Tablet container

Abstract

To provide a tablet container which can be operated with one hand and has a lock function for a take-out port.SOLUTION: A tablet container comprises: a storage body 20 having a take-out port M to a lateral side; and a cover body 2 to which a lower half 20a of the storage body 20 is connected so as to be tiltable forward of the storage body 20. The cover body 2 covers and closes the take-out port M when the storage body 20 is in an upright posture, and the take-out port M is opened when the storage body 20 is tilted from the upright posture to a forward inclined posture. The storage body 20 is assembled to the cover body 2 so as to be raised and lowered between an upper height and a lower height, and a locking part 44 which is locked to a receiving part 12 arranged on the cover body 2 when the storage body 20 is in the upper height and restricts forward tilting is provided on an upper part of the storage body 20. The storage body 20 has a pressing part 48 for pressing down and forward tilting operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] As this type of container, there is known one in which a case body for storing tablets having a side outlet is connected via a hinge to a lid body that closes the outlet (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the container of Patent Document 1, when carried, the outlet may accidentally open if an object hits the operation part (finger - hanging part) attached to the lid body.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a tablet container that can be operated with one hand and has a locking function for the outlet.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The first means includes a storage body 20 that stores tablets and has a side outlet M, and a cover body 2 in which the lower half 20a of the storage body 20 is connected so as to be tiltable forward with respect to the storage body 20, and the cover body 2 is provided so as to cover and close at least the outlet M in the upright posture of the storage body 20, and in the tablet container in which the outlet M is opened when the storage body 20 is tilted from the upright posture to a forward - inclined posture. The storage body 20 is assembled to the cover body 2 so as to be movable up and down between an upper height and a lower height, and a locking portion 44 is provided at the upper portion of the storage body 20, which is locked to the receiving portion 12 provided on the cover body 2 when the storage body 20 is at the upper height, and restrains forward tilting. The storage body 20 has a pressing portion 48 for pressing down and forward tilting operations, and is configured such that the locking of the locking portion 44 can be released by operating the pressing portion 48.

[0007] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, this means connects the lower half 20a of the storage body 20 having a side extraction opening M to the cover body 2 that covers and closes the extraction opening M. As shown in FIG. 2(B), by tilting the storage body 20 forward, the extraction opening M is opened, and relates to a tablet container. The storage body 20 is assembled to the cover body 2 so as to be movable up and down. A locking portion 44 is provided at the upper portion of the storage body 20, which is locked to the receiving portion 12 provided on the cover body 2 when the storage body 20 is at the upper height, and restrains forward tilting. The storage body 20 has a pressing portion 48 for pressing down and forward tilting operations. According to this structure, since opening the extraction opening M requires a two-step operation of pressing down and pushing forward, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience of the extraction opening accidentally opening, and by pushing forward after pressing down the pressing portion 48 with one finger of the hand holding the container, it is possible to operate with one hand. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the unintentional opening of the extraction opening (including misoperation) while improving the usability.

[0008] The second means has the first means, and on one of the opposing surfaces of the lower half 20a of the storage body 20 and the cover body 2, a rotation shaft 28 oriented laterally is formed, and on the other surface, a shaft hole 10 in which the rotation shaft 28 is loosely fitted so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction is formed.

[0009] In this means, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the lower half 20a of the storage body 20 is connected to the cover body 2 via a rotation shaft 28. Specifically, a rotation shaft 28 oriented laterally is formed on one of the opposing surfaces of the lower half 20a of the storage body 20 and the cover body 2, and a shaft hole 10 in which the rotation shaft 28 is loosely fitted so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction is formed on the other surface. According to this structure, two types of operations, namely, raising and lowering and tilting of the storage body 20, can be realized with a configuration as simple as that of the pivoting mechanism of an existing tablet container.

[0010] The third means has the first means or the second means, and a main spring portion C1 is projectingly provided for abutting against a main abutting portion e1 provided on the other side from a main fulcrum portion f1 disposed on one of the storage body 20 or the cover body 2. This main spring portion C1 is formed to return the storage body 20 to the upright posture by deforming along the main abutting portion e1 when the storage body 20 tilts from the upright posture by the tilting operation of the pressing portion 48 and restoring to the shape before deformation by releasing the pressing portion 48.

