JP7558084B2 - Discharger - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ejector.

Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, for example, there has been known a dispenser that includes a stem that is arranged inside the mouth of a container body in an upwardly biased state so as to be able to move downwards, a cylindrical cylinder into which the stem is inserted, a piston that is linked to the up and down movement of the stem within the cylinder and is fitted onto the inner surface of the cylinder so as to be able to slide up and down, and a push-down head that is attached to the upper end of the stem and has a nozzle hole for discharging the content liquid.
In general, the biasing member that biases the stem upward is made of a metal material.

JP 2016-123927 A

However, from the standpoint of reducing the environmental impact and making it easier for users to dispose of the dispenser, there is a demand for dispensers that do not use biasing members made of metallic materials.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a dispenser that reduces the environmental impact and allows users to easily dispose of it.

<1> A dispenser according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a stem arranged inside the mouth of a container body so as to be movable downward in an upwardly biased state, a cylindrical cylinder into which the stem is inserted, a piston that is linked to the up and down movement of the stem within the cylinder and is fitted onto the inner surface of the cylinder so as to be able to slide up and down, a biasing member made of synthetic resin that surrounds the stem from the outside in the radial direction and biases the stem upward, and a push-down head attached to the upper end of the stem and having a nozzle hole for discharging the content liquid, wherein the push-down head comprises an inner tube portion that engages with the stem, and an outer tube portion that covers the inner tube portion from the outside in the radial direction, the biasing member being arranged between the outer tube portion and the cylinder, and the biasing member being formed integrally with the cylinder .

In this dispenser, when the press-down head is pressed down and the stem and piston move down, the biasing member is pressed down by the outer cylinder of the press-down head. When the press-down of the press-down head is released, the biasing member is restored to its original shape, and the stem, piston and press-down head are pushed up.
Since the biasing member is made of a synthetic resin material, the environmental impact can be reduced. Furthermore, for example, a dispenser in which all components are made of a synthetic resin material can be realized. As a result, when disposing of the dispenser, it is not necessary to separate the biasing member from other components made of a synthetic resin material. This makes it easier for users to dispose of the dispenser.
The biasing member is disposed between the outer tubular portion of the press-down head and the cylinder. Therefore, compared to a case where the biasing member is disposed between the inner tubular portion of the press-down head and the cylinder, for example, it is possible to ensure the radial size of the biasing member. This makes it easier to design and manufacture the biasing member.
The biasing member is integrally formed with the cylinder. That is, the biasing member and the cylinder are formed by a single molded product. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in the number of parts.

<2> In the dispenser according to <1> above, at least the stem, the cylinder, and the piston may form a pump module, and the pressing head may be attached to the upper end of the stem in the pump module.

The push-down head is attached to the upper end of the stem in the pump module. Therefore, for example, when this dispenser is used for multiple different types of products, the pump module can be shared while the push-down head and other components can be changed as appropriate depending on the product.

<3> In the dispenser according to the above item <1> or <2> , a configuration may be adopted in which a topped cylindrical mounting cap is provided for mounting the cylinder to the mouth portion, and the mounting cap includes a guide tube extending upward from a top wall of the mounting cap and having the biasing member disposed therein.

The urging member is disposed inside the guide tube. This allows the urging member to be covered and hidden by the guide tube, ensuring a good appearance. In addition, when the urging member is pressed down by the outer tube, it is possible to prevent the urging member from unintentionally deforming in the radial direction. This makes it possible to stabilize the discharge operation of the dispenser.

The present invention reduces the environmental impact and makes disposal easier for users.

1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a dispenser according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of the dispenser shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a pump module constituting the discharger shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a dispenser according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

First Embodiment
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of a dispenser according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the dispenser 1 of this embodiment comprises a pump module 2 having a stem 21, a push-down head 5 attached to the stem 21, and an attachment cap 7 for attaching the pump module 2 to the mouth portion A1 of a container body A containing the liquid content.
All of the components constituting the dispenser 1 are made of synthetic resin material.

The stem 21 and the mounting cap 7 are arranged coaxially with a common axis. Hereinafter, this common axis is referred to as the central axis O, and the side of the push-down head 5 along the central axis O is referred to as the upper side, and the bottom side (not shown) of the container body A is referred to as the lower side. In addition, the direction along the central axis O is referred to as the up-down direction, and the direction intersecting the central axis O when viewed from the up-down direction is referred to as the radial direction, and the direction going around the central axis O is referred to as the circumferential direction.

