Pump container

Abstract

The objective is to provide a pump container that can prevent the push-down head from being accidentally pressed down without using an overcap. [Solution] A pump container having a container body, a mounting cap 20, a pump, a push-down head 40 and a cover, comprising an operating ring 61 rotatably mounted on the mounting cap 20 and equipped with an internal gear 61a, and a stopper body 62 rotatably mounted on the mounting cap 20 about a position eccentric from the axis O, having an external gear 62a that meshes with the internal gear 61a and a through hole 62b through which the stem passes, wherein the through hole 62b has a large diameter portion 62b1 and a small diameter portion 62b2, and the large diameter portion 62b1 is located below the push-down head 40 when the operating ring 61 is in a first position, and the small diameter portion 62b2 is located below the push-down head 40 when the operating ring 61 is rotated to a second position.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] A pump container is known that includes a container body for containing contents, a mounting cap attached to the mouth of the container body, a pump body suspended and supported by the mounting cap, and a stem protruding upward from the top wall of the mounting cap. When the stem is pushed down, the pump body is configured to perform a discharging operation. The pump container also has a discharge port for the contents and a push-down head attached to the upper end of the stem. (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 the above conventional pump container, in order to prevent the push-down head from being accidentally pushed down and the contents from being discharged during distribution or when not in use, an overcap for covering the push-down head is detachably attached to the mounting cap.

[0005] Therefore, in the above conventional pump container, it is necessary to remove the overcap from the mounting cap during use, and there are problems such as the lack of a place to put the removed overcap or the risk of loss, making the handling of the overcap cumbersome. [[ID=4G]]

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a pump container capable of preventing the push-down head from being accidentally pushed down without using an overcap. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The pump container of the present invention comprises a container body for containing contents, a mounting cap attached to the mouth of the container body, a pump body suspended and supported by the mounting cap and a stem protruding upward from the top wall of the mounting cap, configured such that the pump body discharges when the stem is pressed down, a push-down head attached to the upper end of the stem having a discharge port for contents, and a cover attached to the outside of the mounting cap and covering a part of the periphery of the push-down head, wherein the pump container has an internal gear on its inner circumference and is mounted on the mounting cap so as to be rotatable about its axis, and The device comprises an external gear that meshes with the internal gear and a through hole through which the stem passes, and a stopper body that is rotatably mounted on the mounting cap at a position eccentric from the axis, wherein the through hole has an irregular shape with a large-diameter portion that is larger in diameter than the push-down head and a small-diameter portion that is smaller in diameter than the push-down head, and when the operating ring is in the first position, the large-diameter portion of the stopper body is located below the push-down head, and when the operating ring rotates from the first position to the second position, the stopper body rotates so that the small-diameter portion is located below the push-down head.

[0008] In the pump container of the present invention, it is preferable that the operating ring, in the above configuration, is provided with an operating piece that is positioned on the outside of the cover and is movable in the circumferential direction along a notch provided in the cover.

[0009] In the pump container of the present invention, it is preferable that a retaining wall is integrally provided on the top wall of the mounting cap, which is positioned between the operating ring and the stopper body and holds the stopper body at a position centered eccentric to the axis.

[0010] In the pump container of the present invention, it is preferable that, in the above configuration, an arc-shaped groove is provided on the side opposite to the retaining wall with respect to the rotation center of the stopper body, and that a projection provided on the top wall of the mounting cap engages with the groove. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pump container that can prevent the push-down head from being accidentally pushed down without using an overcap. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a front view of a pump container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a front view of the upper part of the pump container with the cover removed. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the upper part of the pump container. [Figure 4] This figure shows the positional relationship between the through-hole and the push-down head when the operating ring of the pump container shown in Figure 1 is in the first position. [Figure 5] This is a side view of the pump container shown in Figure 1, with the operating ring in the first position. [Figure 6] This is a side view of the pump container shown in Figure 1, with the operating ring in the second position. [Figure 7] This figure shows the positional relationship between the through-hole and the push-down head when the operating ring of the pump container shown in Figure 1 is in the second position. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

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

[0014] The pump container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1 is capable of containing liquid contents and dispensing the contents in predetermined amounts.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pump container 1 has a container body 10, a mounting cap 20, a pump 30, a pressing head 40, and a cover 50.

