Container with inner stopper

Abstract

To provide a container with an inner plug capable of preventing the inner plug from rotating together with a cap when the cap is opened / closed, and capable of facilitating refilling work by facilitating attachment and detachment of the inner plug to and from a mouth part.SOLUTION: A container with an inner plug has a container body 10 having a mouth part 11 in an upper portion thereof, an inner plug 20 which is attached to the upper portion of the mouth part 11 by screwing, and a cap 30 which is attached to both the mouth part 11 and the inner plug 20 by screwing to cover the upper portion of the container body 10. An upper male screw 23 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner plug 20, a lower male screw 17 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth part 11, and a cap side female screw 35 which can be screwed to both the upper male screw 23 and the lower male screw 17 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a container with a stopper that enables refilling of the content liquid.

Background Art

[0002] As a means to prevent the stopper attached to the mouth portion of the container body from rotating together with the cap when the cap is rotated, for example, an engaging convex portion 37 is provided on one of the cylindrical wall portion 19 of the stopper 5 or the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 2, and an engaging concave portion 38 with which the engaging convex portion 37 can be detachably engaged is provided on the other. By the engagement between the engaging convex portion 37 and the engaging concave portion 38, when the cap 6 is rotated in the loosening direction and removed from the container body 3, a prior art that prevents the co-rotation of the stopper 5 is known (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the invention described in Patent Document 1, the stopper 5 is attached by screwing it into the mouth portion 2 of the container body 3. However, before the screwing of the stopper 5 into the mouth portion 2 is completed, as the stopper 5 is rotated in the tightening direction, the engaging convex portion 37 rides on the outer peripheral surface of the annular step portion 13 that protrudes radially outward from the engaging concave portion 38 and bends and inclines radially outward. Then, when the screwing of the stopper 5 into the mouth portion 2 is completed, the engaging convex portion 37 engages with the engaging concave portion 38 and is accommodated radially inward of the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 2 (annular step portion 13).

[0005] In the invention described in Patent Document 1 above, when performing the operation of refilling the content liquid in the container body 3, it is necessary to remove the stopper 5 from the mouth portion 2. However, in order to perform the refilling operation, it is necessary to bend the engaging projection 37 radially outward to release its engagement with the engaging recess 38, and then rotate the inner stopper 5 in the loosening direction to remove it. However, it is difficult to bend the engaging projection 37 radially outward when removing it, so there was a problem in that the refilling operation could not be performed easily.

[0006] Furthermore, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the female thread 25 formed on the inner circumferential surface of the inner plug 5 is screwed onto the male thread 15 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the large-diameter cylindrical body 11 to attach it to the mouth portion 2. However, in order to achieve reliable screwing, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient number of turns on the male thread 15, which presents the problem of being difficult to keep the height dimension of the large-diameter cylindrical body 11, i.e., the size of the mouth portion 2 in the height direction, low.

[0007] The present invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and in particular to create a container with an inner stopper that prevents the inner stopper from rotating together when opening and closing the cap, and facilitates the attachment and detachment of the inner stopper to the opening, thereby simplifying the refilling process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] Among the means for solving the above problems, the first means of the present invention is: A container with an inner stopper is configured to include a container body having an opening at the top, an inner stopper that is screwed onto the top of the opening, and a cap that is screwed onto the opening and the inner stopper and covers the top of the container body, The invention is characterized in that an upper male thread is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the inner stopper, a lower male thread is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the opening, and a cap-side female thread is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cap, which can be screwed into both the upper male thread and the lower male thread. In the first method of the present invention, by forming an upper male thread on the outer circumferential surface of the inner plug, the number of turns of the lower male thread formed on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth can be reduced, and as a result, the size of the mouth in the height direction can be reduced.

[0009] Furthermore, the second means of the present invention adds to the first means described above that a gap is formed between the upper male thread and the cap-side female thread to release the screw engagement when the cap is fully closed. In the second means of the present invention, when the cap is fully closed, a gap is formed between the upper male thread and the cap-side female thread. Therefore, even if the cap is rotated in the loosening direction when opening, the rotational force is not transmitted to the inner stopper, thus preventing the inner stopper from rotating together with the cap.

[0010] Furthermore, a third means of the present invention adds to the first or second means described above that the pitch of the lower male screw is formed at a position shifted downward from the upper male screw, with reference to the pitch of the upper male screw.

