Liquid container

Abstract

To provide a technology that makes it possible to adjust the positional relationship between a screw cap and a container body while suppressing reverse rotation when the screw cap is screwed onto the spout of the container body.SOLUTION: An ink container 1 of the present invention is provided with: a container body 10 having a cylindrical spout 12; and a cylindrical screw lid 20 screwable into the spout 12 with the outer circumferential surface 13 of the spout 12 and the inner circumferential surface 25 of the screw lid 20 facing each other. The spouting port 12 has a protrusion 14A provided on the outer peripheral surface 13 at a position close to the root of the cylinder, and the screw lid 20 has: a first convex portion 26A on the inner peripheral surface 25 having an inclined portion 26A1 allowing the passage of the protrusion 14A when the screw lid 20 is screwed into the spouting port 12, and an interference portion 26A2 interfering with the protrusion 14A to prevent reverse rotation; and a second convex portion 27A allowing the passage of the protrusion 14A when the screw lid 20 is screwed into the spouting port 12 and abutting on the protrusion 14A to apply frictional force in the rotational direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present application relates to a liquid container having a spout provided on a container body, onto which a screw cap can be screwed. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a toner supply container in which a reverse rotation prevention protrusion is provided at the mouth of the container body that stores toner, and the cap portion is composed of a first cap provided with an engagement portion and a second cap portion provided with a locking protrusion that is engaged with the reverse rotation prevention protrusion to prevent the cap portion from rotating in reverse, and the first cap portion and the second cap portion are separable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-49236 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the toner supply container described in Patent Document 1, after the cap portion is attached to the mouth portion of the container body, the cap portion is prevented from being inverted, making it difficult to subsequently adjust the positional relationship between the cap portion and the container body.

[0005] The present application aims to provide a technology that makes it possible to adjust the positional relationship between the screw cap and the container body while suppressing reverse rotation when the screw cap is screwed onto the spout of the container body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the liquid container of the present application comprises a container body having a cylindrical spout with a male thread formed on its outer peripheral surface, and a cylindrical screw cap with a female thread formed on its inner peripheral surface that can be screwed onto the spout with the outer peripheral surface of the spout facing the inner peripheral surface of the screw cap, wherein the spout has a protrusion provided on the outer peripheral surface near the base of the cylinder, and the screw cap has a first convex-shaped portion on its inner peripheral surface that has an inclined portion that allows the protrusion to pass when the screw cap is screwed onto the spout and an interference portion that interferes with the protrusion to prevent reverse rotation, and a second convex-shaped portion that allows the protrusion to pass and abuts against the protrusion to apply a frictional force in the rotational direction when the screw cap is screwed onto the spout. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present application, when the screw cap is screwed onto the spout of the container body, it is possible to adjust the positional relationship between the screw cap and the container body while suppressing reverse rotation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a liquid container according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cartridge case that houses the liquid container of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 4A is a perspective view showing a state in which the cartridge case of FIG. 3 is being housed in the ink supply unit, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a state in which the housing is completed. [Figure 5] 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a screw cap is screwed onto the spout of the liquid container of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] 5 is a diagram showing a state in which a screw cap is screwed onto a spout having a different number of protrusions from the spout of the liquid container in FIG. 4. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, some basic components may be omitted, and the dimensional ratios of the depicted components may not be accurate. In Figures 3 and 4, the front-rear direction D1, the up-down direction D2, and the left-right direction D3 are as shown in the respective figures.

[0010] 1 shows the appearance of a liquid container 1 according to an embodiment of the present application. The liquid container 1 is a container that stores, for example, UV ink, which is an ultraviolet-curable ink. Hereinafter, the liquid container 1 will be referred to as the ink container 1.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the ink container 1 comprises a container body 10 to which a screw cap 20 is attached. The container body 10 is configured such that a cylindrical resin spout 12 is attached to a pouch 11 made of a film material. The ink is contained within the pouch 11. The pouch 11 is formed to be wider than its thickness.

[0012] The screw cap 20 is a lid that covers the spout 12 by being screwed onto the spout 12 from the outside of the spout 12. The screw cap 20 has a cylindrical screw cap body 21 and an ink spout part 22 that stands on the screw cap body 21.