The container body A is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a male screw is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the opening portion A1. The container body A is disposed coaxially with the central axis O.
The mounting cap 7 is formed in a topped cylinder shape having an annular top wall and peripheral wall. The stem 21 is inserted inside the top wall of the mounting cap 7 so as to be movable up and down. A female thread is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall of the mounting cap 7, which screws into the male thread of the mouth part A1. The peripheral wall of the mounting cap 7 may be fitted into the mouth part A1, for example, by undercut fitting. The mounting cap 7 further includes a guide tube 73 protruding upward from the top wall. The guide tube 73 is disposed coaxially with the central axis O.

The pump module 2 includes a stem 21, a piston guide 40, a piston 22, a cylinder 23, a lower valve body 24 and a gasket 9.

The cylinder 23 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape having annular bottom and peripheral walls, and is disposed coaxially with the central axis O. An attachment tube 27 extending downward is provided on the inner peripheral edge of the bottom wall of the cylinder 23. The upper end of a suction tube 28 (pipe) is fitted into the attachment tube 27. The lower end opening of the suction tube 28 is located within the bottom (not shown) of the container body A.
A fixed flange portion 29 that protrudes radially outward and extends circumferentially is formed at the upper end of the peripheral wall of the cylinder 23. The fixed flange portion 29 is disposed on the upper opening edge of the mouth portion A1 of the container body A via the packing 9. The lower surface of the top wall of the attachment cap 7 is disposed on the upper surface of the fixed flange portion 29. A lower valve body 24 is provided within the lower end of the peripheral wall of the cylinder 23.

The lower valve body 24 includes a fitting cylinder 31 , a valve body 32 , and a connecting piece 33 .
The fitting cylinder 31 is fitted into the lower end of the peripheral wall of the cylinder 23. The valve body 32 is formed in a plate shape and is seated on the peripheral edge of an opening in the upper surface of the bottom wall of the cylinder 23, closing the inside of the bottom wall of the cylinder 23. The valve body 32 is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the fitting cylinder 31 via an elastically deformable connecting piece 33. The valve body 32 elastically displaces in the vertical direction as the connecting piece 33 elastically deforms.
The lower valve body 24 serves as a check valve which keeps the inside of the bottom wall of the cylinder 23 closed when the inside of the cylinder 23 is pressurized, and opens the inside of the bottom wall of the cylinder 23 when the inside of the cylinder 23 is depressurized. As a result, the lower valve body 24 prevents the content liquid in the cylinder 23 from returning to the container body A through the inside of the bottom wall of the cylinder 23 when the inside of the cylinder 23 is pressurized, while allowing the content liquid in the container body A to flow into the cylinder 23 through the inside of the bottom wall of the cylinder 23 when the inside of the cylinder 23 is depressurized.

The stem 21 is erected in the mouth A1 while being biased upward so as to be movable downward. The stem 21 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The lower end 21a of the stem 21 is housed in the cylinder 23. The lower end 21a of the stem 21 has a larger diameter than the portion of the stem 21 located above the lower end 21a. The upper part of the stem 21 is located above the upper end opening of the cylinder 23.

The piston guide 40 is attached to the stem 21 from below. The piston guide 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom. The upper end of the piston guide 40 is fitted into a portion of the stem 21 that is located above the lower end 21a. The piston guide 40 is formed with a communication hole 34 that penetrates in the radial direction. The piston guide 40 is formed with a pedestal portion 35 that protrudes radially outward. The pedestal portion 35 is formed in a portion of the piston guide 40 that is located below the communication hole 34. The pedestal portion 35 supports the piston 22 from below the piston 22.

The piston 22 includes an outer cylinder 38 , an inner cylinder 37 , and a connecting plate 39 .
The outer cylinder 38 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is provided coaxially with the central axis O. The outer cylinder 38 is fitted into the cylinder 23 so as to be vertically slidable. A through hole penetrating the cylinder 23 in the radial direction is formed in a portion of the cylinder 23 facing the outer cylinder 38 in the radial direction.
The inner cylinder 37 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is arranged coaxially with the central axis O. The lower end of the inner cylinder 37 is seated on a seat portion 35 of the piston guide 40 so as to be releasable. As a result, the inner cylinder 37 switches between communication and blocking between a portion of the cylinder 23 located below the piston 22 (hereinafter referred to as a lower chamber 23a) and the communication hole 34 of the piston guide 40. Such a piston guide 40 functions as an upper valve body in the pump module 2. An upper portion of the inner cylinder 37 is fitted into the lower end portion 21a of the stem 21 so as to be vertically slidable.
The connecting plate 39 connects the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 38 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube 37, and extends continuously over the entire circumferential length. The upper surface of the connecting plate 39 faces the lower end opening edge (lower end portion 21 a) of the stem 21 with a vertical gap therebetween.

