WO2024043689A1

WO2024043689A1 - Aseptic, fixed quantity fluid discharge apparatus and squeeze bottle product having same

Info

Publication number: WO2024043689A1
Application number: PCT/KR2023/012487
Authority: WO
Inventors: 송효용
Original assignee: 주식회사 이노아; 송효용
Priority date: 2022-08-24
Filing date: 2023-08-23
Publication date: 2024-02-29
Also published as: KR102558486B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an aseptic, fixed quantity fluid discharge apparatus for a squeeze bottle product, and provides an aseptic, fixed quantity fluid discharge apparatus comprising: an outer housing which is configured to cover the upper part of a liquid container of a squeeze bottle product, and has a long open tip for discharging a fluid transferred from the liquid container; a check valve which provides a unidirectional flow of the fluid toward the open tip in a gap formed by being spaced apart by a predetermined interval from the outer housing downwardly from the open tip; and an inner cap member which is integrally formed on the inner wall surface of the outer housing and has a protruding cap which is inserted into an opening of the liquid container so as to cover the opening, wherein the inner cap member comprises a conical or domed opening/closing membrane configured to move vertically so as to open/close a liquid outlet formed in the inner cap member in order to control the fixed quantity discharging of the fluid in the liquid container.

Description

Sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device and squeeze bottle product equipped with the same

The present invention relates to a fluid discharge device, and more specifically, to a sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device and a squeeze bottle product equipped therewith.

Metering devices such as squeeze bottles, non-airless systems or airless systems are well known from the prior art. In general, a squeeze bottle is a product composed of a safe operation of the head and a check valve, which can block air, bacteria, and germs from entering from the outside, and is also equipped with a fluid discharge device that can discharge a fixed amount when the squeeze bottle operates. I'm doing it.

However, considering that, in the case of most squeeze bottles, the problem of liquid residue remaining in the pump head after the end of the metering process has not been solved, and the problem of the remaining liquid becoming a breeding ground for bacteria or germs has not been solved. Therefore, a new type of pump head has been previously applied for through Korea Patent Publication No. 2019-0028430.

However, the fixed-quantity discharge and pump head closure device in this system uses the folding of soft plastic materials and the restoring force of springs, making it difficult to finely control pressure, and it does not operate uniformly, so the pressing pressure may change frequently. There is.

In addition, depending on the state of assembly, there is a risk that the liquid and the metal material of the spring come into contact with each other, which can actually cause fatal contamination of the liquid inside, deterioration of the liquid, and bacterial growth.

Accordingly, the present invention was developed to solve the above problems. In addition to being able to discharge a fixed amount of liquid or gel product inside the container, there is no risk of contamination, deterioration, or bacterial growth, and it is free from air, germs, and bacteria from the outside. The purpose is to provide a sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device that can reliably block the inflow of fluid and a squeeze bottle product equipped with the same.

According to one form of the present invention for achieving the above object, an external housing is configured to cover the upper part of the liquid container of a squeeze bottle product and has an elongated open tip through which the fluid transferred from the liquid container is discharged; a check valve providing a one-directional flow of fluid toward the open tip in a gap spaced apart from the external housing at a predetermined distance below the open tip; and an inner cap member formed integrally with the inner wall of the outer housing and having a protruding cap inserted into the opening to cover the opening of the liquid container, wherein the inner cap member discharges a fixed amount of fluid in the liquid container. A sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device for a squeeze bottle product is provided, which includes a cone-shaped or dome-shaped opening/closing membrane that moves up and down to control and opens and closes a liquid outlet formed in the internal cap member.

According to the present invention, the open tip is fitted with a cone-shaped nozzle to minimize the remaining amount of fluid after discharge and prevent fluid backflow, and a fluid discharge passage can be formed between the inclined surface of the cone and the inner wall of the open tip. The liquid container consists of a container body made of a flexible material and an extension part that guides fluid ejection at the top of the container body, and the opening of the liquid container may have a locking protrusion formed along the edge of the circumference. The protruding cap is made of a fitting groove whose periphery is concave upward so as to be fitted by press-fitting along the circumferential surface of the opening, and a portion of the fitting groove is configured to be stepped so that it can be caught on the locking protrusion. It can be.

According to the present invention, the check valve enables the ejection of the fluid transferred from the liquid container and includes a plurality of soft ciliary materials on the flow path through which the fluid passes to block the backflow of the fluid from the open tip and the inflow of external air. As filled with, the soft cilia material has a right-angled triangular structure in which the front surface corresponding to the nozzle direction is vertical and the rear surface opposite to the nozzle direction is inclined in the nozzle direction, and the main body of the check valve is between the check valve and the internal cap member. A support frame is provided including an upper surface recess configured to accommodate an upper surface recess and a lower lower surface recess configured to receive a filter member, and a through hole communicating with a liquid outlet formed in the inner cap member is formed in the center of the support frame. A sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device is provided.

