Spray-type eyedropper

Abstract

To provide a spray type eyedropper which facilitates an eyedropping operation and can spray a fixed amount of a content liquid at every eyedropping operation.SOLUTION: This container is provided with a vessel body 1 for storing a content liquid, a mounting cylinder 2 mounted on the mouth part 11 of the vessel body 1, a pump 3 inserted into the mounting cylinder 2 and extending in the vertical direction, and a head cover 4 mounted on the upper end part of the pump 3, and the vessel body 1 is movable upward to the head cover 4, and the head cover 4 is provided with a nozzle 4 1 having a spray port 41a opened forward and communicating with the inside of the vessel body 1 through the inside of the pump 3 and a pair of eye pressing pieces 4 3 and 4 4 extending forward from the upper and lower sides of the spray port 41a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a spray-type eye dropper container. [Background technology]

[0002] A known example of a conventional eye drop container is the covered eye drop container described in Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 1, the eye drop container cover is attached to the eye drop container in an inverted position, and the tip of the leg wall of the cover body is placed around the user's eye. This prevents relative movement between the outlet for dispensing the contents (eye drops) and the eyeball, allowing the eye drop operation to be performed while maintaining an appropriate distance. This makes the eye drop operation easy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-159250 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the eye drop operation is performed by pressing the eye drop container, so there is a problem that the amount of liquid dispensed tends to vary depending on the amount of pressure applied to the container. Also, in recent years, there has been a demand for spray-type eye drop containers that spray the liquid onto the user's eyeball.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a spray-type eye drop container that is easy to administer and that can spray a constant amount of the liquid content each time an eye drop is administered. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A spray-type eye drop container according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a container body in which the liquid contents are stored, an attachment tube attached to the mouth of the container body, a pump inserted into the attachment tube and extending in an up-down direction, and a head cover attached to the upper end of the pump, wherein the container body is movable upward relative to the head cover, and the head cover comprises a nozzle that opens forward and has a spray nozzle that communicates with the inside of the container body through the inside of the pump, and a pair of eye pressing pieces that are positioned above and below the spray nozzle and each extend forward beyond the spray nozzle.

[0007] In the spray-type eye drop container of the present invention, the user presses the front ends of the pair of eye-contact pieces against the upper and lower eyelids and moves the container body upward relative to the head cover. The pump then operates to spray the contents of the container body (eye drops) from the nozzle nozzle toward the user's eyeball. The pair of eye-contact pieces restricts relative movement between the nozzle and the eyeball, maintaining an appropriate distance, making eye drop administration easy and accurate.

[0008] Furthermore, when administering eye drops, the relative vertical movement between the head cover and the container body can be kept constant by, for example, pushing the container body all the way up relative to the head cover, which keeps the amount of liquid sprayed by the pump constant, allowing a constant amount of liquid to be sprayed each time the eye drops are administered.

[0009] In the above-mentioned spray-type eye drop container, the pair of eye pressing pieces may include a first eye pressing piece arranged below the spray nozzle and a second eye pressing piece arranged above the spray nozzle, the first eye pressing piece protruding rearward from a first pivot axis extending in the left-right direction and having a protrusion that can come into contact with the attachment tube, and when the attachment tube moves upward together with the container body relative to the head cover, the first eye pressing piece may rotate around the first pivot axis due to contact between the attachment tube and the protrusion, thereby moving the front end of the first eye pressing piece downward.

[0010] In this case, when the user applies eye drops by moving the container body upward relative to the head cover while pressing the front ends of the pair of eye pressing pieces against the upper and lower eyelids, the first eye pressing piece rotates about the first rotation axis due to contact between the attachment tube and the protrusion. This rotation further opens the upper or lower eyelid that the front end of the first eye pressing piece is in contact with, allowing the content liquid sprayed from the nozzle nozzle to be delivered more efficiently into the eyeball.

[0011] In particular, the above configuration can effectively prevent the user from closing their eyes just before spraying the liquid contents, which can lead to the liquid contents not being properly applied to the eyeballs.

[0012] In the above-mentioned spray-type eye drop container, the pair of eye pressing pieces may include a first eye pressing piece arranged below the spray nozzle and a second eye pressing piece arranged above the spray nozzle, the second eye pressing piece having a malfunction prevention piece that can contact the attachment tube from above, the second eye pressing piece being rotatable around a second rotation axis extending in the left-right direction between an open state in which the spray nozzle is exposed to the outside of the container and a closed state in which the spray nozzle is covered from the front, and the malfunction prevention piece may contact the attachment tube when the second eye pressing piece is in the closed state.

