Elastic structure and discharger

Abstract

To provide an elastic structure which can prevent application of excessive load on an elastic part.SOLUTION: In an elastic structure 100, a plurality of compression spring members 1 made of synthetic resin are linearly aligned along a center axial line. Each of the compression spring members 1 includes a pair of annular parts 2, 3, and an elastic part 4 connecting the pair of annular parts 2, 3. One of the pair of annular parts 2, 3 includes a contact part C on an outer end part 2a, 3a positioned on an outside in a direction along a center axial line O, the contact part projecting outward from an inner side in a direction along the center axial line O and having an area of a tip end face smaller than an area of the end face of the outer end part 2a, 3a. In a state where the compression spring members 1 are linearly aligned and the contact part C of one compression spring member 1 is in contact with the annular parts 2, 3 of the other compression spring member 1, the one compression spring member 1 and the other compression spring member 1 are relatively rotatable.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an elastic structure and a dispenser. [Background technology]

[0002] A compression spring such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been known for some time. The compression spring shown in Patent Document 1 is made of synthetic resin and includes a plurality of annular portions spaced apart from one another along a central axis, and a spiral elastic portion that is elastically deformable along the central axis and connects adjacent annular portions. This compression spring is used, for example, to return an operating portion of a dispenser that dispenses contents.

[0003] Various dispensers are used depending on the type of content and the amount of content to be dispensed, and various compression springs are also used depending on the dispenser. For example, a dispenser with a large stroke of the operating part that dispenses a large amount of content uses a long compression spring. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-73138 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, if one were to change the type of compression spring depending on the dispenser, for example, a mold for forming the compression spring would have to be prepared for each compression spring, which would increase the component cost of the compression spring.

[0006] In response to these problems, the inventors of the present application are studying how to configure a compression spring such as that shown in Patent Document 1 with multiple members (compression spring members) and change the number of compression spring members depending on the length, thereby enabling a compression spring member used in one dispenser to be used in other dispensers. As an example, they are studying an elastic structure in which a compression spring member having a pair of annular portions and an elastic portion connecting the annular portions shown in Patent Document 1 is prepared, and multiple such compression spring members are arranged in series along the central axis.

[0007] However, when we investigated using such an elastic structure, we found that even if each compression spring member had substantially the same shape, the elastic parts of each member could deform differently (particularly, the deformation state in the direction around the central axis could differ) due to variations that occur during molding. In such cases, excessive load is applied to the elastic parts that are easily deformed, which could lead to damage, etc.

[0008] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an elastic structure that can prevent excessive load from being applied to an elastic portion, and a dispenser that uses this elastic structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The elastic structure of the present invention has a plurality of compression spring members made of synthetic resin arranged in series along a central axis, the compression spring members comprising a pair of annular portions that extend in a direction circumferentially around the central axis and that are spaced apart in a direction along the central axis, and an elastic portion that is elastically deformable in a direction along the central axis and connects the pair of annular portions, and at least one of the pair of annular portions has a contact portion at its outer end located on the outside in the direction along the central axis, the contact portion protruding from the inside to the outside in the direction along the central axis, and the area of ​​the tip surface being smaller than the area of ​​the end surface of the outer end, and when the compression spring members are arranged in series and the contact portion of one compression spring member is in contact with the annular portion of another compression spring member, the one compression spring member and the other compression spring member can rotate relative to each other. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, when a force is applied to compress multiple compression spring members and a heavy load is applied to the elastic portion, one compression spring member and the other compression spring members rotate relative to each other, thereby preventing excessive load from being applied to the elastic portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1A] 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of an elastic structure according to the present invention. [Figure 1B] 1B is a side view of a compression spring member of the first embodiment that constitutes the elastic structure shown in FIG. 1A. FIG. [Figure 1C] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the compression spring member of the first embodiment. [Figure 2A] FIG. 10 is a side view of a second embodiment of an elastic structure according to the present invention. [Figure 2B] 2B is a side view of a compression spring member of a second embodiment that constitutes the elastic structure shown in FIG. 2A. FIG. [Figure 2C] FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the compression spring member of the second embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a half cross-sectional side view of a dispenser using an elastic structure according to a modified example of the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, elastic structures 100 and 200, which are embodiments of the elastic structure according to the present invention, and a dispenser 300, which is an embodiment of the dispenser according to the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience, the following description will be given in the orientation shown in the drawings, but the elastic structure and dispenser according to the present invention are not limited to use in this orientation. Furthermore, in this specification and the like, a direction perpendicular to the central axis O in a plane perpendicular to the central axis O shown in the drawings will be described as a radial direction, and a direction circumferential around the central axis O in this plane will be described as a circumferential direction.