[0011] Furthermore, a fourth means of the present invention adds to the first or second means described above, the pitch of the lower male screw being the same as the pitch of the upper male screw, and the width dimension in the pitch direction at the lower end of the lower male screw being partially wider downwards.

[0012] Furthermore, a fifth means of the present invention adds to the first or second means described above, the pitch of the upper end of the lower male screw being the same as that of the upper male screw, and the pitch of the lower end of the lower male screw being formed to gradually widen from the start to the end.

[0013] In the third to fifth methods described above, when the cap is fully closed, a strong downward force can be applied to the female thread on the cap side by the male thread on the lower side, thereby creating a gap between the female thread on the cap side and the male thread on the upper side that releases the threading between them.

[0014] The sixth means of the present invention is to add to the third means described above the means of setting the number of turns of the screw forming the upper male screw and the lower male screw to one full turn. In the above method, the engagement area between the upper and lower male threads and the female thread on the cap is reduced, thereby reducing the resistance generated in this area. In particular, it is possible to prevent the inner stopper from rotating together with the cap and coming off when the cap is rotated in the loosening direction. Furthermore, since the number of turns of the lower male thread can be reduced, the height dimension of the large-diameter cylinder can be kept low, thus reducing the size of the opening in the height direction.

[0015] Furthermore, the seventh means of the present invention adds to the sixth means described above, a first intermittent portion is formed between the start and end of the upper male screw, and a second intermittent portion is formed by removing a part of the upper male screw at a position axially symmetric to the first intermittent portion. In the above method, by utilizing the first and second intermittent sections as finger grips, it becomes possible to easily attach and detach the stopper to the opening, and to easily refill the liquid contents. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] In this invention, it is possible to prevent the inner stopper from rotating and coming off together with the cap when the cap is rotated in the loosening direction. Furthermore, since the first and second intermittent sections can be used as finger grips, it becomes easier to attach and detach the stopper to the opening, and the refilling of the liquid can be easily performed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] The image shows an overall view of a container with an inner stopper as an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view of the container with an inner stopper and (b) is a partial cross-sectional view of the front side of the container with an inner stopper. [Figure 2] The images show a container with an inner stopper with the cap removed, where (a) is a top view of the container with the inner stopper and (b) is a front view of the container with the inner stopper. [Figure 3] The image shows a container with the inner stopper removed, with (a) being a plan view of the container body and (b) being a partial front view of the container body. [Figure 4](a) is a plan view of the stopper, and (b) is a front view of the stopper. [Figure 5] It is a bottom view of the cap. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged part V in FIG. 1.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The container 1 with a stopper of the present invention is, for example, a container for pouring out a content liquid such as lotion, soap liquid, or emulsion accommodated therein, and is a container that can be refilled with a new content liquid when the remaining amount of the content liquid decreases. In the following, the direction along the container axis O will be referred to as the axial direction, the vertical direction, or the height direction, and the direction orthogonal to the container axis O will be referred to as the radial direction, and the direction that circulates around the container axis O will be referred to as the circumferential direction for explanation.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the container 1 with a stopper is formed having a container body 10 that accommodates a content liquid, a stopper 20 attached to the upper part of the container body 10, and a cap 30 that covers the upper part of the container body 10 to which the stopper 20 is attached. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the container body 10 is formed, for example, with an elliptical cylindrical body portion 14 continuously provided on an elliptical bottom portion 15, and has a shoulder portion 13 formed in a reduced diameter shape at the upper end of the body portion 14, and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. At the central position of the shoulder portion 13, a cylindrical mouth portion 11 is formed standing via an annular stepped portion 12, and a pouring outlet 10A is formed inside the mouth portion 11.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the mouth portion 11 is integrally continuously provided via an annular stepped portion 11B in which a large-diameter cylindrical body 11C continuously provided upward on the annular stepped portion 12 and a small-diameter cylindrical body 11A formed with a smaller diameter than the large-diameter cylindrical body 11C at its upper end are provided therebetween. On the outer peripheral surface of the small-diameter cylindrical body 11A, a male thread 16 for the stopper to which the stopper 20 is screwed is provided around the circumference, and on the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylindrical body 11C, a lower male thread 17 to which the cap 30 is screwed is provided around the circumference. Furthermore, two locking projections 12a are formed on the annular stepped portion 12 at positions axially symmetric with respect to the container axis O, with the cap 30 engaging when the container is closed.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1, 2, or 4, the inner stopper 20 is integrally formed with a fitting cylinder portion 21 having an outer surface with the same diameter as the outer surface of the large-diameter cylinder 11C on the mouth portion 11 side, and a nozzle portion 22 connected to the center of the top wall of the fitting cylinder portion 21 in a tapering shape upwards. An upper male thread 23 is formed on the outer surface of the fitting cylinder portion 21, and a dispensing hole 24 for dispensing the contents to the outside is provided inside the nozzle portion 22. In addition, a female thread for the inner stopper (not shown) is formed on the inner surface of the fitting cylinder portion 21. As shown in Figure 3, the inner stopper 20 is detachably attached to the upper part of the mouth portion 11 by screwing the female thread for the inner stopper (not shown) into the male thread for the inner stopper formed on the small-diameter cylinder 11A on the mouth portion 11 side.

