Container and cosmetic container
The container design with a welded ring and film ensures airtight and liquid-tight seals, addressing leakage issues in cosmetic containers during hanging or vertical display.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- KK TAIKI
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-06
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-15
AI Technical Summary
Cosmetic containers designed for hanging or vertical display are prone to leakage when containing powdery or liquid cosmetics, as conventional designs fail to prevent contents from escaping.
A container design featuring a storage section with a peripheral wall and a detachable ring joined by ultrasonic welding, combined with a barrier film, ensures secure attachment and prevents leakage by forming airtight and liquid-tight seals.
The container effectively prevents leakage during hanging or vertical display, maintaining airtight and liquid-tight conditions, even when subjected to various display orientations.
Smart Images
Figure JP2025038844_15052026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Container and Cosmetic Container
[0001] The present invention relates to a container and a cosmetic container.
[0002] As a cosmetic container for containing cosmetics, a compact container or the like has been conventionally used. As a compact container, various types and various shapes are known. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-512209 (Patent Document 1) discloses a compact container in which an impregnated member impregnated with cosmetics is accommodated.
[0003] Conventionally, when cosmetics are contained in a cosmetic container such as a compact container and sold, a plurality of cosmetic containers have been displayed in a flat stack (lying horizontally) overlapping in the vertical direction. On the other hand, in recent years, cosmetics contained in cosmetic containers have been sold at stores such as convenience stores. Also, in stores such as convenience stores, since a variety of products are displayed and sold, the display locations of each product are often limited.
[0004] Therefore, in convenience stores and the like, in order to improve the efficiency of product display, and also to make the products easy to see and easy to pick up, for cosmetic containers such as compact containers, instead of the conventional flat stack (lying horizontally) display, they have shifted to a display that is hung and held by a hook or the like.
[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-512209
[0006] However, in the case where the cosmetic contained in the cosmetic container is powdery or contains a liquid, etc., there is a possibility that the cosmetic may leak from the lower side of the hung cosmetic container, so it has not been possible to cope with the hanging display.
[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a container capable of preventing the contents contained in the container from leaking even when the container is, for example, hung or stood upright along the vertical direction.
[0008] To address the above issues, the container provided by the present invention has a storage section in which a peripheral wall extends upward from the outer circumference of the bottom surface, a ring, and a film that is detachably fixed to the ring, wherein at least a portion of the ring is joined to the peripheral wall.
[0009] In the container of the present invention, the ring and the peripheral wall may be welded together. The ring and the peripheral wall may be ultrasonically welded together. The ring may be continuously joined to the peripheral wall over the entire circumference of the opening formed in the ring.
[0010] The film has barrier properties and may be joined to the ring by a heat-welded portion formed by heat welding. The joint portion that joins the ring to the peripheral wall may have a higher joint strength than the heat-welded portion. At least one of the peripheral wall and the ring may have an engaging portion that mechanically engages the ring to the peripheral wall.
[0011] The cosmetic container provided by the present invention is a cosmetic container having the container and a case body to which the container is detachably attached.
[0012] According to the container of the present invention, since at least a portion of the ring is joined to the peripheral wall of the storage section, it is possible to prevent the contents stored in the container from leaking out of the container, even when the container is suspended or stood upright along the vertical direction.
[0013] This is a perspective view showing a container according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a plan view of the container. This is a cross-sectional view of the container along the line III-III shown in Figure 2. This is a cross-sectional view of the container along the line IV-IV shown in Figure 2. This is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an enlarged portion of the container enclosed by the dashed line shown in Figure 4. This is a plan view showing the ring of the container. This is a side view of the ring. This is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of a container according to another embodiment of the present invention. This is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of a container according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the same reference numerals used in different drawings indicate the same or corresponding components.
[0015] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a container according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a plan view of the container. Figures 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views of the container along lines III-III and IV-IV shown in Figure 2.
[0016] In the following description and drawings, the vertical direction is perpendicular to the bottom surface 11 of the container 1. The upward direction in the vertical direction is the direction from the bottom surface 11 of the container 1 toward the lid 20 when the lid 20 is closed, and the downward direction in the vertical direction is the direction from the lid 20 toward the bottom surface 11 of the container 1.
