JP6794286B2 - Granule storage container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a granular material storage container for storing granular materials.

Conventionally, as a granular material storage container for storing granular substances such as confectionery and drugs (tablets) formed in granular form such as spherical, flat circular shape, and prismatic shape, it has become possible to take out the granular substances in predetermined amounts. A fixed-quantity discharge type is known.

For example, Patent Document 1 includes a container main body provided with a storage recess capable of storing a large number of granules, a measuring recess communicating with the storage recess, and a lid (board) for opening and closing the measuring recess. With the lid closed, the container is tilted to introduce a predetermined amount of granules into the measuring recess, and then the lid is opened and the container is inverted to take out only the predetermined amount of granules introduced into the measuring recess. Granular storage containers that can be used are listed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-180726

However, since the container of Patent Document 1 has a structure in which the storage recess and the measuring recess are communicated with each other, when the lid is opened and the granular material is taken out from the measuring recess, the container is passed through the measuring recess from the storage recess. There was a risk that more than a predetermined amount of granules would come out.

In addition, since the bottom surface of the measuring recess is aligned with the bottom surface of the storage recess, the contents once moved from the storage recess to the measuring recess will return to the storage recess again when the container is tilted. In some cases, it was not possible to take out a predetermined amount of contents, and there was room for improvement in operability.

The present invention has been developed to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a granule storage container capable of taking out a predetermined amount of granules by a simple operation.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the granular material storage container of the present invention includes a container body having a storage space for storing granular materials and a container body.
A rotating body that is rotatably provided between a closed position and an open position with respect to the container body and has a measuring space capable of measuring a predetermined amount of granules is provided.
The rotating body has an introduction port that opens in the storage space so that particles can be taken into the measuring space at the closed position and is closed at the open position.
It has a discharge port that is closed at the closed position and is open so that particles in the measuring space can be discharged at the open position.
With the rotating body in the closed position and arranged so that the bottom surface of the storage space is horizontal, the bottom surface of the measuring space is inclined so that the discharge port side is located below the introduction port side. It is characterized by becoming.

In the granular material storage container of the present invention, it is preferable that the rotating body has a substantially cylindrical outer shape and has a small diameter portion in which a part in the circumferential direction is cut off.

Further, in the granular material storage container of the present invention, the container body has a position adjusting rib for arranging the granular material at a predetermined position in the measuring space.
It is preferable that the position adjusting rib is arranged so as to protrude from the inner surface of the rotating body accommodating portion of the container body that accommodates the rotating body and enter the groove provided in the rotating body.

Further, in the granular material storage container of the present invention, it is preferable that the container body has a plurality of the storage spaces, and the rotating body includes a plurality of the measuring spaces corresponding to the respective storage spaces. ..

Further, in the granular material storage container of the present invention, the bottom surface of the storage space and the bottom surface of the measuring space are arranged so as to be horizontal.
It is preferable that the bottom surface of the measuring space is lower than the bottom surface of the storage space.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a granule storage container capable of taking out a predetermined amount of granules by a simple operation.

(A) is a sectional view of the granular material storage container of one embodiment of the present invention in a side view, and (b) is a plan view showing a half portion in a sectional view. (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 1 (a), and FIG. 1 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 1 (a). (A) is a partially enlarged view showing a state in which the rotating body is in the closed position in the granular material storage container of FIG. 1 (a), and (b) is a partially enlarged view showing a state in which the rotating body is in the open position. It is a figure. (A) is a cross-sectional view showing how the granular material in the storage space is moved to the measuring space in the granular material storage container of FIG. 1 (a), and FIG. 1 (b) is a cross-sectional view showing the granular material in the rotating body as an open position. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which made it possible to take out. (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the granular material storage container of FIG. 4 (a) is tilted to the opposite side, and (b) is a horizontal arrangement of the granular material storage container with the rotating body as an intermediate position. It is sectional drawing which shows the state. It is a figure which shows the assembly method of the granular material storage container of FIG. 1A. (A) is a sectional view of the granular material storage container of another embodiment of the present invention in a side view, and (b) is a plan view showing a half portion in a sectional view. (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. 7 (a), and FIG. 7 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF of FIG. 7 (a).

