Tissue paper dispenser

Abstract

To provide a tissue paper take-out container which can be opened using an elbow, the back of a hand or the like that is otherwise fingertips, and which has a clear portion to be pressed and is excellent in operation.SOLUTION: A tissue paper take-out container comprises a container body 1, a lid 11, and a bottom lid 21. The lid 11 is configured to include a lid body 12 pivotally supported at the end of a recessed section 2 so as to be capable of being raised and lowered, and an opening / closing button 13 provided in a movable space 14 recessed in the upper surface of the lid body 12. The opening / closing button 13 is provided with a leaf spring 15 on the back surface thereof and also with a locking plate 16 extending downward at one end thereof. A hook 16a to be locked to a locking claw 8 installed on the inner bottom surface of the recessed section 2 is formed at the lower end of the locking plate 16. The hook 16a is locked to the locking claw 8 when the opening / closing button 13 is pushed up by the leaf spring 15 when the opening / closing button 13 is not pushed down and the hook 16a is released from the locking claw 8 when the opening / closing button 13 tilts in conjunction with the opening / closing button 13 being pushed down, thereby opening the lid 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a thin paper extraction container, and more particularly, to a thin paper extraction container that can easily pick out thin papers such as wet tissues that are not limited to fingertips and can be easily opened and stored by elbows, fingernails, etc.

Background Art

[0002] Plastic wet tissue containers that can store wet tissues packed in bags and pick them out one by one from the top surface are variously commercially available. Most of them have a structure in which one hand holds the container and the other hand presses or pushes up an opening button arranged at the end of the top surface, so that the lid opens and the wet tissue can be picked out (for example, Japanese Patent No. 6738260, Japanese Patent No. 6975693). When using wet tissues, hands are often dirty, and if possible, fingertips are not wanted. However, in the case of containers with the above structure, the opening button is assumed to be pressed with fingertips and is formed relatively small, so it is not easy to open the lid with elbows, fingernails, etc. other than fingertips, and dirty fingers have to be used.

[0003] In view of this point, a so-called push-lock / push-open type wet tissue container has been proposed in which a latch mechanism is provided on the lid so that the lid can be opened by pressing the lid (Japanese Patent No. 6053090). However, in the case of this wet tissue container, the lid and the opening button are integrated, and the opening operation and the closing operation are the same, so it is difficult to know which part should be pressed, and there is a difficult-to-handle aspect until one gets used to it.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

[0005] As mentioned above, many conventional tissue paper dispenser containers are not easy to open using the elbow or back of the hand, and those that can be opened using the elbow or back of the hand have the problem of poor usability.

[0006] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a tissue paper dispensing container that can be opened using the elbow or the back of the hand, rather than the fingertips, and that has a clearly defined pressing area for good operability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention described in claim 1 for solving the above problems comprises a container, a lid positioned to fit into a recess formed in the center of the upper surface of the container, and a bottom lid that is detachably attached to the fully open bottom surface of the container. The lid comprises a lid body pivotably supported at the end of the recessed portion, and an opening / closing button disposed within a movable space recessed in the upper surface of the lid body. The opening / closing button is equipped with a leaf spring on its back surface and a locking plate extending downward at one end, the locking plate having a hook formed at its lower end which engages with a locking claw installed on the inner bottom surface of the recessed part of the container, and when the opening / closing button is not pressed, the opening / closing button is pushed up by the leaf spring, causing the hook to engage with the locking claw, and when the opening / closing button is pressed, the opening / closing button tilts, causing the hook to disengage from the locking claw, and the lid to open, thus forming a tissue paper dispensing container.

[0008] In one embodiment, the opening and closing button is circular, oval, cocoon-shaped, square, trapezoidal, or any other shape, and is large enough to occupy most of the upper surface of the lid body. Furthermore, the color of the opening and closing button is different from that of the lid body and the container, and may also feature letters or pictures.

[0009] In one embodiment, a pivot is formed at the base of the locking plate, and the opening / closing button and the locking plate move in a seesaw motion around the pivot. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] As described above, the present invention has a simple structure, and the opening / closing button, which is pressed to open the lid, is large enough to occupy most of the top surface of the lid body, so it can be pressed with the elbow or back of the hand, rather than the fingertips. Furthermore, the opening / closing button is separate from the lid body, is a different color from the lid body and the container, and can also be decorated with letters or pictures, so the part to be pressed is clearly defined, it has a superior design, and moreover, the pressing operation can be done with one hand, resulting in excellent operability. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the tissue paper dispensing container according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view (normal operation) showing the configuration of the tissue paper dispensing container according to the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the tissue paper dispensing container according to the present invention (when the opening / closing button is pressed). [Figure 4] This is a vertical cross-sectional view (with the lid open) showing the configuration of the tissue paper dispensing container according to the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of the back surface of the opening / closing button of the tissue paper dispensing container according to the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view illustrating a method for attaching an opening / closing button to a tissue paper dispensing container according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The tissue paper dispensing container according to the present invention consists of a container 1, a lid 11 that fits into a recess 2 recessed in the center of the upper surface of the container 1, and a bottom lid 21 that is detachably attached to the bottom surface of the container 1. The illustrated example is for storing a commercially available, general-sized wet wipe package 31, and the container 1 is shaped and sized to accommodate the wet wipe package 31. The bottom surface of the container 1 is fully open and closed by the bottom lid 21. The wet wipe package 31 is replaced by removing the bottom lid 21.

