Refill container plug and refill container having the same

Abstract

The refill container plug of the present invention comprises a plug body (10) and a plug cap (20). The plug cap (20) blocks the outlet opening formed on the top plate (12) of the plug body from the inside in the outflow direction and is detachably mounted on the plug body (10). The plug body (10) has an outlet cylinder (11), a cylindrical outer wall (13), and a mounting cylinder (15). An insertion port (16) with an opening formed on the top plate (12) is provided at the interval between the outlet cylinder (11) and the cylindrical outer wall (13). The plug cap (20) has a mounting wall portion (27), a blocking plate portion (23), and a press-in protrusion (26) erected from the periphery of the blocking plate portion (23). With the press-in protrusion (26) protruding outward from the top plate (12) in the outflow direction V through the insertion port (16) in the space between the outflow tube (11) and the cylindrical outer wall (13), the plug cap (20) is installed on the plug body (10).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a plug for a refill container and a refill container having the same. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Liquid detergents or shampoos are generally contained in containers and distributed. From the viewpoint of reducing environmental impact, a refill container is used to refill the contents of liquid detergents into a refillable container. By using the refill container, the refillable container can be used for a long time without being discarded.

[0003] The refilling operation using a refill container is performed by connecting the neck of the refill container, which has a contents outlet, to the neck of the container being refilled. From the viewpoint of facilitating this refilling operation, the applicant has previously proposed a refill container plug that covers the refill outlet of the refill container (e.g., Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). The refill container plug of Patent Document 1 comprises: a plug body having an outlet tube and a mounting tube; and a plug cap having a mounting wall portion that is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the mounting tube, a blocking plate portion, and a pressing protrusion; the plug cap is installed on the plug body with the pressing protrusion protruding outward in the outflow direction through an insertion port formed from the periphery of the outlet opening to a radially outer cutout of the outlet tube, and with a portion of the head end face of the pressing protrusion positioned radially outward than the outer circumferential surface of the outlet tube.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a refill container stopper comprising: a stopper body having an outlet tube, a cylindrical outer wall, and an mounting tube; and a stopper cap having a mounting wall portion that is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the mounting tube, a blocking plate portion, and a press-in protrusion; the stopper cap is mounted on the stopper body by having the press-in protrusion protrude outward in the outflow direction from the top panel of the stopper body, and by positioning a portion of the head end face of the press-in protrusion radially outward than the outer circumferential surface of the outlet tube; and by performing air replacement during refilling through an insertion port and an external air connection port after the press-in protrusion is pushed out. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6183846; Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 6183847 [Summary of the Invention]

[0006] This invention relates to a plug for a refill container, which is installed to cover the refill outlet of a refill container for refilling contents into a refilled container having a neck. In one embodiment, the plug for the refill container is preferably composed of a plug body and a plug cap. The plug body is engaged and fixed to the periphery of the opening of the refill outlet, and the plug cap blocks the opening formed in the outlet of the top plate of the plug body from the inside in the outflow direction, and is detachably installed on the plug body. In one embodiment, the plug body preferably comprises: a discharge tube that surrounds the discharge opening and protrudes outward from the top plate in the discharge direction; a cylindrical outer wall that is concentrically disposed with the discharge tube, surrounds the discharge tube, and protrudes outward from the top plate in the discharge direction, and has an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the neck of the refilled container; and a mounting tube that is concentrically disposed with the discharge tube and surrounds the discharge tube and protrudes inward from the top plate in the discharge direction. In one embodiment, the plug body preferably has an opening formed in the top plate at the interval between the discharge tube and the cylindrical outer wall. In one embodiment, the plug cap preferably comprises: a mounting wall portion whose outer peripheral surface is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube; a blocking plate portion having a planar shape with the same hollow cross-sectional shape as the mounting tube; and a pressing protrusion that is erected from the periphery of the blocking plate portion. In one embodiment, the refill container plug is preferably installed with the plug cap on the plug body in such a state that the press-in protrusion protrudes outward from the top plate in the outflow direction through the insertion port at the interval between the outflow tube and the cylindrical outer wall.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a refill container for refilling contents into a refilled container having a neck. In one embodiment, the refill container is preferably equipped with a refill container plug that covers the refill outlet. The refill container plug comprises a plug body and a plug cap. The plug body engages and fixes the periphery of the opening of the refill outlet. The plug cap blocks the outlet opening formed on the top plate of the plug body from the inside in the outflow direction and is detachably installed on the plug body. In one embodiment, the plug body preferably comprises: a discharge tube that surrounds the discharge opening and protrudes outward from the top plate in the discharge direction; a cylindrical outer wall that is concentrically disposed with the discharge tube, surrounds the discharge tube, and protrudes outward from the top plate in the discharge direction, and has an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the neck of the refilled container; and a mounting tube that is concentrically disposed with the discharge tube, surrounds the discharge tube, and protrudes inward from the top plate in the discharge direction. In one embodiment, the plug body preferably has an opening formed in the top plate at the interval between the discharge tube and the cylindrical outer wall. In one embodiment, the plug cap preferably comprises: a mounting wall portion whose outer peripheral surface is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube; a blocking plate portion having a planar shape with the same hollow cross-sectional shape as the mounting tube; and a pressing protrusion that is erected from the periphery of the blocking plate portion. In one embodiment, the refill container plug is preferably installed with the plug cap on the plug body in such a state that the press-in protrusion protrudes outward from the top plate in the outflow direction through the insertion port at the interval between the outflow tube and the cylindrical outer wall.

