JP7594489B2 - Spout and container with spout - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a spout for pouring and a container with a spout for pouring.

Patent Document 1 describes a bottle opening and closing device in which an air hole and a liquid outlet hole are formed in a cap member that is fitted onto the mouth of a bottle, and a slide member is fitted onto the top plate of the cap member.
Patent document 2 describes a liquid pouring tool that has a pouring tool body that is placed on the top surface of a liquid storage container and has a spout formed at one end, a clamping piece that clamps the liquid storage container, a wedge-shaped protrusion that is inserted into the liquid storage container, and an opening/closing lid for opening and closing the spout.

Patent document 3 describes a spout for a refillable container, in which the inner surface of the tip of the cylindrical portion of the spout is provided with a thread that screws into the thread on the outer surface of the cylindrical opening of the main container, and the inside of the cylindrical portion is provided with a tube that can be inserted into the cylindrical opening of the main container.
Patent Document 4 describes a spout for pouring which comprises a spout body having a pouring tubular portion, and an outer sleeve that is inserted over the pouring tubular portion and can move axially, with a sealing protrusion formed on the pouring tubular portion that detachably fits into the tip opening of the outer sleeve.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-21572 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-24945 Patent No. 4628779 JP 2021-31117 A

In the bottle opening and closing device described in Patent Document 1, the liquid poured out from the liquid pouring hole is guided along the pouring groove formed on the inner surface of the slide member. Therefore, if liquid is poured out with the slide member inserted into the opening of the container to be filled, there is a risk that the liquid filled in the container to be filled will adhere to the outer surface of the slide member.
The liquid pouring device described in Patent Document 2 has a short spout, making it difficult to pour liquid with the spout inserted into the opening of the container to be filled.

The spout for refill containers described in Patent Document 3 does not disclose a function for opening and closing the cylindrical opening of the main container when the main container is connected to the container to be filled. Therefore, it is necessary to open the cylindrical opening before connecting and perform the connecting operation carefully to prevent the contents from leaking.
The spout described in Patent Document 4 is equipped with a mechanism that automatically opens the pouring tube portion when the pouring tube portion of the main container is connected to the target container while the pouring tube portion is closed. However, when the pouring spout is removed from the opening of the target container after filling with liquid, the outer sleeve and the sealing protrusion are inserted into the target container. This makes it difficult to confirm whether the pouring tube portion is closed.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a pouring spout and a container with a pouring spout that allows the opening of the pouring tube to be easily opened and closed before and after inserting the pouring tube into the container to be filled and filling it with the contents.

To solve the above problem, the present invention provides a spout comprising a dispensing tube portion having an opening at its tip portion and a movable member that can be displaced along the axial direction of the dispensing tube portion, the movable member having a closing portion at the tip side of the dispensing tube portion and an operating portion at the base end side of the dispensing tube portion, the operating portion being capable of displacing the movable member at least from the base end side of the dispensing tube portion to the tip side of the dispensing tube portion, and the closing portion opening the opening when positioned at the base end side of the dispensing tube portion and closing the opening when positioned at the tip side of the dispensing tube portion.

The closing portion may be capable of being displaced in a direction transverse to the opening in conjunction with displacement of the movable member.
The pouring tube portion may have a guide portion that guides the closure portion in a direction across the opening.
At least the closing portion of the movable member may be flexible, and a direction crossing the opening may be a direction intersecting the axial direction.
The opening may be opened to a side of the cylindrical pouring portion, and a direction crossing the opening may be a direction along the axial direction.

The cylindrical pouring portion may have a mounting portion on an outer circumferential side of the cylindrical pouring portion that is mounted to an opening of a container that receives the content poured out from the opening.
The mounting portion may have an air valve for releasing air that is expelled from the container as the contents are received.
The movable member may have an air valve holding portion that closes the air valve when the closing portion closes the opening.

The present invention also provides a container with a spout, which is characterized by having the spout and a body that contains the contents.

According to the present invention, the opening of the pouring tube can be easily opened and closed before and after inserting the pouring tube into the container to be filled and filling it with the contents.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the connecting portion side of the spout of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the movable member side of the spout of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the spout of the first embodiment in an open state. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the dispensing spout of the first embodiment in a closed state. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tip of the pouring tube portion taken along line VV in FIG. 2. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a dispensing spout of a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a dispensing spout of a third embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing an example of an air valve. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the air valve of FIG. 8 in a closed state.

The present invention will be described below based on a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1 to 5 show an example of a spout 100 according to a first embodiment. Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of the spout 100. In Figure 1, the connecting portion 30 is shown at the front, and in Figure 2, the movable member 20 is shown at the front. Figure 3 shows the spout 100 in an open state. Figure 4 shows the spout 100 in a closed state. Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the tip 11 of the spout tube portion 10.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the spout 100 includes a tubular pouring portion 10 having an opening 11a at its tip 11, and a movable member 20 that can be displaced along an axial direction parallel to the central axis A1 of the tip 11. As shown in Figure 2, the opening 11a at the tip 11 of the tubular pouring portion 10 is formed on the side where the movable member 20 is attached to the tubular pouring portion 10.

