Ejector
The dispenser addresses leakage and initial priming issues by using a piston with multiple contact portions and a stopper member to manage sliding distances and content flow, ensuring effective sealing and priming even with biasing force degradation.
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
Existing dispensers face issues with content leakage due to biasing force deterioration during long-term storage and difficulty in completing initial priming due to tight contact between contact portions, which can prevent air discharge and content drawing into the pump chamber.
The dispenser design includes a piston with a first and second contact portion, a holding member with a sliding contact portion, and a stopper member with stepped portions to ensure separation of contact portions, preventing leakage and enabling smooth initial priming by controlling the sliding distance and using an elastic valve body to manage content flow.
The design effectively prevents content leakage and ensures smooth initial priming by maintaining a seal and facilitating air discharge, even with biasing force deterioration, through controlled sliding and separation of contact portions.
Smart Images
Figure 2026115861000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a dispenser.
Background Art
[0002] A dispenser is known that has a cylinder portion supported by the mouth of a container body, a piston having a contact portion that slides on the cylinder portion, a holding member having a contact portion and a discharge port, a biasing portion that applies an upward biasing force to the holding member, a pump chamber defined by the cylinder portion and the piston, and a stopper member disposed in the pump chamber. By a pressing-down operation against the biasing force applied to the holding member, the contact portion is detached from the contact portion to be contacted, and then the holding member pushes down the piston, so that the content in the pump chamber is discharged from the discharge port through between the contact portion and the contact portion to be contacted. By releasing the pressing-down operation, the contact portion contacts the contact portion to be contacted by the biasing force and the holding member pushes up the piston, so that the content in the container body is sucked into the pump chamber (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] It is preferable to be able to suppress leakage of contents from between the contact portion of the retaining member and the contacted portion of the piston, even if the biasing portion deteriorates (the biasing force decreases) due to long-term storage during the distribution stage, and the retaining member does not completely return to its initial position after the downward operation is released. Therefore, it is conceivable to configure the retaining member so that the contact portion slides over the contacted portion of the piston for a predetermined distance before detaching when the downward operation is performed. In this case, even if the biasing portion deteriorates, if the amount of downward movement from the initial position when the retaining member returns is less than the predetermined distance, the seal between the contact portion and the contacted portion can be maintained, and leakage of contents can be suppressed. However, in this case, if the contact portion becomes tightly attached to the contacted portion due to long-term storage during the distribution stage, there is a risk that the tight contact between the contact portion and the contacted portion cannot be resolved when performing the initial priming, in which air in the pump chamber is discharged from the outlet by the downward operation at the start of use and the contents in the container body are drawn into the pump chamber, and the initial priming cannot be completed.
[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a discharger that can prevent leakage of contents from between the holding member and the piston even when the biasing part deteriorates, and that can also enable smooth initial priming. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] One embodiment of the present invention is as follows:
[0007] [Section 1] A cylinder part supported by the mouth of the container body, A piston having a contact portion and sliding on the cylinder portion, A holding member having a contact portion that slides on the contacted portion and a discharge port, A biasing part that applies an upward biasing force to the holding member, It has a pump chamber partitioned by the cylinder portion and the piston, By pushing down against the biasing force on the holding member, the contact portion slides downward over the contacted portion and detaches, and then the holding member pushes down the piston, causing the contents of the pump chamber to be discharged from the discharge port through the space between the contact portion and the contacted portion. A discharger that, upon release of the downward operation, causes the contact portion to slide upward on the contacted portion and the holding member to push up the piston, thereby drawing the contents of the container body into the pump chamber, If the holding member descends while the contact portion remains attached to the contacted portion due to the aforementioned downward operation, a first contact portion prevents the piston from descending further by contacting the descending piston, The piston has a second contact portion which contacts the retaining member as it descends from the state in which it is in contact with the first contact portion, thereby preventing the retaining member from descending further. The discharger is provided such that the second contact portion is positioned so that the contact portion disengages from the contacted portion between the time the piston contacts the first contact portion and the time the holding member contacts the second contact portion.
