Liquid container and method for manufacturing the liquid container

Abstract

To provide a liquid container that allows a content fluid inside an over-cap to be easily returned into a container body and a manufacturing method of the liquid container.SOLUTION: A liquid container 100 comprises: a container body 10 with a cylindrical mouth 13 that continues to a storage space S of a content fluid; a nozzle cap 20 with a nozzle part 28 that is attached to the mouth 13 and discharges the content fluid to the outside; and an over-cap 30 that closes the nozzle part 28. The nozzle cap 20 includes: an attachment part 21 that is attached to the mouth 13; the nozzle part 28 that is cylindrical and protrudes upward from the inside in the radial direction of the attachment part 21; and a connection part 28g that connects the attachment part 21 and the nozzle part 28. The connection part 28g has a liquid recovery valve 28d that opens and closes a liquid recovery hole 28h for returning the content fluid outside in the radial direction of the nozzle part 28 to the storage space S, and the liquid recovery valve 28d is released when the over-cap 30 is attached, and is closed when the attachment of the over-cap 30 is released.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a liquid container and a method for manufacturing the liquid container.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a container for storing a content liquid having a relatively high viscosity such as a liquid detergent or a softener for laundry, a nozzle cap having a nozzle is attached to the mouth of a container body having a storage space for the content liquid, and a liquid container having a configuration in which this nozzle cap is closed with an overcap is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the liquid container as described in Patent Document 1, it is common to use it after pouring the content liquid into an overcap having a metering function and measuring it. However, when the nozzle is closed with the overcap after using the content liquid, the content liquid remaining in the overcap adheres to the outside of the nozzle, and there has been a problem that the user's hand or the container body may be soiled with the content liquid at the next use. Therefore, there is room for improvement in this regard.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to solve such problems, and to provide a liquid container and a method for manufacturing the liquid container capable of easily returning the content liquid in the overcap into the container body.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The liquid container of the present disclosure A liquid container comprising a container body having a cylindrical mouth portion connected to the accommodation space for the content liquid, a nozzle cap having a nozzle portion attached to the mouth portion for discharging the content liquid to the outside, and an overcap for closing the nozzle portion. The nozzle cap has a mounting portion mounted on the mouth portion, a cylindrical nozzle portion protruding upward from the radially inner side of the mounting portion, and a connecting portion connecting the mounting portion and the nozzle portion and has a liquid recovery valve for opening and closing a liquid recovery hole for returning the content liquid outside the radially outer side of the nozzle portion into the accommodation space is provided in the connecting portion, the liquid recovery valve is opened when the overcap is mounted and closed when the mounting of the overcap is released, the liquid recovery hole has a nozzle hole portion extending along the peripheral wall of the nozzle portion and a connecting hole portion extending radially along the connecting portion, the liquid recovery valve includes a valve body having a nozzle cylinder portion connected to the upper end portion of the nozzle hole portion via a hinge portion at the circumferential position where the liquid recovery hole is formed and closing the nozzle hole portion, and a connecting wall portion connected to the lower end portion of the nozzle cylinder portion and closing the connecting hole portion, When the overcap is mounted, the lower end portion of the overcap presses the radially outer portion of the valve body downward to open the liquid recovery hole.

[0007] Also, in the liquid container of the present disclosure, in the above configuration, the liquid recovery valve preferably has a valve body connected to the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle portion via a hinge portion at the circumferential position where the liquid recovery hole is formed and extending radially outward, and when the overcap is mounted, the lower end portion of the overcap presses the radially outer portion of the valve body downward to open the liquid recovery hole.

[0008] Also, in the liquid container of the present disclosure, in the above configuration, the liquid recovery hole has a nozzle hole portion extending along the peripheral wall of the nozzle portion and a connecting hole portion extending radially along the connecting portion. The liquid recovery valve includes a valve body having a nozzle cylinder portion that is connected to the upper end portion of the nozzle hole portion via a hinge portion at a circumferential position where the liquid recovery hole is formed and closes the nozzle hole portion, and a connection wall portion that is connected to the lower end portion of the nozzle cylinder portion and closes the connection hole portion. When the overcap is attached, it is preferable that the lower end portion of the overcap presses the radially outer portion of the valve body downward to open the liquid recovery hole.

[0009] Further, in the liquid container of the present disclosure, in the above configuration, it is preferable that the valve body is provided with a pressing portion that protrudes upward from the radially outer portion of the valve body.

[0010] Further, in the liquid container of the present disclosure, in the above configuration, the connecting portion is formed as a spiral plate that spirally extends radially outward from the lower portion of the nozzle portion toward the mounting portion. When the overcap is attached, the top wall of the overcap presses the upper end portion of the nozzle portion downward, and a gap is formed between the spiral plates adjacent in the radial direction in the connecting portion, so that the liquid recovery valve is preferably opened.