[0013] 1A to 1C, an elastic structure 100, which is a first embodiment of the elastic structure according to the present invention, will be described. The elastic structure 100 includes a plurality of compression spring members 1 made of synthetic resin, which are arranged in series along the central axis O of the elastic structure 100. The elastic structure 100 of this embodiment is composed of three compression spring members 1, but the number of compression spring members 1 can be changed as appropriate depending on, for example, the configuration of a dispenser 300 that uses the elastic structure 100.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1B and 1C, the compression spring member 1 has a pair of annular portions (in Figure 1B, the upper annular portion is referred to as the first annular portion 2, and the lower annular portion is referred to as the second annular portion 3) that extend in a direction circumferentially around the central axis O to form a circular ring shape and are spaced apart from each other in a direction along the central axis O, and an elastic portion 4 that is elastically deformable in a direction along the central axis O and connects the first annular portion 2 and the second annular portion 3.

[0015] The first annular portion 2 has an outer end portion (first outer end portion 2a) located on the outside in the direction along the central axis O (upper side in FIG. 1B). The first outer end portion 2a protrudes from the inside to the outside in the direction along the central axis O (from lower to upper side in FIG. 1B), and has a contact portion C whose tip surface area is smaller than the area of ​​the end face of the first outer end portion 2a. In this embodiment, the contact portion C is a reduced diameter portion (first reduced diameter portion 2b) that extends from the first outer end portion 2a outward along the central axis O so as to reduce in diameter, and as shown in FIG. 1c, the area of ​​the tip surface (first tip surface 2c) of the first reduced diameter portion 2b that is annular in plan view is smaller than the area of ​​the end face of the first outer end portion 2a that is annular in plan view.

[0016] In this embodiment, the second annular portion 3 is shaped to have the same shape as the first annular portion 2. Specifically, the second annular portion 3 has an outer end portion (second outer end portion 3a) located on the outside in the direction along the central axis O (lower side in FIG. 1B). The second outer end portion 3a protrudes from the inside to the outside in the direction along the central axis O (from upper side to lower side in FIG. 1B) and has a contact portion C whose tip surface area is smaller than the area of ​​the end surface of the second outer end portion 3a. In this embodiment, the contact portion C is a reduced diameter portion (second reduced diameter portion 3b) that extends from the second outer end portion 3a outward along the central axis O so as to reduce in diameter. Although not shown in the figure, the area of ​​the tip surface of the second reduced diameter portion 3b, which is annular in plan view, is smaller than the area of ​​the end surface of the second outer end portion 3a, which is annular in bottom view.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1C, a pair of elastic portions 4 are provided on either side of the central axis O. In the present embodiment, the elastic portion 4 extends in an arc shape in the range where the first annular portion 2 is located in a plan view (extending in an arc shape with the same radius as the first annular portion 2, which is annular as shown in Fig. 1C), and extends at an angle with respect to the central axis O in a side view as shown in Fig. 1B. To explain the shape in a plan view in detail, when the portion of the elastic portion 4 that connects to the first annular portion 2 (hereinafter referred to as the first connecting portion 4a) is located on the right side of the central axis O and the portion that connects to the second annular portion 3 (hereinafter referred to as the second connecting portion 4b) is located on the left side of the central axis O, the elastic portion 4 is provided with a first curved portion 4c that extends from the first connecting portion 4a in an arc-like curve that is convex downward, a second curved portion 4d that extends from the first curved portion 4c in an arc-like curve that is convex upward, an inclined portion 4e that extends from the second curved portion 4d in a linearly inclined downward and leftward, a fourth curved portion 4f that extends from the inclined portion 4e in an arc-like curve that is convex downward, and a fifth curved portion 4g that extends from the fourth curved portion 4f in an arc-like curve that is convex upward and connects to the second connecting portion 4b.

