Discharge pump

Abstract

To provide a discharge pump that can achieve both piston sliding properties and a suitable fitting force between the cylinder member and surrounding components. [Solution] The discharge pump 2 includes a mounting cap 5 attached to the mouth 3a of the container 3, a cylinder member 6 held by the mounting cap 5 and having a sliding surface 6b1, a piston 7 that slides vertically on the sliding surface 6b1, a pump chamber 8 partitioned by the cylinder member 6 and the piston 7, and a lifting member 9 that moves up and down with the piston 7 relative to the cylinder member 6 to send the contents 4 from inside the container 3 through the pump chamber 8 to the discharge port 9a1 and discharge it. The cylinder member 6 includes an upper cylinder member 6a held by the mounting cap 5 and a lower cylinder member 6b attached to and held by the upper cylinder member 6a and having a sliding surface 6b1.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , ,

[0007] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a discharge pump.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a discharge pump having a mounting cap mounted on the mouth of a container, a cylinder member held by the mounting cap and having a sliding surface, a piston sliding vertically on the sliding surface, a pump chamber defined by the cylinder member and the piston, and a lifting member having a discharge port and moving up and down with respect to the cylinder member along with the piston to send the contents from the container to the discharge port through the pump chamber for discharge (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to improve the slidability of the piston, when the cylinder member is formed of a material that is easy to slide, or a lubricant is added to the material for formation, or the lubricant is applied to the entire surface after formation, the fitting portion with peripheral members such as the mounting cap may also become easy to slide, resulting in insufficient fitting force.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a discharge pump capable of achieving both the slidability of the piston and the fitting force of the cylinder member with respect to peripheral members.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is as follows.

[0007] [1] A mounting cap mounted on the mouth of a container, and A cylinder member that is held by the mounting cap and has a sliding surface, A piston that slides vertically on the sliding surface, The pump chamber is partitioned by the cylinder member and the piston, It has a discharge port and a lifting member that moves up and down relative to the cylinder member with the piston, thereby sending the contents from inside the container to the discharge port via the pump chamber and discharging them, The discharge pump comprises a cylinder member having an upper cylinder member held by the mounting cap and a lower cylinder member mounted and held by the upper cylinder member and having the sliding surface.

[0008] [2] The discharge pump according to [1], wherein the upper cylinder member has a retaining portion that restricts the lifting member from coming out upward from the lower cylinder member.

[0009] [3] The lower cylinder member has a lower cylinder circumferential wall having the sliding surface, The lower cylinder circumferential wall has a fitting hole that penetrates the lower cylinder circumferential wall radially above the sliding surface, and a guide groove that extends from the upper end of the lower cylinder circumferential wall along the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder circumferential wall to just before the fitting hole. The upper cylinder member has an upper cylinder circumferential wall that contacts the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder circumferential wall at a position higher than the sliding surface, The circumferential wall of the upper cylinder has a fitting projection that protrudes radially outward, The discharge pump according to [1] or [2], wherein the fitting projection passes downward through the guide groove and fits into the fitting hole.

[0010] [4] The mounting cap has a mounting cylinder that is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the opening and a top wall that extends radially inward from the upper end of the mounting cylinder. The upper cylinder member has a flange portion that is sandwiched between the upper end surface of the opening and the top wall. The discharge pump according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the mounting cylinder of the mounting cap has a regulating projection that restricts the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion from coming out downward from the upper end of the inner circumferential surface of the mounting cylinder by contact with the outer peripheral edge. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a discharge pump that can achieve both the sliding properties of the piston and the fitting force of the cylinder member with respect to the surrounding members. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view showing the state of a discharge container according to one embodiment of the present invention before discharge. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the discharge container during discharge. [Figure 3] (a) is a top view of the lower cylinder member shown in Figure 1, and (b) is a partial cross-sectional side view of the lower cylinder member shown in (a). [Figure 4] (a) is a partial cross-sectional side view of the upper cylinder member shown in Figure 1, and (b) is a bottom view of the upper cylinder member shown in (a). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in one embodiment of the present invention, the discharge container 1 comprises a discharge pump 2 and a container 3. The container 3 has a mouth portion 3a, a body portion 3b, and a bottom portion (not shown) connected in this order, and contains contents 4. The contents 4 are not particularly limited, but in this embodiment they are liquids such as lotions and shampoos.