[0013] Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line XX in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the inner diameter of screw cap body 21 is set to be larger than the outer diameter of spout 12. A female thread 25A is threaded into the inner peripheral surface 25 of screw cap body 21, and a male thread 13A is threaded into the outer peripheral surface 13 of spout 12. As a result, screw cap 20 can be attached to spout 12 by screwing it onto spout 12 with inner peripheral surface 25 of screw cap body 21 and outer peripheral surface 13 of spout 12 facing each other.

[0014] The ink dispensing portion 22 has a receiving hole 23 into which a hollow needle (not shown) can be inserted from the outside, and a valve mechanism 24 that opens and closes depending on whether the hollow needle is inserted or not. An IC memory 30 is attached inside the ink dispensing portion 22. The IC memory 30 stores various information related to the ink in the pouch 11, such as the type and volume of ink, and the date of manufacture. Contacts 31 of the IC memory 30 are exposed on the surface of the screw cap 20, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0015] Furthermore, a recessed mark 29 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the screw cap body 21 to align the relative positions of the screw cap 20 and the container body 10. The mark 29 is placed at a position that passes through the center of the contact 31 of the IC memory 30 in the direction of inserting the hollow needle. In other words, the mark 29 is placed to align the orientation of the contact 31 of the IC memory 30 with the orientation of the container body 10.

[0016] Next, a method of using the ink container 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the ink container 1 is housed in the cartridge case 120 with the width direction of the container body 10 of the ink container 1 aligned with the up-down direction of the cartridge case 120. The cartridge case 120 has a storage chamber 121 that houses the ink container 1. The storage chamber 121 has an opening 122 formed on one side (the left side in the example of FIG. 3), and the ink container 1 is housed in the storage chamber 121 through the opening 122. A hole 124 is formed on a rear surface 123 that constitutes the storage chamber 121 to expose the ink extraction portion 22 to the outside of the storage chamber 121, and a locking portion 125 for locking the ink extraction portion 22 is formed in the storage chamber 121 adjacent to the hole 124. The ink extraction portion 22 is locked to the locking portion 125 with the contact 31 exposed from the opening 122.

[0017] The cartridge case 120 containing the ink container 1 is inserted into the unit housing 110 from the front of the ink supply unit 100 as shown in FIG. 4(a), and is stored in the unit housing 110 as shown in FIG. 4(b).

[0018] The ink supply unit 100 is configured to be connectable to a recording head (not shown) that ejects ink to record (print) on a recording medium, for example, via a cable (not shown), and supplies ink in the ink container 1 to the recording head.

[0019] The ink supply unit 100 has the hollow needle inside the unit housing 110, and when the cartridge case 120 containing the ink container 1 is housed in the unit housing 110, the hollow needle is inserted into the receiving hole 23 of the ink extraction portion 22. In response, the valve mechanism 24 opens, allowing the ink in the ink container 1 to be extracted by the hollow needle. A pump (not shown) for transporting the ink and a control portion (not shown) for controlling the pump are provided inside the unit housing 110. For example, when a user issues a command to start supplying ink, the control portion starts the pump, and in response, the pump extracts the ink in the ink container 1 through the hollow needle and transports it toward the recording head.

[0020] Furthermore, the ink supply unit 100 has contacts (not shown) inside the unit housing 110 with which the contacts 31 of the IC memory 30 come into contact. When the cartridge case 120 containing the ink container 1 is housed in the unit housing 110, the contacts inside the unit housing 110 come into contact with the contacts 31 of the IC memory 30. At predetermined times, the control unit reads out various pieces of information stored in the IC memory 30, stores the information in memory (not shown) within the control unit, and uses the information for control processing.

[0021] When the ink supply unit 100 continues to supply ink to the recording head and the ink in the ink container 1 runs out, the cartridge case 120 is removed from the ink supply unit 100 by reversing the procedure for storing the cartridge case 120 in the ink supply unit 100, the ink container 1 housed in the cartridge case 120 is removed from the cartridge case 120, and replaced with a new ink container 1. Then, the cartridge case 120 housing the new ink container 1 is stored in the ink supply unit 100.

[0022] In this way, the ink container 1 is housed in the cartridge case 120 for use. The ink container 1 is housed in the cartridge case 120 with the contacts 31 of the IC memory 30 exposed from the opening 122 of the cartridge case 120 and with the width direction of the container body 10 aligned with the up-down direction of the cartridge case 120. That is, the ink container 1 is positioned in the cartridge case 120 based on the orientation of the screw cap 20. Therefore, if the screw cap 20 and the container body 10 are not properly positioned, the ink container 1 will not fit properly when housed in the cartridge case 120. Here, the proper positional relationship specifically refers to a positional relationship in which the mark 29 passes through the center of the width direction of the container body 10 in the direction in which the hollow needle is inserted.