The press-down head 5 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a top wall portion 51 and an outer cylinder portion 52, and is disposed coaxially with the central axis O. The outer cylinder portion 52 is disposed radially inward from the guide cylinder 73 of the mounting cap 7. The lower end portion of the outer cylinder portion 52 is located lower than the upper end portion of the guide cylinder 73.
The pressing head 5 has an attachment tube portion 53 (inner tube portion) protruding downward from the top wall portion 51, a nozzle tube portion 54 extending radially outward from the attachment tube portion 53 and penetrating the outer tube portion 52 in the radial direction, and a rib 55 extending downward from the top wall portion 51. A nozzle hole 54a opening in the radial direction is formed at the tip of the nozzle tube portion 54. The inside of the nozzle tube portion 54 is connected to the inside of the attachment tube portion 53. The attachment tube portion 53 is arranged coaxially with the central axis O. The attachment tube portion 53 is covered from the outside in the radial direction by the outer tube portion. The lower end of the attachment tube portion 53 is located above the lower end of the outer tube portion 52. The upper end of the stem 21 is fitted to the outside of the attachment tube portion 53. The attachment tube portion 53 is inserted into the stem 21. The attachment tube portion 53 is engaged with the stem 21. The mounting tube portion 53 and the stem 21 move in a coordinated manner in the up and down direction. The radially inner end of the rib 55 is connected to the outer circumferential surface of the mounting tube portion 53. The radially outer end of the rib 55 is connected to the inner circumferential surface of the outer tube portion 52. The lower end of the rib 55 is located lower than the lower end of the nozzle tube portion 54. A plurality of ribs 55 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction.

Here, a piston retainer 41 is provided at the upper end of the cylinder 23. The piston retainer 41 functions to prevent parts inside the cylinder 23, such as the piston 22, from falling out. The stem 21 is inserted into the piston retainer 41. The piston retainer 41 is disposed coaxially with the central axis O.
The piston retainer 41 includes a plate portion 42, a first cylindrical portion 43, a second cylindrical portion 44, and a connecting portion 45. The plate portion 42 is an annular plate with the front and back surfaces facing the up-down direction. The outer periphery of the plate portion 42 is disposed on the fixed flange portion 29. The outer periphery of the plate portion 42 is sandwiched between the fixed flange portion 29 and the mounting cap 7 in the up-down direction. The first cylindrical portion 43 extends downward from the inner peripheral edge of the plate portion 42. The first cylindrical portion 43 is fitted into the upper end portion of the peripheral wall of the cylinder 23. The first cylindrical portion 43 is disposed between the upper end portion of the peripheral wall of the cylinder 23 and the lower end portion 21a of the stem 21. The second cylindrical portion 44 is disposed radially inside the first cylindrical portion 43. The second cylindrical portion 44 is disposed above the center of the first cylindrical portion 43 in the up-down direction. The second cylindrical portion 44 is disposed above the lower end portion 21a of the stem 21. The connecting portion 45 connects the first cylindrical portion 43 and the second cylindrical portion 44. The connecting portion 45 is annular. The connecting portion 45 extends radially outward from the lower end of the second cylindrical portion 44. The radial outer circumferential edge of the connecting portion 45 is connected to the inner circumferential surface of the first cylindrical portion 43. An annular gap is provided between the first cylindrical portion 43 and the second cylindrical portion 44.

The urging member 25 is disposed between the outer tube portion 52 and the cylinder 23. The urging member 25 is formed integrally with the outer tube portion 52 or the cylinder 23. In this embodiment, the urging member 25 is formed integrally with the outer tube portion 52. The urging member 25 and the pressing head 5 are a single molded product (injection molded product) made of synthetic resin. The urging member 25 is formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole. The urging member 25 surrounds the stem 21 from the outside in the radial direction. The urging member 25 is disposed inside the guide tube 73.

