WO2011108373A1

WO2011108373A1 - Oral product holder

Info

Publication number: WO2011108373A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/053524
Authority: WO
Inventors: 正彦岩井
Original assignee: 日本たばこ産業株式会社
Priority date: 2010-03-04
Filing date: 2011-02-18
Publication date: 2011-09-09
Also published as: TW201138658A; JPWO2011108373A1

Abstract

The disclosed oral product holder (1) is provided with: an elongate box-type holding case (4) which includes a holding chamber (14) which, disposed inside of said holding case (4), holds multiple pouches (2) arranged in rows, and a dispensing chamber (16) disposed adjacently to the holding chamber (14) and in which only one pouch (2) can be positioned; and a gate spring allowing movement of only one pouch (2) from the holding chamber (14) to the dispensing chamber (16) by means of elastic deformation of said gate spring (20) due to the weight of the pouch (2).

Description

Oral product holder

The present invention relates to a holder for oral products, and more particularly to a holder for easily taking out oral products.

Conventionally, solid oral products such as gums (hereinafter referred to as products) are accommodated in a storage case that can be opened and closed. A storage case disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known as one of this type of storage case. The storage case disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a case body that stores a large number of products, a large extraction opening that is formed in each of the case bodies and that enables extraction of the product, and a small extraction opening that enables the product to be extracted. And large and small lids that can open and close each of these openings.

When the user takes out the product from the storage case through the swing-out opening, the storage case is turned upside down, that is, the swing-out opening is opened downward, and the storage case is shaken in this state. Drop it on the palm of your hand.

JP 2007-238128 A

In the case of the storage case described in Patent Document 1 described above, a plurality of products may be swung out at a time from the swing opening. That is, the user cannot reliably take out products one by one from the storage case. For this reason, the user must grab the product taken out by hand and return the product into the housing case through the picking opening.
Moreover, if the product taken out by the user's hand is returned in the storage case, the product touched by the hand comes into contact with other products in the storage case. This is not preferable for hygiene purposes.

Further, in the case of products that are soft or easily deformed, these products are randomly stored in the storage case, so that it is difficult to reliably place only one of the products in the swing opening.
An object of the present invention is to provide an oral product holder that allows a user to access only one product when the product is taken out.

The above object is achieved by the oral product holder according to the present invention. The oral product holder is a housing case for housing a number of oral products, the longitudinal axis and the longitudinal product being a longitudinal axis. A storage case including a storage chamber arranged side by side, a storage chamber disposed adjacent to the storage chamber, in which only one oral product can be positioned, and a storage case disposed in the storage case. A gate device that allows only the oral product to move into the take-out chamber and an exposure device that exposes the oral product in the take-out chamber from the storage case are provided.

Specifically, the gate device includes a gate spring disposed at the boundary between the storage chamber and the take-out chamber, and the gate spring extends obliquely from at least one of the bottom and the ceiling in the storage case toward the take-out chamber, And it is formed from the leaf | plate spring which can be elastically displaced by the dead weight of an oral product.
Therefore, the oral product can be moved from the storage chamber to the take-out chamber by the elastic displacement of the gate spring. Further, once the oral product is positioned in the take-out chamber, the elastic displacement of the gate spring is released, so that the oral product in the take-out chamber does not return to the storage chamber. Furthermore, since only one oral product can be positioned in the take-out chamber, the oral product can be easily placed in the take-out chamber. As a result, the user can easily take out one oral product from the oral product holder.

The gate device also includes a rotor member disposed at the boundary between the storage chamber and the take-out chamber. The rotor member forms a part of the bottom in the storage case as a movable bottom, and the movable bottom serves as the storage chamber. Rotation in only one direction may be allowed so as to move from to the take-out chamber.
For this reason, when the storage case is shaken, the rotor member sends the oral product stored in the storage chamber by the rotation to the take-out chamber. In this case, the take-out chamber is sized to accommodate only one oral product, and the rotor member is allowed to rotate in only one direction. Therefore, the oral product placed in the take-out chamber is placed in the storage chamber. There is no reversal. Even in this case, the user can easily take out one oral product from the oral product holder.

Furthermore, the gate device includes a gate claw disposed at the boundary between the storage chamber and the take-out chamber, and the gate claw has an inclined surface that forms a part of the bottom in the storage case, and the inclined surface is the storage chamber. As it goes from the bottom to the take-out chamber, it may rise.
In this case, the gate claw only allows the oral product to move from the storage chamber to the removal chamber. On the other hand, the take-out chamber can accommodate only one oral product. As a result, the user can easily take out one oral product from the oral product holder.

Also, it is desirable that the exposure device includes a lid for forming a part of the storage case and opening and closing the take-out chamber. The lid facilitates access to the removal chamber when in the open position, while preventing the oral product from popping out of the removal chamber when in the closed position.

