Container

Abstract

To provide a container in which an article accommodated in the container is easy to fix by fitting, and which is also easy to manufacture.SOLUTION: A container formed by molding a synthetic resin includes: a body 10 having an opening; and a lid fitted to the opening to seal the body, wherein at least one of the body and the lid has a locking portion in which a plurality of locking claws 21 is arranged on the peripheral edge, each locking claw including a base 22 that rises from the inner surface of the body or the lid, and a claw piece 23 at the top end of the base, the claw piece protruding by 0.3 mm or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container, and more particularly to a container in which an object is attached by fitting. The present invention also relates to a mold for manufacturing the container and a manufacturing method using the mold. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art It is conventionally known to fix a member impregnated with a liquid or gel-like content inside a compact container or the like.

[0003] A container for such use is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This container has a configuration in which a disk-shaped impregnated member is housed inside a bottomed cylindrical container body. A coupling ring is attached to the container body after the impregnated member is accommodated in the container body. The inner diameter of the coupling ring is smaller than the outer diameter of the impregnated member, so that the coupling ring prevents the impregnated member from coming out of the container body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6307160 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the container described in Patent Document 1, the container body and the coupling ring are separate members, and therefore the manufacturing process and the process of attaching the impregnated member are complicated. On the other hand, as will be described in detail later, when the container body and the coupling ring are integrated, other problems arise in both the manufacturing process and the process of attaching the impregnated member.

[0006] In consideration of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a container that allows articles to be easily stored in the container by fitting them in place and that is easy to manufacture. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention is a container made by molding a synthetic resin. The container comprises a body having an opening and a lid attached to the opening to seal the body. At least one of the main body and the lid has a locking portion having a plurality of locking claws arranged around its periphery. The locking claw has a base rising from the inner surface of the main body or the lid and a claw piece provided at the upper end of the base, with the claw piece protruding by 0.3 mm or more.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is an inner mold for combining with an outer mold to form the interior shape of a container. This inner mold comprises a first mold having an annular portion protruding in an annular shape, and a second mold disposed within a space surrounded by the annular portion and defining a cavity for forming a locking claw between the first mold and the annular portion.

[0009] A third aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a container using the outer mold and the inner mold according to the second aspect. In this manufacturing method, a second mold is placed in a space surrounded by the annular portion of the first mold, and a first cavity is formed within the inner mold between the first and second molds. The inner mold with the first cavity formed is placed within an outer mold to form a second cavity between the outer and inner molds, and molten synthetic resin is injected into the first and second cavities. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a container in which an article to be stored in the container can be easily fixed by fitting, and which is also easy to manufacture. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main body of the container with the lid removed. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the body of the container with the lid removed. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged view showing a locking claw provided on the main body. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a mold configuration for forming the main body. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged view showing a boundary portion between the first mold and the second mold in the horizontal direction. [Figure 7] 13A to 13C are diagrams showing a process of removing the second mold. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the main body with contents attached. [Figure 9] 11 is a diagram for explaining dimensions of each part of the locking claw. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the mold configuration. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the mold configuration. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the mold configuration. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a main body according to a modified example of the present invention with the lid removed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a perspective view of a container 1 according to this embodiment. The container 1 includes a main body 10 having a storage space for storing contents, and a lid 50 attached to the main body 10 to seal the storage space.

[0013] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the main body 10 with the lid 50 removed, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the main body 10 in the same state. The main body 10 according to this embodiment is cylindrical with a bottom and an opening at the top, and has a screw thread 12 on the upper outer circumferential surface for attaching the lid 50.

[0014] 3, a locking portion 20 having a plurality of locking claws 21 is provided on an upper surface 11a, which is the surface of the bottom surface 11 of the main body 10 facing the storage space. In a plan view of the main body 10, the locking claws 21 are arc-shaped with a common center and the same central angle, and are disposed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the shape of the locking claws 21 in a plan view is an arc shape with a central angle of 30°, and eight locking claws 21 are provided at intervals of a central angle of 15°. That is, in this embodiment, the eight locking claws 21 are disposed at equal intervals on the periphery of the locking portion 20.

[0015] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the locking claw 21. The locking claw 21 has a base 22 extending upward from the upper surface 11a, and a claw piece 23 protruding substantially horizontally toward the center of the arc shape from the upper end of the base 22. The amount of protrusion of the claw piece 23 is 0.3 mm or more, and preferably 0.5 mm or more. The base 22 has a tapered shape in which the width decreases slightly toward the top in the cross section shown in Fig. 4. The main purpose of this shape is to ensure a draft angle during molding, which will be described later. The claw piece 23 has a tapered shape in which the dimension in the vertical direction gradually decreases with increasing distance from the base portion 22, and has an upper inclined surface 231 and a lower inclined surface 232.

