Application container

Abstract

The objective is to provide an application container that can prevent a decrease in the feel of application. [Solution] A coating container 1 comprising a container body 10, a cap body 21 having an inlet 21a and a discharge port 21b, a spherical coating body 22 rotatably housed inside the cap body 21 with a portion protruding to the outside from the discharge port 21b, a coating cap 20 attached to the mouth portion 11, and an overcap 30 detachably attached to the outside of the coating cap 20, wherein a pull member 40 is provided on the top wall 31, either the coating body 22 or the pull member 40 is a magnet, the other of the coating body 22 or the pull member 40 is made of a magnet or a ferromagnetic metal, and when the overcap 30 is attached to the outside of the coating cap 20, the coating body 22 is attracted to the pull member 40 by magnetic force to seal the discharge port 21b.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an application container.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a container for storing a liquid medicine or the like as a content liquid, there is provided a container body having a mouth portion, an application cap attached to the mouth portion of the container body, and an overcap detachably attached to the outside of the application cap. The application cap includes a cap body having an inlet and a circular outlet, and a spherical application body rotatably accommodated inside the cap between the inlet and the outlet and partially protruding from the outlet to the outside. A so-called roll-on type application container having such a configuration is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In such an application container, by removing the overcap and pressing and rotating the application body against the application object while moving it, the content liquid can be suitably applied to the application object.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the above conventional application container, in order to prevent the content liquid stored in the container body from leaking out from the outlet into the inside of the overcap when the overcap is attached to the application cap, when the overcap is attached to the application cap, the application body is pressed against a seal portion provided on the inlet side by the overcap so that the inlet is sealed.

[0006] However, this configuration had a problem: when the overcap was attached to the dispensing cap, a gap was created between the dispenser and the nozzle. As a result, any remaining liquid after dispensing could solidify in this gap, potentially mixing with the liquid during subsequent applications and reducing the feel of application.

[0007] The present invention aims to solve these problems, and its objective is to provide an application container that can prevent a decrease in the feel of application. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The coating container of the present invention comprises a container body having a mouth, a cap body having an inlet and a circular discharge port, a spherical coating body rotatably housed inside the cap body between the inlet and the discharge port and having a portion protruding from the discharge port, a coating cap fitted to the mouth, and an overcap having a top wall and a peripheral wall and being detachably fitted to the outside of the coating cap, wherein a pull member is provided on the top wall, either the coating body or the pull member is a magnet, and the other of the coating body or the pull member is made of a magnet or a ferromagnetic metal, and when the overcap is fitted to the outside of the coating cap, the coating body is attracted to the pull member by magnetic force to seal the discharge port.

[0009] In the coating container of the present invention, it is preferable that the coating body is an iron ball and the attracting member is a magnet.

[0010] In the coating container of the present invention, it is preferable that the coating body is a magnet and the attracting member is an iron plate.

[0011] In the coating container of the present invention, it is preferable that the coating body and the attraction member are magnets in the above configuration.

[0012] In the coating container of the present invention, it is preferable that the pulling member is positioned between the lower and upper top wall portions of the top wall, the coating body is positioned eccentrically with respect to the axis of the opening of the cap body, and the lower top wall portion is provided with an engagement hole that fits into the coating body when the overcap is attached to the outside of the coating cap.

[0013] In the coating container of the present invention, it is preferable that, in the above configuration, a plurality of inlets, a plurality of outlets, and a plurality of coating bodies are provided on the coating cap at intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the axis of the opening, and a plurality of engagement holes corresponding to the plurality of coating bodies are provided on the lower top wall at intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the axis of the opening.

[0014] In the coating container of the present invention, it is preferable that the engagement hole has a tapered shape that gradually decreases in diameter towards the top. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an application container that can prevent a decrease in the feel of application. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a front view cross-sectional view of a coating container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a plan view of the coating cap shown. [Figure 3] This is a plan view of a coating container to explain the positional relationship between the three coating bodies provided on the coating cap and the three engagement holes provided on the overcap. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 3. [Figure 5] This is a plan view of a coating container to explain the positional relationship between the three coating bodies provided on the coating cap and the three engagement holes provided on the overcap when the overcap rotates relative to the coating cap. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] It is a cross-sectional view in front view of the application container with the overcap removed.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the application container according to an embodiment of the present invention will be illustrated and described in more detail.

[0018] The application container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be used, for example, for the purpose of containing a liquid medicine or the like as the content liquid. The application container 1 has a container body 10, an application cap 20, and an overcap 30.

[0019] Here, in the claims and this specification, "upper" means "upper" in the state where the application container 1 is in a upright posture as shown in FIG. 1, and "lower" means "lower" in the state where the application container 1 is in a upright posture as shown in FIG. 1.