[0023] When the screw cap 20 is screwed onto the spout 12 of the container body 10, the relative positions of the screw cap 20 and the container body 10 may not be correct when the screwing is complete. In this case, it is necessary to adjust the relative positions of the screw cap 20 and the container body 10 before and after the screwing is complete. If the screw cap 20 and the container body 10 are attached only by the female thread 25A threaded on the inner peripheral surface 25 of the screw cap body 21 and the male thread 13A threaded on the outer peripheral surface 13 of the spout 12, the relative positions of the screw cap 20 and the container body 10 can be easily adjusted by further screwing the screw cap 20 in or rotating it in the direction opposite to the direction of screwing.

[0024] However, normally, a reverse rotation prevention mechanism is provided on the screw cap body 21 and the spout 12 to prevent the screw cap 20 from rotating in the reverse direction and accidentally coming off the container body 10 after being screwed onto the spout 12, causing ink to leak. For this reason, it can be difficult to reverse rotate the screw cap 20 to adjust the positional relationship between the screw cap 20 and the container body 10. The ink container 1 of this embodiment is designed to address this problem.

[0025] Figure 5 is a view from the base side of spout 12 showing the state in which screw cap 20 is screwed onto spout 12. In Figure 5, a two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system is defined in which the center O of spout 12 is the origin, the axis passing through the center of mark 29 is the X-axis, and the axis perpendicular to the X-axis is the Y-axis. Note that in Figure 5, the direction indicated by arrow A indicates the direction in which screw cap 20 is screwed and rotated.

[0026] As shown in Figure 5, six protrusions 14A, 15A, 16A, 14B, 15B, and 16B are provided protruding in a direction away from center O at a position near the base on outer peripheral surface 13 of spout 12, specifically at a position adjacent to and below male thread 13A threaded into outer peripheral surface 13, where the tip of screw cap 20 can be covered from the outside when screw cap 20 is screwed on. Of these, three protrusions 14A, 15A, and 16A are adjacent to each other, and three protrusions 14B, 15B, and 16B are adjacent to each other. Since protrusions 14A, 15A, 16A, 14B, 15B, and 16B each have the same shape, their specific shape will be described using protrusion 14A as a representative.

[0027] The protrusion 14A is composed of an inclined portion 14A1 and an interference portion 14A2. The interference portion 14A2 forms a sheer shape rising from the outer peripheral surface 13 at a substantially right angle, for example, 80 to 90 degrees. The inclined portion 14A1 is connected to the interference portion 14A2 and is inclined from the interference portion 14A2 at a predetermined inclination angle, for example, 15 to 45 degrees, to connect to the outer peripheral surface 13. Although the inclination directions are different, the inclination of the inclined portion 14A1 is formed to be gentler than the inclination of the interference portion 14A2.

[0028] Protrusion 15A is disposed at a position obtained by rotating protrusion 14A clockwise by, for example, 45° around center O. Similarly, protrusion 16A is disposed at a position obtained by rotating protrusion 15A clockwise by 45° around center O, i.e., at a position obtained by rotating protrusion 14A clockwise by 90° around center O. Furthermore, protrusion 14B is disposed at a position obtained by rotating protrusion 14A 180° around center O. Similarly, protrusions 15B and 16B are disposed at positions obtained by rotating protrusions 15A and 16A 180° around center O, respectively.

[0029] Meanwhile, first and second convex portions 26A and 27A, as well as first and second convex portions 26B and 27B, are provided on inner peripheral surface 25 of screw cap body 21 to protrude in a direction toward center O. First and first convex portions 26A and 26B have the same shape, and first convex portion 26B is formed at a position obtained by rotating first convex portion 26A by 180° around center O. Second and second convex portions 27A and 27B also have the same shape, and second convex portion 27B is formed at a position obtained by rotating second convex portion 27A by 180° around center O.

