Granular material storage container

Abstract

To provide a granular object storage container which allows granular objects to be taken out by a predetermined number without trouble.SOLUTION: A granular object storage container 1 includes: a container having a storage space S for storing granular objects R, and an inner cylinder 3g where communication ports 3h, 3j communicating with the storage space S are provided; and a measurement member 4 having a granular object introduction port 4g and a granular object discharge port 4h. Therein: the granular object introduction port 4g allows the storage space S and a measurement space K to communicate with each other penetrating the measurement space K and a peripheral wall 4f via the communication ports 3h, 3j; the measurement space K is partitioned by the peripheral wall 4f inserted inside the inner cylinder 3g and a bottom wall 4k connected to a lower part of the peripheral wall 4f; and the granular object discharge port 4h is provided at an upper part of the peripheral wall 4f and communicates with the measurement space K. The bottom wall 4k is inclined in such a manner that, with respect to an end part of one side connected to the peripheral wall 4f, an edge part of the other side is positioned below.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a granular material storage container for storing granular materials such as tablets and capsules. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in the case of confectionery and medicine, solid granules generally called tablets or tablets, which are formed into a specific shape by compression molding, are in circulation. Capsule-shaped granules containing liquid medicines are also widely used.

[0003] As a granular material storage container for storing such granular materials, a bottle-shaped container with a wide mouth and a cap attached to the mouth of the container has been used. Also known is a container in which a top cover with an access opening is attached to the mouth of the container, as shown in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 6-12381 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When removing granular material from a wide-mouthed container, the container is tilted so that the opening faces downward, and the material is dispensed into the palm of the hand. However, depending on the tilt of the container, more granular material than intended may be dispensed, requiring the removed material to be returned to the container, which is time-consuming. Furthermore, the removed material may come into contact with fingers or other objects, which is unhygienic.

[0006] Furthermore, the container of Patent Document 1 has a shield plate installed in front of the outlet that narrows the passage through which the granular material passes, preventing a large amount of granular material from coming out at once when the container is tilted. However, even with this container, the fixed amount of granular material is not always discharged. Furthermore, because the shield plate reduces the number of granular material discharged at one time, the number of operations required to discharge the granular material increases as the number of granular material to be removed increases, making the removal process more time-consuming.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a granular material storage container from which a predetermined number of granular materials can be easily taken out. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention has a storage space for storing granular material and an inner cylinder provided with a communication port communicating with the storage space. The communication port penetrates the inner cylinder in the radial direction. The container is partitioned by a peripheral wall inserted into the inside of the inner cylinder, and a bottom wall connected to the lower part of the peripheral wall. , located below the lower end of the communication port and the metric space in the radial direction Penetrating the peripheral wall In the radial direction This granular material storage container comprises a measuring member having a granular material inlet that connects the storage space and the measuring space via the communication port, and a granular material outlet provided at the top of the peripheral wall and leading to the measuring space, and the bottom wall is inclined so that the edge on one side that faces the edge on the other side that is connected to the peripheral wall is positioned below the edge on the one side. The present invention also provides a granular material storage container comprising: a container having a storage space for storing granular material and an inner tube provided with a communication port leading to the storage space; a measuring space partitioned by a peripheral wall inserted inside the inner tube and a bottom wall connected to the lower part of the peripheral wall; a granular material inlet penetrating the peripheral wall and connecting the storage space to the measuring space via the communication port; and a measuring member having a granular material outlet provided at the upper part of the peripheral wall and leading to the measuring space, wherein the bottom wall is inclined so that one edge portion thereof opposite to the one edge portion connected to the peripheral wall is positioned below the other edge portion; the measuring member is held rotatably relative to the container around the axis of the inner tube; and the inner tube is provided with a plurality of communication ports, and the lower end portion of one communication port is positioned lower than the lower end portions of the other communication ports.

[0009] The measuring member is held rotatably around the axis of the inner cylinder relative to the container, It is preferable that a plurality of communication ports are provided in the inner cylinder, and the lower end of one of the communication ports is located lower than the lower ends of the other communication ports.

[0010] It is preferable to provide a rotation position restricting means between the container and the measuring member for restricting rotation of the measuring member relative to the container at positions where the particulate material inlet communicates with each of the plurality of communication ports.

[0011] The measuring member preferably has a protrusion provided on the upper part of the peripheral wall on the side facing the particulate material inlet.

