JP7486456B2 - Dropper container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dropper container.

As shown in Patent Document 1, dropper containers with a dropper tube have been used in the past. In the configuration of Patent Document 1, when the outer cap (lid cover) is rotated relative to the container body, the outer cap rises relative to the container body and the contents are sucked up into the dropper tube. The contents can then be ejected by pressing the operating part (push button) against the outer cap.

JP 2016-33056 A

In the dropper container of Patent Document 1, the operating part can be pushed downward against the outer cap even when the container is in a closed state. By performing such an operation, users may mistakenly believe that the contents can be sucked into the dropper tube.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a dropper container that can prevent erroneous operation by the user.

In order to solve the above problem, a dropper container according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a bottomed cylindrical container body that contains the contents, an inner cap attached to the mouth of the container body, a dropper tube that is fixed to the inner cap and opens inside the container body, an outer cap that covers the inner cap and is rotatable around the container axis relative to the inner cap, an operating member whose rotation around the container axis relative to the outer cap is restricted and that can move up and down relative to the outer cap, an interlocking member whose rotation around the container axis relative to the operating member is restricted and that moves up and down in conjunction with the rotation around the container axis relative to the inner cap, and an elastic member that is disposed between the interlocking member and the operating member and forms a working space that communicates with the inside of the dropper tube, and the operating member is provided with a descent restricting portion that comes into contact with or is close to the inner cap in the vertical direction when the interlocking member is in a closed state in which the interlocking member is located at a descent end position relative to the inner cap.

According to the above aspect, in the closed state, the descent restriction portion abuts or approaches the inner cap in the vertical direction, restricting the descent of the operating member. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from erroneously pushing the operating member against the outer cap in the closed state.

Here, the inner cap may be provided with a restricting tube portion that contacts or is close to the descent restricting portion in the closed state, and a release recess that is recessed radially inward from the outer circumferential surface of the restricting tube portion, and when the operating member rotates a predetermined amount relative to the inner cap from the closed state in a loosening direction that raises the interlocking member relative to the inner cap, the descent restricting portion may be able to enter inside the release recess.

In this case, by rotating the operating member a predetermined amount in the loosening direction, the restriction on the descent of the operating member is released, and the descent restriction portion can enter the inside of the release recess in the inner cap. This makes it possible to smoothly perform the operation of lowering the operating member to elastically deform the elastic member and reduce the volume of the working space. More specifically, by allowing the descent restriction portion to enter the inside of the release recess when the operating member is lowered, it is possible to prevent the descent restriction portion from colliding with the inner cap.

The above aspect of the present invention provides a dropper container that can prevent erroneous operation by the user.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dropper container according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a half-longitudinal cross-sectional view of the interlocking member of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the operating member of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3B is a semi-longitudinal cross-sectional view of the operating member of FIG. 3A. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inner cap of FIG. 1 . FIG. 4B is a side view of the inner cap of FIG. 4A. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dropper container of FIG. 1 in a state where an outer cap and the like are rotated 90 degrees and an operating member, an interlocking member, and an elastic member are raised. FIG.

Hereinafter, the dropper container of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the dropper container 1 includes a container body 2, an outer cap 10, an operating member 20, an interlocking member 30, an elastic member 40, an inner cap 50, a dropper tube 60, a squeezing piece 70, and a piston 80. The container body 2 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and contains the contents. As the contents, for example, a medicine or liquid cosmetic to be applied (discharged) to the human body (skin) can be used. The components of the dropper container 1 in this embodiment are formed from a resin material. The dropper container 1 in this embodiment does not have a metal member (such as a coil spring).

The outer cap 10, the operating member 20, the interlocking member 30, the elastic member 40, the inner cap 50, the dropper tube 60, and the piston 80 constitute the dropper assembly 3. As will be described in detail later, when the dropper container 1 is to be used, the dropper assembly 3 is removed from the container body 2.

(Direction definition)
In this embodiment, the central axis of the container body 2 and the dropper tube 60 are located on a common axis. Hereinafter, this common axis is referred to as the container axis O, the direction along the container axis O is referred to as the vertical direction, and along the vertical direction, the mouth 2a side of the container body 2 is referred to as the upper side, and the bottom side of the container body 2 is referred to as the lower side. In addition, in a plan view seen from the vertical direction, the direction intersecting the container axis O is referred to as the radial direction, and the direction rotating around the container axis O is referred to as the circumferential direction. In addition, the rotation direction toward one side in the circumferential direction may be referred to as the "loosening direction". The loosening direction is the direction in which the interlocking member 30 rises relative to the inner cap 50 when the interlocking member 30 is rotated relative to the inner cap 50. Although details will be described later, the dropper container 1 of this embodiment is configured so that when the outer cap 10 is rotated in the loosening direction relative to the container body 2, the interlocking member 30 rises relative to the inner cap 50, and then the inner cap 50 rotates in the loosening direction relative to the container body 2.

