Refill container

Abstract

To provide a refill container in which the engagement force between a locking projection and a claw portion is increased.SOLUTION: The present invention provides a refill container 1 having an outer container 10 and an inner container 20. The outer container 10 has a recess 41 extending downward from the upper end of an outer peripheral wall 11 and a locking protrusion 42 integrally formed on an outer surface 41a of the recess 41. The inner container 20 has: a pair of support legs integrally connected to the outer peripheral surface of an inner peripheral wall 21 at a circumferential interval, and placed inside the recess 41; and an operation piece 45 including a main body 45a and a claw 45b integrally formed on the main body 45a and engaging with the locking protrusion 42 from below, in which the vertical intermediate portions on both sides of the main body 45a are connected to the corresponding support legs by connecting portions 45c, so that the claw 45b can freely rotate about a pair of connecting portions 45c in a direction toward and away from the outer surface 41a of the recess 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Refill containers having an outer container and an inner container that is detachably attached to the inside of the outer container for the purpose of refilling (replacing) or the like are widely used as containers for storing contents such as cream-type cosmetics.

[0003] Conventionally, such refill containers have been known in which an operating piece is provided on the inner container, and a claw portion on the operating piece engages with a locking protrusion on the outer container to hold the inner container to the outer container, and when the operating piece is pressed, the engagement of the claw portion with the locking protrusion is released, allowing the inner container to be removed from the outer container (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5436165 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the configuration of the above-mentioned conventional refill container, if the outer container is made of glass, it is difficult to make the locking protrusion have an edged shape, so the claw portion cannot engage with the locking protrusion with sufficient engagement force, and there is room for improvement in this regard.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refill container in which the engagement force between the locking projection and the claw portion is increased. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The refill container of the present invention is a refill container having an outer container having an outer peripheral wall and an outer bottom wall, and an inner container having an inner peripheral wall and an inner bottom wall and removably attached inside the outer container, wherein the outer container has a recess provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall and extending downward from the upper end of the outer peripheral wall, and a locking protrusion provided integrally with the outer surface facing radially outward of the recess, and the inner container is provided integrally with the outer peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall at a circumferential interval, and has a pair of support legs arranged inside the recess, a main body, and a claw portion provided integrally with the main body and engaging with the locking protrusion from below, and the upper and lower intermediate portions of both side surfaces of the main body are each connected to the corresponding support leg portion by a connecting portion, and the claw portion has an operating piece that can be rotated around the pair of connecting portions in a direction toward and away from the outer surface facing radially outward of the recess.

[0008] In the refill container of the present invention, in the above configuration, it is preferable that a portion of the outer surface facing radially outward from the recess, within a predetermined range from the upper end of the outer container, is an inclined surface that slopes radially inward toward the upper end.

[0009] In the above configuration, it is preferable that the refill container of the present invention further has an outer protrusion integrally formed on one side surface facing the circumferential direction of the recess, and an inner protrusion integrally formed on the side surface of the support leg on the side on which the outer protrusion is formed, with a spaced downward distance from the outer protrusion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refill container in which the engagement force between the locking projection and the claw portion is increased. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a refill container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is an enlarged side view showing a main part of the refill container (with the cap removed) shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refill container with the inner container removed from the outer container. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of the refill container with the inner container removed from the outer container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] A refill container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] In this specification and claims, the up-down direction refers to the up-down direction when the refill container 1 is in the upright position shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the radial direction refers to the direction perpendicular to the axis O of the refill container 1, and the circumferential direction refers to the circumferential direction around the axis O.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, a refill container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention has an outer container 10 and an inner container 20.

[0015] The outer container 10 is made of glass and includes an outer peripheral wall 11 and an outer bottom wall 12. The outer peripheral wall 11 is cylindrical, and the outer bottom wall 12 is integrally connected to the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 11, closing the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 11. In other words, the outer container 10 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom. Note that the outer container 10 is not limited to the cylindrical shape with a bottom described above, and may have various shapes, such as an elliptical shape with a bottom, as long as it includes an outer peripheral wall and an outer bottom wall.

