Tube container

Abstract

To provide a tube container that has a small number of components constituting the tube container, has a simple pouring operation, and prevents contents during storage from being leaked.SOLUTION: A tube container 100 includes: a tubular body 110 composed of a rounded body-forming sheet; a pouring tool 120 comprising a shoulder 121 and a neck 122; and a top seal 130 covering the pouring tool 120. An edge of the body-forming sheet is bent and fixed to a peripheral edge of an upper surface of the shoulder, and the top seal is fixed to the body-forming sheet at the peripheral edge.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tube container. In particular, it relates to a tube container having a nozzle at its tip and capable of accurately discharging through this nozzle.

Background Art

[0002] As a packaging material for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foods, etc., tube containers made of materials mainly composed of resin are widely used (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Such a tube container is generally as shown in FIG. 4. Note that FIG. 4 shows the tube container 200 before filling the contents, FIG. 4(a) is its front view, and FIG. 4(b) is a cross-sectional explanatory view.

[0004] As can be seen from FIGS. 4(a) and (b), the tube container 200 is composed of a cylindrical body portion 410 and a discharging tool 420. The cylindrical body portion 410 is formed by rolling up a sheet and sealing both ends thereof.

[0005] Also, the discharging tool 420 is a resin molded product manufactured by integrally injection molding a shoulder portion 421 and a neck portion 422. This shoulder portion 421 is located at the lower end of the neck portion 422 and spreads around the neck portion 422, and is a portion connecting the neck portion 422 to the cylindrical body portion 410. And, a part of the upper side of this shoulder portion 421 is overlapped with the end portion 412 of the cylindrical body portion 410 so as to cover it, and thus the end portion 412 of the cylindrical body portion 410 overlapped on a part of the shoulder portion 421 is fixed.

[0006] Note that, as can be seen from FIG. 4(b), a discharge path penetrating the shoulder portion 421 and the neck portion 422 is provided in the discharging tool 420.

[0007] As is well known, in this tube container 200, among both end portions of the cylindrical body portion 410, the discharging tool 420 is not attached and the end portion that is released is used to fill the contents, and this released end portion is closed for use. For closing the released end portion, methods such as winding and tightening are used, for example.

[0008] On the other hand, tube containers that hold caulking agents or the like as contents are equipped with a sealing film between the cylindrical body and the dispensing tool to close the dispensing passage in order to improve their shelf life. Furthermore, some have a nozzle positioned at the tip of the dispensing tool to allow for precise dispensing by aiming at the application location.

[0009] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main components of such a nozzle-equipped tube container 300. As can be seen from this figure, the tube container 300 is composed of four parts: a cylindrical body 310, a dispensing device 320, a sealing film 330, and a nozzle 320.

[0010] The sealing film 330 is a film that can be easily broken by puncture and is also made of a film that does not allow gases such as oxygen to pass through. As shown in the figure, it covers and seals one end of the cylindrical body 310, and its periphery is folded and bonded to the outside of the cylindrical body 310.

[0011] The dispensing device 320, like the dispensing device 220 described above, has a shoulder portion and a neck portion, and has a dispensing passage that passes through them. In addition, the neck portion has a threaded portion on its outer surface.

[0012] Furthermore, this dispensing device 320 is adhered to the sealing film 330, and its dispensing Even if the sealing film 330 is broken at the location of the road, the cylindrical body 310, sealing film 330, and dispensing device 320 are configured to maintain their integrity.

[0013] The nozzle 320 is detachably attached to the dispensing tool 320 by screwing it into the threaded portion on the outer surface of the neck of the dispensing tool 320. This nozzle 320 is designed to accurately dispense the contents from the dispensing passage of the dispensing tool 320 to the desired application position, and is a relatively long cylindrical molded object with a tapered tip.

[0014] Similar to the aforementioned tube container 200, this tube container 300 is used by filling it with contents from the open end and then closing this open end.

[0015] When dispensing the contents from this tube container 300, first, the nozzle 320 is removed from the dispensing device 320, and a cutter or the like is inserted through the exposed dispensing passage of the dispensing device 220 to break the central part of the sealing film 330 and create an opening. Next, the nozzle 320 is screwed onto the dispensing device 320 and fixed in place, and by pressing from the outside of the cylindrical body 310, the contents can be discharged through the opening in the sealing film 330, the dispensing passage of the dispensing device 220, and the nozzle 320. Because the nozzle 320 is a relatively long cylinder with a narrow tip, by bringing this narrow tip close to the desired application position and dispensing, the contents can be discharged accurately to the target position. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0016] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-199280 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0017] However, the tube container 300 that contains the caulking agent, etc., is composed of four parts, including a nozzle 320. In addition to being composed of so many parts, when dispensing the contents, it is necessary to remove the nozzle 320, break the sealing film 330, and then reattach the nozzle 320, which is a complicated process.

