Double container

Abstract

To provide a novel double container capable of increasing the discharge amount of contents while suppressing deterioration in the quality of the contents.SOLUTION: The double container 1 according to the present disclosure has a container body 2 having an outer container 20 and an inner container 10, and a discharge cap 40 which is attached to the mouth part 21 of the container body 2. The outer container 20 has an external air inlet hole 27 for introducing external air into the space between the outer container 20 and the inner container 10. The discharge cap 40 has: an inside plug 50 having a discharge port 52a for discharging the contents; a discharge valve 70 having an umbrella-shaped valve body 71 formed with a thin wall part convex downwardly, and a shaft part 73 which hangs down from the radially central position of the valve body 71 and can move vertically with respect to the inside plug 50, the discharge valve closing the discharge port 52a by the valve body 71 seating on the sealing portion 54a of the inside plug 50 from above on the radial outer side of the discharge port 52a; and a cover body 80 that covers the inside plug 50 and the discharge valve 70 from above.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a double container including an inner container that has a filling space for contents and that undergoes volume reduction deformation as the contents are discharged, and an outer container that houses the inner container inside. [Background technology]

[0002] Known containers for storing cosmetics such as lotions, shampoos, conditioners, or liquid soaps, various medicines, food seasonings, alcoholic beverages, and the like include a double-layer container that includes an inner container having a filling space for the contents and an outer container that removably houses the inner container and has an air inlet hole for drawing in outside air between the inner container and the outer container, allowing the inner container to shrink and deform as the contents are dispensed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This type of container can dispense the contents without replacing the contents in the filling space with outside air, making it particularly suitable as a container for storing contents that may oxidize and lose their quality, such as discoloring or losing their flavor, when exposed to outside air.

[0003] The container body of such a double container is formed, for example, by biaxially stretching blow molding a bottomed cylindrical inner preform that constitutes the inner container, placed inside an outer preform that constitutes the outer container. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6689662 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the double container described in Patent Document 1, the amount of contents that can be discharged to the outside from the through hole is limited by the area of the gap between the cylindrical part and the valve body. Therefore, when storing sake or the like in the double container, the amount of contents discharged per unit time is small and it may take a long time to pour the required amount, and there is room for improvement in this regard.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such problems, and its purpose is to provide a new double container that can increase the amount of contents dispensed while suppressing deterioration in the quality of the contents. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the double container of the present disclosure comprises: [1] a container body having an outer container and an inner container detachably stacked inside the outer container; a discharge cap attached to the opening of the container body; A double container comprising: the outer container has an outside air inlet hole for introducing outside air into a space between the outer container and the inner container, The discharge cap is an inside plug having a discharge port for discharging the contents; a discharge valve having an umbrella-shaped valve body formed with a thin-walled portion that is convex downward, and a shaft portion that hangs down from the radial center position of the valve body and is movable up and down relative to the inner plug, the valve body seating from above on a seal portion of the inner plug radially outside the discharge port to close the discharge port; a lid that covers the inside plug and the discharge valve from above; The present invention is characterized by having the following.

[0008] In addition, the double container of the present disclosure is [2] In the configuration described in [1] above, it is preferable that the shaft portion of the discharge valve is vertically slidable inside a guide tube provided at the radial center position of the inside plug.

[0009] In addition, the double container of the present disclosure is [3] In the configuration described in [1] above, it is preferable that the shaft portion of the discharge valve is elastically supported at a radially central position of the inside plug.

[0010] In addition, the double container of the present disclosure is [4] In the configuration described in any one of [1] to [3] above, it is preferable that the inner plug has a cylindrical wall that surrounds the umbrella-shaped valve body from the radially outer side, and that a recess that is recessed radially outward is provided in a portion of the cylindrical wall that corresponds to the outer edge of the umbrella-shaped valve body.

[0011] In addition, the double container of the present disclosure is [5] In the configuration described in [4] above, it is preferable that the recess has a substantially arc shape in a front cross-sectional view.

[0012] In addition, the double container of the present disclosure is [6] In the configuration described in [4] or [5] above, it is preferable that the center plug further has a step portion extending radially inward from the lower end of the cylindrical wall and further hanging downward, and that the umbrella-shaped valve body sits on the sealing portion provided at the corner of the step portion.

[0013] In addition, the double container of the present disclosure is [7] In the configuration described in any one of [1] to [6] above, it is preferable that the sealing tube portion hanging down from the top wall of the lid body liquid-tightly seals the discharge outlet and restricts upward displacement of the umbrella-shaped valve body when the lid body is attached. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a new double container that can increase the amount of content discharged while suppressing deterioration in the quality of the content. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a front half-sectional view of a double container according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of the discharge cap portion in FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is an enlarged front view showing the state in which the knob portion is pinched and the weakened portion is broken to open the lid body in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the outer edge of the valve body of the discharge valve. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the bottom portion of the container body in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view of a discharge cap portion of a double container according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view showing the state in which the knob is pinched and the weakened portion is broken to open the lid in FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The double container 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

[0017] In FIG. 1, a double container 1 according to the present disclosure comprises an inner container 10 having a filling space M for storing contents such as liquid inside and enabling the volume of this filling space M to be reduced, an outer container 20 for storing the inner container 10 inside, a container body 2 having an outside air introduction valve 30 for opening or closing an outside air introduction hole 27 formed in the outer container 20 (described later), and a discharge cap 40 attached to the container body 2.