[0016] In this embodiment, the outer peripheral wall 11 has a lower portion 11a that is continuous with the outer bottom wall 12, and an upper portion 11c that is integrally continuous with the lower portion 11a via a stepped portion 11b. The outer diameter of the upper portion 11c is smaller than the outer diameter of the lower portion 11a. A male thread 13 is integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper portion 11c.

[0017] The refill container 1 can be configured with a cap 30. The cap 30 is made of synthetic resin and has a cylindrical shape with a top, including a peripheral wall 31 having an outer diameter substantially the same as the lower portion 11a of the outer peripheral wall 11, and a top wall 32 that closes the upper end of the peripheral wall 31. The cap 30 is detachably attached to the outer container 10 by threading a female thread 33, which is integrally formed on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 31, onto the male thread 13.

[0018] The inner container 20 is made of synthetic resin and includes an inner peripheral wall 21 and an inner bottom wall 22. The inner peripheral wall 21 is cylindrical with an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the upper portion 11c of the outer container 10, and the inner bottom wall 22 is integrally connected to the lower end of the inner peripheral wall 21, closing off the lower end of the inner peripheral wall 21. In other words, the inner container 20 is cylindrical with a bottom.

[0019] The inner container 20 contains the contents 2. The contents 2 are, for example, a cream-type cosmetic material, but are not limited to this and may be various other materials.

[0020] The inner container 20 is detachably attached to the inside of the outer container 10 for the purpose of refilling (replacement). That is, the refill container 1 is configured so that after all of the contents 2 contained in the inner container 20 have been removed and the inner container 20 is emptied, the emptied inner container 20 can be removed from the outer container 10 and replaced with a new inner container 20 containing the contents 2, allowing the same outer container 10 to be used continuously.

[0021] A seal member 34 that abuts against the upper end of the inner container 20 is attached to the underside of the top wall 32 of the cap 30. This seal member 34 prevents the contents 2 from leaking out from between the inner container 20 and the cap 30.

[0022] The refill container 1 has an attachment / detachment mechanism 40 for keeping the inner container 20 attached to the outer container 10 and for enabling the inner container 20 to be easily detached from the outer container 10. In this embodiment, a pair of attachment / detachment mechanisms 40 are provided symmetrically with respect to the axis O.

[0023] The pair of attachment / detachment mechanisms 40 basically have the same configuration, so only one of the attachment / detachment mechanisms 40 will be described below.

[0024] 2 and 3, the attachment / detachment mechanism 40 has a recess 41 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 11 of the outer container 10. The recess 41 is a groove-like shape with a rectangular cross section and a constant width that extends downward from the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 11.

[0025] An engaging projection 42 is integrally formed on an outer surface 41a of the recess 41 facing radially outward.

[0026] In this embodiment, the locking projection 42 is a rib-like member having a semicircular cross section that extends circumferentially from one side surface 41b to the other side surface 41c facing the circumferential direction of the recess 41 below the recess 41 and protrudes radially outward from the outer surface 41a. A gap is provided between the bottom surface 41d of the recess 41 and the locking projection 42.

[0027] The attachment / detachment mechanism 40 has a pair of support legs 43, 44 that are integrally connected to the outer peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall 21 of the inner container 20 at a circumferentially spaced interval and disposed inside the recess 41.

[0028] In this embodiment, a flange portion 23 extending in the circumferential direction is provided integrally with the outer peripheral surface at the upper end of the inner peripheral wall 21 of the inner container 20, and a pair of support legs 43, 44 are provided integrally and continuously with the circumferential ends of the flange portion 23. That is, the pair of support legs 43, 44 are disposed radially outwardly of the outer peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall 21 of the inner container 20 at a distance from each other by the flange portion 23, and are disposed in the recess 41 with the upper portion 11c of the outer peripheral wall 11 of the outer container 10 sandwiched between them. There is a gap between the support leg 43 and the side wall 41b, and between the support leg 44 and the side wall 41c.

[0029] The attachment / detachment mechanism 40 has an operation piece 45 that is provided on the inner container 20 and located between a pair of support legs 43, 44. The operation piece 45 has a main body 45a and a claw 45b that is integral with the main body 45a and engages with the locking projection 42 from below.

