Refill container and replacement container

Abstract

Provided are a refill container and a replacement container that can be easily replaced and can be favorably held by an outer container with a simple configuration. A refill container (10) includes a refill container body (11) including a bottom surface portion (11a) and a side surface portion (11b) defining a storage space (S) for storing a content, a flange portion (12) protruding outward from the side surface portion (11b), a vertical peripheral wall portion (13) suspended from an outer edge of the flange portion (12), a refill side fitting portion (14) protruding from an inner surface of the vertical peripheral wall portion (13), and a plurality of cutout portions (15) provided in the vertical peripheral wall portion (13), in which the refill side fitting portion (14) and an outer container side fitting portion (23b) fit each other, so that the refill container (10) is attached to an outer container (20), and the side surface portion (11b) is formed in such a manner that a gap (G) that becomes larger from the top surface side toward the bottom surface portion (11a) is formed between the side surface portion (11b) and an inner surface of the outer container (20). A replacement container (100) includes the refill container (10) and the outer container (20).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refill container attached to an outer container in a replacing manner to be used, and a replacement container including the refill container and the outer container.Background Art

[0002] As a container for storing a cream-like or gel-like content (cosmetic or the like), a replacement container including a refill container for storing the content as an inner container and including an outer container for detachably holding the refill container is known (refer to, for example, Patent Literature 1).

[0003] In such replacement container, when the content is used up, the outer container can be repeatedly used by replacing the refill container. Since only the refill container is discarded after use, an amount of plastic used can be reduced as compared with a case where the entire container is discarded, which is excellent in terms of resource saving and the like.Citation ListPatent Literature

[0004] Patent Literature 1: JP 2016-210433 ASummary of InventionTechnical Problem

[0005] In such replacement container, it is required that the refill container can be easily removed from the outer container and can be easily attached at the time of replacement, whereas it is required that the refill container is held by the outer container so as not to be easily removed from the outer container at the time of use. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of resource saving and the like, the inner container is required to have a configuration as simple as possible.

[0006] Therefore, a problem of the present invention is to provide a refill container and a replacement container that can be easily replaced and can be favorably held by an outer container with a simple configuration.Solution to Problem

[0007] In order to solve the above-described problem, a refill container according to the present invention is a refill container including a storage space for storing a content, the refill container attached to an outer container in a replacing manner to be used, the refill container including a refill container body including a bottom surface portion and a side surface portion defining the storage space with a top surface opened, a flange portion protruding outward from the side surface portion, a vertical peripheral wall portion suspended from an outer edge of the flange portion and provided so as to surround the side surface portion of the refill container body, a refill side fitting portion protruding toward the refill container body from an inner surface of the vertical peripheral wall portion, and a plurality of cutout portions obtained by cutting out a portion provided with the refill side fitting portion in the vertical peripheral wall portion at a predetermined cutout width, in which when the refill container body is inserted into the outer container, the refill side fitting portion and an outer container side fitting portion provided on the outer container fit each other, so that the refill container is attached to the outer container, and the side surface portion is formed in such a manner that a gap that becomes larger from the top surface side toward the bottom surface portion is formed between the side surface portion and an inner surface of the outer container when the refill container is attached to the outer container.

[0008] In the refill container according to the present invention, the number of the cutout portions provided in the vertical peripheral wall portion is preferably 2 or more and 12 or less.

[0009] In the refill container according to the present invention, the side surface portion is preferably an inclined wall in which the bottom surface portion side is inclined so as to be closer to a central axis of the refill container body than the top surface side.