In the illustrated example, the urging member 25 includes a plurality of annular bodies 25a and a plurality of connecting bodies 25b. The plurality of annular bodies 25a are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. The plurality of annular bodies 25a are arranged coaxially with the central axis O. The annular bodies 25a adjacent in the vertical direction are connected to each other via the connecting body 25b. In this embodiment, the urging member 25 is formed by arranging the annular bodies 25a and the connecting body 25b alternately in the vertical direction. The connecting body 25b elastically connects the annular bodies 25a adjacent in the vertical direction. The connecting body 25b includes a plurality of spring pieces 25c (for example, three) arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. The spring pieces 25c are inclined with respect to the central axis O in a front view of the spring pieces 25c seen from the outside in the radial direction. In the connecting bodies 25b adjacent to each other across the annular body 25a, the inclination directions of the spring pieces 25c are opposite to each other. Of the adjacent connecting bodies 25b sandwiching the annular body 25a therebetween, the lower end of the spring piece 25c in the upper connecting body 25b is at the same circumferential position as the upper end of the spring piece 25c in the lower connecting body 25b. Note that the shape of the biasing member 25 is not limited to this, and it is possible to adopt the shape of a known resin spring. For example, the designer may change the radial thickness (wall thickness) of the biasing member 25 as appropriate.

As described above, in this embodiment, the biasing member 25 is formed integrally with the outer tube portion 52. Of the multiple ring-shaped bodies 25a, the uppermost ring-shaped body 25a is formed by a part (lower end) of the outer tube portion 52. In other words, the lower end of the outer tube portion 52 is the uppermost ring-shaped body 25a. Of the multiple ring-shaped bodies 25a, the lowermost ring-shaped body 25a is supported by the inner peripheral edge of the top wall of the mounting cap 7. In this embodiment, the biasing member 25 is disposed between the outer tube portion 52 and the cylinder 23 via the mounting cap 7 (top wall of the mounting cap 7).

Next, the operation of the dispenser 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

When the press head 5 is pressed down, the stem 21 descends while the biasing member 25 is pressed down between the press head 5 and the mounting cap 7 (cylinder 23), and the biasing member 25 is elastically compressed and deformed in the vertical direction. At this time, the seal between the base portion 35 of the piston guide 40 and the inner tube 37 of the piston 22 is released, and the lower chamber 23a in the cylinder 23 communicates with the communication hole 34 of the piston guide 40. When the press head 5 is further pressed down from this state, the lower end opening edge of the stem 21 abuts against the upper surface of the connecting plate 39 of the piston 22, and the piston 22 also moves downward together with the press head 5. As a result, the lower chamber 23a in the cylinder 23 is pressurized, and the content liquid in the cylinder 23 passes through the vertical gap between the base portion 35 and the piston 22, the communication hole 34, the inside of the stem 21, the inside of the mounting tube portion 53, and the inside of the nozzle tube portion 54 in this order, and is discharged from the nozzle hole 54a. At this time, the valve body 32 of the lower valve body 24 is kept seated on the periphery of the opening on the upper surface of the bottom wall of the cylinder 23.

After that, when the pressing head 5 is released, the pressing head 5 moves upward together with the stem 21 due to the upward biasing force of the biasing member 25. During this process, the base portion 35 of the piston guide 40 abuts against the piston 22 from below the piston 22, sealing the gap between the base portion 35 and the inner tube 37, blocking communication between the lower chamber 23a in the cylinder 23 and the communication hole 34 of the piston guide 40. When the piston 22 continues to move upward together with the pressing head 5, the lower chamber 23a in the cylinder 23 is depressurized, and the valve body 32 in the lower valve body 24 elastically deforms the connecting piece 33 and moves upward from the opening periphery on the upper surface of the bottom wall of the cylinder 23, causing the content liquid in the container body A to flow into the cylinder 23 through the suction tube 28.

As described above, according to the dispenser 1 of this embodiment, the biasing member 25 is made of a synthetic resin material, so that the environmental impact can be reduced. Furthermore, for example, it is possible to realize a dispenser 1 in which all components are made of a synthetic resin material. As a result, when disposing of the dispenser 1, it is not necessary to separate the biasing member 25 from other components made of a synthetic resin material. This makes it possible to facilitate disposal by users.
The biasing member 25 is disposed between the outer tube portion 52 of the pressing head 5 and the cylinder 23. Therefore, for example, compared to a case where the biasing member 25 is disposed between the mounting tube portion 53 of the pressing head 5 and the cylinder 23, the radial size of the biasing member 25 can be secured. This makes it easier to design and manufacture the biasing member 25. Specifically, for example, the repulsive force (elastic force) of the biasing member 25 can be increased by increasing the circumferential size (thickness) of the spring pieces 25c or increasing the number of them. In addition, by widening the interval between the spring pieces 25c adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction, the biasing member 25 can be easily removed from the mold during molding.

