Roll-on application container

Abstract

To provide a roll-on coating container that maintains excellent sealability although having a plurality of coating balls.SOLUTION: There is provided a roll-on coating container 1 that comprises: a container body 2 which contains a content; a middle plug 3 which is mounted on a mouth part 10 of the container body; and a cap 4 which covers the middle plug from above and is mounted on the mouth part of the container body. The middle plug comprises a plurality of retention parts 20 each having a communication hole 21 linking the inside of the container body and the outside together, and a plurality of coating balls 22 which are held inside the plurality of retention parts to roll and exposed in part upward; the plurality of retention parts each comprises an annular seal part 39 capable of contacting a coating ball from below; the cap comprises a cap body 50 having a cap top wall 52 and a soft seal part 60 formed of a softer material than the cap body and molded integrally on a reverse surface of the cap top wall; and the soft seal part contacts the plurality of coating balls from above and also press the coating balls downward when the cap is mounted on the mouth part of the container body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a roll-on application container. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Roll-on applicator containers equipped with an applicator ball are conventionally known. For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a roll-on applicator container that includes a container body in which the contents are stored, an inner stopper that has an application ball and is attached to the mouth of the container body, and a cap that covers the inner stopper from above and is attached to the mouth of the container body. The inner plug is formed with at least a communication hole that connects the inside and outside of the container body, and a seal portion disposed below the application ball. By attaching a cap to the mouth of the container body, the application ball can be pressed against the seal portion, blocking communication between the inside and outside of the container body through the communication hole, thereby making it possible to suppress leakage of the contents.

[0003] Furthermore, a conventional roll-on application container generally has a configuration in which a pressing protrusion is provided on the top wall of the cap to press the application ball downward when the cap is attached. In this case, with a simple configuration that only uses the pressing protrusion, the application ball can be appropriately pressed against the seal part, and leakage of the contents can be suppressed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-154948 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, in this type of roll-on applicator container, there are provided those equipped with multiple applicator balls in order to enable diverse usage according to the type of contents, application, etc. When multiple applicator balls are provided, communication holes through which the contents flow out are formed in accordance with the number of applicator balls, so that when the cap is attached, it is required to press each of the applicator balls against the seal portion to prevent the contents from being exposed through the communication holes.

[0006] Since typical caps are often made of a relatively hard synthetic resin material such as polypropylene, when providing a pressing protrusion on the top wall of the cap, it tends to be difficult to form the pressing protrusion with high molding precision. Therefore, when there is one application ball, it is possible to form the pressing protrusion with little variation, and the pressing protrusion can be used to appropriately press the application ball against the seal portion to maintain the sealed state of the communication hole, but when there are multiple application balls, multiple pressing protrusions are required, and it is difficult to form these multiple pressing protrusions with little variation and high molding accuracy. Therefore, it is difficult to appropriately press all of the application balls against the seal portion, and there are application balls that are weakly pressed against the seal portion, making it difficult to maintain the sealed state of the communication hole.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a roll-on applicator container that can maintain good sealing properties even when it has multiple applicator balls. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) A roll-on applicator container according to the present invention comprises a container body in which a content is accommodated, an inner plug attached to the mouth of the container body, and a cap covering the inner plug from above and attached to the mouth of the container body, the inner plug comprising a plurality of holding parts each having a communication hole connecting the inside and outside of the container body, and a plurality of application balls each being rotatably held inside the plurality of holding parts and partially exposed upward from the holding parts, each of the plurality of holding parts being:The support cylinder has the communication hole formed on the inside and supports the application ball from below so that the application ball can roll, and a retaining hole is formed so as to penetrate a top wall portion that covers the support cylinder from above in the vertical direction and into which the support cylinder fits. A space inside the retaining hole and located above the support cylinder is an inner plug space that accommodates the application ball so that the application ball can roll, and a top end surface of the support cylinder has a plug protruding upward and a lower annular seal portion capable of contacting the outer surface of the application ball from below; The inner circumferential surface of the upper portion of the retaining hole is an upper annular seal portion capable of contacting an outer surface of the application ball from above; And, The application ball is Inside the plug space In the cap, the cap is movable in the up-down direction between the lower annular seal portion and the upper annular seal portion, and the cap comprises a cap body having a cap top wall that covers the inside plug from above, and a soft seal portion that is formed of a material softer than the cap body and is integrally molded on the lower surface of the cap top wall, and when the cap is attached to the mouth of the container body, the soft seal portion comes into contact with the multiple application balls from above and presses the application balls downward, thereby pressing the application balls against the lower annular seal portion, and after the cap is removed, the multiple application balls move toward the upper annular seal portion, thereby passing between the outer surface of the application balls and the upper annular seal portion. Inside the inner plug space The application ball is provided between the outer surface of the application ball and the lower annular seal portion while preventing the content from flowing out of the application ball to the outside. Inside the inner plug space A gap is defined to allow the supply of contents to the lower annular seal portion, and the plurality of application balls move toward the lower annular seal portion, so that the outer surface of the application balls and the lower annular seal portion are filled with the contents. From inside the container body to inside the inner plug space between the outer surface of the application ball and the upper annular seal portion while suppressing the supply of contents to the application ball. Inside the inner plug space A gap is defined to allow the contents to flow out from the The inside of the inner plug space is capable of storing contents. It is characterized by:

