JPH11165120A - Actuator and discharge container equipped with the actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide an actuator having a simple valve mechanism and a simple discharge container of a pump mechanism by mounting the actuator. SOLUTION: A flexible film member 6 is partially adhered so as to cover a through hole 2 penetrating up and down of an actuator main body 1 so that a non-adhered portion of the film member 6 communicates with the through hole 2 and a film member 6 is formed. A configuration in which an end constitutes a duct 8 serving as an automatic opening / closing discharge port 7, and a groove 5 communicating with the through hole 2 and extending to the vicinity of the discharge port 7 is provided on the upper surface of the actuator body 1 in the duct 8. Actuator. Further, an inner container 25 having an outer container 10 and a tubular bag member 30
And a lid-like elastic body 15 into which a partition member 20 having a flexible dome portion 17 having a stem 16 erected thereon and having a valve body 22 mounted therein is fitted, thereby forming a discharge container main body T. 16
Then, the above-described actuator was attached to the discharge container to form a pump chamber 23 in the dome portion 17.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a discharge container having a pump function for discharging liquid contents such as creams, foundations, ointments, and the like, and an actuator mounted on the discharge container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, liquid contents of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, such as creams, foundations, facial cleansers, ointments, toothpastes, etc., have been stored in a discharge container having a pump function, and the contents of the contents have been lowered by operating an actuator of the discharge container. Is known.

FIG. 12 shows an actuator H disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-198300. The duct 50 of the actuator H has a flexible film member 52 partially adhered to the upper surface of a base 51. The automatic opening / closing mechanism is constituted by an adhesive portion, and is opened by the discharge pressure of the contents and self-closes when the pressure disappears. The duct 50 is covered with a hard head member 53 so that the top surface of the actuator H can be pressed with a finger, and is provided inside a shell formed by the base 51 and the head member 53.

In this conventional actuator H, the contents remaining in the actuator H can be cut off from the outside air by a simple mechanism. Has excellent characteristics that can prevent deterioration of the residual contents.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional actuator H, when the pressing operation is performed by a finger, the film member 52 constituting the duct 50 swells and the liquid flows therethrough. Therefore, the liquid flowing through the duct 50 is not blocked by the finger. For this reason, a head member 53 for securing a space allowing the bulging of the duct 50 is mounted on the upper surface of the base 51 so as to cover the duct 50. Therefore, the conventional actuator H has a head member 53 and a process of attaching the head member 53, so that an increase in price cannot be avoided.

Further, the known discharge container provided with a conventional pump function cannot be said to be a configuration in which an actuator H having an automatic opening / closing function is effectively utilized.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is simpler than the conventional actuator.
An object of the present invention is to provide an actuator having an automatic opening / closing function that is easy to wipe and has a hygienic automatic opening / closing function, and to provide a discharge container having a pump function that makes more effective use of the automatic opening / closing function of the actuator.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an actuator according to the present invention is characterized in that a flexible film member is partially adhered so as to cover a through hole penetrating vertically above and below an actuator body. A non-adhered portion communicates with the through hole and an end of the film member constitutes a duct that becomes an automatic opening / closing discharge port, and communicates with the through hole on an upper surface of the actuator body in the duct. It is characterized in that a groove extending to the vicinity of the discharge port is provided, and liquid can be passed even when the upper surface of the film member constituting the duct is directly pressed with a finger.

In addition, a through-hole penetrating the actuator body up and down is opened at the front of the upper surface, and a flexible film member is partially adhered to the front of the upper surface of the actuator body so as to cover the through-hole. The non-adhesive portion of the film member communicates with the through-hole, and the end of the film member is an automatic opening / closing duct serving as a discharge port, so that the actuator can be pressed without touching the film member with fingers.

An actuator is formed by integrating the actuator according to claim 1 or 2 with a lid-like elastic body having a flexible dome portion, and using this actuator, the number of parts and the number of assembly steps are reduced. A discharge container can be configured.