[0030] Like the protrusion 14A, the first convex portion 26A is composed of an inclined portion 26A1 and an interference portion 26A2. The interference portion 26A2 forms a sheer shape that rises from the inner circumferential surface 25 at a substantially right angle, e.g., 80 to 100°. The inclined portion 26A1 is connected to the interference portion 26A2 and is inclined from the interference portion 26A2 at a predetermined inclination angle, e.g., 15 to 30°, to the inner circumferential surface 25. Although the inclination directions are different, the inclined portion 26A1 is formed to be more gentle than the inclined portion 26A2. When the screw cap 20 is screwed onto the spout 12, the inclined portion 26A1 abuts against the inclined portion 14A1 of the protrusion 14A, allowing the protrusion 14A to pass. FIG. 5 shows the state immediately after the inclined portion 26A1 of the first convex portion 26A has passed the protrusion 14A. Meanwhile, interference portion 26A2 interferes with (interference portion 14A2 of) protrusion 14A, preventing rotation in the direction opposite to the screw-in rotation direction of screw cap 20. In Figure 5, when screw cap 20 is rotated 3 degrees in the direction opposite to the screw-in rotation direction, interference portion 26A2 of first convex portion 26A interferes with protrusion 14A, preventing further reverse rotation.

[0031] The "3°" angle is the angle between the X-axis and the dashed line connecting the interference portion 26A2 of the first convex portion 26A and the center O. As described above, the X-axis is a line passing through the center of the mark 29 and the center O. Therefore, when the mark 29 faces forward, the interference portion 26A2 of the first convex portion 26A does not interfere with the protrusion 14A. When the screw cap 20 is rotated 3° from the state in which the mark 29 faces forward in the direction opposite to the screw-in rotation direction, the interference portion 26A2 of the first convex portion 26A interferes with the protrusion 14A. In other words, the "3°" angle is set as a play angle. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and no play angle may be set, or a play angle other than "3°" may be used.

[0032] Second convex portion 27A gently rises from inner circumferential surface 25, and when it reaches apex 27A1, gently descends and connects to inner circumferential surface 25. Furthermore, in this embodiment, second convex portion 27A has line symmetry between its front and rear halves, which are separated by a straight line from center O through apex 27A1, and smoothly connects at apex 27A1. When screw cap 20 is screwed onto spout 12, second convex portion 27A abuts against inclined portion 14A1 of protrusion 14A, allowing protrusion 14A to pass through. Because second convex portion 27A is gently inclined, it applies a frictional force to protrusion 14A in the rotational direction when it abuts against protrusion 14A. Unlike the first convex portion 26A, the second convex portion 27A does not have an interference portion 26A2. Therefore, the second convex portion 27A allows the protrusion 14A to pass through in either the screw-in rotation direction or the opposite direction of the screw-in rotation direction of the screw cap 20. The second convex portion 27A may be hollow. If hollow, the second convex portion 27A is more easily deformed when the protrusion 14A contacts it, allowing the protrusion 14A to pass through more smoothly. Furthermore, the maximum height of the second convex portion 27A in the direction toward the center O, i.e., the height from the inner circumferential surface 25 to the apex 27A1, is equal to or less than the maximum height of the first convex portion 26A, i.e., the height from the inner circumferential surface 25 to the apex of the interference portion 26A2. This ensures interference between the interference portion 26A2 of the first convex portion 26A and the protrusion 14A, thereby reliably preventing the screw cap 20 from rotating in reverse. On the other hand, the second convex portion 27A allows the protrusion 14A to pass through more smoothly.

[0033] As described above, the first convex portion 26B and the second convex portion 27B have the same shapes as the first convex portion 26A and the second convex portion 27A, respectively, and therefore a description of each shape will be omitted.

[0034] Furthermore, interference portion 26A2 of first convex portion 26A and apex 27A1 of second convex portion 27A are spaced apart by, for example, a rotational angle of 3°+45° around center O. In this way, second convex portion 27A is disposed downstream from first convex portion 26A in the screw-on rotation direction of screw cap 20 by a predetermined distance.

[0035] Hereinafter, a method for adjusting the positional relationship between the screw cap 20 and the container body 10 using the ink container 1 configured as above will be described.