Implementation Method

[0009] In the above-described refilling operation, the neck of the refilling container is oriented downwards, making the refilling container in an inverted state. When refilling in an inverted state, aligning the necks of the refilling container and the container being refilled is generally time-consuming and laborious, and both the refilling container and the container being refilled need to be supported, thus tending to result in inefficient refilling of the contents. Furthermore, when refilling is performed with the inverted refilling container positioned above the container being refilled, one or both of the refilling container and the container being refilled are usually prone to tipping over, thus tending to result in unstable filling of the contents. The technology described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 offers room for improvement in the efficiency and stability of filling the contents during the refilling operation.

[0010] The present invention relates to a plug for a refill container that efficiently and stably fills the contents during a refilling operation and prevents leakage of the contents, and a refill container having the same.

[0011] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof. FIG1 shows one embodiment of the refill container of the present invention. The refill container 5 of this embodiment is used to contain contents such as lotion or emulsion inside, and to refill the contents into the refill container.

[0012] The refill container 5 of this embodiment is a thin-walled bottle-shaped container, comprising: a main body 2 having a bottom, a neck 4 having a refill outlet for the contents, and a shoulder 3 located between the neck 4 and the main body 2. The refill container 5 shown in FIG1 is in an upright state with the bottom of the main body 2 touching the ground horizontally. In this state, the neck 4 is located vertically upwards, facing the bottom of the main body 2. The neck 4 is a cylindrical portion having a flow path for the contents to flow outwards, and has openings at both ends in the central axis direction. One opening in the neck 4 in the central axis direction is the refill outlet for the contents to flow outwards. The interior of the neck 4 communicates with the interior of the shoulder 3 through the other opening of the neck 4. As shown in Figure 1, in the upright position where the refill container 5 is standing, the shoulder 3 has a central opening on its upper vertical side. The shoulder 3 has a truncated cone shape that extends horizontally downward from the periphery of the opening. Furthermore, in this upright position, the main body 2 has a cylindrical peripheral wall portion that hangs downward from the entire lower periphery of the shoulder 3, and a bottom located at the lower end of the peripheral wall portion. The refill container 5 has an internal space formed by the shoulder 3 and the main body 2, in which contents such as lotion or emulsion are contained.

[0013] The central axis direction of the refill container 5 in this embodiment is consistent with the outflow direction V of the contents when they flow out of the container 5 to the outside. In the vertical state shown in FIG1, the vertical direction Z is consistent with the outflow direction V of the contents in the refill container 5. Hereinafter, the outflow direction V of the contents in this specification will also be simply referred to as "outflow direction V". The outer side of the outflow direction V is also referred to as the "head end side", and the inner side of the outflow direction V is also referred to as the "end side".

[0014] The refill container 5 of this embodiment includes a refill container plug 1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "plug 1") installed to cover the refill outlet in the neck 4. The plug 1 of this embodiment is fixed to the neck 4 while sealing the refill outlet, and has the function of connecting the refill outlet to the refill neck 7 (hereinafter also referred to as "refill neck 4") of the refill container 5 during a refilling operation. Details of this refilling operation are described below.

[0015] As shown in Figure 2, the plug body 1 comprises a plug body 10 and a plug cap 20. The plug body 10 is engaged and fixed to the periphery portion 4a of the refill outlet in the refill neck 4, and the plug cap 20 is detachably installed on the plug body 10. The plug body 1 is installed on the refill neck 4 with the plug cap 20 installed on the plug body 10. Hereinafter, the "periphery portion of the refill outlet in the refill neck 4" will also be referred to as the "outlet periphery portion 4a".

[0016] As shown in FIG. 4, the plug cap 20 has: a blocking plate portion 23; a cylindrical mounting wall portion 27 that protrudes outward from the periphery of the blocking plate portion 23 in the outflow direction V; and a pressing protrusion 26 that is erected outward from the periphery of the blocking plate portion 23 in the outflow direction V. In the plug cap 20 of this embodiment, a mounting wall portion 27 with the same outer diameter as the blocking plate portion 23 is formed on the periphery of the blocking plate portion 23, excluding the portion where the pressing protrusion 26 is provided. In this embodiment, the pressing protrusion 26 protrudes further outward in the outflow direction V than the mounting wall portion 27 (see FIG. 4), forming a columnar portion erected on the blocking plate portion 23.

[0017] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the plug body 10 has a top plate 12 and an outlet opening 11a formed on the top plate 12. The plug body 10 has: an outlet tube 11 that surrounds the outlet opening 11a and protrudes outward from the top plate 12 in the outflow direction V; and a cylindrical outer wall 13 that is concentrically arranged with the outlet tube 11 and surrounds the outlet tube 11 and protrudes outward from the top plate 12 in the outflow direction V. In other words, the outlet tube 11 is formed in such a way that it surrounds the periphery of the outlet opening 11a, and the cylindrical outer wall 13 surrounds the outlet tube 11. Furthermore, the inner ends of the outlet tube 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13 in the outflow direction V are connected to the top plate 12, which is located between the outlet tube 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13. The cylindrical outer wall 13 has an inner diameter that is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the neck 7 to be refilled (see Figure 8 below). On the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical outer wall 13 of this embodiment, a female threaded protrusion 13a is formed for screwing into the neck 7 of the refill port. In this embodiment, the neck 4 of the refill port and the neck 7 of the refill port are freely assembled and disassembled through the neck 1 by screwing the cylindrical outer wall 13 of the plug body 1 into the neck 7 of the refill port.

[0018] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the plug body 10 has an opening formed in the top plate 12 at the interval between the outlet cylinder 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13. The insertion port 16 is the part for the plug cap 20 to be inserted (see Figure 3), and is a through port that passes through the top plate 12.

