Dispensing pump for refillable containers

Abstract

In order to obtain a dispensing pump for a refillable container that makes it possible for air from the exterior to flow into a hermetically sealed inner container while liquid contents of the container are being dispensed, there is provided a dispensing pump 1 for a refillable container, the dispensing pump 1 being attached to a lid body 5 for closing an opening section 4 in an outer container 3, and suctioning and dispensing liquid contents inside an inner container 5 accommodated in the outer container 3, wherein: the dispensing pump 1 is configured from a tubular cylinder part 11, a dispensing nozzle 13 provided to an upper section of the tubular cylinder part 11, and an intake pipe 15 that is connected to a connection pipe part 14 provided to a lower section of the tubular cylinder part 11; the intake pipe 15 is composed of a small-diameter pipe part 16 that is air-tightly fitted to the outer periphery of the connection pipe part 14, and a large-diameter pipe part 17 that is continuous with the upper end of the small-diameter pipe part 16 and that is fitted with play to the outer periphery of the tubular cylinder part 11; and the large-diameter pipe part 17 is provided with a first vent hole 19 that allows communication between the interior of the inner container 6 and a space 18 formed between the large-diameter pipe part 17 and the tubular cylinder part 11.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dispensing pump for a refill container, which is attached to a lid of an outer container and suctions and dispenses a liquid material in an inner container accommodated inside the outer container. [Background Art]

[0002] A refill container is known which comprises an inner container that accommodates a liquid material therein, is provided with a suction opening sealed by a sealing sheet on the top surface, and is replaced when the liquid material is exhausted; an outer container that accommodates the inner container; a lid that closes the outer container accommodating the inner container; and a dispensing pump attached to the lid for suctioning and dispensing the liquid material accommodated in the outer container, wherein the dispensing pump comprises a cylindrical cylinder portion fixed to a pump mounting opening provided on a top plate of the lid, a dispensing nozzle provided on an upper portion of the cylindrical cylinder portion and also serving as an operating portion for a piston inside the cylindrical cylinder portion, and a suction pipe connected to a connecting pipe cylinder portion provided at a lower portion of the cylindrical cylinder portion and inserted into the suction opening provided on the top surface of the inner container when the opening of the outer container is closed by the lid (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Regarding the attachment of the dispensing pump described in Patent Document 1 to the lid, the dispensing pump is provided with a mounting cap so as to cover the cylindrical cylinder portion; the attachment is carried out by fitting the cylindrical cylinder portion into the pump mounting opening provided on the top plate of the lid, screwing the mounting cap onto the pump mounting opening, and fixing the cylindrical cylinder portion to the pump mounting opening. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-119499 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] According to the refillable container equipped with a dispensing pump described in Patent Document 1, when the opening of the outer container is closed with a lid and the sealing sheet sealing the suction port provided on the upper surface of the inner container is broken and the suction tube of the dispensing pump is inserted into the inner container, the broken sealing sheet becomes tightly attached to the outer surface of the suction tube.

