JP7551243B2 - Liquid container and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a liquid container and a method for manufacturing a liquid container.

Conventionally, liquid containers that contain relatively viscous liquids such as liquid laundry detergents and fabric softeners have been known that have a nozzle cap with a nozzle attached to the opening of a container body that has a storage space for the liquid, and that are closed by an overcap (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-81582 A

In the case of liquid containers such as that described in Patent Document 1, it is common to pour the liquid contents into an overcap equipped with a measuring function and measure the amount before use. However, when the nozzle is closed with the overcap after the liquid contents have been used, the liquid contents remaining in the overcap adhere to the outside of the nozzle, and the user's hands and the container body may become soiled with the liquid contents the next time the container is used. This leaves room for improvement in this regard.

The present disclosure aims to solve these problems by providing a liquid container and a method for manufacturing the liquid container that allows the liquid content in the overcap to be easily returned to the container body.

The liquid container of the present disclosure comprises:
A liquid container comprising: a container body having a cylindrical mouth portion communicating with a storage space for the liquid content; a nozzle cap having a nozzle portion attached to the mouth portion and for discharging the liquid content to the outside; and an overcap for closing the nozzle portion,
The nozzle cap is
A mounting part that is mounted on the mouth part;
The nozzle portion is cylindrical and protrudes upward from a radially inner side of the mounting portion;
a connecting portion that connects the mounting portion and the nozzle portion,
The connecting portion is provided with a liquid recovery valve that opens and closes a liquid recovery hole that returns the content liquid radially outside the nozzle portion into the storage space,
the liquid recovery valve is opened when the overcap is attached and is closed when the overcap is removed ;
the liquid recovery valve has a valve body that is connected to an outer circumferential surface of the nozzle portion via a hinge portion and extends radially outward at a circumferential position where the liquid recovery hole is formed,
When the overcap is attached, a lower end of the overcap presses a radially outer portion of the valve body downward to open the liquid recovery hole,
The valve body is characterized in that a pressing portion is provided which protrudes upward from a radially outer portion of the valve body .

In addition, in the liquid container of the present disclosure, in the above configuration, it is preferable that the peripheral wall of the nozzle portion has a recessed groove that is recessed radially outward in part of the peripheral direction.

The present disclosure provides a liquid container and a method for manufacturing a liquid container that allows the liquid content in the overcap to be easily returned to the container body.

1 is a front cross-sectional view of a liquid container according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a liquid recovery valve portion in FIG. 1 . 2 is a plan view of a connecting portion and a nozzle portion of a liquid container according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view of a liquid container according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, showing a state in which the overcap has been removed and the liquid collection hole has been closed. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the container body is turned upside down from the state shown in FIG. 4 and the content liquid is being discharged. FIG. FIG. 11 is a front cross-sectional view of a liquid container according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a plan view of a connecting portion and a nozzle portion of a liquid container according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a front cross-sectional view of a liquid container according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a plan view of a connecting portion and a nozzle portion of a liquid container according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. 13 is a front cross-sectional view showing a liquid container according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure with the overcap removed to close the liquid collection hole. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the container body is inverted from the state shown in FIG. 10 to discharge the liquid content. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the steps of a method for manufacturing a liquid container according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. 13A to 13C are diagrams showing a step of biasing a radially inner spiral plate so as to be positioned lower than a radially outer spiral plate in a liquid container manufacturing method according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

The liquid container 100 of the first embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 1 is used for storing relatively viscous liquid contents such as liquid laundry detergent or fabric softener, and has a container body 10, a nozzle cap 20, and an overcap 30. In this specification, claims, abstract, and drawings, the side where the overcap 30 is located is the upper side (upper side in FIG. 1), and the side where the container body 10 is located is the lower side (lower side in FIG. 1). In addition, the radially outer side refers to the direction away from the central axis O along a straight line passing through the central axis O of the liquid container 100 extending vertically in FIG. 1 and perpendicular to the central axis O, and the radially inner side refers to the direction toward the central axis O along the straight line. Note that the central axis O in FIG. 1 is used to define the radially outer side and the radially inner side, and does not mean that each member of the liquid container 100 of this embodiment is always formed axially symmetrically around this central axis O.

