Inner cup and container assembly

Abstract

To provide an assembly container capable of reducing an environmental load and an inner cap used therefor.SOLUTION: An inner cup 10, formed by a thin resin molding component arranged to be detachable in an outer container 5, includes a bottomed cylindrical storage part 11 storing a content and an annular skirt part 13 connected to a top end of the storage part 11, extending downward to the outside and facing an outer peripheral surface of the storage part 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inner cup disposed in an outer container and an assembled container having the inner cup disposed in the outer container.

Background Art

[0002] A conventional container for storing creamy contents such as hair wax is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This container includes a container body and a lid formed by injection molding. The container body includes a storage section filled with the contents, and has a male threaded portion on an upper outer peripheral surface. The lid has a female threaded portion on an inner peripheral surface that is screwed onto the container body, and seals the container body. The contents in the storage section are scraped out with fingers for use.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, according to the above-mentioned conventional container, when the contents are used up, the injection-molded container with a large amount of resin used is discarded, which causes a problem that the environmental load increases.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an assembled container capable of reducing environmental load and an inner cup used therefor.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an inner cup formed from a thin-walled resin molded product that is detachably disposed inside an outer container, characterized by comprising a bottomed cylindrical storage portion for storing contents, and an annular skirt portion connected to the upper end of the storage portion, extending downward and outward, and facing the outer circumferential surface of the storage portion.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the inner cup having the above configuration is provided with an annular projection that protrudes radially outward from the lower end of the skirt portion.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the inner cup having the above configuration, it is provided with a horizontal flange portion extending radially outward from the upper end of the storage portion, and the upper end of the storage portion and the skirt portion are connected by the flange portion.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the inner cup having the above configuration, the storage portion is sealed by a lid material made of a laminated film that is heat-bonded to the flange portion in a peelable manner.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention is a container assembly in which the inner cup having the above configuration is arranged inside an outer container, characterized in that the skirt portion presses against the inner circumferential surface of the outer container, thereby elastically supporting the inner cup. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, an inner cup detachably disposed within the outer container is connected to the upper end of a bottomed cylindrical storage section and has an annular skirt portion that extends downward and outward, facing the outer circumferential surface of the storage section. As a result, when the contents stored in the container are used up, the inner cup can be discarded, thereby reducing the environmental burden. Furthermore, when the inner cup is positioned within the outer container such that the skirt portion presses against the inner circumferential surface of the outer container, the inner cup is elastically supported by the elasticity of the skirt portion. This makes it possible to prevent the inner cup from rotating when the contents are removed with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Exploded perspective view showing a container assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Top view showing the inner cup of the first embodiment of the present invention [Figure 3] Front cross-sectional view showing the inner cup of the first embodiment of the present invention [Figure 4] Front cross-sectional view showing the inner cup housed in the outer container of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] Front cross-sectional view showing the inner cup of the second embodiment of the present invention [Figure 6] Front cross-sectional view showing the inner cup housed in the outer container of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] <First Embodiment> Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a container set according to the first embodiment. Container set 1 stores creamy contents that are dispensed with fingers, such as hair wax or hand cream. Container set 1 comprises an outer container 5 and an inner cup 10.

[0014] The outer container 5 is formed from a resin molded product of a rigid resin (such as polypropylene) that has been injection molded, and comprises a main body portion 7 and an upper lid portion 6. The main body portion 7 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape and has a storage portion 7b in which the inner cup 10 is arranged. A male screw portion 7a is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the upper end of the main body portion 7.

[0015] The top cover portion 6 fits onto the main body portion 7 and closes the upper surface of the main body portion 7. A female threaded portion (not shown) is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the top cover portion 6, which is screwed into the male threaded portion 7a. A packing made of synthetic rubber or the like may be provided on the inner surface of the upper wall of the top cover portion 6, which contacts the upper end surface of the main body portion 7.

[0016] FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are a top view and a front cross-sectional view of an inner cup 10. The inner cup 10 is formed as a thin-walled resin molded product formed by injection molding, sheet molding, or the like. As a material of the inner cup 10, 3% or more of biomass-derived polyethylene may be contained, and biomass-derived polyethylene terephthalate may be used.

[0017] When the inner cup 10 is formed by sheet molding, a resin sheet such as recycled polyethylene terephthalate may be used, or a laminated sheet obtained by sequentially laminating virgin resin, recycled resin, and virgin resin may be used. Thereby, environmental load can be reduced.

[0018] Further, a laminated sheet obtained by sequentially laminating polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin, and polypropylene may be used. Thereby, gas barrier properties against oxygen, water vapor and the like are imparted, and the contents can be stored for a long period of time.

[0019] The inner cup 10 includes a storage portion 11, a flange portion 12, and a skirt portion 13. Further, the storage portion 11 of the inner cup 10 is sealed by a lid material 18 (see FIG. 1).