[0006] Therefore, when operating the dispensing pump to draw out liquid from the inner container, the draw-out of liquid creates negative pressure inside the container, which slows down the return of the piston in the cylindrical part. Furthermore, if the inner container is made of a flexible material, the negative pressure may cause it to dent, resulting in problems such as the inability to smoothly dispense the liquid from the inner container.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing pump for refillable containers that allows for the smooth dispensing of liquids from an inner container by enabling the inflow of air from the outside when dispensing liquids into the sealed inner container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the invention described in claim 1 is a dispensing pump for a refillable container, which is attached to a lid that closes the opening of an outer container and sucks and dispenses liquid contents from an inner container housed within the outer container, comprising: a cylindrical cylinder portion fixed to a pump mounting port provided on the top plate of the lid; a dispensing nozzle provided at the upper part of the cylindrical cylinder portion and also serving as the operating part for the piston inside the cylindrical cylinder portion; and a suction tube connected to a connecting tube provided at the lower part of the cylindrical cylinder portion, which is inserted into a suction port provided on the upper surface of the inner container when the opening of the outer container is closed with the lid, wherein the suction tube comprises a small-diameter tube portion that is airtightly fitted to the outer circumference of the connecting tube portion provided at the lower part of the cylindrical cylinder portion and sucks the liquid contents from inside the inner container, and a large-diameter tube portion connected to the upper end of the small-diameter tube portion and loosely fitted to the outer circumference of the cylindrical cylinder portion, the large-diameter tube portion being provided with a first vent hole that connects the gap between the cylindrical cylinder portion and the large-diameter tube portion to the inside of the inner container. In the cylindrical cylinder section, a second ventilation hole is provided in the cylinder wall on the side that communicates with the outside air, outside the range of motion of the piston, which connects the gap between the cylindrical cylinder section and the large-diameter pipe section with the inside of the cylinder.It is characterized by the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the dispensing pump for refillable containers described in claim 1, the suction pipe consists of a small-diameter pipe section that is airtightly fitted to the outer circumference of a connecting pipe section provided at the lower part of the cylindrical cylinder section and sucks up liquid from inside the inner container, and a large-diameter pipe section that is connected to the upper end of the small-diameter pipe section and loosely fitted to the outer circumference of the cylindrical cylinder section, and the large-diameter pipe section is provided with a first vent hole that connects the gap between the cylindrical cylinder section and the large-diameter pipe section with the inside of the inner container. Therefore, when the dispensing pump is operated to suck out liquid from the inner container, and the inside of the inner container becomes negatively pressurized due to the sucking out of liquid, an amount of air corresponding to the amount of liquid sucked out enters the gap between the cylindrical cylinder section and the large-diameter pipe section from the upper end opening side of the large-diameter pipe section, and is sucked into the inner container through the gap and into the first vent hole provided in the large-diameter pipe section, so that the liquid can be dispensed from the inner container smoothly. Furthermore, the cylinder in the cylindrical cylinder section is provided with a second ventilation hole in the cylinder wall on the side that communicates with the outside air, outside the range of movement of the piston, which connects the gap between the cylindrical cylinder section and the large-diameter pipe section with the inside of the cylinder. When the dispensing pump is operated to draw out liquid from the inner container, and the inside of the inner container becomes negatively pressurized due to the suction of liquid, an amount of air corresponding to the amount of liquid suctioned enters the gap between the cylindrical cylinder section and the large-diameter pipe section from the upper end opening side of the large-diameter pipe section, and also enters the gap between the cylindrical cylinder section and the large-diameter pipe section from the second ventilation hole in the cylinder wall on the side that communicates with the outside air, outside the range of movement of the piston. This facilitates the suction of air into the inner container, which has become negatively pressurized, and makes the dispensing of liquid from the inner container even smoother. Furthermore, even if the upper end opening of the large-diameter pipe section is blocked, liquid can enter the gap between the cylindrical section and the large-diameter pipe section through the second ventilation hole in the cylinder wall on the side that communicates with the outside air, outside the range of movement of the piston, thus enabling smooth dispensing of liquid from the inner container. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is an exploded cross-sectional view showing a first example of an embodiment of the dispensing pump for refillable containers according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a refillable container with a dispensing pump attached. [Figure 3] Figure 2 shows a disassembled cross-sectional view of the refillable container. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of air drawn into the inner container when a liquid is drawn out of the inner container using a refillable container equipped with a dispensing pump. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view showing a second example of an embodiment of the dispensing pump for refillable containers according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, a first example of an embodiment of the dispensing pump for refillable containers according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the first example of a dispensing pump for a refillable container, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a refillable container with the dispensing pump shown in Figure 1 attached, Figure 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the refillable container shown in Figure 2, and Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of air drawn into the inner container when a liquid is drawn out from the inner container, using the refillable container with the dispensing pump shown in Figure 1 attached.

