JP7486402B2 - Application container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an applicator container equipped with an applicator for applying the contents.

Conventionally, as a container for storing contents such as manicure, pedicure, lip balm, lip gloss, mascara, etc., an applicator container equipped with a brush-like or writing-pen-like applicator as shown in Patent Document 1, for example, is known. Such an applicator container is composed of a bottle-shaped container body that stores the contents inside the mouth with an open top, and an applicator cap with an applicator attached to the tip of a shaft that extends inside the mouth, and is highly convenient because it is not necessary to prepare a separate applicator when applying the contents. In addition, the contents can be attached to the applicator by attaching the applicator cap to the mouth, so the contents can be applied immediately by removing the applicator cap.

JP 2008-162654 A

When the applicator cap is attached to the mouth of this type of applicator container, the contents will adhere not only to the applicator but also to the shaft. In other words, if the application work is performed with the contents still attached to the shaft, the contents on the shaft may drip and soil the surrounding area. Furthermore, if there is an excess of contents attached to the applicator, it is difficult to apply the contents as intended. For this reason, this type of applicator container is equipped with a scraping member attached to the mouth of the container body, which comes into contact with the outer surface of the shaft when the applicator cap is attached to the mouth, and can scrape off the contents attached to the shaft and applicator when the applicator cap is removed.

However, the squeezing member must have a certain degree of elasticity because it will rub against the shaft and the applicator when the applicator cap is removed. For this reason, conventionally, the squeezing member is made of a relatively soft material separate from the container body, and is attached to the container body by pressing it into the opening.

However, this type of construction requires at least two components, the container body and the ironing member, and also requires a process for attaching the ironing member to the container body, which generally results in increased costs.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide an applicator container that can reduce costs compared to conventional containers while maintaining the function of scraping off contents adhering to applicators, etc.

The present invention provides an applicator container comprising a container body having a mouth portion that communicates with a storage space that stores contents, and an applicator-equipped cap that has a shaft portion that extends inside the mouth portion and has an applicator at the tip of the shaft portion and is attached to the container body, the container body being a tube container having the mouth portion at one end and a seal portion at the other end that is sealed after the contents are stored and defines the storage space, the tube container being provided with a pressing piece that is connected to the inner circumferential surface of the mouth portion, protrudes radially inward, and comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion when the applicator-equipped cap is attached to the container body , the cap with applicator being provided with a top wall and This application container has a cap that has an outer peripheral wall, is tubular and closed, and is attached to the mouth to close the mouth, the cap having a support portion that supports the shaft portion so that the shaft portion can move in a direction away from the top wall and a direction toward the top wall, and an engagement portion that engages with the shaft portion that has moved in the direction away from the top wall and prevents the shaft portion from moving in the direction toward the top wall, and when the cap is removed from the mouth and pulled up from the container body, the shaft portion that was located on the top wall side automatically moves in the direction away from the top wall due to the sliding resistance between the scraper piece and the shaft portion and engages with the engagement portion .

The cap includes an outer cap having the top wall and the outer peripheral wall, and an inner cap provided inside the outer cap to close the mouth portion,
the inner cap has a top wall spaced apart from the top wall and an opening penetrating the top wall, and the engaging portion is provided on the top wall;
The shaft portion is inserted through the opening and connected to a retaining portion located between the top wall and the upper wall,
The retaining portion preferably has an engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion.

The applicator container of the present invention has a container body that contains the contents and is constructed from a tube container, and the tube container has a scraping piece that is connected to the inner circumferential surface of the mouth, protrudes radially inward, and abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the shaft. In other words, compared to conventional applicator containers that are constructed of two parts, the container body and the scraping member, the number of parts and assembly steps are reduced, leading to cost reduction. In addition, the scraping piece has the same flexibility as the tube container, so it can maintain the same function as before of scraping off the contents adhering to the shaft and applicator by abutting against the outer circumferential surface of the shaft.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of an application container according to the present invention. 1A is a diagram showing a state in which the contents are placed into the tube container from the other end, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a state in which the other end of the tube container is sealed. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the applicator cap is being removed for the first time.

One embodiment of an application container according to the present invention (application container 10) will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the up-down direction means the direction along the central axis O of the application container 10 shown in FIG. 1, with the side on which the outer cap 4 is located relative to the container body 1 described below being the "upper" side, and the opposite side being the "lower" side. The radial direction is the direction perpendicular to the central axis O in a plane perpendicular to the central axis O, and the circumferential direction is the direction rotating around the central axis O in this plane.

