Compact container

Abstract

This compact container (1A) comprises: a container body (2); a housing member (7) that is housed in the container body (2); a lid body (3); and a hook piece (4) that is disposed on the container body (2) and is provided with a hook (4f) that can be hooked on the lid body (3). By pushing the hook piece (4b) toward the container body (2) against the elastic force of a leaf spring (4b) provided to the hook piece (4), the hooking between the hook (4f) and the lid body (3) is released. The container body (2) and the housing member (7) are respectively provided with pushing parts (21, 71) that are pushed so as to sandwich the leaf spring (4b) in the pushing direction of the hook piece (4) by cooperating with each other.

Description

Compact container

[0001] The present invention relates to a compact container.

[0002] A conventional compact container is known in which a hook piece (operating member) fitted to the container body can be pushed in against the elasticity of the leaf spring of the hook piece, thereby releasing the engagement between the hook (engaging protrusion) on the hook piece and the lid body, thereby making it possible to open the lid (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 02-43907

[0004] However, in these conventional compact cases, when the lower portion of the hook piece is pushed backward, the upper portion of the hook piece tends to tilt forward. In this case, the hook on the push piece also tilts forward, increasing the amount of engagement between the hook and the lid. This increased engagement between the hook of the hook piece and the lid ultimately makes it difficult to open the lid.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a compact container in which the hook provided on the hook piece can be easily released from the engagement with the lid body regardless of the position of the hook piece when pressed into the compact container.

[0006] (1) The compact container of the present invention comprises a container body, a storage member housed in the container body, a lid body, and a hook piece disposed on the container body and having a hook that can be hooked onto the lid body, and the hook and the lid body are released from their engagement by pushing the hook piece toward the container body against the elastic force of a leaf spring provided on the hook piece, and the container body and the storage member each have a pressing portion that cooperates with each other to press down so as to clamp the leaf spring in the pushing direction of the hook piece.

[0007] (2) In the compact case of (1) above, the pressing portion of the pressing part may be a curved surface that makes line contact with the surface of the leaf spring.

[0008] (3) In the compact case of (1) above, the pressing portion of the pressing part may be a surface that comes into surface contact with the surface of the leaf spring.

[0009] (4) In the compact case of (1) above, the pressing portion of the pressing part may be a surface on which a plurality of protrusions are provided.

[0010] (5) In the compact case of any one of (1) to (4) above, the housing member may be a frame member.

[0011] According to the present invention, a compact container can be provided in which the hook provided on the hook piece can easily be released from the engagement with the lid body regardless of the position at which the hook piece is pressed.

[0012] 7 is a front view schematically showing a compact case according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view schematically showing the compact case of FIG. 1. It is a plan view schematically showing the compact case of FIG. 1. It is a cross-sectional view showing the compact case of FIG. 3 along the X1-X1 cross section. It is a cross-sectional view showing the compact case of FIG. 3 along the X2-X2 cross section. It is a cross-sectional view showing the compact case of FIG. 3 along the X3-X3 cross section. It is a plan view schematically showing, in enlargement, the relationship between the case body, frame member, and hook piece according to the compact case of FIG. 1. It is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the relationship between the case body, frame member, and hook piece according to the compact case of FIG. 7 along the X4-X4 cross section. It is a plan view schematically showing, in enlargement, the relationship between the case body, frame member, and hook piece according to a compact case according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a plan view schematically showing, in enlargement, the relationship between the case body, frame member, and hook piece according to a compact case according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Hereinafter, a compact case as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a compact case 1A according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a side view of the compact case 1A. Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the compact case 1A as seen through the lid 3.

[0015] Here, "front side" refers to the side on which the hook piece 4, described below, is arranged. Also, "rear side" refers to the side on which the pin 5, described below, is arranged. Additionally, "upper side" refers to the side on which the lid body 3, described below, is arranged. Also, "lower side" refers to the side on which the container body 2, described below, is arranged. Furthermore, "right side" and "left side" are based on the "front side," and "left-right direction" is also referred to as "width direction."

[0016] Referring to Figure 1, compact case 1A comprises a case body 2, a lid 3, and a hook piece 4 disposed on case body 2. As will be described later, compact case 1A releases the engagement between lid 3 and hook piece 4 by pushing hook piece 4 toward case body 2. In this embodiment, hook piece 4 is exposed to the outside of case body 2 through a notch 2e formed in the front wall 2a of case body 2. By releasing the engagement between lid 3 and hook piece 4, lid 3 can be opened and closed around the rear wall 2b of case body 2, as shown by the arrow in Figure 2.