[0018] The shape of the elastic portion 4 in this embodiment in a side view is point-symmetrical with respect to the center point P of the compression spring member 1 in a side view (the center in the vertical and horizontal directions of the compression spring member 1 in a side view), as shown in FIG. 1B. That is, even when the second annular portion 3 is positioned above and the first annular portion 2 is positioned below, the shape of the elastic portion 4 in a plan view is the same as that shown in FIG. 1B. As described above, the first annular portion 2 and the second annular portion 3 have the same shape. Therefore, the compression spring member 1 can be used as an elastic structure 100 regardless of the vertical direction.

[0019] In an elastic structure 100 including such a compression spring member 1, when the elastic structure 100 is supported from below in the state shown in FIG. 1A and a force is applied from above, each of the three elastic portions 4 elastically deforms so as to reduce the vertical distance between the first annular portion 2 and the second annular portion 3. Although the three compression spring members 1 used in the elastic structure 100 are substantially identical in shape, variations in the molding process may cause the deformation states of the elastic portions 4 to differ. For example, two elastic portions 4 may not deform much, while one elastic portion 4 may deform significantly. In such cases, an excessive load is applied to the elastic portion 4 that deforms significantly, particularly to the first connecting portion 4a and the second connecting portion 4b. When a force is applied from above and below, the first connecting portion 4a and the second connecting portion 4b receive the load in the direction (circumferential direction) that the force from the above and below escapes. In particular, in this embodiment, the elastic portion 4 extends so as to tilt diagonally downward to the left with respect to the central axis O as shown in FIG. 1A, so that the first connecting portion 4a receives a load that applies a force to the right in the state shown in FIG. 1A, and the second connecting portion 4b receives a load that applies a force to the left in the state shown in FIG. 1A.

[0020] In the compression spring member 1 of this embodiment, the first annular portion 2 has a first reduced diameter portion 2b, and the second annular portion 3 has a second reduced diameter portion 3b. When the compression spring members 1 are arranged in series as the elastic structure 100, the second reduced diameter portion 3b of the upper compression spring member 1 contacts the first reduced diameter portion 2b of the lower compression spring member 1. That is, the contact surface between the upper compression spring member 1 and the lower compression spring member 1 is reduced by the first reduced diameter portion 2b and the second reduced diameter portion 3b, which have small tip surface areas, and therefore the two are prone to rotate relatively in the circumferential direction. Therefore, when a large load is applied to the first connecting portion 4a and the second connecting portion 4b, the upper compression spring member 1 and the lower compression spring member 1 rotate relatively in the circumferential direction, thereby reducing the load applied to the first connecting portion 4a and the second connecting portion 4b.

[0021] 2A is a diagram showing an elastic structure 200, which is a second embodiment of the elastic structure according to the present invention. The elastic structure 200 includes three compression spring members 11 made of synthetic resin, which are arranged in series along the central axis O of the elastic structure 200. As with the elastic structure 100, the number of compression spring members 11 in the elastic structure 200 can be changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of a dispenser 300 that uses the elastic structure 200.

