Screw-cap container

Abstract

To provide a threaded container with good usability that allows the contents to be used up to the last drop even though it has a long and slender appearance using a screw mechanism.SOLUTION: A threaded container according to the present invention comprises: an outer container body 2 in the form of a vertical cylinder, which has an outer cylinder wall 6 with a female thread part 10, the outer cylinder wall 6 including a mouth part O opened at an upper end thereof; and a bottomed cylindrical inner container body 20 with an inner cylinder wall 24 having a male thread part 30 that screws with the female thread part 10, screwed into the back B side of the outer container body 2 from above through the mouth part O. The inner container body 20 has a lower height than the outer container body 2 and is spiraled up by rotary operation from a first position away from the mouth part O to a second position closer to the mouth part O. A return stop mechanism D is provided to regulate the return of the inner container body 20 to the first position side by engaging a portion 32 closer to the lower end m2 of the male thread part 30 and a portion 12 closer to the upper end f1 of the female thread part 10 in the raised state where the inner container body 20 has screwed up to the second position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a screw-on container, particularly a screw-on container for containing creams such as hair styling products.

Background Art

[0002] The following containers are known as containers for storing hair styling products and the like. · A container in which an inner container is detachably fitted into a straight cylindrical outer container and a cap is attached to the mouth of the outer container, and the overall container has a low profile compared to its outer diameter (Patent Document 1). · A container in which a slit-shaped insertion hole is formed in a middle plug fitted inside a bottomed cylindrical container body, a spatula is supported in this insertion hole, and a cap is attached to the mouth of the container body (Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The container of Patent Document 1 is formed with a low profile as a whole in order to scoop up the contents with a finger. However, there is a demand in the market to provide a container with a good-looking appearance having a vertically elongated silhouette. However, if it has a vertically long form, when inserting a finger of one hand from the mouth of the container, the base of the finger hits the mouth and the fingertip cannot reach the bottom of the container, so the usability is not good. In the configuration of Patent Document 2, by adjusting the length of the spatula, the tip of the spatula can reach the bottom of a tall container. However, there is a possibility that the spatula may be lost and become unusable, and it is difficult to scrape off the contents without leaving any residue compared to scooping up the contents with a finger.

[0005] The first objective of the present invention is to provide a user-friendly screw-on container that allows for the complete use of its contents, even with its elongated, vertical appearance, by utilizing a screw mechanism. The second objective is to enable the contents to be properly peeled off from the inner surface of the container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first means comprises a vertical cylindrical outer container body 2 having an outer cylindrical wall 6 having a female threaded portion 10, and an opening O at the upper end of the outer cylindrical wall 6, An inner cylindrical container body 20 is provided, which has an inner cylindrical wall 24 having a male threaded portion 30 that screws into the female threaded portion 10, and is screwed into the inner B side of the outer container body 2 from above through the opening O, It is equipped with, The inner container body 20 is shorter in height than the outer container body 2 and can be screwed up by a rotational operation from a first position away from the opening O to a second position approaching the opening O. In the raised state where the inner container body 20 is screwed up to the second position, the lower end m2 of the male threaded portion 30 is located at a distance L below the upper end f1 of the female threaded portion 10. Furthermore, a return-preventing mechanism D is provided that restricts the return of the male thread portion 30 by locking the portion 32 near the lower end m2 of the male thread portion 30 and the portion 12 near the upper end f1 of the female thread portion 10 in the raised state.

[0007] In this invention, as shown in Figure 1(B), a screw-type container is proposed, comprising a vertical cylindrical outer container body 2 having an outer cylindrical wall 6 with a female threaded portion 10, and an inner container body 20 having an inner cylindrical wall 24 having a male threaded portion 30 that screws into the female threaded portion 10. The inner container 20 is shorter than the outer container 2 and is configured to be screwed up by a rotational operation from a first position (see Figure 1(B)) away from the opening O of the outer container 2 to a second position (see Figure 2) closer to the opening O. This structure allows for a slender silhouette while eliminating the possibility of not being able to use up the contents because it is difficult to reach the bottom of the container with your fingers. Because a return-stopping mechanism D is provided to restrict the return of the male screw portion 30 after the screw-retracting operation, the bottom of the inner container 20 will not unexpectedly drop due to this return, and the contents can be used completely, resulting in improved usability.