Hereinafter, the granular material storage container according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the side where the cover 32 is located (upper side of FIG. 1A) is the upper side, and the opposite side (lower side of FIG. 1A) is the lower side with respect to the main body 31 of the container body 3. And. Further, in the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, the side where the measuring space 6 is provided with respect to the storage space 5 (left side in FIG. 1 (a)) is the front side, and the opposite side (right side in FIG. 1 (a)) is the rear side. And.

The granular material storage container 1 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “container 1”) according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b) is, for example, a flat circular shape, a spherical shape, a prismatic shape, or the like. Granules 2 such as confectionery and chemicals (tablets) formed in the above can be stored, and these granules 2 can be discharged in predetermined amounts (1 tablet in the present embodiment). 1 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the container 1 in a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1 (b), and FIG. 1 (b) is a half view of the container 1. It is a top view which shows in the cross section in line BB of 1 (a). 2 (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 1 (a), and FIG. 2 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 1 (a).

The container 1 includes a container body 3 and a rotating body 4. 1 (a) and 1 (b) show a state in which the rotating body 4 is in an intermediate position (details will be described later) between the closed position and the open position with respect to the container body 3.

The container body 3 is formed in a flat and substantially rectangular box shape having a storage space 5 for storing the granular material 2 inside. More specifically, the container main body 3 is configured by assembling a resin main body 31 with a resin cover 32 formed separately from the main body 31.

The main body 31 connects a flat bottom wall 31a, an inner side wall 31b provided on the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 31a, an outer wall 31c located outside the inner side wall 31b, and an inner side wall 31b and an outer wall 31c. It is provided with a connecting wall 31d.

As shown in FIG. 1B, an opening 31e is formed on one side (measurement space 6 side) of the inner side wall 31b, and support side walls that support the rotating body 4 on both sides of the opening 31e. 31f is connected to the inner side wall 31b. As shown in FIG. 1A, the support side wall 31f is a rotating body that houses the rotating body 4 inside, together with a curved wall 31g extending downward from the bottom wall 31a, a lower bottom wall 31h, a front side wall 31k, and the like. It constitutes the accommodating portion S. A concave bearing portion 31m is formed on each of the pair of support side walls 31f. Further, the front side wall 31k is provided with a position adjusting rib 31n that protrudes toward the rotating body accommodating portion S side.

The cover 32 includes a flat top wall 32a, an outer peripheral wall 32b provided on the peripheral edge of the top wall 32a, and a fitting wall 32c connected to the outer peripheral wall 32b. The fitting wall 32c is inserted between the inner side wall 31b and the outer wall 31c of the main body 31, and the outer peripheral surface of the fitting wall 32c is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the outer wall 31c. As a result, the cover 32 is held in place with respect to the main body 31. The cover 32 is provided with a front hole 32d formed over a part of the top wall 32a and the outer peripheral wall 32b.

Here, in the present embodiment, the storage space 5 is partitioned by the bottom wall 31a, the inner side wall 31b, and the top wall 32a, and communicates with the rotating body accommodating portion S via the opening 31e of the inner side wall 31b. ing.

The rotating body 4 has a substantially cylindrical outer shape, and is arranged in the rotating body accommodating portion S so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis R with respect to the container body 3. Further, the rotating body 4 is made of resin. In the present embodiment, the rotating shaft R corresponds to the central axis when the rotating body 4 is a perfect cylinder. The rotating body 4 is provided so that the rotating shaft R is located at a position lower than the height center of the storage space 5 (the height of the center in the vertical direction). The rotating body 4 has a shape in which a part of the cylindrical shape in the circumferential direction is cut off, and the distance from the central axis to the outer surface is small in the small diameter portion 4a which is the cut out region. By providing such a small diameter portion 4a, the height of the container 1 can be reduced. That is, the container 1 can be miniaturized. In particular, by arranging the small diameter portion 4a on the lower side, the amount of protrusion of the rotating body 4 that protrudes downward from the bottom wall 31a of the container body 3 can be reduced. As a result, the unnecessary space (dead space) formed below the bottom wall 31a can be reduced.