[0017] 3, in this embodiment, the lid 3 is rotatably attached to the rear wall 2b of the container body 2 via a pin 5. The compact case 1A according to this embodiment is provided with two pins 5 spaced apart in the width direction. This allows the lid 3 to be opened and closed relative to the container body 2, using the pins 5 as base points. In addition, the compact case 1A according to this embodiment is provided with a torsion spring 6.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment, the torsion spring 6 is attached to the pin 5. The two ends of the torsion spring 6 each come into contact with either the container body 2 or the lid body 3, generating a biasing force in a direction that causes the lid body 3 to open relative to the container body 2. As a result, in this embodiment, the lid body 3 can automatically open relative to the container body 2 when the engagement between the lid body 3 and the hook piece 4 is released. Note that in Fig. 6, the side of the compact case 1A is shown in half cross section.

[0019] 3, in this embodiment, the torsion spring 6 is attached to only one of the two pins 5. However, the torsion spring 6 may be attached to each of the two pins 5. Also, the torsion spring 6 may be omitted.

[0020] The compact case 1A includes a housing member 7 housed in a case body 2. In this embodiment, the housing member 7 is a frame member. The housing member 7 is housed in a recess 2n formed in the case body 2. In this embodiment, the case body 2 includes a front wall 2a, a rear wall 2b spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction from the front wall 2a, and two side walls 2c spaced apart in the width direction. The two side walls 2c are connected to the widthwise ends of the front wall 2a and the rear wall 2b, respectively. Furthermore, the case body 2 includes a bottom wall 2d (see, for example, FIG. 4 ) connected to the front wall 2a, the rear wall 2b, and the two side walls 2c, respectively. In this embodiment, the recess 2n in which the housing member 7 is housed is defined inside these walls.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 3, in this embodiment, the storage member 7 includes a front wall 7a, a rear wall 7b spaced apart from the front wall 7a in the front-to-rear direction, and two side walls 7c spaced apart in the width direction. The two side walls 7c are connected to the widthwise ends of the front wall 7a and the rear wall 7b, respectively. Furthermore, the storage member 7 includes a bottom wall 7d (see Fig. 5, for example) connected to the front wall 7a, the rear wall 7b, and the two side walls 7c. In this embodiment, the storage member 7 also includes a recess 7n defined inside these walls. The recess 7n can accommodate, for example, a tray or cosmetic items.

[0022] 5, in this embodiment, the cover 3 includes a front wall 3a, a rear wall 3b spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction from the front wall 3a, and two side walls 3c spaced apart in the width direction (only one of the two side walls 3c is shown in FIG. 5). The two side walls 3c are connected to the widthwise ends of the front wall 3a and the rear wall 3b, respectively. The cover 3 also includes a top wall 3d that is connected to the front wall 3a, the rear wall 3b, and the two side walls 3c, respectively. In this embodiment, a mirror M is attached to the inner surface of the top wall 3d.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 4 , the hook piece 4 includes a hook 4f that can be hooked onto the lid 3. In this embodiment, the hook piece 4 includes a pressing portion 4a. The pressing portion 4a is a portion that a user directly touches with their finger to push the hook piece 4 into the container body 2. In this embodiment, the hook 4f is an upper hook that is integrally formed on the upper surface of the pressing portion 4a. In this embodiment, the hook 4f protrudes toward the front. In this embodiment, the hook 4f can be hooked onto a lower protrusion 3f formed on the rear surface of the front wall 3a of the lid 3, as shown in FIG. 4 . In this embodiment, the lower protrusion 3f protrudes toward the rear. The hook 4f of the hook piece 4 hooks onto the lower protrusion 3f of the lid 3, thereby preventing the lid 3 from opening relative to the container body 2.

[0024] 7 shows an enlarged schematic view of the relationship between the case body 2, the housing member 7, and the hook piece 4 of the compact case 1A. However, only one half of the compact case 1A is shown enlarged in FIG.

[0025] The hook piece 4 is provided with a leaf spring 4b. In this embodiment, the hook piece 4 has two leaf springs 4b arranged at a distance in the width direction ( Fig. 7 shows only one of the two leaf springs 4b). In this embodiment, the two leaf springs 4b are integrally provided on one side surface in the width direction of the pressing portion 4a (the left side surface in the width direction in Fig. 7), for example, as shown in Fig. 7. However, the leaf spring 4b can be arranged at any position on the pressing portion 4a as long as it can generate a repulsive force (biasing force) on the front side when the hook piece 4 is pushed rearward.

