Foam dispenser

Abstract

To provide a foam dispenser that can be set to dispense multiple types of discharge amounts of a content liquid.SOLUTION: A foam dispenser 1 includes: a base cap 10; a stem 20; a nozzle head 30; an air cylinder member 40; an air piston 50 that partitions an air cylinder chamber 47 inside the air cylinder member 40; a liquid cylinder member 60; and a liquid piston 70 that partitions a liquid cylinder chamber 73 inside the liquid cylinder member 60. The liquid cylinder member 60 is formed separately from the air cylinder member 40 and mounted on the air cylinder member 40, and by using one of several types of liquid cylinder members 60 having different inner diameters dc, and using the liquid piston 70 corresponding to a liquid cylinder wall 61 of the mounted liquid cylinder member 60, the dispenser is configured to set multiple types of discharge amounts of a content liquid.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a foam dispenser that mixes a liquid content stored in a container body with air and dispenses it in the form of foam. [Background technology]

[0002] Containers filled with shampoo, body soap, hand soap, facial cleanser, etc. are often equipped with foam dispensers that can mix the contents with air and dispense the contents in a foam form, in order to simplify use by eliminating the need to foam the contents.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a foam dispenser that includes a base cap attached to the mouth of a container body, a stem that is movable up and down relative to the base cap, a nozzle head attached to the upper end of the stem, an air cylinder member that has a cylindrical air cylinder wall and is fixed to the base cap, an air piston that is attached to the stem and comes into contact with the air cylinder wall to define an air cylinder chamber inside the air cylinder member, a cylindrical liquid cylinder that is arranged coaxially inside the air cylinder wall, and a liquid piston that is attached to the stem and comes into contact with the liquid cylinder to define the liquid cylinder chamber together with the liquid cylinder, and that is configured so that when the nozzle head is pressed down, the air piston and liquid piston are actuated to mix the liquid content that is pressure-fed from the liquid cylinder chamber towards the nozzle with air that is pressure-fed from the air cylinder chamber towards the nozzle and discharge the mixture in the form of foam. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-39844 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the conventional foam dispensers described above, the liquid cylinder is integrally formed on the bottom wall of the air cylinder member. Therefore, when changing the amount of liquid discharged, or when manufacturing multiple types of foam dispensers with different amounts of liquid discharged, it is necessary to manufacture multiple types of air cylinder members with different inner diameters of the liquid cylinder.

[0006] However, the air cylinder member integrally formed with the liquid cylinder is relatively large in size and has a complex shape, which means that the cost and time required to create the mold for manufacturing the air cylinder member is relatively long, which increases the cost of the foam dispenser.

[0007] The present invention is intended to solve these problems, and its object is to provide a foamer dispenser at low cost that can set the discharge amount of the content liquid to a plurality of different amounts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The foam dispenser of the present invention comprises: a base cap attached to the mouth of a container body; a stem movable up and down relative to the base cap; a nozzle head attached to the upper end of the stem, the nozzle head having a nozzle; an air cylinder member having a cylindrical air cylinder wall and fixed to the base cap; an air piston attached to the stem and in contact with the air cylinder wall to define an air cylinder chamber inside the air cylinder member; a liquid cylinder member having a cylindrical liquid cylinder wall and arranged coaxially inside the air cylinder wall; and a liquid piston attached to the stem and in contact with the liquid cylinder wall to define a liquid cylinder chamber inside the liquid cylinder member; is pressed down, the air piston and the liquid piston are activated to mix the liquid content pressure-fed from the liquid cylinder chamber towards the nozzle with air pressure-fed from the air cylinder chamber towards the nozzle and discharge the mixture in foam form, wherein the liquid cylinder member is formed separately from the air cylinder member to form the air cylinder member, and the liquid cylinder member can be any of a plurality of types with different inner diameters of the liquid cylinder wall, and by using one that corresponds to the inner diameter of the liquid cylinder wall of the liquid cylinder member attached as the liquid piston, the discharge amount of the liquid content can be set to a plurality of types.