According to the oral product holder of the present invention, when the user takes out only one product, the product can be accommodated so that the product can be easily accessed.

FIGS. 3A to 3C are cross-sectional views showing a holder for an oral product according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the holder of the product for oral cavity which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. FIGS. 9A to 9C are cross-sectional views showing a holder for oral products according to a third embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the holder of the product for oral cavity which concerns on 4th Example of this invention. FIGS. 9A to 9C are cross-sectional views showing a holder for oral products according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the storage case which follows the VI-VI line of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 1, the holder 1 of the first embodiment includes a storage case 4, and the storage case 4 has a long box shape made of synthetic resin. In addition, the storage case 4 includes a large number of pouches 2 as oral products.
The pouch 2 includes, for example, a mixture containing a predetermined amount of tobacco particles as a main component and a non-woven sheet enclosing the mixture. Specifically, the tobacco particles are obtained by cutting or pulverizing tobacco materials. The pouch 2 is taken out from the storage case 4 and used in the user's mouth. Specifically, the pouch 2 is sandwiched between the user's upper lip and the gums, and the tobacco components extracted in the saliva are absorbed into the body from the gums. In order to promote the extraction and absorption of such tobacco components, it is desirable that the tobacco particles contain a large amount of moisture.

On the other hand, the storage case 4 includes a storage chamber 14 and a take-out chamber 16 therein, and the storage chamber 14 and the take-out chamber 16 are arranged along the longitudinal axis of the storage case 4. The storage chamber 14 is disposed at one end of the storage case 4 and stores a large number of pouches 2 side by side along the longitudinal axis of the storage case 4. On the other hand, the take-out chamber 16 is disposed adjacent to the storage chamber 14 at the other end of the storage case 4 and only one pouch 2 can be positioned, that is, can be received.

Further, a gate spring 20 made of a thin leaf spring as a gate device is arranged in the storage case 4 at the boundary between the storage chamber 14 and the take-out chamber 16. The gate spring 20 allows only the pouch 2 to move from the storage chamber 14 to the take-out chamber 16. Specifically, the gate spring 20 has substantially the same width as the width in the housing case 4. The base end of the gate spring 20 is fixed to the inner bottom surface 4 b of the storage case 4, while the distal end of the gate spring 20 extends obliquely upward toward the other end surface 4 a of the storage case 4, that is, the take-out chamber 16.

Furthermore, a lid 6 that can be opened and closed via a hinge 8 is disposed at the other end on the upper surface of the housing case 4. The hinge 8 is positioned above the tip of the gate spring 20. That is, the take-out chamber 16 is positioned in the lower region of the lid 6. When the lid 6 is closed, the tip of the lid 6 protrudes from the other end surface 4 a of the housing case 4. This protruding portion is formed as a hook-shaped locking claw 12. On the other hand, a protrusion 10 is formed on the upper edge of the other end surface 4a. Therefore, when the lid 6 is closed, the locking claw 12 is locked to the protrusion 10, whereby the lid 6 is held in the closed position. Therefore, the lid 6 facilitates access to the take-out chamber 16 when in the open position, while preventing the pouch 2 from jumping out of the take-out chamber 16 when in the closed position.

When the storage case 4 is shaken in the longitudinal direction, the pouch 2 in the storage chamber 14 advances toward the gate spring 20 respectively. Such advance of each pouch 2 causes the top pouch 2 located on the take-out chamber 16 side to ride on the gate spring 20 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the gate spring 20 bends toward the inner bottom surface 4 b of the housing case 4 due to the weight of the leading pouch 2. Such bending of the gate spring 20 increases the gap between the gate spring 20 and the ceiling of the housing case 4. Therefore, the leading pouch 2 gets over the gate spring 20 and moves from the storage chamber 14 to the take-out chamber 16.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1C, when the pouch 2 moves into the take-out chamber 16, the bending of the gate spring 20 is released by its own restoring force, and the gate spring 20 returns to its original posture. In this case, the gate spring 20 prevents the return of the pouch 2 from the take-out chamber 16 to the storage chamber 14. On the other hand, as described above, the take-out chamber 16 can accept only one pouch 2, so as long as the leading pouch 2 exists in the take-out chamber 16, the subsequent pouch 2 in the storage chamber 14 is gated. Even if it rides on the spring 20, the subsequent entry of the pouch 2 into the take-out chamber 16 is reliably prevented.