[0026] The engagement between the hook 4f of the hook piece 4 and the lower protrusion 3f of the lid body 3 can be released by pushing the hook piece 4 into the container body 2 against the elastic force of the leaf spring 4b provided on the hook piece 4.

[0027] In this embodiment, the hook piece 4 is slidably disposed on the upper surface of a bottom plate 7e provided on the housing member 7. In this embodiment, the bottom plate 7e is integrally provided on the front wall 7a of the housing member 7. The bottom plate 7e extends forward from the outer surface of the front wall 7a. In this embodiment, a guide portion 7g is formed on the upper surface of the bottom plate 7e. The guide portion 7g extends in the front-to-rear direction. In this embodiment, the guide portion 7g is a through hole. A guide protrusion 4c provided on the hook piece 4 is inserted into the guide portion 7g. Referring to FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the guide protrusion 4c is integrally provided on the lower surface of the pressing portion 4a. This allows the hook piece 4 to slide in the front-to-rear direction on the bottom plate 7e along the guide portion 7g. Note that in this embodiment, the guide portion 7g may be a guide groove.

[0028] 3, the compact case 1A is provided with holding portions (21, 71) on the case body 2 and the housing member 7 housed in the case body 2, which cooperate with each other to hold down the leaf spring 4b so as to sandwich it in the pushing direction of the hook piece 4. In this embodiment, the pushing direction of the hook piece 4 is the front-to-rear direction.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 7 , in this embodiment, the pressing portion provided on the container body 2 is a front pressing portion 21 that presses the leaf spring 4b of the hook piece 4 from the front side. In this embodiment, the front pressing portion 21 is provided on the bottom wall 2d of the container body 2. In this embodiment, the front pressing portion 21 extends in the front-to-rear direction. In this embodiment, the rear end of the front pressing portion 21 forms the pressing portion F1 of the front pressing portion 21. In addition, in this embodiment, a widthwise extending portion 22 is continuous with the front end of the front pressing portion 21. In this embodiment, the widthwise extending portion 22 extends from the front end of the front pressing portion 21 outward in the width direction (to the left in the width direction in FIG. 7 ). Also, as shown in FIG. 8 , in this embodiment, the front pressing portion 21, together with the widthwise extending portion 22, protrudes upward from the upper surface of the bottom wall 2d.

[0030] In contrast, in this embodiment, the pressing portion provided on the accommodating member 7 is a rear pressing portion 71 that presses the leaf spring 4b of the hook piece 4 from the rear side. In this embodiment, the rear pressing portion 71 is provided on the front wall 7a of the accommodating member 7. In this embodiment, the rear pressing portion 71 protrudes forward from the front surface of the front wall 7a of the accommodating member 7. In this embodiment, the front end of the rear pressing portion 71 forms a pressing portion F2 of the rear pressing portion 71.

[0031] 8, the leaf spring 4b of the hook piece 4 is arranged so that the width direction (short direction of the leaf spring 4b) of the leaf spring 4b is parallel to the vertical direction. In other words, the leaf spring 4b of the hook piece 4 is arranged so that the surface F4 of the leaf spring 4b extends in the vertical direction.

[0032] That is, in this embodiment, the pressing portion F1 of the front pressing portion 21 provided on the container body 2 contacts the front surface F41 of the leaf spring 4b in the width direction (vertical direction) of the leaf spring 4b, as shown in Fig. 8. In contrast, in this embodiment, the pressing portion F2 of the rear pressing portion 71 provided on the accommodating member 7 contacts the rear surface F42 of the leaf spring 4b in the width direction (vertical direction) of the leaf spring 4b, as shown in Fig. 8. Therefore, the front pressing portion 21 and the rear pressing portion 71 cooperate with each other to hold down the leaf spring 4b so as to sandwich it in the pushing direction (front-to-back direction) of the hook piece 4.

[0033] Thus, with compact container 1A, the two leaf springs 4b on hook piece 4 are each clamped between front clamping portion 21 on container body 2 and rear clamping portion 71 on housing member 7 in the direction of pushing hook piece 4. In this case, even when the lower portion of hook piece 4 is pushed rearward, the upper portion of hook piece 4 is less likely to tilt forward. Therefore, with compact container 1A, unlike conventional compact containers, the push piece does not tilt forward when the lower portion of the push piece is pushed, thereby increasing the degree of engagement between the hook and the lid. Therefore, with compact container 1A, the engagement between hook 4f on hook piece 4 and lid 3 can be easily released, regardless of the position of the push relative to hook piece 4.

