Swallowing container

Abstract

The challenge is to create a swallowing container that allows tablets to be easily and reliably encapsulated in jelly while maintaining hygiene, enabling easy swallowing. [Solution] A swallowing container having a compressible container body A containing jelly J, and a cap member B attached to the mouth portion 11 of the container body A, wherein the cap member B has a cap body 20 that is assembled to the mouth portion 11 and has a storage space 28 for storing tablets P, a communication hole that allows the flow of the jelly J from the container body A to the storage space 28, and a nozzle portion 25 at the top of the storage space 28, and an overcap 30 that covers the nozzle portion 25.

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a swallowing container for swallowing a tablet together with jelly. [[Background Art]]

[0002] As a swallowing container that assists swallowing of a tablet using a jelly-like substance for swallowing (hereinafter referred to as "jelly"), for example, a tube container disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. [[Prior Art Literature]] [[Patent Literature]]

[0003] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024-141197 [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] In the tube container disclosed in Patent Document 1, to appropriately swallow the tablet, the following procedure is required: jelly is dispensed onto a spoon assembled to the tube container, the spoon is then pulled out to place the tablet on the dispensed jelly, the spoon is reassembled to the tube container, jelly is dispensed onto the tablet, the tablet is wrapped with jelly from above and below, and the tablet is then swallowed. However, in the tube container of Patent Document 1, in addition to the need for improvement in terms of operability, it was necessary to place the tablet, which had been taken out once, on the jelly, so there was still room for improvement in terms of hygiene. Further, depending on the size of the tablet, it may be difficult to wrap the tablet on the spoon, which may impose a strain on the throat when swallowing.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems in the conventional art, and to provide a swallowing container that allows a tablet to be easily and reliably wrapped in jelly and swallowed while maintaining hygiene. [[Means for Solving the Problem]]

[0006] Among the means for solving the above problems, the first means of the present invention is: A swallowing container comprising a compressible and deformable container body containing jelly, and a cap member attached to the mouth portion of the container body, The cap member comprises a cap body that is assembled to the mouthpiece, having a storage space for containing tablets, a communication hole that allows the flow of the jelly from the container body to the storage space, and a nozzle portion at the top of the storage space. It is characterized by having an overcap that covers the nozzle portion. In the first method of the present invention, when the container body is squeezed, the jelly flows from the container body into the containment space through the communication holes, enveloping the tablet contained within the containment space, thereby making it possible to swallow the tablet easily and reliably while maintaining hygiene.

[0007] Furthermore, a second means of the present invention is added to the first means described above, wherein the cap body is formed having a bottom flange horizontally connected to the bottom of an inner cylinder portion that is at least opposite to the inner circumferential surface of the mouth cylinder portion, and a flow cylinder portion erected on the bottom flange and through which the jelly flows, wherein a lower communication hole is formed in the bottom flange that communicates with the containment space from below, and an upper communication hole is formed in the flow cylinder portion that communicates with the containment space from above. In the above method, the jelly flowing through the lower communication hole encloses the tablet from below, and the jelly flowing through the upper communication hole encloses the tablet from above, thereby ensuring that the tablet is securely enclosed from both above and below.

[0008] Furthermore, a third means of the present invention is added to the first means described above, wherein a bottom flange is formed at the bottom of an inner cylinder connected to the nozzle portion, and a lower communication hole communicating with the containment space is formed thereon, and a plurality of oscillating plates are arranged inside the nozzle portion and above the containment space, which oscillate due to the pressure of the jelly flowing through the lower communication hole, thereby allowing the jelly and the tablets to pass through. In the above method, the jelly that flows into the containment space through the lower communication hole encloses the tablet within the containment space, so that the tablet, which is completely covered in jelly, can be pushed out toward the nozzle.

