Pump Discharger

Abstract

The present invention provides a pump dispenser that can dispense contents both when the head is raised and lowered, without using a spring. [Solution] The device comprises a main body 2 having a storage chamber U for contents and an outlet 16 opening on its upper surface O, a head portion 32 supported on the main body 2 so as to be able to move up and down and having an upward-facing discharge port 34, and a cylindrical rotating member 80 surrounding the head portion 32. A piston portion 40 equipped on the head portion 32 is fitted into a cylinder B formed above the outlet 16 to constitute a discharge pump P. A conversion mechanism F is formed between the rotating member 80 and the discharge pump P, which converts the rotational force applied to the rotating member 80 into an upward-moving force applied to the head portion 32. The piston portion 40 includes a large-diameter lower piston 66 and a small-diameter upper piston 48, and the inside of the discharge pump P is divided by the lower piston 66 into a lower pump chamber A1 continuous with the outlet 16 and an upper pump chamber A2 continuous with the discharge port 34.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pump dispenser.

Background Art

[0002] A known device consists of a container body having a mouth and neck portion, a pump in which an operating member biased upward by a spring force is fitted into a cylinder attached to the mouth and neck portion, and an operation plate whose tip is placed on the top of the push-down head of the pump and sealed to the shoulder portion (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The pump of the dispenser in Patent Document 1 incorporates a coil spring as a biasing means. If this spring is made of metal, the trouble of sorting out the discarded spring is required, and if the spring is made of resin, the durability is poor due to elastic fatigue. Furthermore, although the pump is configured to discharge the content only when the push-down head is lowered, it is desirable that the content is discharged both when the push-down head portion is lowered and raised in order to reduce the number of operations.

[0005] A first object of the present invention is to provide a pump dispenser that can discharge contents without using a spring, and a second object of the present invention is to enable discharge of contents both when the head portion is raised and lowered.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The first means includes a main body 2 which has a built-in storage chamber U for contents and whose take-out port 16 opens on the upper surface O, A head section 32 is supported on the main body 2 so as to be able to move up and down and has an upward-facing discharge port 34, The discharge pump P comprises a cylindrical rotating member 80 that is rotatably mounted on the main body 2 and surrounds the head portion 32, and a piston portion 40 equipped on the head portion 32 is fitted into a cylinder B formed above the outlet 16, A cam-type conversion mechanism F is formed between the rotating member 80 and the discharge pump P, which converts the rotational force applied to the rotating member 80 into an upward and downward force applied to the head portion 32. The piston portion 40 includes a lower piston 66 that slides against the large-diameter cylinder portion b1, which is the lower half of the cylinder B, and an upper piston 48 that slides against the small-diameter cylinder portion b2, which is the upper half of the cylinder B. The inside of the discharge pump P is divided by the lower piston 66 into a lower pump chamber A1 that is continuous with the outlet 16 and an upper pump chamber A2 that is continuous with the discharge port 34. These lower pump chamber A1 and upper pump chamber A2 are configured to communicate with each other when the head portion 32 is lowered and to disconnect from each other when it is raised.

[0007] As shown in Figure 1(A), this device comprises a main body 2 having a storage chamber U for contents and an opening 16 on its upper surface O, a head portion 32 supported on the main body 2 so as to be able to move up and down and having an upward-facing discharge port 34, and a cylindrical rotating member 80 that is rotatably positioned relative to the main body 2 and surrounds the head portion 32. Furthermore, the piston portion 40, which is equipped on the head portion 32, is fitted into the cylinder B formed above the outlet 16 to constitute the discharge pump P. Furthermore, a cam-type conversion mechanism F is formed between the rotating member 80 and the discharge pump P, which converts the rotational force applied to the rotating member 80 into an upward and downward force applied to the head portion 32. This structure eliminates the need to incorporate a spring into the pump mechanism to raise the head. Therefore, unlike conventional technology, there is no need to separate a metal spring during disposal, nor is there a decrease in durability due to the deterioration of a resin spring. Furthermore, in this device, the piston section 40 includes a lower piston 66 that slides against the large-diameter cylinder section b1, which is the lower half of the cylinder B, and an upper piston 48 that slides against the small-diameter cylinder section b2, which is the upper half of the cylinder B. The inside of the discharge pump P is divided by the lower piston 66 into a lower pump chamber A1 that is continuous with the outlet 16 and an upper pump chamber A2 that is continuous with the discharge port 34. These lower pump chamber A1 and upper pump chamber A2 are configured to communicate with each other when the head section 32 is lowered, as shown in Figure 3(A), and to be disconnected from each other when it is raised, as shown in Figure 3(B). This structure allows the contents to be dispensed during both the downward and upward movements of the head unit 32.

[0008] The second means has the same properties as the first means, and the lower piston 66 is formed as an inverted skirt-shaped elastic body, and when the head portion 32 descends, a gap d is opened between the circumferential end of the lower piston 66 and the large inner diameter cylinder b1, through which the contents can pass.

