Ejector

Abstract

To easily sort into an energization member and the other members when disposing.SOLUTION: A discharger comprises a cylinder 11, a stem 12, a piston 13, a push-down head 14 having a discharge hole 14a, and an energization member 15. The push-down head is attached to an upper end part of the stem while being detachable in responce to relative rotation around a center axis O, and a locking part 31 is provided in the cylinder. The stem is provided with a regulation part 32 which is circumferentially engaged with the locking part when the stem is positioned at a lowering end position to regulate the rotation of the stem around the center axis with respect to the cylinder.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a dispenser.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, for example, by pressing a pressing head having a discharge hole against the biasing force of a biasing member, the contents in the cylinder can be discharged from the discharge hole, and by the restoring force of the biasing member, the pressing head is restored and moved upward, and by creating a negative pressure in the cylinder, a dispenser is known that can suck up the contents in the container body into the cylinder.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In this type of dispenser, there is room for improvement in easily separating a biasing member, which is often made of metal, and other members, which are often made of resin, at the time of disposal.

[0005] One object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser that can easily separate a biasing member and other members at the time of disposal.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A discharger according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a cylinder extending vertically and having its inner side communicating with the inside of a container body; a stem extending vertically and having its inner side communicating with the inside of the cylinder, and being provided to be movable vertically; a piston fitted into the cylinder so as to be slidable vertically and linked to the vertical movement of the stem; a push-down head attached to the upper end of the stem and having a discharge hole for discharging the liquid contents inside the container body; and a biasing member that supports the push-down head so as to be movable downward in an upwardly biased state, wherein the push-down head is attached to the upper end of the stem so as to be detachable with relative rotation around a central axis, a locking portion is provided inside the cylinder, and the stem is provided with a restricting portion that engages circumferentially with the locking portion when the stem is in the lowered end position and restricts the rotation of the stem around the central axis relative to the cylinder.

[0007] The push head is detachably attached to the upper end of the stem by relative rotation around the central axis, and a locking part is provided inside the cylinder and a restricting part is provided on the stem. When the push head is pushed down to position the stem at its lowered end, and a rotational force is applied to the push head around the central axis, the stem will also attempt to rotate. However, the restricting part on the stem engages with the locking part inside the cylinder in the circumferential direction, restricting the stem's rotation. This causes the push head to rotate around the central axis relative to the stem, allowing the push head to detach from the stem. As a result, the upper end of the biasing member that supported the push head is released, making it possible to grip and pull up the upper end of the biasing member, and allowing for easy separation of the biasing member from other components when disposing of the discharger.

[0008] The circumferential size of the upper end of the locking portion may decrease as it extends upward, and the circumferential size of the lower end of the restricting portion may decrease as it extends downward.

[0009] Since the circumferential size of the upper end of the locking portion decreases as it goes upward, and the circumferential size of the lower end of the restricting portion decreases as it goes downward, when the push head is pressed down to position the stem at the lower end, even if the lower end of the restricting portion of the stem is about to hit the upper end of the locking portion inside the cylinder, the lower end of the restricting portion slides against the upper end of the locking portion, which allows the stem to rotate around its central axis relative to the cylinder and displaces the restricting portion circumferentially relative to the locking portion. This ensures that the stem reaches the lower end position and the restricting portion engages with the locking portion circumferentially.

[0010] The pressing head may be detachably screwed to the upper end of the stem.

[0011] Since the pressing head is detachably screwed to the upper end of the stem, it is possible to securely attach the pressing head to the upper end of the stem and to easily detach the pressing head from the upper end of the stem.

[0012] The stem is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape and has a communication port that opens radially and connects the inside of the stem to the inside of the cylinder, and a flange-shaped piston support portion that protrudes radially outward from a portion located below the communication port. When the push head is not pressed, the piston support portion supports the lower end of the piston and blocks communication between the communication port and a portion located below the piston in the cylinder. When the push head is pressed, the piston support portion moves away from the lower end of the piston as the stem descends, and connects the communication port and a portion located below the piston in the cylinder. The regulating portion may be provided on the piston support portion.

