cock

Abstract

To provide a tap that is less likely to detach from the spout during use, and can be easily removed and reused after use. [Solution] A tap used by attaching it to a cylindrical spout provided on a liquid storage container, and having a spout for pouring the contents of the liquid storage container to the outside, comprising a tap body having the spout, a lid to which the tap body is connected and which closes the mouth of the spout, and an engaging claw for fixing the lid to the mouth of the spout, wherein the engaging claw has an annular structure that engages with an annular projection formed along the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the spout, and is formed of a plurality of parts that are separable from each other.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a cock that is attached to, for example, a liquid storage container and is configured to be switchable between an open state and a closed state.

Background Art

[0002] The applicant of the present application has already applied for a cock attached to a liquid storage container such as a bag-in-box (see Patent Document 1). Such a cock is attached, for example, using a spout to which a resin bag forming the liquid storage container is heat-sealed. Further, as such a cock, there is known a plugging type that can be attached to the spout by pushing or knocking it in without screwing the cock into the spout. This plugging type cock is provided with engaging claws on its inner peripheral wall, and can be firmly attached to the spout by engaging these engaging claws with engaging protrusions formed on the outer periphery of the mouth portion of the spout.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Incidentally, a push-button type tap can be installed quickly by simply pushing the tap into the spout, which is advantageous from the producer's perspective as it allows for efficient production by filling liquid storage containers with liquid and then installing the taps before delivery. On the other hand, from the user's perspective, while it has the advantage of being less likely to come off the spout during use, it has the drawback of not being easily removable and therefore unusable after the liquid in the storage container has been used up. More specifically, for example, if a liquid storage container with a tap attached becomes empty, the user cannot remove the tap, refill the container with liquid, and then reattach the tap. Instead, they have to discard the entire tap and use a new liquid storage container and tap, resulting in wasted resources and increased costs.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of these problems, and its main objective is to provide a cock that is difficult to detach from the spout during use and can be easily removed and reused after use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In other words, the cock of the present invention is used by attaching it to a cylindrical spout provided on a liquid storage container, and is a cock having a spout for dispensing the contents of the liquid storage container to the outside, comprising a cock body having the spout, a lid to which the cock body is connected and which closes the mouth of the spout, and an engaging claw for fixing the lid to the mouth of the spout, wherein the engaging claw has an annular structure that engages with an annular projection formed along the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the spout, and is formed of a plurality of parts that are separable from each other.

[0007] With this configuration, the cock has an annular engaging claw that engages with an annular projection formed on the spout, so it is securely fixed to the spout during use and difficult to detach. On the other hand, since the engaging claw is formed not from a single part but from parts that can be separated from each other, after use, the engagement with the annular projection can be easily released by separating (disassembling) the parts that make up the engaging claw, and the cock can be easily removed from the spout. This allows the liquid storage container to be filled with the liquid and reused together with the cock.

[0008] Specific embodiments of the cock include a lid comprising a main body component having a top plate that covers the entire opening of the spout and a skirt portion that partially covers the annular projection along the circumferential direction, and an attachment component that is attached to the main body component set on the opening of the spout from a predetermined direction and has a retaining plate that presses down on the top plate of the main body component and an auxiliary skirt portion that partially covers the annular projection along the circumferential direction, wherein the entire circumference of the annular projection is covered by the skirt portion and the auxiliary skirt portion, and the engaging claw is formed separately on the inner circumferential surface of the skirt portion and the inner circumferential surface of the auxiliary skirt portion. In this way, the retaining plate of the attachment part holds the main body part in place, securely fixing the main body part to the spout.

[0009] A specific embodiment of the cock is one in which the attachment part is inserted into the main body part from the predetermined direction and attached, so that the top plate and the annular projection are sandwiched and fixed between the pressing surface of the retaining plate and the engaging surface of the engaging claw formed on the auxiliary skirt. In this way, the retaining plate of the attachment part holds the main body part in place, securely fixing the main body part to the spout.

[0010] In the aforementioned cock, it is preferable that the distance between the pressing surface of the retaining plate and the engaging surface of the engaging claw formed on the auxiliary skirt decreases as it moves toward the removal side in the insertion direction. In this way, as the attachment part is inserted along the insertion direction, the pressing surface of the retaining plate presses more firmly against the top plate of the main body part against the opening of the spout, resulting in a secure fixation.