[0018] In the present specification, claims, abstract, and drawings, the up-down direction is based on the state in which the double container 1 is upright on a horizontal plane, with the side where the discharge cap 40 is located being referred to as the upper side and the side where the bottoms 14, 24 are located being referred to as the lower side. This definition of "up" and "down" remains unchanged even when the double container 1 is tilted, with the side where the discharge cap 40 is located being referred to as the upper side and the side where the bottoms 14, 24 are located being referred to as the lower side. Furthermore, the symbol O in FIG. 1 indicates the common central axis of the container body 2 and the discharge cap 40. "Radially outward" refers to the direction away from the central axis O along a line passing through the central axis O of the double container 1 in FIG. 1 and perpendicular to the central axis O, and "radially inward" refers to the direction toward the central axis O along this line. Furthermore, "circumferential direction" refers to the direction of rotation around the central axis O of the double container 1 in FIG. 1.

[0019] The accompanying drawings of the present disclosure are drawn to equal scales in the up-down direction, the front-to-back direction (directions perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 1), and the left-to-right direction (left-to-right direction in FIG. 1), and the aspect ratio of the double container 1 in the drawings represents the aspect ratio of the double container 1 of one embodiment of the present disclosure. However, the configuration, shape, dimensional ratio, etc. of the double container 1 in the accompanying drawings are merely one embodiment of the present disclosure. The present disclosure should be interpreted based on the wording of the claims and is not limited to the configuration, shape, dimensional ratio, etc. shown in the drawings.

[0020] The inner container 10 and the outer container 20 are separable from each other to reduce the volume of only the inner container 10. In this embodiment, the inner container 10 is made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and the outer container 20 is made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate). The inner container 10 and the outer container 20 may be made of the same or different materials as long as they are separable, and other suitable materials, such as PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), and PA (polyamide), may be selected as appropriate. Alternatively, the inner container and the outer container may be made of the same material with an intermediate layer made of a material that is separable from the inner container 10 and the outer container 20, resulting in a three- or more layer structure. For example, the inner container 10 and the outer container 20 may be made of PET, with the intermediate layer being made of nylon that is separable from PET. Furthermore, in manufacturing a container body 2 having such a three- or more layer structure, a preform having such a three- or more layer structure may be integrally formed in a single injection molding operation, and then the preform may be blow-molded.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1 , the inner container 10 in this embodiment includes a cylindrical mouth 11 connected to the filling space M, a cylindrical body 13 connected to the mouth 11 via a shoulder 12 and having a larger diameter than the mouth 11, and a bottom 14 closing the lower end of the body 13. The filling space M is defined by the mouth 11, shoulder 12, body 13, and bottom 14. The upper end of the mouth 11 is provided with an annular flange 11a extending radially outward. The center of the bottom 14 is provided with a columnar shaft 16 that protrudes outward (downward) (see FIG. 5 ). Note that, although the shaft 16 is not engaged with the outer container 20 in this embodiment, the shaft 16 may be configured to be engaged with and held in a hole or the like provided in the bottom 24 of the outer container 20. In this case, the bottom of the inner container 10 is engaged with and held by the bottom of the outer container 20, so when the inner container 10 undergoes volume reduction deformation, the body 13 contracts while moving radially inward from the body 23 of the outer container 20. This makes it possible to prevent discharge defects and the like caused by the entire bottom 14 of the inner container 10 being lifted upward and blocking the flow path of the contents.

[0022] The outer container 20 comprises a mouth 21 that surrounds the mouth 11 of the inner container 10, a cylindrical body 23 that is connected to the mouth 21 via a shoulder 22 and surrounds the body 13 of the inner container 10, and a bottom 24 that fits the bottom 14 of the inner container 10 inside and closes the lower end of the body 23. A step 26 that is convex outward is provided in the center of the bottom 24, and an outside air inlet 27 is provided in the center of the step 26 that passes through the step 26 and allows outside air to be introduced between the inner container 10 and the outer container 20. Note that the outside air inlet 27 is not limited to being provided in the bottom 24, but may also be provided in the body 23, shoulder 22, etc., for example.

[0023] The outside air introduction valve 30 has a cylindrical base 31 with a top that is disposed so as to pass through the outside air introduction hole 27, an annular convex portion 32 that protrudes radially outward from one end (upper side) of the base 31, and a flange portion 33 that protrudes radially outward from the other end (lower side) of the base 31. A folded portion 34 is provided on the outer edge of the flange portion 33. The flange portion 33 also has at least one notch 35 that forms an air flow path.

