Foamer dispenser

Abstract

To provide a foamer dispenser capable of discharging uniform foam even when a head part is pressed down at high speed.SOLUTION: A foamer dispenser 1 of the present invention has: a mounting cap 10; a stem 20 having a cylindrical connection part 22; a head part 30 attached to the upper end of the stem 20; a cylindrical body 40 having a partition wall 41 having a liquid inflow hole 42 and forming a mixing chamber 43 between the cylindrical connection part 22 and the partition wall 41; a liquid pump 50; an air pump 60; and a foaming member 80, wherein three air channels 70 are provided in a circumferential direction in a row at equal intervals, the cross-sectional area of the smallest portion of the liquid channel 42 is 2.0 mm2 or more and 14.5 mm2 or less, and the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of the three air channels 70 to the cross-sectional area of the smallest portion of the liquid channel 42 is 1.0:1.4 to 1.0:2.8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a foam dispenser that mixes the liquid inside the container body with air and discharges it in a foamy state from a nozzle.

Background Art

[0002] As a container for containing liquids such as shampoo, body soap, hand soap, facial cleanser, etc. as the content liquid, from the viewpoint of omitting the foaming operation of the content liquid and achieving convenient use, a foam dispenser configured to mix the content liquid with air and discharge it in a foamy state is widely used.

[0003] Conventionally, as such a foam dispenser, it has a mounting cap attached to the mouth of the container, a liquid pump and an air pump respectively supported by the mounting cap, and a head portion attached to the upper end of a stem that is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the mounting cap. When the head portion is pushed down and the liquid pump and the air pump are operated, the liquid and air are pumped and mixed in the mixing chamber, and are foamed through a foaming member and discharged in a foamy state from the nozzle (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the conventional foam dispenser, when the head portion is pushed down at a high speed (for example, 70 mm / s), there is a problem that the foam discharged from the nozzle becomes non-uniform, partially containing large bubbles.

[0006] The present invention aims to solve these problems, and its objective is to provide a foamer dispenser that can dispense uniform foam even when the head is pressed down at high speed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The foamer dispenser of the present invention comprises a mounting cap attached to the mouth of the container body, a cylindrical connecting portion having an outflow hole and a stem protruding from the mounting cap, a head portion having a nozzle and attached to the upper end of the stem, a cylindrical body having a partition wall having a liquid inflow hole, which fits from the outside to the cylindrical connecting portion and partition wall to form a mixing chamber, a liquid pump supported by the mounting cap and driven by the stem when the head portion is pressed down to pump the liquid inside the container body from the liquid inflow hole into the mixing chamber, and the mounting cap The device comprises an air pump supported by a cap, which is driven by the stem when the head portion is pressed down to pump air taken in from the outside into the mixing chamber through an air passage provided between the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical connection portion and the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body; and a foaming member provided on at least one of the stem and the nozzle to foam the liquid mixed with air in the mixing chamber. Three air passages are provided between the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical connection portion and the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body, arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the smallest portion of the liquid passage between the liquid pump and the mixing chamber is 2.0 mm². 2 The above is 14.5mm 2 The ratio of the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the three air passages to the cross-sectional area of ​​the smallest part of the liquid passage is 1.0:1.4 to 1.0:2.8. Furthermore, an air introduction channel is provided between the inner circumferential surface of the lower portion of the stem and the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body, the introduction channel communicates with the air introduction channel via an annular space between the upper end of the cylindrical body and the stem, and the smallest portion of the liquid flow channel is the liquid inlet hole. It is characterized by the following:

[0008] In the foamer dispenser of the present invention, it is preferable that the three air passages are composed of grooves arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the cylindrical connecting portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a foamer dispenser that can dispense uniform foam even when the head is pressed down at high speed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view showing a foamer dispenser according to one embodiment of the present invention attached to the mouth of a container body. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view showing a magnified view of the main part of the foamer dispenser shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, a former dispenser 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] In this specification, claims, and abstract, the vertical direction refers to the vertical direction when the container body 2, to which the foamer dispenser 1 is attached, is in an upright position, as shown in Figure 1.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the foamer dispenser 1 has a mounting cap 10 that is attached to the opening 2a of the container body 2.

