Spray head and liquid spray container

Abstract

To provide a spray head and a liquid spray container that allow spraying to be performed gently toward a spray object.SOLUTION: A spray head 4 can be attached to a pump disposed on a container body in order to jet a liquid C like a mist. The spray head comprises: a first jetting outlet A3 for jetting the liquid C linearly; and a cylindrical element 5 disposed at a front side of the first jetting outlet A3. The first jetting outlet A3 communicates with an internal space S5 through a rear side opening A51 of the cylindrical element 5. A front end opening of the cylindrical element 5 is a second jetting outlet A4 that opens the internal space S5 to the outside and allows the liquid C to pass linearly. The cylindrical element 5 comprises a facing surface F6 inclining upward toward the front side, at a position of facing the second jetting outlet A4 that is a position on the front side beyond the second jetting outlet A4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a spray head and a liquid spray container. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional spray heads are known to have dimensional ratios of the flow path of the spray head specified to produce fine spray particles, taking into consideration the user experience (feel, stickiness, dripping) when spraying lotion on the face or other areas (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-235199 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the conventional spray heads described above spray directly onto the face with the nozzle pointed at the face, and there is room for improvement in terms of the feeling of use, for example, taking into consideration the force of the mist.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a spray head and a liquid spray container that can spray gently onto an object to be sprayed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) The spray head of the present invention is attachable to a pump arranged in a container body and is used to spray the liquid in the container body in the form of a mist. The spray head comprises a first nozzle that sprays the liquid in a linear manner, and a tubular element arranged in front of the first nozzle, the first nozzle being connected to the internal space of the tubular element through a rear opening, the front end opening of the tubular element forming a second nozzle that opens the internal space of the tubular element to the outside and passes the liquid in a linear manner, and the tubular element further comprises an opposing surface that is inclined upward as it approaches the front, at a position forward of the second nozzle and opposite the second nozzle.

[0007] (2) In the spray head of (1) above, it is preferable that the second nozzle has a larger opening area than the first nozzle.

[0008] (3) In the spray head of (2) above, it is preferable that the hole diameter of the first nozzle is 0.25 mm or less, and the hole diameter of the second nozzle is 1 mm or more.

[0009] (4) In the spray head of any one of (1) to (3) above, the opposing surface may be provided on a protruding portion that is located below the second nozzle.

[0010] (5) In any one of the spray heads (1) to (3) above, the opposing surface may be provided on a bridge section that spans between two support sections arranged on both the left and right sides of the second nozzle.

[0011] (6) In the spray head of (5) above, the bridge portion may include a protrusion extending in the vertical direction from at least one of the upper and lower sides.

[0012] (7) The liquid spray container of the present invention comprises a container body capable of containing a liquid, a pump attached to the container body, and a spray head of any one of (1) to (6) above attached to the pump. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a spray head and a liquid spray container that can gently spray onto an object to be sprayed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part that schematically shows a liquid spray container according to one embodiment of the present invention, the liquid spray container being equipped with a spray head according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part, schematically illustrating an example of a spray pattern using a spray head for the liquid spray container of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a front view of a main part schematically showing a main part of a spray head of the liquid spray container of FIG. 1.

[0023] FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic view of a tubular element of the liquid spray container of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view schematically illustrating the tubular element of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a modified example of a cylindrical element that can be applied to the liquid spray container of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view schematically illustrating the tubular element of FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, a spray head and a liquid spray container that are exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] In Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a liquid spray container according to one embodiment of the present invention. The liquid spray container 1 comprises a container body 2 capable of containing a liquid C, a pump 3 attached to the container body 2, and a spray head 4 attached to the pump 3. The spray head 4 is a spray head according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] The spray head 4 is used to drive the pump 3 disposed in the container body 2. The pump 3 can be operated by repeatedly pressing down and releasing the spray head 4. The spray head 4 can spray the liquid C contained in the container body 2 in the form of a mist. The liquid spray container 1 equipped with the spray head 4 can be used to spray, for example, perfume, lotion such as moisturizer, or the like onto human skin.