[0008] [Section 2] The discharger according to item 1, wherein the vertical clearance A between the holding member and the second contact portion, which corresponds to the distance the holding member can descend further when the piston contacts the first contact portion while the contact portion has slid as far upward as possible over the contacted portion, is greater than the sliding distance B from when the contact portion has slid as far upward as possible over the contacted portion until it descends and disengages from the contacted portion.
[0009] [Section 3] The piston has a cylindrical sliding portion that is constricted in the middle in the vertical direction, The sliding portion has a cylindrical upper sliding portion that slides on the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder portion at its upper end, and a cylindrical lower sliding portion that slides on the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder portion at its lower end. The discharger according to item 1 or 2, wherein the first contact portion, when it contacts the descending piston, avoids the lower end surface of the lower sliding portion of the piston and contacts the inner circumferential surface of the lower sliding portion.
[0010] [Section 4] A suction port is provided at the lower end of the cylinder portion, An elastic valve body that suppresses the flow of the contents from the pump chamber to the suction port when the holding member is lowered, while allowing the contents to flow from the suction port into the pump chamber when the holding member is raised, The pump chamber is disposed and has a stopper member having a first contact portion and a second contact portion, The discharger according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the elastic valve body is integrally molded with the stopper member. [Effects of the Invention]
[0011] According to the present invention, even if the biasing part deteriorates, it is possible to prevent leakage of contents from between the holding member and the piston, and to provide a discharger that enables smooth initial priming. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0012] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the discharge container before the downward operation in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view showing the state at the point when the piston contacts the first contact portion, when the holding member descends while the contact portion remains in contact with the contacted portion due to a downward operation from the state shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view showing the state when the holding member has descended further from the state shown in Figure 2 and has come into contact with the second contact portion. [Figure 4] (a) is a top view of the stopper member shown in Figure 1, and (b) is a partial cross-sectional side view of the stopper member viewed from an angle 90° different from that in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated and described with reference to the drawings.
[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the present invention, the discharge container 1 has a discharger 2 and a container body 3. The container body 3 has a mouth portion 3a, a body portion 3b, and a bottom portion (not shown) connected in this order, and accommodates the content 4. The content 4 is not particularly limited, and in this embodiment, it is a liquid.
[0015] The discharger 2 includes a cylindrical cylinder portion 5a centered on a central axis O supported by the mouth portion 3a of the container body 3, a piston 6 having a contact portion 6a and sliding on the cylinder portion 5a, a holding member 7 having a contact portion 7a and a discharge port 7b sliding on the contact portion 6a, a biasing portion 8 that applies an upward biasing force to the holding member 7, a pump chamber 9 defined by the cylinder portion 5a and the piston 6, a suction port 10 provided at the lower end portion of the cylinder portion 5a, and a stopper member 11 disposed in the pump chamber 9.
[0016] In this embodiment, the direction along the central axis O of the cylinder portion 5a is referred to as the vertical direction, the direction from the bottom portion of the container body 3 toward the mouth portion 3a along the vertical direction is referred to as the upward direction, the opposite direction is referred to as the downward direction, the direction orthogonal to the central axis O is referred to as the radial direction, and the direction around the central axis O is referred to as the circumferential direction.
[0017] The piston 6 has a cylindrical sliding portion 6b whose middle portion in the vertical direction is constricted. The sliding portion 6b has an upper cylindrical sliding portion 6b1 that slides on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder portion 5a at the upper end portion of the sliding portion 6b, and a lower cylindrical sliding portion 6b2 that slides on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder portion 5a at the lower end portion of the sliding portion 6b.
[0018] The holding member 7 has a cylindrical stem 7c and a piston guide 7d held by fitting on the inner peripheral surface of the stem 7c. The stem 7c has a pushing-down portion 7c1 that pushes down the piston 6 during a pushing-down operation. The piston guide 7d has a pushing-up portion 7d1 that pushes up the piston 6 when the pushing-down operation is released.
