JP7536408B2 - Feeding container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dispensing container.

As an example of a dispenser that can dispense and use a spreadable solid content such as cosmetics such as lipstick, lip balm, and stick eye shadow, medicine, or stick glue, there is known a dispenser container that has an operating member that receives a rotational operation and a screw shaft member that is screwed in the dispensing direction by the operating member, as described in Patent Document 1.

JP 2020-192167 A

In a dispensing container like the one described above, it is desirable to be able to easily position the screw shaft member relative to the operating member in the initial position before screw feed.

The object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing container that makes it easy to position the screw shaft member in the initial position relative to the operating member.

The dispensing container of the present invention comprises a case tube, a middle plate provided within the case tube, a case body, an annular elastomer that is axially sandwiched between the case tube and the case body when the case tube is attached to the case body, thereby deforming from a first form to a second form expanded radially inward, an operating member that is radially swingable and has a screw piece supported from the radially outside by the annular elastomer in the second form and that undergoes a rotational operation so as to rotate relative to the case tube, and a screw shaft member that is screwed by the screw piece to one axial direction, which is the dispensing direction, by the rotational operation when the annular elastomer is in the second form, thereby moving the middle plate relative to the one axial direction with respect to the case tube, wherein the screw piece swings radially outward when the annular elastomer is in the first form until the screw connection to the screw shaft member is released due to a pressing force of a predetermined value or more toward the other axial side relative to the screw shaft member .

In addition, in the above configuration, the propelling container of the present invention is preferably a propelling container having a ratchet mechanism that allows the operating member to rotate relative to the case tube in one circumferential direction and prevents it from rotating in the other circumferential direction.

In addition, in the above configuration, the propelling container of the present invention is preferably a propelling container having a replacement container including the case tube and the inner plate, and a main container including the case body and the operating member.

In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, the dispensing container of the present invention is preferably such that the case tube has an engaging portion that holds the inner plate in an initial position until the engagement is released by a pressing force of more than a first predetermined value toward one axial side of the inner plate , and the first predetermined value is greater than a second predetermined value which is the predetermined value.

In addition, in the above configuration, the feeding container of the present invention is preferably a feeding container in which the screw piece is pushed by the annular elastic body due to the deformation of the annular elastic body from the first form to the second form, elastically deforms radially inward, and thereby is screwed into the screw shaft member.

The present invention provides a dispensing container that makes it easy to position the screw shaft member in the initial position relative to the operating member.

1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state before the start of use of a propelling container according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state when the contents have been used up from the state shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the replacement container has been removed from the state shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which an unused replacement container is attached from the state shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state where attachment of the replacement container has been completed from the state shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state when payout is started from the state shown in FIG. 5 . FIG. 2 is a side view of the operating member shown in FIG. 1 . This is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 7. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the contents in the propelling container of the second embodiment of the present invention have been used up. FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the replacement container is removed from the state shown in FIG. 10. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which an unused replacement container is attached from the state shown in FIG. 11 . FIG. 11 is a side view of the operating member shown in FIG. 10 . FIG. 11 is a top view of the operating member shown in FIG. 10 .

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the dispensing container 1 has a case tube 2, a middle plate 3, a case body 4, an operating member 5, a screw shaft member 6, an annular elastic body 7, and an overcap 8. In this embodiment, the case tube 2 and the middle plate 3 constitute a replacement container 9, and the other members, namely, the case body 4, the operating member 5, the screw shaft member 6, the annular elastic body 7, and the overcap 8 constitute a main container 10. The replacement container 9 contains solid contents (not shown) that can be dispensed by the middle plate 3 within the case tube 2, and is detachable from the main container 10. Therefore, after the contents are used up, the main container 10 can be continued to be used by replacing it with a new replacement container 9.

The replacement container 9 may be distributed together with the main container 10 with the contents contained therein, or may be distributed separately. As shown in FIG. 4 etc., it is preferable to distribute the replacement container 9 with the dispensing opening 2a covered by the cover cap 11. The replacement container 9 may be distributed in a packaging container such as a blister case or a paper box with the cover cap 11 attached, or may be distributed in a packaging container without the cover cap 11.