[0036] Now, let us assume that the state shown in Figure 5 is the state in which adjustment of the positional relationship between the screw cap 20 and the container body 10 is about to begin. If the screw cap 20 is further screwed onto the spout 12 from this state, the screw cap 20 rotates in the screw-in rotation direction, i.e., the direction indicated by arrow A, causing the interference portion 26A2 of the first convex portion 26A to move away from the interference portion 14A2 of the protrusion 14A. Then, the second convex portion 27A approaches the inclined portion 14A1 of the protrusion 14A, and the (inclined portion 14A1 of the) protrusion 14A and the second convex portion 27A transition from non-contact to contact. Figure 6(b) shows the state in which the protrusion 14A and the second convex portion 27A have transitioned from non-contact to contact. However, Figure 6 is a view from the base side of the spout 12' showing the state in which the screw cap 20 is screwed onto the spout 12', which has two protrusions 14A and 14B protruding from the outer peripheral surface 13. In other words, Figures 5 and 6 differ in the number of protrusions protruding from the outer peripheral surface 13 of each of the spouts 12 and 12'. However, when describing a method for adjusting the positional relationship between the screw cap 20 and the container body 10, focusing on one protrusion 14A and the first convex portion 26A and the second convex portion 27A with which that protrusion 14A abuts, it is the same whether Figure 5 or Figure 6 is used, so for convenience, Figure 6 will be used. Note that Figure 6(a) shows the same screwed state as Figure 5.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 6(b), when the screw cap 20 is screwed from the position shown in FIG. 6(a) to the position shown in FIG. 6(b), the rotation angle of the screw cap 20 is, for example, 30°.

[0038] When protrusion 14A and second convex portion 27A transition from non-contact to contact, second convex portion 27A applies a frictional force to protrusion 14A in the rotational direction, causing the operator to feel pressure on the hand screwing in screw cap 20. This allows the operator to realize that the upper limit of the range of appropriate screwing depth has been reached.

[0039] After the protrusion 14A and the second convex portion 27A transition from non-contact to contact, continuing to screw the screw further maintains the contact state between the protrusion 14A and the second convex portion 27A in the screwing rotation direction, i.e., the direction indicated by arrow A, for a rotation angle of 30° in this embodiment, before transitioning to non-contact. This rotation angle range is set to allow the operator to feel pressure in their hand and to recognize that the screw has been screwed in too far (beyond the upper limit of the appropriate screwing amount range). This rotation angle range can be varied depending on the shape of the second convex portion 27A. Preferably, it is set to a range of 5° to 45°.

[0040] 6(a), when the screw cap 20 is rotated in the direction opposite to the screw-in rotation direction, i.e., the direction opposite to the direction indicated by arrow A, after 3° of rotation (see FIG. 5), the interference portion 26A2 of the first convex portion 26A interferes with the (interference portion 14A2 of) the protrusion 14A, preventing further reverse rotation. The position where the interference portion 26A2 of the first convex portion 26A interferes with the protrusion 14A is the lower limit of the range of the appropriate screw-in amount.

[0041] The appropriate screw-in depth range set in this embodiment has a lower limit where the protrusion 14A interferes with the interference portion 26A2 of the first convex portion 26A and an upper limit where the protrusion 14A abuts the second convex portion 27A. The appropriate screw-in depth range, expressed as a rotation angle around the center O as the rotation axis, is 3° + 30°. Within this range, the operator can screw the screw cap 20 in and out without feeling any pressure on the hand. In other words, if the screw cap 20 is screwed into the spout 12 and the protrusion 14A passes the inclined portion 26A1 of the first convex portion 26A, the lower limit of the appropriate screw-in depth range is 0°. Then, when the screw cap 20 is rotated 3° + 30°, the protrusion 14A and the second convex portion 27A transition from non-contact to contact. This 3° + 30° angle is the upper limit of the appropriate screw-in depth range.

[0042] In this way, the lower and upper limits of the range of the appropriate screw-in amount are defined, allowing the operator to adjust the positional relationship between the screw cap and the container body between the lower and upper limits of the range of the appropriate screw-in amount while suppressing reverse rotation. Furthermore, even if the upper limit of the range of the appropriate screw-in amount is exceeded, second convex portion 27A allows protrusion 14A to pass through, so screw cap 20 can be returned in the opposite direction to the screw-in rotation until it reaches the lower limit of the range of the appropriate screw-in amount.

[0043] Note that protrusion 14A and protrusion 14B are both positioned so that they overlap when rotated 180° around center O. Therefore, when protrusion 14A and second convex portion 27A transition from non-contact to contact, protrusion 14B and second convex portion 27B also transition from non-contact to contact. Alternatively, second convex portion 27A and first convex portion 26B may be omitted while maintaining the positional relationship between protrusion 14A and protrusion 14B. In this case, if protrusion 14A is used as a member that detects the lower limit of the range of appropriate screw-in depth and protrusion 14B is used as a member that detects the upper limit of the range of appropriate screw-in depth, the positional relationship between screw cap 20 and container body 10 can be adjusted in the same manner as described above.