[0022] 2B and 2C, the compression spring member 11 has a pair of annular portions (in FIG. 2B, the upper annular portion is referred to as the first annular portion 12, and the lower annular portion is referred to as the second annular portion 13) that extend in a circular ring shape around the central axis O and are spaced apart from each other in a direction along the central axis O, and an elastic portion 4 that is elastically deformable in a direction along the central axis O and connects the first annular portion 12 and the second annular portion 13. Note that the elastic portion 4 of the compression spring member 11 is the same as the elastic portion 4 of the compression spring member 1 described above, and therefore the same reference numerals are used in the drawings and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0023] The first annular portion 12 has an outer end portion (first outer end portion 12a) located on the outer side in the direction along the central axis O (upper side in FIG. 2B). A guide portion 12c that protrudes from the inner side toward the outer side in the direction along the central axis O (from the lower side toward the upper side in FIG. 2B) and has a circular shape in a plan view is provided on the outer edge of the first outer end portion 12a. Note that the guide portion 12c is located radially outward of a protrusion portion 13c, which will be described later, and protrudes by a smaller amount than the protrusion portion 13c.

[0024] The second annular portion 13 has an outer end portion (second outer end portion 13a) located on the outside in the direction along the central axis O (lower side in FIG. 2B ). The second outer end portion 13a has a contact portion C that protrudes from the inside to the outside in the direction along the central axis O (from upper side to lower side in FIG. 2B ) and has a tip surface area that is smaller than the area of ​​the end surface of the second outer end portion 13a. In this embodiment, the contact portion C is a plurality of protrusions 13c that protrude partially hemispherically outward from the second outer end portion 13a along the central axis O. As shown in FIG. 2C , a total of 12 protrusions 13c are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The tip surfaces of the protrusions 13c are the top surfaces of the hemispheres of the protrusions 13c, and the area of ​​these top surfaces is smaller than the area of ​​the end surface of the second outer end portion 13a, which is annular in bottom view.

[0025] 2A, when constructing an elastic structure 200 using such compression spring members 11, the compression spring members 11 are arranged in series with the first annular portion 12 positioned above and the second annular portion 13 positioned below. In this state, the protrusion 13c of the compression spring member 11 positioned above contacts the first outer end portion 12a of the compression spring member 11 positioned below. Note that when constructing the elastic structure 200, the compression spring members 11 may also be arranged in series with the first annular portion 12 positioned below and the second annular portion 13 positioned above.

[0026] 2A, when the lower part of the elastic structure 200 is supported and a force is applied from above, each of the three elastic portions 4 elastically deforms so as to reduce the vertical distance between the first annular portion 12 and the second annular portion 13. Here, even in the compression spring member 11, variations that occur during molding can cause the deformation state of the elastic portions 4 to differ, and in an elastic portion 4 that undergoes large elastic deformation, the first connecting portion 4a receives a load that applies a force to the right in the state shown in FIG. 2A, and the second connecting portion 4b receives a load that applies a force to the left in the state shown in FIG. 2A.

[0027] In the compression spring member 11 of this embodiment, the second annular portion 13 has a protrusion 13c. When the compression spring members 11 are arranged in series as the elastic structure 200, the protrusion 13c of the upper compression spring member 11 contacts the first outer end portion 12a of the lower compression spring member 11. That is, the contact surface between the upper compression spring member 11 and the lower compression spring member 11 is reduced by the protrusion 13c, which has a small tip surface area, and the two members are therefore prone to rotate relatively in the circumferential direction. Therefore, when a large load is applied to the first connecting portion 4a and the second connecting portion 4b, the upper compression spring member 11 and the lower compression spring member 11 rotate relatively in the circumferential direction, thereby reducing the load applied to the first connecting portion 4a and the second connecting portion 4b.

[0028] Furthermore, the first annular portion 12 of this embodiment is provided with an annular guide portion 12c on the outer edge of the first outer end portion 12a, and the guide portion 12c is located radially outward of the protrusions 13c. That is, the guide portion 12c and the protrusions 13c can prevent radial misalignment between the compression spring member 11 located above and the compression spring member 11 located below.

[0029] The elastic structures according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described elastic structures 100 and 200, and may be modified as follows, for example.

