Container with remaining amount indicator

Abstract

The present invention provides a container with a remaining volume indicator mechanism that reduces the influence of light entering through the light-transmitting portion used for visibility. [Solution] The device comprises a container body 2 having a body 4 and a mouth 9 for containing contents, and a remaining amount display mechanism 10 for displaying the remaining amount of contents. The body 4 is light-shielding. The remaining amount display mechanism 10 is connected to the lower end of the body 4 and has a tubular part 12 that extends upward along the body 4. The inside of this tubular part is connected to the inside of the body 4 so that the main liquid level H1 in the body 4 and the secondary liquid level H2 in the tubular part 12 coincide. The tubular part 12 is made light-transmitting so that the secondary liquid level H2 in the tubular part 12 can be seen from the outside. In addition, a lower connection port 16 and an upper connection port 24 located on the lower and upper ends of the tubular part 12 are connected to corresponding locations on the body 4, and the tubular part 12 is formed to communicate with the body 4 at both the lower connection port 16 and the upper connection port 24.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a container with a remaining amount display mechanism.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a container in which a vertically long transparent viewing window (visible line) is provided in a part of the body of an overall opaque container body, and the liquid level in the body can be visually recognized through the viewing window (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Since the container of Patent Document 1 has a transparent viewing window in a part of the body of the container body, there is a problem that it is likely to deteriorate depending on the type of the content. On the other hand, there are also opaque containers without a viewing window, but there is an inconvenience that the remaining amount cannot be visually recognized.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a container with a remaining amount display mechanism that reduces the influence of light entering from a light-transmitting part for visual recognition.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The first means includes a container body 2 having a body portion 4 for accommodating the content and a mouth portion 9, and a remaining amount display mechanism 10 for displaying the remaining amount of the content, where the body portion 4 is light-shielding, The remaining liquid level indicator mechanism 10 is provided with a tubular portion 12 that is connected to at least the lower end of the body portion 4 and extends upward along the body portion 4, and the inside of this tubular portion 12 is connected to the inside of the body portion 4 so that the main liquid level H1 in the body portion 4 and the secondary liquid level H2 in the tubular portion 12 coincide, and at least a part of the tubular portion 12 is made translucent so that the secondary liquid level H2 in the tubular portion 12 can be seen from the outside.

[0007] This device comprises a container body 2 and a remaining amount display mechanism 10 for displaying the remaining amount of contents, as shown in Figure 1(A) or Figure 3(A). The remaining amount indicator mechanism 10 is connected to the lower end of the light-shielding body 4 and has a tubular portion 12 that extends upward along the body 4. By connecting the inside of the tubular section 12 to the inside of the body section 4, the main liquid level H1 in the body section 4 and the secondary liquid level H2 in the tubular section 12 are set to coincide. Furthermore, at least a portion of the tubular section 12 is made translucent so that the secondary liquid level H2 in the tubular section 12 can be seen from the outside. This structure reduces the impact of light entering through the light-transmitting area on the contents compared to conventional methods that involve providing a viewing window (visible line) in the body.

[0008] The second means has the same configuration as the first means, and the lower connection port 16 and upper connection port 24 located at the lower and upper ends of the tubular portion 12 are connected to corresponding locations on the body portion 4, and the tubular portion 12 is formed to communicate with the body portion 4 at both of these lower connection ports 16 and upper connection ports 24.

[0009] In this method, as shown in Figure 1(A) or Figure 3(A), the lower connection port 16 and upper connection port 24, which are located at the lower and upper ends of the tubular portion 12, are connected to corresponding locations on the body portion 4, and the tubular portion 12 is formed to communicate with the body portion 4 at both the lower connection port 16 and the upper connection port 24. This structure allows for smoother entry and exit of contents into the tubular section 12, making it possible to more accurately check the remaining amount of contents inside the container.

[0010] The third means comprises the first means or the second means, and the tubular portion 12 includes a vertically linear vertical tube portion 18, the surface 20 of this vertical tube portion 18 being a visible line for visually checking the secondary liquid level H2.

[0011] In this method, as shown in Figure 1(A) or Figure 3(A), the tubular portion 12 includes a vertically linear vertical tube portion 18, and the surface 20 of this vertical tube portion 18 is used as a visible line for visually checking the secondary liquid level H2. This structure allows for limiting the amount of contents entering the vertical tube section 18 in order to measure a constant sublime level H2, compared to the case where the tubular section 12 is not in a linear shape in the straight-line direction.

[0012] The fourth means comprises the first means or the second means, and the tubular portion 12 is formed integrally with the body portion 4.