[0010] In order to solve the above-described problem, a replacement container according to the present invention includes the refill container, and the outer container to which the refill container is attached so as to be replaceable.Advantageous Effects of Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, a refill container can be attached to an outer container by fitting a refill side fitting portion to an outer container side fitting portion provided on an outer surface of the outer container. The refill side fitting portion is provided on an inner surface of a vertical peripheral wall portion suspended from a flange portion protruding outward from a side surface portion of a refill container body. The vertical peripheral wall portion is provided with a plurality of cutout portions, and the refill side fitting portion is also cut out by the cutout portions. When the refill container is attached to the outer container, a gap that becomes larger from a top end toward a bottom surface portion of a refill storage portion is formed between an outer side surface of the refill container body and an inner side surface of the refill storage portion. Therefore, when a finger or the like is inserted into a storage space of the refill container body after use, and the inner side surface of the refill container body is pressed toward the outer container side on the bottom portion side, for example, a force can be applied in a direction of lifting the flange portion with the flange portion on the side opposite to the pressing portion across the central axis of the refill container body as a fulcrum and the flange portion on the side of the pressing portion as an action point. The force acting on the acting point side is prevented from being transmitted to the fulcrum side by the cutout portion, and upward movement of the flange portion on the acting point side is allowed because the cutout length increases. Therefore, the flange portion on the action point side can be efficiently lifted, and the fitting between the refill side fitting portion and the outer container side fitting portion can be released. In this manner, according to the present invention, a refill container and a replacement container that can be easily replaced and can be favorably held by an outer container can be obtained with a simple configuration.Brief Description of Drawings

[0012] Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a replacement container of the present embodiment. Note that, the cross section is an A-A cross section of Fig. 2B. Fig. 2A is a side view illustrating a refill container attached to the replacement container illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 2B is a bottom view illustrating a refill container attached to the replacement container illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3A is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a lid is removed in the replacement container illustrated in Fig. 1, and is a view for describing a procedure for removing the refill container. Fig. 3B is a partial enlarged view of Fig. 3A. Fig. 4A is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a lid is removed in the replacement container illustrated in Fig. 1, and is a view for describing a procedure for removing the refill container together with Fig. 3A. Fig. 4B is a partial enlarged view of Fig. 4A. Fig. 4C is a partial enlarged view of Fig. 4A. Description of Embodiments

[0013] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a refill container and a replacement container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of the replacement container of the present embodiment. As illustrated in Fig. 1, a replacement container 100 includes a refill container 10, an exterior container 20 (outer container), and a lid 30, and the refill container 10 is stored in the exterior container 20 so as to be replaceable. Hereinafter, a direction along a central axis O of the refill container 10 is referred to as an axial direction, and in the axial direction, a top surface side of the refill container 10 is referred to as an upper side, and a bottom surface portion 11a side is referred to as a lower side. A radial direction is a direction orthogonal to the central axis O in a plane perpendicular to the central axis O, and a circumferential direction is a direction around the central axis O in this plane.

[0014] First, the refill container 10 will be described with reference to Figs. 1, 2A, and 2B. Note that, Fig. 2A is a side view illustrating the refill container 10, and Fig. 2B is a bottom view. The refill container 10 having a substantially cylindrical shape includes the bottom surface portion 11a and a side surface portion 11b, and they define a storage space S for storing a content. A top surface of a refill container body 11, that is, a top surface of the storage space S is opened.

[0015] The refill container 10 can be obtained, for example, by molding a synthetic resin into a predetermined shape. As the resin forming the refill container 10, for example, a polyethylene terephthalate resin (PET), a polyethylene resin (PE (LDPE, HDPE, LLDPE)), a polypropylene resin (PP (homopolymer, random copolymer, block copolymer)), a polyamide resin (PA), an ethylene vinyl alcohol resin (EVOH) and the like is preferably used. The refill container 10 may have a single-layer structure made of these resins or a laminated structure in which these resins are appropriately laminated. It is also preferable to use a biodegradable resin, a recycled resin containing the above-described resin components and the like from the viewpoint of reducing an environmental load.

[0016] In the present invention, a content stored in the storage space S of the refill container body 11 is not particularly limited, but for example, a cream-like or gel-like cosmetic can be suitably stored. The content may be a solid content having no fluidity in addition to a cream-like or gel-like content. In addition to the cosmetic, the content can include various contents such as a drug such as an ointment, an adhesive such as a glue, a paint such as a paint, and a food such as a seasoning to be stored.