[0011] In this means, as shown in FIG. 2(B), a main spring portion C1 for returning the storage body 20 tilted forward to the upright posture is proposed (see FIGS. 1 and 4). Specifically, the aforementioned main spring portion C1 that abuts against the main abutting portion e1 provided on the other side from the main fulcrum portion f1 disposed on one of the storage body 20 or the cover body 2 is projectingly provided. This main spring portion C1 deforms along the main abutting portion e1 when the storage body 20 tilts from the upright posture by the tilting operation of the pressing portion 48, and restores to the shape before deformation by releasing the pressing portion 48, thereby returning the storage body 20 to the upright posture. According to this structure, the return operation of the storage body 20 after tilting can be made smooth.

[0012] The fourth means has the third means, and in the upright posture of the storage body 20, a flexible piece 54 vertically provided from the upper half 20b of the storage body 20 is placed on an inclined receiving surface j formed on the cover body 2. By depressing the storage body 20, the flexible piece 54 slides downward on the inclined receiving surface j, and when the depression is released, the flexible piece 54 slides upward on the inclined receiving surface j and returns to its original position.

[0013] In this means, as shown in Fig. 2(A), a flexible piece 54 and an inclined receiving surface j for returning the storage body 20, which has been lowered to a lower height by depressing the pressing portion 48, to an upper height are proposed (see Fig. 1). Specifically, in the upright posture of the storage body 20, the flexible piece 54 vertically provided from the upper half 20b of the storage body 20 is placed on the inclined receiving surface j formed on the cover body 2. By depressing the storage body 20, the flexible piece 54 slides downward on the inclined receiving surface j, and when the depression is released, the flexible piece 54 slides upward on the inclined receiving surface j and returns to its original position. According to this structure, the return operation of the storage body 20 after descending can be made smoothly flexible.

[0014] The fifth means has the third means, and a sub-spring portion C2 is protrudingly provided for abutting against a sub-abutting portion e2 provided on the other side from a sub-pivot portion f2 disposed on one of the storage body 20 or the cover body 2. This sub-spring portion C2 is deformed by being pressed against the sub-abutting portion e2 when the storage body 20 descends from the upper height to the lower height by the depressing operation of the pressing portion 48, and is formed to return the storage body 20 to the upper height when the pressing portion 48 is released.

[0015] In this means, as shown in Fig. 4(A), a sub-spring portion C2 for returning the storage body 20, which has been lowered to a lower height by depressing the pressing portion 48, to an upper height is proposed (see Fig. 4). Specifically, the sub-spring portion C2 that abuts against the sub-abutting portion e2 provided on the other side from the sub-support point portion f2 disposed on one of the storage body 20 or the cover body 2 is provided protruding. When the storage body 20 descends from the upper height to the lower height by the pressing operation of the pressing portion 48, the sub-spring portion C2 is pressed against the sub-abutting portion e2 and deformed, and when the pressing portion 48 is released, the storage body 20 is formed to return to the upper height. According to this structure, the return operation of the storage body 20 after tilting can be made smooth.

Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, in a tablet container that can be operated with one hand, a lock function for preventing accidental opening of the outlet can be realized.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Figures 1 to 3 show a tablet container according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This tablet container is composed of a cover body 2 and a storage body 20. These members can be formed of, for example, a synthetic resin material. The tablet container of the present embodiment is formed in a flat shape that is narrow in the left-right direction and vertically long. However, its shape can be changed as appropriate. In this specification, for convenience of explanation, the right side of FIG. 1(A) is referred to as "rear", the left side as "front", and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface as "left and right". Also, when referring to "side", unless otherwise specified, it refers to the left-right direction.

