Refill containers and preforms

Abstract

To provide a refill container and a preform in which liquid can be easily poured into a main container even if a diameter of a mouth of the refill container is increased.SOLUTION: A refill container 100 includes a mouth portion 20 and a container body 10 continuous to a lower part of the mouth portion 20. The mouth portion 20 has a cylindrical mouth body 21, and an arcuate spouting nozzle portion 23 erected on a top of the mouth body 21. A central axis O2 of an arc of the spouting nozzle portion 23 is located radially outward from a central axis O of the mouth body 21. An engaging portion is provided on an outer peripheral surface of the mouth body 21. An outer peripheral surface of the spouting nozzle portion 23 is located radially inward than the outer peripheral surface of the mouth body 21. A stepped portion 21e in which an inner diameter of a lower portion is smaller than that of an upper portion is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to refill containers and preforms. [Background technology]

[0002] From the viewpoint of resource conservation, it has been customary to refill a refillable container with a liquid content such as lotion, emulsion, liquid detergent, or fabric softener into a continuous-use container (hereinafter referred to as the "main container") that can be used repeatedly. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refillable container in which the outer diameter of the mouth of the refillable container is smaller than the inner diameter of the mouth of the main container, and the mouth is inserted into the mouth of the main container to refill the liquid content. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6109046 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, large-capacity refill containers that can be refilled multiple times have been manufactured and sold. From the standpoint of moldability, these large-capacity refill containers require a larger mouth diameter along with a larger body diameter. This makes it increasingly difficult to make the outer diameter of the mouth of a refill container smaller than the inner diameter of the mouth of the actual container, as has been the case in the past. Therefore, there has been a demand for a refill container with a larger mouth diameter that still allows for easy pouring of liquid into the actual container.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide a refillable container and a preform that allows liquid to be easily poured into the container even if the opening of the refillable container has a large diameter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the refill container of the present disclosure comprises: [1] A mouth portion and a container body connected to a lower portion of the mouth; A refill container comprising: The mouth portion is A cylindrical mouth body; an arc-shaped pouring nozzle portion erected on the upper portion of the mouth portion body; and The central axis of the arc of the pouring nozzle portion is located radially outward of the central axis of the mouth portion body, An engaging portion is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth body, The outer circumferential surface of the pouring nozzle portion is located radially inward of the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion main body, The mouth is characterized in that a step is formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof, the inner diameter of which is smaller at the bottom than at the top.

[0007] The refill container of the present disclosure also includes: [2] In the configuration described in [1] above, it is preferable that auxiliary guide walls are provided at both circumferential ends of the dispensing nozzle portion, the height of which is lower than that of the dispensing nozzle portion and the height of which gradually decreases in the direction away from the dispensing nozzle portion in the circumferential direction.

[0008] The refill container of the present disclosure also includes: [3] In the configuration described in [2] above, it is preferable that the auxiliary guide wall extends in a direction away from the pouring nozzle portion in the circumferential direction from a radial position radially outward of the pouring nozzle portion.

[0009] The refill container of the present disclosure also includes: [4] In the configuration described in any one of the above [1] to [3], it is preferable that a pouring groove recessed radially outward is provided on the inner surface at the circumferential center of the pouring nozzle portion.

[0010] The refill container of the present disclosure also includes: [5] In the configuration described in any one of the above [1] to [4], it is preferable that the mouth body and the pouring nozzle are integrally molded with the container body.

[0011] The refill container of the present disclosure also includes: [6] In the configuration described in [2] or [3] above, it is preferable that the pouring nozzle portion and the auxiliary guide wall are located radially outward from the inner circumferential surface of the lower portion, which has a smaller inner diameter than the upper portion of the step portion.