The movable member 20 can be moved from the base end side to the tip end side of the dispensing tube portion 10. Figures 1 to 3 show a state in which the movable member 20 is displaced to the base end side of the dispensing tube portion 10, and Figure 4 shows a state in which the movable member 20 is displaced to the tip end side of the dispensing tube portion 10. The movable member 20 displaced to the tip end side may be further movable from the tip end side to the base end side of the dispensing tube portion 10.

In this specification, the tip side of the tubular pouring portion 10 refers to the side from the tubular pouring portion 10 toward the container to be filled 120, of the two directions along the central axis A1 of the tip portion 11. The base side of the tubular pouring portion 10 refers to the side from the container to be filled 120 toward the tubular pouring portion 10 along the central axis A1 of the tip portion 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the spout 100 has a connecting portion 30 that is connected to the mouth 111 of the main container 110 that contains the contents, and an attachment portion 13 that is attached to the mouth 121 of the container to be filled 120 into which the contents of the main container 110 are to be filled.

In the illustrated example of the dispensing spout 100, the central axis A2 of the connecting part 30 extends in a different direction from the central axis A1 of the tip part 11. The angle between the central axes A1, A2 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, about 90°. Although not specifically illustrated, the central axis A2 of the connecting part 30 may be arranged parallel to the central axis A1 of the tip part 11 in the same direction, or the central axes A1, A2 may be positioned on the same straight line.

The shapes of the main container 110 and the container to be filled 120 shown in phantom lines in FIG. 3 only show a schematic positional relationship with the spout 100, and do not suggest their actual shapes. The dimensions of the main container 110 and the container to be filled 120 shown in phantom lines are also shown smaller to distinguish the mouths 111, 121 and the bodies 112, 122, and do not represent their actual proportions with respect to the spout 100.

The main container 110 has a mouth 111 that is attached to the spout 100, and a body 112 that contains the contents. The main container 110 may be self-supporting, or may be a container that is not self-supporting, such as a flat bag. The spout 100 can be attached to the main container 110 to form a container with a spout.

The container to be filled 120 is the counterpart container that receives the contents of the main container 110 poured from the opening 11a of the pouring tube portion 10. The container to be filled 120 has a mouth portion 121 that is attached to the pouring spout 100, and a body portion 122 into which the contents are filled. The container to be filled 120 may be self-supporting, or may be a container that is not self-supporting, such as a flat bag.

The main container 110 may be a refill container for transferring contents to the container to be filled 120. The ratio between the amount of contents contained in the main container 110 and the capacity of the container to be filled 120 is not particularly limited. The main container 110 may be a single refill of the container to be filled 120, or may be multiple refills. The container to be filled 120 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a refillable container, a measuring container, and various other containers. The spout 100 of the embodiment can be suitably applied to a refill system in which the main container 110 is a soft packaging container such as a pouch container, and the container to be filled 120 is a bottle container.

The illustrated example of the pouring tube part 10 generally has a tip part 11 that protrudes toward the container 120 to be filled, a base part 12 to which the stopper 40 is attached, and a side part 14 that protrudes toward the main container 110. The above-mentioned attachment part 13 is disposed between the tip part 11 and the base part 12. The above-mentioned connecting part 30 is provided at the side part 14. The pouring tube part 10 has a flow path 16 for pouring the contents of the main container 110 into the container 120 to be filled, and is a main body member of the pouring spout 100. The flow path 16 for the contents is formed inside the pouring tube part 10 from the side part 14 to the tip part 11.

The movable member 20 in the illustrated example generally has a slide portion 21 formed so as to be slidable relative to the dispensing tube portion 10, a closing portion 22 formed on the tip side of the dispensing tube portion 10, and an operating portion 23 formed on the base end side of the dispensing tube portion 10. The slide portion 21 in the illustrated example is a thin plate having a thickness similar to that of the closing portion 22. The shape of the slide portion 21 is not particularly limited, and may be a rod, column, thick plate, etc.

The base end 12 of the injection tube portion 10 is formed with an insertion hole 12a that opens onto the central axis A1 of the tip end 11, and a notch 12b that extends from the periphery of the insertion hole 12a toward the tip end. Through the portion of the base end 12 where the notch 12b is formed, the slide portion 21 is disposed on the inner periphery of the base end 12, and the operating portion 23 is disposed on the outer periphery of the base end 12. The slide portion 21 and the operating portion 23 sandwich the periphery of the notch 12b, so that the slide portion 21 is held slidably relative to the base end 12.