[0024] The outside air introduction valve 30 configured in this manner is disposed inside the outside air introduction hole 27 so as to be movable in the axial direction of the base 31. The outside air introduction valve 30 is inserted into the outside air introduction hole 27 from outside the outer container 20, and the annular protrusion 32 engages with the step 26 of the outer container 20 to prevent it from coming off. The inner surface of the step 26 functions as a valve seat against which the annular protrusion 32 (which functions as a valve portion) abuts. As shown in FIG. 5 , in the closed state in which the outside air introduction valve 30 is positioned downward, the outer surface of the annular protrusion 32 abuts against the inner surface of the step 26, blocking the outside air introduction hole 27. When the space between the inner container 10 and the outer container 20 becomes negative pressure due to the discharge of the contents, the outside air introduction valve 30 rises to the open state, forming a gap between the outer surface of the annular protrusion 32 and the inner surface of the step 26, allowing outside air to flow into the space between the inner container 10 and the outer container 20.

[0025] Furthermore, because the outer surface of the step 26 is inclined radially outward as it approaches the top, when the outside air introduction valve 30 rises, the upper end of the inner surface of the folded portion 34 elastically deforms to open radially outward while sliding against the outer surface of the step 26. When the negative pressure in the space between the inner container 10 and the outer container 20 is eliminated by the inflow of outside air, the folded portion 34 returns to its original position radially inward due to its restoring force. As a result, the outside air introduction valve 30 moves downward while sliding against the outer surface of the step 26, and is again closed. In this way, the outside air introduction valve 30 allows outside air to move from the outside into the space between the inner container 10 and the outer container 20, while preventing air from flowing back from the space between the inner container 10 and the outer container 20 to the outside.

[0026] The outside air introduction valve 30 is not limited to the structure of this example, and check valves with various other structures can be used. For example, a check valve may be provided that protrudes outward (downward) from the bottom 14 of the inner container 10, passes through the outside air introduction hole 27 of the outer container 20, and engages with this outside air introduction hole 27. In this case, the number of parts can be reduced because the inner container 10 and the check valve are integrally connected. Furthermore, because the bottom 14 of the inner container 10 is engaged and held with the bottom 24 of the outer container 20, it is possible to prevent discharge defects caused by the bottom 14 of the inner container 10 being raised and blocking the flow path of the contents.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the discharge cap 40 includes an inner stopper 50 that is attached to the mouth portion 11, 21 of the container body 2, a discharge valve 70 that is attached to the radial center position of the inner stopper 50, and a lid body 80 that covers the inner stopper 50 and the discharge valve 70 from above.

[0028] The inner plug 50 comprises a peripheral wall 51 arranged on the outer peripheral side of the mouth 21 of the outer container 20, a top wall 55 extending radially inward from the upper end of the peripheral wall 51, a cylindrical wall 56 hanging downward from the radially inner end of the top wall 55, a step portion 54 extending radially inward from the lower end of the cylindrical wall 56 and hanging further downward, a discharge wall 52 extending radially inward from the lower end of the step portion 54, and a guide tube 53 hanging downward from the radially inner end of the discharge wall 52.

[0029] Vertical ribs 51b are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 51. When the peripheral wall 51 of the inside stopper 50 is attached to the mouth 21 of the outer container 20 by plugging, the threaded portion 21b provided on the outer surface of the mouth 21 of the outer container 20 is transferred and engaged with the vertical ribs 51b provided on the inner surface of the peripheral wall 51. In addition, an annular protrusion 51c provided on the inner surface of the lower part of the peripheral wall 51 is undercut-engaged with an engaging protrusion 21a provided below the threaded portion 21b of the outer container 20. In this way, the inside stopper 50 and the mouth 21 of the container body 2 are engaged with each other by plugging and are held in place to prevent slipping out.

[0030] Additionally, an engaging recess 51a that is recessed radially inward and has a generally arc-shaped front cross section is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper portion of peripheral wall 51. As will be described later, a protrusion main body 81a and a flap 81b on the lid 80 side fit into engaging recess 51a, thereby fixing lid 80 to inside plug 50.

[0031] The discharge wall 52 is provided with discharge ports 52a for discharging the contents in the filling space M to the outside. In this embodiment, the discharge ports 52a have a substantially circular shape in a plan view, and are provided at four locations in the circumferential direction at equal intervals. The number and area of the discharge ports 52a can be determined arbitrarily based on the required amount of the contents to be discharged, etc.

[0032] 2, a shaft 73 hanging down from a base 72 of a discharge valve 70 (described later) is housed in the guide tube 53. The inner diameter of the guide tube 53 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft 73 so that the shaft 73 can move up and down with a loose fit. An inclined portion 53a is provided on the inner surface of the upper end of the guide tube 53, inclining radially inward and downward so that an engaging protrusion 73a provided on the lower end of the shaft 73 can easily enter from above.

