Plug body for refill container and refill container comprising the same

Abstract

To provide a plug body for a refill container that is excellent in easiness and safety in operation during refilling, and a refill container comprising the same.SOLUTION: A plug body for a refill container according to the present invention is constituted of a plug main body 10, a plug cover 20 detachably attached to the main body, and a push-out member 30 that pushes out the plug cover 20 from the plug main body 10. The plug main body 10 comprises a tubular outer wall 13 and an attachment tube 15 surrounding an outflow opening. The plug cover 20 comprises an attachment wall surface part 27 that closely attaches to an inner peripheral surface of the attachment tube 15, and a closing plate part 23. The push-out member 30 is constituted to include an annular plate part 35 having a central opening and a push-put protruding part 36 in at least one position. The push-out member 30 is mounted on the plug main body 10, in a state where the push-out protruding part 36 is protruded to inside in an outflow direction V and the annular plate part 35 is attached thereto to be slidable in an axis direction along an inner peripheral surface of the tubular outer wall 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a plug for a refillable container and a refillable container equipped with the plug. [Background technology]

[0002] Containers for storing contents such as liquid detergents and shampoos are generally used repeatedly by refilling the contents. The refillable container, which is the container for the contents, can be used for a long period of time by refilling the contents from the refilling container.

[0003] The refilling operation of the contents using a refill container is performed by connecting the neck part of the refill container, which has an outlet for the contents, to the neck part of the refilled container. From the viewpoint of facilitating such a refilling operation, the applicant has previously proposed a refill container plug that can be attached to cover the refill outlet of the refill container (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). The refill container stopper body of Patent Document 1 comprises a stopper body having an outflow tube and an attachment tube, and a stopper lid having an attachment wall portion that fits tightly against the inner surface of the attachment tube, a blocking plate portion, and a push-in protrusion, and the stopper lid is attached to the stopper body in a state in which the push-in protrusion protrudes outward in the outflow direction through an insertion hole that is formed by cutting out from the opening periphery of the outflow opening to the radial outside of the outflow tube, and a portion of the tip surface of the push-in protrusion is positioned radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the outflow tube.

[0004] The plug for a refill container in Patent Document 2 comprises a plug body having an outflow tube, a cylindrical outer wall, and an attachment tube, and a plug lid having an attachment wall portion that is in close contact with the inner surface of the attachment tube, a blocking plate portion, and a push-in convex portion, the push-in convex portion protruding outward in the outflow direction from the top plate of the plug body and a part of the tip surface of the push-in convex portion being positioned radially outward from the outer surface of the outflow tube, thereby allowing the plug lid to be attached to the plug body, and air replacement during refilling is performed through the insertion port and the outside air communication port after the push-in convex portion is pushed out. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6183846 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6183847 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When transferring the contents, the refill container is turned upside down with its neck facing downwards. When transferring the contents in an upside-down state, it is generally time-consuming to align the necks of the refill container and the container to be refilled, and it is necessary to support both the refill container and the container to be refilled to prevent them from falling over. The techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 leave room for improvement in terms of ease and stability of refilling operations.

[0007] The present invention relates to a plug for a refillable container, which is excellent in ease of operation and stability during refilling, and a refillable container equipped with the plug. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention relates to a refillable container plug that is attached to cover a refill outlet of a refillable container for refilling contents into the refillable container having a neck portion. It is preferable that the refill plug body comprises a plug body which is joined and fixed to the opening peripheral portion of the refill outlet, a plug cap which is removably attached to the plug body and closes the outlet opening formed in the base plate of the plug body from the inside in the outflow direction, and an extrusion member which pushes the attached plug cap out of the plug body. It is preferable that the plug body comprises a cylindrical outer wall surrounding the outflow opening and protruding outward in the outflow direction from the base plate, the cylindrical outer wall having an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the neck portion of the refillable container, and an attachment tube arranged concentrically with the cylindrical outer wall, surrounding the outflow opening and protruding inward in the outflow direction from the base plate. The plug preferably comprises a mounting wall portion whose outer peripheral surface is in intimate contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube, and a closure plate portion having a planar shape similar to the hollow cross-sectional shape of the mounting tube. It is preferable that the extrusion member includes a ring-shaped annular plate portion having a central opening in the center, and at least one extrusion protrusion portion that is supported by and integral with the opening edge portion of the central opening. It is preferable that the push-out member is attached to the plug body with the central opening arranged concentrically with the outflow opening, the push-out protrusion protruding inward in the outflow direction toward the inner region of the mounting tube, and the annular plate portion mounted inside the cylindrical outer wall along its inner circumferential surface so as to be slidable in the axial direction.