[0017] [Basic Structure of Container 1] The container 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 has a storage section 10 for containing contents, a ring 30 joined to the storage section 10, and a film 40 fixed to the ring 30. The shape, size, etc. of the container 1 are not limited. For example, when viewed from above, the container 1 may have a circular, approximately circular, elliptical, square, approximately square, or other shape. The container 1 may have a shape in which the thickness in the vertical direction is thin, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. In the container 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2, the direction along the circumference of the container 1 is called the circumferential direction, and the direction along the radius of the container 1 is called the radial direction.
[0018] The material of the container 1 is not limited, but for example, the storage section 10 and the ring 30 may be made of synthetic resin. The storage section 10 and the ring 30 may be made of a thermoplastic resin that can be ultrasonically welded, and may be made of at least one thermoplastic resin selected from the group including, for example, polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polystyrene, AS resin, ABS resin, modified PPO resin, polyacetal, acrylic, cellulose acetate, nylon, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and PBT resin. The storage section 10 and the ring 30 may be made of the same type of synthetic resin, or they may be made of different types of synthetic resins.
[0019] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the storage section 10 has a bottom surface 11 that supports the contents stored in the internal space 15, and a peripheral wall 12 that extends upward from the outer periphery of the bottom surface 11. The internal space 15 of the storage section 10 is surrounded by the bottom surface 11 and the peripheral wall 12. The storage section 10 has an opening that is surrounded by the upper end of the peripheral wall 12. The opening communicates with the internal space 15, and the contents are inserted into the internal space 15 from the opening and removed from the internal space 15 through the opening. The bottom surface 11 has an upper surface and a lower surface that are perpendicular to the vertical direction.
[0020] The peripheral wall 12 is formed over the entire circumference of the outer periphery of the bottom surface 11 and has an inner peripheral surface facing the internal space 15 and an outer peripheral surface located on the opposite side of the inner peripheral surface and facing radially outward. The shape of the peripheral wall 12 is not limited, but for example, it may have the shape of a cylinder extending in the vertical direction. The peripheral wall 12 may be tapered, with its thickness decreasing from bottom to top. At least a portion of the peripheral wall 12 in the circumferential direction may extend in a direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction. The peripheral wall 12 may have a shape in which a portion of the peripheral wall 12 in the vertical direction is bent or curved.
[0021] The upper region of the peripheral wall 12 is, for example, the upper region of the peripheral wall 12 when the peripheral wall 12 is divided into three equal parts in the vertical direction. For example, Figure 5 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the upper region of the peripheral wall 12. The inner circumferential surface in the upper region of the peripheral wall 12 is formed along the vertical direction. The outer circumferential surface in the upper region of the peripheral wall 12 is inclined with respect to the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 12 so as to gradually decrease the thickness of the peripheral wall 12 toward the upper side, forming the tapered shape described above. For example, the tapered shape may be formed by the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 12 being formed along the vertical direction and the inner circumferential surface being inclined with respect to the outer circumferential surface.
[0022] The tapered shape formed in the upper region of the peripheral wall 12 makes it easier to insert the peripheral wall 12 between the flange 31 and the inner rib 32 formed on the ring 30 when attaching the ring 30 to the housing portion 10. The upper end of the peripheral wall 12 may be joined to the ring 30 by the joint portion 45, or it may simply remain inserted between the flange 31 and the inner rib 32.
[0023] An engagement recess 12a may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the upper region of the peripheral wall 12. The engagement recess 12a only needs to be formed on at least a part of the peripheral wall 12, but it may also be formed continuously around the entire circumference of the peripheral wall 12. The engagement recess 12a has a shape that is recessed radially inward from the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 12, and is formed in a position and size that can accommodate at least a part of the engagement projection 31a formed on the ring 30. By inserting and engaging the engagement projection 31a of the ring 30 into the engagement recess 12a, it becomes possible to engage the ring 30 with the peripheral wall 12 and hold it in a predetermined position before joining the ring 30 to the peripheral wall 12, for example, so that the ring 30 can be stably joined to the housing 10. For example, an engagement projection that can accommodate at least a part of the engagement recess formed on the ring 30 may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 12. The container 1 may be formed without the engagement recess 12a and the engagement projection 31a.
