JP2017038829A - Applicator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure suppression of infiltration of ink into the reservoir area which temporarily hold ink overflowing from a storage chamber by the occurrence of irregular phenomenon, in normal time when no irregular phenomenon such as increase in internal pressure, impact or the like takes place in the storage chamber.SOLUTION: In the structure of guiding a liquid (e.g., ink IK) stored in a storage chamber 131 to an applicator 111 through intervention of a liaison member 151, there are provided; a gas-liquid exchange area EA which occludes the ink IK supplied from the storage chamber 131 in an occlusion body 122 (weaker capillary force than the liaison member 151) for gas-liquid exchange and guides to the liaison member 151; and a reservoir area RA which occludes the ink IK pushed out from the storage chamber 131 and passed the gas-liquid exchange area EA in an occlusion body 123 (weaker capillary force than the occlusion body 122 for gas-liquid exchange) for reservoir and temporarily holds it. Then, both areas EA, RA are made in communication through a routine gap (communication passage 124) causing capillary phenomenon which is weaker than the gas-liquid exchange area EA and stronger than the reservoir area RA.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention is applied to cosmetic tools such as eyeliners, writing instruments such as sign pens and marking pens, stamps, drug application containers, and the like, and stores various liquids such as ink, skin lotion, perfume, and drugs in their raw state. And an applicator that can be applied.

≪Applicator that stores liquid in its raw state≫
Conventionally, it is not stored in a state where ink or lotion liquid applied to an object to be applied such as paper or human skin is absorbed in an occlusion body such as batting, but stored in a raw state and stored as appropriate. An applicator that can be applied has been put into practical use.
This type of applicator can use a kind of liquid that cannot be stored in the state of being absorbed in the occlusion body, for example, pigment ink, which is a great advantage.
The superiority of the pigment-based ink is its good color development. For example, when pigment-based ink is used for the eyeliner, a clear and deep color expression is possible, which brings satisfaction to the user. Of course, not only the eyeliner but also a writing instrument such as a pen can be used to enjoy vivid color by using pigment-based ink.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 each disclose an applicator that stores ink in a raw state and can apply it appropriately.
The applicator described in any document stores ink in a storage chamber formed along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical housing, and supplies the stored ink to an application body attached to one end of the housing. And have commonality.
The difference is the structure for guiding ink from the storage chamber to the application body.

  The applicator described in Patent Document 1 includes “ink outflow control member 18 (hydrophilic non-woven fabric 20b, ink outflow hole 19, hydrophilic non-woven fabric 20a)”, “super-hydrophilic ink flow fiber bundle 8, 12, 16”, “ The ink stored in the storage chamber (ink chamber 23) is guided to the application body (pen body 2) via the hydrophilic nonwoven fabric 5 "(see paragraph [0021] of FIG. 1 and FIG. 1).

  The applicator described in Patent Document 2 applies the ink stored in the storage chamber (ink storage unit 1) through the “ink communication part 4” integrated with the “ink occlusion body 5”. 3) (see paragraph [0015] of FIG. 1 in Patent Document 2). The ink communication part 4 (ink occlusion body 5) is said to be “spontaneous use of sponge, polyester, acrylic, acetate so-called batting that is easy to absorb and discharge ink” (Patent Document 2). Paragraph [0014]).

≪Prevents liquid dropouts≫
One of the problems that must be overcome by an applicator that stores liquid such as ink in a raw state is prevention of leakage of the liquid from the applicator, that is, so-called dripping.
For example, if the internal pressure of the storage chamber increases due to an increase in temperature or transmission of body temperature during writing, the liquid overflows from the storage chamber, and the overflowed liquid is excessively sent to the application unit to exceed its holding capacity. In some cases, it may fall off from the application part.
Alternatively, even when an impact is applied to the applicator, the liquid may leak out of the storage chamber and be excessively sent to the applicator, resulting in dripping.
Therefore, in an applicator that stores liquid in a raw state, it is necessary to take measures to prevent such leakage of the liquid from the application body, that is, so-called dripping.

  In this regard, the two documents introduced earlier are inventions that temporarily hold ink overflowing from the storage chamber due to an increase in internal pressure or impact, and prevent leakage of liquid from the applied body (dropping off). Is described.

In the invention described in Patent Document 1, batting 7, 11, 15 is provided around the fiber bundles 8, 12, 16 for super hydrophilic ink flow.
Therefore, when irregular ink leakage from the storage chamber (ink chamber 23) due to an increase in internal pressure or impact occurs, the inner cotton 7, 11, 15 absorbs and holds the leaked ink, and the application body (pen body 2). ) Is prevented (see paragraph [0023] of Patent Document 1).

In the case of the invention described in Patent Document 2, the ink occlusion body 5 integrated with the ink communication part 4 plays a role of absorbing and holding ink overflowing from the storage chamber (ink storage part 1) (patent) (See paragraph [0016] of Document 2).
In other words, the density (or capillary force) of the ink occlusion body 5 is set lower than that of the ink communication portion 4, and the ink absorption is normally suppressed. As a result, the ink occlusion body 5 functions as a space for absorbing and temporarily holding ink overflowing from the storage chamber in order to keep the ink empty.
Therefore, when an irregular ink leak from the storage chamber due to an increase in internal pressure or an impact occurs, the ink storage 5 absorbs and holds the leaked ink, and prevents the ink from dropping from the application body (patent) (See paragraph [0016] of Document 2).