A plug 40 is inserted into the insertion hole 12a of the base end 12. By attaching the plug 40 to the base end 12, the movable member 20 is prevented from falling off the notch 12b toward the base end. The plug 40 has a locking protrusion 44 that engages with the locking hole 12c of the base end 12. The locking protrusion 44 engages with the locking hole 12c, thereby fixing the plug 40 to the base end 12. The plug 40 seals the insertion hole 12a, thereby closing the flow path 16 to the base end side of the pouring tube portion 10.

The plug 40 has a substantially planar guide surface 41 on the side where the movable member 20 is disposed. The plug 40 further has an extension 42 that extends toward the tip side from the point where the plug 40 is fitted into the insertion hole 12a. The cutout 12b is closed by the extension 42. The above-mentioned guide surface 41 extends to the extension 42. Of the movable member 20, at least the operating portion 23 is guided by the cutout 12b and the guide surface 41 so that it can be displaced along the central axis A1 of the tip 11.

A pressing protrusion 43 is formed on the tip side of the extension 42. The sliding portion 21 of the movable member 20 is held between the guide surface 41 and the inner wall surface of the pouring tube portion 10 by the pressing protrusion 43. By the pressing protrusion 43 protruding toward the sliding portion 21, a gap is secured between the sliding portion 21 and the guide surface 41, and friction is reduced when the movable member 20 is displaced.

Although not specifically shown, the structure that guides the movable member 20 to move along the central axis A1 may be formed in the dispensing tube portion 10 or in the plug body 40. The structure that guides the movable member 20 along the central axis A1 is not limited to the planar guide surface 41, and may be a linear groove, shaft, pillar, etc.

The tip 11 of the injection tube portion 10 has an opening surface 11b at a position where the closing portion 22 crosses the opening 11a in conjunction with the displacement of the movable member 20. In the illustrated example, the opening surface 11b is set in a direction inclined relative to the central axis A1 of the tip 11. Although not specifically illustrated, the opening surface 11b may be set in a direction perpendicular or parallel to the central axis A1 of the tip 11. The opening surface 11b may be a curved surface such as a curved surface, or a flat surface such as an inclined surface.

In the case of the illustrated example of the pouring tube portion 10, the opening surface 11b is set along the periphery of the opening 11a. Although not specifically shown, if the wall surface of the tip portion 11 is formed to extend further toward the tip side than the opening surface 11b, the opening surface 11b may be set at a position different from the periphery of the opening 11a. For example, the opening surface 11b may be set in a direction inclined relative to the central axis A1 of the tip portion 11, and the periphery of the opening 11a may be formed on a plane perpendicular to the central axis A1 of the tip portion 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the closing portion 22 is located on the base end side of the dispensing tube portion 10, the closing portion 22 opens the opening 11a. As shown in FIG. 4, when the closing portion 22 is located on the tip end side of the dispensing tube portion 10, the opening 11a is closed by the closing portion 22. The movable member 20 in the illustrated example is configured so that when the closing portion 22 closes the opening 11a, the tip of the movable member 20 does not protrude toward the tip end side of the dispensing tube portion 10.

The operating unit 23 can displace the movable member 20 at least from the base end side of the dispensing tube portion 10 to the tip end side. It is also possible to displace the movable member 20 displaced to the tip end side from the tip end side to the base end side. It is also possible to stop the movable member 20 at any position between the tip end position and the base end position. The closing unit 22 not only switches between opening and closing the opening 11a, but can also adjust the opening area of the opening 11a continuously or stepwise depending on the position of the movable member 20.

In the first embodiment of the dispensing spout 100, the closing portion 22 displaces along the opening surface 11b formed in a direction inclined relative to the central axis A1 in response to the displacement of the movable member 20 along the central axis A1 of the tip portion 11. For this reason, it is preferable that at least the closing portion 22 of the movable member 20 is flexible. In addition, the dispensing tube portion 10 may have guide portions 11c, 11d that guide the closing portion 22 along the opening surface 11b.

The illustrated example of the pouring tube portion 10 has guide portions 11c, 11d, which are an outer guide portion 11c that guides the outer surface side of the closing portion 22 and an inner guide portion 11d that guides the inner surface side of the closing portion 22. The position where the closing portion 22 is displaced between the outer guide portion 11c and the inner guide portion 11d becomes the opening surface 11b. The outer guide portion 11c can guide the closing portion 22 along the opening surface 11b. In the illustrated example of the pouring tube portion 10, the inner guide portion 11d is formed only on a part of the base end side of the opening surface 11b, but the inner guide portion 11d may be formed up to the tip side of the opening surface 11b.