The container body 10 is formed in a bottle shape with a body with a storage space S inside, a bottom (not shown) that closes the lower end of the body, and a cylindrical mouth 13 that is connected to the storage space S, and the content liquid (not shown) can be stored in the storage space S. The container body 10 can be made of a synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), or polyethylene (PE). Note that the mouth 13 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and can be formed into other shapes as long as it is cylindrical, such as an elliptical cylinder or a square cylinder.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the nozzle cap 20 includes an outer peripheral wall 23 attached to the mouth 13 of the container body 10, a mounting portion 21 having a top wall 26 connected to the upper part of the outer peripheral wall 23, a seal wall 26a hanging down from the radially inner end of the top wall 26, a cylindrical nozzle portion 28 protruding upward from the radially inner side of the mounting portion 21, and a connecting portion 28g connecting the mounting portion 21 and the nozzle portion 28. In this embodiment, the mounting portion 21, the connecting portion 28g, and the nozzle portion 28 are integrally formed and can be made of, for example, a synthetic resin.

More specifically, the mounting part 21 has a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 23 with a larger diameter than the mouth part 13, and the female threads 23a integrally formed on the inner peripheral surface of this outer peripheral wall 23 are screwed into the male threads 13a integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth part 13, thereby mounting the mounting part 21 to the mouth part 13. The lower end of the outer peripheral wall 23 is provided with a number of recessed grooves 23b, and the locking ribs 13b provided at the base of the mouth part 13 engage with the recessed grooves 23b. This keeps the mounting part 21 attached to the mouth part 13 and prevents it from being easily removed from the mouth part 13.

In the illustrated case, the mounting portion 21 is configured to be mounted to the mouth portion 13 by screw connection, but this is not limited, and it can also be configured to be mounted to the mouth portion 13 by other means, such as an undercut. In this case, the outer peripheral wall 23 can be formed into other shapes, such as an elliptical cylinder or a square cylinder, to match the shape of the mouth portion 13.

The mounting part 21 has a top wall 26 connected to the upper part of the outer peripheral wall 23. A seal wall 26a hangs down from the radially inner side of the outer peripheral wall 23 at the top wall 26, and this seal wall 26a fits into the inner peripheral surface of the mouth part 13, so that the mounting part 21 seals the upper end opening of the mouth part 13 liquid-tight. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the length of the seal wall 26a is extended downward to the extension part 26c at two points in the circumferential direction, so that the surface tension of the content liquid at this seal wall 26a is set to a value suitable for drawing the content liquid into the container body 10 through the liquid recovery hole 28h. This configuration of the extension part 26c can improve the liquid run-out when the content liquid remaining in the overcap 30 is recovered into the container body 10 through the liquid recovery hole 28h, as described below.

The mounting portion 21 further includes a mounting tube 25. The mounting tube 25 is cylindrical and has a smaller diameter than the outer wall 23 and is coaxial with the outer wall 23, and protrudes upward from the upper surface of the top wall 26. A male thread 25a for mounting the overcap 30 is integrally formed on the outer surface of the mounting tube 25.

The nozzle portion 28 has grooves 28b at four circumferential locations on the peripheral wall 28a, which extend from the upper end to near the lower end along the central axis O (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, the nozzle portion 28 has grooves 28b at four equally spaced locations in the circumferential direction. By providing these grooves 28b, as described below, when the container body 10 is inverted to eject the liquid contents, air can flow through the grooves 28b that face the area in the nozzle portion 28 through which the liquid contents flow (see the arrow pointing from the lower left into the grooves 28b in FIG. 5), so that the liquid contents can be ejected smoothly without providing a separate air inlet hole in the container body 10, etc.

As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting portion 28g is a portion that connects the nozzle portion 28 and the mounting portion 21 (not shown in FIG. 3), and has a generally annular shape. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, liquid collection holes 28h and liquid collection valves 28d that can open and close the liquid collection holes 28h are provided at two opposing circumferential positions on the connecting portion 28g.

The liquid recovery valve 28d is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle portion 28 via the hinge portion 28c at the circumferential position where the liquid recovery hole 28h is provided, as shown in the enlarged view in FIG. 2, and has a valve body that extends radially outward. The radially outer portion of the liquid recovery valve 28d is provided with a pressing portion 28e that protrudes substantially upward as shown in FIG. 2. As described below, in the process of attaching the overcap 30 to the nozzle cap 20 after the user has used the content liquid, the lower end portion 32a of the peripheral wall 32 of the overcap 30 abuts against this pressing portion 28e before the connecting portion 28g. The lower end portion 32a of the overcap 30 presses down the liquid recovery valve 28d by a maximum amount equal to the height of the pressing portion 28e.