[0033] A seal portion 54a is provided at a corner of the step portion 54, on which an umbrella-shaped valve element 71 of the discharge valve 70 sits. The seal portion 54a is provided as a chamfer at the corner between a wall that extends radially inward from the lower end of the cylindrical wall 56 and a wall that hangs down further, and is inclined radially inward as it extends downward. The discharge valve 70 is configured to close when the umbrella-shaped valve element 71, which is formed with a thin-walled portion that convex downward, sits (abuts) on this seal portion 54a.

[0034] In the inside plug 50, a cylindrical wall 56 that hangs down from the radially inner end of the top wall 55 is provided with a recess 56a that is recessed radially outward. As shown in FIG. 2, the recess 56a has a generally arc-shaped configuration in a front cross-sectional view. The recess 56a is a circumferentially continuous annular recess, and as shown in FIG. 2, the recess 56a is provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical wall 56 at a position corresponding to the outer edge 71a of the valve body 71 of the discharge valve 70. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the recess 56a is formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical wall 56 near the outer edge 71a of the valve body 71 when the valve body 71 is separated from the seal portion 54a by the positive pressure in the filling space M of the container body 2 and the discharge valve 70 is opened (in FIG. 4, the position of the valve body 71 when the discharge valve 70 is closed (initial position)) is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the position of the valve body 71 when the discharge valve 70 is opened is indicated by a solid line).

[0035] In this way, by providing the recess 56a in the portion of the inside plug 50 facing the outer edge 71a of the valve body 71, when the discharge valve 70 is opened and the contents in the filling space M pass upward through the discharge port 52a and the gap between the valve body 71 and the seal portion 54a, the contents hit the recess 56a and are collected radially inward. In particular, in this embodiment, the contents that hit the approximately arc-shaped recess 56a bounce off the recess 56a and are collected in a predetermined position, which effectively prevents the contents that pass through the discharge valve 70 from becoming violent and scattering, and allows the contents to be discharged in a rectified state.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 2, the discharge valve 70 has an umbrella-shaped valve element 71 formed with a thin portion that convex downward, and a shaft portion 73 that hangs down from a base portion 72 located at the radial center of the valve element 71. The valve element 71 has an umbrella shape that gradually inclines upward radially outward from the top of the base portion 72 located at the radial center of the discharge valve 70, and has a downward convex shape. The portion of the valve element 71 that comes into contact with the seal portion 54a is formed to extend in a substantially straight line in a front cross-sectional view in accordance with the inclination of the seal portion 54a, and is configured to make surface contact with the seal portion 54a when the discharge valve 70 is closed (see Fig. 2) and easily ensure liquid-tightness.

[0037] Valve body 71 is formed so that the radially outer side of the portion extending substantially linearly in the front cross-sectional view described above has a greater upward inclination. With this configuration, the contents that pass through the gap between valve body 71 and inside plug 50 enter at a shallow angle relative to cylindrical wall 56. With this configuration, the contents that pass through discharge valve 70 bounce off recess 56a and are discharged to the outside without scattering significantly in the radial direction.

[0038] The shaft 73 of the discharge valve 70 is a cylindrical portion that hangs down from a base 72 provided at the radial center position, and has an engaging protrusion 73a that protrudes radially outward at its lower end. In this embodiment, by inserting the shaft 73 of the discharge valve 70 into the guide cylinder 53 from above, the hollow shaft 73 is deformed radially inward, and the engaging protrusion 73a engages with the lower end of the guide cylinder 53 by undercut, preventing it from coming out. The inclined portion 53a is provided on the inner surface of the upper end of the guide cylinder 53, so that the engaging protrusion 73a of the shaft 73 can enter the interior of the guide cylinder 53 relatively easily.

[0039] The discharge valve 70 can be made of, for example, low-density polyethylene (soft polyethylene). The shaft 73 of the discharge valve 70 can slide upward inside the guide cylinder 53 until the upper end of the engagement protrusion 73a abuts against the lower end of the guide cylinder 53. The shaft 73 of the discharge valve 70 can slide downward inside the guide cylinder 53 until the lower end of the base 72 abuts against the upper end of the guide cylinder 53.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 2, the lid 80 includes an outer peripheral wall 81 that radially surrounds the peripheral wall 51, and a top wall 82 that is continuous with the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 81 via a horizontally weakened portion 81c. A cylindrical seal portion 82a is formed on the top wall 82 and hangs down from its underside. When the lid 80 is attached to the inside plug 50, the outer surface of the cylindrical seal portion 82a fits into the inner surface of the cylindrical wall 56, thereby liquid-tightly sealing the discharge port 52a. In other words, the fit between the cylindrical seal portion 82a and the cylindrical wall 56 prevents the contents from leaking from the opening 11 of the container body 2 via the discharge port 52a.

[0041] 2, the lower end of the cylindrical seal portion 82a is provided so as to be adjacent to the upper end (outer edge portion 71a) of the valve body 71 of the discharge valve 70 from above. With this configuration, when the cover body 80 is attached, the cylindrical seal portion 82a restricts the upward displacement of the valve body 71, thereby reliably keeping the discharge valve 70 in a closed state.