[0017] The bottom surface portion 11a has a substantially circular shape in a bottom view illustrated in Fig. 2B. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2A, the bottom surface portion 11a is formed in a spherical shape or a dish shape protruding downward in the central axis direction. The side surface portion 11b is continuous to the bottom surface portion 11a. In the present embodiment, the side surface portion 11b is a peripheral wall surrounding the bottom surface portion 11a, and is formed as an inclined wall (inclined surface) in which the bottom surface portion 11a side is gradually inclined so as to be closer to the central axis O as compared with the top surface side. That is, in the refill container body 11, the bottom surface portion 11a has a smaller diameter as compared with the top surface, and the diameter gradually increases from the bottom surface portion 11a toward the top surface.

[0018] As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2A, and 2B, the refill container 10 includes a flange portion 12 provided at a top end of the refill container body 11, a vertical peripheral wall portion 13 suspended from the flange portion 12, a refill side fitting portion 14 provided on a lower end side of an inner surface of the vertical peripheral wall portion 13, and a cutout portion 15 obtained by cutting out the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 at a predetermined cutout width. By making a cross-sectional shape of the top surface side of the refill container body 11 a U shape with a lower side opened using the side surface portion 11b, the flange portion 12, and the vertical peripheral wall portion 13, strength of the top surface side can be easily maintained even in a case where a thickness of the side surface portion 11b is reduced and an amount of resin is reduced. This U-shaped cross-sectional portion formed of the side surface portion 11b, the flange portion 12, and the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 serves as an insertion portion 16 into which a distal end portion of a mouth portion 23 of the exterior container 20 is inserted. Hereinafter, a configuration of each portion will be described in more detail.

[0019] In the present embodiment, the flange portion 12 protrudes radially outward from the top end of the refill container body 11, and is provided along an outer edge of an opening surface of the refill container body 11 so as to surround the opening surface. The flange portion 12 has a predetermined width in the radial direction and has a thin annular plate shape in the axial direction. An annular protruding rib 12a protruding upward is provided on an upper surface of the flange portion 12 (refer to Figs. 2A to 4C). The annular protruding rib 12a is provided at substantially the center in a width direction of the flange portion 12. The annular protruding rib 12a is used as a contact ring for packing sealing.

[0020] The vertical peripheral wall portion 13 is suspended from the outer edge of the flange portion 12 and is provided so as to surround an outer surface of the side surface portion 11b of the refill container body 11. The refill side fitting portion 14 is formed as an annular protruding rib (undercut) protruding from the inner surface of the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 toward the refill container body 11 and extending in the circumferential direction (refer to partially enlarged views of Figs. 3B, 4B, and 4C).

[0021] As illustrated in Figs. 2A and 2B, the cutout portion 15 is a portion obtained by cutting out a part of the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 by a predetermined cutout length L1 (refer to Fig. 2A) in the axial direction from the lower end to the top end of the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 at a predetermined cutout width W (refer to Fig. 2B). That is, as illustrated in Fig. 2A, the cutout portion 15 is formed as a substantially rectangular slit elongated in the axial direction provided in the vertical peripheral wall portion 13. Note that, the cutout width W refers to a width of the cutout portion 15 in the circumferential direction. The cutout length L1 refers to the length of the cutout portion 15 in the axial direction. When the length in the axial direction of the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 (the length from the lower end to the top end of the vertical peripheral wall portion 13) is set to L2, the cutout length L1 preferably satisfies L1 < L2, preferably satisfies L1 ≤ L2 × (29 / 30), and more preferably satisfies L1 ≤ L2 × (19 / 20). That is, it is preferable that the cutout portion 15 has the length (cutout length) that does not reach the top end of the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 in the axial direction, and a remaining portion 17 of the cutout vertical peripheral wall portion 13 is present between the outer edge of the flange portion 12 and the cutout portion 15.

[0022] Note that, the cutout portion 15 also cuts out the refill side fitting portion 14 provided on the lower end side of the inner surface of the vertical peripheral wall portion 13. In the present embodiment, the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 is provided with a plurality of cutout portions 15. Therefore, the refill side fitting portion 14 is intermittently provided over a substantially entire circumference in the circumferential direction.

