Discharge container

Abstract

To provide a dispensing container that can be stored with the cap attached in an inverted position and used by easily removing the cap. [Solution] A dispensing container comprising: a container body A having a mouth section 1 and a squeezeable body section 2 continuous with the mouth section 1, which contains the liquid contents; a nozzle section B attached to the mouth section 1 of the container body A and having a discharge port 5a for dispensing the liquid contents; and a cap C that seals the discharge port 5a of the nozzle section B and supports the nozzle section B attached to the container body A in an inverted state, wherein the nozzle section B is provided with an operating section 9 for attaching and detaching the cap C, and the cap C is provided with a stopper section 28 that can engage with the operating section 9 of the nozzle section B, and when opening the lid, the engagement with the stopper section 28 of the cap C is released by pushing in the operating section 9 of the nozzle section B.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a discharge container, and more particularly to a discharge container that can be stored and used in an inverted state.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a discharge container in which a cap having a discharge port for discharging a content liquid is attached to a mouth cylinder portion of a container body that stores a relatively viscous content liquid such as dishwashing detergent.

[0003] As this type of discharge container, a discharge cap is attached to the mouth cylinder portion of the container body, and it can be placed on a flat placement surface in an inverted state with the top and bottom reversed. When in use, while holding the container body in the inverted state, the body portion of the container body is squeezed (pressed) to discharge the contents from the discharge cap (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the discharge container described in Patent Document 1 above has a problem in that when placed in an inverted state, the cap that seals the discharge port is not closed, so there is a risk that the content liquid will drip and stain the surroundings.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and provide a discharge container that can be stored with the cap attached in an inverted state so as not to get dirty and can be used by simply detaching it from the cap.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a dispensing container comprising: a container body having a mouth section and a squeezeable body section continuous with the mouth section, which contains the liquid contents; a nozzle section attached to the mouth section of the container body and having a discharge port for dispensing the liquid contents; and a cap that seals the discharge port of the nozzle section and supports the nozzle section attached to the container body in an inverted state, wherein the nozzle section is provided with an operating section for attaching and detaching the cap, and the cap is provided with a stopper section that can engage with the operating section of the nozzle section, and the engagement with the stopper section of the cap is released by pushing in the operating section of the nozzle section when opening the lid.

[0008] As an embodiment of the discharge container, the nozzle section comprises a partition wall that closes the opening of the mouth section excluding the discharge port, a mounting cylinder erected from the partition wall and into which the mouth section is attached, an outer peripheral wall erected from the outer edge of the partition wall, an operating section formed on the side of the outer peripheral wall that can be pushed in, and a guide opening opened in the partition wall to match the position of the operating section. The cap comprises a bottom wall that covers the partition wall of the nozzle section, a stopper section erected from the bottom wall that seals the discharge port, an outer cylinder wall erected from the outer edge of the bottom wall into which the lower part of the outer peripheral wall of the nozzle section is inserted, and a stopper section erected from the bottom wall that penetrates the guide opening opened in the partition wall of the nozzle section and engages from the inside of the operating section. The operating section comprises an operating window that penetrates the outer peripheral wall and The device comprises a lever portion connected to the upper end of the opening of the operating window via an elastically deformable deformable thin-walled portion, and the stopper portion comprises a locking wall portion erected on the inside of the operating portion, an elastically deformable elastic thin-walled portion formed on the upper part of the locking wall portion, and a locking projection formed on the elastic thin-walled portion that can lock onto the lower end of the opening of the operating window, characterized in that when the lever portion of the operating portion is operated, the elastic thin-walled portion of the stopper portion deforms and releases the lock with the lower end of the opening of the operating window, and the stopper portion comprises an operating locking wall portion erected on the inside of the operating portion, and an inner locking surface portion formed at the upper end of the operating locking wall portion, characterized in that when the lever portion of the operating portion is operated, the lever portion catches on the inner locking surface portion and the lever portion is locked. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] By adopting the above configuration, the discharge container of the present invention can be stored in an inverted state with the mouth portion of the container body facing downwards without soiling the surroundings, and the cap can be easily opened and closed (attached and detached) and used. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows an inverted closed lid state of a discharge container, which is an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a side cross-sectional view and (b) is an enlarged view of the main part of (a). [Figure 2] This figure shows a nozzle section with a cap attached to a discharge container, which is an embodiment of the present invention; (a) is a top view and (b) is a front view. [Figure 3] This figure shows the cap of a discharge container, which is an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a top view, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in (a), and (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY in (a). [Figure 4] Figure 1(a) is an enlarged view of the main part of the nozzle section of a discharge container, which is an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a cross-sectional view of the locking wall of the stopper section, and (b) is a side view of the operating locking wall of the stopper section. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Next, the discharge container of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings shown in the following embodiments. Note that the diagram shows the discharge container in an inverted state with the nozzle facing downwards. In the following explanation, in Figure 1(a), the upward direction is referred to as "up" and the downward direction as "down".