[0011] Furthermore, the cock has a cylindrical shape in which the cock body is oriented perpendicular to the axial direction of the spout, and comprises a nozzle portion with the spout formed at its tip, and a cylindrical communication portion extending along the axial direction from the top plate of the lid portion, which connects the liquid storage container and the nozzle portion. Preferably, the retaining plate of the attachment part has an insertion hole formed along the insertion direction through which the communication portion of the cock body is inserted when it is inserted and attached to the main body part. This allows the attachment part to be inserted without interfering with the communication section of the faucet body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention configured in this way, it is possible to provide a cock that is less likely to detach from the spout during use and can be easily removed and reused after use. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] A schematic perspective view showing a cock attached to a spout according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A schematic perspective view showing the cock of the same embodiment with the attachment parts removed. [Figure 3] A schematic cross-sectional view showing the cock of the same embodiment attached to the spout. [Figure 4] A schematic cross-sectional view showing the cock of the same embodiment with the attachment parts removed. [Figure 5] A cross-sectional view schematically showing the cock of this embodiment in a state where the main body part and the attachment part are removed from the spout. [Figure 6] A cross-sectional view schematically showing the state where the cock of this embodiment is attached to the spout.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, the cock 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] The cock 100 according to this embodiment is attached, for example, to the lower side of a liquid storage container T such as a container formed of plastic, PET, or the like, or an inner bag of a bag-in-box. That is, the cock 100 is configured such that the content liquid in the liquid storage container T is led out to the outside by its own weight.

[0016] More specifically, the cock 100 is attached to a cylindrical spout S heat-sealed to the liquid storage container T, and a pouring device 200 is configured. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the cock 100 includes a cock body 2 having a pouring outlet 2P for pouring the content liquid to the outside, a lid portion to which the cock body 2 is connected and which closes the mouth portion of the spout S, and an engaging claw C for fixing the lid portion 1 to the mouth portion of the spout S. An annular protrusion P formed along the circumferential direction is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the spout S. And the engaging claw C included in the cock 100 has an annular structure that engages with the annular protrusion P of the spout S. By the engaging surface of the engaging claw C being hooked on the engaging surface of the annular protrusion P, the lid portion 1 is fixed to the mouth portion of the spout S.

[0017] And as will be described below, the cock 100 of this embodiment is characterized in that the engaging claw C is formed of a plurality of parts that can be separated from each other. Hereinafter, each part of the cock 100 will be described.

[0018] The cock body 2 includes a nozzle portion 21 having a pouring outlet 2P, and a communication portion 22 that connects the lid portion 1 and the nozzle portion 21 and is in fluid communication therewith.

[0019] The nozzle portion 21 is a tubular member having a cylindrical shape, and is formed to be lateral (specifically, perpendicular) to the axial direction of the spout S. A pouring outlet 2P for pouring out the content liquid is formed at the tip of the nozzle portion 21. Further, a handle 2h for switching the open / closed state of the pouring outlet 2P is provided at the base end of the nozzle portion 21. This handle 2h has a shape extending in the radial direction at the base end portion of the nozzle portion 21. The nozzle portion 21 has a double tube structure, and by operating the handle 2h to rotate the inner tube around the axis, the open / closed state of the pouring outlet 2P is switched.

[0020] The communication portion 22 is a tubular member having a rectangular tube shape extending from the top plate 111 of the lid portion 1. This communication portion 22 is formed to extend straight along the axial direction of the spout S.

[0021] The lid portion 1 is composed of a plurality of parts, and includes a main body part 11 that covers the mouth portion of the spout S, and an attachment part 12 for fixing the main body part 11 to the mouth portion of the spout S.

[0022] The main body part 11 includes a top plate 111 that covers the entire mouth portion of the spout S, and a skirt portion 112 that partially covers the outer circumferential surface of the spout S along the circumferential direction. The top plate 111 has a disc shape, and the communication portion 22 of the cock body 2 is connected to an opening provided at the central portion thereof. The skirt portion 112 is formed to extend along the axial direction from the outer edge of the top plate 111.