[0009] According to the roll-on applicator container of the present invention, by attaching a cap to the mouth of the container body, the soft seal portion can be brought into contact with the multiple application balls from above, and each of the multiple application balls can be pushed downward. This allows each of the multiple application balls to be pressed against the annular seal portion, and communication between the inside and outside of the container body through the communication hole can be blocked.

[0010] In particular, the cap body can be formed of, for example, a general hard synthetic resin material, while the soft seal portion can be formed of a material softer than the cap body, for example, a soft material that can be elastically deformed, such as elastomer or rubber. Therefore, all the application balls can be appropriately pushed downward while the soft seal portion is appropriately elastically deformed. Therefore, it is not easily affected by the molding accuracy of the cap body and the soft seal portion, and all the application balls can be simultaneously pushed in with sufficient pressing force while the soft seal portion is elastically deformed in accordance with the relative positional relationship with each application ball. This makes it possible to appropriately suppress the exposure of the contents through the communication hole. Furthermore, even if the cap is repeatedly attached to the mouth of the container body, the phenomenon in which the soft seal portion becomes worn due to plastic deformation, that is, the so-called "break-in" phenomenon, is unlikely to occur. This makes it possible to stably maintain the sealing performance when the cap is attached for a long period of time.

[0011] (2) A connecting hole penetrating the cap top wall from top to bottom is formed in the cap top wall, and the soft seal portion comprises a seal body arranged on the underside of the cap top wall, and a seal shaft portion formed integrally with the seal body and arranged inside the connecting hole, the upper end surface of which is exposed on the upper surface of the cap top wall, and a gate mark formed during molding of the soft seal portion remains on the upper end surface of the seal shaft portion. The cap top wall may be provided with a blocking body covering at least the seal shaft portion from above.

[0012] In this case, the soft seal portion can be molded integrally with the cap body by molding (e.g., injection molding) so that a gate mark remains on the upper end surface of the seal shaft portion. Therefore, no gate mark or molding residue remains on the seal body that is disposed on the lower surface of the cap top wall and comes into contact with the multiple application balls, so the seal body can be finished as designed, for example, by forming it to a uniform thickness. Therefore, the seal body can be appropriately elastically deformed, and the multiple application balls can be reliably pressed in. Furthermore, since a blocking body is provided on the top wall of the cap, the seal shaft portion on which gate marks and the like remain can be covered and hidden, improving the appearance and enhancing the design and aesthetic appeal.

[0013] (3) The soft seal portion may be integrally formed with the seal shaft portion and include a seal reinforcement portion disposed on an upper surface of the cap top wall, and the closure may further cover the seal reinforcement portion from above.

[0014] In this case, the soft seal part can be integrally molded with the cap body so that the seal body and the seal reinforcement part sandwich the cap top wall from above and below, so that the soft seal part can be more firmly combined with the cap body. Therefore, even when the cap is attached to the mouth of the container body by, for example, screwing, it is possible to prevent the soft seal part from unintentionally rotating or coming off due to the rotation torque associated with the rotation operation of the cap. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the roll-on applicator container of the present invention, good sealing properties can be maintained even when the container has a plurality of applicator balls. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a longitudinal sectional view (including a side view) showing an embodiment of a roll-on application container according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the periphery of an inner plug of the roll-on application container shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cap is removed from the state shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a top view of the inside plug shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from above. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a roll-on application container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a roll-on application container 1 of this embodiment includes a bottomed, cylindrical container body 2 in which the contents are accommodated, an inner plug 3 attached to an opening 10 of the container body 2, and a topped, cylindrical cap 4 detachably attached to the opening 10 of the container body 2.