[0011] Further, in the liquid container of the present disclosure, in the above configuration, it is preferable that the peripheral wall of the nozzle portion has a concave groove that recesses radially outward in a part of the circumferential direction.

[0012] Further, a method for manufacturing a liquid container of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a liquid container according to any one of the above, a step of integrally forming the nozzle portion, the spiral plate that extends downward radially outward from the nozzle portion, and the mounting portion that is connected to the spiral plate, a step of biasing the radially inner spiral plate among the spiral plates adjacent in the radial direction in the spiral plate to be positioned below the radially outer spiral plate and is characterized by including.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a liquid container capable of easily returning the content liquid in the overcap into the container body and a method for manufacturing the liquid container.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be illustrated and described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0016] The liquid container 100 which is 1st Embodiment of this indication shown in FIG. 1 is used for the use which accommodates the content liquid with relatively high viscosity, such as a liquid detergent and a softener for washing, for example, and has the container main body 10, the nozzle cap 20, and the over cap 30. In this specification, claims, abstract, and drawings, the side where the over cap 30 is located is made into upper side (upper side in FIG. 1), and the side where the container main body 10 is located is made into lower side (lower side in FIG. 1). Further, the radially outer side is a direction away from the central axis O along a straight line perpendicular to the central axis O passing through the central axis O of the liquid container 100 extending in the vertical direction in FIG. 1, and the radially inner side refers to a direction toward the central axis O along the straight line. The central axis O in FIG. 1 is used for the definition of the radially outer side and the radially inner side, and does not mean that each member of the liquid container 100 of the present embodiment is always formed axially symmetrically around the central axis O.

[0017] The container main body 10 is formed in a bottle shape provided with a trunk portion having an accommodation space S inside, a bottom portion (not shown) that closes the lower end of the trunk portion, and a cylindrical mouth portion 13 that continues to the accommodation space S, and the content liquid (not shown) can be accommodated in the accommodation space S. As this container main body 10, what is made from synthetic resins, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene (PE), can be used, for example. The mouth portion 13 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and can be formed in other shapes as long as it is cylindrical, such as an elliptical cylindrical shape or a rectangular cylindrical shape.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the nozzle cap 20 includes a mounting portion 21 having an outer peripheral wall 23 mounted on the mouth portion 13 of the container body 10, a top wall 26 continuous with the upper portion of the outer peripheral wall 23, and a seal wall 26a hanging downward from the radially inner end of the top wall 26, a cylindrical nozzle portion 28 protruding upward from the radially inner side of the mounting portion 21, and a connecting portion 28g connecting the mounting portion 21 and the nozzle portion 28. In the present embodiment, the mounting portion 21, the connecting portion 28g, and the nozzle portion 28 are integrally formed and can be made of, for example, synthetic resin.

[0019] More specifically described, the mounting portion 21 includes a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 23 having a larger diameter than the mouth portion 13, and a female thread 23a integrally provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 23 is screwed to a male thread 13a integrally provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 13, whereby the mounting portion 21 is mounted on the mouth portion 13. A plurality of concave grooves 23b are provided at the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 23, and a locking rib 13b provided at the base portion of the mouth portion 13 is engaged with the concave grooves 23b. Thereby, the mounting portion 21 is held in a mounted state with respect to the mouth portion 13 and is not easily removed from the mouth portion 13.

[0020] In the illustrated case, the mounting portion 21 is configured to be mounted on the mouth portion 13 by screw connection, but is not limited thereto, and may be configured to be mounted on the mouth portion 13 by other means such as an undercut. In this case, the outer peripheral wall 23 can be formed into other shapes such as an elliptical cylinder shape or a rectangular cylinder shape according to the shape of the mouth portion 13.

[0021] The mounting portion 21 is provided with a top wall 26 that connects to the upper part of the outer peripheral wall 23. A seal wall 26a hangs down from the radially inner side of the outer peripheral wall 23 on the top wall 26, and by fitting this seal wall 26a to the inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion 13, the mounting portion 21 seals the upper end opening of the mouth portion 13 in a liquid-tight manner. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, by extending the length of the seal wall 26a downward to the extension portion 26c at two locations in the circumferential direction, the surface tension of the content liquid in this seal wall 26a is set to a size suitable for drawing the content liquid into the container body 10 through the liquid recovery hole 28h. Due to the configuration of this extension portion 26c, as will be described later, it is possible to improve the dripping when recovering the content liquid remaining in the overcap 30 into the container body 10 through the liquid recovery hole 28h.

[0022] The mounting portion 21 further includes a mounted cylinder 25. The mounted cylinder 25 has a smaller diameter than the outer peripheral wall 23 and is formed in a cylindrical shape coaxial with the outer peripheral wall 23, and protrudes upward from the upper surface of the top wall 26. A male thread 25a for mounting the overcap 30 is integrally provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mounted cylinder 25.

