Retractable container

Abstract

To provide a delivery container easily suppressed in an axial size.SOLUTION: A delivery container 1 comprises: a case cylinder 2; an operation member 3 having a screw shaft 5a and rotatably held on the case cylinder 2; a hollow screw shaft 6 having, on an inner peripheral surface, a first engaging part 6a engaged with the screw shaft 5a; an extrusion member 7 having a second engaging part 7c engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the hollow screw shaft 6; and a guide 12 that moves the extrusion member 7 in an axial direction while regulating its rotation with respect to the case cylinder 2. In order to deliver a content from inside the case cylinder 2 by the extrusion member 7, the operation member 3 is rotated to one side in a peripheral direction with respect to the case cylinder 2, thereby causing the screw shaft 5a to feed the hollow screw shaft 6 and the hollow screw shaft 6 to feed the extrusion member 7.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a dispensing container.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a dispensing container having a case cylinder, an operating member rotatably held in the case cylinder, an extrusion member screwed to the operating member, and a guide portion for axially moving the extrusion member while restricting rotation with respect to the case cylinder, and the extrusion member discharges the contents from the case cylinder by rotation of the operating member with respect to the case cylinder (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Conventional dispensing containers such as those described in Patent Document 1 tend to have a large axial size.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing container that is easy to suppress the axial size.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is as follows.

[0007] [1] A case cylinder, an operating member having a screw shaft and rotatably held in the case cylinder, a hollow screw shaft having a first screwing portion screwed to the screw shaft on an inner peripheral surface thereof, an extrusion member having a second screwing portion screwed to an outer peripheral surface of the hollow screw shaft, and a guide portion for axially moving the extrusion member while restricting rotation with respect to the case cylinder, A ratchet section is formed by a gear section integrally provided on the case cylinder and a stopper section integrally provided on the operating member, and having The case tube comprises an upper tube for housing contents inside, an annular stepped portion extending radially outward in a stepped manner from the lower end of the upper tube, and a lower tube extending downward from the outer peripheral edge of the annular stepped portion. The operating member has an upper cylindrical portion, The outer circumferential surface of the upper cylinder portion faces the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder, The gear portion is provided on the lower surface of the annular step portion and has a crown gear shape. The stopper portion comprises a cantilevered elastic piece integrally provided at the upper end of the upper cylindrical portion and extending in the circumferential direction. The extrusion member allows the inside of the case cylinder to The aforementioned To dispense the contents, the rotation of the operating member in one circumferential direction relative to the case cylinder causes the screw shaft to advance the hollow screw shaft and the hollow screw shaft to advance the push member. the law of nature, The aforementioned downward direction is the direction opposite to the direction in which the contents are dispensed. The rotation of the stopper portion relative to the gear portion toward one side in the circumferential direction is permitted by the elastic deformation of the cantilever elastic piece of the stopper portion toward the downward direction, and the rotation of the cantilever elastic piece of the stopper portion relative to the gear portion toward the other side in the circumferential direction is restricted. Retractable container.

[0008] [2] The dispensing container according to [1], wherein the guide portion comprises an engaging projection integrally provided on the inner circumferential surface of the case cylinder, and an engaging cylinder that engages with the engaging projection so as to be guided in the axial direction while its rotation is restricted by the engaging projection, and also engages with the extrusion member so as to be guided in the axial direction while its rotation is restricted by the engaging projection. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a dispensing container that can easily suppress the axial size. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the dispensing container of one embodiment of the present invention in its state before use. [Figure 2] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the state after removing the lid from the state shown in Figure 1 and dispensing the contents. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a bottom view of the gear section of the ratchet mechanism. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the ratchet section along its circumference. [Figure 5] This is a side view of the operating member shown in Figure 1. [Figure 6]It is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] It is a sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 5.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated and described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the present invention, the dispensing container 1 has a case cylinder 2, an operating member 3 (operating cylinder 4, screw shaft member 5), a hollow screw shaft 6, an extrusion member 7, an engagement cylinder 8, and a lid 9, and by rotating the operating member 3 with respect to the case cylinder 2, the contents (not shown) can be dispensed from the case cylinder 2. The operating member 3 is composed of an operating cylinder 4 and a screw shaft member 5. The contents are not particularly limited, and for example, they are cosmetics.

