Dispensing container

Abstract

To propose a pouring container whose container body can be transported with a stirring member being stored inside.SOLUTION: A pouring container 10 includes: a container body 1 having a storage space S and a mouth part 1d; a stirring member 2 arranged in the storage space S; a middle stopper 3 having an attachment tube part 3a that is inserted into the inner side of the mouth part 1d and fitted to the mouth part 1d, a slip out stopping part 3c that contacts the stirring member 2 that has moved towards the attachment tube part 3a to prevent the stirring member 2 from slipping out and a connection passageway 3d that connects the storage space S to the inside of the attachment tube part 3a in the state where the stirring member 2 contacts the slip out stopping part 3c; and a pouring body 4 having an inner tube part 4a that is inserted into the inner side of the attachment tube part 3a and fitted to the attachment tube part 3a and a nozzle part 4d that is provided on the inner side of the inner tube part 4a and has a one-end side opening 4e connected to the connection passageway 3d to pour contents of the storage space S from an other-end side opening 4f.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pouring container for pouring out the contents stored in a storage space.

Background Art

[0002] A pouring container is known which includes a container body and a pouring member attached to the container body, and is configured to pour out the contents stored in the container body from the opening of the pouring member.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses such a pouring container in which a stirring member (referred to as a ball in Patent Document 1) is disposed in a storage space for storing the contents in the container body. Since this stirring member can move greatly in the storage space when the container body is shaken to mix the contents, this type of pouring container is suitable, for example, when storing contents in which components with a heavy specific gravity precipitate after being left for a while.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, such a pouring container is generally transported to a place equipped with filling equipment for the formed container body, and after the stirring member is stored in the container body at this place, the contents are filled (see, for example, Patent Document 2). On the other hand, at a place equipped with filling equipment, there is a desire to store the stirring member in the container body from the stage of transporting the container body in order to perform only the filling of the contents.

[0006] In view of these points, the present invention aims to provide a dispensing container that allows for the transport of the container body while containing the stirring member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a container body having a storage space for containing contents and an opening leading to the storage space, A stirring member is placed in the aforementioned containment space, A stopper having: a mounting cylinder portion that is inserted into the inside of the opening and fitted into the opening; a retaining portion that contacts the stirring member as it moves toward the mounting cylinder portion to prevent the stirring member from coming out; and a connecting passage that allows the stirring member to pass through the housing space and the inside of the mounting cylinder portion when the stirring member is in contact with the retaining portion. The dispensing container comprises an inner cylindrical portion that is inserted into the mounting cylindrical portion and fitted into the mounting cylindrical portion, and a dispensing body provided on the inside of the inner cylindrical portion, having an opening at one end that connects to the communication passage and a nozzle portion that dispenses the contents of the storage space from the opening at the other end.

[0008] Preferably, the nozzle portion includes a receiving portion that, when the stirring member moves toward the mounting cylinder portion, contacts or does not contact the stirring member when the stirring member is in contact with the retaining portion, and does not contact the stirring member when the stirring member is not in contact with the retaining portion.

[0009] Preferably, the fitting force of the mounting cylinder portion fitted into the opening is greater than the fitting force of the inner cylinder portion fitted into the mounting cylinder portion.

[0010] Preferably, the container body is made of polypropylene, and the inner stopper and the dispensing body are made of low-density polyethylene. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] With the dispensing container of the present invention having the configuration described above, by attaching an inner stopper to the container body in which the stirring member is housed in the containment space, the retaining portion of the inner stopper can prevent the stirring member from coming out. Therefore, even if the container body is transported in this state, the stirring member will not fly out of the container body. After transport, the contents are filled into the containment space through the connecting passage of the inner stopper, and then the dispensing body is attached to the inner stopper to create a dispensing container containing the contents. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a side view of a semi-cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the dispensing container according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a view along the arrow A shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the stirring member near the opening in contact with the retaining portion. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the dispensing container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the vertical direction refers to the direction along the illustrated axis O (the axis of the container body 1, which will be described later). The radial direction refers to the direction perpendicular to axis O in a plane perpendicular to axis O, and the circumferential direction refers to the direction of rotation around axis O in this plane.