[0013] The tissue paper dispenser according to the present invention is not limited to the folded type of wet wipes described above, but may also contain rolled wet wipes, cosmetic sheets, body wipes, etc. Furthermore, it is not limited to wet tissue paper, but also includes dry tissue paper. The shape of container 1 will vary depending on the contents, for example, it will be elongated vertically when used for rolled wet wipes. The following explanation is based on wet wipes, but the same applies to other types of tissue paper.

[0014] The central part of the inner bottom surface 3 of the recessed portion 2 of the container 1 is open, and the edges of the opening are raised to form an annular wall 4. A retaining member 6, which has an appropriately shaped opening 5 for taking out wet wipes 32 one at a time, is fitted onto the annular wall 4. The opening 5 of the retaining member 6 serves to hold the wet wipe 32 in the process of being pulled out at its edge, and also to prevent multiple wet wipes 32 from coming out at once. For example, it is shaped with a narrow gap in the center as shown in the figure. Furthermore, as will be described later, the annular top surface 7 of the retaining member 6 performs a sealing function in relation to the lid 11. In the illustrated example, the annular wall 4 and the retaining member 6 are circular, but they are not limited to this and can be elliptical, square, or any other shape.

[0015] The lid 11 is pivotally supported at the end of the recess 2, and an elastic member such as a spring or rubber is disposed in the middle of the pivot support portion. The elastic member in the illustrated example is a folding spring 9. The folding spring 9 is made of resin or metal, with its upper part fixed to the inner surface of the container 1 and its lower end fixed to the inner bottom surface of the recess 2 of the container 1. When the lid 11 is closed, the folding spring 9 is folded and deformed to store elastic force. When the lid-opening operation is performed as described later, the folding spring 9 extends by its elastic force to act on opening the lid 11. The structure and operation of this folding spring 9 are substantially the same as those in a conventional thin paper removal container. Also, a locking claw 8 projects upward outside the annular wall 4 of the inner bottom surface 3 of the recess 2.

[0016] The lid 11 is composed of a lid body 12 pivotally supported at the end of the recess 2 of the container 1 and an opening / closing button 13 disposed pivotally in the vertical direction within a movable space 14 recessed on the upper surface of the lid body 12. The opening / closing button 13 can be circular, elliptical, oval, square, trapezoidal, or any other shape that occupies most of the upper surface of the lid body 12. Since the opening / closing button 13 serves as the opening / closing operation part of the lid 11, it is preferably a different color from the lid body 12 and the container 1 to be conspicuous, and in that case, the design property is also improved. Also, appropriate characters, patterns, etc. may be expressed.

[0017] One or more resin or metal leaf springs 15 are provided on the back surface of the opening / closing button 13 (one in the illustrated example). The leaf spring 15 has its upper end fixed to the back surface of the opening / closing button 13 and its lower end abuts against the inner bottom surface of the movable space 14. The lower end of the leaf spring 15 may be fixed to the inner bottom surface of the movable space 14. When a pressing force is applied to the opening / closing button 13, the leaf spring 15 is bent and deformed (Fig. 3). When the pressing force on the opening / closing button 13 is released, the leaf spring 15 acts to push up the opening / closing button 13 by its restoring force to return to the original horizontal state (Figs. 2, 4).

[0018] At the end of the opening / closing button 13, a locking plate 16 extending in the downward right-angle direction is provided, and a pivot 18 is formed at the base of the locking plate 16. The opening / closing button 13 is pivotally supported at a pivot support portion 22 formed on the peripheral wall of the movable space 14 by this pivot 18, and thus makes a seesaw motion together with the locking plate 16 (see FIGS. 2 to 6). At the lower end of the locking plate 16, a hook 16a that is locked to the locking claw 8 is formed. As will be described later, the hook 16a is normally locked to the locking claw 8 (FIG. 2), but when the opening / closing button 13 is pressed, it disengages from the locking claw 8 (FIG. 3). Further, a protrusion 17 that serves as a stopper is formed at the end of the opening / closing button 13. This protrusion 17 moves up and down along a guide 23 formed on the peripheral wall of the movable space 14, and when the protrusion 17 hits the top surface of the lid body 12 at the upper end of the guide 23, the pivoting end of the opening / closing button 13 is restricted (see FIG. 2).

