Eye drop spraying container having storage case

Abstract

To provide an eye drop spraying container having a storage case which allows an easy spraying of eye drop at a constant amount at all times.SOLUTION: An eye drop container 10 includes an ejection nozzle 14 attached to a port neck part 11a of a container body 11 via a cap 12, the eye drop container being configured to spray the content stored in the container body 11 through the ejection nozzle 14. A storage case 20 surrounding the ejection nozzle 14 with the cap 12 and the container body 11 is provided. The storage case 20 is provided with: an arm 22 for locking the ejection nozzle 14; and an elastic piece 23 that configures a part of the peripheral wall 21 of the storage case 20, and sprays the content in the container body 11 through the ejection nozzle 14 by engaging with a pair of inclined walls 12a1 formed at a position opposite to the outer peripheral wall 12a of the cap 12 and pressing the container body 11 toward the ejection nozzle 14 along with the cap 12, thereby driving a pump mechanism 13 assembled to the cap 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an eye drop spray container having a storage case. [Background technology]

[0002] There are spray-type eye drop containers that can spray the medicine stored in them from the tip of a nozzle toward the eye. Such eye drop containers are required to be easy to operate while maintaining an appropriate distance from the eye, but since the eye drop container must be held in the air while dropping, it may not be possible to properly pour the eye drops onto the eye.

[0003] For this reason, it has been proposed to provide a cover for an eye drop container as shown in the cited document 1, and to use the cover as an aid for applying eye drops by pressing it against the eye area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-159250 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The cover for an eye drop container in Patent Document 1 comprises a top wall portion having an opening for inserting a tubular portion connected to the container body of the eye drop container, and a leg wall portion extending from the top wall portion toward the container body.When using the cover, it is necessary to remove it from the container body and then reattach it to the tubular portion of the container body via the opening in an inverted position, which poses the problem that this operation is very time-consuming.

[0006] In addition, in Patent Document 1, when using the eye drops, the eye drops can be dispensed by holding the leg wall of the cover with one hand, pressing the tip of the leg wall against the eye area, and pressing the container body with the other hand. Therefore, the amount of eye drops dispensed is adjusted by the pressing force of the fingers, and there is a problem in that it is not possible to always dispense a constant amount of eye drops.

[0007] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to provide an eye drop spray container having a storage case that allows easy application of eye drops and that can always spray a constant amount of eye drops. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The eye drop spray container equipped with a storage case of the present invention, which has been developed to achieve the above object, An eye drop container having a discharge nozzle attached to a neck of a container body via a cap, the content stored in the container body being sprayed through the discharge nozzle, a storage case having a top opening exposing an upper surface of the discharge nozzle and a bottom opening exposing a bottom of the container body, the storage case surrounding the discharge nozzle together with the cap and the container body; an arm provided on an inner wall of the storage case for engaging the discharge nozzle with the storage case; The container body is characterized in that it is provided with an elastic piece that forms part of the peripheral wall of the storage case and is linked to a pair of inclined walls formed at opposing positions on the peripheral wall of the cap, and that by pushing the container body together with the cap toward the discharge nozzle, it drives a pump mechanism attached to the cap and ejects the contents in the container body from the discharge nozzle.

[0009] In addition, in the present invention, the elastic piece is characterized by having a plate-like body supported in an upright position at one end in a cutout opening formed in the peripheral wall of the storage case, and a pair of protrusions connected to the inner wall surface of the plate-like body and pressing the plate-like body toward the inside of the storage case, thereby linking it to a pair of inclined walls formed at opposing positions on the outer peripheral wall of the cap.

[0010] In the present invention, the storage case is characterized in that the top opening has a protruding piece that is pressed against the eye to maintain a constant distance between the discharge nozzle and the eyeball.

[0011] In the present invention, the storage case is characterized in that it has a lid that is pivotally held via a hinge, opens and closes the top opening, and is capable of pressing the elastic piece when the top opening is in an open position.