[0014] The first example of a dispensing pump 1 for a refillable container is attached to a lid 5 that closes the opening 4 of the outer container 3 that constitutes the refillable container 2, and is used to suck up and dispense the liquid contents of the inner container 6 housed inside the outer container 3.

[0015] First, we will describe an example of a refillable container 2 in which the dispensing pump 1 of the first example is used. The refillable container 2 comprises an inner container 6 that contains a liquid inside and has a suction port 8 sealed on its top surface with a sealing sheet 7, which is replaced when the liquid is consumed; an outer container 3 that has an opening 4 at the top and houses the inner container 6; and a cylindrical lid 5 that fits onto the outer container 3 containing the inner container 6 and closes the opening 4 of the outer container 3. Furthermore, the top plate 9 of the lid 5 is provided with a pump mounting port 10 for attaching the dispensing pump 1.

[0016] The dispensing pump 1, which is attached to the pump mounting port 10 provided on the top plate 9 of the lid 5, consists of a cylindrical cylinder part 11 that fits into and is fixed to the pump mounting port 10, a dispensing nozzle 13 provided at the top of the cylindrical cylinder part 11 and also serving as the operating part for the piston 12 inside the cylindrical cylinder part 11, and a suction pipe 15 that is connected to a connecting pipe part 14 provided at the bottom of the cylindrical cylinder part 11 and is inserted into the inner container 6, breaking the sealing sheet 7 that seals the suction port 8 provided on the top surface of the inner container 6 when the opening 4 of the outer container 3 is closed with the lid 5.

[0017] The suction pipe 15 includes: a small-diameter pipe section 16 that is airtightly fitted onto the outer circumference of the connecting pipe section 14 provided at the lower part of the cylindrical cylinder section 11 and sucks the liquid material in the inner container 6; and a large-diameter pipe section 17 connected to the upper end of the small-diameter pipe section 16 and loosely fitted onto the outer circumference of the cylindrical cylinder section 11. The large-diameter pipe section 17 is provided with a first vent hole 19 that communicates the gap 18 between the cylindrical cylinder section 11 and the large-diameter pipe section 17 with the interior of the inner container 6.

[0018] Further, the discharge pump 1 is provided with a mounting cap 20 that covers the cylindrical cylinder section 11. The discharge pump 1 is mounted on the lid body 5 by fitting the cylindrical cylinder section 11 of the discharge pump 1 into the pump mounting port body 10 provided on the top plate 9 of the lid body 5, screwing the mounting cap 20 onto the pump mounting port body 10, and fixing the cylindrical cylinder section 11 to the pump mounting port body 10.

[0019] According to the discharge pump 1 for the refill container of the first example configured as described above, the suction pipe 15 includes: a small-diameter pipe section 16 that is airtightly fitted onto the outer circumference of the connecting pipe section 14 provided at the lower part of the cylindrical cylinder section 11 and sucks the liquid material in the inner container 6; and a large-diameter pipe section 17 connected to the upper end of the small-diameter pipe section 16 and loosely fitted onto the outer circumference of the cylindrical cylinder section 11. The large-diameter pipe section 17 is provided with the first vent hole 19 that communicates the gap 18 between the cylindrical cylinder section 11 and the large-diameter pipe section 17 with the interior of the inner container 6. Therefore, when the discharge pump 1 is operated to suck out the liquid material from the inner container 6, and the pressure inside the inner container 6 becomes negative due to the suction of the liquid material, an amount of air corresponding to the amount of the sucked liquid material enters the gap 18 between the cylindrical cylinder section 11 and the large-diameter pipe section 17 from the upper end opening side of the large-diameter pipe section 17, and is sucked into the inner container 6 through the gap 18 and the first vent hole 19 provided in the large-diameter pipe section 17. Therefore, the liquid material can be smoothly discharged from the inner container.