[0018] The contents contained in the container body 2 are not particularly limited, but may be, for example, liquids such as hair growth agents, medicines, cosmetics, etc., to be applied to the scalp, skin, etc. of the human body. However, the contents are not limited to those for the human body, and may be liquids to be applied to places other than the human body.

[0019] In Fig. 1, the central axes of the container body 2 and the cap 4 are arranged on a common axis. Hereinafter, this common axis is referred to as the container axis O, and the cap 4 side along the container axis O is referred to as the upper side, and the opposite side, the container body 2 side, is referred to as the lower side. In addition, in a plan view seen from the container axis O direction, the direction intersecting the container axis O is referred to as the radial direction, and the direction going around the container axis O is referred to as the circumferential direction.

[0020] (Container body) The container body 2 is formed into a bottomed tubular shape in which the mouth 10, shoulder 11, body 12, and bottom 13 are arranged in sequence from the top. In the illustrated example, the body 12 is formed into a long cylindrical shape that extends straight in the vertical direction. However, the shape of the container body 2 is not limited to this case, and various shapes may be adopted.

[0021] The mouth 10 of the container body 2 is formed so as to extend upward from the upper end opening of the shoulder portion 11 . The mouth 10 of this embodiment is formed in a two-stage cylindrical shape in which the outer diameter is gradually reduced from the bottom to the top. Specifically, the mouth 10 includes a first mouth 15 formed to have an outer diameter smaller than the portions of the container body 2 other than the mouth 10 (shoulder portion 11, body portion 12, and bottom portion 13), and a second mouth 16 disposed above the first mouth 15 and formed to have an outer diameter even smaller than that of the first mouth 15.

[0022] A first screw portion (e.g., a female screw) 17 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first mouth portion 15. A first engagement protrusion 18 that protrudes radially outward and extends along the circumferential direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the second mouth portion 16. The first engagement protrusion 18 may be formed in an annular shape around the entire circumference of the second mouth portion 16, or a plurality of first engagement protrusions 18 may be formed at intervals in the circumferential direction. However, this is not limited to the case where the first engaging projections 18 are formed. For example, instead of the first engaging projections 18, a female screw may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the second mouth portion 16.

[0023] (Inner stopper) As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the inner plug 3 is provided with a plurality of holding portions 20 having communication holes 21 connecting the inside and outside of the container body 2, and a plurality of application balls 22 that are each held inside the plurality of holding portions 20 so as to be rollable (rotatable), and a portion of which is exposed upward from the holding portions 20. In this embodiment, a configuration including three application balls 22, that is, a configuration in which application balls 22 are held inside three holding portions 20 so as to be able to roll, will be described as an example.

[0024] 4, the three holding parts 20 and application balls 22 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around the container axis O. That is, the three holding parts 20 and application balls 22 are arranged at 120 degree intervals around the container axis O.

[0025] 2 and 3, the inside plug 3 includes a first inside plug 30 attached to the second opening 16 of the container body 2, and a second inside plug 40 disposed above the first inside plug 30 and assembled to the first inside plug 30. The first inside plug 30 and the second inside plug 40 are made of a synthetic resin such as low-density polyethylene, and are each formed by injection molding or the like.

[0026] The first stopper 30 comprises an attachment tube 31 which surrounds the second mouth 16 of the container body 2 from the radial outside, an annular flange portion 32 which protrudes radially inward from the upper end of the attachment tube 31 and contacts the upper opening edge of the second mouth 16, a sealing tube 33 which protrudes downward from the inner peripheral edge of the flange portion 32 and is fitted into the inside of the second mouth 16, a connecting tube 34 which protrudes upward from the flange portion 32, and a top wall portion 35 which closes the upper opening of the connecting tube 34.