[0015] The mounting cap 10 has a top wall 10a and a mounting cylinder wall 10b integrally connected to the outer peripheral edge of the top wall 10a. The female thread 10c provided on the inner circumferential surface of the mounting cylinder wall 10b is screw-connected to the male thread 2b provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth 2a of the container body 2, thereby allowing the cap to be detachably attached to the mouth 2a. The mounting cap 10 attached to the mouth 2a covers the opening of the mouth 2a. The top wall 10a of the mounting cap 10 is integrally provided with a support cylinder portion 10d that protrudes upward.

[0016] Incidentally, as a configuration for attaching the mounting cap 10 to the mouth portion 2a of the container body 2, instead of the screw connection described above, other configurations such as undercut engagement may be used.

[0017] A stem 20 is supported by the mounting cap 10. The stem 20 has a cylindrical upper portion 20a centered on the axis O and a cylindrical lower portion 20b that is slightly larger in diameter than the upper portion 20a and is coaxially and integrally connected to the lower end of the upper portion 20a. The upper portion 20a protrudes upward from the mounting cap 10. Further, on the outside of the boundary portion between the upper portion 20a and the lower portion 20b, a cylindrical guide cylinder portion 21 that is larger in diameter than the lower portion 20b is coaxially and integrally provided via a flange-shaped portion 20c. The stem 20 is guided in a state where the guide cylinder portion 21 is prevented from rotating on the inner peripheral surface of the support cylinder portion 10d, so that it can move vertically along the support cylinder portion 10d.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the stem 20 includes a cylindrical connection portion 22 inside thereof. The cylindrical connection portion 22 has a substantially cylindrical shape with an outflow hole 23 at its axis center, and is coaxially and integrally provided inside the boundary portion between the upper portion 20a and the lower portion 2 of the stem 20 via a tapered connection portion 20d.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, a head portion 30 is attached to the upper end of the stem 20. The head portion 30 includes a nozzle 31 that communicates with the internal flow path of the stem 20. The nozzle extends from the stem 20 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the axis O of the stem 20, and its tip forms a discharge port 32. Incidentally, the nozzle 31 is not limited to extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the axis O of the stem 20. For example, the discharge port 32 may be provided so as to open upward on the top surface of the head portion 30, and the shape thereof may be variously changed, such as a shape that discharges the content upward. The head portion 30 is fixed with respect to the stem 20 in the vertical direction. Thus, when the head portion 30 is pushed downward, the stem 20 is pushed downward together with the head portion 30.

[0020] A cylinder body 40 is attached to the lower end of the stem 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder body 40 has a cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter than the lower portion 20b of the stem 20 and a larger diameter than the cylindrical connection portion 22. The upper end side portion thereof is fitted onto the cylindrical connection portion 22 from the outside and fixed to the stem 20. In the present embodiment, the cylinder body 40 is also fitted onto the lower portion 20b of the stem 20 from the inside and is fitted and fixed into the groove-shaped portion between the lower portion 20b and the cylindrical connection portion 22.

[0021] The cylinder body 40 integrally has a partition wall 41 inside thereof. A liquid inflow hole 42 penetrating the partition wall 41 in the vertical direction is provided at the center of the partition wall 41.

[0022] Inside the cylinder body 40, a mixing chamber 43 partitioned by the cylindrical connection portion 22 and the partition wall 41 is provided. The mixing chamber 43 communicates with the stem 20 through an outflow hole 23 provided in the cylindrical connection portion 22 and also communicates with a liquid pump 50 described later through a liquid inflow hole 42 provided in the partition wall 41.

[0023] The former dispenser 1 has a liquid pump 50 and an air pump 60.

[0024] The liquid pump 50 is supported by the mounting cap 10 and disposed inside the container body 2. When the head portion 30 is pushed down, the liquid pump 50 is driven by the stem 20 that moves downward together with the head portion 30 and operates to pump the liquid inside the container body 2 toward the inside of the mixing chamber 43 through the liquid inflow hole 42. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, the liquid pump 50 is integrally provided on a cylinder member 51 whose small-diameter cylinder 51a constituting the liquid pump 50 is supported by the mounting cap 10, and thus is indirectly supported by the mounting cap 10 through the large-diameter cylinder 51b. However, the liquid pump 50 may be directly supported by the mounting cap 10.

[0025] The air pump 60 is supported by the mounting cap 10 and positioned inside the container body 2. When the head portion 30 is pushed down, the pump is driven by the stem 20, which moves downward together with the head portion 30, and pumps air taken in from the outside through an air passage 70 provided between the outer surface of the cylindrical connection portion 22 and the inner surface of the cylindrical body 40 towards the mixing chamber 43.