[0008] The second means has the first means, and the female thread portion 10 has a notched step portion 16 provided on the upper flank surface 11U of the female thread portion 10 as the return mechanism D. This notched step 16 is formed by cutting out the upper half i in the thickness direction t of the female thread portion 10, extending from the notched step 16 to the upper end f1 of the female thread portion 10. The lower end m2 of the male threaded portion 30 abuts against the notched step 16, preventing the male threaded portion 30 from returning to its original position after the screwing motion.

[0009] In this mechanism, the female thread portion 10 has a notched step portion 16 provided on the upper flank surface 11U of the female thread portion 10, as shown in Figure 3(A), which serves as the return mechanism D. As shown in Figure 3(B), the notched step portion 16 is formed by cutting out the upper half i in the thickness direction t of the female thread portion 10, extending from the notched step portion 16 to the upper end f1 of the female thread portion 10. According to this structure, the lower end m2 of the male threaded portion 30 falls from the upper part of the notched step 16 (upper flank surface 11U) shown in Figure 4(A) to the lower part of the notched step 16, as shown in Figure 5(A), due to the weight of the inner container 20 and its contents. When an external force F acts in the return direction, the lower end m2 of the male threaded portion 30 abuts against the notched step 16 and resists the external force F. This ensures that the male threaded portion 30 does not return to its original position after the screw-back operation.

[0010] The third means has either the first or second means, and has a peeling portion S formed on the upper end surface 29 side of the inner cylinder wall 24 that slides against the inner circumferential surface 8 of the outer cylinder wall 6, thereby enabling the peeling off of contents adhering to the inner circumferential surface 8.

[0011] In this method, as shown in Figure 1(B), a peeling portion S for the contents C is formed on the upper end surface 29 side of the inner cylinder wall 24. As shown in Figure 2, when the inner container body 20 is screwed up, this peeling portion S slides against the inner circumferential surface 8 of the outer cylinder wall 6, thereby allowing the contents to be peeled off from this inner surface. With this structure, as shown by the dashed lines in Figure 2, the removed contents C are pushed out toward the inner surface of the inner cylinder wall 24, making it easy to scoop them up with your fingertips. Therefore, it is economical because the contents can be used completely without waste.

[0012] The fourth means has either the first or second means, and a finger grip portion 34 for rotating the inner container 20 is formed on a part of the circumferential direction of the upper circumferential end of the inner cylinder wall 24, along the inner circumferential surface 8 of the outer cylinder wall 6.

