JP7610466B2 - Discharge Cap - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a discharge cap that fits onto the mouth of a container and discharges the contents contained inside the container.

Conventionally, as a discharge cap for discharging liquid contents or viscous fluid contents contained inside a container, a discharge cap with a check valve provided between the inside of the container and the discharge port has been known. When discharging the contents from the container, the contents pressurized from outside the container separate the check valve from the valve seat, allowing the contents to pass from inside the container to the discharge port and be discharged. At the same time, when the pressure on the contents is released, the check valve comes into close contact with the valve seat and the container is sealed, thus isolating the inside of the container from the outside air and preventing deterioration such as drying and oxidation of the contents remaining inside the container.

For example, the discharge cap (hinge cap 1) disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a fitting portion (assembly tube 3) that fits with the container mouth portion (mouth tube portion 28) and a discharge port (5) that discharges the contents (content liquid N) contained inside the container (container body 27), and further has a valve chamber (11) partitioned between the inside of the container (container body 27) and the discharge port (5). The valve chamber (11) is provided with a supply hole (valve mouth 12) and a valve seat (valve seat surface 14) that communicate with the inside of the container (container body 27) and that extracts the contents (content liquid N), a valve cylinder (10) that extends vertically from the periphery of the valve seat (valve seat surface 14), and a check valve (9). The inner peripheral surface of the valve cylinder (10) is provided with a plurality of vertical ribs (15) that allow the valve body (17) of the check valve (9) to move freely while restricting its displacement in the lateral direction.

The discharge cap (hinge cap 1) known from Patent Document 1 and other sources uses a sphere as the valve body (17), and when the contents (content liquid N) naturally flow down due to its own weight, or when attached to a flexible container and pressure is applied by gripping the container, the valve body (17) separates from the valve seat (valve seat surface 14), and the contents (content liquid N) are discharged from the discharge port (5) through the vertical rib (15). When the cap is closed, the valve body (17) is pressed by a pressing pin (24) on the top lid (lid body 21) to come into close contact with the valve seat (valve seat surface 14) and close the supply hole (valve port 12), thereby maintaining the check valve (9) in a closed state, and the closed state of the container can be stably and reliably maintained.

In addition, a discharge cap that can recover the contents in the valve chamber into a container when the check valve is closed is known from Patent Document 2.

In the discharge cap known from Patent Document 2, in addition to the supply hole (135), a recovery passageway (142), which is a long and narrow opening that connects the valve chamber (130) and the internal container, is provided on the lower part of the inner surface of the valve chamber (130). When the external container made of an elastic body tries to return to its original shape, negative pressure is generated, and even if the supply hole (135) is blocked by the check valve (132), the contents (P) in the valve chamber (130) can be recovered into the internal container through the recovery passageway (142).
In addition, even after the contents (P) in the valve chamber (130) are recovered, the contents (P) remain in the recovery flow path (142) due to surface tension, so that outside air (G) does not flow into the internal container.

JP 2015-009816 A JP 2018-154356 A

However, there is still room for improvement in the ejection cap known from Patent Document 1 and the like.
That is, the discharge cap known in Patent Document 1 requires the formation of a complex shape such as a vertical rib within the valve chamber, which may increase costs during molding, such as the creation of a mold.
In addition, the discharge cap known from Patent Document 1 uses a pin to press the valve body from the top lid to close the supply hole, so the pin needs to be long enough to reach the valve body inside the valve chamber, and there is a risk that the pin will get caught on the discharge port, etc., and be damaged when the top lid is opened or closed.

In addition, the discharge cap known from Patent Document 1 presses the valve body with a pin to block the supply hole, so if the force pressing the valve body is too strong, the valve body may get stuck in the supply hole, and the valve body may not operate even if the container is tilted the next time it is used. Also, if a flexible container is used, the container is pressed with more force than would be applied in normal use in an attempt to operate the valve body, so there is a risk that more contents than necessary will be discharged if the valve body comes off the supply hole.
Furthermore, in the discharge cap known from Patent Document 2, the long and narrow recovery flow path is always open, so when the inner container is made of a material with strong resilience such as PET resin, the negative pressure generated after use becomes too large, making it impossible to retain the contents within the recovery flow path due to surface tension, and there is a risk that outside air will also flow into the inner container.

The present invention aims to solve these problems by providing a discharge cap with a simple structure that ensures reliable operation of the check valve, can reliably collect only the contents in the valve chamber even in a configuration in which the suction force from inside the container to the valve chamber is strong, and can prevent outside air from entering the container.

