Variable measuring discharge container

Abstract

To provide a variable measuring discharge container that is enabled to variably measure and discharge a content with simple constitution.SOLUTION: A variable measuring discharge container comprises a container body 10 which contains a content P, an inside plug part 20 which is mounted on a mouth part 12 of the container body 10, a variable measuring part 30 which comprises a measuring chamber W for measuring the content P, and a cap 40 which has a discharge port 45 and is provided rotatably to the mouth part 12. An elevation mechanism Q is provided between the inside plug part 20 and the variable measuring part 30. As the cap 40 is rotated, the variable measuring part 30 moves toward or away from the cap 40 through the elevation mechanism Q, so that the capacity of the measuring chamber W varies.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a variable metered dispensing container. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention in which a container body 1 containing contents is tilted to send an excessive amount of the contents into a cylindrical body 3, and then the container body is raised to measure the contents in a measuring dish 4 inside the cylindrical body 3, with the excess contents being returned from the measuring cylinder 6 to the container body 1, and while still in the raised position, the plug 7 is pulled out to open the spout 14, and the container body 1 is then tilted again to pour the measured contents out from the spout 14. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-226808 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the invention described in Patent Document 1 only allows for one type of dispensed amount, so while it is possible to dispense the contents equivalent to a teaspoon, it is not possible to dispense the contents equivalent to a tablespoon.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT In order to solve the problems in the conventional technology described above, an object of the present invention is to create a variable amount dispensing container that is capable of variably measuring and dispensing the contents with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Among the means for solving the above problems, the first means of the present invention is A variable metering and dispensing container comprising: a container body for accommodating a content; an inner plug portion attached to an opening of the container body; a movable measuring portion having a measuring chamber for measuring the content; and a cap having a discharge port and rotatably provided with respect to the opening, A lifting mechanism is provided between the inner plug portion and the movable measuring portion, and when the cap is rotated, the lifting mechanism moves the movable measuring portion toward or away from the cap, thereby varying the capacity of the measuring chamber.

[0007] In the first aspect of the present invention, the volume of the measuring chamber can be varied simply by rotating the cap, so that various volumes can be measured and dispensed with a simple operation.

[0008] The second means of the present invention is the above-mentioned first means plus a means in which the lifting mechanism is configured by engagement between a spiral groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of a support pillar erected in the center plug portion and a locking protrusion formed on the inner peripheral surface of an inner tube portion suspended from the upper plate of the movable measuring portion.

[0009] The third means of the present invention is the above-mentioned first means plus a means in which the lifting mechanism is configured by engagement between a spiral groove provided on the inner surface of a cylindrical hole formed in the center plug portion and a locking protrusion formed on the outer surface of an inner tube portion suspended from the upper plate of the movable measuring portion.

[0010] In the second and third aspects, the lifting mechanism can be configured with a simple structure.

[0011] In addition, the fourth means of the present invention is any one of the above means, further comprising the addition of a convex rib on one of the peripheral wall of the cap and the outer tubular portion of the movable measuring part arranged opposite thereto, and a guide groove for guiding the convex rib along the axial direction of the container formed on the other.

[0012] With the above-mentioned means, the movable measuring part can be stably moved up and down in the vertical direction in accordance with the operation of rotating the cap. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, the contents can be variably measured and dispensed with a simple configuration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B show a variable metering dispensing container with its lid open as an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view of the variable metering dispensing container and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the variable metering dispensing container. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the variable dose dispensing container showing the upright position before operation begins. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of the variable metered dispensing container showing an inverted position. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of the variable metered dispensing container showing the upright position after restoration. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the variable metering dispensing container showing an inverted tilted posture during dispensing. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an inverted partial cross-sectional view of a variable metered dispensing container showing a first capacity state. [Figure 7] 1 is an inverted partial cross-section of a variable metered dispensing container showing a second volume state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The variable amount dispensing container 1 of the present invention is a container for storing granular, powdered, or liquid contents such as seasonings or medicines, and for measuring and dispensing the contents at the time of dispensing. In the following description, the direction along the container axis O is referred to as the axial direction, the up-down direction, or the height direction, the direction perpendicular to the container axis O is referred to as the radial direction, and the direction going around the container axis O is referred to as the circumferential direction. In the upright state, the side on which the cap 40 is provided is referred to as the upper side, and the side of the bottom wall 15 of the container body 10 is referred to as the lower side.

[0016] First, the configuration of the variable amount dispensing container 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the variable metering dispensing container 1 is composed of a container body 10 that contains the contents, an inner plug portion 20 that is attached to the mouth portion 12 of the container body 10, a movable measuring portion 30 that measures the contents, and a cap 40, all of which are formed using a specified synthetic resin material.

