WO2021256257A1

WO2021256257A1 - Container

Info

Publication number: WO2021256257A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/020952
Authority: WO
Inventors: 文沁肖
Original assignee: 小林製薬株式会社
Priority date: 2020-06-19
Filing date: 2021-06-02
Publication date: 2021-12-23
Also published as: TW202202121A; JP2022001496A

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a container that has excellent openability and that is environmentally friendly. [Solution] This container is provided with: a main body part that is constituted from a resin material and in which content is accommodated; a cylindrical part that is constituted from a resin material and that has an inner end and an outer end, the cylindrical part communicating with the main body part on the inner end side; and a weld part that is integrally constituted from the same resin material as the cylindrical part and that is continuous from the outer end of the cylindrical part, the weld part being squashed flat so as to close the outer end of the cylindrical part, and welded. The cylindrical part has a breaking part. The breaking part breaks and thereby forms an extraction port for extracting the content from the main body part. In the cylindrical part, at least the portion on the outer end side relative to the breaking part is constituted so as to be hollow.

Description

container

The present invention relates to a container, and more particularly to a container that is opened when a part thereof is broken.

As a single-use container that is opened once and discarded after the contents are taken out, there is a type having a cap (see Patent Document 1 and the like). Further, as another type of single-use container, there is also a container such as an ampoule that is opened when a part of the container is broken (see Patent Document 2).

JP-A-2015-193983 International Publication No. 2018/190422 Pamphlet

In the case of a single-use container having a cap, the number of parts is large, and when the cap is also made of a resin material in addition to the container body, the amount of the resin material used increases, so that the environmental load is large. Further, in the case of a single-use container of the type that is opened by breaking a part of the container, at least the removed portion cut off by breaking is often composed of a resin material. At this time, if the resin-made removed portion is too soft, it may not be possible to successfully transmit the force required for breaking to the broken portion at the time of opening. Therefore, in order to improve the openability, if the resin-made removed portion is processed to be harder, such as by making it thicker, the amount of the resin material used increases and the environmental load increases.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container having excellent openability and being environmentally friendly.

The container according to the first aspect of the present invention is composed of a main body portion made of a resin material and accommodating the contents, and has an inner end and an outer end, and the main body portion on the inner end side. It is integrally composed of a tubular portion that communicates with the tubular portion and the same resin material as the tubular portion, is continuous with the outer end of the tubular portion, and is pressed flat so as to close the outer end of the tubular portion. It is provided with a welded portion that has been crushed and welded. The tubular portion has a broken portion, and when the broken portion breaks, an outlet for taking out the contents from the main body portion is formed. At least the portion of the tubular portion on the outer end side of the fractured portion is formed to be hollow.

The container according to the second aspect of the present invention is the container according to the first aspect, and further includes a cover member including an annular portion that surrounds the tubular portion from the outside so as to cover the broken portion.

The container according to the third aspect of the present invention is the container according to the second aspect, and the cover member stands up from the annular portion, extends toward the outer end side of the tubular portion, and the annular portion. Further includes a plurality of claws arranged along the circumferential direction of.

The container according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is a container according to any one of the first to third aspects, and the main body portion is integrally composed of the same resin material as the tubular portion and the welded portion. Has been done.

According to the above viewpoint, the broken portion is provided in the tubular portion communicating with the main body portion, and at least the portion outside the broken portion in the tubular portion is formed to be hollow. Since the hollow part of the tubular part has a bulge, the thickness of the outer wall part of the hollow part is relatively thin and soft, and it is constant even if only a small amount of resin material is used to form the hollow part. Can maintain the strength of. Therefore, by pinching the hollow part of the tubular part with a finger or the like, it becomes possible to successfully transmit the force required for breaking to the broken part at the time of opening, and the container can be easily opened. can. From the above, a container with excellent openability and environmental friendliness is provided.

The front view of the container which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Left side view of the container. Front view of the container body with no cover member attached. Left side view of the container body with no cover member attached. Top view of the cover member. Bottom view of the cover member. Sectional drawing of the cover member. External view of the contents attached to the hard surface.