[0023] The nozzle portion 28 is provided with concave grooves 28b that extend from the upper end portion to the vicinity of the lower end portion of the peripheral wall 28a along the central axis O direction at four locations in the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall 28a (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, the nozzle portion 28 is provided with concave grooves 28b at equal intervals at four locations in the circumferential direction. By providing these concave grooves 28b, as will be described later, when the container body 10 is inverted to discharge the content liquid, air can flow in the concave grooves 28b that face the region where the content liquid flows in the nozzle portion 28 (see the arrow from the lower left to the inside of the concave groove 28b in FIG. 5), so the content liquid can be discharged smoothly without separately providing an outside air introduction hole in the container body 10 or the like.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 3, the connecting portion 28g is a portion that connects the nozzle portion 28 and the mounting portion 21 (not shown in Fig. 3), and has a substantially annular shape. At two circumferentially opposing locations in the connecting portion 28g, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, a liquid recovery hole 28h and a liquid recovery valve 28d that can open and close the liquid recovery hole 28h are provided.

[0025] As shown in the enlarged view of Fig. 2 at the circumferential position where the liquid recovery hole 28h is provided, the liquid recovery valve 28d is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle portion 28 via a hinge portion 28c and has a valve body that extends radially outward. As shown in Fig. 2, a pressing portion 28e that protrudes substantially upward is provided at the radially outer portion of the liquid recovery valve 28d. As will be described later, in the process of the user attaching the overcap 30 to the nozzle cap 20 after using the content liquid, the lower end portion 32a of the peripheral wall 32 of the overcap 30 contacts this pressing portion 28e before the connecting portion 28g. The lower end portion 32a of the overcap 30 will push down the liquid recovery valve 28d by up to the height of the pressing portion 28e.

[0026] A biasing portion 28f that hangs down from the valve body is provided on the lower surface of the liquid recovery valve 28d. As shown in Fig. 2, the biasing portion 28f is in contact with and elastically deformed near the lower end portion of the nozzle portion 28 in a state where the liquid recovery valve 28d is pressed by the lower end portion 32a of the peripheral wall 32 of the overcap 30 to open the liquid recovery hole 28h (the biasing portion 28f before elastic deformation is shown by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 2). Due to this elastic deformation, the biasing portion 28f biases the radially outer portion of the liquid recovery valve 28d in an upward direction. When the pressing of the liquid recovery valve 28d by the overcap 30 is released, the liquid recovery valve 28d is lifted by the restoring force of the hinge portion 28c itself and the biasing force from the biasing portion 28f, and acts to close the liquid recovery hole 28h.

[0027] In addition, in the present embodiment, since the nozzle portion 28 has a substantially cylindrical shape, the hinge portion 28c has a substantially arc shape in plan view. Therefore, when the liquid recovery valve 28d is pressed by the overcap 30, tensile stress acting upward in addition to bending stress acts on both circumferential ends of the hinge portion 28c. Therefore, a stronger restoring force that attempts to return to the original shape is generated in the hinge portion 28c according to the present embodiment compared to the case where the hinge portion 28c has a linear shape. Thus, when the pressing by the overcap 30 is released, the liquid recovery valve 28d is restored to a state of extending substantially horizontally outward in the radial direction as shown in FIG. 4 by the stronger restoring force of the hinge portion 28c itself and the biasing force of the biasing portion 28f.

[0028] The overcap 30 includes a mounting cylinder 31a formed in a cylindrical shape with a larger diameter than the mounted cylinder 25, an upper wall 31e that continues from the upper end portion of the mounting cylinder 31a and extends radially inward, a peripheral wall 32 that extends substantially vertically from the inner peripheral end of the upper wall 31e, and a top wall 32b that closes the upper end portion of the peripheral wall 32. The peripheral wall 32 and the top wall 32b are formed in a toped cylindrical shape, and the peripheral wall 32 may be provided with a measuring scale indicated by, for example, rib-shaped protrusions or printing. A female thread 31c is integrally provided on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder 31a, and by threadedly coupling this female thread 31c to the male thread 25a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mounted cylinder 25, the overcap 30 is detachably mounted on the mounting portion 21. A seal wall 31f hangs down from the lower surface of the upper wall 31e on the radially inner side of the mounting cylinder 31a, and by fitting into the inner peripheral surface of the mounted cylinder 25, the open end of the mounted cylinder 25 is liquid-tightly sealed.

[0029] When the overcap 30 is mounted on the mounting portion 21, the nozzle portion 28 is covered by the overcap 30 and the nozzle portion 28 is closed. On the other hand, when the overcap 30 is removed from the mounting portion 21, the nozzle portion 28 is exposed and the content liquid can be poured out.