[0019] As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the plug body 10 of this embodiment has an insertion partition wall 18 protruding from the top plate 12 toward the inward flow direction V. The insertion partition wall 18 is a columnar portion protruding from the periphery of the insertion port 16 toward the inward flow direction V. That is, the inner peripheral surface of the insertion port 16 extends toward the inward flow direction V more than the outflow opening 11a of the plug body 10 via the insertion partition wall 18. With the insertion partition wall 18, air replacement through the insertion port 16 is easier than the flow of contents through the insertion port 16, and the refilling of the contents can be carried out more efficiently. In this embodiment, the insertion partition wall 18 abuts against the blocking plate portion 23 of the plug cover 20 when the plug cover 20 is installed on the plug body 10, but the insertion partition wall 18 may not abut against the blocking plate portion 23 in the above-described installation state.

[0020] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the plug body 10 has a mounting cylinder 15, which is concentrically arranged with the outlet cylinder 11 and surrounds the outlet cylinder 11, protruding from the top plate 12 toward the inside of the outlet direction V. In this embodiment, the plug body 10 has an abutting step portion 17 formed on the surface of the top plate 12 inside the outlet direction V along the inner periphery of the mounting cylinder 15. This abutting step portion 17 is a step portion that protrudes further inside the outlet direction V than the top plate 12, and is continuously formed along the inner periphery of the mounting cylinder 15 except for the insertion port 16. The height of the abutting step portion 17 is lower than the insertion partition wall 18. That is, the insertion partition wall 18 protrudes further inside the outlet direction V than the abutting step portion 17. With the cap 20 installed on the cap body 10, and the insertion partition wall 18 abutting against the blocking plate portion 23, the abutting step portion 17 may or may not be in close contact with the top surface of the mounting wall portion 27. From the viewpoint of further suppressing leakage of contents from the refill container 5, the abutting step portion 17 is preferably in close contact with the top surface of the mounting wall portion 27 of the cap 20 when the cap 20 is installed on the cap body 10. In the cap body 10 of this embodiment, the mounting cylinder 15, the insertion partition wall 18, and the abutting step portion 17 protrude inward in the outflow direction V in that order. When the cap body 10 of this embodiment is viewed from the inside of the outflow direction V, the insertion port 16 is surrounded by the insertion partition wall 18, the abutting step portion 17, and the mounting cylinder 15 (see Figure 7). In other words, the outline of the insertion port 16 is formed by the insertion partition wall 18, the abutting step portion 17, and the mounting cylinder 15.

[0021] The plug body 10 of this embodiment has an outer mounting cylinder 14 that surrounds the mounting cylinder 15 and protrudes inward from the periphery of the top plate 12 in the outflow direction V. The top plate 12 is located between the mounting cylinder 15 and the outer mounting cylinder 14 surrounding the mounting cylinder 15. The plug body 10 has a space formed by the mounting cylinder 15, the outer mounting cylinder 14, and the top plate 12 in the outflow direction V. In this embodiment, with the outlet peripheral portion 4a of the refill neck 4 inserted between the mounting cylinder 15 and the outer mounting cylinder 14 of the plug body 10, the plug body 10 is hammered into the outlet peripheral portion 4a, so that the plug body 10 and the outlet peripheral portion 4a are fitted together, thereby fixing the plug body 1 to the refill neck 4. A rib protruding radially outward is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outlet peripheral portion 4a in this embodiment. The bolt body 10 is installed and fixed to the refill neck 4 (see Figure 2) by making the rib tightly connected to the outer mounting sleeve 14. The bolt body 1 can also be installed and fixed to the refill neck 4 by a screw engagement instead of a snap engagement.

[0022] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, in the plug body 1, the plug cap 20 is installed on the plug body 10 with the press-in protrusion 26 protruding outward from the top plate 12 in the outflow direction V through the insertion port 16 at the interval between the outflow cylinder 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13. In this embodiment, the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the press-in protrusion 26 is approximately the same as the top view shape of the insertion port 16. That is, the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the press-in protrusion 26 and the top view shape of the insertion port 16 are approximately similar, so in the installed state, there is a small gap between the press-in protrusion 26 and the insertion port 16. Hereinafter, the state in which the press-in protrusion 26 is inserted into the insertion port 16 will also be referred to as the "installed state".

[0023] In the installed state of this embodiment, the mounting wall surface 27 of the cap 20 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder 15, and the top surface of the mounting wall surface 27 is in close contact with the abutment step portion 17. Alternatively, ribs along the circumferential direction may be formed on either or both of the outer peripheral surface of the mounting wall surface 27 and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder 15 to replace the above state. In this case, the ribs of the mounting wall surface 27 are in close contact with the mounting cylinder 15, or the mounting wall surface 27 is in close contact with the ribs of the mounting cylinder 15. Furthermore, the blocking plate portion 23 has a planar shape that is the same as the hollow cross-sectional shape of the mounting cylinder 15. In the installed state of the cap 20 with these configurations, the interior of the mounting cylinder 15, including the outflow opening 11a of the top plate 12, is blocked by the blocking plate portion 23, and is liquid-tightly sealed by the close contact between the mounting wall surface 27 and the mounting cylinder 15. Thus, the cap 20 blocks the opening formed inside the outlet direction V in the outlet opening 11a and the insertion port 16 of the top plate 12 of the cap body 10. Furthermore, the interior of the mounting cylinder 15, including the outlet opening 11a, is liquid-tightly sealed by the blocking plate portion 23 and the mounting wall portion 27. Therefore, even if the refill neck 4 is facing downwards in the vertical direction and the refill container 5 is in an inverted state, leakage from the contents of the refill container 5 can be prevented.