[0013] Since the restricting portion is provided on a flange-shaped piston support portion formed on the stem, when the stem is positioned at its lowered end, the restricting portion that engages circumferentially with the locking portion inside the cylinder can be easily provided on the stem with few constraints. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the above embodiment of the present invention, the biasing member and other members can be easily separated when disposing of the product. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a discharger according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows the discharger in Figure 1 with the stem positioned at the lowered end. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 1 shows the dispensing device with the push-down head detached from the stem and the biasing member gripping the upper end and pulling it up. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] A discharger according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the discharger 1 according to this embodiment comprises a cylinder 11, a stem 12, a piston 13, a pressing head 14, a biasing member 15, and a mounting cap 16. The cylinder 11, stem 12, piston 13, and mounting cap 16 are arranged coaxially with a common shaft.

[0017] Hereinafter, the aforementioned common axis will be referred to as the central axis O, the side with the push head 14 will be referred to as the upper side and the side with the cylinder 11 as the lower side along the central axis O, the direction along the central axis O will be referred to as the vertical direction, the direction that intersects the central axis O when viewed from the vertical direction will be referred to as the radial direction, and the direction that circles around the central axis O will be referred to as the circumferential direction.

[0018] The mounting cap 16 is formed in a top-cylindrical shape with an annular mounting top wall 16a. A female threaded portion is formed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion of the mounting cap 16, which is screwed onto the opening W1 of the container body W. The mounting top wall 16a has a sealing cylinder 16b, a support cylinder 21, and a covering cylinder 16d formed therein. The seal cylinder 16b protrudes downward from the mounting ceiling wall 16a and is fitted inside the upper end of the cylinder 11. The support cylinder 21 extends downward from the inner peripheral edge of the mounting ceiling wall 16a and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape having an annular support bottom wall 21a. The support cylinder 21 is provided radially inside the seal cylinder 16b. The support cylinder 21 is inserted into the cylinder 11. The covering cylinder 16d extends upward from the inner peripheral edge of the mounting ceiling wall 16a.

[0019] The cylinder 11 extends in the vertical direction, and its inside communicates with the inside of the container body W. The cylinder 11 is configured by connecting a sliding cylinder portion 22, a first fitting cylinder portion 23, and a second fitting cylinder portion 24 in this order from above downward, and is inserted into the container body W.

[0020] A flange portion 22a that protrudes radially outward and extends continuously over the entire circumferential length is formed at the upper end of the sliding cylinder portion 22. The flange portion 22a is fitted inside the upper end of the mounting cap 16. The flange portion 22a is sandwiched vertically by the upper end opening edge of the mouth portion W1 of the container body W and the lower surface of the mounting ceiling wall 16a. Anti-rotation portions 25 that engage with each other and restrict relative rotation in the circumferential direction are formed on the upper surface of the flange portion 22a and the lower surface of the mounting ceiling wall 16a, respectively. The anti-rotation portion 25 includes a concave portion and a convex portion that fits into the concave portion. An introduction hole 22b that opens radially and communicates the inside of the container body W and the inside of the sliding cylinder portion 22 is formed in the sliding cylinder portion 22. The introduction hole 22b is blocked by the piston 13 in a standby state where the stem 12, the push head 14, and the piston 13 are located at the ascending end position.

[0021] The first fitting cylinder portion 23 is formed to be smaller in diameter and shorter than the sliding cylinder portion 22. A lower valve body 26 that opens and closes the lower end opening of the first fitting cylinder portion 23 is fitted inside the first fitting cylinder portion 23. The lower valve body 26 is a check valve that keeps the lower end opening of the first fitting cylinder 23 closed when the sliding cylinder 22 is pressurized, and opens the lower end opening of the first fitting cylinder 23 when the pressure inside the sliding cylinder 22 is reduced. As a result, when the sliding cylinder 22 is pressurized, the liquid contents inside the sliding cylinder 22 are prevented from returning to the container body W through the lower end opening of the first fitting cylinder 23, and when the pressure inside the sliding cylinder 22 is reduced, the liquid contents inside the container body W flow into the sliding cylinder 22. In the illustrated example, the lower valve body 26 is a three-point valve.