≪Recovering temporarily held liquid≫
As described above, according to the inventions described in the above two documents, when the ink overflows from the storage chamber due to an increase in internal pressure or an impact, the leaked ink is removed from the absorber (“Cotton 7, 11, 15 of Patent Document 1”). "Ink occlusion body 5" of Patent Document 2) is absorbed and temporarily held.
For this reason, it becomes necessary to collect the ink temporarily held in the absorber.

In this respect, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the batting 7, 11, and 15 are held by the tapered ink holding members 6, 10, and 14, and the reservoir (ink chamber) is more than the application body (pen body 2). 23) The density gradient on the side is set high.
Therefore, when the internal pressure of the storage chamber once increased returns to the original state, the ink held in the inner cotton pads 7, 11 and 15 is drawn into the storage chamber having a higher density gradient and is collected in the storage chamber ( (See paragraphs [0015] to [0016] and [0024] of Patent Document 1).

  In the invention described in Patent Document 2, when the internal pressure of the storage chamber once increased returns to the original state, the ink that has been absorbed and held by the ink storage 5 is the ink communication portion having a relatively high density. 4 and collected in a storage chamber (see paragraph [0016] of Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-020373 JP 2003-226091 A

According to the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when the ink overflows from the storage chamber due to an increase in internal pressure or an impact, the overflowed ink is temporarily held to cause leakage from the application body, so-called spilling. I try to prevent it. Then, when the internal pressure of the storage chamber once increased returns to the original state, the temporarily held ink is collected in the storage chamber.
In other words, an area that can be called a reservoir area that temporarily holds the ink overflowing from the storage chamber is provided, and by using the strength and weakness of capillary action, temporary retention and recovery of the overflowed ink is performed. It is controlling well.

One of the important factors in realizing such a mechanism for retracting (temporarily holding) and collecting ink is that the ink spills into the reservoir area under normal conditions when the internal pressure is not increased or impact is not applied to the storage chamber. It is to suppress. If the ink spills into the reservoir area at normal times, the ink may leak out from the reservoir area. Therefore, suppression of the sneak in ink is extremely important.
In the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the flow of ink to the reservoir area in the normal state is suppressed with the strength of the action force of capillary action (for convenience of explanation, abbreviated as “capillary force”). Yes.
That is, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the fiber bundle 8 for superhydrophilic ink flow that guides the ink stored in the storage chamber (ink chamber 23) to the application body (pen body 2), although not explicitly described in the literature. , 12 and 16, it is considered that the capillary force of the batting 7, 11, 15 constituting the reservoir region arranged around it is set weaker. Accordingly, in normal times when the internal pressure is not increased or impact is not applied to the storage chamber, the ink is absorbed by the superhydrophilic ink flow fiber bundles 8, 12, and 16 having a relatively strong capillary force, and the wraparound to the fillings 7, 11, and 15 is prevented. It is suppressed.
The invention described in Patent Document 2 also suppresses the sneaking of ink into the reservoir region during the normal time by the same mechanism. That is, the invention described in Patent Document 2 uses the ink communication part 4 as a relay member that guides the ink stored in the storage chamber (ink storage part 1) to the application body (application body 3). The part 4 is integrated with the ink storage 5 constituting the reservoir region. Therefore, if there is no difference in the capillary force between the two, the ink sucked by the ink communicating portion 4 will wrap around the ink occluding body 5, and the capillary force of the ink occluding member 5 is weaker than that of the ink communicating portion 4. Thus, this prevents the ink from flowing into the ink storage 5 (see paragraph [0016] of Patent Document 2).

However, the applicators described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 use an ink occlusion body made of a fiber bundle or a porous material in order to form a reservoir region. That means
・ Patent document 1 is “batting 7, 11, 15”
・ Patent document 2 is “so-called batting in which sponge, polyester, acrylic, and acetate fibers are bundled, which is easy to absorb and discharge ink”
Is used as an ink storage, thereby forming a reservoir region (see paragraph [0023] of Patent Document 1 and paragraph [0014] of Patent Document 2).
For this reason, there arises a problem in that it is not possible to completely suppress the sneaking of ink into the reservoir region at the normal time when the internal pressure is not increased or the impact is not applied to the storage chamber.
The reason is as follows.
Ink occlusion materials such as batting introduced in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a structure in which the fiber density (batting) and pore diameter (sponge) are not constant depending on the location, and the strength of the capillary action that exerts a suction action on the liquid is the location. Different for each. Therefore, a relay member that guides ink from the storage chamber to the application body, for example,
・ Patent Document 1 “Fiber bundle 8, 12, 16 for superhydrophilic ink flow”
・ "Ink occlusion body 5" of Patent Document 2
Rather than this, there is a possibility that a part with a strong capillary force will appear in the reservoir region.
Since the ink is sucked to a place where the capillary force is strong, this causes the ink to sneak into the reservoir region.