[0020] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a second example of the embodiment of the discharge pump for refill containers according to the present invention. With respect to the discharge pump for refill containers of the second example, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those of the first example, and the description thereof is omitted. Only the configurations different from those of the first example will be described. In the discharge pump 1 for a refillable container according to the second example, the cylinder barrel 11a of the cylindrical cylinder portion 11 is provided with a second ventilation hole 21 on the cylinder wall on the outside air communication side outside the movement range of the piston 12, which communicates the gap 18 between the cylindrical cylinder portion 11 and the large-diameter pipe portion 17 with the inside of the cylinder barrel 11a. Other configurations are the same as those of the first example.

[0021] According to the discharge pump 1 for a refillable container of the second example configured as described above, the second ventilation hole 21 that communicates the gap 18 between the cylindrical cylinder portion 11 and the large-diameter pipe portion 17 with the inside of the cylinder barrel 11a is provided on the cylinder wall on the outside air communication side outside the movement range of the piston 12 in the cylinder barrel 11a of the cylindrical cylinder portion 11. Therefore, when the discharge pump 1 is operated to suck out a liquid material from the inner container 6 and the inside of the inner container 6 becomes negative pressure due to the suction of the liquid material, an amount of air corresponding to the suction of the liquid material enters the gap 18 between the cylindrical cylinder portion 11 and the large-diameter pipe portion 17 from the upper opening side of the large-diameter pipe portion 17, and also enters the gap 18 between the cylindrical cylinder portion 11 and the large-diameter pipe portion 17 from the second ventilation hole 21 provided on the cylinder wall on the outside air communication side outside the movement range of the piston 12 of the cylinder barrel 11a. This facilitates the suction of air into the inner container 6 which has become negative pressure through the gap 18, so that the liquid material can be discharged from the inner container 6 more smoothly. Further, even when the upper opening of the large-diameter pipe portion 17 is blocked, air can enter the gap 18 between the cylindrical cylinder portion 11 and the large-diameter pipe portion 17 from the second ventilation hole 21 provided on the cylinder wall on the outside air communication side outside the movement range of the piston 12 of the cylinder barrel 11a, so that the liquid material can be smoothly discharged from the inner container 6. Other effects are the same as those of the first example, so the description of the first example is incorporated herein by reference. [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0022] 1 discharge pump 2 refillable container 3 outer container 4 opening 5 lid body 6 inner container 7 sealing sheet 8 suction outlet 9 top plate 10 Pump mounting port body 11 Cylindrical cylinder section 11a Cylinder 12 pistons 13 Dispensing nozzle 14. Connecting pipe section 15 Suction pipe 16 Small diameter pipe section 17 Large diameter pipe section 18 gaps 19. First ventilation hole 20 Attachment cap 21. Second ventilation hole

Claims

[Claim 1] A dispensing pump for a refillable container, which is attached to a lid that closes the opening of the outer container and sucks and dispenses the liquid contents of the inner container housed inside the outer container, comprises a cylindrical cylinder part fixed to a pump mounting port provided on the top plate of the lid, a dispensing nozzle provided at the top of the cylindrical cylinder part and also serving as the operating part for the piston inside the cylindrical cylinder part, and a suction tube connected to a connecting tube provided at the bottom of the cylindrical cylinder part, which is inserted into a suction port provided on the top surface of the inner container when the opening of the outer container is closed with the lid, wherein the suction tube comprises the A dispensing pump for refillable containers, characterized in that it comprises a small-diameter pipe section that is airtightly fitted to the outer circumference of a connecting pipe section provided at the lower part of a cylindrical cylinder section and sucks up liquid from inside the inner container, and a large-diameter pipe section that is connected to the upper end of the small-diameter pipe section and loosely fitted to the outer circumference of the cylindrical cylinder section, the large-diameter pipe section is provided with a first ventilation hole that connects the gap between the cylindrical cylinder section and the large-diameter pipe section and the inside of the inner container, and the cylinder tube of the cylindrical cylinder section is provided with a second ventilation hole on the cylinder wall on the side that communicates with the outside air outside the range of movement of the piston, which connects the gap between the cylindrical cylinder section and the large-diameter pipe section and the inside of the cylinder tube.

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