The lower surface of the liquid recovery valve 28d is provided with a biasing portion 28f that hangs down from the valve body. As shown in FIG. 2, when the liquid recovery valve 28d is pressed by the lower end 32a of the peripheral wall 32 of the overcap 30 to open the liquid recovery hole 28h, the biasing portion 28f abuts against the vicinity of the lower end of the nozzle portion 28 and elastically deforms (the biasing portion 28f before elastic deformation is shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2). This elastic deformation causes the biasing portion 28f to bias in a direction that lifts the radial outer portion of the liquid recovery valve 28d upward. When the pressure on the liquid recovery valve 28d by the overcap 30 is released, the liquid recovery valve 28d is lifted by the restoring force of the hinge portion 28c itself and the biasing force from the biasing portion 28f, acting to close the liquid recovery hole 28h.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the nozzle portion 28 has a substantially cylindrical shape, the hinge portion 28c has a substantially arc shape in a plan view. Therefore, when the liquid recovery valve 28d is pressed down by the overcap 30, an upward tensile stress acts on both circumferential ends of the hinge portion 28c in addition to bending stress. Therefore, compared to when the hinge portion 28c has a linear shape, the hinge portion 28c in this embodiment generates a stronger restoring force that tries to return to its original shape. In this way, when the liquid recovery valve 28d is released from being pressed down by the overcap 30, it returns to a state in which it extends substantially horizontally toward the radially outward direction as shown in FIG. 4 due to the stronger restoring force of the hinge portion 28c itself and the biasing force of the biasing portion 28f.

The overcap 30 comprises a mounting tube 31a formed in a cylindrical shape with a larger diameter than the mounted tube 25, an upper wall 31e connected to the upper end of the mounting tube 31a and extending radially inward, a peripheral wall 32 extending approximately vertically from the inner peripheral end of the upper wall 31e, and a top wall 32b closing the upper end of the peripheral wall 32. The peripheral wall 32 and the top wall 32b are formed in a topped cylindrical shape, and the peripheral wall 32 may be provided with a measuring scale indicated, for example, by a rib-like protrusion or printing. A female thread 31c is integrally formed on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube 31a, and the overcap 30 is detachably attached to the mounting part 21 by threadingly engaging the female thread 31c with a male thread 25a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mounted tube 25. A sealing wall 31f hangs down from the underside of the upper wall 31e on the radially inner side of the mounting tube 31a, and fits into the inner peripheral surface of the mounted tube 25 to liquid-tightly seal the open end of the mounted tube 25.

When the overcap 30 is attached to the attachment portion 21, the nozzle portion 28 is covered by the overcap 30 and the nozzle portion 28 is closed. On the other hand, when the overcap 30 is removed from the attachment portion 21, the nozzle portion 28 is exposed and the content liquid can be poured out.

The overcap 30 can be used as a measuring cup for measuring liquid by placing the top wall 32b, which is formed in a flat plate shape, on the bottom and the opening of the overcap 30 on the top.

In this embodiment, the overcap 30 can be formed, for example, from a synthetic resin material. The overcap 30 can be made, for example, from a transparent or translucent resin, and such a configuration makes it easy to see the top surface of the contents when the contents are poured in.

When the overcap 30 is attached to the nozzle cap 20 shown in FIG. 1, the peripheral wall 32 is grasped and rotated around the central axis O to release the screw connection between the mounting tube 31a and the mounted tube 25, and the overcap 30 moves upward relative to the nozzle cap 20. Then, when the screw engagement is completely released, the overcap 30 can be removed from the nozzle cap 20 by pulling it upward.

When the overcap 30 is removed from the nozzle cap 20, as shown in FIG. 4, the radially outer portion of the liquid recovery valve 28d is pushed upward by the biasing force from the biasing portion 28f, and moves to the vicinity of the widened portion 26b of the sealing wall 26a (see FIG. 2), thereby closing the liquid recovery hole 28h.