[0014] The case cylinder 2, the operating cylinder 4, the screw shaft member 5, the hollow screw shaft 6, the extrusion member 7, the engagement cylinder 8, and the lid 9 are each, for example, integrally molded products made of resin. Note that each of these members may also be configured by assembling a plurality of members.

[0015] For the sake of convenience of explanation, the axial direction along the rotation axis O of the operating member 3 is also referred to as the vertical direction, the direction in which the contents are dispensed along the rotation axis O is also referred to as the upward direction, the opposite direction is also referred to as the downward direction, the direction along a straight line orthogonal to the rotation axis O is also referred to as the radial direction, the direction around the rotation axis O is also referred to as the circumferential direction, and the cross-section including the rotation axis O is also referred to as the longitudinal section.

[0016] The case cylinder 2 is cylindrical with a rotation axis O as its center, and has a cylindrical upper cylinder 2a that houses the contents inside, an annular stepped portion 2b that extends radially outward in a stepped manner from the lower end of the upper cylinder 2a, and a lower cylinder 2c that extends downward from the outer peripheral edge of the annular stepped portion 2b. Note that the upper cylinder 2a is not limited to a cylindrical shape, but may be configured as a cylinder other than a cylinder, such as an elliptical cylinder. A dispensing opening 2d for the contents is provided at the upper end of the upper cylinder 2a. In this embodiment, the dispensing opening 2d is formed by the upper end edge of the upper cylinder 2a. Note that in cases where the contents are cream-like, a cap member having a dispensing opening 2d may be attached to the upper end of the upper cylinder 2a to provide a dispensing opening 2d at the upper end of the upper cylinder 2a. An engaging projection 2e is integrally provided at the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder 2a.

[0017] The lid 9 has a top-shaped cylindrical form centered on the axis of rotation O, and can be detachably attached to the outer surface of the upper cylinder 2a to seal the dispensing opening 2d.

[0018] The operating cylinder 4 is connected to the case cylinder 2 via the rotating coupling part 10 and the ratchet part 11.

[0019] The rotating connecting portion 10 holds the operating cylinder 4 rotatably relative to the lower cylinder 2c by fitting. In this embodiment, the rotating connecting portion 10 is composed of an annular groove provided on the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder 2c and a protrusion provided on the outer circumferential surface of the operating cylinder 4 that fits into the annular groove, but is not limited to this configuration.

[0020] The ratchet section 11 is composed of a gear section 11a integrally provided on the case cylinder 2 and a stopper section 11b integrally provided on the operating cylinder 4. As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the gear section 11a is shaped like a crown gear and is provided on the lower surface of the annular stepped section 2b. The stopper section 11b is composed of two cantilever elastic pieces arranged side by side in the circumferential direction and extending in the circumferential direction. Rotation of the stopper section 11b relative to the gear section 11a in one circumferential direction is permitted by the elastic deformation of the stopper section 11b downward (downward displacement of the free end of the cantilever elastic piece). Rotation of the stopper section 11b relative to the gear section 11a in the other circumferential direction is restricted by the engagement between the stopper section 11b (the free end of the cantilever elastic piece) and the gear section 11a. The number, shape, and extension direction (one circumferential side or the other circumferential side) of the cantilever elastic pieces, the tooth shape of the gear section 11a, etc. can be set as appropriate. Furthermore, the tooth stopper portion 11b may be constructed of a structure other than a cantilevered elastic piece that is elastically deformable in the axial direction.