[0023] Fig. 2B illustrates an example in which three cutout portions 15 are provided at equal intervals (120°) in the vertical peripheral wall portion 13. Note that, in the present invention, the number of cutout portions 15 is not limited to that in the illustrated example. For example, the number of cutout portions 15 provided in the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 may be 2 or more and 12 or less. In particular, the number is preferably 3 or more and 10 or less, and also preferably 4 or more and 8 or less.

[0024] Next, the exterior container 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The exterior container 20 includes an exterior container side side surface portion 21 and an exterior container side bottom surface portion 22, and the refill container body 11 is stored inside a space defined by them with the top surface side opened. The mouth portion 23 is provided on the top surface side of the exterior container side side surface portion 21, and a screw portion 23a for detachably attaching the lid 30 and an exterior container side fitting portion 23b for replaceably attaching the refill container 10 are provided on an outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 23.

[0025] As illustrated in Fig. 1, the exterior container side side surface portion 21 and the exterior container side bottom surface portion 22 are formed to be thicker than the side surface portion 11b and the bottom surface portion 11a on the refill container body 11 side, respectively. The exterior container 20 can be made of, for example, resin, glass, metal and the like. In a case of the resin, an acrylic resin and the like may be used in addition to the resins listed above. The exterior container 20 is a container repeatedly used with the refill container 10 replaced. By making the same thicker than the refill container body 11, even in a case where durability is insufficient when the refill container body 11 is used alone, sufficient strength can be implemented by attaching the same to the exterior container 20. Therefore, the refill container body 11 can be made thin, and an amount of plastic used can be reduced.

[0026] An outer surface of the exterior container side side surface portion 21 gradually increases in diameter from the exterior container side bottom surface portion 22 toward the lower end of the mouth portion 23. An inner surface of the exterior container side side surface portion 21 slightly increases in diameter from the bottom surface side toward the top surface side. The gradient of the exterior container side side surface portion 21 is set to be extremely small and smaller than the gradient of the side surface portion 11b of the refill container body 11. Therefore, when the refill container body 11 is stored in the exterior container 20, a gap G that becomes larger from the top surface side toward the bottom surface portion 11a is formed between the side surface portion 11b of the refill container body 11 and the inner surface of the exterior container 20. Note that, the gradient of the exterior container side side surface portion 21 herein refers to an angle between the central axis O and the exterior container side side surface portion 21.

[0027] The screw portion 23a and the exterior container side fitting portion 23b are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 23. As illustrated in Figs. 1, a step portion 23c recessed radially inward is provided above the screw portion 23a on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 23. The exterior container side fitting portion 23b is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 23 and above the step portion 23c. Hereinafter, a portion above the step portion 23c of the mouth portion 23 is referred to as a distal end portion 23d. The distal end portion 23d of the mouth portion 23 is formed thinner than a portion below the step portion 23c. The exterior container side fitting portion 23b is formed as an annular protruding rib (undercut) protruding radially outward from the outer surface of the distal end portion 23d.

[0028] The lid 30 includes an inner lid portion 31 and an exterior lid portion 32.

[0029] The inner lid portion 31 includes a topped cylindrical shape, and includes an inner lid top wall portion 31a and an inner lid peripheral wall portion 31b. The inner lid top wall portion 31a has a substantially disk shape in the present embodiment. The inner lid top wall portion 31a covers the top surface of the refill container body 11 in a state in which the refill container 10 is attached to the exterior container 20. The inner lid peripheral wall portion 31b is suspended from an outer edge of the inner lid top wall portion 31a, and is provided so as to surround the outer edge of the inner lid top wall portion 31a. A screw portion 31c is provided on an inner surface of the inner lid peripheral wall portion 31b. By screwing the screw portion 31c into the screw portion 23a on the mouth portion 23 side of the exterior container 20, the lid 30 is detachably attached to the mouth portion 23 of the exterior container 20. On an outer surface of the inner lid peripheral wall portion 31b, an inner lid side engagement portion 31d that protrudes radially outward at a lower end portion thereof for engaging the exterior lid portion 32 with the inner lid portion 31 is provided. Note that, on an inner surface side of the inner lid top wall portion 31a, a packing 33 having a planar shape substantially the same as the inner surface shape of the inner lid top wall portion 31a is provided. The packing 33 abuts an upper surface of the annular protruding rib 12a provided on the flange portion 12 of the refill container body 11.

