2. Liquid discharge container

Abstract

To remove restrictions on a design in which a two-liquid discharge container has a pair of containers arranged side by side.SOLUTION: A two-liquid discharge container comprises: an exterior body 2 which is longitudinally long and hollow; and a pair of upper and lower containers 30L, 30U which are loaded in the exterior body 2 longitudinally across an intermediate body 40, which is a joint part, and each have a stem 39 for discharging contents when longitudinally pushed in protruded from a head part d. The pair of lower and upper containers 30L, 30U are a lower container 30L in an erect posture and an upper container 30U in an inverted posture which have their stems 39 arranged facing the side of the intermediate body 40. The intermediate body 40 has a pair of upper and lower joint cylinders 46U, 46L which are added to both upper and lower faces 43U, 43L of the intermediate body 40, and connect with the stems 39 of the pair of lower and upper containers 30L, 30U. A pair of discharge passages P, P are formed which extend upward from the pair of upper and lower joint cylinders 46U, 46L along an inner surface of the exterior body 2 and open in a region exposed from the exterior body 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a two - liquid discharge container.

Background Art

[0002] As a two - liquid discharge container, there is known one having a stem that can discharge a liquid by being pushed down, standing from a head portion, a pair of container bodies arranged in parallel with each other, a connecting member surrounding the head portions of both container bodies, and a pressing member for simultaneously pushing down the pair of stems (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 a conventional two - liquid discharge container, like the container of Patent Document 1, the discharge type in which a pair of containers are arranged in parallel is the mainstream, so the design has been restricted. Also, there has been a case where a specified amount of the content cannot be discharged depending on the way and place of pressing the pressing part (push button) of the pressing member.

[0005] The first object of the present invention is to eliminate the design constraint of juxtaposing a pair of containers in a two - liquid discharge container, and the second object is to stabilize the discharge amount of the content of the two - liquid discharge container.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The first means includes a vertically long hollow exterior body 2, a pair of upper and lower containers 30L, 30U in which an intermediate body 40, which is a joint part, is vertically loaded via the intermediate body 40 in the exterior body 2, and a stem 39 for discharging the content by vertical pushing is projected from a head part d, and is provided with The pair of upper and lower containers 30L and 30U are formed as an upright lower container 30L and an inverted upper container 30U, with their respective stems 39 facing the intermediate body 40. The intermediate body 40 has a pair of vertically oriented joint cylinders 46U, 46L attached to both the upper and lower surfaces 43U, 43L of the intermediate body 40 for connecting to the stems 39 of the pair of upper and lower containers 30L, 30U. A pair of discharge passages P, P are formed that extend upward from the pair of upper and lower joint cylinders 46U, 46L along the inner surface of the outer casing 2 and open to the portion exposed from the outer casing 2.

[0007] As shown in Figure 1(C), this device comprises a vertically elongated hollow outer casing 2 and a pair of upper and lower containers 30L and 30U stacked vertically inside the outer casing 2 via an intermediate joint part 40. Each container has a stem 39 that dispenses its contents when pressed vertically. The upper and lower containers 30L and 30U are formed as an upright lower container 30L and an inverted upper container 30U, with their respective stems 39 facing the intermediate body 40. This structure, with its vertically positioned 30L and 30U containers, frees the user from the design constraint of arranging a pair of containers horizontally, which was the mainstream approach for two-component mixing containers. Furthermore, unlike conventional containers, variations in the amount dispensed from each container do not occur depending on, for example, where the pressure point is pressed (e.g., which container body is closer to which pressure point is pressed), allowing for stable dispensing of two different contents.

[0008] The second means has the first means, and the upper container 30U is fitted vertically to the inner surface of the outer casing 2 so as to be able to move up and down. The pair of upper and lower joint cylinders 46U and 46L are arranged concentrically with respect to each other on a vertical line A.

[0009] In this configuration, as shown in Figure 1(C), the upper container 30U is fitted vertically to the inner surface of the outer casing 2 so as to be able to move up and down, and the pair of upper and lower joint cylinders 46U and 46L are arranged concentrically with respect to each other on a vertical line A. According to this structure, the upper container 30U, which is stacked on top of the lower container 30L, is housed in the outer casing 2 so that it can be raised and lowered vertically. Therefore, as in Patent Document 1, problems such as not being able to obtain the required discharge amount depending on how the pressing part is pressed do not occur, and the discharge amounts of the two types of contents can be stabilized more.

[0010] The third means has either the first means or the second means, and the intermediate body 40 has a pair of branching cylinders 48, 48 that branch laterally from the pair of upper and lower joint cylinders 46U, 46L, respectively. The intermediate body 40 is fitted with a connecting member 50 that, together with the pair of branching cylinders 48, 48, forms the discharge passages P, P. The connecting member 50 is positioned between the upper container 30U and the outer casing 2 and has a connecting body 54 having two connecting holes 56, 56 that extend vertically along the inner surface of the outer casing 2. This connecting body 54 is connected to the pair of branching pipes 48, 48 via a pair of connecting pipes 52 that connect the connecting holes 56 and the branching pipes 48.