[0030] For example, the compression spring member 1 is provided with the first reduced diameter portion 2b on the first annular portion 2 and the second reduced diameter portion 3b on the second annular portion 3, but only one of these reduced diameter portions may be provided. Alternatively, for example, the second annular portion 3 may be provided with the second reduced diameter portion 3b, and the first annular portion 2 may be provided with the guide portion 12c shown in Fig. 2B. By providing such a guide portion 12c on the compression spring member 1, it is possible to prevent radial displacement of the compression spring member 1 in the elastic structure 100.

[0031] 1B, the elastic portion 4 is not limited to being point-symmetric with respect to the center point P of the compression spring member 1 in a side view, but may be shaped asymmetric with respect to the center point P. The number and arrangement of the protrusions 13c provided on the compression spring member 11 are also not limited to those shown in the drawing and can be changed as appropriate.

[0032] Furthermore, a roughened surface portion having a plurality of concave and convex shapes may be provided on the tip surface of the second reduced diameter portion 3b shown in Figures 1B and 1C and on the top surface of the protrusion 13c shown in Figures 2B and 2C. The roughened surface portion can be formed, for example, by embossing the mold used to form the compression spring members 1, 11. When such a roughened surface portion is provided, when the elastic structure 100, 200 is configured, the contact area between the vertically adjacent compression spring members 1, 11 is further reduced, and the relative circumferential rotation of the two is more reliably achieved, thereby more reliably reducing the load applied to the first connecting portion 4a and the second connecting portion 4b.

[0033] Next, a dispenser 300, which is one embodiment of a dispenser according to the present invention, will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Dispenser 300 of this embodiment uses elastic structure 100A, which is a modified example of the above-described elastic structure 100. Here, elastic structure 100A uses six of the above-described compression spring members 1 arranged in series.

[0034] The dispenser 300 is attached to a container (not shown) and dispenses the contents stored in the container to the outside. The dispenser 300 of this embodiment includes a base cap 21, a pump 22, a pressure head 40, a gasket 50, and a stopper 51. The pump 22 is composed of the elastic structure 100A described above, a cylinder 23, an inner cylinder 24, a pipe 25, a contents check valve 26, a contents piston 27, a stem 28, an air piston 29, and an air check valve 30. The pressure head 40 is composed of a head body 41, a holder 42, and a foam member 43. The pressure head 40 corresponds to the "operation unit" in this specification. Each component of the dispenser 300 is made of synthetic resin.

[0035] The base cap 21 includes a cylindrical cap peripheral wall 21a that surrounds the mouth of a container (not shown), a female thread portion 21b that is provided on the inner surface of the cap peripheral wall 21a and that screws into a male thread portion provided on the mouth of the container, and an upper wall 21c that is connected to the upper end of the cap peripheral wall 21a. The upper wall 21c is shaped to extend radially inward from the upper end of the cap peripheral wall 21a, then extend further upward, then extend radially inward, and then extend downward.

[0036] The cylinder 23 has a bottom 23b with a through-hole (content inlet 23a) in the center. The bottom 23b extends horizontally radially outward, then extends upward and downward, and further extends horizontally from the lower end. A cylindrical fitting wall 23c that fits and holds the pipe 25 is provided on the underside of the bottom 23b. A cylindrical lower cylindrical wall 23d is provided on the outer edge of the bottom 23b, and an upper cylindrical wall 23e that is larger in diameter than the lower cylindrical wall 23d is provided above the lower cylindrical wall 23d. An attachment portion 23f that is U-shaped in cross section and fits and holds the base cap 21 is provided on the upper end of the upper cylindrical wall 23e.

[0037] The internal cylinder 24 has a cylindrical shape and is provided radially inside the lower cylindrical wall 23d of the cylinder 23. The space inside the internal cylinder 24 is connected to the content inlet 23a. A lower flange 24a, which extends radially outward and on which the elastic structure 100A is placed, is provided at the lower end of the internal cylinder 24. When placed on the lower flange 24a, the elastic structure 100A is located radially outside the internal cylinder 24 and radially inside the lower cylindrical wall 23d.

[0038] The pipe 25 is tubular, with its upper end fitted and held in the fitting wall 23c, and its lower end located near the bottom of a container (not shown).