[0015] The discharge pump 2 includes a mounting cap 5 attached to the mouth portion 3a of the container 3, a cylinder member 6 held by the mounting cap 5 and having a sliding surface 6b1 on the inner circumferential surface centered on the central axis O, a piston 7 sliding vertically on the sliding surface 6b1, a pump chamber 8 partitioned below the piston 7 by the cylinder member 6 (lower cylinder member 6b) and the piston 7, and a lifting member 9 having a discharge port 9a1 and moving up and down (reciprocating in the vertical direction) with respect to the cylinder member 6 along with the piston 7 to send the content 4 from the container 3 to the discharge port 9a1 through the pump chamber 8 for discharging. The cylinder member 6 includes an upper cylinder member 6a held by the mounting cap 5 and a lower cylinder member 6b attached to and held by the upper cylinder member 6a and having the sliding surface 6b1.

[0016] In the present embodiment, the direction along the central axis O is referred to as the vertical direction, the direction from the bottom side to the mouth portion 3a side of the container 3 along the vertical direction is referred to as the upward direction, the opposite direction is referred to as the downward direction, the direction orthogonal to the central axis O is referred to as the radial direction, and the direction around the central axis O is referred to as the circumferential direction.

[0017] The lifting member 9 includes a pressing head 9a having a discharge port 9a1 and receiving a pressing operation, a stem portion 9b extending downward from the pressing head 9a and moving up and down along with the piston 7, an internal flow path 9c extending from the pump chamber 8 to the discharge port 9a1, and an opening / closing portion 9d that opens the internal flow path 9c when the lifting member 9 descends and closes the internal flow path 9c when it ascends. Note that the discharge pump 2 is not limited to the pressing head 9a type, and for example, it may be configured as a trigger type that moves the piston 7 by pulling a trigger.

[0018] In this embodiment, the stem portion 9b is composed of a stem 9b1 that is cylindrical with a central axis O and is mounted on the push head 9a, and a piston guide 9b2 mounted on the inner circumferential surface of the stem 9b1. The piston 7 is held upright and down between the stem 9b1 and the piston guide 9b2. The opening / closing portion 9d is formed at the upstream end of the internal flow path 9c by the piston 7 and the piston guide 9b2. It opens when the piston guide 9b2 descends relative to the piston 7, and closes when the piston guide 9b2 rises relative to the piston 7. Note that the opening / closing portion 9d is not limited to being formed by the piston 7 and the piston guide 9b2.

[0019] The discharge pump 2 has a suction valve 10 that closes the upstream end of the pump chamber 8 when the lifting member 9 is lowered, and opens the upstream end of the pump chamber 8 when it is raised by creating negative pressure in the pump chamber 8. In this embodiment, the suction valve 10 is composed of an elastic valve 10a having a valve body support portion 10a1 held within the pump chamber 8 and an elastic valve body 10a2 connected to the valve body support portion 10a1 so as to be able to move up and down by elastic deformation, but is not limited to this.

[0020] The discharge pump 2 has a spring portion 11 that biases the lifting member 9 upward. By pressing the push head 9a against the biasing force of the spring portion 11, the lifting member 9 is lowered, sending the contents 4 from the pump chamber 8 to the discharge port 9a1 for discharge. Conversely, when the pressing operation is released, the lifting member 9 is raised by the biasing force of the spring portion 11, drawing the contents 4 from the container 3 into the pump chamber 8.

[0021] The lower cylinder member 6b has a vent 6b2 at the upper end of the sliding surface 6b1, and the discharge pump 2 has an outside air introduction path 12 that introduces outside air into the container 3 through the vent 6b2 as the contents 4 are discharged. The piston 7 is annular in shape with a central axis O. The piston 7 also has a lower skirt portion 7a that expands in diameter downwards and slides on the sliding surface 6b1 at its lower end, and an upper skirt portion 7b that expands in diameter upwards from the upper end of the lower skirt portion 7a and slides on the sliding surface 6b1 at its upper end. The lower skirt portion 7a and the upper skirt portion 7b cover the vent 6b2 at the highest position when the lifting member 9 is raised to its highest point, suppressing leakage of the contents 4 through the vent 6b2. The upper skirt portion 7b allows outside air to be introduced through the vent 6b2 as the lifting member 9 descends from its highest position.