[0012] Furthermore, in the present invention, the elastic piece has a projection at a free end of the outer peripheral wall thereof, the projection being capable of coming into contact with the lid body held in an open position. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the eye drop spray container equipped with the storage case of the present invention, the elastic piece provided on a part of the peripheral wall of the storage case can be pushed in while engaging with the inclined wall provided on the outer peripheral wall of the cap attached to the mouth and neck part of the container body, and the cap can be pushed up together with the container body toward the discharge nozzle. This drives the pump mechanism attached to the cap, and the eye drops can be easily sprayed from the discharge nozzle. Moreover, the eye drops are discharged in the amount that the elastic piece is pushed in while engaging with the inclined wall, so that a constant amount can always be sprayed. Furthermore, the discharge nozzle does not move even if the elastic piece of the storage case is pressed, so that the eye drops can be sprayed to the desired position with good operability.

[0014] Furthermore, in the present invention, when the eye drops are ejected, the elastic piece is pressed in and a pair of protrusions on the inner wall surface of the elastic piece are moved along a pair of inclined walls provided at opposing positions on the outer peripheral wall of the cap, so that the eye drops can be ejected accurately to the desired location without the ejection nozzle (cap and container body) wobbling from side to side.

[0015] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a convex piece is provided at the top opening of the storage case, so that when in use, the tip of the convex piece is pressed against the eye while pressing the elastic piece, thereby enabling drops to be dispensed while maintaining a constant distance between the discharge nozzle and the eyeball.

[0016] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a lid body is attached to the storage case body via a hinge, and when the lid body is in the open position, it is brought into contact with a protrusion provided on the outer wall of the elastic piece, and by pressing the lid body in this state, the eye drops can be ejected easily and with good operability. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of an eye drop spray container with a storage case according to the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a front view, (d) is a right side view, and (e) is a cross-sectional view at position AA in (a) (only the storage case is shown in cross section). [Diagram 2] 2A and 2B are diagrams showing the eye drop spray container with storage case of FIG. 1 with the lid open, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a cross-sectional view at position BB (the internal structure of the pump mechanism is omitted). [Diagram 3] 1 is a cutaway schematic cross-sectional view of a storage case showing an eye drop spray container with a storage case according to the present invention in use; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows one embodiment of an eye drop spray container with a storage case according to the present invention, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a front view, (d) is a right side view, and (e) is a cross-sectional view at AA position in (a) (only the storage case is shown in cross section). Fig. 2 shows the eye drop spray container with a storage case in Fig. 1 with the lid open, where (a) is a plan view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view at BB position (the internal structure of the pump mechanism is omitted).

[0019] An eye drop spray container with a storage case 1 according to the present invention comprises an eye drop container 10 and a storage case 20 surrounding the eye drop container 10 as shown in the figure.

[0020] The eye drop container 10 comprises a container body 11 which contains the liquid content, i.e., eye drops, a cap 12 which is screwed onto the neck portion 11a of the container body 11, a pump mechanism 13 which is inserted through the centre of the cap 12 and suspended inside the neck portion 11a, and a discharge nozzle 14. The container body 11 can be manufactured using a material such as synthetic resin, but the material is not particularly limited. The pump mechanism 13 may be of a pressure accumulation type that ejects the liquid content when the pressure in the cylinder reaches a predetermined pressure, or of a direct pressure type that ejects the liquid content immediately when pressure is applied to the cylinder. In this embodiment, the cylindrical container body 11 is shown as an example, but the shape of the container body 11 can be changed as appropriate.

[0021] The cap 12 has a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 12a and a cylindrical inner peripheral wall 12b located inside the outer peripheral wall 12a. The outer peripheral wall 12a and the inner peripheral wall 12b are connected to each other via a connecting piece 12c at a substantially central position of the outer peripheral wall 12a in the direction of the container axis L, such that the inner wall of the outer peripheral wall 12a and the lower end of the inner peripheral wall 12b are connected to each other via a connecting piece 12c.