[0024] Referring to FIG8, the refilling operation of the refill container 5 using this embodiment will be described. The refill container 6 for filling contents has a refill neck 7, which has an opening communicating with the receiving space of the contents. The neck 7 is also a cylindrical portion having a flow path for filling contents inside. In this embodiment, the refill container 6 and the refill container 5 are both bottle-shaped containers, having a refill neck 7 and a shoulder and a main body forming the receiving space of the contents. A male threaded rib (not shown) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the refill neck 7.

[0025] During the refilling operation, as shown in FIG8, the refill neck 4 is oriented downwards in the vertical direction Z, and the refill container 5 is in an inverted state. On the other hand, the refill container 6 is in an upright state with the refill neck 7 oriented upwards in the vertical direction Z. Then, the plug body 1 is screwed into the refill neck 7, and the refill neck 4 and the refill neck 7 are detachably connected. Specifically, the female threaded protrusion 13a formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical outer wall 13 is screwed into the male threaded protrusion formed on the outer circumferential surface of the refill neck 7, so that the refill neck 4 and the refill neck 7 are connected. During this screwing operation, the refill neck 7 is inserted into the space between the outlet cylinder 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13 of the plug body 10, and the refill container 5 is rotated around the central axis and pressed into the refill neck 7 upwards in the vertical direction Z (inside the outlet direction V). In this way, the pressing protrusion 26 is pushed upward in the vertical direction Z (inside the outflow direction V) by the top surface of the neck 7 of the refill port. At the same time, the blocking plate 23 is also pushed upward in the vertical direction Z (inside the outflow direction V), thus relieving the blockage caused by the blocking plate 23, and connecting the interior of the mounting cylinder 15 with the receiving space of the contents in the refill container 5. As a result, the contents contained in the refill container 5 flow out through the outflow cylinder 11 into the refill container 6, thereby filling the refill container 6 with the contents. In Figure 8, the outflow of the contents from the refill container 5 is schematically shown with black arrows. Then, the neck 7 of the refilled port is pressed upward in the vertical direction Z (inside the outflow direction V). When the top surface of the neck 7 of the refilled port reaches the top plate 12, the pressing protrusion 26 is completely pushed out from the insertion port 16, the cap 20 is disengaged from the cap body 10, and the closure of the insertion port 16 caused by the pressing protrusion 26 is released (see Figure 8).

[0026] The refilling operation performed using the refill container 5 of this embodiment can be carried out by a simple operation in which the refill neck 4 and the neck 7 to be refilled are easily attached and detached via the plug 1. In this operation, the neck 7 to be refilled is pressed inward along the inner circumference of the cylindrical outer wall 13 towards the inside of the outflow direction V, as described above. At this time, the cylindrical outer wall 13 has an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the neck 7 to be refilled, so the neck 7 to be refilled can be tightly sealed to the cylindrical outer wall 13, and the neck 4 to be refilled can be combined with the neck 7 to be refilled. In this way, even if the blockage of the outflow opening 11a caused by the plug 20 is removed, the leakage of contents to the outside can be effectively suppressed by the tight seal between the cylindrical outer wall 13 and the neck 7 to be refilled. The "inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the neck 7 to be refilled" of the cylindrical outer wall 13 means that the inner diameter of the cylindrical outer wall 13 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the neck 7 to be refilled.

[0027] In this embodiment, the refill container 5 has a pressing protrusion 26 that protrudes from the top plate 12 outward in the outflow direction V through the insertion port 16. Therefore, during the refilling operation, before the pressing protrusion 26 is pushed out of the insertion port 16, the blockage caused by the blocking plate 23 is released, and the contents flow out through the outflow opening 11a. Furthermore, the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the pressing protrusion 26 is approximately similar to the top view shape of the insertion port 16. Therefore, before the pressing protrusion 26 is pushed out of the insertion port 16 during the refilling operation, it is not easy to generate a large gap between the pressing protrusion 26 and the insertion port 16, so that the contents flow out through the insertion port 16 almost never occurs. When the protrusion 26 is fully pushed out of the insertion port 16, the refill container 5 and the refilled container 6 are connected in the insertion port 16. Air displacement occurs between the refill container 5 and the refilled container 6 within the insertion port 16, and the outflow opening 11a functions as the main outlet. This air displacement promotes the outflow of contents through the outflow opening 11a, allowing for efficient refilling. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the refill container 5 does not undergo air displacement with the outside; instead, air displacement occurs between it and the refilled container 6 through the insertion port 16 of the plug 1, thus effectively preventing leakage of contents to the outside. In addition to air displacement between containers 5 and 6, the plug body 10 and the refilled container 6 are also liquid-tightly connected. Therefore, even if the inverted refilled container 5 and the upright refilled container 6 fall over after being connected, as long as the connection between the refill neck 4 and the refilled neck 7 via the plug body 1 is maintained, leakage of contents to the outside can be suppressed, thus ensuring stable filling of contents. From the viewpoint of facilitating air displacement between containers 5 and 6, the opening end of the insertion port 16 in the outflow direction V is preferably located further in the outflow direction V than the opening end of the outflow opening 11a in the outflow direction V.