[0027] The mounting tube 31 is undercut-fitted to the second mouth portion 16. Specifically, a second engagement protrusion 36 that engages with the first engagement protrusion 18 formed on the second mouth portion 16 is formed on the inner circumferential surface at the lower end of the mounting tube 31 so as to protrude radially inward. The second engagement protrusion 36 is undercut-fitted to the first engagement protrusion 18. In addition, as long as the second engagement projection 36 is capable of undercut fitting with the first engagement projection 18, it may be formed in an annular shape, or a plurality of second engagement projections may be formed at intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0028] The first inside plug 30 is fitted and fixed to the second mouth portion 16 of the container body 2 by the undercut fitting of the second engagement protrusion 36 with the first engagement protrusion 18. This allows the first inside plug 30 to be attached to the second mouth portion 16 of the container body 2, and the two are combined into one body. However, the method of attaching the first inside plug 30 to the second mouth 16 of the container body 2 is not limited to undercut fitting. For example, as described above, if a female thread portion is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the second mouth 16, the first inside plug 30 may be attached to the second mouth 16 by screwing by forming a male thread portion that screws into the female thread portion on the inner circumferential surface of the attachment tube 31.

[0029] The sealing cylinder 33 is, for example, tightly fitted to the inside of the second opening portion 16. In this way, the sealing cylinder 33 properly seals the container body 2. The connecting tube 34 is formed to extend upward from the inner peripheral edge of the flange portion 32. The connecting tube 34 is formed to have an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the mounting tube 31. The inner diameter of the connecting tube 34 is the same as the inner diameter of the sealing tube 33. A third engagement protrusion 37 that protrudes radially outward and extends circumferentially is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the connecting tube 34. The third engagement protrusion 37 may be formed in an annular shape around the entire circumference of the connecting tube 34, or may be formed in a plurality of parts spaced apart in the circumferential direction.

[0030] The top wall portion 35 is connected to the upper end portion of the connecting cylinder 34. The top wall portion 35 has a communication hole 21 formed therein, which penetrates the top wall portion 35 in the vertical direction and connects the inside and outside of the container body 2. Three communication holes 21 are formed so as to be aligned at equal intervals in the circumferential direction centered on the container axis O. That is, the three communication holes 21 are disposed at an angle of 120 degrees centered on the container axis O. The center line passing through the center of each communication hole 21 in the vertical direction is referred to as the application axis C.

[0031] Furthermore, three support cylinders 38 extending upward are formed on the top wall portion 35 coaxially with the application axis C. As a result, the inside of the support cylinders 38 communicates with the inside of the container body 2 through the communication holes 21. Note that a part of the support cylinders 38 is formed integrally with the connecting cylinder 34. The three application balls 22 are respectively disposed above these support cylinders 38 and are supported by the support cylinders 38 from below so as to be rotatable.

[0032] A lower annular seal portion (annular seal portion according to the present invention) 39 is formed on the upper end surface of the support cylinder 38, protruding upward and capable of contacting the outer surface of the application ball 22 from below. The lower annular seal portion 39 is capable of closely contacting the outer surface of the application ball 22 over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction. The support cylinder 38 is formed with an outer diameter that is the same as the diameter of the application ball 22 or slightly larger than the diameter of the application ball 22 .

[0033] The second plug 40 is assembled to the first plug 30 so as to cover the first plug 30 from above. The second plug 40 includes an outer shell tube 41 that surrounds the connecting tube 34 of the first plug 30 from the outside in the radial direction, and a top wall portion 42 that covers the entire top wall portion 35, including the three support tubes 38, from above.

[0034] The outer shell tube 41 is formed so that its outer diameter is the same as that of the mounting tube 31. The outer shell tube 41 is undercut fitted to the connecting tube 34. Specifically, a fourth engagement protrusion 43 that engages with the third engagement protrusion 37 formed on the connecting tube 34 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lower end of the outer shell tube 41 so as to protrude radially inward. The fourth engagement protrusion 43 is undercut fitted to the third engagement protrusion 37. As a result, the second inside plug 40 is integrally combined with the first inside plug 30 by undercut fitting.

[0035] The outer peripheral edge of the top wall portion 42 is rounded so that the diameter gradually decreases from the bottom to the top. Furthermore, in the portion of the top wall portion 42 facing the three support cylinders 38 in the vertical direction, three holding holes 44 that penetrate the top wall portion 42 in the vertical direction and that house the three support cylinders 38 therein are formed coaxially with the application axis C.