[0014] Figure 1 shows one embodiment of the dispensing container according to the present invention. The dispensing container 10 of this embodiment comprises a container body 1, a stirring member 2, an inner stopper 3, a dispensing body 4, an inner cap 5, and an outer cap 6.

[0015] In this embodiment, the container body 1 is made of polypropylene (PP). The container body 1 has a bottom portion 1a that is flattened (elliptical) in plan view, a flat cylindrical body portion 1b that extends upward from the outer edge of the bottom portion 1a, a shoulder portion 1c that extends upward from the upper end of the body portion 1b while sloping radially inward, and a cylindrical mouth portion 1d that extends upward from the inner edge of the shoulder portion 1c. The container body 1 has a storage space S that is partitioned by the bottom portion 1a, the body portion 1b, the shoulder portion 1c, and the mouth portion 1d. Contents not shown are stored in the storage space S.

[0016] A male threaded portion 1e is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the opening portion 1d. Furthermore, the opening portion 1d is provided with a locking mechanism L to prevent the inner cap 5, which is fitted to the opening portion 1d, from easily rotating. The locking mechanism L will be described later.

[0017] In this embodiment, the stirring member 2 is spherical and is made of, for example, metal or synthetic resin. However, the shape of the stirring member 2 is not limited to a sphere; for example, it may be ellipsoidal. The stirring member 2 is arranged in the containment space S as shown in the figure.

[0018] In this embodiment, the inner stopper 3 is made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE). As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the inner stopper 3 is equipped with a cylindrical mounting tube portion 3a that is inserted into the mouth portion 1d. The mounting tube portion 3a is fitted and held in place by, for example, making its outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the mouth portion 1d, or by providing protrusions on the outer surface of the mounting tube portion 3a (or by providing protrusions on the inner surface of the mouth portion 1d). In this embodiment, the inner stopper 3 is equipped with multiple protrusions on the outer surface of the mounting tube portion 3a, and is firmly fitted and held in place by the mouth portion 1d. Since the container body 1 is made of polypropylene and the inner stopper 3 is made of low-density polyethylene, which has lower hardness than polypropylene, even if relatively large protrusions are provided on the outer surface of the mounting tube portion 3a to ensure a stronger fit and hold, the protrusions will collapse during installation, allowing the inner stopper 3 to be attached to the mouth portion 1d without any problems.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 3, at the upper end of the mounting cylinder portion 3a, a lower flange portion 3b is provided which extends radially outward and contacts the upper surface of the mouth portion 1d in a state where the mounting cylinder portion 3a is inserted into the mouth portion 1d. And at the lower end of the mounting cylinder portion 3a, a protruding retaining portion 3c extending radially inward is provided. As shown in Fig. 2, the retaining portion 3c of the present embodiment is provided at intervals in the circumferential direction, and a gap is provided between the retaining portions 3c adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. This gap is a passage through which the content passes as will be described later, and hereinafter this gap is referred to as a communication passage 3d. Further, an opening 3e is provided on the radially inner side of the retaining portion 3c, which is connected to the communication passage 3d and through which the content can pass together with the communication passage 3d. The amount of protrusion of the retaining portion 3c radially inward is set such that when the stirring member 2 moves toward the mounting cylinder portion 3a as shown in Fig. 3, the retaining portion 3c contacts the stirring member 2 and the removal from the retaining portion 3c is prevented.

[0020] In the present embodiment, the pouring body 4 is formed of low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Also, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the pouring body 4 includes a cylindrical inner cylinder portion 4a that is inserted into the mounting cylinder portion 3a. The inner cylinder portion 4a is fitted and held in the mounting cylinder portion 3a, for example, by making the outer diameter of the inner cylinder portion 4a slightly larger than the inner diameter of the mounting cylinder portion 3a, or by providing a convex portion on the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder portion 4a (a convex portion may be provided on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder portion 3a).