[0042] 2, an inclined weakening portion 81d is provided on the outer peripheral wall 81 of the lid body 80, which extends slantingly downward in the circumferential direction from the horizontal weakening portion 81c. The lower end of the inclined weakening portion 81d is provided with a tab 81f that the user pinches when breaking the inclined weakening portion 81d, and a notch 81e that serves as a starting point for breaking the inclined weakening portion 81d.

[0043] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the outer peripheral wall 81 of the lid 80 is formed with a protrusion main body 81a and a flap 81b that fit into the locking recess 51a provided in the peripheral wall 51 of the inside plug 50 to engage the lid 80 with the inside plug 50. The protrusion main body 81a is an annular protrusion that protrudes radially inward from the upper part of the outer peripheral wall 81 and has a generally arc-shaped configuration in a front cross-sectional view. The flap 81b is a plate-like portion that extends radially inward and downward as shown in FIG. 3 when the lid 80 is not attached to the inside plug 50. When the lid 80 is attached to the inside plug 50, the flap 81b is bent upward by the outer surface of the peripheral wall 51 of the inside plug 50, and the protrusion main body 81a, covered by the flap 81b, fits into the locking recess 51a of the inside plug 50. This configuration allows the lid 80 to be attached to the inside plug 50 with sufficient locking force.

[0044] When attaching the discharge cap 40 to the container body 2, the discharge valve 70 is first incorporated into the inside plug 50, and the outer peripheral wall 81 of the lid body 80 is fitted onto the peripheral wall 51 of the inside plug 50. Next, the filling space M of the container body 2 is filled with the contents, and then the peripheral wall 51 of the inside plug 50 is fitted onto the mouth portion 21 by plugging. Note that the procedure for attaching the discharge cap 40 to the container body 2 is not limited to the above procedure. For example, the discharge valve 70 may be first incorporated into the inside plug 50, and then the filling space M of the container body 2 is filled with the contents, and then the peripheral wall 51 of the inside plug 50 is first fitted onto the mouth portion 21 by plugging. Next, the outer peripheral wall 81 of the lid body 80 is fitted onto the peripheral wall 51 of the inside plug 50.

[0045] To dispense the contents contained in the filling space M, a user pinches the tab 81f on the outer peripheral wall 81 of the lid 80 from the state shown in FIG. 2 and pulls it upward in the circumferential direction along the inclined weakening portion 81d. This action breaks the inclined weakening portion 81d upward, starting from the notch 81e. After the inclined weakening portion 81d is broken to its upper end, the user pulls the tab 81f in the circumferential direction to break the horizontal weakening portion 81c. When the horizontal weakening portion 81c is completely broken in the circumferential direction, the outer peripheral wall 81 is separated from the top wall 82 of the lid 80, as shown in FIG. 3, and the flap 81b also returns to its initial state in which it extends downward radially inward from its upwardly bent state (shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3). (If the flap 81b is plastically deformed, it may not return to its initial state shown by the solid line in FIG. 3.) By separating outer peripheral wall 81 from top wall 82, the user can grasp the outer periphery of top wall 82 and pull it upward to remove lid 80 from inner plug 50. This exposes discharge valve 70 at the top (see FIG. 3). Note that top wall 82, after outer peripheral wall 81 has been separated, can be reattached to inner plug 50 and used to close discharge port 52a.

[0046] Next, the user changes the position of the container body 2 to a tilted position and presses and squeezes the body 23 of the outer container 20. Note that Fig. 3 does not depict the state in which the position of the container body 2 is changed, but only depicts the displacement inside the discharge cap 40 due to the squeezing of the body 23. Squeezing the body 23 pressurizes the space between the outer container 20 and the inner container 10, which in turn pressurizes the filling space M of the inner container 10, and the valve body 71, which communicates with the filling space M through the discharge port 52a, is pressed upward. The weight of the discharge valve 70 caused by the tilting of the container body 2 and the upward pressing of the valve body 71 also cause the shaft 73 to slide upward within the guide tube 53 (see the upward arrow in Fig. 3). As a result, the valve body 71 moves away from the seal portion 54a and displaces from the initial position (closed position of the discharge valve 70) shown by the dashed line in Figure 4 to the position shown by the solid line (open position of the discharge valve 70), and the contents in the filling space M are discharged upward through the space between the valve body 71 and the seal portion 54a as shown by the dashed arrow in Figure 4.

[0047] In this embodiment, the valve body 71 of the discharge valve 70 has a downwardly convex umbrella shape and is formed with a thin wall, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. With this configuration, the positive pressure in the filling space M and the weight of the discharge valve 70 cause the shaft 73 of the discharge valve 70 to displace upward relative to the guide tube 53, thereby forming a flow path for the contents, and the outer edge 71a of the valve body 71 deforms so as to be raised further upward relative to the base 72, thereby forming an even larger flow path for the contents. Therefore, the amount of contents discharged by squeezing the body 23 can be easily increased.