[0036] The inner diameter of the lower portion of the retaining hole 44 is the same as the outer diameter of the support tube 38. As a result, the support tube 38 is tightly fitted into the inside of the retaining hole 44. Inside the retaining hole 44, the space located above the support tube 38 serves as an inner plug space 45 that accommodates the application ball 22 in a rotatable manner. The inner plug space 45 communicates with the inside of the support cylinder 38. As a result, the inside of the container body 2 communicates with the outside through the communication hole 21, the inside of the support cylinder 38, and the inner plug space 45.

[0037] The inner diameter of the upper portion of the retaining hole 44, which is located above the support tube 38, gradually decreases as it extends upward. As a result, the inner diameter of the upper portion of the retaining hole 44 is smaller than the diameter of the application ball 22. Therefore, application ball 22 can be held in the inner plug space 45 of the retaining hole 44 in a rotatable manner while being prevented from falling out upward. As a result, the support cylinder 38 and the holding hole 44 function as a holding portion 20 that holds the application ball 22 in a rotatable manner.

[0038] The inner peripheral surface of the upper portion of the retaining hole 44 serves as an upper annular seal portion 46 that can come into contact with the outer surface of the application ball 22 from the outside and from above in the radial direction. The upper annular seal portion 46 is capable of tightly contacting the outer surface of the application ball 22 over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction.

[0039] The application ball 22 is rotatably held by each of the three holding portions 20. That is, each application ball 22 is supported from below by the support cylinder 38 and is disposed rotatably within the inner plug space 45 in the holding hole 44. The application ball 22 is formed in a spherical shape centered on the application axis C, and is made of, for example, metal. The upper end of application ball 22 protrudes above the upper opening of holding hole 44 and is exposed to the outside. This makes it possible to apply the contents by utilizing the part of application ball 22 that is exposed to the outside.

[0040] By combining the second inner plug 40 with the first inner plug 30 from above, the three application balls 22 are placed on the lower annular seal portion 39 of each support cylinder 38 and are arranged in the inner plug space 45 of the retaining hole 44 in a state where they are prevented from coming out upward. Furthermore, the application balls 22 are movable in the vertical direction between the lower annular seal portion 39 and the upper annular seal portion 46 within the inner plug space 45.

[0041] (cap) As shown in FIG. 2, the cap 4 includes a cap body 50 having a cylindrical shape with a top that covers the inside plug 3 from above, and a soft seal portion 60 that is made of a material softer than the cap body 50 and is integrally molded with the cap body 50.

[0042] The cap body 50 comprises a cap peripheral wall 51 which surrounds the inner stopper 3 and the mouth portion 10 (first mouth portion 15 and second mouth portion 16) of the container body 2 from the radial outside, and a cap top wall 52 which closes the upper end opening of the cap peripheral wall 51 and covers the inner stopper 3 from above. Furthermore, the cap body 50 of this embodiment includes a decorative cylinder 53 formed to extend further upward from the cap top wall 52. In the illustrated example, the decorative cylinder 53 is formed to have the same outer diameter as the cap peripheral wall 51.

[0043] A second screw portion (e.g., a male screw portion) 54 that screws into the first screw portion 17 formed in the first opening portion 15 of the container body 2 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lower end side of the cap peripheral wall 51. As a result, the entire cap 4 is detachably attached to the opening portion 10 of the container body 2 by screwing the second screw portion 54 into the first screw portion 17. However, the method of attaching the cap 4 to the mouth 10 of the container body 2 is not limited to screwing (threaded connection), and it may be attached, for example, by undercutting and fitting the cap peripheral wall 51 to the first mouth 15.

[0044] Cap top wall 52 is disposed above application balls 22 with a gap therebetween, the application balls 22 protruding above second inside plug 40. A connecting hole 55 is formed in the center of cap top wall 52, penetrating cap top wall 52 in the up-down direction. Connecting hole 55 is formed, for example, in a circular shape in plan view, and is disposed simultaneously with container axis O. However, the position where the connecting hole 55 is formed does not need to be coaxial with the container axis O, and it may be formed at a position displaced from the container axis O in the radial direction.

[0045] The cap body 50 configured as described above is a molded product made of, for example, a general hard synthetic resin material (for example, polypropylene, etc.). As described above, the soft seal portion 60 is made of a material softer than the cap body 50, for example, an elastically deformable soft material such as elastomer or rubber, and is integrally molded with the cap body 50. Specifically, the soft seal portion 60 is formed by being integrally molded with the cap body 50, which is a primary molded product, for example, by insert molding.