The outer cap 10 has a cylindrical cap peripheral wall 11 extending along the container axis O, and a cap top wall 12 extending radially inward from the upper end of the cap peripheral wall 11. The cap top wall 12 is annular in plan view. In other words, a through hole 12a is provided in the cap top wall 12. A part of the operating member 20 (button portion 21) is located inside the through hole 12a. Two vertical ribs 13 extending in the up-down direction and a locking protrusion 14 are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap peripheral wall 11. The vertical ribs 13 and the locking protrusion 14 protrude radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the cap peripheral wall 11. The two vertical ribs 13 are formed so as to sandwich the container axis O in the radial direction. The locking protrusion 14 is formed below the vertical ribs 13.

The elastic member 40 has an elastic membrane 41 and a fixed portion 42. The elastic member 40 is formed as a whole from an elastic body such as rubber or elastomer. The fixed portion 42 is cylindrical and is formed to be thicker than the elastic membrane 41. The elastic membrane 41 extends upward from the fixed portion 42. The elastic membrane 41 has an upwardly convex curved surface (dome-shaped). The space inside the elastic membrane 41 functions as the working space S. When the elastic membrane 41 elastically deforms downward, the volume of the working space S decreases.

The interlocking member 30 is disposed radially inward of the outer cap 10. The interlocking member 30 has a screw-on tube portion 31, a top wall 32, a sliding tube portion 33, an inner seal portion 34, an inner ring 35, and an outer ring 36. A female screw portion 31a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the screw-on tube portion 31. The top wall 32 extends radially inward from the upper end of the screw-on tube portion 31. A plurality of air holes 32a are formed in the top wall 32. The air holes 32a penetrate the top wall 32 in the vertical direction. The air holes 32a communicate the space inside the elastic membrane 41 with the space surrounded by the interlocking member 30 and the piston 80. The sliding tube portion 33 extends downward from the top wall 32 and is located radially inward from the screw-on tube portion 31. The inner seal portion 34 extends downward from the top wall 32 and is located radially inward from the sliding cylinder portion 33. In this embodiment, the inner seal portion 34 is cylindrical, but the inner seal portion 34 may be columnar.

The inner ring 35 and the outer ring 36 protrude upward from the top wall 32. The inner ring 35 is located radially inward from the outer ring 36. The fixing portion 42 of the elastic member 40 is fixed between the inner ring 35 and the outer ring 36. The outer ring 36 is formed with two restricting projections 36a that protrude radially outward.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the interlocking member 30 has two rotation regulating portions 37. Each rotation regulating portion 37 protrudes radially outward from the screw-on tube portion 31 and extends downward from the lower end of the screw-on tube portion 31. As shown in FIG. 2B, a recess 37a is formed in each rotation regulating portion 37. The recess 37a is recessed radially inward from the circumferential center of the outer peripheral surface of the rotation regulating portion 37. The recess 37a is formed over the entire length of the rotation regulating portion 37 in the up-down direction. The vertical rib 13 of the outer cap 10 is positioned inside the recess 37a, thereby restricting the relative rotation of the outer cap 10 and the interlocking member 30 around the container axis O.

As shown in FIG. 2B, in this embodiment, there are two regulating protrusions 36a and two rotation regulating portions 37. The two regulating protrusions 36a are arranged so as to sandwich the container axis O therebetween in the radial direction. The two rotation regulating portions 37 are arranged so as to sandwich the container axis O therebetween in the radial direction. The rotation regulating portions 37 and the regulating protrusions 36a are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction. The direction in which the regulating protrusions 36a face each other is perpendicular to the direction in which the rotation regulating portions 37 face each other.