The discharge container of the present invention has a cylindrical outer container having a mouth, a lid-like elastic body fitted to the mouth having a flexible dome portion having a stem erected on the top surface, A partition member fitted to the lid-like elastic body having a valve body mounted in the center, and a mouth of a shoulder member to which a tubular bag member is attached are airtightly pressed against the partition member and fitted into and removed from the outer container. A discharge container main body is constituted by an inner container which is freely housed, and the actuator is mounted on the stem to form a pump chamber in the dome portion. A simple pump mechanism was constructed with the valve body of the main body.

Further, the tubular bag member may be directly attached to the lid-like elastic body to reduce the number of parts of the inner container.

Further, by directly attaching the tubular bag member to the partition member, the number of components of the inner container can be reduced, and a cartridge container in which the inner container can be replaced can be obtained.

In addition, the discharge container main body has a cylindrical outer container having a mouth portion, and a cylindrical bag member attached to a partition member having a valve body mounted at the center, and is detachably housed in the outer container. A discharge container may be formed by fitting the actuator according to claim 3 into the mouth of the outer container.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of the present invention, and show an embodiment of a discharge container comprising an actuator H and a discharge container main body T to which the actuator H is mounted. .

The discharge container main body T has a bottomed cylindrical outer container 10 having a mouth portion 11 and a flexible dome portion 17 having a thin stepped cross section in which a stem 16 is erected on a top surface 19. A lid-like elastic body 15 fitted to the mouth portion 11, a partition member 20 fitted in the lid-like elastic body 15 having an annular wall 21 suspended from the lower surface and a valve body 22 mounted in the center, The mouth 26 is air-tightly pressed against the lower surface of the partition member 20 and includes an inner container 25 which is housed in the outer container 10 so as to be detachable.

The outer container 10 is formed of a synthetic resin material, has a mouth portion 11 provided with a male screw 12, and a bottom portion 13 with a through hole 1 for introducing outside air when the inside of the outer container 10 becomes a negative pressure.
4 are provided.

The lid-like elastic body 15 is made of a flexible synthetic resin material such as polypropylene, polyethylene or elastomer, and has a thin stepped shape rising from a peripheral wall portion 18 which is screwed into the mouth portion 11 of the outer container 10. The flexible dome portion 17 can be crushed in the vertical direction and has an elastic restoring force. The stem 16 at the center of the top surface 19 of the dome portion 17 is an outflow passage for contents to which the actuator H is attached.

The partition member 20 is fitted below the dome portion 17 of the lid-like elastic body 15 so that the inside of the dome portion 17 is in the pump chamber 2.
3 is a well-known valve mechanism that opens upward when a negative pressure is applied to the inside of the pump chamber 23 and opens the valve.

The inner container 25 includes a shoulder member 2 having a flange 28 and an opening 26 in which a male screw 26a is screwed.
7 and a cylindrical bag member 30 whose opening is fused to the peripheral wall 29 of the shoulder member 27 and whose bottom is heat-sealed.

The inner container 25 filled with a liquid content (not shown) is housed in the outer container 10 by placing the flange 28 on the upper end surface of the mouth 10 of the outer container 10 and housed in the outer container 10. By screwing 15 into the mouth 10 of the outer container 10, the annular wall 21 of the partition member 20 fits airtightly into the mouth 26 of the shoulder member 27, and the mouth 26 presses against the lower surface of the partition member 20. Then, it is incorporated in the discharge container main body T.

The inner container 25 is detachable from the discharge container main body T, and when the contents are used up, the new cartridge type inner container 25 filled with the contents shown in FIG. I can do it.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an actuator H attached to the stem 16 of the discharge container main body T includes an actuator main body 1 made of a synthetic resin having a through hole 2 penetrating vertically. Polyester, polyamide,
A synthetic resin film member 6 having desired physical properties and thickness such as flexibility, elasticity, tension and the like made of a simple substance such as polyethylene, polypropylene or the like, or a laminate thereof or a material having an aluminum barrier layer. A film member 6 covering the through hole 2 is superimposed on substantially the entire upper surface 3 of the actuator main body 1 and is partially bonded by a known bonding method such as heat welding. The bonded part 4 is shown in FIG.
In (a), it is shown by cross hatching.