[0017] The container body 10 is a bottomed, tubular container having a cylindrical mouth 12 standing on the upper part of a tubular body 14 extending upward from a bottom wall 15 via a reduced diameter shoulder 13, and the contents are filled into the container body 10 from an open end 11 at the tip of the mouth 12. An undercut-shaped first engaged portion 12a is formed at the lower end of the outer circumferential surface of the mouth 12.

[0018] The center plug portion 20 is formed with cylindrical outer wall portion 21 and inner wall portion 22, a bottom portion 23 connected and disposed between the lower end portion of the outer wall portion 21 and the lower end portion of the inner wall portion 22, an outer flange portion 24 connected to the outer side of the upper portion of the outer wall portion 21 and having a generally L-shaped cross section, an inner flange 25 provided on the inside of the inner wall portion 22, and a plurality of communication holes 26 formed intermittently in the circumferential direction at the upper end of the inner wall portion 22. A cylindrical hole 27 is recessed into the inner flange 25, and a support post 28 is vertically disposed at the center thereof, with a spiral groove 28a formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof, for example consisting of a double spiral. An undercut-shaped first engaging portion 24a capable of engaging with the first engaged portion 12a of the mouth portion 12 is formed on the inner surface of the outer flange portion 24, and an undercut-shaped second engaged portion 24b is formed on the outer surface of the outer flange portion 24. The space surrounded by the outer wall 21, the inner wall 22 and the bottom 23 of the inner plug 20 is a storage chamber S for temporarily storing the contents.

[0019] The movable measuring section 30 is formed with an outer cylinder section 32, a middle cylinder section 33, and an inner cylinder section 34, which are concentrically arranged downward from the lower surface of a disk-shaped upper plate 31. The outer cylinder section 32 is formed at the outermost end of the upper plate 31, the middle cylinder section 33 is formed inside the outer cylinder section 32, and the inner cylinder section 34 is formed inside the middle cylinder section 33 and near the center of the upper plate 31. A plurality of arc-shaped discharge ports 35 (three in this embodiment) are intermittently formed at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction between the outer cylinder section 32 and the inner cylinder section 34 of the upper plate 31. A pair of protruding ribs 32a extending in the axial direction are formed at two positions (on both the left and right sides in FIG. 1) on the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder section 32 that are symmetrical with respect to the container axis O. Furthermore, a locking protrusion 34a that can be engaged with the spiral groove 28a of the support 28 is formed on the inner surface of the inner cylinder section 34. The space surrounded by the upper plate 31, the middle cylinder portion 33, and the inner cylinder portion 34 of the movable measuring portion 30 is a measuring chamber W in which the content P is measured.

[0020] The cap 40 is composed of a cap body 41 that is attached to the top of the container body 10, and a lid body 46 that covers the top of the cap body 41, and the lid body 46 is rotatably connected via a thin-walled hinge portion 49 that is connected to the cap body 41.

[0021] Cap body 41 is configured to have a top wall portion 42 and a peripheral wall suspended from this top wall portion 42, and in this embodiment, the peripheral wall is configured in a double-cylinder shape having a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 43 suspended from the outer circumferential end portion of top wall portion 42 and a cylindrical inner peripheral wall 44 suspended from the inner side thereof. A discharge port 45 consisting of a long hole is formed and opened in top wall portion 42 at a position opposite hinge portion 49 across container axis O (left side in the figure). An undercut-shaped second engaging portion 43a capable of engaging with the second engaged portion 24b of the inside plug portion 20 is formed at the lower end of the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 43. A pair of guide grooves 44a extending in the axial direction are formed at two axially symmetrical positions on the inner peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall 44. The convex ribs 32a formed on the movable measuring part 30 can be inserted into these guide grooves 44a, respectively, and in the inserted state, the movable measuring part 30 can be moved up and down in the vertical direction.

[0022] The lid body 46 has a sealing portion 47 hanging down from its inner surface in the form of an annular convex rib that fits into and seals the discharge port 45 of the cap body 41 when the lid body 46 is in the closed state, and also has an operating piece 48 protruding from a position opposite the hinge portion 49 (the right end position in Figure 1 (a)).