[0012] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the preform of the present disclosure has: [7] 1. A preform for forming a refillable container by stretch blow molding, comprising: A mouth portion and a main body portion connected to a lower portion of the mouth portion; Equipped with The mouth portion is A cylindrical mouth body; an arc-shaped pouring nozzle portion erected on the upper portion of the mouth portion body; and The central axis of the arc of the pouring nozzle portion is located radially outward of the central axis of the mouth portion body, An engaging portion is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth body, The outer circumferential surface of the pouring nozzle portion is located radially inward of the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion main body, The mouth has an inner peripheral surface formed with a step having a smaller inner diameter at the bottom than at the top. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a refillable container and a preform that allows liquid to be easily poured into the container even if the opening of the refillable container has a large diameter. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refill container according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the mouth portion in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the mouth portion of a refill container according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the mouth portion of a refill container according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mouth portion of a refill container according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cap is attached to the opening of a refill container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a front view of a preform according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The present disclosure will now be illustrated in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0016] 1 is suitable for storing liquid contents such as lotion, emulsion, liquid detergent, or fabric softener, and includes a mouth 20, a body 11 that connects to the bottom of the mouth 20 and defines a storage space S for the liquid contents, and a bottom 12 that closes the bottom end of the body 11. The body 11 and the bottom 12 form a container body 10 of the refillable container 100.

[0017] In this specification, claims, abstract, and drawings, the refillable container 100 shown in FIG. 1 is used as a reference in its upright position, and the side where the mouth 20 is located is referred to as the upper side of the refillable container 100 (upper side in FIG. 1), and the side where the bottom 12 of the container body 10 is located is referred to as the lower side of the refillable container 100 (lower side in FIG. 1). This up-down direction remains the same even when the refillable container 100 is in an inclined position, and the direction from the bottom 12 toward the mouth 20 is referred to as the upper side. Furthermore, the radially outward direction refers to a direction away from the central axis O of the refillable container 100 along a straight line passing through the central axis O of the refillable container 100 and extending vertically in FIG. 1 and perpendicular to the central axis O, and the radially inward direction refers to a direction approaching the central axis O along this straight line. Note that the central axis O in FIG. 1 is used to define the radially outward direction and the radially inward direction, and does not mean that each portion of the refillable container 100 of this embodiment is always formed axially symmetrically around the central axis O. In this embodiment, the central axis O is a central axis common to the container body 10 and the mouth body 21.

[0018] Furthermore, in this specification, claims, abstract and drawings, "integral molding" refers to something that is molded as a single unit within a mold, and includes things that are molded as a single unit by insert molding, two-color molding, etc., but does not include things that are formed by integrating separate parts molded in separate molds through a post-process that does not involve resin molding, such as bonding.

[0019] The container body 10 is formed in a bottle shape with a body 11 that defines an internal storage space S for the liquid content, and a bottom 12 that closes the lower end of the body 11, and the liquid content (not shown) can be stored in the storage space S. The container body 10 can be made of a synthetic resin such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The body 11 is not limited to the cylindrical shape shown in FIG. 1, and can have any other cylindrical shape, such as an elliptical or rectangular shape.

[0020] It is preferable that the container body 10 be an environmentally friendly thin-walled container, but it is not limited to this and may also be a rigid thick-walled container.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, the mouth portion 20 is connected to the upper end of the barrel portion 11 of the container body 10 via a shoulder portion 13. In this embodiment, the mouth portion 20 has a cylindrical mouth portion main body 21 and a pouring nozzle portion 23 that has an arc shape in a plan view (see Fig. 3) and is erected above the mouth portion main body 21. In this embodiment, the mouth portion main body 21 and the pouring nozzle portion 23 that constitute the mouth portion 20 are integrally molded with the container body 10.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 , the mouth body 21 is a cylindrical portion disposed around the central axis O, and includes a male thread portion 21b (engagement portion) and a neck ring 21c on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth peripheral wall 21a. A mouth flange 21f protruding radially outward is provided at the upper end of the mouth peripheral wall 21a. The cap 30 can be attached to the mouth 20 by threadingly engaging the male thread portion 21b of the mouth body 21 with a female thread portion 31a provided on the inner surface of the lower peripheral wall 31 of the cap 30 (described later). Instead of the male thread portion 21b, the cap 30 may be attached by tapping and engaging an annular protrusion serving as an engagement portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth body 21. The mouth body 21 does not have to have a perfectly cylindrical shape consisting of a perfect circle. The mouth flange 21f may not be provided.

