JP7504553B2 - Refillable containers and refillable container sets - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refillable container and a refillable container set.

As a refillable container for refilling the contents into the main container, for example as described in Patent Document 1, there is known a refillable container having an opening part that is inserted straight into the mouth of the main container body and pushed open by the mouth, thereby discharging the contents from within the container body of the refillable container into the main container body.

JP 2012-210955 A

If the refillable container comes off the mouth of the main container body during refilling, there is a risk that the contents will spill. Therefore, it is desirable for the refillable container to be difficult to come off the mouth of the main container body during refilling, and in this regard, there was room for improvement in conventional refillable containers such as those described in Patent Document 1.

The present invention aims to solve these problems, and its objective is to provide a refillable container and a refillable container set that are less likely to spill their contents when refilled.

The refillable container of the present invention comprises a container body that contains the contents, an outer cap that is attached to the container body, and an inner cap that is connected to the outer cap via a screw-on portion so as to be movable in the axial direction along the central axis of the screw-on portion, the outer cap having a protruding portion that protrudes to one side in the axial direction and allows the contents to pass through, the inner cap having an opening portion that is pushed open by the protruding portion when the outer cap moves relative to the inner cap to one side in the axial direction, and a threaded portion that is centered on the central axis and has the same thread winding direction as the screw-on portion, and can be screwed into the mouth of the container body.

In addition, in the above configuration, the refillable container of the present invention is preferably a refillable container in which the protrusion has an outflow tube that forms a flow path for the contents flowing out of the container body, and an inflow tube that forms a flow path for air flowing into the container body.

In addition, in the above configuration, the refillable container of the present invention is preferably a refillable container in which the inner cap has a cylindrical wall protruding to one side in the axial direction, and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall and the outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion are slidable against each other in the axial direction via a seal portion.

The refillable container set of the present invention is a refillable container set that includes the refillable container of the present invention and the main container, and is characterized in that the main container has the main container body that has the mouth portion.

In addition, in the above configuration, the refillable container set of the present invention is preferably a refillable container set in which the inner cap and the mouth portion can overcome each other by elastic deformation in the circumferential direction about the central axis via the engagement portion, and the torque required to move the outer cap relative to the inner cap to one side in the axial direction via the screw portion is greater than the torque required to move the inner cap relative to the mouth portion via the engagement portion to one side in the circumferential direction, which is the direction in which the screw portion screws into the mouth portion.

In addition, in the above configuration, the refillable container set of the present invention is preferably a refillable container set in which the torque required to move the outer cap relative to the inner cap in the other axial direction via the screw portion is smaller than the torque required to move the inner cap over the mouth portion in the other circumferential direction via the engagement portion.

The present invention provides a refillable container and a refillable container set that are less likely to spill when refilling.

1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a refillable container according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view of the outer cap shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the outer cap shown in FIG. 2 is a partially sectional side view of the inner cap shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3B is a side view of the inner cap shown in FIG. 3A from an angle different by 90 degrees. FIG. 3B is a bottom view of the inner cap shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a main container corresponding to the refill container shown in FIG. 1 . This is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the refill container shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the main container shown in FIG. 4 for refilling the contents. FIG. 6B is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state when the opening portion is opened from the state shown in FIG. 6A. 6C is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the refill container is being removed from the state shown in FIG. 6B. 6D is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state after the operation of removing the refillable container from the state shown in FIG. 6C has been completed. 3B is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a modified example of the inner cap shown in FIG. 3A. 7B is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the inner cap shown in FIG. 7A in an unsealed state. FIG.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Refillable container 1, which is one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, can be used to refill contents 3 (see FIG. 6B, etc.) into main container 2 shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, refillable container 1 and main container 2 constitute refillable container set 4 (see FIG. 6A).