[0024] [Description of Ring 30] As shown in Figure 6, the ring 30 has a frame shape when viewed from above, and a ring opening 33 is formed on the inner circumference of the ring 30. The shape and size of the ring 30 are not limited, but for example, the ring 30 shown in Figures 6 and 7 has an annular shape when viewed from above.
[0025] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the ring 30 has an upper surface 30a to which the film 40 is removably fixed, and a lower surface 30b that is joined to the upper end of the peripheral wall 12. The method and means of joining the ring 30 to the peripheral wall 12, and the method and means of fixing the film 40 to the ring 30 are not limited, but the ring 30 may be welded to the peripheral wall 12. The film 40 may also be welded to the ring 30.
[0026] Because the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 is narrow, by installing a ring 30 with a width wider than the upper end of the peripheral wall 12, the upper surface 30a of the ring 30 and the film 40 can be brought into surface contact. As a result, the thin film 40 can be fixed more stably to the upper surface 30a of the ring 30 compared to, for example, directly fixing it to the peripheral wall 12, and wrinkles and sagging of the fixed film 40 can be prevented. Furthermore, by changing the area of the part to which the film 40 is fixed, for example by adjusting the width of the ring 30, the fixing strength of the film 40 to the ring 30 can be adjusted, so that the film 40 can be fixed to the ring 30 with an appropriate fixing strength that allows it to be peeled off.
[0027] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the ring 30 may have a flange 31 extending downward from the outer circumference of the ring 30 and an inner rib 32 protruding downward from the lower surface 30b of the ring 30. The flange 31 extends downward from the entire circumference of the outer edge of the ring 30 via a bent or curved portion.
[0028] The inner circumferential surface of the flange 31 may have an engaging projection 31a that protrudes radially inward, as shown in Figure 5, for example. The engaging projection 31a is formed around the entire circumference of the flange 31 in a position and size that allows it to be inserted into an engaging recess 12a formed in the peripheral wall 12 of the container 1, for example.
[0029] The engaging recess 12a of the peripheral wall 12 and the engaging projection 31a of the ring 30 mechanically engage the ring 30 with the peripheral wall 12, forming an engaging portion that maintains the state in which the ring 30 is attached to the peripheral wall 12. Mechanical engagement means that two parts are joined, connected, or restrained to each other by a mechanical action.
[0030] The engaging portion that mechanically engages the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30 is not limited to the engaging recess 12a and the engaging projection 31a. For example, as a mechanical engaging portion, an engaging claw portion may be formed on one of the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30, and an engaged portion may be formed on the other that can engage or lock the engaging claw portion.
[0031] The mechanical engagement portion may be formed, for example, by making the outer diameter of the inner rib 32 of the ring 30 larger than the inner diameter of the peripheral wall 12. This allows the ring 30 to be mechanically engaged with the peripheral wall 12 by fitting the inner rib 32 of the ring 30 into the inside of the peripheral wall 12. The ring 30 and the peripheral wall 12 may be engaged by a combination of two or more types of mechanical engagement portions.
[0032] The inner rib 32 of the ring 30 protrudes downward from the lower surface 30b of the ring 30. The inner rib 32 is formed around the entire circumference of the ring 30 at a position radially inward from the flange 31. An insertion space is formed between the flange 31 and the inner rib 32 into which the peripheral wall 12 of the container 1 is inserted. Note that the ring 30 may be formed without the flange 31 and / or the inner rib 32.
[0033] [Explanation of Joint 45] As shown in Figure 5, the joint 45 joins the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 to the lower surface 30b of the ring 30. For example, when viewing a cross-section perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the housing 10 and the ring 30, the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30 are joined by a single joint 45. The upper end of the peripheral wall 12 can be joined to the ring 30 by, for example, applying heat while pressing the ring 30 toward the housing 10 from above, thereby stably welding the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 to the lower surface of the ring 30.
[0034] The position and size of the joint between the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30 are not particularly limited, but for example, the joint 45 only needs to join at least a portion of the ring 30 to the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 in the circumferential direction of the annular ring 30. For example, when a cosmetic container is held vertically by being suspended, the joint 45 joins at least the lower arc-forming portion of the ring 30 to the container 1, thereby preventing the contents contained in the container 1 from leaking out of the container 1 through the gap between the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30 of the container 10.
