Granular material storage container

Abstract

To propose a granular material storage container from which a stored granular material can be easily taken out one by one.SOLUTION: A granular material storage container of the present invention includes; a container body having a bottom wall part 3a, a peripheral wall part 2a, and an upper side opening part 2b, and provided with a storage space S for storing a granular material R in between the bottom wall part 3a and the peripheral wall part 2a; and a rotary body 4A arranged in the storage space S and rotatably supported with respect to the container body. The rotary body 4A has a slope 4f spirally extending rotating in one direction from the bottom wall part 3a toward the upper side opening part 2b. The container body has protrusions between the bottom wall part 3a and the upper side opening part 2b on a radial outer or inner side of the slope 4f, and the granule material R supported on the protrusions moves along the slope 4f from the bottom wall part 3a toward an upper side opening part 2b when the rotary body 4A is rotated in a direction opposite to the one direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a granular material storage container for storing granular material. [Background technology]

[0002] Various containers have been used as granular material storage containers for storing granular materials such as sweets, medicines, cosmetics, etc., such as the bottle-type container shown in Patent Document 1 and the jar-type container shown in Patent Document 2.

[0003] In order to remove granular material from such a granular material storage container, it is common to tilt the container or to insert one's fingers through the top opening of the container to pick up the granular material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-002216 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-081596 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, depending on the inclination of the container, a large amount of the stored granular material may be discharged, which requires time to return the discharged granular material, and there are concerns about hygiene, as it requires returning material that has been touched by hands, etc. Also, even when picking it up with the fingers to remove it, as the amount of granular material stored decreases, it is necessary to insert the fingers deeper to pick it up, which makes it difficult to remove.

[0006] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a granular material storage container from which the stored granular material can be easily removed one by one. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides a granular material storage container comprising a container having a bottom wall, a peripheral wall, and an upper opening, the container having a storage space for storing granular material inside the bottom wall and the peripheral wall, and a rotor disposed in the storage space and supported rotatably relative to the container, the rotor having a slope extending in a spiral shape while rotating in one direction from the bottom wall toward the upper opening, and the container having a slope extending in a spiral shape while rotating in one direction from the bottom wall toward the upper opening. On the side The granular material storage container has a protrusion provided between the bottom wall portion and the upper opening, and by rotating the rotating body in the direction opposite to the one direction, the granular material moves up the slope from the bottom wall portion toward the upper opening while being supported by the protrusion, and the slope has a cross-sectional shape in which the radially inner end is located higher than the radially outer end. The present invention also provides a granular material storage container comprising: a container having a bottom wall, a peripheral wall, and an upper opening, the container having a storage space for storing granular material inside the bottom wall and the peripheral wall; and a rotor disposed in the storage space and supported rotatably relative to the container, the rotor having a slope extending in a spiral shape while rotating in one direction from the bottom wall toward the upper opening, and the container having a slope extending in a spiral shape while rotating in one direction from the bottom wall toward the upper opening. On the side The granular material storage container has a protrusion provided between the bottom wall portion and the upper opening, and by rotating the rotating body in the direction opposite to the one direction, the granular material is supported by the protrusion and moves down the slope from the bottom wall portion toward the upper opening, and the protrusion is a spiral protrusion that protrudes radially inward from the peripheral wall portion and extends from the bottom wall portion toward the upper opening while rotating in the direction opposite to the one direction. The present invention also provides a granular material storage container comprising: a container having a bottom wall, a peripheral wall, and an upper opening, the container having a storage space for storing granular material inside the bottom wall and the peripheral wall; and a rotor disposed in the storage space and supported rotatably relative to the container, the rotor having a slope extending in a spiral shape while rotating in one direction from the bottom wall toward the upper opening, and the container having a slope extending in a spiral shape while rotating in one direction from the bottom wall toward the upper opening. On the sideThe granular material storage container has a protrusion provided between the bottom wall portion and the upper opening, and by rotating the rotating body in the opposite direction to the first direction, the granular material is supported by the protrusion and moves down the slope from the bottom wall portion toward the upper opening, and the protrusion is a plate-shaped protrusion that protrudes radially inward from the peripheral wall portion and extends vertically from the bottom wall portion toward the upper opening. Furthermore, the present invention provides a granular material storage container comprising: a container having a bottom wall, a peripheral wall, and an upper opening, the container having a storage space for storing granular material inside the bottom wall and the peripheral wall; and a rotor disposed in the storage space and supported rotatably relative to the container, the rotor having a slope extending in a spiral shape while rotating in one direction from the bottom wall toward the upper opening, and the container having a slope extending in a spiral shape while rotating in one direction from the bottom wall toward the upper opening. On the side The container has a protrusion provided between the bottom wall and the upper opening, and by rotating the rotor in the opposite direction to the first direction, the granular material is supported by the protrusion and moves down the slope from the bottom wall to the upper opening, and the bottom wall is highest at the center and slopes downward toward the outer edge.