[0011] In this configuration, as shown in Figure 2(B), the intermediate body 40 has a pair of branching cylinders 48, 48 that branch laterally from the pair of upper and lower joint cylinders 46U, 46L, respectively. Furthermore, a connecting member 50 is assembled to the intermediate body 40, which together with the pair of branching cylinders 48, 48 forms the discharge passages P, P. This structure allows for the almost simultaneous discharge of two types of contents supplied from a pair of 30L and 30U containers, thus enabling the stable discharge of specified amounts of both contents. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3(A), the connecting member 50 and the intermediate body 40 can be attached to the outer casing 2 at once while assembled together, as shown via the connecting member 50, which improves the efficiency of the assembly work.

[0012] The fourth means is a cylindrical body having the first means or the second means, wherein the outer casing 2 has a lower opening ML which is the insertion port for the lower container 30L and an upper opening MU which is the insertion port for the upper container 30U. The intermediate body 40 is fitted into the intermediate portion 2b of the outer casing 2 so as to be able to move up and down. A lower cover 20 is attached to the lower end of the outer casing 2 to close the lower opening ML. A pressing portion 60 is provided on the upper side of the upper container 30U.

[0013] In this method, as shown in Figure 1(C), the outer casing 2 is a cylindrical body having a lower opening ML which is the insertion port for the lower container 30L and an upper opening which is the insertion port for the upper container 30U. A lower cover 20 that closes the lower opening ML is attached to the lower end of the outer casing 2, and a pressing part 60 is provided on the upper side of the upper container 30U. According to this structure, as shown in Figure 3(A), the intermediate body 40, which is pre-fitted to the intermediate part 2b of the outer casing 2 so as to be able to move up and down, allows the lower container 30L, which is inserted from the lower opening ML of the outer casing 2 as shown in Figure 3(B), and the upper container 30U, which is inserted from the upper opening MU as shown in Figure 3(C), to be joined together by the intermediate body 40, which is pre-fitted to the intermediate part 2b of the outer casing 2 so as to be able to move up and down, and the upper container 30U, which is inserted from the upper opening MU as shown in Figure 3(C). This makes the joining process easier and further improves the efficiency of the assembly work.

[0014] The fifth means has the fourth means, and the upper opening MU also serves as the insertion opening for the intermediate body 40. An upward-facing step portion 7 is formed on the inner surface of the lower part 2a of the outer casing 2, which can be locked into the lower edge k of the intermediate body 40 that is fitted into the outer casing 2.

[0015] In this configuration, as shown in Figure 3(A), the upper opening MU also serves as an insertion point for the intermediate body 40. An upward-facing step portion 7 is formed on the inner surface of the lower part 2a of the outer casing 2, which can be locked to the lower edge k of the intermediate body 40 that has been fitted into the outer casing 2. With this structure, as shown in Figure 3(A), the intermediate body 40 inserted into the outer casing 2 through the upper opening MU can be temporarily secured by the upward step portion 7. In this temporarily fixed state, the lower container 30L can be inserted into the exterior body 2 from the lower opening ML, so that the operation of joining the lower container 30L and the upper container 30U via the intermediate body 40 can be easily performed.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the design constraint of juxtaposing a pair of containers in a two-liquid discharge container, and it is also possible to stabilize the discharge amount of the contents of the two-liquid discharge container.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a two-liquid discharge container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the same figure, (A) is a plan view, (B) is a front view, and (C) is a cross-sectional view seen from the direction of FIG. 1(C)-FIG. 1(C). [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing the main part of the container shown in FIG. 1. In the same figure, (A) is a view of the main part (intermediate body and its periphery) seen from the front direction, and (B) is a cross-sectional view of the main part seen from the direction of FIG. !(C)-FIG. 1(C). [Figure 3] It is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the configuration shown in FIG. 1. In the same figure, (A) shows the state in which the connecting body and the intermediate member are inserted into the exterior body during the assembly operation, (B) shows the state in which the lower container is inserted into the exterior body, (C) shows the state in which the lower lid is screwed onto the exterior body and the upper container is inserted into the exterior body, (D) shows the state in which the stems of the lower container and the upper container are connected to the intermediate member (the same initial state as FIG. 1(C)), and (E) shows the state in which the pressing member is pushed down during the discharge operation. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a two-liquid discharge container according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the same figure, (A) is a plan view, (B) is a front view, and (C) is a cross-sectional view seen from the side. [Figure 5]Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration shown. Figure (A) shows the state in which the connecting body and intermediate material are inserted into the outer casing during the assembly process, Figure (B) shows the state in which the lower container is inserted into the outer casing, Figure (C) shows the state in which the lower lid is screwed onto the outer casing and the upper container is inserted into the outer casing, Figure (D) shows the state in which the stems of the lower and upper containers are connected to the intermediate material (the same initial state as in Figure 4(C)), and Figure (E) shows the state in which the pressing member is pushed down during the discharge process. [Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0018] Figures 1 to 3 show a two-liquid dispensing container according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1(C), the dispensing container consists of an outer casing 2, a lower lid 20, a pair of upper and lower containers 30L and 30U, an intermediate body 40, a connecting member 50, and a pressing member 60. However, this structure can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, in this specification, for the purpose of identifying the relationships between the components, the left side of Figure 1(C) will be referred to as "front," the right side as "rear," and the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper as "left and right."

