Tube container

Abstract

To provide a tube container allowed to cut off a content pressed out.SOLUTION: A tube container 1 comprises: a tube body 3 having a drum 10 and a circularly cylindrical mouth 20 provided above the drum 10; and a pawl member 5 arranged movably upward and downward inside the tube body 3. The mouth 20 has, in its inner peripheral surface, a guide portion 22 reducing in diameter as going upper. The pawl member 5 has: a radially elastically deformable diameter-reduced portion 50 that has an upper-end opening edge 51 allowed to abut against the guide portion 22 from below and is formed cylindrically to communicate between an upper-end opening of the mouth 20 and an interior of the drum 10; and an engagement portion 60 that is provided to engage with the drum 10 and to be pushed to move upward by the drum 10 deformed inward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tube container.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a tube container is used as a container for storing a cream-like or paste-like content. When the content extruded from the tube container has a relatively high viscosity, etc., it may not be separated by its own weight from the mouth of the tube container. In such a case, the user may try to separate the extruded content by pressing the mouth of the tube container against a saucer, skin, etc.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when separating the extruded content by pressing the mouth of the tube container against another object, the mouth of the tube container and the content remaining in the mouth may be contaminated. Therefore, the development of a tube container capable of separating the extruded content is desired.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides a tube container capable of separating the extruded content.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The tube container according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a tube body having a body portion and a cylindrical mouth portion provided above the body portion, and a claw member disposed inside the tube body so as to be movable up and down. The inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion has a guide portion whose diameter decreases upward. The claw member has an upper end opening edge that can contact the guide portion from below. The upper end opening of the mouth portion and the inside of the body portion are formed in a cylindrical shape that communicates with each other, and has a reduced-diameter portion that can be elastically deformed in the radial direction, and an engaging portion that is provided so as to be engageable with the body portion and moves upward by being pushed by the deformed body portion on the inside.

[0007] According to the first aspect, by pushing and deforming the body portion inward, the claw member moves upward. As the claw member moves upward, the upper end opening edge of the reduced-diameter portion moves upward along the guide portion of the inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion. Since the guide portion decreases in diameter upward, the upper end opening edge of the reduced-diameter portion is displaced radially inward, and the upper end portion of the reduced-diameter portion narrows. As a result, the content extruded from the tube container through the inside of the claw member is separated. Therefore, it is possible to provide a tube container capable of separating the extruded content.

[0008] The tube container according to the second aspect of the present invention is the tube container according to the first aspect, wherein the reduced-diameter portion may have a plurality of slits extending downward from the upper end opening edge and provided at intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0009] According to the second aspect, the reduced-diameter portion is formed in a comb-tooth shape. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily narrow the upper end portion of the reduced-diameter portion.

[0010] The tube container according to the third aspect of the present invention is the tube container according to the first aspect or the second aspect, wherein the engaging portion may have a sliding surface facing the outside in the radial direction and extending inward in the radial direction as it goes downward.

[0011] According to the third aspect, while deforming the body portion of the tube body inward, the sliding contact portion between the inner surface of the body portion and the surface to be slid is moved radially inward, so that the engaging portion is pushed upward by the inner surface of the body portion. As a result, it becomes possible to move the engaging portion upward by deforming the body portion inward, and a configuration having the above-described operational effects can be obtained.

[0012] The tube container according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is the tube container according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the body portion may have a bulging portion that surrounds the engaging portion and bulges outward in the radial direction.

[0013] According to the fourth aspect, when cutting off the content extruded from the tube container, the position where the user presses becomes clear in appearance. Therefore, a tube container with excellent usability can be obtained.

Effects of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a tube container capable of separating the extruded content.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the tube container 1 includes a tube body 3 for containing the contents, a claw member 5 disposed inside the tube body 3, and a lid 7 attached to the mouth portion 20 of the tube body 3. Examples of the contents include foods such as kneaded wasabi, and paste-like, cream-like or gel-like objects such as facial wash and cosmetics.

[0018] In the present embodiment, the central axis of the mouth portion 20 of the tube body 3 is referred to as the container axis O, and the direction along the container axis O is referred to as the vertical direction. The side of the mouth portion 20 of the tube body 3 in the vertical direction is referred to as the upper side, and the opposite side is referred to as the lower side. Further, in a plan view seen from the vertical direction, the direction intersecting the container axis O is referred to as the radial direction, and the direction of orbiting around the container axis O is referred to as the circumferential direction.