[0021] The operating cylinder 4 has an upper cylindrical portion 4a, an annular stepped portion 4b extending radially outward in a stepped manner from the lower end of the upper cylindrical portion 4a, and a lower cylindrical portion 4c extending downward from the outer peripheral edge of the stepped portion 4b. The operating cylinder 4 is arranged such that the outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 4a faces the inner peripheral surface of the lower cylinder 2c, and the upper surface of the stepped portion 4b faces the lower end surface of the lower cylinder 2c. The stopper portion 11b is integrally provided at the upper end of the upper cylindrical portion 4a. A sliding resistance portion 4d is integrally provided in the portion of the upper cylindrical portion 4a located below the stopper portion 11b, and is composed of four cantilever elastic pieces (see Figure 7) arranged in the circumferential direction and each extending in the axial direction. The sliding resistance portion 4d is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the lower cylinder 2c and generates appropriate sliding resistance when the operating member 3 rotates. The number and shape of the cantilever elastic pieces constituting the sliding resistance portion 4d can be set as appropriate. Alternatively, the configuration may be one in which the sliding resistance portion 4d is not provided.

[0022] The screw shaft member 5 has a screw shaft 5a centered on the rotation axis O, and a connecting portion 5b that integrally connects the lower end of the screw shaft 5a to the operating cylinder 4. The outer circumferential surface of the screw shaft 5a is formed by a first male screw portion 5c centered on the rotation axis O. The outer circumferential edge of the connecting portion 5b is integrally connected to the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder portion 4c by fitting.

[0023] The hollow screw shaft 6 is a hollow shaft shaped around the axis of rotation O, and has a female threaded first threaded portion 6a on its inner circumferential surface that screws onto the first male threaded portion 5c of the screw shaft 5a. The hollow screw shaft 6 has a top wall portion 6b and a circumferential wall portion 6c that extends downward from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall portion 6b, forming a top-cylindrical shape. The circumferential wall portion 6c is divided by slits that extend from the upper end to the lower end of the circumferential wall portion 6c at two locations facing each other in the radial direction. Therefore, when assembling the hollow screw shaft 6 onto the screw shaft 5a during the manufacturing assembly process, the hollow screw shaft 6 can be easily assembled onto the screw shaft 5a by simply pressing it axially without rotating it. The first threaded portion 6a is integrally provided at the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the circumferential wall portion 6c. The outer circumferential surface of the hollow screw shaft 6 is formed by a second male threaded portion 6d centered on the axis of rotation O.

[0024] The extruded member 7 has a hollow shaft portion 7a that is hollow and axial, centered on the axis of rotation O, and an extruded portion 7b integrally provided at the upper end of the hollow shaft portion 7a, and has a female screw-shaped second screw portion 7c on the inner surface of the hollow shaft portion 7a that screws onto the outer surface (second male screw portion 6d) of the hollow screw shaft 6.

[0025] The hollow shaft portion 7a has a top wall 7d and an outer peripheral wall 7e extending downward from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall 7d, and is shaped like a top-ended cylinder. The outer peripheral wall 7e is divided by slits that extend from the upper end to the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 7e at two radially opposite locations. Therefore, when assembling the extruded member 7 onto the hollow screw shaft 6 during the manufacturing assembly process, the extruded member 7 can be easily assembled onto the hollow screw shaft 6 by simply pressing it axially without rotating it. The second threaded portion 7c is integrally provided at the lower end of the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 7e.

[0026] The extruded portion 7b has an extruded wall 7f that extends radially outward from the top wall 7d and extends circumferentially around its entire circumference. The outer peripheral edge of the extruded wall 7f can slide axially in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder 2a around its entire circumference.

[0027] The engaging cylinder 8 is cylindrical in shape with the rotation axis O as its center. The engaging cylinder 8 engages with the engaging projection 2e so as to be guided axially while its rotation is restricted by the engaging projection 2e, and also engages with the extrusion member 7 so as to be guided axially while its rotation is restricted by the extrusion member 7. In this embodiment, the engaging projection 2e is composed of two projections provided at two locations facing each other in the radial direction, and the engaging cylinder 8 has an engaging recess composed of two grooves that engage with the corresponding projections, but is not limited to this. In this embodiment, the engaging cylinder 8 also has a projection provided at the upper end of the engaging cylinder 8 and composed of two projections that engage with the corresponding slits of the extrusion member 7, but is not limited to this.