[0019] The outer casing 2 is a vertically elongated, hollow component that serves to store the lower container 30L (described later), the intermediate unit 40 (described later), and the upper container 30U (described later) in a vertically stacked configuration. In this embodiment, the outer casing 2 is formed as a cylindrical body having a lower opening ML which is the insertion port for the lower container 30L described later, and an upper opening MU which is the insertion port for the upper container 30U described later. However, the outer casing 2 can take any form as long as it is possible to stack and store the lower container 30L, the intermediate unit 40, and the upper container 30U. In this specification, "storage" does not necessarily mean that the entire contents of the storage item must be contained within the outer casing; it is acceptable for a portion of the contents to protrude from the outer casing as long as they can be held within it. The outer casing 2 of this embodiment is a straight cylinder as a whole, with the intermediate body 40 described later positioned in the middle section 2b in the longitudinal direction, and the lower container 30L is mainly housed in the lower part 2a of the outer casing, and the upper container 30U is mainly housed in the upper part 2c of the outer casing. In this specification, the "intermediate section" of the outer casing corresponds to the range that rises and falls during the discharge operation shown in Figures 3(D) and (E), as described later. In the illustrated example, as shown in Figure 1(C), the lower end of the outer casing 2 is formed into a small outer diameter portion 4. A male thread portion 5 is formed on the outer surface of this small outer diameter portion 4. Vertical ribs 6 are provided vertically on the lower part of the exterior body 2, and an upward-facing step portion 7 is formed at the upper end of each vertical rib 6. The vertical rib 6 in the illustrated example is a rib for preventing rattling of the lower container 30L and is in contact with the body b of the lower container 30L, which will be described later. However, this structure can be modified as appropriate. The upward-facing stepped portion 7 serves to lock the intermediate body 40, which is inserted into the outer casing 2, at the appropriate location (the lower edge k of the auxiliary wall 44, as described later, in the illustrated example) during the assembly of the two-liquid discharge container, as shown in Figure 3(A). As long as this role is guaranteed, the structure of the upward step portion 7 can be modified as appropriate, and it does not necessarily have to be formed as the upper end of the vertical rib. In the illustrated example, the upward-facing step portion 7 is positioned near the boundary between the lower part 2a and the middle part 2b of the outer casing 2. However, this position can be changed as appropriate, and it may be positioned below the boundary. In the illustrated example, a pair of front and rear vertical ribs 6 are arranged on the inner surface of the outer casing 2, but their arrangement can be changed as appropriate. In the illustrated example, a pair of vertical projections 9 are provided on the inner surface of the front half of the outer casing 2, extending upward from the lower part 2a of the outer casing 2. These vertical projections 9 are positioned close to both the left and right sides of the connecting body 54, which will be described later, as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 1(A), and function as a means of aligning the connecting body. However, the structure can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the inner surface of the outer casing 2 is provided with a retaining projection 10 located on its upper end side to prevent the pressing member 60, which will be described later, from coming loose. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1(A), a pair of left and right positioning recesses 11 are formed on the inner surface of the outer casing 2, which engage with the engaging projection 66 of the pressing member 60 described later. This structure can be modified as appropriate. The arrangement and number of positioning recesses can be changed as appropriate, and the engaging projection may be provided on the exterior body 2 side and the positioning recess on the pressing member 60 side.

[0020] The lower cover 20 is attached to the lower end of the outer casing 2 and closes the lower opening ML. In the illustrated example, the lower cover 20 has a cover periphery wall 24 that rises from the circumferential edge of the lower cover plate 22, which is fitted into the small outer diameter portion 4. A female thread portion 26 that engages with the male thread portion 5 is formed on the inner surface of the cover periphery wall 24.

[0021] The pair of upper and lower containers 30L and 30U are stacked vertically within the outer casing 2 via an intermediate joint 40. As shown in Figure 1(C), the lower container 30L is housed in an upright position, and the upper container 30U is housed in an inverted position, both within the outer casing 2. However, for the sake of simplicity, this paragraph will first describe the structure of the containers in an upright position. In this embodiment, the pair of upper and lower containers each comprises a container body 32 with a neck portion c extending from a body portion b, and a dispensing device 35 attached to the neck portion c. The illustrated container 32 is a delaminated container consisting of an inner layer i and an outer layer j, and is formed so that the inner layer i can be peeled off from the outer layer j by creating negative pressure inside. Furthermore, the delaminated container does not have to be of a type in which the inner layer does not separate from the outer layer; for example, it can be a double-walled container having an outer layer and an inner layer, as long as the inner layer is in a form that allows for volume reduction. A stem 39 is erected at the head portion d, which is the upper part of the discharger 35, for discharging the contents by pushing in a vertical direction. The discharger 35 shown in the illustration is a conventionally known type, in which a cylinder 37 is vertically mounted into the container body 32 from a mounting cylinder 36 fitted to the neck of the nozzle, and a piston (not shown) is inserted into the cylinder 37 in an upward biased state, and the stem 39 is made to protrude upward in conjunction with this piston. In the illustrated example, a bell-shaped covering member 38 is attached to the cylinder 37 of the upper container 30U in an inverted position, and a liquid flow path g is formed between the cylinder and the covering member 38, allowing the contents to be drawn from the container body 32 to the cylinder 37 through this liquid flow path. This reduces the amount of remaining contents. On the other hand, a conventionally known liquid suction pipe is suspended from the cylinder 37 of the lower container 30L in an upright position.