The case cylinder 2, inner plate 3, case body 4, operating member 5, screw shaft member 6, and overcap 8 are each integrally molded from synthetic resin. Note that these members are not limited to being made from synthetic resin. Furthermore, each of these members may be composed of multiple parts. The annular elastic body 7 is made, for example, from rubber or elastomer.

As shown in FIG. 1, the case cylinder 2, the inner plate 3, the case body 4, the operating member 5, the screw shaft member 6, the annular elastic body 7, and the overcap 8 share a common central axis O.

In this embodiment, the direction along the central axis O is referred to as the axial direction or the up-down direction, the payout direction is referred to as one axial side or upward, and the opposite direction is referred to as the other axial side or downward, the direction along a straight line perpendicular to the central axis O is referred to as the radial direction, the direction going around the central axis O is referred to as the circumferential direction, and a cross section including the central axis O is referred to as a longitudinal cross section.

The contents may be, for example, a spreadable solid product such as cosmetics such as lipstick, lip balm, or stick eye shadow, medicine, or stick glue. In this embodiment, the contents is lipstick. Note that solid contents refer to contents that are hard enough to retain their shape, and include contents that are somewhat soft, such as semi-paste.

As shown in FIG. 1, the case tube 2 is cylindrical and has a center on a central axis O, and has an outlet 2a at the upper end. The outlet 2a is inclined obliquely with respect to a plane perpendicular to the central axis O, but it may be perpendicular to the central axis O.

The lower part of the case cylinder 2 is detachably attached in the axial direction to the upper part of the cylindrical case body 4 centered on the central axis O via the connecting part 12. The inner peripheral surface of the upper part of the case body 4 has an annular step 4a that reduces in diameter in a step-like manner toward the bottom, and an annular elastic body 7 having a circular ring shape centered on the central axis O is arranged and held on the annular step 4a. By attaching the case cylinder 2 to the case body 4, the annular elastic body 7 is sandwiched in the axial direction between the lower end surface of the case cylinder 2 and the annular step 4a of the case body 4, and the outer surface of the annular elastic body 7 on the radially outer side is supported by the inner peripheral surface of the case body 4, and the radially outward expansion is restricted, so that the annular elastic body 7 is transformed from the first form shown in FIG. 4 to the second form shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 1, etc., in which it expands radially inward.

The connection portion 12 includes a male thread 12a provided on the case tube 2 and a female thread 12b provided on the case body 4. The connection portion 12 also includes a circumferential fitting portion 12c that is configured with a concave-convex shape that allows the two threads to overcome each other in the circumferential direction by elastic deformation.

The connection portion 12 may not include the circumferential fitting portion 12c. The connection portion 12 is not limited to a configuration including the male thread 12a and the female thread 12b, and may include, for example, a simple thread portion including the male thread 12a and a protrusion, or the female thread 12b and a protrusion, or may include an axial fitting portion including a concave-convex shape that can overcome each other in the axial direction by elastic deformation. In any case, the connection portion 12 is provided so that the annular elastic body 7 can be held in the second form by attaching the case tube 2 to the case main body 4. The connection portion 12 is also set so that the case tube 2 does not rotate together with the operating member 5 when the case main body 4 is held in one hand and the operating member 5 is held in the other hand and rotated relative to the case main body 4.

The overcap 8 is cylindrical with a top centered on the central axis O, and is detachable from the case cylinder 2. When the overcap 8 is attached to the case cylinder 2 while it is attached to the case body 4, it covers almost the entire exposed portion of the case cylinder 2.

The inner plate 3 is provided in the case tube 2 so as to be movable in the extension direction while being prevented from rotating relative to the case tube 2. The inner plate 3 also has a bottom wall 3a that supports the bottom of the contents contained in the case tube 2, and a peripheral wall 3b that extends upward from the outer periphery of the bottom wall 3a. The case tube 2 has a fitting portion 13 that holds the inner plate 3 in its initial position until it is disengaged by a pressing force of at least a first predetermined value applied to the inner plate 3 in the extension direction.

The screw shaft member 6 is a hollow shaft centered on the central axis O. In this embodiment, the screw shaft member 6 is a cylindrical shaft with a top, but is not limited thereto and may be, for example, a cylindrical shaft with a bottom or a cylindrical shape, or may be a solid shaft. The outer peripheral surface of the screw shaft member 6 has a screw shaft 6a consisting of a screw thread centered on the central axis O. The screw shaft 6a is provided over substantially the entire axial length of the screw shaft member 6.