[0008] It is preferable that the rotating body has a top wall portion connected to the upper end of the slope, on which the granular material that has moved down the slope is placed.

[0012] The container has an engagement portion at the upper opening, The rotating body preferably has an engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion to rotatably hold the rotating body relative to the container and to prevent it from coming off.

[0013] The container has a recess in the bottom wall portion, The rotating body preferably has a support portion that is inserted into the recess and rotatably supports the rotating body relative to the container. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the granular material storage container of the present invention, by rotating the rotor in a predetermined direction, the granular material moves down the slope from the bottom to the upper opening while being supported by the protrusions. In other words, the stored granular material can be taken out one by one by the simple operation of rotating the rotor. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a granular material storage container according to the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view (with the lid removed) and (b) is a cross-sectional view seen from the side. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rotating body shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 2A and 2B are diagrams showing a state in which granular material is taken out of the granular material container shown in FIG. 1, in which (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a plan view. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 shows a second embodiment of a granular material storage container according to the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view (with the lid removed) and (b) is a cross-sectional view seen from the side. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 shows a third embodiment of a granular material storage container according to the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view (with the lid removed) and (b) is a cross-sectional view seen from the side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a granular material storage container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the up-down direction is the direction along the illustrated axis O. The radial direction is the direction perpendicular to the axis O in a plane perpendicular to the axis O, and the circumferential direction is the direction rotating around the axis O in this plane.

[0018] First, a first embodiment of a granular material storage container according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. A granular material storage container 1A of this embodiment is composed of a container body 2A, a bottom body 3A, a rotor 4A, a lid body 5, and a packing 6. The container body 2A and the bottom body 3A (as well as the container body 2B described below) correspond to the "container" in this specification. Each member except the packing 6 is formed of, for example, a hard synthetic resin, and the packing 6 is formed of an elastic material (rubber, soft synthetic resin, etc.).

[0019] The container body 2A has a cylindrical peripheral wall 2a centered on the axis O. Here, the opening above the peripheral wall 2a is referred to as the upper opening 2b. The inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 2a is provided with a female-threaded helical protrusion 2c protruding radially inward. As shown in FIG. 3, the helical protrusion 2c of this embodiment extends helically from the bottom to the top while rotating counterclockwise around the axis O (counterclockwise means the direction of rotation in a plan view). The helical protrusion 2c corresponds to the "protrusion" in this specification. An engagement portion 2d protruding radially outward is provided at the top of the peripheral wall 2a, as shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 1.

[0020] A horizontally extending connecting portion 2e is provided at the upper portion of the peripheral wall portion 2a, and an outer peripheral wall 2f having a small diameter at the upper portion and a large diameter at the lower portion is provided radially outward from the connecting portion 2e. A male thread portion 2g is provided at the upper portion of the outer peripheral wall 2f.