[0018] Furthermore, depending on the contents, delamination may occur between the cylindrical body 310 and the sealing film 330.

[0019] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a tube container that has a small number of components, is easy to dispense, and prevents leakage of its contents during storage.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0020] That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a tube container comprising a cylindrical body formed by rolling up a sheet for forming the body, a pouring member fixed to an end of the cylindrical body, and a top seal covering the pouring member, wherein the pouring member consists of a shoulder and a neck, and the shoulder is fixed to the lower end of the neck, and has a pouring passage penetrating through the shoulder and the neck, wherein an end of the sheet for forming the body is bent and fixed to a periphery of an upper surface of the shoulder, and the top seal is fixed to the sheet for forming the body at its periphery, characterized in that it is a tube container.

[0021] It is desirable that both the sheet for forming the body and the top seal have gas barrier properties.

[0022] And the pouring passage may be sealed with the top seal, or a cap may be put on a tip of the neck, and the pouring passage may be sealed with the cap. In this case, the top seal can be provided so as to cover the cap.

Advantages of the Invention

[0023] The tube container of the present invention can be composed of three components, namely, a cylindrical body, a pouring member, and a top seal. Therefore, it can be composed of a small number of components. Also, at the time of pouring, it is extremely simple because it is only necessary to peel off and remove the top seal.

[0024] And since an end of the sheet for forming the body is bent and fixed to a periphery of an upper surface of the shoulder, there is no possibility that the sheet for forming the body and the shoulder are delaminated and the contents leak out.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] [Figure 1] Figure 1 relates to a first embodiment of the tube container of the present invention, where Figure 1(a) is a front view and Figure 1(b) is a cross-sectional explanatory view thereof. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating the main part of a second embodiment of the tube container of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating the main part of a third embodiment of the tube container of the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a conventional tube container, with Figure 4(a) being a front view and Figure 4(b) being a cross-sectional diagram. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of the main parts of a conventional tube container. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0026] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Figure 1 relates to an embodiment of the tube container of the present invention, where Figure 1(a) is a front view and Figure 1(b) is a cross-sectional explanatory view thereof.

[0027] As can be seen from these figures, the tube container 100 according to this embodiment consists of three parts: a cylindrical body 110, a dispensing device 120, and a top seal 130.

[0028] The cylindrical body portion 110 is formed by rolling up a rectangular body-forming sheet and sealing both ends with envelope-like adhesive, leaving both ends open.

[0029] The sheet used to form the body of the container must be made of a gas barrier sheet that prevents the permeation of gases such as oxygen and water vapor. Furthermore, if the goal is to prevent the deterioration of the contents' flavor over time, a sheet that prevents the permeation of this flavor can be used. In this way, a sheet that blocks an appropriate type of gas can be used depending on the contents and the purpose of their protection.

[0030] For example, as an oxygen gas barrier sheet that prevents the permeation of oxygen gas, a laminate sheet containing metal foil or metal vapor-deposited film such as aluminum in its layer structure can be used. It is also possible to use a laminate sheet containing inorganic transparent vapor-deposited film such as alumina or silica in its layer structure. In addition, since ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin also has excellent oxygen gas barrier properties, a laminate sheet containing these resins in its layer structure can also be used.

[0031] Furthermore, as mentioned above, this body-forming sheet is formed into a cylindrical body 110 by sealing it like an envelope. Therefore, the surface can be configured to be heat-sealable. Examples of resins that constitute such a heat-sealable surface include polyolefin resins. For example, low-density polyethylene resin, linear low-density polyethylene resin, medium-density polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, etc.

[0032] Examples of such body-forming sheets include laminate sheets in which a gas barrier film, an intermediate layer, and a heat-seal layer are laminated from the outer surface. The intermediate layer may be a resin film such as a polyamide film, or it may be opaque paper. If the intermediate layer is opaque, it is also possible to prevent light degradation of the contents. Furthermore, environmentally friendly containers can be made by using laminate sheets with a high paper content, for example, laminate sheets with a paper content of 30% or more.

[0033] Next, the dispensing device 120 is a resin molded product consisting of a shoulder portion 121 and a neck portion 122, and is fixed to the end of the cylindrical body portion 110. It is desirable that this dispensing device 120 is also made of a resin with excellent gas barrier properties. An example of a resin with excellent oxygen barrier properties is the aforementioned ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin. It may also be molded by blending such an oxygen barrier resin with other resins. For example, the dispensing device 120 can be molded by blending an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin and a polyolefin resin and then injection molding them.

[0034] In other words, the dispensing device 120 is molded so that the shoulder portion 121 is fixed to the lower end of its neck portion 122, and the shoulder portion 121 has a shape that spreads out around the lower end of the neck portion 122, with its upper surface forming a flat surface without irregularities or curvature.

[0035] Of course, this dispensing device 120 is provided with a dispensing channel that passes through the shoulder portion 121 and the neck portion 122.

