JP6659265B2 - container - Google Patents

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a container having a substantially square shape, capable of storing contents in a closed manner, and capable of bending four sides inward.

  The container stores the contents. In particular, liquids and fluids cannot be kept in a certain shape and are therefore stored in a container. Therefore, the container preferably has a predetermined volume. On the other hand, when the contents are discharged from the container, the container is discarded. At that time, how to reduce the volume is important.

  For example, the container disclosed in Patent Literature 1 has a substantially square shape, can store contents in a closed manner, and has an X-shaped concave portion formed on opposing first side surfaces. The concave portion is formed horizontally through the second side surface passing through the intersecting portion of the character, so that one pair of opposing side surfaces can be folded outward and the other pair of opposing side surfaces can be folded inward. it can. Thereby, the volume of the container can be reduced.

  In hospitals, laboratories, factories, restaurants, and the like, soaps, cleaning solutions, and the like stored in refill containers are often used. The refill container is loaded in the hard cover with almost no gap. At this time, the container is arranged so that the discharge port faces downward, and a predetermined amount of contents is discharged for each operation of the pump or the like.

  It is undesirable for the contents, such as soap, to be exposed to air outside the container for quality or other purposes. Therefore, the container stores the contents in a closed manner. As a result, every time the contents are discharged, an internal pressure is generated in the container (the internal pressure is reduced). By repeating this, the container gradually collapses.

JP-A-10-77045

  At this time, if the crushing is performed without control, various problems as described below may occur.

  In most cases, the container will deform due to internal pressure so that the sides are recessed inward. However, if any part expands outward, it comes into contact with the hard cover and stresses the container. As a result, a pinhole is generated at the contact point, and the contents may leak.

  Further, when the side surface is bent, if it is bent at an acute angle, a pinhole may be generated at a bent portion.

  Further, when the side surfaces are folded due to bending, the flow of the contents is hindered, and the predetermined discharge amount per operation cannot be maintained. Further, if the flow of the contents is hindered, the amount of the remaining liquid increases, which is uneconomical. Conversely, even when the liquid is not sufficiently crushed, the residual liquid amount increases.

  As described above, it is not clear what kind of trouble occurs when the crushing is performed without control. Neither can effective measures be taken, or unexpected failures can occur.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 and many other related technologies attempt to reduce the volume by crushing by external pressure. Therefore, it cannot be applied to the problem relating to crushing due to internal pressure.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and to provide a container capable of controlling crushing due to internal pressure.

  The container of the present invention, which achieves the above object, has a substantially rectangular shape and can store contents in a closed manner. Two opposing side surfaces of the four side surfaces include a horizontal line guide provided at the center of the side surface, and a diagonal guide extending from each end of the horizontal line guide toward an upper corner or a lower corner of the surface. The other two opposing side surfaces among the four side surfaces have curved portions that are recessed inside the container with respect to the vertical direction.

  Preferably, the area of the side surface having the horizontal line guide and the oblique guide is larger than the area of the side surface having the curved portion.

  Thereby, the bending of the side surface of the horizontal guide starts first.

  Preferably, the inclined guide extending toward the upper corner from the end of the horizontal guide and the inclined guide extending toward the lower corner from the end of the horizontal guide form a substantially right angle.

  Thereby, the bending of the side surface at the horizontal line guide is transmitted to the curved shape portion via the oblique guide.

  Preferably, the curved portion is recessed by 2 to 8% at the most recessed portion with respect to the vertical length.

  Thereby, the side surface having the curved shape portion is more appropriately bent.

  Preferably, the curved portion slightly bulges outward in the horizontal direction at the center in the vertical direction.

  Thereby, the deformation of the side surface having the horizontal line guide and the oblique guide more reliably precedes the deformation of the side surface having the curved portion.

  Preferably, the container has a discharge port on an upper surface or a lower surface, and discharges contents through the discharge port in a state of being loaded in a hard cover.

  If the container is loaded in the hard cover with almost no gap, the possibility of pinholes increases. The present invention can be applied to such a case by appropriate crush control.

  Preferably, the container has a discharge port on an upper surface or a lower surface, and two side surfaces having the horizontal line guide and the oblique guide are positioned asymmetrically with respect to a reference line including the center of the discharge port.

  Crush control of asymmetric containers is more difficult than for symmetric containers. The present invention can be applied to such a case by appropriate crush control.

  Preferably, a chamfered portion is provided only at a corner far from a reference line including the center of the discharge port.

  This can reduce the possibility of pinholes occurring at the corners.

  The container of the present invention can control crushing due to internal pressure. As a result, pinhole generation can be suppressed. Further, the amount of remaining liquid can be reduced.

