Refill cap

Abstract

To create a refill cap allowed to smoothly refill a content liquid while preventing the content liquid from leaking, dripping or bubbling when refilling.SOLUTION: A refill cap comprises: a spout member 10 that has a pour-out cylinder 14 to pour out a content liquid P from a refilling container 40 and is to be attached on a mouth 41 of the refilling container 40; and a coupling-aid member 20 that has a seal portion 28 to seal the pour-out cylinder 14 and a pour-in cylinder 25 to pour the content liquid P into a to-be-refilled container 50 and is to be coupled to the to-be-refilled container 50. The spout member 10 is to be assembled rotatably and vertically movably to the coupling-aid member 20. If the refilling container 40 is rotated in an unplugging direction, the refilling container 40 moves in a direction away from the to-be-refilled container 50 and the spout member 10 is released to form a liquid pathway L allowing the content liquid P to flow between the pour-out cylinder 14 and the pour-in cylinder 25 and an external-air introducing pathway D through which external air e is to be taken into the refilling container 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a refill cap. [Background technology]

[0002] The volume of the liquid contents of toilet cleaners, deodorants, etc. decreases over time, so when the remaining amount of liquid contents becomes low, the refilled container (the container to be refilled) is reused by transferring new contents from a refill container that is sold separately. In this case, it is known to use a refill cap attached to the refill container (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-159249 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with conventional refill caps, problems arose such as the contents leaking when the refill container was turned upside down and connected to the refilled container, dripping liquid staining the floor, or the contents foaming during refilling.

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the problems in the conventional technology described above by creating a refill cap that prevents problems such as leakage, dripping, or bubbling of the contents during the refilling process, thereby enabling the refilling process of the contents to be carried out smoothly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Among the means for solving the above problems, the first means of the present invention is A refill cap for refilling a liquid contained in a refill container into a refill container, a pouring member having a pouring tube for pouring the internal solution from the refill container and attached to the mouth of the refill container; a connecting auxiliary member having a sealing portion for sealing the pouring tube and an injection tube for injecting the content liquid into the refillable container, and capable of being connected to the refillable container; The spouting member is assembled to the connection auxiliary member so as to be rotatable and movable up and down, When the refill container is rotated in the opening direction, the refill container moves in a direction away from the refilled container, and the pouring member is opened to form a liquid path between the pouring tube and the injection tube for flowing the content liquid, and an outside air introduction path for drawing in outside air into the refill container. In the first aspect of the present invention, the sealing portion seals the injection tube until the refill container is turned in the opening direction, so that leakage or dripping of liquid from the injection tube can be suppressed. At the same time as the injection tube is opened, a liquid path and an outside air introduction path are formed, so that bubbling of the content liquid during the refilling operation can be suppressed, and the content liquid can be reliably transferred to the refilled container.

[0007] In addition, the second means of the present invention is the same as the first means, except that a regulating means is provided to allow rotation of the pouring member and regulate rotation of the connection auxiliary member when the refillable container is rotated while the refillable container is fixed. With the above-mentioned means, the pouring member can be moved in a direction away from the connection auxiliary member, so that the liquid path and the outside air introduction path can be reliably formed.

[0008] In addition, the third means of the present invention adds to the above-mentioned first or second means that the regulating means is configured so that a pair of fixed walls consisting of flat surfaces arranged opposite each other on both the left and right sides of the connecting auxiliary member sandwich a pair of side walls consisting of flat surfaces provided on the body of the refillable container. In the above-described means, the restricting means can have a simple structure.

[0009] The fourth aspect of the present invention is any of the above-mentioned aspects, further comprising a lower wall portion constituting the spouting member attached to the outer circumferential surface of the mouth of the refillable container, and an outer cylinder portion constituting the connection auxiliary member attached to the outer circumferential surface of the lower wall portion, The outside air introduction passage is formed by a first gap formed between the lower wall portion and the outer tube portion, a horizontal hole formed in the lower wall portion, an air vent groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion, and a second gap formed between the inner surface of an inner flange having a pouring tube in the center and arranged horizontally on the inner peripheral surface of the lower wall portion, and the upper end surface of the mouth portion. With the above-mentioned means, an outside air introduction passage can be formed between the mouth of the refill container, the pouring member, and the binding auxiliary member, making it possible to suppress foaming of the content liquid during the refilling operation.