In this embodiment, the up-down direction of the refillable container 1 means the direction along the central axis O of the screwing portion 19, i.e., the axial direction, the down direction means the direction from the container body 5 toward the outer cap 6 (downward in the upside-down position shown in FIG. 1), i.e., one side in the axial direction, and the up direction means the opposite direction, i.e., the other side in the axial direction, and the up-down direction of the container 2 means the direction along the central axis O of the uneven portion 23d, the down direction means the direction from the inner plug 24 toward the container body 5 (downward in the upright position shown in FIG. 4), and the up direction means the opposite direction. In this embodiment, the radial direction means the direction along a straight line perpendicular to the central axis O, the circumferential direction means the direction going around the central axis O, and the longitudinal section means a section including the central axis O.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refillable container 1 has a container body 5, an outer cap 6, and an inner cap 7. The container body 5, the outer cap 6, and the inner cap 7 are each made of, for example, a synthetic resin. Furthermore, the container body 5, the outer cap 6, and the inner cap 7 are each integrally molded. However, these components are not limited to being integrally molded.

The container body 5 is bottle-shaped and has a nozzle 5a centered on the central axis O, a body 5b connected to the nozzle 5a, and a bottom 5c connected to the body 5b. The container body 5 contains the contents 3 (not shown in FIG. 1).

The contents 3 are not particularly limited, but may be, for example, perfume, lotion, or other cosmetics. In addition, although the contents 3 are liquid in this embodiment, they are not limited to this.

The outer cap 6 has an attachment tube 8, an outer tube 9, a partition wall 10, a protrusion 11, and an inner tube 12. Both the attachment tube 8 and the outer tube 9 are cylindrical with the central axis O as the center, and the lower end of the attachment tube 8 is connected to the upper end of the outer tube 9. The partition wall 10 extends radially inward from the lower end of the attachment tube 8. The outer cap 6 is attached to the mouth tube portion 5a by the partition wall 10 contacting the mouth tube portion 5a and the attachment tube 8 engaging with the mouth tube portion 5a. The attachment tube 8 is engaged with the mouth tube portion 5a via the uneven portion 8a provided on the inner peripheral surface of the attachment tube 8 and the uneven portion 5d provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth tube portion 5a.

1 and 2B, a protruding portion 11 is provided at the center of the bottom view of the partition wall 10, protruding to one side (downward) in the axial direction. The protruding portion 11 has a cylindrical outlet tube 11a extending downward from the outer edge of the outlet hole 10a provided in the partition wall 10, and a cylindrical inlet tube 11b extending downward from the outer edge of the inlet hole 10b provided in the partition wall 10. Also, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A, the internal tube 12 is cylindrical and extends upward from the outer edge of the inlet hole 10b provided in the partition wall 10. Therefore, the outlet hole 10a and the outlet tube 11a form a flow path (hereinafter also referred to as the content flow path 13) for the contents 3 flowing out from the inside of the container body 5, and the inlet tube 11b, the outlet hole 10a, and the internal tube 12 form a flow path (hereinafter also referred to as the air flow path 14) for the air flowing into the container body 5. In other words, the protrusion 11 allows the contents 3 to pass downward through the contents flow path 13 and upward through the air flow path 14.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the outflow tube 11a and the inflow tube 11b are adjacent to each other and each have a substantially semicircular shape when viewed from the bottom. The entire protrusion 11 including the outflow tube 11a and the inflow tube 11b has a circular shape centered on the central axis O. In other words, the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 11 has a cylindrical surface shape centered on the central axis O.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lower end of the outlet tube 11a is located below the lower end of the inlet tube 11b. In other words, the lower end of the content flow path 13 is located below the lower end of the air flow path 14. Also, the upper end of the content flow path 13 is located below the upper end of the air flow path 14.

As shown in Fig. 1 and Figs. 3A to 3C, the inner cap 7 has an inner tube 15, a connecting wall 16, a tube wall 17, and an opening portion 18. The inner tube 15 is cylindrical about a central axis O, and is connected to the outer tube 9 via a screw-on portion 19 so as to be relatively movable in the up-down direction (i.e., the axial direction along the central axis O of the screw-on portion 19). The screw-on portion 19 is composed of a female thread portion 19a provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 9, and a convex portion 19b provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube 15. The female thread portion 19a is composed of a double thread, and the convex portion 19b is composed of two protrusions, but is not limited to this.