[0030] The exterior lid portion 32 has a topped cylindrical shape slightly larger than the inner lid portion 31, and includes an exterior lid top wall portion 32a and an exterior lid peripheral wall portion 32b. The exterior lid top wall portion 32a has a substantially disk shape as the inner lid top wall portion 31a in the present embodiment. The exterior lid peripheral wall portion 32b is suspended from an outer edge of the exterior lid top wall portion 32a similar to the inner lid peripheral wall portion 31b, and is provided so as to surround the outer edge of the exterior lid top wall portion 32a. An exterior lid side engagement portion 32c formed as a recessed portion recessed in the radial direction is provided on an inner surface of the exterior lid peripheral wall portion 32b. The exterior lid side engagement portion 32c is engaged with the inner lid side engagement portion 31d, so that the inner lid portion 31 and the exterior lid portion 32 are integrated to form the lid 30.

[0031] The inner lid portion 31 and the exterior lid portion 32 can be formed of the materials similar to those of the exterior container 20. The inner lid portion 31 and the exterior lid portion 32 may be formed of the same material, or the inner lid portion 31 and the exterior lid portion 32 may be formed of different materials. For example, it is also preferable that the exterior lid portion 32 has various designs according to types of products or every time a predetermined product is renewed, and the inner lid portion 31 is a common member regardless of the product.

[0032] A procedure for removing the refill container 10 from the exterior container 20 in the replacement container 100 formed as described above will be described. Note that, it is assumed that the content is used up, the content is not substantially present in the storage space S of the refill container body 11, and the refill container 10 is empty when the refill container 10 is removed from the exterior container 20.

[0033] First, the lid 30 is rotated in a reverse screw direction from the state illustrated in Fig. 1, and the lid 30 is removed to obtain the state illustrated in Fig. 3A. At that time, as illustrated in a partially enlarged view of Fig. 3B, the distal end portion 23d of the mouth portion 23 is inserted into the insertion portion 16 having the U-shaped cross section formed of the side surface portion 11b, the flange portion 12, and the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 of the refill container body 11, the lower surface of the flange portion 12 abuts the top surface of the distal end portion 23d of the mouth portion 23, the protruding portion of the refill side fitting portion 14 is arranged below the protruding portion of the exterior container side fitting portion 23b, and both are in the fitted state.

[0034] Then, a finger or the like is inserted into an empty refill container body 11, and the side surface portion 11b is pressed against the exterior container side side surface portion 21 at a position indicated by a white arrow and the like in Fig. 3A, for example. A position at which the side surface portion 11b is pressed may be any position, but when this is pressed at a position close to the bottom surface portion 11a, the refill container 10 can be easily removed from the exterior container 20 with a smaller force. Therefore, for example, a mark for indicating a pressed portion and the like may be displayed inside the refill container body 11. Various symbols such as a circle, a star, and an arrow, characters such as "push here", and a combination of these symbols and characters may be used as the display serving as a mark for indicating the pressed portion.

[0035] When the side surface portion 11b is pressed toward the exterior container side side surface portion 21 at the pressed position described above, the side surface portion 11b tends to move toward the exterior container side side surface portion 21 by a movement amount corresponding to an interval (Gw) of the gap G at the pressed position. At that time, the pressed position serves as a force point, and in the refill container body 11, an abutment portion (refer to a white arrow in Fig. 4A) between the flange portion 12 of the refill container body 11 and the distal end portion 23d of the mouth portion 23 of the exterior container 20 on the side opposite to the pressing portion across the central axis O serves as a fulcrum, so that the refill container body 11 tends to incline (turn) at a predetermined angle corresponding to the movement amount (Gw) in the exterior container 20. At that time, an abutment portion between the flange portion 12 on the side opposite to the fulcrum across the central axis O and the distal end portion 23d of the mouth portion 23 of the exterior container 20 serves as an action point, and a force for lifting the flange portion 12 upward acts at the action point. Here, the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 is provided with a plurality of the cutout portions 15, and the force acting on the action point is divided by the cutout portions 15 and is not transmitted to the fulcrum side. Therefore, when the side surface portion 11b is pressed at the pressing position, first, the flange portion 12 moves upward while the cutout width of the cutout portion 15 expands. When the flange portion 12 is lifted upward, the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 also moves upward along with this, the protruding portion of the refill side fitting portion 14 gets over the protruding portion of the exterior container side fitting portion 23b, and the fitted state between them is released.