The discharge cap of the present invention is a discharge cap that fits into a container mouth and discharges the contents contained inside the container, the discharge cap having a main body top surface, a fitting portion that hangs down from the main body top surface and fits into the container mouth, a discharge tube that extends upward from the main body top surface and discharges the contents contained inside the container, and a valve chamber that is partitioned between the inside of the container and the main body top surface, a discharge guide portion that is positioned downward when the tip of the discharge tube is tilted during discharge, and the valve chamber has a discharge guide portion that communicates with the inside of the container and is arranged to guide the contents out. The above problem is solved by providing a supply tube, a bottom having a valve seat, and a check valve, the check valve being movably arranged in the axial direction of the supply tube, the check valve having a valve sealing surface that can abut against the valve seat, the check valve and the bottom being guidably connected by a guide pin extending in the axial direction of the supply tube , the guide pin being formed in a rod shape extending upward from the center of the bottom, and a guide portion that is open downwardly and into which the guide pin can be inserted and guided being provided at the center of the check valve .

According to the discharge cap of claim 1, the check valve has a sealing surface that can abut against the valve seat, and the check valve and the bottom are connected in a guideable manner by a guide pin extending in the axial direction of the supply tube, so that when the contents are discharged, the check valve reliably rises along the guide pin due to the force of the contents flowing from the supply tube into the valve chamber, and the valve sealing surface can be released from the abutment against the valve seat.
In addition, even after the contents have been discharged, the check valve descends along the guide pin due to the momentum of the contents being recovered from the valve chamber through the supply tube into the inner container and the check valve's own weight, causing the valve sealing surface to abut against the valve seat again, ensuring a stable seal, and the supply tube can be closed without the need for a separate biasing member to bias the check valve.
Furthermore, compared to using a sphere or the like for the check valve, the check valve can be set in the specified position while being guided in position by the guide pin, and since no excessive force is applied to the valve sealing surface when setting it, the valve sealing surface is not damaged.
Furthermore, when no biasing member is used to bias the check valve, the check valve is able to make a relatively large upward stroke when the contents are discharged, so that the contents remaining in the valve chamber are collected as the check valve descends after the contents are discharged, and the check valve is then sucked in to close the supply tube, thereby ensuring that the contents can be collected and preventing outside air from flowing into the inner container.
In addition, the guide pin is formed in a rod shape extending upward from the center of the bottom, and a guide portion is provided at the center of the check valve. Therefore, as long as the guide pin is inserted into the guide portion, it is possible to reliably prevent the central axis of the check valve and the central axis of the valve seat from becoming significantly misaligned even if the check valve rises.

According to the configuration described in claim 2, the guide pin is configured to be able to restrict the amount of movement of the check valve in the axial direction of the supply tube, so that the amount of movement by which the valve seal surface separates from the valve seat can be kept within a predetermined range, preventing excessive lifting of the check valve and the disconnection of the check valve and valve seat by the guide pin, and ensuring that the supply hole can be re-closed.

According to the configuration described in claim 3 , the guide pin is provided with an anti-slip portion, and the guide portion is provided with an engagement portion, and the inner diameter of the engagement portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the anti-slip portion. Therefore, even if the check valve rises, the engagement portion interferes with and engages the anti-slip portion, thereby reliably preventing the guide pin from falling out of the guide portion.

According to the configuration described in claim 4 , the valve seat is formed by an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the center of the supply tube, and the valve sealing surface is formed by an arc-shaped surface. Therefore, when the supply hole is closed, the valve sealing surface and the valve seat form a ring-shaped line seal and the contact area between the valve seat and the valve sealing surface is reduced, so that the check valve can be easily pushed up when it is opened.
In addition, since the valve seat is inclined downward toward the center of the supply cylinder, the contents in the valve chamber can be quickly collected after discharge.
According to the configuration described in claim 5 , the valve chamber is formed by fitting the inside plug into the engagement wall portion of the cap body, so there is a high degree of freedom in designing the shape of each part. For example, when changing the shape of only the inside plug side to change the shape of the bottom, the same cap body can be used for inside plugs of different shapes.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge cap 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3A and 3B are a top view and a side cross-sectional view of a check valve 132 and an inner plug 131 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state during ejection of the ejection cap 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the discharge cap 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention when the contents P are being collected. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a check valve 132 of the discharge cap 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is closed.