The tube wall 17 is provided radially inward from the inner tube 15, has a cylindrical shape centered on the central axis O, and is connected to the inner tube 15 via a connecting wall 16. The inner peripheral surface of the tube wall 17 is connected to the outer peripheral edge of a circular sheet-like opening portion 18 centered on the central axis O. The outer peripheral edge of the opening portion 18 is provided with a thin-walled portion (not shown) that forms a planned breaking line for opening the opening portion 18.

The outer periphery of the opening portion 18 is connected to the lower end of the inner periphery of the tube wall 17, but this is not limited thereto. For example, as in the modified example shown in FIG. 7A, the lower end of the tube wall 17 may be configured to extend downward. Also, while the lower end of the tube wall 17 is shaped along a horizontal plane in this embodiment, this is not limited thereto, and the lower end may be shaped along an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, as in the modified example shown in FIG. 7A. With this configuration, even if the contents 3 are a highly viscous liquid such as lotion, the liquid can be easily drained off at the lower end of the tube wall 17 when opening the container, as shown in FIG. 7B.

The outer cap 6 can rotate relative to the inner cap 7 in one circumferential direction, so that the refillable container 1 can move downward relative to the inner cap 7 via the screw-on portion 19 from a state in which the lower end of the protruding portion 11 is above the position where the opening portion 18 exists before opening as shown in FIG. 1 (hereinafter also referred to as the first state) to a state in which the lower end of the protruding portion 11 is below the position where the opening portion 18 exists before opening as shown in FIG. 6B (hereinafter also referred to as the second state). In addition, the outer cap 6 can rotate relative to the inner cap 7 in the other circumferential direction, so that the outer cap 6 can move upward relative to the inner cap 7 via the screw-on portion 19 until the refillable container 1 moves from the second state to the first state.

The opening portion 18 is pushed open (i.e., opened) by the lower end of the protrusion 11 as shown in FIG. 6B when the outer cap 6 moves downward relative to the inner cap 7 until the refillable container 1 changes from the first state to the second state.

In addition, when the outer cap 6 moves vertically relative to the inner cap 7 in this manner, the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 17 and the outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion 11 can slide against each other in the vertical direction (i.e., axial direction) via the seal portion 20. The inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 17 and the outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion 11 are in close contact with each other all around via the seal portion 20. Note that the seal portion 20 is formed by a protrusion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion 11, but is not limited thereto and may be formed by a protrusion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 17, for example.

The inner tube 15 is prevented from falling downward from the outer tube 9 from the first state by the retaining portion 21. As shown in FIG. 1, the retaining portion 21 is composed of a convex portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube 15 and a convex portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 9, but is not limited to this.

In addition, a guide protrusion 22 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tube wall 17, which abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the mouth 23a of the container body 23 of the container 2 to center the tube wall 17 relative to the mouth 23a. Note that the guide protrusion 22 is composed of four vertical ribs 22a (see FIG. 3C) arranged in the circumferential direction, but is not limited to this and may be composed of, for example, two, three, or five or more vertical ribs 22a. Also, a configuration without the guide protrusion 22 may be used.

A female-threaded threaded portion 15a is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube 15 below the connecting wall 16. The threaded portion 15a is centered on the central axis O and has the same winding direction as the screwing portion 19. As shown in FIG. 6A, the threaded portion 15a can be screwed into the mouth portion 23a of the container body 23 by rotating relative to the mouth portion 23a of the container body 23 in one circumferential direction. The threaded portion 15a can be unscrewed from the mouth portion 23a by rotating relative to the mouth portion 23a of the container body 23 in the other circumferential direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, the container 2 has a container body 23, an inner stopper 24, and an overcap 25. The container body 23 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, glass, or metal. The inner stopper 24 and the overcap 25 are each made of, for example, synthetic resin. In addition, the container body 5, the outer cap 6, and the inner cap 7 are each integrally molded. However, each of these members is not limited to being integrally molded.