[0020] The container body 10 has a bottle shape including a cylindrical mouth portion 11 centered on an axis O and a body portion 12 integrally connected to the lower end of the mouth portion 11. The body portion 12 has a bottomed cylindrical shape, and its interior is a storage space 13 for the content liquid.

[0021] As long as the container body 10 has the mouth portion 11, its shape can be appropriately changed. Further, the container body 10 may be made of various configurations, manufacturing methods or materials such as, for example, a tube container made of synthetic resin, an injection molded product made of synthetic resin, a blow molded product made of synthetic resin, a glass bottle, and the like.

[0022] The application cap 20 includes a cap body 21 and an application body 22, and is attached to the mouth portion 11.

[0023] The cap body 21 includes an inlet 21a and an outlet 21b, and is fixed to the mouth portion 11 by undercut engagement.

[0024] The inlet 21a opens toward the containment space 13 of the container body 10, allowing the contents of the containment space 13 to flow from the inlet 21a into the internal space 21c of the cap body 21 when applying the liquid. The internal space 21c is a space provided between the inlet 21a and the discharge port 21b of the cap body 21, where the coating body 22, which will be described later, is contained.

[0025] The discharge port 21b is provided as a circular opening on the upper surface of the cap body 21. The discharge port 21b can discharge the liquid contents that have flowed into the internal space 21c from the inlet 21a to the outside through the gap between it and the coating body 22, which will be described later.

[0026] In this embodiment, the cap body 21 is constructed by combining an inner stopper portion 23 and a cover portion 24.

[0027] The inner plug portion 23 is a top-cylindrical shape with a circumferential wall 23a and a top wall 23b, and is fixed to the mouth portion 11 by an undercut engagement at the circumferential wall 23a. The top wall 23b of the inner plug portion 23 is integrally provided with a cylindrical projection 23c parallel to the axis O, and the lower end of the projection 23c is the inlet 21a. The projection 23c protrudes upward from the upper surface of the top wall 23b, that is, toward the internal space 21c, and a circular seating surface 23d is integrally provided at its upper end. The cap body 21 is also integrally provided with a cylindrical sealing tube 23e inside the circumferential wall 23a that abuts against the inner circumferential surface of the mouth portion 11.

[0028] The cover portion 24 is a top-cylindrical shape with a peripheral wall 24a and a top wall 24b, and is fixed to the upper part of the plug portion 23 by an undercut engagement, covering the top wall 23b. The top wall 24b of the cover portion 24 is provided with the circular discharge port 21b. The internal space 21c is partitioned by the projection 23c of the plug portion 23 and the cover portion 24, and is provided between the seat surface portion 23d and the discharge port 21b.

[0029] The cap body 21 is not limited to being composed of a combination of the inner stopper portion 23 and the cover portion 24 as described above, but can be in various configurations, such as being composed of a single component or part, as long as it has an inlet 21a and a discharge port 21b and is attached to the opening portion 11.

[0030] The coating body 22 is spherical in shape with a larger diameter than the discharge port 21b and the seating surface 23d, and is rotatably housed inside the cap body 21, i.e., in the internal space 21c, between the inlet 21a and the discharge port 21b. A portion of the coating body 22 protrudes upward from the discharge port 21b, i.e., from the peripheral wall 24a. The coating body 22 is slightly movable vertically within the internal space 21c between the discharge port 21b and the seating surface 23d. As shown by the solid line in Figure 1, when the coating body 22 is in contact with the discharge port 21b (the uppermost position), a gap is created between the coating body 22 and the seating surface 23d through which the liquid contents can flow. On the other hand, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1, when the coating body 22 is in contact with the seating surface 23d (the lowermost position), a gap is created between the coating body 22 and the discharge port 21b through which the liquid contents can flow. Furthermore, a small gap is provided between the coating body 22 and the cylindrical side wall 21d of the internal space 21c, allowing the liquid content that flows into the internal space 21c from the inlet 21a to flow around the coating body 22 to the discharge port 21b.

[0031] The coating cap 20 can be configured such that multiple inlets 21a, multiple outlets 21b, and multiple coating bodies 22 are provided at positions eccentric to the axis O of the cap body 21, and spaced apart in the circumferential direction around the axis O. As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, the coating cap 20 is configured such that three inlets 21a, three outlets 21b, and three coating bodies 22 are arranged coaxially to each other to form three sets, and each set is arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around the axis O of the opening 11. Although not shown in detail, the configuration of the inlets 21a, outlets 21b, and coating bodies 22 of each set is the same as that of the inlets 21a, outlets 21b, and coating bodies 22 shown in Figure 1.