[0021] The bottom body 3A is generally disk-shaped about the axis O and includes a bottom wall portion 3a that fits inside the outer peripheral wall 2f. The bottom wall portion 3a is highest at the portion where the axis O is located (the center of the bottom wall portion 3a), and is shaped so that it slopes downward from there toward the outer edge, then extends downward (hereinafter, this portion is referred to as the inner annular wall portion 3b), and further extends horizontally. An outer annular wall portion 3c is provided radially outside the inner annular wall portion 3b, extending upward and being higher than the inner annular wall portion 3b. The lower end portion of the peripheral wall portion 2a is inserted between the inner annular wall portion 3b and the outer annular wall portion 3c, and the bottom body 3A is fitted and held in the container body 2A.

[0022] When the bottom body 3A is fitted and held in the container body 2A, a storage space S in which granular material R is stored is defined inside the bottom wall portion 3a and the peripheral wall portion 2a. Examples of the types of granular material R include food, medicine, cosmetics, etc. Examples of the shapes of the granular material R include flat circular ones and spherical ones. Note that the granular material R in this embodiment is spherical.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rotating body 4A has a ring-shaped upper wall portion 4a located above the peripheral wall portion 2a and extending in the horizontal direction. An annular wall portion 4b extending downward along the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 2a is provided on the inner edge of the upper wall portion 4a, and an engaged portion 4c extending downward along the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 2a and having a lower end protruding radially inward as shown in the partially enlarged view of Figure 1 is provided on the outer edge of the upper wall portion 4a. The engaged portion 4c engages with the engaging portion 2d so as to be rotatable and to be prevented from coming off.

[0024] The rotor 4A is also provided with a connecting wall 4d that is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the annular wall 4b and has a triangular shape in a side view, as shown in Fig. 2. The lower end of the connecting wall 4d is located lower than the lower end of the annular wall 4b. A top wall 4e extending horizontally is provided at the lower end of the connecting wall 4d.

[0025] A slope 4f extending in a spiral shape is provided on the outer edge of the top wall 4e. As shown in Fig. 2, the slope 4f of this embodiment extends in a spiral shape from the bottom to the top while rotating clockwise (clockwise means the direction of rotation in a plan view) around the axis O, and the upper end of the slope 4f is integrally connected to the outer edge of the top wall 4e. When the rotor 4A is attached to the container body 2A as shown in Fig. 1(b), the lower end of the slope 4f is located near the bottom wall 3a.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 1(b), the slope 4f in this embodiment is formed with a width slightly narrower than the diameter of the granular material R. The slope 4f is curved so as to be convex downward in cross section, and the radially inner end 4g is located higher than the radially outer end 4h. The radially outer end 4h is located radially inner than the spiral protrusion 2c of the container body 2A.

[0027] The lid 5 has a disk-shaped top wall 5a centered on the axis O, and a lid outer peripheral wall 5b extending downward from the outer edge of the top wall 5a. An internal thread 5c that screws into the external thread 2g is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the lid outer peripheral wall 5b.

[0028] The packing 6 is disk-shaped and centered on the axis O, and is fitted and held on the lid outer peripheral wall 5b below the top wall 5a. When the lid 5 is attached to the container body 2A by screwing the male threaded portion 2g into the female threaded portion 5c, the packing 6 is sandwiched between the peripheral wall portion 2a of the container body 2A and the top wall 5a of the lid 5, so that the storage space S is kept airtight.

[0029] To remove the granular material R from the granular material storage container 1A in this state, first remove the lid 5 from the container body 2A. Then, rotate the rotor 4A counterclockwise (counterclockwise means the direction of rotation in a plan view) about the axis O as shown in Fig. 3(a). To rotate the rotor 4A, the upper wall 4a or the connecting wall 4d may be used.