[0021] At the upper end of the inner cylinder portion 4a, an upper flange 4b is provided which extends radially outward and contacts the upper surface of the lower flange portion 3b in a state where the inner cylinder portion 4a is inserted into the mounting cylinder portion 3a. Also, at the upper end of the inner cylinder portion 4a, an inclined portion 4c is provided which inclines radially inward as it goes upward.

[0022] At the upper end of the inclined section 4c, a cylindrical nozzle section 4d is provided, which is cylindrical in shape and located inside the inner cylinder section 4a. The length of the nozzle section 4d in this embodiment is relatively long, about twice the vertical length of the inclined section 4c. An inlet 4e is provided at the lower end (one end) of the nozzle section 4d, and a dispensing outlet 4f is provided at the upper end (the other end) of the nozzle section 4d. A projection-shaped receiving section 4g that protrudes downward is also provided at the lower end (one end) of the nozzle section 4d. As shown in Figure 2, the receiving sections 4g in this embodiment are spaced apart in the circumferential direction, and a gap is provided between adjacent receiving sections 4g. This gap is a passage through which the contents pass, as will be described later, and this gap will be referred to as the inlet passage 4h below. The amount of protrusion of the receiving section 4g is set so that, as shown in Figure 3, when the stirring member 2 moves toward the mounting cylinder section 3a and the retaining section 3c comes into contact with the stirring member 2, the stirring member 2 comes into contact with the receiving section 4g.

[0023] As shown in the figure, when the mounting cylinder portion 3a is fitted into the opening portion 1d and the inner cylinder portion 4a is fitted into the mounting cylinder portion 3a, the fitting force of the mounting cylinder portion 3a to the opening portion 1d is greater than the fitting force of the inner cylinder portion 4a to the mounting cylinder portion 3a. Here, the fitting force of the mounting cylinder portion 3a is the force required to remove the mounting cylinder portion 3a from the opening portion 1d, and the fitting force of the inner cylinder portion 4a is the force required to remove the inner cylinder portion 4a from the mounting cylinder portion 3a.

[0024] As shown in Figure 1, the inner cap 5 has a top wall 5a located above the dispensing body 4, and a cylindrical sealing portion 5b that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the top wall 5a and is inserted into the dispensing port 4f. The inner cap 5 also has an inclined portion 4c, an upper flange 4b, and an inner peripheral wall 5c that surrounds the mouth portion 1d and connects to the outer edge of the top wall 5a. The inner peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall 5c is provided with a female thread portion 5d that screws into the male thread portion 1e, and the outer peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall 5c is provided with an engaging projection 5e that protrudes radially outward.

[0025] The locking mechanism L described above will now be explained. The locking mechanism L has the function of preventing the inner cap 5 from easily rotating relative to the opening 1d when the female threaded portion 5d is screwed onto the male threaded portion 1e. In this embodiment, the locking mechanism L is realized by providing outward-facing small projections projecting radially outward and outward-facing large projections that project radially outward more than the outward-facing small projections on the outer circumferential surface of the opening 1d, spaced apart in the circumferential direction, and by providing inward-facing projections projecting radially inward on the inner circumferential surface of the inner circumferential wall 5c. Here, the inward-facing projections are configured to overcome the outward-facing small projections and then fit between the outward-facing small projections and the outward-facing large projections when the inner cap 5 is rotated in the direction in which the female threaded portion 5d is tightened onto the male threaded portion 1e. The locking mechanism L can also be realized, for example, by providing the outward-facing small projections and outward-facing large projections described above on the inner circumferential surface of the inner circumferential wall 5c, and the inward-facing projections described above on the outer circumferential surface of the opening 1d.

[0026] The outer cap 6 comprises a disc-shaped top wall 6a located above the top wall 5a, and a cylindrical outer circumferential wall 6b extending downward from the outer edge of the top wall 6a and surrounding the inner circumferential wall 5c. The inner circumferential surface of the outer circumferential wall 6b is provided with an engaging recess 6c that engages with an engaging projection 5e to prevent the inner cap 5 from coming out of the outer cap 6. A rotation-preventing mechanism (not shown) is provided between the outer circumferential wall 6b and the inner circumferential wall 5c (for example, by providing vertical ribs on the outer circumferential surface of the inner circumferential wall 5c and vertical grooves on the inner circumferential surface of the outer circumferential wall 6b into which the vertical ribs fit), thereby preventing the inner cap 5 from rotating relative to the outer cap 6.