[0019] An annular wall 19 is formed on the back surface of the movable space 14. This annular wall 19 has a shape and size corresponding to the annular upper surface 7 of the pressing member 6, and when the lid is closed, it adheres closely to the annular upper surface 7 and seals that portion airtightly, thereby preventing the wet tissue 32 from drying.

[0020] In the above configuration, when the lid 11 is closed (FIGS. 1(A), FIG. 2) and the opening / closing button 13 is pressed (FIGS. 1(B), FIG. 3), the leaf spring 15 is bent and deformed, so that the opening / closing button 13 tilts downward about the pivot 18 (counterclockwise in FIG. 3), and the locking plate 16 rotates upward about the pivot 18 (counterclockwise in FIG. 3) (FIG. 3). As a result, the hook 16a of the locking plate 16 disengages from the locking claw 8 and the lock is released, and the opening / closing button 13 and the lid body 12 are pushed upward integrally by the action of the folding spring 9 and pivot to the upright state (FIGS. 1(C), FIG. 4). Thus, the outlet 5 of the pressing member 6 is exposed, and the wet tissue 32 can be picked out from there.

[0021] As described above, the opening / closing button 13 occupies a large area that makes up most of the top surface of the lid body 12, and is usually a different color from the lid body 12 and the container 1. Therefore, the part to be pressed to open the lid is clear, and even if the button is pressed off-center, the button 13 tilts and the lock is released, making it easy to open the lid. Also, because the opening / closing button 13 is quite large, the pressing operation can be performed not only with the fingertips but also with the back of the hand, elbow, or other parts, so the lid can be opened without worrying about getting dirty fingertips. Furthermore, the pressing is usually performed on the center of the opening / closing button 13, and the container 1 does not shake during this process, so the lid can be opened with one hand.

[0022] Furthermore, the opening / closing button 13 is separate from the lid body 12, and is a different color from the lid body 12 and the container 1. It is also possible to express patterns and designs on the button, making it aesthetically superior to typical wet wipe containers, which are usually a single color of white. [Industrial applicability]

[0023] As described above, the present invention has a simple structure, and the opening / closing button, which is pressed to open the lid, is large enough to occupy most of the top surface of the lid body, allowing it to be pressed with the elbow or back of the hand, rather than the fingertips. Furthermore, the opening / closing button is separate from the lid body, is a different color from the lid body and the container, and can even be decorated with patterns, making the area to be pressed clear and aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, the pressing operation can be performed with one hand, resulting in excellent operability and great industrial potential. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0024] 1. Condition 2. Recessed area 3 Inner bottom surface 4. Ring Wall 5. Dispensing opening 6. Retaining member 7. Ring-shaped upper surface 8. Locking claws 9 Folding spring 11 Lid 12 Lid body 13 Open / Close Buttons 14 Movable space 15. Leaf spring 16 Locking plate 16a Hook 17. Protrusion 18 Axis 19 Ring Wall 21 Bottom lid 22 axis branches 23 Guide 31 Wet wipe packaging

Claims

1. It consists of a container, a lid positioned to fit into a recess formed in the center of the upper surface of the container, and a bottom lid that is detachably attached to the fully open bottom surface of the container. The lid comprises a lid body pivotably supported at the end of the recessed portion, and an opening / closing button disposed within a movable space recessed in the upper surface of the lid body. The opening / closing button is equipped with a leaf spring on its back surface and a locking plate extending downward at one end, the locking plate having a hook formed at its lower end which engages with a locking claw installed on the inner bottom surface of the recessed part of the container, and when the opening / closing button is not pressed, the opening / closing button is pushed up by the leaf spring, causing the hook to engage with the locking claw, and when the opening / closing button is pressed, the opening / closing button tilts, causing the hook to disengage from the locking claw, and the lid to open, characterized in that the tissue paper dispensing container is provided.

2. The tissue paper dispensing container according to claim 1, wherein the opening and closing button is circular, oval, cocoon-shaped, square, trapezoidal, or any other shape, and is large enough to occupy most of the upper surface of the lid body.

3. The tissue paper dispensing container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the color of the opening and closing button is different from the color of the lid body and the container.

4. The tissue paper dispensing container according to claim 1, wherein the opening and closing button is appropriately decorated with letters or pictures.

5. A pivot is formed at the base of the locking plate, and the opening / closing button and the locking plate move in a seesaw motion around the pivot, as described in claim 1.

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