[0046] The soft seal portion 60 comprises a seal body 61 arranged on the underside of the cap top wall 52, a seal shaft portion 62 formed integrally with the seal body 61, arranged inside the connecting hole 55, and having an upper end surface exposed on the upper side of the cap top wall 52, and a seal reinforcement portion 63 formed integrally with the seal shaft portion 62 and arranged on the upper surface of the cap top wall 52.

[0047] The seal body 61 is formed in a disk shape capable of covering the three application balls 22 from above, and is disposed coaxially with the container axis O. The seal body 61 is formed with a thickness that allows it to come into contact with the three application balls 22 from above when the cap 4 is attached to the mouth portion 10 of the container body 2. This enables the seal body 61 to push the three application balls 22 downward.

[0048] The seal shaft portion 62 protrudes above the cap top wall 52, and a gate mark (including molding residue, etc.) 64 remains on the upper end face of the seal shaft portion 62 during molding of the soft seal portion 60. The seal reinforcement portion 63 is formed integrally with the seal shaft portion 62 and is formed in a disk shape larger than the seal body 61. As described above, the soft seal portion 60 is integrally formed with the cap body 50 so that the seal body 61 and the seal reinforcing portion 63 sandwich the cap top wall 52 from above and below.

[0049] A decorative cap (closure body according to the present invention) 70 is provided on the cap top wall 52, covering the seal shaft portion 62 and the seal reinforcement portion 63 from above. The decorative cap 70 is formed in a topped cylindrical shape arranged coaxially with the container axis O, and is fitted inside the upper end portion of the decorative tube 53. As a result, the decorative cap 70 closes the upper end opening of the decorative tube 53, and also plays a role of covering and hiding the seal shaft portion 62 and the seal reinforcement portion 63 from above.

[0050] (Roll-on application container action) Next, a case where the roll-on application container 1 configured as described above is used will be described. First, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, when the cap 4 is attached to the mouth 10 of the container body 2, the application ball 22 is pushed downward by the soft seal portion 60, and is thereby pressed against the lower annular seal portion 39.

[0051] When applying the contents, the cap 4 is removed from the mouth 10 of the container body 2, which is in an upright position with the mouth 10 of the container body 2 facing upward as shown in Figures 1 and 2. This releases the application ball 22 from the downward pressure exerted by the soft seal portion 60 as shown in Figure 3, allowing it to move upward.

[0052] 3 is tilted or inverted so that the mouth 10 of the container body 2 faces downward, the application ball 22 can be moved toward the upper annular seal portion 46 within the inner plug space 45 and separated from the lower annular seal portion 39. This allows a gap that communicates between the inside of the container body 2 and the inside of the inner plug space 45 to be defined between the lower annular seal portion 39 and the outer surface of the application ball 22, and the contents can be supplied from the inside of the container body 2 to the inside of the inner plug space 45 through the gap.

[0053] At this time, the outer surface of application ball 22 and upper annular seal portion 46 can be brought into close contact with each other, for example, and the contents can be prevented from leaking out from inside inner plug space 45 to the outside through the gap between the outer surface of application ball 22 and upper annular seal portion 46.

[0054] Next, by pressing the portion of the application ball 22 that is exposed to the outside from the inner plug 3 against the application target (not shown), the application ball 22 can be moved toward the lower annular seal portion 39 in the inner plug space 45, and a gap that communicates with the inner plug space 45 can be defined between the upper annular seal portion 46 and the outer surface of the application ball 22. Then, by moving the container body 2 along the application target while pressing the application ball 22 against the application target, the application ball 22 can be rolled (rotated) in the inner plug space 45. As a result, the contents in the inner plug space 45 can be made to flow out of the inner plug 3 through the gap defined between the upper annular seal portion 46 and the outer surface of the application ball 22 as the application ball 22 rotates. As a result, the contents that have been transferred to the outer surface of the application ball 22 can be applied to the application target.

[0055] In addition, when the application ball 22 is pressed against the application target, the application ball 22 is pressed against the lower annular seal portion 39, and the communication hole 21 is maintained in a sealed state. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the content from being excessively supplied from the inside of the container body 2 into the inner plug space 45.