[0027] In the dispensing container 10 with this configuration, the inner stopper 3 is held in place by inserting the mounting cylinder portion 3a into the opening portion 1d after the stirring member 2 has been placed in the storage space S of the container body 1. In this state, the stirring member 2 is prevented from coming out of the storage space S by the retaining portion 3c. Therefore, when transporting the container body 1 with the inner stopper 3 attached, the stirring member 2 will not fly out of the container body 1. Also, with the inner stopper 3 attached to the container body 1, the inside of the mounting cylinder portion 3a is connected to the storage space S via the communication passage 3d and the opening 3e (see Figures 2 and 3). Therefore, when filling the storage space S with contents, for example, a filling nozzle can be inserted into the inside of the mounting cylinder portion 3a and the contents can be dispensed from this filling nozzle. After that, the dispensing body 4 is held in place by the inner stopper 3 by inserting the inner cylinder portion 4a into the mounting cylinder portion 3a. Furthermore, by rotating the outer cap 6 with the inner cap 5 attached relative to the opening 1d and screwing the female thread 5d into the male thread 1e, the inner cap 5 and outer cap 6 can be attached to the container body 1.

[0028] Since the dispensing container 10 is equipped with a stirring member 2, shaking the container body 1 causes the stirring member 2 to move significantly within the storage space S. Therefore, even when storing contents in the storage space S that would otherwise settle due to the heavier components if left standing for a while, the contents can be stirred by the stirring member 2.

[0029] After stirring the contents, rotating the outer cap 6 in a direction that releases the screw-to-screw connection between the male threaded portion 1e and the female threaded portion 5d causes the inner cap 5 to rotate along with the outer cap 6, allowing both the inner cap 5 and the outer cap 6 to be removed from the container body 1. Subsequently, the dispensing container 10 can be tilted, and the body portion 1b can be pressed as needed to dispense the contents of the storage space S from the dispensing port 4f.

[0030] When the dispensing container 10 is tilted, the stirring member 2 moves toward the mounting cylinder portion 3a by its own weight and comes into contact with the retaining portion 3c and the receiving portion 4g. In this embodiment, the dispensing container 10 is provided with a connecting passage 3d between adjacent retaining portions 3c and an introduction passage 4h between adjacent receiving portions 4g, as shown in Figure 2. That is, even when the stirring member 2 is in contact with the retaining portions 3c and the receiving portion 4g, the storage space S is connected to the dispensing outlet 4f via the connecting passage 3d, the introduction passage 4h, the inlet 4e, and the inside of the nozzle portion 4d. Therefore, even when the dispensing container 10 is tilted, the contents of the storage space S can be dispensed from the dispensing outlet 4f.

[0031] Even when the dispensing container 10 is in the upright position shown in Figure 1, there is a risk that the contents of the containment space S may be dispensed if the body portion 1b is unintentionally pressed. On the other hand, since the length of the nozzle portion 4d in this embodiment is relatively long, if the pressure on the body portion 1b is stopped immediately, the contents that have flowed from the containment space S toward the nozzle portion 4d will stop midway through the nozzle portion 4d. In other words, with the dispensing container 10 of this embodiment, the relatively long nozzle portion 4d can prevent unintentional dispensing of the contents.

[0032] Incidentally, when stirring the contents, the container body 1 is usually shaken vigorously and quickly, so a large force acts on the member that the stirring member 2 collides with. Here, if the length of the nozzle portion 4d is further increased toward the storage space S in order to prevent accidental dispensing of the contents as described above, the stirring member 2 that has moved toward the mounting cylinder portion 3a will contact the receiving portion 4g before it contacts the retaining portion 3c (while the stirring member 2 is not in contact with the retaining portion 3c). In other words, the force when the stirring member 2 collides is applied to the receiving portion 4g, and there is a risk that the dispensing body 4 will come off the inner stopper 3. On the other hand, the stirring member 2 of this embodiment is designed to contact the receiving portion 4g while in contact with the retaining portion 3c, so that the force acting when the stirring member 2 collides is distributed and applied to the inner stopper 3 and the dispensing body 4, thereby preventing the dispensing body 4 from coming off the inner stopper 3. Furthermore, in order to prevent the dispensing body 4 from coming off due to collision with the stirring member 2, the stirring member 2 may be configured such that it does not come into contact with the receiving portion 4g while in contact with the retaining portion 3c (i.e., the length of the nozzle portion 4d is shorter than the length shown in the figure).