In the first embodiment of the dispensing spout 100, the opening surface 11b is formed in a direction that intersects the central axis A1 at an angle, but since the closing portion 22 is flexible, the closing portion 22 can move along the opening surface 11b. Although not specifically shown, at least a portion of the opening surface 11b may be formed in a direction that intersects the central axis A1 perpendicularly. Since the displacement direction of the operating portion 23 is along the central axis A1 of the tip portion 11, the operating portion 23 can be operated at the base end portion 12 away from the container 120 to be filled, providing excellent operability.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the closing portion 22 closes the opening 11a, the outer guide portion 11c comes into contact with the peripheral portion of the closing portion 22. This allows the closing portion 22 to easily maintain a curved or inclined state due to elastic deformation. In FIG. 5, the left side of the paper is the tip side of the closing portion 22, and the top and bottom of the paper are both sides of the width of the closing portion 22. By holding the tip side or both sides of the width of the closing portion 22 with the outer guide portion 11c, the closing portion 22 displaced toward the tip side is prevented from extending on an extension line of the sliding portion 21, that is, the closing portion 22 is prevented from restoring its shape in a direction away from the opening surface 11b.

The illustrated example of the pouring tube portion 10 has a generally cylindrical shape with a flat surface on the side where the movable member 20 is arranged, but the pouring tube portion 10 may be a tube of any shape. Although not specifically illustrated, the pouring tube portion 10 may be a triangular tube, a square tube, or other angular tube, an elliptical tube, or the like.

In the case of the illustrated example of the pouring spout 100, the above-mentioned connecting part 30 used to connect the pouring tubular part 10 and the main container 110 is cap-shaped and has an outer tubular part 31 extending along the central axis A2 of the connecting part 30 and a top surface part 33 formed on a surface perpendicular to the central axis A2. The connecting part 30 in the illustrated example is a connecting member formed as a separate member from the pouring tubular part 10. Although not specifically shown, the connecting part 30 may be formed integrally with the pouring tubular part 10.

A threaded portion 32 is formed on the inner surface of the outer tube portion 31. The fitting portion 34 of the connecting portion 30 is fitted into the side end portion 14 of the pouring tube portion 10, and the connecting portion 30 is fastened to the mouth portion 111 of the main container 110 using the threaded portion 32, thereby fixing the pouring tube portion 10 to the mouth portion 111 of the main container 110. A flange portion 15 is formed on the outer periphery of the side end portion 14. The flange portion 15 may be used, for example, when connecting the connecting portion 30 to the side end portion 14 or the mouth portion 111 using a machine, jig, etc.

The center of the top surface portion 33 opens toward the side end portion 14, and a tapered tube portion 35 is formed from this opening toward the main container 110. The outer tube portion 31 and the tapered tube portion 35 are arranged concentrically, and the mouth portion 111 of the main container 110 can be inserted between the outer tube portion 31 and the tapered tube portion 35. The inner surface of the mouth portion 111 is in close contact with the tapered tube portion 35, making it difficult for the contents to enter the gap between the outer tube portion 31 and the tapered tube portion 35.

In the case of the illustrated example of the pouring spout 100, the attachment portion 13 used when attaching the pouring tubular portion 10 to the container 120 to be filled has a tubular portion 13a formed along the outer peripheral surface of the tip portion 11, and a connecting portion 13c that integrates the base end side of the tubular portion 13a with the outer peripheral surface of the tip portion 11. A threaded portion 13b that can be fastened to the mouth portion 121 of the container 120 to be filled is formed on the inner surface of the tubular portion 13a. By fastening the threaded portion 13b to the mouth portion 121, the pouring tubular portion 10 is fixed to the mouth portion 121 of the container 120 to be filled.

To transfer the contents from the main container 110 to the container to be filled 120 using the spout 100, the spout 100 may first be attached to the mouth 111 of the main container 110 using the connecting part 30, and then the mouth 121 of the container to be filled 120 may be attached to the attachment part 13. When attaching an empty container to be filled 120 to the attachment part 13, the mouth 111 of the main container 110 may be kept facing upward against gravity.

With the opening 11a of the tip 11 of the dispensing spout 100 open, the mouth 111 of the main container 110 can be tilted or turned sideways to dispense the contents of the main container 110 into the container to be filled 120. Since a flow path 16 extending from the side end 14 toward the tip 11 is formed inside the dispensing tube 10, the direction of the contents can be smoothly changed even if the central axes A1 and A2 are in different directions. Since the flow path 16 is connected only in two directions, the tip 11 and the side end 14, leakage of the contents can be suppressed even if the orientations of the mouth 111 of the main container 110 and the mouth 121 of the container to be filled 120 are different.

The mounting part 13 may have a clearance to allow air to escape from the container 120 to be filled when replacing the contents when the contents are poured out. For example, when pouring a highly viscous liquid, the air in the container 120 to be filled can be released to the outside rather than moving towards the main container 110, allowing the liquid to be poured out quickly.