[0016] The main body 10 and the lid 50 are manufactured by injection molding using synthetic resin. Various synthetic resins can be used, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, ABS resin, etc. The container 1 according to this embodiment is characterized by the manufacturing procedure for the main body 10, and the details will be described below.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 5, the main body 10 is formed by arranging an outer mold 110 for forming the outer shape and an inner mold 120 opposite each other and pouring synthetic resin into the cavity between them. The inner die 120 which forms the inner shape of the main body 10 is composed of a first die 121 and a second die 126. The first die 121 has an annular portion 122 which protrudes downward, and is generally annular in this embodiment. The second die 126 is generally cylindrical, and is disposed so as to be located within a space generally surrounded by the annular portion 122. With this arrangement, a first cavity 151 for forming each locking claw 21 is secured between the first die 121 and the second die 126 in the horizontal direction.

[0018] A joint PL1 between the first die 121 and the second die 126 in the up-down direction extends upward from the upper end of the locking claw 21. That is, in this embodiment, the outer circumferential surface of the locking claw 21 is formed by the first die 121, and the other outer surfaces are formed by the second die 126.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 6, in the region between adjacent locking claws 21, the second die 126 protrudes toward the first die 121, and an arc-shaped joint PL2 that connects the two adjacent locking claws 21 is formed.

[0020] In this state, the outer mold 110 and the inner mold 120 are clamped together, and a desired synthetic resin is injected in a molten state into the first cavity 151 and the second cavity 152 (see Figure 5) between the outer mold 110 and the inner mold 120, and then cooled, to form the main body 10. When removing the inner die 120, the first die 121 is removed first, and then the second die 126 is removed. At this time, the claw piece 23 of the locking claw 21 interferes with the second die 126, but in this embodiment, since the first die 121 is removed first, the base 22 can bend toward the outside of the arc formed by the locking claw 21 in a plan view, as shown in FIG. 7. This allows the second die 126 to be removed without damaging the locking claw 21. The lower inclined surface 232 provided on the claw piece 23 contributes to making it easier for the claw piece 23 to be displaced outward when the second die 126 is removed.

[0021] The above-mentioned removal operation of the second die 126 is also called "forced removal" because it is performed while forcibly deforming the interfering molded object. When a main body having a locking claw is molded using a relatively hard synthetic resin such as polypropylene, the upper limit of the protruding amount Pt (see FIG. 8) of the claw piece 23 that can be forcibly removed without being damaged is approximately 0.1 mm. However, in the main body 10 according to this embodiment, the above-mentioned configuration of the first die 121 and second die 126 allows the locking claw 21 to be provided with the claw piece 23 protruding an amount of approximately 0.3 mm, which is approximately three times the amount of the protruding amount, and it is also possible to make it approximately 0.5 mm.

[0022] 8, a disk-shaped content C having dimensions approximately the same as the circle corresponding to the arc of the locking claws 21 can be attached to the locking parts 20 of the formed main body 10. The attached content C is suitably prevented from falling off the locking parts 20 by the claw pieces 23 provided on each locking claw 21, so that the state of being supported by the locking parts 20 within the main body 10 is well maintained even if the container 1 changes position in various ways inside a bag or is subjected to external shock. The contents C may be of any shape that corresponds to the fastening portion, and there is no particular limitation on the type of the contents C. Specific examples include sponges or nonwoven fabrics soaked in medicinal liquids or lotions, cake-type foundations, mirrors, etc.

[0023] In the main body 10 of this embodiment, as described above, the protrusion amount of the claw piece 23 can be made significantly larger than before, so that the attached contents C are less likely to come off the engaging portion 20, and the fitted state can be stably maintained for a long period of time even if the container is left upside down for a long period of time or is subjected to a large external force by being dropped, etc.

[0024] In injection molding using synthetic resin, fine linear protrusions made of resin, also called burrs, occur along the joints of the mold. With current technology, it is impossible to completely eliminate these burrs, but in the main body 10 according to this embodiment, the joints PL2 between adjacent locking claws 21 are arc-shaped to connect the two adjacent locking claws 21, so that the bottom surface of the locking part 20 is generally free of burrs. This makes it possible to suitably prevent the burrs from getting caught or damaging the contents when attaching the contents, without adversely affecting the forceful removal operation of the second mold 126.