[0022] The outer wall 12a has a male thread 12d on its inner surface below the connecting piece 12c, and not only screws into the male thread 11b provided on the outer wall of the neck portion 11a of the container body 11, but is also removably attached to the container body 11 by undercut fitting.

[0023] The outer peripheral wall 12a is provided with a pair of inclined walls 12a1 consisting of convex portions on its outer peripheral surface. The pair of inclined walls 12a1 are provided at positions facing each other with respect to a vertical center line C passing through the center of the discharge nozzle 14 in the plan view of FIG. 2(a). The inclined walls 12a1 are formed so as to incline downward from the top to the bottom. In addition, the outer peripheral wall 12a is provided with a cutout portion 12a2 on the center line C in this embodiment for inserting an arm 22 of the storage case 20 described later.

[0024] An upper end of a cylinder 13a of a pump mechanism 13 (to be described later) is fitted and held inside the inner circumferential wall 12b, whereby the pump mechanism 13 is suspended and held inside the neck portion 11a.

[0025] The cap 12 can be manufactured using a material such as synthetic resin, but the material is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, the cylindrical cap 12 is shown as an example, but the shape of the cap 12 can be changed as appropriate.

[0026] The pump mechanism 13 includes a cylinder 13a, in which a hollow stem 13b, a check valve (not shown), a piston (not shown), and the like are assembled. A suction pipe 13c extending toward the bottom of the container body 11 is provided at the lower end of the cylinder 13a. The suction pipe 13c may be a bent pipe so that the contents in the container body 11 can be sucked up when the eye drop spray container with storage case 1 is used by tilting it, for example.

[0027] In such pump mechanism 13, when hollow stem 13b is pushed inward into cylinder 13a, the piston moves toward the bottom of cylinder 13a within cylinder 13a, and the pressure inside cylinder 13a rises accordingly, so that the eye drops in cylinder 13a can be ejected from discharge nozzle 14 via hollow stem 13b. When hollow stem 13b returns to its original position, the piston moves upward within cylinder 13a, and accordingly the inside of cylinder 13a is depressurized (negative pressure is created), so that the eye drops contained in container body 1 can be sucked into cylinder 13a through suction pipe 13c. In this embodiment, a pressure accumulation type pump mechanism 13 is shown as an example, but the pump mechanism 13 is not particularly limited; for example, an airless type pump mechanism may be used in which a vacuum is created inside the container body 11, and when the pressure inside the container body 11 is reduced as the contents are discharged, an inner plate provided at the bottom of the container body 11 is raised to push up the contents;

[0028] In the present invention, the container body 11 may be a delaminated container having a double structure consisting of an inner bag and an outer bag, and the inner bag may shrink as the content is discharged, thereby discharging the content.

[0029] The discharge nozzle 14 has an outer cylindrical portion 14a and an inner cylindrical portion 14b, and is attached to the cap 12 by fitting the lower inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 14a along the upper outer peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall 12b of the cap 12. The outer cylindrical portion 14a has a plurality of vertical ribs 14a1 on its lower inner peripheral surface, and the vertical ribs 14a1 engage with a plurality of vertical ribs 12b1 provided on the upper outer peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall 12b of the cap 12, so that the discharge nozzle 14 and the cap 12 are held slidable and unrotatable.

[0030] The hollow stem 13b protruding from the cylinder 13a is fitted and held inside the inner cylindrical portion 14b. Furthermore, a nozzle tip 14c is provided at the upper end of the outer cylindrical portion 14a and the inner cylindrical portion 14b to spray the eye drops that have flowed in through the hollow stem 13b to the outside.

[0031] The storage case 20 is a cylindrical body having a top opening 20a and a bottom opening 20b. In this embodiment, the storage case 20 has a peripheral wall 21 in which the right half is arc-shaped (arc portion 21a) and the left half is inverted U-shaped (angle portion 21b) in the plan view of Fig. 2(a) as an example, but the shape of the storage case 20 can be changed as appropriate. The storage case 20 can be manufactured using a material such as synthetic resin, but the material is not particularly limited.