[0009] In this mechanism, as shown in Figure 1(A), the lower piston 66 is formed as an inverted skirt-shaped elastic body, and when the head portion 32 descends, as shown in Figure 3(A), a gap d is opened between the circumferential end of the lower piston 66 and the large inner diameter cylinder b1, through which the contents can pass. This structure allows for the creation of a simple two-stage piston system, enabling discharge operations in both directions when the head section 32 is raised or lowered.

[0010] The third means has either the first or second means, and a rotation-preventing portion 28 for the main body 2 and the head portion 32 is assembled around a straight cylindrical portion 22 erected from around the outlet 16, and a retaining cylinder portion 29 for the lower piston 66 is folded back from the upper end of the retaining cylinder portion 28 into the upper part of the straight cylindrical portion 22, and the small inner diameter cylinder portion b2 is formed in the retaining cylinder portion 29 and the large inner diameter cylinder portion b1 is formed in the lower part of the straight cylindrical portion 22.

[0011] In this method, as shown in Figure 1(B), a rotation-preventing portion 28 for the main body 2 and head portion 32 is assembled around a straight cylindrical portion 22 that is erected from around the outlet 16, and a retaining cylinder portion 29 for the lower piston 66 is folded back from the upper end of the rotation-preventing portion 28 into the upper part of the straight cylindrical portion 22. Then, the small inner diameter cylinder section b2 is formed in the retaining cylinder section 29, and the large inner diameter cylinder section b1 is formed at the lower part of the straight cylinder section 22. This structure allows for the use of the retaining cylinder portion 29 as part of the cylinder portion, thereby enabling discharge operation both when the head portion 32 is raised and lowered, without unnecessarily complicating the structure of the discharge pump.

[0012] The fourth means has either the first means or the second means, and the conversion mechanism F comprises a cam groove G provided around the outer circumferential surface 33 of the head portion 32, including a bottom dead center portion g2 and an top dead center portion g4, and a sliding contact projection 38 attached to the inner circumferential surface 81 of the rotating member 80, which is slidable within the cam groove G. The sliding contact protrusion 38 is attached to the outer portion of an elastic piece 36 that is radially elastically deformable and formed as part of the outer peripheral wall 32d of the head portion 32 on the outer peripheral surface 33. The sliding contact protrusion 38 is configured to cause the elastic piece 36 to elastically displace and produce sound when it enters the bottom dead center portion g2 to the top dead center portion g4.

[0013] In this system, as shown in Figure 1(B), the conversion mechanism F consists of a cam groove G provided around the outer circumferential surface 33 of the head portion 32 and a sliding contact projection 38 attached to the inner circumferential surface 81 of the rotating member 80, which is capable of sliding within the cam groove G. The cam groove G includes a bottom dead center portion g2 and an top dead center portion g4, as shown in Figure 4(A). The sliding contact protrusion 38 is attached to the outer portion of the elastic piece 36, which is formed as part of the outer peripheral wall 32d of the head portion 32, on the outer peripheral surface 33, as shown in Figure 2(B). The elastic piece 36 is elastically deformable in the radial direction, as shown by the dashed lines in Figure 2(A). Then, as shown in Figure 4(B), the structure is configured such that the elastic piece 36 is elastically displaced to generate a sound when the sliding contact protrusion 38 enters from the bottom dead center portion g2 to the top dead center portion g4. According to this structure, the sound makes it easy to recognize that one discharge process performed in the transition section between the bottom dead center portion g2 and the top dead center portion g4 (the sections indicated by reference signs g1 and g3 in Figure 4(A)) has been completed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a springless type pump that can discharge contents without using a spring. In addition, since the contents can be discharged both during the ascending and descending of the head part, the number of discharge processes for discharging a fixed amount of contents can be reduced even in a manual mode that does not use an urging means, resulting in good usability. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] The configuration of the pump dispenser according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein Figure (A) is a cross-sectional view of the container viewed from the side, and Figure (B) is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the container. [Figure 2] The configuration of the main members of the dispenser of Figure 1 is shown, wherein Figure (A) is a view of the head part viewed from the side, Figure (B) is an enlarged view of a part of the head part (near the elastic piece), and Figure (C) is an exploded view showing the piston part. [Figure 3] The operation of the dispenser of Figure 1 is shown, wherein Figure (A) shows the stage where the head part descends while discharging the contents and reaches the lower limit position, and Figure (B) shows the stage where the head part is ascending while discharging the contents, respectively. [Figure 4] The structure and operation of the conversion mechanism of the dispenser of Figure 1 are shown, wherein Figure (A) is a panoramic expanded drawing depicting the structure of the mechanism viewed from the side, and Figure (B) is a panoramic expanded drawing depicting the structure of the mechanism viewed from below. [Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0016] Figures 1 to 4 show a pump discharger according to an embodiment of the present invention. This discharger consists of a main body 2, a support member 26, an operating member 30, a rotating member 80, and an overcap 98. However, these structures can be modified as appropriate, and the overcap 98 can be omitted. All of these components can be made from non-metallic materials such as synthetic resins, which means that metal parts do not need to be separated during disposal.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1(A), the main body 2 is a component that houses a storage chamber U for contents, and has a contents removal opening 16 that opens on its upper surface O, and a cylinder B formed directly above the removal opening 16. A piston 40, which will be described later on the head 32, is fitted into this cylinder B to form a discharge pump P. In this embodiment, the main body 2, as shown in Figure 1(A), comprises a bottom member 4, a container body 6, a sliding bottom 8, a holding member 10, a lid member 12, and a valve member 24. Of these structures, the bottom member 4, the container body 6, and the sliding bottom 8 will be briefly described first. In the illustrated example, the bottom member 4 is a wide-mouthed, bottomed cylindrical member, and is formed by erecting a tall inner cylinder 4b and a short outer cylinder 4c in a double-cylinder shape from the outer circumference of a flat bottom wall 4a. The container body 6 is held by the bottom member 4. In the illustrated example, the container body 6 has a straight cylindrical body 6c erected from the circumferential end of a disc-shaped lower wall portion 6a facing the bottom wall 4a, higher than the inner circumferential cylinder 4b, and leg cylinders 6e that are suspended from this body portion 6c via an outward-facing flange 6d are fitted onto the outer circumferential cylinder 4c. The body portion 6c, the sliding bottom 8, and the lid member 12 define a storage chamber U for contents. A ventilation hole 6b is also opened in the lower wall portion 6a. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1(B), a vertical rib-shaped first anti-rotation projection I is attached to the outer surface of the body portion 6c, positioned above the outward-facing flange 6d, and engages with the first projection receiving portion J of the lower cylindrical portion 10a, which will be described later. The sliding bottom 8 is a member that is movable and liquid-tightly fitted into the body portion 6c, and in the illustrated example, an annular sliding contact portion 8b attached around the partition wall portion 8a is brought into contact with the body portion. However, these structures can be modified as needed.