[0013] In this invention, a finger grip portion 34 for rotating the inner container body 20 is formed on the upper part of the inner cylinder wall 24, as shown in Figure 1(B). This structure makes it easy to screw the inner container 20 up from the first position to the second position, and since the finger rest 34 is provided along the inner circumferential surface 8 of the outer cylinder wall 6, it does not interfere with the process of removing the contents from inside the inner container 20 with one's fingers. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, by utilizing a screw mechanism, the contents can be used completely even with a long, slender, vertical appearance, resulting in excellent usability. Furthermore, the contents can be properly peeled off from the inner circumferential surface 8 of the outer container body 2. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] Figure (A) shows the initial state of a screw-cap container according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure (A) is a plan view with a portion cut out, where J is the cut-out portion when viewed in the JJ direction in Figure (B), and Figure (B) is a partial cross-sectional view. [Figure 2]It is a semi-sectional view showing a state where the inner container body of the container shown in FIG. 1 is raised. [Figure 3] The structure of the outer container body of the container is shown. In the figure, (A) is a sectional view seen from the III(A)-III(A) direction of FIG. 2, and (B) is an enlarged view of the main part of the sectional view. [Figure 4] The operation of the main part indicated by K in FIG. 2 is depicted in a state immediately before the lower end of the male screw part drops off from the notch step part. In the figure, (A) depicts the state of viewing the main part from the radially inner side, and (B) depicts the state of viewing the main part from the circumferential direction. [Figure 5] The operation of the main part indicated by K in FIG. 2 is depicted in a state immediately after the lower end of the male screw part drops off from the notch step part. In the figure, (A) depicts the state of viewing the main part from the radially inner side, and (B) depicts the state of viewing the main part from the circumferential direction.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0016] FIGS. 1 to 5 show a screw-on container according to an embodiment of the present invention. This container is for storing a cream-like content such as hair styling cream, and consists of an outer container body 2, an inner container body 20, and a cap 40. These members can be formed of synthetic resin.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1(B), the outer container body 2 has a vertically elongated and long cylindrical form. The outer container body 2 of the present embodiment is formed by erecting an outer cylindrical wall 6 having a female screw part 10 from the peripheral edge of the outer bottom 4. The inner peripheral surface 8 of this outer cylindrical wall 6 is formed with an equal diameter over the entire length of the cylinder. Also, a wide-mouth opening О is opened at the upper end of the outer cylindrical wall 6. The outer cylindrical wall 6 in the illustrated example consists of a lower wall part 6a with a large outer diameter, an intermediate wall part 6b with a medium outer diameter, and an upper wall part 6c with a small outer diameter. And, an auxiliary screw 18 for screwing the cap 40 is attached to the outside of this upper wall part 6c, and the female screw part 10 is formed inside the lower wall part 6a. However, these structures can be changed as appropriate. In the illustrated example, the upper end f1 of the female thread portion 10 (referred to as the "female upper end") is located near the upper end of the lower wall portion 6a, and the lower end f2 of the female thread portion 10 (referred to as the "female lower end") is located near the lower end of the lower wall portion 6a. However, these arrangements can be changed as appropriate.

[0018] The female threaded portion 10 has a retaining mechanism D for the male threaded portion 30, which will be described later. This retaining mechanism serves to maintain the raised state (the state in which the inner container 20 has been raised to the second position), which will be described later. The retaining mechanism D in this embodiment is formed as a notched step 16 located on the upper side surface 11U (hereinafter referred to as the "upper flank surface") of the female thread portion 10, as shown in Figure 3(A). However, this configuration can be changed as appropriate, and any structure is acceptable as long as it can restrict the return of the male thread portion. In this specification, "flank" is used to mean the "side" of a screw. The lower side surface 11L of the female thread portion 10 is referred to as the "lower flank surface." As shown in Figure 3(B), the notched step portion 16 is formed by cutting out the upper half i in the thickness direction t of the female thread portion 10 in the range extending from the notched step portion 16 to the upper female end f1. In this text, "upper half in the thickness direction" simply means "the upper part of a structure divided into two in the thickness direction," and is not limited to a structure divided into two equal parts in the thickness direction. To form the female thread portion 10 with the notched step portion 16, a female thread portion of a certain thickness is formed in advance, and then, using existing screw machining techniques, the upper half i of the female thread portion 10 is removed from the location where the notched step portion 16 is formed, extending from that location to the upper female end f1. The lower male end m2 of the male threaded portion 30, described later, abuts against the notched step 16, thereby preventing the male threaded portion 30 from returning to its original position. In this specification, the portion 12 of the female thread portion 10 near the upper end f1, with respect to the notched step portion 16, is distinguished from the rest of the female thread portion 10 and referred to as the base portion of the female thread portion. The upper surface of the base portion 12 of the female thread portion is referred to as the lower surface portion 14. This lower surface portion 14 is formed as a flat surface inclined along the helical direction of the female thread portion 10. In the state shown in Figure 5(A), the lower surface portion 14 serves as a receiving portion for receiving the tip portion 32 of the male thread portion 30, which will be described later. The length of the lower surface portion 14 should be set to be long enough so that even if the inner container body 20 is turned too far, the tip 32 of the male screw portion falls onto the lower surface portion 14. In the illustrated example, the length of the lower surface portion 14 is adjusted to be slightly longer than one turn of the female thread portion 10. However, the length of the lower surface portion 14 can be changed as appropriate.