Further, the rotating body 4 has a lower wall 4b provided on the small diameter portion 4a side in the circumferential direction, an upper wall 4c located at a position facing the lower wall 4b across the central axis, and both ends in the axial direction, respectively. It has a side wall 4d and is located. In the present embodiment, the lower wall 4b is provided in the small diameter portion 4a and is smaller than the upper wall 4c. By making the lower wall 4b smaller, the size of the container 1 is reduced and the amount of resin is reduced. The upper wall 4c serves as a lid that closes the front hole 32d when the rotating body 4 is in the closed position, and can prevent dust from entering the inside of the container 1 from the outside.

Further, the rotating body 4 has an operation piece 4e protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the upper wall 4c. Further, the rotating body 4 has a columnar shaft portion 4f protruding from both end faces (outer surface of the side wall 4d) of the rotating body 4. The shaft portion 4f is fitted into the bearing portion 31m and supported by the support side wall 31f. As a result, the rotating body 4 is rotatably held in the rotating body accommodating portion S with respect to the container body 3.

The rotating body 4 has a measuring space 6 partitioned by a lower wall 4b, an upper wall 4c, and side walls 4d on both sides. The measuring space 6 is configured to be able to store only a predetermined amount of granules 2. That is, a predetermined amount of the granular material 2 can be measured by storing the granular material 2 in the measuring space 6 as much as it can be stored in the measuring space 6. The predetermined amount of granules 2 may be only one grain or two or more grains. The measuring space 6 is provided with an introduction port 6a which is an opening on the storage space 5 side and a discharge port 6b which is an opening on the opposite side.

A groove 4g into which the position adjusting rib 31n enters is formed in the lower wall 4b of the rotating body 4. The position adjusting rib 31n is arranged so as to protrude from the inner surface of the front side wall 31k in the rotating body accommodating portion S and enter the groove 4g of the rotating body 4. The tip of the position adjusting rib 31n is located inside the measuring space 6, and the tip of the position adjusting rib 31n comes into contact with the granules 2 housed in the measuring space 6, so that the granules 2 in the measuring space 6 Can be placed in an appropriate position. As a result, it is possible to prevent problems such as biting of the granular material 2 during the opening / closing operation. That is, when the rotating body 4 is rotated toward the open position in a state where the granular material 2 exceeding a predetermined amount partially enters the measuring space 6 and is arranged so as to straddle the introduction port 6a, the introduction port 6a is reached. When the straddling granular material 2 may be sandwiched between the upper wall 4c and the bottom wall 31a and hinder the rotation operation, the position adjusting rib 31n appropriately positions the granular material 2 in the measuring space 6. By setting the position, it is possible to prevent malfunction due to the biting of the granular material 2. In the present embodiment, the groove 4g is formed at the center of the rotating body 4 in the axial direction, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the groove 4g may be deviated from the center. Further, the number of grooves 4g can be changed according to the number of position adjusting ribs 31n, and may be formed at a plurality of locations.

The operation piece 4e is provided so as to project outward from the front hole 32d of the container body 3, and by operating the operation piece 4e, the rotating body 4 is rotated with respect to the container body 3 within a predetermined range. Can be moved. The predetermined range is a range between the closed position shown in FIG. 3 (a) and the open position shown in FIG. 3 (b).

