Pump container

Abstract

To provide a pump container that is less prone to deterioration of the spring component. [Solution] The discharger has a discharger 2 and a container 3. The discharger 2 has a cylinder member 5, a piston 6, a mounting cap 7, a spring member 8, a spring receiving member 9 and a lifting part 10. The cylinder member 5 has a cylinder 5a and a flange 5b. The cylinder 5a has an upper cylinder 5a1, a reduced diameter part 5a2 and a lower cylinder 5a3. The lower cylinder 5a3 and the piston 6 partition the pump chamber 12. The flange 5b is connected to the mouth 3a of the container 3 and the annular top wall 7b of the mounting cap 7. The spring receiving member 9 is sandwiched and has a guide portion 9a and a spring receiving portion 9b, the guide portion 9a guides the raising and lowering of the lifting portion 10, the spring receiving portion 9b is flange-shaped, the outer circumferential surface of the spring receiving portion 9b fits onto the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder 5a1, the spring receiving portion 9b is supported from below by the reduced diameter portion 5a2 and supports the lower end surface of the spring member 8 from below, the outer circumferential surface of the lower end of the spring member 8 faces the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder 5a1, the pump container 1.

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pump container. [[Background Art]]

[0002] There is known a pump container comprising a discharger and a container, wherein the container accommodates contents by connecting a mouth portion, a body portion and a bottom portion in this order, the discharger comprises a cylinder member, a piston, a mounting cap, a spring member, a spring receiving member and an elevating portion, the cylinder member comprises a cylinder and a flange, the cylinder extends downward from an inner peripheral edge of the flange, the piston moves up and down by sliding against an inner peripheral surface of the cylinder, the cylinder and the piston define a pump chamber, the mounting cap comprises a mounting cylinder and an annular top wall, the mounting cylinder is mounted on an outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion, the flange is sandwiched and held between an upper end surface of the mouth portion and the annular top wall, the spring member is a compression spring, and the elevating portion expands and contracts the pump chamber by moving up and down together with the piston through a pressing operation against the biasing force from the spring member and the release of the pressing operation, thereby discharging the contents in the container through the pump chamber (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [[Prior Art Document]] [[Patent Document]]

[0003] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-31950 [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] The spring member is required to be set with as large a diameter as possible so that settling (a reduction in biasing force due to plastic deformation) is less likely to occur.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a pump container in which settling of the spring member is less likely to occur. [[Means for Solving the Problem]]

[0006] One embodiment of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] [Section 1] It has a dispensing device and a container, The container has a mouth, a body, and a bottom connected in this order. The discharger comprises a cylinder member, a piston, a mounting cap, a spring member, a spring receiving member, and a lifting mechanism. The cylinder member has a cylinder and a flange, The cylinder has an upper cylinder, a reduced diameter section, and a lower cylinder. The upper cylinder extends downward from the inner circumferential edge of the flange, The reduced diameter portion extends radially inward from the lower end of the upper cylinder, The lower cylinder extends downward from the inner circumferential edge of the reduced diameter portion. The piston moves up and down by sliding against the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder. The lower cylinder and the piston partition the pump chamber. The aforementioned mounting cap has a mounting cylinder and an annular top wall. The mounting cylinder is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the opening. The flange is held in place by being sandwiched between the upper end surface of the opening and the annular top wall. The aforementioned spring member is a compression spring, The lifting mechanism, by pressing against the biasing force from the spring member and then releasing it, moves up and down along with the piston, thereby expanding and contracting the pump chamber, and discharging the contents of the container through the pump chamber. The spring receiving member has a guide portion and a spring receiving portion, The guide section guides the raising and lowering of the lifting section, The spring receiving portion has a flange shape that extends radially outward from the guide portion. The outer circumferential surface of the spring receiving portion fits into the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder. The spring receiving portion is supported from below by the reduced diameter portion and supports the lower end surface of the spring member from below. The outer circumferential surface of the lower end of the spring member faces the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder, forming a pump container.

[0008] [Claim 2] The pump container according to Claim 1, wherein the guide portion of the spring receiving member has a portion that guides the lifting and lowering of the elevating portion above the spring receiving portion, and an upper end surface of the portion does not support the spring receiving member.