[0016] In this embodiment, "up" and "down" mean up and down when the pump container 1 is in the upright posture shown in FIG. 1, and "circumferential direction" means the circumferential direction centered on the axis O of the pump container 1.

[0017] The container body 10 is a part for accommodating the content 2. In this embodiment, the container body 10 has a bottomed cylindrical body portion 11 centered on the axis O, a shoulder portion 12 connected to the upper end of the body portion 11, and a cylindrical mouth portion 13 (see FIG. 2) centered on the axis O protruding upward from the inner peripheral edge of the shoulder portion 12, and has a bottle shape. The outer diameter of the mouth portion 13 is smaller than that of the body portion 11 but is relatively large. That is, the container body 10 is a so-called wide-mouth bottle. The container body 10 may be made of synthetic resin formed by blow molding, injection molding, etc., but is not limited thereto. As shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the container body 10 is an accommodation space 14, and the container body 10 can accommodate the content 2 in the accommodation space 14.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the mounting cap 20 has a cap shape (a slightly domed cylindrical shape centered on the axis O) having a top wall 21 and a peripheral wall 22, and is mounted on the mouth portion 13 of the container body 10. In this embodiment, the mounting cap 20 is an injection molded product of a synthetic resin material, and is mounted on the mouth portion 13 by screw connection and fixed to the mouth portion 13. Note that the mounting cap 20 is not limited to an injection molded product of a synthetic resin material, and may be configured to be mounted on the mouth portion 13 by other methods such as plugging. The top wall 21 has a disk shape centered on the axis O, and a through hole 21a is provided at the center thereof. The peripheral wall 22 is cylindrical centered on the axis O, and a pair of projecting portions 23 projecting radially outward centered on the axis O are integrally provided symmetrically centered on the axis O at the lower end of a part of the outer peripheral portion thereof.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the pump 30 includes a pump body 31 suspended and supported by the mounting cap 20, and a stem 32 protruding upward from the top wall 21 of the mounting cap 20. Although not shown in detail, the pump body 31 includes members such as a cylinder and a piston, and is suspended and supported by the mounting cap 20 and disposed inside the container body 10. The stem 32 is cylindrical with the axis O as the center, the lower end side is disposed on the pump body 31, and protrudes above the top wall 21 through the through hole 21a of the top wall 21. The pump 30 is configured such that when the stem 32 is pushed down, the pump body 31 performs a discharging operation. When the pushing down of the stem 32 is released, the stem 32 returns to its original position by an elastic member (not shown). At this time, the pump body 31 performs a suction operation so that a new content 2 is filled into the accommodation space 14 inside the pump body 31.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the push-down head 40 has a discharge port 41 for the content 2 and is attached to the upper end of the stem 32. In the present embodiment, the push-down head 40 has a cylindrical shape with a top and a peripheral wall 42 having a larger diameter than the stem 32 around the axis O. The discharge port 41 is provided in the peripheral wall 42 of the push-down head 40 and communicates with the stem 32 inside the peripheral wall 42.

[0021] When a push-down operation is performed to push down the push-down head 40 downward, the stem 32 is pushed down together with the push-down head 40, and the pump body 31 performs a discharging operation. When the pump body 31 performs a discharging operation, the content 2 discharged from the pump body 31 is pumped to the push-down head 40 through the stem 32 and discharged from the discharge port 41. Thus, the pump container 1 is configured such that when the push-down head 40 is pushed down, the content 2 is discharged in small portions of a predetermined amount from the discharge port 41.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the cover 50 is attached to the outside of the mounting cap 20 and covers a portion of the periphery of the push-down head 40. In this embodiment, the cover 50 has a shape comprising a pair of protrusions 51 arranged on both sides of the push-down head 40 and a valley-shaped portion 52 between the pair of protrusions 51. The cover 50 is attached to the outside of the peripheral wall 22 of the mounting cap 20 by undercut engagement at the cylindrical peripheral wall portion 53 below the protrusions 51 and the valley-shaped portion 52. A through hole 54 is provided in the center of the valley-shaped portion 52, and the push-down head 40 protrudes into the valley-shaped portion 52 through the through hole 54 and is positioned between the pair of protrusions 51. In this way, the cover 50 is configured to cover both sides of the push-down head 40 with the pair of protrusions 51. When in use, the user can easily press down the push-down head 40 by inserting their fingers along the valley-shaped portion 52.