[0034] Also, referring to FIG. 7, in the compact case 1A, the pressing portions (F1, F2) of the case body 2 and the housing member 7 are curved surfaces that make line contact with the surface F4 of the leaf spring 4b.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 7 , in this embodiment, the pressing portion F1 of the front pressing portion 21 is a curved surface with a radius of curvature r1 in a plan view. In this embodiment, the pressing portion F1 of the front pressing portion 21 allows the front pressing portion 21 to make line contact in the vertical direction with the front surface F41 of the leaf spring 4b. Similarly, as shown in Fig. 7 , in this embodiment, the pressing portion F2 of the rear pressing portion 71 is a curved surface with a radius of curvature r2 in a plan view. In this embodiment, the pressing portion F2 of the rear pressing portion 71 allows the rear pressing portion 71 to make line contact in the vertical direction with the rear surface F42 of the leaf spring 4b.

[0036] As in the compact case 1A, if the pressing portions (F1, F2) of the case body 2 and the housing member 7 are curved surfaces that make line contact with the surface F4 of the leaf spring 4b, the surface F4 of the leaf spring 4b can be pressed in the vertical direction by line contact. In particular, if the curved surfaces of the pressing portions (F1, F2) are configured as curved surfaces with a radius of curvature, as in this embodiment, stress concentration on the surface F4 of the leaf spring 4b can be reduced.

[0037] Next, Fig. 9 shows a schematic enlarged view of the relationship between the case body 2, the housing member 7, and the hook piece 4 in a compact case 1B, which is a second embodiment of the present invention, similar to Fig. 7. Note that in compact case 1B, parts that are substantially the same as those in compact case 1A are given the same reference numerals.

[0038] Referring to Figure 9, in the compact case 1B according to this embodiment, the pressing portions (F1, F2) of the case body 2 and the housing member 7 are surfaces that come into surface contact with the surface F4 of the leaf spring 4b.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 9 , in this embodiment, the pressing portion F1 of the front pressing portion 21 is a surface that extends along the front surface F41 of the leaf spring 4b in a plan view. In this embodiment, the front pressing portion 21 extends in the width direction. In this case, the front pressing portion 21 can come into surface contact with the front surface F41 of the leaf spring 4b. Note that in this embodiment, the front pressing portion 21 is connected to a widthwise extending portion 22 that is located forward of the front pressing portion 21. In this embodiment, the outer widthwise end of the front pressing portion 21 (the left widthwise end in FIG. 9 ) is connected to the inner widthwise end of the widthwise extending portion 22 (the right widthwise end in FIG. 9 ).

[0040] 9 , in this embodiment, the pressing portion F2 of the rear pressing portion 71 is a surface that extends along the rear surface F42 of the leaf spring 4b in a plan view. In this embodiment, the rear pressing portion 71 also extends in the width direction. In this case, the rear pressing portion 71 can come into surface contact with the rear surface F42 of the leaf spring 4b. In this embodiment, the rear pressing portion 71 is disposed forward of the front wall 7a of the accommodating member 7, and the outer widthwise end of the rear pressing portion 71 (the left widthwise end in FIG. 9 ) is continuous with the front wall 7a of the accommodating member 7.

[0041] As in compact case 1B, if the pressing portions (F1, F2) of case body 2 and housing member 7 are surfaces that come into surface contact with surface F4 of leaf spring 4b, surface F4 of leaf spring 4b can be pressed by surface contact. Also, as in this embodiment, if the pressing portions (F1, F2) are configured with surfaces that come into surface contact with surface F4 of leaf spring 4b, leaf spring 4b provided on hook piece 4 can be pressed more firmly in the pushing direction.