[0022] As shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), the upper male thread 23 on the inner plug 20 side is formed spirally on the outer surface of the fitting cylinder portion 21 with fewer than one turn, and the width dimension in the pitch direction (height direction) of the threads forming the upper male thread 23 is smaller than the width dimension in the pitch direction (height direction) of the threads forming the lower male thread 17 and the width dimension in the pitch direction (height direction) of the root threads forming the female thread 35 on the cap side, which will be described later.

[0023] Furthermore, a first intermittent portion 25 is formed between the starting end 23a and the ending end 23b of the upper male screw 23, which face each other in the circumferential direction. A second intermittent portion 26 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the fitting cylinder portion 21, which is axially symmetric to the first intermittent portion 25. For example, by placing the thumb on one of the first intermittent portions 25 and the index finger on the other second intermittent portion 26, the inner stopper 20 can be securely held and easily rotated in the tightening and loosening directions. In other words, the first intermittent portion 25 and the second intermittent portion 26 function as finger rests when holding the inner stopper 20. Therefore, by utilizing the finger rests consisting of the first intermittent portion 25 and the second intermittent portion 26, the inner stopper 20 can be easily attached to and detached from the opening 11, and the refilling of the contents can be easily performed.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3(b), the lower male thread 17 on the mouth portion 11 side is formed spirally around the outer surface of the large-diameter cylindrical body 11C for approximately one full turn. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, when the inner plug 20 is fully fitted onto the upper part of the mouth portion 11, the outer surface of the fitting cylindrical portion 21 and the outer surface of the large-diameter cylindrical body 11C are formed on the same plane, and the upper male thread 23 on the inner plug 20 side and the lower male thread 17 on the mouth portion 11 side combine to form a single male thread.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the cap 30 is a cylindrical member with an elliptical top wall 31 and an elliptical cylindrical outer wall 32 hanging down from the outer edge of the elliptical top wall 31. The lower surface of the top wall 31 has an inner cylinder 33 that houses the mouth 11 and the inner stopper 20 when closed, and a stopper 34 that fits onto the tip of the nozzle 22 to seal the dispensing hole 24. On the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 33, there is a cap-side female thread 35 that can be screwed onto both the upper male thread 23 and the lower male thread 17 when they are joined together. Furthermore, on the bottom side of the inner cylinder 33, there are two positions on the left and right sides of the figure that are axially symmetrical, where engaging parts 36 are formed to engage with a locking projection 12a provided on the annular stepped portion 12 on the container body 10 side when the cap 30 is closed, thereby positioning the cap 30 in the circumferential direction.

[0026] As shown in Figure 5, the engaging portion 36 protrudes radially outward from the outer surface of the inner cylinder portion 33 and also protrudes downward from the lower end of the inner cylinder portion 33. The engaging portion 36 has a short wall portion 36a and a long wall portion 36b that form a substantially L-shape in plan view and is arranged axially symmetric with respect to the container axis O. An engaging projection 36c that protrudes radially inward is formed at the circumferential end of the long wall portion 36b (the end in the counterclockwise direction shown in the figure), and an engaging recess 36d is provided between the short wall portion 36a and the engaging projection 36c, into which the locking projection 12a on the container body 10 side engages and is held.