Hereinafter, the container according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<1. Overall configuration>

FIG. 1 shows a front view of the container 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a left side view of the container 100. In the explanation here, unless otherwise specified, "top (top)", "bottom (bottom)", "left", "right", "front (front)", and "rear (back)" are shown in FIGS. 1 to 1. It shall be defined as shown in 4. However, the upper and lower parts referred to here do not limit the usage mode of the container 100.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container 100 has a container body 1 in which the contents are housed and a cover member 2 attached to the container body 1. The container body 1 is a sealed container in which the contents are sealed, and the container body 1 is opened when a part of the container is broken and cannot be resealed. Therefore, the container body 1 is a disposable container that is opened once and discarded after the contents are taken out. In the present embodiment, the container body 1 is discarded together with the cover member 2 attached to the container body 1.

The type of the content contained in the container body 1 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a drug or a food. Further, the form of the content is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, gel-like, liquid, granular or the like. Although the details will be described later, the container 100 of the present embodiment can discharge the drug on a hard surface and adhere it like a stamp, and is used, for example, for applying the drug to the inner surface of the toilet bowl. can do. Further, for example, the container 100 can also be used for applying a chemical to the inner surface of a trash can. A suitable agent for stamping on a hard surface is typically a fluid, gel-like adhesive, preferably a toilet bowl when used for application to the inner surface of the toilet bowl. Contains a cleaning agent for cleaning. In addition, the agent in this example also appropriately includes a fragrance, a disinfectant, a deodorant, a coloring agent, and the like.

<2. Configuration of each part>

<2-1. Container body>

3 and 4 show a front view and a left side view of the container body 1 alone, respectively. The container main body 1 has a main body portion 10 in which the contents are housed, a tubular portion 20 extending upward from the upper end of the main body portion 10, and a welding portion 30 extending further upward from the upper end of the tubular portion 20. The main body 10 has an internal space S1 for accommodating the contents. The internal space S2 of the tubular portion 20 communicates with the internal space S1 of the main body portion 10 on the inner end 20A side of the tubular portion 20, and is closed by the welding portion 30 on the outer end 20B side of the tubular portion 20. Has been done. The welded portion 30 is a portion that is continuous with the outer end 20B of the tubular portion 20 and is flatly crushed and welded so as to close the outer end 20B of the tubular portion 20. That is, typically, the welded portion 30 crushes one end of one cylindrical member flat so that the inner space disappears, and welds the same end portion so as to maintain that state. Is molded by. In the original tubular member, the portion adjacent to the welded portion 30 and maintaining the space inside even after the welding portion 30 is molded is the tubular portion 20. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the welded portion 30 is flat in the front-rear direction, and the portion of the tubular portion 20 in the vicinity of the welded portion 30 gradually becomes thinner in the front-rear direction as it approaches the welded portion 30. It is configured to be.

In the present embodiment, the welded portion 30 is heat-welded by a method of pressing a heat block, an ultrasonic seal, or the like. In the above, it is described that the welded portion 30 is flat, but the welded portion 30 of the present embodiment is shrunk so as to undulate due to the heat at the time of heat welding. That is, the concept of flatness here includes such a crimped state.

The tubular portion 20 and the welded portion 30 are integrally made of the same resin material. Further, in the present embodiment, the main body portion 10 is also integrally made of the same resin material as the tubular portion 20 and the welded portion 30. However, the main body portion 10 may be made of a material different from that of the tubular portion 20 and the welded portion 30, and at this time, it may be made of a material other than the resin material. Preferred examples of the resin material constituting these

parts

10, 20 and 30 include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate and the like. The molding method of the container main body 1 is not particularly limited, but to give a preferred example, the main body portion 10, the tubular portion 20 and the welded portion 30 can be integrally molded by blow fill molding. According to this method, the container body 1 can be filled with the contents while being molded.

In the present embodiment, the main body 10 is made of a flexible material and has squeezability. That is, the container main body 1 is a squeeze container, and after opening, the main body portion 10 is pressed with a finger or the like to be compressed and deformed, so that the contents can be pushed out from the internal space S1.