[0012] It is preferable to provide a cap that is attached to the measuring member or the container and covers the particulate matter discharge port. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] In the granular material storage container of the present invention, a measuring space is defined in the measuring member by a peripheral wall and a bottom wall. This measuring space is connected to the storage space of the container via a communication port in the inner tube of the container and a granular material inlet port in the peripheral wall. Here, the bottom wall is inclined so that one edge connected to the peripheral wall is positioned below the other edge. For example, when granular material is moved from the storage space to the inside of the peripheral wall by tilting the container or turning it upside down, the granular material inside the peripheral wall slides downward due to the inclined bottom wall when the container is turned upright. Therefore, among the granular material introduced inside the peripheral wall, any granular material that is higher than the communication port and the granular material inlet port at the portion where the communication port and the granular material inlet port communicate slides down through the communication port and the granular material inlet port into the storage space, leaving only the desired number of granular material in the measuring space. Therefore, by tilting the container again, a predetermined number of granular objects that can fit into the measuring space can be removed from the granular object discharge port.

[0014] As described above, the granular material storage container of the present invention can remove only the predetermined number of granular materials that have been moved to the measuring space, eliminating the need to return the removed granular materials to the container as in the conventional method. Furthermore, the removal of granular materials is as simple as tilting the container to an inclined position, returning it to an upright position, and then tilting it again, so it is not time-consuming. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1]Regarding one embodiment of a granular material storage container according to the present invention, (a) is a cross-sectional view from the side, (b) is a side view, (c) is a partially enlarged view of part X1, (d) is a cross-sectional view along AA, (e) is a partially enlarged view of part X2, (f) is a cross-sectional view along BB, and (g) is a cross-sectional view along CC. [Figure 2] 2A to 2C are views showing an operation of removing granular material from the granular material container shown in FIG. 1 in a state where one granular material fits in the measuring space. [Figure 3] 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of removing granular material from the granular material container shown in FIG. 1 when two granular material pieces fit in the measuring space. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] An embodiment of a granular material storage container according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the vertical direction refers to the direction along the illustrated axis O (the axis of an inner cylinder 3g, which will be described later). The radial direction refers to the direction perpendicular to the axis O in a plane perpendicular to the axis O, and the circumferential direction refers to the direction around the axis O in this plane.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the granular material storage container 1 of this embodiment is composed of a container body 2, a stopper 3, a measuring member 4, and a cap 5. As shown in the figure, the container body 2, stopper 3, measuring member 4, and cap 5 are formed in a shape centered on an axis O. The granular material storage container 1 of this embodiment is relatively small and is intended for portable use. In this embodiment, the "container" of the present invention is composed of the container body 2 and the stopper 3.

[0018] The container body 2 has a disk-shaped bottom 2a and a cylindrical body 2b connected to the outer edge of the bottom 2a. A storage space S for storing granular material R is defined inside the bottom 2a and body 2b. A cylindrical mouth 2c with a smaller diameter than the body 2b is integrally connected to the upper end of the body 2b. A male-threaded container-side threaded portion 2d is provided on the outer periphery of the mouth 2c. As shown in Figures 1(e) and 1(f), two container-side anti-rotation protrusions 2e are provided circumferentially spaced apart on the outer periphery of the mouth 2c below the container-side threaded portion 2d.

[0019] The stopper 3 includes an outer tube 3a that surrounds the mouth 2c, has a cylindrical shape with an upper portion smaller in diameter than the lower portion, and a lower end that protrudes radially outward. The inner surface of the outer tube 3a is provided with a stopper-side threaded portion 3b that is female-threaded and engages with the container-side threaded portion 2d. Also, as shown in FIGS. 1(e) and 1(f), the inner surface of the outer tube 3a is provided below the stopper-side threaded portion 3b. When the stopper 3 is rotated in a direction that tightens the stopper-side threaded portion 3b onto the container-side threaded portion 2d, the stopper-side anti-rotation protrusion 3c enters between the two container-side anti-rotation protrusions 2e at the end of the screwing process, thereby preventing the stopper 3 from rotating relative to the container body 2. In this embodiment, a set of anti-rotation means, consisting of the two container-side anti-rotation protrusions 2e and the stopper-side anti-rotation protrusion 3c, is also provided at a position rotated 180° around the axis O. The rotation prevention means is not limited to this, and may be one that utilizes a ratchet structure, for example.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1(e), the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 3a is provided with outward claws 3d that protrude radially outward. Also, as shown in Figures 1(c) and 1(d), two plug-side protrusions 3e are provided above the outward claws 3d on the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 3a, spaced apart in the circumferential direction.