[0048] In addition, in this embodiment, when the valve body 71 is displaced upward due to the positive pressure in the filling space M to form a flow path for the contents, the outer edge portion 71a of the valve body 71 is configured to be close to the recess 56a provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical wall 56, as shown in Figure 4.

[0049] In this way, by providing recess 56a at a position facing (close to) outer edge 71a of valve body 71 when discharging the contents, the contents in filling space M hit recess 56a and are collected radially inward as they pass upward through discharge port 52a and the gap between valve body 71 and seal portion 54a. In particular, in this embodiment, the contents that hit substantially arc-shaped recess 56a bounce off recess 56a and are collected in a predetermined position, which effectively prevents the contents that pass through discharge valve 70 from becoming violent and scattering.

[0050] After discharging the contents, the user changes the position of the container body 2 from the tilted position back to the upright position and releases the pressure on the barrel 23. This reduces the pressure within the filling space M, and the valve element 71, which had been elastically deformed so that the outer edge 71a was lifted upward, returns to its original shape, and the shaft 73 descends within the guide tube 53 to its initial position (the height position shown in FIG. 2) due to the weight of the discharge valve 70. This restoration of the shape and descent of the discharge valve 70 causes the valve element 71 to once again seat on the seal portion 54a and close the discharge port 52a, effectively preventing outside air from being introduced into the filling space M. Furthermore, the outer container 20 attempts to return to its original shape due to its own restoring force, creating a negative pressure between the outer container 20 and the inner container 10, causing the outside air introduction valve 30 to move upward and forming an air flow path. That is, a gap is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the base 31 and the inner peripheral surface of the step portion 26, and outside air is taken in between the outer container 20 and the inner container 10, causing the outer container 20 to restore to its original shape while the inner container 10 remains reduced in volume.

[0051] In the double container 1 configured as described above, by arranging an outside air introduction valve 30 in the outside air introduction hole 27 provided in the outer container 20, outside air can be smoothly introduced into the space between the inner container 10 and the outer container 20, and air can be effectively prevented from escaping from this space to the outside. This makes it possible to easily dispense the contents from the double container 1 equipped with the discharge cap 40. Furthermore, by providing a discharge valve 70 in the discharge cap 40 that opens and closes the content flow path, it is possible to restrict the inflow of outside air into the inner container 10 and prevent deterioration in the quality of the contents.

[0052] Next, a method for manufacturing the double container 1 according to the present disclosure will be described. When manufacturing the container body 2 of the double container 1, for example, a bottomed cylindrical inner preform for forming the inner container 10, a bottomed cylindrical outer preform for forming the outer container 20, and the outside air introduction valve 30 are each molded by injection molding or the like.

[0053] The bottom of the inner preform is provided with a cylindrical shaft portion that protrudes outward. After molding, the outer preform has a closed shape with the center of the bottom protruding toward the opposite side of the mouth portion, and the protruding portion is cut away to form a through hole. The outer preform may also be molded using a mold structure that allows the through hole to be formed from the beginning.

[0054] Then, the inner preform is inserted into the outer preform, and the shaft portion of the inner preform is inserted into the through-hole of the outer preform to form a preform for a double container.

[0055] Next, the preform is heated to a temperature at which it can be stretched, placed in a blow-molding mold, and then biaxially stretched and blow-molded. In this embodiment, although not shown, the mold includes a stretch rod inserted through the opening to protrude the bottom of the inner preform, and a receiving rod positioned opposite the stretch rod, abutting the bottom of the outer preform and retracting as the stretch rod protrudes. Air at a predetermined pressure is then pumped into the inner preform through the opening, and the receiving rod is retracted while the stretch rod protrudes, completing the blow molding process. An outside air introduction valve 30 is then inserted into the outside air introduction hole 27 of the blow-molded outer container 20 and attached. The method for manufacturing the container body 2 is not particularly limited. For example, the double-walled container 1 may be formed by inserting the inside preform into the outer preform with the outside air introduction valve 30 already attached, and then blow-molding the outer preform.