[0018] Here, in the present disclosure, "up and down" refers to the liquid spray container 1 when it is held upright with its bottom (not shown) as the base point. Also, in the present disclosure, the "up and down direction" refers to a direction parallel to the extension direction of the central axis O of the liquid spray container 1. Also, in the present disclosure, the "front and back direction" refers to one of the directions perpendicular to the up and down direction (the extension direction of the central axis O). Note that in FIG. 2, the front and back axis extending in the front and back direction is indicated by the symbol O2. In particular, in the present disclosure, the "front side" refers to the side on which the second nozzle A4 of the spray head 4 is located, based on the central axis O of the liquid spray container 1. In contrast, in the present disclosure, the "rear side" refers to the side opposite the second nozzle A4 of the spray head 4 across the central axis O. Also, the "left and right direction" refers to a direction perpendicular to the up and down direction and the front and back direction. The "left side" and "right side" refer to the central axis O of the liquid spray container 1, and the "front side" refers to the front.

[0019] FIG. 2 shows a schematic example of a spray pattern using the spray head 4 associated with the liquid spray container 1.

[0020] The spray head 4 is attachable to the pump 3 arranged in the container body 2 and is a spray head for spraying the liquid C in the container body 2 in the form of a mist. The spray head 4 includes a first spray nozzle A3 for spraying the liquid C in the form of a mist, and an air bubble cylinder (cylindrical element) 5 arranged in front of the first spray nozzle A3.

[0021] The spray head 4 includes a head body 7 having a flow path formed therein that leads to the pump 3, and a nozzle tip 8 that is attached to the head body 7. The nozzle tip 8 is attached to a fitting groove formed on the front surface of the head body 7. The first spray outlet A3 is formed in the nozzle tip 8.

[0022] Referring to FIG. 2, in this embodiment, a flow path r2 is formed between the head main body 7 and the nozzle tip 8. Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the nozzle tip 8 includes a cylindrical portion 8a and a partition wall 8b closing the front end of the cylindrical portion 8a. The first ejection port A3 is a through-hole penetrating the partition wall 8b in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the nozzle tip 8 is fixed to the head main body 7. A spatial flow path r3 serving as a gap space is formed between the partition wall 8b of the nozzle tip 8 and the head main body 7. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a recess is formed on the rear surface of the partition wall 8b as a recessed flow path r4 communicating with the spatial flow path r3. As a result, the liquid C from the pump 3 is pressure-fed from the flow path r2 to the gap space r3, compressed by being throttled by the recessed flow path r4, and further compressed by being throttled from the recessed flow path r4 through the first ejection port A3. As a result, the liquid C ejected through the first ejection port A3 is ejected forcefully as a single line of liquid C.

[0023] The first ejection port A3 communicates with the internal space S5 of the bubble cylinder 5 through the rear opening A51 of the bubble cylinder 5. On the other hand, the front end opening of the bubble cylinder 5 forms a second ejection port A4 that opens the internal space S5 to the outside and allows the liquid C to pass in a linear manner. That is, in this embodiment, the front end opening of the bubble cylinder 5 is the second ejection port A4.

[0024] By arranging the bubble cylinder 5 in front of the first nozzle A3, the liquid C sprayed from the first nozzle A3 passes through the internal space S5 toward the second nozzle A4 with great force, while drawing in air contained in the internal space S5 of the bubble cylinder 5. As a result, the liquid C sprayed through the second nozzle A4 is sprayed as a single, powerful line of liquid C containing air.

[0025] In addition, the bubble cylinder 5 has an opposing surface F6 that slopes upward toward the front at a position forward of the second ejection port A4 and facing the second ejection port A4. In this embodiment, the opposing surface F6 is flat.

[0026] The liquid C sprayed through the second nozzle A4 collides with the opposing surface F6 and turns into a fine mist. Then, guided by the opposing surface F6, it rises forward and upward, and is sprayed toward the object to be sprayed (hereinafter also referred to as the "object to be sprayed"). This allows the spray head 4, and ultimately the liquid spray container 1, to gently spray the mist-like liquid C toward the object to be sprayed. For example, when a user sprays liquid C toward their face, the liquid C is sprayed onto their face as a fine mist of liquid C. This allows the liquid C to be sprayed as a lotion toward the face as a fine mist of liquid C, resulting in a pleasant feel and smooth application to the skin. Additionally, the mist of liquid C on the face also turns into a fine mist upon contact with the opposing surface F6, making it less likely to drip. That is, the spray head 4, and therefore the liquid spray container 1, improves the feeling of use (feel on the skin, adhesion to the skin, dripping) when spraying lotion onto the face or the like.