[0032] As shown in Figure 1, the overcap 30 comprises a top wall 31 and a peripheral wall 32, and is detachably attached to the outside of the coating cap 20. When the overcap 30 is attached to the outside of the coating cap 20, the coating cap 20 is covered by the overcap 30.

[0033] A pull-in member 40 is provided on the top wall 31 of the overcap 30. The pull-in member 40 provided on the top wall 31 is sized and shaped so as to be positioned directly above the coating body 22 provided on the coating cap 20.

[0034] In this embodiment, the pull-in member 40 is a circular plate and is arranged inside the top wall 31. That is, the overcap 30 is configured such that the top wall 31 has a lower top wall portion 31a and an upper top wall portion 31b, and the pull-in member 40 is arranged between the lower top wall portion 31a and the upper top wall portion 31b. More specifically, the overcap 30 has a double structure in which the upper top wall portion 31b and the outer circumferential wall portion 32b are located on the outside of the inner cap portion 33, which has a lower top wall portion 31a and an inner circumferential wall portion 32a, and are fixed by undercut engagement. The inner circumferential wall portion 32a of the inner cap portion 33 protrudes above the lower top wall portion 31a and abuts against the upper top wall portion 31b, thereby forming a space for arranging the pull-in member 40 between the lower top wall portion 31a and the upper top wall portion 31b. The pulling member 40 is positioned in the space, with its lower surface in contact with the upper surface of the lower top wall portion 31a, its upper surface in contact with the lower surface of the upper top wall portion 31b, and its side surface in contact with the inner surface of the inner peripheral wall portion 32a around its entire circumference.

[0035] Furthermore, the pulling member 40 can be configured in various ways, not limited to being inside the top wall 31, as long as it is provided on the top wall 31 of the overcap 30, but for example, it may be mounted exposed on the lower surface of the top wall 31. In addition, the size and shape of the pulling member 40 can be appropriately changed as long as it is of a size and shape that allows it to be positioned directly above the coating body 22.

[0036] With the above configuration, the coating container 1 can suitably apply the liquid contents to the object to be coated by removing the overcap 30 from the coating cap 20, pressing the coating body 22 against the object to be coated (not shown), and moving it while rotating it.

[0037] Here, the coating container 1 is configured such that either the coating body 22 or the attracting member 40 is a magnet, and the other of the coating body 22 or the attracting member 40 is made of a magnet or a ferromagnetic metal, so that when the overcap 30 is attached to the outside of the coating cap 20, the coating body 22 is attracted to the attracting member 40 by magnetic force and seals the discharge port 21b. That is, the coating body 22 is slightly movable up and down in the internal space 21c between the discharge port 21b and the seating surface 23d of the coating cap 20, but when the overcap 30 is attached to the outside of the coating cap 20, it is pulled up toward the side of the attracting member 40, i.e., upward by the magnetic force of the attracting member 40, so that it comes into contact with the periphery of the discharge port 21b all around and seals the discharge port 21b.

[0038] As described above, in the coating container 1 according to this embodiment, either the coating body 22 or the attracting member 40 is a magnet, and the other of the coating body 22 or the attracting member 40 is made of a magnet or a ferromagnetic metal. Therefore, after use in which the liquid contents have been applied to the object to be coated, when the overcap 30 is attached to the coating cap 20, the coating body 22 can seal the discharge port 21b. This prevents the liquid contents from leaking out of the discharge port 21b into the overcap 30 when not in use.

[0039] Furthermore, in the coating container 1 according to this embodiment, when the overcap 30 is attached to the coating cap 20 after the liquid contents have been applied to the object to be coated, the coating body 22 can seal the discharge port 21b, so that no gap is created between the coating body 22 and the discharge port 21b, thereby preventing the liquid contents remaining in the discharge port 21b from solidifying in that area. Moreover, when the overcap 30 is attached to the outside of the coating cap 20, the coating body 22 is separated from the seating surface 23d and the internal space 21c is in communication with the containment space 13 via the inlet 21a, so that the liquid contents remaining in the internal space 21c after coating flow down into the containment space 13, thereby preventing the liquid contents from solidifying inside the internal space 21c. Therefore, with the coating container 1 according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent solidified material from mixing with the liquid contents during application, which would reduce the coating feel. In other words, the coating feel of the coating container 1 according to this embodiment can be improved.

[0040] In this embodiment, an iron ball made of iron, a ferromagnetic metal, is used as the coating body 22 provided on the coating cap 20, and a magnet (permanent magnet) is used as the attraction member 40 provided on the top wall 31 of the overcap 30.

