Refillable container
The refillable container addresses the challenge of fixed volume and instability by allowing gradual volume reduction and easy refilling through a unique design with a circumferential groove and ridges, enhancing stability and ease of use.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- YOSHINO KOGYOSHO CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-09
AI Technical Summary
Conventional refill containers require a constant storage space and are unstable in shape, making refilling operations difficult due to their fixed volume and lack of structural stability.
A refillable container design featuring a circumferential groove dividing the body into upper and lower sections with vertically extending ridges and protruding ribs, allowing for volume reduction and easy refilling by twisting and deforming the body vertically.
The container design enables gradual volume reduction with each refill, facilitating easy pouring and refilling into a main container while maintaining self-supporting ability and ease of lifting.
Smart Images
Figure 2026115111000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a refill container.
Background Art
[0002] Conventionally, as a refill container for storing the contents to be refilled into this container, for example, the configuration described in Patent Document 1 below is known. Generally, when the content volume of the refill container is larger than the content volume of this container and the content of the refill container is refilled into this container not once but multiple times, a pouch container is widely adopted as the refill container.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] In this type of refill container, since the volume does not change before and after refilling, a storage space of the same width is required over a long period of time, and moreover, since the shape is not stable, the refilling operation may become difficult.
[0005] The present invention provides a refill container that can gradually reduce the volume each time refilling is performed and enables easy refilling.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] A refillable container according to one aspect of the present invention is configured such that a mouth, shoulder, body, and bottom are arranged in this order from top to bottom, and the container is a refillable container that holds contents to be refilled, wherein a circumferential groove is formed in the body, and the body is divided into an upper body and a lower body by the circumferential groove, and the upper body and the lower body are each configured such that a plurality of panel surfaces are arranged in the circumferential direction via vertically extending ridges, and each of the panel surfaces has a valley line formed separately connecting the upper end of one ridge and the lower end of the other ridge, and the valley lines are arranged in parallel in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of vertically extending protruding ribs are formed on the inner surface of the circumferential groove at intervals in the circumferential direction.
[0007] Since valley lines are formed on multiple panel surfaces that are connected circumferentially via ridge lines, when the refill container is inverted and the openings of the refill container and the main container are connected to each other, and the refill container is pushed in the vertical direction, the ridge lines tilt circumferentially along the valley lines, and the panel surfaces fold along the valley lines, making it possible to twist and deform the body in the vertical direction to reduce its volume. Compared to cases where the body is formed in a bellows shape, for example, even after the refill container has been deformed to reduce its volume, the contents of the refill container can be easily poured out from the opening. Therefore, the volume of the refill container can be gradually reduced each time it is refilled, and after inverting the refill container and connecting the openings of the refill container and the main container, it becomes possible to easily refill the contents of the refill container into the main container by, for example, pushing the refill container up and down with one hand. Because a groove is formed around the body of the container, the refill container can be easily lifted by inserting a finger into the groove. Because protruding ribs are formed in the circumferential groove, when the refill container is inverted and pressed vertically, the lower body with headspace, the upper body filled with contents throughout, and the circumferential groove deform in that order. As a result, even if contents remain in the refill container after it has been refilled, the refill container can maintain its self-supporting ability and ease of lifting, as long as the circumferential groove is not crushed vertically.
[0008] The ridges located on the upper and lower sections of the torso, and the protruding ribs, may be located on the same straight line extending in the vertical direction.
[0009] Since the ridges and protruding ribs located on the upper and lower sections of the body are positioned on the same straight line extending vertically, the vertical rigidity of the section of the body where the ridges and protruding ribs are provided is increased. When the refill container is pushed in vertically, the ridges tilt circumferentially along the valleys, the panel surfaces fold along the valleys, and the twisting vertical deformation of the body is stabilized. [Effects of the Invention]
[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, the volume can be gradually reduced each time refilling is performed, making refilling easy. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0011] [Figure 1] This is a side view of a refillable container as one embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows the process of deforming the refill container shown in Figure 1 in the vertical direction to reduce its volume while it is inverted. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0012] A refillable container according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the refillable container 1 according to this embodiment comprises a mouth portion 11, a shoulder portion 12, a body portion 13, and a bottom portion 14, and these portions 11 to 14 are arranged in this order coaxially with a common axis. The refillable container 1 is formed, for example, by preform molding in which an injection-molded preform is blow-molded, or by extrusion blow molding. The refillable container 1 has the rigidity to stand on its own. Refill container 1 contains the contents to be refilled into the main container. Examples of such contents include detergent and shampoo. The volume of refill container 1 is greater than the volume of the main container.
