Aerosol container and lever for aerosol container

Abstract

To provide an aerosol container and a lever for an aerosol container that enable press-down operation of a stem with light force.SOLUTION: An aerosol container 10 has a container 11 with a stem 12, a cover 13 engaged with the container 11 to cover the stem 12, a push portion 14 that is rotatably supported by the cover 13 to push down the stem 12, and a lever portion 20A that is connected to the push portion 14 and assists the push-down operation. The lever portion 20A has a rod portion 21 extending from the push portion 14 and a hand-pushing portion 22 provided at the tip of the rod portion 21. The lever 20 for aerosol containers is provided with the lever portion 20A, and an engagement portion 23 that is detachable from the push portion 14 is provided at the end of the rod portion 21 of the lever portion 20A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol container and a lever for an aerosol container. [Background technology]

[0002] Typically, an aerosol container has a container body filled with a content together with a liquefied gas or compressed gas, and is configured such that by depressing the stem of a valve provided on the container body, the valve opens and the content is sprayed to the outside. In order to facilitate the operation of depressing the stem, the aerosol container has a push part, and the push part is shaped like a button or the like so that it is easy to press with a finger. The two-agent dispensing container described in Patent Document 1 includes first and second aerosol containers filled with different contents, a nozzle that engages with the stems of the first and second aerosol containers, and a lever that can abut against the nozzle and press down the nozzle and the stem from above. The nozzle is formed with a guide path that mixes the contents discharged from the first and second aerosol containers through the stem and sprays them from a single discharge port, and by operating the lever to press down the nozzle and the stem, the two-agent dispensing container can spray the contents of the first and second aerosol containers simultaneously. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-198975 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In an aerosol container, the stem of the valve is biased by a spring or the like, and when spraying the contents, it is necessary to press down the stem against the biasing force of the spring or the like, so the pressing operation requires strength from the fingers. If the fingers are wet and slippery, or if the strength of the fingers is weak, the stem cannot be pressed down sufficiently, and if it is necessary to press down multiple stems, such as in a dual-agent dispensing container, further strength is required for the pressing operation, making the pressing operation difficult. For this reason, there is a demand for a device that allows the pressing operation of the stem of an aerosol container to be performed with light force.

[0005] The present invention seeks to solve the problems associated with such conventional technology, and aims to provide an aerosol container and a lever for an aerosol container that allow the stem to be pressed with a light force. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] That is, the present invention includes the following. [1] A container having a stem; a cover engaged with the container so as to cover the stem; a push portion rotatably supported by the cover and configured to push down the stem; a lever portion connected to the push portion and assisting the pressing operation; Equipped with The lever portion is a rod portion extending from the push portion; A hand-operated portion provided at a tip end of the rod portion; An aerosol container comprising: [2] The aerosol container described in [1], wherein the base end of the rod portion is provided with an engagement portion that can be freely attached and detached to the push portion. [3] The aerosol container according to [2], wherein the engagement portion has a structure that is attached to the push portion. [4] The aerosol container according to [3], wherein the engaging portion has a notch that enables elastic deformation when attached to the push portion. [5] An aerosol container lever used for an aerosol container having a stem provided on the container and a push portion for pressing down the stem, A rod portion is provided. An engagement portion that is detachable from the push portion is provided at one end of the rod portion, A lever for an aerosol container, characterized in that a hand-operated portion is provided on the other end of the rod portion. [6] The lever for an aerosol container according to [5], wherein the engagement portion has a structure that is attached to the push portion. [7] The lever for an aerosol container described in [6], wherein the engagement portion has a notch that enables elastic deformation when attached to the push portion. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The aerosol container of the present invention can form a lever structure with a push portion and a lever portion connected to the push portion, and by utilizing the lever structure, the push portion can be used to press down the stem with a light force. In addition, the lever for aerosol containers of the present invention has an engagement portion that can be attached and detached to the push portion, and can be applied to any aerosol container that is equipped with a push portion that presses down on the stem, and by forming a lever structure together with the push portion, the stem can be pressed down by the push portion with little force. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an aerosol container of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an aerosol container of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 shows a part of an aerosol container of the present invention, in which (a) is a half cross-sectional view as seen from the front, and (b) and (c) are cross-sectional side views. [Figure 4]1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a front view, and FIG. 1C is a bottom view showing a lever for an aerosol container according to the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1A is a right side view of a lever for an aerosol container according to the present invention, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view as seen from the right side, and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view as seen from the left side. [Figure 6] 5(a) to 5(c) are cross-sectional views illustrating attachment of a lever for an aerosol container to a push portion. [Figure 7] 13(a) and 13(b) are cross-sectional views illustrating a pressing operation using a lever for an aerosol container. [Figure 8] 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, showing another embodiment of the aerosol container of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The matters shown herein are illustrative and are intended to exemplify the embodiments of the present invention, and are described for the purpose of providing what is believed to be the most effective and easily understandable explanation of the principles and conceptual features of the present invention. In this respect, it is not intended to show structural details of the present invention beyond the extent necessary for a fundamental understanding of the present invention, and the description in conjunction with the drawings will make it clear to those skilled in the art how some forms of the present invention can be actually embodied. In the following description, the direction in which the contents are sprayed from the aerosol container is referred to as the forward direction, and the opposite direction is referred to as the rearward direction.