[0030] The overcap 30 can be used as a measuring cup for measuring liquid by setting the top wall 32b formed in a flat plate shape on the lower side and the opening of the overcap 30 on the upper side.

[0031] In this embodiment, the overcap 30 can be formed of, for example, a synthetic resin material. The overcap 30 can be made of, for example, a transparent or translucent resin, and with such a configuration, it is possible to easily recognize the upper surface of the content liquid when the content liquid is put in.

[0032] When the overcap 30 is removed from the nozzle cap 20 shown in FIG. 1, by gripping the peripheral wall 32 and turning it around the central axis O to release the screw connection between the mounting cylinder 31a and the mounted cylinder 25, the overcap 30 moves upward with respect to the nozzle cap 20. Then, by pulling out the overcap 30 upward in a state where the screw engagement is completely released, it can be removed from the nozzle cap 20.

[0033] When the overcap 30 is removed from the nozzle cap 20, as shown in FIG. 4, the radially outer portion of the liquid recovery valve 28d is pushed upward by the biasing force from the biasing portion 28f and moves to the vicinity of the widened portion 26b (see FIG. 2) of the seal wall 26a, whereby the liquid recovery hole 28h is closed.

[0034] With the overcap 30 removed from the nozzle cap 20 and the nozzle opening 28i of the nozzle portion 28 exposed, the container body 10 is tilted from the upright position with the tip of the nozzle portion 28 facing upward to a tilted position with the container body 10 upward, so that the content liquid in the accommodation space S can be poured out from the tip of the nozzle portion 28 through the nozzle opening 28i to the outside. At this time, since the liquid recovery hole 28h is blocked by the liquid recovery valve 28d, the content liquid can be discharged to the outside only from the nozzle opening 28i without passing through the liquid recovery hole 28h. Further, since the nozzle portion 28 is provided with a concave groove 28b, when discharging the content liquid, air can flow through the concave groove 28b facing the region where the content liquid flows in the nozzle portion 28 (see the arrow from the lower left to the inside of the concave groove 28b in FIG. 5), so that the content liquid can be discharged smoothly without separately providing an outside air introduction hole in the container body 10 or the like. The user first measures the discharged content liquid in the overcap 30, and then pours the content liquid from the overcap 30 and uses it for the intended purpose.

[0035] When the use of the content liquid is finished, the user returns the container body 10 to the upright position shown in FIG. 1 and attaches the overcap 30 to the nozzle cap 20 again. By attaching the overcap 30, the lower end portion 32a of the peripheral wall 32 presses the pressing portion 28e of the liquid recovery valve 28d again. As a result, the radially outer portion of the liquid recovery valve 28d is pushed down and the liquid recovery hole 28h is opened. That is, by pushing down the liquid recovery valve 28d, both circumferential sides of the pressing portion 28e in the liquid recovery hole 28h are opened, so that the content liquid adhering to the peripheral wall 32 and the top wall 32b of the overcap 30 flows downward along the inner surface of the peripheral wall 32 and is recovered into the accommodation space S of the container body 10 through the liquid recovery hole 28h.

[0036] In addition, in the present embodiment, the mounting cylinder 31a of the overcap 30 is mounted on the mounted cylinder 25 provided on the nozzle cap 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the overcap 30 may be mounted outside the outer peripheral wall 23 without providing the mounted cylinder 25 on the nozzle cap 20. Further, the overcap 30 may be directly mounted on the container body 10.

[0037] As described above, in the present embodiment, the liquid container 100 includes a container body 10 having a cylindrical mouth portion 13 continuous with the storage space S of the content liquid, a nozzle cap 20 mounted on the mouth portion 13 and having a nozzle portion 28 for discharging the content liquid to the outside, and an overcap 30 for closing the nozzle portion 28. The nozzle cap 20 has a mounting portion 21 mounted on the mouth portion 13, a cylindrical nozzle portion 28 protruding upward from the radially inner side of the mounting portion 21, and a connecting portion 28g connecting the mounting portion 21 and the nozzle portion 28. The connecting portion 28g is provided with a liquid recovery valve 28d for opening and closing a liquid recovery hole 28h for returning the content liquid outside the radially outer side of the nozzle portion 28 into the storage space S. The liquid recovery valve 28d is configured to be opened when the overcap 30 is mounted and closed when the mounting of the overcap 30 is released. By adopting such a configuration, when the overcap 30 is mounted after use, the liquid recovery hole 28h is automatically opened, and the content liquid remaining in the overcap 30 can be easily recovered into the container body 10 through the liquid recovery hole 28h. Further, when the overcap 30 is removed and the content liquid is poured out from the nozzle portion 28 to the outside, the liquid recovery hole 28h is automatically closed, so that the content liquid does not leak out to the outside from the liquid recovery hole 28h unintentionally.