From the above-described features, the present invention enables fine and uniform pressure control and does not use a metal spring, so it can reliably solve the problem of contamination and deterioration of the fluid in the liquid container due to contact between the conventional liquid and the spring.

In addition, the present invention can discharge a fixed amount of liquid or gel product inside the container and reliably block the inflow of air, germs, and bacteria from the outside.

1 is an exploded view of a squeeze bottle having a sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a diagram showing the combined state of the squeeze bottle according to Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a diagram showing the flow of fluid through a sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device when discharging fluid;

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the flow of air through a sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device after fluid discharge.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail through the attached drawings and examples.

In the following examples, illustrations and descriptions are omitted except for essential parts in explaining the invention, and throughout the specification, identical and similar elements are assigned the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted without repetition. do.

Figures 1 and 2 show the configuration of a squeeze bottle product including the sterile/quantitative fluid dispensing device of the present invention, where Figure 1 is an exploded view and Figure 2 is an assembled view.

As shown, the sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device is configured to cover the top of the liquid container 90 of the squeeze bottle product, and can be generally covered on the surface of the liquid container 90 by press-fitting.

In one embodiment, the sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device may have an external housing 10 that is generally similar in shape to the outer cylinder of a syringe, and its end has an elongated shape through which the fluid transferred from the lower liquid container 90 is ejected. It consists of an open tip (11).

A nozzle 20 constituting a fluid discharge path may be fitted and coupled to the open tip 11. This nozzle 20 may have a structure with a nozzle hole along the central axis like a normal nozzle, but in this embodiment, instead of forming a hole in the center of the nozzle 20, the remaining amount of fluid after discharge is minimized and fluid backflow is prevented. In order to prevent this, the outer shape is formed in the form of a cone that gradually narrows toward the end of the open tip 11, and a fluid ejection passage (arrow line in FIG. 3) is formed between the inclined surface of the cone and the inner wall of the open tip 11. A configuration that allows (see reference) to be formed can be adopted.

In this embodiment, a check valve 30 for one-directional flow of fluid may be provided inside the external housing 10 and below the opening tip 11 and the nozzle 20.

In this embodiment, the check valve 30 is configured to enable the ejection of fluid transferred from the liquid container 90 and to block the backflow of fluid from the open tip 11 and the inflow of external air. It is characterized in that the passage through which it passes (see arrow line in FIG. 3) is filled with a large number of soft ciliary materials (or fiber materials) 31 and 32.

These soft

ciliary materials

31 and 32 may have a property and structure that bend well in the direction of the nozzle 20, which is the discharge direction, in order to facilitate the unidirectional flow of fluid through the flow path, and for this purpose, each soft ciliary material (31) (32) is a shape in which the front surface corresponding to the direction of the nozzle 20 is vertical and the rear surface opposite to the nozzle direction is inclined in the nozzle direction, and it may be desirable to have a generally right-angled triangle structure.

Through this, the

ciliary materials

31 and 32, which are soft synthetic resin materials, are bent against each other in the nozzle direction, which is the discharge direction, by the pressure of the fluid while the fluid is ejected along the flow path, thereby facilitating the smooth ejection of fluid through the flow path. This can be done in the direction opposite to the discharge direction and is not bent by the backflow of fluid or air after ejection, so it is possible to block the backflow of fluid or the inflow of external air.

In this embodiment, the fluid in the liquid container 90 may be a fluid in a liquid or gel state. Additionally, the

ciliary materials

31 and 32 may preferably have dimensions of approximately 0.02 to 0.7 mm in width and 0.1 to 3 mm in height as an exemplary form.

The check valve 30 may be installed on a support frame 70 fixed to the side wall of the external housing 10. The support frame 70 has a recess 71 (upper surface recess) into which the main body of the check valve 30 is inserted on the upper surface, and the soft ciliary material 31 (32) of the check valve 30 is placed on this upper surface recess 71. It is configured to protrude and fill the flow path located between the external housing 10. Here, the flow path can be formed by installing the support frame 70 below a certain gap from the ceiling of the external housing 10.

In addition, the support frame 70 may be formed on the lower surface with a recess 72 (lower recess) of a certain depth, and the lower recess 72 includes a filter member ( 60) is accommodated, and an inner cap member 40 for covering the opening 93 of the liquid container 90 is fitted and fixed to the lower end of the lower surface recess 72 below the filter member 60. You can.