[0019] The cover body 2 is a member that covers at least the take-out port M of the storage body 20 described later. The cover body 2 of the present embodiment has a cover base A that covers the lower half 20a of the storage body 20 and is connected to the lower half as shown in FIG. 1(B). In the present embodiment, the portion between the two two-dot chain lines shown in FIG. 1(A) is the cover base A. Also in the present embodiment, the portion of the storage body 20 below the upper two-dot chain line is referred to as the lower half 20a, and the portion above the two-dot chain line is referred to as the upper half 20b. Further, the take-out port M of the storage body 20 described later is configured to be covered and closed by a closing portion B (the upper half of the second side wall 8B described later in the illustrated example) erected from the cover base A. The cover body 2 of the present embodiment is composed of a bottom wall 4, a front wall 6 and a rear wall 14 that stand up from both the front and rear sides of the bottom wall 4, and a pair of left and right side walls 8A and 8B that are continuously provided on these bottom wall, front wall, and rear wall as shown in FIG. 3(B). Of these two side walls, the side wall on the back side in FIG. 1 (hereinafter referred to as the "first side wall") 8A has the storage body 20 pivotally attached via a rotation shaft 28 described later. A through shaft hole 10 for pivotally attaching the rotation shaft 28 described later is formed in the lower half of the first side wall 8A as shown in FIG. 3(B). In the illustrated example, among the front wall 6, the rear wall 14, and the left and right side walls 8A and 8B, the rear wall 14 is formed as a low-back portion, and the front wall and the side walls 8A and 8B are formed as high-back portions, respectively. The lower halves of these front wall 6 and side walls 8A and 8B (the portions at the same height as the rear wall 14), the rear wall 14, and the bottom wall 4 form a cover base A that surrounds the lower half 20a of the storage body 20. Also, the side wall (hereinafter referred to as the "second side wall") 8B on the front side of FIG. 1 is a closing side wall that entirely covers and closes the opening O of the storage body 20 described later.

[0020] In the illustrated example, the bottom wall 4 is formed in an arc shape when viewed from the side. The front wall 6 and the rear wall 14 are formed thicker than the bottom wall 4 and the side walls 8A and 8B. The front wall 6 is approximately the same height as the side walls 8A and 8B, and has a window portion W that opens at the upper part of the front wall 6, leaving the upper end portion thereof as a receiving portion 12 for a locking portion 44 described later.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3(C), the receiving portion 12 in the illustrated example is beam-shaped and integrally spanned between the upper end portions of the pair of side walls 8A and 8B. The rear end surface 13 of the receiving portion 12 is a contact surface with the locking portion 44 described later and is formed in a vertical plane shape. However, these structures can be changed as appropriate.

[0022] The window portion W is a part for protruding the portion (the second base portion 26 and the second frame plate portion 38 described later) that forms the take-out port M of the storage body 20 forward of the front wall 6. The window portion W in the illustrated example is formed in a vertically long rectangle when viewed from the front-rear direction (see FIG. 3(C)), but its shape can be changed as appropriate.

[0023] In the illustrated example, as shown in FIG. 3(B), the shaft hole 10 is formed in an ellipse that is slightly long in the vertical direction. That is, the diameter in the left-right direction is the minor diameter r1, and the diameter in the vertical direction is the major diameter r2. By doing so, a rotating shaft 28 described later having a diameter corresponding to the minor diameter r1 is formed so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction. The diameter difference between the minor diameter r1 and the major diameter r2 is preferably designed to be such that the locking portion 44 can be displaced from the state of contacting the rear end surface 13 of the receiving portion 12 (see FIG. 1(A)) to the state of being separated below the receiving portion 12 (see FIG. 2(A)). Incidentally, although not shown in the drawings, the shaft hole 10 does not necessarily have to be a through hole.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 1(A), an upward projection 16 and a main board spring 18 are erected from the upper end surface of the rear wall 14. In the illustrated example, by making the rear wall 14 thick, the upper end surface of the rear wall 14 is formed to be wide in the front-rear direction, and the upward projection 16 is projected from the rear edge side of the upper end surface, and the main board spring 18 is projected from the front edge side, respectively. These upward projections 16 and main board springs 18 are formed to be wide in the left-right direction when viewed from above.

[0025] The upward projection 16 has a lower inclined surface 17 that inclines from the lower front side to the upper rear side on the front side thereof. This lower inclined surface 17 is a portion that faces (abuts in the illustrated example) the upper inclined surface 57 of the hanging piece 56 described later, and in the present embodiment, it serves as an inclined receiving surface j for slidably receiving the upper inclined surface 57. In the illustrated example, as shown in Fig. 3(C), the lower inclined surface 17 is formed over the entire length of the rear wall 14 in the left-right direction. However, this structure can be changed as appropriate.