[0038] Particularly in the present embodiment, the nozzle portion 28 is configured to extend in a substantially vertical direction, and concave grooves 28b are provided at four equal intervals in the circumferential direction. In addition, since the liquid recovery holes 28h are also provided at two equal intervals in the circumferential direction, the directivity of the nozzle is eliminated, and the user can discharge the content liquid in any direction without changing the orientation of the container body 10.

[0039] Further, in the present embodiment, the liquid recovery valve 28d has a valve body that is connected via a hinge portion 28c to the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle portion 28 and extends radially outward at the circumferential position where the liquid recovery hole 28h is formed. When the overcap 30 is attached, the lower end portion 32a of the overcap 30 is configured to press downward on the radially outer portion of the valve body, thereby opening the liquid recovery hole 28h. By adopting such a configuration, the liquid recovery valve 28d can be integrally formed with the nozzle portion 28 via the hinge portion 28c, so that the opening / closing mechanism of the liquid recovery hole 28h can be simplified.

[0040] Further, in the present embodiment, the valve body is configured to be provided with a pressing portion 28e that protrudes upward from the radially outer portion of the valve body. By adopting such a configuration, when the overcap 30 is attached, the lower end portion 32a of the overcap 30 contacts the liquid recovery valve 28d earlier than the connecting portion 28g, so that the liquid recovery valve 28d can be selectively pressed without changing the shape of the peripheral wall 32 of the overcap 30.

[0041] Further, in the present embodiment, the peripheral wall 28a of the nozzle portion 28 is configured to have a concave groove 28b that recesses radially outward in a part of the circumferential direction. By adopting such a configuration, when discharging the content liquid, air can flow in the concave groove 28b facing the region where the content liquid flows in the nozzle portion 28, so that the content liquid can be discharged smoothly without separately providing an outside air introduction hole in the container body 10 or the like.

[0042] Next, the liquid container 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be exemplarily described with reference to the drawings.

[0043] The liquid container 200 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 6 has a container body 10, a nozzle cap 20, and an overcap 30, similar to the first embodiment. Note that the liquid container 200 according to the present embodiment is similar to the configuration of the first embodiment, except that the configurations of the liquid recovery valve 28d and the liquid recovery hole 28h are different. Therefore, here, the description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0044] The nozzle part 28 according to this embodiment has a substantially cylindrical shape (see FIGS. 6 and 7), and at two circumferentially opposing positions, it is provided with nozzle hole parts 28h1 as liquid recovery holes 28h that extend downward along the peripheral wall 28a from a height position below the central height of the nozzle part 28.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 7, the connecting part 28g is a part that connects the nozzle part 28 and the mounting part 21 (not shown in FIG. 7), and has a substantially annular shape in plan view. At two circumferentially opposing positions in the connecting part 28g, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, connecting hole parts 28h2 as liquid recovery holes 28h that extend radially along the connecting part 28g are provided.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the liquid recovery valve 28d has a valve body having a nozzle cylinder part 28d1 that is connected to the upper end part of the nozzle hole part 28h1 via a hinge part 28c and closes the nozzle hole part 28h1, and a connecting wall part 28d2 that is connected to the lower end part of the nozzle cylinder part 28d1 and closes the connecting hole part 28h2, at the circumferential position where the liquid recovery holes 28h (the nozzle hole part 28h1 and the connecting hole part 28h2) are provided.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a pressing part 28e that protrudes substantially upward is provided at the radially outer part of the liquid recovery valve 28d (the connecting wall part 28d2). In the process of the user attaching the overcap 30 to the nozzle cap 20 after using the content liquid, the lower end part 32a of the peripheral wall 32 of the overcap 30 contacts this pressing part 28e earlier than the connecting part 28g. The lower end part 32a of the overcap 30 enters the outside of the pressing part 28e that has shifted radially inward after pushing down the pressing part 28e of the liquid recovery valve 28d by a predetermined distance.

[0048] When the lower end portion 32a of the overcap 30 pushes down the radially outer portion of the liquid recovery valve 28d (connection wall portion 28d2), as shown in FIG. 6, the liquid recovery valve 28d (nozzle cylinder portion 28d1 and connection wall portion 28d2) that is substantially L-shaped in a front view rotates around the hinge portion 28c, creating a gap for the content liquid to pass through between it and the connection portion 28g. As a result, the liquid recovery hole 28h (nozzle hole portion 28h1 and connection hole portion 28h2) is opened. In FIG. 6, the liquid recovery valve 28d before being pushed down is shown by a two-dot chain line, and the liquid recovery valve 28d after being pushed down is shown by a solid line.