Schematic perspective view of a container according to the present embodiment 6 views of the container Detailed sectional view of the curved shape part Partial cross-sectional perspective view of a container Demonstration test results related to crush control Bottom view explaining the positional relationship between the container and the hard cover Modifications related to the guide Modifications related to the guide

  The basic configuration and characteristic configuration of the embodiment of the present application will be described. The operation and effect relating to the characteristic configuration are also described.

~ Basic configuration ~
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the container according to the present embodiment. 2A to 2F are six views of the container according to the present embodiment.

  The container is substantially rectangular and has four side surfaces 1 to 4, an upper surface 5 and a lower surface 6. Note that the container is turned upside down when the container is transported and when the container is used. Here, the upper and lower sides are defined on the assumption that the container is used.

  Sides 1 and 2 face each other, and sides 3 and 4 face each other. The side surfaces 1 and 2 are larger than the side surfaces 3 and 4, and the container is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped.

  A slight step 9 is provided on the side surfaces 1 to 4. A stretch label or the like is attached to the container via the step 9. The stretch label displays the details of the contents. The step 9 does not function as a guide (described later).

  The side surface 1 and the side surface 3, the side surface 3 and the side surface 2, the side surface 2 and the side surface 4, and the side surface 4 and the side surface 1 are respectively rounded and continuous through a smooth curved surface. In addition, the upper surface 5 and the side surfaces 1 to 4 and the lower surface 6 and the side surfaces 1 to 4 are respectively rounded and continuous via a smooth curved surface.

  The upper surface 5 is located below when transporting the container or storing the container, and makes the container self-standing. In this case, an inwardly concave rib is provided so as to be able to oppose the weight of the content.

  A discharge port 7 is provided on the lower surface 6. The discharge port 7 is formed so as to attach a cap for preventing the contents from leaking after the contents are filled.

  The lower surface 6 has a taper toward the discharge port 7. Thereby, the contents are directed to the discharge port 7.

  The container filled with the contents is loaded into the hard cover with almost no gap, and at this time, the container is arranged so that the discharge port 7 of the container faces downward.

  The container is made of resin. It is not particularly limited as long as it is a resin, and both a multilayer and a blend can be applied. The material includes olefin, nylon, EVOH, PET and the like. That is, the container has an appropriate rigidity such that the container maintains the shape of the container when the contents are filled and gradually deforms as the contents are discharged.

~ Characteristic configuration ~
At the approximate center of the side surfaces 1 and 2, horizontal line guides 11 and 21 are provided. Further, from both ends of the horizontal line guide, inclined guides 12a, 12b, 22a, 22b extending toward upper corners of the surface and inclined guides 12c, 12d, 22c, 22d extending toward lower corners are provided. I have. Hereinafter, the description will be appropriately made as the inclined guides 12 and 22 as a generic name.

  The horizontal guides 11 and 21 induce bending of the side surfaces 1 and 2, and the oblique guides 12 and 22 induce bending of the side surfaces 3 and 4 by using the bending of the side surfaces 1 and 2 as triggers (described later).

  In the present embodiment, the horizontal line guide and the oblique guide are continuous at the intersection, and have a shape in which the Y character rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise and the Y character rotated 90 degrees clockwise are connected to face each other.

  The inclined guide 12a extending toward the upper corner and the inclined guide 12c extending toward the lower corner form a substantially right angle (80 to 100 degrees).

  The other ends of the oblique guides 12 and 22 do not reach the corners and stop just before the corners.

  The guides 11, 12, 21, 22 are dents formed in a substantially arc-shaped cross section on the side recessed inside the container.

  The side surfaces 3 and 4 have curved portions 31 and 41 that are recessed inside the container with respect to the vertical direction. FIG. 3 is a detailed sectional view (vertical direction) of the curved portions 31 and 41.

  The curved portions 31, 41 are recessed inward by a distance D with respect to the vertical length L of the curved portions 31, 41 at the most concave portion. For example, it is preferable to be recessed by 2 to 8% with respect to the vertical length. When it is less than 2%, the side surfaces 3 and 4 are hardly crushed inward. If it exceeds 8%, buckling may occur due to an unexpected external force at the time of transporting the container. Further, the side surfaces 3 and 4 may be deformed prior to the deformation of the side surfaces 1 and 2. More preferably, it is recessed by 3 to 5%. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the curvature changes greatly at the upper end and the lower end of the curved portions 31, 41. Let L be the length in the vertical direction between both ends.

  FIG. 4 is a partial sectional perspective view of the container. The curved portions 31 and 41 are substantially flat or slightly (for example, about 3%) bulging outward in the horizontal direction at the center in the vertical direction.

  Note that no guide is provided on the side surfaces 3 and 4. Also, the steps 9 and the seam lines associated with molding are not guides. Also, no guide is provided on the upper surface 5 and the lower surface 6.