In the examples of FIGS. 1 to 4, the main body portion 10 has an elliptical shape in the front view and is relatively flat in the front-rear direction, but the shape thereof is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, the main body portion 10 has a central axis extending linearly in the vertical direction, and the tubular portion 20 and the welding portion 30 continuous thereto also have a central axis extending linearly in the vertical direction. Further, in the present embodiment, the central axes of the main body portion 10, the tubular portion 20, and the welded portion 30 coincide with each other. That is, the tubular portion 20 and the welded portion 30 extend straight upward from the center of the upper end of the main body portion 10 coaxially with the main body portion 10. In the following description, the "circumferential direction" and "diameter direction" are based on the central axis of the main body portion 10, the tubular portion 20, and the welded portion 30 unless otherwise specified.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cylindrical portion 20 has a base portion 21 and a removing portion 22 in this order from the inner end 20A to the outer end 20B. The lower end of the base portion 21 corresponds to the inner end 20A of the tubular portion 20, and the upper end of the removing portion 22 corresponds to the outer end 20B of the tubular portion 20. Further, the tubular portion 20 has a breaking portion D1 at the boundary between the base portion 21 and the removing portion 22, and is configured to break relatively easily along the breaking portion D1. When the broken portion D1 is broken, the container main body 1 is separated into a member composed of a main body portion 10 and a base portion 21 continuous thereto, and a member composed of a removing portion 22 and a welding portion 30 continuous thereto. As a result, an outlet S3 for taking out the contents from the main body 10 is formed, and the container main body 1 is opened. The outlet S3 is formed at the upper end of the base 21.

The base 21 has a lower portion 211 extending upward from the inner end 20A and having a constant diameter, and an upper portion 212 continuous with the upper end of the lower portion 211. In this embodiment, the cross sections of the lower part 211 and the upper part 212 are circular. The lower end of the upper portion 212 has a larger diameter than the upper end of the lower portion 211, and a step D2 is formed at the boundary between the lower portion 211 and the upper portion 212 over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction. The role of this step D2 will be described later. The upper portion 212 gradually shrinks in diameter from its lower end toward its upper end. The upper end of the upper portion 212 is continuous with the lower end of the removing portion 22, and the lower end of the removing portion 22 has a diameter larger than that of the upper end of the upper portion 212. Therefore, a valley bottom is formed at the boundary between the upper portion 212 and the removal portion 22 over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction, and this valley bottom constitutes the above-mentioned fractured portion D1. As a result, when an external force such as twisting the tubular portion 20 in the circumferential direction and / or bending it along the direction of the central axis is applied, the tubular portion 20 breaks relatively easily along the breaking portion D1. That is, the fractured portion D1 is a portion where stress concentration is more likely to occur when an external force is applied to the tubular portion 20 than other portions in the tubular portion 20, and is preferably a location where stress is most concentrated. be.

In the present embodiment, the lower end of the removing portion 22 is an annular shape. The removing portion 22 is configured so that the thickness in the front-rear direction gradually decreases from the lower end to the upper end thereof. On the other hand, the removing portion 22 is configured to gradually widen from the lower end thereof toward the upper side in the front view. However, the upper end of the removing portion 22 has an upwardly convex arc shape, and the portion near the upper end of the removing portion 22 becomes narrower toward the upper side. Further, the welded portion 30 is wider than the widest portion of the removed portion 22 in the front view.

In the tubular portion 20, at least the portion on the outer end 20B side of the fractured portion D1, that is, the removing portion 22 is formed to be hollow. In the present embodiment, the contents are generally housed only in the internal space S1 of the main body portion 10, and are not substantially housed in the internal space S2 of the tubular portion 20. That is, the entire tubular portion 20 is substantially hollow. The hollow portion of the tubular portion 20 is filled with air and has a bulge. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the outer wall portion of the tubular portion 20 is relatively thin and soft, and although only a small amount of resin material is used to form the tubular portion 20, the tubular portion 20 is used. Has a constant strength due to the pressure of the air in the internal space S2. Therefore, when the container body 1 is opened, the hollow removing portion 22 can be used by pinching it with a finger, so that the force required for breaking at the breaking portion D1 can be successfully transmitted to the tubular portion 20. Become. As a result, the openability of the container body 1 is enhanced. Further, since the tubular portion 20 having the broken portion D1 has a simple structure, the amount of the resin material used for molding the tubular portion 20 is reduced, and it is environmentally friendly.

In the present embodiment, as is clear from the above, the front surface of the removing portion 22 is inclined toward the front from the upper end to the lower end, and the rear surface of the removing portion 22 is directed toward the rear. It is tilted. Therefore, when the container body 1 is opened, it is easy to pinch the removing portion 22 by attaching two fingers to each of these surfaces. Further, when two fingers are attached to the front surface and the rear surface of the removing portion 22 and the removing portion 22 is sandwiched between these two fingers, the welding portion 30 is also sandwiched between these two fingers. At this time, in the present embodiment, since the welded portion 30 is shrunk so as to undulate, the welded portion 30 that touches the finger becomes a resistance, and the finger is difficult to fall off from the removing portion 22. Therefore, the openability of the container body 1 is further enhanced.