[0023] The cover 50 is not limited to the above shape or configuration, as long as it can be attached to the outside of the mounting cap 20 and cover a portion of the area around the push-down head 40.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, a pair of notches 55 are provided symmetrically on the axis O at the lower end of the peripheral wall portion 53 of the cover 50. Note that only one of the notches 55 is shown in Figures 1 and 3. The circumferential width of each notch 55 is approximately the same as the circumferential width of the corresponding protruding portion 23 of the mounting cap 20. When the cover 50 is mounted on the outside of the mounting cap 20, each protruding portion 23 is fitted into the corresponding notch 55. This prevents the cover 50 from rotating circumferentially relative to the mounting cap 20. A gap 56 extending circumferentially is provided above the protruding portion 23 of each notch 55.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the pump container 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a locking mechanism 60 to prevent the push-down head 40 from being accidentally pushed down without using an overcap. The locking mechanism 60 includes an operating ring 61, a stopper body 62, and a pair of operating pieces 63.

[0026] The operating ring 61 is equipped with an internal gear 61a on its inner circumference and is mounted on the mounting cap 20 so as to be rotatable about axis O.

[0027] More specifically, the operating ring 61 is cylindrical in shape with a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the peripheral wall 22 of the mounting cap 20, and is mounted on the outside of the peripheral wall 22 with its lower end surface supported by a pair of protruding portions 23. The operating ring 61 is rotatable in the circumferential direction relative to the mounting cap 20 and the cover 50, with respect to the axis O, between a first position (shown in Figure 4) and a second position (shown in Figure 7) that is circumferentially shifted from the first position.

[0028] The internal gear 61a is integrally provided at the upper end of the inner circumferential surface of the operating ring 61 and is positioned on the upper surface 21b of the top wall 21 of the mounting cap 20. The internal gear 61a is a gear that rotates about axis O. In this embodiment, the internal gear 61a is provided only in a predetermined range in the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface of the operating ring 61.

[0029] The stopper body 62 comprises an external gear 62a that meshes with the internal gear 61a and a through hole 62b through which the stem 32 passes, and is rotatably mounted on the mounting cap 20 around a position P (see Figures 4 and 7) eccentric to the axis O.

[0030] More specifically, the stopper body 62 is plate-shaped with an external gear 62a on its outer circumference and is positioned on the upper surface 21b of the top wall 21 of the mounting cap 20. As shown in Figures 4 and 7, the outer diameter of the stopper body 62 is smaller than the inner diameter of the portion of the operating ring 61 where the internal gear 61a is provided, and the stopper body 62 is positioned inside the operating ring 61 with only a portion of the external gear 62a meshing with the internal gear 61.

[0031] As shown in Figures 4 and 7, the through-hole 62b has an irregular shape in plan view, comprising a large-diameter portion 62b1 with a larger diameter than the push-down head 40 and a small-diameter portion 62b2 with a smaller diameter than the push-down head 40. That is, in plan view, the through-hole 62b has a shape in which the large-diameter portion 62b1 and the small-diameter portion 62b2 are arranged adjacent to each other, with parts of them overlapping. The distance from the center of the large-diameter portion 62b1 to position P is the same as the distance from the center of the small-diameter portion 62b2 to position P.

[0032] In this embodiment, a retaining wall 24 is integrally provided on the upper surface 21b of the top wall 21 of the mounting cap 20, positioned between the operating ring 61 and the stopper body 62, and holding the stopper body 62 at a position P eccentric to the axis O. The retaining wall 24 has a roughly crescent shape and comprises a pair of outer surfaces 24a facing the tip of the internal gear 61a of the operating ring 61 and the inner circumferential surface of the portion where the internal gear 61a is not provided, and an inner surface 24b facing the tip of the external gear 62a of the stopper body 62. The stopper body 62 is held at a position P eccentric to the axis O by contacting the inner surface 24b, so that a part of the external gear 62a is always meshed with the internal gear 61a.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an arc-shaped groove 62c is provided on the side of the stopper body 62 opposite to the retaining wall 24, with the rotation center, i.e., position P, in between, centering on position P. On the other hand, a cylindrical projection 25 is integrally provided on the upper surface 21b of the top wall 21 of the mounting cap 20, and this projection 25 engages with the groove 62c. The projection 25 can move relative to the groove 62c when the stopper body 62 rotates relative to the mounting cap 20. The external gear 62a of the stopper body 62 is configured to mesh with the internal gear 61a at the circumferential position where the projection 25 is provided. This ensures that a portion of the external gear 62a of the stopper body 62 is reliably meshed with the internal gear 61a.