[0025] In this embodiment, the shape of the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the locking claw 21 can be appropriately determined. More specifically, if the height h of the base 22 shown in Fig. 9 is 2 mm or more, or the ratio Pt / h of the height h to the protruding amount Pt of the claw piece 23 is 0.4 or less, it is preferable because it makes it easy to forcibly remove the second mold 126. Therefore, by adjusting the height h, it is possible to further increase the protruding amount of the claw piece while maintaining a state in which the forcible removal is easy.

[0026] In addition, the inclination angle θ1 of the upper inclined surface 231 and the inclination angle θ2 of the lower inclined surface 232 with respect to the horizontal direction can also be set appropriately. For example, it is preferable that θ1 is 40° or more because it makes it easier to attach the contents C, and it is preferable that θ2 is 40° or less because the attached contents C are less likely to fall out. The height dimension hc of the claw piece 23 changes depending on the values ​​of θ1 and θ2, but by adjusting the height h of the base 22 accordingly, the values ​​of θ1 and θ2 can be optimized while maintaining a state in which the second mold 126 can be easily removed by force.

[0027] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and configuration changes and combinations within the scope that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included.

[0028] For example, the configurations of the first and second types are not limited to the above-mentioned aspects and can be determined appropriately. Some modified examples are shown below. The first mold may be extended to above the first cavity 151 and set to pass near the tip of the claw where the seam PL1 is formed, as in the first mold 121A shown in Fig. 10. In this way, the upper part of the locking claw is opened when the first mold 121A is removed, making it easier to forcibly remove the mold. As shown in Fig. 11, the same effect can be obtained by dividing the second mold into an upper side 1263 that covers the upper part of the first cavity 151 and a lower side 1264 that is arranged in a region surrounded by the first cavity 151, without changing the seam PL1. If the second mold is divided into a center portion 1261 and an annular portion 1262 near the locking claw, as shown in FIG. 12, the annular portion 1262 becomes more likely to deform in the direction away from the locking claw, making it even easier to forcibly remove the mold with this configuration.

[0029] In addition, in the present invention, the shape of the locking claws of the locking part in plan view is not limited to the above-mentioned arc shape. For example, as in the modified main body 10A shown in Fig. 13, by providing a locking part 20A having a plurality of locking claws 21A that are linear in plan view, it is possible to configure it so that contents that are polygonal in plan view can be attached. Furthermore, the locking part can be configured by combining arc-shaped locking claws and linear locking claws.

[0030] In the present invention, the number and spacing of the locking claws provided on the locking portion can be set as appropriate. It is preferable that one locking claw occupies 5% to 12% of the circumference of the locking portion, and it is preferable that the multiple locking claws collectively occupy 50% to 80% of the circumference of the locking portion. When the locking claws have an arc-shaped planar shape, the central angle of one locking claw is preferably 20° or more and 40° or less, and the central angle between adjacent locking claws is preferably 20° or more and 40° or less.

[0031] Furthermore, in the container of the present invention, the locking portion may be provided on the lid rather than on the main body, or locking portions may be provided on both the main body and the lid, with different contents attached to each. The locking portion is preferably provided on a flat portion of the inner surface of the main body and the lid. The flat portion is, for example, the bottom surface of the main body, and the inner surface located on the reverse side of the top surface of the lid. For example, when the outer shape of the container is a cube or a rectangular parallelepiped, in addition to the above-mentioned portions, the inner surfaces corresponding to the side surfaces may be flat, so that the locking portion may be provided on these surfaces. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 container 10, 10A main unit 20, 20A locking part 21, 21A Locking claw 22 Base 23 Nail Piece 50 lids 110 External mold 120 Inner mold 121 Type 1 122 Circular section 126 Type 2 151 First Cavity 152 Second Cavity Pt (base) protrusion

Claims

1. A container made by molding synthetic resin, A body having an opening; a lid attached to the opening to seal the body; Equipped with At least one of the main body and the lid has a locking portion having a plurality of locking claws arranged on a periphery thereof, The locking claw has a base portion rising from the inner surface of the main body or the lid, and a claw piece provided at an upper end portion of the base portion, The protruding amount of the claw piece is 0.3 mm or more. container.

2. An inner mold for forming an inner shape of a container in combination with the outer mold, A first mold having an annular portion protruding in an annular shape; a second die that is disposed in a space surrounded by the annular portion and that forms a cavity between the second die and the annular portion to form an engagement claw; Equipped with Internal mold.

3. A method for manufacturing a container using the outer mold and the inner mold according to claim 2, The second mold is disposed in a space surrounded by the annular portion of the first mold to form a first cavity between the first mold and the second mold within the inner mold; The inner mold having the first cavity formed therein is placed in the outer mold to form a second cavity between the outer mold and the inner mold; injecting a molten synthetic resin into the first cavity and the second cavity; A method for manufacturing a container.

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