[0010] The aerosol container 10 of the present invention comprises a container 11 provided with a stem 12, a cover 13 engaged with the container 11 so as to cover the stem 12, a push portion 14 rotatably supported by the cover 13 for depressing the stem 12, and a lever portion 20A connected to the push portion 14 for assisting the depressing operation. The lever portion 20A is characterized by having a rod portion 21 extending from the push portion 14, and a hand-pushing portion 22 provided at the tip of the rod portion 21 (see Figs. 1 and 2).

[0011] In the aerosol container 10, the container 11 is filled with the contents and is provided with an aerosol valve (not shown) for releasing the contents to the outside. The container 11 has a stem 12 for opening and closing the aerosol valve. The contents can be released from the stem 12 by manipulating the stem 12 to open the aerosol valve. Normally, in the aerosol container 10, the inside of the container 11 is pressurized. The stem 12 closes the aerosol valve while being biased by a biasing member such as a coil spring so that the contents do not leak out from the pressurized inside of the container 11. Therefore, when opening the aerosol valve to release the contents, it is necessary to operate the stem 12 with a strong force in order to resist the biasing force of the biasing member. 2, container 11 has a cylindrical stem 12 protruding upward from the center of the upper end thereof. When stem 12 is pressed down, container 11 can release the contents from stem 12 to the outside.

[0012] The contents filled in the container 11 are not particularly limited, and examples thereof include hair dyes, hair styling products, face washes, lotions, etc., or external medicines, paints, deodorants, detergents, insecticides, etc. The contents include, for example, single-component products that provide a desired function with a single component, such as hair styling products, face washes, deodorants, insecticides, etc. The contents also include, for example, multi-component products that provide a desired function by mixing two or more components, such as hair dyes, paints, etc. The contents are not particularly limited as to whether they are of a single-component type or a multi-component type, and the aerosol container 10 can be applied to both single-component type contents and multi-component type contents.

[0013] In the case of a single-drug content, there may be only one container 11, and in the case of a multi-drug content, there may be multiple containers according to the number of drugs used, for example, two for a two-drug content. In the case of a multi-drug content, the aerosol container 10 can be configured so that the stems 12 provided on each of the multiple containers 11 can be pressed down approximately simultaneously, but the force required to press down the multiple stems 12 approximately simultaneously is greater than that required for a single-drug content. The aerosol container and aerosol container lever of the present invention are particularly useful in application to multi-drug content that requires the multiple stems 12 to be pressed down approximately simultaneously, from the viewpoint that the stems can be pressed down with a light force.

[0014] In the following, a two-component aerosol container 10 in which a two-component hair dye consisting of a first agent and a second agent is applied as the multi-component content will be described as an example. In the two-agent aerosol container 10, the container 11 has a first container 111 filled with either the first agent or the second agent of the hair dye, and a second container 112 filled with the other of either the first agent or the second agent of the hair dye. A cylindrical first stem 12A is provided protruding from the center of the upper end surface of the first container 111, and a cylindrical second stem 12B is provided protruding from the center of the upper end surface of the second container 112. The first container 111 and the second container 112 are connected at their upper ends by a connecting cap 113. The first container 111 and the second container 112 are fixed to each other by a shrink pack 114 that covers the outer circumferential surfaces of both containers, so that the first stem 12A and the second stem 12B are parallel to each other.

[0015] The cover 13 protects the stems 12 (first stem 12A and second stem 12B) provided on the container 11 from the outside, and is provided with a mechanism for spraying the contents (hair dye). The cover 13 is engaged with the upper parts of the first container 111 and the second container 112 via a connecting cap 113 so as to cover both the first stem 12A and the second stem 12B. 3(a) to 3(c), the cover 13 is formed in a lidded cylindrical shape. A recess 132 is formed in the rear of the cover 13, and the recess 132 is open upward and backward.