[0010] The fifth aspect of the present invention is any of the above-mentioned aspects, further comprising the addition of an exhaust groove formed in the injection tube and the top wall on which the injection tube is provided, for pushing air from within the refillable container to the outside. The above-mentioned means makes it possible to push the air inside the refillable container to the outside, thereby making it possible to suppress foaming inside the refillable container during the refilling operation. Effect of the Invention

[0011] In the present invention, leakage, dripping, or foaming of the content liquid during the refilling operation is suppressed, and the refilling operation of the content liquid can be carried out smoothly. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a half cross-sectional view showing a refill container equipped with a refill cap of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a closed state immediately after the refill container is connected to the refilled container via the refill cap. [Diagram 3] 3A is a partially enlarged view of part IIIa in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a partially enlarged view of part IIIb in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2, showing a transition from a closed state to an open state. [Figure 6] 6A is a partial enlarged view of a portion VIa in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6B is a partial enlarged view of a portion VIb in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the refill cap of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 is a half cross-sectional view showing a refillable container equipped with the refillable cap of the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the closed state immediately after the refillable container is connected to the refilled container via the refillable cap, Figure 3(a) is a partially enlarged view of part IIIa in Figure 2, Figure 3(b) is a partially enlarged view of part IIIb in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a bottom view of the connection auxiliary member, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 2, transitioning from a closed state to an open state, Figure 6(a) is a partially enlarged view of part VIa in Figure 5, and Figure 6(b) is a partially enlarged view of part VIb in Figure 5. In the following description, the direction along the cap axis O passing through the center of the refill cap 1 will be referred to as the axial direction, the up-down direction, or the height direction, the direction perpendicular to the cap axis O will be referred to as the radial direction, and the direction going around the cap axis O will be referred to as the circumferential direction. One of the circumferential directions will be referred to as the opening direction, and the other will be referred to as the closing direction.

[0014] The refill cap 1 of the present invention is a component used when transferring new content liquid P from the refill container 40 to the refill container 50 (see Figures 2 and 5) containing content liquid P such as a toilet cleaning agent or a deodorant when the volume inside the refill container 50 decreases. As shown in Figure 1, the refill cap 1 is mainly composed of a pouring member 10 that is attached to the mouth 41 of a refill container 40 that contains the refill content liquid P, and a connection auxiliary member 20 that assists in connecting the refill container 50, and further has an overcap 30 that covers these, all of which are formed as molded products made of synthetic resin.

[0015] The dispensing member 10 is integrally formed with a cylindrical lower wall portion 11 which is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the lower side so as to be able to fit into the mouth 41 of the refill container 40, an inner flange 12 which is horizontally connected to the upper end of the lower wall portion 11, a cylindrical upper wall portion 13 which has a female thread 13a on its outer circumferential surface and is erected on the outer circumferential end of the inner flange 12, and a cylindrical dispensing tube 14 which is erected upwardly with a reduced diameter on the inner circumferential end of the inner flange 12.

[0016] A plurality of horizontal holes 15 penetrating in the radial direction are formed in the lower wall portion 11 at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction, and an engaging protrusion 11a that engages with an engaged protrusion 41b provided around the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion 41 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the lower wall portion 11 below the horizontal holes 15. Furthermore, a plurality of anti-rotation protruding ribs 11b are formed at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction on the inner circumferential surface of the lower wall portion 11 below the engaging protrusion 11a, and an annular protrusion 11c is provided around the outer circumferential surface of the lower wall portion 11 in the vicinity of the horizontal holes 15.

[0017] The connecting auxiliary member 20 is integrally formed with an outer tube portion 21 having a male thread 21a formed on its inner surface which screws into the female thread 13a of the pouring member 10, a top wall 22 connected horizontally to the upper end of the outer tube portion 21, a pair of fixed walls 23 consisting of flat surfaces arranged opposite each other on both the left and right sides of the top wall 22, a connecting tube 24 suspended from the center of the lower side of the top wall 22 and having the pouring tube 14 arranged inside it, an injection tube 25 erected from the center of the upper side of the top wall 22 and connected to the connecting tube 24, a communicating hole 26 formed in the center of the top wall 22 and inside the connecting tube 24 and the injection tube 25, and penetrating the top wall 22 in the vertical direction, and a cap-shaped sealing portion 28 connected to the center of a plurality of bridges 27 arranged radially within the communicating hole 26.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, a locking projection 21b is provided around the outer circumferential surface of the outer tube portion 21, and a sealing projection 21c is provided around the inner circumferential surface of the outer tube portion 21. A dimension f (see Figs. 2 and 4) between the pair of fixing walls 23 is set to be the same as the dimension of a pair of side walls 54A of the refillable container 50 described later.