[0041] Furthermore, when the coated body 22 is an iron ball, the coated body 22 may be a solid structure formed entirely of iron, or only the surface portion of the coated body 22 may be made of iron with the interior made of a material other than iron, or the surface portion of the coated body 22 may be made of iron with the interior hollow. In addition, the magnets forming the attraction member 40 may have various configurations, such as permanent magnets magnetized so that the north and south poles face up and down, or permanent magnets magnetized alternately in the circumferential direction around the axis O, as long as they can attract the coated body 22 made of an iron ball with magnetic force.

[0042] Thus, in the coating container 1 according to this embodiment, an iron ball is used as the coating body 22 provided on the coating cap 20, and a magnet is used as the attraction member 40 provided on the top wall 31 of the overcap 30. Therefore, the cost of the coating container 1 can be reduced by using inexpensive materials for the coating body 22 and the attraction member 40.

[0043] The coating container 1 can also be configured to use a magnet (permanent magnet) as the coating body 22 provided on the coating cap 20, and an iron plate made of iron, a ferromagnetic metal, as the attraction member 40 provided on the top wall 31 of the overcap 30. In this configuration as well, the same effects as the above configuration can be obtained, and the cost of the coating container 1 can be reduced by using inexpensive materials for the coating body 22 and the attraction member 40.

[0044] Furthermore, the coating container 1 can also be configured to use a magnet (permanent magnet) as the coating body 22 provided on the coating cap 20, and also use a magnet (permanent magnet) as the attraction member 40 provided on the top wall 31 of the overcap 30. The same effects as those of the above-described configuration can be obtained with this configuration as well.

[0045] The coating container 1 can be configured such that the lower top wall portion 31a is equipped with an engagement hole 35 in which a part of the coating body 22 is positioned when the overcap 30 is attached to the outside of the coating cap 20.

[0046] As shown in Figure 3, in this embodiment, in the coating cap 20, three coating bodies 22 are provided at positions eccentric to the axis O, spaced apart in the circumferential direction around the axis O. In response, the lower top wall portion 31a is provided with three engagement holes 35, each at positions eccentric to the axis O, spaced apart in the circumferential direction around the axis O of the opening portion 11. When the overcap 30 is attached to the outside of the coating cap 20, each of the three engagement holes 35 accommodates a portion of the corresponding coating body 22, i.e., a portion protruding from the discharge port 21b. That is, when the overcap 30 is attached to the outside of the coating cap 20 and the coating body 22 seals the discharge port 21b, a portion of the upper end of each coating body 22 that protrudes from the discharge port 21b is positioned inside the engagement hole 35. In this case, the coating body 22 may be in contact with or away from the inner surface of the engagement hole 35, and may be in contact with or away from the lower surface of the pulling member 40 exposed from the engagement hole 35.

[0047] The engagement holes 35 are preferably tapered in shape, gradually decreasing in diameter towards the top. In this embodiment, each of the three engagement holes 35 is tapered in shape, gradually decreasing in diameter towards the top, and penetrates the lower top wall portion 31a in the vertical direction.

[0048] In the configuration in which the engagement hole 35 is provided in the lower top wall portion 31a, as shown in Figure 4, when the overcap 30 is attached to the outside of the coating cap 20, the coating body 22 is attracted to the attracting member 40 by the magnetic force of the attracting member 40, sealing the discharge port 21b of the coating cap 20, while a portion of the upper end protruding from the discharge port 21b is positioned inside the engagement hole 35. At this time, because the engagement hole 35 is provided, the coating body 22 can get closer to the attracting member 40, so the coating body 22 can be attracted more strongly by the attracting member 40 than when it is attracted to the attracting member 40 via the lower top wall portion 31a. Therefore, the discharge port 21b can be sealed more reliably by the coating body 22.

[0049] Furthermore, when using the coating container 1, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the overcap 30 can be easily removed from the coating cap 20 by rotating the overcap 30 around axis O relative to the coating cap 20. That is, when the overcap 30 is attached to the outside of the coating cap 20, the coating body 22 of the coating cap 20 is attracted to the pull member 40 of the overcap 30 by magnetic force, so the overcap 30 is also pulled towards the coating cap 20 and is difficult to remove from the coating cap 20. In contrast, when the overcap 30 is rotated around axis O relative to the coating cap 20, the engagement hole 35 moves in the circumferential direction around axis O relative to the corresponding coating body 22, and at that time the lower top wall portion 31a rides up onto the coating body 22, causing the overcap 30 to rise upward relative to the coating cap 20. As a result, the distance between the coating body 22 and the pulling member 40 is increased, and the magnetic force that pulls the overcap 30 towards the coating cap 20 is reduced, so the overcap 30 can be easily removed from the coating cap 20 without having to resist the magnetic force with great force.