[0021] The upper end of the outer cylinder 3a is provided with a connecting portion 3f, which extends radially inward, then downward, and then again radially inward. The inner edge of the connecting portion 3f is provided with a conical inner cylinder 3g, which extends downward and tapers in diameter. The inner cylinder 3g is provided with a communication port that penetrates radially through it. In this embodiment, a total of two communication ports are provided, located 180° apart around the axis O. Here, the communication port located to the left of the axis O in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(g) is referred to as the first communication port 3h, and the one located to the right is referred to as the second communication port 3j. As shown in the figures, the lower end (first lower end 3k) of the first communication port 3h is located below the lower end (second lower end 3m) of the second communication port 3j.

[0022] The metering member 4 surrounds the outer cylinder 3a and has a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 4a whose upper portion has a smaller diameter than its lower portion. As shown in Fig. 1(e), the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 4a is provided with inward claws 4b that protrude radially inward and engage with the outward claws 3d. Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 1(c) and 1(d), the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 4a is provided above the inward claws 4b with metering member-side protrusions 4c that protrude radially inward.

[0023] A male threaded measuring member side screw portion 4d is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 4a. The measuring member side screw portion 4d in this embodiment is a double-start screw.

[0024] A top wall 4e extending radially inward is provided at the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 4a. A conical cylindrical peripheral wall 4f is provided at the inner edge of the top wall 4e, extending downward along the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 3g so as to taper in diameter. A granular material inlet 4g is provided radially penetrating the peripheral wall 4f. The upper end of the peripheral wall 4f (the connecting portion between the peripheral wall 4f and the top wall 4e) is provided with a granular material outlet 4h that opens upward and through which granular material R is discharged, as described below. Furthermore, a protrusion 4j protruding upward is provided at the upper end of the peripheral wall 4f on the side facing the granular material inlet 4g (the side rotated 180° around the axis O with respect to the granular material inlet 4g).

[0025] A bottom wall 4k is provided at the lower end of the peripheral wall 4f, and is connected to the peripheral wall 4f. The bottom wall 4k is inclined so that the edge on the other side (the side rotated 180° around the axis O with respect to the protrusion 4j) facing the edge on one side connected to the peripheral wall 4f (the edge on the side where the protrusion 4j is located in FIG. 1(a)) is positioned below this edge.

[0026] When the metering member 4 is attached to the plug 3 as shown in the figure, the inward claws 4b engage with the outward claws 3d, thereby preventing it from slipping out of the plug 3. When the metering member 4 is attached to the plug 3, it can be rotated around the axis O relative to the plug 3. When the metering member 4 is rotated relative to the plug 3, the metering member protrusion 4c fits between the two plug-side protrusions 3e, as shown in FIG. 1(d), and rotation of the metering member 4 relative to the plug 3 is restricted at this position. The metering member protrusion 4c can overcome the plug-side protrusion 3e, allowing the metering member 4 to be rotated from the state shown in FIG. 1(d). In this embodiment, the set of rotational position restricting means, consisting of the two plug-side protrusions 3e and the metering member protrusion 4c, is also provided at a position rotated 180° around the axis O. Furthermore, the position where the measuring member side protrusion 4c fits between the two stopper side protrusions 3e is the position where the granular material inlet 4g and the first communication port 3h are connected, or the position where the granular material inlet 4g and the second communication port 3j are connected.

[0027] The space partitioned by the peripheral wall 4f and the bottom wall 4k and located below the lower end (first lower end 3k in FIG. 1(a)) of the first communication port 3h or the second communication port 3j that communicates with the granular material inlet 4g is referred to as the measuring space K. In this embodiment, when the granular material inlet 4g and the first communication port 3h communicate with each other as shown in FIG. 1(a), the measuring space K can accommodate one granular material R. As shown in FIG. 1(b), the outer peripheral wall 4a is provided with a mark (measuring member side mark 4m) shown as a downward arrow in this embodiment, and the outer cylinder 3a is provided with one circular mark (main body side mark 3n) that indicates the number of granular material R accommodated in the measuring space K. As will be described later, when the measuring member 4 is rotated 180° from the state shown in Figure 1(a) so that the granular material inlet 4g and the second communication port 3j are in communication, it is possible to accommodate two granular materials R in the measuring space K. In addition, the main body side mark 3n is also provided at a position rotated 180° around the axis O from the single circular mark, and two circular marks are provided at this position.

[0028] The cap 5 has a cap outer peripheral wall 5a that surrounds the upper part of the outer peripheral wall 4a. An internally threaded cap thread portion 5b is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cap outer peripheral wall 5a. The cap thread portion 5b is threadedly engaged with the metering member thread portion 4d, and the cap 5 is attached to the metering member 4 by rotating the cap 5 in a direction in which the cap thread portion 5b is tightened relative to the metering member thread portion 4d. A disk-shaped top wall 5c that extends radially inward and covers the granular material discharge port 4h is provided on the upper end of the cap outer peripheral wall 5a. An annular seal protrusion 5d is provided on the underside of the top wall 5c, which contacts the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 4f when the cap 5 is attached to the metering member 4 and closes the inside of the peripheral wall 4f.