[0018] The retaining member 10 is a member for holding the lid member 12 in the opening of the container body 6. As shown in Figure 1(B), the holding member 10 in the illustrated example has a thin-walled lower cylindrical portion 10a fitted to the outer surface of the body portion 6c, from which a large-diameter, thick-walled upper cylindrical portion 10c protrudes upward, and a hanging cylinder 10g is suspended from the lower cylindrical portion via an annular flange portion 10f. This hanging cylinder 10g is formed to be approximately the same diameter as the leg cylinder 6e. Located below the annular flange portion 10f, a vertical groove-shaped first projection receiving portion J is vertically provided on the inner surface of the lower cylindrical portion 10a, which engages with the first anti-rotation projection I on the body portion 6c side. This prevents the retaining member 10 from rotating together with the overcap 98 due to frictional force with the overcap 98 during the screwing and unscrewing operation of the overcap 98. As shown in Figure 1(B), a pressure-contact step 10b is formed between the lower cylindrical portion 10a and the upper cylindrical portion 10c, which is pressed against the large-diameter annular plate portion 14a of the lid plate 14, which will be described later. In this way, the large-diameter annular plate portion 14a is sandwiched between the pressure-contact step 10b and the upper end of the body portion 6c, together with the packing y. This clamping force provides an anti-rotation effect for the lid member 12 relative to the body portion 6c and the holding member 10. Therefore, when the rotating member 80, which will be described later, is rotated, it is possible to prevent the lid member 12 from rotating together with the head portion 32 and the support member 26 in accordance with the rotating member 80. The outer surface of the upper cylindrical portion 10c is provided with a male threaded portion 10d for engaging with the female threaded portion 99 of the overcap, which will be described later. A folded-back piece 10e is provided protruding from the upper end of the upper cylindrical portion 10c, which engages with the inner surface of the large-diameter peripheral wall 18 of the lid member 12, as described later. The large-diameter peripheral wall 18 in the illustrated example is provided with a locking rib 18a that bites into (locks with) the inner surface of the upper cylindrical portion 10c, as shown in Figure 1(B).