[0036] As illustrated in Fig. 2B, in the refill container 10 of the present embodiment, three cutouts 15 are provided, and the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 (and the refill side fitting portion 14) is divided into three parts by the cutout portions 15. The divided regions are referred to as a first vertical peripheral wall portion 13a, a second vertical peripheral wall portion 13b, and a third vertical peripheral wall portion 13c for convenience. Out of these three regions, a region on a side on which the action point is present is assumed to be the first vertical peripheral wall portion 13a. When the fitted state between the refill side fitting portion 14 and the exterior container side fitting portion 23b is released in the first vertical peripheral wall portion 13a, the fitted state between the refill side fitting portion 14 and the exterior container side fitting portion 23b is loosened also in the remaining two regions, and the fitted state between them can be easily released. Alternatively, even if the fitted state between the refill side fitting portion 14 and the exterior container side fitting portion 23b is released in the first vertical peripheral wall portion 13a, when the fitted state is maintained in another region, the fitted state between the refill side fitting portion 14 and the exterior container side fitting portion 23b on the action point side can be released by appropriately selecting a portion serving as the action point and repeating the procedure similar to the above.

[0037] As described above, the refill container 10 according to the present embodiment has a simple configuration in which the cutout portion 15 is provided in the vertical peripheral wall portion 13, the refill side fitting portion 14 is intermittently fitted to the exterior container side fitting portion 23b, and the gap G that becomes larger from the top surface side toward the bottom surface portion 11a is provided between the side surface portion 11b of the refill container body 11 and the inner surface of the exterior container 20 when the refill container body 11 is stored in the exterior container 20, so that the refill container 10 can be easily removed from the exterior container 20 with a small force using the principle of leverage. In the refill container 10 of the present embodiment, the flange portion 12 is provided so as to surround the opening surface along the outer edge of the top end of the refill container body 11, and the vertical peripheral wall portion 13 and the refill side fitting portion 14 are also provided so as to surround the side surface portion 11b of the refill container body 11 over substantially the entire circumference although interrupted by the cutout portions 15. By inserting the distal end portion 23d of the mouth portion 23 of the exterior container 20 into the insertion portion 16 formed of them, the refill container body 11 can be favorably held by the exterior container 20.

[0038] In the embodiment described above, the cutout portion 15 is provided on the refill container 10 side, and the side surface portion 11b is formed as an inclined wall, which is the peripheral wall surrounding the bottom surface portion 11a, in which the bottom surface portion 11a side is mildly inclined so as to be closer to the central axis O than the top surface side, therefore it is possible to obtain the above-described action by providing the gap G that becomes larger from the top surface side toward the bottom surface portion 11a in a space with the exterior container side side surface portion 21 without changing the configuration already available in the market for the exterior container 20.

[0039] The replacement container 100 and the refill container 10 of the present embodiment described above are one aspect of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the side surface portion 11b of the refill container 10 is made the above-described inclined surface, but it is possible that the side surface portion 11b is not made the inclined surface, and the exterior container side side surface portion 21 may be made an inclined wall in which the exterior container side bottom surface portion 22 side is inclined so as to be closer to the central axis O than the mouth portion 23 side. In this case also, the gap G that becomes larger from the top surface side toward the bottom surface portion 11a is formed between the side surface portion 11b of the refill container 10 and the exterior container side side surface portion 21, and the above-described action can be obtained. Note that, although the exterior container side side surface portion 21 is inclined although slightly, whether or not the exterior container side side surface portion 21 is made an inclined surface, the direction of the inclination and the like are not particularly limited as long as the gap G is formed.