[0013] In this configuration, the tubular portion 12 is formed integrally with the body portion 4. This structure is economical because it does not increase the number of parts compared to when the container body 2 is provided as a separate component. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, the influence of light entering through the light-transmitting portion for visibility can be reduced in a container with a remaining amount display mechanism. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] The diagram shows the configuration of a container with a remaining amount indicator mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where Figure (A) is a side view and Figure (B) is a cross-sectional view in the direction I(A)-I(A). [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the parison of the container component of the container shown. [Figure 3]The configuration of the container with a remaining amount display mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present invention is shown. In the figure, (A) is a side view, and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of III (A)-III (A).

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a container with a remaining amount display mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows the parison 30 of the container member 1 described later of the container. The container with a remaining amount display mechanism is composed of a container member 1 and a discharger 40. However, the discharger 40 can be omitted. The container member 1 is composed of a container body 2 and a remaining amount display mechanism 10. In the present embodiment, the container body 2 and the remaining amount display mechanism 10 are integrally formed of a synthetic resin material. However, this structure can be appropriately changed. Examples of the contents stored in the container body 2 include liquids such as fungicidal detergents that require light shielding properties.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1(A), the container body 2 is formed by raising an oral neck portion (mouth portion 9) indicated by a dotted line upward from a body portion 4 for accommodating the contents through a shoulder portion 5. In the present embodiment, a discharger 40 is inserted into the oral neck portion 9. However, a structure in which the oral neck portion 9 is closed with a cap or the like instead of the discharger is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In the illustrated example, as shown in FIG. 1(B), when viewed from above, the container body 2 has a substantially elliptical cross-sectional shape in which the front portion 4f and the rear portion (rear wall) 4b of the body portion 4 bulge outward (in the front-rear direction). In addition, a recessed portion 7 is formed on the front side of the shoulder portion 5. However, these forms can be appropriately changed. In this specification, the right side of FIG. 1(A) is referred to as "rear", the left side is referred to as "front", and the direction orthogonal to the paper surface is referred to as "left and right". As shown in FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B), the rear wall 4b of the body portion 4 is formed as a flat vertical wall portion. The remaining amount display mechanism 10 is integrally connected to the rear wall 4b, and lower connection ports 16 and upper connection ports 24 for connecting the inside of the body portion 4 to a tubular portion 12 of the remaining amount display mechanism 10 described later are formed at upper and lower positions of the rear wall 4b. In this embodiment, the entire container body 2 is formed of a light-shielding material and has sufficient light-shielding property for holding the contents. However, this structure can be appropriately changed, and at least the body portion 4 may have a light-shielding property. Note that, in this specification, "being light-shielding" includes both the aspect of being formed of a light-shielding material and the aspect of the surface side being covered with a light-shielding material.

[0018] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1(A), the remaining amount display mechanism 10 is formed by a tubular portion 12 and a connecting wall portion 26. Specifically, the tubular portion 12 is formed in a deformed U-shape including a lower horizontal tube portion 14, a vertical tube portion 18, and an upper horizontal tube portion 22, and the inner side of the tubular portion 12 and the outer surface of the body portion 4 are connected by the connecting wall portion 26. The tubular portion 12 is a tube or pipe-shaped member continuously provided and communicating with the container body 2 side, and any structure may be adopted as long as the content flowing in from the body portion can be stored in the internal space (pipe chamber). Both the tubular portion 12 and the connecting wall portion 26 are integrally formed of a light-transmitting material (transparent material) and have light-transmitting property that enables visual recognition of the inside. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, "light-transmitting property" means transmitting light in a state where the liquid level inside can be seen through. As shown in FIG. 2, this structure is formed by sandwiching a parison 30 including a light-shielding portion S and a light-transmitting portion T described later between molds and blowing air into the inside. The light-shielding portion S is the portion formed into the container body 2, and the light-transmitting portion T is the portion formed into the remaining amount display mechanism 10. However, these forms can be appropriately changed. According to the above configuration, since the inside of the tubular portion 12 communicates with the body portion 4, the content flows from the inside of the body portion 4 into the tubular portion 12 through the lower horizontal tube portion 14, and the liquid level (referred to as "main liquid level") H1 of the content in the body portion 4 and the liquid level (referred to as "sub liquid level") H2 in the tubular portion 12 coincide. In the illustrated example, the lower horizontal tube portion 14, the vertical tube portion 18, and the upper horizontal tube portion 22 each have substantially the same pipe diameter. And the tubular portion 12 is formed into an elongated flow path having substantially the same flow cross-sectional area over the entire length in its path direction. The diameter of the tubular section 12 should be determined taking into account the viscosity of the contents. To minimize the effect of transmitted light on the contents, the volume of the tubular section 12 should be small, and therefore, it is desirable that the diameter of each tubular section be small. On the other hand, if the diameter is too small, the flow resistance of the tubular section 12 will increase, which may make it difficult to quickly bring the secondary liquid level H2 in the tubular section 12 up to the main liquid level H1 in the body section 4. The diameter of the tubular section 12 should be designed taking these factors into consideration.