[0023] The skirt portion 112 is formed to partially cover an annular protrusion P provided on the outer circumferential surface of the spout S along the circumferential direction. The skirt portion 112 of the present embodiment is formed to cover at least the pouring outlet 2P side of the annular protrusion P of the spout S, and here it is formed to cover approximately half of the annular protrusion P along the circumferential direction.

[0024] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2-6, an annular sealing member (inner ring 1s) is provided on the back surface of the top plate 111 of the main body component 11 to prevent gaps from forming when the main body component 11 is attached to the mouth of the spout S, thereby preventing the contents from leaking out of the liquid storage container T. When the main body component 11 is attached to the mouth of the spout S, the outer circumferential surface of the inner ring 1s contacts the inner circumferential surface of the mouth of the spout S, thereby sealing it.

[0025] The attachment part 12 is attached to the main body part 11, which is set at the mouth of the spout S, by inserting it from a predetermined insertion direction. In this embodiment, the insertion direction is set to be parallel to the axial direction of the nozzle part 21, with the attachment side facing the outlet 2P side of the nozzle part 21 and the removal side facing away from the outlet 2P side. The attachment part 12 is detachably attached to the main body part 11 and is fixed to the mouth of the spout S by pressing down on the top plate 111 of the main body part 11.

[0026] Specifically, this attachment part 12 includes a retaining plate 121 that holds down the top plate 111 of the main body part 11, and an auxiliary skirt portion 122 that partially covers the outer circumferential surface of the spout S along the circumferential direction.

[0027] The retaining plate 121 is flat and its back surface, the retaining surface 12s, presses against the top plate 111 of the main body component 11. The retaining plate 121 has an insertion hole 12h formed along the insertion direction through which the communication portion 22 of the cock body 2 is inserted when the attachment component 12 is inserted and attached to the main body component 11.

[0028] The auxiliary skirt portion 122 is formed to partially cover the annular projection P provided on the outer circumferential surface of the spout S along the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the auxiliary skirt portion 122 is formed to cover at least the side of the annular projection P of the spout S that is not on the side of the outlet 2P, and is formed to cover about half the circumference of the annular projection P along the circumferential direction. The entire circumference of the annular projection P is covered by this auxiliary skirt portion 122 and the aforementioned skirt portion 112.

[0029] The engagement claw C of the cock 100 described above is formed by dividing it into the inner circumferential surface of the skirt portion 112 of the main body component 11 and the inner circumferential surface of the auxiliary skirt portion 122 of the attachment component 12. In other words, the engagement claw C is formed by dividing it into multiple parts (in this case, two parts) along the circumferential direction, and consists of a first engagement claw C1 formed on the skirt portion 112 and a second engagement claw C2 formed on the auxiliary skirt portion 122.

[0030] Then, by inserting the attachment part 12 into the main body part 11, the top plate 111 of the main body part 11 and the annular projection P of the spout S are sandwiched and fixed between the pressing surface 12s of the pressing plate 121 and the engaging surface of the second engaging claw C2 formed on the auxiliary skirt.

[0031] Here, the attachment part 12 is formed such that the inter-face distance D between the pressing surface 12s of the pressing plate 121 and the engaging surface of the second engaging claw C2 formed on the auxiliary skirt decreases as it moves toward the removal side in the insertion direction. As a result, as the attachment part 12 is slid toward the mounting side along the insertion direction and inserted, the pressing surface 12s of the pressing plate 121 presses more firmly against the top plate 111 of the main body part 11 against the opening of the spout S, thereby fixing it in place.

[0032] On the other hand, this attachment part 12 can be removed from the main body part 11 by sliding it toward the removal side along the insertion direction.

[0033] Furthermore, the lid portion 1 is provided with a separation prevention mechanism 1x to prevent the main body component 11 and the attachment component 12 from separating when it is removed from the spout S.