[0022] In the present invention, the upper container 30U is housed within the upper part 2c of the outer casing 2 so as to be able to move vertically up and down (see Figures 3(D) and 3(E)). Here, "vertical ascent and descent" means that the body b of the upper container 30U does not tilt as it rises or falls from the initial state shown in Figure 3(D) (or Figure 1(C)). In the case of the aforementioned Patent Document 1, depending on how the pressing member is pressed (for example, by pressing it diagonally downwards in a direction slightly off from the vertical), the pressing member may tilt and may not be able to be raised and lowered stably. The configuration of the present invention eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art and allows for the stable discharge of the required amount of contents. Furthermore, the lower container 30L is placed on the lower lid plate 22 of the lower lid 20, and the upper container 30U is supported by the lower container 30L via an intermediate body 40, which is a joint part, as described later. Specifically, by positioning the lower container 30L upright and the upper container 30U inverted, the stems 39, 39 of both containers are positioned facing the intermediate body 40, and these pair of stems are joined to the intermediate body 40. This structure will be described later. By pushing in these pair of stems 39, the upper container 30U can be raised and lowered.

[0023] In this embodiment, the container body 32 of the lower container 30L has a cylindrical body portion b. The body portion b of the lower container 30L is fitted into the inner surface of the lower part 2a of the outer casing 2 so as not to move in the front, back, left, or right directions. On the other hand, in the upper container 30U, the front surface of the body b of the container body 32 is formed as a straight, flat surface q when viewed from above, as shown in Figure 1(A). This flat surface q is in contact with the rear surface of the connecting body 54, which will be described later, as shown in Figure 1(C). Furthermore, the lower part of the flat surface portion q (the upper part in the inverted position) is formed as a recessed portion r that recedes inward, as shown in Figure 1(C), and the front wall portion 64b of the pressing member 60, which will be described later, is housed in this recessed portion r. As shown in Figure 1(A), the contour of the recessed portion r when viewed from above is straight. The shape of the body b of the upper container 30U can be changed as appropriate, but it is preferable that the upper container 30U moves up and down within the upper part 2c of the outer casing 2 without wobbling back and forth or left and right by pushing in the pair of stems 39 mentioned above.

[0024] The intermediate body 40 is interposed between the lower container 30L and the upper container 30U, and serves as a joining means (joint part) between the lower container 30L and the upper container 30U. The intermediate body 40 is fitted into the intermediate portion 2b of the outer casing 2 so as to be able to move up and down. In this specification, "fitting" includes a structure in which the intermediate material is loosely fitted with a small gap (a gap that does not cause the intermediate material to tilt). In this embodiment, the intermediate body 40 includes a horizontal substrate 42 that divides the internal space of the outer casing 2 vertically, a vertically oriented lower joint cylinder 46L attached to the lower surface 43L of the substrate 42 at the center of the substrate 42, a vertically oriented upper joint cylinder 46U attached to the upper surface 43U, and an auxiliary wall 44 extending vertically (both up and down in the illustrated example) from the peripheral end of the substrate 42.

[0025] The stem 39 of the lower container 30L is inserted into and connected (fixed) to the lower joint cylinder 46L, and the stem 39 of the upper container 30U is inserted into and connected (fixed) to the upper joint cylinder 46U. This configuration provides two functions: firstly, the lower container 30L and the upper container 30U are joined via an intermediate body 40; and secondly, when the upper container 30U is lowered, the stems 39 of each container are pushed into the head portion d of the container, causing the contents to be discharged. The lower joint cylinder 46L and the upper joint cylinder 46U are arranged concentrically with respect to each other on a common cylindrical axis, which is a vertical line A. This avoids the inconvenience of the intermediate body 40 and the upper container 30U tilting and moving up and down unstably, and makes it possible to stabilize the discharge volume. In this embodiment, the vertical line A coincides with the center line of the exterior body 2.

[0026] Branching cylinders 48 are provided protruding laterally (forward in the illustrated example) from the lower joint cylinder 46L and the upper joint cylinder 46U, respectively. The connecting pipe 52 of the connecting member 50, which will be described later, is fitted into this pair of branching pipes 48. In the illustrated example, the lower end of the branching cylinder 48 is connected to the substrate 42. This structure can be modified as appropriate.

[0027] The auxiliary wall 44 extends from the peripheral edge of the substrate 42 along the inner surface of the outer casing 2. The auxiliary wall 44 is a portion that is guided vertically along the inner surface of the straight cylindrical outer casing 2 by being in close proximity to (or in contact with) the inner surface of the outer casing 2. This prevents the intermediate body 40 from tilting and moving up and down, and further stabilizes the discharge rate of the contents. In the illustrated example, the auxiliary wall 44 protrudes both upward and downward from the peripheral edge of the substrate 42, but it may also protrude only upward or downward. As shown in Figure 2(A), the auxiliary wall 44 has a slit 45 on its front side and is a cylindrical body with a segmented circular shape (a shape in which a part of the circumference has been removed) when viewed from above. As shown in Figure 2(B), the slit 45 serves as an insertion point for the connecting pipe 52, which will be described later and will be fitted into the branching pipe 48.