[0019] The lid member 12 has a lid plate 14 that closes the upper end opening of the body portion 6c, and an outlet 16 connected to the discharge pump P is provided in this lid plate 14. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1(B), a small-diameter peripheral wall (straight cylinder portion) 22 for defining the cylinder B, a medium-diameter peripheral wall 20 for non-rotatably mounting the support member 26, and a large-diameter peripheral wall 18 for assembly to the holding member 10 are concentrically erected from the upper surface O of the cover plate 14. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1(A), the lower half of the cylinder B is formed as a large-diameter cylinder section b1, and the upper half of the cylinder B is formed as a small-diameter cylinder section b2. The large-diameter cylinder section b1 is the part for sliding contact with the lower piston 66, which will be described later, and the small-diameter cylinder section b2 is the part for sliding contact with the upper piston 48, which will be described later. In the illustrated example, as shown in Figure 3(B), the large inner diameter cylinder portion b1 is formed by the lower part 22a of the small diameter peripheral wall 22, which will be described later, and the small inner diameter cylinder portion b2 is formed by the retaining cylinder portion 29, which will be described later. The lid plate 14 in the illustrated example is formed so that it gradually decreases in height from the outside to the inside, from the upper large-diameter annular plate portion 14a through the middle medium-diameter annular plate portion 14b to the lower small-diameter annular plate portion 14c. The inner circumference of the large-diameter annular plate portion 14a is connected to the outer circumference of the middle medium-diameter annular plate portion 14b, and the inner circumference of the middle medium-diameter annular plate portion 14b is connected to the outer circumference of the small-diameter annular plate portion 14c, both via vertical cylindrical stepped portions. Furthermore, an outlet 16 is positioned at the center of the small-diameter annular plate portion 14c. Surrounding this outlet 16, a small-diameter peripheral wall 22, which is a straight cylindrical portion, rises up from the small-diameter annular plate portion 14c. Furthermore, a medium-diameter peripheral wall 20 is erected from the inner circumferential end of the medium-diameter annular plate portion 14b, and a large-diameter peripheral wall 18 is erected from the large-diameter annular plate portion 14a. A retaining groove c is formed on the upper part of the inner surface of the medium-diameter peripheral wall 20 for fitting the outer peripheral end of the ring plate 28a, which will be described later. Furthermore, a vertical rib-shaped second anti-rotation projection K is provided vertically on the inner surface of the medium-diameter peripheral wall 20 for being supported by the second projection receiving portion L of the support member 26, which will be described later. However, these structures can be modified as needed.

[0020] In this embodiment, the valve member 24 is positioned above the small-diameter annular plate portion 14c. In the illustrated example, the valve member 24 supports a valve plate via an elastic support piece on a frame portion fitted to the lower end of the inner surface of the small-diameter peripheral wall 22. The first check valve V1 is formed by this valve plate and the outlet 16.

[0021] The support member 26 is a member that supports the head portion 32 so that it can be raised and lowered but cannot be rotated. In the illustrated example, the support member 26 consists of an anti-rotation portion 28 assembled to the outer surface of the straight cylindrical portion 22, and an anti-removal cylindrical portion 29 that is folded back from the upper end of the anti-rotation portion 28 into the upper part of the straight cylindrical portion 22. The anti-rotation portion 28 in the illustrated example consists of a ring plate 28a fitted between the small-diameter peripheral wall 22 and the medium-diameter peripheral wall 20, a cylindrical leg piece 28b projecting downward from the ring plate 28a, and a cylindrical upright piece 28c projecting upward from the ring plate 28a. The anti-slip cylindrical portion 29 is connected to the upper end of the upright piece 28c. The retaining cylinder portion 29 is a means for preventing the lower piston 66 from coming out, and is fitted into the upper part of the small-diameter peripheral wall 22. The outer surface of the leg piece 28b is provided with a vertical groove-shaped second projection receiving portion L that receives the second anti-rotation projection K of the medium-diameter peripheral wall 20, and the outer surface of the upright piece 28c is provided with a vertical rib-shaped third anti-rotation projection M that is fitted into the third projection receiving portion N of the intermediate cylinder 32c, which will be described later. These structures allow the support member 26 to be prevented from rotating relative to the lid member 12, and the head portion 32 to be prevented from rotating relative to the support member 26. The structure of the anti-rotation mechanism can be modified as appropriate, as long as it performs the same function. For example, a second anti-rotation projection K may be provided on the leg piece 28b, and a second projection receiving part L may be provided on the medium-diameter peripheral wall 20. The arrangement of the third anti-rotation projection M and the third projection receiving part N can also be swapped.

[0022] The operating member 30 is a member that is mounted to the main body 2 so as to be able to move up and down. A discharge pump P, which is operated by the moving up and down of the operating member 30, is formed between the main body 2 and the operating member 30. In this embodiment, the operating member 30 comprises a head portion 32 and a piston portion 40. However, these structures can be modified as appropriate.

[0023] The head portion 32 is supported above the main body 2 so as to be able to move up and down, and has a discharge port 34 for discharging contents pressurized by the discharge pump P to the outside. In this invention, the raising process of the head portion 32 is achieved by manual operation of the rotating member 80 surrounding the head portion 32, instead of using a coil spring as in Patent Document 1. The rotational force applied to the rotating member 80 is smoothly converted into an upward and downward force for the head portion 32 by a cam-type conversion mechanism F formed between the rotating member 80 and the head portion 32. The conversion mechanism F of this embodiment consists of a cam groove G, described later, provided around the rotating member 80, and a sliding contact projection 38, described later, attached to the head portion 32. However, this structure can be modified as appropriate; for example, the cam groove may be provided on the head portion 32 and the sliding contact projection on the rotating member 80. In this specification, "converting to lifting force" means that by rotating the rotating member, the rotational force of the rotating member 80 can be converted into either a force that raises the head portion 32 or a force that lowers the head portion 32.