[0030] In this embodiment, the main body 45a has a rectangular plate shape and is disposed inside the recess 41. No flange 23 is provided radially inward from the upper end of the main body 45a, leaving a space. The claw 45b is integrally connected to the lower end of the main body 45a, protrudes radially inward from the main body 45a, and engages with the locking projection 42 from below. In this embodiment, the upper end surface of the claw 45b protruding radially inward from the inner surface of the main body 45a is shaped as a plane perpendicular to the axis O.

[0031] The operation piece 45 has a main body 45a, and the vertical intermediate portions of both side surfaces thereof are connected to the corresponding support legs 43, 44 by connecting portions 45c. Each connecting portion 45c is shaped like a rod with a rectangular cross section, and when the pair of connecting portions 45c are twisted, the operation piece 45 is rotatable about the pair of connecting portions 45c such that the claw portions 45b move toward and away from the outer surface 41a facing radially outward of the recess 41.

[0032] A plurality of anti-slip ribs 45d may be integrally provided on the surface of the main body 45a facing radially outward above the pair of connecting portions 45c.

[0033] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the attachment / detachment mechanism 40 having the above configuration holds the inner container 20 attached inside the outer container 10 by engaging the claw portion 45b of the operating piece 45 with the locking protrusion 42 of the recess 41 of the outer container 10.

[0034] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, when the inner container 20 is attached inside the outer container 10, the portion of the main body 45a above the connecting portions 45c is pushed radially inward, causing the operating piece 45 to rotate around the pair of connecting portions 45c, with the claw portions 45b moving away from the outer surface 41a of the recess 41, and the engagement of the claw portions 45b with the locking protrusions 42 being released, thereby making it possible to remove the inner container 20 from the outer container 10.

[0035] In this way, in the refill container 1 according to this embodiment, the portion of the main body 45a above the connecting portions 45c is pushed radially inward, and the operating piece 45 rotates about the pair of connecting portions 45c such that the claw portions 45b move away from the outer surface 41a of the recess 41, thereby disengaging the claw portions 45b from the locking protrusions 42. Therefore, in the refill container 1 according to this embodiment, even if the protruding height of the locking protrusions 42 is increased while the protruding height of the claw portions 45b of the operating piece 45 that engage with the locking protrusions 42 is also increased, the operating piece 45 rotates about the pair of connecting portions 45c, so that the claw portions 45b can be reliably moved away from the locking protrusions 42 whose protruding height has been increased, thereby disengaging the claw portions 45b from the locking protrusions 42. Therefore, according to the refill container 1 of this embodiment, even if the outer container 10 is made of glass, the engagement force between the locking protrusion 42 and the claw portion 45b can be increased to the desired height by increasing the protruding height of the locking protrusion 42 and the claw portion 45b.

[0036] 2 and 3, the refill container 1 according to this embodiment can be configured such that a predetermined portion of the outer surface 41a of the recess 41 facing radially outward from the upper end of the outer container 10 forms an inclined surface 41e that slopes radially inward toward the upper end. The inclined surface 41e preferably extends from the upper end of the outer container 10 to a portion adjacent to the pair of connecting portions 45c of the inner container 20 over the entire range between one side surface 41b and the other side surface 41c of the recess 41.

[0037] By providing an inclined surface 41e on the outer surface 41a of the recess 41 facing radially outward, in a predetermined range from the upper end of the outer container 10, the main body 45a is less likely to interfere with the outer surface 41a of the recess 41, and the range of rotation around the pair of connecting portions 45c of the operation piece 45 can be increased. Therefore, when the portion of the operation piece 45 above the connecting portions 45c is pressed radially inward, the engagement of the claw portions 45b with the locking projections 42 can be more easily released. Furthermore, the protruding height of the locking projections 42 and the claw portions 45b can be increased, further increasing the engagement force between the locking projections 42 and the claw portions 45b.

[0038] The refill container 1 of this embodiment can also be configured to have an outer protrusion 50 integrally formed on one side surface 41b facing the circumferential direction of the recess 41 of the outer container 10, and an inner protrusion 51 integrally formed on the side surface of the support leg portion 43 on the side on which the outer protrusion 50 is formed, with a gap therebelow relative to the outer protrusion 50.