[0040] The gap G only needs to have such a size that the protruding portion of the refill side fitting portion can get over the protruding portion of the exterior container side fitting portion 23b when the side surface portion 11b is pressed as described above.

[0041] In the above-described embodiment, the flange portion 12 is provided at the top end of the side surface portion 11b of the refill container body 11, but the flange portion 12 is not only provided at the top end of the side surface portion 11b but may also be provided so as to protrude radially outward from the outer surface below the top end of the side surface portion 11b. In the above-described embodiment, the screw portion 23a is provided in the mouth portion 23 of the exterior container 20, and the lid 30 is detachably attached to the exterior container 20; however, for example, by providing the flange portion 12 below the top end of the side surface portion 11b, the screw portion may be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the side surface portion 11b, and the lid 30 may be detachably attached to the refill container 10. Note that, providing the flange portion 12 at the top end of the side surface portion 11b of the refill container body 11 makes it easier to reduce the amount of plastic used.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the bottom surface portion 11a of the refill container body 11 has a dish shape or a spherical shape protruding downward in the axial direction. By forming the bottom surface portion 11a in such shape, the refill container 10 cannot be placed directly on a placement surface such as a desk in a stable state so that the opening surface faces upward in the axial direction. Therefore, it is possible to promote use of the refill container 10 after attaching the same to the exterior container 20. However, the bottom surface portion 11a of the refill container body 11 may be a flat surface, and a shape of the bottom surface portion 11a is not particularly limited. Although it is assumed that the refill container 10 is mainly made of plastic, this may be made of paper material with water or oil resistance coating.Reference Signs List

[0043] 10Refill container 11Refill container body 11aBottom surface portion 11bSide surface portion 12Flange portion 12aAnnular protruding rib 13Vertical peripheral wall portion 13aFirst vertical peripheral wall portion 13bSecond vertical peripheral wall portion 13cThird vertical peripheral wall portion 14Refill side fitting portion 15Cutout portion 16Insertion portion 17Remaining portion 20Exterior container (outer container) 21Exterior container side side surface portion 22Exterior container side bottom surface portion 23Mouth portion 23aScrew portion 23bExterior container side fitting portion (outer container side fitting portion) 23cStep portion 23dDistal end portion 30Lid 31Inner lid portion 31aInner lid top wall portion 31bInner lid peripheral wall portion 31cScrew portion 31dInner lid side engagement portion 32Exterior lid portion 32aExterior lid top wall portion 32bExterior lid peripheral wall portion 32cExterior lid side engagement portion 33Packing 100Replacement container GGap OCentral axis SStorage space

Claims

1. A refill container including a storage space for storing a content, the refill container attached to an outer container in a replacing manner to be used, the refill container comprising: a refill container body including a bottom surface portion and a side surface portion defining the storage space with a top surface opened; a flange portion protruding outward from the side surface portion; a vertical peripheral wall portion suspended from an outer edge of the flange portion and provided so as to surround the side surface portion of the refill container body; a refill side fitting portion protruding toward the refill container body from an inner surface of the vertical peripheral wall portion; and a plurality of cutout portions obtained by cutting out a portion provided with the refill side fitting portion in the vertical peripheral wall portion at a predetermined cutout width, wherein when the refill container body is inserted into the outer container, the refill side fitting portion and an outer container side fitting portion provided on the outer container fit each other, so that the refill container is attached to the outer container, and the side surface portion is formed in such a manner that a gap that becomes larger from the top surface side toward the bottom surface portion is formed between the side surface portion and an inner surface of the outer container when the refill container is attached to the outer container.

2. The refill container according to claim 1, wherein the number of the cutout portions provided in the vertical peripheral wall portion is 2 or more and 12 or less.

3. The refill container according to claim 1, wherein the side surface portion is an inclined wall in which the bottom surface portion side is inclined so as to be closer to a central axis of the refill container body than the top surface side.

4. A replacement container comprising: the refill container according to any one of claims 1 to 3; and the outer container to which the refill container is attached so as to be replaceable.

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