[0030] Meanwhile, a helical protrusion 2c is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 2a, and the helical protrusion 2c extends counterclockwise from the bottom to the top around the axis O as shown in the figure. That is, the granular material R is pushed by the rotating slope 4f and tries to move counterclockwise inside the peripheral wall 2a, but the helical protrusion 2c gradually becomes higher, so that the counterclockwise movement is prevented by the helical protrusion 2c. Therefore, as the slope 4f moves counterclockwise, the granular material R moves from the bottom to the top on the upper surface of the slope 4f while being supported by the helical protrusion 2c, and finally moves to the top wall 4e as shown in FIG. 3(b).

[0031] Thus, according to the granular material storage container 1A of this embodiment, the granular material R in the storage space S can be taken out to the top wall 4e simply by rotating the rotor 4A counterclockwise. As shown in FIG. 1(b), the radially inner end 4g of the slope 4f is located higher than the radially outer end 4h in the cross-sectional shape, and the granular material R placed on the upper surface of the slope 4f is supported by the radially inner end 4g and the peripheral wall 2a. Therefore, when the granular material R moves on the upper surface of the slope 4f, the problem of the granular material R falling off the slope 4f is prevented. Also, as described above, the lower end of the slope 4f is located near the bottom wall 3a. Therefore, when the rotor 4A is rotated, the lower end of the slope 4f moves to scoop up the granular material R placed on the bottom wall 3a. In addition, the bottom wall 3a is highest at the location where the axis O is located, and is inclined downward from there toward the outer edge, so that the granular material R moves toward the outer edge of the bottom wall 3a. That is, according to the granular material storage container 1A of this embodiment, even if the amount of granular material R in the storage space S becomes small, it can be removed without any problem.

[0032] Next, a second embodiment of a granular material storage container according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 4. A granular material storage container 1B of this embodiment has a basically similar configuration to the above-mentioned granular material storage container 1A, except that it includes a container body 2B instead of the above-mentioned container body 2A.

[0033] The container body 2B is different from the container body 2A in that it has a plate-shaped protrusion 2h instead of the spiral protrusion 2c. The plate-shaped protrusion 2h extends vertically from the bottom to the top on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 2a and has a plate shape. The plate-shaped protrusion 2h corresponds to the "protrusion" in this specification.

[0034] To remove the granular material R from the granular material storage container 1B in this form, the lid 5 is removed from the container body 2B, and then the rotor 4A is rotated counterclockwise around the axis O. As a result, the granular material R is pushed by the rotating slope 4f and attempts to move counterclockwise inside the peripheral wall 2a, but the plate-like protrusion 2h prevents the granular material R from moving counterclockwise, and the granular material R moves from below to above on the upper surface of the slope 4f while being supported by the plate-like protrusion 2h as the slope 4f moves counterclockwise. Therefore, the granular material storage container 1B of this embodiment can also move the granular material R in the storage space S to the top wall 4e, similar to the granular material storage container 1A.

[0035] Next, a third embodiment of a granular material storage container according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 5. A granular material storage container 1C of this embodiment includes a container body 2C, a bottom body 3C, and a rotor 4C, instead of the container body 2A, bottom body 3A, and rotor 4A described above.

[0036] The container body 2C is provided with the plate-like protrusion 2h described above on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 2a. In addition, the container body 2C does not have the engagement portion 2d (see FIG. 1) of the container body 2A described above, and the male screw portion 2g provided on the outer peripheral wall 2f of the container body 2A is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 2a.

[0037] The bottom body 3C is generally disk-shaped about the axis O and includes a bottom wall portion 3d that fits inside the outer peripheral wall 2f. The bottom wall portion 3d is highest at the portion where the axis O is located (the center of the bottom wall portion 3d), and is shaped so that it slopes downward from there toward the outer edge, forms an upwardly open recessed portion 3e, then slopes further downward, and then extends downward (hereinafter, this portion is referred to as the inner annular wall portion 3f), and further extends in the horizontal direction. The recessed portion 3e extends in the circumferential direction about the axis O. An outer annular wall portion 3g that extends upward and is higher than the inner annular wall portion 3f is provided on the radially outer side of the inner annular wall portion 3f. The lower end portion of the peripheral wall portion 2a is inserted between the inner annular wall portion 3f and the outer annular wall portion 3g, and the bottom body 3C is fitted and held in the container body 2C.