[0024] In this embodiment, the head portion 32 is a cylindrical member as shown in Figure 2(A), with a small-diameter boss cylinder 32b, an intermediate cylinder 32c surrounding the boss cylinder 32b, and an outer peripheral wall 32d connected to the circumferential end of the top wall, all suspended concentrically from the top wall 32a. The illustrated top wall 32a is curved downward in a concave shape. Furthermore, a discharge port 34 is provided in the top wall 32a, located inside the boss cylinder 32b. A valve body 70 is fitted into this discharge port 34. As shown in Figure 1(B), the valve body 70 in the illustrated example is formed by extending a valve stem 70b downward from a valve plate 70a placed on the top wall. This valve stem is inserted into the discharge port 34 so as to be able to move up and down but not be able to come out. The valve body 70 and the discharge port 34 form a second check valve V2. The boss cylinder 32b is inserted inside the cylinder B. The piston portion 40 is attached to the boss cylinder 32b. The intermediate cylinder 32c is vertically mounted to the outside of the support member 26. A suitable number (two in the illustrated example) of vertical groove-shaped third projection receiving portions N are vertically mounted on the inner surface of the intermediate cylinder 32c. The outer peripheral wall 32d is inserted inside the large-diameter peripheral wall 18, maintaining a certain gap between them. The outer peripheral surface 33 of the outer peripheral wall 32d is provided with sliding contact protrusions 38 for sliding within the cam groove G. In a preferred illustrated example, multiple sliding contact protrusions 38 are arranged around the outer peripheral wall 32d at appropriate angular intervals (e.g., 90°). In the illustrated example, as shown in Figure 2(B), two slits 37 are drilled from the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 32d upwards, forming an elastic piece 36 in the peripheral wall portion between these slits 37, and a sliding contact protrusion 38 is provided on the lower outer end side of this elastic piece 36. The two slits shall be formed to be long enough to allow the elastic piece 36 to deform radially. Furthermore, when the elastic piece 36 is elastically deformed inward, a gap e is created between it and the surrounding surface 81, as shown in Figure 1(A).

[0025] The piston portion 40 is a component mounted on the head portion 32 and fitted into the cylinder B. The discharge pump P is composed of the piston portion 40 and the cylinder B. As shown in Figure 1(A), the piston section 40 includes a large-diameter lower piston 66 and a small-diameter upper piston 48, with the lower piston 66 sliding against the inner surface of the large-diameter cylinder section b1 and the upper piston 48 sliding against the inner surface of the small-diameter cylinder section b2. The inside of the discharge pump P is divided by the lower piston 66 into a lower pump chamber A1 that is continuous with the outlet 16 and an upper pump chamber A2 that is continuous with the discharge port 34. The lower piston 66 is formed to elastically deform (reduce diameter) as shown in Figure 3(A) when the pressure in the lower pump chamber A1 increases compared to the upper pump chamber A2. As a result, the lower pump chamber A1 and the upper pump chamber A2 are isolated from each other in the initial state shown in Figure 1(A) and during the head raising process shown in Figure 3(B), and are configured to communicate with each other when the head portion 32 is lowered as shown in Figure 3(A). In this configuration, as shown in Figure 3(B), when the head rises, both the lower piston 66 and the upper piston 48 rise by the same distance. However, since the diameter R1 of the lower piston 66 is larger than the diameter R2 of the upper piston 48, when both piston sections rise by a certain distance, the volume of the upper pump chamber A2 defined between the lower and upper pistons decreases. As a result, the upper pump chamber A2 is pressurized, and an amount of the contents corresponding to the decrease in volume is discharged to the outside from the discharge port 34. The discharge volume ΔV is as follows, where Δh is the upward distance of both pistons. ΔV = π{(R1 / 2) 2 -(R2 / 2) 2 Extreme × Δh

[0026] In this embodiment, the piston portion 40 is formed by assembling a sub-body portion 58, which includes a lower piston 66, to a main body portion 42, which includes an upper piston 48, as shown in Figure 2(C). The sub-body portion 58 can be molded from an elastic and flexible material, while the main body portion 42 can be molded from a relatively rigid material. The main body 42 in the illustrated example has a vertically elongated large-diameter cylindrical portion 44 for fitting into the boss cylinder 32b, and a vertically oriented connecting rod portion 54 for connecting to the sub-body portion 58 is suspended from this large-diameter cylindrical portion 44 via a small-diameter cylindrical portion 52, and an upper piston 48 is suspended from the outer surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 44 via an upper flange portion 46. Also, a suitable number (2 in the illustrated example) fluid passage holes 50 are opened in the large-diameter cylindrical portion 44, located below the upper flange portion 46. Around the connecting rod portion 54, as shown by dashed lines in Figure 2(C), recessed grooves 56 are provided for engaging with the engagement ribs 62 of the sub-body portion 58, which will be described later. In the illustrated example, the sub-body portion 58 has a lower piston 66 projecting upward from the outer surface of the joint cylinder portion 60 for connecting with the connecting rod portion 54, via a lower flange portion 64, and is in the shape of an inverted skirt (tapered shape with a large diameter at the upper end). With this configuration, when the head portion 32 shown in Figure 3(A) descends, the lower piston 66 elastically deforms, creating a gap d between the tip of the lower piston 66 and the large inner diameter cylinder portion b1. Furthermore, the lower end of the joint cylinder portion is provided with an engaging rib 62 for fitting into the groove 56.