[0044] In the above explanation, a method for adjusting the positional relationship between the screw cap 20 and the container body 10 was described focusing on one protrusion 14A and the first convex portion 26A and the second convex portion 27A that the protrusion 14A abuts, but the state when starting to adjust the positional relationship between the screw cap 20 and the container body 10 is not necessarily the state shown in Figure 5, and the protrusion located within the appropriate range of screw-in amount may be a different protrusion than protrusion 14A. Even in this case, the positional relationship between the screw cap 20 and the container body 10 can be adjusted in a similar manner by simply replacing protrusion 14A with the other protrusion.

[0045] As described above, the ink container 1 of this embodiment includes a container body 10 having a cylindrical spout 12 with a male thread 13A formed on its outer peripheral surface 13, and a cylindrical screw cap 20 having a female thread 25A formed on its inner peripheral surface 25, which can be screwed onto the spout 12 with the outer peripheral surface 13 of the spout 12 and the inner peripheral surface 25 of the screw cap 20 facing each other. The spout 12 has a protrusion 14A provided on the outer peripheral surface 13 near the base of the cylinder. The screw cap 20 is characterized by having, on its inner surface 25, a first convex portion 26A having an inclined portion 26A1 that allows the protrusion 14A to pass when the screw cap 20 is screwed onto the spout 12, and an interference portion 26A2 that interferes with the protrusion 14A to prevent reverse rotation, and a second convex portion 27A that allows the protrusion 14A to pass and abuts against the protrusion 14A to apply a frictional force in the rotational direction when the screw cap 20 is screwed onto the spout 12.

[0046] As described above, in the ink container 1 of this embodiment, when the screw cap 20 is screwed onto the spout 12, the first convex portion 26A and the second convex portion 27A of the screw cap 20 pass over the protruding portion 14A of the spout 12. If the screw cap 20 is screwed in excessively and the screw cap 20 is rotated in the direction opposite to the screwing rotation direction to resolve the excessive screwing, even if the protruding portion 14A abuts the second convex portion 27A, the screw cap 20 can be screwed back until the protruding portion 14A interferes with the interfering portion 26A2 of the first convex portion 26A. If the screw cap 20 is further screwed in, the protruding portion 14A abuts the second convex portion 27A, and the second convex portion 27A applies a frictional force in the rotational direction, causing the operator to feel pressure as the screw cap 20 is screwed in. This allows the operator to intuitively know that the current screwing is within the appropriate range.

[0047] The container body 10 is configured by attaching a resin spout 12 to a pouch made of a film material, and the container body 10 is capable of containing ultraviolet curable ink.

[0048] Furthermore, the screw cap 20 has a set range of appropriate screwing depth relative to the spout 12, and when the screw cap 20 is screwed onto the spout 12 and reaches the lower limit of the appropriate range of screwing depth, the protrusion 14A and the interference portion 26A2 of the first convex portion 26A are in a position where they interfere with each other. This prevents the operator from exceeding the lower limit of the appropriate range of screwing depth and rotating the screw cap 20 in the direction opposite to the screwing rotation direction, thereby preventing the screw cap 20 from rotating in reverse.

[0049] Furthermore, screw cap 20 has a set range of appropriate screwing depth for spout 12, and when screw cap 20 is screwed onto spout 12 and reaches the upper limit of the appropriate screwing depth range from the lower limit, protrusion 14A and second convex portion 27A transition from a non-contacting position to an abutting position. As a result, frictional force is applied to protrusion 14A in the rotational direction by second convex portion 27A, so the operator feels pressure when screwing screw cap 20, and can intuitively know that the current screwing depth is outside the appropriate range.

[0050] Second convex portion 27A is also characterized in that it is disposed downstream of first convex portion 26A by a distance corresponding to the range of the appropriate screw-in amount in the screw-in rotation direction of screw cap 20. As a result, the lower limit of the range of the appropriate screw-in amount is determined by first convex portion 26A, and the upper limit of the range of the appropriate screw-in amount is determined by second convex portion 27A.