1, the operating member 20 has a button portion 21, a button tube portion 22, a pressing portion 23, and an engagement tube portion 24. As shown in FIG. 3A, the button portion 21 is disk-shaped in a plan view. As shown in FIG. 3B, the button tube portion 22 extends downward from the outer periphery of the button portion 21. The pressing portion 23 is cylindrical and extends downward from the button portion 21, and is located radially inside the button tube portion 22. The lower end of the pressing portion 23 abuts against the elastic membrane 41 of the elastic member 40 (see FIG. 1). When the operating member 20 descends relative to the elastic member 40, the elastic membrane 41 pressed by the pressing portion 23 elastically deforms downward.

3A and 3B, the engagement tube 24 extends downward from the button tube 22. The outer diameter of the engagement tube 24 is larger than that of the button tube 22. The outer peripheral surface of the engagement tube 24 is formed with two recesses 24a recessed radially inward. The recesses 24a are formed over the entire length of the engagement tube 24 in the vertical direction. When the dropper container 1 is assembled, the recesses 24a of the operating member 20 and the recesses 37a of the interlocking member 30 are arranged at the same position in the circumferential direction. As with the recesses 37a of the interlocking member 30, the vertical rib 13 is located inside the recesses 24a, thereby restricting the relative rotation of the operating member 20 and the outer cap 10 around the container axis O. The vertical rib 13 slides against these recesses 24a and 37a, allowing the operating member 20 and the interlocking member 30 to move vertically relative to the outer cap 10.

Two engagement holes 24b are formed in the engagement tube portion 24. Each engagement hole 24b is arranged so as to sandwich the container axis O in the radial direction, and penetrates the engagement tube portion 24 in the radial direction. A slit 24c is formed in the engagement tube portion 24 from each engagement hole 24b downward. The circumferential width of the slit 24c is smaller than the circumferential width of the engagement hole 24b. Therefore, an upward-facing abutment surface 24d is formed at the lower end of the engagement hole 24b.

1, the restricting protrusion 36a of the interlocking member 30 is disposed inside each engagement hole 24b. The contact surface 24d faces the restricting protrusion 36a in the vertical direction. In the vertical direction, the dimension of the engagement hole 24b is larger than the dimension of the restricting protrusion 36a. Therefore, when the restricting protrusion 36a is positioned inside the engagement hole 24b, the interlocking member 30 can rise relative to the operating member 20. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, in the state before use of the dropper container 1 (closed state), the restricting protrusion 36a is in contact with or close to the contact surface 24d. Therefore, the interlocking member 30 is restricted from descending relative to the operating member 20. In this specification, the "closed state" refers to a state in which the interlocking member 30 is positioned at the lowest position relative to the inner cap 50.

As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the operating member 20 has two descent regulating portions 25 formed at a distance in the circumferential direction. Each descent regulating portion 25 protrudes downward from the engagement tube portion 24 and extends along the circumferential direction. The two descent regulating portions 25 are arranged so as to sandwich the container axis O between them in the radial direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inner cap 50 has an attachment tube 51, a regulating tube 52, an annular portion 53, a screw-fitting tube 54, a connecting tube 55, an outer seal portion 56, a holding tube 57, and a communicating tube 58. The attachment tube 51 is attached to the mouth 2a of the container body 2. In this embodiment, the female screw formed on the inner peripheral surface of the attachment tube 51 is screwed into the male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth 2a. Therefore, when the inner cap 50 is rotated around the container axis O relative to the container body 2, the inner cap 50 can be removed from the mouth 2a of the container body 2 and reattached to the mouth 2a. The attachment tube 51 is covered from the radial outside by the cap peripheral wall 11 of the outer cap 10. The locking protrusion 14 of the outer cap 10 is locked from below against the attachment tube 51, so that the outer cap 10 is restricted from rising relative to the inner cap 50.

The regulating tube portion 52 is provided on the upper part of the mounting tube portion 51. In this embodiment, the outer circumferential surface of the regulating tube portion 52 and the outer circumferential surface of the mounting tube portion 51 are flush (same outer diameter), but the outer diameters of the regulating tube portion 52 and the mounting tube portion 51 may be different. The upper end of the mounting tube portion 51 may be used as the regulating tube portion 52. The annular portion 53 extends radially inward from the upper end of the regulating tube portion 52 and is formed in an annular shape in a plan view. The screwing tube portion 54 extends upward from the annular portion 53. A male screw portion 54a is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the screwing tube portion 54. When the inner cap 50 and the interlocking member 30 rotate relatively around the container axis O, the male screw portion 54a screws into the female screw portion 31a of the interlocking member 30, causing the interlocking member 30 to move up and down relative to the inner cap 50.