[0009] In the foam dispenser of the present invention, in the above configuration, it is preferable that the air cylinder member has an integral fitting tubular portion below the air cylinder wall, the liquid cylinder member has a fitted tubular portion that is integrally connected to the lower end of the liquid cylinder wall, and the fitted tubular portion fits onto the outside of the fitting tubular portion, thereby allowing the liquid cylinder member to be detachably attached to the air cylinder member.

[0010] In the foam dispenser of the present invention having the above configuration, the mixture ratio of the air to the content liquid is preferably 20:1 to 5:1. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, a foamer dispenser capable of setting a plurality of discharge amounts of content liquid can be provided at low cost. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a foam dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention attached to a container body. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the foam dispenser shown in FIG. 1 in a state where the nozzle head is depressed to discharge the content liquid. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a half cross-sectional view showing the dimensions of a liquid cylinder member. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a half cross-sectional view showing the dimensions of the liquid piston. [Figure 5] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the foam dispenser shown in FIG. 1 in a state where a liquid cylinder member and a liquid piston that discharge a larger amount of the liquid content are attached. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, a foam dispenser 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0014] In this specification and claims, "upper" means "upper" when the container body 2 equipped with the foam dispenser 1 is placed on a horizontal surface as shown in Figure 1, and "lower" means the opposite side.

[0015] The foam dispenser 1 shown in Figure 1 is used by being attached to a container body 2. The foam dispenser 1 can mix the liquid content 3, such as shampoo, body soap, hand soap, or facial cleanser, stored in the container body 2 with air and discharge it to the outside in the form of foam.

[0016] In this embodiment, the container body 2 is a bottle-shaped blow-molded container made of synthetic resin, which has a cylindrical mouth 2a and a body 2b integrally formed below it. Note that the container body 2 can be of various configurations or shapes, such as an injection-molded product, a glass bottle, or a pouch container, as long as it has the mouth 2a and can contain the content liquid 3.

[0017] The foam dispenser 1 includes a base cap 10. The base cap 10, which may be made of, for example, a synthetic resin, has a cylindrical mounting wall 11 that is larger in diameter than the mouth portion 2a and is centered on an axis O. A female thread 11a provided on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting wall 11 is threadedly coupled to a male thread 2c provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 2a, so that the base cap 10 can be detachably attached to the mouth portion 2a.

[0018] The base cap 10 is not limited to the above-mentioned screw connection, and may be configured to be attached to the mouth portion 2a using, for example, undercut engagement or other fastening devices.

[0019] A cylindrical wall 13 having a smaller diameter than the mounting wall 11 is provided coaxially and integrally with the upper end of the mounting wall 11 via a top wall 12. A guide wall 14 having a smaller diameter than the cylindrical wall 13 is provided radially inside the cylindrical wall 13 and is connected to the upper end of the cylindrical wall 13 via a connecting portion 15.

[0020] A stem 20 extending in the vertical direction is provided inside the base cap 10. The stem 20 is made of a synthetic resin material and is cylindrical with an internal flow path 20a, and is movable up and down (movable in the vertical direction) relative to the base cap 10 between the initial position shown in Fig. 1 and the pushed-in position shown in Fig. 2.

[0021] A synthetic resin adapter 21 and a synthetic resin nozzle head 30 are attached to the upper end of the stem 20 .

[0022] The nozzle head 30 includes a downward-facing dish-shaped head body 31 and a nozzle 32 that protrudes radially outward from the head body 31. The nozzle 32 is connected to the internal flow path 20a of the stem 20 via an adapter 21, and the tip of the nozzle 32 serves as a discharge port 32a for the content liquid 3. A cylindrical cover wall 33 having a diameter larger than the cylindrical wall 13 is integrally and coaxially provided on the underside of the head body 31, and a stopper member 34 is detachably attached between the lower end of the cover wall 33 and the top wall 12 of the base cap 10. A mounting tube 35 having a diameter smaller than the cover wall 33 is integrally provided on the underside of the head body 31, and the nozzle head 30 is attached to the stem 20 by fitting the mounting tube 35 into the upper end portion of the stem 20. The adapter 21 is fitted and fixed inside the mounting tube 35.