[0028] The number of press-in protrusions 26 in the cap 20 is not particularly limited and can be either odd or plural. From the viewpoint of facilitating the balanced ejection of the cap 20 from the neck 7 of the refilled port during refilling operations and more smoothly relieving the blockage of the outflow opening 11a caused by the blocking plate portion 23, it is preferable that the insertion port 16 in the cap body 10 is formed at two or more locations in the space between the outflow tube 11 of the top plate 12 and the cylindrical outer wall 13, and correspondingly, the press-in protrusions 26 in the cap 20 are erected at two or more locations in the peripheral portion of the blocking plate portion 23. For example, the insertion port 16 may be formed at three locations in the aforementioned space in the cap body 10, and the press-in protrusions 26 may be formed at three locations in the cap 20 in the peripheral portion of the blocking plate portion 23. Alternatively, four insertion ports 16 may be formed in the aforementioned interval portion within the plug body 10. In this case, four press-in protrusions 26 may be formed in the plug cover 20 at the periphery of the blocking plate portion 23 (see Figure 9).

[0029] From the perspective of further improving the above-mentioned balance, it is preferable that, assuming a circle is formed by the interval portion between the outflow tube 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13, the insertion port 16 is formed at a portion where the circumference of the circle is equally divided. In this case, in the installed state, the pressing protrusion 26 is formed at each location corresponding to the insertion port 16 in the peripheral portion of the plug plate portion 23. For example, in the plug body 10, the insertion port 16 may be formed at a location where the circumference of the circle formed by the above-mentioned interval portion is divided into three equal parts, and the pressing protrusion 26 may be formed at a location corresponding to the insertion port 16 in the peripheral portion of the plug plate portion 23. In the plug body 10 of this embodiment, the insertion port 16 is formed at two radially opposite locations in the above-mentioned interval portion, and the pressing protrusion 26 is erected at two radially opposite locations in the peripheral portion of the plug plate portion 23 (see Figure 4).

[0030] Regarding the connection between the refill neck 4 and the refilled neck 7 via the plug 1, although the cylindrical outer wall 13 can be fitted with the refilled neck 7, from the viewpoints of preventing the refilled neck 7 from collapsing during the connection and further suppressing leakage of contents, and from the viewpoint of performing the connection operation more stably, it is preferable to screw the cylindrical outer wall 13 and the refilled neck 7 together. That is, it is preferable to form a female threaded protrusion 13a on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical outer wall 13, which engages with the male threaded protrusion formed on the outer circumferential surface of the refilled neck 7. This configuration is preferable in that when air displacement occurs between the refill container 5 and the refilled container 6 after the refilling operation, the connection between the refilled neck 4 and the refilled neck 7 can be easily released. In this embodiment, in order to make the above-mentioned screwing more secure, the inner diameter of the cylindrical outer wall 13 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the refilled neck 7.

[0031] From the viewpoint of further suppressing leakage of contents during refilling operations, it is preferable that when the refill neck 7 is inserted into the space between the outflow tube 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13 of the plug body 10, and the refill neck 4 is combined with the refilled neck 7, the top plate 12 abuts against the head end of the neck 7 (see Figure 8). In other words, it is preferable that when the refill neck 7 is inserted into the aforementioned space and the refill neck 4 is combined with the refilled neck 7, the top surface of the refilled neck 7 reaches the top plate 12. With this configuration, the refilled neck 7 and the plug body 10 are further closely connected, and leakage of contents from the gap between the neck 7 and the plug body 10 can be further suppressed.

[0032] Preferably, the mounting cylinder 15 has an outer diameter at its base end portion on the top plate 12 side that can be in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the outlet peripheral portion 4a (see Figure 2). In this embodiment, the mounting cylinder 15 has a portion on its protruding head end side where the outer diameter gradually decreases from the outer side towards the inner side in the outflow direction V, and the outer diameter of the base end portion on the top plate 12 side is larger than this portion. The outer diameter of this base end portion corresponds to the inner diameter of the outlet peripheral portion 4a. That is, the outer diameter of the aforementioned base end portion of the mounting cylinder 15 is approximately the same as the inner diameter of the outlet peripheral portion 4a. With this configuration, when the plug body 10 is installed on the refill neck 4, the aforementioned base end portion of the mounting cylinder 15 is in close contact with the outlet peripheral portion 4a. The mounting cylinder 15 may have an outer diameter that can be in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the outlet peripheral portion 4a in the entire outflow direction V, or it may have an outer diameter that can be in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the outlet peripheral portion 4a only in the base portion on the side of the top plate 12.

[0033] The plug body 1 of this embodiment is a molded product made of synthetic resins such as polypropylene and polyethylene or bioplastics such as polylactic acid, preferably formed by injection molding. The plug body 1 of this embodiment is formed as a part comprising a plug body 10 and a plug cap 20. Furthermore, the plug cap 20 is preferably made of a material with a specific gravity lower than that of the contents (liquid). With this configuration, after the plug cap 20 is detached from the plug body 10, the plug cap 20 floats in the contents due to buoyancy, thereby effectively preventing obstruction of the outflow of the contents through the outflow opening 11a.

[0034] The plug 1 of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 8. Hereinafter, another embodiment of the plug 1 of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, the other embodiment will be described mainly with respect to the components that are different from those shown in Figures 1 to 8, and the same components will be marked with the same symbols and the description will be omitted. The components that are not specifically described can be appropriately applied to the description of the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 8.