[0023] To assemble the variable metering dispensing container 1, first screw the inner tube portion 34 of the movable metering portion 30 into the cylindrical hole 27 of the inner plug portion 20, and then rotate the movable metering portion 30 to engage the locking protrusion 34a of the inner tube portion 34 with the spiral groove 28a of the support 28, thereby assembling the movable metering portion 30 to the upper part of the inner plug portion 20. Next, a pair of convex ribs 32a formed on the movable measuring part 30 are circumferentially aligned and inserted into a pair of guide grooves 44a of the cap body 41, thereby assembling the cap 40 onto the upper part of the movable measuring part 30. In this state, the second engaged part 24b and the second engaging part 43a are engaged with each other, and further the convex ribs 32a and the guide grooves 44a are engaged with each other in the circumferential direction. Finally, the inner plug portion 20, the movable measuring portion 30, and the cap 40, which are assembled together, are assembled to the mouth portion 12 of the container body 10. At this time, the mouth portion 12 is inserted between the outer wall portion 21 and the outer flange portion 24 of the inner plug portion 20, and the first engaged portion 12a of the mouth portion 12 is engaged with the first engaging portion 24a of the inner plug portion 20. In this state, the cap 40 is set around the mouth portion 12 of the container body 10 so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction. More specifically, the cap 40 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the inner plug portion 20 fixed to the mouth portion 12 of the container body 10.

[0024] Next, the function and effect of the variable amount dispensing container 1 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described. (Measuring and dispensing operation) First, a basic metering and dispensing operation of the variable metering and dispensing container 1 will be described. 2, before the start of any operation, including distribution, the variable metering dispensing container 1 is in an upright position, the lid 46 is set in a closed position, and the discharge port 45 is sealed and closed by the seal portion 47. In this state, the contents P are not discharged to the outside.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the variable metering dispensing container 1 is set from an upright position to an inverted position, and the contents P are collected inside the inner wall portion 22. Then, a portion of the contents P is moved to the measuring chamber W via multiple communicating holes 26 provided in the inner wall portion 22 and measured.

[0026] 4, the variable metering dispensing container 1 is returned to the upright position, and the measured contents P are moved from the measuring chamber W to the storage chamber S and temporarily stored therein. At this time, the excess contents P are returned to the container body 10 through the communication hole 26 and the inside of the inner wall portion 22.

[0027] Finally, by setting the lid body 46 to the open state as shown in Figure 5 and setting the variable metering dispensing container 1 to an inverted tilted position, the contents P after measurement can be discharged from the storage chamber S to the outside through the discharge outlet 35 and the discharge outlet 45.

[0028] (Variable operation of weighing chamber) Next, the variable operation of the measuring chamber W will be described. The first capacity state shown in FIG. 6 indicates a state in which the measuring chamber W can measure a capacity equivalent to, for example, one teaspoon, and the second capacity state shown in FIG. 7 indicates a state in which the measuring chamber W can measure a capacity greater than the first capacity state, for example, equivalent to 1 / 2 tablespoon.

[0029] In the variable metering dispensing container 1, when the cap 40 is rotated in a circumferential direction, the convex rib 32a and the guide groove 44a are engaged in the circumferential direction, so that the movable metering part 30 can be rotated together with the cap 40 in the same direction.

[0030] In Fig. 6, when the variable metering dispensing container 1 is in the first capacity state, when the cap 40 is rotated in one circumferential direction (the direction in which the capacity increases), the locking projection 34a of the movable metering part 30, which rotates together with the cap 40, is screwed by the spiral groove 28a formed in the support 28 of the inner plug part 20 fixed to the mouth part 12 of the container body 10. Therefore, the movable metering part 30 is guided in the axial direction by the convex rib 32a and the guide groove 44a and moves in a direction approaching the cap 40. That is, the measuring chamber W can be put in the second capacity state shown in Fig. 7. In the second capacity state, the capacity of the measuring chamber W is increased by the amount that the movable metering part 30 approaches the top wall part 42 of the cap body 41.

[0031] Also, in FIG. 7 where the variable metering dispensing container 1 is in the second capacity state, when the cap 40 is rotated in the other circumferential direction (the capacity reduction direction), the movable metering part 30 moves in a direction away from the cap 40 due to the same principle as described above, so that the metering chamber W can be returned to the first capacity state shown in FIG. 6. In this way, the locking projection 34a of the movable measuring part 30 and the spiral groove 28a of the inner plug part 20 function as an elevating mechanism Q that moves the movable measuring part 30 up and down.

[0032] In the variable amount dispensing container 1 of the present invention, by turning the cap 40, it is possible to change the volume of the measuring chamber W between a first volume state and a second volume state. Therefore, in the present invention, by performing the above-mentioned measuring and dispensing operation with the measuring chamber W set to the first volume state, it is possible to measure and dispense, for example, a volume equivalent to one teaspoon. Similarly, by performing the above-mentioned measuring and dispensing operation with the measuring chamber W set to the second volume state, it is possible to measure and dispense, for example, a volume equivalent to 1 / 2 a tablespoon.