[0016] A cylindrical inner case 131 with a bottom is provided inside the cover 13. The inner case 131 accommodates the nozzle 15 which is formed in a horizontally elongated box shape. A connecting tube 151 is provided on the lower surface of each of the left and right ends of the nozzle 15 so as to protrude downward. The inside of these connecting tubes 151 is in communication with the inside of the nozzle 15. An injection tube 152 is provided protruding forward from the center of the front surface of the nozzle 15. The inside of the injection tube 152 is in communication with the inside of the nozzle 15. This injection tube 152 is inserted into a hole 133 provided in the front surface of the cover 13 and is exposed to the outside.

[0017] The nozzle 15 is housed inside the inner case 131 so as to be movable up and down. An insertion hole 131A is provided in the bottom wall of the inner case 131 at a position corresponding to the connection tube 151 of the nozzle 15. The connection tube 151 of the nozzle 15 is inserted into the insertion hole 131A, and is exposed to the outside of the inner case 131 inside the inner case 131. The nozzle 15 is engaged with both the first stem 12A of the first container 111 and the second stem 12B of the second container 112 via left and right connecting tubes 151 exposed to the outside of the inner case 131. Therefore, by moving the nozzle 15 downward, the stems 12 (the first stem 12A and the second stem 12B) connected to the connecting tubes 151 can be pressed down.

[0018] The inside of the nozzle 15 , the connecting tube 151 and the injection tube 152 can serve as a guide path for the contents to be discharged from the stem 12 of the container 11 . In other words, the first and second agents of the hair dye released from the first stem 12A and the second stem 12B are guided from inside the connecting tube 151 to inside the nozzle 15, and from inside the nozzle 15 to the spray tube 152, so that they can be sprayed forward from the tip of the spray tube 152. Further, the inside of nozzle 15 and the inside of injection tube 152 are divided into left and right by partition wall 153. Therefore, the first agent and the second agent are prevented from mixing inside nozzle 15, and can be mixed when injected from injection tube 152.

[0019] A plate-shaped push portion 14 is provided in recess 132 at the rear of cover 13. Push portion 14 is connected to the inner surface of recess 132, i.e., the wall surface of cover 13, via hinge 141 provided at the front portion thereof. Therefore, push portion 14 is supported relative to cover 13 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction around hinge 141. The push portion 14 has a contact portion 142 provided on its bottom surface, and is in contact with the upper surface of the nozzle 15 via the contact portion 142 . The push portion 14 can push the nozzle 15 downward by rotating downward around the hinge 141. In other words, the push portion 14 can push down the stem 12 (the first stem 12A and the second stem 12B) connected to the connection tube 151 of the nozzle 15 by pushing down the nozzle 15 (see FIG. 3(c)).

[0020] The aerosol container 10 includes a lever portion 20A that assists the pushing operation of the push portion 14 to push down the stem 12 (the first stem 12A and the second stem 12B) via the nozzle 15 (see FIG. 1). The lever portion 20A is connected to the push portion 14. The lever portion 20A has a rod portion 21 and a hand pushing portion 22.

[0021] Rod portion 21 transmits the force applied to hand pushing portion 22 of lever portion 20A to push portion 14, and also serves to increase the force obtained at contact portion 142 (point of application) by a lever structure according to its length. Rod portion 21 extends rearward from the rear end of push portion 14. The shape of rod portion 21 is not particularly limited, and may be a plate, a rod, or the like. The lever portion 21 can be extended obliquely upward from the push portion 14. In other words, as the length of the lever portion 21 increases, the force obtained at the contact portion 142 (point of application) due to the lever structure can be increased, but the horizontal distance from the center of gravity of the aerosol container 10 to the manual pushing portion 22 (point of force) also increases, making the aerosol container 10 more likely to tip over when force is applied to the manual pushing portion 22 (point of force). When the rod portion 21 is extended diagonally upward from the push portion 14, the horizontal distance from the center of gravity of the aerosol container 10 to the hand push portion 22 (point of force) can be shortened while the length of the rod portion 21 is increased, thereby preventing the aerosol container 10 from falling over when force is applied to the hand push portion 22.

[0022] Hand push portion 22 is a portion to which force is applied when lever portion 20A is used, and is provided at the tip end (other end) of rod portion 21 in the extending direction, that is, at the rear end of rod portion 21. The shape of the hand push portion 22 is not particularly limited, and may be shaft-shaped, plate-shaped, or the like. The width (length in the left-right direction) of hand push portion 22 can be made wider than the width (length in the left-right direction) of rod portion 21. In other words, by making the width of hand push portion 22 wider, the area that can be touched by fingers can be increased, making it easier to apply force when using lever portion 20A. For example, the shape of the hand push portion 22 can be an axis extending left and right from the rear end of the rod portion 21 and longer than the width of the rod portion 21.In this case, it is possible to easily apply force to the hand push portion 22, such as by hooking a finger on the hand push portion 22 and pulling it downward, or by placing the palm of the hand on the hand push portion 22 and pushing it down.