[0022] The mounting cap 5 has a mounting cylinder 5a that is screwed onto the outer circumferential surface of the opening 3a, an annular top wall 5b extending radially inward from the upper end of the mounting cylinder 5a, and a guide cylinder 5c extending upward from the inner circumferential edge of the top wall 5b and guiding the up and down movement of the push-down head 9a. The upper cylinder member 6a has a flange portion 6a1 that is sandwiched between the upper end surface of the opening 3a and the top wall 5b. The mounting cylinder 5a of the mounting cap 5 has a restricting projection 5a1 that prevents the outer circumferential edge of the flange portion 6a1 from coming out downward from the upper end of the inner circumferential surface of the mounting cylinder 5a by contacting the outer circumferential edge. The restricting projection 5a1 extends continuously or intermittently in the circumferential direction. A packing 13 is provided on the lower surface of the flange portion 6a1, and the packing 13 is sandwiched between the flange portion 6a1 and the upper end surface of the opening 3a.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the lower cylinder member 6b has a sliding surface 6b1 and a lower cylinder circumferential wall 6b3 centered on the central axis O, and a lower cylinder bottom 6b4 connected to the lower end of the lower cylinder circumferential wall 6b3. The lower cylinder bottom 6b4 has a through hole 6b7 through which the contents 4 pass. The valve body support 10a1 is held at the lower end of the lower cylinder circumferential wall 6b3. The lower cylinder circumferential wall 6b3 has a fitting hole 6b5 that penetrates the lower cylinder circumferential wall 6b3 radially above the sliding surface 6b1, and a guide groove 6b6 that extends from the upper end of the lower cylinder circumferential wall 6b3 along the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder circumferential wall 6b3 to just before the fitting hole 6b5. The guide groove 6b6 is formed as a recess that does not penetrate the lower cylinder circumferential wall 6b3 radially and opens upward. The lower end of the guide groove 6b6 forms a guide surface in which the radial depth gradually decreases downward. The fitting hole 6b5 and the guide groove 6b6 are provided at the same position and with the same width in the circumferential direction.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the upper cylinder member 6a has an upper cylinder circumferential wall 6a2 extending downward from the inner circumferential edge of the flange portion 6a1. The upper cylinder circumferential wall 6a2 is inserted into the lower cylinder circumferential wall 6b3 of the lower cylinder member 6b and contacts the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder circumferential wall 6b3 above the sliding surface 6b1. The upper cylinder circumferential wall 6a2 has a fitting projection 6a3 that protrudes radially outward. The fitting projection 6a3 passes downward through the guide groove 6b6 and fits into the fitting hole 6b5, restricting the upward movement of the upper cylinder member 6a relative to the lower cylinder member 6b. The lower surface of the fitting projection 6a3 is inclined radially outward from downward to upward, and the upper surface extends horizontally. The upper cylinder circumferential wall 6a2 also has a stopper surface 6a4 that contacts the lower cylinder circumferential wall 6b3, thereby restricting the downward movement of the upper cylinder member 6a relative to the lower cylinder member 6b. In this embodiment, the stopper surface 6a4 is provided in a stepped manner on the outer circumferential surface of the upper cylinder peripheral wall 6a2 and abuts against the upper end surface of the lower cylinder peripheral wall 6b3, but is not limited to this. The fitting of the upper cylinder member 6a and the lower cylinder member 6b is performed by inserting the fitting projection 6a3 into the guide groove 6b6, pushing the upper cylinder member 6a toward the lower cylinder member 6b, and abutting the stopper surface 6a4 of the upper cylinder member 6a against the upper end surface of the lower cylinder peripheral wall 6b3, thereby causing the fitting projection 6a3 to enter the fitting hole 6b5 and lock into place.

[0025] In this embodiment, four sets of fitting holes 6b5, guide grooves 6b6, and fitting protrusions 6a3 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. However, the number of sets of fitting holes 6b5, guide grooves 6b6, and fitting protrusions 6a3 provided in the cylinder member 6 is not limited to this. The upper cylinder member 6a and the lower cylinder member 6b are each formed by injection molding of resin material.

[0026] The upper cylinder member 6a has a retaining portion 6a5 that restricts the lifting member 9 from coming out upward from the lower cylinder member 6b. In this embodiment, the retaining portion 6a5 is formed by the lower end of the upper cylinder peripheral wall 6a2 and restricts the lifting member 9 from coming out upward from the lower cylinder member 6b by contacting the upper end of the upper skirt portion 7b of the piston 7. However, the retaining portion 6a5 is not limited to this, and for example, it may be configured to restrict the lifting member 9 from coming out upward from the lower cylinder member 6b by contacting the stem portion 9b.