[0009] [Claim 3] An inner circumferential surface and an outer circumferential surface of the reduced diameter portion each gradually decrease in diameter toward the downward direction, an upper end portion of the inner circumferential surface of the reduced diameter portion has a step surface, the step surface extends radially inward in a stepped shape from a lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder, and supports the spring receiving portion of the spring receiving member from below, the spring receiving member has a supported cylinder, The pump container according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the supported cylinder extends downward from an inner circumferential edge of the spring receiving portion, and is supported from a radially outer side by an upper end portion of the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder.

[0010] [Claim 4] the discharger can be attached to and detached from the mouth portion via the mounting cap, an outer circumferential surface of the upper cylinder of the cylinder has a plurality of grooves arranged in a circumferential direction, The pump container according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the grooves extend from an outer circumferential surface of the reduced diameter portion toward the flange. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pump container in which settling of the spring member is unlikely to occur. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the pump container according to one embodiment of the present invention in a state before a pressing operation. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the pump container shown in FIG. 1 in a state during the pressing operation. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 1. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be exemplarily described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, in one embodiment of the present invention, a pump container 1 includes a discharger 2 and a container 3. The container 3 has a mouth portion 3a, a body portion 3b, and a bottom portion (not shown) connected in this order, and accommodates a content 4. The content 4 is not particularly limited, and is a liquid in the present embodiment. The mouth portion 3a has a cylindrical shape centered on a central axis O.

[0015] In the present embodiment, the direction along the central axis O from the bottom portion of the container 3 toward the mouth portion 3a is referred to as upward, the opposite direction is referred to as downward, the direction orthogonal to the central axis O is referred to as a radial direction, and the direction around the central axis O is referred to as a circumferential direction.

[0016] The discharger 2 includes a cylinder member 5, a piston 6, a mounting cap 7, a spring member 8, a spring receiving member 9, and an elevating portion 10. The cylinder member 5 has a cylinder 5a and a flange 5b. The cylinder 5a has a cylindrical shape centered on the central axis O. The flange 5b extends continuously in an annular shape in the circumferential direction. An annular packing 11 is disposed on a lower surface of the flange 5b. The cylinder 5a has an upper cylinder 5a1, a diameter-reduced portion 5a2, and a lower cylinder 5a3. The upper cylinder 5a1 extends downward from an inner peripheral edge of the flange 5b, the diameter-reduced portion 5a2 extends radially inward from a lower end of the upper cylinder 5a1, and the lower cylinder 5a3 extends downward from an inner peripheral edge of the diameter-reduced portion 5a2. The piston 6 moves up and down by sliding against an inner peripheral surface of the lower cylinder 5a3. The lower cylinder 5a3 and the piston 6 define a pump chamber 12.

[0017] The mounting cap 7 has a mounting cylinder 7a and an annular top wall 7b. The annular top wall 7b extends radially inward from an upper end portion of the mounting cylinder 7a and extends annularly in the circumferential direction. The mounting cylinder 7a is mounted on an outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 3a, and the flange 5b is sandwiched and held between an upper end surface of the mouth portion 3a and the annular top wall 7b. The mounting cap 7 has a cover cylinder 7c, and the cover cylinder 7c extends upward from an inner peripheral edge of the annular top wall 7b.

[0018] The spring member 8 is a compression spring. The spring member 8 has a lower annular portion 8a, an expandable portion 8b, and an upper annular portion 8c. The expandable portion 8b extends from the upper end of the lower annular portion 8a to the lower end of the upper annular portion 8c, contracts by elastic deformation in the vertical direction, and extends in the vertical direction by the restoring force from the elastic deformation. The lower annular portion 8a and the upper annular portion 8c each extend continuously in an annular shape in the circumferential direction. The spring member 8 is made of resin. Considering recyclability, all components constituting the pump container 1 are made of resin. However, the spring member 8 and other components may each be formed from materials other than resin.

[0019] The lifting unit 10 expands and contracts the pump chamber 12 by moving up and down with the piston 6 in response to a pressing operation against the biasing force from the spring member 8 and then releasing it, thereby discharging the contents 4 from the container 3 through the pump chamber 12. The lifting unit 10 contracts the pump chamber 12 by moving down with the piston 6 in response to a pressing operation, thereby discharging the contents 4 from the pump chamber 12 through the discharge port 10a2. The lifting unit 10 expands the pump chamber 12 by moving up with the piston 6 in response to the release of the pressing operation, thereby drawing the contents 4 from the container 3 into the pump chamber 12.