[0029] To remove granular material R from the granular material storage container 1 configured as above, the granular material storage container 1 is shifted from the upright position shown in Fig. 1(a) to an inverted position (or a tilted position) as shown in Fig. 2(a). As a result, the granular material R in the storage space S falls toward the top wall 5c due to its own weight, and then passes through the first communication port 3h and the granular material inlet port 4g to be introduced inside the peripheral wall 4f.

[0030] Thereafter, the granular material storage container 1 is shifted to an upright position as shown in Figure 2(b). Here, the bottom wall 4k is lower on the side where the first communication port 3h is located than on the side where the second communication port 3j is located. That is, the granular material R that has moved inside the peripheral wall 4f tends to slide down along the inclined bottom wall 4k, so that of the granular material R introduced into the peripheral wall 4f, the granular material R located above the first lower end 3k passes through the granular material inlet 4g and the first communication port 3h and falls into the storage space S. That is, only one granular material R remains in the weighing space K.

[0031] Thereafter, the cap 5 is removed by rotating it in a direction that releases the threaded engagement between the metering member-side thread portion 4d and the cap-side thread portion 5b. In this embodiment, the metering member-side thread portion 4d and the cap-side thread portion 5b are double-start threads, which allows the cap 5 to be removed with a small amount of rotation. When removing the cap 5, it is preferable to hold down the metering member 4 with your fingers to prevent the metering member 4 from rotating together with the cap 5. However, in this embodiment, the metering member-side protrusion 4c is inserted between the two plug-side protrusions 3e, and the metering member 4 is lightly prevented from rotating relative to the plug 3, so it is also possible to remove the cap 5 without holding down the metering member 4 with your fingers.

[0032] Thereafter, the protrusion 4j is used as a guide and the granular material storage container 1 is tilted so that the side with the protrusion 4j is positioned downward as shown in Figure 2(c), allowing one granular material R stored in the measuring space K to be removed from the granular material discharge port 4h.

[0033] The granular material storage container 1 of this embodiment can also dispense two granular materials R. In this case, the measuring member 4 is rotated 180° from the state shown in FIG. 1 to communicate the granular material inlet 4g with the second communication port 3j. As described above, the main body-side mark 3n shown in FIG. 1(b) is provided as two circular marks at a position rotated 180° relative to the outer cylinder 3a. That is, when the measuring member 4 is rotated 180°, the downward arrow of the measuring member-side mark 4m is directed toward the two circular marks, so that it is visually recognized that two granular materials R can be dispensed.

[0034] Then, the granular material storage container 1 is shifted from the upright position to an inverted position as shown in Figure 3(a), causing the granular material R in the storage space S to fall toward the top wall 5c, pass through the second communication port 3j and the granular material inlet port 4g, and be introduced into the inside of the peripheral wall 4f.

[0035] Thereafter, when the granular material storage container 1 is shifted to an upright position as shown in Figure 3(b), of the granular materials R introduced into the peripheral wall 4f, those located above the second lower end 3m pass through the granular material inlet 4g and the second communication port 3j and fall into the storage space S. The height of the second lower end 3m is set so that two granular materials R can be stored in the weighing space K defined by the peripheral wall 4f and the bottom wall 4k below the second lower end 3m. That is, in the state shown in Figure 3(b), only two granular materials R remain in the weighing space K.

[0036] Thereafter, by displacing the granular material storage container 1 into an inclined position so that the side with the protrusion 4j is positioned downward as shown in Figure 3(c), the two granular materials R contained in the measuring space K can be removed from the granular material discharge outlet 4h.

[0037] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and unless otherwise limited in the above description, various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the spirit of the present invention as set forth in the claims. Furthermore, the effects of the above embodiment are merely examples of the effects that can be obtained from the present invention, and do not mean that the effects of the present invention are limited to the above effects.

[0038] For example, although the weighing space K in this embodiment is sized to accommodate one or two granular materials R and is configured so that the number of granular materials R to be dispensed can be changed by rotating the weighing member 4, a switching function need not be provided. The number of granular materials R to be dispensed in the weighing space K can be changed by appropriately selecting the height of the first lower end 3k and the second lower end 3m and the inner diameter of the peripheral wall 4f. In this embodiment, the first communication port 3h and the second communication port 3j are provided at positions rotated 180° around the axis O, allowing the number of granular materials R to be dispensed to be changed in two ways. However, for example, by providing three communication ports at positions rotated 120° around the axis O, the number of granular materials R to be dispensed can be changed in three ways.