[0012] (Examples) In Figure 1, A is a container body that holds a relatively viscous liquid and has a squeezeable body, B is a nozzle attached to the mouth of container body A, and C is a cap that seals the discharge opening of nozzle B and supports nozzle B attached to container body A in an inverted state. The container body A, nozzle B, and cap C constitute the dispensing container. The container body A comprises a mouth section 1 and a bottomed body section 2 that is continuous with the mouth section 1 and is elastically deformable by squeezing, and a threaded section (male thread) 3 is formed on the outer circumference of the mouth section 1.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the nozzle section B comprises a partition wall 5 that closes the opening of the mouth section 1 on its upper surface and has a discharge port 5a in the center, a discharge cylinder 6 that extends downward from around the discharge port 5a, a mounting cylinder 7 that is erected from the upper surface of the partition wall 5 and on which the outer circumference of the mouth section 1 of the container body A is attached, and an outer peripheral wall 8 that is erected from the outer edge of the partition wall 5. On the sides of the outer peripheral wall 8, there are operating parts 9 that can be pushed in and used to attach and detach the cap C, formed on both sides at 180° intervals. The inner circumference of the mounting cylinder 7 has a threaded portion (female thread) 11 that screws into the threaded portion (male thread) 3 of the mouth portion 1 of the container body A.

[0014] The bulkhead 5 has guide openings 13 that penetrate vertically through two opposing locations, aligned with the positions of the operating sections 9 on both sides of the outer perimeter wall 8. Each guide opening 13 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape. The narrower inner opening 13a is formed along the outer circumference of the mounting cylinder 7, and the wider outer opening 13b is formed along the inner circumference of the outer peripheral wall 8. Furthermore, an opening is provided between the two sides 13c and 13d to allow the pair of stopper portions 28 of the cap C, which will be described later, to be inserted.

[0015] The outer peripheral wall 8 has operating sections 9 formed at the upper part at 180° intervals opposite each other, and a mounting peripheral wall 8a formed at the lower part, the outer circumference of which engages with the inner circumference of the cap C to secure it. The operating section 9 consists of a straight wall section 9a formed by chamfering the circumferential surface of the upper end of the outer wall 8 into a planar shape, a deformable thin-walled section 16 formed to be elastically deformable along the lower end of the straight wall section 9a, a lever section 17 formed to protrude outward from the lower end of the deformable thin-walled section 16, a rectangular operating window 15 extending downward from both sides of the deformable thin-walled section 16 so as to surround the lever 17 and penetrating the outer wall 8, and an inclined wall section 9b extending inclined from the lower end of the operating window 15 toward the circumferential surface of the outer wall 8.

[0016] The lever part 17 is composed of a push plate 19 hanging down from the deformed thin wall part 16, an operation plate 20 inclined outward and downward from the deformed thin wall part 16 and pushed in by a finger or the like during operation, and a support piece 21 connecting the outer center of the push plate 19 and the lower surface center of the operation plate 20, so that the inner surface is continuous with the straight wall part 9a. At the lower end of the push plate 19, except for the central support piece 21, a locking outer side surface part 22 recessed from the outside is formed.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cap C covers the lower surface of the partition wall 5 of the nozzle part B, and includes a bottom wall 25 facing the nozzle part B mounted on the container body A in an inverted state, a plug part 26 erected from the center of the upper surface of the bottom wall 25 and having an outer periphery inserted into the inner periphery of the discharge port 5a of the nozzle part B for sealing, an outer cylinder wall 27 erected from the outer edge of the bottom wall 25 and having the mounting peripheral wall 8a which is the lower part of the outer peripheral wall 8 of the nozzle part B inserted into its inner periphery, and a pair of stopper parts 28 erected from the bottom wall 25 which penetrate through the guide openings 13 opened on both sides of the partition wall 5 of the nozzle part B when the lid is closed and the outer side surface of the upper end part engages with the inner side surface of the straight wall part 9a of the operation part 9 of the outer peripheral wall 8 from the inside.