By removing the overcap 30 from the nozzle cap 20 and exposing the nozzle opening 28i of the nozzle portion 28, the container body 10 can be tilted from the upright position in which the tip of the nozzle portion 28 faces upward to an inclined position in which the container body 10 faces upward, so that the liquid content in the storage space S can be poured out from the tip of the nozzle portion 28 through the nozzle opening 28i to the outside. At this time, since the liquid recovery hole 28h is blocked by the liquid recovery valve 28d, the liquid content can be discharged only from the nozzle opening 28i to the outside without passing through the liquid recovery hole 28h. In addition, since the nozzle portion 28 is provided with a groove 28b, when the liquid content is discharged, air can flow in the groove 28b that faces the area in the nozzle portion 28 where the liquid content flows (see the arrow pointing from the lower left to the groove 28b in FIG. 5), so that the liquid content can be discharged smoothly without providing an outside air introduction hole in the container body 10, etc. The user first measures the dispensed liquid inside the overcap 30, and then pours the liquid from the overcap 30 for the intended use.

When the user has finished using the liquid contents, he or she returns the container body 10 to the upright position shown in FIG. 1 and attaches the overcap 30 to the nozzle cap 20 again. By attaching the overcap 30, the lower end 32a of the peripheral wall 32 again presses the pressing portion 28e of the liquid recovery valve 28d. This causes the radially outer portion of the liquid recovery valve 28d to be pressed down and the liquid recovery hole 28h to be opened. In other words, by pressing down the liquid recovery valve 28d, both circumferential sides of the pressing portion 28e of the liquid recovery hole 28h are opened, so that the liquid contents adhering to the peripheral wall 32 and top wall 32b of the overcap 30 flow downward along the inner surface of the peripheral wall 32 and are collected into the storage space S of the container body 10 through the liquid recovery hole 28h.

In this embodiment, the mounting tube 31a of the overcap 30 is attached to the mounting tube 25 provided on the nozzle cap 20, but this is not limited to the above, and the overcap 30 may be attached to the outside of the outer peripheral wall 23 without providing the mounting tube 25 on the nozzle cap 20. Also, the overcap 30 may be directly attached to the container body 10.

As described above, in this embodiment, a liquid container 100 includes a container body 10 with a cylindrical mouth portion 13 that is connected to the storage space S for the liquid contents, a nozzle cap 20 that is attached to the mouth portion 13 and has a nozzle portion 28 that ejects the liquid contents to the outside, and an overcap 30 that closes the nozzle portion 28. The nozzle cap 20 has an attachment portion 21 that is attached to the mouth portion 13, a cylindrical nozzle portion 28 that protrudes upward from the radial inside of the attachment portion 21, and a connecting portion 28g that connects the attachment portion 21 and the nozzle portion 28. The connecting portion 28g is provided with a liquid recovery valve 28d that opens and closes a liquid recovery hole 28h that returns the liquid contents radially outside the nozzle portion 28 into the storage space S. The liquid recovery valve 28d is configured to be opened when the overcap 30 is attached and closed when the overcap 30 is released from attachment. By adopting such a configuration, when the overcap 30 is attached after use, the liquid collection hole 28h is automatically opened, and the liquid contents remaining in the overcap 30 can be easily collected into the container body 10 through the liquid collection hole 28h. In addition, when the overcap 30 is removed and the liquid contents are poured out from the nozzle portion 28, the liquid collection hole 28h is automatically closed, so the liquid contents do not unintentionally leak out from the liquid collection hole 28h to the outside.

In particular, in this embodiment, the nozzle portion 28 is configured to extend in a substantially vertical direction, and the grooves 28b are provided at four equally spaced locations in the circumferential direction. In addition, the liquid collection holes 28h are also provided at two equally spaced locations in the circumferential direction. This eliminates the directional nature of the nozzle, and allows the user to dispense the liquid contents in any direction without having to change the way the container body 10 is held.

In addition, in this embodiment, the liquid recovery valve 28d has a valve body that is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle portion 28 via the hinge portion 28c and extends radially outward at the circumferential position where the liquid recovery hole 28h is formed, and is configured so that when the overcap 30 is attached, the lower end portion 32a of the overcap 30 presses the radially outer portion of the valve body downward to open the liquid recovery hole 28h. By adopting such a configuration, the liquid recovery valve 28d can be integrally formed with the nozzle portion 28 via the hinge portion 28c, thereby simplifying the opening and closing mechanism of the liquid recovery hole 28h.