[0013] In this case, when the spray nozzle is closed and covered by the second nozzle pressing piece, the malfunction prevention piece of the second nozzle pressing piece contacts the attachment tube from above. Therefore, even if the user accidentally attempts to move the container body upward relative to the head cover in the closed state, this upward movement is restricted. Therefore, unintentional spraying of the contents due to an incorrect operation or the like can be prevented. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the spray-type eye drop container of the above aspect of the present invention, the eye drop administration is easy, and a constant amount of the liquid content can be sprayed each time the eye drop is administered. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view (longitudinal cross-sectional view) showing the spray-type eye drop container of this embodiment when not in use, in which part of the pump (part of the suction pipe) is omitted from the illustration, and part of the container body is shown as a side view. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view (front view) showing the spray-type eye drop container of this embodiment when not in use. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a top view showing the spray-type eye dropper container of this embodiment when not in use. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view (longitudinal cross-sectional view) showing the state of the spray-type eye drop container of this embodiment when in use, in which part of the pump (part of the suction pipe) is omitted, and parts of the pump and the container body are shown as side views. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view (transverse cross-sectional view) showing the VV cross section of FIG. 4, and part of the head cover (operation guide piece) is not shown. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion VI in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] A spray-type eye drop container 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the spray-type eye drop container 10 may be abbreviated to an eye drop container or a container.

[0017] 1, a spray-type eye drop container 10 of this embodiment includes a cylindrical container body 1 with a bottom that contains liquid contents such as eye drops (not shown), an attachment tube 2 that is attached to the opening 11 of the container body 1, a pump 3 that is inserted into the attachment tube 2, and a head cover 4 that is attached to the pump 3. The head cover 4 also includes a nozzle 41. The nozzle 41 has a spray port 41a that opens in a predetermined direction and communicates with the inside of the container body 1 through the inside of the pump 3. Unless otherwise specified, each component of the spray-type eye drop container 10 is a molded product made of synthetic resin.

[0018] The central axes of the mouth 11 of the container body 1, the mounting cylinder 2, and the pump 3 are arranged on a common axis. In this embodiment, this common axis is called a pump axis O. In this embodiment, the direction in which the pump axis O extends (the direction along the pump axis O) is referred to as the vertical direction. In each drawing, the vertical direction corresponds to the Z-axis direction. In the vertical direction, the bottom 12 of the container body 1 and the mounting cylinder 2 are disposed at different positions. That is, the vertical position of the bottom 12 of the container body 1 and the vertical position of the mounting cylinder 2 are different from each other. In the vertical direction, the direction from the bottom 12 of the container body 1 to the mounting cylinder 2 is referred to as the upward direction (upper side), and the direction from the mounting cylinder 2 to the bottom 12 of the container body 1 is referred to as the downward direction (lower side). The upward direction corresponds to the +Z side, and the downward direction corresponds to the -Z side.

[0019] In this embodiment, the "upper" (+Z side) corresponds to the upper vertical side when the spray-type eye drop container 10 is in an upright position as shown in Figure 1, and the "lower" (-Z side) corresponds to the lower vertical side when the spray-type eye drop container 10 is in an upright position. On the other hand, when the spray-type eye drop container 10 is in an inverted position as shown in Figure 4, the "upper" (+Z side) corresponds to the lower side in the vertical direction, and the "lower" (-Z side) corresponds to the upper side in the vertical direction.

[0020] In addition, in a plan view seen from above and below, the direction perpendicular to the pump axis O is called the radial direction. The direction along the radial direction toward the pump axis O is called the radially inner direction, and the direction away from the pump axis O is called the radially outer direction.

[0021] Within the radial direction, the predetermined direction in which the content liquid is sprayed from the spray port 41a of the nozzle 41 (the right direction in FIGS. 1 and 4) is referred to as the forward direction (front side), and the direction opposite to the forward direction (the left direction in FIGS. 1 and 4) is referred to as the rearward direction (rear side). In each figure, the front-to-rear direction corresponds to the X-axis direction. The front corresponds to the +X side, and the rear corresponds to the -X side.

[0022] Additionally, the radial direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction is called the left-to-right direction. In each figure, the left-to-right direction corresponds to the Y-axis direction. The left side corresponds to the +Y side, and the right side corresponds to the -Y side. Specifically, for example, as shown in Figure 1, when the eyedrop container is in an upright position and viewed from the rear (-X side), the direction from the pump axis O toward the +Y side is the left side, and the direction from the pump axis O toward the -Y side is the right side (see Figure 3). In other words, when viewed from the eyedrop container (product) side, the left side is the +Y side, and the right side is the -Y side. The direction of rotation around the pump axis O is called the circumferential direction.

[0023] It should be noted that for directions other than those mentioned above, i.e., directions based on an axis other than the pump axis O, the reference axis will be separately stated in the description of each component.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, the container body 1 is cylindrical with a bottom and centered on the pump axis O. The container body 1 extends in the vertical direction. The mouth portion 11 of the container body 1 has an outer diameter smaller than that of the body portion 13 and the bottom portion 12 of the container body 1. In this embodiment, a male thread is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 11.