[0028] The engaging projection 2e and the engaging cylinder 8 constitute a guide portion 12 that moves the extrusion member 7 axially while restricting its rotation relative to the case cylinder 2.

[0029] The winding direction of the threads of the first male thread portion 5c is set so that the first threaded portion 6a is advanced upward relative to the first male thread portion 5c by the rotation of the first male thread portion 5c in one circumferential direction relative to the first threaded portion 6a. Similarly, the winding direction of the threads of the second male thread portion 6d is set so that the second threaded portion 7c is advanced upward relative to the second male thread portion 6d by the rotation of the second male thread portion 6d in one circumferential direction relative to the second threaded portion 7c.

[0030] Therefore, in order to dispense the contents from inside the case cylinder 2 through the dispensing opening 2d using the extrusion member 7, by removing the lid 9 from the state shown in Figure 1 and rotating the operating member 3 circumferentially to one side relative to the case cylinder 2, the hollow screw shaft 6 can be fed upward by the screw shaft 5a, and the extrusion member 7 can be fed upward by the hollow screw shaft 6, as shown in Figure 2. By using this double screw feeding mechanism, the overall length in the axial direction of the screw feeding mechanism can be extended from about one screw stroke as shown in Figure 1 to about three screw strokes as shown in Figure 2, so that a dispensing container 1 with a reduced axial size can be easily realized.

[0031] Furthermore, in order to achieve double screw feeding, a retaining structure can be appropriately provided above the first threaded portion 6a relative to the first male threaded portion 5c, and / or above the second threaded portion 7c relative to the second male threaded portion 6d, and / or above the extrusion member 7 relative to the engaging cylinder 8, and / or above the engaging projection 2e relative to the engaging cylinder 8.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the guide portion 12 is composed of an engaging projection 2e and an engaging cylinder 8. This allows the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder 2a of the case cylinder 2 to be formed into a smooth shape with few irregularities over a wide area in the axial direction, thus easily improving the adhesion between the extrusion wall 7f of the extrusion member 7 and the upper cylinder 2a of the case cylinder 2.

[0033] Furthermore, since the dispensing container 1 of this embodiment has a ratchet part 11, the downward movement of the extrusion member 7 relative to the case cylinder 2 can be restricted, and as a result, the mixing of air into the contents (especially soft contents) can be suppressed.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ratchet portion 11 is composed of a gear portion 11a integrally provided on the case cylinder 2 and a retaining portion 11b integrally provided on the operating member 3, which can be elastically deformed in the axial direction to allow rotation of the retaining portion 11b relative to the gear portion 11a to one side in the circumferential direction. As a result, the radial thickness of the case cylinder 2 can be easily set to be small. Therefore, it is easy to use a material such as polypropylene, which has excellent airtightness (or moisture barrier properties) although it tends to shrink easily, as the resin material that forms the case cylinder 2.

[0035] Therefore, the dispensing container 1 of this embodiment can be used particularly suitably when dealing with contents that require high airtightness (or moisture barrier properties).

[0036] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways without departing from its essence.

[0037] Therefore, the dispensing container 1 of the above-described embodiment is modifiable as long as it comprises a case cylinder 2, an operating member 3 having a screw shaft 5a and rotatably held in the case cylinder 2, a hollow screw shaft 6 having a first screw portion 6a on its inner circumferential surface that screws onto the screw shaft 5a, an extrusion member 7 having a second screw portion 7c that screws onto the outer circumferential surface of the hollow screw shaft 6, and a guide portion 12 that moves the extrusion member 7 axially while restricting its rotation relative to the case cylinder 2, and in order to dispense the contents from inside the case cylinder 2 by the extrusion member 7, the screw shaft 5a feeds the hollow screw shaft 6 and the hollow screw shaft 6 feeds the extrusion member 7 by the rotation of the operating member 3 to one side in the circumferential direction relative to the case cylinder 2.