The container body 23 is bottle-shaped and has a cylindrical mouth 23a centered on the central axis O, a body 23b connected to the mouth 23a, and a bottom 23c connected to the body 23b. The container body 23 contains the same contents 3 (not shown in FIG. 4) as the contents 3 contained in the refill container 1.

The inner plug 24 has a cylindrical screw tube 24a centered on the central axis O, and a top wall 24b extending radially inward from the screw tube 24a. The inner peripheral surface of the screw tube 24a is provided with a female thread-like uneven portion 24c. This uneven portion 24c can be engaged with a male thread-like uneven portion 23d provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 23a. The uneven portion 23d of the mouth portion 23a can be screwed into the threaded portion 15a of the inner cap 7. The top wall 24b has a discharge port 24d for discharging the contents 3. The screw tube 24a can be engaged with the mouth portion 23a by rotating the screw tube 24a relative to the mouth portion 23a in one circumferential direction, and the screw tube 24a can be removed from the mouth portion 23a by rotating the screw tube 24a relative to the mouth portion 23a in the other circumferential direction. By engaging the screw tube 24a with the mouth portion 23a, the inner plug 24 can be removably attached to the mouth portion 23a.

The overcap 25 has a cylindrical peripheral wall 25a centered on the central axis O, and a top wall 25b extending radially inward from the peripheral wall 25a. The peripheral wall 25a can be engaged with the mouth portion 23a via a female thread-like uneven portion 25c provided on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 25a and a male thread-like uneven portion 23e provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 23a. By engaging the peripheral wall 25a with the mouth portion 23a, the overcap 25 can be removably attached to the mouth portion 23a. A seal body 25d is provided on the underside of the top wall 25b, which contacts the outer peripheral edge of the discharge port 24d over the entire circumference when the overcap 25 is attached to the mouth portion 23a.

The inner cap 7 and the mouth portion 23a can overcome each other by elastic deformation in the circumferential direction via the engagement portion 26 (see FIG. 6A). The engagement portion 26 is composed of a radially outward protrusion 26a (see FIG. 5) provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion 23a, and a radially inward protrusion 26b provided on the lower end of the inner tube 15. Note that the radially outward protrusion 26a and the radially inward protrusion 26b are each composed of two protrusions, but are not limited to this.

The mouth portion 23a has a cylindrical upper portion 23f centered on the central axis O, a cylindrical lower portion 23g having a larger diameter than the upper portion 23f, and an annular stepped portion 23h connecting the upper portion 23f and the lower portion 23g, with an uneven portion 23d provided on the upper portion 23f and an uneven portion 23e provided on the lower portion 23g. In addition, the radially outward protrusion 26a constituting the engagement portion 26 is provided on the stepped portion 23h. Note that the arrangement of the engagement portion 26 is not limited to this.

The torque required to move the outer cap 6 downward (to one axial direction) relative to the inner cap 7 via the screw-on portion 19 is set to be greater than the torque required to move the inner cap 7 over the mouth portion 23a to one circumferential direction via the engagement portion 26. The magnitude relationship of this torque can be set by adjusting the shape of the engagement portion 26, etc.

As shown in Figs. 6A-6B, when the refillable container 1 in the first state is attached to the container body 23 during refilling, the outer cap 6 is rotated relative to the mouth 23a in one circumferential direction, and the outer cap 6 first passes over the engagement portion 26, holding the inner cap 7 at the mouth 23a. Then, the outer cap 6 moves downward relative to the inner cap 7, opening the refillable container 1 and entering the second state, and the contents 3 can start moving from the refillable container 1 into the container body 23 through the opening portion 18. By configuring the refillable container 1 to be opened after passing over the engagement portion 26, the contents 3 are less likely to spill compared to a configuration in which the engagement portion 26 passes over the refillable container 1 after opening (i.e., a configuration in which the torque magnitude relationship is reversed). The torque magnitude relationship is not limited to the above, and may be set to the opposite of the above.