[0019] The tube body 3 has a body portion 10 and a cylindrical mouth portion 20 provided above the body portion 10, and is formed by integrally molding the body portion 10 and the mouth portion 20.

[0020] The body portion 10 is a member that is easily deformable and is formed of an elastically deformable resin. The body portion 10 is formed in a cylindrical shape. For example, the body portion 10 has a shape in which the lower end of a cylindrical member is flattened and crushed to be sealed. The body portion 10 includes a bulging portion 11 at an upper portion near the mouth portion 20. The bulging portion 11 bulges outward in the radial direction. The bulging portion 11 extends continuously over the entire circumferential direction. The outer peripheral surface of the bulging portion 11 is formed in a convex curved surface shape. The inner peripheral surface of the bulging portion 11 is formed in a concave curved surface shape.

[0021] The mouth portion 20 is continuously provided at the upper end of the body portion 10. The upper end opening of the mouth portion 20 is a discharge hole 20a through which the contents are discharged. The inside of the mouth portion 20 communicates directly with the inside of the body portion 10. The mouth portion 20 includes a discharge cylinder portion 21 provided at its upper end and a mounting cylinder portion 26 provided below the discharge cylinder portion 21.

[0022] The mounting cylinder portion 26 extends upward from the upper end of the barrel portion 10. A male thread is formed on the upper portion of the outer peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder portion 26. The lower portion of the outer peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder portion 26 extends vertically with a constant diameter and has an outer diameter larger than that of the male thread. The inner peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder portion 26 includes a large-diameter portion 27, a small-diameter portion 28, and a stepped portion 29. The large-diameter portion 27 extends upward with a constant diameter from the upper end of the inner surface of the barrel portion 10. The small-diameter portion 28 extends vertically with a constant diameter smaller than that of the large-diameter portion 27 above the large-diameter portion 27. The stepped portion 29 extends radially inward from the upper end edge of the large-diameter portion 27 and is connected to the lower end edge of the small-diameter portion 28. The stepped portion 29 faces downward and is an annular shape extending over the entire circumferential direction.

[0023] The discharge cylinder portion 21 extends upward from the upper end of the mounting cylinder portion 26. The discharge cylinder portion 21 has a discharge hole 20a. The discharge cylinder portion 21 is formed to taper upward. The inner peripheral surface of the discharge cylinder portion 21 includes a guide portion 22 whose diameter decreases upward. The guide portion 22 extends from the upper end edge of the small-diameter portion 28 on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder portion 26 toward the discharge hole 20a.

[0024] A locking convex portion 30 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tube body 3. The locking convex portion 30 is formed at the lower end portion of the mounting cylinder portion 26. The locking convex portion 30 projects radially inward from the lower end of the large-diameter portion 27 on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder portion 26. The locking convex portion 30 extends over the entire circumferential direction.

[0025] The lid body 7 is formed in a toped cylindrical shape coaxial with the mouth portion 20 and has a top wall 40 and a peripheral wall 41. The top wall 40 is arranged to cover the discharge hole 20a from above. An annular seal projection 42 centered on the container axis O projects downward from the lower surface of the top wall 40. The seal projection 42 is in close contact with the upper end opening edge of the discharge cylinder portion 21 over the entire circumference. The peripheral wall 41 surrounds the mouth portion 20 of the tube body 3 from the outside in the radial direction. A female thread that engages with the male thread of the mouth portion 20 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 41.

[0026] The claw member 5 is arranged inside the tube body 3 so as to be vertically movable. The claw member 5 is formed of a resin material. The claw member 5 includes a reduced-diameter portion 50 arranged inside the mouth portion 20, an engaging portion 60 arranged inside the body portion 10, and a connecting portion 70 connecting the reduced-diameter portion 50 and the engaging portion 60. These reduced-diameter portion 50, engaging portion 60, and connecting portion 70 are formed by integrally molding them.