[0020] The lifting unit 10 has a push head 10a, a stem 10b, and a piston guide 10c. The push head 10a has an operated portion 10a1 and a discharge port 10a2. The operated portion 10a1 is formed by the upper surface of the push head 10a and receives the push operation. The stem 10b is cylindrical and extends in the vertical direction, and the push head 10a is mounted on the upper end of the stem 10b. The piston guide 10c is mounted on the inner circumferential surface of the stem 10b, and the piston 6 is held between the lower end of the stem 10b and the lower end of the piston guide 10c so that it can move relative to the stem 10b and the piston guide 10c in the vertical direction.

[0021] The discharger 2 has a downstream backflow suppression section 13. The downstream backflow suppression section 13 suppresses the backflow of the contents 4 downstream of the pump chamber 12. When the lifting section 10 is lowered, the upstream end of the pump chamber 12 is opened at the downstream backflow suppression section 13. When the lifting section 10 is raised, the downstream end of the pump chamber 12 is closed at the downstream backflow suppression section 13, suppressing the backflow of the contents 4.

[0022] The piston 6 has a contacted portion 6a, and the piston guide 10c has a contact portion 10c1. The contacted portion 6a and the contact portion 10c1 constitute a downstream backflow suppression portion 13. When the lifting portion 10 descends, the contacted portion 6a descends relative to the contact portion 10c1 and separates from the contact portion 10c1, thereby opening the downstream end of the pump chamber 12. When the lifting portion 10 rises, the contacted portion 6a rises relative to the contact portion 10c1 and contacts the contact portion 10c1, thereby closing the downstream end of the pump chamber 12 and suppressing backflow of the contents 4. Note that the downstream backflow suppression portion 13 is not limited to the configuration of the contacted portion 6a and the contact portion 10c1. For example, the piston 6 may be configured integrally with the stem 10b, and the downstream backflow suppression portion 13, which is composed of a ball valve or the like, may be provided inside the stem 10b.

[0023] The pressing head 10a has a head top 10a3, a nozzle 10a4, a stem fitting cylinder 10a5, and an outer peripheral wall 10a6. The head top 10a3 has a pressing portion 10a7, which presses down the upper annular portion 8c of the spring member 8. The nozzle 10a4 extends laterally from the head top 10a3 and has a discharge port 10a2 at its tip. The stem fitting cylinder 10a5 extends downward from the head top 10a3. The pressing portion 10a7 is located radially outward from the stem fitting cylinder 10a5. The outer peripheral wall 10a6 extends downward from the head top 10a3, radially outward from the pressing portion 10a7. The pressing head 10a has an internal flow path F that extends from inside the stem fitting cylinder 10a5 through the top of the head 10a3 and the nozzle 10a4 to the discharge port 10a2. The upper end of the stem 10b is fitted and mounted into the stem fitting cylinder 10a5.

[0024] The discharger 2 has an upstream backflow suppression unit 14. The upstream backflow suppression unit 14 suppresses the backflow of the contents 4 upstream of the pump chamber 12. When the lifting unit 10 is lowered, the upstream end of the pump chamber 12 is closed at the upstream backflow suppression unit 14, suppressing the backflow of the contents 4. When the lifting unit 10 is raised, the upstream end of the pump chamber 12 is opened at the upstream backflow suppression unit 14. The upstream backflow suppression unit 14 is composed of an elastic valve, but is not limited to this.

[0025] The discharger 2 has a stopper member 15, which, in the state before use, is attached to the cover cylinder 7c and positioned between the outer peripheral wall 10a6 of the push head 10a and the annular top wall 7b of the mounting cap 7, preventing the push head 10a from descending by being sandwiched between the outer peripheral wall 10a6 and the annular top wall 7b. The stopper member 15 is removed from the cover cylinder 7c when use begins.

[0026] The spring receiving member 9 has a guide portion 9a and a spring receiving portion 9b. The guide portion 9a guides the raising and lowering of the lifting portion 10, and the spring receiving portion 9b is flange-shaped and extends radially outward from the guide portion 9a. The outer circumferential surface of the spring receiving portion 9b fits onto the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder 5a1. The spring receiving portion 9b is supported from below by the reduced diameter portion 5a2, supporting the lower end surface of the spring member 8 from below, and the outer circumferential surface of the lower end of the spring member 8 faces the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder 5a1. With this configuration, the spring member 8 is supported within the cylinder 5a, ensuring the extension and retraction stroke of the spring member 8 while suppressing the overall height of the discharger 2, and the outer diameter of the spring member 8 can be set large enough to be close to the inner diameter of the upper part of the cylinder 5a. Therefore, the spring member 8 is less likely to sag.