The application container 10 of this embodiment includes a container body 1 and a cap 2 with an application tool. The cap 2 with an application tool is composed of an inner cap 3, an outer cap 4, an axis member 5, and an application tool 6. The inner cap 3 and the outer cap 4 constitute the "cap" in this specification.

The container body 1 is a tube container, and has the shape shown in FIG. 1 after the contents are placed inside, and has the shape shown in FIG. 2(a) before the contents are placed inside. As shown in FIG. 1, the container body 1 of this embodiment has a cylindrical mouth 1a that is open at the top. A male thread 1b is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth 1a. A shoulder 1c that extends radially outward is provided at the lower end of the mouth 1a, and a cylindrical body 1d is provided at the outer edge of the shoulder 1c as shown in FIG. 2(a). Before the contents are placed inside the container body 1, the end of the body 1d opposite to the shoulder 1c is open, as shown in FIG. 2(a).

A ring-shaped ironing piece 1e is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the mouth 1a, which is connected (integrally connected) at the location where the mouth 1a and shoulder 1c are connected and protrudes radially inward from there (in this embodiment, it protrudes radially inward and at an angle downward).

The container body 1 of this embodiment can be formed, for example, from low-density polyethylene, in the same way as a typical tube container. The method of forming the container body 1 can also be the same as that of a conventional tube container, and can be formed, for example, by welding a head having a mouth portion 1a, male thread portion 1b, shoulder portion 1c, and ironing piece 1e to a cylindrical body portion 1d formed by extrusion molding.

The inner cap 3 is a cylindrical cap with a lid and has a top wall 3a extending horizontally and a peripheral wall 3b extending downward from the outer edge of the top wall 3a. The inner surface of the peripheral wall 3b is provided with a female threaded portion 3c that corresponds to the male threaded portion 1b.

An opening 3d is provided in the center of the top wall 3a, and an annular wall 3e is provided on the underside of the top wall 3a, surrounding the opening 3d and extending downward. The annular wall 3e has the function of supporting the shaft portion 5a, as described below, and corresponds to the "support portion" in this specification.

The upper surface of the top wall 3a is provided with a claw-shaped engagement portion 3f that extends upward and has its upper end protruding radially outward.

As shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 1, the peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 3b is provided with a plurality of vertical grooves 3g extending in the circumferential direction, and below the vertical grooves 3g, protrusions 3h are provided that protrude radially outward.

The outer cap 4 is cylindrical with a lid and extends relatively far in the vertical direction as shown in the figure. The outer cap 4 has a top wall 4a extending horizontally and an outer peripheral wall 4b extending downward from the outer edge of the top wall 4a. As shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 1, the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 4b is provided with a plurality of vertical ribs 4c in the circumferential direction, which extend vertically and fit into the vertical grooves 3g. In addition, below the vertical ribs 4c on the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 4b, recesses 4d are provided into which the protrusions 3h fit.

The shaft member 5 has a cylindrical shaft portion 5a. The tip (lower end) of the shaft portion 5a is provided with a fitting hole 5b for holding the applicator 6. The rear end (upper end) of the shaft portion 5a is provided with a retaining portion 5c that prevents the shaft member 5 from slipping out of the inner cap 3, as described below.

As shown in the partially enlarged portion of FIG. 1, the retaining portion 5c of this embodiment is composed of an inner annular wall 5d located radially inside the engaging portion 3f, an outer annular wall 5e located radially outside the engaging portion 3f, and a connecting wall 5f connecting the inner annular wall 5d and the outer annular wall 5e above the engaging portion 3f. An opening 5g is provided at the portion where the outer annular wall 5e and the connecting wall 5f are connected, and an elastic engaging piece 5h is provided immediately below the opening 5g, which extends from the bottom to the top so as to incline radially inward and is elastically deformable from the radial inside to the radial outside. The elastic engaging piece 5h has a function of engaging with the engaging portion 3f as described later, and corresponds to the "engaged portion" in this specification.

The inner annular wall 5d has a number of ribs 5j spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction on its outer peripheral surface, as shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 1, and the outer annular wall 5e has a downward projection 5k on its lower surface.