[0009] The present invention also relates to a refillable container for refilling contents into a refillable container having a neck portion. The refill container includes a refill container closure adapted to cover the refill outlet. It is preferable that the refill container plug body comprises a plug body which is joined and fixed to the opening peripheral portion of the refill outlet, a plug lid which is removably attached to the plug body and closes the outlet opening formed in the base plate of the plug body from the inside in the outflow direction, and an extrusion member which pushes the attached plug lid out of the plug body. It is preferable that the plug body comprises a cylindrical outer wall surrounding the outflow opening and protruding outward in the outflow direction from the base plate, the cylindrical outer wall having an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the neck portion of the refillable container, and an attachment tube arranged concentrically with the cylindrical outer wall, surrounding the outflow opening and protruding inward in the outflow direction from the base plate. The plug preferably comprises a mounting wall portion whose outer peripheral surface is in intimate contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube, and a closure plate portion having a planar shape similar to the hollow cross-sectional shape of the mounting tube. It is preferable that the extrusion member includes a ring-shaped annular plate portion having a central opening in the center, and at least one extrusion protrusion portion that is supported by and integral with the opening edge portion of the central opening. It is preferable that the push-out member is attached to the plug body with the central opening arranged concentrically with the outflow opening, the push-out protrusion protruding inward in the outflow direction toward the inner region of the mounting tube, and the annular plate portion mounted inside the cylindrical outer wall along its inner circumferential surface so as to be slidable in the axial direction. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The refillable container plug of the present invention and the refillable container equipped with the plug are excellent in ease of operation and stability during refilling. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing one embodiment of a refill container according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the outflow direction, showing the neck of the refill container shown in FIG. 1 and a plug for a refill container attached to cover the outflow port of the neck. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the refill container plug shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the refill container plug shown in FIG. 1, viewed from the outside in the outflow direction. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the refillable container plug shown in FIG. 1, viewed from the inside in the outflow direction. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the plug body shown in FIG. 3 taken along the outflow direction. [Figure 7] 7 is a side view of the pusher member shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along the outflow direction of the push-out member shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the plug cap shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from the outside in the outflow direction. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view and a sectional perspective view for explaining a refilling operation in which the refill container shown in FIG. 1 is used to refill a content into a refill container. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the neck of the refill container after the cap has been removed by pushing. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view for explaining the engagement between the tip end of the extrusion protrusion and the engagement recess. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a view corresponding to FIG. 11 and showing another embodiment of a plug for a refill container according to the present invention. [Figure 14] 14(a) to 14(c) are cross-sectional views showing the steps of assembling the container plug shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows one embodiment of a refill container of the present invention. The refill container 5 of this embodiment contains contents such as lotion, milky lotion, etc., and is a refill container for refilling the contents into a refillable container.

[0013] The refillable container 5 of this embodiment is a thin-walled bottle-shaped container, and includes a body 2 having a bottom, a neck 4 having a refill outlet for discharging the contents, and a shoulder 3 located between the neck 4 and the body 2. The refillable container 5 shown in FIG. 1 is in a self-supporting state with the bottom of the body 2 placed on a horizontal surface. In this state, the neck 4 is located vertically upward and is disposed opposite the bottom of the body 2. The neck 4 is a cylindrical part having a flow path therein for the contents to flow out, and has openings at both ends in the central axis direction. One opening in the central axis direction of the neck 4 is a refill outlet for the contents to flow out. The inside of the neck 4 is connected to the inside of the shoulder 3 via the other opening of the neck 4. As shown in Fig. 1, when the refill container 5 is in a self-supporting state, the shoulder 3 has an opening at the center of the upper vertical side and a truncated cone shape that spreads horizontally and descends from the periphery of the opening. In addition, in this self-supporting state, the body 2 has a cylindrical peripheral wall that hangs down from the entire periphery of the lower end of the shoulder 3, and a bottom located at the lower end of the peripheral wall. The refill container 5 has an internal space defined by the shoulder 3 and the body 2, and contents such as lotion, milky lotion, etc. are stored in the internal space.

[0014] In the refill container 5 of this embodiment, the central axis direction coincides with the outflow direction V of the contents when the contents are flowed out from the container 5 to the outside. In the freestanding state shown in Fig. 1, the vertical direction Z coincides with the outflow direction V of the contents in the refill container 5. Hereinafter, the outflow direction V of the contents will be simply referred to as the "outflow direction V" in this specification. The outside of this outflow direction V will be referred to as the "tip side", and the inside of the outflow direction V will be referred to as the "end side".

[0015] The refillable container 5 of this embodiment is equipped with a refillable container plug 1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "plug 1") that is attached to cover the refillable outlet of the neck 4. The plug 1 of this embodiment is fixed to the neck 4 while sealing the refillable outlet of the neck 4, and has the function of connecting the refillable outlet to the refillable neck 7 by connecting the neck 4 of the refillable container 5 (hereinafter also referred to as "refillable neck 4") to the neck 7 of the refillable container 6 (hereinafter also referred to as "refillable neck 7"). The details of such a refillable operation will be described later.

[0016] The plug 1 comprises a plug body 10, a plug cap 20 that is detachably attached to the plug body 10, and a pushing member 30 that pushes the attached plug cap 20 out of the plug body 10 (see Figs. 2 and 3). The plug 1 is attached to the refill neck part 4 with the plug lid 20 and the pushing member 30 attached to the plug body 10. Hereinafter, the "peripheral portion of the opening of the refill outlet in the refill neck part 4" will also be referred to as the "outlet peripheral portion 4a." The plug 1 is attached to the refill neck part 4 by joining and fixing the plug body 10 to the outlet peripheral portion 4a.

[0017] 2 and 6, the plug body 10 has a base plate 12 and an outflow opening 11a formed in the base plate 12. When the plug body 10 is attached to the refill neck portion 4 (outflow outlet peripheral portion 4a), the outflow opening 11a is disposed within the refill outlet. The plug body 10 comprises a cylindrical outer wall 13 surrounding the outflow opening 11a and protruding outward in the outflow direction V from the base plate 12, and an attachment tube 15 arranged concentrically with the cylindrical outer wall 13 and surrounding the outflow opening 11a and protruding inward in the outflow direction V from the base plate 12. The cylindrical outer wall 13 is located radially outward of the mounting tube 15 of the plug body 10 and forms the outer surface of the portion of the plug body 10 that is on the outer side in the outflow direction V with the base plate 12 as the boundary.