[0027] The reduced-diameter portion 50 is formed in a cylindrical shape coaxial with the mouth portion 20, and communicates the discharge hole 20a of the mouth portion 20 with the inside of the body portion 10. The reduced-diameter portion 50 has an upper-end opening edge 51 that abuts against the guide portion 22 on the inner peripheral surface of the discharge cylinder portion 21 from below. However, the upper-end opening edge 51 may have a gap in the vertical direction with respect to the guide portion 22 and may be formed so as to abut against the guide portion 22 when the claw member 5 moves upward. The reduced-diameter portion 50 is elastically deformable in the radial direction so as to narrow its upper end portion. The reduced-diameter portion 50 has a plurality of slits 52 extending downward from the upper-end opening edge 51. The plurality of slits 52 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. Thereby, the reduced-diameter portion 50 is formed in a comb-tooth shape, and its upper end portion can be easily narrowed. In the illustrated example, no slit 52 is formed in the lower portion of the reduced-diameter portion 50. The lower portion of the reduced-diameter portion 50 can be inserted from below inside the small-diameter portion 28 on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder portion 26.

[0028] The engaging portion 60 is provided below the reduced-diameter portion 50. The engaging portion 60 is provided so as to be engageable with the body portion 10. The engaging portion 60 includes a cylindrical base portion 61 centered on the container axis O, and a slidable portion 62 projecting radially outward from the base portion 61. The base portion 61 is provided at a vertical interval with respect to the lower end of the reduced-diameter portion 50.

[0029] The slidable part 62 is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the base part 61. The slidable part 62 extends upward as it goes toward the outer side in the radial direction. A plurality of slidable parts 62 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. The surface of the slidable part 62 facing the outer side in the radial direction is a sliding surface 63 that slidably contacts the inner surface of the body part 10. The sliding surface 63 extends toward the inner side in the radial direction as it goes downward from the upper end of the slidable part 62. The sliding surface 63 is a convex curved surface that bulges downward and toward the outer side in the radial direction. The slidable part 62 is surrounded by the bulging part 11 of the tube body 3 over the entire circumference. The outer end of the slidable part 62 in the radial direction is located on the outer side in the radial direction from the upper end edge and the lower end edge of the bulging part 11. The upper end of the sliding surface 63 is located above the most radially outer position on the inner surface of the bulging part 11.

[0030] The connecting part 70 connects the lower end part of the reduced-diameter part 50 and the base part 61 of the engaging part 60. A plurality (four in this embodiment) of connecting parts 70 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The connecting part 70 includes a flange part 71 that extends toward the outer side in the radial direction from the lower end edge of the reduced-diameter part 50, a connecting plate part 72 that extends downward from the outer edge of the flange part 71 in the radial direction, and a locked convex part 73 that protrudes toward the outer side in the radial direction from the outer edge of the flange part 71 in the radial direction. The locked convex part 73 is locked from above by the locking convex part 30 of the tube body 3. By being locked to the locking convex part 30, the locked convex part 73 restricts the downward movement of the claw member 5 with respect to the tube body 3. The connecting plate part 72 is arranged with its front and back surfaces facing the radial direction. The connecting plate part 72 has a constant width in the circumferential direction and extends in the vertical direction.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 2, when the bulging portion 11 of the body portion 10 of the tube body 3 is deformed inward so as to be crushed with a finger, the inner surface of the bulging portion 11 comes into contact with the sliding surface 63 of the claw member 5. When the bulging portion 11 is further deformed so as to be crushed, the sliding surface 63 is pressed against the inner surface of the bulging portion 11, and the claw member 5 moves upward. The claw member 5 moves upward until the flange portion 71 reaches the rising end position where it abuts against the step portion 29 on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder portion 26 of the tube body 3. When the claw member 5 moves upward, the upper end opening edge 51 of the reduced diameter portion 50 slides on the guide portion 22 on the inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion 20 and is guided radially inward. The upper end portion of the reduced diameter portion 50 is reduced in diameter as the claw member 5 moves upward because the upper end opening edge 51 is guided radially inward by the guide portion 22, and tapers upward. At this time, the reduced diameter portion 50 presses the guide portion 22 upward and radially outward by its elastic restoring force, and is pressed downward and radially inward against the guide portion 22 by the reaction force from the guide portion 22. When the upper end portion of the reduced diameter portion 50 is reduced in diameter, the upper end opening of the claw member 5 becomes smaller in diameter than the discharge hole 20a.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 3, when squeezing out the content S from the tube container 1, the lid body 7 is removed from the mouth portion 20, and the body portion 10 is crushed. As a result, the content S of the volume-reduced tube body 3 is squeezed out from the discharge hole 20a through the inside of the reduced diameter portion 50 of the claw member 5. Then, the bulging portion 11 of the tube body 3 is crushed to move the claw member 5 upward, and the upper end portion of the reduced diameter portion 50 of the claw member 5 is narrowed, so that the content S that has passed through the reduced diameter portion 50 of the claw member 5 is separated. Then, when the grip on the tube body 3 is weakened, the reduced diameter portion 50 is pushed downward against the guide portion 22 by the reaction force of the elastic restoring force of the reduced diameter portion 50 that has been reduced in diameter, and the claw member 5 moves downward toward the descending end position shown in Fig. 1.

