the inner valve portion of the elastic valve body is upward. In the pump-type foam discharge container in which the inlet of the air passage is opened by elastic deformation,
When the air chamber is pressurized, the tip of the inner valve portion of the elastic valve body is elastically deformed upward, while the inlet of the air passage is opened by a predetermined amount, the tip of the inner valve portion For the air, the stopper part for contacting the upper surface of the inner valve part and preventing further elastic deformation of the inner valve part is opposed to the upper surface of the inner valve part of the elastic valve body. A pump-type foam discharge container, which is provided on the lower surface side of the intermediate connecting portion of the piston.   When the stopper portion prevents the elastic deformation of the elastic valve body on the tip side of the inner valve portion, the stopper portion is provided at a plurality of locations along the circumferential direction of the thin annular inner valve portion. It is comprised so that it may contact, The pump type foam discharge container of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.   When the elastic valve body is prevented from elastically deforming upward on the tip side of the inner valve portion by the stopper portion, the stopper portion is formed in a continuous ring shape along the circumferential direction of the thin annular inner valve portion. The pump-type foam discharge container according to claim 1, wherein the pump-type foam discharge container is configured to contact with each other.   The pump-type foam discharge container according to claim 3, wherein the stopper portion is a lower surface of an annular convex portion formed on the lower surface side of the intermediate coupling portion of the air piston.   The pump-type foam discharge container according to claim 3, wherein the stopper portion is a lower surface of a portion formed into an annular valley portion at an intermediate connecting portion of the air piston.

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