[0018] In the plug body 10 of this embodiment, a guide protrusion piece 17 is provided on the opening periphery of the outflow opening 11a in the base plate 12 so as to protrude outward in the outflow direction V. The guide protrusion piece 17 is a columnar portion that protrudes outward in the outflow direction V from a part of the opening periphery of the outflow opening 11a (see Figs. 3, 5, and 6). The guide protruding piece 17 of this embodiment has an inner guide rib 17a that protrudes inward from the radially inner surface (hereinafter simply referred to as the "inner surface") of the plug body 10 (see FIG. 6). Also, the guide protruding piece 17 of this embodiment has an outer guide rib 17b that protrudes outward from the radially outer surface (hereinafter simply referred to as the "outer surface") of the plug body 10 (see FIG. 6).

[0019] In the present embodiment, the peripheral portion of the outlet opening 11a of the liquid plug body 10 protrudes outward in the outflow direction V to form a step with the base plate 12. At this peripheral portion, a plurality of guide protrusions 17 are intermittently provided along the peripheral portion of the outlet opening 11a. The cylindrical outer wall 13 and the guide protrusions 17 have their inner ends in the outflow direction V connected to the base plate 12, and the base plate 12 is located between the outlet opening 11a and the cylindrical outer wall 13.

[0020] The cylindrical outer wall 13 has an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the refillable neck part 7. With regard to the cylindrical outer wall 13, "an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the refillable neck part 7" means that the inner diameter of the cylindrical outer wall 13 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the refillable neck part 7 (see FIG. 10). In this embodiment, a female thread ridge 13a for screwing with the refillable neck part 7 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical outer wall 13 (see FIGS. 2 and 6). In this embodiment, the cylindrical outer wall 13 of the plug 1 screw-engages with the refillable neck part 7, so that the refillable neck part 4 and the refillable neck part 7 can be detachably coupled via the plug 1.

[0021] As shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the plug body 10 includes a mounting cylinder 15 that surrounds the outflow opening 11a and protrudes inward in the outflow direction V from the base panel 12. As shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the plug body 10 of this embodiment has an inner fixed cylinder part 16 that surrounds the mounting cylinder 15 and protrudes inward in the outflow direction V from the base plate 12, and an outer fixed cylinder part 14 that surrounds the inner fixed cylinder part 16 and protrudes inward in the outflow direction V from the base plate 12. The mounting cylinder 15, the inner fixed cylinder part 16, and the outer fixed cylinder part 14 are concentrically arranged and connected via the base plate 12. The outer fixed cylinder part 14 forms the outer surface of the part of the plug body 10 that is on the inner side in the outflow direction V with the base plate 12 as the boundary. The outer fixed cylinder part 14 has an inner rib 14a that protrudes inward in the radial direction on its inner circumferential surface (see Fig. 6). The inner rib 14a is formed in an annular shape along the inner circumferential surface of the outer fixed cylinder part 14.

[0022] The plug body 10 of this embodiment has a space between the inner fixed cylinder part 16 and the outer fixed cylinder part 14. In this embodiment, the plug body 10 is driven into the outlet peripheral part 4a with the outlet peripheral part 4a of the refill neck part 4 inserted between the inner fixed cylinder part 16 and the outer fixed cylinder part 14, so that the plug body 10 and the outlet peripheral part 4a are fitted together. This causes the plug body 10 (plug body 1) to be attached and fixed to the refill neck part 4. A rib (not shown) protruding radially outward is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outlet peripheral part 4a of this embodiment. This rib engages with the inner rib 14a of the outer fixed cylinder part 14, so that the plug body 10 is attached and fixed to the refill neck part 4 (see FIG. 2). The inner fixed cylinder part 16 has an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the refill neck part 4. That is, the outer diameter of the inner fixed cylinder part 16 is approximately the same as the inner diameter of the refill neck part 4. With this configuration, the outer peripheral surface of the inner fixed cylinder part 16 is brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the refill neck part 4 by the driving described above (see FIG. 2). The plug 1 may be attached and fixed to the refill neck portion 4 by a screw-fitting method instead of a fitting method.

[0023] When attached to the plug body 10, the plug lid 20 closes the outflow opening 11a formed in the base panel 12 from the inside in the outflow direction V (see Figs. 2 and 5). As shown in Fig. 9, the plug lid 20 includes a closing plate portion 23 and a cylindrical mounting wall portion 27 that protrudes from the peripheral portion of the closing plate portion 23 toward the inside in the outflow direction V. The blocking plate portion 23 has a planar shape similar to the hollow cross-sectional shape of the mounting tube 15, and when the plug lid 20 is attached to the plug body 10, it blocks the outflow opening 11a together with the inner region of the mounting tube 15 (see Figures 2 and 5). The mounting wall portion 27 has an outer diameter that corresponds to the inner diameter of the mounting tube 15. In other words, the outer diameter of the mounting wall portion 27 is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the mounting tube 15. With this configuration, when the plug 20 is attached to the plug body 10, the outer peripheral surface of the mounting wall portion 27 comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube 15 (see FIG. 2). In the plug 20 of this embodiment, an annular engagement recess 22 is formed on the outer surface of the closure plate 23 in the outflow direction V, i.e., on the outer surface (see FIG. 9). The tip portion of the extrusion protrusion 36, which will be described later, is engaged with the engagement recess 22.