[0027] The rotating member 80 has an inner circumferential surface (enclosing surface) 81 that surrounds the outer circumferential surface 33 of the head portion 32, and is a cylindrical member that is rotatably positioned relative to the main body 2. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1(B), the rotating member 80 is sandwiched between a part of the holding member 10 (the folded portion 10e in the illustrated example) and the outer peripheral wall 32d of the head portion 32. This allows the rotating member 80 to rotate stably. The surrounding surface 81 is provided with a cam groove G, and is formed so that the sliding contact protrusion 38 of the head portion 32 can slide relative to the cam groove G by rotating the rotating member 80. The cam groove G is configured with a bottom dead center portion g2 and an upper dead center portion g4 positioned at appropriate locations in the circumferential direction. The sliding contact projection 38 of the head portion 32 moves between these dead centers, causing the head portion 32 to move up and down when the rotating member 80 is rotated. Figure 4(A) is a panoramic view of the circumferential surface, the encircling surface 81. However, for the sake of drawing convenience, only a portion of the encircling surface 81's shape is depicted, not its entire circumference. As shown in Figure 4(A), the cam groove G includes a first inclined portion g1 that slopes diagonally downward toward one side X in the circumferential direction, a bottom dead center portion g2, a second inclined portion g3 that slopes diagonally upward, and a top dead center portion g4. One cycle of the discharge pump P consists of a first inclined section g1, a bottom dead center section g2, a second inclined section g3, and a top dead center section g4. In this invention, the contents are discharged to the outside in the first inclined section g1, which corresponds to the downward movement of the head section 32, and in the second inclined section g3, which corresponds to the upward movement of the head section 32. In other words, there are two discharge processes in one cycle. In this specification, "dead point" refers to the state in which the piston portion 40 has reached its lower limit or upper limit position, and is not necessarily limited to a narrow range like a point.

[0028] As shown in Figure 4(B), the cam groove G in this embodiment is shallow in the first inclined portion g1 and the second inclined portion g3, and deeper in the bottom dead center portion g2 and the top dead center portion g4. In the same figure, the symbol Δh represents the change in the depth of the cam groove G. As a result, in the first inclined section g1 and the second inclined section g3, the sliding contact projection 38 is in contact with the groove bottom surface H of the cam groove G in a press-fit state. On the other hand, when the sliding contact projection 38 enters the bottom dead center section g2 to the top dead center section g4, it ceases to contact the groove bottom surface H of the cam groove G (the groove bottom portion on the inclined section side) and falls into the back of the cam groove G. As a result, the elastic piece 36 is displaced radially outward and collides with the surrounding surface 81 of the rotating member 80, generating sound (collision sound) and creating a feeling of collision (feeling of collision). This allows the user to easily know that one discharge process has been completed. Furthermore, when the sliding contact projection 38 is in the bottom dead center section g2 or the top dead center section g4, it does not contact the groove bottom surface H of the cam groove G. Therefore, compared to the state where the sliding contact protrusion 38 is in the first inclined portion g1 or the second inclined portion g3, the frictional resistance between the sliding contact protrusion 38 and the cam groove G is reduced, and the user can recognize the end of the discharge process by the feel of this reduction.

[0029] In this embodiment, the rotating member 80 is formed from two parts: a main cylinder 82 and a sub-cylinder 92. The main cylinder 82 has a thin-walled base half 90 above which a thicker tip half 84, with a larger outer diameter and smaller inner diameter than the base half 90, is attached. On the outside of the main cylinder 82, a downward-facing engagement step 86 is formed between the front half 84 and the base half 90, which abuts against the upper surface of the retaining member 10. Inside the main cylinder 82, a downward-facing step portion 88 is formed between the front half 84 and the base half 90. As shown in Figure 2(A), the sub-cylinder 92 consists of a fitting cylinder portion 94 that is fitted into the inner surface of the base half portion 90, and a locking projection 96 that protrudes outward from the lower end of the fitting cylinder portion 94 and engages with the lower end surface of the base half portion 90. By engaging this locking projection 96 with the lower end surface of the base half 90, the insertion length t of the fitting cylindrical portion 94 into the inner surface of the base half 90 can be kept constant. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1(B), this insertion length t is designed to be smaller than the length s of the base half 90 when viewed from the side. In this state, a cam groove G is formed between the upper end of the fitting cylinder portion 94 and the stepped portion 88. With this structure, the cam groove G can be formed simply by inserting the fitting cylinder portion 94 of the sub-cylinder 92 into the base half portion 90 of the main cylinder 82. Furthermore, when designing a rotating member 80 having a cam groove on its inner surface as a single component using synthetic resin, it is necessary to forcibly remove the portion of the mold corresponding to the cam groove, which imposes limitations such as not being able to increase the depth of the cam groove. However, the configuration of this embodiment does not have such drawbacks.