[0032] The arcuate portion 21a is provided with an arm 22, which is made up of an arm body 22a supported at one end by the inner wall of the arcuate portion 21a and an annular body 22b connected to the arm body 22a. The arm 22 is for fixing and holding the eye drop container 10 in the storage case 20 via the discharge nozzle 14, and the lower part of the outer cylindrical portion 14a of the discharge nozzle 14 is fitted into the annular body 22b, and the two are fixed by undercut fitting or the like. In this embodiment, the discharge nozzle 14 and the storage case 20 are constructed as separate bodies, but the two may be molded as a single unit. In this case, the process of fitting the discharge nozzle 14 into the annular body 22b can be omitted, and since the discharge nozzle 14 is always positioned in an accurate position, the spray position of the eye drops can be stabilized.

[0033] As described below, when the lid body 30 is in an open position, the arc portion 21a forms a recessed arc portion 30b1 in the lower edge portion of the peripheral wall 30b, so that the center (upper end center) of the top opening 20a protrudes in an arc shape as shown in Figure 1(d).

[0034] 1(b), the rectangular portion 21b has a plate-like elastic piece 23 that is partially cut out and can be tilted toward the inside of the storage case 20 from a recess 23a provided at the bottom as a starting point. A protruding piece 25 that protrudes at a certain height from the tip of the discharge nozzle 14 when the eye drop container 10 is placed in the storage case 20 is provided at the top opening 20a above the elastic piece 23. Note that since the protruding piece 25 is pressed against the eye when the eye drop container 10 is used as described later, it is preferable to provide an R (radius) at the upper edge.

[0035] The elastic piece 23 is provided with a pair of projections 24 on its inner wall surface which project toward the inside of the storage case 20. The pair of projections 24 are provided so as to face a pair of inclined walls 12a1 provided on the outer peripheral wall 12a of the cap 12 when the eye drop container 10 is fixed and held in the storage case 20. The elastic piece 23 is provided with a projection 27 on its outer wall surface at its free end so as to extend over the entire width direction.

[0036] The storage case 20 is provided with a hinge 26 above the elastic piece 23, and the lid 30 is held to the storage case 20 so as to be able to swing via the hinge 26. The lid 30 is composed of a top wall 30a and a peripheral wall 30b, and can open and close the top opening 20a. The lower end of the peripheral wall 30b and the upper end of the top opening 20a (peripheral wall 21) may be engaged by undercut fitting or the like. By providing the lid 30 in this manner, it is possible to suppress adhesion of dust, dirt, etc. to the discharge nozzle 14, and also to prevent the eye drops from being discharged during transportation, handling, etc. The lid 30 may be integrally molded with the storage case 20 as a hinge cap. Furthermore, a hinge cap may be integrally molded with the lower end of the storage case 20 to enable the bottom opening 20b to be opened and closed.

[0037] Next, a method of using the eye drop spray container equipped with the storage case will be described. 3 is a cutaway schematic cross-sectional view of the storage case showing the use of the eye drop spray container with storage case according to the present invention. When using, the lid 30 is in the open position, and while pressing the convex piece 25 of the storage case 20 against the eye, the user places the fingers on the concave arc-shaped part 30b1 provided on the lower edge of the peripheral wall 30b of the lid 30 and presses the peripheral wall 30b toward the storage case 20. As a result, the outer surface of the peripheral wall 30b of the lid 30 abuts against the protrusion 27 provided on the free end of the elastic piece 23, and the free end of the elastic piece 23 tilts toward the inside of the storage case 20 in response to the pressing force of the fingers.

[0038] Accordingly, the pair of protrusions 24 provided on the elastic piece 23 move along the pair of inclined walls 12a1 while being in contact with the pair of inclined walls 12a1 provided on the cap 12 of the eye drop container 10. As a result, the cap 12 and the container body 11 move toward the discharge nozzle 14.