[0033] Furthermore, when stirring the contents, if the stirring member 2 collides with the retaining portion 3c, a large force from the stirring member 2 acts on the inner stopper 3. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the dispensing container 10 is set so that the fitting force of the mounting cylinder portion 3a to the mouth portion 1d is greater than the fitting force of the inner cylinder portion 4a to the mounting cylinder portion 3a. Also, as described above, the mounting cylinder portion 3a is firmly fitted and held to the mouth portion 1d by the multiple protrusions provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mounting cylinder portion 3a, thus preventing the dispensing body 4 from coming off the container body 1.

[0034] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and unless otherwise specifically limited in the above description, various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the spirit of the present invention as described in the claims. For example, the configurations of the embodiments described above can be added or deleted as appropriate, and the configuration of one embodiment can be provided in other embodiments. Furthermore, the effects in the embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the effects that may arise from the present invention, and do not mean that the effects of the present invention are limited to the effects described above.

[0035] For example, the container body 1 may be made of a material other than polypropylene, and the inner stopper 3 and dispensing element 4 may be made of a material other than low-density polyethylene. While it is effective to reduce the number of materials used in the dispensing container 10 by making the inner stopper 3 and dispensing element 4 from the same material, the inner stopper 3 and dispensing element 4 may be made from different materials depending on the shape and the desired effect. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1: Container body 1a: Bottom 1b: Torso 1c: Shoulder 1d: Mouth 1e: Male threaded section 2: Stirring member 3: Inner stopper 3a: Mounting tube part 3b: Lower flange section 3c: Retaining part 3d: Communication path 3e:Aperture 4: Dispenser 4a: Inner cylinder part 4b: Upper flange 4c: Inclined part 4d: Nozzle part 4e: Inlet (opening at one end) 4f: Outlet (opening on the other end) 4g: receiving part 4h:Introduction route 5: Inner cap 5a:Top wall 5b: Seal part 5c: Inner peripheral wall 5d: Female thread section 5e: Engagement protrusion 6: Outer cap 6a: Ceiling wall 6b: Outer wall 6c: Engaging recess 10: Dispensing container L: Locking mechanism O: Axis line S: Containment space

Claims

1. A container body having a storage space for containing contents and an opening leading to the storage space, A stirring member is placed in the aforementioned containment space, A stopper having: a mounting cylinder portion that is inserted into the inside of the opening and fitted into the opening; a retaining portion that contacts the stirring member as it moves toward the mounting cylinder portion to prevent the stirring member from coming out; and a connecting passage that allows the stirring member to pass through the housing space and the inside of the mounting cylinder portion when the stirring member is in contact with the retaining portion. A dispensing container comprising: an inner cylindrical portion that is inserted into the mounting cylindrical portion and fitted into the mounting cylindrical portion; and a dispensing body provided on the inside of the inner cylindrical portion, having one end opening that connects to the communication passage and the other end opening that dispenses the contents of the storage space.

2. The dispensing container according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle portion includes a receiving portion that, when the stirring member moves toward the mounting cylinder portion, contacts or does not contact the stirring member when the stirring member is in contact with the retaining portion, and does not contact the stirring member when the stirring member is not in contact with the retaining portion.

3. The dispensing container according to claim 1, wherein the fitting force of the mounting cylinder portion fitted to the mouth portion is greater than the fitting force of the inner cylinder portion fitted to the mounting cylinder portion.

4. The dispensing container according to claim 1, wherein the container body is made of polypropylene, and the inner stopper and the dispensing body are made of low-density polyethylene.

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