[0009] Furthermore, a fourth means of the present invention adds to the third means described above that an upper nozzle is connected to the tip of the nozzle portion, and the plurality of oscillating plates are extended radially inward from the lower end of the nozzle cylinder portion constituting the upper nozzle. With the above method, after setting the tablet in the storage space, the upper nozzle can be connected to the tip of the nozzle part, making it easier to set the tablet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] In this invention, since the tablet can be swallowed without touching it, hygiene can be maintained. Furthermore, because the entire tablet can be easily and reliably coated with jelly, it can be swallowed without putting stress on the throat. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view of a swallowing container showing a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a partial cross-sectional view of the swallowing container showing its usage state in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] A second embodiment of the present invention is shown, where (a) is a partial cross-sectional view of a swallowing container, and (b) is a plan cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in Figure 3(a). [Figure 4] This is a partial cross-sectional view of the swallowing container showing its usage state in the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a swallowing container showing the first embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the swallowing container showing the state of use in the first embodiment. In the following explanation, the direction along the container axis O will be referred to as the axial direction, vertical direction, or height direction; the direction perpendicular to the container axis O will be referred to as the radial direction; and the direction revolving around the container axis O will be referred to as the circumferential direction, opening direction, or closing direction.

[0013] First, let's explain the structure of the swallowing container 1. The swallowing container 1 shown in Figure 1 consists of a container body A for containing jelly J and a cap member B that is attached to the mouth portion 11 of the container body A. Such a swallowing container 1 is used, for example, for disposable (single-drink) type products. The container body A shown in this embodiment is a synthetic resin tube container in which a cylindrical mouth portion 11 is formed on a body portion 13 that extends from the bottom portion 14 at the lower end, via a shoulder portion 12. The body portion 13 is compressible and deformable radially inward, and a male screw portion 15 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion 11.

[0014] The cap member B is composed of a cap body 20 and an overcap 30 that are assembled to the mouthpiece portion 11. The cap body 20 is integrally formed from synthetic resin and comprises a cylindrical outer cylinder portion 21, an inward-facing flange 22 horizontally connected to the upper end of the outer cylinder portion 21 radially inward, an inner cylinder portion 23 hanging down from the inner edge of the inward-facing flange 22, a middle cylinder portion 24 hanging down from the lower surface of the inward-facing flange 22 and between the outer cylinder portion 21 and the inner cylinder portion 23, a nozzle portion 25 erected on the inner edge of the inward-facing flange 22 and continuous with the inner cylinder portion 23, a bottom flange 26 horizontally connected to the lower end of the inner cylinder portion 23, and a flow cylinder portion 27 erected in the center of the bottom flange 26.

[0015] An inner peripheral surface of the middle cylinder portion 24 is formed with a female screw portion 24a that screws onto the male screw portion 15, and a plurality of lower communication holes 26a that penetrate vertically and allow the flow of jelly J are formed around the flow cylinder portion 27 and in the bottom flange 26. The shape of the lower communication holes 26a is not particularly limited, but they are formed to have a size that prevents the tablet P from passing through.

[0016] The nozzle portion 25 is a long cylindrical portion provided at its tip with a mouthpiece portion 25a having an obliquely cut shape, has an external screw 25b on an outer peripheral surface of the base end of the nozzle portion 25, and is integrally formed of synthetic resin.

[0017] The flow cylinder portion 27 is formed of an elongated cylindrical cylinder body 27a, a top wall 27b provided at an upper end of the cylinder body 27a, and an open end 27c provided at a lower end of the cylinder body 27a and communicating with the inside of the container body A. A plurality of upper communication holes 27d that penetrate in the radial direction and allow the flow of jelly J are formed on an upper outer peripheral surface of the cylinder body 27a, and a flow path 27e through which jelly J flows is provided inside the cylinder body 27a. The upper communication holes 27d are provided at positions spaced upward from the lower communication holes 26a. In order to reliably wrap the tablet P from above, such upper communication holes 27d are preferably formed at a height position that is at least above the maximum thickness dimension or maximum diameter dimension of the tablet P, and more preferably formed at a height position that is 2 to 3 times the maximum thickness dimension or maximum diameter dimension of the tablet P. A portion where an outer peripheral surface of the flow cylinder portion 27 and an inner peripheral surface of the nozzle portion 25 face each other in the radial direction serves as an accommodation space 28 for accommodating the tablet P.