[0013] Hereinafter, the common axis will be referred to as the container axis O, the side with the opening 11 along the container axis O will be referred to as the upper side, the side with the bottom 14 along the container axis O will be referred to as the lower side, and the direction along the container axis O will be referred to as the vertical direction. The direction that intersects the container axis O when viewed from the vertical direction will be referred to as the radial direction, and the direction that circles around the container axis O when viewed from the vertical direction will be referred to as the circumferential direction.
[0014] The opening 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape that extends in the vertical direction. A male threaded portion is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the opening 11. An attachment (not shown) is detachably attached to the opening 11. The opening 11 is connected to the opening of the main container via the attachment. The attachment includes a valve that seals the inside of the opening 11 and releases the inside of the opening 11 when the internal pressure of the refill container 1 rises. Furthermore, when refilling, the opening 11 may be connected directly to the opening of the container without using an attachment.
[0015] The shoulder portion 12 extends radially outward as it moves downward. The bottom portion 14 is formed in a cup shape. The peripheral wall of the bottom portion 14 extends radially inward from top to bottom, and in a vertical cross-sectional view along the vertical direction, it exhibits a curved shape that protrudes diagonally downward and outward in the radial direction.
[0016] A circumferential groove 15 is formed in the body portion 13. The circumferential groove 15 is formed as one at the central portion in the vertical direction in the body portion 13. Note that a plurality of circumferential grooves 15 may be formed at intervals in the vertical direction, or may be formed at a portion of the body portion 13 that is separated from the central portion in the vertical direction in the vertical direction. The circumferential groove 15 has a curved shape that is recessed toward the inner side in the radial direction in a longitudinal sectional view along the vertical direction. On the inner surface of the circumferential groove 15, a plurality of protruding ribs 22 (for example, six) extending in the vertical direction are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction.
[0017] The radially outer end portion of the protruding rib 22 is located on the inner side in the radial direction from the opening edge of the circumferential groove 15 in the body portion 13. The circumferential size of the protruding rib 22 becomes smaller as it moves away from the central portion in the vertical direction in the vertical direction. The protruding rib 22 includes a top wall 22a facing the radial direction and a pair of side walls 22b facing the circumferential direction. The top wall 22a has a rectangular shape that is long in the vertical direction in a front view seen from the outer side in the radial direction. The side wall 22b has a horizontally semicircular shape in which the vertical size becomes smaller as it moves away from the top wall 22a side in the circumferential direction in a front view seen from the outer side in the radial direction.
[0018] The body portion 13 is partitioned into an upper body portion 16 and a lower body portion 17 by the circumferential groove 15. The upper body portion 16 and the lower body portion 17 each have a protruding curved shape toward the inner side in the radial direction in a longitudinal sectional view along the vertical direction.
[0019] The upper body portion 16 and the lower body portion 17 are each configured by a plurality of panel surface portions 18 (for example, three) being continuously arranged in the circumferential direction via ridge line portions 19 extending in the vertical direction. A plurality of ridge line portions 19 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. In each panel surface portion 18, a valley line portion 21 connecting the upper end of one ridge line portion 19 and the lower end of the other ridge line portion 19 is separately formed. Each valley line portion 21 is arranged in parallel in the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 1 for example, the valley line portion 21 has a curved shape that is inclined with respect to the vertical direction and the circumferential direction and protrudes downward in a front view seen from the outer side in the radial direction. The opening peripheral edge portion of the valley line portion 21 on the outer peripheral surface of the body portion 13 has a curved shape that protrudes toward the valley line portion 21 in a sectional view orthogonal to the valley line portion 21.