[0023] With the stopper member 34 removed, the nozzle head 30 is movable up and down relative to the base cap 10 together with the stem 20 between the initial position shown in FIG. 1 and the pushed-in position shown in FIG.

[0024] The foam dispenser 1 has an air cylinder member 40 fixed to the base cap 10. The air cylinder member 40, which may be made of synthetic resin, has a cylindrical air cylinder wall 41 with a diameter smaller than that of the mouth 2a, a lower cylindrical wall 43 with a diameter smaller than that of the air cylinder wall 41 and integrally connected to the lower end of the air cylinder wall 41 via a bent portion 42, and a bottom wall 44 connected to the lower end of the lower cylindrical wall 43. The air cylinder member 40 is fixed to the base cap 10 by undercut engagement and fitting at a fixing portion 45 with an L-shaped cross section that is integrally provided at the upper end portion of the air cylinder wall 41. When the base cap 10 is attached to the mouth 2a, the fixing portion 45 is sandwiched between the top wall 12 of the base cap 10 and the upper end of the mouth 2a of the container body 2, so that the air cylinder member 40 is more firmly fixed to the base cap 10. With the base cap 10 attached to the mouth portion 2a, the air cylinder member 40 is disposed inside the container body 2. Reference numeral 46 denotes a sealing member such as a packing that seals the gap between the air cylinder member 40 and the mouth portion 2a.

[0025] An air piston 50 is attached to the stem 20. The air piston 50, which may be made of, for example, synthetic resin, has a cylindrical mounting cylinder 51, and is attached to the stem 20 by fitting the mounting cylinder 51 onto the outside of the stem 20. The mounting cylinder 51 is movable up and down relative to the stem 20 between a flange 22 integrally formed on the outer circumferential surface of the stem 20 and the mounting cylinder 35 of the nozzle head 30. When the nozzle head 30 is pressed down, the mounting cylinder 51 moves upward relative to the stem 20 while its upper end is in sliding contact with the inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the mounting cylinder 35, and moves away from the flange 22. The mounting cylinder 51 then comes into contact with the mounting cylinder 35 in the vertical direction and moves downward together with the nozzle head 30 and the stem 20. On the other hand, when the nozzle head 30 returns from the pressed-down position to its initial position, the mounting cylinder 51 comes into contact with the flange 22 and moves upward together with the nozzle head 30 and the stem 20. The distance over which the mounting cylinder 51 can move in the vertical direction relative to the stem 20 is sufficiently smaller than the distance from the depressed position of the nozzle head 30 to the initial position.

[0026] The air piston 50 has a cylindrical connecting portion 52 with an end that is connected integrally to the mounting cylinder 51, and also has a sliding portion 53 that is connected integrally to the lower end of the connecting portion 52 and that slidably contacts the inner surface of the air cylinder wall 41.

[0027] With this configuration, an air cylinder chamber 47 is defined inside the air cylinder member 40 by the air piston 50 and the air cylinder member 40. Therefore, when the nozzle head 30 is pressed down and the air piston 50 moves downward, the volume of the air cylinder chamber 47 decreases, and when the air piston 50 moves upward, the volume of the air cylinder chamber 47 increases.

[0028] An air intake hole 54 for introducing air into the air cylinder chamber 47 is provided on the upper end side of the connecting portion 52. A check valve 55 made of synthetic resin is also attached to the mounting cylinder 51. The check valve 55 operates to allow air to be introduced into the air cylinder chamber 47 through the air intake hole 54 and to prevent air from leaking out of the air cylinder chamber 47 through the air intake hole 54.