[0056] As described above, the contents can be applied to the application target by utilizing the application balls 22. In particular, in this embodiment, since three application balls 22 are provided, the contents can be effectively applied to a wide range of the application target in one application operation, allowing for a variety of usages. For example, when the contents are stored in the inner plug space 45, it is possible to apply the contents while keeping the container body 2 in the upright position, without tilting it or turning it upside down.

[0057] Next, when application of the contents has been completed, the cap 4 is attached to the mouth portion 10 of the container body 2 by screwing, as shown in Figs. This allows the seal body 61 of the soft seal portion 60 to come into contact with the three application balls 22 from above, and allows each of the three application balls 22 to be pressed downward. Therefore, each of the three application balls 22 can be pressed against the lower annular seal portion 39, and communication between the inside and outside of the container body 2 through the communication hole 21 can be blocked.

[0058] In particular, the soft seal portion 60 is formed from an elastically deformable soft material that is softer than the cap body 50, so that all of the application balls 22 can be appropriately pushed downward while the seal body 61 in the soft seal portion 60 is appropriately elastically deformed. Therefore, it is not easily affected by the molding accuracy of the cap body 50 and the soft seal portion 60, and all of the application balls 22 can be simultaneously pushed in with sufficient pressing force while the seal body 61 of the soft seal portion 60 is elastically deformed in accordance with the relative positional relationship with each application ball 22.

[0059] This appropriately prevents the contents from being exposed through the communication hole 21. Furthermore, even if the cap 4 is repeatedly attached to the mouth 10 of the container body 2, the soft seal portion 60 is less likely to become worn due to plastic deformation, a phenomenon known as "break-in." This allows the sealing performance of the cap 4 when attached to be stably maintained for a long period of time.

[0060] The thickness of the seal body 61 (thickness in the vertical direction) is preferably, for example, 0.5 mm or more and 2 mm or less. If the thickness of the seal body 61 is thinner than 0.5 mm, it is likely to be difficult to maintain the pressing force against the application ball 22. Conversely, if the thickness of the seal body 61 exceeds 2 mm, the elastic restoring force of the seal body 61 itself is likely to become excessive. Therefore, it is preferable that the thickness of the seal body 61 is within the above range (0.5 mm or more and 2 mm or less). Furthermore, the interference (overlap amount) between the seal body 61 and the application ball 22 is preferably within a range of, for example, 30% to 40% of the thickness of the seal body 61. In this embodiment, the thickness of the seal body 61 is 1 mm, and the interference is 0.3 mm.

[0061] As described above, the roll-on application container 1 of this embodiment can maintain good sealing performance even though it has three application balls 22. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the contents from unintentionally leaking during product distribution, when not in use, during storage, etc., and it is possible to store the contents appropriately without causing deterioration, etc.

[0062] Furthermore, since the soft seal portion 60 can be integrally formed with the cap body 50 so that the seal body 61 and the seal reinforcing portion 63 sandwich the cap top wall 52 from above and below, the soft seal portion 60 can be more firmly combined with the cap body 50. Therefore, even when the cap 4 is attached to the mouth portion 10 of the container body 2 by screwing, it is possible to prevent inconveniences such as the soft seal portion 60 rotating unintentionally or coming off due to the rotation torque associated with the rotation operation of the cap 4.

[0063] Furthermore, by molding (e.g., injection molding) so that a gate mark 64 remains on the upper end surface of the seal shaft portion 62, the soft seal portion 60 can be molded integrally with the cap body 50. Therefore, no gate mark or molding residue remains on the seal body 61 that is disposed on the lower surface of the cap top wall 52 and comes into contact with the three application balls 22, so that the seal body 61 can be finished as designed, for example, by forming it to a uniform thickness. Therefore, the seal body 61 can be appropriately elastically deformed, and the three application balls 22 can be reliably pressed in.

[0064] Furthermore, since the decorative cylinder 53 is provided on the cap top wall 52 and the decorative cap 70 is fitted inside the decorative cylinder 53, the seal shaft portion 62 and the seal reinforcement portion 63 with the gate mark 64 can be covered and hidden from above. This makes it possible to improve the appearance of the roll-on application container 1 and to improve the design and aesthetics.

[0065] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. In addition, modifications in each embodiment may be appropriately combined. Furthermore, this embodiment and its modifications include, for example, those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine, those that are substantially the same, those within the scope of equivalents, and the like.