Thereafter, the user releases the engagement between the locking claw 12 of the lid 6 and the protrusion 10 and lifts the lid 6, thereby rotating the lid 6 around the hinge 8 to open, thereby exposing the take-out chamber 16. The pouch 2 can be taken out. And a user can enjoy the flavor of tobacco by including the taken out pouch 2 in the oral cavity and sandwiching it between the upper lip and gums.
As described above, since only one pouch 2 can be positioned in the take-out chamber 16, the user can easily take out one pouch 2 from the storage case 4.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the case of the holder 1 of the second embodiment, the gate spring 20 is also disposed on the ceiling surface 4 s of the housing case 4. These gate springs 20 are positioned in the same cross section of the housing case 4. Even in this case, the pouch 2 can be moved from the storage chamber 14 to the take-out chamber 16 by the bending of the gate spring 20. Further, once the pouch 2 is disposed in the take-out chamber 16, the upper and lower gate springs 20 are released from bending, so that the pouch 2 in the take-out chamber 16 does not return to the storage chamber 14.

Referring to FIG. 3, the holder 1 of the third embodiment includes a gate pinion 30 instead of the gate spring 20 of the first embodiment (FIG. 3A). The gate pinion 30 is disposed at the boundary between the storage chamber 14 and the take-out chamber 16 in the storage case 4, and forms a part of the inner bottom surface 4 b of the storage case 4 as a movable bottom.
Specifically, a substantially semicircular recess 34 is formed on the inner bottom surface 4 b of the storage case 4 over the entire width direction of the storage case 4. A pinion shaft 32 is disposed in or directly above the recess 34. The pinion shaft 32 also extends in the width direction of the housing case 4 along the recess 34, and both ends thereof are supported by both side walls of the housing case 4. In this embodiment, the pinion shaft 32 is positioned in the same plane as the inner bottom surface 4b.

The gate pinion 30 described above is rotatably supported by the pinion shaft 32 and extends along the pinion shaft 32. The upper half of the gate pinion 30 protrudes upward from the inner bottom surface 4b. Furthermore, the upper half of the gate pinion 30 can be rotated only from the storage chamber 14 toward the take-out chamber 16.
Therefore, when the storage case 4 is shaken, as shown in FIG. 3B, the leading pouch 2 stored in the storage chamber 14 is sent to the take-out chamber 16 with the rotation of the gate pinion 30. . In this case, since the take-out chamber 16 is sized to accept only one pouch 2 as described above, two or more pouches 2 are not accommodated in the take-out chamber 16. Further, since the gate pinion 30 rotates only in one direction, the leading pouch 2 disposed in the take-out chamber 16 does not return to the storage chamber 14. Therefore, the user can easily take out one pouch 2 from the housing case 4 similarly to the holder 1 of the first embodiment and the second embodiment (FIG. 3C).

The holder 1 of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 4 further includes a rotation knob 36 attached to one end of the pinion shaft 32. The rotary knob 36 is disposed so as to be exposed on the outer surface of the housing case 4. Further, a counter 38 is provided in the vicinity of the rotary knob 36 on the outer surface of the housing case 4. The counter 38 counts the number of pouches 2 sent out from the storage chamber 14 to the take-out chamber 16 by the rotation of the rotary knob 36 based on the number of rotations of the rotary knob 36 and displays the count result. Therefore, the user can move the pouch 2 smoothly from the storage chamber 14 to the take-out chamber 16 by forcibly turning the gate pinion 30 via the rotary knob 36 and grasp the number of pouches 2 taken out. can do. The counter 38 may indicate the remaining number of pouches 2 in the storage case 4.

The holder 1 of the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 5 includes a gate claw 40 in place of the gate spring 20 of the first embodiment (FIG. 5A).
The gate claw 40 is disposed at the boundary between the storage chamber 14 and the take-out chamber 16 and has a substantially right triangle protruding from the inner bottom surface 4 b of the storage case 4. That is, the gate claw 40 has a vertical surface 42 that is perpendicular to the inner bottom surface 4b and faces the other end surface 4a, and an inclined surface 44 that is inclined with respect to the inner bottom surface 4b. The inclined surface 44 forms a part of the inner bottom surface 4 b of the storage case 4 and rises from the inner bottom surface 4 b of the storage chamber 14 toward the take-out chamber 16.

Therefore, when the storage case 4 is shaken, as shown in FIG. 5B, the leading pouch 2 in the storage chamber 14 gets over the gate claw 40 while the contact portion with the gate claw 40 is recessed. It can be advanced into the chamber 16. On the other hand, the shape of the top pouch 2 that has once passed over the gate claw 40 and received in the take-out chamber 16 is restored. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5C, the gate claw 40 prevents the pouch 2 from returning from the take-out chamber 16 to the storage chamber 14.