[0025] The attachment tube 2 is detachably attached to the opening 11 of the container body 1. The attachment tube 2 has a multi-stage cylindrical shape centered on the pump axis O. The outer diameter of the attachment tube 2 decreases in stages as it goes upward.

[0026] The mounting tube 2 has a large diameter tube portion 21 attached to the mouth portion 11, a small diameter tube portion 22 arranged above the large diameter tube portion 21, and a medium diameter tube portion 23 arranged between the large diameter tube portion 21 and the small diameter tube portion 22 in the vertical direction.

[0027] The large-diameter cylindrical portion 21 is disposed at the lower end of the attachment tube 2. The large-diameter cylindrical portion 21 has a cylindrical shape with a top. The large-diameter cylindrical portion 21 has the largest outer diameter of all the portions of the attachment tube 2. In this embodiment, a female thread is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 21. The female thread of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 21 is threadedly engaged with the male thread of the mouth portion 11, thereby detachably fixing the attachment tube 2 to the mouth portion 11. However, this is not limiting, and although not particularly shown, the attachment tube 2 may also be attached to the mouth portion 11 by undercut fitting or the like.

[0028] The small diameter cylindrical portion 22 is disposed at the upper end of the mounting cylinder 2. The small diameter cylindrical portion 22 has a cylindrical shape. The small diameter cylindrical portion 22 has the smallest outer diameter of all the portions of the mounting cylinder 2.

[0029] The medium-diameter cylindrical portion 23 is disposed in the intermediate portion between the lower end and upper end of the mounting tube 2. The medium-diameter cylindrical portion 23 has a cylindrical shape with a top. The outer diameter of the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 23 is smaller than that of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 21 and larger than that of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 22. The lower end of the peripheral wall of the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 23 is connected to the inner peripheral portion of the top wall of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 21. The inner peripheral portion of the top wall of the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 23 is connected to the lower end of the peripheral wall of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 22.

[0030] The pump 3 is inserted into the mounting tube 2 and the opening 11 and extends in the vertical direction. The lower end of the pump 3 (the lower end, not shown, of a suction pipe 39, described later) is located near the bottom 12 inside the container body 1. The upper end of the pump 3 (a stem 52, described later) protrudes above the small-diameter cylindrical portion 22 of the mounting tube 2.

[0031] The pump 3 of this embodiment has a pump structure that can be used both in an upright and an inverted position, meaning that it functions not only when the spray-type eye drop container 10 is in an upright position, but also when the spray-type eye drop container 10 is in an inverted position. Therefore, the spray-type eye drop container 10 of this embodiment can be used in both an upright position and an inverted position.

[0032] The pump 3 includes a cylindrical cylinder 31 extending in the vertical direction, a piston guide 32 disposed within the cylinder 31 and extending in the vertical direction, a piston 33 guided by the piston guide 32 and sliding in the vertical direction within the cylinder 31, a biasing member 34 disposed between the lower end of the piston 33 and the lower end of the piston guide 32 in the vertical direction and biasing the piston 33 upward so as to move downward relative to the cylinder 31, an upright valve seat 35 disposed within the cylinder 31, and a valve seat 35 for holding the container in the upright position. an upright valve element 36 that seats on the upright valve seat 35 when the container is in the inverted position; an inverted valve seat 37 that is disposed within the cylinder 31; an inverted valve element 38 that seats on the inverted valve seat 37 when the container is in the inverted position; a suction pipe 39 that allows the content liquid to flow into the cylinder 31 when the container is in the upright position; an inlet hole 51 that allows the content liquid to flow into the cylinder 31 when the container is in the inverted position; and a stem 52 that is disposed at the upper end of the pump 3 and protrudes above the mounting cylinder 2.

[0033] The cylinder 31 has a fixed flange 31a disposed at the upper end of the cylinder 31. A circular plate-shaped packing 53 is disposed below the fixed flange 31a, overlapping the fixed flange 31a. The fixed flange 31a and the packing 53 are sandwiched from above and below between the lower surface of the top wall of the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 23 and the upper opening edge of the mouth portion 11. This fixes the cylinder 31 to the container body 1 and the attachment cylinder 2.

[0034] The biasing member 34 is, for example, a metal compression coil spring. The upright valve element 36 and the inverted valve element 38 are each a spherical ball or the like. The inlet hole 51 is located in the upper part of the peripheral wall of the cylinder 31. In this embodiment, the inlet hole 51 is located within the mouth 11 of the container body 1.

[0035] The upper end 33a of the piston 33 is fitted into the stem 52 so as to be able to be pulled out downward. When the stem 52 moves downward relative to the cylinder 31, the piston 33 moves downward together with the stem 52 against the upward biasing force of the biasing member 34. This increases the internal pressure of the cylinder 31 above a certain level, causing the upper end 33a of the piston 33 to move downward out of the stem 52. At this time, the interior of the cylinder 31 and the spray port 41a of the nozzle 41 are connected through the stem 52, and the liquid contained in the cylinder 31 is sprayed from the spray port 41a.