[0027] When the inner cylinder portion 33 of the cap 30 is attached to the mouth portion 11 and the inner stopper 20, and the screws are threaded together, and the cap is tightened in the tightening direction (clockwise), the locking projection 12a comes into contact with the engaging projection 36c from a relative clockwise direction, and then moves over the engaging projection 36c and into the engaging recess 36d, thereby engaging the locking projection 12a between the engaging projection 36c and the short wall portion 36a. Therefore, the cap 30 can be attached to the top portion (mouth portion 11 and inner stopper 20) of the container body 10 in a positioned state (closed state).

[0028] Furthermore, when the cap 30 is rotated in the loosening direction from the closed state, the locking projection 12a overcomes the engaging projection 36c in a counterclockwise direction relative to it, and can therefore disengage from the engaging recess 36d. Thus, by further rotating the cap 30 in the loosening direction, it is possible to remove the cap 30 from the top of the container body 10 (mouth 11 and inner stopper 20) (open state).

[0029] Here, the lower male thread 17 on the mouth portion 11 side is not formed along the extension line of the spiral forming the upper male thread 23 on the inner plug 20 side (a hypothetical extension line formed along the spiral when assuming that the upper male thread 23 has multiple turns, the same applies hereinafter), but is formed spirally at a position slightly below the position of that extension line. In other words, when the pitch of the upper male thread 23 is used as a reference, the lower male thread 17 is formed at a position shifted downward from the pitch of the upper male thread 23.

[0030] When the cap 30 is rotated in the tightening direction, in the initial state the female thread 35 on the cap side screws onto the male thread 23 on the upper side, and the cap 30 is guided by the male thread 23 and screwed downward. Furthermore, as described above, the width dimension in the pitch direction (height direction) of the threads forming the upper male thread 23 is smaller than the width dimension in the pitch direction (height direction) of the root threads forming the female thread 35 on the cap side. Therefore, the resistance generated between the upper male thread 23 and the female thread 35 on the cap side when the cap 30 is rotated in the tightening and loosening directions is small.

[0031] When the cap 30 is fully tightened, as shown in Figure 6, the female thread 35 on the cap side is screwed into the male thread 17 on the lower side. However, as described above, the male thread 17 on the lower side is formed in a position that is offset downwards, so a strong downward force is applied to the female thread 35 on the cap side by the male thread 17. As a result, a gap S is formed between the female thread 35 on the cap side and the male thread 23, which releases the screwing of the two.

[0032] Next, when the cap 30 is rotated in the loosening direction to open it from the state where the gap S is formed, a gap S is formed between the female thread 35 on the cap side and the male thread 23 on the upper side, and the screwing is released. Therefore, even if the cap 30 is rotated in the loosening direction, the rotational force is not transmitted to the inner stopper 20. Thus, it is possible to prevent the inner stopper 20 from rotating together with the rotation of the cap 30 in the loosening direction.

[0033] Furthermore, when tightening or loosening the cap 30, resistance will be present between the female thread 35 on the cap side and the male thread 17 on the lower side. However, the area in which the female thread 35 on the cap side and the male thread 17 on the lower side engage is only about one turn. Compared to a case where the engaging area extends over several turns (multiple turns), the resistance generated during this period can be kept to a minimum, allowing for smooth opening and closing of the cap 30.

[0034] Furthermore, in this invention, an upper male thread 23 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the inner plug 20, and the upper male thread 23 and the lower male thread 17 are combined to form a single male thread. As a result, the number of turns of the lower male thread 17 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the large-diameter cylindrical body 11C of the mouth portion 11 can be reduced compared to conventional designs. This allows the height dimension of the mouth portion 11, or more specifically, the height dimension of the large-diameter cylindrical body 11C, to be reduced accordingly, and as a result, the size of the mouth portion 11 in the height direction can be reduced.

[0035] The configuration and effects of the present invention have been described above in accordance with the examples, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above examples.

[0036] In the above embodiment, as a means to prevent the rotational force from being transmitted to the inner stopper 20 when the cap 30 is rotated in the loosening direction, the pitch of the lower male screw 17 was formed at a position shifted downward from the reference upper male screw 23. However, there are other means as follows.