[0038] The rotor 4C has a cylindrical wall 4j that is cylindrical about the axis O. The lower end of the cylindrical wall 4j is inserted into the recess 3e, and the rotor 4C is supported rotatably relative to the bottom body 3C. The cylindrical wall 4j corresponds to the "support" in this specification. The lower end of the cylindrical wall 4j is provided with a notch 4k that penetrates it in the radial direction. The notch 4k is opened to a size that allows the granular material R to pass through, and the bottom wall 3d is inclined downward toward the outer edge, so that the granular material R stored inside the cylindrical wall 4j moves from the notch 4k to the radially outward direction. A top wall 4m extending horizontally is provided on the radially inner side of the upper part of the cylindrical wall 4j. The outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 4j is provided with the above-mentioned spirally extending slope 4f. As shown in FIG. 5(b), the upper end of the slope 4f and the top wall portion 4m are integrally connected via an inclined wall 4n that is inclined downward toward the inside in the radial direction.

[0039] When removing granular material R from such a granular material storage container 1C, the lid 5 is removed from the container body 2C, and then the rotor 4C is rotated counterclockwise around the axis O. As a result, the granular material R is pushed by the rotating slope 4f and attempts to move counterclockwise inside the peripheral wall 2a, but the plate-like protrusion 2h prevents the counterclockwise movement. Therefore, as the slope 4f moves counterclockwise, the granular material R moves from below to above on the upper surface of the slope 4f while being supported by the plate-like protrusion 2h, and can be moved to the top wall 4m via the inclined wall 4n.

[0040] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the spirit of the present invention described in the claims unless otherwise specifically limited in the above description. Furthermore, the effects of the above embodiment are merely examples of the effects resulting from the present invention, and do not mean that the effects of the present invention are limited to the above effects.

[0041] For example, in the above embodiment, the slope 4f extends in a spiral shape from below to above while rotating clockwise around the axis O, but it may extend in a spiral shape counterclockwise. When a slope 4f extending in a spiral shape counterclockwise is adopted, the spiral protrusion 2c is configured to extend in a spiral shape from below to above while rotating clockwise around the axis O. In addition, the slope 4f is curved so as to be convex downward in cross section, and the radially inner end 4g is located above the radially outer end 4h, but it may extend horizontally in cross section and have a portion at the radially inner end 4g that protrudes upward like a protrusion.

[0042] Furthermore, the spiral protrusion portion 2c and the plate-shaped protrusion portion 2h need only be capable of supporting the granular material R when the rotating bodies 4A, 4C are rotated, and are not limited to extending seamlessly from below to above as in the above embodiment, but may be interrupted along the way.

[0043] In addition, in the granular material storage container 1C shown in Figure 5, it is the cylindrical wall 4j that functions as the support part that rotatably supports the rotating body 4C, but for example, a cylindrical recess may be provided in the center of the bottom body 3C, and a cylindrical rod-shaped part that is inserted into this recess may be provided in the center of the rotating body 4C, and the rod-shaped part may function as the support part. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1A, 1B, 1C: Granular material storage containers 2A, 2B, 2C: Container body (container) 2a: Peripheral wall part 2b: Upper opening 2c: Spiral protrusion (protrusion) 2d: Engagement part 2e: Connecting part 2f: Outer wall 2g: Male thread 2h: Plate-like protrusion (protrusion) 3A, 3C: Bottom body (container) 3a: Bottom wall part 3b: Inner annular wall 3c: Outer annular wall 3d:Bottom wall part 3e: Recess 3f: Inner annular wall 3g:Outer annular wall 4A, 4C: Rotating body 4a: Upper wall 4b: Annular wall 4c: Engaged part 4d: Connecting wall part 4e: Ceiling wall part 4th floor: Slope 4g: Radial inner end 4h: Radial outer end 4j: Cylindrical wall (support part) 4k: Notch 4m: Ceiling wall 4n: Inclined wall 5: Lid 5a:Top wall 5b: Lid outer peripheral wall 5c: Female thread 6: Packing O: Axis line R: Particulate matter S: Storage space

