container

Abstract

The present invention provides a container comprising a lid and a container body, wherein when the lid is attached to the container body by a screw-tightening operation using threaded portions provided on both the lid and the container body, it is possible to prevent the lid from being insufficiently tightened against the container body. [Solution] The container comprises a lid and a container body, the lid is attached to the container body by a screw tightening operation using threaded portions provided on both the lid and the container body, the lid has a protruding piece that projects radially from its outer surface, and the container body has a protruding piece receiving portion formed on its outer surface at the position where the screw tightening operation is completed, and when the sealing operation of the container is completed, at least a part of the lower end surface of the lid contacts at least a part of the front end surface of the container body, and the protruding piece fits into the protruding piece receiving portion, thereby completing the sealing operation of the container.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a container including a lid body and a container main body, and particularly to a container in which the lid body is attached to the container main body by a screwing operation by screwing screw portions provided on the lid body and the container main body, respectively.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various types of specimen collection containers have been proposed as containers for specimen collection for specimen examinations such as fecal examinations (stool tests). Many of them include a lid body having a specimen collection rod provided with a specimen collection portion such as a spiral groove at the tip, and a container main body filled with a preservation solution or the like and accommodating the collected specimen.

[0003] In this type of specimen collection container, when collecting a specimen, the lid body is removed, the specimen collection portion is brought into contact with the specimen, and then the specimen collection rod is inserted into the container main body from the insertion port of the specimen collection container main body, and the lid is closed to accommodate the collected specimen.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In a container including a lid body and a container main body, particularly in a container in which the lid body is attached to the container main body by a screwing operation by screwing screw portions provided on the lid body and the container main body, respectively, it may be difficult to understand up to what extent the container main body can be sealed by closing. In particular, since the specimen collection container may be handled by the user himself / herself who submits the specimen for specimen collection, caution is required when an inexperienced user uses it.

[0006] The present invention provides a container comprising a lid and a container body, wherein when the lid is attached to the container body by screwing in threaded portions provided on both the lid and the container body, it is possible to prevent the lid from being insufficiently tightened against the container body, and the invention aims to provide a container suitable for transportation, particularly transportation using a postal envelope. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention is a container comprising a lid for sealing the container and a container body having an opening to which the lid is attached and a storage portion for storing contents, wherein the lid is attached to the container body by a screw tightening operation by screwing in threaded portions provided on the lid and the container body, the lid has a radially projecting projection on its outer circumferential surface, and the container body has a projection projection receiving portion formed at the position where the screw tightening operation is completed on its outer circumferential surface, and as the sealing operation of the container is completed, at least a part of the lower end surface of the lid contacts at least a part of the front end surface of the container body, and the projection projection fits into the projection projection receiving portion, thereby completing the sealing operation of the container. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a container comprising a lid and a container body, wherein when the lid is attached to the container body by a screw tightening operation using threaded portions provided on the lid and the container body, it is possible to prevent the lid from being insufficiently tightened on the container body. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic of a container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic plan view showing a container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]This is a cross-sectional view of a key part showing a schematic representation of a portion of a container according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic cutaway of another component of a container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a magnified side view showing a certain state of a part of a container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a magnified side view showing another state of a part of a container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is an enlarged side view showing a portion of a container according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic of container 1 according to an example of this embodiment. Figure 2 is a cutaway cross-sectional view of a key part showing a schematic of container 1 according to an example of this embodiment, with the left half of container 1 cut out to show its cross-section. Figure 3 is a plan view showing a schematic of container 1 according to an example of this embodiment. Figure 4 is a cutaway cross-sectional view of a key part showing a schematic of the lid 2 of container 1 according to an example of this embodiment, with the left half of lid 2 cut out to show its cross-section. Figure 5 is a cutaway cross-sectional view of a key part showing a schematic of the container body 3 of container 1 according to an example of this embodiment, with the left half of container body 3 cut out to show its cross-section. Figures 6 and 7 are enlarged side views showing a portion of the lid 2 and container body 3 of container 1 according to an example of this embodiment, with Figure 6 showing the state after the container sealing operation is completed and Figure 7 showing the state just before the container sealing operation is completed. Note that the wall thickness of the lid 2 and container body 3 shown in the cross-sections of Figures 2, 4, and 5 is exaggerated.

[0012] The container 1 of this embodiment comprises a lid 2 that seals the container, and a container body 3 having an opening 34 to which the lid 2 is attached and a storage section 35 for storing contents. The lid 2 of the container 1 is configured to be attached to the container body 3 by a screw tightening operation using threaded portions 23 and 33 provided on the lid 2 and the container body 3, respectively. In this embodiment, the following explanation will be given using a sample collection container, as shown in the figure, as an example of a container 1 configured such that the lid 2 is attached to the container body 3 by such a screw-tightening operation. More specifically, the sample collection container shown is a stool collection container for collecting samples during specimen testing such as fecal testing.