[0035] The joint 45 may be formed continuously along the entire circumference of the ring 30, for example, along the outer peripheral edge of the ring opening 33 of the ring 30. This reliably prevents the contents contained in the container 1 from leaking out of the container 1.
[0036] The joint 45 is not limited as long as it joins the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30, but the joint 45 may be formed by a welded portion formed by welding, for example, by melting and joining a part of the peripheral wall 12 and / or a part of the ring 30. By forming a welded portion as the joint 45 between the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30, the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30 can be firmly fixed. The welded portion may be formed by melting only the peripheral wall 12 or the ring 30, or by melting both the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30. The upper end of the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30 may be joined by, for example, an adhesive, or they may be tightly fitted together.
[0037] The method or means for forming the welded portion as the joint 45 is not limited, and the welded portion may be formed by, for example, heat welding or high-frequency welding, but it is preferable that the welded portion is an ultrasonically welded portion formed by performing ultrasonic welding while the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 and the lower surface 30b of the ring 30 are in contact or close proximity.
[0038] For example, the ultrasonically welded portion is formed by applying ultrasonic vibrations to the portion where the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 and the lower surface 30b of the ring 30 are in contact or close to each other, thereby melting a portion of the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 and / or a portion of the lower surface 30b of the ring 30, and then solidifying it by cooling.
[0039] The ultrasonically welded portion firmly joins the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30, thus more reliably preventing leakage of contents from between the container 1 and the ring 30, and also preventing, for example, the ring 30 from detaching and falling off the container 1. By performing ultrasonic welding to form the ultrasonically welded portion, the housing portion 10 and the ring 30 can stably maintain their shape (outer diameter) before ultrasonic welding in portions other than the joint portion 45, thus allowing the housing portion 10 and the ring 30 to stably perform their original functions.
[0040] In the housing section 10 and ring 30 shown in Figure 5, the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 and the lower surface 30b of the ring 30 are joined by one joint 45, but the position, size, and number of joints 45 are not limited. For example, as shown in Figure 8, the housing section 50 and ring 60 of a container 2 according to another form may be joined by two joints 45, or, as shown in Figure 9, the housing section 70 and ring 80 of a container 3 according to yet another form may be joined by three joints 45.
[0041] For example, the peripheral wall 52 of the housing 50 shown in Figure 8 has an upper end portion 52a and a flange support portion 52b formed below the upper end portion 52a. The flange support portion 52b is formed around the entire circumference of the peripheral wall 52 at a position radially outward from the upper end portion 52a. The ring 60 has a flange 61 and an inner rib 62. The flange 61 is formed to a length such that its lower end contacts or is close to the flange support portion 52b of the peripheral wall 52.
[0042] As shown in FIG. 8, the peripheral wall 52 and the ring 60 are joined by two joining portions 45. Each joining portion 45 may be, for example, an ultrasonic welding portion formed by ultrasonic welding. One of the two joining portions 45 joins the lower surface of the ring 60 and the upper end portion 52a of the peripheral wall 52. The other joining portion 45 joins the lower end portion of the flange 61 and the flange support portion 52b of the peripheral wall 52.
[0043] For example, the peripheral wall 72 of the housing portion 70 shown in FIG. 9 has an upper end portion 72a, a flange support portion 72b formed below the upper end portion 72a, and a rib support portion 72c that supports the inner rib 82 of the ring 80. The rib support portion 72c is arranged radially inside and below the upper end portion 72a. The flange support portion 72b and the rib support portion 72c are arranged at the same position or substantially the same position in the vertical direction and are formed over the entire circumference of the peripheral wall 72.
[0044] The ring 80 shown in FIG. 9 has a flange 81 and an inner rib 82. The flange 81 is formed to have a length such that the lower end portion of the flange 81 contacts or is close to the flange support portion 72b of the peripheral wall 72. The inner rib 82 is formed to have a length such that the lower end portion of the inner rib 82 contacts or is close to the rib support portion 72c of the peripheral wall 72.