[0018] The overcap 30 is a synthetic resin member formed in a topped cylindrical shape, having a top wall 31 covering the mouthpiece portion 25a and a side wall 32 suspended from an outer edge portion of the top wall 31, and an inner cylinder portion 33 that is in close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the mouthpiece portion 25a is suspended from an inner surface of the top wall 31. Further, an internal screw 32a that screws onto the external screw 25b of the nozzle portion 25 is formed on an inner peripheral surface of a lower end of the side wall 32.

[0019] The cap member B is assembled by setting a predetermined number of tablets P in the storage space 28 of the cap body 20, then placing the overcap 30 over the nozzle portion 25, and screwing the female thread 32a of the side wall 32 onto the male thread 25b. The swallowing container 1 is then completed by attaching the cap member B to the container body A containing the jelly J, and screwing the female thread 24a of the cap body 20 onto the male thread 15 of the container body A (see Figure 1). In this state, the inner cylinder portion 33 is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the mouthpiece portion 25a, making it possible to prevent deterioration of the tablets P due to moisture during distribution, etc. The inner cylinder portion 23 is positioned radially opposite to the inner circumferential surface of the mouth cylinder portion 11, and the bottom flange 26 is positioned vertically opposite to the upper surface of the jelly J. However, when the swallowing container 1 is in the distribution stage, a peelable sealing member S is attached to the lower surface of the bottom flange 26, preventing the jelly J contained in the container body A from flowing into the storage space 28 through the lower communication hole 26a and the upper communication hole 27d.

[0020] Next, the method of using the swallowing container 1 according to the first embodiment described above will be explained. First, the user rotates the cap body 20 in the opening direction to remove the cap member B from the mouth section 11, peels the sealing member S from the lower surface of the bottom flange 26, and then reassembles the cap member B onto the mouth section 11.

[0021] Next, as shown in Figure 2, after removing the overcap 30, the user squeezes and compresses the body 13 of the container A to send the jelly J into the containment space 28. At this time, the swallowing container 1 has two paths through which the jelly J flows: a first path R1 that flows into the containment space 28 through the lower communication hole 26a provided in the bottom flange 26, and a second path R2 that flows into the containment space 28 through the flow path 27e and the upper communication hole 27d from the open end 27c. The jelly J that flows through the first path R1 envelops the tablet P from below, and the jelly J that flows through the second path R2 envelops the tablet P from above. This ensures that the entire tablet P is reliably enveloped by the jelly J from above and below.

[0022] Finally, by tilting the swallowing container 1 in an inverted direction while holding the mouthpiece 25a at the tip of the exposed nozzle 25 in the mouth, the tablet P encased in jelly J can be flowed into the mouth and swallowed.

[0023] Thus, with the swallowing container 1 of the present invention, the tablet P can be enveloped in jelly J from above and below, making it possible to swallow without stressing the throat. Moreover, since it can be swallowed with simple operation and without touching the tablet P, hygiene can be maintained.

[0024] Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a partial cross-sectional view of the swallowing container, (b) is a plan cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in Figure 3(a), and Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the swallowing container showing the state of use in the second embodiment. The swallowing container 1 shown in the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the cap member B; the other configurations and effects are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following description, we will focus on the differences from the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals will be used for identical members.

[0025] As shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b), the cap member B in the second embodiment is composed of a cap body 20, an overcap 30, and an upper nozzle 40. The cap body 20 is the same as the cap body 20 described in the first embodiment, except that it does not have a gripping portion 25a at the tip of the nozzle portion 25 and does not have a flow cylinder portion 27, and the overcap 30 has the same configuration as the first embodiment.