In the illustrated example of the mounting portion 13, an air valve holding portion 13d is formed in the connecting portion 13c. An air valve 50 having an air hole 51 is held in the air valve holding portion 13d. The air valve 50 is formed from an elastic material such as rubber. The air hole 51 of the air valve 50 can expand in opening diameter to make it easier to discharge air when the internal pressure of the container 120 to be filled increases with the reception of contents. Contents such as liquids have difficulty passing through the air hole 51, so leakage of contents through the air hole 51 is suppressed.

Although not specifically shown, instead of holding the air valve 50 in the air valve holding portion 13d, an air hole having a certain cross-sectional area may be opened in the mounting portion 13. Also, leakage of the contents from the container 120 to be filled through the air hole may be avoided by pouring the contents out so that they do not reach the mounting portion 13.

When filling of the contents is complete, the opening 11a of the tip portion 11 can be securely closed by displacing the operating part 23 from the base end side to the tip side along the central axis A1 of the tip portion 11. Even if contents remain in the flow path 16 of the dispensing tube part 10, dripping of the contents can be prevented.

When the amount of contents contained in the main container 110 is greater than the capacity of the container 120 to be filled, it is necessary to stop pouring before the contents being poured out overflows the container 120 to be filled. Because the operation unit 23 is exposed to the outside of the container 120 to be filled, even if the user sees the liquid level of the contents and wants to stop pouring, the operation unit 23 can be operated quickly.

When dispensing is stopped, the direction in which the operating part 23 is displaced is along the same central axis A1 as the tip 11 of the dispensing tube part 10 and the mouth 121 of the container 120 to be filled. Therefore, dispensing can be stopped simply by pushing the operating part 23 straight down, and operation is easy even when the mouth 121 is facing upward. Unlike conventional cocks, complex operations such as twisting in the axial direction or horizontal operations across the flow path are not required, which helps prevent mistakes such as insufficient closure of the opening 11a or tipping the container 120 to be filled sideways due to incorrect operation.

The movable member 20 in the illustrated example has an air valve holding portion 24 so that the closing portion 22 closes the tip portion 11 and at the same time closes the air valve 50. In this case, no clearance is formed in the connecting portion 13c to allow air to escape other than the air valve 50. By the air valve holding portion 24 holding down and closing the air valve 50, it is possible to prevent air from being exhausted to the outside through the air valve 50 from inside the container 120 to be filled, or to prevent outside air from flowing into the container 120 to be filled.

When the pouring of the contents is stopped, the opening 11a is closed while the tip 11 of the pouring tube part 10 remains inserted in the container 120 to be filled. Therefore, when the pouring tube part 10 is removed from the opening 121, the contents contained in the flow path 16 are not poured into the container 120 to be filled, but can be collected in the main container 110.

When the pouring of the contents is stopped, even if the liquid level of the contents has reached above the opening 11a of the pouring tube 10, when the pouring tube 10 is removed from the mouth 121, the liquid level on the side of the container to be filled 120 drops according to the volume of the tip 11 that is below the liquid level. Therefore, even if the liquid level of the contents has risen close to the top surface of the mouth 121, the liquid level of the contents in the container to be filled 120 can be kept at an appropriate level by removing the pouring tube 10 from the mouth 121.

For example, if a device such as a pump is attached to the mouth 121 after the contents are filled into the container 120 to be filled, the liquid level of the contents will rise on the container 120 to be filled when the lower part of the device such as the pump is submerged below the liquid level. According to the embodiment of the spout 100 for pouring, as described above, the liquid level drops when the pouring tube 10 is removed from the mouth 121, so that it is possible to prevent the contents from spilling out of the container 120 to be filled when the device such as the pump is attached.

If contents remain in the main container 110 to which the spout 100 is attached, the main container 110 with the spout 100 attached may be stored with the closing portion 22 of the movable member 20 closing the tip 11 of the spout tube portion 10. Alternatively, the spout 100 may be removed from the main container 110 by disconnecting the connecting portion 30 from the mouth portion 111, and the main container 110 may be stored with an appropriate cap or the like attached to the mouth portion 111.

If the dispensing spout 100 is to be stored attached to the main container 110 after the contents are dispensed, a cover may be attached to the attachment part 13, although this is not shown. The cover preferably has a shape that covers the tip 11, and may be attachable to the attachment part 13 using the screw part 13b. For example, the cover may be smaller than the container 120 to be filled, and may be in the shape of an empty bottle.

Next, the dispensing spout 101 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The dispensing spout 101 of the second embodiment can be configured in the same manner as the dispensing spout 100 of the first embodiment, except that the attachment portion 13 does not have the air valve holding portion 13d and the air valve 50, and the operation portion 23 does not require the air valve holding portion 24. For this reason, redundant descriptions of the dispensing tube portion 10, the movable member 20, the connecting portion 30, the stopper body 40, etc. will be omitted.