[0029] A gap 56 is provided between the inner surface of the mounting cylinder 51 and the outer surface of the stem 20, and an air flow path 57 is provided between the stem 20 and the mounting cylinder 35, connecting the gap 56 to the internal flow path 20a of the stem 20.

[0030] 2, when the nozzle head 30 is depressed, the air piston 50 moves downward, reducing the volume of the air cylinder chamber 47, closing the air intake hole 54 by the check valve 55, and the mounting cylinder 51 moves away from the flange 22, opening the gap 56 to the air cylinder chamber 47, allowing air within the air cylinder chamber 47 to be supplied to the internal flow path 20a of the stem 20 through the gap 56 and the air flow path 57. Conversely, when the nozzle head 30 returns from the depressed position to the initial position, the mounting cylinder 51 abuts against the flange 22, blocking the gap 56 from the air cylinder chamber 47, and the air piston 50 moves upward, increasing the volume of the air cylinder chamber 47 and opening the check valve 55, allowing outside air to be introduced into the air cylinder chamber 47 through the air intake hole 54. The guide wall 14 is provided with an intake flow path 16 that allows air to be supplied from the outside of the guide wall 14 toward the air intake hole 54.

[0031] A fitting tubular portion 48 is integrally provided on the inner peripheral edge of the bottom wall 44 of the air cylinder member 40 below the air cylinder wall 41 .

[0032] A liquid cylinder member 60 is provided inside the air cylinder member 40. The liquid cylinder member 60, which is made of, for example, synthetic resin, has a cylindrical liquid cylinder wall 61 with a smaller diameter than the air cylinder wall 41 and the lower cylindrical wall 43, and is arranged coaxially inside the air cylinder wall 41. In this embodiment, the liquid cylinder member 60 is sized so that the upper end of the liquid cylinder wall 61 is located lower than the upper end of the air cylinder wall 41, and the lower end of the liquid cylinder wall 61 is located lower than the lower end of the air cylinder wall 41.

[0033] The liquid cylinder member 60 has a fitted tubular portion 63 that is integrally connected to the lower end of the liquid cylinder wall 61 via a flange portion 62. The inner diameter of the fitted tubular portion 63 is larger than the inner diameter of the liquid cylinder wall 61 and is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the fitting tubular portion 48. The liquid cylinder member 60 is detachably attached to the air cylinder member 40 by fitting the fitted tubular portion 63 onto the outside of the fitting tubular portion 48. In other words, the liquid cylinder member 60 is formed separately from the air cylinder member 40, and can be easily attached to and detached from the air cylinder member 40 by fitting the fitted tubular portion 63 into and out of the fitting tubular portion 48. In addition, if the liquid cylinder member 60 is formed separately from the air cylinder member 40 and attached to the air cylinder member 40, the fitted tubular portion 63 may be fitted irremovably into the fitting tubular portion 48, so that it cannot be detached from the air cylinder member 40.

[0034] A liquid piston 70 is removably attached to the lower end of the stem 20. The liquid piston 70, which may be made of synthetic resin, for example, has a cylindrical mounting cylinder 71, which is attached to the stem 20 by fitting the mounting cylinder 71 inside the lower end of the stem 20. A closure cap 23 is removably attached to the lower end of the stem 20, and the mounting cylinder 71 is prevented from coming off by the closure cap 23 and is movable up and down relative to the stem 20. In other words, the liquid piston 70 can be easily attached and detached from the stem 20 by removing the closure cap 23 from the stem 20. Note that if the liquid piston 70 is formed separately from the stem 20 and attached to the stem 20, the closure cap 23 may be permanently fitted to the lower end of the stem 20, thereby preventing it from being removed from the stem 20.