[0028] The connecting member 50 is a member for connecting the branching pipe 48 to the outside of the outer casing 2. As a preferred example, the connecting member 50 is assembled to the intermediate body 40, and as shown in Figure 3(A), it is configured to be attached to the outer casing 2 together with the intermediate body 40 in this assembled state. As shown in Figure 1(C), the connecting member 50 of this embodiment is formed of a pair of connecting pipes 52 and a connecting body 54 that is arranged vertically along the inner surface of the outer casing 2 and has two vertically oriented connecting holes 56.

[0029] The pair of connecting pipes 52 connect the branching pipe 48 to the connecting hole 56 of the connecting body 54, which will be described later. In this embodiment, each connecting pipe 52 is formed as shown in Figure 2(B) by a horizontally oriented base portion 52a (forward in the illustrated example) that is liquid-tightly fitted into the branching cylinder 48, a vertically oriented tip portion 52c that is liquid-tightly fitted into the connecting hole 56, and an intermediate pipe portion 52b that connects the base portion 52a to the tip portion 52c. A flange portion 53 protrudes radially from the boundary between the base portion 52a and the intermediate portion 2b. This flange portion 53 abuts against the outer end (front end in the illustrated example) of the branching cylinder 48.

[0030] In this embodiment, the connecting member 54 is a long, vertical member that is sandwiched between the inner surface of the upper container 30U and the flat surface portion q of the outer casing 2. As shown by the dotted lines in Figure 1(B), this long member has two connecting holes 56 that extend mainly in the longitudinal direction. The connecting body 54 extends from the same height as the intermediate body 40 to the upper part of the outer casing 2, and the upper end of the connecting body 54 is an exposed end 55 that can be seen from the outside in the state shown in Figure 1(B) (initial state). Two discharge ports 59, which are the upper end openings of a pair of communication holes 56, are formed at this exposed end 55. In the illustrated example, the pair of discharge ports 59 are arranged side by side at the same height. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1(C), the communication hole 56 has a short horizontal hole 58 connected to the upper end of a long vertical hole 57. However, this structure can be modified as appropriate. This lateral opening 58 opens to the front side of the exposed end 55. In the illustrated example, the portion around the lateral opening 58 is made to protrude forward to form a nozzle n. Of the pair of communication holes 56, the one that connects to the stem 39 of the lower container 30L is referred to as the first communication hole 56A, and the one that connects to the stem 39 of the upper container 30U is referred to as the second communication hole 56B. In the illustrated example, the connecting body 54 has a first half 54A with a first connecting hole 56A vertically arranged, and a second half 54B with a second connecting hole 56B vertically arranged, as left and right halves. As shown in Figure 1(C), the lower end surface of the second half 54B is formed as a downward step s that is higher than the lower end surface of the first half 54A. The shapes of the first half 54A and the second half 54B in the illustrated example are the same except for the position of their respective lower end surfaces. As shown in Figure 1(C), the branch pipe 48 from the stem 39 of the lower container 30L, the first communication hole 56A, and the connecting pipe 52 that connects the branch pipe and the first communication hole form an independent discharge passage P. Although not shown, an independent discharge passage P is similarly formed for the upper container 30U. According to the present invention, the contents supplied from the lower container 30L and the upper container 30U via these two discharge passages P can be discharged almost simultaneously from the two discharge ports 59, 59. This mechanism prevents an over-discharge of one of the contents when the pressing member 60 (described later) is slightly pressed down to dispense a small amount of contents. Therefore, the specified amounts of two different contents can be dispensed stably. The reason why two types of contents can be dispensed simultaneously is that the upper container 30U is housed in an inverted position within the upper part 2c of the outer casing 2, thereby orienting the stems 39, 39 of the upper container 30U and the lower container 30L toward the intermediate body 40 located in the middle part 2b of the outer casing 2. This structure makes it possible to reduce the difference in the path lengths of the two discharge paths P compared to when the upper container 30U is in an upright position.