[0026] The upper nozzle 40 is integrally formed from synthetic resin and comprises a nozzle cylinder portion 41 having a gripping portion 42 with an obliquely cut shape at its upper end, a nozzle outer cylinder portion 43 extending from the outer peripheral surface side of the nozzle cylinder portion 41 to the axial middle portion, and a plurality of (six in this embodiment) oscillating plates 44 extending radially inward from the lower end of the nozzle cylinder portion 41.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3(b), the oscillating plate 44 has a roughly fan shape (roughly triangular shape), and is configured so that its tip on the container axis O side can oscillate with the lower end of the nozzle cylinder portion 41 as its base end. In the initial state before compression deformation, the oscillating plate 44 is in an inclined position with its tip lifted upward, and a through hole 45 that penetrates axially is formed at the tip of each oscillating plate 44 (near the container axis O). The diameter of the through hole 45 can expand and contract in accordance with the oscillating of the oscillating plate 44, and is configured to expand in diameter when the inclination angle of the oscillating plate 44 increases. In the initial state, the through hole 45 is set to be smaller than the diameter of the tablet P, making it impossible for the tablet P to pass through. Furthermore, a gap 46 is formed between the radially opposing nozzle cylinder portion 41 and the nozzle outer cylinder portion 43.

[0028] In the second embodiment, after setting a predetermined number of tablets P inside the cap body 20, the tip of the nozzle portion 25 is inserted into the gap 46 of the upper nozzle 40, thereby connecting the upper nozzle 40 to the tip of the nozzle portion 25. When the upper nozzle 40 is connected in this way, a storage space 28 for accommodating the tablets P is formed in the portion where the bottom flange 26 and the plurality of oscillating plates 44 face each other in the height direction. Then, the overcap 30 is placed over the nozzle portion 25 and the upper nozzle 40, and the female thread 32a of the side wall 32 is screwed into the male thread 25b of the nozzle portion 25, thereby completing the assembly of the cap member B. In this state, simply inverting the cap member B will not cause the tablet P in the containment space 28 to move through the passage hole 45 towards the upper nozzle 40. In other words, it is possible to prevent the tablet P from moving into the upper nozzle 40 during the distribution stage. Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, by constructing the cap body 20 and the upper nozzle 40 as separate components, it is possible to easily set the tablet P into the storage space 28.

[0029] Next, the cap member B is attached to the container body A containing the jelly J, and the female threaded portion 24a of the cap body 20 is screwed onto the male threaded portion 15 of the container body A to complete the swallowing container 1 (see Figure 3(a)). Even in this state, the inner cylindrical portion 33 of the overcap 30 is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the mouthpiece portion 42 of the upper nozzle 40, making it possible to prevent deterioration of the tablet P due to moisture during distribution, etc.

[0030] In the second embodiment, to use the swallowing container 1, as in the first embodiment, first remove the cap member B from the mouth portion 11 of the container body A, peel off the sealing member S from the lower surface of the bottom flange 26, and then reattach the cap member B to the mouth portion 11 of the container body A.

[0031] Next, the user removes the overcap 30 and, with the exposed mouthpiece 42 in their mouth, tilts the swallowing container 1 in an inverted direction. Next, the user squeezes and compresses the body 13 of the container A. As a result, a portion of the jelly J inside the body 13 flows into the containment space 28 through the lower communication hole 26a (see Figure 4).

[0032] Furthermore, in this case, the multiple oscillating plates 44 are pushed up by the pressure of the jelly J, increasing the inclination angle, which in turn widens the diameter of the passage hole 45. This allows the tablet P encased in the jelly J to be pushed towards the upper nozzle 40, enabling it to flow into the mouth via the mouthpiece 42 and be swallowed. For the tablet P to pass through the passage hole 45, the diameter of the passage hole 45 needs to expand to a size greater than or equal to the diameter or thickness of the tablet P. However, the jelly J that flows into the containment space 28 between the start of squeezing and the expansion of the hole diameter can completely encase the tablet P. Therefore, the tablet P that is pushed out into the gripping part 42 is one that is completely encased in the jelly J.