[0035] When the nozzle head 30 is depressed, the liquid piston 70 is pushed by the stem 20 and moves downward together with the nozzle head 30 and the stem 20, and when the nozzle head 30 returns from the depressed position to the initial position, it abuts against the occluding plug 23 and moves upward together with the nozzle head 30 and the stem 20. The distance that the liquid piston 70 can move up and down relative to the stem 20 is sufficiently smaller than the distance from the depressed position of the nozzle head 30 to the initial position.

[0036] The liquid piston 70 is integrally connected to the mounting cylindrical body 71 and has an integral sliding portion 72 that is in slidable contact with the inner circumferential surface of the liquid cylinder wall 61 .

[0037] With this configuration, a liquid cylinder chamber 73 is defined inside the liquid cylinder member 60 by the liquid piston 70 and the liquid cylinder member 60. Therefore, when the nozzle head 30 is pressed down and the liquid piston 70 moves downward, the volume of the liquid cylinder chamber 73 decreases, and when the liquid piston 70 moves upward, the volume of the liquid cylinder chamber 73 increases.

[0038] A communication hole 74 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the closure plug 23 fixed to the lower end of the stem 20, which connects the liquid cylinder chamber 73 with the internal flow path 20a of the stem 20. The communication hole 74 is closed by the liquid piston 70 in the initial position, and when the nozzle head 30 is pressed down and the liquid piston 70 moves upward relative to the stem 20 from the initial position shown in Figure 1, the communication hole 74 is opened as shown in Figure 2, connecting the liquid cylinder chamber 73 with the internal flow path 20a.

[0039] A blocking wall 49 is provided integrally with the inside of the fitting cylindrical portion 48, and the lower end of the liquid cylinder member 60 is blocked by the blocking wall 49. A liquid intake hole 49a is provided in the blocking wall 49. A check valve 80 made of synthetic resin is attached to the blocking wall 49. The check valve 80 operates to allow the content liquid 3 to be introduced into the liquid cylinder chamber 73 from the inside of the container body 2 through the liquid intake hole 49a, and to prevent the content liquid 3 from flowing out from the inside of the liquid cylinder chamber 73 into the inside of the container body 2 through the liquid intake hole 49a.

[0040] Therefore, when the nozzle head 30 is depressed, the liquid piston 70 moves downward, reducing the volume of the liquid cylinder chamber 73, the check valve 80 closes the liquid intake hole 49a, the liquid piston 70 moves upward relative to the stem 20, opening the communication hole 74, and the content liquid 3 inside the liquid cylinder chamber 73 is supplied to the internal flow path 20a of the stem 20 through the communication hole 74. Conversely, when the nozzle head 30 returns from the depressed position to the initial position, the liquid piston 70 abuts against the closure plug 23, closing the communication hole 74, and the liquid piston 70 moves upward, increasing the volume of the liquid cylinder chamber 73 and opening the check valve 80, and the content liquid 3 inside the container body 2 is introduced into the liquid cylinder chamber 73 through the liquid intake hole 49a. In addition, a tube 64 extending toward the bottom of the container body 2 may be attached to the liquid intake hole 49a so that the content liquid 3 inside the container body 2 is introduced into the liquid cylinder chamber 73 from the liquid intake hole 49a through the tube 64.

[0041] The area above the outlet of the air flow path 57 of the adapter 21 forms a mixing chamber 90, where air pressure-fed from the air cylinder chamber 47 to the internal flow path 20a of the stem 20 and liquid 3 pressure-fed from the liquid cylinder chamber 73 to the internal flow path 20a of the stem 20 are mixed. Two foaming members 91 are attached in series to the upper side (nozzle 32 side) of the mixing chamber 90. The foaming members 91 are configured by providing a mesh on the end face of a ring-shaped body fitted and fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the adapter 21, and the mixture of liquid 3 and air is effectively foamed by passing through the foaming members 91. The mixture of liquid 3 and air foamed by passing through the foaming members 91 is then discharged to the outside from the discharge port 32a through the nozzle 32.