[0019] The piston guide 7d has a cylindrical portion 7d2 that is held by fitting onto the inner circumferential surface of the stem 7c, and a piston guide bottom portion 7d3 that closes the lower end of the cylindrical portion 7d2 and has a contact portion 7a and a push-up portion 7d1. The cylindrical portion 7d2 has an opening 7d4 consisting of a plurality of holes that pass through the cylindrical portion 7d2 and allow the contents 4 to flow. The piston guide bottom portion 7d3 has a contact cylinder 7d5 having a contact portion 7a on its inner circumferential surface, and a connecting portion 7d6 that connects the lower end of the contact cylinder 7d5 to the lower end of the cylindrical portion 7d2 of the piston guide 7d. The connecting portion 7d6 has an enlarged diameter portion 7d7 that expands in diameter downward, and the enlarged diameter portion 7d7 constitutes a push-up portion 7d1 that pushes up the piston 6 when the push-down operation is released.
[0020] The discharger 2 includes a cylinder member 5 having a cylinder portion 5a and a flange 5b extending radially outward from the upper end of the cylinder portion 5a; a mounting cap 12 having an annular top wall portion 12a and a mounting cylinder portion 12b that is attached to the mouth portion 3a, and sandwiching the flange 5b between the annular top wall portion 12a and the upper end surface of the mouth portion 3a; and a retaining member 13 that is annular in shape for the stem 7c to pass through and is attached to the upper part of the cylinder member 5 to restrict the stem 7c from coming out of the cylinder member 5. The inner circumferential surface of the cylinder portion 5a has a first stepped portion 5a1 that narrows in diameter in a stepped manner downward. The first stepped portion 5a1 is located between the upper sliding portion 6b1 and the lower sliding portion 6b2 of the piston 6 in the state before the push-down operation. The inner circumferential surface of the cylinder portion 5a also has a second stepped portion 5a2 that narrows in diameter in a stepped manner downward below the first stepped portion 5a1.
[0021] The retaining member 7 has a discharge port 7b and a push-down head 7e that is attached to the upper end of the stem 7c and receives a push-down operation. The biasing part 8 is made of a compression spring that expands and contracts in the vertical direction and is positioned between the push-down head 7e and the retaining member 13. Alternatively, the biasing part 8 may be positioned inside the pump chamber 9. The biasing part 8 is made of a resin material. In this case, the biasing part 8 is more prone to sagging than when it is made of metal, so the configuration of this embodiment is particularly effective.
[0022] The discharger 2 has an elastic valve body 11a that suppresses the flow of contents 4 from inside the pump chamber 9 to the suction port 10 when the holding member 7 is lowered, while allowing the contents 4 to flow from the suction port 10 into the pump chamber 9 when the holding member 7 is raised. As shown in Figures 1, 4(a), and 4(b), the elastic valve body 11a is integrally molded with the stopper member 11.
[0023] The elastic valve body 11a has a valve body portion 11a1, a valve support portion 11a2 extending in an annular shape in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of elastic pieces 11a3 arranged in a circumferentially offset position and connecting the valve body portion 11a1 and the valve support portion 11a2, respectively. The stopper member 11 has an elastic valve body 11a, a top wall portion 11b provided spaced above the valve body portion 11a1 of the elastic valve body 11a and constituting a second contact portion 11b1, a top wall support portion 11c extending above the valve support portion 11a2 of the elastic valve body 11a and connected to the top wall portion 11b, and a first contact portion 11d extending above the outer peripheral edge of the top wall portion 11b.
[0024] The top wall support portion 11c and the first contact portion 11d each consist of a pair of walls facing each other in the radial direction. The valve support portion 11a2, the top wall support portion 11c, and the top wall portion 11b form a pair of openings 11e facing each other in the radial direction, and the openings 11e introduce the contents 4 into the pump chamber 9 from the suction port 10.
[0025] The elastic valve body 11a may be provided separately from the stopper member 11. Alternatively, a valve body other than the elastic valve body 11a may be used as a suction valve that closes the suction port 10 when the holding member 7 is lowered and opens the suction port 10 when the holding member 7 is raised.