The connecting tube portion 55 extends upward from the inner peripheral edge of the annular portion 53. In the lower portion of the connecting tube portion 55, the outer diameter and inner diameter become smaller as they go upward. The outer diameter of the upper portion of the connecting tube portion 55 is smaller than that of the lower portion. Therefore, an upward-facing step is formed in the middle portion of the connecting tube portion 55 in the vertical direction. The retaining tube portion 57 protrudes upward from the inner peripheral edge at the upper end of the connecting tube portion 55 and retains the annular piston 80. The piston 80 has a sliding contact portion that slides against the sliding tube portion 33. An operating space S is provided above the piston 80. The operating space S includes the space surrounded by the piston 80, the sliding tube portion 33, and the top wall 32, as well as the space inside the elastic membrane 41. The inner seal portion 34 is inserted inside the retaining tube portion 57. The connecting tube portion 55 connects the retaining tube portion 57 and the annular portion 53.

The outer seal portion 56 protrudes downward from the inner peripheral edge of the connecting tube portion 55. The communicating tube portion 58 extends downward from the connecting tube portion 55 and is located radially outward of the outer seal portion 56. The dropper tube 60 is fitted to the outside of the communicating tube portion 58. When the dropper container 1 is in a closed state, the inner seal portion 34 fits inside the outer seal portion 56, sealing the space between the working space S and the inside of the dropper tube 60. When the inner seal portion 34 rises relative to the outer seal portion 56, the seal is released and the working space S is connected to the inside of the dropper tube 60.

The scraping piece 70 is fixed to the mouth 2a of the container body 2 and abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the dropper tube 60. The scraping piece 70 has the role of scraping off the contents adhering to the outer circumferential surface of the dropper tube 60 when the dropper tube 60 is removed upward from the container body 2. The dropper tube 60 has a flange portion 61 that protrudes radially outward, and the flange portion 61 fits into the regulating tube portion 52, thereby fixing the dropper tube 60 to the inner cap 50. The inner cap 50 has a protrusion 59 for preventing the dropper tube 60 from falling off. The protrusion 59 protrudes radially inward from the regulating tube portion 52 and is located lower than the flange portion 61.

As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, two circumferential restriction recesses 51a are formed in the mounting tube portion 51. Each circumferential restriction recess 51a is recessed radially inward from the outer circumferential surface of the mounting tube portion 51 and extends along the circumferential direction. The vertical rib 13 of the outer cap 10 is located inside the circumferential restriction recess 51a. The circumferential width of the circumferential restriction recess 51a is greater than the circumferential width of the vertical rib 13. In addition, the circumferential restriction recesses 51a are formed within an angle range of approximately 90° along the circumferential direction.

When attempting to rotate the outer cap 10 around the container axis O relative to the container body 2, the outer cap 10 rotates freely relative to the inner cap 50 within the above-mentioned angle range (approximately 90°). When attempting to rotate the outer cap 10 relative to the container body 2 beyond the above-mentioned angle range, the vertical rib 13 abuts against the inner surface (surface facing the circumferential direction) of the circumferential restriction recess 51a, restricting the relative rotation between the outer cap 10 and the inner cap 50. In this way, the vertical rib 13 and the circumferential restriction recess 51a are configured to allow the outer cap 10 and the inner cap 50 to rotate freely within a specified angle range, and to restrict the relative rotation between them beyond the specified angle.

As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, two release recesses 52a are formed in the regulating tube portion 52 with a gap therebetween in the circumferential direction. Each release recess 52a is recessed radially inward from the outer circumferential surface of the regulating tube portion 52 and extends along the circumferential direction. The outer diameter of the inner surface of the release recess 52a that faces radially outward is smaller than the inner diameter of the descent regulating portion 25.

Although not shown, when the dropper container 1 is in the closed state (FIG. 1), the descent regulating portion 25 of the inner cap 50 faces the upper surface 52b of the regulating tube portion 52 in the vertical direction. In this state, the descent regulating portion 25 and the upper surface 52b are in contact or close to each other, so that the descent of the operating member 20 relative to the inner cap 50 is regulated. In this way, the descent regulating portion 25 and the regulating tube portion 52 are configured to regulate the descent of the operating member 20 relative to the inner cap 50 in the closed state. When the inner cap 50 rotates 90° around the container axis O relative to the operating member 20 from the closed state, the circumferential positions of the descent regulating portion 25 and the release recess 52a coincide. In this state, the descent regulating portion 25 can enter the release recess 52a. This makes it possible to avoid the descent regulating portion 25 colliding with the inner cap 50 when the operating member 20 descends in the open state.

