Closures and containers

Abstract

To provide a plug with a check valve that has excellent sealing performance and is less likely to produce residual liquid after use.SOLUTION: A plug 20 that is attached to a main body containing contents and is used to pour out the contents includes a discharge port 35 with a pour-out hole 38, and a check valve 57 that is provided on a shaft through the pour-out hole and is disposed on the downstream side of the pour-out hole. The discharge port is positioned on the upstream side of the pour-out hole, and includes a first region 36 guiding the contents to the pour-out hole, and a second region 37 that is positioned on the downstream of the pour-out hole and regulates a flow of the contents from the pour-out hole.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a stopper, more particularly to a stopper provided with a check valve that suppresses deterioration of the contents, and to a container provided with this stopper. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Plugs having check valves that prevent air from entering the containers when they are not in use are used in containers that store soy sauce, oil, or other substances that deteriorate when exposed to air.

[0003] The plug described in Patent Document 1 includes a cylindrical portion and a valve body provided inside the cylindrical portion. A slit is formed in the valve body, and the slit is formed by cutting in a direction inclined at a predetermined angle from a direction perpendicular to the surface of the valve body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-131257 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The plug described in Patent Document 1 has an improved sealing performance due to the inclined slit cut. On the other hand, since the valve body is located at a position away from the discharge port, there is a possibility that a large amount of liquid may remain between the valve body and the discharge port depending on the attitude at which the liquid is discharged.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a plug that has excellent sealing properties and is less likely to leave residual liquid after use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention is a spout that is attached to a body that contains contents and is used to pour out the contents. This plug has a discharge port having a pouring hole, a check valve provided on a shaft that is passed through the pouring hole and is arranged downstream of the pouring hole, The base where the lower part of the shaft is supported Equipped with. The shaft has a disk-shaped flange located upstream of the outlet hole. Has. The base portion has an annular frame and a plurality of arms that connect the frame and the shaft with excess length. Shaft, check valve, flange, and base is made of a soft material. The discharge port has a first region located upstream of the pouring hole and directing the contents to the pouring hole, and a second region located downstream of the pouring hole and regulating the flow of the contents coming out of the pouring hole.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is a container comprising a main body for accommodating contents and the plug according to the first aspect attached to the main body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The plug according to the present invention has excellent sealing properties and is less likely to leave residual liquid after use. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the plug of the container. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a third member of the plug. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a perspective view showing a container 1 according to this embodiment. The container 1 comprises a main body 10 in which contents are accommodated, and a stopper 20 attached to the main body 10. The stopper 20 is a stopper according to one aspect of the present invention. In this embodiment, the outer shape of the main body 10 is a substantially rectangular prism, but there are no particular limitations on the outer shape and it can be set as appropriate. The material of the main body 10 can be either soft, such as thin synthetic resin or paper, or hard, such as glass or thick synthetic resin.

[0012] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the plug 20. The plug 20 has a first member 21, a second member 30, a third member 50, and a ring 60.

[0013] The first member 21 has a cylindrical portion 22 and a planar joint portion 23 provided around the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion 22. The joint portion 23 is joined to the main body 10, thereby joining the main body 10 and the plug 20 together.

[0014] The second member 30 has a discharge port portion 31 and a lid 40. In this embodiment, the lid 40 is rotatably connected to the discharge port portion 31, but this is just one example, and the lid 40 may be configured to be detachable from the discharge port portion 31 by screw fitting or the like.

[0015] The outlet portion 31 has a fitting portion 32 provided at a lower portion and an outlet 35 provided at an upper portion. The fitting portion 32 has a peripheral wall 32a having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the tubular portion 22 and a top surface 32b continuous with the upper end of the peripheral wall 32a, and the first member 21 and the second member 30 are integrated with the fitting portion 32 covering the tubular portion. In this embodiment, the fitting portion 32 is fitted with the tubular portion 22 by threaded fitting, but this is just one example, and the fitting portion 32 may be integrated with the tubular portion by other fitting, adhesion, etc.

[0016] The top surface 32b has a hole 33 in the center, and the discharge port 35 extends upward from the periphery of the hole 33. The discharge port 35 has a first region 36 that is continuous with the top surface 32b, and a second region 37 that extends upward from the first region 36. The first region 36 has a truncated cone shape, with the diameters of both the outer and inner surfaces gradually decreasing with increasing distance from the top surface 32b. The second region 37 extends upward from the upper end of the first region 36 with roughly the same diameter on both the outer and inner surfaces, and the upper end is slightly wider in diameter. The inner surface of the discharge port 35 protrudes in an annular shape at the boundary between the first region 36 and the second region 37. As a result, a pouring hole 38 having a diameter smaller than the inner diameters of the first region 36 and the second region 37 is provided in the center. In other words, in terms of the flow of the contents, the first region 36 is located upstream of the pouring hole 38, and the second region 37 is located downstream of the pouring hole 38.

[0017] 3 is a perspective view of the third member 50. The third member 50 is formed of a soft material such as elastomer or silicone, and has a substantially disk-shaped base 51 and a check valve portion 55 extending upward from the base 51.

[0018] Fig. 4 is a left side view of the third member 50, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the third member 50. As shown in Fig. 5, the base 51 has an annular frame 52 and four arms 53, one end of which is connected to the frame 52. The other end of each arm 53 is connected to the lower part of the check valve portion 55. Each arm 53 snakes around without connecting the frame 52 and the check valve portion 55 in the shortest distance, and has an excess length relative to the shortest distance between the frame 52 and the check valve portion 55.

[0019] The check valve portion 55 has a shaft 56 extending upward, a check valve 57 provided at the tip of the shaft 56, and a flange 58 provided at the middle of the shaft 56. The check valve 57 has a circular shape in plan view that has a diameter larger than the pouring hole 38 of the second member 30, and has a curved surface that is convex upward.