[0026] The main board spring 18 projects into the vertical groove 52 of the storage body 20 described later from the upper end surface of the rear wall 14, and is formed to abut at an appropriate position in this vertical groove 52. The main board spring 18 serves as a means (main spring portion C1) for returning the storage body 20 that has tilted in the forward-backward biasing state to its original posture as described later. This role will be described later. Incidentally, in this specification, the root portion of the main board spring 18 is referred to as the main fulcrum portion f1, and the portion of the storage body 20 that abuts against the main board spring 18 is referred to as the main abutting portion e1. In the illustrated example, as shown in Fig. 3(C), the main board spring 18 is formed in a vertically long strip shape. A gap g4 is formed between the pair of left and right side walls 8A, 8B and the adjacent side end portions of the main board spring 18, respectively.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1(A), the storage body 20 is incorporated inside the cover body 2 so as to be able to swing about a rotation axis 28 that pivotally attaches its lower half 20a to the aforementioned cover base A. The storage body 20 has a take-out port M provided in its upper half 20b, and as shown in FIG. 2(B), by swinging forward, the take-out port M is exposed forward from the position where it is blocked by the aforementioned blocking portion B and is configured to be opened. The storage body 20 of the present embodiment is formed in a horizontal dish shape in which a frame plate 32 projects short from the peripheral edge of a vertical base 22, and an opening О is formed on the tip side thereof. As shown in FIG. 1(A), the base 22 is a vertically long plate body connected to the cover body 2 via a rotation axis 28. The opening О on the tip side of the frame plate 32 is blocked by the second side wall 8B of the cover body 2, and thus, tablets can be stored in the space between the base 22 and the second side wall 8B. Also, a pressing portion 48, which is a thick portion, is formed by continuously providing a part of the frame plate 32 (the upper part of the rear plate portion in the illustrated example), and a flexible piece 54 is vertically provided from this pressing portion 48.

[0028] In the present embodiment, the base 22 is a vertically long and flat vertical plate as a whole, and a rotation axis 28 projects integrally from its lower half toward the first side wall 8A side (outward in the left-right direction). In the illustrated example, as shown in FIG. 1(A), when viewed from the side, the base 22 is formed of a vertically long first base portion 24 extending from near the bottom wall 4 of the cover body 2 to near the upper ends of the side walls 8A and 8B, and a second base portion 26 extending forward from the upper part of this first base portion 24. As shown in FIG. 1(A), the lower edge of the first base portion 24 is formed in a downward arc shape approximating the bottom wall 4. There are respectively swinging margins g1, g2 shown in FIG. 1(A) between the front edge of the first base portion 24 and the front wall 6 of the cover body 2, and between the rear edge of the first base portion 24 and the rear wall 14 of the cover body 2. These swinging margins enable the storage body 20 to swing between the front wall 6 and the rear wall 14 as shown in FIG. 2(B). In the upright posture of the storage body 20 shown in FIG. 1(A), the swing allowance g2 between the storage body 20 and the rear wall 14 is substantially constant in the vertical direction, while the swing allowance g1 between the storage body 20 and the front wall 6 gradually widens as it goes upward from the position where the rotation shaft 28 is located. Therefore, the first base portion 24 in the illustrated example is the widest in the front-rear direction at the attachment height of the rotation shaft 28, and is formed to be narrower as it goes upward from the rotation shaft 28. The second base portion 26 protrudes forward (toward the window portion W) from above the first base portion 24 within a range that does not protrude from the contours of the side walls 8A and 8B of the cover body 2 when viewed from the side.

[0029] The rotation shaft 28 is circular when viewed from the side, and there is a play p between the rotation shaft 28 and the shaft hole 10 which is an oval shape that is long in the vertical direction. This enables the storage body 20 to swing back and forth and move up and down. In the illustrated example, the shaft hole 10 is formed in the cover body 2 and the rotation shaft 28 is formed in the storage body 20, but the rotation shaft 28 may be formed in the cover body 2 and the shaft hole 10 may be formed in the storage body 20.