Claims

1. a container having a bottom wall, a peripheral wall, and an upper opening, the container having a storage space for storing granular material inside the bottom wall and the peripheral wall; A granular material storage container comprising: a rotor disposed in the storage space and rotatably supported relative to the container; The rotating body has a slope that extends in a spiral shape while rotating in one direction from the bottom wall portion toward the upper opening, The container has a protrusion provided between the bottom wall portion and the upper opening portion on a radially outer side of the slope, By rotating the rotor in a direction opposite to the one direction, the granular material moves along the slope from the bottom wall portion toward the upper opening portion while being supported by the protrusion portion, The slope is a granular material storage container whose radially inner end is located higher than its radially outer end in cross-sectional shape.

2. a container having a bottom wall, a peripheral wall, and an upper opening, the container having a storage space for storing granular material inside the bottom wall and the peripheral wall; A granular material storage container comprising: a rotor disposed in the storage space and rotatably supported relative to the container; The rotating body has a slope that extends in a spiral shape while rotating in one direction from the bottom wall portion toward the upper opening, The container has a protrusion provided between the bottom wall portion and the upper opening portion on a radially outer side of the slope, By rotating the rotor in a direction opposite to the one direction, the granular material moves along the slope from the bottom wall portion toward the upper opening portion while being supported by the protrusion portion, A granular material storage container, wherein the protrusion is a spiral protrusion that protrudes radially inward from the peripheral wall and extends from the bottom wall toward the upper opening while rotating in a direction opposite to the one direction.

3. a container having a bottom wall, a peripheral wall, and an upper opening, the container having a storage space for storing granular material inside the bottom wall and the peripheral wall; A granular material storage container comprising: a rotor disposed in the storage space and rotatably supported relative to the container; The rotating body has a slope that extends in a spiral shape while rotating in one direction from the bottom wall portion toward the upper opening, The container has a protrusion provided between the bottom wall portion and the upper opening portion on a radially outer side of the slope, By rotating the rotor in a direction opposite to the one direction, the granular material moves along the slope from the bottom wall portion toward the upper opening portion while being supported by the protrusion portion, The protrusion is a plate-shaped protrusion that protrudes radially inward from the peripheral wall and extends vertically from the bottom wall toward the upper opening.

4. a container having a bottom wall, a peripheral wall, and an upper opening, the container having a storage space for storing granular material inside the bottom wall and the peripheral wall; A granular material storage container comprising: a rotor disposed in the storage space and rotatably supported relative to the container; The rotating body has a slope that extends in a spiral shape while rotating in one direction from the bottom wall portion toward the upper opening, The container has a protrusion provided between the bottom wall portion and the upper opening portion on a radially outer side of the slope, By rotating the rotor in a direction opposite to the one direction, the granular material moves along the slope from the bottom wall portion toward the upper opening portion while being supported by the protrusion portion, The bottom wall of the granular material storage container is highest in the center and slopes downward toward the outer edge.

5. A granular material storage container as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rotating body is connected to an upper end of the slope and has a top wall portion on which the granular material that has moved down the slope is placed.

6. The container has an engagement portion at the upper opening, 6. A granular material storage container according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body has an engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion and holds the rotating body rotatably relative to the container and prevents it from slipping out.

7. The container has a recess in the bottom wall portion, 7. The granular material storage container according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body has a support portion that is inserted into the recess and supports the rotating body rotatably relative to the container.

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