[0039] As the cap 12 and the container body 11 move, the pressure inside the cylinder 13a of the pump mechanism 13 increases, and the eye drops in the cylinder 13a are ejected from the nozzle tip 14c of the discharge nozzle 14 via the hollow stem 13b.

[0040] In this way, the eye drops are ejected only by the amount that the elastic piece 23 is pushed in while connecting with the inclined wall 12a1 of the cap 12 (until the connecting piece 12c of the cap 12 abuts against the lower end of the outer cylindrical portion 14a of the ejection nozzle 14), so that a constant amount of eye drops can always be ejected.

[0041] Furthermore, since the discharge nozzle 14 is fixed to the storage case 20 via the arm 22, it does not move when the eye drops are sprayed, and a pair of protrusions 24 on the inner wall surface of the elastic piece 23 each move along a pair of inclined walls 12a1 provided at opposing positions on the outer peripheral wall 12a of the cap 12, so that the discharge nozzle 14 (cap 12 and container body 11) does not wobble from side to side, and the eye drops can be sprayed to the desired location.

[0042] In addition, by pressing the open lid 30 with the fingers while pressing the convex piece 25 of the storage case 20 against the eye, the eye drops can be easily sprayed while maintaining a certain distance.

[0043] When the eye drops in the container body 11 run out, the cap 12 can be removed from the discharge nozzle 14 and the cap 12 and the container body 11 can be replaced, allowing the discharge nozzle 14 and the storage case 20 to be reused. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 Eye drop spray bottle 10 Eye dropper 11 Container body 11a Oral and cervical 11b Male thread 12 Cap 12a Outer wall 12a1 Slanted wall 12a2 Notch 12b Inner wall 12b1 vertical rib 12c connecting piece 12d female thread 13 Pump mechanism 13a Cylinder 13b hollow stem 13c Suction pipe 14 Discharge nozzle 14a Outer cylindrical part 14a1 vertical rib 14b Inner cylindrical part 14c Nozzle Tip 20 Storage Case 20a Top opening 20b Bottom opening 21 Peripheral wall 21a Arc section 21b Square section 22 Arm 22a Arm body 22b Cyclic body 23 Elastic piece 23a Recess 24 protrusions 25 Convex piece 26 Hinge 27 Protrusion 30 Lid 30a ceiling wall 30b Peripheral wall 30b1 Concave arcuate portion

Claims

1. An eye drop container having a discharge nozzle attached to a neck of a container body via a cap, the content stored in the container body being sprayed through the discharge nozzle, a storage case having a top opening exposing an upper surface of the discharge nozzle and a bottom opening exposing a bottom of the container body, the storage case surrounding the discharge nozzle together with the cap and the container body; an arm provided on an inner wall of the storage case for engaging the discharge nozzle with the storage case; an elastic piece that forms part of the peripheral wall of the storage case and is connected to a pair of inclined walls formed at opposing positions on the outer peripheral wall of the cap, and that drives a pump mechanism attached to the cap by pushing the container body together with the cap toward the discharge nozzle, thereby spraying the contents in the container body from the discharge nozzle.

2. 2. An eye drop spray container with a storage case as described in claim 1, characterized in that the elastic piece has a plate-like body that is cantilevered in an upright position in a cutout opening formed in the peripheral wall of the storage case, and a pair of protrusions that connect to the inner wall surface of the plate-like body and press the plate-like body toward the inside of the storage case, thereby linking it to a pair of inclined walls formed at opposing positions on the outer peripheral wall of the cap.

3. 3. An eye drop spray container with a storage case according to claim 1, wherein the storage case has a convex piece at the top opening that is pressed against the eye to maintain a constant distance between the discharge nozzle and the eyeball.

4. 3. An eye drop spray container equipped with a storage case as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the storage case has a lid body that is held swingably via a hinge, opens and closes the top opening, and is capable of pressing the elastic piece when the top opening is in the open position.

5. 5. The eye drop spray container with a storage case according to claim 4, wherein the elastic piece has a projection at a free end of an outer peripheral wall thereof capable of coming into contact with the lid body held in an open position.

Images