[0030] In the present embodiment, the frame plate 32 is arranged along the contour of the base 22 when viewed from the side. And in the illustrated example, as shown in FIG. 3(A), the first frame plate portion 33 defined by the contour of the first base portion 24 is formed by a bottom plate portion 34, a front plate portion 35, a rear plate portion 36, and a top plate portion 37, and the second frame plate portion 38 defined by the contour of the second base portion 26 is formed by a lower side plate portion 39, an upper side plate portion 40, and a front side plate portion 41. And in the present embodiment, an opening О is formed at the tip side of the frame plate 32 protruding from the base 22, and a take-out port M is formed at the tip side of the second frame plate portion 38. However, these structures can be changed as appropriate. In particular, the take-out port M may have any structure as long as the storage body 20 can be tilted forward to open the port and the tablets can be taken out. In the illustrated example, as shown in Fig. 3(A), the front plate portion 35 is inclined upward and backward from the lower front at a height above the height of the rotation axis 28. Further, in the rear plate portion, the lower half plate portion 36a is vertical, and the upper half plate portion 36b is inclined upward and forward from the lower rear. By configuring in this way, when the entire tablet container is tilted forward, the tablets are configured to gather on the take-out port M side within the upper half portion 20b of the storage body 20. Further, the bottom plate portion 34 is a downwardly facing arc plate when viewed from the side, and a plurality of pressure contact ribs 42 are arranged on its lower surface with intervals in the circumferential direction. Each pressure contact rib 42 is oriented in the left-right direction.

[0031] In the present embodiment, a forward regulating step portion that regulates (restrains) the tilting of the storage body 20 is formed in the middle portion of the upper side plate portion 40 as a locking portion 44 for the rear end surface 13 of the receiving portion 12. A locking mechanism L is formed by these locking portions 44 and the receiving portion 12. In the state of Fig. 1(A), this locking mechanism L prevents the second base portion 26 and the second frame plate portion 38 from protruding forward and the take-out port M from being accidentally opened. However, as long as the function of the locking mechanism L is ensured, the locking portion 44 can have any structure. Further, a forward auxiliary step portion 46 is formed at the boundary between the top plate portion 37 and the upper side plate portion 40. The role of this auxiliary step portion 46 is to regulate the swinging range of the storage body 20 by hitting against the rear end surface 13 of the receiving portion 12 as shown in Fig. 2(B) when it is pushed forward after the pressing portion 48 of the storage body 20 is pushed down as described later.

[0032] The pressing portion 48 is an operation portion for performing a pressing-down and forward-pushing operation on the storage body 20. If these operations can be performed, the pressing portion 48 can be provided at any part of the storage body 20, but it is desirable to arrange it so that pressing-down and forward-pushing can be continuously performed with one finger of the hand holding the tablet container. In the present embodiment, the pressing portion 48 is continuously provided on the upper half plate portion 36b of the rear plate portion. The pressing portion 48 in the illustrated example is formed in a thick portion protruding rearward from the entire upper half plate portion 36b. The upper pressing surface portion 49 for the pressing-down operation is provided on the upper surface of the thick portion, and the rear pressing surface portion 50 for the forward pushing operation is provided on the rear surface. As shown in FIG. 1(B), these upper pressing surface portion 49 and rear pressing surface portion 50 are adjacent to both sides of the corner k of the pressing portion 48. By doing so, while mainly gripping the vicinity of the cover base A of the cover body 2 with the four fingers of one hand, the remaining one finger can be applied to the pressing portion 48. Then, by switching the contact position of the one finger from the upper pressing surface portion 49 to the rear pressing surface portion 50, the pressing-down operation and the forward pushing operation can be easily performed with one hand. In addition, if the portion closer to the corner k of the upper pressing surface portion 49 and the rear pressing surface portion 50 is pressed, the two-stage pressing operation can be performed more smoothly. In the illustrated example, a convex portion 51 for finger contact with an uneven shape is formed on the rear pressing surface portion 50.