[0024] 7 and 8 show the push-out member 30 provided in the plug 1 of this embodiment. The push-out member 30 has a ring-shaped annular plate portion 35 having a central opening 31 in the center, and a central tubular portion 32 forming the opening edge of the central opening 31. The central opening 31 is an opening of the central tubular portion 32 that protrudes outward in the outflow direction V from the annular plate portion 35 (see FIG. 8). The central tubular portion 32 stands on the outer surface of the annular plate portion 35 in the outflow direction V. In this embodiment, an annular central rib 33 that protrudes radially outward is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the central tubular portion 32. The push-out member 30 includes at least one push-out protrusion 36 that is supported and integrally provided on the opening edge of the central opening 31, i.e., the central cylindrical portion 32. The push-out protrusion 36 is a columnar portion that is integral with the central cylindrical portion 32 and protrudes inward in the outflow direction V from the annular plate portion 35 (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

[0025] The push-out member 30 of this embodiment has a plurality of push-out protrusions 36. Specifically, the push-out member 30 of this embodiment has a cylindrical push-out protrusion 36a (hereinafter also referred to as "cylindrical push-out portion 36a") and a plate-shaped push-out protrusion 36b (hereinafter also referred to as "plate-shaped protrusion 36b") (see FIGS. 7 and 8). The cylindrical protrusion 36a is a cylindrical portion connected to the central cylindrical portion 32 inside the central opening 31. A radially outer annular portion of the cylindrical protrusion 36a and a part of the annular peripheral portion forming the central cylindrical portion 32 are shared. The cylindrical protrusion 36a protrudes inward in the outflow direction V from the annular plate portion 35. The position in the outflow direction V of the outer end of the cylindrical protrusion 36a and the outer end of the central cylindrical portion 32 are aligned. The plate-shaped protruding portion 36b is a plate-shaped portion that is continuous with a part of the central cylindrical portion 32 and protrudes inward in the outflow direction V from the annular plate portion 35.

[0026] In the push-out member 30 of this embodiment, guide openings 37 are formed in the annular plate portion 35. The guide openings 37 are formed intermittently in the annular plate portion 35 along the outer circumferential surface of the central tube portion 32. In other words, the guide openings 37 have an arc shape that follows the outer circumferential surface of the central tube portion 32. Moreover, a plurality of guide openings 37 are formed in the annular plate portion 35 of this embodiment.

[0027] In this embodiment, an annular plate portion 35 is provided with an annular rib 38 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) on the inner surface in the outflow direction V. The annular rib 38 is continuous around the entire circumferential circumference of the annular plate portion 35 (not shown). The surface of the annular plate portion 35 on the inner side in the outflow direction V is the surface that faces the base board 12 in an attached state described later.

[0028] As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, in the plug 1, the annular plate portion 35 of the pushing member 30 is disposed within the cylindrical outer wall 13, and the pushing member 30 is attached to the plug body 10. Specifically, the central opening 31 of the pushing member 30 is disposed concentrically with the outflow opening 11a, and the pushing protrusion 36 is caused to protrude inward in the outflow direction V toward the inner region of the mounting tube 15 (see Fig. 2). In this state, the pushing protrusion 36 is disposed within the range of the outflow opening 11a in a plan view. That is, the central opening 31 is located within the outflow opening 11a in a plan view. The tip of the pushing protrusion 36 is directed inward in the outflow direction V. In addition, when the pushing member 30 is attached to the plug body 10, the annular plate portion 35 of the pushing member 30 is disposed inside the cylindrical outer wall 13 along the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical outer wall 13. The push-out member 30 is attached to the plug body 10 so that the annular plate portion 35 can slide in the axial direction of the plug body 10. The axial direction of the plug body 10 coincides with the outflow direction V.

[0029] In the plug 1 of this embodiment, when the pushing member 30 is attached to the plug body 10, a guide opening 37 is formed in a portion of the annular plate portion 35 corresponding to the guide protruding piece 17. As a result, the pushing member 30 is attached to the plug body 10 with the guide protruding piece 17 inserted through the guide opening 37.

[0030] Furthermore, in the plug 1, the plug lid 20 closes the outflow opening 11a of the plug body 10 from the inside in the outflow direction V. The plug lid 20 is attached to the plug body 10 with the mounting wall portion 27 in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the mounting tube 15 of the plug body 10 and the closure plate portion 23 closing the entire outflow opening 11a. In this attached state, the tip of the extrusion protrusion 36 may be close to the surface of the closure plate portion 23 on the inside in the outflow direction V, or may be in contact with said surface. In this manner, in the plug 1, the push-out member 30 and the plug cap 20 are attached to the plug body 10. Hereinafter, the state in which the push-out member 30 and the plug cap 20 are attached to the plug body 10 will be referred to simply as the "attached state." In this attached state, the push-out member 30 is disposed on the outer side in the outflow direction V with the base plate 12 as the boundary, and the plug cap 20 is disposed on the inner side in the outflow direction V with the base plate 12 as the boundary.

[0031] With reference to Figure 10, the refilling operation using the refillable container 5 of this embodiment will be described. The refillable container 6, into which the contents are filled, has a refillable neck part 7 with an opening that communicates with the storage space for the contents. Such neck part 7 is also a cylindrical part having an internal flow path through which the contents are filled. In this embodiment, the refillable container 6 is a bottle-shaped container like the refillable container 5, and has a shoulder part and a body part that form the storage space for the contents together with the refillable neck part 7. A male thread ridge (not shown) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the refillable neck part 7.