[0039] More specifically, the outer protrusions 50 have a generally semicircular shape when viewed from the radial direction, and protrude from the side surface 41b toward the support leg 43. The inner protrusions 51 also have a generally semicircular shape when viewed from the radial direction, and protrude from the side surface of the support leg 43 toward the side surface 41b. The protruding heights of the outer protrusions 50 and the inner protrusions 51 in the circumferential direction are each greater than half the gap between the side surface 41b and the support leg 43.

[0040] With this configuration, as shown in Figure 5, when the operating piece 45 of the attachment / detachment mechanism 40 is operated to release the engagement of the claw portion 45b with the locking protrusion 42, even if the outer container 10 suddenly falls off the inner container 20, the outer protrusion 50 provided on the outer container 10 engages with the inner protrusion 51 provided on the inner container 20, preventing the outer container 10 from falling off the inner container 20.

[0041] Next, a method of using the refill container 1 having such a configuration will be described.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 1, the refill container 1 is distributed or stored in a state in which the contents 2 are contained in the inner container 20 and the cap 30 is attached to the outer container 10, closing the opening of the inner container 20.

[0043] When removing the contents 2, the cap 30 is removed from the outer container 10 to open the opening of the inner container 20. This allows the contents 2 to be removed from inside the inner container 20 and used.

[0044] When the inner container 20 attached to the inside of the outer container 10 needs to be replaced with a new inner container 20 containing the contents 2, such as when all of the contents 2 contained in the inner container 20 have been removed and the inner container 20 is emptied, as described above, the portion of the main body 45a of the operating piece 45 above the connecting portion 45c is pushed radially inward to release the engagement of the claw portion 45b with the locking protrusion 42. Then, in this state, the inner container 20 is removed from the outer container 10, and then the new inner container 20 is attached to the inside of the outer container 10. When the new inner container 20 is attached to the inside of the outer container 10, the claw portion 45b of the new inner container 20 moves over the locking protrusion 42 and engages with it. This allows the new inner container 20 to be held in the outer container 10.

[0045] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0046] For example, in the above embodiment, the outer container 10 is made of glass, but this is not limiting, and the outer container 10 may be made of other materials, such as synthetic resin.

[0047] Furthermore, the shapes of the locking projections 42 and the claw portions 45b are not limited to those described above, and can be modified in various ways. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 refill container 2 Contents 10 Outer container 11 Outer wall 11a Lower part 11b Stepped part 11c Upper part 12 Outer bottom wall 13 Male thread 20 Inner container 21 Inner peripheral wall 22 Inner bottom wall 23 Flange 30 Cap 31 Peripheral wall 32 Top wall 33 Internal thread 34 Sealing material 40 Detachable mechanism 41 Recess 41a External surface 41b Side 41c side 41d bottom 41e Slope 42 Locking protrusion 43 Support legs 44 Support legs 45 Operation piece 45a Main body 45b Claw part 45c connection part 45d rib 50 Lateral process 51 Medial protrusion O axis

Claims

1. an outer container having an outer peripheral wall and an outer bottom wall; A refill container having an inner container that has an inner peripheral wall and an inner bottom wall and is detachably attached to the inside of the outer container, The outer container is a recess provided on an outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall and extending downward from an upper end of the outer peripheral wall; a locking projection integrally formed on an outer surface of the recess facing radially outward, The inner container is a pair of support legs that are spaced apart in the circumferential direction and integrally connected to the outer circumferential surface of the inner circumferential wall and disposed inside the recess; A refill container characterized by having a main body portion, a claw portion integrally formed with the main body portion and engaging with the locking protrusion from below, and an operating piece that can be rotated around a pair of connecting portions in a direction toward or away from the outer surface facing radially outward of the recess, with the vertical middle portions of both sides of the main body portion each connected to the corresponding support leg portion by a connecting portion.

2. The refill container according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the outer surface of the recess facing radially outward from the upper end of the outer container within a predetermined range is an inclined surface that slopes radially inward toward the upper end.

3. an outer protrusion integrally provided on one side surface of the recess facing the circumferential direction; The refill container according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an inner protrusion provided integrally with the side surface of the support leg on the side where the outer protrusion is provided, and spaced apart downward from the outer protrusion.

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