[0039] The contents check valve 26 is in the form of a so-called three-point valve. The contents check valve 26 is equipped with a valve body 26a that covers the contents inlet 23a and sits on the upper surface of the bottom 23b. The valve body 26a normally sits on the upper surface of the bottom 23b to close the contents inlet 23a, but when the space inside the internal cylinder 24 becomes a reduced-pressure atmosphere, it moves away from the upper surface of the bottom 23b to open the contents inlet 23a.

[0040] The content piston 27 is in slidable contact with the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 24 and pressurizes the space inside the inner cylinder 24 by moving downward.

[0041] The stem 28 is cylindrical and is provided above the content piston 27. The stem 28 has an upper flange 28a that contacts the upper end of the elastic structure 100A.

[0042] Air piston 29 includes a cylindrical guide wall 29a located radially outward of stem 28, a connecting wall 29b extending radially outward from guide wall 29a and then extending downward, and a piston portion 29c provided radially outward of connecting wall 29b and in slidable contact with the inner circumferential surface of upper cylindrical wall 23e. An air inlet port 29d penetrating connecting wall 29b is provided at the connecting portion between guide wall 29a and connecting wall 29b.

[0043] The air check valve 30 includes a cylindrical base 30a that is fitted and held in the guide wall 29a, and a valve element 30b that is annular and has one end connected to the base 30a and the other end seated on the underside of the connecting wall 29b. The valve element 30b normally seats on the underside of the connecting wall 29b to close the air inlet port 29d, but when the space inside the connecting wall 29b becomes a reduced-pressure atmosphere, it moves away from the underside of the connecting wall 29b to open the air inlet port 29d.

[0044] The head body 41 is cylindrical and includes a head tubular wall 41a fitted and held on the stem 28, a nozzle portion 41b communicating with the head tubular wall 41a, and an outer peripheral wall 41c surrounding the head tubular wall 41a.

[0045] The holder 42 is cylindrical, with its lower portion inserted into the stem 28 and its upper portion inserted into the head cylindrical wall 41a and fitted thereto for retention.

[0046] The foam member 43 has a shape in which a mesh is provided at one end of a cylindrical member. In this embodiment, two foam members 43 are provided.

[0047] The packing 50 is in the shape of an annular plate and is fitted and held in the upper cylindrical wall 23e. When the dispenser 300 is attached to a container (not shown), the packing 50 is sandwiched between the mouth of the container and the attachment part 23f to seal the inside of the container.

[0048] The stopper 51 is a member that is detachably held on the upper wall 21c of the base cap 21. When the stopper 51 is attached to the upper wall 21c, it is interposed between the base cap 21 and the outer peripheral wall 41c of the head main body 41, and prevents the head main body 41 from being inadvertently pushed down.

[0049] In addition, between the above-mentioned stem 28 and guide wall 29a, between the stem 28 and head cylindrical wall 41a, and between the stem 28 and the lower part of the holder 42, air passages through which air inside the cylinder 23 passes are provided.

[0050] Dispenser 300 constructed with these components is attached to a container, and when stopper 51 is removed and pressure head 40 is pressed down, stem 28, content piston 27, and air piston 29 are also pressed down along with pressure head 40. As content piston 27 moves downward, the content contained in internal cylinder 24 and stem 28 is pressurized. As air piston 29 moves downward, air in cylinder 23 is pressurized and supplied into stem 28 through the above-mentioned air passage. The content and air mixed in stem 28 then pass through foaming member 43, foaming, and are discharged from the tip of nozzle portion 41b.

[0051] At this time, elastic structure 100A is pressed down and compressed by upper flange 28a of stem 28, causing elastic deformation of elastic portion 4 shown in Fig. 1B. Therefore, when the pressing force applied to pressing head 40 is released, elastic portion 4 returns to its original state, allowing pressing head 40 to move upward via stem 28 and return to its original position.