[0056] As described above, this embodiment is a double container 1 comprising a container body 2 having an outer container 20 and an inner container 10 detachably stacked inside the outer container 20, and a discharge cap 40 attached to the mouth 21 of the container body 2, wherein the outer container 20 has an outside air inlet hole 27 for introducing outside air into the space between the outer container 20 and the inner container 10, and the discharge cap 40 has an inner plug 50 having a discharge outlet 52a for discharging the contents, an umbrella-shaped valve body 71 formed with a thin-walled portion that convex downwards, and an axis portion 73 that hangs down from the radial center position of the valve body 71 and is movable up and down relative to the inner plug 50, and the valve body 71 seats from above on the seal portion 54a of the inner plug 50 radially outside the discharge outlet 52a, thereby forming a discharge valve 70 that closes the discharge outlet 52a, and a lid 80 that covers the inner plug 50 and the discharge valve 70 from above. By adopting this configuration, squeezing the body 23 while the double container 1 is in an inclined position causes the positive pressure in the filling space M and the weight of the discharge valve 70 to displace the stem 73 of the discharge valve 70 upward relative to the inner plug 50, forming a flow path for the contents. Furthermore, since the valve element 71 of the discharge valve 70 has an umbrella shape that convex downward, the valve element 71 can be easily opened and closed. For example, by deforming the outer edge 71a of the valve element 71 so that it is raised further upward relative to the base 72, an even larger flow path for the contents is formed. Therefore, the amount of contents discharged by squeezing the body 23 can be increased.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the shaft 73 of the discharge valve 70 is configured to be able to slide up and down inside the guide tube 53 provided at the radial center of the inside plug 50. By adopting such a configuration, the shaft 73 of the discharge valve 70 is inserted into and slides inside the guide tube 53, making it easy for the valve element 71 to move up and down, enabling smooth opening and closing of the discharge valve 70. Furthermore, the simple structure of the shaft 73 and guide tube 53 allows the valve element 71 to be displaced significantly upward relative to the inside plug 50, forming a large-area flow path for the contents. Therefore, the amount of contents discharged by squeezing the body 23 can be increased.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inside plug 50 has a cylindrical wall 56 that surrounds the umbrella-shaped valve body 71 from the radially outward side, and a recess 56a that is recessed radially outward is provided in the cylindrical wall 56 at a location corresponding to the outer edge 71a of the umbrella-shaped valve body 71. By adopting this configuration, when the contents pass upward through the discharge port 52a and the gap between the valve body 71 and the seal portion 54a, they hit the recess 56a and are collected radially inward. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the contents from becoming violent and scattering after passing through the discharge valve 70.

[0059] In this embodiment, the recess 56a is configured to have a generally arc-shaped cross section in a front cross section. By adopting this configuration, when the contents pass upward through the gap between the discharge port 52a and the valve body 71 and the seal portion 54a, the contents that hit the generally arc-shaped recess 56a bounce off the recess 56a and are collected at a predetermined position radially inward. Therefore, the contents that pass through the discharge valve 70 can be more effectively prevented from scattering.

[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inside plug 50 further has a step 54 that extends radially inward from the lower end of the cylindrical wall 56 and also hangs downward, and the umbrella-shaped valve element 71 is configured to seat on a seal portion 54a provided at a corner of the step 54. By adopting such a configuration, the valve element 71, which slopes radially outward as it extends upward, can be seated on the seal portion 54a, which also slopes radially outward as it extends upward. This increases the contact area between the valve element 71 and the valve seat (seal portion 54a) when the discharge valve 70 is closed, and enables the discharge valve 70 to be closed more liquid-tightly.

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cylindrical seal portion 82a hanging down from the top wall 82 of the lid body 80 is configured to liquid-tightly seal the discharge outlet 52a when the lid body 80 is attached, and to restrict upward displacement of the umbrella-shaped valve body 71. By adopting such a configuration, simply by integrally forming the cylindrical seal portion 82a with the lid body 80, it is possible to more reliably prevent leakage of the contents from the discharge outlet 52a when the lid body 80 is attached.

[0062] Next, the double container 101 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0063] In this embodiment, the configuration of the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment except for the configuration of the inner plug 50 that supports the shaft portion 73 of the discharge valve 70. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment. Furthermore, parts having the same functions as those in the first embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals.

[0064] The inside plug 50 of this embodiment comprises a peripheral wall 51 arranged on the outer peripheral side of the mouth 21 of the outer container 20, a top wall 55 extending radially inward from the upper end of the peripheral wall 51, a cylindrical wall 56 added downward from the radially inner end of the top wall 55, a step portion 54 extending radially inward from the lower end of the cylindrical wall 56 and hanging further downward, a discharge wall 52 extending radially inward from the lower end of the step portion 54, a support tube 153 provided at a radially central position inside the discharge wall 52 and supporting the shaft portion 73, and elastic support portions 52b provided at a radial position between the discharge wall 52 and the support tube 153 and elastically supporting the support tube 153 at three circumferential positions (see Figures 6 and 7).

[0065] The space between the discharge wall and the support cylinder 153 forms a discharge port 52a that discharges the contents in the filling space M to the outside. In this embodiment, the discharge port 52a has a substantially donut shape in a plan view, and three spiral-shaped elastic support members 52b are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The area of the discharge port 52a can be determined arbitrarily based on the required amount of content to be discharged, etc.

[0066] 6 and 7, the support cylinder 153 accommodates the shaft 73 that hangs down from the base 72 of the discharge valve 70. An inclined portion 53a that slopes downward and radially inward is provided on the inner surface of the upper end of the support cylinder 153 so that an engaging protrusion 73a provided on the lower end of the shaft 73 can easily enter from above.