[0038] For example, the hollow screw shaft 6 is not limited to a configuration in which the circumferential wall portion 6c has a slit. The extruded member 7 is not limited to a configuration in which the outer circumferential wall 7e has a slit. The ratchet portion 11 is not limited to a configuration in which rotation of the stopper portion 11b relative to the gear portion 11a in one circumferential direction is permitted by the elastic deformation of the stopper portion 11b in the axial direction, but may also be configured in which rotation of the stopper portion 11b relative to the gear portion 11a in one circumferential direction is permitted by the elastic deformation of the stopper portion 11b in the radial direction. Alternatively, the ratchet portion 11 may not be provided. The extruded member 7 is not limited to a configuration in which the extruded portion 7b is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the case cylinder 2. The guide portion 12 that moves the extruded member 7 axially while restricting its rotation relative to the case cylinder 2 is not limited to a configuration having an engaging projection portion 2e and an engaging cylinder 8. For example, the guide portion 12 may be integrally provided on the inner circumferential surface of the upper cylinder 2a of the case cylinder 2 over substantially the entire length in the axial direction and may have a convex rib that engages with the extrusion member 7. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Retractable container 2 Case Tubes 2a Upper tube 2b Annular step 2c lower tube 2d dispensing opening 2e Engaging protrusion 3 Operating Member 4 Operation tube 4a Upper cylinder part 4b Stepped section 4c Lower cylinder part 4d Sliding resistance part 5 Screw shaft member 5a Screw shaft 5b Connecting part 5c First male thread section 6 Hollow screw shaft 6a First threaded section 6b Top wall 6c Peripheral wall part 6d Second male thread section 7. Extruded member 7a Hollow shaft part 7b Extrusion section 7c 2nd threaded part 7d ceiling wall 7e Peripheral wall 7f Extruded wall 8 Engaging cylinder 9 Lid 10 Rotating connecting part 11 Ratchet section 11a Gear section 11b Wheel stop 12 Information Department O Rotation axis

Claims

1. The device comprises a case cylinder, an operating member having a screw shaft and rotatably held in the case cylinder, a hollow screw shaft having a first screw portion on its inner circumference that screws onto the screw shaft, an extrusion member having a second screw portion that screws onto the outer circumference of the hollow screw shaft, a guide portion that moves the extrusion member axially while restricting its rotation relative to the case cylinder, and a ratchet portion composed of a gear portion integrally provided on the case cylinder and a stopper portion integrally provided on the operating member. The case tube comprises an upper tube for housing contents inside, an annular stepped portion extending radially outward in a stepped manner from the lower end of the upper tube, and a lower tube extending downward from the outer peripheral edge of the annular stepped portion. The operating member has an upper cylindrical portion, The outer circumferential surface of the upper cylinder portion faces the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylinder, The gear portion is provided on the lower surface of the annular step portion and has a crown gear shape. The stopper portion comprises a cantilevered elastic piece integrally provided at the upper end of the upper cylindrical portion and extending in the circumferential direction. In order to dispense the contents from inside the case cylinder by the extrusion member, the rotation of the operating member circumferentially to one side relative to the case cylinder causes the screw shaft to advance the hollow screw shaft and the hollow screw shaft to advance the extrusion member. The aforementioned downward direction is the direction opposite to the direction in which the contents are dispensed. A dispensing container in which the rotation of the stopper portion relative to the gear portion toward one side in the circumferential direction is permitted by the elastic deformation of the cantilever elastic piece of the stopper portion toward the downward direction, and the rotation of the cantilever elastic piece of the stopper portion relative to the gear portion toward the other side in the circumferential direction is restricted.

2. The dispensing container according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion comprises an engaging projection integrally provided on the inner circumferential surface of the case cylinder, and an engaging cylinder that engages with the engaging projection so as to be guided in the axial direction while its rotation is restricted by the engaging projection, and also engages with the extrusion member so as to be guided in the axial direction while its rotation is restricted by the extrusion member.

Images