The non-adhesive portion of the film member 6 communicates with the through hole 2 and constitutes a duct 8 having an end portion of the film member 6 as an automatic opening / closing discharge port 7. The upper surface 3 is provided with a groove 5 communicating with the through hole 2 and extending to the vicinity of the discharge port 7.

The actuator H configured as described above
Is mounted on the stem 16 of the discharge container body T,
Automatic opening / closing discharge port 7 and dome portion 17 of lid-like elastic body 15
And the valve element 22 of the partition member 20 constitute a pump mechanism in which the inside of the dome portion 17 is a pump chamber 23. Therefore, the pump mechanism of the discharge container main body T has a structure that can be assembled very easily as compared with a pump mechanism having two upper and lower valve bodies provided in a conventionally known discharge container.

Next, the operation of the discharge container of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. First, the actuator H
, Ie, the upper surface of the bonded film member 6 is pressed by a finger to compress the dome portion 17. The air in the pump chamber 23 is compressed, the valve body 22 is closed, and the compressed air is discharged from the stem 16 through the through hole 2 of the actuator H and the groove 5 of the duct 8 to automatically open the discharge port 7 by its own pressure. Is done. The fingertip to be pressed presses the upper surface of the film member 6 having the duct 8, but the passage of the duct 8 communicating from the through hole 2 to the discharge port 7 is secured by the groove 5.

Next, when the actuator H is depressed and the pressing force of the finger is released, the discharge port 7 is automatically closed by the elastic force of the film member and the dome portion 17 is elastically self-returned. As a result, the valve body 22 opens and sucks the contents in the inner container 25 into the pump chamber 23. Accordingly, the cylindrical bag member 30 of the inner container 25 collapses and self-compresses, and the air of the self-compressing capacity of the cylindrical bag member 30 in the outer container 10 is supplied from the through hole 14 of the bottom portion 13.

When the actuator H is pressed from the above state, the compressed contents in the pump chamber 23 are pushed out from the stem 16 and passed through the through hole 2 of the actuator H in the same manner as in the discharge of the compressed air described above. The discharge port 7 is automatically opened by its own pressure through the groove 5 of 8 and is discharged. The contents are guided and discharged to the vicinity of the discharge port 7 by the groove 5 communicating with the through hole 2, so that the liquid is not hindered by the finger performing the pressing operation, and the contents of the film member 6 constituting the duct 8 are prevented. The end of the non-adhered portion, that is, the discharge port 7 bulges and deforms as the content is discharged. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly discharge even contents having a high viscosity.

When the discharge is completed, the discharge port 7 self-closes and the pressing force is released, and the dome portion 17 recovers itself, the pump chamber 2
The valve body 22 is opened by the negative pressure of 3, and the contents are refilled into the pump chamber 23, but the contents in the pump chamber 23 are not shut off from the outside air by the self-closed discharge port 7 and do not deteriorate.

By repeating the above operation, the ejection of the contents is repeated. When storing the discharge container,
The overcap 32 is used to prevent external pressure from being applied to the dome portion 17.

When the contents are completely discharged, the cylindrical bag member 30 of the inner container 25 is crushed and contracted. Therefore, the environmental burden associated with disposal is reduced.

Incidentally, the actuator H of the present embodiment is
It is needless to say that the present invention is not used only for the discharge container body T of the present embodiment, but can be used as an automatic opening / closing mechanism by being mounted on a well-known discharge container provided with a pump function having a stem.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In the following, portions common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

The discharge container body T2 in the present embodiment
Is a bottomed cylindrical outer container 10 having a mouth portion 11 and a top surface 1
9, a lid-like elastic body 15 fitted to the mouth portion 11 having a flexible dome portion 17 having a thin stepped cross section and a valve body 22 mounted in the center. A partition member 20 fitted into the elastic body 15;
And an inner container 25 housed in the outer container 10 having the cylindrical bag member 30 attached to the hanging wall 15a.