-Action by characteristic configuration-
The inventor of the present application performed a verification test on the crush control by the internal pressure, and verified the operation by the characteristic configuration.

  FIG. 5 shows the results of the verification test. The ejection was set to be completed after 800 ejections, and the state of crushing at 0, 200, 500, and 800 ejections was observed.

  The container has a predetermined rigidity and maintains a predetermined container shape (the number of discharges is 0). Every time the contents are discharged, an internal pressure is generated in the container, and by repeating this, the container gradually collapses.

  First, the side surfaces 1 and 2 having a large area are deformed. The side surfaces 1 and 2 of the horizontal line guides 11 and 21 are curved so as to be depressed inward (the number of ejections is 200).

  On the other hand, the deformation of the side surfaces 3 and 4 is more limited than the deformation of the side surfaces 1 and 2. This contributes to the fact that the areas of the side surfaces 3 and 4 are relatively small and are not easily affected, and that the curved center portions 31 and 41 have a substantially central portion in the vertical direction that is substantially flat or slightly bulged to the outside of the container. I think that the. Note that, when the vertical center portions of the curved portions 31 and 41 are recessed inside the container with respect to the horizontal direction, the deformation of the side surfaces 3 and 4 may precede.

  If the center of the curved portions 31 and 41 in the vertical direction is slightly swelled to the outside of the container with respect to the horizontal direction, it is difficult for the mold to be caught at the time of forming the container.

  The curvature of the side surfaces 1 and 2 is transmitted to the side surfaces 3 and 4 via the oblique guides 12 and 22. In response to this, the curved portions 31 and 41 follow the deformation of the side surfaces 1 and 2, and the side surfaces 3 and 4 are depressed inward (500 ejections).

  At this time, since the ends of the oblique guides 12 and 22 are stopped short of the corner, the corner is not bent at an acute angle.

  When the number of discharges further increases, the side surfaces 1 and 2 bend inwardly of the container, and the side surfaces 3 and 4 bend inwardly of the container. That is, all four side surfaces are bent inward (800 ejections).

~ Effects of characteristic configuration ~
As described above, in the present embodiment, crushing due to internal pressure can be controlled. As a result, the following effects can be obtained.

  Since all four side surfaces are stably bent inward (part does not swell outwardly), the container does not come into contact with the hard cover and stress is not generated. As a result, there is almost no danger that a pinhole is generated and the contents leak.

  Further, when the side surface is bent, it hardly bends at an acute angle to form a ridge line. All bends are gentle. As a result, there is almost no possibility that a pinhole is generated.

  Furthermore, the side surfaces are not bent so as to be folded. As a result, the flow of the contents is hardly hindered. In addition, it is crushed stably as intended. Therefore, a predetermined amount per discharge can be stably discharged from the start of discharge to the completion of discharge. As a result, the remaining liquid amount can be reduced.

-Further characteristic configurations and functions and effects-
As described above, the container is loaded into the hard cover 100 with almost no gap. FIG. 6 is a bottom view illustrating the positional relationship between the container and the hard cover 100.

  By the way, when using the contents, it is preferable that the discharge port 7 is close to the user. On the other hand, the volume (capacity) of the container is set for another reason. In order to satisfy these two conditions at the same time, a container shape (asymmetric container) in which the side surface 1 and the side surface 2 are positioned asymmetrically with respect to a reference line including the center of the discharge port 7.

  Crush control of such an asymmetric container is more difficult than for a symmetric container. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since crushing control can be appropriately performed, the present invention can be applied to an asymmetric container.

  Further, when the container is blow-molded, the thickness is reduced at the four corners of the side surface 2 far from the reference line. As a result, a pinhole may be generated in a thin portion.

  On the other hand, the present embodiment has chamfers 23 at the four corners of the side surface 2. The chamfered portion 23 is for shaping the vertex of the corner into a substantially elliptical plane.

  By forming the chamfered portion 23, it is possible to prevent a corner from becoming a vertex. In addition, it is possible to avoid thinning. The periphery of the chamfer 23 functions as a rib. As a result, there is almost no possibility that a pinhole is generated.

~ Variation ~
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea.

  FIGS. 7 and 8 show an aspect of the deformation relating to the guide. In the present embodiment, the horizontal line guide and the oblique guide are continuous at the intersection, but the edge may be cut off. Also in the modified example, the curvature of the side surfaces 1 and 2 in the horizontal line guides 11 and 21 is transmitted to the side surfaces 3 and 4 via the oblique guides 12 and 22.

  In the present embodiment, the side surfaces 1 and 2 are larger than the side surfaces 3 and 4. However, similar effects can be obtained even if the side surfaces 1 and 2 and the side surfaces 3 and 4 have the same size. Further, the container is not limited to a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and may be a substantially cube.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to an asymmetric container. However, the present invention may be applied to a symmetric container. If the containers are symmetric, more stable crush control can be performed.