[0022] The second fitting cylinder portion 24 is smaller in diameter and longer than the first fitting cylinder portion 23. The upper part of the pipe 27 is liquid-tightly fitted inside the second fitting cylinder portion 24. The pipe 27 extends in the vertical direction, and the lower end opening of the pipe 27 is located inside the bottom of the container body W.

[0023] The stem 12 extends vertically, its inner surface communicates with the cylinder 11, and it is provided to be movable in the vertical direction. The upper part of the stem 12 protrudes upward from the inside of the cylinder 11. The lower part of the stem 12 is inserted into the cylinder 11. The stem 12 is formed in the shape of a bottomed cylinder. However, the stem 12 may also be formed in the shape of a cylinder without a bottom wall and a top wall, with both ends in the vertical direction being open.

[0024] The stem 12 has a communication port 28, a piston support portion 29, and a male threaded portion 12b.

[0025] The communication port 28 opens radially and connects the inside of the stem 12 to the inside of the cylinder 11. The piston support portion 29 is formed in a flange shape that protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the stem 12. The piston support portion 29 is located below the communication port 28. The male thread portion 12b is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the upper end of the stem 12. On the outer circumferential surface of the stem 12, a fitting projection 12a is formed in a portion located below the male thread portion 12b and above the communication port 28. The fitting projection 12a extends continuously along the entire length in the circumferential direction.

[0026] The push head 14 is attached to the upper end of the stem 12 and has a discharge hole 14a for discharging the liquid contents inside the container body W. The push head 14 comprises a mounting cylinder 14b attached to the stem 12 and a discharge cylinder 14c that protrudes radially outward from the mounting cylinder 14b and has a discharge hole 14a formed at its tip.

[0027] The push head 14 is detachably attached to the upper end of the stem 12 as it rotates relative to the central axis O. In the illustrated example, the push head 14 is detachably screwed to the upper end of the stem 12. A female threaded portion 14e is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the mounting cylinder 14b, which screws onto the male threaded portion 12b of the stem 12. A fitting recess 33 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the mounting cylinder 14b, into which the fitting projection 12a of the stem 12 is fitted. The fitting recess 33 extends continuously along its entire circumferential length. The fitting projection 12a into the fitting recess 33 prevents loosening of the male threaded portion 12b and the female threaded portion 14e. A radial gap is provided between the portion of the inner circumferential surface of the mounting cylinder 14b located below the fitting recess 33 and the outer circumferential surface of the stem 12.

[0028] The orientation of the push head 14 around the central axis O, to which it is attached to and detached from the stem 12, may be changed as appropriate. The push head 14 may be attached to the upper end of the stem 12 so as to be detachable by relative rotation around the central axis O, by forming a groove on either the inner surface of the mounting cylinder 14b or the outer surface of the stem 12, and forming a projection on the other that can move within and along the groove.

[0029] The piston 13 is fitted into the cylinder 11 so as to be able to slide up and down, and is linked to the up and down movement of the stem 12. The piston 13 comprises a piston outer cylinder 35, a piston inner cylinder 36, and a connecting portion 37.

[0030] The piston outer cylinder 35 is fitted into the sliding cylinder portion 22 of the cylinder 11 so as to be able to slide up and down. The upper part of the piston inner cylinder 36 is inserted between the inner circumferential surface of the mounting cylinder 14b of the push head 14 and the outer circumferential surface of the stem 12. The upper end of the piston inner cylinder 36 is in liquid-tight contact with the inner circumferential surface of the mounting cylinder 14b so as to be able to slide up and down. The lower part of the piston inner cylinder 36 protrudes downward from the mounting cylinder 14b. The connecting portion 37 connects the inner circumferential surface of the piston outer cylinder 35 and the outer circumferential surface of the piston inner cylinder 36. The connecting portion 37 is formed in a plate shape with its front and back surfaces facing in the vertical direction. The upper surface of the connecting portion 37 abuts against the lower surface of the support bottom wall 21a of the mounting cap 16 and is located below the lower end of the mounting cylinder 14b of the pressing head 14.