[0027] Therefore, the spray head 4 can provide a spray head, and in turn a liquid spray container 1, that can gently spray mist onto an object to be sprayed by suppressing the force of the mist.

[0028] The angle of the opposing surface F6 is preferably such that the upward front angle α relative to the front-to-rear direction (spray direction) is approximately 45 degrees. In this case, the atomized liquid C generated by collision with the opposing surface F6 can be easily caused to rise along the opposing surface F6. However, the angle α can be appropriately set according to the purpose of use and the user's preference. Therefore, with the spray head 4, and by extension the liquid spray container 1, the angle α can be adjusted to set the desired rising angle.

[0029] Furthermore, the second ejection nozzle A4 is preferably arranged on the same axis as the first ejection nozzle A3. In this embodiment, the central axis of the first ejection nozzle A3 and the central axis of the second ejection nozzle A4 are the same central axis O2. In this case, the liquid C sprayed linearly through the first ejection nozzle A3 can be easily sprayed toward the opposing surface F6 through the second ejection nozzle A4.

[0030] Furthermore, it is preferable that the second ejection port A4 has a larger opening area than the first ejection port A3. In this case, the linear liquid C ejected through the first ejection port A3 is less likely to collide with the bubble cylinder 5, thereby suppressing loss of liquid C that may occur when the linear liquid C collides with the bubble cylinder 5. Therefore, in this case, the liquid C ejected through the first ejection port A3 can be efficiently caused to collide with the opposing surface F6 through the second ejection port A4. In particular, when the second ejection port A4 is arranged on the same axis as the first ejection port A3, as in this embodiment, it is easy to center the first ejection port A3 and the second ejection port A4 so that the liquid C can efficiently collide with the opposing surface F6 through the second ejection port A4.

[0031] In this embodiment, the opening area Sb of the second jetting nozzle A4 is larger than the opening area Sa of the first jetting nozzle A3. It is preferable that the hole diameter φ of the first jetting nozzle A3 is 0.25 mm or less (however, the hole diameter φ exceeds 0 mm), and that the hole diameter φ of the second jetting nozzle A4 is 1 mm or more.

[0032] The hole diameter (diameter) of the first nozzle A3 is preferably small. The smaller the hole diameter of the first nozzle A3, the greater the momentum of the liquid C sprayed through the first nozzle A3. Therefore, by making the hole diameter of the first nozzle A3 smaller, a fine mist of small spray particles can be generated when the liquid collides with the opposing surface F6. Specific examples of the hole diameter of the first nozzle A3 include a first nozzle A3 with a diameter φ of 0.25 mm or less. Furthermore, when the diameter φ of the first nozzle A3 is 0.25 mm or less, the hole diameter φ of the second nozzle A4 is preferably 1 mm or more. In this case, the liquid C sprayed through the first nozzle A3 is less likely to collide with the bubble cylinder 5, thereby suppressing the loss of liquid C that may occur when the liquid C collides with the bubble cylinder 5. Note that in FIG. 2, the symbol L denotes the length (distance) in the front-to-rear direction between the first nozzle A3 and the second nozzle A4. The length L may be, for example, a length longer than the insertion depth D of the rear portion of the bubble cylinder 5 in the front-rear direction when the rear portion of the bubble cylinder 5 is fixed to the head body 7.

[0033] In this embodiment, the opposing surface F6 is provided on the protruding portion 6, which is located below the second nozzle A4. In this embodiment, the protruding portion 6 is provided at the front end of the bubble cylinder 5. Specifically, the protruding portion 6 protrudes integrally toward the front from a position at the front end of the bubble cylinder 5, below the second nozzle A4. In this case, with a simple configuration, it is possible to gently spray the liquid C onto the object to be sprayed.