[0034] The pair of operating pieces 63 are each provided symmetrically on the operating ring 61 with respect to the axis O. More specifically, on the outer circumferential surface of the operating ring 61, a pair of connecting portions 61b are integrally provided symmetrically on either side of the axis O, each protruding to the outside of the cover 50 from a gap 56 formed by a notch 55 in the cover 50, and the pair of operating pieces 63 are integrally connected to the outer ends of the corresponding connecting portions 61b. The pair of operating pieces 63 are rectangular plate-shaped, curving along the circumferential wall portion 53 of the cover 50 and extending upward from the outer ends of the connecting portions 61b, and are positioned on the outside of the cover 50. With this configuration, the pair of operating pieces 63 can move along the notch 55 provided in the cover 50. The user of the pump container 1 can move the operating ring 61 circumferentially between the first position and the second position by moving the pair of operating pieces 63 circumferentially along the notch 55 between the position shown in Figure 5 and the position shown in Figure 6.

[0035] As shown in Figures 4 and 7, a recess 24c extending in the circumferential direction is provided between a pair of outer surfaces 24a of the retaining wall 24. A pair of overpassing protrusions 24d are integrally provided in the recess 24c, each spaced apart from the other in the circumferential direction and positioned at a predetermined distance from the circumferential end of the recess 24c. On the other hand, a ring-side protrusion 61c projecting radially inward is integrally provided on the inner circumferential surface of the portion of the operating ring 61 where the internal gear 61a is not provided. As shown in Figure 4, when the operating ring 61 is in the first position, the ring-side protrusion 61c is held between one circumferential end of the recess 24c and one overpassing protrusion 24d, thereby suppressing movement in the circumferential direction. Also, as shown in Figure 7, when the operating ring 61 is in the second position, the ring-side protrusion 61c is held between the other circumferential end of the recess 24c and the other overpassing protrusion 24d, thereby suppressing movement in the circumferential direction. When the operating ring 61 moves circumferentially between the first position and the second position, the ring-side projection 61c can overcome the overhang projection 24d. With this configuration, the operating ring 61 is movable circumferentially between the first position and the second position, and once it moves to the first or second position, it is held in that position.

[0036] As shown in Figure 4, the locking mechanism 60 is configured such that when the operating ring 61 is in the first position, the large-diameter portion 62b1 of the through hole 62b of the stopper body 62 is coaxially positioned below (directly below) the push-down head 40. Since the large-diameter portion 62b1 of the through hole 62b is larger in diameter than the push-down head 40, when the operating ring 61 is in the first position, when the push-down head 40 is pushed down, the push-down head 40 can move downward through the large-diameter portion 62b1 without its lower end contacting the stopper body 62. In this way, the user can set the operating ring 61 to the first position and push down the push-down head 40 to operate the pump body 31 to discharge the contents 2 from the discharge port 41.

[0037] On the other hand, the locking mechanism 60 can restrict the downward operation of the pump container 1's push-down head 40 by rotating the operating ring 61 from the first position shown in Figure 4 to the second position shown in Figure 7 during distribution or when not in use. The rotation of the operating ring 61 can be easily performed by moving the operating piece 63 from the position shown in Figure 5 (the position on one end of the notch 55 in the circumferential direction) to the position shown in Figure 6 (the position on the other end of the notch 55 in the circumferential direction).