As described above, the inner bag 2 is formed by directly attaching the tubular bag member 30 to the lid-like elastic body 15.
The number of parts in the portion 5 can be reduced.

Further, the actuator H2 mounted on the discharge container main body T2 of the present embodiment has a through hole 2 penetrating up and down of the actuator main body 1 opened at the front part of the upper surface 3,
A flexible film member 6 covering the through hole 2 is partially adhered to a front portion of the upper surface 3 of the actuator body 1 so that the non-adhered portion of the film member 6 communicates with the through hole 2 and the end of the film member 6. The section constitutes an automatic opening / closing duct 8 serving as a discharge port 7.

As described above, since the duct 8 formed by the film member 6 is formed at the front portion of the actuator H2, the operation can be performed by pressing the center of the upper surface 3 of the actuator H2 without touching the film member 6 with fingers. Therefore, the film member 6 is not damaged.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a third embodiment of the present invention.
Reference numeral 3 denotes a bottomed cylindrical outer container 10 having a mouth portion 11 and a mouth portion 11 having a flexible dome portion 17 having a thin stepped cross section formed by erecting a stem 16 on a top surface 19. Cover-like elastic body 15 to be attached, and a partition member 20 having a valve body 22 mounted in the center.
And an inner container 25 which is fitted in the outer container 10 so as to be detachable.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the valve body 22 of the inner container 25 in the present embodiment covers the through hole 20a on the upper surface of the partition member 20 and partially adheres the film member 24 to the non-adhered portion. This is a duct 33 having automatic opening and closing properties. Reference numeral 34 denotes a virgin seal in which the inner container 25 is a cartridge container.

As described above, by forming the inner container 25 in which the tubular bag member 30 is directly attached to the partition member 20, the number of parts can be reduced and a replaceable cartridge container can be provided. Can be manufactured inexpensively because of its simple structure.

FIG. 9 to FIG. 11 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
A cylindrical outer container 10 having a mouth 11 and a valve body 22 in the center;
A cylindrical bag member 30 is attached to a partition member 20 equipped with a container, and the inner container 25 is removably accommodated in the outer container 10.
Constitute the discharge container main body T4, and the actuator H described in the first embodiment described above and the lid-like elastic body 15 having the flexible dome portion 17 having a thin stepped cross section are integrally formed. The actuator H3 is formed to form an actuator H3, and the actuator H3 is fitted to the mouth 11 of the outer container 10 and assembled.

The automatic opening / closing mechanism of the actuator H3 has the structure shown in the first embodiment and the second embodiment.
Needless to say, the configuration shown in FIG.

By using the actuator H3 in which the lid-like elastic body 15 is integrally formed as described above, the number of parts and the number of assembling steps are reduced, and the price of the discharge container can be reduced.

The actuator H3 can have various variations. FIG.
FIG. 11 shows an example in which the dome portion 17 is formed in a truncated cone bolt shape. The shape of the dome portion 17 may be basically any shape that allows easy compression and self-restoration.

The present invention is embodied in the form described above and has the following effects.

As is apparent from the above description, the actuator of the present invention constitutes an automatic opening / closing mechanism having a valve function by the actuator body and the flexible film member, and directly presses the center of the upper surface of the actuator with a finger. It operates without impairing the discharge function.

Accordingly, the actuator of the present invention has a small number of parts, has a simple structure and does not require high molding accuracy, and therefore has excellent productivity, and can provide an actuator having an automatic opening / closing function at low cost.

Further, in the discharge container of the present invention, by mounting the actuator of the present invention, the automatic opening / closing mechanism of the actuator functions as the upper valve of the pump mechanism, and the dome portion of the lid-like elastic body and the valve body of the partition member are provided. Thus, the pump mechanism having the pump chamber inside the dome portion is configured, so that the pump mechanism can be easily assembled, and a discharge container having both the pump function and the automatic opening / closing function can be provided at low cost.