  The present invention has been made in view of such points, and in a normal time when an irregular phenomenon such as an increase in internal pressure or an impact is not applied to the storage chamber, ink overflowing from the storage chamber due to the occurrence of the irregular phenomenon is temporarily stored. An object of the present invention is to make it possible to reliably suppress the sneaking of ink into the reservoir area to be held.

  The applicator of the present invention includes a storage chamber for storing a liquid, an application body that sucks the supplied liquid by capillary action and guides the liquid to one surface, and a capillary action having a weaker force than the application body. A rod-shaped relay member that guides the liquid, and the liquid supplied from the storage chamber is stored in the gas-liquid replacement storage body by the action of capillary action with a weaker force than the relay member, and the gas-liquid exchange is guided to the relay member The region and the liquid pushed out of the storage chamber and passed through the gas-liquid exchange region are occluded in the reservoir occlusion body by the action of capillary action with a weaker force than the gas-liquid exchange occlusion body, and temporarily A reservoir region to be held, and a communication path that connects the gas-liquid exchange region and the reservoir region via a fixed gap that causes capillary action with a force that is weaker than the gas-liquid exchange region and stronger than the reservoir region; By providing It is decided.

  According to the present invention, the occlusion body (the occlusion body for gas-liquid exchange and the occlusion body for reservoir) in which the strength of the capillary action that exerts a suction action on the liquid is different in each place in both the gas-liquid exchange region and the reservoir region. Even if it is configured to occlude liquids, the two areas are connected via a communication path (standard gap) that generates a uniform and stable capillary phenomenon that does not vary in strength depending on the location. Since the strength of the capillary action is weaker than that for the gas-liquid exchange and stronger than that for the reservoir, there is no problem in the normal time when irregular phenomena such as an increase in internal pressure or impact are not applied to the storage chamber. The movement of the liquid from the liquid exchange area to the reservoir area can be restricted by the communication path, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an unexpected situation where the liquid flows into the reservoir area and leaks.

It is a figure which shows the applicator (eyeliner) of 1st Embodiment, (a) is a vertical front view, (b) is the sectional view on the AA line in (a) of an occlusion body holder and a relay member. It is a figure which shows the applicator (eyeliner) of 2nd Embodiment, (a) is a vertical front view, (b) is the sectional view on the AA line in (a) of an occlusion body holder and a relay member. It is an applicator (eyeliner) which shows 3rd Embodiment, (a) is a longitudinal front view of a refill, (b) is a longitudinal front view of an applicator loaded with a refill.

The applicator according to the present embodiment stores ink IK as a liquid (see FIG. 1A, etc.) in a raw state, and can be applied to the eyeliner 101 as appropriate so that it can be applied appropriately to the eyeline. It is.
Hereinafter, the first to third embodiments will be sequentially introduced.

<< First Embodiment >>
A first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1A, an eyeliner 101 according to the present embodiment has an application body 111 attached to one end side of an elongated cylindrical housing 102 and plugs an opening 102a on the other end side that encloses ink IK. It has a structure closed with a tail plug 103 as a body.
The application body 111 is formed by converging and compressing a plurality of fibers, and is formed in a rod shape having a perfect circle in cross section with the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle as the axial direction. Therefore, capillary action is generated between the individual fibers, and the liquid is moved in the longitudinal direction.
In such an application body 111, the rear end portion is cut off to form a flat connection surface 111a, and the tip end portion is processed into a rounded shape to form an application surface 111b. The application surface 111b plays a role of applying the ink IK onto the eyeline that is human skin.

The housing 102 is press-fitted into the housing 102 and is fixed near the center.
As a result, the housing 102 forms a storage chamber 131 for storing the ink IK on the rear end side, that is, the tail plug 103 side, and forms a reservoir chamber 141 on the front end side, that is, the application body 111 side.
The occlusion body holder 121 holds the occlusion body 122 for gas-liquid exchange on the storage chamber 131 side, holds the occlusion body 123 for reservoir on the reservoir chamber 141 side, and connects the two occlusion bodies 122 and 123 to the communication path. We are contacting at 124. These two occlusion bodies 122 and 123 absorb and hold the ink IK by the action of capillary action. Therefore, the ink IK stored in the storage chamber 131 is absorbed and held in the gas-liquid replacement storage body 122.

The eyeliner 101 guides the ink IK stored in the storage chamber 131 to the application body 111. As a structure for this purpose, a relay member 151 is provided.
Similar to the application body 111, the relay member 151 is formed by converging and compressing a plurality of fibers, and is formed in a rod shape having a perfect cross section with the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle as the axial direction. Therefore, capillary action is generated between the individual fibers, and the liquid is moved in the longitudinal direction. Such a relay member 151 has a liquid supply portion 151 a having a sharp rear end side and a flat connection portion 151 b on the front end side.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the liquid supply part 151a of the relay member 151 is brought into contact with the gas-liquid exchange storage body 122 and immersed in the ink IK, and the connection part 151b is brought into contact with the connection surface 111a of the application body 111. The ink IK is guided from the storage chamber 131 to the application body 111 by utilizing the action of capillary action acting on the relay member 151.
In this case, the force with which the capillary phenomenon acts (hereinafter referred to as “capillary force”) is set stronger in the application body 111 than in the relay member 151. Therefore, the ink IK flows in a direction from the storage chamber 131 to the application body 111 via the relay member 151. This is because the liquid is sucked from the weak side to the strong side.