[0018] On the outer upper surface of the bottom wall 25, in a predetermined opposed range (in this embodiment, the range where there is no stopper part 28 inward), an outer edge abutting part 30 whose upper end surface abuts against the outer edge of the lower surface of the partition wall 5 of the nozzle part B is formed in an arc shape along the inner periphery of the outer cylinder wall 27. In addition, in the ranges on both sides where the outer edge abutting part 30 is not formed, arc-shaped drain holes 31 penetrating the bottom wall 25 are formed along the inner periphery of the outer cylinder wall 27. The periphery of the plug part 26 on the upper surface of the bottom wall 25 abuts against the lower end surface of the discharge cylinder 6 of the nozzle part B, and the upper surface of the outer edge abutting part 30 abuts against the outer edge of the lower surface of the partition wall 5 of the nozzle part B, so that the nozzle part B is in an inverted state and the lid (mounting) is closed without rattling with respect to the cap C. Furthermore, the upper surface of the bottom wall 25 is formed with an inclination so that the center is higher, and even if water is applied to the upper surface of the bottom wall 25, it flows to the outer edge side of the bottom wall 25 and drains downward through the drain holes 31.

[0019] The pair of stopper portions 28 are formed at positions where the outer surfaces abut against the inner surfaces of the straight wall portions 9a of the operation portion 9 of the nozzle portion B. As shown in FIG. 3, they are erected in a mountain shape from the central locking wall portion 33 and the operation locking wall portions 34 on both sides thereof. Outside the operation locking wall portions 34 on both sides, when the lid is closed, they penetrate through the pair of guide openings 13 of the nozzle portion B and are guided near the outer sides 13b of the both sides 13c and 13d. At least the upper ends of the stopper portions 28 are formed to be higher than the lower end of the pressing plate 19 of the lever portion 17 of the nozzle portion B when the cap C is closed.

[0020] The locking wall portion 33 has an upper portion cut out from the inside, and an elastic thin-walled portion 35 that can be elastically deformed is formed. A locking projection portion 36 is formed on the outer surface of the elastic thin-walled portion 35. At least the locking projection portion 36 is formed at a height where the lower surface 36a abuts against and is locked to the inside of the lower end surface 15a of the operation window 15 of the operation portion 9 of the nozzle portion B when the lid is closed. Also, an inclined surface 36b that extends upward and inward from the tip of the lower surface 36a and against which the inner lower end of the pressing plate 19 of the lever portion 17 abuts or is close to is formed. The operation locking wall portion 34 is formed such that the upper end portion is higher than the lower end of the pressing plate 19 when the lid is closed, and a locking inner surface portion 37 is recessed on the inside of the upper end portion. Also, when the lever portion 17 of the nozzle portion B is operated, the tip portion of the locking outer surface portion 22 of the pressing plate 19 is caught by the tip portion of the locking inner surface portion 37, and the lever portion 17 is locked.

[0021] Next, the usage mode and working effects of this embodiment will be described. As the content liquid of this embodiment, a relatively viscous liquid such as dishwashing detergent is filled into the upright container body A from the mouth cylinder portion 1. For the discharge container of this embodiment, first, after covering the mouth cylinder portion 1 of the upright container body A with the mounting cylinder 7 of the nozzle B and screwing them together, the cap C is placed on the nozzle portion B to be in a closed state. At that time, the opening of the mouth cylinder portion 1 of the container body A is closed by the partition wall 5 of the nozzle portion B, and the plug portion 26 of the cap C is inserted into the inner periphery of the discharge port 5a of the partition wall 5 of the nozzle portion B to seal the inside.