[0023] Neck ring 21c is an annular portion that protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of mouth body 21, and is located below male thread portion 21b. A neck ring 121c of the same shape is also provided on preform 200, which will be described later, for forming refillable container 100 by blow molding (i.e., mouth 20 is hardly deformed by blow molding), and the underside of neck ring 21c can be abutted against a reference surface of the blow molding mold to fix preform 200.

[0024] 3, 5, and 6, a step 21e is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the mouth body 21, the lower part of which has a smaller inner diameter than the upper part. By fitting the outer surface of the sealing wall 35 of the cap 30, which will be described later, into the sealing surface 21e1 at the lower part of this step 21e, the mouth 20 of the refillable container 100 can be liquid-tightly sealed from the outside when the cap 30 is attached.

[0025] The pouring nozzle 23 is erected above the spout main body 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the pouring nozzle 23 has an arc shape in plan view. A pouring groove 23c recessed radially outward is provided on the inner surface of the circumferential center of the pouring nozzle 23. The pouring groove 23c has a V-shape in plan view, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pouring groove 23c is provided so that its circumferential width increases upward and its depth increases radially outward. With this configuration, the liquid content guided upward along the inner surface of the pouring nozzle 23 is gradually collected in the pouring groove 23c and poured out from the upper end of the pouring groove 23c. Note that the pouring groove 23c does not have to have a perfect V-shape in plan view, as long as its width increases upward. Furthermore, the pouring groove 23c does not have to have a V-shape.

[0026] At both circumferential ends of the dispensing nozzle portion 23, auxiliary guide walls 23b are provided which are lower in height than the dispensing nozzle portion 23 and whose height gradually decreases in the circumferential direction away from the dispensing nozzle portion 23. The auxiliary guide walls 23b are integrally molded with the spout main body 21 together with the dispensing nozzle portion 23, and as shown in Figures 2 to 5, at both circumferential ends of the dispensing nozzle portion 23, extend from a radial position radially outward of the dispensing nozzle portion 23 in a direction further away from the dispensing nozzle portion 23 in the circumferential direction.

[0027] 3 to 5, auxiliary guide wall 23b is formed continuously and seamlessly in the circumferential direction of dispensing nozzle portion 23. By providing auxiliary guide wall 23b continuously at both circumferential ends of dispensing nozzle portion 23 in this way, it is possible to effectively prevent the content liquid from leaking out of the mouth of the main container from both circumferential ends of dispensing nozzle portion 23 of refillable container 100 inserted into the mouth of the main container when the content liquid is transferred from refillable container 100 to the main container.

[0028] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the central axis O2 of the arc-shaped pouring nozzle portion 23 is located radially outward (to the right in FIG. 3) of the central axis O of the spout body 21. That is, the center position of the arc of the pouring nozzle portion 23 relative to the center position of the spout body 21 in a plan view is offset radially outward. Furthermore, the outer diameter of the arc-shaped pouring nozzle portion 23 is formed smaller than the outer diameter of the spout body 21. With this configuration, even if the diameter of the spout 20 needs to be increased due to an increase in the capacity of the refillable container 100, by providing the pouring nozzle portion 23 with an arc-shaped diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the spout body 21, it is possible to easily insert the pouring nozzle portion 23 into the spout of the refillable container. Therefore, even if the diameter of the spout 20 of the refillable container 100 is increased, it is possible to easily pour liquid into the refillable container.

[0029] In this embodiment, the pouring nozzle portion 23 and the auxiliary guide wall 23b are formed to be located at a radial position between the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion main body 21 and the seal surface 21e1 with a smaller inner diameter at the bottom of the step portion 21e, as shown in Figure 3 etc. Here, the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion main body 21 refers to the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion peripheral wall 21a excluding the male thread portion 21b, the neck ring 21c and the mouth portion flange 21f.