[0042] It is also possible to provide a configuration in which a mesh is attached inside the tip of the nozzle 32 to turn the content liquid 3 into a finer foam.

[0043] A spring member 92 is attached between the flange 22 of the stem 20 and the bottom wall 44 of the air cylinder member 40. The spring member 92 is a compression coil spring that extends along the axis O, and urges the stem 20 and the nozzle head 30 upward toward the initial position shown in FIG.

[0044] In the foam dispenser 1 according to the present embodiment having the above configuration, when the nozzle head 30 is depressed from the initial state shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, the air piston 50 and the liquid piston 70 are actuated to pressure-feed the content liquid 3 from the liquid cylinder chamber 73 toward the nozzle 32 via the internal flow path 20a of the stem 20, and the content liquid 3 is mixed with air pressure-feed from the air cylinder chamber 47 toward the nozzle 32 via the internal flow path 20a of the stem 20 in the mixing chamber 90 and discharged in foam form from the discharge port 32a. When the nozzle head 30 is released from the depression operation, the spring force generated by the spring member 92 pushes the nozzle head 30 together with the stem 20 upward to return to the initial position, at which point air for the next discharge is filled into the air cylinder chamber 47 and the content liquid 3 for the next discharge is filled into the liquid cylinder chamber 73.

[0045] As described above, in the foam dispenser 1 according to this embodiment, the liquid cylinder member 60 is formed separately from the air cylinder member 40 and attached to the air cylinder member 40, and the liquid piston 70 is attached to the stem 20. Therefore, in the foam dispenser 1 according to this embodiment, multiple types of liquid cylinder members 60 with different inner diameters of the liquid cylinder wall 61 that will provide a desired discharge amount are prepared in advance, and the liquid cylinder member 60 that will provide the desired discharge amount is attached to the air cylinder member 40 and used, and a liquid piston 70 that corresponds to the inner diameter of the liquid cylinder wall 61 of the attached liquid cylinder member 60 is attached to the stem 20. This makes it possible to set multiple discharge amounts of the content liquid 3 that are discharged from the discharge port 32a when the nozzle head 30 is pressed down. Note that the selection and attachment of multiple types of liquid cylinder members 60 and the corresponding liquid pistons 70 may be performed during the manufacturing and assembly of the foam dispenser 1, or may be performed when a consumer uses the foam dispenser 1. For example, when multiple types of liquid cylinder members 60 and corresponding liquid pistons 70 are selected and attached during the manufacturing and assembly of the foam dispenser 1, the liquid cylinder members 60 and liquid pistons 70 may be attached non-interchangeably to the air cylinder member 40 or stem 20, and when multiple types of liquid cylinder members 60 and corresponding liquid pistons 70 are selected and attached when a consumer uses the foam dispenser 1, the liquid cylinder members 60 and liquid pistons 70 may be configured to be attached interchangeably to the air cylinder member 40 or stem 20.

[0046] For example, the foamer dispenser 1 shown in Fig. 1 uses a liquid cylinder member 60 in which the inner diameter dc and outer diameter Dc of the liquid cylinder wall 61 shown in Fig. 3 are set so that the amount of content liquid 3 discharged per discharge is 1.0 g and the foaming ratio is 13. Also, the liquid piston 70 uses a sliding part 72 shown in Fig. 4 whose outer diameter Dp corresponds to the inner diameter dc.

[0047] In contrast, the foam dispenser 1 shown in FIG. 5 uses a liquid cylinder member 60 in which the inner diameter dc and outer diameter Dc of the liquid cylinder wall 61 are larger than those shown in FIG. 1, and a liquid piston 70 in which the outer diameter Dp of the sliding part 72 corresponds to the inner diameter dc of the liquid cylinder wall 61 shown in FIG. 5, thereby discharging 2.0 g of the content liquid 3 per discharge, which is larger than that shown in FIG. 1, and achieving a foaming ratio of 7 times.