[0031] When the push head 14 is not pressed, the lower end of the piston inner cylinder 36 is supported by the piston support portion 29, and communication between the portion located below the piston 13 within the sliding cylinder portion 22 and the communication port 28 is blocked. When the push head 14 is pressed, as shown in Figure 2, as the stem 12 descends, the piston support portion 29 moves downward away from the lower end of the piston inner cylinder 36, and communication between the portion located below the piston 13 within the sliding cylinder portion 22 and the communication port 28 is established. At this time, the lower end of the mounting cylinder 14b of the push head 14 comes into contact with the piston 13. As a result, if the push head 14 is continued to be pressed, the piston 13 will also descend. After the liquid contents are discharged, as the stem 12 and push head 14 return to their original upward position, the piston support portion 29 comes into contact with the lower end of the piston inner cylinder 36, causing the piston 13 to also return to its original upward position.

[0032] The biasing member 15 supports the pressing head 14 so that it can move downward while biased upward. The biasing member 15 is a metal coil spring and is arranged coaxially with the central axis O. In the illustrated example, the lower end of the biasing member 15 is supported on the upper surface of the support bottom wall 21a of the mounting cap 16. Here, a support step portion 34 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the mounting cylinder 14b of the pressing head 14, and is positioned above and away from the upper surface of the support bottom wall 21a, with the upper end of the biasing member 15 being supported by the support step portion 34. The support step portion 34 is located above the covering cylinder 16d of the mounting cap 16. The pressing head 14 is equipped with a head outer cylinder 14d that surrounds the mounting cylinder 14b from the radial outside. The inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the head outer cylinder 14d is in contact with or close to the outer circumferential surface of the upper end of the covering cylinder 16d, preventing water or the like from outside the discharger 1 from entering the inside of the head outer cylinder 14d. Of the biasing member 15, the portion that protrudes upward from the cylinder 11 is covered radially from the outside by the head outer cylinder 14d and the covering cylinder 16d along its entire vertical length.

[0033] In this embodiment, a locking portion 31 is provided inside the cylinder 11, and a restricting portion 32 is provided on the stem 12 that engages with the locking portion 31 in the circumferential direction when the stem 12 is in the lowered end position, thereby restricting the rotation of the stem 12 around the central axis O relative to the cylinder 11.

[0034] The locking portion 31 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the sliding cylinder portion 22 of the cylinder 11. The locking portion 31 extends upward from the connection portion between the sliding cylinder portion 22 and the first fitting cylinder portion 23. The restricting portion 32 is provided on the piston support portion 29. The restricting portion 32 is formed on the radially outer end of the piston support portion 29. The restricting portion 32 is located above the locking portion 31 and in the same radial direction. The restricting portion 32 is in contact with or close to the inner circumferential surface of the sliding cylinder portion 22 of the cylinder 11. When the stem 12 is in the lowered end position, the restricting portion 32 is located in the same vertical position as the locking portion 31. Multiple locking portions 31 and regulating portions 32 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0035] As shown in Figure 3, the circumferential size of the upper end of the locking portion 31 decreases as it moves upward, and the circumferential size of the lower end of the restricting portion 32 decreases as it moves downward. In the illustrated example, both circumferential ends of the upper end of the locking portion 31 extend in a direction that approaches each other circumferentially as it moves upward, and both circumferential ends of the lower end of the restricting portion 32 extend in a direction that approaches each other circumferentially as it moves downward.

[0036] Next, we will explain how to dispense the liquid contents from the discharge hole 14a of the push head 14.