[0030] In this embodiment, by providing the dispensing nozzle portion 23 and the auxiliary guide wall 23b at the above-mentioned radial positions, a mouth portion step 23d is provided on the upper end surface of the spout main body 21 radially outward of the dispensing nozzle portion 23, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. When the dispensing nozzle portion 23 of the refillable container 100 is inserted into the spout of the main container, the mouth portion step 23d is brought into contact with the upper end of the spout of the main container, thereby enabling the dispensing nozzle portion 23 of the refillable container 100 to be stably positioned relative to the main container. Note that, in this embodiment, the dispensing nozzle portion 23 and the auxiliary guide wall 23b are configured to be located radially inward from the outer circumferential surface of the spout main body 21, but it is sufficient if at least the dispensing nozzle portion 23 is configured to be located radially inward from the outer circumferential surface of the spout main body 21.

[0031] 3, the pouring nozzle portion 23 and the auxiliary guide wall 23b are arranged so as to be located radially outward of the lower sealing surface 21e1, which has an inner diameter smaller than that of the upper portion of the stepped portion 21e. This configuration simplifies the mold structure for forming the mouth portion 120, which is the same as the mouth portion 20 of the refillable container 100, in the preform 200 described below.

[0032] As shown in Figure 6, the cap 30 includes a lower peripheral wall 31 that covers the mouth body 21 from the radial outside, an upper peripheral wall 33 that is connected to the upper end of the lower peripheral wall 31 via a step portion 32, a top wall 34 that closes the upper end of the upper peripheral wall 33, a sealing wall 35 that hangs down from the radial inner edge of the top wall 34, and a central wall 36 that extends radially inward below the central height of the sealing wall 35 and closes the inside of the sealing wall 35.

[0033] An internal thread 31a is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the lower peripheral wall 31, and is capable of threaded engagement with an external thread 21b provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth body 21. The lower surface of the step 32 abuts against the mouth flange 21f of the mouth body 21, and the internal thread 31a of the cap 30 threadably engages with the external thread 21b of the mouth body 21, thereby allowing the cap 30 to be attached to the mouth 20.

[0034] An annular sealing protrusion 35a is formed on the outer surface of the lower end of the sealing wall 35. As shown in Fig. 6, by attaching the cap 30 to the refillable container 100, the sealing protrusion 35a comes into contact with the lower sealing surface 21e1, which has an inner diameter smaller than that of the upper part of the stepped portion 21e, and the storage space S of the container body 10 is liquid-tightly sealed from the outside.

[0035] In this embodiment, the cap 30 serves to prevent the content liquid in the storage space S from leaking out, but by providing measuring markings on the sealing wall 35, for example, by rib-like protrusions or by printing, the cap 30 can also function as a measuring cap with a measuring space surrounded by the sealing wall 35 and the central wall 36. With this configuration, if the original container to be refilled cannot be found immediately, the content liquid can be immediately used by measuring the appropriate amount using the cap 30. When the cap 30 is used as a measuring cap, the content liquid can be easily measured by making the cap 30 out of, for example, a transparent or translucent resin.

[0036] When refilling the liquid content from the refill container 100 having the above-described configuration into the main container, when the cap 30 is turned around the central axis O to release the threaded connection between the cap 30 and the mouth body 21 from the state in which the dispensing nozzle portion 23 is covered by the cap 30 as shown in Figure 6, the cap 30 can be moved upward relative to the container body 10. Then, when the threaded engagement is completely released, the cap 30 can be removed from the mouth body 21 by pulling it upward.