FIG. 3A shows a state in which the rotating body 4 is in the closed position, and FIG. 3B shows a state in which the rotating body 4 is in the open position. As shown in FIG. 3A, in the state where the rotating body 4 is in the closed position, the introduction port 6a of the measuring space 6 is open to the storage space 5, and the granular material 2 stored in the storage space 5 is weighed. It can be taken into space 6. Further, in the state where the rotating body 4 is in the closed position, since the discharge port 6b is blocked by the front side wall 31k, the granular material 2 is not discharged to the outside.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the rotating body 4 is in the open position, the introduction port 6a of the measuring space 6 is blocked by the curved wall 31g, so that the granular material stored in the storage space 5 is blocked. 2 cannot move to the weighing space 6. Further, in the state where the rotating body 4 is in the open position, the discharge port 6b is opened in the front hole 32d. That is, when the granular material 2 is in the measuring space 6, the discharge port 6b is opened so that the granular material 2 in the measuring space 6 can be discharged to the outside by setting the rotating body 4 to the open position.

Further, in the state where the rotating body 4 is in the closed position, the bottom surface 6c (upper surface of the lower wall 4b) of the measuring space 6 is inclined with respect to the bottom surface 5a (upper surface of the bottom wall 31a) of the storage space 5. Specifically, with the rotating body 4 in the closed position and the bottom surface 5a of the storage space 5 horizontal as shown in FIG. 3A, the discharge port 6b side is located below the introduction port 6a side. The bottom surface 6c of the measuring space 6 is inclined. With such a configuration, the granular material 2 once stored in the measuring space 6 is difficult to return to the storage space 5 again.

Here, a protrusion 31p is provided on the upper surface of the lower bottom wall 31h in the main body 31 of the container main body 3. Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 4, front protrusions 4h and rear protrusions 4k are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. The front protrusion 4h and the rear protrusion 4k are engaged with the protrusion 31p so as to be overcome when the rotating body 4 is rotated. The front protrusion 4h and the rear protrusion 4k are provided on the small diameter portion 4a so as not to hinder the miniaturization of the rotating body 4.

In the state shown in FIG. 3A, the front protrusion 4h engages with the protrusion 31p to regulate the rotation of the rotating body 4, and the front protrusion 4h operates the protrusion 31p by rotating with a predetermined force. The rotating body 4 does not rotate from the closed position to the open position unless it is overcome. As a result, the state in which the rotating body 4 is in the closed position can be more reliably maintained, so that it is possible to prevent the granular material 2 from being unintentionally discharged to the outside.

Similarly, in the state shown in FIG. 3B, the rear protrusion 4k engages with the protrusion 31p to regulate the rotation of the rotating body 4, and the rear protrusion 4k is rotated by a predetermined force to form the rear protrusion 4k. The rotating body 4 does not rotate from the open position to the closed position unless the protrusion 31p is overcome. As a result, the rotating body 4 can be more reliably maintained in the open position, so that the granules 2 can be taken out smoothly. That is, it is possible to prevent a problem that the discharge port 6b is unintentionally closed and the granular material 2 cannot be taken out when the granular material 2 in the measuring space 6 is taken out.

Further, the user can easily grasp that the rotating body 4 is in the open position or the closed position during the rotation operation by the feeling when the front protrusion 4h or the rear protrusion 4k gets over the protrusion 31p. it can. The front protrusion 4h, the rear protrusion 4k, and the protrusion 31p are not essential configurations.

Here, when taking out the granules 2 stored in the storage space 5, first, with the rotating body 4 in the closed position, as shown in FIG. 4A, the container 1 is placed in the storage space 5 from the storage space 5. Also tilt so that the weighing space 6 is downward. As a result, the granular material 2 in the storage space 5 moves to the measuring space 6 through the introduction port 6a due to its own weight. As described above, the granules 2 that have moved into the measuring space 6 abut on the position adjusting rib 31n and are arranged at a predetermined position, and only the predetermined amount of the granules 2 are stored in the measuring space 6.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, by rotating the rotating body 4 from the closed position to the open position, the discharge port 6b is opened, and the granules in the measuring space 6 can be discharged to the outside. Then, with the rotating body 4 in the open position, the container 1 is further tilted so that the discharge port 6b is below the introduction port 6a, so that a predetermined amount of the granular material 2 can be taken out. Since the introduction port 6a is closed when the rotating body 4 is in the open position, the granules 2 in the storage space 5 do not move to the weighing space 6, and the granules 2 exceeding a predetermined amount are discharged to the outside. Will not be done. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the rotating body 4 is in the open position, the discharge port 6b side tends to be higher than the introduction port 6a side, so that the rotating body 4 is granular as soon as it is opened. There is little risk that the object 2 will fall under its own weight.