Next, we will explain the operation of the dropper container 1 configured as above.

When the dropper container 1 is unused (as shipped), as shown in FIG. 1, the interlocking member 30 is located at the lowest position relative to the inner cap 50. In this state, the inner seal portion 34 fits inside the outer seal portion 56, sealing the space between the inside of the dropper tube 60 and the working space S. This prevents the contents in the dropper tube 60 from flowing into the working space S.

When the outer cap 10 is rotated in the loosening direction around the container axis O relative to the container body 2 from the state shown in FIG. 1, the operating member 20 and the interlocking member 30 rotate relative to the container body 2 together with the outer cap 10. This is because the vertical rib 13, the recess 24a, and the recess 37a restrict the relative rotation of the outer cap 10, the operating member 20, and the interlocking member 30. Furthermore, within a specified angle range (approximately 90° in this embodiment), the outer cap 10 rotates freely relative to the inner cap 50. Therefore, within the above angle range, the outer cap 10, the operating member 20, and the interlocking member 30 rotate relative to the inner cap 50.

When the interlocking member 30 rotates relative to the inner cap 50, the female screw portion 31a of the interlocking member 30 and the male screw portion 54a of the inner cap 50 screw together, and the interlocking member 30 rises relative to the inner cap 50. At this time, the elastic member 40 fixed to the interlocking member 30 pushes up the pressing portion 23 of the operating member 20, causing the operating member 20 to also rise. As a result, the state shown in FIG. 5 is reached. More specifically, the button portion 21 of the operating member 20 protrudes upward from the outer cap 10, and the inner seal portion 34 is released upward from the outer seal portion 56. Furthermore, the sliding tube portion 33 slides upward relative to the piston 80, and the volume of the working space S increases, causing a negative pressure in the working space S. As a result, the contents in the container body 2 are sucked up from the lower end opening (not shown) of the dropper tube 60. The amount of contents sucked up into the dropper tube 60 is determined by the amount of rise of the sliding tube portion 33 relative to the piston 80. Therefore, the dropper container 1 can hold an approximately fixed amount of contents in the dropper tube 60.

When the outer cap 10 is further rotated in the loosening direction relative to the container body 2 from the state shown in FIG. 5, the inner cap 50 rotates together with the outer cap 10. This is because, as described above, the vertical rib 13 abuts against the inner surface facing the circumferential direction of the circumferential restriction recess 51a. As the inner cap 50 rotates in the loosening direction relative to the container body 2, the dropper assembly 3 detaches upward from the container body 2. At this time, the contents adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the dropper tube 60 are scraped off by the scraping piece 70.

After removing the dropper assembly 3 from the container body 2, for example, when the button portion 21 is pressed while holding the outer cap 10, the pressing portion 23 presses the elastic membrane 41 downward. At this time, a downward force also acts on the interlocking member 30 via the elastic member 40. However, since the restricting protrusion 36a of the interlocking member 30 abuts against the abutment surface 24d of the operating member 20, the descent of the interlocking member 30 relative to the operating member 20 is restricted. Therefore, the elastic member 40 is sandwiched between the pressing portion 23 and the interlocking member 30, the elastic membrane 41 is elastically deformed downward, and the volume of the working space S becomes smaller. As a result, the contents held in the dropper tube 60 are discharged from the lower end opening of the dropper tube 60. Also, as described above, an approximately fixed amount of contents is held in the dropper tube 60. Therefore, the user can apply an approximately fixed amount of contents to the desired location by the above operation.

1, if the operating member 20 were capable of descending, the user may mistakenly believe that the operation of pushing the operating member 20 downward relative to the outer cap 10 would activate a function for sucking up the contents into the dropper tube 60. In this embodiment, the operating member 20 is provided with a descent restriction portion 25, and the inner cap 50 is provided with a restriction tube portion 52 and a release recess 52a. When the dropper container 1 is in the capped state (FIG. 1), the descent restriction portion 25 abuts against or is close to the upper surface 52b of the restriction tube portion 52, thereby restricting the descent of the operating member 20. When the operating member 20 rotates approximately 90° in the loosening direction from the capped state, the descent restriction portion 25 is located above the release recess 52a. Therefore, it is possible to descend the operating member 20 while the descent restriction portion 25 enters the release recess 52a.