  In the above embodiment, the chamfered portion 23 is provided only on the side surface 2 side, but a chamfered portion may be provided on the side surface 1 side. When the container is a symmetrical container and the possibility of pinhole generation is small, the chamfered portion 23 becomes unnecessary.

~ Supplement ~
A conventional technique has been disclosed in which a plurality of fold guides are provided on a side surface, an upper surface, and a lower surface to reduce the volume by crushing by external pressure. When the inventor of the present application tried to control the crushing by the internal pressure, he repeated trial and error on the arrangement of the guides with reference to the prior art. Depending on the arrangement of the guides, there were cases where the guides were crushed stably as intended.

  On the other hand, in the crush control by the internal pressure, it is necessary to solve another problem of not obstructing the flow of the contents and reducing the residual liquid amount.

  As a result of repeating the above trial and error, depending on the arrangement of the guides, the flow of the contents may be hindered, which may cause an increase in the amount of remaining liquid.

  For example, guides collided with each other and not only prevented crushing but also unexpected deformation hindered the flow of the contents, resulting in an increase in the residual liquid amount.

  Further, in some cases, when the surface of the guide is bent, it is bent at an acute angle to form a ridge line. In such a case, a pinhole may be generated.

  Although the guide induces bending of the surface, it may function unintentionally as a rib, which may hinder crushing.

  In addition, if there are a large number of guides, unintended buckling may be induced at the time of transporting the container.

  As a result of studying the above, the first technical idea of minimizing the guide has been reached.

  In the present embodiment, the guides 11, 21, 12, and 22 are provided on the side surfaces 1 and 2, but the guides are not provided on the side surfaces 3, 4, the upper surface 5, and the lower surface 6. In addition, it is constituted by a curved surface having a large radius of curvature other than a flat surface. This embodies the first technical idea.

  Furthermore, the inventor of the present application focused on the stability of the crush control. In other words, it was intended to crush into a predetermined shape through a similar process each time. That is, the horizontal guides 11 and 21 induce the curvature of the side surfaces 1 and 2. The curvature of the side surfaces 1 and 2 is transmitted to the side surfaces 3 and 4 via the oblique guides 12 and 22. In response, the curved portions 31 and 41 follow the deformation of the side surfaces 1 and 2, and the side surfaces 3 and 4 are depressed inward. Thereby, all four side surfaces are bent inward (second technical concept). The combination of the horizontal guides 11 and 21, the oblique guides 12 and 22, and the curved portions 31 and 41 embodies the second technical concept.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Side surface 2 Side surface 3 Side surface 4 Side surface 5 Top surface 6 Lower surface 7 Discharge port 11 Horizontal line guide 12 Slanting guide 21 Horizontal line guide 22 Slanting guide 23 Chamfered part 31 Curved part 41 Curved part 100 Hard cover

Claims (8)

A substantially rectangular container having four side surfaces of first to fourth side surfaces, a container capable of storing contents in a closed manner, having a discharge port on the upper surface or the lower surface,
Of the four side surfaces, only two opposing first and second side surfaces,
A horizontal line guide provided in the center of the side,
An oblique guide extending toward the upper corner or the lower corner of the surface from both ends of the horizontal line guide,
Two opposing third and fourth side surfaces out of the four side surfaces are:
Vertical direction to have a curved shape portion made from a smooth continuous arcuate as dented container interior,
Without a guide,
By discharging the contents through the discharge port, and by the internal pressure generated by the discharge,
Preceding the deformation of the first side and the second side,
Deforming the third side surface and the fourth side surface to follow the deformation of the first side surface and the second side surface,
A container characterized in that the container is crushed so that all of the four side surfaces are bent inward . The container according to claim 1, wherein an area of a side surface having the horizontal line guide and the oblique guide is larger than an area of a side surface having the curved shape portion. An oblique guide extending toward an upper corner from an end of the horizontal guide, and an oblique guide extending toward a lower corner from an end of the horizontal guide,
The container according to claim 1, wherein the container forms a substantially right angle. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the curved portion is recessed by 2 to 8% at a position most recessed with respect to a vertical length of the curved portion. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the curved portion swells outward in the container with respect to the horizontal direction at the center in the vertical direction. The container has a discharge port on the upper surface or the lower surface,
The container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the content is discharged through the discharge port in a state where the content is loaded in the hard cover. The container has a discharge port on the upper surface or the lower surface,
The container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein two side surfaces having the horizontal line guide and the oblique guide are positioned asymmetrically with respect to a reference line including the center of the discharge port. The container according to claim 7, further comprising a chamfer provided only at a corner far from a reference line including the center of the discharge port.