Here, even if the storage space 5 is tilted slightly below the measuring space 6 as shown in FIG. 5A from the state shown in FIG. 4A, the inside of the measuring space 6 Granules 2 are difficult to return to the storage space 5. That is, even in the state shown in FIG. 5A, the bottom surface 6c of the measuring space 6 is inclined so that the discharge port 6b side is lower than the introduction port 6a side, so that the granules 2 in the measuring space 6 are present. It is difficult to move to the storage space 5 side. In this way, since the granules 2 once stored in the weighing space 6 are difficult to return to the storage space 5, a predetermined amount of the granules 2 can be easily taken out.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the rotating body 4 is located between the closed position and the open position, and the bottom surface 6c of the measuring space 6 and the bottom surface 5a of the storage space 5 are parallel or nearly parallel. , The bottom surface 6c of the weighing space 6 and the bottom surface 5a of the storage space 5 have different heights. More specifically, when the bottom surface 6c of the weighing space 6 and the bottom surface 5a of the storage space 5 are arranged so as to be horizontal, the bottom surface 6c of the measuring space 6 is located at a position lower than the bottom surface 5a of the storage space 5. A step is formed between the bottom surface 6c of the measuring space 6 and the bottom surface 5a of the storage space 5. As described above, since the granular material 2 in the measuring space 6 cannot move to the storage space 5 unless the step is overcome, the granular material 2 is difficult to move from the measuring space 6 to the storage space 5. Further, in this state, since the opening of the introduction port 6a to the storage space 5 is small, the granular material 2 is difficult to move from the weighing space 6 to the storage space 5. As described above, even when the rotating body 4 is not in the open position, it is difficult for the granules 2 to return from the measuring space 6 to the storage space 5, so that it becomes easier to take out a predetermined amount of the granules 2.

As described above, according to the container 1 of the present embodiment, the granules 2 can be easily taken out in predetermined amounts by a simple operation.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a method of assembling the container 1 while arranging the granules 2 inside. First, the rotating body 4 is arranged on the main body 31 of the container main body 3, and the granular material 2 is arranged on the bottom wall 31a of the main body 31 of the container main body 3. After that, the cover 32 is attached to the main body 31 so that the outer peripheral surface of the fitting wall 32c fits into the inner peripheral surface of the outer wall 31c. As shown in FIG. 6, the rotating body 4 is preferably arranged so as to be in the open position in advance, thereby preventing the particles 2 on the bottom wall 31a from unintentionally entering the measuring space 6. can do. Further, by setting the rotating body 4 in the open position in advance, it is possible to prevent the operation piece 4e of the rotating body 4 from being caught by the fitting wall 32c of the cover 32 and hindering the attachment when the cover 32 is attached.

Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. The parts having the same basic functions as those of the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof will be omitted.

7 (a) and 7 (b) are a cross-sectional view and a plan view of the granular material storage container 10 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “container 10”) as another embodiment of the present invention, respectively. Half shows the cross section). 8 (a) and 8 (b) are a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE and a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF of FIG. 7 (a), respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the container 10 shows a form having a plurality of storage spaces 15 and a plurality of measuring spaces 16. As shown in FIG. 7, the container 10 has four storage spaces 15 inside the container main body 3, and four measuring spaces 16 corresponding to the respective storage spaces 15 are formed in the rotating body 4. .. The four storage spaces 15 are partitioned by a partition wall 31q, and the four measuring spaces 16 are partitioned by a partition wall 4 m. It should be noted that the container main body 3 may be formed with one large storage space communicating with the four measuring spaces 16 without providing the partition wall 31q.