[0037] For example, if the pitch of the lower male thread 17 is the same as the pitch of the upper male thread 23, the lower male thread 17 may have a shape in which the width dimension in the pitch direction (height direction) of only the lower end 17d is partially widened downwards. With this method, a gap S is formed when the cap 30 is fully tightened, so it is possible to reliably prevent the inner stopper 20 from rotating together when the cap 30 is turned in the loosening direction during opening (when the resistance is greatest). If the cap 30 is continued to be turned in the loosening direction, the gap S will be eliminated, but as described above, the resistance generated between the upper male thread 23 and the cap-side female thread 35 is small, so it is possible to prevent the inner stopper 20 from rotating together. This method is not limited to the case where the lower male thread 17 has one turn, but is also effective when the number of turns is increased.

[0038] Alternatively, the pitch of the lower male thread 17 on the upper end 17c side may be the same as that of the upper male thread 23, while the pitch of the lower male thread 17 on the lower end 17d side may be shaped to gradually widen from the starting end 17a to the ending end 17b. In this configuration, the gap S between the upper male thread 23 and the cap-side female thread 35 gradually widens as it rotates in the tightening direction, reaching its maximum when fully tightened. It also gradually narrows as it rotates in the loosening direction, and the gap S is eliminated when the lower male thread 17 disengages from the cap-side female thread 35. However, as described above, the resistance generated between the upper male thread 23 and the cap-side female thread 35 is small, making it possible to prevent the inner plug 20 from rotating together. This configuration is not limited to the case where the lower male thread 17 has one turn, but is also effective when the number of turns is increased. [Industrial applicability]

[0039] This invention can expand the range of applications in the field of containers with inner stoppers that allow for refilling of the liquid contents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0040] 1: Container with inner stopper 10: Container body 10A: Outlet 11: Mouth 11A: Small diameter cylinder 11B: Stepped section 11C: Large diameter cylinder 12: Annular stepped section 12a: Locking protrusion 13:Shoulder 14: Torso 15: Bottom 16: Male thread for inner plug 17: Lower male screw 17a: Starting point of the lower male thread 17b: End of the lower male thread 17c: Upper end of the lower male thread 17d: Lower end of the lower male thread 20: Inner stopper 21: Fitting cylinder 22: Nozzle part 23: Upper male screw 23a: Start 23b: Termination 24: Output hole 25: First intermittent section 26: Second intermittent section 30: Cap 31: Ceiling Wall 32: External wall part 33: Inner cylinder 34: Plug body 35: Female thread on the cap side 36: Engaging part 36a: Short wall part 36b: Long wall part 36c: Engagement protrusion 36d: Engaging recess O: Container axis S: Gap

Claims

1. A container with an inner stopper is configured to include a container body (10) having a mouth (11) at the top, an inner stopper (20) that is screwed onto the top of the mouth (11), and a cap (30) that is screwed onto the mouth (11) and the inner stopper (20) and covers the top of the container body (10), A container with an inner stopper, characterized in that an upper male thread (23) is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the inner stopper (20), a lower male thread (17) is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the opening (11), and a cap-side female thread (35) is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cap (30) that can be screwed onto both the upper male thread (23) and the lower male thread (17).

2. The container with an inner stopper according to claim 1, wherein when the cap (30) is fully closed, a gap (S) is formed between the upper male thread (23) and the cap-side female thread (35) to release the screw engagement.

3. A container with a stopper according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pitch of the lower male thread (17) is formed at a position shifted downward from the upper male thread (23) when the pitch of the upper male thread (23) is used as a reference.

4. A container with a stopper according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pitch of the lower male thread (17) is formed to be the same as the pitch of the upper male thread (23), and the width dimension in the pitch direction on the lower end (17d) side of the end (17b) of the lower male thread (17) is partially wider downwards.

5. A container with a stopper according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pitch of the upper end (17c) of the lower male thread (17) is formed to be the same as that of the upper male thread (23), and the pitch of the lower end (17d) of the lower male thread (17) is formed to gradually widen from the starting end (17a) to the ending end (17b).

6. A container with an inner stopper according to claim 3, wherein the number of turns of the screws forming the upper male screw (23) and the lower male screw (17) is one full turn.

7. A container with an inner stopper according to claim 6, wherein a first intermittent portion (25) is formed between the starting end (23a) and the ending end (23b) of the upper male screw (23), and a second intermittent portion (26) is formed by removing a part of the upper male screw (23) at a position axially symmetric to the first intermittent portion (25).

Images