The torque required to move the outer cap 6 relative to the inner cap 7 upward (to the other axial direction) via the screw-on portion 19 is set to be smaller than the torque required to move the inner cap 7 over the mouth portion 23a to the other circumferential direction via the engagement portion 26. The magnitude relationship of this torque can be set by adjusting the shape of the engagement portion 26, etc.

Therefore, as shown in Figs. 6C-6D, when the refillable container 1 in the second state is removed from the container body 23 after the movement of the contents 3 has been completed, if the outer cap 6 is rotated relative to the mouth 23a in the other circumferential direction, the outer cap 6 first moves upward relative to the inner cap 7, and the protruding portion 11 is pulled toward the inside of the inner cap 7 to enter the first state, and then the engaging portion 26 is overcome, allowing the inner cap 7 to be removed from the mouth 23a. In this way, by configuring the protruding portion 11 to be pulled toward the inside of the inner cap 7 and then to overcome the engaging portion 26, the contents 3 are less likely to spill compared to a configuration in which the protruding portion 11 is not pulled toward the inside of the inner cap 7 and the engaging portion 26 is overcome (i.e., a configuration in which the torque magnitude relationship is reversed). Note that the torque magnitude relationship is not limited to the above, and may be set to the opposite of the above.

According to this embodiment, as shown in Figures 6A-6B, the refillable container 1 can be attached to the container body 23, opened, and the contents 3 can be refilled simply by rotating the refillable container 1 relative to the container body 23 in one circumferential direction, making it possible to prevent the contents 3 from spilling during refilling. At that time, as the contents 3 flow out of the container body 5 through the contents flow path 13, air can flow into the container body 5 through the air flow path 14, allowing the contents 3 to be refilled quickly.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, as shown in Figures 6C to 6D, after refilling, the refill container 1 for the contents 3 can be removed from the main container body 23 simply by rotating the refill container 1 relative to the main container body 23 in the other circumferential direction.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Therefore, the refillable container 1 and refillable container set 4 of the above-described embodiment can be modified in various ways, for example as described below.

The refillable container 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment has a container body 5 that contains the contents 3, an outer cap 6 that is attached to the container body 5, and an inner cap 7 that is connected to the outer cap 6 via a screw-on portion 19 so as to be movable in the axial direction along the central axis O of the screw-on portion 19, the outer cap 6 having a protruding portion 11 that protrudes to one side in the axial direction and allows the contents 3 to pass through, the inner cap 7 having an opening portion 18 that is pushed open by the protruding portion 11 when the outer cap 6 moves relative to the inner cap 7 to one side in the axial direction, and a screw portion 15a that is centered on the central axis O and has the same thread winding direction as the screw-on portion 19 and can be screwed into the mouth portion 23a of the container body 23, so long as it is a refillable container 1 that has the following features.

For example, the protrusion 11 does not have to have the inlet tube 11b and the inner tube 12. Also, the inner cap 7 does not have to have the tube wall 17. Also, the container body 5 is not limited to being bottle-shaped.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the refillable container 1 is preferably a refillable container 1 having the above-mentioned configuration, in which the protruding portion 11 has an outflow tube 11a that forms a flow path for the contents 3 flowing out from the container body 5, and an inflow tube 11b that forms a flow path for the air flowing into the container body 5.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment of the refillable container 1, it is preferable that the inner cap 7 has a cylindrical wall 17 that protrudes to one side in the axial direction, and the inner surface of the cylindrical wall 17 and the outer surface of the protruding portion 11 are slidable against each other in the axial direction via the seal portion 20.

The refillable container set 4 of the above-mentioned embodiment can be modified in various ways as long as it is a refillable container set 4 that has a refillable container 1 and a main container 2, and the main container 2 has a main container body 23 with a mouth portion 23a.