[0022] Furthermore, when attaching the cap C to the nozzle section B, the respective stopper sections 28 of the cap C are inserted into the respective guide openings 13 of the partition wall 5 of the nozzle section B from their respective tips. The inclined surface 36b of the locking projection 36 of the locking wall section 33 in the center of the stopper section 28 contacts the upper inner circumference of the inclined wall section 9b of the operating section 9 of the nozzle section B, deforming the elastic thin wall 35. Finally, simultaneously with closing the lid, the locking projection 36 overcomes the upper inner circumference of the inclined wall section 9b, and as shown in Figure 1, the lower surface 36a of the locking projection 36 contacts the inside of the lower end surface 15a of the operating window 15 of the operating section 9, locking the cap C in place so that it does not fall off the nozzle section B, and the lid is closed. After closing the lid, the dispensing container should be in an inverted position with cap C facing downwards. Alternatively, if necessary, the product may be made by shrink-wrapping and sealing the cap C and nozzle B.

[0023] To use the liquid contents inside container body A, with the dispensing container inverted, as shown in Figure 4, both levers 17 and operating plates 20 are pushed down from above from the outside of the outer peripheral wall 8 of nozzle B. This causes the push plate 19 to be pushed in, the deformable thin-walled section 16 to deform and act as a fulcrum, and the levers 17 are pushed against the operating window 15.

[0024] When the push plate 19 is pushed in using the deformed thin-walled portion 16 as a pivot point, as shown in Figure 4(a), the inner lower end of the push plate 19 comes into contact with and pushes against the inclined surface 36b of the locking projection 36 of the locking wall portion 33 of the stopper portion 28 of the cap C, deforming the elastic thin-walled wall 35, and finally releasing the engagement between the inner lower end surface 15a of the operating window 15 of the operating section 9 and the lower surface 36a of the locking projection 36. At the same time, as shown in Figure 4(b), both sides of the inner tip of the pushed-in push plate 19 overcome the outer tips of the operating locking walls 34 on both sides of the stopper portion 28, and both ends of the locking outer surface portion 22 of the push plate 19 are locked to the locking inner surface portions 37 of the operating locking walls 34 on both sides. In this state, releasing the pressure on the control panel 20 will cause it to be fixed in a disengaged state.

[0025] Since the lever portion 17 is fixed in a state where it is pushed against the operating window 15 with the deformed thin-walled portion 16 as a pivot point, and the locking wall portion 33 of the stopper portion 28 and the operating window 15 are released from their engagement, the engagement between the stopper portion 28 of the cap C and the operating portion 9 of the nozzle portion B is released, and when the container body A is lifted in that state, the lid is opened (detached) except for the cap C, and the stopper portion 26 of the cap C comes out from inside the discharge port 5a of the nozzle portion B, opening the discharge port 5a.

[0026] When opening the lid, lifting the nozzle part B from the cap C causes the stopper part 28 to separate from the push plate 19, releasing the engagement between the tip of the locking outer surface part 22 and the tip of the locking inner surface part 37 of the operating locking wall part 34. The push plate 19 then returns to its original position due to the elasticity of the deformed thin-walled part 16, and the lever part 17 returns to its original position relative to the operating window 15. After the discharge port 5a of nozzle section B opens, the body section 2 of the container body A is squeezed while the container is inverted, allowing the contents to be discharged downward from the discharge cylinder 6 by the amount squeezed.

[0027] After releasing the squeeze from the body 2 of the container A and the discharge of the liquid contents is complete, the cap C is lowered while inserting the tip of the stopper portion 28 of the cap C into the guide opening 13 of the partition wall 5 of the nozzle portion B, so as to return the inverted nozzle portion B and the container A to their original positions relative to the cap C placed below. Finally, as shown in Figure 1, the lower surface 36a of the locking projection 36 of the stopper portion 28 abuts against the inside of the lower end surface 15a of the operating window 15 of the operating portion 9 and locks in place, so that the cap C does not fall off the nozzle portion B, and the plug portion 26 is inserted into the inner circumference of the discharge port 5a to seal the inside, allowing the lid to be closed in an inverted state.

[0028] When opening cap C again, while the device is inverted, the operating plates 20 of both lever sections 17 are pressed down from the outside of the outer peripheral wall 8 of nozzle section B to release the lock and then lifted up to open the cap. This makes it easy to open and close (attach and detach) cap C while the device is inverted.