The applicator 6 is equipped with an applicator section 6a for applying the contents, and an applicator holder 6b that is cylindrical and inserted into the fitting hole 5b to hold the applicator 6 on the shaft member 5. The applicator section 6a is, for example, brush-shaped, sponge-shaped, or writing-brush-shaped, and the most suitable one is selected appropriately depending on the type of contents and the area to which the contents are to be applied.

When assembling the applicator-equipped cap 2 in the applicator container 10 having such a configuration, the shaft portion 5a of the shaft member 5 is inserted into the opening 3d of the inner cap 3. The inner cap 3 is then inserted into the outer cap 4, fitting the vertical groove 3g with the vertical rib 4c, and the protrusion 3h with the recess 4d. This prevents the inner cap 3 from rotating in the circumferential direction relative to the outer cap 4, and prevents it from coming off in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the applicator holder 6b is inserted into the fitting hole 5b, and the applicator 6 is held by the shaft member 5.

When the assembled applicator-equipped cap 2 is attached to the container body 1, the applicator 6 is inserted into the mouth 1a, and the outer cap 4 is moved toward the container body 1. When the applicator-equipped cap 2 is attached to the container body 1, the shaft 5a is supported by the annular wall 3e. The inner periphery of the wiping piece 1e elastically abuts against the outer periphery of the shaft 5a (the outer periphery of the applicator 6 when the applicator 6 is inserted into the mouth 1a), so that a sliding resistance is generated between them. Therefore, when the outer cap 4 is moved toward the container body 1, as shown in the figure, the inner cap 3 and the outer cap 4 approach the mouth 1a, leaving the shaft member 5 behind, so that the shaft member 5 moves relatively in a direction in which the connecting wall 5f approaches the top wall 4a. Then, the outer cap 4 is rotated in the circumferential direction to screw the male screw portion 1b and the female screw portion 3c together, so that the applicator-equipped cap 2 can be attached to the container body 1 in the state shown in FIG. 2(a).

After the applicator cap 2 is attached to the container body 1, the filling nozzle N is inserted with the opening of the body 1d facing upward as shown in the figure, and the contents are discharged from the filling nozzle N and stored inside the body 1d. As described above, when the applicator cap 2 is attached to the container body 1, the shaft member 5 automatically moves in a direction in which the connecting wall 5f approaches the top wall 4a due to the sliding resistance of the squeezing piece 1e. In other words, since the applicator 6 has moved toward the mouth 1a side as shown in FIG. 2(a), the upper part of the body 1d is widely opened. Therefore, when the filling nozzle N is inserted inside the body 1d, the applicator 6 does not get in the way. In addition, in this state, the inner cap 3 closes the mouth 1a, and the squeezing piece 1e abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the shaft 5a, so the stored contents do not leak from the container body 1.

After a predetermined amount of contents is discharged from the filling nozzle N, the filling nozzle N is pulled out from the body 1d, and the opening of the body 1d is sealed, for example, by heat welding or ultrasonic welding, to hermetically seal the storage space S containing the contents. The opening of the sealed body 1d is formed with a plate-shaped seal portion 1f, as shown in FIG. 2(b).

When using the application container 10 containing the contents in this way, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer cap 4 is rotated relative to the container body 1 to release the male thread portion 1b from the female thread portion 3c, and the outer cap 4 is then lifted up from the container body 1 (the outer cap 4 is moved in a direction away from the container body 1). Here, the scraper 1e is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion 5a and is flexible, so that the contents adhering to the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion 5a can be scraped off. In addition, the contact between the scraper 1e and the shaft portion 5a creates a sliding resistance between them. Therefore, when the outer cap 4 is lifted up from the container body 1, the inner cap 3 and the outer cap 4 are separated from the container body 1, leaving the shaft member 5 behind. In other words, the shaft member 5 moves relatively in a direction in which the connecting wall 5f moves away from the top wall 4a (in a direction in which the elastic engagement piece 5h approaches the engagement portion 3f). Then, as the outer cap 4 continues to be pulled up, the elastic engagement piece 5h engages with the engagement part 3f, and the excess contents adhering to the applicator 6 are scraped off by the squeezing piece 1e, and the applicator 6 is pulled out from the mouth part 1a.