Hereinafter, a discharge cap 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
It should be noted that only the periphery of a container mouth 201 of the container 200 that fits into the discharge cap 100 is shown in the figure.
Moreover, the top cover 120 is not shown in any figures except in FIG.

The discharge cap 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is fitted to the container mouth 201 of the container 200, and discharges the contents P contained inside the container 200, which is a double container composed of a flexible inner container 200b that contains the contents P and an outer container 200a that has elasticity and faces the inner container 200b inward. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the discharge cap 100 is provided with a cap body 110, an upper lid 120, and a valve chamber 130.

The cap body 110 has a body top surface 111, a discharge tube 113 protruding upward from the body top surface 111, a fitting portion 112 hanging downward from the body top surface 111, an engagement wall portion 114 hanging cylindrically downward from the body top surface 111 inside the fitting portion 112, and a skirt wall 115 hanging downward from the peripheral portion of the body top surface 111.
The discharge cylinder 113 is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a discharge port 113a that communicates between a valve chamber 130 (described later) and the outside of the container 200, and a discharge guide portion 113b.

An outside air supply valve 150 is attached to the main body top surface 111 between the fitting portion 112 of the cap main body 110 and the skirt wall 115 .
The fitting portion 112 and the skirt wall 115 are configured to fit with the container mouth portion 201 , and the outside air supply valve 150 communicates with the space between the outer container 200 a and the inner container 200 b of the container 200 .
The engaging wall portion 114 has a lower end formed with a protrusion 114a that protrudes inward.

The top lid 120 is hinged to the cap body 110 on the side opposite the discharge direction, and has a top lid top surface 121 and a blocking plug 122 hanging down from the top lid top surface 121.

The center plug 131 has a bottom 145 and an engaging tube portion 136 extending upward from near the outer periphery of the bottom 145. In the center of the bottom 145, there is a bottom surface portion 133 with a supply hole 135 that communicates with the inside of the container 200, a guide pin 139 extending upward in a rod shape from the center of the bottom surface portion 133, a supply tube 137 extending upward from the outer periphery of the bottom surface portion 133, and a connecting tube 140 extending further upward from the upper part of the supply tube 137.
In this way, by providing the connecting tube 140 above the valve seat 134, even if the inner plug 131 is temporarily distorted when the engaging tube portion 136 overcomes the protrusion 114a when the inner plug 131 is attached to the cap body 110, the valve seat 134 is moved downward away from the engaging tube portion 136 via the connecting tube 140, so distortion of the valve seat 134, which serves as the sealing portion, can be reliably suppressed.

A retaining portion 141 is provided on the upper portion of the guide pin 139 so as to protrude radially outward.
In addition, the supply tube 137 is composed of a bottom portion 133 and a valve seat 134 that abuts against a valve seal surface 138 of the check valve 132 described later, and the valve seal surface 138 is formed as an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the center of the supply tube 137.

The check valve 132 is formed from a relatively soft synthetic resin such as an elastomer or low-density polyethylene, and has a valve body tubular portion 144 forming a guide portion 143 that is open downward, and a valve seal surface 138 that extends radially outward from the lower part of the valve body tubular portion 144, and the valve seal surface 138 is composed of an arcuate surface that extends gradually upward as it extends radially outward.
That is, when the supply hole 135 is closed by the check valve 132, the valve seal surface 138 and the valve seat 134 form a ring-shaped line seal.
This makes it possible to reduce the area where the valve seal surface 138 and the valve seat 134 come into close contact with each other, so that the check valve 132 can be opened easily and quickly with a small force when opened.

Further, a locking portion 142 is provided below the guide portion 143 and protrudes radially inward from the inner circumferential surface of the valve body cylindrical portion 144 .
The inner diameter of guide portion 143 is larger than the outer diameter of guide pin 139, and the inner diameter of engagement portion 142 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of anti-slip portion 141. Therefore, when guide pin 139 is inserted into guide portion 143, engagement portion 142 temporarily distorts to the extent that it can be restored, allowing it to overcome anti-slip portion 141, and guide pin 139 penetrates to the depth of guide portion 143.

The valve chamber 130 is provided on the underside of the top surface 111 of the main body, and is formed as a space partitioned by the top surface 111 of the main body, the inner surface of the engaging tube portion 136, and the inner surface of the bottom portion 145 by engaging the outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion 145 of the center plug 131 with the protrusion 114a of the engaging wall portion 114.
The container 200 restores the volume of the outer container 200a, which has decreased as the content P is discharged, by sucking outside air from the outside air supply valve 150 into between the inner container 200b and the outer container 200a.