[0019] The inner container body 20 is formed by erecting an inner cylindrical wall 24 from the circumferential end of the inner bottom portion 22, having a male threaded portion 30 that screws into the female threaded portion 10. The inner container 20 is designed to be inserted into the upper part of the outer container 2 from above through the opening O, and then screwed into the inner side B of the outer container 2 by rotating the male threaded portion 30 in the screwing direction. Specifically, the inner container 20 can be held and fixed near the opening, and the outer container 2 can be fitted onto it from below while rotating, and then screwed in. This inner container 20 is shorter in height than the outer container 2 and is embedded in the contents C when the contents C is filled into the outer container 2. Furthermore, the inner container body 20 can be screwed up by a rotational operation from a first position (see Figure 1(B)) away from the opening O to a second position (see Figure 2) closer to the opening O. In the illustrated example, the design ensures that in this screw-up state, the upper end surface 29 of the inner container 20 is at the same height as the opening O of the outer container 2. The depth of the inner container 20 should be approximately the same as the length of the user's index finger (preferably about the length from the second joint to the fingertip of the index finger), and it should be designed so that a finger can be easily inserted through the upper opening of the inner container 20 and the fingertip can easily reach the inner bottom 22. In this embodiment, the upper end of the inner cylinder wall 24 is formed as a tapered portion 28 with a large upper diameter, and the remaining portion of the inner cylinder wall 24 is formed as a straight cylinder portion 26 concentric with the outer cylinder wall 6. The male thread portion 30 is formed on the outer surface of this straight cylinder portion 26.

[0020] The male threaded portion 30, by screwing into the female threaded portion 10, serves to support the inner container 20 within the outer container 2. In this specification, "screw-fitting" means that the male thread portion 30 is in contact with the upper flank surface 11U of the female thread portion 10 so that the inner container 20 can be supported within the outer container 2. Therefore, as shown in Figure 4(B), a structure in which there is a gap a between the lower flank surface 11L of the female thread portion 10 and the adjacent portion of the male thread portion 30 is also acceptable. In this structure, the male thread portion 30 is loosely fitted between adjacent threads of the female thread portion. Therefore, the frictional resistance acting between the male thread portion 30 and the female thread portion 10 during screw-in and screw-out operations is small, and it can be operated with little force. On the other hand, there is a high possibility that the male thread portion 30 will unexpectedly return in the reverse direction after screw-out operation, so the aforementioned return prevention mechanism D is provided to prevent this inconvenience. In this specification, the leading portion of the male threaded portion 30 in the direction of screwing, that is, the portion 32 of the male threaded portion 30 near the lower end m2, is referred to as the "leading portion." The lower end m2 of the male threaded portion 30 is referred to as the "male lower end," and the upper end m1 of the male threaded portion 30 is referred to as the "male upper end." When the inner container 20 is raised to the second position shown in Figure 2, the lower male end m2 is positioned below the upper female end f1, with a fitting allowance distance L, as shown in Figure 3(A). By doing so, when the inner container 20 is in the second position, the tip 32 of the male threaded portion 30 is supported on the base 12 of the female threaded portion 10, and the tip 32 and the base 12 can be locked together.

[0021] In this embodiment, the female thread portion 10 and the male thread portion 30 are each formed as single-start threads. However, the female thread portion 10 and the male thread portion 30 may also be formed as double-start threads. In this case, notched steps 16 and lower surfaces 14 are formed on the two female threaded portions 10, respectively, and the bases 12 of the two male threaded portions 30 are provided to be supported by the bases 12 of the corresponding female threaded portions 10 when the inner container 20 is raised as shown in Figure 2.