In the initial position, the top surface (upper surface) of the screw shaft member 6 contacts the bottom surface of the middle plate 3. In addition, the top surface of the screw shaft member 6 contacts the bottom surface of the middle plate 3, and is prevented from rotating relative to the case tube 2 via the middle plate 3 due to frictional force. Note that the top surface of the screw shaft member 6 may be directly engaged with the middle plate 3 or the case tube 2 via a concave-convex shape or the like to prevent rotation.

The lower end of the outer circumferential surface of the screw shaft member 6 has an idling portion 6b. The idling portion 6b has a smooth surface with no portion that screws into the screw-engagement portion 5b, and can rotate freely relative to the screw-engagement portion 5b. Note that the idling portion 6b may not be provided.

The lower end of the outer circumferential surface of the screw shaft 6a has a retaining portion 6c. The retaining portion 6c is formed of a circular convex portion that protrudes radially outward, and the upper surface of this convex portion abuts against the stepped lower surface provided at the lower end of the screwing portion 5b, thereby preventing the screw shaft member 6 from slipping out upward from the screwing piece 5a. Note that the retaining portion 6c may be omitted.

As shown in Figures 1 and 7 to 9, the operating member 5 has a generally cylindrical peripheral wall portion 5c centered on the central axis O, and a sheet-like bottom portion 5d connected to the lower end of the peripheral wall portion 5c. The bottom portion 5d is, for example, a sticker attached to the lower end of the peripheral wall portion 5c. The lower end portion of the peripheral wall portion 5c is provided below the case main body 4, and constitutes an operated portion 5e that receives a rotational operation that rotates the operating member 5 relatively to one side in the circumferential direction with respect to the case tube 2.

In the initial position, the bottom surface of the screw shaft member 6 abuts against the bottom 5d of the operating member 5. In other words, the initial position of the screw shaft member 6 is the lowest position relative to the operating member 5.

The operating member 5 and the case body 4 are connected via a ratchet mechanism 14 that allows the operating member 5 to rotate relative to the case cylinder 2 in one circumferential direction and prevents it from rotating in the other circumferential direction. The ratchet mechanism 14 is composed of two elastic pieces 14a that are provided on the peripheral wall 5c of the operating member 5 and are elastically deformable in the radial direction, and a concave-convex portion 14b that is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the case body 4 and allows the operating member 5 to overcome each of the elastic pieces 14a by rotating relative to the case cylinder 2 in one circumferential direction, while engaging each of the elastic pieces 14a by rotating relative to the case cylinder 2 in the other circumferential direction. The number of elastic pieces 14a is not limited to two and can be set as appropriate.

The operating member 5 is also connected to the case body 4 via a rotary connection part 15. The rotary connection part 15 connects the operating member 5 to the case body 4 via a concave-convex shape so that the operating member 5 can rotate around the central axis O while restricting the relative position in the axial direction. In this embodiment, the rotary connection part 15 is provided in a portion between the ratchet mechanism part 14 and the operated part 5e in the axial direction, but the arrangement is not limited thereto.

The upper end of the operating member 5 has four threaded pieces 5a arranged in the circumferential direction. The number of threaded pieces 5a can be set as appropriate. Each threaded piece 5a can swing radially with its upper end as the free end, and the inner peripheral surface of the free end has a female-threaded threaded portion 5b centered on the central axis O. Each threaded piece 5a is supported from the radial outside by the annular elastic body 7 in the second form, thereby maintaining the threaded engagement, i.e., screw connection, between the threaded portion 5b and the screw shaft 6a. Therefore, when the annular elastic body 7 is in the second form, the threaded pieces 5a can be used to screw the screw shaft member 6 in the payout direction.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the annular elastic body 7 is in the first form, the screw piece 5a swings radially outward until the screw connection to the screw shaft member 6 is released by a downward pressing force of a second predetermined value or more applied to the screw shaft member 6. Therefore, when the annular elastic body 7 is in the first form, the screw shaft member 6 can be moved downward relative to the operating member 5 by a simple operation of simply pressing the screw shaft member 6 downward. Therefore, it is possible to easily position the screw shaft member 6 in its initial position relative to the operating member 5.