[0019] The lower horizontal pipe section 14 is connected to the lower connection port 16, and the upper horizontal pipe section 22 is connected to the upper connection port 24, both to the rear wall 4b of the body 4. As a result, when the contents are filled from the neck 9, the main liquid level H1 in the body 4 rises, causing the contents in the body 4 to enter the tubular section 12 via the lower horizontal tube section 14, and the air in the tubular section 12 to be exhausted to the upper half of the body 4 via the upper horizontal tube section 22. Furthermore, when the contents are sprayed, the main liquid level H1 in the body section 4 decreases, causing the contents in the tubular section 12 to return to the body section 4 via the lower horizontal pipe section 14, and air in the upper half of the body section 4 to flow into the tubular section 12 via the upper horizontal pipe section 22. This action allows the contents to enter and exit the tubular portion 12 smoothly. However, this structure can be modified as appropriate. The tubular portion 12 is connected to at least the lower side of the body portion 4 so as to be able to communicate with it, and any structure is acceptable as long as it is formed so that the main liquid level H1 and the secondary liquid level H2 mentioned above coincide. In the illustrated example, the lower horizontal tube section 14 is horizontal, while the upper horizontal tube section 22 is inclined downward and outward in accordance with the inclination of the shoulder section 5. However, these structures can be modified as appropriate. In this specification, the term "horizontal tube portion" means that it is sufficient if it extends somewhat horizontally from the vertical tube portion 18 toward the body portion 4.

[0020] The vertical pipe section 18 is a linear section in the vertical direction, and in the illustrated example, it is arranged vertically along the rear wall 4b of the vertical wall-shaped body section 4. In this specification, "line shape" means simply "a form resembling a thin line." In the preferred illustrated example, the vertical tube portion 18 is formed as an elongated tube having a constant diameter along its entire length in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the entire remaining amount indicator mechanism 10, including the vertical tube portion 18, is made of a transparent material. However, this structure can be modified as appropriate, and it is sufficient that at least the vertical tube portion 18 is translucent. The vertical tube section 18 is translucent along its entire length in the longitudinal direction, allowing the contents flowing into the vertical tube section 18 to be seen. As a result, the vertical tube section functions in the same way as a known visible line. Generally, a "visible line" refers to a form such as a viewing window for checking the liquid level, formed only on a part of the overall opaque body. However, in this invention, the function of a visible line is provided to a pipe-shaped part (tubular section) that is positioned next to the container body and communicates with the inside of the body. The vertical pipe section 18 in the illustrated example has a roughly rectangular cross-sectional shape as shown in Figure 1(B). The surface 20 of the vertical pipe section 18 serves as a visible line for visually checking the secondary liquid level H2. In this embodiment, the visible line of the vertical tube portion 18 extends to the bottom of the container (lower horizontal tube portion 14). Therefore, in this case, the remaining amount can be visually confirmed up to near the bottom of the container. The surface 20 of the vertical pipe portion 18 in the illustrated example includes one rear portion 20b and a pair of side portions 20s. The secondary liquid level H2 inside the vertical tube section 18 can be visually observed from either of these rear sections 20b. Therefore, since the container can be visually inspected from both the rear and the side, it offers users greater flexibility in placing the container and is very user-friendly. In particular, when performing a visual inspection from the rear via the rear section 20b, the rear side of the fuselage 4 can be used as the background for the visual inspection. Compared to performing the visual inspection from the side, this allows for greater concentration on the visual inspection without being distracted by background objects. Alternatively, as a visible line, only the rear surface portion 20b of the vertical tube section 18 may be made visible. Furthermore, a scale may be provided on the visible line of the vertical tube section 18. However, these structures can be modified as needed.

[0021] Figure 2 shows the parison 30 of the container member 1 in this embodiment. This parison 30 has a cylindrical (pipe-like) shape, and is formed by integrally joining a light-transmitting portion T, which is a part of the circumferential direction of the cylindrical wall, and a light-shielding portion S, which is the remaining portion. The light-shielding portion S of the parison 30 is formed on the container body 2 of the container member 1, and the light-transmitting portion T is formed on the remaining amount display mechanism 10. Specifically, a heated and melted synthetic resin (including a portion made of light-shielding material and a portion made of light-transmitting material) is extruded into a pipe shape, the extruded material is placed in a mold, and air is blown into the inside to form it, resulting in the container member 1 shown by dashed lines in the figure.