In this way, when the applicator cap 2 is removed from the container body 1, the elastic engagement piece 5h automatically engages with the engagement portion 3f. In other words, in this state, the shaft member 5 does not move toward the top wall 4a, so that it is possible to prevent problems such as the applicator 6 moving toward the outer cap 4 during application. When the elastic engagement piece 5h engages with the engagement portion 3f, as shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 3, the rib 5j abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the engagement portion 3f, and the downward projection 5k abuts against the upper surface of the top wall 3a, so that the shaft member 5 is held against the inner cap 3 without rattling. Therefore, even with the applicator cap 2 of this embodiment, the contents can be applied with the same ease of use as with a conventional applicator cap.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the spirit of the present invention described in the claims unless otherwise specifically limited in the above description. Furthermore, the effects in the above embodiment are merely examples of the effects resulting from the present invention, and do not mean that the effects of the present invention are limited to the above effects.

For example, considering that the contents are contained in the filling nozzle N (see FIG. 2(a)), it is preferable that the shaft member 5 is movable in the direction away from the top wall 4a and in the direction toward the top wall 4a as described above, but it may be immobile. In addition, in the above embodiment, the engaging portion 3f and the elastic engaging piece 5h are provided to prevent the shaft member 5 from moving toward the top wall 4a when the applicator cap 2 is removed, but they may be replaced with other configurations having such a function. For example, such a function can be realized by providing an inward protrusion on the inner surface of the outer peripheral wall 4b of the outer cap 4 and providing an outward protrusion that engages with this inward protrusion on the outer peripheral surface of the outer annular wall 5e of the shaft member 5. In addition, it is generally advantageous in terms of cost and assembly to integrally connect the squeezing piece 1e to the mouth portion 1a as described above, but depending on the shape of the container body 1, for example, this may be disadvantageous due to the complexity of the mold structure, deterioration of yield, or other circumstances. For this reason, taking these circumstances into consideration, the squeezing piece 1e may be formed separately from the mouth portion 1a and then attached to the container body 1, thereby connecting the squeezing piece 1e to the inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion 1a.

1: Container body (tube container)
1a: Mouth portion 1b: Male thread portion 1c: Shoulder portion 1d: Body portion 1e: Squeezing piece 1f: Sealing portion 2: Cap with applicator 3: Inner cap (cap)
3a: Top wall 3b: Peripheral wall 3c: Female thread portion 3d: Opening 3e: Annular wall (support portion)
3f: Engagement portion 3g: Vertical groove 3h: Protrusion 4: Outer cap (cap)
4a: Top wall 4b: Outer peripheral wall 4c: Vertical rib 4d: Recess 5: Shaft member 5a: Shaft portion 5b: Fitting hole 5c: Anti-slip portion 5d: Inner annular wall 5e: Outer annular wall 5f: Connecting wall 5g: Opening 5h: Elastic engagement piece (engaged portion)
5j: rib 5k: downward projection 6: applicator 6a: applicator part 6b: applicator holder 10: applicator container O: central axis S: storage space

Claims (2)

An applicator container comprising: a container body having a mouth portion communicating with a storage space for storing contents; and an applicator-attached cap having a shaft portion extending inside the mouth portion and having an applicator at a tip of the shaft portion, the applicator-attached cap being attached to the container body,
the container body is a tube container having the mouth portion at one end and a seal portion at the other end that is sealed after the contents are contained therein to partition the containing space,
the tube container includes a pressing piece that is connected to an inner circumferential surface of the mouth portion, protrudes radially inward, and abuts against an outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion when the applicator-equipped cap is attached to the container body ;
The applicator-equipped cap has a top wall and an outer peripheral wall, is tubular and has a cap that is attached to the mouth to close the mouth,
the cap includes a support portion that supports the shaft portion so that the shaft portion can move in a direction away from the top wall and a direction toward the top wall, and an engagement portion that engages with the shaft portion that has moved in the direction away from the top wall and prevents the shaft portion from moving in the direction toward the top wall,
When the cap is removed from the mouth and pulled up from the container body, the shaft portion located on the top wall side automatically moves in a direction away from the top wall due to the sliding resistance between the scraper and the shaft portion, and engages with the engaging portion . The cap includes an outer cap having the top wall and the outer peripheral wall, and an inner cap provided inside the outer cap to close the mouth portion,
the inner cap has a top wall spaced apart from the top wall and an opening penetrating the top wall, and the engaging portion is provided on the top wall;
The shaft portion is inserted through the opening and connected to a retaining portion located between the top wall and the upper wall,
The applicator container according to claim 1 , wherein the retaining portion has an engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion.

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