[0030] The overcap 98 is fitted onto a part of the main body 2 (the holding member 10 in the illustrated example) so as to cover the head portion 32 and the rotating member 80. In the illustrated example, the overcap 98 has an inner cylindrical portion 98b and an outer cylindrical portion 98c suspended from the outer circumference of the top plate 98a in a double cylindrical shape. The inner cylindrical portion 98b is provided with a female threaded portion 99 that engages with the male threaded portion 10d on the main body 2 side.

[0031] In the above configuration, when using the discharger of the present invention, the overcap 98 is removed from the state shown in Figure 1(A), the body portion 6c is grasped, and then the rotating member is rotated in one direction in the circumferential direction. As a result, the head portion 32 cannot rotate relative to the main body 2 due to the rotation-preventing action of the second anti-rotation projection K and the second projection receiving portion L, as well as the third anti-rotation projection M and the third projection receiving portion N. Therefore, the sliding contact projection 38 of the head portion 32 slides relative to the cam groove G of the rotating member 80. As a result, when the sliding contact projection 38 moves within the first inclined portion g1 of the cam groove G, the head portion 32 descends. This increases the pressure in the lower pump chamber A1 of the discharge pump P, causing the lower piston 66 to elastically deform, as shown in Figure 3(A), and creating a gap d between the circumferential end of the lower piston 66 and the large inner diameter cylinder portion b1. The contents of the lower pump chamber A1 then pass through the upper pump chamber A2 and are discharged to the outside via the second check valve V2. As the sliding contact protrusion 38 moves within the second inclined portion g3 of the cam groove G, the head portion 32 rises, and the circumferential end of the lower piston 66 contacts the large inner diameter cylinder portion b1, thereby blocking the lower pump chamber A1 and the upper pump chamber A2, and the piston portion 40 mounted on the head portion 32 also rises. In this process, the upper pump chamber A2 becomes compressed due to the difference in diameter between the lower piston 66 and the upper piston 48, resulting in increased pressure. Consequently, the contents of the upper pump chamber A2 are expelled to the outside via the second check valve V2. Furthermore, when the head portion 32 rises, the lower pump chamber A1 becomes negatively pressurized due to the rise of the lower piston 66, and therefore the first check valve V1 opens, and the contents of the storage chamber U are sucked into the lower pump chamber A1. Therefore, the contents are protruded to the outside when the head portion 32 is raised or lowered. Furthermore, when the sliding contact projection 38 moves from the first inclined portion g1 to the bottom dead center portion g2, and when the sliding contact projection 38 moves from the second inclined portion g3 to the top dead center portion g4, the elastic restoration of the elastic piece 36 generates a collision sound (click sound), and the frictional resistance between the sliding contact projection 38 and the cam groove G decreases, indicating that one discharge process has been completed.