[0019] As shown in Figures 2 and 3(a), a plurality of exhaust grooves 29 are formed in the outer peripheral surface of the injection tube 25 and the lower surface of the top wall 22 (the upper surface when in the upright position) and connect the two, so that the air inside the refillable container 50 can be pushed out to the outside through these multiple exhaust grooves 29.

[0020] 1, the overcap 30 is a cylindrical member with a top, in which a cylindrical peripheral wall 32 is provided hanging down from the outer circumferential end of a cylindrical top wall 31, and a locking protrusion (not shown) capable of locking with the locking protrusion 21b (see FIG. 2) of the auxiliary connection member 20 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the peripheral wall 32. The overcap 30 is attached to the upper part of the auxiliary connection member 20 by the locking protrusion (not shown) locking with the locking protrusion 21b.

[0021] The refill container 40 is a bottomed cylindrical container in which a body 43 is connected to the lower end of a mouth 41 via an enlarged shoulder 42, and a bottom 44 is provided at the lower end of the body 43. A plurality of convex parts 41a that engage with the convex rib 11b of the pouring member 10 are formed at a lower position on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth 41 at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction, an undercut-shaped engaged convex part 41b is formed at an intermediate position, and a plurality of ventilation grooves 41c consisting of vertical grooves are formed at a predetermined circumferential interval in the upper position. The ventilation grooves 41c may be formed in a ring shape on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth 41.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2, the refillable container 50 is a bottomed, cylindrical container having a body 54 with a pair of side walls 54A consisting of flat surfaces facing each other in parallel and having a predetermined dimension f, and a nozzle portion 51 is erected from the upper part of the body 54 via a shoulder portion 53.

[0023] Here, it is preferable that the mouth 51 of the refillable container 50 is provided with a tapered portion 56 that is gradually tapered downward toward the inside. As shown in Fig. 2, the tapered portion 56 may be provided on an inner plug 55 that is attached to the mouth 51, or the tapered portion 56 may be directly formed on the inner peripheral surface of the mouth 51.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 1, the refill cap 1 is attached to a refill container 40 filled with the liquid content P by first assembling the pouring member 10 on the connecting auxiliary member 20 by screwing the female screw 13a and the male screw 21a, and then engaging the engaging protrusion 11a of the pouring member 10 with the engaged protrusion 41b of the mouth 41. At this time, the pouring member 10 is attached to a refill container 40 filled with the liquid content P by engaging the protruding rib 11b and the protrusion 41a in the circumferential direction, so that when the refill container 40 is rotated in the circumferential direction, the pouring member 10 rotates together with the refill container 40. At this time, since the female screw 13a and the male screw 21a are screwed together, the connecting auxiliary member 20 and the pouring member 10 can be moved up and down relative to each other by the screw feed action. Then, the refill container 40 is placed in a distribution state after the refill cap 1 is fitted with the overcap 30.

[0025] In this state, the seal portion 28 of the connection auxiliary member 20 is tightly fitted into the end portion 14a of the pouring tube 14 of the pouring member 10, and the pouring tube 14 is in a sealed state. The pouring tube 14 is also inserted in a state where it is tightly fitted into the inner peripheral surface of the connecting tube 24. This makes it possible to prevent leakage or dripping of the content liquid P in the upright position. Furthermore, when in the upright position, the lower end of the connecting auxiliary member 20 is in annular contact with the shoulder portion 42 of the refill container 40, and this configuration also makes it possible to prevent leakage or dripping of the contents P from near the shoulder portion 42 of the refill container 40.

[0026] Next, the effect of the refill cap having the above-mentioned structure will be described with respect to a refilling operation using a refill container equipped with a refill cap. To perform a refilling operation, first, the overcap 30 is pulled upward to reveal the refill cap 1 at the top of the refill container 40. 2, the refillable container 40 equipped with the refillable cap 1 is placed in an inverted position, and the pair of side walls 54A of the refillable container 50 are aligned in the circumferential direction so that they face each other on the pair of fixed walls 23 erected on the auxiliary connection member 20. The pair of flat side walls 54A of the refillable container 50 is then sandwiched between the pair of flat fixed walls 23 on the auxiliary connection member 20 side, and the refillable container 40 is then pushed downward while the injection tube 25 is inserted into the nozzle 51, and the injection tube 25 is then inserted into the reduced diameter portion 56 (initial set state).