[0031] The pressing member 60 is a member (pressing part) for pressing down the upper container 30U. In this embodiment, the pressing member 60 also serves as a top lid that closes the upper opening MU of the outer casing 2, as shown in Figure 1(A). However, the closing function as a lid is not essential in this invention. Alternatively, the pressing member 60 may be omitted, and the bottom surface (top surface in an inverted position) of the upper container 30U may be used as the pressing part to push down. In this embodiment, the pressing member 60 has a top plate 62 which is a pressing plate, and a cylindrical peripheral wall 64 surrounding the body b of the upper container 30U is suspended from this top plate 62. In this state, the top plate 62 is in contact with the upper side of the upper container 30U. The top plate 62 in the illustrated example is formed in a disc shape as shown in Figure 1(A), but its shape can be changed as appropriate. In the illustrated example, corresponding to the shape of the body b of the upper container 30U, the front wall portion 64b of the cylindrical peripheral wall 64 is positioned behind the peripheral edge of the top plate 62, as shown in Figure 1(C). As shown in Figure 1(A), the front wall portion 64b is formed as a straight vertical wall portion when viewed from above. The front wall portion 64b is fitted into the recessed portion r and inserted between the upper container 30U and the connecting body 54. In the illustrated example, the portion of the cylindrical circumferential wall 64 other than the front wall portion 64b (main wall portion 64a) is suspended from the circumferential edge of the top plate 62 and has an arc shape when viewed from above. An engaging projection 65 is provided horizontally on the outer surface of the main wall portion 64a, which can engage with the lower surface of the retaining projection 10. In the illustrated example, the engaging projection 65 is positioned slightly below the retaining projection 10 in the state shown in Figure 1(C). Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1(A), a pair of engaging protrusions 66 are attached to the outer surface of the main wall portion 64a, which are fitted into the positioning recess 11 of the exterior body 2 so as to be able to move up and down. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, a pair of protective walls 68 extend from the front end of the main wall portion 64a, covering both the left and right sides of the exposed end portion 55 of the connecting body 54. The upper ends of these protective walls 68 are connected to the canopy portion 63, which will be described later.

[0032] The top plate portion in front of the front wall portion 64b is positioned above the connecting body 54 as an overhang portion 63 connected to the front wall portion 64b. By pressing down the pressing member 60, the overhang portion 63 comes into contact with the upper surface of the connecting body 54, as shown in Figure 3(E). In this embodiment, the distance X2 between the lower surface of the eaves portion 63 and the upper surface of the pressing member 60, as shown in Figure 1(C), is defined as the stroke (lifting range) of the stem 39 of the upper container 30U. Furthermore, the distance X1 between the lower surface of the nozzle n of the connecting member 50 and the upper surface of the outer casing 2 is defined as the stroke of the stem 39 of the lower container 30L. The size and ratio of distances X1 and X2 should be appropriately set according to the amount of contents discharged from each container. If the configuration of the discharger 35 of the lower container 30L and the upper container 30U is the same, by making X1 and X2 equal, the two types of contents can be discharged equally. In the illustrated example, the distance X3 between the lower edge k of the auxiliary wall 44 of the intermediate body 40 and the upward step portion 7 is set to be approximately the same as the distance X1.

[0033] In the above configuration, as shown in Figure 1, the upper container 30U is stacked vertically on top of the lower container 30L via the intermediate body 40. This eliminates the constraint of having to arrange a pair of containers side by side, which was the mainstream design for conventional two-liquid dispensing containers, and makes it possible to provide a two-liquid dispensing container that is slim in appearance, neat in shape, and does not require a large installation space.

[0034] When assembling this container, as shown in Figure 3(A), the intermediate body 40 with the connecting member 50 attached is inserted into the upper part 2c of the outer body 2 through the upper opening MU of the outer body 2 and lowered until it abuts against the upward step portion 7 of the outer body 2. In this work process, by holding and pushing the upper part of the connecting body 54, which extends upward from the intermediate body 40, the intermediate body 40 can be easily lowered to the intermediate part 2b. Next, as shown in Figure 3(B), the lower container 30L is inserted into the lower part 2a of the outer casing 2 and pushed up. This causes the stem 39 of the lower container 30L to push up against the lower end of the lower joint cylinder 46L of the intermediate body 40, and the intermediate body 40 separates from the upward step portion 7, as shown in Figure 3(B). Subsequently, the lower lid 20 is screwed onto the small outer diameter portion 4 of the outer casing 2 from below the lower container 30L. In this state, the lower container 30L is supported by the lower lid plate 22 of the lower lid 20. Next, the upper container 30U with the pressing member 60 attached is placed in an inverted position, and the engaging projection 65 of the pressing member 60 is aligned with the positioning recess 11 of the outer casing 2 when viewed from above. Then, as shown in Figure 3(C), the upper container 30U and the pressing member 60 are inserted into the upper part 2c of the outer casing 2 through the upper opening MU of the outer casing 2, and the stem 39 of the upper container 30U is brought into contact with the upper end of the upper joint cylinder 46U of the intermediate body 40. When the pressing member 60 is pushed in from this state, the engaging projection 65 of the pressing member 60 overcomes the retaining projection 10 of the outer casing 2 and is positioned below the said locking projection 10. Furthermore, when the upper container 30U is pressed down via the pressing member 60, the stem 39 of the upper container 30U is inserted and fixed into the upper joint cylinder 46U of the intermediate body 40, and as the intermediate body 40 is pressed down by this insertion, the stem 39 of the lower container 30L is inserted and fixed into the lower joint cylinder 46L of the intermediate body 40. As a result, the lower container 30L and the upper container 30U are connected via the intermediate body 40, resulting in the initial state shown in Figure 3(D). The aforementioned series of steps is a suitable example and can be modified as appropriate.