  The structure of each part will be described in more detail.

The housing 102 is, for example, a resin molded product whose tip is formed in a tapered shape, and an applicator holder 112 for attaching the applicator 111 is integrally formed on the tapered tip. Yes.
The applicator holder 112 includes a cylindrical large-diameter portion 112 a and a small-diameter portion 112 b that are coaxial with the housing 102. The large-diameter portion 112a is disposed closer to the distal end side of the housing 102 than the small-diameter portion 112b, and holds the application body 111 in a press-fit state. The small-diameter portion 112b holds the relay member 151 in a press-fitted state.
However, the large-diameter portion 112a and the small-diameter portion 112b are in communication with each other, and the connection surface 111a of the application body 111 held by the large-diameter portion 112a and the connection portion 151b of the relay member 151 held by the small-diameter portion 112b. , They can contact each other.

The occlusion body holder 121 that divides the internal space of the housing 102 into two parts is, for example, a resin molded product that is formed in a cylindrical shape in pressure contact with the inner peripheral surface of the housing 102, and stores and holds the occlusion body 122 for gas-liquid exchange. The first holding portion 125 and the second holding portion 126 that stores and holds the reservoir storage body 123 are connected, and the two holding portions 125 and 126 are connected by the surrounding hole 127.
That is, the occlusion body holder 121 is formed in a cup shape at both ends to form first and second holding portions 125 and 126, respectively, and the bottom surfaces of these holding portions 125 and 126 are connected to each other by the surrounding hole 127. is there. The surrounding hole 127 is formed in a circular shape in cross section, and is disposed on the axis of the occlusion body holder 121 and in the central portion in the axial direction.
The occlusion bodies 122 and 123 stored and held in the first and second holding portions 125 and 126 are, for example, a batting-like shape made of a plurality of fibers such as polyester, acrylic, and acetate. Capillary action is applied to the gap between them to suck the ink IK and hold the sucked ink IK.

In such an occlusion body holder 121, the relay member 151 is configured such that the liquid supply portion 151 a provided on the distal end side thereof penetrates the reservoir occlusion body 123 held by the first holding portion 125, and the surrounding hole 127 is also formed. It penetrates and is pushed into the gas-liquid exchange storage body 122 held by the second holding part 126.
As a result, the relay member 151 is held inside the housing 102 because the connecting portion 151b side is held by the small diameter portion 112b of the applicator holder 112 and the liquid supply portion 151a side is held by the gas-liquid exchange occlusion body 122. Positioned and held.
Therefore, the relay member 151 is in contact with the two occlusion bodies 122 and 123 and forms a gap between the surrounding hole 127. This gap becomes the communication path 124. The communication path 124 has a fixed shape formed between the surrounding hole 127 and the relay member 151, both of which have a fixed shape, and causes a capillary action to act on the ink IK.

  As described above, the application body holder 112 is formed coaxially with the housing 102, and the surrounding hole 127 of the occlusion body holder 121 is also positioned coaxially with the housing 102. Therefore, the application body 111 and the relay member 151 mounted on the housing 102 via the application body holder 112 and the gas-liquid exchange storage body 122 are positioned coaxially with the housing 102.

  The eyeliner 101 configured as described above forms a gas-liquid exchange area EA and a reservoir area RA, and forms an intake passage 161 that connects the storage chamber 131 to the atmosphere.

  The gas-liquid exchange area EA is formed in the area of the first holding portion 125 that houses and holds the gas-liquid exchange storage body 122. The gas-liquid exchange occlusion body 122 is set to have a capillary force weaker than the relay member 151, occludes the ink IK supplied from the storage chamber 131, and guides it to the relay member 151.

  In the reservoir region RA, a second holding portion 126 that stores and holds the reservoir 123 for the reservoir is formed in the region. The reservoir occlusion body 123 is set to have a weaker capillary force than the occlusion body 122 for gas-liquid exchange. If the ink IK is pushed out of the storage chamber 131 due to some cause, for example, an increase in internal pressure or an impact, the gas-liquid exchange is performed. The ink IK that has passed through the area EA is occluded and temporarily held.

As an example, the relationship between the strength of the capillary force CP5 between the gas-liquid exchange storage body 122 provided in the gas-liquid exchange area EA and the reservoir storage body 123 provided in the reservoir area RA is as follows. This can be easily realized by adjusting the amount of the occlusion body 122 stored in 125 and the amount of the occlusion body 123 stored in the second holding portion 126. In other words, the greater the amount of occlusion storage, the finer the gap between the fibers and the stronger the capillary force.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the storage amount of the storage body 123 in the second holding portion 126 is made smaller than the storage amount of the storage body 122 in the first holding portion 125, thereby The capillary force is set to be weaker than the capillary force of the occlusion body 122 for gas-liquid exchange.
However, since the communication path 124 that connects the gas-liquid exchange area EA and the reservoir area RA also causes capillary action, the strength of the capillary force at these three locations is also important. In the present embodiment, the capillary force of the reservoir occlusion body 123 is set to be weaker than the capillary force of the communication path 124, and the capillary force of the communication path 124 is set to be weaker than the capillary force of the gas-liquid exchange occlusion body 122. doing.