For example, the refill container set 4 does not need to have an engagement portion 26.

In the above-described embodiment, the refillable container set 4 is preferably a refillable container set 4 in which the inner cap 7 and the mouth portion 23a can overcome each other by elastic deformation in the circumferential direction about the central axis O via the engagement portion 26, and the torque required to move the outer cap 6 relative to the inner cap 7 to one axial side via the screw-on portion 19 is greater than the torque required to move the inner cap 7 relative to the mouth portion 23a via the engagement portion 26 to one circumferential side in the direction in which the screw portion 15a screws into the mouth portion 23a.

In addition, the refillable container set 4 of the above-mentioned embodiment is preferably a refillable container set 4 in which the torque required to move the outer cap 6 relative to the inner cap 7 to the other axial side via the screw-on portion 19 is smaller than the torque required to move the inner cap 7 over the mouth portion 23a to the other circumferential side via the engagement portion 26.

1 Refillable container 2 Main container 3 Contents 4 Refillable container set 5 Container body 5a Mouth tube portion 5b Body portion 5c Bottom portion 5d Concave and convex portion 6 Outer cap 7 Inner cap 8 Mounting tube 8a Concave and convex portion 9 Outer tube 10 Partition wall 10a Outlet hole 10b Inlet hole 11 Protrusion portion 11a Outlet tube 11b Inlet tube 12 Inner tube 13 Contents flow path 14 Air flow path 15 Inner tube 15a Threaded portion 16 Connection wall 17 Cylinder wall 18 Opening portion 19 Screwed portion 19a Female threaded portion 19b Convex portion 20 Sealing portion 21 Anti-slip portion 22 Guide convex portion 22a Vertical rib 23 Main container body 23a Mouth portion 23b Body portion 23c Bottom portion 23d Concave and convex portion 23e Concave and convex portion 23f Upper portion 23g Lower portion 23h Step portion 24 Inside plug 24a Screw cylinder 24b Top wall 24c Uneven portion 24d Discharge port 25 Overcap 25a Circumferential wall 25b Top wall 25c Uneven portion 25d Seal body 26 Engagement portion 26a Radially outwardly protruding portion 26b Radially inwardly protruding portion O Central axis

Claims (6)

A container body for accommodating contents;
an outer cap attached to the container body;
an inner cap connected to the outer cap via a screw-threaded portion so as to be relatively movable in an axial direction along a central axis of the screw-threaded portion,
the outer cap has a protruding portion protruding in one axial direction and allowing the contents to pass through,
A refillable container characterized in that the inner cap has an opening portion that is pushed open by the protrusion when the outer cap moves relative to the inner cap toward one side in the axial direction, and a threaded portion that is centered on the central axis and has the same screw winding direction as the screwing portion, and can be screwed into the mouth of the container body. The refillable container according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion has an outlet tube that forms a flow path for the contents flowing out of the container body, and an inlet tube that forms a flow path for air flowing into the container body. the inner cap has a cylindrical wall protruding to one side in the axial direction,
3. The refillable container according to claim 1, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall and an outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion are slidable relative to each other in the axial direction via a seal portion. A refillable container according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and a main container,
A refillable container set, characterized in that the main container has a main container body having the mouth portion. the inner cap and the mouth portion are capable of climbing over each other by elastic deformation in a circumferential direction about the central axis via an engagement portion,
The refillable container set of claim 4, wherein the torque required to move the outer cap relative to the inner cap in one axial direction via the screw-threaded portion is greater than the torque required to move the inner cap relative to the mouth portion via the engagement portion over one circumferential direction, which is the direction in which the screw portion screws into the mouth portion. The refillable container set according to claim 5, wherein the torque required to move the outer cap relative to the inner cap in the other axial direction via the screw portion is smaller than the torque required to move the inner cap over the other circumferential direction via the engagement portion relative to the mouth portion.