[0033] The configuration of the present invention and its effects have been described above in accordance with the examples, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above examples. For example, in the first and second embodiments described above, a disposable (single-drink) swallowing container 1 was assumed, but a large-capacity container body A may be made reusable by replacing the cap member B containing the tablets P.

[0034] Furthermore, although a tube container was described as the container body A in the first and second embodiments described above, any container that can be compressed and deformed by squeezing may be used, for example, a delaminated container (laminated peel-off container) can also be used.

[0035] In the first and second embodiments, the nozzle portion 25 and the upper nozzle 40 were described in which they are formed from synthetic resin. However, as the synthetic resin, a soft material that is pleasant to the mouth, such as soft polyvinyl chloride, is preferred, and it may also be formed from a soft material such as silicone rubber.

[0036] Furthermore, although the second embodiment described above shows a case where the cap body 20 and the upper nozzle 40 are made of separate components, they may also be made as a single unit.

[0037] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the connection was shown by inserting the tip of the nozzle portion 25 into the gap 46 of the upper nozzle 40, but the connection between the nozzle portion 25 and the upper nozzle 40 may be made by an undercut-shaped locking portion. [Industrial applicability]

[0038] This invention can expand the range of applications in the field of swallowing containers to an even broader area. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1: Swallowing container 11: Mouth part 12:Shoulder 13: Torso 14: Bottom 15: Male screw part 20: Cap body 21: Outer cylinder part 22: Inward-facing flange 23: Inner cylinder 24: Middle cylinder part 24a: Female threaded portion 25: Nozzle part 25a: Mouthpiece 25b: Male screw 26: Bottom flange 26a: Lower communication hole 27: Fluidized cylinder section 27a: Main body of the cylindrical section 27b: Ceiling wall 27c: Open end 27d: Upper communication hole 27e: Flow channel 28: Containment space 30: Overcap 31: Top Wall 32: Side wall 32a: Female screw 33: Inner cylinder section 40: Upper nozzle 41: Nozzle cylinder 42: Mouth part 43: Nozzle outer cylinder 44: Oscillating plate 45: Passing hole 46: Gap A: Container body B: Cap component J: Jelly O: Container axis P: Tablets R1: First route R2: Second route S: Sealing material

Claims

1. A swallowing container comprising a compressible container body (A) containing jelly (J), and a cap member (B) attached to the mouth portion (11) of the container body (A), The cap member (B) has a storage space (28) for accommodating tablets (P), a communication hole that allows the flow of the jelly (J) from the container body (A) to the storage space (28), and a nozzle portion (25) at the top of the storage space (28), and is assembled to the mouth portion (11), and the cap body (20) is assembled to the mouth portion (11), A swallowing container characterized by having an overcap (30) that covers the nozzle portion (25).

2. The swallowing container according to claim 1, wherein the cap body (20) is formed having a bottom flange (26) horizontally connected to the bottom of an inner cylinder (23) which is at least positioned opposite the inner circumferential surface of the mouth cylinder (15), and a flow cylinder (27) which is erected on the bottom flange (26) and through which the jelly (J) flows, and the bottom flange (26) has a lower communication hole (26a) that communicates with the containment space (28) from below, and the flow cylinder (27) has an upper communication hole (27d) that communicates with the containment space (28) from above.

3. The swallowing container according to claim 1, wherein a bottom flange (26) is formed at the bottom of an inner cylinder (23) connected to the nozzle (25), and has a lower communication hole (26a) that communicates with the containment space (28), and a plurality of oscillating plates (44) are arranged inside the nozzle (25) and above the containment space (28), which oscillate due to the pressure of the jelly (J) flowing through the lower communication hole (26a) to allow the jelly (J) and the tablets (P) to pass through.

4. The swallowing container according to claim 3, wherein an upper nozzle (40) is connected to the tip of the nozzle portion (25), and the plurality of oscillating plates (44) extend radially inward from the lower end of the nozzle cylinder portion (41) that constitutes the upper nozzle (40).

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