[0037] When the push head 14 is pressed, the push head 14 and stem 12 descend relative to the piston 13, the piston support portion 29 moves downward from the lower end of the piston inner cylinder 36, and the portion of the sliding cylinder portion 22 located below the piston 13 communicates with the communication port 28. At this time, the lower end of the mounting cylinder 14b of the push head 14 comes into contact with the piston 13. As a result, if the push head 14 is continued to be pressed, the biasing member 15 compresses and deforms, and the piston 13 also descends, pressurizing the inside of the sliding cylinder portion 22. The liquid inside the sliding cylinder portion 22 is then discharged from the discharge hole 14a through the gap between the piston support portion 29 and the lower end of the piston inner cylinder 36, the communication port 28, the inside of the stem 12, the inside of the mounting cylinder 14b, and the inside of the discharge cylinder 14c. During this process, the lower valve body 26 maintains the lower end opening of the first fitting cylinder portion 23 closed. Subsequently, when the pressure on the push head 14 is released, the biasing member 15 deforms to its original state, causing the push head 14 and stem 12 to move upward. During this process, the piston support portion 29 comes into contact with the lower end of the piston inner cylinder 36, blocking communication between the portion of the sliding cylinder portion 22 located below the piston 13 and the communication port 28. With this disruption, the piston 13 also moves upward along with the push head 14 and stem 12. As a result, negative pressure is created inside the sliding cylinder portion 22, causing the lower valve body 26 to open the lower end opening of the first fitting cylinder portion 23, and the liquid contents inside the container body W flow into the sliding cylinder portion 22 through the pipe 27.

[0038] Next, we will explain how to separate the biasing member 15 from the other members of the discharger 1.

[0039] When the push head 14 is pressed down, and the stem 12 is positioned at its lowered end as shown in Figure 2, a rotational force is applied to the push head 14 around the central axis O. At this point, the stem 12 will also attempt to rotate. However, as shown in Figure 3, the restricting portion 32 of the stem 12 engages circumferentially with the locking portion 31 inside the cylinder 11, restricting the stem 12 from rotating. This causes the push head 14 to rotate around the central axis O relative to the stem 12, allowing the push head 14 to detach from the stem 12. As a result, as shown in Figure 4, the upper end of the biasing member 15 that supported the push head 14 is released. At this time, the upper end of the biasing member 15 protrudes upward from the upper end of the covering cylinder 16d, making it easy to grasp and pull up the upper end of the biasing member 15.

[0040] Here, since anti-rotation portions 25 are formed on the upper surface of the flange portion 22a of the cylinder 11 and on the lower surface of the mounting top wall 16a, respectively, and which engage with each other to restrict relative rotation in the circumferential direction, when the mounting cap 16 is fixed with the stem 12 in the lowered end position and a rotational force about the central axis O is applied to the push head 14, even if this rotational force is transmitted to the cylinder 11 via the locking portion 31 and the restricting portion 32, it is possible to restrict the cylinder 11 from rotating together with the mounting cap 16.

[0041] As described above, in the discharger 1 according to this embodiment, the pressing head 14 is attached to the upper end of the stem 12 so as to be detachable due to relative rotation around the central axis O, and a locking part 31 is provided inside the cylinder 11 and a restricting part 32 is provided on the stem 12, so that when disposing of the discharger 1, the biasing member 15 and the other members can be easily separated.

[0042] Since the circumferential size of the upper end of the locking portion 31 decreases as it goes upward, and the circumferential size of the lower end of the restricting portion 32 decreases as it goes downward, when the push head 14 is pushed down to position the stem 12 at the lower end, even if the lower end of the restricting portion 32 of the stem 12 is about to hit the upper end of the locking portion 31 inside the cylinder 11, the lower end of the restricting portion 32 slides against the upper end of the locking portion 31, causing the stem 12 to rotate around the central axis O relative to the cylinder 11, and causing the restricting portion 32 to shift circumferentially relative to the locking portion 31. This ensures that the stem 12 reaches the lower end position and the restricting portion 32 engages with the locking portion 31 in the circumferential direction.

[0043] Since the pressing head 14 is detachably screwed to the upper end of the stem 12, the pressing head 14 can be securely attached to the upper end of the stem 12, and the pressing head 14 can be easily detached from the upper end of the stem 12.