[0067] As described above, the support cylinder 153 of the inside plug 50 elastically supports the shaft 73 of the discharge valve 70, so that when the double container 101 is tilted and the body 23 is squeezed to discharge the contents, and then returned to the upright position, the biasing force of the elastic support portion 52b makes it easy for the discharge valve 70 to return to its original position without being affected by frictional resistance, etc. Therefore, after the contents are discharged, the valve body 71 can be reliably seated on the seal portion 54a of the inside plug 50, thereby sealing the filling space M.

[0068] As described above, in this embodiment, the shaft 73 of the discharge valve 70 is configured to be elastically supported at the radial center of the inside plug 50. By adopting this configuration, when the double container 101 is returned to its upright position after discharging the contents, the biasing force of the elastic support portion 52b allows the discharge valve 70 to easily return to its original position without being affected by frictional resistance or the like. Therefore, after the contents are discharged, the valve body 71 can be reliably seated on the seal portion 54a of the inside plug 50, sealing the filling space M. Furthermore, when discharging the contents, by squeezing the body 23 while the double container 101 is in an inclined position, the positive pressure in the filling space M and the weight of the discharge valve 70 displace the shaft 73 of the discharge valve 70 upward against the biasing force from the inside plug 50, thereby forming a flow path for the contents. Therefore, the amount of contents discharged by squeezing the body 23 can be increased.

[0069] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment and may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, the lid 80 may be integrally connected to the inside stopper 50 via a hinge or the like so as to be pivotable. Furthermore, while the container body 2 has been described as a so-called delaminated container in which the inner container 10 is peelably laminated inside the outer container 20, this is not limiting. For example, the container body 2 may be a double container in which the inner container 10 and the outer container 20 are formed separately and then combined after formation. Furthermore, the above-described embodiment illustrates an outside air introduction valve 30 having an elastically deformable folded portion 34 and configured to be biased downward toward the container. However, this is not limiting. As long as a check valve is provided to open and close the outside air introduction hole 27, the outside air introduction valve 30 may be configured to freely move between an open position and a closed position. Furthermore, the outside air introduction valve 30 is not necessarily provided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1 double container 2 Container body 10 Inner container 11 Mouth 11a Flange 12 Shoulder 13 Torso 14 Bottom 16 Shaft 20 Outer container 21 Mouth 21a Engagement protrusion 21b Threaded portion 22 Shoulder 23 Torso 24 Bottom 26 Step section 27 Outside air intake 30 Outside air intake valve 31 Base 32 Annular convex part 33 Flange 34 Folded section 35 Notch 40 Discharge cap 50 inner stopper 51 Peripheral wall 51a Retaining recess 51b vertical rib 51c Annular protrusion 52 Discharge wall 52a Discharge port 52b Elastic support part 53 Guide tube 53a Slope 54 Step part 54a Seal part 55 Top wall 56 Cylindrical Wall 56a Recess 70 Discharge valve 71 Valve body 71a outer edge 72 Base 73 Shaft 73a Engagement protrusion 80 Lid 81 Peripheral wall 81a Protrusion body 81b flap 81c Horizontal weakening section 81d Slope weakening section 81e Notch 81f Knob 82 Ceiling wall 82a Seal cylinder 101 Double container 153 Support tube M filling space O center axis

Claims

1. a container body having an outer container and an inner container detachably stacked inside the outer container; a discharge cap attached to the opening of the container body; A double container comprising: the outer container has an outside air inlet hole for introducing outside air into a space between the outer container and the inner container, The discharge cap is an inside plug having a discharge port for discharging the contents; a discharge valve having an umbrella-shaped valve body formed with a thin-walled portion that is convex downward, and a shaft portion that hangs down from the radial center position of the valve body and is movable up and down relative to the inner plug, the valve body seating from above on a seal portion of the inner plug radially outside the discharge port to close the discharge port; a lid that covers the inside plug and the discharge valve from above; A double container having

2. 2. The double container according to claim 1, wherein the shaft portion of the discharge valve is vertically slidable inside a guide tube provided at a radially central position of the inner plug.

3. The double container according to claim 1, wherein the shaft portion of the discharge valve is elastically supported at a radially central position of the inner plug.

4. The inside plug has a cylindrical wall that surrounds the umbrella-shaped valve body from the radially outer side, The double container according to claim 1 , wherein a recess recessed radially outward is provided in a portion of the cylindrical wall corresponding to an outer edge of the umbrella-shaped valve body.

5. The double container according to claim 4 , wherein the recess has a substantially arcuate shape in a front cross-sectional view.

6. The double container described in claim 4, wherein the inner plug further has a step extending radially inward from the lower end of the cylindrical wall and further downward, and the umbrella-shaped valve body seats on the seal portion provided at the corner of the step.

7. 4. The double container according to claim 1, wherein a sealing tube portion hanging down from the top wall of the lid body liquid-tightly seals the discharge outlet when the lid body is attached and restricts upward displacement of the umbrella-shaped valve body.

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