Further, the discharge container of the present invention uses a collapsible cylindrical bag member as the inner container and can be made into a cartridge type inner container. Therefore, the used inner container can be folded up small and discarded, and Since the inner container can be replaced and used repeatedly, it is an economical discharge container with reduced environmental burden.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

2A is an enlarged plan view of a film member, FIG. 2B is an enlarged plan view of an actuator body, and FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of FIG.

3A is an enlarged plan view of the actuator shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing an inner container used in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

6A is an enlarged plan view of the actuator shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an inner container used in the embodiment of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing an actuator according to another embodiment used in the embodiment of FIG. 9;

11 is a partially cutaway front view showing an actuator according to another embodiment used in the embodiment of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing a conventional actuator.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Actuator main body, 2 Through hole, 3 Top surface, 5
Groove, 6 Film member, 7 Discharge port, 8 Duct, 10
Outer container, 11 mouth, 15 lid-like elastic body, 15a hanging wall, 16 stem, 17 dome, 19 top, 2
0 partition member, 21 annular wall, 22 valve body, 23 pump room, 25 inner container, 26 mouth, 27 shoulder member, 30
Tubular bag member, H, H2, H3 actuator, T, T
2, T3, T4 discharge container body,

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A flexible film member is partially adhered so as to cover a through hole vertically penetrating an actuator body, and a non-adhered portion of the film member communicates with the through hole and an end of the film member. Constitutes a duct serving as an automatic opening / closing discharge port, and is provided with a groove communicating with the through hole and extending to the vicinity of the discharge port on an upper surface of the actuator body in the duct. 2. A through hole vertically penetrating the actuator body is opened at a front portion of the upper surface, and a flexible film member is partially adhered to the front portion of the upper surface of the actuator body so as to cover the through hole. An actuator, wherein the non-adhesive portion of the film member communicates with the through-hole, and the end of the film member is an automatic opening / closing duct serving as a discharge port. 3. An actuator, wherein the actuator according to claim 1 and a lid-like elastic body having a flexible dome portion are integrally formed. 4. A cylindrical outer container having a mouth, a lid-like elastic body fitted to the mouth having a flexible dome portion having a stem standing on the top surface, and a valve body in the center. The partition member fitted to the attached lid-like elastic body and the mouth of the shoulder member to which the tubular bag member is attached are air-tightly pressed against the partition member and are housed in the outer container so as to be detachable. 3. A discharge container characterized by comprising a discharge container main body with an inner container, wherein the actuator according to claim 1 or 2 is mounted on the stem, and the inside of the dome portion is formed as a pump chamber. 5. A cylindrical outer container having a mouth, a lid-like elastic body fitted to the mouth having a flexible dome having a stem on the top surface, and a valve in the center. A discharge container body is constituted by a partition member fitted into the attached lid-like elastic body, and an inner container housed in the outer container having a tubular bag member attached to a hanging wall of the lid-like elastic body. A discharge container, wherein the actuator according to claim 1 or 2 is mounted on the stem, and the inside of the dome portion is used as a pump chamber. 6. A cylindrical outer container having a mouth, a lid-like elastic body fitted to the mouth having a flexible dome portion having a stem erected on the top surface, and a valve body in the center. A discharge container main body is constituted by a tubular bag member attached to the mounted partition member and an inner container which is removably fitted in the outer container, and the actuator according to claim 1 or 2 is attached to the stem. A discharge container, wherein the inside of the dome portion is mounted as a pump chamber. 7. Discharge by a cylindrical outer container having a mouth portion and an inner container which is fitted in a cylindrical bag member to a partition member having a valve body mounted in the center and is removably fitted in the outer container. A discharge container, comprising a container body, wherein the actuator according to claim 3 is fitted to a mouth of the outer container, and the inside of the dome portion is used as a pump chamber.