[0027] The upper cylinder member 6a has a spring receiving portion 6a6 extending radially inward from the upper cylinder circumferential wall 6a2. The spring receiving portion 6a6 is composed of an annular wall 6a7 extending radially inward and a cylindrical wall 6a8 extending upward from the inner circumferential edge of the annular wall 6a7. The lower end of the spring portion 11 is fitted between the cylindrical wall 6a8 and the upper cylinder circumferential wall 6a2. The spring portion 11 is a resin compression spring that forms an annular shape surrounding the stem 9b1 in a top view and expands and contracts vertically. The upper end of the spring portion 11 supports the pressing head 9a. The spring portion 11 is not limited to being made of resin; for example, it may be made of metal.

[0028] The lower cylinder member 6b has higher lubricity than the upper cylinder member 6a in order to improve sliding performance on the sliding surface 6b1. Lubrication of the lower cylinder member 6b is achieved by selecting a material with higher lubricity than the upper cylinder member 6a, by molding the lower cylinder member 6b using a resin material to which a lubricant such as a higher fatty acid metal salt has been added (mixed), or by applying a lubricant such as silicone after the lower cylinder member 6b has been formed. Among these, adding a lubricant is preferable from the viewpoint of productivity. For example, when the lower cylinder member 6b and the upper cylinder member 6a are molded from the same resin material, it is preferable not to add a lubricant or apply a lubricant to the upper cylinder member 6a.

[0029] According to this embodiment, the cylinder member 6 is composed of an upper cylinder member 6a that is held by fitting into the mounting cap 5, and a lower cylinder member 6b that has a sliding surface 6b1 and is more lubricated than the upper cylinder member 6a. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both the sliding properties of the piston 7 on the sliding surface 6b1 and the fitting force of the upper cylinder member 6a to the mounting cap 5.

[0030] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the embodiments described above can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1 Discharge container 2. Discharge pump 3 containers 3a Mouth 3b Torso 4 Contents 5. Attachment cap 5a Mounting tube 5a1 Regulatory protrusion 5b Top wall 5c guide tube 6 Cylinder Member 6a Upper cylinder member 6a1 Flange section 6a2 Upper cylinder peripheral wall 6a3 Fitting protrusion 6a4 Stopper surface 6a5 Retaining part 6a6 Spring support 6a7 Ring Wall 6a8 Cylindrical wall 6b Lower cylinder member 6b1 Sliding surface 6b2 Ventilation opening 6b3 Lower cylinder peripheral wall 6b4 Bottom of lower cylinder 6b5 Fitting hole 6b6 Guide groove 6b7 Through hole 7 pistons 7a Lower skirt section 7b Upper skirt section 8 Pump Room 9 Lifting Member 9a Press head 9a1 Discharge port 9b Stem section 9b1 stem 9b2 Piston Guide 9c Internal flow path 9d Opening / Closing Section 10. Suction valve 10a Elastic valve 10a1 Valve support 10a2 Elastic valve body 11 Spring section 12. Outside air intake path 13 Gasket O center axis

Claims

1. A cap that is attached to the mouth of the container, A cylinder member that is held by the mounting cap and has a sliding surface, A piston that slides vertically on the sliding surface, The pump chamber is partitioned by the cylinder member and the piston, It has a discharge port and a lifting member that moves up and down relative to the cylinder member with the piston, thereby sending the contents from inside the container to the discharge port via the pump chamber and discharging them, The discharge pump comprises a cylinder member having an upper cylinder member held by the mounting cap and a lower cylinder member mounted and held by the upper cylinder member and having the sliding surface.

2. The discharge pump according to claim 1, wherein the upper cylinder member has a retaining portion that restricts the lifting member from coming out upward from the lower cylinder member.

3. The lower cylinder member has a lower cylinder circumferential wall having the sliding surface, The lower cylinder circumferential wall has a fitting hole that penetrates the lower cylinder circumferential wall radially above the sliding surface, and a guide groove that extends from the upper end of the lower cylinder circumferential wall along the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder circumferential wall to just before the fitting hole. The upper cylinder member has an upper cylinder circumferential wall that contacts the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder circumferential wall at a position higher than the sliding surface, The circumferential wall of the upper cylinder has a fitting projection that protrudes radially outward, The discharge pump according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fitting projection passes downward through the guide groove and fits into the fitting hole.

4. The mounting cap has a mounting cylinder that is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the opening and a top wall that extends radially inward from the upper end of the mounting cylinder. The upper cylinder member has a flange portion that is sandwiched between the upper end surface of the opening and the top wall. The discharge pump according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mounting cylinder of the mounting cap has a restricting projection that restricts the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion from coming out downward from the upper end of the inner circumferential surface of the mounting cylinder by contacting the outer peripheral edge.

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