[0049] In the present embodiment, since the nozzle portion 28 has a substantially cylindrical shape, the hinge portion 28c has a substantially arc shape in a plan view (see FIG. 7). Therefore, when the liquid recovery valve 28d (connection wall portion 28d2) is pushed down by the overcap 30, in addition to the bending stress, an upward tensile stress acts on both circumferential ends of the hinge portion 28c. Therefore, compared with the case where the hinge portion 28c has a linear shape, a stronger restoring force that tries to return to the original shape is generated in the hinge portion 28c according to the present embodiment. In this way, when the pushing down by the overcap 30 is released, the liquid recovery valve 28d is restored to a state of extending substantially horizontally toward the radially outer side as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6 by the stronger restoring force of the hinge portion 28c itself.

[0050] When, from the state where the overcap 30 is attached to the nozzle cap 20 shown in FIG. 6, the peripheral wall 32 is gripped and rotated around the central axis O to release the screw connection between the mounting cylinder 31a and the cylinder to be mounted 25, the overcap 30 moves upward with respect to the nozzle cap 20. Then, by pulling out the overcap 30 upward in a state where the screw engagement is completely released, it can be removed from the nozzle cap 20.

[0051] When the overcap 30 is removed from the nozzle cap 20, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6, the liquid recovery valve 28d rotates around the hinge portion 28c due to the restoring force of the hinge portion 28c, and the radially outer portion is pushed upward, and the liquid recovery hole 28h (nozzle hole portion 28h1 and connection hole portion 28h2) is closed.

[0052] With the overcap 30 removed from the nozzle cap 20 and the nozzle opening 28i of the nozzle portion 28 exposed, the container body 10 is tilted from the upright position where the tip of the nozzle portion 28 faces upward to an inclined position where the container body 10 is upward, so that the content liquid in the storage space S can be poured out from the tip of the nozzle portion 28 to the outside through the nozzle opening 28i. At this time, since the liquid recovery hole 28h is blocked by the liquid recovery valve 28d, the content liquid can be discharged to the outside only from the nozzle opening 28i without passing through the liquid recovery hole 28h. The user first measures the discharged content liquid in the overcap 30, and then pours the content liquid from the overcap 30 and uses it for the intended purpose.

[0053] When the use of the content liquid is finished, the user returns the container body 10 to the upright position shown in FIG. 6 and attaches the overcap 30 to the nozzle cap 20 again. By attaching the overcap 30, the lower end portion 32a of the peripheral wall 32 presses the pressing portion 28e of the liquid recovery valve 28d (connecting wall portion 28d2) again. As a result, the radially outer portion of the liquid recovery valve 28d is pushed down and the liquid recovery hole 28h is opened. Thereby, the content liquid adhering to the peripheral wall 32 and the top wall 32b of the overcap 30 flows down along the inner surface of the peripheral wall 32 and is recovered into the storage space S of the container body 10 through the liquid recovery hole 28h.

[0054] As described above, in the present embodiment, the liquid recovery hole 28h has a nozzle hole portion 28h1 extending along the peripheral wall 28a of the nozzle portion 28 and a connection hole portion 28h2 extending radially along the connection portion 28g. The liquid recovery valve 28d has a nozzle cylinder portion 28d1 connected to the upper end portion of the nozzle hole portion 28h1 via a hinge portion 28c and closing the nozzle hole portion 28h1, and a connection wall portion 28d2 connected to the lower end portion of the nozzle cylinder portion 28d1 and closing the connection hole portion 28h2 at the circumferential position where the liquid recovery hole 28h is formed. When the overcap 30 is attached, the lower end portion 32a of the overcap 30 presses the radially outer portion of the valve body downward to open the liquid recovery hole 28h. By adopting such a configuration, the distance from the hinge portion 28c to the liquid recovery valve 28d can be made longer than that in the first embodiment, so that the amount of deformation of the hinge portion 28c required for a predetermined content liquid to pass through the liquid recovery hole 28h can be suppressed to a small value. Therefore, the aging deterioration of the hinge portion 28c can be suppressed.

[0055] Next, the liquid container 300 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure will be exemplarily described with reference to the drawings.

[0056] The liquid container 300 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 8 has a container body 10, a nozzle cap 20, and an overcap 30, similar to the first embodiment. Note that the liquid container 300 according to the present embodiment is approximated to the configuration of the first embodiment except that the configurations of the liquid recovery valve 28d and the liquid recovery hole 28h are different from those of the first embodiment. Therefore, here, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0057] The nozzle portion 28 according to the present embodiment has a substantially cylindrical shape (see FIGS. 8 and 9), and the connection portion 28g having the function of the liquid recovery valve 28d is formed as a spiral plate 28d3 extending spirally radially outward from the lower portion of the peripheral wall 28a of the nozzle portion 28 toward the mounting portion 21.