[0066] For example, in the above embodiment, the configuration is provided with three application balls 22, but the number of application balls 22 is not limited to three, and may be, for example, two, or four or more. In this case, it is sufficient to provide communication holes 21 and holding portions 20 corresponding to the number of application balls 22.

[0067] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was given of the case where the inner plug 3 is formed by combining the first inner plug 30 and the second inner plug 40, but it is also possible to form a single inner plug having, for example, three retaining tubes that hold the application ball 22 in a rotatable manner. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the decorative cap 70 is fitted inside the decorative tube 53 to cover and hide the seal shaft portion 62 and the seal reinforcement portion 63 from above, but this is not limited to this case. For example, the decorative cap may be directly attached to the upper surface of the cap top wall 52 to cover and hide the seal shaft portion 62 and the seal reinforcement portion 63 from above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1…Roll-on application container 2…Container body 3…Inner stopper 4. Cap 10...Mouth of container body 20...Holding part 21...Communication hole 22...Applied ball 39...Lower annular seal part (annular seal part) 50…Cap body 55...Connection hole 60...Soft seal part 61…Seal body 62…Seal shaft 64...Gate mark 63…Seal reinforcement 70…Cosmetic cap (occlusion body)

Claims

1. A container body in which contents are accommodated; An inner plug attached to the mouth of the container body; a cap that covers the inside plug from above and is attached to the mouth of the container body, The inner plug is A plurality of holding portions each having a communication hole that communicates between the inside and the outside of the container body; a plurality of application balls that are rollably held inside the plurality of holding portions, and a portion of each of the application balls is exposed upward from the holding portions; Each of the plurality of holding portions is a support cylinder having the communication hole formed therein and supporting the application ball from below so that the application ball can roll; a retaining hole formed to penetrate a top wall portion covering the support tube from above in the vertical direction and into which the support tube is fitted; a space inside the holding hole and located above the support cylinder is an inner plug space that accommodates the application ball in a rotatable manner, a lower annular seal portion that protrudes upward and is capable of contacting an outer surface of the application ball from below is formed on an upper end surface of the support cylinder; an inner circumferential surface of an upper portion of the holding hole is an upper annular seal portion capable of contacting an outer surface of the application ball from above; The application ball is movable in the vertical direction between the lower annular seal portion and the upper annular seal portion in the inner plug space, The cap is a cap body having a cap top wall that covers the inside plug from above; a soft seal portion formed of a material softer than the cap body and integrally molded on a lower surface of the cap top wall; When the cap is attached to the mouth of the container body, the soft seal portion contacts the plurality of application balls from above and presses the application balls downward, thereby pressing the application balls against the lower annular seal portion; After the cap is removed, the multiple application balls move toward the upper annular seal portion, thereby forming a gap between the outer surface of the application balls and the lower annular seal portion that allows the supply of the contents from within the container body to the inner stopper space while suppressing the outflow of the contents from within the inner stopper space to the outside through a gap between the outer surface of the application balls and the upper annular seal portion, Furthermore, by moving the multiple application balls toward the lower annular seal portion, a gap is defined between the outer surface of the application balls and the upper annular seal portion, which allows the contents to flow out of the inner stopper space to the outside while suppressing the supply of the contents from inside the container body to the inner stopper space through a gap between the outer surface of the application balls and the lower annular seal portion, A roll-on application container characterized in that a content can be stored in the inner plug space.

2. The roll-on application container according to claim 1, A connecting hole is formed in the top wall of the cap, the connecting hole penetrating the top wall of the cap in the vertical direction. The soft seal portion is A seal body disposed on a lower surface of the top wall of the cap; a seal shaft portion that is integrally formed with the seal body, that is disposed inside the connecting hole, and that has an upper end surface exposed on an upper surface side of the cap top wall, A gate mark formed during molding of the soft seal portion remains on the upper end surface of the seal shaft portion, The roll-on applicator container has a closing body provided on a top wall of the cap, the closing body covering at least the seal shaft portion from above.

3. The roll-on application container according to claim 2, the soft seal portion is integrally formed with the seal shaft portion and includes a seal reinforcing portion disposed on an upper surface of the cap top wall, The roll-on application container, wherein the closing body further covers the seal reinforcement portion from above.

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