[0026] A foamed member (mesh ring) 80 is placed on at least one of the stem 20 and the nozzle 31. In this embodiment, the foamed member 80 is placed at the upper end and lower end of the upper portion 20a of the stem 20, respectively. As the foamed member 80, for example, one can be used in which a mesh is attached to one end of a ring-shaped main body.

[0027] Therefore, when the head section 30 is pushed down, the liquid pump 50 and the air pump 60 are activated, and liquid and air flow into the mixing chamber 43. The liquid mixed with air in the mixing chamber 43 is then pumped through the outlet hole 23 into the internal flow path of the stem 20, foamed by the two foaming members 80, and discharged to the outside as foam from the discharge port 32 of the nozzle 31.

[0028] In this embodiment, the liquid pump 50 and the air pump 60 are configured as follows. However, the liquid pump 50 and the air pump 60 are not limited to the following configuration and can be used with various configurations as long as they are supported by the mounting cap 10 and driven by the stem 20 when the head portion 30 is pressed down.

[0029] Inside the container body 2, a cylinder member 51 is positioned, which is supported by the mounting cap 10 by being sandwiched between the opening 2a of the container body 2. The cylinder member 51 has a configuration in which a small-diameter cylinder 51a and a large-diameter cylinder 51b, which is larger in diameter than the small-diameter cylinder 51a and integrally connected to the upper part of the small-diameter cylinder 51a, are arranged coaxially in series.

[0030] The small-diameter cylinder 51a constitutes the liquid pump 50. Although not shown in detail, a suction port is provided at the bottom of the small-diameter cylinder 51a for drawing liquid from inside the container body 2 into the small-diameter cylinder 51a, and a suction pipe extending to the bottom of the container body 2 is connected to the suction port. Inside the small-diameter cylinder 51a, a liquid seal body 52 is arranged so as to abut the inner circumferential surface of the small-diameter cylinder 51a and slide along the axis O. The liquid seal body 52, which has a cylindrical shape, is locked to the lower end of the cylindrical body 40 and together with the cylindrical body 40 constitutes the piston of the liquid pump 50.

[0031] A spring member 53 is positioned between the liquid seal 52 and the bottom wall (not shown) of the small-diameter cylinder 51a to bias the liquid seal 52 upward.

[0032] A poppet 54 is positioned inside the liquid seal body 52. ​​Although not shown in detail, the lower end of the poppet 54 is provided with a valve for opening and closing the suction port, and the upper end is provided with a valve 54a for opening and closing the outlet of the internal passage inside the liquid seal body 52.

[0033] When the head portion 30 is pushed down, and the stem 20 moves downward together with the head portion 30, the cylindrical body 40 and the liquid seal 52 move downward as a single unit, pressurizing the liquid inside the small-diameter cylinder 51a. When the liquid inside the small-diameter cylinder 51a is pressurized, the poppet 54 moves upward relative to the liquid seal 52, opening the valve portion 54a, and the liquid inside the small-diameter cylinder 51a is pumped through the inside of the cylindrical body 40 to the liquid inlet hole 42, which is the liquid flow path, and flows into the mixing chamber 43. When the push-down operation of the head portion 30 is released, the liquid seal 52, cylindrical body 40, stem 20, and head portion 30 rise back to their original positions due to the elastic force of the spring member 53, and at that time, the suction port is opened by the valve portion at the lower end of the poppet 54, filling the inside of the small-diameter cylinder 51a with liquid for the next discharge.

[0034] The large-diameter cylinder 51b constitutes the air pump 60. The air pump 60 is supported by the mounting cap 10 in the large-diameter cylinder 51b and is located inside the container body 2. An air introduction channel 61 is provided between the inner circumferential surface of the lower portion 20b of the stem 20 and the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 40. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, four introduction channels 61 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around the axis O of the stem 20. As shown in Figure 2, the introduction channels 61 communicate with the air channel 70 via an annular space between the upper end of the cylindrical body 40 and the connecting portion 20d.

[0035] As shown in Figure 3, three air passages 70 are provided between the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical connecting portion 22 and the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 40, arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around the axis O. In this embodiment, these air passages 70 are composed of grooves provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around the axis O on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical connecting portion 22. Each of the grooves constituting each air passage 70 has a substantially rectangular cross-section, and their cross-sectional area or cross-sectional shape is the same as that of the others. Alternatively, the air passages 70 may be composed of grooves provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around the axis O on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 40.