[0058] In the state where the overcap 30 shown in Fig. 8 is mounted, the top wall 32b of the overcap 30 presses the upper end portion of the nozzle portion 28 downward, and the radially inner peripheral end portion of the spiral plate 28d3 continuous with the lower portion of the nozzle portion 28 is also displaced downward compared to the radially outer peripheral end portion. As a result, a vertical gap h (see Fig. 8) is formed between the spiral plates 28d3 adjacent to each other in the radial direction in the spiral plate 28d3 (connecting portion 28g), and since this gap functions as the liquid recovery hole 28h, the liquid recovery valve 28d is open.

[0059] Also in this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, a concave groove 28b extending in the vertical direction along the central axis O is formed in the peripheral wall 28a of the nozzle portion 28. Since the configuration and role of the concave groove 28b are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description here is omitted.

[0060] When the overcap 30 is removed from the nozzle cap 20 in the state where the overcap 30 is mounted on the nozzle cap 20 shown in Fig. 8, by gripping the peripheral wall 32 and turning it around the central axis O to release the screw connection between the mounting cylinder 31a and the cylinder to be mounted 25, the overcap 30 moves upward with respect to the nozzle cap 20. Then, by pulling out the overcap 30 upward in the state where the screw engagement is completely released, it can be removed from the nozzle cap 20.

[0061] When the overcap 30 is removed from the nozzle cap 20, as shown in Fig. 10, the radially inner end portion of the spiral plate 28d3 is lifted upward by the restoring force of the spiral plate 28d3, and the vertical gap between the spiral plates 28d3 adjacent to each other in the radial direction becomes 0 (see Fig. 10). Further, in this embodiment, since the spiral plates 28d3 adjacent to each other in the radial direction are configured to slightly overlap in the radial direction, the gap between the adjacent spiral plates 28d3 disappears, and the liquid recovery valve 28d is closed.

[0062] With the overcap 30 removed from the nozzle cap 20 and the nozzle opening 28i of the nozzle portion 28 exposed, the container body 10 is tilted from the upright position where the tip of the nozzle portion 28 faces upward to the tilted position where the container body 10 is upward as shown in FIG. 11. Thus, the content liquid in the storage space S can be poured out from the tip of the nozzle portion 28 through the nozzle opening 28i to the outside. At this time, since the liquid recovery hole 28h is blocked by the liquid recovery valve 28d (spiral plate 28d3), the content liquid can be discharged to the outside only from the nozzle opening 28i without passing through the liquid recovery hole 28h. The user first measures the discharged content liquid in the overcap 30 and then pours the content liquid from the overcap 30 to the outside for use in the intended application.

[0063] When the use of the content liquid is finished, the user returns the container body 10 to the upright position shown in FIG. 8 and attaches the overcap 30 to the nozzle cap 20 again. By attaching the overcap 30, the top wall 32b of the overcap 30 presses the radially inner end of the liquid recovery valve 28d (spiral plate 28d3) again. As a result, the radially inner end of the liquid recovery valve 28d is pushed down and the liquid recovery valve 28d is opened as shown in FIG. 8, and a gap as the liquid recovery hole 28h is formed between adjacent spiral plates 28d3. Thereby, the content liquid adhering to the peripheral wall 32 and the top wall 32b of the overcap 30 flows down along the inner surface of the peripheral wall 32 and is recovered into the storage space S of the container body 10 through the liquid recovery hole 28h.

[0064] Next, a method for manufacturing the liquid container 300 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 and the like.

[0065] When manufacturing the liquid container 300 according to this embodiment, first, the nozzle portion 28, the spiral plate 28d3 that extends downward radially outward from the nozzle portion 28, and the mounting portion 21 connected to the radially outer end portion of the spiral plate 28d3 are integrally formed (step S101 in FIG. 12). This integrally formed product is formed such that among the spiral plates 28d3 adjacent in the radial direction, the radially outer spiral plate 28d3 is positioned below the radially inner spiral plate 28d3 (refer to the spiral plate 28d3 indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 13). The manufacture of this integrally formed product can be performed, for example, by injection molding or two-color molding.

[0066] Next, in the integrally formed product formed in step S101, the radially inner end portion of the spiral plate 28d3 and the nozzle portion 28 are urged downward so that among the spiral plates 28d3 adjacent in the radial direction, the radially inner spiral plate 28d3 is positioned below the radially outer spiral plate 28d3 (step S103 in FIG. 12). As described above, in this embodiment, since the spiral plates 28d3 adjacent in the radial direction are configured to slightly overlap in the radial direction, when performing step S103, it is necessary to urge the radially inner spiral plate 28d3 downward so as to overcome the spiral plate 28d3 adjacent radially outward.