[0033] In this way, in the above-mentioned variable metering dispensing container 1, when the cap 40 is turned, only the movable metering part 30 moves vertically inside, so that it is possible to minimize the impact on the external design of the variable metering dispensing container 1.

[0034] Although the configuration and the effects of the present invention have been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

[0035] For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the capacity of the measuring chamber W can be changed to two types, the first capacity state and the second capacity state, has been described, but by changing the number of rotations (rotation angle) of the cap 40 to adjust the distance that the movable measuring part 30 moves in the vertical direction, it is also possible to variably measure and discharge a plurality of other capacities.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the lifting mechanism Q is described in which the helical groove 28a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the support 28 and the locking protrusion 34a is formed on the inner surface of the inner cylinder 34 that engages with the helical groove 28a, but the lifting mechanism Q may be configured so that a locking protrusion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 34 and a helical groove is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical hole 27 that engages with the locking protrusion. Furthermore, one of the helical groove 28a and the locking protrusion 34a may be formed with a male thread and the other with a female thread.

[0037] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a convex rib 32a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube portion 32 that constitutes the movable measuring portion 30, and a guide groove 44a that guides the convex rib 32a is formed on the inner peripheral wall 44 of the cap body 41. However, a guide groove may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube portion 32 of the movable measuring portion 30, and a convex rib may be formed on the inner peripheral wall 44 of the cap body 41.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the peripheral wall of the cap body 41 is a double cylinder having an outer peripheral wall 43 and an inner peripheral wall 44, and a guide groove 44a is provided on the inner surface of the inner peripheral wall 44. However, the peripheral wall of the cap body 41 may have only the outer peripheral wall 43, and the guide groove 44a may be provided on the inner surface of the outer peripheral wall 43. [Industrial Applicability]

[0039] The present invention can expand the range of applications in the field of variable dose dispensing containers to a wider range. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1: Variable metering and dispensing container 10: Container body 11: Open end 12: Mouth 12a: First engaged part 13:Shoulder 14: Torso 15: Bottom wall 20: Inner plug 21: Exterior wall 22: Inner wall 23: Bottom 24: Outer flange 24a: First engaging part 24b: Second engaged part 25: Inner flange 26:Communication hole 27: Cylindrical hole 28: Strut 28a: Spiral groove 30: Movable measuring section 31: Top plate 32: Outer cylinder 32a: Convex rib 33: Middle cylinder part 34: Inner cylinder 34a: Locking protrusion 35: Outlet 40: Cap 41: Cap body 42:Top wall part 43:Outer wall 43a: second engagement portion 44:Inner peripheral wall 44a: Guide groove 45:Discharge port 46: Lid 47: Seal part 48: Operation piece 49: Hinge part O: Container axis P:Contents Q: Lifting mechanism S: Storage room W:Weighing room

Claims

1. A variable metering and dispensing container comprising: a container body (10) for accommodating a content (P); an inner plug portion (20) attached to a mouth portion (12) of the container body (10); a movable measuring portion (30) having a measuring chamber (W) for measuring the content (P); and a cap (40) having a discharge port (45) and rotatably provided with respect to the mouth portion (12), A variable metering dispensing container characterized in that a lifting mechanism (Q) is provided between the inner plug portion (20) and the movable metering portion (30), and when the cap (40) is rotated, the lifting mechanism (Q) moves the movable metering portion (30) in a direction toward or away from the cap (40), thereby varying the capacity of the metering chamber (W).

2. 2. A variable metering dispensing container as described in claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism (Q) is configured by engagement between a spiral groove (28a) formed on the outer peripheral surface of a support (28) erected on the middle plug portion (20) and a locking protrusion (34a) formed on the inner peripheral surface of an inner tube portion (34) suspended from the upper plate (31) of the movable metering portion (30). Variable metered dispense container.

3. 2. A variable metering dispensing container as described in claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism (Q) is configured by engagement between a spiral groove provided on the inner surface of a cylindrical hole (27) formed in the middle plug portion (20) and a locking protrusion formed on the outer surface of an inner tube portion (34) suspended from the upper plate (31) of the movable metering portion (30).

4. A variable metering dispensing container as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a convex rib (32a) is provided on one of the peripheral wall of the cap (40) and the outer tube portion (32) of the movable measuring portion (30) arranged opposite thereto, and a guide groove (44a) is formed on the other to guide the convex rib (32a) along the container axis (O) direction.

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