[0039] In this embodiment, the "container" is comprised of two components, the container body 2 and the stopper 3. However, they may be combined into one component, or may be comprised of three or more components. In this embodiment, the rotational position restricting means is comprised of two stopper-side protrusions 3e and two measuring-member-side protrusions 4c. However, other configurations (e.g., a configuration in which a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 3a is recessed radially inward to form a recess into which the measuring-member-side protrusion 4c fits, or a configuration in which a portion of the inner peripheral surface of the outer wall 4a is recessed radially outward to form a recess into which the stopper-side protrusion 3e fits) may also be employed. Furthermore, the cap 5 is not limited to being attached to the measuring member 4 by a screw mechanism; it may be attached by an undercut, or it may be connected to the measuring member 4 by a hinge and swing relative to the measuring member 4. When a hinge is used, it is preferable to position the hinge facing the side with the protrusion 4j so that the side with the protrusion 4j is positioned downward when the granular material R is dispensed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1: Granular material storage container 2: Container body (container) 2a: bottom 2b: Torso 2c: Mouth 2d: Container side screw part 2e: Container side anti-rotation protrusion 3: Plug (container) 3a: Outer cylinder 3b: Threaded portion on plug side 3c: Anti-rotation protrusion on the plug side 3d: Outward claw-shaped part 3e: Plug-side protrusion (rotational position control means) 3f: Connection part 3g: Inner cylinder 3h: First series of ports (community port) 3j:Second communication port (communication port) 3k: First lower end 3m: Second lower end 3n: Mark on the main body 4: Measuring element 4a: Outer wall 4b: Inward claw-shaped part 4c: Protruding portion on the measuring member side (rotational position restricting means) 4d: Threaded part on the measuring member side 4e: Ceiling wall 4f: Peripheral wall 4g: Granular material inlet 4h: Particulate matter outlet 4j: Protrusion 4k:bottom wall 4m: Mark on the measuring element side 5: Cap 5a: Cap outer wall 5b: Cap side thread 5c: Top wall 5d: Seal protrusion K: Metric space O: Axis line R: Particulate matter S: Storage space

Claims

1. a container having a storage space for storing granular material and an inner cylinder provided with a communication port communicating with the storage space, the communication port radially penetrating the inner cylinder; a measuring member having a measuring space defined by a peripheral wall inserted into the inner cylinder and a bottom wall connected to a lower part of the peripheral wall and located below a lower end of the communication port, a granular material inlet penetrating the peripheral wall in the radial direction and communicating the storage space with the measuring space in the radial direction via the communication port, and a granular material outlet provided in an upper part of the peripheral wall and communicating with the measuring space, The bottom wall is inclined such that the edge on one side, which is connected to the peripheral wall, is positioned below the edge on the other side, which is opposed to the edge on the one side.

2. The measuring member is held rotatably around the axis of the inner cylinder relative to the container, 2. The granular material storage container according to claim 1, wherein the inner cylinder is provided with a plurality of communication openings, and a lower end of one of the communication openings is located lower than lower ends of the other communication openings.

3. 3. A granular material storage container as described in claim 2, further comprising a rotational position control means between the container and the measuring member for controlling the rotation of the measuring member relative to the container at a position where the granular material inlet communicates with each of the plurality of communication ports.

4. a container having a storage space for storing granular material and an inner cylinder provided with a communication port communicating with the storage space; a measuring member having a measuring space defined by a peripheral wall inserted inside the inner cylinder and a bottom wall connected to a lower part of the peripheral wall, a granular material inlet penetrating the peripheral wall and communicating the storage space with the measuring space via the communication port, and a granular material outlet provided in an upper part of the peripheral wall and communicating with the measuring space, the bottom wall is inclined such that an edge portion on one side, which is connected to the peripheral wall, and an edge portion on the other side, which is opposed to the edge portion on the one side, is positioned below the edge portion on the one side, The measuring member is held rotatably around the axis of the inner cylinder relative to the container, A granular material storage container, wherein the inner cylinder is provided with a plurality of communication ports, and the lower end of one of the communication ports is located lower than the lower ends of the other communication ports.

5. 5. The granular material container according to claim 1, wherein the measuring member has a protrusion provided on an upper portion of the peripheral wall on a side facing the granular material inlet.

6. The granular material container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a cap attached to the measuring member or the container to cover the granular material discharge outlet.

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