[0020] The storage portion 11 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape and stores contents. The flange portion 12 is formed in an annular shape that extends horizontally radially outward from the upper end of the storage portion 11. The skirt portion 13 is formed in an annular shape extending downward and outward from the outer peripheral end of the flange portion 12, and faces the outer peripheral surface of the storage portion 11. Thereby, the skirt portion 13 is connected to the upper end of the storage portion 11 via the flange portion 12. Further, the skirt portion 13 has an annular protruding portion 14 that protrudes horizontally radially outward from the lower end thereof.

[0021] The lid material 18 (see Figure 1) is formed from an easily peelable laminated film having a heat-adhesive resin layer on its lower surface, and is heat-bonded to the flange portion 12 of the inner cup 10 in a peelable manner. The lid material 18 is provided with a gripping portion 18a that protrudes radially outward. The lid material 18 is formed by heat-bonding the laminated film to the flange portion 12 and then trimming the outside of the flange portion 12 with a cutting blade. When the inner cup 10 is attached to the outer container 5, the gripping portion 18a is grasped and the lid material 18 is peeled off from the flange portion 12.

[0022] Figure 4 shows a front cross-sectional view of the inner cup 10 positioned in the main body 7 of the outer container 5. The inner cup 10 is inserted into the main body 7 of the outer container 5 by peeling off the lid material 18. The outer diameter of the protruding portion 14 of the inner cup 10 is formed to be a predetermined amount (for example, 1 mm) larger than the inner diameter of the main body 7, as shown by the dashed line D. The skirt portion 13 of the inner cup 10 inserted into the main body 7 elastically deforms radially inward, and the protruding portion 14 of the skirt portion 13 presses against the inner circumferential surface of the main body 7. As a result, the inner cup 10 is elastically supported, and rotation of the inner cup 10 can be prevented when the contents are scraped out with fingers.

[0023] Once the contents are used up, the inner cup 10 is removed from the outer container 5 and discarded, then replaced with an inner cup 10 filled with contents. This reduces the environmental impact because only the thin-walled inner cup 10 needs to be discarded.

[0024] If the inner cup 10 is held by contact between the flange portion 12 and the inner circumferential surface of the main body portion 7 without the skirt portion 13, the following problems occur. Specifically, when the inner cup 10 is inserted into the main body portion 7 of the outer container 5, the circumferential wall of the storage portion 11 may deform and partially protrude inward. As a result, fingers may get caught on the protruding portion, making it difficult to remove the contents, and the inner cup 10 may rotate, reducing the convenience of the assembled container 1.

[0025] Furthermore, when the lid material 18 is heat-bonded, the flange portion 12 deforms, causing variations in the outer diameter of the flange portion 12. This makes the elastic force between the flange portion 12 and the main body portion 7 unstable, which may cause the inner cup 10 to rotate.

[0026] Furthermore, when the contents stored in the container 1 are used for the first time, the inner cup 10, sealed by the lid material 18, is pre-stored inside the outer container 5. The lid material 18 is trimmed radially outward from the flange portion 12 to prevent interference between the trimming blade and the flange portion 12. As a result, when the inner cup 10 is pre-stored inside the outer container 5, the lid material 18, which has a larger diameter than the flange portion 12, prevents the inner cup 10 from being smoothly inserted into the main body portion 7 of the outer container 5. Consequently, the convenience of the container 1 is reduced.

[0027] In contrast, in this embodiment, since the inner cup 10 is equipped with a skirt portion 13, even if the inner cup 10 inserted into the main body portion 7 deforms, the deformation is limited to the skirt portion 13, preventing deformation of the storage portion 11. Furthermore, even if the flange portion 12 deforms when the lid material 18 is heat-bonded, variations in the outer diameter of the protrusion 14 provided at the lower end of the skirt portion 13 are suppressed. In addition, since the protrusion 14 can be formed with a larger diameter than the lid material 18, the sealed inner cup 10 can be smoothly inserted into the main body portion 7 of the outer container 5.

[0028] According to this embodiment, the thin-walled inner cup 10 is connected to the upper end of the bottomed cylindrical storage section 11 and has an annular skirt portion 13 that extends downward and outward and faces the outer surface of the storage section 11. As a result, when the contents stored in the container 1 are used up, the inner cup 10 can be discarded, thereby reducing the environmental burden.

[0029] Furthermore, when the inner cup 10 is placed inside the outer container 5 such that the protrusion 14 provided on the skirt portion 13 presses against the inner circumferential surface of the main body portion 7 of the outer container 5, the inner cup 10 is elastically supported by the elasticity of the skirt portion 13. This makes it possible to prevent the inner cup 10 from rotating when removing the contents with a simple configuration.