[0051] Furthermore, the protrusions 14A, 14B have a first protrusion 14A and a second protrusion 14B that is provided upstream of the first convex portion 26A in the screwing rotation direction of the screw cap 20, and the screw cap 20 has an appropriate range of screwing depth set for the spout 12, and when the screw cap 20 is screwed onto the spout 12 and the screw cap 20 reaches the lower limit of the appropriate range of screwing depth, the first convex portion 26A and the interference portion 26A2 of the first convex portion 26A are in a position where they interfere with each other, and when the screw cap 20 is screwed onto the spout 12 and the screw cap 20 reaches the upper limit from the lower limit of the appropriate range of screwing depth, the second protrusion 14B and the second convex portion 27B transition from a non-contacting position to an abutting position.

[0052] This allows first protrusion 14A to function as a member that notifies the operator of the lower limit of the range of the appropriate amount of screwing, and second protrusion 14B to function as a member that notifies the operator of the upper limit of the range of the amount of screwing. In other words, instead of using one protrusion 14A to notify the operator of both the lower and upper limits of the range of the appropriate amount of screwing, it is also possible to use the two protrusions, first and second, 14A and 14B, to notify the operator of each of the lower and upper limits of the range of the appropriate amount of screwing.

[0053] Another feature is that the maximum height of second convex portion 27A in the direction toward the axis of spout 12 is equal to or less than the maximum height of first convex portion 26A in the direction toward the axis of spout 12. This ensures that interference portion 26A2 of first convex portion 26A and protrusion 14A interfere with each other, thereby reliably preventing reverse rotation of screw cap 20. Meanwhile, second convex portion 27A allows protrusion 14A to pass through more smoothly.

[0054] Second convex portion 27A is also characterized by having a hollow portion, which makes second convex portion 27A more easily deformable when protrusion 14A comes into contact with second convex portion 27A, thereby allowing protrusion 14A to pass through second convex portion 27A even more smoothly.

[0055] The screw cap 20 has an IC memory 30, and the contacts 31 of the IC memory 30 are exposed to the outside. This means that when making contact with the contacts 31 of the IC memory 30, only the contacts need to be prepared, and no special connector or the like is required.

[0056] The screw cap 20 is characterized by having a receiving hole 23 into which a hollow needle can be inserted from the outside, and a valve mechanism 24 that opens and closes depending on whether or not a hollow needle is inserted into the receiving hole 23. As a result, simply inserting a hollow needle into the receiving hole 23 opens the valve mechanism 24, allowing ink to be immediately dispensed from the ink container 1.

[0057] Furthermore, protrusions 14A, 14B of spout 12 and first convex portions 26A, 26B and second convex portions 27A, 27B of screw cap 20 are provided as corresponding pairs, and a plurality of pairs are provided. This makes it possible to distribute the load applied to protrusions 14A, 14B and first convex portions 26A, 26B and second convex portions 27A, 27B of screw cap 20 when screwing screw cap 20 onto spout 12.

[0058] Another feature is that second convex portion 27A maintains contact with protrusion 14A within a range of 5° to 45° in the direction of rotation from the upper limit of the range of appropriate screw-in depth. As a result, the contact between protrusion 14A and second convex portion 27A continues within that range, and while this contact state continues, second convex portion 27A applies a frictional force to protrusion 14A in the rotational direction. During this time, the operator feels pressure as screw cap 20 is screwed in, and can intuitively and reliably know that the current screw-in depth is outside the appropriate range.

[0059] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0060] (1) In the above embodiment, 30° is exemplified as the angle defining the upper limit of the range of the appropriate screw-in amount, 3° is exemplified as the play angle when mark 29 faces forward, and 45° is exemplified as the rotation angle for the distance between protrusion 14A and protrusion 15A, but other angles may also be used.

[0061] (2) In the above embodiment, the protrusions 14A, 14B of the spout 12 and the first convex portions 26A, 26B and second convex portions 27A, 27B of the screw cap 20 are provided as corresponding pairs, and two pairs are provided, but the number of pairs may be one pair or three or more pairs.

[0062] (3) In the above embodiment, the description was given using a spout 12 having six protrusions 14A, 15A, 16A, 14B, 15B, 16B protruding therefrom and a spout 12' having two protrusions 14A, 14B protruding therefrom, but the number of protrusions may be one or a number other than two or six.

[0063] (4) In the above embodiment, the ink container 1 is used as the liquid container, and UV ink is used as the ink contained in the ink container 1, but ink other than UV ink may also be contained in the ink container 1. Furthermore, the liquid contained in the liquid container may also be a liquid other than ink.