[0020] The ridge line portions 19 and the protruding ribs 22 located on the upper body portion 16 and the lower body portion 17 respectively are located on the same straight line extending in the vertical direction. A part of the plurality of protruding ribs 22 is located at the same circumferential position as the central portion in the circumferential direction on the panel surface portion 18. Note that the circumferential positions of the ridge line portions 19 located on the upper body portion 16 and the lower body portion 17 respectively may be made different from each other. The circumferential positions of the ridge line portions 19 located on the upper body portion 16 and the lower body portion 17 respectively, and the protruding ribs 22 may be made different from each other.
[0021] As described above, according to the refill container 1 of the present embodiment, since the valley line portions 21 are formed in the plurality of panel surface portions 18 continuously provided in the circumferential direction via the ridge line portions 19, as shown in FIG. 2(a), when the refill container 1 is turned upside down and the refill container 1 and the mouth portions 11 of the main container are connected to each other, and the refill container 1 is pushed in the vertical direction, as shown in FIGS. 2(b) and 2(c), the ridge line portions 19 fall in the circumferential direction along the valley line portions 21, and the panel surface portions 18 are folded along the valley line portions 21, and the body portion 13 can be torsionally reduced in volume and deformed in the vertical direction. For example, even after the refill container 1 is reduced in volume and deformed, compared with the case where the body portion is formed in a bellows shape, etc., the content of the refill container 1 can be easily made to flow out from the mouth portion 11.
[0022] Therefore, every time refilling is performed, the volume of the refill container 1 can be gradually reduced, and after the refill container 1 is turned upside down and the mouth portions 11 of the refill container 1 and the main container are connected to each other, for example, it becomes possible to push the refill container 1 in the vertical direction with one hand and refill the content of the refill container 1 into the main container, and refilling can be easily performed.
[0023] Since the circumferential groove 15 is formed in the body portion 13, the refill container 1 can be easily lifted by inserting a finger into the circumferential groove 15. Since the circumferential groove 15 has protruding ribs 22, when the refill container 1 is inverted and pushed in the vertical direction, the lower body 17 which has headspace, the upper body 16 which is filled with contents throughout its interior, and the circumferential groove 15 deform in that order. As a result, even if contents remain in the refill container 1 after it has been refilled, the refill container 1 can maintain its self-supporting ability and ease of lifting as long as the circumferential groove 15 is not crushed in the vertical direction.
[0024] Since the ridges 19 and protruding ribs 22 located on the upper body portion 16 and the lower body portion 17 are positioned on the same straight line extending in the vertical direction, the vertical rigidity of the portion of the body portion 13 where the ridges 19 and protruding ribs 22 are provided is increased. When the refill container 1 is pushed in the vertical direction, the ridges 19 tilt circumferentially along the valleys 21, the panel surface portion 18 folds along the valleys 21, and the twisting deformation of the body portion 13 in the vertical direction is stabilized.
[0025] Furthermore, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
[0026] For example, if multiple circumferential grooves 15 are formed in the body portion 13 at intervals in the vertical direction, a configuration may be adopted in which the amount of contents that flows from the refill container 1 into the main container in a single refill operation is determined by the spacing between adjacent circumferential grooves 15 in the vertical direction.
[0027] Furthermore, without departing from the spirit of the present invention, the components in the above embodiments may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate, and the above embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0028] 1 Refillable container 11 Mouth 13 Torso 14 Bottom 15 Circumferential groove 16 Upper Torso 17 Lower Torso 18 Panel surface 19 Ridge section 21 Valley line part 22 Protruding Ribs
Claims
1. A refillable container having a mouth, shoulders, body, and bottom arranged in this order from top to bottom, and containing the contents to be refilled into this container, A circumferential groove is formed in the body portion. The body portion is divided into an upper body portion and a lower body portion by the circumferential groove, The upper and lower sections of the body are each constructed by having multiple panel surfaces connected circumferentially via vertically extending ridges. Each of the panel surfaces has a valley line formed between the upper end of one of the ridge lines and the lower end of the other ridge line. Each of the aforementioned valley sections is arranged to be parallel in the circumferential direction. A refillable container in which multiple protruding ribs extending in the vertical direction are formed on the inner surface of the circumferential groove at intervals in the circumferential direction.
2. The refillable container according to claim 1, wherein the ridges located on the upper and lower sections of the container and the protruding ribs are located on the same straight line extending in the vertical direction.