[0067] In this embodiment, as described above, at the time of forming the integrally formed product, among the spiral plates 28d3 adjacent in the radial direction, the radially outer spiral plate 28d3 is formed to be positioned below the radially inner spiral plate 28d3, and then the radially inner spiral plate 28d3 is urged to be positioned below the radially outer spiral plate 28d3. As a result, when the overcap 30 is removed, the spiral plate 28d3 operates to restore its shape at the time of integral formation, so that the restoring force of the spiral plate 28d3 can be increased and the liquid recovery hole 28h can be more reliably closed.

[0068] As described above, in the present embodiment, the connecting portion 28g is formed as a spiral plate 28d3 that spirally extends radially outward from the lower portion of the nozzle portion 28 toward the mounting portion 21. When the overcap 30 is attached, the top wall 32b of the overcap 30 presses the upper end portion of the nozzle portion 28 downward, and a gap is formed between the radially adjacent spiral plates 28d3 in the connecting portion 28g, so that the liquid recovery valve 28d is configured to be opened. By adopting such a configuration, the spiral plate 28d3 as the liquid recovery valve 28d can be integrally formed with the nozzle portion 28, so that the opening / closing mechanism of the liquid recovery hole 28h can be simplified.

[0069] Further, the present embodiment is a method for manufacturing the liquid container 300, including a step of integrally forming the nozzle portion 28, a spiral plate 28d3 that extends downward radially outward from the nozzle portion 28, and a mounting portion 21 that is continuous with the spiral plate 28d3, and a step of biasing the inner spiral plate 28d3 in the radially adjacent spiral plates 28d3 in the spiral plate 28d3 to be positioned below the outer spiral plate 28d3 in the radial direction. By adopting such a configuration, the restoring force of the spiral plate 28d3 when the overcap 30 is removed can be increased, so that the liquid recovery hole 28h can be more reliably closed.

[0070] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and corrections are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each component can be rearranged so as not to be logically contradictory, and a plurality of components can be combined into one or divided. It should be understood that these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0071] For example, in the first and third embodiments, the nozzle portion 28 is configured to be provided with the concave groove 28b, but in the second embodiment, the concave groove 28b may also be adopted. Further, in any of the embodiments, the nozzle portion 28 may be configured to be provided with the concave groove 28b.

[0072] In the third embodiment, the spiral plates 28d3 adjacent to each other in the radial direction are configured to slightly overlap in the radial direction, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Depending on the viscosity of the content liquid or the like, a configuration in which they do not overlap in the radial direction can also be adopted.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0073] 10 Container body 13 Mouth part 13a Male screw 13b Locking rib 20 Nozzle cap 21 Mounting part 23 Outer peripheral wall 23a Female screw 23b Groove 25 Mounted cylinder 25a Male screw 26 Top wall 26a Seal wall 26b Widening part 26c Extension part 28 Nozzle part 28a Peripheral wall 28b Groove 28c Hinge part 28d Liquid recovery valve 28d1 Nozzle cylinder part 28d2 Connecting wall part 28e Pressing part 28f Biasing part 28g Connecting part 28h Liquid recovery hole 28h1 Nozzle hole part 28h2 Connecting hole part 28i Nozzle opening 30 Over cap 31a Mounting cylinder 31c Female screw 31d Side wall 31e Upper wall 31f Seal wall 32 Peripheral wall 32a Lower end part 32b Top wall 100, 200, 300 Liquid container O Central axis S accommodation space

Claims

1. A liquid container comprising: a container body having a cylindrical mouth portion communicating with a storage space for the liquid content; a nozzle cap having a nozzle portion attached to the mouth portion and for discharging the liquid content to the outside; and an overcap for closing the nozzle portion, The nozzle cap is A mounting part that is mounted on the mouth part; The nozzle portion is cylindrical and protrudes upward from a radially inner side of the mounting portion; a connecting portion that connects the mounting portion and the nozzle portion; having The connecting portion is provided with a liquid recovery valve that opens and closes a liquid recovery hole that returns the content liquid radially outside the nozzle portion into the storage space, the liquid recovery valve is opened when the overcap is attached and is closed when the overcap is removed; the liquid collection hole has a nozzle hole portion extending along a peripheral wall of the nozzle portion and a connecting hole portion extending in a radial direction along the connecting portion, the liquid recovery valve includes a valve body having a nozzle cylinder portion connected to an upper end of the nozzle hole portion via a hinge portion and closing the nozzle hole portion, and a connecting wall portion connected to a lower end of the nozzle cylinder portion and closing the connecting hole portion, at a circumferential position where the liquid recovery hole is formed, A liquid container characterized in that, when the overcap is attached, a lower end of the overcap presses downwardly a radially outer portion of the valve body, thereby opening the liquid recovery hole.

2. 2. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the valve body is provided with a pressing portion that protrudes upward from a radially outer portion of the valve body.

3. 3. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral wall of the nozzle portion has a groove recessed radially outward in a part of the peripheral direction.

Images