[0027] In this initial set state, as shown in Fig. 3(a), the seal portion 28 of the connection auxiliary member 20 fits into the dispensing tube 14 of the dispensing member 10, and the refill container 40 is in a closed state. In this closed state, it is possible to prevent leakage of the content liquid P from the refill container 40 even when the refill container 40 is in an inverted position.

[0028] 3(b), at a position above the horizontal hole 15 formed in the lower wall 11 of the spouting member 10, the sealing projection 21c formed on the inner peripheral surface of the auxiliary connection member 20 abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the lower wall 11, and at a position below the horizontal hole 15, the annular projection 11c formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lower wall 11 abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 21 of the auxiliary connection member 20, and further, the engaging projection 11a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lower wall 11 abuts against the engaged projection 41b formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth 41. This restricts the inflow and outflow of air e, and further makes it possible to prevent liquid leakage at the connection portion between the refill cap 1 and the mouth 41.

[0029] Next, while holding and fixing the refillable container 50 with one hand, rotate the refillable container 40 and the refillable cap 1 about half a turn (about 180 degrees) in the opening direction (one circumferential direction) with the other hand. Here, the pair of flat side walls 54A of the refillable container 40 are sandwiched and integrated between the pair of flat fixed walls 23 of the connecting auxiliary member 20 constituting the refillable cap 1. Therefore, when the refillable container 40 is rotated with the refillable container 50 fixed, the rotation of the connecting auxiliary member 20 is restricted, but the rotation of the pouring member 10 is permitted. As a result, the pouring member 10 is screwed upward relative to the connecting auxiliary member 20 as shown in FIG. 5, so that the pouring member 10 can be moved upward in a direction away from the refillable container 40 relative to the refillable container 50. In this way, the pair of flat fixed walls 23 on the connecting auxiliary member 20 side and the pair of flat side walls 54A on the refillable container 40 side that constitute the refillable cap 1 constitute a regulating means that allows only the rotation of the connecting auxiliary member 20 when the refillable container 40 is rotated, and fixes the connecting auxiliary member 20 to the refillable container 50 to regulate its rotation.

[0030] When the refill container 40 rises, as shown in Figures 5 and 6(a), the end 14a of the pouring tube 14 moves upward along the axial direction away from the seal portion 28, opening the pouring tube 14 (open state), and a liquid path L passing through the connecting tube 24 and the communication hole 26 can be formed between the pouring tube 14 and the injection tube 25. The content liquid P flows through this liquid path L, so that the content liquid P in the refill container 40 can be refilled into the refilled container 50. At the same time, the air e in the refilled container 50 is pushed out through the multiple exhaust grooves 29.

[0031] 5 and 6(b), the outer cylinder 21 on the connection auxiliary member 20 side does not move, and only the lower wall 11 on the pouring member 10 side moves upward. The sealing projection 21c moves relatively downward from the horizontal hole 15 and abuts against the annular projection 11c formed on the outer circumferential surface of the lower wall 11, so that the horizontal hole 15 can be opened. At this time, an outside air introduction path D is formed between the inside and outside of the refill container 40, and is composed of the first gap S1 formed between the lower wall 11 and the outer cylinder 21, the horizontal hole 15, the ventilation groove 41c, and the second gap S2 formed between the inner surface of the inner flange 12 and the upper end surface of the mouth 41, and it becomes possible to take in outside air e into the refill container 40 through the outside air introduction path D.

[0032] In this way, air e can be properly replaced both on the refill container 40 side by the exhaust groove 29 and on the refilled container 50 side by the outside air introduction path D, so that the occurrence of foaming can be suppressed and the refilling operation of the content liquid P can be carried out smoothly.

[0033] After the refilling of the liquid content P is completed, the refill container 40 and the refill cap 1 are rotated about half a turn (about 180 degrees) in the plugging direction (the other circumferential direction) while the refilled container 50 is fixed, to return them to the initial set state. Then, in the opposite manner to the above operation, the refill container 40 descends along the axial direction and approaches the refilled container 50, and the seal portion 28 fits into the end portion 14a of the pouring tube 14, so that the liquid path L and the outside air introduction path D can be closed (closed state, see FIG. 2). Then, the refill container 40 is separated and removed from the refilled container 50, and then returned to an upright position, completing the refilling operation.