[0032] In the refilling operation, as shown in Fig. 10, the refillable container 5 is inverted with the refillable neck 4 facing downward in the vertical direction Z. On the other hand, the refillable container 6 is in a self-supporting state with the refillable neck 7 facing upward in the vertical direction Z. Next, the stopper 1 and the refillable neck 7 are screwed together to join the refillable neck 4 and the refillable neck 7. Specifically, the female thread ridge 13a formed on the inner circumferential surface of the aforementioned cylindrical outer wall 13 is screwed together with the male thread ridge formed on the outer circumferential surface of the refillable neck 7. In this screwing operation, the refillable neck 7 is inserted into the cylindrical outer wall 13, and while rotating the refillable container 5 around its central axis, the refillable neck 7 is pushed upward in the vertical direction Z (inward in the outflow direction V). As a result, the top surface of the refillable neck portion 7 pushes the annular plate portion 35 in the cylindrical outer wall 13 upward in the vertical direction Z (inward in the outflow direction V). Accordingly, the pushing protrusion 36 pushes the closure plate portion 23 of the cap 20 upward in the vertical direction Z (inward in the outflow direction V). Then, when the annular plate portion 35 pushed out to the top surface of the refillable neck portion 7 reaches the vicinity of the base plate 12 or reaches the base plate 12, the cap 20 is pushed completely out of the mounting tube 15, the cap 20 is detached from the cap body 10, and the blockage of the outflow opening 11a by the cap 20 is released. As a result, the outflow opening 11a and the storage space for the contents of the refillable container 5 are connected, and the contents stored in the refillable container 5 flow out through the outflow opening 11a into the refillable container 6, and the refillable container 6 can be filled with the contents.

[0033] The refilling operation using the refillable container 5 of this embodiment can be performed by a simple operation of connecting the refillable neck part 4 and the refillable neck part 7 via the plug 1. In this operation, the refillable neck part 7 is pushed into the cylindrical outer wall 13 as described above. At this time, since the cylindrical outer wall 13 has an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the refillable neck part 7, the refillable neck part 4 and the refillable neck part 7 can be connected while the refillable neck part 7 is in close contact with the cylindrical outer wall 13. As a result, even if the blockage of the outflow opening 11a by the plug lid 20 is released, the cylindrical outer wall 13 can effectively suppress leakage of the contents to the outside, so that the refilling operation can be performed easily and stably.

[0034] As described above, in the plug 1 of this embodiment, the pushing member 30 is attached to the plug body 10 with the guide protruding piece 17 inserted into the guide opening 37. The hollow cross-sectional shape of the guide protruding piece 17 in this embodiment and the planar shape of the guide opening 37 are similar, and the guide protruding piece 17 inserted into the guide opening 37 can slide in the outflow direction V. The guide opening 37 and the guide protruding piece 17 prevent the pushing of the pushing member 30 from vibrating in the axial direction of the plug body 10, making it easier to perform the refilling operation. In order to ensure the above-mentioned effects, it is preferable that at least a pair of guide protrusion pieces 17 are provided at positions radially opposed to the outflow opening 11a (see Figs. 3 and 4). It is also preferable that at least a pair of guide openings 37 are provided at positions radially opposed to the central opening 31, corresponding to the pair of guide protrusion pieces 17, 17. For example, the plug body 10 may have two pairs of guide protrusion pieces 17, 17 that are radially opposed to each other, and the push-in member 30 may have two pairs of guide openings 37 that are radially opposed to each other corresponding to the pair of guide protrusion pieces 17, 17.

[0035] From the viewpoint of smoother sliding movement of the guide protrusion piece 17 inserted through the guide opening 37 and more suppressing vibration of the extrusion of the pusher member 30 in the axial direction of the plug body 10, it is preferable that the guide protrusion piece 17 and the guide opening 37 have an arc-shaped cross-sectional shape that follows the opening periphery of the outflow opening 11a or the central opening 31 (see FIG. 4). In this case, it is preferable that in the outflow direction V, the cross-sectional shape of the guide protrusion piece 17 follows the opening periphery of the outflow opening 11a, and the cross-sectional shape of the guide opening 37 follows the opening periphery of the central opening 31.

[0036] From the viewpoint of achieving a balanced pushing out of the cap 20 during the refilling operation and further improving the ease of opening the cap 20, it is preferable that at least a pair of pushing members 30 are provided at positions facing each other in the radial direction of the central opening 31 (see Figs. 7 and 8). In the pushing member 30 of this embodiment, a cylindrical protruding portion 36a and a plate-shaped protruding portion 36b are provided facing each other in the radial direction of the central opening 31. In this way, when the push-out member 30 has two or more push-out protrusions 36, the shapes of these push-out protrusions 36 may be the same as or different from each other. The push-out member 30 of this embodiment has the push-out protrusions having different shapes, that is, the cylindrical protrusion 36a and the plate-like protrusion 36b, at positions facing each other in the radial direction of the central opening 31.