Next, the operation of discharging the content P and recovering the content P remaining in the valve chamber 130 into the container 200 by the discharge cap 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG.
For the sake of explanation, the container 200 is shown in a stationary state.

First, the procedure for discharging the content P will be described.
When the container 200 is tilted toward the discharge guide portion 113b of the discharge tube 113, which is the discharge direction, and pressed from the outside, the container 200 deforms and the outside air supply valve 150 rises, sealing the space between the inner container 200b and the outer container 200a to prevent air from flowing in.
Then, the pressurized contents P in the inner container 200 b pushes up the valve seal surface 138 of the check valve 132 , passes between the valve seal surface 138 and the valve seat 134 , and flows into the valve chamber 130 .
At this time, since there is no biasing member that biases the check valve 132 downward, the valve seal surface 138 can be easily separated from the valve seat 134 without applying a large force, and the contents P will not fly out more than necessary due to the container 200 being pressed with a large force to open the check valve 132.

When pressure on the container 200 is further continued, the content P passes through the discharge port 113a and is discharged outside the discharge cap 100 along the discharge guide portion 113b.
At this time, the check valve 132 continues to be pushed up by the force of the contents P flowing into the valve chamber 130 from the supply hole 135, but since the engagement portion 142 of the guide portion 143 interferes with the anti-slip portion 141 of the guide pin 139, the check valve 132 does not come out of the guide pin 139.

Next, the operation of recovering the content P in the valve chamber 130 into the container 200 will be described.
The discharge of the contents P stops when the pressure on the contents P in the container 200 is released, the force pushing up the valve seal surface 138 of the check valve 132 disappears, and the check valve 132 gradually descends under its own weight along the guide pin 139.
At this time, the outer container 200a, from which the pressure has been released, is made of an elastic material and attempts to return to its original shape, so that the space between the outer container 200a and the inner container 200b becomes negative pressure, the outside air supply valve 150, which had been raised, returns to its original position and opens, and outside air is sucked into the space between the outer container 200a and the inner container 200b.

In addition, the negative pressure in the space between the outer container 200a and the inner container 200b also acts as a force to recover the contents P in the valve chamber 130 into the container 200.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the force of the contents P in the valve chamber 130 being recovered into the container 200 from the bottom 145 side through the supply hole 135 causes the check valve 132 to maintain a slight floating state without contact between the valve seal surface 138 and the valve seat 134.

In addition, the valve seat 134 is formed by an inclined surface, and the valve sealing surface 138 is formed by an arc-shaped surface, so that the contents P in the valve chamber 130 can be quickly recovered into the container 200 from the narrowest point between the valve seat 134 and the valve sealing surface 138, i.e., the point where a line seal was formed when the check valve was closed.
Furthermore, if the entire bottom portion 145 is inclined downward toward the center of the supply tube 137, the contents P can flow quickly and reliably to the supply hole 135 side without accumulating in the valve chamber 130.

Once the contents P in the valve chamber 130 have been collected into the container 200, as shown in FIG. 5, the check valve 132 descends and quickly brings the valve sealing surface 138 into contact with the valve seat 134, sealing the inside of the container 200 without allowing air to enter.
At this time, even if the contents P in the valve chamber 130 have been collected before sufficient air has been sucked into the space between the outer container 200a and the inner container 200b from the outside air supply valve 150, a force is generated from the supply hole 135 to suck the check valve 132, and the valve sealing surface 138 and the valve seat 134 are firmly attached to each other, so that air is not sucked into the container 200 through the supply hole 135.
Furthermore, even without using a biasing member to bias the check valve 132 downward, the valve sealing surface 138 can be reliably brought into close contact with the valve seat 134 and the supply hole 135 can be reclosed, thereby preventing deterioration of the contents P in the container 200.

In addition, since the valve chamber 130 is formed by fitting the inner plug 131 into the engagement wall portion 114 of the cap body 110, there is a high degree of freedom in designing the shape of each part of the inner plug 131. For example, when changing the shape of only the inner plug 131 side to change the shape of the bottom portion 145, the same shape of the cap body 110 can be used for an inner plug of a different shape, and there is no need to create a separate mold for the entire discharge cap, which can suppress increases in mold manufacturing costs.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the invention described in the claims.