[0034] In addition, in this embodiment, the bubble cylinder 5 includes an inner circumferential surface F5a on the inner circumferential surface F5 of the bubble cylinder 5, which forms the internal space S5, and which tapers toward the front opening of the bubble cylinder 5, i.e., the second outlet A4. In this embodiment, the inner circumferential surface F5a of the bubble cylinder 5 is continuous with the rear surface of the front end of the bubble cylinder 5.

[0035] Fig. 3 shows a schematic front view of the main parts of the spray head 4. In this embodiment, the protruding portion 6 is arranged so that, when viewed from the front, it does not entirely cover the second nozzle A4, but rather exposes a portion of the second nozzle A4. In this case, the amount of exposure of the second nozzle A4 can be adjusted by appropriately setting at least one of the width (left-right width), height (front-rear length), and angle α of the protruding portion 6.

[0036] FIG. 4 shows the bubble cylinder 5 from a perspective view. FIG. 5 also shows the bubble cylinder 5 from a schematic front view. For example, referring to the front view of FIG. 5, the texture of the mist of liquid C generated upon collision with the opposing surface F6 can be adjusted by exposing the second nozzle A4 from at least one location on the upper, right, and left sides of the protruding portion 6, or by covering it from at least one location on the upper, right, and left sides of the protruding portion 6. Therefore, the spray head 4, and ultimately the liquid spray container 1, enables gentle spraying of the liquid onto the object to be sprayed, tailored to the intended use and the user's preferences.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the bubble cylinder 5 is press-fit into the head body 7 by fitting into a fitting recess 7d provided in the head body 7. Additionally, in this embodiment, the bubble cylinder 5 is provided with an annular protrusion 5p. The bubble cylinder 5 is fixed to the head body 7 by the annular protrusion 5p being caught in an annular recess 7e formed in the fitting recess 7d. In this case, other components (for example, the nozzle tip 8) can be reused simply by modifying the head body of a conventional spray head.

[0038] In this embodiment, the pump 3 is a so-called accumulator pump. If the liquid C is sprayed with a high force through the first nozzle A3, the impact when it collides with the opposing surface F6 of the spray head 4 is large, making it easier to generate a finer mist.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 1, the pump 3 includes a cylinder 31 disposed inside the mouth 2a of the container body 2. In this embodiment, the cylinder 31 is integrally provided with an attachment cap 32. The cylinder 31 is suspended and held inside the mouth 2a via the attachment cap 32. The attachment cap 32 is fixed to the mouth 2a by a fixing means C1. The fixing means C1 can be configured as a screwing means, for example, as shown in the figure. However, the fixing means C1 is not limited to a screwing means. Furthermore, reference numeral 33 denotes an annular sealing member (e.g., a packing) that seals the gap between the mouth 2a and the cylinder 31.

[0040] A suction pipe P communicating with the inside of the container body 2 is fixed to the cylinder 31. The liquid C sucked through the suction pipe P is introduced into the inside of the cylinder 31 via a check valve (suction valve) V1. A pump piston 35 is elastically supported inside the cylinder 31 via a coil spring 34.

[0041] The pump piston 35 has a through-hole that penetrates in the vertical direction, and a pump plunger 36 is disposed inside the through-hole. Additionally, the pump piston 35 and the pump plunger 36 are connected by a plurality of connecting pieces 35d that are spaced apart in the circumferential direction. The pump piston 35 forms a pump chamber S3 between itself and the cylinder 31. The pump piston 35 is also provided with a pressure accumulator piston 37. The pressure accumulator piston 37 forms a pressure accumulator chamber S4 between itself and the head body 7. The spray head 4 is formed with an upper end opening A2 that connects the pump chamber S3 and the pressure accumulator chamber S4 to the outside. The upper end opening A2 can be opened and closed by the tip 36a of the pump plunger 36. Therefore, the tip 36a of the pump plunger 36 functions as a check valve (discharge valve).

[0042] However, the specific configuration of the pump 3 is not limited to the accumulator pump shown in Fig. 1. Various types of accumulator pumps can be used as long as they are configured to include a pressure accumulator chamber. Furthermore, while the pump 3 is preferably an accumulator pump, any pump can be used as long as it can pump the liquid C from the container body 2 to the second ejection outlet A4.

[0043] Moreover, the opposing surface F6 can have various configurations.