In this embodiment, the second predetermined value is smaller than the first predetermined value described above. Therefore, the screw shaft member 6 can be placed in its initial position simply by pressing the top surface of the screw shaft member 6 downward with the bottom surface of the inner plate 3, which is in the initial position where the fitting portion 13 is fitted, and attaching the case tube 2 to the case main body 4. Note that instead of pressing with the bottom surface of the inner plate 3, it may be pressed with a finger or the like.

The replacement container 9 can be replaced as follows. When the contents have been used up, first, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the connection part 12 is disconnected and the replacement container 9 is removed from the main container 10. This causes the annular elastic body 7 to restore and deform from the second state to the first state. From this state, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the top surface of the screw shaft member 6, which is at the upper limit position on the bottom surface of the inner plate 3 of the new replacement container 9, is pressed downward, and the replacement container 9 is attached to the main container 10, returning the screw shaft member 6 to its initial position.

After replacing the replacement container 9, the operating member 5 is rotated in one circumferential direction, so that the screw threaded shaft member 6 is screwed in the payout direction by the screw piece 5a, as shown in FIG. 6, and the top surface of the screw threaded shaft member 6 presses the bottom surface of the inner plate 3 in the payout direction with a pressure force equal to or greater than a first predetermined value, disengaging the fitting portion 13 and moving the inner plate 3 relative to the case tube 2 in the payout direction, thereby allowing the contents to be dispensed from the payout opening 2a.

In addition, in this embodiment, the ratchet mechanism 14 prevents the operating member 5 from being rotated in the other circumferential direction. Therefore, when the contents are relatively soft, such as lipstick, it is possible to prevent the contents from being damaged, such as losing their shape or breaking, due to being inserted.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to easily position the screw shaft member 6 in the initial position relative to the operating member 5 during the assembly process during production or when replacing the replacement container 9.

In addition, if a ratchet mechanism 14 is provided, it will not be possible to rotate the operating member 5 in the other circumferential direction to return the screw shaft member 6 to its initial position, so it is generally difficult to realize a dispensing container 1 having a ratchet mechanism 14 that allows the contents to be replaced, but this embodiment makes it possible to realize such a dispensing container 1.

In this embodiment, the screw piece 5a is configured to swing radially outward until it is released from the screw connection to the screw shaft member 6 due to a downward pressing force of a second predetermined value or more against the screw shaft member 6 when the annular elastic body 7 is in the first form. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, as in the second embodiment shown in Figures 10 to 14, the screw piece 5a may be pushed by the annular elastic body 7 as the annular elastic body 7 deforms from the first form to the second form, elastically deforming radially inward, thereby screwing into the screw shaft member 6.

As shown in Figures 13 and 14, in the second embodiment, the operating member 5 is formed so that, in the molded state, each screw portion 5b is positioned radially outward from the position where it is screwed into the screw shaft 6a. Note that, although there are eight screw pieces 5a in this embodiment, this number can be set as appropriate. The other configurations of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

According to this second embodiment, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, by removing the replacement container 9 from the main container 10 (see the thick arrow in Figure 11), the annular elastic body 7 restores and deforms from the second shape to the first shape, which causes the screw piece 5a to restore and swing radially outward until it is released from the screw connection with the screw shaft member 6, so that the screw shaft member 6 can be dropped by its own weight to its initial position (see the hollow arrow in Figure 11). Therefore, after removing the replacement container 9 from the main container 10, replacement can be completed simply by attaching a new replacement container 9 to the main container 10, as shown in Figures 11 and 12.

In this way, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to realize even easier positioning of the screw shaft member 6 in the initial position relative to the operating member 5 during the assembly process during production or when replacing the replacement container 9.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Therefore, the dispensing container 1 of the above-described embodiment can be modified in various ways, for example as described below.

The dispensing container 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment can be modified in various ways as long as it is a dispensing container 1 having a case tube 2, a middle plate 3 provided in the case tube 2, a case body 4, an annular elastic body 7 that is axially sandwiched between the case tube 2 and the case body 4 when the case tube 2 is attached to the case body 4, thereby deforming from a first form to a second form in which it expands radially inward, an operating member 5 that is radially swingable and has a screw piece 5a supported from the radial outside by the annular elastic body 7 in the second form, and is rotated to rotate relative to the case tube 2, and a screw shaft member 6 that is screwed by the screw piece 5a to one axial direction, which is the dispensing direction, by the rotation operation when the annular elastic body 7 is in the second form, thereby moving the middle plate 3 relative to the case tube 2 to one axial direction.