[0048] The liquid cylinder member 60 used in the foam dispenser 1 shown in Figure 1 and the liquid cylinder member 60 used in the foam dispenser 1 shown in Figure 5 have the same shape and size of the mating tubular portion 63, and by mating with the mating tubular portion 48 of the air cylinder member 40, the liquid cylinder member 60 can be detachably attached to the air cylinder member 40.

[0049] As described above, in the foam dispenser 1 according to this embodiment, the liquid cylinder member 60 is formed separately from the air cylinder member 40 and attached to the air cylinder member 40, and the liquid piston 70 is attached to the stem 20. Therefore, by using air cylinder members 40 of the same shape or size, but using any of a plurality of types of liquid cylinder members 60 with different inner diameters dc of the liquid cylinder walls 61, and by using a liquid piston 70 with an outer diameter Dp corresponding to the inner diameter dc of the liquid cylinder wall 61 of the attached liquid cylinder member 60, it is possible to easily set a plurality of different discharge amounts of the content liquid 3 discharged from the discharge port 32a when the nozzle head 30 is pressed down. In other words, by using relatively large air cylinder members 40 of the same shape or size, but using a plurality of different sizes of liquid cylinder members 60 that are smaller than the air cylinder member 40, it is possible to easily manufacture a plurality of types of foam dispensers 1 with different discharge amounts of the content liquid 3. Therefore, it is sufficient to manufacture multiple types of liquid cylinder members 60 that are smaller in size and simpler in structure than the air cylinder member 40 as members for changing the discharge amount of the content liquid 3, and therefore, compared to manufacturing multiple types of air cylinder members 40 according to the discharge amount, it is possible to reduce the cost and time required to manufacture the mold and reduce the cost of the foam dispenser 1. Furthermore, when the liquid cylinder member 60 is detachably attached to the air cylinder member 40 and the liquid piston 70 is detachably attached to the stem 20, the discharge amount of the content liquid 3 can be easily changed by the simple task of simply replacing the liquid cylinder member 60 and the liquid piston 70 with those of different sizes.

[0050] Furthermore, in the foam dispenser 1 according to this embodiment, the air cylinder member 40 is configured to have an integral fitting tubular portion 48 below the air cylinder wall 41, and the liquid cylinder member 60 is configured to have an fitted tubular portion 63 that is integrally connected to the lower end of the liquid cylinder wall 61, and the fitted tubular portion 63 is fitted onto the outside of the fitting tubular portion 48, thereby allowing the air cylinder member 40 to be detachably attached. Therefore, the liquid cylinder member 60 can be easily and reliably attached and detached to the air cylinder member 40 when changing the discharge amount of the content liquid 3, and the configuration of the liquid cylinder member 60 can be simplified, further reducing the cost of the foam dispenser 1.

[0051] Furthermore, in the foam dispenser 1 according to this embodiment, if the discharge rate of the content liquid 3 is increased by increasing the inner diameter dc of the liquid cylinder wall 61, the mixture ratio of air to the content liquid 3 (gas-liquid mixture ratio) in the bubbly mixture of the content liquid 3 and air discharged from the discharge port 32a will decrease, resulting in a change in foam quality. Therefore, it is preferable to set the inner diameter dc of the liquid cylinder wall 61 to a value that will result in a mixture ratio of air to the content liquid 3 of 20:1 to 5:1. Here, the mixture ratio of air to the content liquid 3 is the ratio between the volume of the air cylinder chamber 47 and the volume of the liquid cylinder chamber 73, which changes when the nozzle head 30 is depressed by a full stroke from the initial position shown in FIG. 1 to the bottom end position shown in FIG. 2.

[0052] This allows the foam dispenser 1 to easily change the amount of content liquid 3 dispensed, while improving the foam quality of the foamed content liquid 3 dispensed by the foam dispenser 1.