[0045] As shown in FIG. 9, the peripheral wall 72 and the ring 80 are joined by three joining portions 45. Each joining portion 45 may be, for example, an ultrasonic welding portion formed by ultrasonic welding. One of the three joining portions 45 joins the lower surface of the ring 80 and the upper end portion 72a of the peripheral wall 72. Another joining portion 45 joins the lower end portion of the flange 81 and the flange support portion 72b of the peripheral wall 72. Yet another joining portion 45 joins the lower end portion of the inner rib 82 of the ring 80 and the rib support portion 72c of the peripheral wall 72.
[0046] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, by forming a plurality of joining portions 45, the peripheral walls 52, 72 and the rings 60, 80 are firmly joined, so that it is possible to stably prevent the contents from leaking between the peripheral walls 52, 72 and the rings 60, 80. Also, it is possible to prevent the rings 60, 80 from coming off and dropping from the peripheral walls 52, 72.
[0047] [Description of Film 40] The film 40 is not particularly limited as long as it can be fixed to the ring 30 and can be peeled off from the state of being fixed to the ring 30. The film 40 is preferably a thin film-like member having a barrier property for preventing the permeation of gases and liquids such as fragrance components and flexibility. The film 40 having a barrier property may include, for example, at least a barrier layer (base layer) and a sealant layer formed on the lower surface of the barrier layer. For such a film 40, a metal vapor deposition film such as aluminum, a silica vapor deposition film, or an alumina vapor deposition film may be used.
[0048] The film 40 may be detachably fixed to the ring 30 by, for example, performing heat welding on the film 40 and the ring 30 in a state where the film 40 is overlapped on the ring 30 from above. The film 40 may be fixed by, for example, an adhesive. The heat welding portion formed by melting a part of the ring 30 and / or a part of the film 40 by heat welding preferably has a lower bonding strength than the bonding portion 45 that joins the peripheral wall 12 of the container 1 and the ring 30. Thereby, for example, when the user starts using the cosmetic container, the film 40 fixed to the ring 30 can be easily peeled off. When peeling off the film 40, even if the ring 30 is pulled by the film 40, the state where the ring 30 is fixed to the container 1 can be stably maintained.
[0049] [Description of Lid Portion 20] The container 1 may have, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a lid portion 20 and a lid support portion 13 that supports the lid portion 20 when the lid portion 20 is closed. A hinge portion 14 for rotatably holding the lid portion 20 may be formed on the lid support portion 13.
[0050] The shape and structure of the lid portion 20 are not limited, but for example, the lid portion 20 may have a dish-like shape. The lid portion 20 may have a lid projection 22 that protrudes downward from the lid portion 20, a handle portion 23 and a hinge connection portion 24 that protrude radially outward from the peripheral edge of the lid portion 20, and a pair of rotating shaft portions 25 that protrude from the hinge connection portion 24 and are rotatably held by the hinge portion 14.
[0051] The lid portion 20 may have a storage space 26 that opens upwards, capable of accommodating an applicator such as a puff (not shown). The lid portion 20 may be rotatably attached to the hinge portion 14 and then detachably attached from the hinge portion 14. The shape, structure, size, etc., of the hinge portion 14 are not limited.
[0052] The material of the lid portion 20 is not limited, but the lid portion 20 may be formed by two-color molding of a thermoplastic resin 6 and a thermoplastic elastomer 7, as shown in Figure 5. For example, when the container 1 is closed with the lid portion 20, the portion including the contact portion that contacts the lid support portion 13 of the container 1 may be formed of the thermoplastic elastomer 7. The lid projection 22 of the lid portion 20 may be formed in the shape of a circular ring when the lid portion 20 is viewed from below, or it may be formed to be elastically deformable by the thermoplastic elastomer 7.
[0053] The lid portion 20 has a lower lid surface that faces the bottom surface 11 of the storage portion 10 when the container 1 is closed. The lower lid surface may have, for example, a first lower lid surface that is positioned inside the lid projection 22 and a second lower lid surface that is positioned outside the lid projection 22. The first and second lower lid surfaces are positioned parallel to the upper surface of the bottom surface 11 when the lid portion 20 is closed.
[0054] The first lower surface of the lid portion 20 is positioned below the second lower surface of the lid in the vertical direction when the lid portion 20 is closed, and is formed to face the film 40 fixed to the ring 30 with a gap in between. The second lower surface of the lid is formed in a position that contacts the lid support portion 13 of the container 1 when the lid portion 20 is closed.