[0035] Next, when using the two-liquid dispensing container, from the state shown in Figure 3(D), the top plate 62 of the pressing member 60 is pressed down (see Figure 3(E)), and the pressing member 60 and the upper container 30U are lowered. As a result, since the stems of the upper container 30U and the lower container 30L are fixed to the upper joint cylinder 46U and the lower joint cylinder 46L of the intermediate body 40, the stem 39 of the upper container 30U is pushed into the head portion d of the upper container 30U, the intermediate body 40 descends along the inner surface of the outer casing 2, and the stem 39 of the lower container 30L is also pushed into the head portion d of the lower container 30L. The pushing of these stems 39 causes the contents of the lower container 30L to be pumped into the first communication hole 56A, and the contents of the upper container 30U to be pumped into the second communication hole 56B, respectively, via the branch cylinder 48 and the connecting pipe 52, and discharged from the discharge ports 59, 59. In the process described above, the upper container 30U can move vertically up and down within the outer casing 2, and the upper joint cylinder 46U and the lower joint cylinder 46L are arranged concentrically on the vertical line A. Therefore, depending on where and how the top plate 62 of the pressing member 60 is pressed, it is possible to avoid the stems 39 of the upper container 30U and the lower container 30L tilting diagonally, or the intermediate body 40 tilting precariously while moving up and down.

[0036] According to the above configuration and operation, since the upright lower container 30L and the inverted upper container 30U are stacked vertically inside the vertically elongated hollow outer casing 2, the pair of containers can be installed vertically, eliminating the aforementioned design constraints and enabling stable discharge of the required amount. Furthermore, since the upper container 30U is fitted vertically to the inner surface of the outer casing 2 so as to be able to move up and down, the amount of contents discharged can be made more stable. Furthermore, since the contents are discharged from the stems 39 of the upright lower container 30L and the inverted upper container 30U via the connecting member 50, a specified amount of two different contents can be stably discharged. Furthermore, since a connecting member 50 for discharging the contents is attached to the intermediate body 40, and the lower container 30L inserted from the lower opening ML of the outer casing 2 and the upper container 30U inserted from the upper opening MU can be joined at the intermediate body 40 located in the intermediate section 2b, the assembly work is made more efficient. Since an upward-facing step portion 7 is provided that can lock the lower edge k of the intermediate body 40, which is inserted into the outer casing 2 through the upper opening MU, the joining of the upper and lower pair of containers 30L and 30U to the intermediate body 40 becomes easier.

[0037] Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In these descriptions, the same structures as those in the first embodiment will not be explained.

[0038] Figures 4 and 5 show a two-liquid dispensing container according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the configuration of the upper and lower pair of containers 30L and 30U, the outer casing 2, and the pressing member 60 is modified from the configuration of the first embodiment. In the illustrated example, the upper and lower pair of containers 30L and 30U both employ the configuration of an HVD container (High Viscosity Pump Dispense) having a middle tray 34 and a bottom member 33. For the sake of simplicity, the structure of the HVD container will be described in an upright position. A bottomed cylindrical bottom member 33 is fitted to the lower outer surface of a container body 32 with an open bottom, and the outer circumference of a middle tray 34 is fitted to the lower inner surface of the container body 32 in a liquid-tight and slidable manner. A first vertical tube e and a second vertical tube f are projected from the center of the bottom plate (upper plate in an inverted position) of the bottom member 33 and the center of the middle tray in opposing directions, and the ends of these two vertical tubes are in contact with each other. In this HVD container, when the stem 39 is pushed in, the discharger 35 sucks the contents from inside the container body 32, and when negative pressure is created inside the container body 32, the inner tray 34 moves towards the cylinder 37. As a result, the storage space inside the container body 32 is reduced. The advantage of the HVD container mechanism is that the contents can be easily dispensed even in an inverted position. Therefore, it is preferable to use an HVD container for the upper container 30U. The lower container 30L can be any container shape as long as it can draw up the contents. Note that the aforementioned advantages also exist for delaminated containers. The explanation in this paragraph will be applied when using a delaminated container.

[0039] In this embodiment, the configuration of the flat surface portion q and recessed portion r of the container body 32 is omitted, and as shown in Figure 4, the outline of the upper container 30U as viewed from above is made circular, and a storage portion 12 for housing the connecting body 54 is formed in the front wall of the outer casing 2. As shown in Figure 4(B), this storage section 12 is formed by extending the vertically elongated front wall portion of the exterior body 2 forward, creating a groove-shaped storage space inside which the connecting body 54 is housed. In addition, in conjunction with the changes in the contours of the outer casing 2 and the container body 32, the pressing member 60 has also been modified to have a cylindrical contour overall, omitting the structure of the front wall portion 64b and the canopy portion 63 of the first embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the longitudinal ridge 9, which is part of the configuration of the first embodiment, is also omitted.