[0027] The spring receiving portion 9b extends continuously in an annular shape in the circumferential direction. The outer circumferential surface of the spring receiving portion 9b narrows in diameter downward at its lower end and has a constant outer diameter at its upper end. The inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder 5a1 has a fitting projection 5a4, and the outer circumferential surface of the spring receiving portion 9b overcomes the fitting projection 5a4 downwards by elastic deformation and fits into the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder 5a1. With the above configuration, easy and reliable fitting can be achieved. The fitting projection 5a4 extends continuously in an annular shape in the circumferential direction, but is not limited to this, and for example, it may be configured to extend intermittently in an annular shape in the circumferential direction.

[0028] The guide portion 9a of the spring receiving member 9 has a portion (upper cylindrical portion 9a1) above the spring receiving portion 9b that guides the lifting and lowering of the lifting and lowering portion 10, and the upper end surface of this portion does not support the spring receiving member 9. With the above configuration, the guide portion 9a can be set at a high position while ensuring the extension and retraction stroke of the spring member 8, thereby achieving stable guidance.

[0029] The inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the reduced-diameter portion 5a2 gradually narrow downwards, and the upper end of the inner circumferential surface of the reduced-diameter portion 5a2 has a stepped surface 5a5. The stepped surface 5a5 extends radially inward in a stepped manner from the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder 5a1 and supports the spring receiving portion 9b of the spring receiving member 9 from below. The spring receiving member 9 has a supported cylinder 9c, which extends downwards from the inner circumferential edge of the spring receiving portion 9b and is supported radially outward by the upper end of the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder 5a3. With the above configuration, since the outer circumferential surface of the reduced-diameter portion 5a2 gradually narrows downwards, when inserting the cylinder 5a into the mouth 3a to attach the discharger 2 to the container 3, the reduced-diameter portion 5a2 is less likely to catch on the upper end surface of the mouth 3a, thereby improving operability during attachment. Moreover, the support via the supported cylinder 9c further stabilizes the guidance by the guide portion 9a.

[0030] The guide portion 9a has an upper cylindrical portion 9a1, which extends upward from the inner circumferential edge of the spring receiving portion 9b, and the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylindrical portion 9a1 guides the up and down movement of the lifting portion 10. The upper cylindrical portion 9a1 has an upper reduced diameter portion 9a2 in the middle in the vertical direction, and the upper reduced diameter portion 9a2 reduces in diameter toward upward. The inner diameter of the expandable portion 8b of the spring member 8 is smaller than the outer diameter of the lower end of the upper reduced diameter portion 9a2. With the above configuration, the radial thickness dimension of the expandable portion 8b can be made larger, and the spring member 8 can be made less prone to sagging.

[0031] The guide portion 9a has a ventilation groove 9a3, which extends downward from the upper end of the upper cylindrical portion 9a1 and forms part of the ventilation passage C1 between the inner circumferential surface of the spring receiving member 9 and the outer circumferential surface of the stem 10b. Multiple ventilation grooves 9a3 are provided arranged in the circumferential direction. Note that the number of ventilation grooves 9a3 provided may be just one. The cylinder 5a has a vent 5a6, which penetrates the cylinder 5a radially. The vent 5a6 is closed by the piston 6 when the piston 6 is in its initial position before the pressing operation, and is opened when the piston 6 descends due to the pressing operation. The pump container 1 has an outside air introduction path C, and when the lifting portion 10 rises due to the release of the pressing operation, outside air is introduced into the container 3 through the outside air introduction path C due to the negative pressure inside the container 3 that is generated as the contents 4 are sucked into the pump chamber 12. The outside air intake path C includes a gap G between the outer peripheral wall 10a6 of the pressing head 10a and the cover cylinder 7c, a ventilation passage C1, and a ventilation opening 5a6.