[0037] As in this embodiment, the extrusion protrusion 36 preferably includes a cylindrical protrusion 36a having a hollow interior (see Figs. 7 and 8). This allows air exchange between the refill container 5 and the refilled container 6 through the hollow interior of the cylindrical protrusion 36a, and the portion of the outflow opening 11a other than the hollow interior functions as the main outflow port. In Fig. 11, the air flow due to air exchange is shown by dotted lines. This air exchange promotes the outflow of the contents through the outflow opening 11a, and the contents can be efficiently refilled (filled). In addition, since the refill container 5 of this embodiment does not exchange air with the outside, leakage of the contents to the outside is effectively suppressed. In addition to the air exchange between the containers 5, 6, the refillable container 5 and the refillable container 6 are liquid-tightly joined by the cylindrical outer wall 13 of the stopper body 10, so that even if the inverted refillable container 5 and the free-standing refillable container 6 after joining fall over, leakage of the contents to the outside can be suppressed as long as the connection between the refilling neck portion 4 and the refillable neck portion 7 via the stopper body 1 is maintained, and the contents can be filled stably.

[0038] When the top surface of the refillable neck portion 7 reaches the base plate 12 during the refilling operation, the annular plate portion 35 is pressed against the base plate 12 by the tip of the refillable neck portion 7. The annular plate portion 35 is pressed against the surface of the base plate 12 from which the cylindrical outer wall 13 protrudes (the surface facing the annular plate portion 35). As described above, the annular plate portion 35 of this embodiment has an annular rib 38 on the surface facing the base plate 12, so that when the annular plate portion 35 is pressed against the base plate 12, the annular rib 38 comes into contact with the base plate 12. As a result, even if the blockage of the outflow opening 11a by the plug lid 20 is released, the annular rib 38 comes into contact with the base plate 12, so that leakage of the contents to the outside can be further suppressed. Such an effect is effective when the refillable container 5 in an inverted state after combination and the refillable container 6 in a self-supporting state fall over.

[0039] The engaging recess 22 in the cap 20 of this embodiment is preferably formed in a portion corresponding to the tip of at least one of the extrusion protrusions 36 of the pushing member 30. In this case, when the cap 20 is pushed out of the mounting tube 15 by the pushing member 30 during the refilling operation, the tip of the extrusion protrusion 36 is engaged with the engaging recess 22 (see FIG. 12), and the pushed-out cap 20 is held so as not to separate from the pushing member 30. With this configuration, the cap 20 separated from the mounting tube 15 is prevented from descending to the outflow opening 11a as the contents flow out, and the cap 20 is prevented from blocking the outflow opening 11a. In other words, the contents can be smoothly refilled. Furthermore, as described below, when the container body of the refill container 5 is a bag made of a flexible sheet material, the container body can be easily compressed by the highly rigid plug 20 remaining in the vicinity of the refill neck 4, making the refilling operation easier. This effect is effective in that when the remaining amount of the contents in the refill container 5 is low, the container body of the container 5 can be crushed, making it possible to easily refill the contents to the last drop.

[0040] In order to ensure the above-mentioned effects, it is preferable that at least one of the pushing protrusions 36 engaged with the engagement recess 22 protrudes one step higher than the other pushing protrusions 36. The pushing member 30 of this embodiment has a cylindrical protrusion 36a and a plate-shaped protrusion 36b, and the plate-shaped protrusion 36b protrudes further inward in the outflow direction V than the cylindrical protrusion 36a. This allows the plate-shaped protrusion 36b to be engaged with the engagement recess 22 before the cylindrical protrusion 36a, and the plug 20 to be pushed out by the plate-shaped protrusion 36b, while the air replacement can be more reliably performed by the cylindrical protrusion 36a. In order to ensure the above-mentioned effects, the extrusion protrusion 36 engaged with the engagement recess 22 protrudes higher than the other extrusion protrusions 36, preferably by 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less.

[0041] In this embodiment, the plate-like protrusion 36b has a tip end that is arc-shaped. Also, since the engagement recess 22 is formed in an annular shape as described above, it has a ring shape. This allows the plate-like protrusion 36b and the engagement recess 22 to be more firmly engaged with each other, and can further prevent the plug 20 from being separated from the push-out member 30. In this way, it is preferable that the tip end of at least one of the extrusion protrusions 36 that engages with the engagement recess 22 has an arc shape, and the engagement recess 22 is formed to have a ring shape that includes an arc similar to the arc shape.

[0042] Regarding the connection between the refillable neck part 4 and the refillable neck part 7 via the stopper 1, the cylindrical outer wall 13 and the refillable neck part 7 may be engageable, but from the viewpoint of making the refillable neck part 7 less likely to be crushed during the connection, thereby further suppressing leakage of the contents, and from the viewpoint of performing the connection operation more stably, it is preferable that the cylindrical outer wall 13 and the refillable neck part 7 are screwable together. That is, it is preferable that the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical outer wall 13 is formed with a female thread ridge 13a that screws into a male thread ridge formed on the outer peripheral surface of the refillable neck part 7. Such a configuration is preferable in that the connection between the refillable neck part 4 and the refillable neck part 7 can be easily released when air replacement occurs between the refillable container 5 and the refillable container 6 after the refilling operation. Furthermore, screwing the refillable container 5 to the inverted container 6 and the refillable container 6 to the freestanding container 6 can maintain the container 5, 6 in a good state even if the containers 5, 6 fall over after being connected, and can effectively prevent the contents from leaking out. Furthermore, pushing the refillable neck part 7 inward in the outflow direction V by rotating the refillable container 5 with the screwing requires less force and is more stable than pushing the refillable neck part 7 upward by fitting, making the refilling operation easier. In this embodiment, in order to ensure the above-mentioned screw engagement, the inner diameter of the cylindrical outer wall 13 and the outer diameter of the refillable neck portion 7 are approximately the same.