[0035] In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 8, when the top surface of the neck 7 to be refilled reaches the top plate 12 during the refilling operation, the push-in protrusion 26 is completely pushed out from the insertion port 16, and the cap 20 is detached from the cap body 10. However, the cap 20 may not detach from the cap body 10. For example, as shown in Figures 10(a) and (b), the protruding length of the push-in protrusion 26 protruding from the mounting wall surface 27 in the cap 20 may also be longer than the thickness of the insertion port 16. The thickness of the insertion port 16 is the length of the insertion port 16 in the outflow direction V, which is equal to the thickness of the top plate 12. The protruding length of the push-in protrusion 26 is the length between the top surface (head end) of the mounting wall surface 27 in the outflow direction V and the top surface (head end) of the push-in protrusion 26. In the cap 20 of this embodiment, even if the top surface of the neck 7 of the refill port reaches the top plate 12, the pressing protrusion 26 will not disengage from the insertion port 16, thus maintaining the closure of the insertion port 16 (installation state) [see Figure 10(b)]. In this case, the interior of the mounting cylinder 15, including the outflow opening 11a, is cleared of the blockage caused by the blocking plate 23, thus ensuring the flow path of the contents from the refill container 5. Furthermore, in the installation state of this embodiment, when there is a small gap between the pressing protrusion 26 and the insertion port 16, air replacement of the containers 5 and 6 can be performed through this gap.

[0036] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be appropriately modified. Furthermore, the above embodiments can also be combined. For example, the contents refilled into the refilled container 6 using the plug body 1 or a refill container 5 having therein can be liquid contents such as lotion or emulsion, or other contents with fluidity such as powder. The plug body 1 in the above embodiments is installed on the neck 4 of the bottle-shaped refill container 5, or it can be installed to cover the refill outlet of various refill containers made of plastic molded containers or film containers. The plug body 10 may also not have the through-wall 18. The plug body 10 may also not have the outer mounting cylinder 14, or it may be integrally installed on the refill container 5 by covering the refill outlet of the refill neck 4 through a sealing joint, etc.

[0037] Furthermore, the outflow tube 11 or the mounting tube 15 may also be a cylindrical portion with a hollow cross-sectional shape other than circular or elliptical, and the outflow opening 11a of the plug body 10 or the blocking plate portion 23 of the plug cap 20 may not have a circular planar shape. The mounting wall portion 27 of the plug cap 20 may also not have a hollow cylindrical shape. For example, by forming a thick-walled blocking plate portion 23, the outer peripheral surface can be in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube 15, thereby enabling the blocking plate portion 23 to function as the mounting wall portion 27. In the above embodiment, the press-in protrusion 26 erected from the peripheral portion of the blocking plate portion 23 is a columnar portion with four corner pillars (see Figure 4), but the press-in protrusion 26 may also be a columnar portion or a cylindrical portion of other shapes. The press-in protrusion 26 may also have a tapered shape that tapers towards the front end in the protruding direction. Furthermore, the head end of the press-in protrusion 26 may be flat or stepped. Furthermore, the pressing protrusion 26 can be erected vertically relative to the blocking plate portion 23, or it can be erected in an inclined state relative to the blocking plate portion 23. The shape of the top plate 12 is not particularly limited; it can be circular as in the above embodiment, or it can be any shape such as rectangular.

[0038] When the cap 20 has a plurality of press-in protrusions 26, the protrusion lengths of each press-in protrusion 26 may be the same or different. For example, some of the press-in protrusions 26 may have a protrusion length shorter than the thickness of the insertion port 16, while the remaining press-in protrusions 26 may have a protrusion length longer than the thickness of the insertion port 16. In this case, during the refilling operation, even if the press-in protrusions 26 with shorter protrusion lengths are completely pushed out of the insertion port 16, the press-in protrusions 26 with longer protrusion lengths remain inserted into the insertion port 16, thus facilitating air replacement through the insertion port 16 corresponding to the press-in protrusions 26 with shorter protrusion lengths.

[0039] Regarding the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the following refill container plug and refill container are further disclosed. <1> A plug for a refill container, which is installed to cover the refill outlet of a refill container for refilling contents into a refilled container having a neck, and comprises a plug body and a plug cap, wherein the plug body is engaged and fixed to the periphery of the opening of the refill outlet, and the plug cap blocks the opening formed in the outlet of the top plate of the plug body from the inside in the outflow direction, and is detachably installed on the plug body; the plug body has: an outlet tube that surrounds the outlet opening and protrudes from the top plate to the outside in the outflow direction; a cylindrical outer wall that is concentrically disposed with the outlet tube and surrounds the outlet tube and protrudes from the top plate to the outside in the outflow direction, and corresponds to the outer diameter of the neck of the refilled container; and an mounting tube that is concentrically disposed with the outlet tube and surrounds the outlet tube and protrudes from the top plate to the inside in the outflow direction. The plug body has an opening formed in the top plate at the interval between the outlet tube and the cylindrical outer wall. The plug cover has: a mounting wall portion whose outer peripheral surface is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube; a blocking plate portion having a planar shape with the same hollow cross-sectional shape as the mounting tube; and a press-in protrusion erected from the periphery of the blocking plate portion. The plug cover is installed on the plug body with the press-in protrusion protruding outward from the top plate in the outflow direction through the insertion port at the interval between the outlet tube and the cylindrical outer wall.