[0037] With the cap 30 removed from the mouth body 21 to expose the dispensing nozzle 23, the container body 10 is tilted clockwise in Fig. 6 from an upright position in which the upper end of the dispensing nozzle 23 faces upward to a tilted position in which the upper end of the dispensing nozzle 23 faces diagonally upward to the right in Fig. 6. In this tilted position, the outer peripheral surface of the dispensing nozzle 23 is brought into contact with the upper end of the mouth of the main container, and the refill container 100 is further rotated clockwise while lifting the bottom 12 of the refill container 100 using the contact point as a fulcrum, thereby inserting the dispensing nozzle 23 into the mouth of the main container. Then, the mouth step 23d is brought into contact with the upper end of the mouth of the main container to stabilize the position of the refill container 100, and the content liquid is refilled.

[0038] When the container body 10 is formed as a thin-walled container, the pressure inside the storage space S can be increased by pressing the body portion 11, thereby facilitating the refilling of the content liquid.

[0039] After refilling the liquid content, the cap 30 can be attached by threading the female thread portion 31a of the cap 30 back onto the male thread portion 21b of the mouth body 21, thereby closing the dispensing nozzle portion 23.

[0040] The refillable container 100 according to this embodiment can be formed, for example, by integrally molding the preform 200 shown in FIG. 7 by injection molding or the like, fixing it to the mold by, for example, abutting the lower surface of the neck ring 121c against the reference surface of the blow molding mold, and then performing biaxial stretch blow molding.

[0041] The preform 200 comprises a test-tube-shaped main body 110 and a mouth 120 integrally molded at the upper end of the main body 110. The main body 110 comprises a cylindrical body 111 and a hemispherical bottom 112 that closes the lower end of the body 111. The main body 110 is the portion that will form the shoulder 13, body 11, and bottom 12 of the refillable container 100 by biaxially stretching blow molding the preform 200. Note that the bottom 112 does not have to have a perfect hemispherical shape.

[0042] The mouth portion 120 of the preform 200 has the same shape as the mouth portion 20 of the refillable container 100, and is a portion that does not expand during biaxial stretch blow molding. As shown in Figure 7, the mouth portion 120 has a cylindrical mouth portion main body 121 and a pouring nozzle portion 123 that has an arc shape in a plan view and is erected on top of the mouth portion main body 121. The mouth portion main body 121 and the pouring nozzle portion 123 that constitute the mouth portion 120 are molded integrally with the main body portion 110.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 7, the mouth body 121 is a cylindrical portion arranged around the central axis O, and is provided with a male thread portion 121b (engagement portion) and a neck ring 121c on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth peripheral wall 121a. In addition, a mouth flange 121f that protrudes radially outward is provided at the upper end of the mouth peripheral wall 121a. Note that instead of the male thread portion 121b, an annular protrusion may be provided as an engagement portion on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth body 121. Also, the mouth body 121 does not have to have a cylindrical shape consisting of a perfect circle. Note that the mouth flange 121f does not have to be provided.

[0044] Neck ring 121c is an annular part that protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of mouth body 21, and is located below male thread portion 121b. The lower surface of this neck ring 121c can also be abutted against a reference surface of the blow molding die to fix preform 200 to the die.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 7, the inner circumferential surface of the mouth body 121 is formed with a step 121e in which the inner diameter of the lower part is smaller than that of the upper part.

[0046] A pouring nozzle portion 123 is erected above the spout main body 121. The pouring nozzle portion 123 has an arc shape in plan view, and a pouring groove recessed radially outward is provided on the inner surface at the circumferential center of the pouring nozzle portion 123. The pouring groove has a V-shape in plan view, and is provided so that its circumferential width increases upward and its depth increases radially outward. The pouring groove does not have to have a perfect V-shape in plan view, as long as its width increases upward. The pouring groove does not have to have a V-shape.

[0047] At both circumferential ends of the dispensing nozzle portion 123, auxiliary guide walls 123b are provided which are lower in height than the dispensing nozzle portion 123 and which gradually decrease in height in the circumferential direction away from the dispensing nozzle portion 123. The auxiliary guide walls 123b are integrally molded with the spout main body 121 together with the dispensing nozzle portion 123, and extend from a radial position radially outward of the dispensing nozzle portion 123 at both circumferential ends of the dispensing nozzle portion 123 in a direction further away from the dispensing nozzle portion 123 in the circumferential direction. The auxiliary guide walls 123b are formed continuously and seamlessly around the dispensing nozzle portion 123 in the circumferential direction.