[0033] In the present embodiment, as the contact portion (main contact portion e1) of the main board spring 18, a vertical groove 52 is formed in the thick portion which is the pressing portion 48, penetrating upward from below. The main board spring 18 is inserted into this vertical groove 52. As shown in FIG. 1(A), the front-rear width of the vertical groove 52 viewed from the side is larger than the thickness of the main board spring 18. By doing so, a deformation margin g3 of the main board spring 18 is designed to be taken between the inner surface of the vertical groove 52 and the main board spring 18. In the illustrated example, in the state before the operation shown in FIG. 1(A), the main board spring 18 is in contact with or close to the rear portion (rear surface portion) of the inner surface of the vertical groove 52. After pressing down the upper pressing surface portion 49, when the rear pressing surface portion 50 is pressed forward to push the storage body 20 from the upright posture to the inclined posture, the rear surface portion of the vertical groove 52 becomes the main contact portion e1, pushing and deforming the main board spring 18 forward. When the pushing is released, the main board spring 18 elastically restores and pushes the main contact portion e1 backward, returning the storage body 20 from the forward inclined posture to the upright posture. These structures can be changed as appropriate. Although not shown in the drawings, a main plate spring vertically suspended downward from a main fulcrum portion disposed at an appropriate position (for example, the thick portion 48 described above) of the storage body 20 may be inserted into a vertical groove formed at an appropriate position (for example, the rear wall 14) of the cover body 2 and abutted against a main abutting portion set in the vertical groove.

[0034] The flexible piece 54 is a portion that elastically bends and deforms, and hangs down from the pressing portion 48 on the rear side of the vertical groove 52. In the illustrated example, the flexible piece 54 of the illustrated example is formed by making the portion connecting to the lower end of the pressing portion 48 thin, so that this portion is a flexible portion 55 that bends intensively, and a thick hanging piece 56 that is relatively difficult to deform hangs down from the portion. An upper inclined surface 57 that inclines from the upper rear side to the lower front side is formed on the lower end side of the rear surface of the hanging piece 56 of the illustrated example. However, these structures can be appropriately changed, and the entire flexible piece 54 may be configured to deform. In the present embodiment, the lower end portion of the hanging piece 56 abuts as if it is placed on the aforementioned inclined receiving surface j (the lower inclined surface 17 of the upward protruding piece 16). By pressing down the upper pressing surface portion 49, the inclined receiving surface j slides downward and inward, and drops off from the aforementioned placement position. When the pressing down is released, when the flexible piece 54 returns to its original shape, it rubs up the inclined receiving surface j and returns to the placement position. As a result, the storage body 20 returns from the lower height (the state of unlocking and descending) shown in FIG. 2(A) to the upper height (the locked state) shown in FIG. 1(A).

[0035] In the above configuration, in FIG. 1(A), the tablet container is in a locked state where the locking portion 44 of the storage body 20 is locked to the receiving portion 12 of the cover body 2. Therefore, for example, when carrying the tablet container in a bag or the like, even if the pressing portion 48 is pushed from the rear side due to a collision with other stored items during transportation, the storage body 20 will not be pushed forward. Also, even if the pressing portion 48 is pushed from above, due to the action (elastic restoration action) of the flexible piece 54 and the inclined receiving surface j, the pressing portion 48 is immediately pushed back to its original position, so the take-out port M is not opened. As will be described later, in order to open the outlet M, two types of operations are required: immediately pushing forward after pushing down the pressing portion 48 (or pushing forward while pushing down the pressing portion 48). Therefore, due to accidental circumstances such as collision with other objects, there is almost no possibility that the outlet M will be opened unintentionally. Also, incorrect operation by the user himself / herself can be prevented.

[0036] When using the tablet container, mainly hold the vicinity of the cover base A described above with the four fingers of one hand, and press down the upper pressing surface portion 49 with the remaining one finger. Then, as shown in Fig. 2(A), the housing 20 descends to the lower height, and the locking portion 44 is displaced downward from the rear end surface 13 of the receiving portion 12, and the lock is released. At this time, the flexible piece 54 slides downward and forward on the inclined receiving surface j and is bent. After unlocking, immediately push the rear pressing surface portion 50 forward. Then, as shown in Fig. 2(B), the aforementioned second base portion 26 and the second frame plate portion 38 protrude outward from the window portion W, and the outlet M is opened. At this time, the main board spring 18 is deformed forward from the main fulcrum portion f1. In this state, when the entire tablet container is tilted forward, the tablets can be shaken out from the outlet M. Next, return the entire tablet to the upright position, and then release the pressing of the rear pressing surface portion 50. The housing 20 returns to the upright position due to the elastic restoration of the main board spring 18. Further, the lower end of the flexible piece 54 rubs against the inclined receiving surface j, causing it to rise to the upper height. Thereby, the tablet container returns to the state of Fig. 1(A).