Therefore, to summarize the strength relationship of the capillary phenomenon occurring in the five places where the capillary phenomenon occurs, that is, the application body 111, the relay member 151, the gas-liquid exchange area EA, the communication path 124, and the reservoir area RA,
CP1>CP2>CP3>CP4> CP5 Expression 1
It becomes a relationship.
However, CP1 is a capillary force generated in the application body 111, CP2 is a capillary force generated in the relay member 151, CP3 is a capillary force generated in the gas-liquid exchange area EA, CP4 is a capillary force generated in the communication path 124, and CP5 is in the reservoir area RA. The resulting capillary force.

The intake passage 161 will be described.
The storage chamber 131 becomes a negative pressure as the ink IK is consumed in the application body 111. Therefore, a mechanism for supplying air to the storage chamber 131 having a negative pressure is required. For this purpose, an intake passage 161 is provided.
When the ink IK is consumed in the application body 111, first, the ink IK stored in the gas-liquid replacement storage body 122 is supplied to the application body 111 via the relay member 151, and the gas-liquid exchange area EA is connected to the communication path. Air passages leading to 124 are formed. This is because when the liquid moves due to the action of capillary action, the liquid moves from the weakest portion of the capillary force to the strong portion (see Equation 1 above).
Therefore, in the present embodiment, by utilizing the phenomenon that an air passage is generated in the gas-liquid exchange area EA, the reservoir area RA and the reservoir chamber 141 that communicate with the gas-liquid exchange area EA and the communication path 124 via Is used as a part of the intake passage 161.
The remaining part of the intake passage 161 is formed in the applicator holder 112. That is, the applicator holder 112 is formed with a ventilation groove 113 that creates a gap between the applicator 111 and the relay member 151 on a part of the inner wall of the large diameter part 112a and a part of the inner wall of the small diameter part 112b. To do. As a result, the reservoir chamber 141 is connected to the outside from the tip of the applicator holder 112, and an intake passage 161 that connects the storage chamber 131 to the atmosphere is generated.

  The operation will be described.

The ink IK stored in the storage chamber 131 and stored in the gas-liquid exchange storage body 122, that is, the ink IK in the gas-liquid exchange area EA, is sucked by the relay member 151 by the action of capillary action and connected to each other. It is supplied to the application body 111 from the part 151b through the connection surface 111a. Since the application body 111 has a stronger capillary force than the relay member 151 (see Equation 1 above), the supplied ink IK is guided to the application surface 111b. At this time, the relay member 151 and the application body 111 are in a state where they are impregnated and held with the ink IK.
At this time, since the ink IK stored in the storage chamber 131 is also sucked into the gas-liquid replacement storage body 122 held in the first holding portion 125 of the storage body holder 121, the gas-liquid exchange region Meets EA. Therefore, the intake passage 161 is in a closed state.

When the user of the eyeliner 101 applies the ink IK by applying the application surface 111b of the application body 111 to the eyeline, the ink IK impregnated in the application body 111 is consumed, and the application body 111 passes through the relay member 151. The ink IK is sucked from the storage chamber 131 (gas-liquid exchange storage 122).
As a result, the storage chamber 131 has a negative pressure.
On the other hand, when the applying body 111 sucks the ink IK from the storage chamber 131, the ink IK in the gas-liquid exchange area EA having a weaker capillary force than the relay member 151 (stored in the gas-liquid exchange storage body 122). Ink IK) is transferred toward the application body 111, and the gas-liquid exchange area EA forms an air passage connected to the communication path 124. Then, the intake passage 161 is opened, and the storage chamber 131 having a negative pressure sucks the atmosphere to cancel the negative pressure state.
When the consumption of the ink IK in the application body 111 is stopped, the gas-liquid exchange storage body 122 held in the gas-liquid exchange area EA absorbs the ink IK stored in the storage chamber 131, and again the ink IK. Will be satisfied.
By repeating such an action, the ink IK is applied to the eyeline that is the application target.

As in the present embodiment, in an eyeliner that stores ink in a raw state and is applied as appropriate, prevention of ink leakage from the application body, so-called dripping has been a long-standing problem. . Such ink dropping occurs due to an increase in the internal pressure of the storage chamber for storing ink or an impact applied to the eyeliner.
The eyeliner 101 of the present embodiment takes a double prevention measure against such a phenomenon of ink IK dropping.

  One of the prevention measures is holding the ink IK in the reservoir region RA, and the other is holding the ink IK in the reservoir chamber 141.