[0052] When the pressing head 40 is moved upward, the content piston 27 and the air piston 29 also move upward. As the content piston 27 moves upward, the volume of the internal cylinder 24 increases, creating a reduced pressure atmosphere inside the internal cylinder 24 and a pressure difference with the interior of the container. As a result, the content in the container passes through the pipe 25, moving the valve element 26a of the content check valve 26 away from the bottom 23b and being introduced into the internal cylinder 24 through the content inlet 23a. As the air piston 29 moves upward, the volume inside the upper cylindrical wall 23e increases, creating a reduced pressure atmosphere inside the upper cylindrical wall 23e and a pressure difference with the exterior space. As a result, air from the exterior space moves the valve element 30b of the air check valve 30 away from the connecting wall 29b and is introduced into the upper cylindrical wall 23e through the air inlet 29d. When the pressing head 40 is then pressed down, the foamed content can again be discharged from the tip of the nozzle portion 41b.

[0053] According to such a dispenser 300, the elastic structure 100A and other components are made of synthetic resin, and basically no metal components are used, so there is no need for separation when disposing of the dispenser, making it highly recyclable. Furthermore, when using another dispenser with a different stroke length of the pressing head 40, there is no need to prepare compression springs with a short stroke length as in the past, and it is only necessary to change the number of compression spring members 1 that make up the elastic structure 100A, thereby reducing costs.

[0054] The above description has been given with reference to dispenser 300 as one embodiment of a dispenser according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the elastic structure 100A described above uses the compression spring member 1 shown in FIG. 1B, but it may also use the compression spring member 11 shown in FIG. 2B. Furthermore, the pump 22 described above is merely an example, and cases in which other types of pumps are used are also included in the present invention.

[0055] The dispenser 300 described above dispenses the contents in foam form, but it may also be a dispenser that dispenses the contents without foaming them. Also, the dispenser 300 dispenses the contents by pressing down the pressure head 40, but it may also be a dispenser that dispenses the contents by pulling an operating lever, for example.

[0056] (Addendum) In one aspect, the present specification discloses the following technology.

[0057] (Technology 1) An elastic structure (100) in which a plurality of compression spring members (1) made of synthetic resin are arranged in series along a central axis (O), The compression spring member (1) is a pair of annular portions (2, 3) extending in a direction circumferentially around the central axis (O) and spaced apart from each other in a direction along the central axis (O); an elastic portion (4) that is elastically deformable in a direction along the central axis (O) and connects the pair of annular portions (2, 3), At least one of the pair of annular portions (2, 3) has a contact portion (C) at an outer end portion (2a, 3a) located on the outer side in a direction along the central axis (O), the contact portion (C) protruding from the inner side toward the outer side in a direction along the central axis (O), and the area of ​​a tip end face of the contact portion (C) is smaller than the area of ​​an end face of the outer end portion (2a, 3a), The compression spring members (1) are arranged in series, and when the contact portion (C) of one of the compression spring members (1) is in contact with the annular portions (2, 3) of another of the compression spring members (1), the one of the compression spring members (1) and the other of the compression spring members (1) can rotate relative to each other.

[0058] With this technology, when a force is applied to compress multiple compression spring members and a heavy load is placed on the elastic portion, one compression spring member rotates relative to the other compression spring members, thereby preventing excessive load from being placed on the elastic portion.

[0059] (Technology 2) The elastic structure (100) according to Art 1, wherein the contact portion (C) is a reduced diameter portion (2b, 3b) that protrudes from the outer end portion (2a, 3a) outward along the central axis (O) so as to reduce in diameter.

[0060] This technique simplifies the shape of the contact portion, making it more suitable for mass production and facilitating the realization of the present invention.

[0061] (Technology 3) The elastic structure (100) according to Art 1, wherein the contact portion (C) is a protrusion (13c) that partially protrudes outward from the outer end portion (2a, 3a) along the central axis (O).

[0062] This technology also simplifies the shape of the contact portion, making it more suitable for mass production and facilitating the realization of the present invention. Furthermore, the contact area between one compression spring member and another compression spring member can be sufficiently reduced, which makes it easier for the one compression spring member and the other compression spring member to rotate relatively, thereby further preventing excessive load from being applied to the elastic portion.