[0040] In the above configuration, when assembling the two-liquid discharge container, first, the position of the connecting body 54 is aligned with the storage section 12 when viewed from above, and as shown in Figure 5(A), the connecting body 54 is inserted into the storage section 12 and the intermediate body 40 is inserted into the outer casing 2. Then, as shown in Figure 5(B), after the intermediate body 40 is lowered until it abuts against the upward step 7, the lower container 30L is inserted through the lower opening ML, the upper end of the connecting body 54 is held down, and the lower container 30L is pushed up to insert and fix the stem 39 of the lower container 30L into the lower joint cylinder 46L. Next, as shown in Figure 5(C), the lower lid 20 is screwed onto the small outer diameter portion 4 of the outer casing 2. Then, the upper container 30U, which has the pressing member 60 attached beforehand, is placed in an inverted position, and the engaging projections 65 of the pressing member 60 are aligned with the positioning recesses 11 of the outer casing 2 when viewed from above. After that, the upper container 30U and the pressing member 60 are inserted into the outer casing 2 through the upper opening MU. By pushing the upper container 30U further downward, the stem 39 of the upper container 30U is inserted and fixed into the upper joint cylinder 46U. Although these procedures differ slightly from those described in the first embodiment, it is not necessary to follow these procedures exactly; they are merely examples of preferred procedures. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 2...Exterior body 2a...Lower 2b...Middle part 2c...Upper 4...Small outer diameter part 5...Male thread section 6...Longitudinal rib 7...Upward step section 9...Longitudinal protrusions 10… Locking projection to prevent detachment 11… Positioning recess 12… Storage section 20...Lower cover 22...Lower cover plate 24...Lid surrounding wall 26...Female thread part 30L...lower container 30U...upper container 32...container body 33...bottom member 34...middle plate 35…Discharger 36…Mounting cylinder 37…Cylinder 38…Covering member 39…Stem 40...Intermediate body 42...Substrate 43L...Bottom surface 43U...Top surface 44...Auxiliary wall 45...Slit 46L...Lower joint tube 46U...Upper joint tube 48...Branch tube 50...Connecting member 52...Connecting pipe 52a...Base 52b...Intermediate pipe section 52c...End section 53...Flame part 54...Communication body 54A, 54B...Half part 55...Exposed end part 56...Communication hole 56A...First communication hole 56B...Second communication hole 57...Vertical hole 58...Horizontal hole part 59...Discharge port 60...Pressing member (pressing part) 62...Pressing plate (top plate) 63...Eaves part 64...Cylinder peripheral wall 64a...Main wall part 64b...Front wall part 65...Engagement protrusion 66...Engagement protrusion 68...Protection wall A...Vertical line (cylindrical axis) b...Body c...Nose / neck d...Head e...First vertical cylinder f...Second cylindrical part g...Liquid passage i...Inner layer j...Outer layer k...Lower edge ML...Lower opening MU...Upper opening n...Nozzle P...Discharge path q...Flat surface r...Recess s...downward step

Claims

1. A vertically elongated, hollow outer casing (2), This outer casing (2) contains a pair of upper and lower containers (30L, 30U) stacked vertically via an intermediate joint part (40), with a stem (39) protruding from the head portion (d) that dispenses the contents when pressed vertically. It is equipped with, The pair of upper and lower containers (30L, 30U) are formed as an upright lower container (30L) and an inverted upper container (30U), with their respective stems (39) facing the intermediate body (40). The intermediate body (40) has a pair of vertically oriented joint cylinders (46U, 46L) attached to both the upper and lower surfaces (43U, 43L) of the intermediate body (40) for connecting to the stems (39) of the pair of upper and lower containers (30L, 30U), A two-liquid discharge container characterized in that a pair of discharge passages (P, P) are formed that extend upward from the pair of upper and lower joint cylinders (46U, 46L) along the inner surface of the outer casing (2) and open to the portion exposed from the outer casing (2).

2. The upper container (30U) is fitted vertically to the inner surface of the outer casing (2) so as to be able to move up and down. The two-liquid dispensing container according to claim 1, characterized in that the pair of upper and lower joint cylinders (46U, 46L) are arranged concentrically with respect to a vertical line (A).

3. The intermediate body (40) has a pair of branching cylinders (48, 48) that branch laterally from the pair of upper and lower joint cylinders (46U, 46L), The intermediate body (40) is fitted with a connecting member (50) that, together with the pair of branching cylinders (48, 48), forms the discharge passage (P, P). The two-liquid dispensing container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the communicating member (50) is positioned between the upper container (30U) and the outer casing (2), and a communicating body (54) having two communicating holes (56, 56) extending vertically along the inner surface of the outer casing (2) is connected to the pair of branching pipes (48, 48) via a pair of communicating pipes (52) that connect the communicating holes (56) and the branching pipes (48).

4. The outer casing (2) is a cylindrical body having a lower opening (ML) which is the insertion port for the lower container (30L) and an upper opening (MU) which is the insertion port for the upper container (30U). The intermediate body (40) is fitted to the intermediate part (2b) of the outer casing (2) so as to be able to move up and down. A lower cover (20) that closes the lower opening (ML) is attached to the lower end of the outer casing (2). A two-liquid dispensing container according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that a pressing portion (60) is provided on the upper side of the upper container (30U).

5. The upper opening (MU) also serves as the insertion port for the intermediate body (40). The two-liquid dispensing container according to claim 4, characterized in that an upward-facing step portion (7) is formed on the inner surface of the lower part (2a) of the outer casing (2), which can be locked to the lower edge portion (k) of the intermediate body (40) that is fitted into the outer casing (2).

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