[0030] Furthermore, since the skirt portion 13 has an annular projection 14 that protrudes radially outward from its lower end, it is possible to suppress partial radial inward deformation of the lower end of the skirt portion 13. As a result, when the inner cup 10 is attached to the outer container 5, the entire circumference of the lower end of the skirt portion 13 abuts against the inner surface of the main body portion 7, and the inner cup 10 can be reliably elastically supported.

[0031] Furthermore, since a horizontal flange portion 12 is provided extending radially outward from the upper end of the storage portion 11, the lid material 18 can be easily heat-bonded to the flange portion 12. However, if the bonding strength with the lid material 18 is not required, or if the lid material 18 cannot be provided, the flange portion 12 may be omitted, and the skirt portion 13 may be formed by bending downward from the upper end of the storage portion 11.

[0032] Furthermore, since the storage section 11 is sealed by a lid material 18 made of a laminated film that is heat-bonded to the flange portion 12 in a peelable manner, the contents of the inner cup 10 can be stored for a long period of time before replacement.

[0033] <Second Embodiment> Next, Figure 5 shows a front cross-sectional view of the inner cup 10 of the container set 1 of the second embodiment. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4 above. In this embodiment, the protruding part 14 (see Figure 3) of the inner cup 10 is omitted compared to the first embodiment. The other parts are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0034] Similar to the first embodiment, the flange portion 12 is formed in an annular shape extending horizontally radially outward from the upper end of the storage portion 11. The skirt portion 13 is formed in an annular shape extending downward outward from the outer peripheral end of the flange portion 12 and faces the outer peripheral surface of the storage portion 11. As a result, the skirt portion 13 is connected to the upper end of the storage portion 11 via the flange portion 12.

[0035] Figure 6 shows a front cross-sectional view of the inner cup 10 positioned in the main body 7 of the outer container 5. The outer diameter of the skirt portion 13 of the inner cup 10 is formed to be a predetermined amount (for example, 1 mm) larger than the inner diameter of the main body 7, as shown by the dashed line D. The skirt portion 13 of the inner cup 10 inserted into the main body 7 elastically deforms radially inward, and the skirt portion 13 presses against the inner circumferential surface of the main body 7. As a result, the inner cup 10 is elastically supported, and rotation of the inner cup 10 can be prevented when the contents are scraped out with fingers.

[0036] According to this embodiment, since the inner cup 10 can be discarded once the contents stored in the container 1 have been used up, the environmental burden can be reduced. Furthermore, when the inner cup 10 is placed inside the outer container 5 such that the skirt portion 13 presses against the inner circumferential surface of the main body portion 7 of the outer container 5, the inner cup 10 is elastically supported by the elasticity of the skirt portion 13. This makes it possible to prevent the inner cup 10 from rotating when the contents are removed with a simple configuration.

[0037] Furthermore, in cases where weak adhesive strength with the lid material 18 is not required, or when the lid material 18 cannot be provided, the flange portion 12 may be omitted and the skirt portion 13 may be formed by bending downward from the upper end of the storage portion 11. [Industrial applicability]

[0038] According to the present invention, it can be used in a set of containers for storing creamy contents such as hair wax and hand cream. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 set of containers 5. Outer container 6. Top lid 7 Main body 7b Storage section 10 Inner Cups 11 Storage compartment 12 Flange section 13 Skirt section 14 Protrusion 18 Lid material 18a Extraction Section

Claims

1. A container set comprising an inner cup placed inside an outer container, The aforementioned inner cup is An inner cup formed from a thin-walled resin molded product that is detachably disposed inside the outer container, comprising a bottomed cylindrical storage section for storing a creamy contents that is scooped out for use, and an annular skirt section connected to the upper end of the storage section and extending downward outward, facing the outer circumferential surface of the storage section, The storage compartment is sealed by a lid, and the lid is removable. The bottom of the storage compartment has a flat section. The skirt portion presses against the inner circumferential surface of the outer container, thereby elastically supporting the inner cup. A container assembly characterized in that, with the inner cup placed inside the outer container, the inner surface is free of irregularities from the upper end of the inner surface to the lower end of the portion where the skirt portion and the inner surface come into contact.

2. The container assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the skirt portion has an annular projection that protrudes radially outward from its lower end.

3. The storage section is provided with a horizontal flange portion extending radially outward from the upper end, The flange portion connects the upper end of the storage portion and the skirt portion. The container assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lid material is made of a laminated film that is heat-bonded to the flange portion in a peelable manner.

4. The outer container comprises a main body and a top lid, The main body is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape and has the inner circumferential surface, The upper cover portion is fitted onto the main body portion to close the upper surface of the main body portion. The container assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, with the inner cup placed in the main body of the outer container, the upper end of the storage section is lower than the upper end of the main body.

Images