[0023] The above-mentioned lever portion 20A can be constructed by attaching the lever 20 for an aerosol container of the present invention to the push portion 14, as shown in FIG. The lever 20 for an aerosol container of the present invention is used for an aerosol container 10 having a stem 12 provided on the container 11 and a push portion 14 for pressing down the stem 12, A rod portion 21 is provided. An engagement portion 23 that is detachable from the push portion 14 is provided at one end of the rod portion 21. A hand-pushing part 22 is provided at the other end of the lever part 21 (see Figs. 4(a) to (c) and Figs. 5(a) to (c)).

[0024] In the aerosol container lever 20 (hereinafter also referred to as "lever 20" for short), the rod portion 21 and the hand-pushing portion 22 are similar to the rod portion 21 and the hand-pushing portion 22 of the lever portion 20A described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. The engagement portion 23 allows the lever 20 to be attached to and detached from the push portion 14 . The engagement portion 23 is provided at a base end (one end) in the extending direction of the rod portion 21, that is, at a front end of the rod portion 21.

[0025] The engagement portion 23 can have a structure into which the push portion 14 is fitted. Specifically, the engaging portion 23 has a first locking piece 231 on one side (left side) of the bottom surface, and a second locking piece 232 on the other side (right side). The first locking piece 231 and the second locking piece 232 are formed in a plate shape extending inward in the left-right direction from the periphery of the bottom surface of the engaging portion 23. The engaging portion 23 has a structure in which the rear portion of the pushing portion 14 is inserted into the inside surrounded by the peripheral wall, the first locking piece 231, and the second locking piece 232 (see FIG. 4(b)).

[0026] The first locking piece 231 is formed to be longer in the front-rear direction than the second locking piece 232. The first locking piece 231 has a function of guiding the insertion of the push portion 14 by sliding the push portion 14 when the rear portion of the push portion 14 is inserted into the engagement portion 23. The second locking piece 232 is formed to have a shorter length in the front-rear direction than the first locking piece 231. The second locking piece 232 has a function of preventing the rear part of the push portion 14 from being obstructed when the rear part of the push portion 14 is inserted into the engagement portion 23. Furthermore, with the rear portion of the push portion 14 inserted into the engagement portion 23, the first locking piece 231 and the second locking piece 232 can be locked with the bottom surface of the push portion 14. By locking the first locking piece 231 and the second locking piece 232 with the bottom surface of the push portion 14, wobbling of the engagement portion 23 relative to the push portion 14 can be suppressed.

[0027] The engagement portion 23 may have a structure that is attached to the push portion 14 . Specifically, the engaging portion 23 is formed in a generally box-like shape with an open bottom. The engaging portion 23 is attached to the push portion 14 from above, and can accommodate the push portion 14 inside. The engaging portion 23 may have a notch 233 that allows elastic deformation when the engaging portion 23 is attached to the push portion 14. The notch 233 is formed in an L-shape in a plan view on the upper wall of the engaging portion 23. The front end of the notch 233 extends to the side wall of the engaging portion 23. By providing the notch 233, the engagement portion 23 can bend the upper wall and elastically deform the front end portion upward when the engagement portion 23 is attached to the push portion 14. In addition, a reinforcing rib 234 is provided on the lower surface of the upper wall of the engagement portion 23 to reinforce the upper wall.

[0028] The procedure for attaching the engagement portion 23 to the push portion 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c). When attaching the engagement portion 23 to the push portion 14, first, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the rear portion of the push portion 14 is inserted into the inside of the engagement portion 23 while the first locking piece 231 is placed against the bottom surface of the push portion 14. Next, as shown in FIG. 6(b), when the rear portion of the push portion 14 is inserted into the inside of the engagement portion 23 and the engagement portion 23 is pressed against the push portion 14, the front end portion of the engagement portion 23 is separated from other portions at the position where the cutout portion 233 is provided, and thus the upper wall is deflected and elastically deformed upward. 6(c), when the rear portion of the push portion 14 is inserted deep inside the engagement portion 23, the front end portion of the engagement portion 23 returns to its original position, and at this time the front end portion of the engagement portion 23 is engaged with the front portion of the push portion 14. In this state, the engagement portion 23 is attached to the upper portion of the push portion 14, and the rear portion of the push portion 14 is inserted therein, so that the engagement portion 23 is engaged and fixed to the push portion 14.