[0044] Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the bubble cylinder 5 that can be applied to the liquid spray container 1. Fig. 7 is a front view that schematically shows the bubble cylinder 5 of Fig. 6.

[0045] In the example of FIG. 6, the opposing surface F6, which slopes upward toward the front, is provided on the bridge 12, which spans between two support members 11 arranged on both the left and right sides of the second nozzle A4. That is, in the example of FIG. 6, the opposing surface F6 is the rear surface (back surface) of the bridge 12. In this case, the opposing surface F6 is firmly supported and has excellent durability, enabling gentle spraying of the spray target. Furthermore, the bridge 12 can have flat upper and lower ends in the left-right direction without providing the protrusion 12a described below. In this case, for example, by exposing the second nozzle A4 only above the bridge 12 in the front view of FIG. 7, or by exposing the second nozzle A4 only below the bridge 12, the texture of the mist of liquid C generated by collision with the opposing surface F6 can be adjusted. Therefore, the spray head 4 equipped with the bridging section 12, and ultimately the liquid spray container 1 using the spray head 4, makes it possible to spray more gently on the object to be sprayed, in accordance with the purpose of use and the user's preferences.

[0046] On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 6, the bridging portion 12 actually has a protrusion 12a extending in the vertical direction, and the opposing surface F6 is continuous with the protrusion 12a. In this example, the bridging portion 12 has two protrusions 12a. In this embodiment, the rear surface (back surface) of the bridging portion 12 is continuous with the rear surface (back surface) of the protrusion 12a, thereby forming one opposing surface F6. In this case, for example, in the front view of FIG. 7, the protrusion 12a divides the second nozzle A4 into left and right portions, thereby adjusting the texture of the mist-like liquid C generated by collision with the opposing surface F6. Therefore, the spray head 4 provided with the protrusion 12a, and ultimately the liquid spray container 1 using the spray head 4, allows for gentler spraying of the spray target according to the purpose of use and the user's preferences.

[0047] The above-described embodiments are exemplary of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims. For example, Liquid C is not limited to cosmetics such as lotions and whitening agents for skin whitening. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1: liquid spray container, 2: container body, 3: pump, 4: spray head, 5: bubble tube (cylindrical element), 6: protrusion, 7: head body, 8: nozzle tip, 8a: cylindrical part, 8b: partition wall, 11: support part, 12: bridge part, 12a: protrusion, 31: cylinder, 32: mounting cap, 33: sealing member, 34: coil spring, 35: pump piston, 35d: connecting piece, 36: pump plunger, 36a: tip part (discharge valve), 37: pressure accumulator piston, A2: upper end opening, A3: first nozzle, A4: second nozzle, C: liquid, S3: pump chamber, S4: pressure accumulator, r2: flow path, r3: gap flow path, r4: recessed flow path, V1: check valve, α: angle

Claims

1. A spray head that can be attached to a pump disposed in a container body and that sprays the liquid in the container body in a mist form, The nozzle includes a first nozzle that ejects liquid linearly, and a cylindrical element that is disposed in front of the first nozzle, the first jetting port communicates with an internal space of the tubular element through a rear opening of the tubular element, a front end opening of the cylindrical element that opens the internal space of the cylindrical element to the outside and that constitutes a second outlet through which the liquid passes linearly; The tubular element has an opposing surface that slopes upward as it moves forward, at a position forward of the second nozzle and facing the second nozzle.

2. The spray head according to claim 1 , wherein the second nozzle has an opening area larger than that of the first nozzle.

3. The spray head according to claim 2 , wherein the cylindrical element has a hole diameter of the first nozzle not larger than 0.25 mm and a hole diameter of the second nozzle not smaller than 1 mm.

4. The spray head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the opposing surface is provided on a protruding portion disposed below the second nozzle.

5. A spray head as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the opposing surface is provided on a bridge portion that spans between two support portions arranged on both the left and right sides of the second nozzle.

6. The spray head according to claim 5 , wherein the bridge portion includes a protrusion extending in the vertical direction, and the opposing surface is continuous with the protrusion.

7. A liquid spray container comprising: a container body capable of containing a liquid; a pump attached to the container body; and the spray head according to claim 1 attached to the pump.

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