[0036] The dispensing device 120 is then fixed to the end of the cylindrical body portion 110. That is, as shown in Figure 1(b), the shoulder portion 121 is housed inside the cylindrical body portion 110 from one end, the end portion 112 of the cylindrical body portion 110 is folded, and this end portion 112 is placed on the upper surface of the shoulder portion 121 and heat-sealed to fix it to the upper surface of the shoulder portion 121. It is desirable that the body-forming sheet constituting the end portion 112 of the cylindrical body portion 110 covers the entire upper surface and its end face abuts against the neck portion 122, but even if this is not the case, it is sufficient if the body-forming sheet substantially covers the entire upper surface of the shoulder portion 121. If the upper surface of the shoulder portion 121 is a flat surface without irregularities or curvature, the upper surface of the shoulder portion 121 can be covered without gaps by folding the body-forming sheet of the cylindrical body portion end portion 112.

[0037] The neck portion 122 is the part through which the contents are dispensed via an internal dispensing channel. As mentioned above, the cylindrical body portion 110 is made of a gas barrier body-forming sheet, and this gas barrier body-forming sheet almost completely covers the entire upper surface of the shoulder portion 121.

[0038] Next, the top seal 130 is provided so as to cover the dispensing tool 120. Its center is sealed to the tip surface of the dispensing tool 120, and this seal seals the dispensing passage. It is also fixed to the body-forming sheet 110 at its periphery. As can be seen from Figure 1(b), the position where the top seal 130 is fixed to the body-forming sheet 110 is inside the area where the body-forming sheet 110 is fixed to the upper surface of the shoulder portion 121.

[0039] The top seal 130, like the body forming sheet, should preferably use a sheet that blocks gases of an appropriate type depending on the contents and the purpose of protecting them. For example, metal foil, metal vapor deposition. This is an oxygen gas barrier laminate film containing a film, an inorganic transparent vapor-deposited film, or an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in its layer structure.

[0040] Like the aforementioned tube containers 200 and 300, this tube container 100 can be used by filling it with contents from the open end and then closing the open end. Examples of methods for closing the open end include crimping.

[0041] When dispensing the contents from this tube container 100, first, the top seal 130 is peeled off from the body-forming sheet 110 and the tip surface of the dispensing tool 120. This peeling off opens the dispensing passage, and by pressing from the outside of the cylindrical body 110, the contents can be discharged through this dispensing passage.

[0042] Next, Figure 2 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of the main part of a second embodiment of the tube container of the present invention. This tube container 100A uses a dispensing device 120A with a long neck portion 122A and a slender tip, and is otherwise the same as the tube container 100 of the second embodiment.

[0043] In this tube container 100A, the neck portion 122A of the dispensing device 120A is long, and its tip is thin, allowing the contents to be precisely dispensed to the desired application location.

[0044] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating the main part of a third embodiment of the tube container of the present invention. In this tube container 100B, a cap 140 is fitted to the tip of the dispensing device 120B, and this cap 140 seals the dispensing passage. The top seal 130 is provided on top of the cap 140 so as to cover both the cap 140 and the dispensing device 120B.

[0045] When using this tube container 100B, first, the top seal 130 is peeled off, and then the cap 140 is removed to open the dispensing passage. Then, by pressing from the outside of the cylindrical body 110, the contents can be discharged through this dispensing passage.

[0046] Furthermore, as shown in the figure, if the cap 140 is screwed onto the neck portion 122B of the dispensing device 120B, the cap 140 can be re-sealed, so that after dispensing and using a portion of the contents, the remainder can be stored directly in the tube container 100B. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 100, 100A, 100B: Tube containers 110: Cylindrical body section 111: Main body of the cylindrical body section 112: End of the cylindrical body section 120,120A,120B: Pour tool 121,121A,121B: Shoulder 122,122A,122B: Neck 130: Top seal 140: Cap

Claims

1. A tube container comprising a cylindrical body formed by rolling up a sheet for forming the body, a dispensing device fixed to the end of the cylindrical body, and a top seal covering the dispensing device, The aforementioned dispensing device consists of a shoulder portion and a neck portion, with the shoulder portion fixed to the lower end of the neck portion. Furthermore, it has an outlet passage that penetrates the shoulder and neck portions. The end of the sheet used to form the torso is bent and fixed to the periphery of the upper surface of the shoulder portion. A tube container characterized in that the top seal is fixed to the body-forming sheet at its periphery.

2. The tube container according to claim 1, characterized in that the sheet for forming the body has gas barrier properties.

3. The tube container according to claim 1, characterized in that the top seal has gas barrier properties.

4. The tube container according to claim 1, characterized in that the top seal seals the dispensing passage.

5. The tube container according to claim 1, characterized in that a cap is fitted to the tip of the neck portion, and the top seal is provided so as to cover the cap.

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