[0032] The discharger 2 can be attached to and detached from the opening 3a via the mounting cap 7. The outer circumferential surface of the upper cylinder 5a1 of the cylinder 5a has a plurality of grooves 5a7 arranged in the circumferential direction (see Figure 4), and the grooves 5a7 extend from the outer circumferential surface of the reduced diameter portion 5a2 toward the flange 5b. With the above configuration, even if the outer diameter of the upper cylinder 5a1 of the cylinder 5a is set to be close to the inner diameter of the opening 3a, when the contents 4 are refilled and the discharger 2 is reinserted into the opening 3a, a discharge path for the air discharged from inside the container 3 during insertion can be secured between the outer circumferential surface of the upper cylinder 5a1 and the inner circumferential surface of the opening 3a by the grooves 5a7. As a result, it is possible to suppress the contents 4 adhering to the inner circumferential surface of the opening 3a from being pushed out of the opening 3a and overflowing during insertion. Therefore, since the outer diameter of the upper cylinder 5a1 can be set to be close to the inner diameter of the opening 3a, the diameter dimension of the spring member 8 can be set to be even larger.

[0033] 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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1 Pump container 2 Dispenser 3 containers 3a Mouth 3b Torso 4 Contents 5 Cylinder Member 5a Cylinder 5a1 upper cylinder 5a2 Reduced diameter part 5a3 lower cylinder 5a4 Mating protrusion 5a5 Step surface 5a6 Ventilation opening 5a7 groove 5b Flange 6 pistons 6a Contacted part 7. Attachment cap 7a Mounting tube 7b Circular apex wall 7c Cover tube 8 Spring member 8a Lower annular part 8b Telescopic part 8c Upper annular portion 9 Spring support member 9a Information Department 9a1 Upper cylinder part 9a2 Upper reduced diameter part 9a3 Ventilation groove 9b Spring support 9c Supported cylinder 10 Lifting section 10a Press head 10a1 Operated part 10a2 outlet 10a3 Head top 10a4 nozzle 10a5 Stem fitting tube 10a6 outer wall 10a7 Pressing part 10b stem 10c Piston Guide 10c1 Contact part 11 Gasket 12 Pump Room 13 Downstream backflow suppression section 14 Upstream backflow suppression section 15 Stopper member C. Outside air intake path C1 ventilation channel F channel G Gap O center axis

Claims

1. It has a dispensing device and a container, The container has a mouth, a body, and a bottom connected in this order. The discharger comprises a cylinder member, a piston, a mounting cap, a spring member, a spring receiving member, and a lifting mechanism. The cylinder member has a cylinder and a flange, The cylinder has an upper cylinder, a reduced diameter section, and a lower cylinder. The upper cylinder extends downward from the inner circumferential edge of the flange, The reduced diameter portion extends radially inward from the lower end of the upper cylinder, The lower cylinder extends downward from the inner circumferential edge of the reduced diameter portion. The piston moves up and down by sliding against the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder. The lower cylinder and the piston partition the pump chamber. The aforementioned mounting cap has a mounting cylinder and an annular top wall. The mounting cylinder is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the opening. The flange is held in place by being sandwiched between the upper end surface of the opening and the annular top wall. The spring member is a compression spring, The lifting mechanism, by pressing against the biasing force from the spring member and then releasing it, moves up and down along with the piston, thereby expanding and contracting the pump chamber, and discharging the contents of the container through the pump chamber. The spring receiving member has a guide portion and a spring receiving portion, The guide section guides the raising and lowering of the lifting section, The spring receiving portion has a flange shape that extends radially outward from the guide portion. The outer circumferential surface of the spring receiving portion fits into the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder. The spring receiving portion is supported from below by the reduced diameter portion and supports the lower end surface of the spring member from below. The outer circumferential surface of the lower end of the spring member faces the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder, forming a pump container.

2. The pump container according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion of the spring receiving member has a portion above the spring receiving portion that guides the raising and lowering of the lifting portion, and the upper end surface of the portion does not support the spring receiving member.

3. The inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the reduced diameter portion each gradually decrease in diameter toward the downward direction. The upper end of the inner circumferential surface of the reduced diameter portion has a stepped surface. The stepped surface extends in a stepped manner radially inward from the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder, supporting the spring receiving portion of the spring receiving member from below. The spring receiving member has a supported cylinder, The pump container according to claim 1, wherein the supported cylinder extends downward from the inner peripheral edge of the spring receiving portion and is supported from the radially outer side by the upper end of the inner peripheral surface of the lower cylinder.

4. The dispensing device can be attached to and detached from the opening via the mounting cap. The outer circumferential surface of the upper cylinder of the aforementioned cylinder has a plurality of grooves arranged in the circumferential direction, The pump container according to claim 1, wherein the groove extends from the outer circumferential surface of the reduced diameter portion toward the flange.

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