That is, when the internal pressure of the storage chamber 131 increases due to a temperature rise or a strong impact is applied to the housing 102, the ink IK is pushed out from the storage chamber 131, and more accurately, the ink IK is stored in the storage chamber 131. The ink IK is pushed out from the gas-liquid exchange storage body 122, that is, the gas-liquid exchange area EA, and flows out to the reservoir area RA through the communication path 124. At this time, if the ink IK passes through the reservoir area RA as it is, it may flow out to the outside.
On the other hand, the reservoir region RA is provided with the reservoir occlusion body 123, so that the ink IK flowing into the reservoir region RA is absorbed and held by the occlusion body 123 by the action of capillary action. Therefore, the reservoir region RA maintains the ink IK holding state regardless of the angle at which the eyeliner 101 is tilted.
However, if the ink IK exceeding the capacity of the reservoir storage 123 flows into the reservoir region RA, the ink IK overflows from the reservoir region RA. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, even if the ink IK overflows from the reservoir area RA in this way, the leaked ink IK flows into the reservoir chamber 141 and is held.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the ink IK is pushed out from the storage chamber 131 due to an increase in internal pressure or an impact, the ink IK is held in the reservoir region RA or the reservoir chamber 141. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the ink IK from dropping from the application body 111 in a double manner.

  Incidentally, the ink IK temporarily held in the reservoir region RA or the reservoir chamber 141 can be collected. Such recovery of the ink IK will be described.

First, collection of the ink IK held in the reservoir area RA will be described.
The ink IK held in the occlusion body 123 in the reservoir region RA is sucked into the communication path 124 having a higher capillary force once the internal pressure of the storage chamber 131 once increased is restored (see the above formula 1). Then, the ink IK sucked by the communication path 124 is sucked by the occlusion body 122 in the gas-liquid exchange area EA having a higher capillary force (see Equation 1 above) and collected in the storage chamber 131.
Alternatively, the ink IK held in the occlusion body 123 in the reservoir region RA is sucked by the relay member 151 having a higher capillary force when the application operation is performed by the application body 111 (see Equation 1 above). To be recovered.
Thus, the ink IK is extracted from the reservoir area RA, and the reservoir area RA returns to the initial state.

Next, collection of the ink IK held in the reservoir chamber 141 will be described.
The ink IK held in the reservoir chamber 141 is collected toward the outlet of the reservoir region RA when the eyeliner 101 is tilted so that the application body 111 faces upward. Then, it is sucked by the reservoir occlusion body 123 provided in the reservoir region RA by the action of capillary action.
If the ink IK is sucked into the occlusion body 123 in the reservoir region RA, it is collected in the storage chamber 131 or collected in the application body 111 as described above.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the occlusion bodies 122 and 123 are provided in both the gas-liquid exchange area EA and the reservoir area RA, and the ink IK is attracted by capillary action. Such occlusion bodies 122 and 123 are, for example, a batting-like shape formed from a plurality of fibers such as polyester, acrylic, and acetate, and suck the ink IK by causing a capillary phenomenon to act on the gap between the fibers. Because of this structure, the strength of the capillary force is not constant depending on the location. This is because the gap between the fibers causing the capillary phenomenon is irregular and the size thereof is not constant.
For this reason, if the occlusion body 122 in the gas-liquid exchange area EA and the occlusion body 123 in the reservoir area RA are in direct contact with each other, the relationship of “CP3> CP5” in the above equation 1 may be partially broken. is there. In the gas-liquid exchange storage 122, a portion having a weaker capillary force than the reservoir storage 123 is generated. On the other hand, in the reservoir storage 123, the gas-liquid is partially stored. This is because a portion having a stronger capillary force than the replacement storage body 122 may be generated.
For this reason, the ink IK may spill into a part of the reservoir region RA and the ink IK may leak out from the reservoir region RA during normal times when no internal pressure increase or impact is applied to the storage chamber 131. The problem occurs.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, such a problem is solved by connecting the gas-liquid exchange area EA and the reservoir area RA through the communication path 124.
In other words, the communication path 124 has a fixed shape, that is, is formed by a gap between the fixed surrounding hole 127 and the fixed relay member 151, so that the communication path 124 is naturally formed and is uniform and stable with no fluctuation in strength depending on the place. Generates capillary action. Therefore, the ink IK held in the occlusion body 122 in the gas-liquid exchange area EA does not go into the communication path 124 due to the strength relationship of the capillary force of “CP3> CP4” in the above formula 1, and completely in this communication path 124. Can be blocked.
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to restrict the movement of the ink IK from the gas-liquid exchange area EA to the reservoir area RA in a normal time when an irregular phenomenon such as an increase in internal pressure or an impact is not applied to the storage chamber 131. Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of an unexpected situation in which the ink IK flows into the reservoir area RA and leaks out.

  In addition, the eyeliner 101 of the present embodiment exhibits the following operational effects.

The relay member 151 has one end side (connecting portion 151b) in contact with the application body 111 and another end side (liquid supply portion 151a) in contact with the occlusion body 122 in the gas-liquid exchange area EA. In the reservoir area RA, the reservoir storage body 123 is brought into contact with the relay member 151 at a position between the gas-liquid exchange area EA and the application body 111.
Therefore, when the reservoir area RA temporarily holds the ink IK, the ink IK temporarily held in the reservoir area RA is decreased as the internal pressure of the storage chamber 131 once increased decreases and returns to the original state. It can be collected in the application body 111.