The dispensing spout 101 of the second embodiment does not have an air hole 51 in the attachment part 13, so when dispensing the contents, the air discharged from the filling target container 120 to replace the contents can be moved to the main container 110 side.

The procedure for transferring the contents from the main container 110 to the container to be filled 120 using the spout for pouring 101 can use the connecting part 30 and the mounting part 13 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The main container 110 and the container to be filled 120 are not shown in FIG. 6, but the contents can be poured out when the main container 110 and the container to be filled 120 are connected to the spout for pouring 101, similar to the spout for pouring 100 shown in FIG. 3.

Even when the amount of contents contained in the main container 110 is greater than the capacity of the container to be filled 120, when the liquid level of the contents on the container to be filled 120 side reaches above the opening 11a, the movement of air from the container to be filled 120 to the main container 110 stops. By preventing the internal pressure of the container to be filled 120 from increasing, the pouring of the contents from the main container 110 to the container to be filled 120 also automatically stops.

In the second embodiment of the dispensing spout 101, the operation of the operating part 23 for closing the tip 11 of the dispensing tube part 10 can be performed with dispensing stopped. Because the operating part 23 is exposed to the outside of the container 120 to be filled, the operating part 23 can be operated quickly even when the user stops dispensing when he sees the liquid level of the contents. When closing the tip 11, the operating part 23 is displaced in the same direction as the central axis A1 of the tip 11 of the dispensing tube part 10 and the mouth 121 of the container 120 to be filled. Therefore, dispensing can be stopped simply by pushing the operating part 23 straight down, and operation is easy even when the mouth 121 is facing upward.

Even if the liquid level of the contents reaches above the opening 11a of the pouring tube 10 when the tip 11 is closed, when the pouring tube 10 is removed from the mouth 121, the liquid level on the container 120 side drops according to the volume of the tip 11 that is below the liquid level. Therefore, even if the liquid level of the contents rises to the very top of the mouth 121, the liquid level of the contents in the container 120 can be kept at an appropriate level by removing the pouring tube 10 from the mouth 121.

For example, if a device such as a pump is attached to the mouth 121 after the contents are filled into the container 120 to be filled, the liquid level of the contents will rise on the container 120 to be filled when the lower part of the device such as the pump is submerged below the liquid level. As with the spout 100 of the first embodiment, the spout 101 of the second embodiment also lowers the liquid level when the spout tube 10 is removed from the mouth 121, so that it is possible to prevent the contents from spilling out of the container 120 to be filled when the device such as the pump is attached.

If contents remain in the main container 110 to which the dispensing spout 101 of the second embodiment is attached after the contents have been dispensed, the procedure can be the same as that described for the dispensing spout 100 of the first embodiment.

Next, the dispensing spout 102 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The dispensing spout 102 of the third embodiment can be configured similarly to the dispensing spout 100 of the first embodiment, except that the opening 11a opens to the side of the dispensing tube portion 10, and the opening surface 11b is formed along the central axis A1 of the tip portion 11. For this reason, redundant descriptions of the dispensing tube portion 10, the movable member 20, the connecting portion 30, the stopper body 40, the air valve 50, the main container 110, the container to be filled 120, etc. will be omitted.

In the case of the third embodiment of the spout 102, the opening surface 11b where the closing portion 22 crosses the opening 11a is set on the same plane as the outer peripheral surface of the tip portion 11. The lower end of the tip portion 11 of the spouting tube portion 10 is closed by a bottom portion 17 that intersects with the central axis A1 of the tip portion 11.

Since the opening surface 11b of the tip portion 11 is set in a direction along the central axis A1, the opening 11a can be opened and closed simply by displacing the closing portion 22 in the same direction as the central axis A1 in response to displacement of the movable member 20 along the central axis A1. For this reason, the movable member 20 of the third embodiment, including the closing portion 22, does not need to be flexible. Since the displacement direction of the operating portion 23 is along the central axis A1 of the tip portion 11, the operating portion 23 can be operated at the base end portion 12 away from the container 120 to be filled, providing excellent operability.

The pouring tube portion 10 may have guide portions 11c, 11d that guide the closing portion 22 along the central axis A1 of the tip portion 11. The pouring tube portion 10 of the third embodiment has, as the guide portions 11c, 11d, an outer guide portion 11c that guides the outer surface side of the closing portion 22, and an inner guide portion 11d that guides the inner surface side of the closing portion 22. In the pouring tube portion 10 of the illustrated example, the outer guide portion 11c and the inner guide portion 11d are formed up to the tip side of the opening surface 11b.