In addition, in this embodiment, the valve body is configured to have a pressing portion 28e that protrudes upward from the radially outer portion of the valve body. By adopting such a configuration, when the overcap 30 is attached, the lower end portion 32a of the overcap 30 abuts against the liquid recovery valve 28d before the connecting portion 28g, so that the liquid recovery valve 28d can be selectively pressed without changing the shape of the peripheral wall 32 of the overcap 30.

In addition, in this embodiment, the peripheral wall 28a of the nozzle portion 28 is configured to have a groove 28b that is recessed radially outward in a portion of the circumferential direction. By adopting such a configuration, when the liquid contents are discharged, air can flow through the groove 28b that faces the area in the nozzle portion 28 through which the liquid contents flow, so that the liquid contents can be discharged smoothly without providing a separate outside air introduction hole in the container body 10, etc.

Next, the liquid container 200, which is the second embodiment of the present disclosure, will be illustrated and described with reference to the drawings.

The liquid container 200 according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 6 has a container body 10, a nozzle cap 20, and an overcap 30, similar to the first embodiment. The liquid container 200 according to this embodiment has a similar configuration to that of the first embodiment, except that the configurations of the liquid recovery valve 28d and the liquid recovery hole 28h are different from those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

The nozzle portion 28 in this embodiment has a generally cylindrical shape (see Figures 6 and 7), and is provided with nozzle hole portions 28h1 as liquid collection holes 28h at two opposing circumferential locations, which extend downward along the peripheral wall 28a from a height position below the center height of the nozzle portion 28.

As shown in FIG. 7, the connecting portion 28g is a portion that connects the nozzle portion 28 and the mounting portion 21 (not shown in FIG. 7), and has a generally annular shape in a plan view. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, connecting hole portions 28h2 are provided at two opposing circumferential locations on the connecting portion 28g, as liquid collection holes 28h, which extend radially along the connecting portion 28g.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the liquid recovery valve 28d is provided with a valve body having a nozzle tube portion 28d1 that is connected to the upper end of the nozzle hole portion 28h1 via a hinge portion 28c and closes the nozzle hole portion 28h1 at the circumferential position where the liquid recovery hole 28h (nozzle hole portion 28h1 and connecting hole portion 28h2) is provided, and a connecting wall portion 28d2 that is connected to the lower end of the nozzle tube portion 28d1 and closes the connecting hole portion 28h2.

The liquid recovery valve 28d (connecting wall portion 28d2) has a pressing portion 28e that protrudes generally upward as shown in Figures 6 and 7 on the radially outer portion. When the user attaches the overcap 30 to the nozzle cap 20 after using the liquid content, the lower end portion 32a of the peripheral wall 32 of the overcap 30 abuts against this pressing portion 28e before the connecting portion 28g. The lower end portion 32a of the overcap 30 enters the outside of the pressing portion 28e that has shifted radially inward when the pressing portion 28e of the liquid recovery valve 28d is pressed down a predetermined distance.

When the lower end 32a of the overcap 30 pushes down the radially outer portion of the liquid recovery valve 28d (connecting wall portion 28d2), as shown in FIG. 6, the liquid recovery valve 28d (nozzle tube portion 28d1 and connecting wall portion 28d2), which is substantially L-shaped when viewed from the front, rotates around the hinge portion 28c, creating a gap between the connecting portion 28g and the liquid recovery hole 28h (nozzle hole portion 28h1 and connecting hole portion 28h2) that allows the content liquid to pass through, and thus opening the liquid recovery hole 28h. Note that in FIG. 6, the liquid recovery valve 28d before being pushed down is shown by a two-dot chain line, and the liquid recovery valve 28d after being pushed down is shown by a solid line.

In this embodiment, since the nozzle portion 28 has a substantially cylindrical shape, the hinge portion 28c has a substantially arc shape in a plan view (see FIG. 7). Therefore, when the liquid recovery valve 28d (connecting wall portion 28d2) is pressed down by the overcap 30, an upward tensile stress acts on both circumferential ends of the hinge portion 28c in addition to bending stress. Therefore, compared to when the hinge portion 28c has a linear shape, the hinge portion 28c in this embodiment generates a stronger restoring force that tries to return to its original shape. In this way, when the liquid recovery valve 28d is released from being pressed down by the overcap 30, the stronger restoring force of the hinge portion 28c itself causes it to return to a state in which it extends substantially horizontally toward the radially outward direction as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6.