[0020] In this embodiment, the shaft 56 is cylindrical. The flange 58 is provided near the longitudinal center of the shaft 56 and protrudes in a disk shape. As shown in FIG. 4, a bottomed groove 59 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft 56 between the flange 58 and the check valve 57.

[0021] The third member 50 is disposed on the second member 30 so that the check valve portion 55 passes through the discharge port 35 and the check valve 57 is located above (ie, downstream of) the pouring hole 38. The ring 60 is an annular member and has an annular groove 60a on one surface in the axial direction. An annular protrusion 32c protrudes downward from the underside of the top surface 32b of the second member 30, and the ring 60 fits into the second member 30 with the protrusion 32c inserted into the groove 60a. The third member 50 is attached to the second member 30 by being supported by a part of the ring 60 that is fitted into the second member 30.

[0022] The operation of the container 1 of this embodiment configured as above when in use will be described. When the container 1 is left stationary with the spout 20 facing upward, the check valve 57 is in tight contact with the periphery of the dispensing hole 38. This seals the dispensing hole 38, preventing the inflow of air and the like into the container 1 and suppressing deterioration of the contents filled in the main body 10.

[0023] When container 1 is tilted or when body 10 is soft and compressed, the contents move toward spout 20, changing the pressure inside container 1. As a result, check valve 57 of third member 50 moves upward and away from frame 52, separating from pouring hole 38, and the seal provided by check valve 57 is released.

[0024] The contents in the main body 10 pass between the arms 53, reach the inside of the discharge port 35, and are guided along the inner surface of the first region 36 to exit the container 1 through the dispensing hole 38. A portion of the contents passes through a groove 59 formed in the shaft 56 and exits the container 1. The contents that have come out come into contact with the inner surface of the second region and are poured out in a rectified state, preventing them from spreading in an undirected manner.

[0025] When the contents are being poured out, some of the contents located inside the discharge port 35 presses the flange 58 from below, preventing the check valve 57 from approaching the pouring hole 38. This prevents the check valve 57 from unintentionally sealing the pouring hole 38 during use. When the container 1 is placed again with the stopper 20 facing upward, the check valve seals the pouring hole 38, preventing the inflow of air and the like until the next use.

[0026] As explained above, the plug 20 according to this embodiment is configured so that the dispensing hole 38, which is the outlet for the contents, is sealed from the outside by the check valve 57. Therefore, even if the check valve 57 seals the dispensing hole 38 after the contents have been poured out, the contents are unlikely to remain near the dispensing hole 38.

[0027] Furthermore, because the third member 50 including the check valve 57 is made of a soft material, it deforms appropriately when it comes into contact with the periphery of the dispensing hole 38, thereby reliably sealing the dispensing hole 38. Furthermore, the check valve 57 provided on the shaft 56 can be easily passed through the dispensing hole 38 and positioned downstream by elastically deforming the check valve, which simplifies the manufacture of the plug 20. Here, because the shaft 56 supporting the check valve 57 is also made of a soft material, if the shaft 56 is too thin it will have an adverse effect on the sealing action and sealing assist action, but if the shaft 56 is too thick it will reduce the gap in the spout hole 38, making it difficult for the contents to come out. For this reason, optimizing the diameter of the shaft 56 is not easy, but in the plug 20 according to this embodiment, by forming a groove 59 in the shaft, it is possible to maintain the rigidity of the shaft above a certain level while also ensuring a sufficient flow rate.

[0028] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and configuration changes and combinations within the scope of the gist of the present invention are also included. Some examples of changes are shown below, but these are not all inclusive, and other changes are also possible. Two or more of these changes may be combined as appropriate.

[0029] When providing grooves in the shaft 56, the depth, position, and number of grooves can be set as appropriate. However, it should be noted that if there are too many grooves or if the grooves are too deep, the rigidity of the shaft will be insufficient.

[0030] The number of arms and the serpentine shape at the base of the third component can be set as appropriate. The longer the arm, the greater the stroke of the check valve. Note that since the contents pass between the arms and enter the outlet, having too many arms will affect the flow rate.

[0031] There are no particular restrictions on the method of joining the stopper and the body, and methods such as heat fusion via a heat seal layer or adhesive bonding can be selected as appropriate.

[0032] The joint and the discharge port may be provided in the same member, thereby reducing the number of parts of the plug and simplifying its configuration.

[0033] The second region located downstream of the pouring hole does not necessarily have to have a uniform diameter throughout. For example, the diameter may gradually increase or decrease with increasing distance from the pouring hole, or only a portion of the circumference may be bent radially outward to form a spout. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1 container 10 Main Unit 20 Stopper 35 Discharge port 36 First area 37 Second area 38 Spout hole 56 axes 57 Check valve 58 flange 59 Groove

Claims

1. A spout attached to a body that contains contents for pouring out the contents, A discharge port having a dispensing hole; A check valve is provided on a shaft that is passed through the pouring hole and is arranged downstream of the pouring hole; a base on which a lower portion of the shaft is supported; Equipped with The shaft has a disk-shaped flange located upstream of the pouring hole, The base portion is A circular frame; a plurality of arms connecting the frame and the shaft with excess length; the shaft, the check valve, the flange, and the base are formed of a soft material; The discharge port is A first region located upstream of the pouring hole and directing the contents to the pouring hole; A second area is located downstream of the pouring hole and adjusts the flow of the contents coming out of the pouring hole. Mouth plug.

2. The shaft has a groove on its outer periphery. The plug according to claim 1.

3. a main body for accommodating contents; The plug according to claim 1 or 2 attached to the main body; Equipped with container.

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