[0022] The discharger 40 will be briefly described as it is an existing structure. The discharger 40 in the illustrated example comprises a mounting cap 42 attached to the neck 9 of the container body 2 and a discharger body 44 having a trigger 46, with a suction pipe (not shown) hanging down from the discharger body 44 into the container body 2. When the trigger is operated, a pump mechanism (not shown) is activated to draw the contents from inside the container body 2 and spray them from the spray port 48 of the discharger body 44. However, the discharger 40 is not limited to a trigger-type type.

[0023] In the above configuration, when the trigger 46 of the discharger 40 is operated to spray the contents of the body 4 from the spray nozzle 48, the main liquid level H1 in the body 4 decreases. As a result, the liquid pressure on the container body 2 side at the lower connection port 16 decreases, causing the liquid in the tubular section 12 to flow into the body 4, and the secondary liquid level H2 in the tubular section 12 decreases. When the secondary liquid level H2 in the tubular section 12 becomes equal to the main liquid level H1 in the body section 4, the inflow of contents into the body section 4 stops. Therefore, users can check the remaining amount of liquid in the container member 1 by visually observing the sub-liquid level H2 in the tubular section 12. When the remaining amount becomes low, the contents can be refilled into the container or replaced (exchanged with another container containing the contents).

[0024] According to the above configuration and operation, the remaining amount indicator mechanism 10 is connected to the lower end of the light-shielding body 4 and has a translucent tubular portion 12 that extends upward along the body 4, and the inside of this tubular portion 12 is connected to the inside of the body 4, so that the remaining amount can be visually checked by looking at the tubular portion 12, and the effect of light entering from the translucent part for viewing on the contents can be reduced. Furthermore, the lower connection port 16 and upper connection port 24 located at the lower and upper ends of the tubular section 12 are connected to corresponding locations on the body section 4, and the tubular section 12 is formed to communicate with the body section 4 at both the lower connection port 16 and the upper connection port 24. This allows for smoother entry and exit of contents into and out of the tubular section 12, and enables more accurate confirmation of the remaining amount of contents inside the container.

[0025] Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In these descriptions, the same structures as those in the first embodiment will not be explained.

[0026] Figure 3 shows a container with a remaining amount indicator mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the remaining amount display mechanism 10 is located in the lower region of the rear wall 4b of the body 4 of the container 2. In this embodiment, the rear wall 4b of the body 4 is formed in a shape that bulges out towards the rear when viewed from the side. Furthermore, the vertical tube portion 18 of the remaining amount display mechanism 10 has a circular cross-sectional shape as shown in Figure 3(B), rather than a rectangular shape as in the first embodiment. Multiple transverse ribs 6 are attached to the shoulder portion 5 of the container body 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 1...Container component 2...Container body 4...Body 4b...Rear 4f...Front 5...Shoulder 6...Horizontal opening 7...Concave part 9...Mouth part (mouth and neck) 10...Remaining amount indication mechanism 12...Tubular part 14…Lower horizontal tube section 16…Lower connecting joint 18…Vertical tube section 20…Surface 20b…Rear section 20s…Side section 22…Upper horizontal tube section 24…Upper connecting joint 26…Connecting wall section 30…Parison 40…Discharge device 42…Installed キャップ 44…Discharge device body 46…Toroガー 48… spray nozzle H1…Main liquid level H2…Secondary liquid level S…Shielding section T…Transparent section

Claims

1. A container body (2) having a body (4) and a mouth (9) for containing contents, It is equipped with a remaining amount display mechanism (10) for displaying the remaining amount of the contents, The aforementioned body portion (4) is light-shielding, A container with a remaining volume indicator mechanism, characterized in that the remaining volume indicator mechanism (10) is connected to at least the lower end of the body portion (4), has a tubular portion (12) extending upward along the body portion (4), and the inside of the tubular portion (12) is connected to the inside of the body portion (4), so that the main liquid level (H1) in the body portion (4) and the secondary liquid level (H2) in the tubular portion (12) coincide, and at least a part of the tubular portion (12) is made translucent so that the secondary liquid level (H2) in the tubular portion (12) can be seen from the outside.

2. A container with a remaining amount indicator mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower connection port (16) and upper connection port (24) located at the lower and upper ends of the tubular portion (12) are connected to corresponding locations on the body portion (4), and the tubular portion (12) is formed to communicate with the body portion (4) at both the lower connection port (16) and the upper connection port (24).

3. The container with a remaining amount indicator mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the tubular portion (12) includes a vertically straight line-shaped vertical tube portion (18), and the surface (20) of this vertical tube portion (18) is a visible line for visually checking the secondary liquid level (H2).

4. The container with a remaining amount indicator mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the tubular portion (12) is formed integrally with the body portion (4).

Images