When the overcap 30 is attached to the nozzle cap 20 shown in FIG. 6, the peripheral wall 32 is grasped and rotated around the central axis O to release the screw connection between the mounting tube 31a and the mounted tube 25, and the overcap 30 moves upward relative to the nozzle cap 20. Then, when the screw engagement is completely released, the overcap 30 can be removed from the nozzle cap 20 by pulling it upward.

When the overcap 30 is removed from the nozzle cap 20, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6, the liquid recovery valve 28d rotates around the hinge portion 28c due to the restoring force of the hinge portion 28c, pushing the radially outer portion upward, and the liquid recovery hole 28h (nozzle hole portion 28h1 and connecting hole portion 28h2) is closed.

By removing the overcap 30 from the nozzle cap 20 and exposing the nozzle opening 28i of the nozzle portion 28, the container body 10 can be tilted from an upright position with the tip of the nozzle portion 28 facing upward to an upward position with the container body 10 facing upward, allowing the liquid contents in the storage space S to be poured out from the tip of the nozzle portion 28 through the nozzle opening 28i. At this time, since the liquid recovery hole 28h is blocked by the liquid recovery valve 28d, the liquid contents can be discharged out only from the nozzle opening 28i without passing through the liquid recovery hole 28h. The user first measures the discharged liquid contents in the overcap 30, and then pours the liquid contents from the overcap 30 for use in the intended purpose.

When the user has finished using the liquid contents, he or she returns the container body 10 to the upright position shown in FIG. 6 and attaches the overcap 30 to the nozzle cap 20 again. By attaching the overcap 30, the lower end 32a of the peripheral wall 32 again presses the pressing portion 28e of the liquid recovery valve 28d (connecting wall portion 28d2). This causes the radially outer portion of the liquid recovery valve 28d to be pressed down and the liquid recovery hole 28h to be opened. This causes the liquid contents adhering to the peripheral wall 32 and top wall 32b of the overcap 30 to flow downward along the inner surface of the peripheral wall 32 and be collected into the storage space S of the container body 10 through the liquid recovery hole 28h.

As described above, in this embodiment, the liquid collection hole 28h has a nozzle hole portion 28h1 extending along the peripheral wall 28a of the nozzle portion 28, and a connecting hole portion 28h2 extending radially along the connecting portion 28g, and the liquid collection valve 28d is provided with a valve body having a nozzle tube portion 28d1 connected to the upper end of the nozzle hole portion 28h1 via the hinge portion 28c and closing the nozzle hole portion 28h1, and a connecting wall portion 28d2 connected to the lower end of the nozzle tube portion 28d1 and closing the connecting hole portion 28h2, at the circumferential position where the liquid collection hole 28h is formed, and is configured so that when the overcap 30 is attached, the lower end portion 32a of the overcap 30 presses downwardly on the radially outer portion of the valve body, thereby opening the liquid collection hole 28h. By adopting this configuration, the distance from the hinge portion 28c to the liquid recovery valve 28d can be made longer than in the first embodiment, so the amount of deformation of the hinge portion 28c required for a certain amount of content liquid to pass through the liquid recovery hole 28h can be kept small. This makes it possible to suppress deterioration of the hinge portion 28c over time.

Next, the liquid container 300, which is the third embodiment of the present disclosure, will be illustrated and described with reference to the drawings.

The liquid container 300 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 8 has a container body 10, a nozzle cap 20, and an overcap 30, similar to the first embodiment. The liquid container 300 of this embodiment is similar to the configuration of the first embodiment, except that the configurations of the liquid recovery valve 28d and the liquid recovery hole 28h are different from those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the nozzle portion 28 has a generally cylindrical shape (see Figures 8 and 9), and the connecting portion 28g, which functions as the liquid recovery valve 28d, is formed as a spiral plate 28d3 that extends spirally radially outward from the lower portion of the peripheral wall 28a of the nozzle portion 28 toward the mounting portion 21.