[0063] (Technology 4) The elastic structure (100) according to Technology 1 has a rough surface portion on the tip end surface where a plurality of uneven shapes are provided.

[0064] This technology can further reduce the contact area between one compression spring member and another compression spring member, thereby more reliably enabling relative rotation between the one compression spring member and another compression spring member, and more reliably preventing excessive load from being applied to the elastic portion.

[0065] (Technology 5) The elastic structure (100) according to technique 1, wherein the annular portions (2, 3) that come into contact with the contact portion (C) have a guide portion (12c) located radially outward of the contact portion (C).

[0066] This technique makes it possible to prevent radial misalignment between one compression spring member and another compression spring member.

[0067] (Technology 6) A dispenser (300) attached to a container containing a content, A dispenser (300) comprising: an elastic structure (100A) according to any one of techniques 1 to 5; and an operating part (40) that discharges the content from the container by compressing the elastic structure (100A) and returns to its original state by the elastic force of the compressed elastic structure (100A).

[0068] This technology prevents excessive load from being applied to the elastic structure when the operating part is operated to compress the elastic structure. Furthermore, when using other dispensers with different stroke lengths for the operating part, it is only necessary to change the number of compression spring members that make up the elastic structure, thereby reducing costs.

[0069] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this specific embodiment, and unless otherwise limited in the above description, various modifications and variations are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the claims. For example, the configurations of the above-described embodiment may be added or deleted as appropriate, and the configurations of one embodiment may be incorporated into other embodiments. Furthermore, the effects of the above-described embodiment are merely examples of the effects that can be obtained from the present invention. In other words, the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects, and additional effects may be obtained in addition to the above-described effects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1: Compression spring member 2: First annular section (annular section) 2a: First outer end (outer end) 2b: First reduced diameter part (reduced diameter part) 2c: First tip surface (tip surface) 3: Second annular section (annular section) 3a: Second outer end (outer end) 3b: Second reduced diameter part (reduced diameter part) 4: Elastic part 11: Compression spring member 12: First annular section (annular section) 12a: First outer end (outer end) 12c: Guide section 13: Second annular section (annular section) 13a: Second outer end (outer end) 13c:Protrusion 40: Pressing head (operating part) 100, 100A, 200: Elastic structure 300: Dispenser C: Contact part O: Central axis

Claims

1. An elastic structure in which a plurality of compression spring members made of synthetic resin are arranged in series along a central axis, The compression spring member is a pair of annular portions extending in a direction circumferentially around the central axis and spaced apart from each other in a direction along the central axis; an elastic portion that is elastically deformable in a direction along the central axis and connects the pair of annular portions, At least one of the pair of annular portions has, at an outer end portion located on the outside in a direction along the central axis, a contact portion that protrudes from the inside toward the outside in a direction along the central axis, and the area of ​​a tip end surface is smaller than the area of ​​an end face of the outer end portion, An elastic structure, wherein the compression spring members are arranged in series, and when the contact portion of one of the compression spring members contacts the annular portion of another of the compression spring members, the one of the compression spring members and the other of the compression spring members can rotate relative to each other.

2. The elastic structure according to claim 1 , wherein the contact portion is a reduced diameter portion that protrudes from the outer end portion along the central axis so as to reduce in diameter outward.

3. The elastic structure according to claim 1 , wherein the contact portion is a protrusion that partially protrudes outward from the outer end along the central axis.

4. The elastic structure according to claim 1 , wherein the tip end surface has a rough surface portion having a plurality of concave and convex shapes.

5. The elastic structure according to claim 1 , wherein the annular portion with which the contact portion comes into contact has a guide portion located radially outward of the contact portion.

6. A dispenser attached to a container that contains contents, A dispenser comprising: an elastic structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5; and an operating part that discharges contents from the container by compressing the elastic structure, and returns to its original position by the elastic force of the compressed elastic structure.

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