[0050] Thus, in the coating container 1 according to this embodiment, an engagement hole 35 is provided in the lower side wall portion 31a of the overcap 30, in which a part of the coating body 22 is positioned when the overcap 30 is attached to the outside of the coating cap 20. Therefore, even if the coating body 22 of the coating cap 20 is attracted to the pulling member 40 of the overcap 30 by magnetic force to seal the discharge port 21b with the coating body 22, the overcap 30 can be easily removed from the coating cap 20 by rotating the overcap 30 around the axis O relative to the coating cap 20.

[0051] Furthermore, in the coating container 1 according to this embodiment, the engagement hole 35 has a tapered shape that gradually decreases in diameter towards the top. Therefore, when the overcap 30 is rotated relative to the coating cap 20 around axis O, the inner surface of the tapered engagement hole 35 moves circumferentially along the coating body 22 around axis O, allowing the lower top wall portion 31a to easily ride up on the coating body 22. This makes it possible to rotate the overcap 30 relative to the coating cap 20 with less force, and makes it easier to remove the overcap 30 from the coating cap 20.

[0052] Furthermore, the engagement hole 35 is not limited to a tapered shape that gradually decreases in diameter towards the top; it may have various shapes, such as a cylindrical shape with a constant diameter in the vertical direction, as long as it can accommodate a part of the coated body 22.

[0053] As shown in Figure 7, when the overcap 30 is removed from the coating cap 20, the coating body 22 falls due to its own weight and is supported by the seat portion 23d, releasing the seal on the discharge port 21b. From this state, the coating body 22 can be pressed against the object to be coated (not shown) and rotated while moving to suit the liquid content on the object.

[0054] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0055] For example, the above embodiment shows a configuration in which three coating bodies 22 are provided on the coating cap 20, but the configuration is not limited to this, and it is sufficient for the coating cap 20 to be provided with at least one coating body 22, and the number of coating bodies 22 is not limited.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the coating body 22 is positioned eccentrically with respect to the axis O of the opening 11, but the arrangement is not limited to this, and can be changed as appropriate, such as by positioning it coaxially with the axis O. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0057] 1. Application container 10 Container body 11 Mouth 12 Torso 13 Containment Space 20 Application cap 21 Cap body 21a Inlet 21b Discharge port 21c interior space 21d side wall 22 Coating 23 Inner plug part 23a Peripheral wall 23b Top wall 23c Protrusion 23d Seat part 23e sealing tube 24 Cover part 24a Peripheral wall 24b Top wall 30 Overcap 31. Ceiling Wall 31a Lower ceiling wall 31b Upper ceiling wall 32 Peripheral wall 32a Inner peripheral wall 32b Outer peripheral wall 33 Inner cap section 34 Outer cap section 35 Engagement holes 40 Pulling mechanism O axis

Claims

1. A container body having an opening, A cap body having an inlet and a circular outlet, and a spherical coating body rotatably housed inside the cap body between the inlet and the outlet, with a portion of it protruding from the outlet, the coating cap being fitted to the opening, A coating container comprising a top wall and a perimeter wall, and an overcap detachably attached to the outside of the coating cap, A pull-in member is provided on the ceiling wall. Either the coating body or the attraction member is a magnet. Either the coating body or the attraction member is made of a magnet or a ferromagnetic metal. An applicator container characterized in that, when the overcap is attached to the outside of the applicator cap, the applicator is attracted to the attraction member by magnetic force to seal the discharge port.

2. The coating container according to claim 1, wherein the coating body is an iron ball and the attracting member is a magnet.

3. The coating container according to claim 1, wherein the coating body is a magnet and the attracting member is an iron plate.

4. The coating container according to claim 1, wherein the coating body and the attraction member are each magnets.

5. The pulling member is positioned between the lower and upper portions of the ceiling wall. The coating body is positioned eccentrically with respect to the axis of the opening of the cap body, The coating container according to claim 1, wherein the lower top wall portion is provided with an engagement hole in which a part of the coating body is positioned when the overcap is attached to the outside of the coating cap.

6. The coating cap is provided with a plurality of inlets, a plurality of outlets, and a plurality of coating bodies, each spaced apart in the circumferential direction with respect to the axis of the opening. The coating container according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of engagement holes corresponding to a plurality of coating bodies are provided in the lower top wall portion, spaced apart in the circumferential direction with respect to the axis of the opening portion.

7. The coating container according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the engagement hole has a tapered shape that gradually decreases in diameter towards the top.

Images