[0034] Specifically, this separation prevention mechanism 1x is composed of an arch-shaped (U-shaped) projection 122 formed on the surface of the retaining plate 121 of the attachment part 12. The projection 122 is formed such that the direction connecting both of its legs is perpendicular to the insertion direction, and specifically, it is formed so as to straddle the insertion hole 12h formed in the retaining plate 121. The attachment part 12 is attached to the main body part 11 by passing the nozzle part 21 through the space created between this arch-shaped projection 1x and the retaining plate 121. Then, the projection 1x and the handle 2h interfere with each other, making it difficult for the main body part 11 and the attachment part 12 to separate.

[0035] With the cock 100 of this embodiment configured in this way, since it has an annular engaging claw C that engages with the annular projection P formed on the spout S, the cock 100 is firmly fixed to the spout S during use and is difficult to detach. On the other hand, since the engaging claw C is not formed from a single part but from a body part 11 and an attachment part 12 that can be separated from each other, after use, the engagement with the annular projection P can be easily released by separating (disassembling) each part that makes up the engaging claw C. Specifically, by sliding the attachment part 12 along the insertion direction and removing it, the engagement of the body part 11 with the mouth of the spout S can be released, and the body part 11 and the cock body 2 connected thereto can be easily removed. As a result, the liquid storage container T can be filled with internal liquid and reused together with the cock 100.

[0036] However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in the above embodiment, the insertion direction of the attachment part 12 was set to be parallel to the axial direction of the nozzle part 21, but this is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the insertion direction of the attachment part 12 may be set to be perpendicular to the axial direction of the nozzle part 21.

[0037] Furthermore, while the engaging claw C in the above embodiment was formed to cover the entire circumference of the annular projection P by the first engaging claw C1 and the second engaging claw C2, it is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the engaging claw C may be formed by the first engaging claw C1 and the second engaging claw C2 to partially cover the annular projection P along the circumferential direction.

[0038] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0039] 200...Pour device 100...cock 1...Lid part 11 ···Main body parts 111...Top plate 112 ···Skirt section 12 ···Attachment parts 121 ···Pressing plate 122 ···Auxiliary skirt section 12s ···Pressing surface (back side) 12h ···Through hole 2...cock body 2P...Spout 21 ···Nozzle part 22...Communication section C...Engagement claw C1 ···First engaging claw C2 ···Second engaging claw D ···Face-to-face distance S ···Spout P...annular process T...liquid storage container

Claims

1. A cock that is attached to a cylindrical spout provided on a liquid storage container and has a spout for dispensing the contents of the liquid storage container to the outside. A tap body having the aforementioned spout, The cock body is connected to a lid that closes the opening of the spout, The lid portion is equipped with an engaging claw that secures it to the opening of the spout, The cock is characterized in that the engaging claw has an annular structure that engages with an annular projection formed along the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the spout, and is formed of a plurality of parts that are separable from one another.

2. The aforementioned lid portion, A main body component having a top plate that covers the entire opening of the spout and a skirt portion that partially covers the annular projection along the circumferential direction, The attachment part is attached to the main body component set at the mouth of the spout from a predetermined direction, and comprises a retaining plate that holds down the top plate of the main body component and an auxiliary skirt portion that partially covers the annular projection along the circumferential direction. The entire circumference of the annular projection is covered by the skirt portion and the auxiliary skirt portion. The cock according to claim 1, wherein the engaging claw is formed separately on the inner circumferential surface of the skirt portion and the inner circumferential surface of the auxiliary skirt portion.

3. The cock according to claim 2, wherein the attachment part is inserted into the main body part from the predetermined direction and attached, so that the top plate and the annular projection are sandwiched and fixed between the pressing surface of the pressing plate and the engaging surface of the engaging claw formed on the auxiliary skirt.

4. The cock according to claim 3, wherein the distance between the pressing surface of the retaining plate and the engaging surface of the engaging claw formed on the auxiliary skirt decreases as it moves toward the removal side in the insertion direction.

5. The cock body has a cylindrical shape that is perpendicular to the axial direction of the spout, and comprises a nozzle portion with the spout formed at its tip, and a connecting portion that has a cylindrical shape extending from the top plate of the lid along the axial direction and connects the liquid storage container and the nozzle portion. The cock according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the retaining plate of the attachment part has an insertion hole formed along the insertion direction through which the communication portion of the cock body is inserted when the attachment part is inserted and attached to the main body part.

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