That is, in the holder 1 of the fifth embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the gate claw 40 only allows the pouch 2 to move from the storage chamber 14 to the take-out chamber 16, while the take-out chamber 16 holds the pouch 2. Since only one can be accepted, the user can easily take out one pouch 2 from the holder 1.
Note that the housing case 4 of the holder 1 of the first to fifth embodiments described above may be formed of a colorless and transparent synthetic resin material. In this case, the user can easily check the remaining amount of the pouch 2 in the housing case 4 without shaking the housing case 4 or opening the lid 6.

In addition, as described above, the tobacco particles of the pouch 2 contain a large amount of moisture, so that the moisture contained in the tobacco particles may ooze out to the outer surface of the pouch 2. In this case, the tobacco component of the tobacco particles may also leach out together. In order to compensate for the loss of such tobacco components, at least one of the packaging material of the pouch 2, that is, the nonwoven fabric sheet or the housing case 4, can contain a food flavor 50.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, a fragrance layer 52 of the food fragrance 50 is attached in the storage chamber 14 of the storage case 4, and the fragrance layer 52 is formed on the inner bottom surface 4 b, the inner side surface 4 i and the ceiling of the storage chamber 14. It may be attached to at least one of the surfaces 4s. In addition, the fragrance | flavor layer 52 of the food fragrance | flavor 50 may also adhere to the taking-out chamber 16 of the storage case 4. FIG. In this case, the fragrance layer 52 may be attached to at least one of the inner bottom surface 4 b, the inner side surface 4 i, and the lower surface of the lid 6 of the take-out chamber 16.

As the food flavor 50, menthol, mint, vanilla, apricot, tea, cocoa, licorice, honey and the like can be used alone or in combination according to the needs of the user. However, the food flavor 50 must not damage the flavor of the tobacco grains, and the use of acidic food flavors must be avoided because the tobacco grains are alkaline.
The food flavor 50 is used in the form of a powder or a liquid form dissolved in a solvent. Here, water, alcohol, glycerin, propylene glycol or the like can be used as the solvent.

When the food flavor 50 is attached to the pouch 2, it is desirable that the food flavor 50 contains glycerin, propylene glycol, or the like that also functions as a moisturizing agent. In this case, glycerin is applied to the pouch 2 by 1% by weight of the mixture mainly composed of tobacco particles.
On the other hand, when the food flavor 50 is attached to the housing case 4 side, a menthol solution in which 1% by weight of menthol is dissolved in alcohol is used as the food flavor 50, and this menthol solution is used as the inner bottom surface 4b of the housing case 4. At least one of the inner surface 4i and the ceiling surface 4s is spray coated.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made.
For example, the pouch 2 accommodated in the holder 1 is not limited to oral tobacco, and may be any oral product.
The oral product may not be packaged in a nonwoven fabric or the like.
Further, the housing case 4 may include an openable / closable seal instead of the lid 6.

1 Holder 2 Pouch (oral product)
4 accommodation case 4a other end surface 4b inner bottom surface 4i inner side surface 4s ceiling surface 6 lid (exposure device)
8 Hinge 10 Protrusion 12 Locking claw 14 Storage chamber 16 Extraction chamber 20 Gate spring (gate device)
30 Gate pinion (rotor member, gate device)
32 Pinion shaft 34 Recess 36 Revolving knob 38 Counter 40 Gate claw (gate device)
42 Vertical surface 44 Inclined surface 50 Food perfume 52 Perfume layer

Claims

A storage case for storing a large number of oral products, a longitudinal axis, a storage chamber for storing oral products side by side along the longitudinal axis, and disposed adjacent to the storage chamber, only one A storage case including a take-out chamber in which the oral product can be positioned;
A gate device that is arranged in the housing case and allows only movement of the oral product from the housing chamber to the take-out chamber;
An oral product holder, comprising: an exposure device that exposes the oral product in the take-out chamber from the housing case.
The gate device includes a gate spring disposed at a boundary between the storage chamber and the take-out chamber, and the gate spring extends obliquely toward the take-out chamber from at least one of a bottom and a ceiling in the storage case, The oral product holder according to claim 1, wherein the oral product holder is formed of a leaf spring that is elastically displaceable by its own weight.
The gate device includes a rotor member disposed at a boundary between the storage chamber and the take-out chamber, and the rotor member forms a part of the bottom in the storage case as a movable bottom, and the movable bottom is The oral product holder according to claim 1, wherein rotation in only one direction is allowed to move from the storage chamber toward the take-out chamber.
The gate device includes a gate claw disposed at a boundary between the storage chamber and the take-out chamber, and the gate claw has an inclined surface that forms a part of a bottom in the storage case. 2. The oral cavity product holder according to claim 1, wherein the holder is raised from the bottom of the storage chamber toward the take-out chamber.
2. The holder for an oral product according to claim 1, wherein the exposure device includes a lid that forms a part of the housing case and opens and closes the take-out chamber.