[0036] Furthermore, after the content liquid has been sprayed, the upward biasing force of the biasing member 34 causes the upper end 33a of the piston 33 to fit again into the stem 52, and the piston 33 and stem 52 move further upward, causing the internal pressure of the cylinder 31 to become negative. When the container is in the upright position, the content liquid is sucked into the cylinder 31 from the suction pipe 39 through the gap between the upright valve seat 35 and the upright valve body 36. When the container is in the inverted position, the content liquid is sucked into the cylinder 31 through the inlet hole 51.

[0037] The head cover 4 is attached to the upper end of the pump 3 (i.e., the stem 52). The head cover 4 is fixed to the stem 52 by undercut fitting or the like. Therefore, when the stem 52 moves downward relative to the cylinder 31 as described above, the head cover 4 moves downward relative to the container body 1 and the mounting cylinder 2. In other words, the container body 1 and the mounting cylinder 2 are capable of moving upward relative to the head cover 4.

[0038] The head cover 4 includes a cover body 42 having a cylindrical shape with a top, a nozzle 41 arranged at a top 42a of the cover body 42, and a pair of eye pressing pieces 43, 44 rotatably supported on the cover body 42.

[0039] The cover body 42 covers the upper portion of the container body 1, the mounting tube 2, and the stem 52 from the radially outer side and from above. The cover body 42 has a top portion 42a located at the upper end of the cover body 42, and a peripheral wall portion 42b located below the top portion 42a.

[0040] The top portion 42a has a cylindrical shape with a top. The top portion 42a is fixed to the stem 52. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the top portion 42a has a pair of second rotation shafts 42g protruding from the left-right side surfaces of the top portion 42a, a locking projection 42c disposed on the upper surface of the top portion 42a facing upward, a climbing projection 42d disposed on the rear surface of the top portion 42a facing rearward, and a step portion 42i disposed on the rear end of the top portion 42a facing upward.

[0041] One of the pair of second rotating shafts 42g protrudes leftward from the side surface of the top portion 42a facing leftward, and the other protrudes rightward from the side surface of the top portion 42a facing rightward. Each second rotating shaft 42g is cylindrical and extends in the left-right direction.

[0042] The locking projection 42c projects upward from the upper surface of the top portion 42a. Note that the locking projection 42c is not shown in FIG.

[0043] The distance between the overcoming protrusion 42d and the second rotating shaft 42g is greater than the distance between the overcoming protrusion 42d and the second rotating shaft 42g in the radial direction about the second rotating shaft 42g.

[0044] The step portion 42i is disposed below the overriding projection 42d and protrudes further rearward than the overriding projection 42d.

[0045] The peripheral wall portion 42b has a cylindrical shape with a top. The outer diameter of the peripheral wall portion 42b is larger than the outer diameter of the top portion 42a. The upper end of the peripheral wall portion 42b is connected to the lower end of the top portion 42a. Specifically, the inner periphery of the top wall of the peripheral wall portion 42b is connected to the lower end of the peripheral wall of the top portion 42a. In this embodiment, the peripheral wall portion 42b and the top portion 42a are integrally formed from a single member.

[0046] The peripheral wall portion 42b has a pair of wall portions 42e that are arranged at the front end of the peripheral wall portion 42b and extend in the vertical direction, facing each other with a gap in the left-right direction, a pair of first rotating shafts 42f that protrude in the left-right direction from each wall portion 42e, and a pair of operation guide pieces 42h that protrude radially outward in the left-right direction from the lower end of the peripheral wall portion 42b.

[0047] 5, each of the pair of wall portions 42e is a wall surface that extends in a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction. The pair of wall portions 42e are disposed opposite each other in the left-right direction.

[0048] The pair of first rotation shafts 42f are each cylindrical and extend in the left-right direction. The first rotation shafts 42f protrude from the corresponding wall portion 42e in directions approaching each other.

[0049] 2 and 3, one of the pair of operation guide pieces 42h protrudes leftward from the side surface of the peripheral wall portion 42b facing leftward, and the other protrudes rightward from the side surface of the peripheral wall portion 42b facing rightward. In this embodiment, each operation guide piece 42h extends radially outward in a curved shape as it extends downward.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 1, the nozzle 41 is disposed in the front portion of the top portion 42a. The nozzle 41 is generally cylindrical and centered on a nozzle axis A. The nozzle axis A extends along the front-rear direction, which is a radial direction perpendicular to the pump axis O. Therefore, the nozzle 41 extends in the front-rear direction from near the pump axis O toward the front. The spray port 41a of the nozzle 41 is disposed at the front end of the nozzle 41 and opens toward the front.

[0051] The pair of eye pressing pieces 43, 44 includes a first eye pressing piece 43 supported on the cover body 42 so as to be rotatable around a first rotation axis 42f, and a second eye pressing piece 44 supported on the cover body 42 so as to be rotatable around a second rotation axis 42g.