[0038] When the operating ring 61 rotates from the first position to the second position, as shown in Figure 7, the stopper body 62 rotates, and the small-diameter portion 62b2 of the through hole 62b is positioned coaxially below (directly below) the push-down head 40. Since the small-diameter portion 62b2 of the through hole 62b is smaller in diameter than the push-down head 40, a portion of the lower end of the push-down head 40 is positioned above the portion of the stopper body 62 that does not have a through hole 62b. In other words, when the operating ring 61 is in the second position, a portion of the stopper body 62 is positioned below the push-down head 40. As a result, when the operating ring 61 is in the second position, if the push-down head 40 is pressed down, the lower end of the push-down head 40 comes into contact with the stopper body 62, restricting the downward movement of the push-down head 40. Therefore, by switching the operating ring 61 of the pump container 1 from the first position shown in Figure 4 to the second position shown in Figure 7, it is possible to prevent the push-down head 40 from being unexpectedly pushed down and the contents 2 from being discharged.

[0039] Thus, in the pump container 1 according to this embodiment, the downward operation of the push-down head 40 can be restricted by rotating the operating ring 61 from the first position shown in Figure 4 to the second position shown in Figure 7. Therefore, without using an overcap, it is possible to prevent the push-down head 40 from being unexpectedly pushed down and the contents 2 from being discharged with a simple operation of rotating the operating ring 61 from the first position to the second position.

[0040] Furthermore, in the pump container 1 according to this embodiment, the operating ring 61 is configured to have an operating piece 63 that is positioned on the outside of the cover 50 and is movable in the circumferential direction along a notch 55 provided in the cover 50. By operating the operating piece 63, the operating ring 61 can be easily rotated, making it easier to prevent the push-down head 40 from being unexpectedly pushed down and the contents 2 from being discharged.

[0041] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 Pump container 2 Contents 10 Container body 11 Torso 12 Shoulder 13 Mouth 14 Containment space 20 Attachment cap 21 Ceiling Wall 21a Through hole 21b Top surface 22 Peripheral wall 23 Protruding section 24 Retaining wall 24a External surface 24b Inside surface 24c recess 24d Overcoming process 25 Protrusion 30 pumps 31 Pump body 32 Stem 40 Push-down head 41 Discharge port 42 Peripheral wall 50 Covers 51 Protrusion 52 Valley part 53 Peripheral wall part 54 Through hole 55 Notches 56 gaps 60 Locking mechanism 61 Operating Ring 61a Internal gear 61b Connection part 61c Ring-side protrusion 62 Stopper body 62a External gear 62b Through hole 62b1 Large diameter section 62b2 Small diameter part 62c Groove 63 Operation piece O axis P position

Claims

1. The container body that holds the contents, The attachment cap is fitted to the mouth of the container body, A pump comprising a pump body suspended and supported by the aforementioned mounting cap, and a stem protruding upward from the top wall of the mounting cap, wherein the pump body is configured to discharge when the stem is pushed down, It has a discharge port for the contents, and a push-down head attached to the upper end of the stem, A pump container having a cover that is attached to the outside of the mounting cap and covers a part of the periphery of the push-down head, An internal gear is provided on the inner circumference, and an operating ring is mounted on the mounting cap so as to be rotatable about its axis, The mounting cap has an external gear that meshes with the internal gear and a through hole through which the stem passes, and a stopper body that is rotatably mounted on the mounting cap about a position eccentric from the axis, The through hole has an irregular shape comprising a large-diameter portion with a larger diameter than the push-down head and a small-diameter portion with a smaller diameter than the push-down head. A pump container characterized in that when the operating ring is in a first position, the large-diameter portion of the stopper body is located below the push-down head, and when the operating ring rotates from the first position to a second position, the stopper body rotates so that the small-diameter portion is located below the push-down head.

2. The pump container according to claim 1, wherein the operating ring is provided with an operating piece that is positioned on the outside of the cover and is movable in the circumferential direction along a notch provided in the cover.

3. The pump container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a retaining wall is integrally provided on the top wall of the mounting cap, which is positioned between the operating ring and the stopper body and holds the stopper body at a position centered eccentric to the axis.

4. On the side opposite the retaining wall, with the rotation center of the stopper body in between, an arc-shaped groove is provided centered on the rotation center. The pump container according to claim 3, wherein a projection provided on the top wall of the mounting cap engages with the groove.

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