[0048] In this embodiment, the central axis of the arc shape of pouring nozzle portion 123 is located radially outward (to the right in FIG. 7) from the central axis O of spout main body 121. In addition, the outer diameter of the arc shape of pouring nozzle portion 123 is formed smaller than the outer diameter of spout main body 121.

[0049] In this embodiment, the dispensing nozzle portion 123 and the auxiliary guide wall 123b are formed to be located at a radial position between the outer peripheral surface of the mouth main body 121 and the lower sealing surface 121e1, which has an inner diameter smaller than that of the upper part of the step portion 121e.

[0050] Here, the outer peripheral surface of the mouth body 121 refers to the outer peripheral surface of the mouth peripheral wall 121a excluding the male thread portion 121b, the neck ring 121c, and the mouth flange 121f.

[0051] In this embodiment, by providing the dispensing nozzle portion 123 and the auxiliary guide wall 123b at the above-mentioned radial positions, a spout step portion 123d is provided on the upper end surface of the spout main body 121 radially outside the dispensing nozzle portion 123, as shown in Figure 7. Note that in this embodiment, the dispensing nozzle portion 123 and the auxiliary guide wall 123b are configured to be located radially inward from the outer circumferential surface of the spout main body 121, but it is sufficient if at least the dispensing nozzle portion 123 is configured to be located radially inward from the outer circumferential surface of the spout main body 121.

[0052] 7, the pouring nozzle portion 123 and the auxiliary guide wall 123b are arranged so as to be located radially outward of the lower sealing surface 121e1, which has an inner diameter smaller than that of the upper portion of the step portion 121e. This configuration simplifies the mold structure for forming the mouth portion 120 in the preform 200, which will be described later.

[0053] When forming a refillable container 100 using the preform 200 shown in Figure 7, the underside of the neck ring 121c of the preform 200 is abutted against a reference surface of a blow molding die and fixed, and the body portion 110 is stretched axially using a stretch rod while pressurized fluid is supplied into the interior of the preform 200 to perform biaxial stretch blow molding. In this embodiment, only the body portion 110 is stretched axially and radially by blow molding, forming the mouth portion 20, shoulder portion 13, trunk portion 11, and bottom 12 shown in Figure 1 to form the refillable container 100. In this manufacturing method for the refillable container 100, the body portion 110 of the preform 200, in which the body portion 110 and the mouth portion 120 are integrally molded, is expanded by biaxial stretch blow molding only.