The inner cap member 40 is coupled in close contact with the inner wall of the outer housing 10 and has a structure that is press-fitted into the open upper part of the liquid container 90.

In this way, the liquid container 90, the open top of which is covered by the internal cap member 40, includes a container body 91 made of a flexible material of a cylindrical or square (or polygonal) cylindrical structure to allow the fluid inside to be ejected. It consists of an extension part 92 that guides fluid ejection at the top of the container body, and the circumference of the extension part 92 has one or more step structures in close contact with the internal cap member 40, and the upper end of the extension part 92 An opening 93 of a certain diameter is formed through which the fluid inside the container ejects when the container body 91 is pressed.

The opening 93 of the liquid container 90 is formed with a locking protrusion 92c along the peripheral edge, and a part of the inner cap member 40 corresponding to the locking protrusion 92c may also be provided in a lockable form. there is. Specifically, the inner cap member 40 may be provided with a protruding cap 41 that surrounds the surface of the opening 93 of the liquid container 90 from the top and whose center is inserted into the opening 93. .

This protruding cap 41 is made of a fitting groove 42 whose periphery is concave upward so as to be fitted by press-fitting along the circumferential surface of the opening 93, and a part of this fitting groove 42 is as described above. It may be configured in a stepped shape (42a; see FIG. 2) so that it can be caught on the locking step (92c).

In addition, the protruding cap 41 may be provided with an opening and closing membrane 50 made of a thin film (approximately 0.03 to 0.5 mm thick) in a cone or dome shape as a means to control the constant discharge of fluid in the container 90. there is.

The opening and closing membrane 50 rises and falls depending on whether pressure is provided from the liquid container 90 and opens and closes the liquid outlet 41c formed in the center of the protruding cap 41, thereby adjusting the amount of fluid ejected in the container. You can control it.

For installation of the opening and closing membrane 50, the protruding cap 41 may be provided with an upwardly concave mounting groove 41a, and along the inner surface of the mounting groove 41a, the opening and closing membrane 50 is installed. A locking protrusion (41b) may be formed to hold (50).

Therefore, when pressure is applied from the liquid container 90 while the opening and closing membrane 50 is mounted on the locking protrusion 41b, it rises to close the liquid outlet 41c, and the pressure from the liquid container 90 decreases. When removed, it descends to open the liquid outlet (41c).

As an exemplary form, the opening and closing membrane 50 may preferably have dimensions of approximately 0.5 to 3.0 mm in diameter and 0.5 to 3.0 mm in height.

As described above, the support frame 70 supports the check valve 30 above and covers the filter member 60 below, and is press-fitted to the top of the internal cap member 40 to prevent fluid leakage. combined in a way. This support frame 70 is formed with a through hole 73 connecting the upper surface recess 71 and the lower recess 721 in the center, and the through hole 73 is formed between the upper surface recess 71 and the check valve 30. A fluid passage (see arrow line in FIG. 3) with a certain gap may be formed so that the fluid passing through flows. This fluid passage is preferably connected to the flow path between the check valve 30 and the external housing 10 to guide the flow of fluid.

The operation of the squeeze bottle product and the resulting fluid flow by the sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device having the above configuration are explained as follows.

Figure 3 shows the flow of fluid through a sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device when discharging fluid. When the container body 91 is pressed in the arrow (→←) direction to discharge the fluid in the liquid container 90, the fluid flows out of the liquid container 90. The opening and closing membrane 50 rises due to the pressure, and accordingly, a certain amount of fluid is discharged from the liquid container 90 upward through the liquid outlet 41c of the protruding cap 41 of the internal cap member 40. At the same time, the liquid outlet 41c is closed by the opening and closing membrane 50. In this case, it may be preferable that the vertical movement of the opening and closing membrane 50 for discharging a fixed amount of fluid is configured to occur in the range of 0.5 to 3.0 mm.

The fluid discharged upward through the liquid outlet (41c) of the protruding cap (41) passes through the filter member (60) and the through hole (73) of the support frame (70) and then passes through the upper surface recess (71) and the check valve (30). A fixed amount can be discharged to the outside through the discharge passage between the surface of the nozzle 20 and the open tip 11 through the fluid passage between the check valve 30 and the external housing 10 connected thereto (Figure (see arrow line in 3).

Meanwhile, in this embodiment, in order to remove germs or bacteria that may be introduced through the open tip 11 when the fluid is removed from the liquid container 90 under pressure, a copper ( A nozzle 20 to which a copper ingredient is applied or a disinfectant may be applied may be provided.