[0037] According to the above configuration and operation, in order to open the outlet M, two steps of operation, namely pressing down and pushing forward on the pressing portion 48, are required. Therefore, the locking function of the outlet M can be made reliable, and it can be operated with one hand. Also, since the rotary shaft 28 is loosely fitted in the shaft hole 10 so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction, two types of operations, namely the lifting and tilting of the housing 20, can be realized with a simple configuration. Furthermore, due to the structure of the main board spring 18, the return from the forward-tilted posture to the upright posture can be smoothly achieved, and due to the structures of the flexible piece 54 and the tilt receiving surface j, the return from the lower height to the upper height can be smoothly realized.

[0038] Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. In these descriptions, the explanations of the same structures as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0039] FIG. 4 shows a tablet container according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, instead of the structures of the flexible piece 54 and the tilt receiving surface j in the first embodiment, the structure of an auxiliary spring portion C2 for returning the housing 20 from the lower height to the upper height is adopted. Note that FIG. 4 discloses a structure in which the lower inclined surface 17 of the upward protruding piece is close to the upper inclined surface 57 of the hanging piece, but since they do not contact each other, it does not have the function as the tilt receiving surface j. The hanging piece 56 in this embodiment only covers the rear of the main board spring 18.

[0040] In this embodiment, an auxiliary spring portion C2 that contacts a corresponding portion (the bottom wall 14 in the illustrated example) of the cover body 2 is formed at an appropriate position (the bottom plate portion 34 in the illustrated example) of the housing 20. Specifically, among the structures of the first embodiment, the pressure contact rib 42 is omitted from the bottom plate portion 34, and a notch n that is long in the front-rear direction is formed in the bottom plate portion 34 corresponding to the portion where the auxiliary spring portion C2 is formed. In the illustrated example, the notch n is provided at the portion where the auxiliary spring portion is formed on the bottom plate portion 34. However, the notch n may extend beyond the range of the bottom plate portion 34 to the lower half 20a or the upper half 20b of the housing 20. Then, both front and rear ends of this notch n are used as auxiliary fulcrum portions f2, and a pair of front and rear auxiliary plate springs 60 are protrudingly provided downward and inward from both ends. A space i is provided between the tip portions of these auxiliary plate springs 60. Then, the tip portions of these sub-plate springs 60 are made to contact the bottom wall 4. And when the storage body 20 descends, the storage body 20 is configured to be returned from the lower height position to the upper position by the reaction force received from the contact portion (sub-contact portion e2) of the bottom wall 4. These structures can be appropriately changed. Although not shown, the sub-plate springs may be configured to contact an appropriate position (sub-contact portion) of the bottom plate portion of the storage body 20 from a sub-support portion disposed on the bottom wall of the cover body 2.