When the closing portion 22 closes the opening 11a, the outer guide portion 11c comes into contact with the peripheral portion of the closing portion 22. This makes it possible to prevent the closing portion 22 from deforming in a direction intersecting the central axis A1. For example, even if the opening 11a is closed while the contents remain in the flow path 16 and the closing portion 22 is pushed by the weight of the contents, it is possible to prevent the closing portion 22 from popping out outside the opening surface 11b.

The dispensing spout 102 in the illustrated example has an air valve holding portion 24 and an air valve 50, similar to the dispensing spout 100 of the first embodiment. Since air discharged from the container 120 to be filled when replacing the contents escapes to the outside, it is preferable for the user to stop dispensing by operating the operating portion 23 while watching the liquid level of the contents.

In the pouring spout 102 in which the opening surface 11b is set along the central axis A1, the mounting portion 13 may be structured without the air hole 51, similar to the pouring spout 101 of the second embodiment. In this case, when the liquid level of the contents in the container to be filled 120 reaches above the opening 11a, the pouring of the contents from the main container 110 to the container to be filled 120 is automatically stopped. After the pouring has stopped, the user can operate the operating portion 23 to close the tip portion 11 of the pouring tube portion 10.

Next, an example of an air valve will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. The dispensing spout in this case can be configured similarly to the dispensing spout 100 of the first embodiment, except for the air valve 60 provided in the attachment portion 13. For this reason, redundant descriptions of the dispensing tube portion 10, the movable member 20, the connecting portion 30, the plug 40, the main container 110, the container to be filled 120, etc. will be omitted.

The air valve 60 in the illustrated example has a deforming portion 61 held by the air valve holding portion 13d at a connecting portion 13c that integrates the mounting portion 13 of the dispensing tube portion 10 with the outer circumferential surface of the tip portion 11, a through portion 62 that is held so as to pass through the connecting portion 13c, and a retaining portion 63 that prevents the connecting portion 13c from coming off. An air flow path 64 is formed from the outer circumferential portion of the through portion 62 to the underside of the deforming portion 61. A valve body portion 65 is formed on the periphery of the deforming portion 61, which closes the air flow path 64 by coming into contact with the outer surface of the connecting portion 13c, as shown in FIG. 8.

The air valve 60 is formed from an elastic material such as rubber. When the internal pressure of the container 120 to be filled rises as the contents are received, the air flow path 64 of the air valve 60 can release air to the outside by separating the valve body portion 65 from the outer surface of the connecting portion 13c. Since liquids and other contents have difficulty passing through the air flow path 64, leakage of the contents through the air flow path 64 is suppressed. The air valve 60 of the illustrated example differs from the air valve 50 used in the first embodiment in that the air flow path 64 is formed in the gap between the outer periphery of the air valve 60 and the member to which the air valve 60 is attached. Therefore, the internal structure of the air valve 60 is not complicated, and it is easy to mold even if it is small.

When filling of the contents is completed, as described above, the opening 11a of the tip portion 11 can be reliably closed by displacing the operating portion 23 (see FIG. 4) from the base end side to the tip end side. At the same time that the closing portion 22 closes the tip portion 11, as shown in FIG. 9, the air valve holding portion 24 presses the deformation portion 61 of the air valve 60, thereby closing the air flow path 64. By the air valve holding portion 24 pressing and closing the air valve 60, the air inside the container 120 to be filled is discharged to the outside through the air valve 60, or outside air can be prevented from flowing into the container 120 to be filled.

In the mounting portion 13, the valve structure that releases the air discharged from the container is not limited to the air valves 50 and 60 described above, and can be configured with any suitable structure. A valve structure such as an air valve may be formed in a molded member such as a resin that constitutes the dispensing spout 100. A valve structure such as an air valve may be formed from a separate member made of rubber, resin, metal, etc., and attached to the member that constitutes the dispensing spout 100.

The present invention has been described above based on a preferred embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.
The materials from which the injection tube portion 10, the movable member 20, the connecting portion 30, and the stopper body 40 are formed are not particularly limited, but can be molded from various molding materials such as synthetic resins such as thermoplastic resins and thermosetting resins, and metals.

The configuration of the body 112 of the main container 110 is not particularly limited, but examples include a bottle container, a pouch container, a tube container, and the like. When the main container 110 is a molded container such as a bottle container, the connecting portion 30 may be integrated into the main container 110 as part of the molded container, although this is not shown in the figure.

When joining the mouth 111 of the main container 110 to the pouch container of the body 112, a pouch member such as a film or sheet may be joined to the mouth 111. The pouch member has a sealant layer or adhesive layer made of a thermoplastic resin on at least one side, so that the pouch member can be joined to the mouth 111 by being used to join the pouch members together. Examples of pouch containers include standing pouches and gusset containers with film folds on the sides or bottom.