[0032] According to the above configuration and operation, a cam-type conversion mechanism F is formed between the rotating member 80 and the head portion 32 to convert the rotational force applied to the rotating member 80 into an upward and downward force applied to the head portion 32. This allows for a springless configuration, eliminating the problem of reduced durability due to deterioration of synthetic resin springs and the hassle of separating metal springs during exhaust. Furthermore, by utilizing the piston section 40 having a large-diameter lower piston 66 and a small-diameter upper piston 48, the inside of the discharge pump P is divided into a lower pump chamber A1 and an upper pump chamber A2 by the lower piston 66. As a result, the contents can be discharged both when the head section 32 is raised and lowered, and therefore the number of operation cycles of the discharge pump required to discharge a certain amount can be reduced, thus reducing the effort required for operation. When the sliding contact protrusion 38 enters the cam groove G from the bottom dead center g2 to the top dead center g4, a sound is produced and the frictional resistance changes, making it easy to know that one discharge process has been completed. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 2...Body 4...Bottom member 4a...Bottom wall 4b...Inner cylinder 4c...Outer cylinder 6...Container body 6a...Bottom wall 6b...Ventilation hole 6c...Body 6d...Outward flange 6e... Leg tube 8... Sliding bottom 8a... Partition wall part 8b... Annular sliding contact part 10...Holding member 10a...Lower cylindrical section 10b...Pressure contact step section 10c...Upper cylindrical section 10d...Male thread section 10e...Folded-over section 10f...Annular flange section 10g...Dangling tube 12...Lid member 14...Lid plate 14a...Large diameter annular plate section 14b...Medium diameter annular plate section 14c...Small diameter annular plate section 16...Opening 18…Large diameter peripheral wall 18a…Locking rib 20…Medium diameter peripheral wall 22…Small diameter peripheral wall (straight cylindrical part) 22a...Lower part 22b...Upper part 24...Valve member 26...Support member 28...Anti-rotation part 28a...Ring plate 28b...Leg piece 28c...Upright piece 29...Removal prevention cylinder part 30...Actuating member 32...Head section 32a...Top wall 32b...Boss cylinder 32c...Intermediate cylinder 32d...Outer wall 33...Outer surface 34...Discharge port 36...Elastic piece 37...Slit 38…Sliding protrusion 40...Piston section 42...Main body section 44...Large diameter cylinder section 46...Upper flange section 48...Upper piston 50...Fluid passage hole 52...Small diameter cylindrical section 54...Connecting rod section 56...Recessed groove 58...Sub-body section 60...Joint cylinder section 62...Engaging rib 64...Lower flange section 66... ​​Lower piston 70... Valve body 70a... Valve plate 70b... Valve stem 80...Rotating member 81...Enclosing surface 82...Main cylinder 84...Front half 86...Engaging step 88...Step part 90...Base half part 91...Rib for preventing removal 92...Sub-cylindrical body 94...Mating cylinder part 96...Locking protrusion 98...Overcap 98a...Top plate 98b...Inner cylinder 98c...Outer cylinder 99... Female thread section A1...Lower pump chamber A2...Upper pump chamber B...Cylinder b1...Large bore cylinder section b2...Small inner diameter cylinder section c...Retaining groove d...Air gap e...Gap F...Conversion mechanism G...Cam groove g1...First inclined part g2...Bottom dead center part g3...Second inclined part g4...Top dead center part H...Inner surface of cam groove Δh...Difference in depth I...First anti-rotation projection J...First projection receiving part K...Second anti-rotation projection L...Second projection receiving part M...Third anti-rotation projection N...Third projection receiving part о…Top surface P…Discharge pump R1…Diameter of the lower piston R2…Diameter of the upper piston s…Length of the base half t…Insertion length of the fitting cylinder U...Storage chamber V1...First check valve V2...Second check valve w...Engaging rib X...One side y...Packing Z...End of cycle

Claims

1. The main body (2) has a storage compartment (U) for contents built in, with an opening (16) for removing contents on its top surface (O), A head section (32) is supported on this main body (2) so as to be able to move up and down and has an upward-facing discharge port (34), The discharge pump (P) comprises a cylindrical rotating member (80) that is rotatably mounted on the main body (2) and surrounds the head portion (32), and a piston portion (40) equipped on the head portion (32) is fitted into a cylinder (B) formed above the outlet (16), A cam-type conversion mechanism (F) is formed between the rotating member (80) and the discharge pump (P) to convert the rotational force applied to the rotating member (80) into an upward and downward force applied to the head portion (32). The piston portion (40) includes a lower piston (66) that slides against the large-diameter cylinder portion (b1), which is the lower half of the cylinder (B), and an upper piston (48) that slides against the small-diameter cylinder portion (b2), which is the upper half of the cylinder (B). The inside of the discharge pump (P) is divided by the lower piston (66) into a lower pump chamber (A1) continuous with the outlet (16) and an upper pump chamber (A2) continuous with the discharge port (34). These lower pump chamber (A1) and upper pump chamber (A2) are configured to communicate with each other when the head portion (32) is lowered and to disconnect from each other when it is raised.

2. The pump discharger according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower piston (66) is formed as an inverted skirt-shaped elastic body, and when the head portion (32) descends, a gap (d) is opened between the circumferential end of the lower piston (66) and the large inner diameter cylinder (b1) through which contents can pass.

3. A pump discharger according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that a rotation-preventing portion (28) for the main body (2) and the head portion (32) is assembled around a straight cylindrical portion (22) erected from around the outlet (16), and a retaining cylinder portion (29) for the lower piston (66) is folded back from the upper end of the rotation-preventing portion (28) into the upper part of the straight cylindrical portion (22), with the small inner diameter cylinder portion (b2) being formed by the retaining cylinder portion (29) and the large inner diameter cylinder portion (b1) being formed at the lower part of the straight cylindrical portion (22).

4. The conversion mechanism (F) comprises a cam groove (G) provided around the outer circumferential surface (33) of the head portion (32) and including a bottom dead center portion (g2) and an top dead center portion (g4), and a sliding contact projection (38) attached to the inner circumferential surface (81) of the rotating member (80) that is slidable within the cam groove (G). The pump discharger according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sliding contact protrusion (38) is attached to the outer portion of an elastic piece (36) that is elastically deformable in the radial direction and is formed as part of the outer peripheral wall (32d) of the head portion (32) on the outer peripheral surface (33), and the elastic piece (36) is elastically displaced to produce sound when the sliding contact protrusion (38) enters the bottom dead center (g2) to the top dead center (g4).

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