[0052] The first stitch pressing piece 43 is disposed in front of the mounting tube 2. The first stitch pressing piece 43 is attached to the peripheral wall portion 42b of the cover body 42 via a first rotating shaft 42f. The first stitch pressing piece 43 is disposed between a pair of walls 42e of the peripheral wall portion 42b in the left-right direction.

[0053] The first eye pressing piece 43 is rotatable about a first rotation shaft 42f between a closed state (a state when the eyedrop container is not in use) shown in Figures 1 to 3 and an open state (a state when the eyedrop container is in use) shown in Figures 4 to 6. Specifically, the first eye pressing piece 43 is rotatable within an angular range of approximately 90° about the first rotation shaft 42f. Note that this embodiment shows an example in which the eyedrop container is in an inverted position during use as shown in Figures 4 to 6.

[0054] In the open state shown in FIG. 4, the first eye pressing piece 43 is disposed below (on the -Z side of) the spray nozzle 41a and extends further forward (on the +X side) than the spray nozzle 41a.

[0055] The first stitch pressing piece 43 has a first pressing plate 43a and a protrusion 43b. The first pressing plate 43a and the protrusion 43b extend (protrude) in opposite directions in the radial direction centered on the first rotating shaft 42f. That is, in Fig. 4, the direction in which the first pressing plate 43a extends from the first rotating shaft 42f and the direction in which the protrusion 43b protrudes from the first rotating shaft 42f are opposite to each other.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 5, the first pressing plate 43a has a substantially rectangular plate shape. In the closed state shown in Fig. 1, the first pressing plate 43a extends downward beyond the first rotating shaft 42f. In this closed state, an end (tip) 43c of the first pressing plate 43a opposite the first rotating shaft 42f is disposed flush with the peripheral wall 42b so as to form part of the front region of the peripheral wall 42b. In other words, when the first eye pressing piece 43 is in the closed state, the tip 43c, i.e., the lower end 43c, of the first eye pressing piece 43 is disposed so as to form part of the peripheral wall 42b of the cover main body 42.

[0057] 4 to 6, the first pressing plate 43a extends forward beyond the first rotating shaft 42f. When the eyedrop container is in use, in this open state, the tip end 43c of the first pressing plate 43a, i.e., the front end 43c, is pressed against the upper eyelid of the user's eye (not shown).

[0058] The protrusion 43b has a plate shape. As shown in Fig. 5, when the protrusion 43b is viewed in its thickness direction (Z-axis direction), an end (tip) 43d of the protrusion 43b on the pump shaft O side extends in a concave curve. Specifically, in Fig. 5, the tip 43d of the protrusion 43b has an arc shape centered on the pump shaft O.

[0059] In the closed state shown in Fig. 1, the protrusion 43b protrudes upward beyond the first rotating shaft 42f. In the open state shown in Figs. 4 to 6, the protrusion 43b protrudes rearward beyond the first rotating shaft 42f. In this open state, the tip 43d of the protrusion 43b contacts the large-diameter cylindrical portion 21 of the mounting tube 2 from the front.

[0060] As shown in Figure 6, the protrusion 43b has an inclined surface 43e arranged at the tip 43d of the protrusion 43b, and a sliding surface 43f arranged at the tip 43d and located above the inclined surface 43e (on the +Z side).

[0061] In a longitudinal cross-sectional view perpendicular to the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) shown in FIG. 6, the inclined surface 43e extends rearward (toward the -X side) as it moves upward (toward the +Z side). That is, the inclined surface 43e is inclined with respect to the pump axis O. As indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6, before the eye drop administration operation (the operation of moving the container body 1 and the attachment tube 2 upward (toward the +Z side) relative to the head cover 4), which will be described later, is performed, the corner 21a located on the outer periphery of the upper end of the large-diameter tube portion 21 contacts the inclined surface 43e. This allows the first eye pressing piece 43 to maintain a horizontal position (a position extending straight in the front-rear direction) in the open state.

[0062] 6 (before administering eye drops), the sliding surface 43f extends in the vertical direction. Furthermore, when administering eye drops as described below, the sliding surface 43f can slide against the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 21.

[0063] As shown in Fig. 1, the second stitch pressing piece 44 has a generally L-shaped plate shape overall. The second stitch pressing piece 44 is attached to the top 42a of the cover body 42 via a second rotating shaft 42g. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the second stitch pressing piece 44 is disposed between the pair of walls 42e of the peripheral wall 42b in the left-right direction.

[0064] The second eye pressing piece 44 is rotatable about the second rotation shaft 42g between a closed state (a state when the eyedrop container is not in use) shown in Figures 1 to 3 and an open state (a state when the eyedrop container is in use) shown in Figure 4. Specifically, the second eye pressing piece 44 is rotatable within an angular range of approximately 90° about the second rotation shaft 42g.