When the overcap 30 shown in FIG. 8 is attached, the top wall 32b of the overcap 30 presses the upper end of the nozzle portion 28 downward, and the radially inner end of the spiral plate 28d3 connected to the lower part of the nozzle portion 28 is also displaced downward compared to the radially outer end. As a result, a vertical gap h (see FIG. 8) is generated between radially adjacent spiral plates 28d3 in the spiral plate 28d3 (connection portion 28g), and this gap functions as a liquid recovery hole 28h, so that the liquid recovery valve 28d is open.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, a groove 28b is formed in the peripheral wall 28a of the nozzle portion 28, extending vertically along the central axis O. Note that the configuration and function of the groove 28b are the same as in the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

When the overcap 30 is attached to the nozzle cap 20 shown in FIG. 8, the peripheral wall 32 is grasped and rotated around the central axis O to release the screw connection between the mounting tube 31a and the mounted tube 25, and the overcap 30 moves upward relative to the nozzle cap 20. Then, when the screw engagement is completely released, the overcap 30 can be removed from the nozzle cap 20 by pulling it upward.

When the overcap 30 is removed from the nozzle cap 20, as shown in FIG. 10, the restoring force of the spiral plate 28d3 lifts the radially inner end of the spiral plate 28d3 upward, and the vertical gap between radially adjacent spiral plates 28d3 becomes zero (see FIG. 10). In addition, in this embodiment, the spiral plates 28d3 adjacent in the radial direction are configured to slightly overlap each other in the radial direction, so that there is no gap between adjacent spiral plates 28d3 and the liquid recovery valve 28d is closed.

By removing the overcap 30 from the nozzle cap 20 and exposing the nozzle opening 28i of the nozzle portion 28, the container body 10 can be tilted from an upright position in which the tip of the nozzle portion 28 faces upward to an inclined position in which the container body 10 faces upward as shown in FIG. 11, so that the liquid content in the storage space S can be poured out from the tip of the nozzle portion 28 through the nozzle opening 28i. At this time, since the liquid recovery hole 28h is blocked by the liquid recovery valve 28d (spiral plate 28d3), the liquid content can be discharged only from the nozzle opening 28i to the outside without passing through the liquid recovery hole 28h. The user first measures the discharged liquid content in the overcap 30, and then pours the liquid content from the overcap 30 to the outside for use as intended.

When the user has finished using the liquid contents, he or she returns the container body 10 to the upright position shown in FIG. 8 and attaches the overcap 30 to the nozzle cap 20 again. By attaching the overcap 30, the top wall 32b of the overcap 30 again presses down the radially inner end of the liquid recovery valve 28d (spiral plate 28d3). This presses down the radially inner end of the liquid recovery valve 28d, opening the liquid recovery valve 28d as shown in FIG. 8, and forming a gap between adjacent spiral plates 28d3 as the liquid recovery hole 28h. This causes the liquid contents adhering to the peripheral wall 32 and top wall 32b of the overcap 30 to flow downward along the inner surface of the peripheral wall 32 and be collected into the storage space S of the container body 10 through the liquid recovery hole 28h.

Next, the manufacturing method of the liquid container 300 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 12 and 13.

When manufacturing the liquid container 300 according to this embodiment, first, the nozzle portion 28, the spiral plate 28d3 extending radially outward from the nozzle portion 28, and the mounting portion 21 connected to the radially outer end of the spiral plate 28d3 are integrally formed (step S101 in FIG. 12). This integrally formed product is formed such that, of the spiral plates 28d3 adjacent in the radial direction, the spiral plate 28d3 on the radially outer side is positioned lower than the spiral plate 28d3 on the radially inner side (see the spiral plate 28d3 indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 13). This integrally formed product can be manufactured by, for example, injection molding or two-color molding.

Next, in the integrally molded product formed in step S101, the radially inner end of the spiral plate 28d3 and the nozzle portion 28 are urged downward so that the radially inner spiral plate 28d3 of the radially adjacent spiral plates 28d3 is positioned lower than the radially outer spiral plate 28d3 (step S103 in FIG. 12). As described above, in this embodiment, the radially adjacent spiral plates 28d3 are configured to slightly overlap each other in the radial direction, so when performing step S103, it is necessary to urge the radially inner spiral plate 28d3 downward so that it passes over the spiral plate 28d3 adjacent to the radially outer side.

In this embodiment, as described above, when forming the integrally formed product, the radially outer spiral plate 28d3 of the radially adjacent spiral plates 28d3 is formed so as to be positioned lower than the radially inner spiral plate 28d3, and then the radially inner spiral plate 28d3 is biased so as to be positioned lower than the radially outer spiral plate 28d3. As a result, when the overcap 30 is removed, the spiral plate 28d3 operates to restore its shape at the time of integral formation, and the restoring force of the spiral plate 28d3 can be increased to more reliably close the liquid collection hole 28h.