In the present embodiment, the gas-liquid exchange area EA, the reservoir area RA, and the communication path 124 can be formed by press-fitting the occlusion body holder 121 into the housing 102.
That is, the occlusion body holder 121 passes through the relay member 151 in the axial direction, and holds the gas-liquid exchange occlusion body 122 so as to contact one end side (the liquid supply portion 151a) of the relay member 151. 125 and a second holding portion 126 for holding the reservoir occlusion body 123 so as to penetrate the relay member 151, and a connecting path 124 is formed in the gap between the relay member 151 and the relay member 151. They are arranged in series via the surrounding holes 127 to be formed.
Therefore, the gas-liquid exchange area EA, the communication path 124, and the reservoir area RA can be easily formed, facilitating manufacturing, and reducing manufacturing costs and component costs.

<< Second Embodiment >>
A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is also omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, in the present embodiment, the inner wall of the surrounding hole 127 for forming the communication path 124 that connects the gas-liquid exchange area EA and the reservoir area RA is formed in a hexagonal cross section. The relay member 151 is held in a contact state. Therefore, the relay member 151 contacts six sides of the surrounding hexagonal hole 127 having a regular hexagonal shape, and forms a gap that is divided into six strips with the surrounding hole 127. The gap divided into the six strips becomes the connecting path 124.
Since the surrounding hole 127 is formed in a straight shape having the same cross-sectional shape and size at any position, the cross-sectional shape and size of the connecting path 124 is constant at any position.
The connecting path 124 divided into six sections is weaker than the gas-liquid exchange area EA, similarly to the single connecting path 124 (see FIG. 1B) that is not divided in the first embodiment. A capillary force stronger than that in the reservoir region RA is generated.

  In such a configuration, the eyeliner 101 of the present embodiment also produces the same effects as the eyeliner 101 of the first embodiment.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the surrounding hole 127 has N locations (this embodiment) that form a gap (communication path 124) divided into at least two or more N pieces (six in this embodiment). In the embodiment, the relay member 151 is brought into contact with the relay member 151 at six positions, and the relay member 151 is positioned. Therefore, the size of the communication path 124 can be accurately determined, and the strength of the capillary force can be stabilized.
Such an effect is exhibited not only in the case where the cross-sectional shape of the surrounding hole 127 is a hexagonal shape but also in the case of various polygonal shapes or an elliptical shape.

<< Third Embodiment >>
A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The same parts as those of the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is also omitted.

  The eyeliner 101 according to the present embodiment includes a storage chamber 131, a relay member 151, a gas-liquid exchange area EA, a reservoir area RA, and a communication path 124 with respect to the housing 102 including the application body 111 and the reservoir chamber 141. The refill 171 is detachable.

The refill 171 includes a cylindrical cartridge case 172 that is open at one end and closed at the other end, and the opening 173 of the cartridge case 172 is sealed with the occlusion body holder 121.
Similar to the first and second embodiments, the occlusion body holder 121 includes an occlusion body 122 for gas-liquid exchange and an occlusion body 123 for a reservoir as a first holding portion 125 and a second holding portion 126. Since they are respectively held, a gas-liquid exchange area EA and a reservoir area RA are formed.
The occlusion body holder 121 has the gas-liquid exchange area EA facing one end of the cartridge case 172 that is closed, and a storage chamber 131 is formed inside the cartridge case 172. The storage chamber 131 is filled with ink IK.
A part of the relay member 151 is attached to the occlusion body holder 121. That is, the relay member 151 is divided into two parts, one of which (the relay member 151A) is held by the reservoir storage body 123 held by the storage body holder 121, and the other (the relay member 151B) is attached to the housing 102 side. Yes.

The housing 102 has a refill 171 detachable from its opening 102a. In order to position the refill 171 that has been inserted into the housing 102 and has reached a predetermined position at that position, the housing 102 has a stopper 102b on its inner wall. The position at which the refill 171 is inserted through the opening 102a and blocked by the stopper 102b is the prescribed position of the refill 171.
In this way, the refill 171 positioned at the specified position connects the connecting concave portion 151Aa formed on the front end surface of one of the two relay members 151A to the connecting convex portion 151Ba formed on the rear end surface of the other relay member 151B. . Since the connecting recess 151Aa is formed in a concave shape and the connecting convex portion 151Ba is formed in a convex shape, the mutual adhesion is improved and more reliable connection is achieved.
Further, the refill 171 positioned at a predetermined position causes the rear end portion to protrude from the opening 102 a of the housing 102 and is exposed to the outside. Therefore, by removing the exposed portion, the refill 171 can be attached to and detached from the housing 102.
The tail plug 103 that seals the opening 102a of the housing 102 is formed so as to cover the rear end portion of the refill 171 protruding from the opening 102a.