[0029] Even if water gets inside the cap C, the slope formed on the upper surface of the bottom wall 25 allows the water to flow into the drainage hole 31 and drain down through the drainage hole 31, so no water remains inside the cap C. Furthermore, after washing the cap C with water, the water drains quickly, allowing it to dry easily and keeping the inside of the cap C clean.

[0030] After using up all the liquid inside container body A, with the dispensing container upright, unscrew and remove the nozzle part B (even with cap C attached) from the mouth part 1 of container body A, fill the container body A with the liquid inside through the opening of the mouth part 1, and then reattach the nozzle part B to refill and reuse the container. [Industrial applicability]

[0031] The dispensing container of the present invention can be stored upside down with the spout facing downwards without soiling the surroundings, and the cap can be easily opened and closed (attached and detached) for use, making it particularly suitable as a container for filling with dish soap and the like. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0032] A Container body B Nozzle section C Cap 1 Mouth barrel 2 Torso 3. Threaded section (male thread) 5 Bulkhead 5a Discharge port 6 Discharge tube 7 Mounting cylinder 8 Peripheral wall 8a Mounting peripheral wall 9 Control section 9a Straight wall section 9b Slanted wall section 11. Threaded section (female thread) 13 Guide opening 13a Inside 13b outside 13c, 13d sides 15. Service Counter 15a Lower end surface 16. Deformed thin-walled section 17 Lever section 19 Push plate 20 Operation board 21 Support piece 22 Locking outer surface part 25 Bottom wall 26 Plug part 27 Outer cylinder wall 28 Stopper part 30 Outer edge contact portion 31 drain holes 33 Locking wall section 34 Operation locking wall 35 Elastic thin wall 36 Locking projection 36a Bottom side 36b Slope 37 Locking inner side surface

Claims

1. A container body having a spout and a squeezeable body that is continuous with the spout, which contains the liquid contents. A nozzle part is attached to the mouth of the container body and has a discharge port for dispensing the liquid contents, A dispensing container comprising a cap that seals the discharge port of the nozzle and supports the nozzle attached to the container body in an inverted state, The nozzle section is equipped with an operating part for attaching and detaching the cap. The cap is equipped with a stopper portion that can engage with the operating portion of the nozzle. A dispensing container characterized by releasing the engagement with the stopper portion of the cap by pressing the operating portion of the nozzle when opening the lid.

2. The nozzle section comprises a partition wall that closes the opening of the nozzle section excluding the discharge port, a mounting cylinder erected from the partition wall and onto which the nozzle section is attached, an outer peripheral wall erected from the outer edge of the partition wall, an operating section formed on the side of the outer peripheral wall that can be pushed in, and a guide opening opened in the partition wall to match the position of the operating section. The discharge container according to claim 1, characterized in that the cap comprises a bottom wall covering the partition wall of the nozzle section, a stopper portion erected from the bottom wall and sealing the discharge port, an outer cylinder wall erected from the outer edge of the bottom wall and into which the lower part of the outer wall of the nozzle section is inserted, and a stopper portion erected from the bottom wall so as to penetrate a guide opening opened in the partition wall of the nozzle section and engage from the inside of the operating section.

3. The operating section comprises an operating window penetrating the outer wall and a lever section connected to the upper end of the opening of the operating window via an elastically deformable, deformable thin-walled section. The stopper portion comprises a locking wall portion erected on the inside of the operating portion, an elastic thin wall formed on the upper part of the locking wall portion and capable of elastic deformation, and a locking projection formed on the elastic thin wall portion that can be locked to the lower end of the opening of the operating window. The discharge container according to claim 2, characterized in that when the lever portion of the operating portion is operated, the elastic thin wall of the stopper portion deforms, releasing the lock with the lower end of the opening of the operating window.

4. The stopper portion comprises an operating locking wall portion erected on the inside of the operating portion, and an inner locking surface portion formed at the upper end of the operating locking wall portion. The discharge container according to claim 3, characterized in that when the lever portion of the operating section is operated, the lever portion catches on the locking inner surface portion and the lever portion is locked.

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