Figure 4 shows the flow of air through the sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device after discharging the fluid. After discharging the fluid from the liquid container 90 as shown in Figure 3, when the force holding the container body 91 is removed, the air flows from the outside. As air flows in, the negative pressure within the container is removed and the container body 91 is restored in the direction of the arrow (←→).

At this time, as the container body 91 is restored to its original state, external air flows into the liquid container 90. In this embodiment, as indicated by the arrow (→) of the device, the external housing 10 and the container body ( 91), the contact portion between the outer housing 10 and the inner cap member 40, and the liquid outlet 41c of the protruding cap 41 of the inner cap member 40 via the filter member 60. It may flow into the liquid container 90 through. For this purpose, a gap or passage for air flow is formed between the outer housing 10 and the container body 91, between the outer housing 10 and the inner cap member 40, and inside the filter member 60. can be formed.

In this embodiment, it is preferable to use a fine filter of 5㎛ or less as the filter member, which can block germs and bacteria contained in the outside air.

Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the lifting distance of the opening and closing membrane 50 and the dimensions of the

ciliary materials

31 and 32 of the check valve 30 are within the above-mentioned numerical range according to the difference in viscosity of the fluid in the liquid container 90. It can have various dimensions.

According to the above-described configuration, the present invention improves the difficulty in controlling the actual quantitative amount due to the residual back pressure on the discharge port, which was pointed out as a problem in the conventional quantitative dispensing device of the squeeze bottle, and reduces the force and pressure through the opening and closing membrane and check valve structure of the present invention. It is also possible to solve the problem of conventional incomplete quantitative discharge.

Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the contents described so far are merely illustrative of some of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, except as may appear in the claims attached below. It is not limited by the above. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will understand that many changes, modifications and substitutions of the present invention can be made without departing from the technical spirit and gist of the invention within the scope set forth in the claims below. It will have to be done.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: External housing

11: Open tip

20: nozzle

30: check valve

31,32: Soft cilia material (fiber material)

40: internal cap member

41: protruding cap

41a: Mounting groove

41b Stumbling protrusion

41c: liquid outlet

42: Fitting groove

50: opening and closing membrane

60: Filter member

70: support frame

71: Upper surface waist

72: Bottom waist

73: Tonggong

90: liquid container

91: Container body

92: extension part

92c: Stopper

93: opening

Claims

An external housing configured to cover the upper part of the liquid container of the squeeze bottle product and having an elongated open tip through which the fluid transferred from the liquid container is discharged;

a check valve providing a one-directional flow of fluid toward the open tip in a gap spaced apart from the external housing at a predetermined distance below the open tip; and

A sterile/quantitative fluid dispensing device comprising an internal cap member formed integrally with an inner wall of the external housing and having a protruding cap inserted into the opening to cover the opening of the liquid container.
According to clause 1,

The inner cap member moves up and down to control the constant discharge of fluid in the liquid container and includes a cone-shaped or dome-shaped opening and closing membrane configured to open and close the liquid outlet formed in the inner cap member. Sterile and fixed-quantity fluid discharge Device.
According to clause 1,

The open tip is a sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device characterized in that a conical nozzle is fitted to minimize the remaining amount of fluid after discharge and prevent fluid backflow.
According to clause 3,

A sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device characterized by having a fluid ejection passage between the inclined surface of the cone and the inner wall of the open tip.
According to clause 1,

The liquid container is composed of a container body made of a flexible material and an extension part that guides fluid ejection at the top of the container body, and the opening of the liquid container is characterized in that a locking protrusion is formed along the peripheral edge for aseptic and fixed-quantity fluid discharge. Device.
According to clause 5,

The protruding cap is made of a fitting groove whose periphery is concave upward so as to be fitted by press-fitting along the circumferential surface of the opening, and a portion of the fitting groove has a stepped shape so that it can be caught with respect to the locking protrusion. A sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device characterized in that.
According to clause 1,

The check valve is characterized in that the flow path through which the fluid passes is filled with a plurality of soft ciliary materials to enable the ejection of the fluid transferred from the liquid container and to block the backflow of the fluid from the open tip and the inflow of external air. A sterile and quantitative fluid discharge device.
According to clause 7,

The soft ciliary material is a sterile/quantitative fluid dispensing device characterized in that the front surface corresponding to the nozzle direction is vertical and the rear surface opposite to the nozzle direction is inclined in the nozzle direction.
According to clause 1,

A support frame is provided between the check valve and the inner cap member and includes an upper surface recess configured to accommodate the main body of the check valve and a lower surface recess configured to accommodate a filter member at a lower portion, and the inner cap member is located at the center of the support frame. A sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device characterized in that a through hole communicating with the liquid outlet formed in is formed.
A squeeze bottle product equipped with a sterile/quantitative fluid discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.