Further, as described above, since the removing portion 22 is configured to be hollow at least, the content is contained in the one including the removing portion 22 to be discarded among the two members separated at the time of breaking of the breaking portion D1. Not filled. Therefore, the contents can be used up without waste. In addition, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the contents are scattered due to the impact when the broken portion D1 is broken.

By the way, depending on the form of the contents, the contents may move in the container body 1 (internal spaces S1 and S2). More specifically, for example, when the content is liquid or granular, the main body 10 side is directed vertically upward, and the cylindrical portion 20 side is directed vertically downward, so that the content is inside the main body 10. It can move at least partially from the space S1 into the internal space S2 of the tubular portion 20. However, if at least the removal portion 22 becomes hollow when the main body portion 10 side is directed vertically downward and the tubular portion 20 side is directed vertically upward, the removal portion 22 is picked up with a finger as described above. The container body 1 can be easily opened. In addition, the contents can be used up without waste, and the situation where the contents are scattered can be suppressed.

<2-2. Cover member>

The cover member 2 is a member for protecting the broken portion D1 by covering the broken portion D1 of the tubular portion 20 and preventing the container body 1 from being unintentionally opened. 5 to 7 show a plan view, a bottom view, and a cross-sectional view of the cover member 2, respectively. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 5, but FIG. 7 shows the position of the container body 1 when the cover member 2 is attached by a dotted line for reference.

The cover member 2 includes an annular portion 40 that surrounds the tubular portion 20 from the outside so as to cover the fractured portion D1. The annular portion 40 has a double pipe structure including a cylindrical outer wall portion 41 and a cylindrical inner wall portion 42 arranged slightly inside the outer wall portion 41. The outer wall portion 41 and the inner wall portion 42 are connected to each other by an annular upper wall portion 43 near the upper portion thereof. The upper portion of the outer wall portion 41 slightly protrudes upward from the upper wall portion 43. Further, the upper end of the inner wall portion 42 is located slightly below the upper end of the outer wall portion 41, and the lower end of the inner wall portion 42 is located slightly above the lower end of the outer wall portion 41. Therefore, the inner wall portion 42 and the upper wall portion 43 are completely covered by the outer wall portion 41 when the annular portion 40 is viewed from the side. A tubular portion 20 is inserted into the space inside the inner wall portion 42.

The annular portion 40 further includes an annular protrusion 44 that projects radially inward from the lower portion of the inner wall portion 42. The protrusion 44 forms a step D2 formed on the base 21 of the tubular portion 20 when the tubular portion 20 is inserted into the space inside the inner wall portion 42 so that the annular portion 40 surrounds the tubular portion 20. Be hooked. This makes it difficult for the cover member 2 to slide upward with respect to the tubular portion 20. Further, at this time, the lower end portion of the annular portion 40 is substantially in contact with the upper surface of the main body portion 10, and the cover member 2 can hardly or not slide downward with respect to the tubular portion 20. As described above, the relative position between the cover member 2 and the tubular portion 20 is fixed. In a state where the protruding portion 44 is hooked on the step D2, the annular portion 40 covers the broken portion D1, and in the present embodiment, particularly covers substantially the entire base portion 21 and the lower portion of the removing portion 22. Therefore, the cover member 2 can stably cover and protect the fractured portion D1. Further, the outlet S3 formed after the broken portion D1 is broken is arranged in the space inside the annular portion 40 in a state where the protruding portion 44 is hooked on the step D2. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the inner wall portion 42 is narrower than the maximum width of the removing portion 22 of the tubular portion 20. Therefore, even if the protruding portion 44 gets over the step D2 and slides upward, the cover member 2 does not fall off from the tubular portion 20 and the cover member 2 is prevented from being lost.