[0013] In the illustrated example, the lid 2 has a sample collection rod 24 that can be inserted through the opening 34 of the container body 3. The tip of the sample collection rod 24 is provided with a sample collection section 24a. To collect a sample, the lid 2 is removed from the container body 3, and the sample collection section 24a is brought into contact with the sample. After collecting the sample, the lid 2 is reattached to the container body 3, and the sample collection rod 24 is returned to the inside of the container body 3.

[0014] As an example of the sample collection section 24a provided on the tip side of the sample collection rod 24, if the sample is feces, it is preferable to provide multiple axially symmetric grooves perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and encircling the tip side of the sample collection rod 24, as shown in Figures 2 and 4. However, it is not limited to this as long as the sample can be reliably collected. For example, it is also possible to provide spiral grooves engraved in a spiral shape. In addition, one or more recesses or through holes of various shapes may be provided. Furthermore, the sample collection section 24a can also be made of a fibrous material. Since the properties of the sample vary, such as solid or liquid, existing means can be appropriately selected to collect samples of various properties.

[0015] In the illustrated example, an external thread, known as a threaded portion 23, is provided on the outer surface of the sample collection rod 24 of the lid 2 for screwing into the threads of the container body 3.

[0016] The container body 3 has a storage portion 35 for storing the contents at an end side opposite to the opening portion 34. When the container 1 is a specimen collection container, the contents are assumed to be a specimen preservation solution for preserving the specimen and the collected specimen.

[0017] In the illustrated example, the opening portion 34 of the container body 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape having an inner diameter larger than the diameter of the specimen collection rod 24 so that the specimen collection rod 24 can be inserted while guiding it into the storage portion 35. Further, the container body 3 has a guide portion 36 formed so as to project from the inner surface of the container body 3 and reduce its diameter toward the storage portion 35 provided at the end side opposite to the opening portion 34 of the container body 3, and a scraping portion 37 through which the specimen collection rod 24, particularly the specimen collection portion 24a, is inserted.

[0018] The scraping portion 37 is formed such that the specimen collection rod 24 is in liquid-tight contact with its inner peripheral surface, and an excess specimen (e.g., feces) is removed when the specimen collection rod 24 slides on the inner peripheral surface of the scraping portion 37. For example, the scraping portion 37 can be formed in a cylindrical shape having an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the specimen collection rod 24. Alternatively, when the specimen collection portion 24a is formed of a flexible member or the scraping portion 37 is formed of a flexible member, the scraping portion 37 can be formed in a cylindrical shape having an inner diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the specimen collection rod 24. Thereby, a certain amount of the specimen collected by the specimen collection portion 24a can be stored in the storage portion 35 of the container body 3.

[0019] Also, in the illustrated example, the guide portion 36 and the scraping portion 37 of the container body 3 are integrally formed such that the scraping portion 37 is formed at the tip side of the guide portion 36. By doing so, it is possible to easily guide the specimen collection portion 24a provided at the tip side of the specimen collection rod 24 through the scraping portion 37 to the storage portion 35, which is preferable. However, the guide portion 36 and the scraping portion 37 may be formed separately as long as they are configured to easily guide the specimen collection portion 24a provided at the tip side of the specimen collection rod 24 through the scraping portion 37 to the storage portion 35.

[0020] In the illustrated example, an internal thread, known as a threaded portion 33, is provided on the inner surface of the opening 34 of the container body 3 for screwing into the screw of the lid 2.

[0021] The container 1, which serves as a sample collection container, may have an extraction cap 4 for removing the collected sample at the end of the container body 3 opposite to the opening 34, as shown in the figure. In the illustrated example, the extraction cap 4 is formed to be attached to the container body 3 by a screw-tightening operation by screwing in threaded portions provided on both the extraction cap 4 and the container body 3. However, the means of attaching the extraction cap 4 to the container body 3 is not limited to such a screw-tightening operation.

[0022] As described above, in the illustrated container 1, the lid 2 is attached to the container body 3 by a screw tightening operation through the screwing of the threaded portion (external thread) 23 of the lid 2 and the threaded portion (internal thread) 33 of the container body 3. In the case of a container 1 in which the lid 2 is attached to the container body 3 by a screw-tightening operation using threaded portions 23 and 33 provided on the lid 2 and the container body 3, it can be difficult to determine how far to tighten the lid 2 to seal the container 1 to a point where there is no risk of the contents leaking out of the container body 3. In particular, in the case of a cylindrical container as shown in the figure, and when the threaded portion is not exposed on the outer surface of the container 1, it is difficult to determine how far to tighten the lid 2 to completely seal the container 1, and there is a risk that different users may tighten the lid 2 in different ways. In addition, the amount of force used may differ depending on the user of the container 1, and there is a risk that the point at which the screw-tightening operation is completed may differ.