[0055] The lid support portion 13 that supports the closed lid portion 20 may be formed in the housing portion 10. The lid support portion 13 is formed, for example, on the outside of the peripheral wall 12 along the circumferential direction. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, when viewing a cross section perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the housing portion 10, the lid support portion 13 has a substantially L-shaped first support portion 13a at one end connected to the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 12, a second support portion 13b extending radially outward from the other end of the first support portion 13a, and an outer wall portion 13c extending downward from the second support portion 13b.
[0056] A gap portion 13d may be formed in the lid support portion 13, for example, as shown in Figure 2. The gap portion 13d is formed, for example, by removing at least a part of the second support portion 13b and the outer wall portion 13c in a part of the circumferential direction of the lid support portion 13. A handle portion 23 of the lid portion 20 may be formed adjacent to the gap portion 13d.
[0057] The first support portion 13a, which has an L-shaped cross-section, has a base end connected to the peripheral wall 12 and a tip end located on the opposite side of the base end. The tip end of the first support portion 13a is positioned above the joint portion 45 in the vertical direction. An insertion groove portion 13e is formed between the peripheral wall 12 and the vertical wall portion of the first support portion 13a along the vertical direction, into which a part of the lid portion 20 can be inserted. The outer wall portion 13c of the lid support portion 13 may have a plurality of locking claw portions 13f formed thereon, for example, to removably lock the container 1 to the case body of the cosmetic container.
[0058] [Example of use of container 1] The contents to be contained in container 1 are not limited, but container 1 may contain liquid, powder, solid, gel, or cream-type cosmetics, or it may contain liquids or gases other than cosmetics. Cosmetics means so-called cosmetics and similar products. The contents to be contained in container 1 may be, for example, an impregnated member formed by impregnating an impregnating body made of a porous material such as a sponge with a liquid cosmetic such as liquid foundation.
[0059] Container 1 may be used attached to a cosmetic container (not shown), such as a compact container, or it may be used attached to a product other than a cosmetic container. Container 1 may also be used as a refill container that can be attached to a cosmetic container. The cosmetic container to which Container 1 is attached is not limited to a compact container, nor is the shape, structure, etc., of the cosmetic container limited, but the cosmetic container may, for example, have Container 1, a case body to which Container 1 can be attached and detached, and an outer lid that is rotatably attached to the case body. Cosmetic tools such as puffs and brushes may be contained in the cosmetic container.
[0060] [Method for Manufacturing Container 1] A method for manufacturing the container 1 shown in Figures 1 to 4 will be described. First, the housing portion 10, ring 30, and film 40 that form the container 1 are prepared. A lid portion 20 may also be prepared. The prepared ring 30 and film 40 are fixed to the upper surface 30a of the ring 30 in a peelable manner by, for example, heat welding. Since the width of the upper surface 30a of the ring 30 is wider than the width of the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 of the housing portion 10, the film 40 can be stably fixed to the ring 30 by heat welding. The film 40 may be fixed to the ring 30 by methods and means other than heat welding.
[0061] Next, the contents are inserted into the internal space 15 of the storage section 10. Then, the ring 30 to which the film 40 is fixed is attached to the peripheral wall 12 of the storage section 10 that contains the contents. At this time, the ring 30 is attached to the peripheral wall 12 of the storage section 10 from the upper side of the peripheral wall 12 so that the peripheral wall 12 of the storage section 10 is inserted into the insertion space between the flange 31 and the inner rib 32 of the ring 30. For example, if the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 is formed in a tapered shape that becomes thinner towards the top, the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 can be smoothly inserted into the insertion space. By attaching the ring 30 to the upper end of the peripheral wall 12, the ring 30 is supported by the peripheral wall 12 of the storage section 10, and the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 of the storage section 10 and the lower surface 30b of the ring 30 can be brought into contact with or close to each other.
[0062] When the ring 30 is attached to the peripheral wall 12 of the housing 10 as described above, the engaging projection 31a of the ring 30 may be inserted into and engaged with the engaging recess 12a formed on the outer surface of the peripheral wall 12. This engagement of the engaging projection 31a and the engaging recess 12a allows for the stable maintenance of the state in which the ring 30 is attached to the housing 10 and the state in which the peripheral wall 12 of the housing 10 is in contact with or close to the lower surface 30b of the ring 30. The ring 30 may also be engaged with the peripheral wall 12 using means and methods other than the engaging recess 12a and the engaging projection 31a.