The cover member 2 further includes a plurality of claws 50 that stand up from the annular portion 40 and are arranged along the circumferential direction of the annular portion 40. In this embodiment, these claws 50 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. Further, these claws 50 extend upward from the upper part of the annular portion 40, more specifically, from the upper portion of the outer wall portion 41 and the upper wall portion 43. Therefore, in a state where the tubular portion 20 is inserted into the space inside the inner wall portion 42 and the protruding portion 44 is hooked on the step D2 from below, these claws 50 are directed toward the outer end 20B side of the tubular portion 20. Extend. Then, in the same state, the claw 50 does not come into contact with the tubular portion 20, but if the protruding portion 44 gets over the step D2 and slides upward, it may come into contact with the removing portion 22 and the welded portion 30. As a result, the contact between the claw 50 and the removing portion 22 and the welding portion 30 becomes resistance, and the situation where the cover member 2 falls off from the tubular portion 20 is further prevented.

Further, the claw 50 can play an additional role when the container 100 is used for the purpose of adhering the drug on the hard surface like a stamp. That is, after the tubular portion 20 is broken at the broken portion D1 and the outlet S3 is opened, the main body portion 10 is pressed while pressing the plurality of claws 50 against the hard surface. As a result, the drug in the main body 10 is pushed out from the main body 10, further passes through the base 21, and is discharged to the outside through the outlet S3 arranged inside the annular portion 40. After that, the drug that has passed through the space inside the annular portion 40 spreads radially from a large number of gaps between the plurality of claws 50 while in contact with the hard surface. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the contents adhere to the hard surface in a radially spread manner. Therefore, the drug can be molded into a flower-like pattern and beautifully decorate the hard surface.

The material constituting the cover member 2 is not particularly limited, but is preferably a material having a certain degree of hardness, and is preferably at least harder than the base 21, in view of the role of protecting the fractured portion D1. For example, the cover member 2 may be made of a hard synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or may be made of a metal such as aluminum.

<3. Modification example>

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following changes are possible. In addition, the gist of the following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

<3-1>

It is also possible to omit the cover member 2 and use the container body 1 alone.

<3-2>

The annular portion 40 of the cover member 2 does not have to be an annular shape, and may have an arbitrary shape such as a square ring shape.

<3-3>

In the above embodiment, the contents are contained only in the main body 10 of the container main body 1, but may be contained in the lower portion 211 of the base portion 21 or may be further contained in the upper portion 212.

<3-4>

When the container 100 is used for the purpose of adhering the drug on a hard surface like a stamp, the shape of the drug discharged from the container 100 does not have to be a floral pattern, but may be a simple circle or a rectangle. .. In this case, the claw 50 can be omitted from the cover member 2. Further, the claws 50 do not need to be arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction, and can be appropriately set according to the desired shape of the discharged drug.

<3-5>

In the above embodiment, the hollow portion of the tubular portion 20 is filled with air, but other gases may be filled, and for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas is filled. May be good.

<3-6>

The welded portion 30 may be embossed at the time of welding. In this case, when the removing portion 22 and the welding portion 30 are sandwiched between the removing portion 22 and the welding portion 30 in order to apply a breaking force to the breaking portion D1, the unevenness due to the embossing of the surface of the welding portion 30 prevents the fingers from slipping. It can be effective. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the finger to fall off from the removing portion 22, and the openability of the container body 1 is further enhanced.

100 containers

1 Container body

2 Cover member

10 Main body

20 Cylindrical part

20A inner end

20B outer edge

21 base

22 Removal part

30 Welding part

40 Ring road

50 nails

S3 outlet

Claims

The main body, which is made of resin material and contains the contents,

A cylindrical portion made of a resin material, having an inner end and an outer end, and communicating with the main body portion on the inner end side,

Welding that is integrally composed of the same resin material as the tubular portion, is continuous with the outer end of the tubular portion, is crushed flat so as to close the outer end of the tubular portion, and is welded. With a part,

The tubular portion has a broken portion, and when the broken portion breaks, an outlet for taking out the contents from the main body portion is formed.

A container in which at least a portion of the tubular portion on the outer end side of the fractured portion is hollow.
The container according to claim 1, further comprising a cover member including an annular portion that surrounds the tubular portion from the outside so as to cover the broken portion.
The second aspect of the present invention, wherein the cover member stands up from the annular portion, extends toward the outer end side of the tubular portion, and further includes a plurality of claws arranged along the circumferential direction of the annular portion. Container.
The container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the main body portion is integrally composed of the same resin material as the tubular portion and the welded portion.