[0053] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0054] For example, in the above embodiment, the liquid cylinder member 60 is configured to have a fitted tubular portion 63 with an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the liquid cylinder wall 61 integrally attached to the lower end of the liquid cylinder wall 61 via a flange portion 62, and the fitted tubular portion 63 is fitted into the fitting tubular portion 48 provided on the air cylinder member 40, so that the liquid cylinder member 60 can be detachably attached to the air cylinder member 40. However, this is not limited to this, and as long as the liquid cylinder member 60 has a liquid cylinder wall 61, the configuration for detachably attaching the liquid cylinder member 60 to the air cylinder member 40 can be changed as appropriate.

[0055] Furthermore, the inner diameter dc and outer diameter Dc of the liquid cylinder wall 61 of the liquid cylinder member 60 and the outer diameter Dp of the sliding portion 72 of the liquid piston 70 are not limited to those mentioned above and can be changed appropriately according to the desired discharge amount. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1 foam dispenser 2 Container body 2a Mouth 2b Torso 2c male thread 3 Content liquid 10 Base Cap 11 Mounting wall 11a female thread 12 Top wall 13 Cylindrical wall 14 Guide Wall 15 Connecting part 16 Inlet channel 20 stem 20a Internal flow path 21 Adapter 22 flange 23 Occlusion body 30 nozzle head 31 Head body 32 nozzles 32a Discharge port 33 Cover Wall 34 Stopper member 35 Mounting tube 40 Air cylinder parts 41 Air Cylinder Wall 42 Bend 43 Lower cylinder wall 44 Bottom wall 45 Fixed part 46 Sealing material 47 Air cylinder chamber 48 Fitting cylinder 49 Blocking wall 49a Liquid intake hole 50 Air Piston 51 Mounting barrel 52 Connecting part 53 Sliding part 54 Air intake hole 55 Check valve 56 Gap 57 Air flow path 60 Liquid cylinder member 61 Liquid cylinder wall 62 Flange 63 Fitted cylinder part 64 tubes 70 Liquid Piston 71 Mounting cylinder 72 Sliding part 73 Liquid cylinder chamber 74 Communication hole 80 Check valve 90 Mixing chamber 91 Foam materials 92 Spring material O axis

Claims

1. a base cap attached to the mouth of the container body; a stem that is vertically movable relative to the base cap; a nozzle head provided with a nozzle and attached to an upper end of the stem; an air cylinder member having a cylindrical air cylinder wall and fixed to the base cap; an air piston attached to the stem and in contact with the air cylinder wall to define an air cylinder chamber inside the air cylinder member; a liquid cylinder member having a cylindrical liquid cylinder wall and coaxially disposed inside the air cylinder wall; a liquid piston attached to the stem and in contact with the liquid cylinder wall to define a liquid cylinder chamber inside the liquid cylinder member, a foam dispenser configured such that, when the nozzle head is pressed down, the air piston and the liquid piston are actuated to mix the content liquid pressure-fed from the liquid cylinder chamber toward the nozzle with air pressure-fed from the air cylinder chamber toward the nozzle and discharge the mixture in the form of foam, the liquid cylinder member is formed separately from the air cylinder member and attached to the air cylinder member, A foam dispenser characterized in that the liquid cylinder member is any of a plurality of types having different inner diameters of the liquid cylinder wall, and by using a liquid cylinder member that corresponds to the inner diameter of the liquid cylinder wall of the liquid cylinder member attached as the liquid piston, the discharge amount of the content liquid can be set to a plurality of types.

2. the air cylinder member is integrally provided with a fitting tubular portion below the air cylinder wall, the liquid cylinder member has a fitted tubular portion that is integrally connected to the lower end of the liquid cylinder wall, 2. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the liquid cylinder member is detachably attached to the air cylinder member by fitting the fitted tubular portion onto the outside of the fitting tubular portion.

3. 3. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein a mixing ratio of the air to the content liquid is 20:1 to 5:1.

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