[0036] As shown in Figure 1, an air seal 62 is positioned inside the large-diameter cylinder 51b so as to be in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the large-diameter cylinder 51b and slidable along the axis O. The annular air seal 62 is locked to the lower end of the guide cylinder portion 21 of the stem 20, and together with the guide cylinder portion 21, the flange-shaped portion 20c, and the lower portion 20b, it constitutes the piston of the air pump 60.

[0037] A cylindrical guide 63 is provided inside the air seal 62, surrounding the cylindrical body 40. A slit-shaped gap extending in the vertical direction is formed between the outer surface of the cylindrical body 40 and the inner surface of the cylindrical guide 63, and this gap constitutes an air introduction channel 64 that directs the air inside the large-diameter cylinder 51b toward the mixing chamber 43. The cylindrical guide 63 abuts against a flange 44 provided on the cylindrical body 40 at its lower end and is slightly slidable in the vertical direction relative to the cylindrical body 40. When the cylindrical guide 63 slides upward relative to the cylindrical body 40, the lower end of the cylindrical guide 63 separates from the flange 44 and the introduction channel 64 opens. Conversely, when the cylindrical guide 63 slides downward relative to the cylindrical body 40 and the lower end of the cylindrical guide 63 abuts against the flange 44, the introduction channel 64 closes.

[0038] When the head portion 30 is pushed down and the stem 20 moves downward together with the head portion 30, the air seal body 62 is pushed downward by the guide cylinder portion 21, pressurizing the air inside the large-diameter cylinder 51b, and the cylindrical guide 63 slides upward relative to the cylinder 40, opening the introduction passage 64. As a result, the pressurized air inside the large-diameter cylinder 51b is pumped through the introduction passage 64, the four introduction passages 61 and the three air passages 70 to the mixing chamber 43 and flows into the mixing chamber 43.

[0039] Thus, with the liquid pump 50 and air pump 60 configured as described above, by pushing the head portion 30 downward, the stem 20 drives the liquid pump 50 and air pump 60 to operate, causing liquid and air to flow into the mixing chamber 43 and mix inside the mixing chamber 43.

[0040] As shown in Figure 2, a ball valve B is positioned inside the mixing chamber 43. The ball valve B is positioned between a valve seat 41a provided on the upper surface of the partition wall 41 and a valve retainer 22a provided at the lower end of the cylindrical connecting portion 22. The ball valve B closes the liquid inlet hole 42 by contacting the valve seat 41a. When liquid is pumped from the liquid pump 50 into the mixing chamber 43, the pressure pushes the ball valve B away from the valve seat 41a, opening the liquid inlet hole 42.

[0041] As described above, the former dispenser 1 of this embodiment is configured such that three air passages 70 are provided between the outer surface of the cylindrical connecting portion 22 and the inner surface of the cylindrical body 40, arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the axis O.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the former dispenser 1 has a liquid inlet hole 42, which is the smallest part of the liquid flow path between the liquid pump 50 and the mixing chamber 43, with a cross-sectional area of ​​2.0 mm². 2 The above is 14.5mm 2 The configuration is as follows:

[0043] Furthermore, in the foamer dispenser 1 of this embodiment, the ratio of the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the three air passages 70 to the cross-sectional area of ​​the liquid inlet hole 42, which is the smallest part of the liquid passage, is set to 1.0:1.4 to 1.0:2.8. That is, the cross-sectional area of ​​the liquid inlet hole 42, which is the smallest part of the liquid passage, is set to a range of 1.4 to 2.8 times the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the three air passages 70. In this embodiment, the three air passages 70 are configured to extend vertically with a constant cross-sectional area, but it is also possible to configure them so that the cross-sectional area changes in the vertical direction. In this case, the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the three air passages 70 is the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the smallest parts of each air passage 70.

[0044] With this configuration, the foamer dispenser 1 of this embodiment can dispense uniform foam without large air bubbles from the nozzle 31 even when the head portion 30 is pressed down at high speed (for example, 70 mm / s).

[0045] Here, if the number of air passages 70 provided between the outer surface of the cylindrical connection part 22 and the inner surface of the cylindrical body 40 is set to two or less, the balance of air introduction from the air passages 70 to the mixing chamber 43 will be poor, making it impossible to uniformly mix the liquid and air inside the mixing chamber 43, resulting in a problem where the bubbles discharged from the nozzle 31 become uneven, containing partially large bubbles. On the other hand, if the number of air passages 70 provided between the outer surface of the cylindrical connection part 22 and the inner surface of the cylindrical body 40 is set to four or more, if the total cross-sectional area is the same, the sum of the total circumference of the outer shape of each air passage 70 will be longer than in the case of three passages. This will increase the resistance of the air passing through the air passages 70, reducing the air velocity, and the lag of the air relative to the liquid velocity will make it easier to generate large bubbles.