[0043] The plug 1 of this embodiment is a molded product made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene or polyethylene, or bioplastic such as polylactic acid, and is preferably formed by injection molding. As described above, the plug 1 is formed as a three-part component consisting of the plug body 10, the plug cap 20, and the extrusion member 30. Moreover, it is preferable that the plug lid 20 is made of a material having a lower specific gravity than the contents (liquid). With this configuration, after the plug lid 20 is detached from the plug body 10, the plug lid 20 floats in the contents due to buoyancy, so that the outflow of the contents through the outflow opening 11a can be effectively prevented from being hindered.

[0044] The stopper 1 in the above-mentioned embodiment is attached to the neck portion 4 of the bottle-shaped refill container 5, but it may be attached to cover the refill outlet of various refill containers made of rigid plastic molded containers or the like. The refill container 5 may be a rigid plastic molded container or a soft-wrap container such as a pouch bag made of a flexible sheet material. In this case, the stopper 1 provided in the refill container 5 may have the above-mentioned configuration, but preferably has the following configuration. 13 shows an embodiment of the plug body 10 and the pushing member 30 when the refill container 5 is a bag body. FIG. 13 shows the state after the plug cap 20 has been pushed out of the attachment tube 15. The above-mentioned pushing member 30 has an annular rib 38 that is continuous around the entire circumference of the annular plate portion 35. However, when the refillable container 5 is a bag body, it is preferable that the annular rib 38a is provided intermittently and continuously around the annular plate portion 35. The annular rib 38a in this form has an intermittent portion in the circumferential direction of the annular plate portion 35. As a result, when the annular plate portion 35 is pressed against the surface of the base plate 12 on which the cylindrical outer wall 13 protrudes during the refilling operation, a gap is generated between the base plate 12 and the annular plate portion 35 at the intermittent portion (see the enlarged view of FIG. 13). Such a gap allows air to flow with the outside during the refilling of the contents through the outflow opening 11a, so that the bag body of the refillable container 5 can be crushed (compressed) while air is replaced between the outside and the refillable container 6 (not shown in FIG. 13), which promotes the outflow of the contents and allows the refilling operation to be performed efficiently.

[0045] 14(a) to (c) show the process of assembling the plug 1 by attaching the push-out member 30 and the plug cap 20 to the plug body 10 shown in Fig. 3. First, the push-out member 30 is inserted into the cylindrical outer wall 13 of the plug body 10. At this time, the tip of the push-out protrusion 36 is directed toward the base plate 12, the push-out protrusion 36 is disposed within the outflow opening 11a, and the guide protrusion piece 17 is inserted into the guide opening 37 (not shown in Fig. 14) of the annular plate portion 35. In this state, the push-out member 30 is pushed toward the base plate 12 (see Fig. 14(a)).

[0046] When the pushing member 30 is pushed in, the annular plate portion 35 passes over the guide outer rib 17b formed on the outer surface of the guide protruding piece 17 (see FIG. 14(b)). The guide outer rib 17b restricts the annular plate portion 35 from moving outward in the flow direction V, thereby maintaining the mounting state of the pushing member 30 on the plug body 10. When the pushing member 30 is pushed toward the base plate 12, the center rib 33 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the central tube portion 32 engages with the guide inner rib 17a formed on the inner surface of the guide protruding piece 17 (not shown in FIG. 14). Such engagement restricts the pushing member 30 from moving further toward the base plate 12, and maintains the mounting position of the pushing member 30 in the correct position. This prevents the plug lid 20 from being erroneously opened when assembling the plug 1.

[0047] Next, the plug lid 20 is pushed into the mounting tube 15 from the inside in the outflow direction V. The plug lid 20 is pushed into the mounting tube 15 so that the blocking plate portion 23 is located on the outflow opening 11a side (see FIG. 14(c)). In this embodiment, the outflow opening 11a is smaller than the inner diameter of the mounting tube 15, so the blocking plate portion 23 gets stuck on the opening periphery of the outflow opening 11a. This restricts the plug lid 20 from moving further outward in the outflow direction V. In addition, the mounting wall portion 27 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube 15, so the plug lid 20 blocks the outflow opening 11a inside the mounting tube 15. Through the above operations, the push-out member 30 and the plug cap 20 are attached to the plug body 10, and the plug 1 is assembled.

[0048] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be modified as appropriate. In addition, the above-described embodiments may be combined. For example, the contents transferred to the refillable container 6 using the stopper 1 or a refillable container 5 equipped with the stopper 1 may be liquid contents such as lotion or milky lotion, or other contents having fluidity such as powder or granular material.

[0049] The plug body 10 does not necessarily have to be provided with the guide protruding piece 17, in which case the guide opening 37 does not necessarily have to be formed in the annular plate portion 35. Furthermore, the guide protruding piece 17 does not necessarily have to have the inner guide rib 17a or the outer guide rib 17b formed thereon. The outflow opening 11a of the plug body 10 and the closure plate portion 23 of the plug lid 20 do not have to have a circular planar shape.