[0040] <2> As described in <1> above, the plug for a refill container is provided in two or more locations at the interval between the outlet tube and the cylindrical outer wall of the top plate, and the push-in protrusion is provided in two or more locations at the periphery of the plug plate. <3> As described in <2> above, the plug for a refill container is provided in a circle formed by dividing the circumference of the outlet tube and the cylindrical outer wall, with the plug formed in a plurality of locations where the circumference of the circle is equally divided. <4> As described in any one of <1> to <3> above, when the neck of the refilled container is inserted into the interval between the outlet tube and the cylindrical outer wall of the plug body, and the neck of the refilled container is joined to the neck of the refilled container, the top plate abuts against the head end of the neck. <5> As described in any of <1> to <4> above, the plug for a refill container has a female threaded protrusion formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical outer wall, which engages with a male threaded protrusion formed on the outer circumferential surface of the neck of the refill container. <6> As described in any of <1> to <5> above, the plug for a refill container has an outer diameter at the base end portion of the top plate side that can be in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the opening periphery of the refill outlet. <7> As described in any of <1> to <6> above, the plug for a refill container extends inward in the outflow direction via a plug-in partition wall. <8> As described in <7> above, the plug for a refill container has a portion of the periphery of the plug protruding inward in the outflow direction. <9> The plug for a refill container as described in any of <1> to <8> above, wherein the plug cap contains a material with a specific gravity lower than that of the contents.

[0041] <10> A refill container for refilling contents into a refillable container having a neck, wherein the refill container has a refill container plug body installed to cover the refill outlet, the refill container plug body comprising a plug body and a plug cap, the plug body being engaged and fixed to the periphery of the opening of the refill outlet, the plug cap blocking the outlet opening formed in the top plate of the plug body from the inside in the outflow direction, and being detachably installed on the plug body; the plug body having: an outlet tube surrounding the outlet opening and protruding from the top plate in the outflow direction outward; a cylindrical outer wall concentrically disposed with the outlet tube and surrounding the outlet tube and protruding from the top plate in the outflow direction outward, and having an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the neck of the refillable container; and an mounting tube concentrically disposed with the outlet tube and surrounding the outlet tube and protruding from the top plate in the outflow direction inward; The aforementioned plug body has an opening formed in the top plate at the interval between the aforementioned outflow cylinder and the aforementioned cylindrical outer wall. The aforementioned plug cover has: a mounting wall portion, the outer peripheral surface of which is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the aforementioned mounting cylinder; a blocking plate portion, which has a planar shape with the same hollow cross-sectional shape as the aforementioned mounting cylinder; and a pressing protrusion, which is erected from the periphery of the blocking plate portion. The aforementioned plug cover is installed on the aforementioned plug body with the pressing protrusion protruding outward from the top plate in the outflow direction through the aforementioned insertion port at the interval between the aforementioned outflow cylinder and the aforementioned cylindrical outer wall. <11> As described in <10> above, the aforementioned insertion port is formed at two or more locations at the interval between the aforementioned outflow cylinder and the aforementioned cylindrical outer wall of the aforementioned top plate, and the aforementioned pressing protrusion is erected at two or more locations at the periphery of the aforementioned blocking plate portion. <12> As described in <11> above, in a refill container, assuming a circle is formed by dividing the circumference of the outlet tube and the cylindrical outer wall, the insertion port is formed at a plurality of equal divisions of the circumference of the circle. <13> As described in any of <10> to <12> above, in a refill container, when the neck of the refilled container is inserted into the space between the outlet tube and the cylindrical outer wall in the plug body, and the neck of the refilled container is joined to the neck of the refilled container, the top plate abuts against the head end of the neck. <14> As described in any of <10> to <13> above, in a refill container, a female threaded rib is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical outer wall, which engages with a male threaded rib formed on the outer circumferential surface of the neck of the refilled container. <15> The refill container described in any of <10> to <14> above, wherein the base end portion of the top plate side of the mounting cylinder has an outer diameter that can be in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the opening periphery portion of the refill outlet.<16> The refill container as described in any of <10> to <15> above, wherein the insertion port extends inward in the flow direction via the insertion partition wall. <17> The refill container as described in <16> above, wherein the insertion partition wall is a portion of the periphery of the insertion port protruding inward in the flow direction. <18> The refill container as described in any of <10> to <17> above, wherein the cap comprises a material with a specific gravity lower than that of the contents. [Industrial applicability].

[0042] The refill container plug and the refill container having the present invention can efficiently and stably fill the contents during the refill operation and prevent leakage of the contents. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0008] Figure 1 is a front view showing one embodiment of the refill container of the present invention. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along the outflow direction showing the neck of the refill container of Figure 1 and the refill container plug body installed covering the outlet of the neck. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the refill container plug body of Figure 2 viewed from the outside in the outflow direction. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the plug cap of the refill container plug body of Figure 3 viewed from the outside in the outflow direction. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the plug body of the refill container plug body of Figure 3 viewed from the outside in the outflow direction. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the plug body of the refill container plug body of Figure 3 viewed from the inside in the outflow direction. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the plug body of the refill container plug body of Figure 3 viewed from the inside in the outflow direction. Figure 8 is a perspective view illustrating the refilling operation of refilling contents into a refilled container using the refill container of Figure 1. Figure 9 is a diagram corresponding to Figure 4 showing another embodiment of the plug cap of the present invention. Figure 10 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the plug for the refill container of the present invention, and Figure 10(a) is a cross-sectional view of the neck of the refill container having the plug for the refill container, and Figure 10(b) is a cross-sectional view of the neck during the refill operation.