  In such a configuration, the eyeliner 101 of the present embodiment also produces the same effects as the eyeliner 101 of the first embodiment.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the refill 171 can be replaced with respect to the housing 102.
Therefore, when the ink IK sealed in the refill 171 is consumed, the eyeliner 101 can be used for a long time by removing the refill 171 mounted so far and mounting the refill 171 sufficiently filled with the ink IK. It becomes possible to do.

≪Modification≫
Various modifications and changes can be made to the first to third embodiments described above.
For example, one or both of the two occlusion bodies 122 and 123 may be formed of a porous member such as a sponge.
As for the communication path 124, the relay member 151A may be positioned at two positions where the communication path 124 is divided into two. Such a communication path 124 can be realized by forming an elliptical cross section.
The communication path 124 may be formed in a tapered shape. In this case, the taper shape expands from the side facing the gas-liquid exchange area EA toward the side facing the reservoir area RA. Thus, when the ink IK once held in the reservoir area RA returns to the gas-liquid exchange area EA, the ink IK moves smoothly.
Regarding the refill, the refill described in the first or second embodiment as the eyeliner 101 can be used instead of the form of the refill 171 shown in the third embodiment. In this case, the refill described as the eyeliner 101 in the first or second embodiment is detachable from a cylindrical outer case (not shown) prepared in advance.
In the third embodiment, the relay member 151 is divided into two (the relay member 151A and the relay member 151B), and the relay member 151 and the application body 111 are indirectly connected. However, the relay member 151 is directly connected. There may be. For example, only the application body 111 is attached to the housing 102 side, and a single relay member 151 attached to the refill 171 can be brought into contact with the application body 111.
Moreover, although the said 1st-3rd embodiment showed the various examples of the eyeliner 101, it cannot be overemphasized that it may apply to writing instruments, such as a sign pen and a marking pen, a stamp, a chemical | medical agent application container.
Other variations and modifications are allowed.

102 ... Housing 102a ... Opening 103 ... Tail plug (plug)
111... Application body 121... Occlusion body holder 122... Occlusion body 123 for gas-liquid exchange... Occupation body 124 for reservoir .. Communication path 125. Part)
126 ... second holding part (holding part)
127 ・ ・ ・ Through hole (go-hole)
131 ・ ・ ・ Storage chamber 141 ・ ・ ・ Reservoir chamber 151 ・ ・ ・ Relay member 171 ・ ・ ・ Refill 172 ・ ・ ・ Cartridge case IK ・ ・ ・ Ink (liquid)
EA: Gas-liquid exchange area RA: Reservoir area

Claims (8)

A storage chamber for storing liquid;
An applied body that sucks the supplied liquid by capillary action and guides it to one side;
A rod-shaped relay member that guides liquid to the application body by the action of capillary action with a weaker force than the application body;
A gas-liquid exchange region in which the liquid supplied from the storage chamber is occluded in the occlusion body for gas-liquid exchange by the action of capillary action having a weaker force than the relay member, and led to the relay member;
A reservoir that temporarily stores the liquid that has been pushed out of the storage chamber and passed through the gas-liquid exchange region, and is occluded in the reservoir for the reservoir by the action of capillary action having a weaker force than the gas-liquid exchange occlusion body. Area,
A communication path that connects the gas-liquid exchange region and the reservoir region via a fixed gap that causes capillary action with a force that is weaker than the gas-liquid exchange region and stronger than the reservoir region;
An applicator characterized by comprising: The communication path is formed by the gap formed between an enclosure hole surrounding the relay member and the relay member.
The applicator according to claim 1. The connecting path positions the relay member at N positions that divide the gap into at least two N pieces.
The applicator according to claim 1. The connecting path has a polygonal cross-sectional shape for positioning the relay member on each side.
The applicator according to claim 3. A cylindrical housing holding the application body on the front end side and having an opening on the rear end side;
A holding portion for holding the gas-liquid exchange occlusion body so as to penetrate the relay member in the axial direction and contact one end side of the relay member, and an occlusion body for the reservoir so as to penetrate the relay member A holding portion that surrounds the relay member and is arranged in series via a surrounding hole that forms the communication path in the gap between the relay member and the reservoir region on the side of the application body An occlusion body holder fixed inside the housing toward
A plug that seals the opening of the housing and forms the storage chamber with the gas-liquid exchange region;
The applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: A cylindrical housing that holds the application body on the front end side and has an openable and closable opening on the rear end side;
The storage chamber, the relay member, the gas-liquid exchange region, the reservoir region, and the communication path are detachable from the housing, and the relay member is attached to the application body in a state of being attached to the housing. Refills to be joined,
The applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: The refill is
A cylindrical cartridge case that is open at one end and closed at the other end;
A holding portion for holding the gas-liquid exchange occlusion body so as to penetrate the relay member in the axial direction and contact one end side of the relay member, and an occlusion body for the reservoir so as to penetrate the relay member And a holding portion that surrounds the relay member and is arranged in series via a surrounding hole that forms the communication path in the gap between the relay member and the gas-liquid exchange region side. An occlusion body holder fixed inside the cartridge case so as to form the storage chamber filled with liquid;
The applicator according to claim 6, further comprising: A reservoir chamber for storing liquid leaking from the reservoir region;
The applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the applicator is used.

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