[0054] As described above, this embodiment is a refillable container 100 comprising a mouth portion 20 and a container body 10 connected to the lower part of the mouth portion 20, and the mouth portion 20 has a cylindrical mouth portion body 21 and an arc-shaped pouring nozzle portion 23 erected on the upper part of the mouth portion body 21, the central axis O2 of the arc of the pouring nozzle portion 23 is located radially outward from the central axis O of the mouth portion body 21, an engagement portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion body 21, the outer peripheral surface of the pouring nozzle portion 23 is located radially inward from the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion body 21, and the inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion 20 is configured so that a step portion 21e is formed whose inner diameter is smaller at the lower part than at the upper part. By adopting this configuration, even when the diameter of the mouth 20 needs to be increased due to an increase in the capacity of the refillable container 100, the contents of the refillable container 100 can be easily refilled into the container by erecting the dispensing nozzle 23, which has an arc-shaped shape and a smaller diameter than the mouth body 21, from the mouth body 21 and inserting the dispensing nozzle 23 into the mouth of the container. Furthermore, by abutting the mouth step 23d, which is formed on the upper end surface of the mouth body 21 radially outward of the dispensing nozzle 23, against the mouth of the container during refilling, the posture of the refillable container 100 can be stabilized. Furthermore, by abutting the sealing wall 35 of the cap 30 against the lower sealing surface 21e1 of the step 21e, which has a smaller inner diameter than the upper part, the storage space S of the container body 10 can be liquid-tightly sealed against the outside when the cap 30 is attached.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, auxiliary guide walls 23b are provided at both circumferential ends of the dispensing nozzle portion 23. The auxiliary guide walls 23b are lower in height than the dispensing nozzle portion 23 and gradually decrease in height in the circumferential direction away from the dispensing nozzle portion 23. By adopting such a configuration, when the content liquid is transferred from the refillable container 100 to the main container, it is possible to effectively prevent the content liquid from leaking out of the mouth of the main container from both circumferential ends of the dispensing nozzle portion 23 of the refillable container 100 inserted into the mouth of the main container.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, auxiliary guide wall 23b is configured to extend in the circumferential direction away from pouring nozzle portion 23 from a radial position radially outward of pouring nozzle portion 23. By employing such a configuration, auxiliary guide wall 23b, which has a larger diameter radially outward than pouring nozzle portion 23, can be used to widely receive the content liquid discharged from spout opening 21d, and can be poured out to the outside from pouring nozzle portion 23, which has a smaller diameter than spout opening 21d.

[0057] In this embodiment, a pouring groove 23c recessed radially outward is provided on the inner surface at the circumferential center of the pouring nozzle portion 23. By adopting this configuration, the content liquid guided upward along the inner surface of the pouring nozzle portion 23 is gradually collected in this pouring groove 23c and can be poured out from the upper end of the pouring groove 23c.

[0058] In this embodiment, the mouth body 21 and the dispensing nozzle 23 are configured to be integrally molded with the container body 10. By adopting such a configuration, the manufacturing cost of the refill container 100 can be reduced.

[0059] In this embodiment, the pouring nozzle portion 23 and the auxiliary guide wall 23b are configured to be located radially outward from the inner circumferential surface (sealing surface 21e1) of the lower portion of the stepped portion 21e, which has an inner diameter smaller than that of the upper portion of the stepped portion 21e. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to simplify the mold structure for forming the mouth portion 120 of the preform 200, which is the same as the mouth portion 20 of the refillable container 100.

[0060] Furthermore, this embodiment is a preform 200 for forming a refillable container 100 by stretch blow molding, which comprises a mouth portion 120 and a main body portion 110 connected to the lower part of the mouth portion 120, and the mouth portion 120 has a cylindrical mouth portion main body 121 and an arc-shaped pouring nozzle portion 123 erected on the upper part of the mouth portion main body 121, the central axis O2 of the arc of the pouring nozzle portion 123 is located radially outward from the central axis O of the mouth portion main body 121, an engaging portion (male thread portion 121b) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion main body 121, the outer peripheral surface of the pouring nozzle portion 123 is located radially inward from the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion main body 121, and the inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion 120 is configured so that a step portion 121e is formed whose inner diameter is smaller at the bottom than at the top. By adopting such a configuration, the mouth portion 20 of the refillable container 100 and the container body can be integrally formed, and therefore the manufacturing cost of the refillable container 100 can be reduced.

[0061] Although the present disclosure has been described based on various drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each component can be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistencies, and multiple components can be combined into one or divided. It should be understood that these modifications and alterations are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0062] For example, in this embodiment, auxiliary guide wall 23b is configured to be lower in height than dispensing nozzle portion 23 and to gradually decrease in height in the circumferential direction away from dispensing nozzle portion 23, but is not limited to this form. Auxiliary guide wall 23b may be formed to be approximately the same height as dispensing nozzle portion 23 or higher than dispensing nozzle portion 23, or may have a constant height throughout the circumferential direction. Furthermore, auxiliary guide wall 23b does not have to be positioned radially outward from dispensing nozzle portion 23.