[0034] When using the refill cap 1 of the present invention in this manner, the refill container 40 and the refill cap 1 are turned in the opening direction, the pouring tube 14 is opened to form the liquid path L and the outside air introduction path D, and then the content liquid P can be refilled, thereby suppressing dripping, leakage, or foaming before and during the refilling operation. In addition, the refill container 40 and the refilled container 50 can be separated when the refilling operation is completed after the refill container 40 and the refill cap 1 are turned in the closing direction to close the liquid path L and the outside air introduction path D, which makes it possible to prevent dripping or leakage from the refill container 40 and the refill cap 1.

[0035] 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.

[0036] For example, in the above embodiment, a configuration was shown and described in which a pair of flat side walls 54A of the refillable container 50 are sandwiched between a pair of flat fixed walls 23 provided on the connecting auxiliary member 20 as a regulating means for fixing the connecting auxiliary member 20 to the refillable container 50 and regulating its rotation when the refillable container 40 is rotated.However, a locking portion is provided on one of the connecting auxiliary member 20 and the refillable container 50, and a locked portion is provided on the other, and these lock together to regulate the rotation of the connecting auxiliary member 20.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the refillable container 40 and the refillable container 50 are described as being made of synthetic resin, but these may also be containers made of other materials, such as glass, metal, ceramic, wood, etc. [Industrial Applicability]

[0038] The present invention can expand the range of applications in the field of refill caps to a wider range. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1: Refill cap 10: Dispensing member 11: Lower wall part 11a: Engagement protrusion 11b: Convex rib 11c: Annular protrusion 12: Inner flange 13: Upper wall 13a: Female thread 14: Pour tube 14a: End 15: Horizontal hole 20: Connection auxiliary parts 21: Outer cylinder 21a: Male thread 21b:Locked convex part 21c: Sealing projection 22: Top wall 23:Fixed wall 24: Connecting tube 25: Injection tube 26:Communication hole 27: Bridge 28: Seal part 29: Exhaust ditch 30: Overcap 31: Ceiling wall 32: Peripheral wall 40: Refill container 41: Mouth 41a: Convex part 41b: Engaged convex part 41c: Ventilation groove 42:Shoulder 43: Torso 44: Bottom 50: Refillable container 51: Mouth tube part 53:Shoulder 54: Torso 54A: Side wall 55: Inner stopper 56: Reduced diameter part D: Outside air intake L:Liquid path O: Cap shaft P: Content liquid S1: First gap S2: Second gap e: Air f: Dimension

Claims

1. A refill cap for refilling an internal solution (P) contained in a refill container (40) into a refillable container (50), comprising: a pouring member (10) having a pouring tube (14) for pouring the internal solution (P) from the refill container (40) and attached to a mouth portion (41) of the refill container (40); a connecting auxiliary member (20) having a seal portion (28) for sealing the pouring tube (14) and an injection tube (25) for injecting the internal solution (P) into the refillable container (50), and capable of being connected to the refillable container (50); The pouring member (10) is assembled to the connecting auxiliary member (20) so as to be rotatable and movable up and down, This refill cap is characterized in that, when the refill container (40) is rotated in the opening direction, the refill container (40) moves in a direction away from the refilled container (50), the pouring member (10) is opened, and a liquid path (L) for flowing the internal solution (P) between the pouring tube (14) and the injection tube (25) and an outside air introduction path (D) for taking in outside air (e) into the refill container (40) are formed.

2. A refill cap as described in claim 1, further comprising a restricting means for permitting rotation of the pouring member (10) and restricting rotation of the connecting auxiliary member (20) when the refill container (40) is rotated with the refillable container (50) fixed.

3. The refill cap of claim 2, wherein the regulating means is configured such that a pair of fixed walls (23) consisting of flat surfaces arranged opposite each other on both the left and right sides of the connecting auxiliary member (20) clamp a pair of side walls (54A) consisting of flat surfaces provided on the body portion (54) of the refillable container (50).

4. A lower wall portion (11) constituting the pouring member (10) is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion (41) of the refill container (40), and an outer cylinder portion (21) constituting the connecting auxiliary member (20) is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the lower wall portion (11); The refill cap according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the outside air introduction passage (D) is formed by a first gap (S1) formed between the lower wall portion (11) and the outer tube portion (21), a horizontal hole (15) formed in the lower wall portion (11), an air vent groove (41c) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion (41), and a second gap (S2) formed between the inner surface of an inner flange (12) having a pouring tube (14) in its center and arranged horizontally on the inner peripheral surface of the lower wall portion (11) and the upper end surface of the mouth portion (41).

5. A refill cap as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an exhaust groove (29) for pushing air inside the refillable container (50) to the outside is formed in the injection tube (25) and the top wall (22) on which the injection tube (25) is provided.

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