[0022] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1(B), a peeling portion S is formed on the inner surface of the tapered portion 28 and the upper end surface 29 of the inner container body 20. This peeling portion S is a part for peeling (scraping off) the contents that have adhered to the inner circumferential surface 8 of the outer cylinder wall 6. The peeling portion S is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface 8 of the outer cylinder wall 6. As described above, when the inner container 20 moves from the first position to the second position, the peeling portion S slides against the inner circumferential surface 8 of the outer cylinder wall 6, thereby peeling the contents C from this inner circumferential surface 8. As shown in Figure 1(A), the peeled portion S in the illustrated example is formed as a circumferential peeled portion that is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface 8 over its entire circumference. In the illustrated example, the upper end of the tapered portion 28, which expands from the upper end of the straight cylindrical portion 26, is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface 8 of the outer cylindrical wall 6. As shown in Figure 2, the tapered portion 28 acts like a funnel, guiding (flowing down) the contents C peeled off from the inner circumferential surface 8 towards the straight cylindrical portion 26. Therefore, the peeled contents C can be easily scooped up with a finger from the inner surface of the tapered portion 28 or the straight cylindrical portion 26.

[0023] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1(B), a finger grip portion 34 for rotating the inner container 20 is formed by recessing a part of the circumferential direction of the tapered portion 28. In a preferred illustrated example, as shown in Figure 1(A), a pair of finger rests 34 are formed at positions 180° apart in the circumferential direction. Since the finger rest 34 in this embodiment is formed along the inner circumferential surface 8, it does not interfere with the operation of scooping out the contents from the inside of the inner container 20 (especially the inner circumferential surface and the bottom surface) in the state shown in Figure 2. Furthermore, the internal volume of the inner container 20 is not reduced by providing the finger rest 34. Here, "along the inner surface" means being in the vicinity of the inner surface; it's acceptable to be slightly away from the inner surface. In the illustrated example, the finger rest portion 34 is a concave finger rest portion that recesses a part of the upper end of the inner cylinder wall 24 downwards, but it may also be a convex finger rest portion that protrudes upwards from the inner cylinder wall 24. The finger rest 34 is positioned so that, with the inner container 20 in the first position, at least two fingers of one hand can be inserted into the opening O of the outer container 2 and the fingertips can reach it. In a preferred embodiment, the height difference from the opening O of the outer container 2 to the upper end surface 29 of the inner container 20 can be approximately the length from the second joint of the user's index finger to the fingertip.

[0024] The cap 40 is formed by extending a cap peripheral wall 44 vertically from the peripheral edge of the top plate 42, which is screwed onto the outer surface of the outer cylindrical wall 6 (upper wall portion 6c in the illustrated example).

[0025] In the above configuration, when using this container, one simply removes the cap 40 from the state shown in Figure 1(B), inserts their index finger into the opening O of the outer container body 2, and scoops out the contents. Once the contents in the shallow part of the opening O have been used up, the upper part of the inner container body 20, including the pair of finger rests 34, which were buried in the contents, becomes visible. When fingers are placed on the pair of finger rests 34 and the male screw portion 30 is rotated in the direction of screwing inward, the inner container 20 is screwed upward relative to the outer container 2, and as a result, the surface of the contents is also raised. As the inner container 20 rises, the peeling section S slides against the inner circumferential surface 8 of the outer cylinder wall 6, peeling off the contents C adhering to this inner circumferential surface 8. The peeled contents C are sequentially pushed inward, as shown by the dashed lines in Figure 2, and flow into the straight cylinder section 26 via the tapered section 28, so that they can be easily scooped up with a fingertip during the subsequent removal process. As the inner container 20 rises, the upper end surface 29 of the inner container 20 reaches the height of the opening O of the outer container 2. When the inner container 20 has risen completely, as shown in Figure 4(A), the lower end m2 (male lower end) of the male threaded portion 30 of the inner container 20 reaches the notched step 16. Then, as shown in Figure 5(A), the inner container 20 and its contents fall to the lower surface 14 due to their own weight. As a result, even if an external force F acts in the opposite direction to the screwing direction of the male threaded portion 30 (return direction), the male lower end m2 abuts against the notched step 16, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 5(A), thus preventing it from returning. This prevents the inner container 20 from falling (screwing down). By doing so, the inner container 20 is stably maintained in the second position, and the contents can be removed by inserting a finger into the inner container 20. Once the required amount of contents has been dispensed, the cap 40 is reattached to the outer container 2 to complete the process.