[0063] In addition, in this embodiment, the pouring groove 23c is provided in the circumferential center of the pouring nozzle portion 23, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the pouring groove 23c may not be provided. Furthermore, the pouring groove 23c may be configured so that the circumferential width and depth do not change in the vertical direction.

[0064] In addition, in this embodiment, the pouring nozzle portion 23 and the auxiliary guide wall 23b are configured to be located radially outward from the inner circumferential surface (sealing surface 21e1) of the lower portion of the stepped portion 21e, which has an inner diameter smaller than that of the upper portion thereof, but this is not limited to this. The pouring nozzle portion 23 and the auxiliary guide wall 23b may be located radially inward from the sealing surface 21e1, or the radially inner ends of the pouring nozzle portion 23 and the auxiliary guide wall 23b may be flush with the sealing surface 21e1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10 Container body 11 Torso 12 Bottom 13 Shoulder 20 Mouth 21 Mouth body 21a Mouth wall 21b Male thread portion (engagement portion) 21c neck ring 21d Mouth opening 21e Stepped section 21e1 Seal surface (inner surface) 21f Mouth flange 23 Injection nozzle 23b Auxiliary guide wall 23c pouring groove 23d Mouth step part 30 Cap 31 Lower Perimeter Wall 31a Female thread 32 Stepped section 33 Upper Perimeter Wall 34 Ceiling wall 35 Seal Wall 35a Seal protrusion 36 Central wall 100 refill containers 110 Main body 111 Barrel 112 Bottom 120 Mouth part 121 Mouth part body 121a Mouth part peripheral wall 121b Male screw part (engagement part) 121c Neck ring 121e Step part 121f Mouth part flange 121e1 Seal surface (inner peripheral surface) 123 Pouring nozzle part 123b Auxiliary case inner wall 123d Mouth part step part 200 Preform O Central axis line O2 Central axis line S Accommodation space

Claims

1. The mouth portion and a container body connected to a lower portion of the mouth; A refill container comprising: The mouth portion is A cylindrical mouth body; an arc-shaped pouring nozzle portion erected on the upper portion of the mouth portion body; and The central axis of the arc of the pouring nozzle portion is located radially outward of the central axis of the mouth portion body, An engaging portion is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth body, The outer circumferential surface of the pouring nozzle portion is located radially inward of the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion main body, The refillable container has a step formed on the inner circumferential surface of the mouth, the lower part having a smaller inner diameter than the upper part.

2. 2. The refill container according to claim 1, wherein auxiliary guide walls are provided at both circumferential ends of the dispensing nozzle portion, the height of which is lower than that of the dispensing nozzle portion and which gradually decrease in height in a direction away from the dispensing nozzle portion in the circumferential direction.

3. The refill container according to claim 2 , wherein the auxiliary guide wall extends in a direction away from the dispensing nozzle in the circumferential direction from a radial position radially outward of the dispensing nozzle.

4. The refillable container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a pouring groove recessed radially outward is provided on an inner surface of the pouring nozzle at a circumferential center portion.

5. The refillable container according to claim 1 , wherein the mouth body and the dispensing nozzle are integrally formed with the container body.

6. 4. The refillable container according to claim 2, wherein the dispensing nozzle and the auxiliary guide wall are located radially outward of an inner circumferential surface of a lower part of the stepped portion, the inner diameter of which is smaller than that of an upper part of the stepped portion.

7. 1. A preform for forming a refillable container by stretch blow molding, comprising: The mouth portion and a main body portion connected to a lower portion of the mouth portion; Equipped with The mouth portion is A cylindrical mouth body; an arc-shaped pouring nozzle portion erected on the upper portion of the mouth portion body; and The central axis of the arc of the pouring nozzle portion is located radially outward of the central axis of the mouth portion body, An engaging portion is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth body, The outer circumferential surface of the pouring nozzle portion is located radially inward of the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion main body, The preform has a step formed on the inner circumferential surface of the mouth portion, the step having a smaller inner diameter at the bottom than at the top.

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