[0023] If the lid 2 is not closed properly and the container 1 is not completely sealed, for example, if the container 1 is a sample collection container as shown in the diagram, there is a risk that the sample preservation solution and / or the collected sample used to store the collected sample may leak out of the container 1. In particular, if the sample contained in the sample collection container is feces or urine, the person submitting the sample may collect the sample themselves. In that case, since the submitter does not use the sample collection container frequently, there is a risk that the seal of the sample collection container will not be completely sealed.

[0024] Therefore, in the present invention, in order to enable the user to determine the position at which the screw tightening operation is completed when the sealing operation of the container 1 is finished, the lid 2 and the container body 3 are provided with a protruding piece 21 and a protruding piece receiving part 31 in the arrangement at which the sealing operation of the container is completed.

[0025] Specifically, the lid 2 has a protruding piece 21 that projects radially from its outer circumferential surface. In this embodiment, at least a portion of the lower end surface 22 of the lid 2 contacts at least a portion of the front end surface 32 of the container body 3 when the sealing operation of the container 1 is completed. Here, the lower end surface 22 of the lid 2 refers to the surface of the lid 2 that faces the container body 3, and the front end surface 32 of the container body 3 refers to the surface of the container body 3 that faces the lower end surface 22 and faces the lid 2. More specifically, when the sealing operation of the container 1 is completed, the lower surface 21a of the protruding piece 21 contacts a portion of the protruding piece receiving portion 31 provided on the container body 3, but the details will be described later.

[0026] The container body 3 has a protruding piece receiving portion 31 formed on the outer circumferential surface on the tip side 32 at the position where the screw tightening operation is completed, and the protruding piece 21 of the lid 2 fits into the protruding piece receiving portion 31 to complete the sealing operation of the container 1. In the illustrated example, the protruding piece receiving portion 31 has a first projection 31a and a second projection 31b on its tip surface 32, which are raised at both ends along the circumferential direction, with a groove 31c formed between them. In the protruding piece receiving portion 31, the first projection 31a is positioned on the upstream side along the direction of progress of the screw-tightening operation of the lid 2, and is lower than the first projection 31a positioned on the upstream side. The second projection 31b is positioned on the downstream side along the direction of progress of the screw-tightening operation of the lid 2, and is higher than the first projection 31a positioned on the upstream side. The first projection 31a is raised to a height that allows the lower surface 21a of the protruding piece 21 of the lid 2 to make contact with and overcome the projection 31a when the screw-tightening operation to attach the lid 2 to the container body 3 is carried out. The second projection 31b is raised to a height that prevents the lower surface 21a of the protruding piece 21 of the lid 2 from overcoming it, thereby obstructing the progress of the screw-tightening operation. The groove 31c is positioned to receive the protruding piece 21 of the lid 2 at the point where the protruding piece 21 of the lid 2 contacts the second projection 31b of the protruding piece receiving portion 31, thereby completing the sealing operation of the container 1.

[0027] When a user uses a container 1 having such a configuration, for example, by rotating the lid 2 from right to left in the diagram of Figure 7 (in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 7) and proceeding with the screw-tightening operation to attach the lid 2 to the container body 3, first the lower surface 21a of the protruding piece 21 of the lid 2 comes into contact with the first projection 31a of the protruding piece receiving portion 31 of the container body 3 (Figure 7). Next, as the screw-tightening operation continues, the lower surface 21a of the protruding piece 21 moves over the first projection 31a and is received in the groove portion 31c, and the protruding piece 21 comes into contact with the second projection 31b of the protruding piece receiving portion 31, and the advance of the protruding piece 21 by the screw-tightening operation is blocked by the second projection 31b, completing the sealing operation of the container 1 (Figure 6). In the illustrated example, when the contact sealing operation is completed, the lower surface 21a of the protruding piece 21 is in contact with the tip surface of the groove 31c of the protruding piece receiving portion 31. This is preferable because it makes it easier to determine that the sealing operation of the container 1 is complete. However, when the contact sealing operation is completed, the protruding piece 21 is in contact with the second projection 31b of the protruding piece receiving portion 31, so the lower surface 21a of the protruding piece 21 does not need to be in contact with the tip surface of the groove 31c of the protruding piece receiving portion 31.