The urging member 25 is disposed inside the guide tube 73. Therefore, the urging member 25 can be covered and hidden by the guide tube 73, ensuring the appearance. In addition, when the urging member 25 is pressed down by the outer tube portion 52, it is possible to restrict the urging member 25 from unintentionally deforming in the radial direction. This makes it possible to stabilize the discharge operation of the discharger 1. Note that, as an example of the manner in which the urging member 25 unintentionally deforms in the radial direction, the annular body 25a located at the center in the vertical direction among the multiple annular bodies 25a is deformed in the radial direction relative to the annular body 25a located at the upper end and the annular body 25a located at the lower end (the urging member 25 as a whole is deformed into a dogleg shape).

The biasing member 25 is formed integrally with the outer tube portion 52. In other words, the biasing member 25 and the pressing head 5 are formed from a single molded product. This helps prevent an increase in the number of parts.

The push-down head 5 is attached to the upper end of the stem 21 of the pump module 2. Therefore, for example, when this dispenser 1 is applied to multiple different types of products, the pump module 2 can be common while the push-down head 5 and mounting cap 7 can be changed as appropriate depending on the product.

Second Embodiment
Next, a dispenser according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted, with only the differences being described.

In the dispenser 1A according to this embodiment, the cylinder 23 and the urging member 25 are integrally formed. The cylinder 23 and the urging member 25 are a single molded product (injection molded product) made of synthetic resin.
In this embodiment, in the mounting cap 7, the guide tube 73 extends upward from the inner peripheral edge of the top wall, and the top wall does not protrude radially inward beyond the guide tube 73. The urging member 25 extends upward from the fixed flange portion 29 of the cylinder 23. The lower end of the urging member 25 (the lowermost annular body 25a among the multiple annular bodies 25a) is integral with the fixed flange portion 29. The piston retainer 41 is not sandwiched between the fixed flange portion 29 and the mounting cap 7. The piston retainer 41 is located radially inward beyond the urging member 25.
The upper end of the urging member 25 (the uppermost and lowermost annular body 25a among the plurality of annular bodies 25a) contacts the lower end of the outer tube portion 52 of the press-down head 5 from below.
In this embodiment, the pump module 2 includes a biasing member 25 in addition to the stem 21 , the piston guide 40 , the piston 22 , the cylinder 23 , the lower valve body 24 and the packing 9 .
In addition, in this embodiment, the biasing member 25 is formed integrally with the fixed flange portion 29 of the cylinder 23, but the biasing member 25 may be formed integrally with the piston retainer 41 of the cylinder 23.

As described above, according to the dispenser 1A of this embodiment, the urging member 25 is integrally formed with the cylinder 23. That is, the urging member 25 and the cylinder 23 are formed by a single molded product. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of parts.
The push-down head 5 is attached to the upper end of the stem 21 of the pump module 2. Therefore, for example, when the dispenser 1 is applied to a plurality of different products, the pump module 2 can be common to all of the products, while the push-down head 5 and the mounting cap 7 can be changed as appropriate depending on the product.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

All of the components constituting the dispenser 1, 1A do not have to be made of synthetic resin.
The pump module 2 does not have to include the packing 9. For example, the pump module 2 and the packing 9 may be prepared separately, and the packing 9 may be disposed between the pump module 2 and the container body A when the pump module is assembled to the container body A.

In addition, the components in the above embodiment may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the above-mentioned modifications may be combined as appropriate.

1, 1A Discharger 2 Pump module 5 Press-down head 52 Outer cylinder 53 Mounting cylinder (inner cylinder)
7: mounting cap 21: stem 22: piston 23: cylinder 25: biasing member A: container body A1: mouth

Claims (3)

a stem disposed inside the mouth of the container body so as to be movable downward in an upward biased state;
a cylindrical cylinder into which the stem is inserted;
a piston that is linked to the up and down movement of the stem in the cylinder and is fitted to an inner circumferential surface of the cylinder so as to be vertically slidable;
a synthetic resin biasing member that surrounds the stem from the radial outside and biases the stem upward;
A press-down head attached to an upper end of the stem and having a nozzle hole for discharging the content liquid;
Equipped with
the pressing head includes an inner cylinder portion that engages with the stem, and an outer cylinder portion that covers the inner cylinder portion from the outside in the radial direction,
The biasing member is disposed between the outer tubular portion and the cylinder ,
The biasing member is integrally formed with the cylinder . At least the stem, the cylinder and the piston constitute a pump module;
The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the push-down head is attached to an upper end of the stem of the pump module. a topped cylindrical mounting cap for mounting the cylinder to the mouth portion,
3. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the mounting cap includes a guide tube extending upward from a top wall of the mounting cap and having the biasing member disposed therein.

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