[0029] The aerosol container 10 has a lever structure constituted by the above-mentioned push portion 14 and lever 20, and the stem 12 can be pushed down by utilizing this lever structure (see FIGS. 7(a) and (b)). That is, the push part 14 and the lever 20 form a lever structure with the hinge 141 of the push part 14 as the fulcrum, the hand pushing part 22 of the lever as the force point, and the contact part 142 of the push part 14 as the point of action. The aerosol container 10 can perform the pushing operation of the stem 12 by utilizing the lever structure.

[0030] In the lever structure, the moment at the hand pushing portion 22 (point of force) is equal to the moment at the contact portion 142 (point of action). The moment at the hand pushing portion 22 (point of force) is calculated by [force applied to the hand pushing portion 22 (point of force)]×[distance from the hinge 141 (fulcrum) to the hand pushing portion 22 (point of force)]. The moment at the contact portion 142 (point of application) is calculated by [force acting on the contact portion 142 (point of application)]×[distance from the hinge 141 (fulcrum) to the contact portion 142 (point of application)].

[0031] In the above-mentioned lever structure, the distance from the hinge 141 (fulcrum) to the contact part 142 (point of application) remains constant. Therefore, by increasing the distance from the hinge 141 (fulcrum) to the hand-pushing part 22 (point of application) of the lever part 21, the force acting on the contact part 142 (point of application) can be made greater than the force applied to the hand-pushing part 22 (point of application). The aerosol container 10 having a lever structure formed by the push portion 14 and the lever portion 20A allows the stem 12 to be pressed down with a light force. The above-mentioned aerosol container 10 requires that the first stem 12A and the second stem 12B be pushed down approximately simultaneously, but by utilizing the leverage structure of the push portion 14 and the lever portion 20A, the operation can be performed with a light force even when the first stem 12A and the second stem 12B are pushed down approximately simultaneously.

[0032] The above-mentioned aerosol container 10 is provided with a lever portion 20A by attaching a lever 20 to the push portion 14. This lever portion 20A can be provided integrally with the push portion 14, as shown in Figures 8(a) and (b). 8(a) and (b), lever portion 20A has a configuration in which the front end portion of rod portion 21 is integrally formed with the rear portion of push portion 14. In this configuration, engagement portion 23 is not provided, and the force applied to hand push portion 22 is directly transmitted to push portion 14 via rod portion 21. The above-mentioned aerosol container 10 is configured to include two containers 11, the first container 111 and the second container 112, in order to apply a multi-component content, but for example, in the case of applying a single-component content, it may be configured to include only one container 11. Furthermore, in the case of a configuration including only one container 11, the nozzle 15 may have only one connecting tube 151, and the partition wall 153 may be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 10; aerosol containers, 11; container; 111; first container; 112; second container; 113; connecting cap; 114; shrink pack; 12; stem, 12A; first stem, 12B; second stem, 13; cover; 131; inner case; 132; recess; 133; hole; 14; push portion; 141; hinge; 142; abutment portion; 15; nozzle; 151; connecting tube; 152; jet tube; 153; partition wall; 20; lever, 20A; lever portion, 21; rod portion, 22; hand push portion, 23; engagement portion, 231; first locking piece, 232; second locking piece, 233; cutout portion, 234; reinforcing rib 234.

Claims

1. a vessel having a stem; a cover engaged with the container so as to cover the stem; a push portion rotatably supported by the cover and configured to push down the stem; a lever portion connected to the push portion and assisting the pressing operation; Equipped with The lever portion is a rod portion extending from the push portion; A hand-operated portion provided at a tip end of the rod portion; An aerosol container comprising:

2. 2. The aerosol container according to claim 1, wherein the proximal end of the rod is provided with an engaging portion that is detachable from the push portion.

3. 3. The aerosol container according to claim 2, wherein the engaging portion has a structure adapted to be attached to the pushing portion.

4. 4. The aerosol container according to claim 3, wherein the engaging portion has a notch that allows elastic deformation when the engaging portion is attached to the push portion.

5. An aerosol container lever used for an aerosol container, the aerosol container having a stem provided on the container and a push portion for pressing down the stem, A rod portion is provided. An engagement portion that is detachable from the push portion is provided at one end of the rod portion, A lever for an aerosol container, characterized in that a hand-operated portion is provided on the other end of the rod portion.

6. 6. The lever for an aerosol container according to claim 5, wherein the engaging portion has a structure adapted to be attached to the pushing portion.

7. 7. The lever for an aerosol container according to claim 6, wherein the engaging portion has a notch that allows elastic deformation when the engaging portion is attached to the push portion.

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