The method of using and assembling the container 10 is the same as that of the container 1 of the previous embodiment. That is, when taking out the granular material 2 stored in the storage space 15 of the container 10, first, the container 10 is tilted with the rotating body 4 in the closed position, and the corresponding weighing space 16 is provided from each storage space 15. The granular material 2 is moved to. Next, the rotating body 4 is rotated to open the position, and the granules 2 stored in the four measuring spaces 16 are taken out through the respective discharge ports 6b. That is, according to the container 10 of the present embodiment, four granules 2 can be easily taken out by a simple operation. The storage space 15 and the measuring space 16 are not limited to four, and may be 3 or less or 5 or more.

As shown in FIG. 7B, in the container 10 of the present embodiment, the size of the granules 2 is set so that the granules 2 are arranged in a straight line inside each storage space 15. The width and height are set accordingly. With such a configuration, the granules 2 move in a straight line from the storage space 15 to the weighing space 16, so that the movement becomes smoother.

Although described above based on the illustrated examples, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the claims. For example, in the above embodiment, there is only one rotating body 4, but a plurality of rotating bodies 4 may be provided so as to be independently openable and closable. Further, in the previous embodiment, the shaft portion 4f is provided on the rotating body 4 side and the bearing portion 31m is provided on the container body 3 side, but conversely, a concave bearing portion is provided on the rotating body 4 side. , A convex shaft portion that fits into the bearing portion may be provided on the container body 3 side.

1 Granule storage container 2 Granules 3 Container body 4 Rotating body 4a Small diameter part 4b Lower wall 4c Upper wall 4d Side wall 4e Operation piece 4f Shaft part 4g Groove 4h Front protrusion 4k Rear protrusion 4m Partition 5 Storage space 5a Bottom of storage space 6 Measuring space 6a Introducing port 6b Discharge port 6c Bottom of measuring space 10 Granule storage container 15 Storage space 16 Measuring space 31 Main body 31a Bottom wall 31b Inner side wall 31c Outer side wall 31d Connecting wall 31e Opening 31f Support side wall 31g Curved wall 31h Bottom wall 31k Front side wall 31m Bearing part 31n Position adjustment rib 31p Protrusion 31q Partition wall 32 Cover 32a Top wall 32b Outer wall 32c Fitting wall 32d Front hole S Rotating body accommodating part

Claims (5)

A container body with a storage space for storing granular materials,
A rotating body that is rotatably provided between a closed position and an open position with respect to the container body and has a measuring space capable of measuring a predetermined amount of granules is provided.
The rotating body has an introduction port that opens in the storage space so that particles can be taken into the measuring space at the closed position and is closed at the open position.
It has a discharge port that is closed at the closed position and is open so that particles in the measuring space can be discharged at the open position.
With the rotating body in the closed position and arranged so that the bottom surface of the storage space is horizontal, the bottom surface of the measuring space is inclined so that the discharge port side is located below the introduction port side. A granular material storage container characterized by becoming. The granular material storage container according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body has a substantially cylindrical outer shape and has a small diameter portion cut out in a part in the circumferential direction. The container body has position adjusting ribs for arranging granules in predetermined positions in the measuring space.
The granular material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the position adjusting rib projects from the inner surface of the rotating body accommodating portion of the container body for accommodating the rotating body, and is arranged so as to enter a groove provided in the rotating body. Storage container. The granular material storage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the container body has a plurality of the storage spaces, and the rotating body includes a plurality of the measuring spaces corresponding to the respective storage spaces. container. In a state where the bottom surface of the storage space and the bottom surface of the weighing space are arranged horizontally.
The granular material storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bottom surface of the measuring space is lower than the bottom surface of the storage space.

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