[0063] Next, the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30 are joined. For example, the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30 may be joined by welding the ring 30 to the housing 10 to which the ring 30 is attached, preferably by ultrasonic welding. In ultrasonic welding, first, the housing 10 to which the ring 30 is attached is set in an ultrasonic welding device (not shown). Subsequently, the ultrasonic horn (also called a tool horn) of the ultrasonic welding device is brought into contact with the ring 30 with the film 40 attached, via the film 40, and the ultrasonic horn presses down on the ring 30 from above toward the housing 10, applying pressure.
[0064] While the ring 30 is held down by the ultrasonic horn, ultrasonic vibrations are applied from the ultrasonic horn to the portion where the ring 30 and the peripheral wall 12 of the housing portion 10 are in contact or close proximity, thereby generating frictional heat in the ring 30 and the peripheral wall 12. This causes the ring 30 and / or the peripheral wall 12 to melt locally in the portion where the ring 30 and the peripheral wall 12 are in contact or close proximity.
[0065] After melting the ring 30 and / or the peripheral wall 12, the molten portion is cooled while maintaining a state in which the ring 30 is pressed toward the housing 10 with an ultrasonic horn. This forms an ultrasonically welded portion as a joint 45, and the upper end of the peripheral wall 12 and the lower surface 30b of the ring 30 can be joined by this ultrasonically welded portion.
[0066] By joining the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30, a container 1 is manufactured in which contents are contained within the internal space 15 of the storage section 10, and the opening of the storage section 10 is sealed by the film 40 and the ring 30. In the manufactured container 1, the internal space 15 for containing the contents is sealed airtight and liquid-tight by the storage section 10, the ring 30 joined to the peripheral wall 12 of the storage section 10, and the film 40 which is peelably fixed to the ring 30.
[0067] After joining the peripheral wall 12 and the ring 30, the lid 20 is rotatably attached to the hinge portion 14 of the resulting container 1, thereby manufacturing the container 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2. The container 1 is manufactured by attaching the lid 20 to the housing portion 10 which has been ultrasonically welded. However, for example, the container 1 may also be manufactured by attaching the lid 20 to the housing portion 10, and then joining the ring 30 with the film 40 to the peripheral wall 12 of the housing portion 10 with the lid 20 attached. The manufactured container 1 may then be attached to an exterior member having, for example, a case body and an outer lid, thereby manufacturing a cosmetic container such as a compact container.
[0068] [Effects of Container 1] In Container 1 shown in Figures 1 to 4, since the internal space 15 is sealed, it is possible to prevent the contents contained in the internal space 15 from leaking out of Container 1, not only when cosmetic containers manufactured using Container 1 are stacked horizontally as in the conventional method, but also when they are hung on hooks in stores such as convenience stores, or when they are held upright along the vertical direction.
[0069] The container 1 and the ring 30 are joined, for example, by one or more ultrasonic welding joints, so that the contents contained in the container 1 are not altered by the ultrasonic welding process, and the outer shapes of the container 1 and the ring 30 are not deformed, allowing the container 1 and the ring 30 to be firmly and stably joined.
[0070] In the case of ultrasonic welding, for example, when the ring 30 and the film 40 are joined by heat welding, the ultrasonic welding joint can join the container 1 and the ring 30 with a higher bonding strength than the heat welding joint that joins the ring 30 and the film 40. Therefore, when, for example, the film 40 fixed to the ring 30 is peeled off, the fixed state of the ring 30 to the container 1 can be stably maintained, and the ring 30 can be prevented from coming off the container 1.
[0071] (Example) As the container for the example, the container 1 shown in Figures 1 to 4 was used. In the example, two types of container 1 were prepared to perform a liquid leakage test and a submersion test of the container 1. The storage section 10 and ring 30 of the container 1 are made of polypropylene. The lid section 20 is made of polypropylene and polyurethane elastomer. An aluminum vapor-deposited film is used as the film 40.