[0050] The pushing member 30 may have a plurality of pushing protrusions having the same configuration. For example, the pushing member 30 may have a pair of cylindrical protrusions 36a, or a pair of plate-shaped protrusions 36b. The extrusion protrusions 36 may have the same or different protruding lengths. Furthermore, the central rib 33 does not necessarily have to be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the central cylindrical portion 32 . [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Cap (cap for refill container) 2. Torso 3 Shoulder 4 Refill neck 4a Outlet edge area 5 Refill containers 6 Refillable containers 7 Refillable neck 10 Stopper body 11a Outflow opening 12 Base board 13 Cylindrical outer wall 13a Female thread ridge 14 Outer fixed cylinder part 14a Inner rib 15 Mounting tube 16 Inner fixed cylinder part 17 Guide protrusion 17a Guide inner rib 17b Guide outer rib 20 Bottle lid 22 Attachment recess 23 Closure plate part 27 Mounting wall part 30 Extrusion member 31 Central opening 32 Central cylinder part 33 Center Rib 35 Annular plate section 36 Protrusion 36a Cylindrical protrusion 36b Plate-like protrusion 37 Guide opening 38,38a Circular rib V outflow direction Z vertical direction

Claims

1. A refillable container stopper that is attached to cover a refill outlet of a refillable container for refilling contents into a refillable container having a neck portion, The device comprises a plug body joined and fixed to the peripheral edge of the opening of the refill outlet, a plug lid detachably attached to the plug body and closing an outlet opening formed in the base panel of the plug body from the inside in the outflow direction, and a pushing member for pushing the attached plug lid out of the plug body, The plug body comprises a cylindrical outer wall surrounding the outlet opening and projecting outward in the outlet direction from the base plate, the wall having an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the neck of the refillable container, and an attachment tube arranged concentrically with the cylindrical outer wall and projecting inward in the outlet direction from the base plate surrounding the outlet opening, The stopper cap includes a mounting wall portion whose outer peripheral surface is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube, and a closure plate portion having a planar shape similar to the hollow cross-sectional shape of the mounting tube, The push-out member is composed of a ring-shaped annular plate portion having a central opening in its central portion, and at least one push-out protrusion portion that is supported by and integral with the opening edge portion of the central opening, and the central opening is arranged concentrically with the outflow opening, and the push-out protrusion portion protrudes inward in the outflow direction toward the inner region of the mounting tube, so that the annular plate portion is attached to the inside of the cylindrical outer wall so as to be slidable in the axial direction along the inner surface of the cylindrical outer wall, and the refill container stopper is attached to the stopper body.

2. A refillable container stopper as described in claim 1, wherein a guide protrusion is provided at the peripheral edge of the outflow opening on the base plate of the stopper body, protruding outward in the outflow direction, and a guide opening through which the guide protrusion is inserted is formed in a portion of the annular plate portion of the push-out member corresponding to the guide protrusion.

3. The refillable container stopper according to claim 2, wherein at least one pair of the guide protrusions are provided at positions radially opposite the outflow opening, and at least one pair of the guide openings are provided at positions radially opposite the central opening.

4. 4. The refillable container closure according to claim 2, wherein the guide projection and the guide opening have an arcuate cross-sectional shape that conforms to the periphery of the outlet opening or the central opening.

5. 4. The refillable container plug according to claim 1, wherein a pair of said extrusion protrusions are provided at positions opposite each other in the radial direction of said central opening.

6. 4. The refillable container stopper according to claim 1, wherein the extrusion protrusion includes a cylindrical protrusion having a hollow interior.

7. A refillable container stopper body as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein annular ribs are provided intermittently and continuously in the circumferential direction on the surface of the annular plate portion of the push-out member facing the base plate, and when the tip of the neck portion of the refillable container presses the annular plate portion against the surface of the base plate of the stopper body from which the cylindrical outer wall protrudes, air can flow through the intermittent portions of the annular ribs.

8. A refillable container closure as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an engagement recess capable of engaging the tip of the extrusion protrusion is provided on the outer surface of the closure plate portion of the closure lid at a portion corresponding to the tip of at least one of the extrusion protrusions of the extrusion member, and when the closure lid is pushed out of the mounting tube by the extrusion member, the tip of the extrusion protrusion engages with the engagement recess, thereby holding the extruded closure so as not to separate from the extrusion member.

9. the extrusion member includes a plurality of the extrusion protrusions, 9. The refillable container closure according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the extrusion protrusions engaged with the engagement recess protrudes one step higher than the other extrusion protrusions.

10. A refillable container stopper as described in claim 8, wherein the tip of at least one of the extrusion protrusions that engages with the engagement recess has an arc shape, and the engagement recess is formed to have a circular ring shape that includes an arc similar to the arc shape.

11. A refill container for refilling contents into a refillable container having a neck portion, The refill container includes a refill container stopper attached to cover the refill outlet, The refillable container closure comprises a closure body joined and fixed to the peripheral edge of the refillable outlet, a closure cap detachably attached to the closure body and blocking the outlet opening formed in the base plate of the closure body from the inside in the outflow direction, and a push-out member for pushing the attached closure cap out of the closure body, The plug body comprises a cylindrical outer wall surrounding the outlet opening and projecting outward in the outlet direction from the base plate, the wall having an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the neck of the refillable container, and an attachment tube arranged concentrically with the cylindrical outer wall and projecting inward in the outlet direction from the base plate surrounding the outlet opening, The stopper cap includes a mounting wall portion whose outer peripheral surface is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube, and a closure plate portion having a planar shape similar to the hollow cross-sectional shape of the mounting tube, The push-out member is configured to include a ring-shaped annular plate portion having a central opening in its central portion, and at least one push-out protrusion portion that is supported by and integrally formed with the opening edge portion of the central opening, and the central opening is arranged concentrically with the outlet opening, and the push-out protrusion portion protrudes inward in the outflow direction toward the inner region of the mounting cylinder, so that the annular plate portion is attached to the inside of the cylindrical outer wall along its inner peripheral surface so as to be slidable in the axial direction, and the refill container is attached to the plug body.

Images