[0026] When the discharger 2 is pushed down against the biasing force on the holding member 7, the contact portion 7a slides downward over the contacted portion 6a and detaches, and then the holding member 7 pushes down the piston 6, causing the contents 4 in the pump chamber 9 to be discharged from the discharge port 7b through the gap between the contact portion 7a and the contacted portion 6a. When the push-down operation is released, the biasing force causes the contact portion 7a to slide upward over the contacted portion 6a and the holding member 7 to push up the piston 6, drawing the contents 4 in the container body 3 into the pump chamber 9.
[0027] In this embodiment, the stopper member 11 has a first contact portion 11d that, when the holding member 7 descends while the contact portion 7a remains in contact with the contacted portion 6a due to a downward operation, prevents the piston 6 from descending further by contacting the descending piston 6, as shown in Figure 2, and a second contact portion 11b1 that, as shown in Figure 3, prevents the holding member 7 from descending further by contacting the holding member 7 as it descends from the state in which the piston 6 has contacted the first contact portion 11d. The second contact portion 11b1 is positioned so that the contact portion 7a disengages from the contacted portion 6a between the time the piston 6 contacts the first contact portion 11d and the time the holding member 7 contacts the second contact portion 11b1.
[0028] Therefore, the vertical clearance A (see Figure 2) between the retaining member 7 and the second contact portion 11b1, which corresponds to the distance the retaining member 7 can descend further when the piston 6 contacts the first contact portion 11d with the contact portion 7a having slid as far upward as possible over the contacted portion 6a, is greater than the sliding distance B (see Figure 2) from when the contact portion 7a has slid as far upward as possible over the contacted portion 6a until it has descended and disengaged from the contacted portion 6a.
[0029] Furthermore, when the first contact portion 11d contacts the descending piston 6, as shown in Figure 2, it avoids the lower end surface of the lower sliding portion 6b2 of the piston 6 and contacts the inner circumferential surface of the lower sliding portion 6b2.
[0030] According to this embodiment, the seal between the contact portion 7a and the contacted portion 6a can be maintained until the retaining member 7 descends from its initial position by a sliding distance B, which corresponds to the downward movement length of the retaining member 7 from the start of the downward operation on the retaining member 7 until the contact portion 7a slides downward over the contacted portion 6a in a stationary state and detaches. Therefore, even if the biasing portion 8 deteriorates due to long-term storage during distribution, and the retaining member 7 does not return to its initial position by a predetermined width after the downward operation is released, the seal can be maintained and leakage of the contents 4 can be suppressed as long as the predetermined width is less than or equal to the sliding distance B.
[0031] However, if the contact portion 7a slides over the contacted portion 6a by the sliding distance B, the contact portion 7a may become tightly attached to the contacted portion 6a during long-term storage in the distribution stage. In this case, during initial priming, when the air in the pump chamber 9 is discharged from the outlet 7b by a downward operation at the start of use and the contents 4 in the container body 3 are drawn into the pump chamber 9, the tight contact between the contact portion 7a and the contacted portion 6a may not be resolved even if the downward operation is performed, and the initial priming may not be completed.
[0032] To solve this problem, this embodiment utilizes a stopper member 11 having a first stepped portion 5a1 and a second stepped portion 5a2, and further having a first contact portion 11d and a second contact portion 11b1. If, during initial priming, the holding member 7 descends while the contact portion 7a remains in contact with the contacted portion 6a due to the downward operation, first, the upper sliding portion 6b1 of the piston 6 receives sliding resistance at the first stepped portion 5a1, thereby promoting the separation of the contact portion 7a from the contacted portion 6a. Furthermore, even if separation does not occur at this time, the lower sliding portion 6b2 of the descending piston 6 receives sliding resistance at the second stepped portion 5a2, thereby promoting separation. If detachment still does not occur, as shown in Figure 2, the piston 6 will come into contact with the first contact portion 11d of the stopper member 11, preventing it from descending. Subsequently, the contact portion 7a will be forcibly detached from the contacted portion 6a before the holding member 7 comes into contact with the second contact portion 11b1, preventing it from descending. This allows the air inside the pump chamber 9 to be discharged towards the discharge port 7b, as shown by the dashed arrow in Figure 3.