[0044] Since the restricting portion 32 is provided on the flange-shaped piston support portion 29 formed on the stem 12, the restricting portion 32 that engages circumferentially with the locking portion 31 inside the cylinder 11 when the stem 12 is positioned at its lowered end can be easily provided on the stem 12 with few constraints.

[0045] Furthermore, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0046] For example, the pressing head 14 and the mounting cap 16 may be made of a transparent or translucent material so that the biasing member 15 can be seen from the outside.

[0047] Furthermore, without departing from the spirit of the present invention, the components in the above embodiments may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate, and the above embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate.

[0048] Examples of the present invention are as follows: <1> A cylinder that extends vertically and whose inner surface communicates with the inside of the container body, A stem extending in the vertical direction, with its inner side communicating with the cylinder, and provided to be movable in the vertical direction, A piston is fitted into the cylinder so as to be able to slide up and down, and is linked to the up and down movement of the stem, A push head is attached to the upper end of the stem and has a discharge hole for discharging the liquid contents inside the container body, The pressing head is supported by a biasing member that allows it to move downward while biased upward, The pressing head is attached to the upper end of the stem so as to be detachable as it rotates relative to the central axis. A locking portion is provided inside the cylinder. Discharger, wherein the stem is provided with a restricting portion that engages circumferentially with the locking portion when the stem is in the lowered end position, thereby restricting the rotation of the stem about its central axis relative to the cylinder. <2> The circumferential size of the upper end of the locking portion decreases as it goes upwards. The circumferential size of the lower end of the regulating portion decreases as it goes downwards, <1> The discharger described above. <3> The pressing head is detachably screwed to the upper end of the stem, <1> or <2> The discharger described above. <4> The aforementioned stem is, It is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, A communication port that opens radially and connects the inside of the stem and the inside of the cylinder, It has a flange-shaped piston support portion that protrudes radially outward from a portion located below the aforementioned communication opening, The piston support portion is When the pressing head is not pressed, it supports the lower end of the piston and blocks communication between the communication port and the portion located below the piston within the cylinder, When the pressing head is pressed down, it moves away from the lower end of the piston as the stem descends, and connects the communication port with the portion located below the piston within the cylinder. The regulating portion is provided on the piston support portion, <1> from <3> A dispensing device as described in one of the following. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Dispenser 11 cylinders 12 Stem 13 pistons 14 Press head 14a Discharge hole 15. Biasing member 28 connecting ports 29 Piston support section 31 Locking part 32 Regulatory Department O center axis W Container Body W1 Mouth

Claims

1. A cylinder that extends vertically and whose inner surface communicates with the inside of the container body, A stem extending in the vertical direction, with its inner side communicating with the cylinder, and provided to be movable in the vertical direction, A piston is fitted into the cylinder so as to be able to slide up and down, and is linked to the up and down movement of the stem, A push head is attached to the upper end of the stem and has a discharge hole for discharging the liquid contents inside the container body, The pressing head is supported by a biasing member that allows it to move downward while biased upward, The pressing head is attached to the upper end of the stem so as to be detachable as it rotates relative to the central axis. A locking portion is provided inside the cylinder. Discharger, wherein the stem is provided with a restricting portion that engages circumferentially with the locking portion when the stem is in the lowered end position, thereby restricting the rotation of the stem about its central axis relative to the cylinder.

2. The circumferential size of the upper end of the locking portion decreases as it goes upwards. The discharger according to claim 1, wherein the circumferential size of the lower end of the regulating portion decreases as it goes downward.

3. The discharger according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pressing head is detachably screwed to the upper end of the stem.

4. The aforementioned stem is, It is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, A communication port that opens radially and connects the inside of the stem and the inside of the cylinder, It has a flange-shaped piston support portion that protrudes radially outward from a portion located below the aforementioned communication opening, The piston support portion is When the pressing head is not pressed, it supports the lower end of the piston and blocks communication between the communication port and the portion located below the piston within the cylinder, When the pressing head is pressed down, it moves away from the lower end of the piston as the stem descends, and connects the communication port with the portion located below the piston within the cylinder. The discharger according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the regulating portion is provided on the piston support portion.

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