As described above, the dropper container 1 of this embodiment comprises a bottomed, cylindrical container body 2 for containing the contents, an inner cap 50 attached to the mouth 2a of the container body 2, a dropper tube 60 fixed to the inner cap 50 and opening inside the container body 2, an outer cap 10 covering the inner cap 50 and rotatable about a container axis O relative to the inner cap 50, an operating member 20 whose rotation about the container axis O relative to the outer cap 10 is restricted and which can move up and down relative to the outer cap 10, an interlocking member 30 whose rotation about the container axis O relative to the operating member 20 is restricted and which moves up and down in conjunction with the rotation about the container axis O relative to the inner cap 50, and an elastic member 40 disposed between the interlocking member 30 and the operating member 20 and which forms an operating space S communicating with the inside of the dropper tube 60. The operating member 20 is provided with a descent restricting portion 25 which comes into contact with or is close to the inner cap 50 in the vertical direction when the interlocking member 30 is in a closed state in which the interlocking member 30 is located at the lowermost position relative to the inner cap 50. This configuration restricts the descent of the operating member 20 in the closed state, preventing erroneous operation by the user.

The inner cap 50 is provided with a restricting tube portion 52 that abuts or is close to the descent restricting portion 25 in the closed state, and a release recess 52a that is recessed radially inward from the outer circumferential surface of the restricting tube portion 52. When the operating member 20 rotates a predetermined amount relative to the inner cap 50 in the loosening direction that raises the interlocking member 30 relative to the inner cap 50 from the closed state, the descent restricting portion 25 can enter inside the release recess 52a. With this configuration, the descent restriction of the operating member 20 is released by rotating the operating member 20 a predetermined amount in the loosening direction. This makes it possible to smoothly perform the operation of lowering the operating member 20 to elastically deform the elastic member 40 and reduce the volume of the working space S to eject the contents. More specifically, when the operating member 20 is lowered, the descent restricting portion 25 enters inside the release recess 52a, thereby preventing the descent restricting portion 25 from colliding with the inner cap 50.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, in the closed state, the working space S and the inside of the dropper tube 60 are sealed by the inner seal portion 34 and the outer seal portion 56. However, even if such a configuration is not adopted, it is possible to hold and discharge the contents in the dropper tube 60. Therefore, the inner seal portion 34 and the outer seal portion 56 may not be necessary.
In the above embodiment, it has been described that when the operating member 20 is lowered, the descent restricting portion 25 enters inside the release recess 52a. However, when the outer cap 10 is rotated 90° in the loosening direction from the closed state, the male thread portion 54a and the female thread portion 31a screw together, and the interlocking member 30 and the operating member 20 rise. In this way, even if the descent restricting portion 25 does not enter the release recess 52a, the operating member 20 can be lowered by the amount that the operating member 20 has risen. Therefore, a configuration in which the descent restricting portion 25 does not enter the release recess 52a may be adopted.

In addition, the components in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the above-described embodiments and variations may be combined as appropriate.

1...Droplet container 2...Container body 2a...Mouth 10...Outer cap 20...Operating member 25...Descent restriction part 30...Interlocking member 40...Elastic member 50...Inner cap 52...Restriction tube part 52a...Release recess 60...Droplet tube O...Container axis S...Operation space

Claims (2)

A bottomed cylindrical container body for accommodating contents;
An inner cap attached to the mouth of the container body;
a dropper tube fixed to the inner cap and opening inside the container body;
an outer cap that covers the inner cap and is rotatable relative to the inner cap about a container axis;
an operating member whose rotation about a container axis relative to the outer cap is restricted and which is movable up and down relative to the outer cap;
a linking member whose rotation about a container axis relative to the operating member is restricted and which moves up and down in response to the rotation about the container axis relative to the inner cap;
an elastic member disposed between the interlocking member and the operating member and forming an operating space communicating with the inside of the dropper tube;
The operating member is provided with a descent regulating portion that abuts or comes close to the inner cap in the vertical direction when the interlocking member is in a closed state in which it is positioned at a lower end position relative to the inner cap. The inner cap is provided with a restricting tube portion that contacts or is close to the descent restricting portion in a closed state, and a release recess that is recessed radially inward from an outer circumferential surface of the restricting tube portion,
The dropper container according to claim 1, wherein when the operating member rotates a predetermined amount relative to the inner cap from the closed state in a loosening direction that raises the interlocking member relative to the inner cap, the descent restriction portion is able to enter inside the release recess.

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