[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first contact portion 11d is provided to contact the inner circumferential surface of the lower sliding portion 6b2 of the piston 6 while avoiding the lower end surface of the lower sliding portion 6b2. This prevents deformation of the contact portion of the cylinder portion 5a with the inner circumferential surface of the lower sliding portion 6b2, thereby suppressing a decrease in sealing performance.
[0034] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the embodiments described above can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
[0035] For example, in the embodiment described above, the first contact portion 11d and the second contact portion 11b1 are provided on the stopper member 11, but the configuration is not limited to this, for example, the first contact portion 11d and the second contact portion 11b1 may be integrally formed on the cylinder member 5. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0036] 1 Discharge container 2 Dispenser 3. Container body 3a Mouth 3b Torso 4 Contents 5 Cylinder Member 5a Cylinder section 5a1 First step section 5a2 Second step section 5b Flange 6 pistons 6a Contacted part 6b Sliding part 6b1 Upper sliding part 6b2 Lower sliding part 7 Retaining member 7a Contact part 7b Outlet 7c stem 7c1 Push-down part 7d Piston Guide 7d1 Push-up section 7d2 Cylindrical part 7d3 Piston guide bottom 7d4 opening 7d5 contact tube 7d6 Connecting part 7d7 Expanded diameter part 7e Push-down head 8. Biasing section 9 Pump Room 10 Inlet 11 Stopper member 11a Elastic valve body 11a1 Valve body 11a2 Valve support 11a3 Elastic piece 11b Ceiling wall section 11b1 Second contact part 11c Ceiling wall support part 11d 1st contact part 11e aperture 12. Mounting cap 12a Annular top wall 12b Mounting cylinder 13 Retaining member A clearance B Sliding distance O center axis
Claims
1. A cylinder part supported by the mouth of the container body, A piston having a contact portion and sliding on the cylinder portion, A holding member having a contact portion that slides on the contacted portion and a discharge port, A biasing part that applies an upward biasing force to the holding member, It has a pump chamber partitioned by the cylinder portion and the piston, By pushing down against the biasing force on the holding member, the contact portion slides downward over the contacted portion and detaches, and then the holding member pushes down the piston, causing the contents of the pump chamber to be discharged from the discharge port through the space between the contact portion and the contacted portion. A discharger that, upon release of the downward operation, causes the contact portion to slide upward on the contacted portion and the holding member to push up the piston, thereby drawing the contents of the container body into the pump chamber, If the holding member descends while the contact portion remains attached to the contacted portion due to the aforementioned downward operation, a first contact portion prevents the piston from descending further by contacting the descending piston, The piston has a second contact portion which contacts the retaining member as it descends from the state in which the piston is in contact with the first contact portion, thereby preventing the retaining member from descending further. The discharger is provided such that the second contact portion is positioned so that the contact portion disengages from the contacted portion between the time the piston contacts the first contact portion and the time the holding member contacts the second contact portion.
2. The discharger according to claim 1, wherein the vertical clearance A between the holding member and the second contact portion, which corresponds to the distance the holding member can descend further when the piston contacts the first contact portion while the contact portion has slid as far upward as possible over the contacted portion, is greater than the sliding distance B from when the contact portion has slid as far upward as possible over the contacted portion until it descends and disengages from the contacted portion.
3. The piston has a cylindrical sliding portion that is constricted in the middle in the vertical direction, The sliding portion has a cylindrical upper sliding portion that slides on the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder portion at its upper end, and a cylindrical lower sliding portion that slides on the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder portion at its lower end. The discharger according to claim 1, wherein the first contact portion, when it contacts the descending piston, avoids the lower end surface of the lower sliding portion of the piston and contacts the inner circumferential surface of the lower sliding portion.
4. A suction port is provided at the lower end of the cylinder portion, An elastic valve body that suppresses the flow of the contents from the pump chamber to the suction port when the holding member is lowered, while allowing the contents to flow from the suction port into the pump chamber when the holding member is raised, The pump chamber is provided with a stopper member having the first contact portion and the second contact portion, The discharger according to claim 1, wherein the elastic valve body is integrally molded with the stopper member.