The configuration of the body 122 of the container 120 to be filled is not particularly limited, but examples include bottle containers, pouch containers, tube containers, etc. Examples of materials for forming molded containers such as bottle containers include various synthetic resins such as thermoplastic resins and thermosetting resins. Containers such as pouch containers, tube containers, and bottle containers may include a layer made of a material other than resin, such as metal, paper, inorganic compounds, or organic compounds.

The contents are not particularly limited, but fluids such as liquids, powders, and granules can be used. The types of contents are not particularly limited, but examples include beverages, food products, seasonings, cosmetics, medicines, detergents, adhesives, household goods, and industrial products. Examples of liquid contents include beverages, seasonings, detergents, and medicines. Examples of powder or granular contents include salt, sugar, pepper, granular seasonings, and powdered detergent.

The tip of the movable member 20 in this embodiment is a plate-like closing portion 22 with no holes so that leakage can be prevented even if the contents are liquid. If the contents are solids of a certain size, such as granules, the closing portion 22 may have holes, lattices, mesh, etc. that prevent the contents from leaking.

The movable member 20 in the embodiment is configured so that the closure portion 22 is displaced in a direction crossing the opening 11a in conjunction with the displacement of the movable member 20 along the axial direction. The present invention is not limited to this, and the closure portion may be displaced in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the opening through which the contents are poured. With the axial direction of the pouring tube portion as the height direction, the closure portion may be configured so that if the closure portion is at the same height as the opening, it closes the opening, and if the closure portion is at a different height than the opening, it opens the opening.

A1...central axis of tip portion, A2...central axis of connecting portion, 10...injection/dispensing tube portion, 11...tip portion, 11a...opening, 11b...opening surface, 11c...outer guide portion, 11d...inner guide portion, 12...base end portion, 12a...insertion hole, 12b...notch portion, 12c...engagement hole, 13...mounting portion, 13a...tubular portion, 13b...screw portion, 13c...connecting portion, 13d...air valve holding portion, 14...side end portion, 15...flange portion, 16...flow path, 17...bottom portion, 20...movable member, 21...slide portion, 22...closing portion, 23...operating portion, 24...air valve holding portion, 30...connecting portion Connection portion, 31...outer tube portion, 32...threaded portion, 33...top surface portion, 34...fitting portion, 35...tapered tube portion, 40...stopper body, 41...guide surface, 42...extension portion, 43...pressing protrusion portion, 44...locking protrusion portion, 50, 60...air valve, 51...air hole, 61...deformation portion, 62...through portion, 63...stopping portion, 64...air flow path, 65...valve body portion, 100, 101, 102...spout spout, 110...main container, 111...mouth portion of main container, 112...body portion of main container, 120...container to be filled, 121...mouth portion of container to be filled, 122...body portion of container to be filled.

Claims (9)

The nozzle includes a cylindrical portion having an opening at a tip end thereof, and a movable member that is displaceable along an axial direction of the cylindrical portion.
The pouring tube portion has a connecting portion that is connected to a mouth portion of a main container that contains a content,
The central axis of the connecting portion extends in a direction different from the central axis of the tip portion,
The connecting portion is provided at a side end portion of the pouring tube portion that protrudes toward the main container,
A flow path is formed inside the pouring tube portion from the side end portion to the tip portion,
The movable member has a closing portion at a tip end side of the pouring tube portion and an operating portion at a base end side of the pouring tube portion,
The operating portion is capable of displacing the movable member at least from a base end side of the pouring tube portion to a tip end side of the pouring tube portion,
the closing portion opens the opening when positioned on a base end side of the pouring cylindrical portion, and closes the opening when positioned on a tip end side of the pouring cylindrical portion ,
The spout is characterized in that the movable member has a plate-like slide portion formed so as to be slidable relative to the spout tube portion . The spout for dispensing according to claim 1, characterized in that the closing portion is capable of being displaced in a direction transverse to the opening in conjunction with the displacement of the movable member. The spout for dispensing described in claim 2, characterized in that the dispensing tube portion has a guide portion that guides the closing portion in a direction crossing the opening portion. The spout for dispensing according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that at least the closing portion of the movable member is flexible, and the direction crossing the opening is a direction intersecting the axial direction. The spout for dispensing according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the opening is opened to the side of the dispensing tube portion, and the direction crossing the opening is along the axial direction. The spout for pouring described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the pouring tube portion has an attachment portion that is attached to the mouth of a container that receives the contents poured from the opening, on the outer periphery side of the pouring tube portion. The spout for dispensing according to claim 6, characterized in that the mounting portion has an air valve that releases air discharged from the container as the contents are received. The spout for dispensing according to claim 7, characterized in that the movable member has an air valve pressing part that closes the air valve when the closing part closes the opening. A container with a spout, comprising the spout according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and a body for accommodating contents.

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