[0065] 1 to 3, the second eye pressing piece 44 covers the nozzle 41 at the top 42a from the front and above. Specifically, in the closed state, the second eye pressing piece 44 covers the spray port 41a of the nozzle 41 from the front. Furthermore, in the open state shown in Fig. 4, the second eye pressing piece 44 exposes (opens) the spray port 41a of the nozzle 41 to the outside of the container, facing forward.

[0066] 4, the second eye pressing piece 44 is disposed above the nozzle 41a (+Z side) and extends further forward (+X side) than the nozzle 41a. That is, in this open state, the pair of eye pressing pieces 43, 44 are disposed above and below the nozzle 41a and each extend further forward than the nozzle 41a.

[0067] The second eye pressing piece 44 has a second pressing plate 44a, a locking plate 44b, a malfunction prevention piece 44c, and an operation protrusion 44d.

[0068] 1 and 2, the second pressing plate 44a has a substantially rectangular plate shape. In the closed state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second pressing plate 44a extends in the vertical direction and is disposed in front of the nozzle 41 and the mounting cylinder 2.

[0069] In this closed state, the upper end of the second pressing plate 44a is positioned so as to form part of the front region of the top portion 42a. The portion of the second pressing plate 44a other than the upper end is positioned flush with the peripheral wall portion 42b so as to form part of the front region of the peripheral wall portion 42b. In this closed state, the second pressing plate 44a is positioned adjacent to the upper side of the tip portion (lower end portion) 43c of the first pressing plate 43a, and covers the portion of the first pressing plate 43a other than the tip portion 43c and the protrusion 43b from the front.

[0070] 4, the second pressing plate 44a extends in the front-rear direction and is disposed above (on the +Z side of) the nozzle 41. When the eyedropper is in use, in this open state, the tip, i.e., the front end, of the second pressing plate 44a comes into contact with the lower eyelid of the user's eye (not shown). That is, the front end of the second eye pressing piece 44 is pressed against the user's lower eyelid.

[0071] The locking plate 44b is connected to the end (base end) of the second pressing plate 44a opposite to the tip end. The locking plate 44b has a curved semi-cylindrical shape (see FIGS. 2 and 3). In the closed state shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the locking plates 44b are arranged on the upper, left, and right sides of the nozzle 41. In this closed state, the locking plates 44b are arranged so as to form parts of the upper, left, and right regions of the top portion 42a. That is, when the second stitch pressing piece 44 is in the closed state, the second stitch pressing piece 44 is disposed so as to form a part of each of the peripheral wall portion 42b and the top portion 42a of the cover body 42.

[0072] 1, the locking protrusion 42c is locked to the locking plate 44b from behind, thereby maintaining the second eye pressing piece 44 in the closed state regardless of the position of the eyedrop container.

[0073] Furthermore, when the user rotates the second eye pressing piece 44 in the closed state around the second rotating shaft 42g (opening direction) with a force equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the locking plate 44b can climb over the locking protrusion 42c to the rear. After that, when the second eye pressing piece 44 is further rotated around the second rotating shaft 42g (opening direction), the locking plate 44b comes into contact with the climbing-over protrusion 42d. From this contact state, when the user rotates the second eye pressing piece 44 around the second rotating shaft 42g (opening direction) with a force equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the locking plate 44b can climb over the climbing-over protrusion 42d to the rear while sliding against it.

[0074] In the open state shown in Fig. 4, the locking plates 44b are disposed on the rear, left, and right sides of the nozzle 41. In this open state, the step portions 42i contact the locking plates 44b from below (the -Z side). The action of the step portions 42i and the overhanging protrusions 42d maintains the open position of the locking plates 44b, thereby maintaining the open position of the second eye pressing piece 44 regardless of the position of the eyedropper container. In other words, the horizontal position (position extending straight in the front-to-rear direction) of the second eye pressing piece 44 in the open state is maintained.

[0075] Furthermore, when the user rotates the second eye pressing piece 44 in the open state around the second rotating shaft 42g (closing direction) with a force equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the locking plate 44b can move forward over the climbing protrusion 42d while making sliding contact with the climbing protrusion 42d. After that, by further rotating the second eye pressing piece 44 around the second rotating shaft 42g (closing direction), the locking plate 44b can move forward over the locking protrusion 42c.

[0076] 1 to 3, the malfunction prevention piece 44c has a plate shape that extends in a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction (Y-axis direction), and in this embodiment, is a substantially rectangular plate shape. The malfunction prevention piece 44c is disposed inside the second eye pressing piece 44. The malfunction prevention piece 44c is connected to the second pressing plate 44a and the locking plate 44b.