[0033] As described above, according to the tube container 1 of the present embodiment, by pushing and deforming the body portion 10 of the tube body 3 inward, the claw member 5 moves upward. As the claw member 5 moves upward, the upper end opening edge 51 of the diameter-reducing portion 50 of the claw member 5 moves upward along the guide portion 22 on the inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion 20 of the tube body 3. Since the guide portion 22 is reduced in diameter as it goes upward, the upper end opening edge 51 of the diameter-reducing portion 50 is displaced radially inward, and the upper end portion of the diameter-reducing portion 50 is narrowed. As a result, the content extruded from the tube container 1 through the inside of the claw member 5 is separated. Therefore, it is possible to provide the tube container 1 capable of separating the extruded content.

[0034] Since the diameter-reducing portion 50 extends downward from the upper end opening edge 51 and has a plurality of slits 52 provided at intervals in the circumferential direction, it is formed in a comb-like shape. Therefore, it is possible to easily narrow the upper end portion of the diameter-reducing portion 50.

[0035] The engaging portion 60 has a sliding surface 63 that faces radially outward and extends radially inward as it goes downward. According to this configuration, while deforming the body portion 10 of the tube body 3 inward, by moving the sliding contact portion between the inner surface of the body portion 10 and the sliding surface 63 radially inward, the engaging portion 60 is pushed upward by the inner surface of the body portion 10. As a result, it is possible to move the engaging portion 60 upward by deforming the body portion 10 inward, and a configuration having the above-described operational effects is obtained.

[0036] The body portion 10 has a bulging portion 11 that surrounds the engaging portion 60 and bulges radially outward. According to this configuration, when cutting off the content extruded from the tube container 1, the portion where the user presses becomes clear in appearance. Therefore, a tube container 1 with excellent usability is obtained.

[0037] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment described with reference to the drawings, and various modifications can be considered within its technical scope. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the body portion 10 of the tube body 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape, but the shape of the body portion is not particularly limited. For example, the body portion may have an elliptical or oval cross-sectional shape.

[0038] In the above-described embodiment, the body portion 10 of the tube body 3 has a bulging portion, but the body portion may not have a bulging portion. Further, the body portion may have a concave portion that is recessed inward in the radial direction, and in this case, the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion may be engageable with the engaging portion of the claw member.

[0039] In the above-described embodiment, a plurality of slits are formed in the reduced-diameter portion of the claw member, so that the reduced-diameter portion is formed in a comb-tooth shape, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the reduced-diameter portion may be formed in a cylindrical shape without slits. In this case, the reduced-diameter portion may be formed so as to narrow as the claw member moves upward so that wrinkles extending in the vertical direction are generated at the upper end portion.

[0040] In addition, within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately replace the components in the above-described embodiment with well-known components, and the above-described embodiment and each modification may be appropriately combined.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0041] 1... tube container 3... tube body 5... claw member 10... body portion 11... bulging portion 20... mouth portion 22... guide portion 50... reduced-diameter portion 51... upper end opening edge 52... slit 60... engaging portion 63... surface to be slid

Claims

1. A tube body having a body portion and a cylindrical mouth portion provided above the body portion, and a claw member disposed inside the tube body so as to be vertically movable. The inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion has a guide portion whose diameter decreases upward. The claw member has an upper end opening edge that can abut against the guide portion from below, is formed in a cylindrical shape that communicates the upper end opening of the mouth portion with the inside of the body portion, and has a diameter-reducing portion that is elastically deformable in the radial direction; and an engaging portion that is provided so as to be engageable with the body portion and moves upward when pushed by the body portion deformed inward. It has a tube container.

2. The diameter-reducing portion extends downward from the upper end opening edge and has a plurality of slits provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. The tube container according to Claim 1.

3. The engaging portion has a sliding surface that faces the outer side in the radial direction and extends inward in the radial direction as it goes downward. The tube container according to Claim 1.

4. The body portion has a bulging portion that surrounds the engaging portion and bulges outward in the radial direction. The tube container according to Claim 1 or Claim 3.

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