[0046] Furthermore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the liquid inlet hole 42, which is the smallest part of the liquid flow path between the liquid pump 50 and the mixing chamber 43, is set to 2.0 mm². 2 If it is less than this, the pressing force required to push down the head portion 30 will increase, making the operation even more difficult. On the other hand, if the cross-sectional area of ​​the liquid inlet hole 42, which is the smallest part of the liquid flow path between the liquid pump 50 and the mixing chamber 43 is 14.5 mm² 2 Making it larger would necessitate increasing the outer diameter of the small-diameter cylinder 51a, which would result in a larger former dispenser 1 and stricter design constraints on the container body 2 to which the former dispenser 1 is attached.

[0047] In contrast, the former dispenser 1 of this embodiment, as described above, has three air passages 70 arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the axis O between the outer surface of the cylindrical connecting portion 22 and the inner surface of the cylindrical body 40, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the liquid inlet hole 42, which is the smallest part of the liquid passage, is 2.0 mm². 2 The above is 14.5mm 2As described below, the ratio of the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the three air passages 70 to the cross-sectional area of ​​the liquid inlet hole 42, which is the smallest part of the liquid passage, is set to 1.0:1.4 to 1.0:2.8. This makes it possible to miniaturize the foamer dispenser 1, facilitate the downward operation of the head section 30, and discharge uniform foam from the nozzle 31.

[0048] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0049] For example, in the above embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of each air passage 70 is approximately rectangular, but its shape can be changed in various ways. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 Foamer Dispenser 2. Container body 2a Mouth 2b Male screw 10. Mounting cap 10a Ceiling wall 10b Mounting cylinder wall 10c female thread 10d Support cylinder part 20 Stem 20a upper part 20b Lower part 20c Flange-shaped portion 20d connecting part 21 Guide tube section 22 Cylindrical connecting part 22a Valve retainer 23 Outflow hole 30 Head section 31 nozzles 32 Discharge port 40 Cylinder 41 Bulkhead 41a Valve seat 42 Liquid inlet hole 43 Mixing room 44 Flange 50 Liquid pumps 51 Cylinder member 51a Small diameter cylinder 51b Large diameter cylinder 52 Liquid sealing bodies 53 Spring component 54 Poppet 54a Valve 60 Air pump 61 Inlet channel 62 Air seal 63 Cylindrical guide 64 Inlet channel 70 Airflow channels 80 Foamed material O axis B Ball valve

Claims

1. The attachment cap is fitted to the mouth of the container body, It has a cylindrical connecting portion with an outflow hole, and a stem that protrudes from the mounting cap, A head portion equipped with a nozzle and attached to the upper end of the stem, A cylindrical body having a partition wall with a liquid inlet hole, which is fitted from the outside to the cylindrical connecting portion to form a mixing chamber between the cylindrical connecting portion and the partition wall, A liquid pump supported by the aforementioned mounting cap, driven by the stem when the head portion is pressed down, pumps the liquid inside the container body from the liquid inlet hole into the mixing chamber; An air pump supported by the mounting cap, driven by the stem when the head portion is pressed down, pumps air taken in from the outside through an air passage provided between the outer surface of the cylindrical connection portion and the inner surface of the cylindrical body toward the mixing chamber. The device comprises a foaming member positioned on at least one of the stem and the nozzle, which foams the liquid mixed with air in the mixing chamber, Three air passages are provided between the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical connecting portion and the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body, arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The cross-sectional area of ​​the smallest portion of the liquid flow path between the liquid pump and the mixing chamber is 2.0 mm². ２ The above is 14.5 mm. ２ The following: The ratio of the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the three air passages to the cross-sectional area of ​​the smallest part of the liquid passage is 1.0:1.4 to 1.0:2.

8. An air intake channel is provided between the inner circumferential surface of the lower portion of the stem and the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body, and the air intake channel communicates with the air intake channel through an annular space between the upper end of the cylindrical body and the stem. A foamer dispenser characterized in that the smallest portion of the liquid flow path is the liquid inlet.

2. The foamer dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the three air passages are composed of grooves arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the cylindrical connecting portion.

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