For example, the ratchet mechanism 14 may not be provided. The replacement container 9 may include an annular elastic body 7. The replacement container 9 may include a screw shaft member 6 formed integrally with the inner plate 3. The propelling container 1 may be configured so that the contents cannot be replaced. The overcap 8 may not be provided.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the dispensing container 1 is preferably a dispensing container 1 having a ratchet mechanism 14 that allows the operating member 5 to rotate relative to the case tube 2 in one circumferential direction and prevents it from rotating in the other circumferential direction.

In addition, the above-mentioned embodiment of the propelling container 1 is preferably a propelling container 1 having a replacement container 9 including a case tube 2 and an inner tray 3, and a main container 10 including a case main body 4 and an operating member 5 in the above configuration.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment of the dispensing container 1, in the above configuration, the case tube 2 has a fitting portion 13 that holds the middle plate 3 in an initial position until the fitting is released by a pressing force of a first predetermined value or more in one axial direction against the middle plate 3, and the screw piece 5a swings radially outward when the annular elastic body 7 is in the first form until the screw connection to the screw shaft member 6 is released by a pressing force of a second predetermined value or more in the other axial direction against the screw shaft member 6, and the first predetermined value is preferably greater than the second predetermined value.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the dispensing container 1 is preferably configured such that, in the above-mentioned configuration, the screwing piece 5a is pushed by the annular elastic body 7 as the annular elastic body 7 deforms from the first form to the second form, elastically deforming radially inward, thereby screwing into the screw shaft member 6.

[0033] 1: Dispensing container 2: Case tube 2a: Dispensing port 3: Inner plate 3a: Bottom wall 3b: Peripheral wall 4: Case body 4a: Annular step portion 5: Operating member 5a: Screw-fitting piece 5b: Screw-fitting portion 5c: Peripheral wall portion 5d: Bottom portion 5e: Operated portion 6: Screw shaft member 6a: Screw shaft 6b: Idling portion 6c: Anti-slip portion 7: Annular elastic body 8: Overcap 9: Replacement container 10: Main container 11: Cover cap 12: Connection portion 12a: Male thread 12b: Female thread 12c: Circumferential fitting portion 13: Fitting portion 14: Ratchet mechanism portion 14a: Elastic piece 14b: Concave and convex portion 15: Rotational connection portion O: Central axis

Claims (5)

A case tube and
An inner plate provided in the cylindrical case;
The case body and
an annular elastic body that is axially sandwiched between the case cylinder and the case body when the case cylinder is attached to the case body, and that is thereby deformed from a first shape to a second shape in which the annular elastic body is expanded radially inward;
an operating member that is rotatable relative to the case tube and includes a screw piece that is supported from the radially outer side by the annular elastic body of the second form and that is rotated relative to the case tube;
a screw shaft member in which the annular elastic body is screwed in one axial direction, which is a payout direction, by the screw piece through the rotation operation when the annular elastic body is in the second form, thereby moving the inner plate relatively in the one axial direction with respect to the case tube;
having
A propelling container in which the screw piece swings radially outward until the screw connection with the screw shaft member is released by a pressing force of a predetermined value or more in the other axial direction toward the screw shaft member when the annular elastic body is in the first form . The dispenser container according to claim 1, which has a ratchet mechanism that allows the operating member to rotate relative to the case cylinder in one circumferential direction and prevents it from rotating in the other circumferential direction. The dispenser container according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a replacement container including the case tube and the inner plate, and a main container including the case body and the operating member. The case cylinder has a fitting portion that holds the inner plate in an initial position until the fitting is released by a pressing force of a first predetermined value or more toward one side in the axial direction against the inner plate ,
The propelling container according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the first predetermined value is greater than a second predetermined value which is the predetermined value . The dispensing container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the screw piece is pushed by the annular elastic body by the deformation of the annular elastic body from the first shape to the second shape, elastically deforms inward in the radial direction, and thereby is screwed to the screw shaft member.