[0064] (5) In the above embodiment, the first and second halves of second convex shape 27A are symmetrical with respect to a line extending from center O to vertex 27A1. However, the shapes do not have to be symmetrical. Similarly, second convex shape 27B does not have to be symmetrical with respect to a line.

[0065] (6) In the above embodiment, the screw cap 20 has the IC memory 30, and the contacts 31 of the IC memory 30 are exposed to the outside, but the IC memory 30 and the contacts 31 may be omitted. Instead, the screw cap 20 may be formed with a positioning shape or an engaging portion for engaging the ink dispensing portion 22 with the engaging portion 125 in a specific orientation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1...ink container (liquid container), 10...container body, 13...outer surface, 13A...male thread, 14A, 15A, 16A, 14B, 15B, 16B...protrusion, 20...screw cap, 23...receiving hole, 24...valve mechanism, 25...inner surface, 25A...female thread, 26A, 26B...first convex portion, 26A1...inclined portion, 26A2...interference portion, 27A, 27B...second convex portion, 30...IC memory (memory element), 31...contact.

Claims

1. a container body having a cylindrical spout with a male screw formed on the outer circumferential surface; A cylindrical screw cap having a female thread formed on its inner peripheral surface, the screw cap being capable of being screwed onto the spout with the outer peripheral surface of the spout facing the inner peripheral surface of the screw cap; Equipped with The spout has a protrusion provided on the outer circumferential surface at a position close to the base of the cylinder, The screw cap has the following on the inner circumferential surface: a first convex portion having an inclined portion that allows the protrusion to pass when the screw cap is screwed onto the spout, and an interference portion that interferes with the protrusion to prevent reverse rotation; a second convex portion that allows the protrusion to pass and abuts against the protrusion to apply a frictional force in a rotational direction when the screw cap is screwed onto the spout; having A liquid container characterized by:

2. The container body is configured such that the pouring outlet made of resin is attached to a pouch made of a film material.

2. The liquid container according to claim 1.

3. The container body is capable of containing ultraviolet curable ink.

3. The liquid container according to claim 2.

4. The screw cap has a set range of appropriate screw-in amounts relative to the spout, When the screw cap is screwed onto the spout and the screw cap reaches the lower limit of the range of the appropriate screw-in amount, the protrusion and the interference portion of the first convex portion are in a position where they interfere with each other.

2. The liquid container according to claim 1.

5. The screw cap has a set range of appropriate screw-in amounts relative to the spout, When the screw cap is screwed onto the spout and reaches an upper limit from a lower limit of the range of the appropriate screwing amount, the protrusion and the second convex portion transition from a non-contact position to a contact position.

5. The liquid container according to claim 1 or 4.

6. the second convex portion is disposed downstream of the first convex portion in the screw-in rotation direction of the screw cap by a distance corresponding to the range of the appropriate screw-in amount.

6. The liquid container according to claim 5.

7. the protrusion includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion provided upstream of the first protrusion in the screw-in rotation direction of the screw cap, The screw cap has a set range of appropriate screw-in amounts relative to the spout, When the screw cap is screwed onto the spout and the screw cap reaches the lower limit of the range of the appropriate screwing amount, the first protrusion and the interference portion of the first convex portion are in an interference position, When the screw cap is screwed onto the spout and reaches an upper limit of the appropriate screw-in amount range from a lower limit, the second protrusion and the second convex portion transition from a non-contact position to a contact position.

2. The liquid container according to claim 1.

8. a maximum height of the second convex portion in a direction toward the axis of the spout is equal to or less than a maximum height of the first convex portion in a direction toward the axis of the spout; 2. The liquid container according to claim 1.

9. the second convex portion has a hollow portion; 2. The liquid container according to claim 1.

10. The screw cap has a memory element, The contacts of the memory element are exposed to the outside.

2. The liquid container according to claim 1.

11. The screw cap is a receiving hole into which a hollow needle can be inserted from the outside; a valve mechanism that opens and closes depending on whether the hollow needle is inserted into the receiving hole; having 2. The liquid container according to claim 1.

12. The protrusion of the spout and the first and second convex portions of the screw cap are provided as a corresponding pair, A plurality of the sets are provided.

2. The liquid container according to claim 1.

13. the second convex portion is maintained in contact with the protrusion portion within a range of 5° to 45° in the screwing rotation direction from the upper limit of the range of the appropriate screwing amount; 6. The liquid container according to claim 5.

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