Claims

1. A plug for a refill container, which is installed to cover the refill outlet of a refill container for refilling contents into a refilled container having a neck, and comprises a plug body and a plug cap, wherein the plug body is engaged and fixed to the periphery of the opening of the refill outlet, and the plug cap blocks the opening formed in the outlet of the top plate of the plug body from the inside in the outflow direction, and is detachably installed on the plug body; the plug body comprises: an outlet tube surrounding the outlet opening and protruding from the top plate in the outflow direction outward; a cylindrical outer wall concentrically disposed with the outlet tube and surrounding the outlet tube and protruding from the top plate in the outflow direction outward, and having an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the neck of the refilled container; and a mounting tube concentrically disposed with the outlet tube and surrounding the outlet tube and protruding from the top plate in the outflow direction inward; The aforementioned plug body has an opening formed in the top plate at the interval between the aforementioned discharge cylinder and the aforementioned cylindrical outer wall. The aforementioned plug cover has: a mounting wall portion, the outer peripheral surface of which is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the aforementioned mounting cylinder; a blocking plate portion, which has a planar shape with the same hollow cross-sectional shape as the aforementioned mounting cylinder; and a press-in protrusion, which is erected from the peripheral edge of the blocking plate portion. The aforementioned plug cover is installed on the aforementioned plug body with the aforementioned press-in protrusion protruding outward from the aforementioned top plate in the discharge direction through the aforementioned insertion port at the interval between the aforementioned discharge cylinder and the aforementioned cylindrical outer wall. A female threaded protrusion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the aforementioned cylindrical outer wall, which engages with a male threaded protrusion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the neck of the aforementioned refilled container. When the neck of the refilled container is inserted into the space between the outlet tube and the outer cylindrical wall of the plug body, and the neck of the refilled container is combined with the neck of the refilled container, the top plate abuts against the head end of the neck; the opening end of the insertion port on the inner side of the outflow direction is located further inward than the opening end of the outflow opening on the inner side of the outflow direction; by means of the plug body for the refilled container, the refilled container does not undergo air replacement with the outside.

2. The plug body for the refill container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insertion port is formed at two or more locations in the space between the outlet tube and the cylindrical outer wall of the top plate, and the pressing protrusion is erected at two or more locations in the peripheral portion of the plug plate.

3. The plug for the refill container as claimed in claim 2, wherein, assuming a circle is formed by dividing the circumference of the aforementioned outlet tube and the aforementioned cylindrical outer wall, the aforementioned insertion port is formed at a plurality of locations where the circumference of the circle is equally divided.

4. The refill container plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mounting cylinder has an outer diameter at the base end portion on the top plate side that can be in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the opening periphery portion of the refill outlet.

5. The plug for refilling the container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insertion port extends inward in the outflow direction via the insertion partition wall compared to the outflow opening.

6. The refill container plug as claimed in claim 5, wherein the aforementioned insertion partition wall is a portion of the periphery of the aforementioned insertion port protruding inward in the aforementioned outflow direction.

7. The plug for the refill container as requested in claim 1, wherein the plug cap comprises a material with a specific gravity lower than that of the contents.

8. A refill container for refilling contents into a refillable container having a neck, wherein the refill container has a refill container plug body installed to cover the refill outlet, the refill container plug body comprising a plug body and a plug cap, the plug body being engaged and fixed to the periphery of the opening of the refill outlet, the plug cap blocking the outlet opening formed in the top plate of the plug body from the inside in the outflow direction, and being detachably installed on the plug body; the plug body comprising: an outlet tube surrounding the outlet opening and protruding from the top plate in the outflow direction outward; a cylindrical outer wall concentrically disposed with the outlet tube and surrounding the outlet tube and protruding from the top plate in the outflow direction outward, and having an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the neck of the refillable container; and a mounting tube concentrically disposed with the outlet tube and surrounding the outlet tube and protruding from the top plate in the outflow direction inward; The aforementioned plug body has an opening formed in the top plate at the interval between the aforementioned discharge cylinder and the aforementioned cylindrical outer wall. The aforementioned plug cover has: a mounting wall portion, the outer peripheral surface of which is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the aforementioned mounting cylinder; a blocking plate portion, which has a planar shape with the same hollow cross-sectional shape as the aforementioned mounting cylinder; and a press-in protrusion, which is erected from the peripheral edge of the blocking plate portion. The aforementioned plug cover is installed on the aforementioned plug body with the aforementioned press-in protrusion protruding outward from the aforementioned top plate in the discharge direction through the aforementioned insertion port at the interval between the aforementioned discharge cylinder and the aforementioned cylindrical outer wall. A female threaded protrusion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the aforementioned cylindrical outer wall, which engages with a male threaded protrusion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the neck of the aforementioned refilled container. When the neck of the refilled container is inserted into the space between the outlet tube and the outer cylindrical wall of the plug body, and the neck of the refilled container is combined with the neck of the refilled container, the top plate abuts against the head end of the neck; the opening end of the insertion port on the inner side of the outflow direction is located further inward than the opening end of the outflow opening on the inner side of the outflow direction; by means of the plug body for the refilled container, the refilled container does not undergo air replacement with the outside.

9. The refill container as claimed in claim 8, wherein the insertion port is formed at two or more locations in the space between the outlet tube and the cylindrical outer wall of the top plate, and the pressing protrusion is erected at two or more locations in the peripheral portion of the blocking plate.

10. The refill container as claimed in claim 9, wherein, assuming a circle is formed by dividing the circumference of the aforementioned outlet tube and the aforementioned cylindrical outer wall, the aforementioned insertion port is formed at a plurality of locations where the circumference of the circle is equally divided.

11. The refill container as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mounting cylinder has an outer diameter at the base end portion of the top disc side that can be in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the opening periphery portion of the refill outlet.

12. The refill container as claimed in claim 8, wherein the insertion port extends inward in the outflow direction via the insertion partition wall than the outflow opening.

13. The refill container as claimed in claim 12, wherein the aforementioned through-hole partition wall is a portion of the periphery of the aforementioned through-hole protruding inward in the aforementioned outflow direction.

14. The refill container as claimed in claim 8, wherein the cap contains a material with a lower specific gravity than the contents.

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