[0041] Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4(A), the rotary shaft 28 is formed in an arcuate shape having an engaging surface portion 30 perpendicular to a part of the circumferential surface, and the shaft hole 10 is formed in a long hole shape having engaged edge portions 11 perpendicular to both the left and right sides. And when the storage body 20 moves up and down, the engaging surface portion 30 is configured to slide on the engaged edge portion 11. With this configuration, the upright posture of the storage body 20 during its up and down movement can be maintained. The engaging surface portion 30 is arranged so as not to prevent the storage body 20 from swinging forward. In the illustrated example, in the initial state of FIG. 4(A), the engaging surface portion 30 is arranged on the rear side of the rotary shaft 28.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0042] 2... Cover body 4... Bottom wall 6... Front wall 8A, 8B... Side walls 10... Shaft hole 11... Engaged edge portion 12... Receiving portion 13... Rear end surface 14... Rear wall 16... Upward projecting piece 17... Lower inclined surface 18... Main plate spring 20... Storage body 20a... Lower half portion 20b... Upper half portion 22... Base 24... First base portion 26... Second base portion 28... Rotary shaft 30... Engaging surface portion 32... Frame plate 33... First frame plate portion 34... Bottom plate portion 35... Front plate portion 36... Rear plate portion 36a... Lower half plate portion 36b... Upper half plate portion 37... Top plate portion 38... Second frame plate portion 39... Lower side plate portion 40... Upper side plate portion 41... Front side plate portion 42... Pressing rib 44... Locking portion (restricting step portion) 46... Auxiliary step portion 48... Pressing portion (thick portion) 49... Upper pressing surface portion 50... Rear pressing surface portion 51…Finger-applying convex part, 52…Longitudinal groove, 54…Flexible piece, 55…Flexible part, 56…Drooping piece 57…Upper inclined surface, 60…Sub-plate spring A…Cover base, B…Blocking part, C1…Main spring part, C2…Sub-spring part, e1…Main contact part e2…Sub-contact part, f1…Main fulcrum part, f2…Sub-fulcrum part, g1, g2…Swing allowance of the storage body g3…Deformation allowance of the main spring part, g4…Gap, i…Space, j…Inclined receiving surface, k…Corner L…Lock mechanism, M…Taking-out port, n…Notch, О…Opening, p…Play r1…Minor diameter, r2…Major diameter, W…Window part

Claims

1. A storage body (20) for storing tablets and having a side outlet (M), and a cover body (2) in which the lower half (20a) of the storage body (20) is connected so as to be tiltable forward of the storage body (20), comprising: In the tablet container, the cover body (2) is provided so as to cover at least the outlet (M) in the upright posture of the storage body (20), and when the storage body (20) is tilted from the upright posture to a forward inclined posture, the outlet (M) is opened. In The storage body (20) is assembled to be vertically movable between an upper height and a lower height with respect to the cover body (2), and a locking portion (44) that is locked to a receiving portion (12) provided on the cover body (2) when the storage body (20) is at the upper height is provided at the upper portion of the storage body (20) to prevent tilting forward. The storage body (20) has a pressing portion (48) for pressing down and tilting forward, and is configured such that the locking of the locking portion (44) can be released by operating the pressing portion (48). A tablet container characterized by that.

2. On one of the opposing surfaces of the lower half (20a) of the storage body (20) and the cover body (2), a laterally oriented rotating shaft (28) is formed, and on the other surface, a shaft hole (10) in which the rotating shaft (28) is loosely fitted so as to be vertically displaceable is formed. The tablet container according to claim 1, characterized in that

3. A main spring portion (C1) for abutting against a main abutting portion (e1) provided on the other side is projected from a main fulcrum portion (f1) disposed on one of the storage body (20) or the cover body (2). When the storage body (20) tilts from the upright posture by the tilting operation of the pressing portion (48), the main spring portion (C1) deforms along the main abutting portion (e1), and when the pressing portion (48) is released, it returns to the shape before deformation. The tablet container according to claim or claim 2, characterized in that it is formed so as to return the storage body (20) to the upright posture.

4. In the upright posture of the storage body (20), a flexible piece (54) vertically provided from the upper half (20b) of the storage body (20) is placed on an inclined receiving surface (j) formed on the cover body (2). By depressing the storage body (20), the flexible piece (54) slides downward on the inclined receiving surface (j), and when the depression is released, the flexible piece (54) slides upward on the inclined receiving surface (j) to return to the original position. The tablet container according to claim 3, characterized in that.

5. A sub-spring portion (C2) is provided so as to project from a sub-support point portion (f2) disposed on one of the storage body (20) or the cover body (2) and abut against a sub-abutting portion (e2) provided on the other. The sub-spring portion (C2) is deformed by being pressed against the sub-abutting portion (e2) when the storage body (20) descends from the upper height to the lower height by the depressing operation of the pressing portion (48), and the storage body (20) is returned to the upper height when the pressing portion (48) is released. The tablet container according to claim 3, characterized in that it is formed as described above.

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