[0077] In the closed state shown in Fig. 1, the malfunction prevention piece 44c extends in the vertical direction. In this closed state, the front end of the malfunction prevention piece 44c is connected to the rear surface of the second pressing plate 44a, and the upper end of the malfunction prevention piece 44c is connected to the lower surface of the locking plate 44b. Also in this closed state, the lower end of the malfunction prevention piece 44c faces or contacts the top wall of the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 23 from above with a gap therebetween. The malfunction prevention piece 44c can contact the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 23, i.e., the mounting tube 2, from above.

[0078] When the second eye pressing piece 44 is in the closed state, even if the user pushes the head cover 4 toward the container body 1 (or pushes the container body 1 toward the head cover 4), the malfunction prevention piece 44c comes into contact with the attachment tube 2, thereby restricting the relative vertical movement of the head cover 4 and the container body 1 toward each other. In other words, the malfunction prevention piece 44c prevents malfunction when the eye drop container is not in use.

[0079] The operation protrusion 44d protrudes from the outer surface of the second stitch pressing piece 44. In this embodiment, the operation protrusion 44d protrudes from the connection portion between the second pressing plate 44a and the locking plate 44b to the outside of the second stitch pressing piece 44. The operation protrusion 44d is, for example, ribbed. The operation protrusion 44d is used when the user operates the second stitch pressing piece 44 from the closed state to the open state.

[0080] Next, a method for instilling the liquid content (eye drops) into the eyeballs of a user using the spray-type eye drop container 10 of this embodiment will be described.

[0081] 1, when the first stitch pressing piece 43 and the second stitch pressing piece 44 are in the closed state, the first stitch pressing piece 43 and the second stitch pressing piece 44 are rotated to open the first stitch pressing piece 43 and the second stitch pressing piece 44. Specifically, the second stitch pressing piece 44 is first opened, and then the first stitch pressing piece 43 is opened.

[0082] 4, the spray-type eye drop container 10 is held in an inverted position, and the front ends (tips) of the pair of eye pressing pieces 43, 44 are pressed against the upper and lower eyelids of the user's eyeballs. Specifically, the front end 43c of the first eye pressing piece 43 is brought into contact with the upper eyelid, and the front end of the second eye pressing piece 44 is brought into contact with the lower eyelid.

[0083] Next, the user places their fingers on the operation guide piece 42h of the head cover 4 and the bottom 12 of the container body 1, and performs an operation (eye instillation operation) to move the container body 1 and the attachment tube 2 upward (toward the +Z side) relative to the head cover 4. This eye instillation operation causes the pump 3 to spray the content liquid of the container body 1 forward from the spray port 41a of the nozzle 41, and supplies it to the user's eyeball (eye instillation).

[0084] During this eye drop administration, as shown in Figure 6, the corner 21a of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 21 presses the inclined surface 43e of the protrusion 43b upward (towards the +Z direction), causing the first eye-contact piece 43 to rotate around the first rotation shaft 42f. When the large-diameter cylindrical portion 21 moves further upward, the sliding surface 43f of the protrusion 43b comes into sliding contact with the outer circumferential surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 21. This maintains the rotated position of the first eye-contact piece 43.

[0085] In this embodiment, when the attachment tube 2 together with the container body 1 moves upward (towards the +Z side) relative to the head cover 4, the attachment tube 2 comes into contact with the protrusion 43b, causing the first eye pressing piece 43 to rotate around the first rotation axis 42f, and the front end (tip) 43c of the first eye pressing piece 43 moves downward (towards the -Z side).

[0086] According to the spray-type eye drop container 10 of this embodiment described above, the pair of eye pressing pieces 43, 44 suppresses relative movement between the spray nozzle 41a of the nozzle 41 and the eyeball, maintaining an appropriate distance, making it easy and accurate to administer the eye drops.

[0087] Furthermore, when administering eye drops, the amount of relative movement between the head cover 4 and the container body 1 in the vertical direction can be kept constant by, for example, pushing the container body 1 all the way up against the head cover 4. This also makes the amount of content sprayed by the action of the pump 3 constant, so that a constant amount of content can be sprayed each time an eye drop is administered.

[0088] In this embodiment, when the user applies eye drops by moving the container body 1 upward relative to the head cover 4 while pressing the front ends of the pair of eye pressing pieces 43, 44 against the upper and lower eyelids, the first eye pressing piece 43 rotates about the first rotation shaft 42f due to contact between the attachment tube 2 and the protrusion 43b. This rotation further opens the upper eyelid, which is in contact with the front end 43c of the first eye pressing piece 43, so that the content liquid sprayed from the spray port 41a of the nozzle 41 is supplied more efficiently into the eyeball.

[0089] In particular, the above configuration can effectively prevent the user from closing their eyes just before spraying the liquid contents, which can lead to the liquid contents not being properly applied to the eyeballs.