As described above, in this embodiment, the connecting portion 28g is formed as a spiral plate 28d3 that extends spirally radially outward from the lower portion of the nozzle portion 28 toward the mounting portion 21, and when the overcap 30 is attached, the top wall 32b of the overcap 30 presses the upper end of the nozzle portion 28 downward, and a gap is generated between the spiral plates 28d3 adjacent in the radial direction in the connecting portion 28g, thereby opening the liquid recovery valve 28d. By adopting such a configuration, the spiral plate 28d3 as the liquid recovery valve 28d can be integrally formed with the nozzle portion 28, simplifying the opening and closing mechanism of the liquid recovery hole 28h.

The present embodiment is a method for manufacturing a liquid container 300, and includes the steps of integrally forming the nozzle portion 28, the spiral plate 28d3 extending radially outward from the nozzle portion 28, and the mounting portion 21 connected to the spiral plate 28d3, and biasing the spiral plate 28d3 so that the radially inner spiral plate 28d3 of the radially adjacent spiral plates 28d3 is positioned lower than the radially outer spiral plate 28d3. By adopting such a configuration, the restoring force of the spiral plate 28d3 when the overcap 30 is removed can be increased, so that the liquid collection hole 28h can be more reliably blocked.

Although the present disclosure has been described based on various drawings and examples, it should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to easily make various modifications and corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and corrections are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions contained in each component can be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistencies, and multiple components can be combined into one or divided. It should be understood that these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the first and third embodiments, the nozzle portion 28 is configured to have a recessed groove 28b, but the second embodiment may also be configured to employ a recessed groove 28b. Also, in any of the embodiments, the nozzle portion 28 may be configured to have a recessed groove 28b.

In addition, in the third embodiment, the spiral plates 28d3 adjacent to each other in the radial direction are configured to slightly overlap each other in the radial direction, but this is not limited to the above. Depending on the viscosity of the content liquid, etc., they may be configured not to overlap in the radial direction.

10 Container body 13 Mouth portion 13a Male thread 13b Locking rib 20 Nozzle cap 21 Mounting portion 23 Outer peripheral wall 23a Female thread 23b Groove 25 Mounted tube 25a Male thread 26 Top wall 26a Sealing wall 26b Widening portion 26c Extension portion 28 Nozzle portion 28a Peripheral wall 28b Groove 28c Hinge portion 28d Liquid recovery valve 28d1 Nozzle tube portion 28d2 Connecting wall portion 28e Pressing portion 28f Pressing portion 28g Connecting portion 28h Liquid recovery hole 28h1 Nozzle hole portion 28h2 Connecting hole portion 28i Nozzle opening 30 Overcap 31a Mounting tube 31c Female thread 31d Side wall 31e Upper wall 31f Sealing wall 32 Peripheral wall 32a Lower end portion 32b Top wall 100, 200, 300 Liquid container O Central axis S Storage space

Claims (2)

A liquid container comprising: a container body having a cylindrical mouth portion communicating with a storage space for the liquid content; a nozzle cap having a nozzle portion attached to the mouth portion and for discharging the liquid content to the outside; and an overcap for closing the nozzle portion,
The nozzle cap is
A mounting part that is mounted on the mouth part;
The nozzle portion is cylindrical and protrudes upward from a radially inner side of the mounting portion;
a connecting portion that connects the mounting portion and the nozzle portion,
The connecting portion is provided with a liquid recovery valve that opens and closes a liquid recovery hole that returns the content liquid radially outside the nozzle portion into the storage space,
the liquid recovery valve is opened when the overcap is attached and is closed when the overcap is removed ;
the liquid recovery valve has a valve body that is connected to an outer circumferential surface of the nozzle portion via a hinge portion and extends radially outward at a circumferential position where the liquid recovery hole is formed,
When the overcap is attached, a lower end of the overcap presses a radially outer portion of the valve body downward to open the liquid recovery hole,
A liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the valve body is provided with a pressing portion that protrudes upward from a radially outer portion of the valve body . The liquid container according to claim 1 , wherein the peripheral wall of the nozzle portion has a groove recessed radially outward in a portion of the peripheral direction.

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