In the above-described embodiment, the container is described as being composed of a flexible inner container for accommodating the contents and an outer container having elasticity that faces the inner container inward. However, the configuration of the container is not limited to this. For example, the container may be configured so that the volume of the inner container is variable by providing a piston that can move up and down at the bottom of the non-flexible inner container.
In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the ejection cap is described as having a hinged top lid, but the form of the ejection cap is not limited to this, and for example, the ejection cap may not have a top lid, and may be provided as a screw cap-type top lid separate from the cap body.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the top lid is described as being hingedly connected to the cap body on the side opposite the ejection direction, but the connection state between the top lid and the cap body is not limited to this, and for example, the top lid may be connected to the cap body at a position rotated 90 degrees from the ejection direction.
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the valve chamber has been described as being formed as a space partitioned by the top surface of the main body, the engagement wall portion, and the stopper, but the method of forming the valve chamber is not limited to this. For example, a valve chamber separate from the cap body may be prepared and the valve chamber may be fitted into a predetermined position of the cap body to form a discharge cap, or a stopper may be provided at the tip of the container mouth, and the valve chamber may be formed by fitting the cap body and the container mouth together.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a connecting tube extending upward is provided on the top of the supply tube of the inner plug, but the shape of the inner plug is not limited to this. For example, the connecting tube may not be present, and the supply tube may extend directly into and connect to the engagement tube portion.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 100 Discharge cap 110 Cap body 111 Body top surface 112 Fitting portion 113 Discharge tube 113a Discharge port 113b Discharge guide portion 114 Engagement wall portion 114a Protrusion 115 Skirt wall 116 Locking rib 120 Top cover 121 Top cover top surface 122 Block plug 130 Valve chamber 131 Inner plug 132 Check valve 133 Bottom surface 134 Valve seat 135 Supply hole 136 Engagement tube portion 137 Supply tube 138 Valve seal surface 139 Guide pin 140 Connection tube 141 Description of the reference numerals 142 : retaining portion 143 : guide portion 144 : valve body cylindrical portion 145 : bottom portion 150 : outside air supply valve 200 : container 200a : outer container 200b : inner container 201 : container mouth portion P : contents

Claims (5)

A discharge cap that is fitted to a container mouth and discharges the contents contained inside the container,
the discharge cap has a main body top surface, a fitting portion that hangs down from the main body top surface and fits into the container mouth portion, a discharge tube that extends upward from the main body top surface and discharges the contents contained inside the container, and a valve chamber that is partitioned between the inside of the container and the main body top surface,
The tip of the discharge cylinder is provided with a discharge guide portion that is positioned downward when tilted during discharge,
The valve chamber is provided with a supply tube communicating with the inside of the container and adapted to take out the contents, a bottom having a valve seat, and a check valve.
The check valve is provided so as to be movable in the axial direction of the supply cylinder,
the check valve has a valve seal surface capable of abutting against the valve seat,
The check valve and the bottom are guidably connected by a guide pin extending in the axial direction of the supply tube ,
The guide pin is formed in a rod shape extending upward from the center of the bottom portion,
The discharge cap is characterized in that a guide portion that opens downward and allows the guide pin to be inserted and guided is provided at the center of the check valve . The discharge cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide pin is configured to be able to regulate the amount of movement of the check valve in the axial direction of the supply tube. The guide pin is provided with a retaining portion protruding radially outward from an outer circumferential surface of the guide pin,
The guide portion is provided with a locking portion protruding radially inward from an inner circumferential surface of the guide portion,
3. The discharge cap according to claim 1 , wherein an inner diameter of the engagement portion is smaller than an outer diameter of the retaining portion. The valve seat is formed of an inclined surface that is inclined downward toward the center of the supply cylinder,
4. The discharge cap according to claim 1, wherein the valve sealing surface is formed as an arcuate surface. The discharge cap is composed of a cap body, an inner plug, and a check valve,
the cap body has a body top surface, a discharge tube extending upward from the body top surface, a fitting portion that hangs down from the body top surface and fits with a container mouth portion, and an engagement wall portion that hangs down from the body top surface,
the inside plug is configured to be engageable with the engagement wall portion and has a bottom portion on which the valve seat and the supply tube are provided,
the check valve has a valve seal surface that is configured to be able to abut against the valve seat and is movable in the axial direction of the supply cylinder,
5. The discharge cap according to claim 1 , wherein the valve chamber is defined by the main body top surface, the engagement wall portion, and the bottom portion.

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