[0028] With such a container 1, when the user attaches the lid 2 to the container body 3, as the lid 2 is screwed on, the protruding piece 21 of the lid 2 fits into the protruding piece receiving portion 31 of the container body 3, allowing the user to tactilely determine that the sealing operation of the container is complete. In particular, if the protruding piece receiving portion 31 has the aforementioned first protrusion 31a, second protrusion 31b, and groove 31c, the user will feel the lower surface 21a of the protruding piece 21 of the lid 2 overcome the first protrusion 31a when the sealing operation of the container is complete, making it easier to determine by touch that the sealing operation of the container is complete. After the lower surface 21a of the protruding piece 21 of the lid 2 overcomes the first protrusion 31a, the impact when the lower end surface 22 of the lid 2 contacts the front end surface 32 of the container body 3 will produce a clicking sound that is transmitted to the user. This provides a sense of tactile confirmation that the sealing operation is complete. Furthermore, in the container 1 of this embodiment, since the protruding piece of the lid 2 and the protruding piece receiving portion 31 of the container body 3 protrude from their respective outer surfaces, the position where the screw tightening operation is completed can be easily determined from the appearance.

[0029] It is more preferable that the protruding piece 21 of the lid 2 extends axially for a predetermined length on the outer circumferential surface of the lid 2, as shown in the figure. This makes it easier to determine from the appearance the position where the protruding piece 21 of the lid 2 and the protruding piece receiving portion 31 of the container body 3 engage, and consequently, the position where the screw tightening operation is complete.

[0030] Figure 8 is an enlarged side view showing a portion of the lid 2 and container body 3 of container 1 according to another example of this embodiment, showing the state after the sealing operation of container 1 has been completed. As shown in Figure 8, the container body 3 may have a projection 31d that extends axially for a predetermined length from the outer circumferential surface corresponding to the position where the protruding piece 21 of the lid 2 is provided in the configuration in which the sealing operation of the container 1 is completed. This makes it easier to determine from the appearance the position in which the protruding piece 21 of the lid 2 and the protruding piece receiving portion 31 of the container body 3 engage, and consequently the position in which the screw tightening operation is completed.

[0031] According to this embodiment, even users who are not familiar with handling container 1 can easily determine that the sealing operation of container 1 is complete, thereby preventing insufficient tightening of the lid 2 on the container body 3. With this type of container 1, even if liquid is placed in the storage section 35 of the container body 3, leakage of the contents due to insufficient sealing of the container 1 can be avoided, making it possible to use any contents safely. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the container 1, which can prevent the contents from leaking out due to insufficient sealing, makes it possible to provide a container suitable for transportation, especially for transportation using postal envelopes.

[0032] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0033] For example, in the embodiment described above, a sample collection container was used as an example of a container, but the shape and use of the container are not limited to a sample collection container. The present invention can be applied to all containers in which the lid is attached to the container body by a screw tightening operation by screwing in the threaded parts provided on the lid and the container body, respectively. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 1 container 2 Lid 21 Projecting piece 22 Lower end surface 23 Screw part 24 Sample collection stick 3. Container body 31 Projection piece receiving part 32 Tip surface 33 Screw part 34 Opening 35 Accommodation 36 Information Department 37. Leveling section 4 Extraction cap

Claims

1. A lid that seals the container, A container body having an opening into which the lid is attached and a storage section for containing the contents. A container equipped with, The lid is attached to the container body by a screw tightening operation using threaded portions provided on the lid and the container body, The lid has a protruding piece on its outer surface that protrudes radially, The container body has a projection receiving portion formed on its outer surface at the position where the screw tightening operation is completed. A container configured such that, upon completion of the sealing operation, at least a portion of the lower end surface of the lid contacts at least a portion of the front end surface of the container body, and the protruding piece fits into the protruding piece receiving portion, thereby completing the sealing operation of the container.

2. The lid has a sample collection rod that can be inserted through the opening of the container body, The container body has a guide portion that protrudes from the inner surface of the container body and is formed to decrease in diameter toward a storage portion provided on the end of the container body opposite to the opening, and a leveling portion through which the sample collection rod is inserted. The container according to claim 1, wherein the lid is attached to the container body by a screw tightening operation, which involves screwing together an external screw provided on the sample collection rod with an internal screw provided in the opening of the container body.

3. The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the protruding piece extends axially on the outer circumferential surface of the lid.

4. The container according to claim 3, wherein the container body has a projection that extends axially and protrudes from the outer peripheral surface corresponding to the position where the protruding piece of the lid is provided, in the arrangement in which the sealing operation of the container is completed.

5. The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the storage section is configured to be capable of storing liquid.

6. The container according to claim 2, wherein the container body has an extraction cap at the end opposite to the opening for removing the collected sample.

Images