[0026] According to the above configuration and operation, the male threaded portion 30 of the inner container 20 is screwed into the female threaded portion 10 of the vertical cylindrical outer container 2. As the amount of contents decreases, the inner container is screwed upward, allowing fingers to reach the bottom of the container while maintaining its slender silhouette. Furthermore, a mechanism D to prevent the male threaded portion from returning is provided, ensuring that the contents are used completely and providing excellent usability. Since a notched step 16 is provided on the upper flank surface 11U of the female thread portion, gravity causes the lower end m2 of the male thread portion 30 to engage with the notched step 16, thereby providing an anti-return function. Since a peeling portion S is formed on the upper end surface 29 side of the inner cylinder wall 24 for peeling off contents adhering to the inner circumferential surface 8 of the outer cylinder wall 6, the contents can be used completely without waste. Since a finger grip portion 34 for rotating the inner container body 20 is formed on the upper part of the inner cylinder wall 24, it is easy to screw the inner container body 20 upward, and since the finger grip portion 34 is provided along the inner circumferential surface 8, it does not interfere with the work of removing the contents with one's fingers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 2...Outer container body 4...Outer bottom 6...Outer cylindrical wall 6a...Lower wall 6b...Intermediate wall 6c...Upper wall portion 8...Inner circumferential surface 10...Female thread portion 11U...Upper flank surface 11L...Lower flank surface 12...Base of the female thread (part near the upper end of the female thread) 14...Lower surface portion 16...Notched step portion 18...Auxiliary screw 20...Inner container body 22...Inner bottom 24...Inner cylinder wall 26...Straight cylinder section 28...Tapered section 29...Upper end surface 30...Male threaded portion 32...Tip of the male threaded portion (part near the lower end of the male threaded portion) 34...Finger rest part 40...Cap 42...Top plate 44...Cap perimeter wall a... Gap B... Depth C... Contents D... Retraction mechanism F... External force f1... Upper end of female side (upper end of female thread) f2... Lower end of female side i... Upper half of female thread L…Distance (screwing allowance) m1…Male side upper end m2…Male side lower end (lower end of male thread part) O... Mouth (opening) S... Stripping area t... Thickness direction

Claims

1. A vertical cylindrical outer container body (2) is provided with an outer cylindrical wall (6) having a female threaded portion (10), and an opening (O) is provided at the upper end of this outer cylindrical wall (6), The inner cylindrical body (20) has an inner cylindrical wall (24) having a male threaded portion (30) that screws into the female threaded portion (10), and is screwed into the inner (B) side of the outer container body (2) from above through the opening (O), It is equipped with, The inner container (20) is shorter in height than the outer container (2), and can be rotated to move upward from a first position away from the opening (O) to a second position approaching the opening (O). In the raised state where the inner container (20) is screwed up to the second position, the lower end (m2) of the male threaded portion (30) is located below the upper end (f1) of the female threaded portion (10) at a distance (L). A screw-type container characterized by being provided with a return-preventing mechanism (D) that restricts the return of the male screw portion (30) by locking the portion (32) near the lower end (m2) of the male screw portion (30) and the portion (12) near the upper end (f1) of the female screw portion (10) in the raised state.

2. The female thread portion (10) has a notched step portion (16) provided on the upper flank surface (11U) of the female thread portion (10) as the retaining mechanism (D). This notched step (16) is formed by cutting out the upper half (i) of the female thread portion (10) in the thickness direction (t) over a range extending from the notched step (16) to the upper end (f1) of the female thread portion (10). The threaded container according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower end (m2) of the male threaded portion (30) abuts against the notched step portion (16), thereby preventing the male threaded portion (30) from returning after its retraction.

3. A threaded container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a peeling portion (S) is formed on the upper end surface (29) side of the inner cylinder wall (24) by sliding against the inner circumferential surface (8) of the outer cylinder wall (6), thereby enabling the peeling off of contents adhering to the inner circumferential surface (8).

4. A screw-type container according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that a finger grip portion (34) for rotating the inner container body (20) is formed on a part of the circumferential direction of the upper circumferential end of the inner cylindrical wall (24) along the inner circumferential surface (8) of the outer cylindrical wall (6).

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