[0042] Next, Figure 10 shows, similarly to Figure 9, a schematic enlarged view of the relationship between the case body 2, the housing member 7, and the hook piece 4 of a compact case 1C, which is a third embodiment of the present invention. The compact case 1C is a modified version of the compact case 1B. Note that in the compact case 1C, parts that are substantially the same as those in the compact case 1B are given the same reference numerals.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 10, in the compact case 1C according to this embodiment, the pressing portions (F1, F2) of the case body 2 and the housing member 7 are surfaces on which a plurality of protrusions are provided.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 10 , in this embodiment, the pressing portion F1 of the front pressing portion 21 is configured with a reference surface F11 extending along the front surface F41 of the leaf spring 4b in a plan view and multiple protrusions P1 provided on the reference surface F11. In this embodiment, the reference surface F11 is a surface extending along the front surface F41 of the leaf spring 4b in a plan view, as shown in FIG. 10 . In this embodiment, the multiple protrusions P1 are integrally provided on the reference surface F11. In this embodiment, the multiple protrusions P1 enable the front pressing portion 21 to make point contact with multiple portions of the front surface F41 of the leaf spring 4b. Note that in this embodiment, the multiple protrusions P1 are evenly spaced apart on the reference surface F11 of the front pressing portion 21. However, the multiple protrusions P1 can be arranged in various arrangements on the reference surface F11 of the front pressing portion 21.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 10 , in this embodiment, the pressing portion F2 of the rear pressing portion 71 is configured with a reference surface F21 extending along the rear surface F42 of the leaf spring 4b in a plan view and multiple protrusions P2 provided on the reference surface F21. In this embodiment, the reference surface F21 is a surface extending along the rear surface F42 of the leaf spring 4b in a plan view, as shown in FIG. 10 . In this embodiment, the multiple protrusions P2 are integrally formed on the reference surface F21 of the rear pressing portion 71. In this embodiment, the multiple protrusions P2 enable the rear pressing portion 71 to make point contact with multiple portions of the rear surface F42 of the leaf spring 4b. Note that in this embodiment, the multiple protrusions P2 are evenly spaced apart on the reference surface F21 of the rear pressing portion 71. However, the multiple protrusions P2 can be arranged in various arrangements on the reference surface F21 of the rear pressing portion 71.

[0046] As in the compact case 1C of this embodiment, if the pressing portions (F1, F2) of the case body 2 and the housing member 7 are surfaces with multiple protrusions, multiple portions of the surface F4 of the leaf spring 4b can be pressed by point contact. That is, if the pressing portions (F1, F2) are configured with surfaces with multiple protrusions as in this embodiment, the contact surface with the surface F4 of the leaf spring 4b provided on the hook piece 4 can be suppressed, and the leaf spring 4b can be more firmly pressed in the pushing direction. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the reference surfaces F11 and F21 can be secondary surface contact portions.

[0047] The above describes a compact container as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims. For example, the hook piece 4 can have the pressing portion 4a and the leaf spring 4b as separate components. Furthermore, the widthwise extending portion 22 is a portion for reinforcing the front retaining portion 21. For this reason, it is preferable that the widthwise extending portion 22 is connected to the front retaining portion 21. However, the widthwise extending portion 22 can be omitted depending on the strength of the front retaining portion 21. Instead of a frame member (inner frame), the storage member 7 can be an inner tray member in which cosmetics are stored. Furthermore, the various configurations adopted in the above-described embodiments can be used in combination with each other.

[0048] 1A: Compact container (first embodiment), 1B: Compact container (second embodiment), 1C: Compact container (third embodiment), 2: Container body, 2a: Front wall, 2b: Rear wall, 2c: Side wall, 2d: Bottom wall, 21: Front pressing portion, F1: Pressing portion of front pressing portion, F11: Reference surface of pressing portion of front pressing portion, P1: Protrusion of pressing portion of front pressing portion, 22: Widthwise extending portion, 3: Lid, 3a: Front wall, 3b: Rear wall, 3c: Side wall, 3d: Top wall, 4: Hook piece, 4a: Pressing portion, 4b: Leaf spring, 4c: Guide protrusion, 4f: Hook, 5: Pin, 6: Torsion spring, 7: Storage member, 7a: Front wall, 7b: Rear wall, 7c: Side wall, 7d: bottom wall, 7e: bottom plate, 71: rear pressing portion, F2: pressing portion of rear pressing portion, F21: reference surface of pressing portion of rear pressing portion, P2: protrusion of pressing portion of rear pressing portion, F4: surface of leaf spring, F41: front surface of leaf spring, F42: rear surface of leaf spring

Claims

1. A compact container comprising a container body, a storage member contained in the container body, a lid, and a hook piece disposed on the container body and equipped with a hook capable of being hooked onto the lid, wherein the hook and the lid are released from their engagement by pushing the hook piece towards the container body against the elastic force of a leaf spring provided on the hook piece, wherein the container body and the storage member are each provided with a pressing portion which cooperates with each other to press down so as to pinch the leaf spring in the direction in which the hook piece is pushed in.

2. A compact container as described in claim 1, wherein the pressing portion of the pressing part is a curved surface that makes line contact with the surface of the leaf spring.

3. A compact case as described in claim 1, wherein the pressing portion of the pressing part is a surface that comes into surface contact with the surface of the leaf spring.

4. A compact case as described in claim 1, wherein the pressing portion of the pressing part is a surface provided with a plurality of protrusions.

5. The compact container according to claim 1, wherein the housing member is a frame member.

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