[0072] The housing section 10 and the ring 30 are joined by ultrasonic welding using the ultrasonic horn of an ultrasonic welding device. While applying pressure to the ring 30 toward the peripheral wall 12 of the housing section 10, ultrasonic waves are irradiated onto the parts where the ring 30 and the peripheral wall 12 are in contact or close to each other. The ring 30 and the film 40 are heat-welded together.
[0073] For the liquid leakage test, five containers 1 were prepared, each containing silicone oil as the contents within the internal space 15. For the submersion test, five containers 1 were prepared with the internal space 15 empty (filled with air).
[0074] (Comparative Example) In the comparative example, a container was prepared in which ultrasonic welding was not performed on the container 1 and the ring 30. For example, in the comparative example, the ring 30 is attached to the housing 10 by inserting the peripheral wall 12 of the container 1 between the flange 31 and the inner rib 32 of the ring 30, and engaging the engaging projection 31a of the ring 30 with the engaging recess 12a formed in the peripheral wall 12. In the comparative example, five containers for liquid leakage testing and five containers for submersion testing were manufactured in the same manner as in the example, except that ultrasonic welding was not performed.
[0075] (Leakage Test) In the leakage test, container 1 of the example and the container of the comparative example, both containing silicone oil, were held upright along the vertical direction, and it was visually confirmed whether or not silicone oil leaked from container 1.
[0076] (Submersion Test) In the submersion test, container 1 of the example and container of the comparative example, which were prepared for the submersion test, were each submerged in water, and the film 40 was pressed with a finger to pressurize the air inside the internal space 15, while visually checking whether or not air leaked from container 1.
[0077] (Results of Leakage Test) Leakage tests were conducted on the five containers 1 prepared in the example, and no leakage of silicone oil was observed in any of the containers 1. Therefore, it was confirmed that the container 1 in the example has liquid-tight properties that can accommodate hanging displays and vertical placement along the vertical direction. On the other hand, when leakage tests were conducted on the five containers prepared in the comparative example, it was confirmed that silicone oil leaked in all five of the comparative example containers.
[0078] (Results of submersion test) Submersion tests were conducted on the five containers 1 prepared in the example, and no air leakage was observed in any of the containers 1. Therefore, it was confirmed that the containers 1 in the example are airtight. On the other hand, submersion tests were conducted on the five containers prepared in the comparative example, and it was confirmed that air leakage occurred in all five of the comparative example containers.
[0079] 1, 2, 3 Container 6 Thermoplastic resin 7 Thermoplastic elastomer 10 Storage section 11 Bottom surface 12 Peripheral wall 12a Engaging recess 13 Lid support section 13a First support section 13b Second support section 13c Outer wall section 13d Gap section 13e Insertion groove section 13f Locking claw section 14 Hinge section 15 Internal space 20 Lid section 22 Lid projection section 23 Handle section 24 Hinge connection section 25 Rotating shaft section 26 Storage space 30 Ring 31 Flange 31a Engaging projection section 32 Inner rib 33 Ring opening 40 Film 45 Joint section 50 Storage section 52 Peripheral wall 52a Upper end section 52b Flange support section 60 Ring 61 Flange 62 Inner rib 70 Housing section 72 Peripheral wall 72a Upper end 72b Flange support section 72c Rib support section 80 Ring 81 Flange 82 Inner rib
Claims
1. A container having a housing section in which a peripheral wall extends upward from the outer periphery of the bottom surface, a ring, and a film that is detachably fixed to the ring, wherein at least a portion of the ring is joined to the peripheral wall.
2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the ring and the peripheral wall are welded together.
3. The container according to claim 1, wherein the ring and the peripheral wall are ultrasonically welded together.
4. The container according to claim 1, wherein the ring is continuously joined to the peripheral wall over the entire circumference of the opening formed in the ring.
5. The container according to claim 1, wherein the film has barrier properties and is joined to the ring by a heat-welded portion formed by heat welding.
6. The container according to claim 5, wherein the joint portion that joins the ring to the peripheral wall has a higher joint strength than the heat-welded portion.
7. The container according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the peripheral wall and the ring has an engaging portion formed thereon for mechanically engaging the ring with the peripheral wall.
8. A cosmetic container comprising the container according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and a case body to which the container is detachably attached.