[0090] 1, in this embodiment, in the closed state where the spray nozzle 41a is covered by the second nozzle pressing piece 44, the malfunction prevention piece 44c of the second nozzle pressing piece 44 comes into contact with the attachment tube 2 from above. Therefore, even if the user accidentally attempts to move the container body 1 upward relative to the head cover 4 in the closed state, this upward movement is restricted. This makes it possible to prevent the content liquid from being unintentionally sprayed due to an incorrect operation, etc.

[0091] In this embodiment, when the first stitch pressing piece 43 is in the closed state, the tip end (lower end) 43c of the first stitch pressing piece 43 is arranged to form part of the peripheral wall 42b of the cover body 42. When the second stitch pressing piece 44 is in the closed state, the second stitch pressing piece 44 is arranged to form part of each of the peripheral wall 42b and the top 42a of the cover body 42.

[0092] In this case, by closing the first eye pressing piece 43 and the second eye pressing piece 44, the pair of eye pressing pieces 43, 44 are prevented from protruding outward from the cover body 42. This allows the outer shape of the eye drop container to be kept compact when not in use, making it convenient for carrying and storing. In addition, the appearance design of the eye drop container when not in use is improved.

[0093] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the configuration can be changed within the scope of the present invention, as will be described below.

[0094] In the above-described embodiment, the pump 3 has a pump structure that can be used both upright and inverted, and the spray-type eye drop container 10 can be used in both the upright and inverted positions. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the spray-type eye drop container may be usable only in the upright position (upright posture).

[0095] In this case, the first eye pressing piece 43 is pressed against the lower eyelid of the eyeball, and the second eye pressing piece 44 is pressed against the upper eyelid of the eyeball. In this state, when the eye-dropping operation is performed by moving the container body 1 upward relative to the head cover 4, the first eye pressing piece 43 rotates about the first rotating shaft 42f due to contact between the attachment tube 2 and the protrusion 43b, thereby further opening the lower eyelid with which the front end 43c of the first eye pressing piece 43 comes into contact. This allows the content liquid sprayed from the spray port 41a of the nozzle 41 to be supplied more efficiently into the eyeball.

[0096] In the above-described embodiment, the first stitch pressing piece 43 is rotatable about the first rotation axis 42f between the open state and the closed state, and the second stitch pressing piece 44 is rotatable about the second rotation axis 42g between the open state and the closed state. However, this is not limiting. The first stitch pressing piece 43 may be left in the open state without being closed. Furthermore, the second stitch pressing piece 44 may be left in the open state without being closed. However, as in the above-described embodiment, it is more preferable that the first eye pressing piece 43 and the second eye pressing piece 44 are each rotatable from an open state to a closed state, since this allows the outer shape of the eye drop container to be kept compact when not in use, making it convenient to carry and store.

[0097] In addition, within the scope of the spirit of the present invention, it is possible to replace the components in the above-described embodiments with well-known components as appropriate, and the above-described embodiments and variations may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 1...container body, 2...attaching tube, 3...pump, 4...head cover, 10...spray-type eye drop container, 11...mouth portion, 41...nozzle, 41a...spray nozzle, 42f...first rotating shaft, 42g...second rotating shaft, 43...first eye pressing piece (eye pressing piece), 44...second eye pressing piece (eye pressing piece), 43b...projection portion, 43c...tip portion (front end portion) of first eye pressing piece, 44c...malfunction prevention piece, 52...stem (upper end portion of pump)

Claims

1. a container body for containing the liquid content; an attachment tube attached to the mouth of the container; a pump inserted into the mounting tube and extending in the vertical direction; a head cover attached to an upper end of the pump, the container body is movable upward relative to the head cover, The head cover is a nozzle having a spray port that opens forward and communicates with the inside of the container body through the inside of the pump; A pair of eye pressing pieces are arranged above and below the spray nozzle and extend forward from the spray nozzle, Spray-type eye dropper container.

2. The pair of eye pressing pieces are A first eye pressing piece arranged below the spray nozzle; A second eye pressing piece is arranged above the spray nozzle, The first eye pressing piece has a protrusion that protrudes rearward from a first rotation shaft that extends in the left-right direction and is capable of contacting the mounting tube, When the mounting tube moves upward together with the container body relative to the head cover, When the mounting tube comes into contact with the protrusion, the first eye pressing piece rotates around the first rotation axis, and a front end of the first eye pressing piece moves downward. The spray-type eye dropper container according to claim 1.

3. The pair of eye pressing pieces are A first eye pressing piece arranged below the spray nozzle; A second eye pressing piece is arranged above the spray nozzle, the second stitch pressing piece has a malfunction prevention piece that can contact the mounting tube from above, The second eye pressing piece is an open state in which the spray nozzle is exposed to the outside of the container; a closed state in which the spray nozzle is covered from the front, and a second rotation axis extending in the left-right direction between the closed state and the spray nozzle; When the second eye pressing piece is in the closed state, the malfunction prevention piece comes into contact with the mounting tube. The spray-type eye dropper container according to claim 1 or 2.

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