JP7614719B2 - Container with applicator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container with an applicator that can reduce the amount of remaining content.

Conventionally, as described in Patent Document 1 below, there has been known a container with an applicator, which comprises a bottomed, cylindrical container body in which the contents are contained, a cap body removably attached to the mouth of the container body, a main body portion attached to the cap body and protruding from the cap body towards the bottom side of the container body, and an applicator having an applicator portion arranged at the lower end of the main body portion.
In such a container with an applicator, the content attached to the applicator part is drawn out from the container body by removing the applicator together with the cap from the container body.

JP 2012-205679 A

However, in such a container with an applicator, when the contents in the container body decrease, the applicator part has difficulty adhering the contents, making it difficult to reduce the amount of remaining contents, and there is also room for improvement in reducing the amount of remaining contents. On the other hand, although it is possible to reduce the amount of remaining contents in the container body by shortening the distance between the lower end of the applicator part and the bottom of the container body, or by abutting the lower end of the applicator against the bottom of the container body, when taking into account the dimensional variations of each component of the container with an applicator, it is difficult to bring the lower end of the applicator part close to the bottom of the container body, as the applicator part may be pressed against the bottom of the container body when the cap body with the applicator attached is attached to the container body.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a container with an applicator that reduces the amount of content remaining in the container body.

The present invention employs the following means to solve the above problems. That is, the container with applicator of the present invention comprises a bottomed cylindrical container body in which the contents are stored, a topped cylindrical cap body removably attached to the mouth of the container body, an applicator having a main body portion attached to the cap body and protruding from the cap body toward the lower side of the container body, and an applicator portion disposed at the lower end of the main body portion, and a liquid collection member disposed at the bottom of the container body, the liquid collection member having a liquid collection tube portion into which the lower end of the applicator portion is inserted, and a plurality of fitting portions connected to the lower end of the liquid collection tube portion via a hinge portion, protruding from the liquid collection tube portion and fitted into the container body, and the liquid collection tube portion is characterized in that a through hole portion is formed.

In this invention, when the container body is tilted with only a small amount of content remaining in the container body, some of the content outside the liquid collection tube flows into the liquid collection tube through the through hole. Therefore, the liquid level of the content in the liquid collection tube when the container body is tilted rises compared to when the liquid collection tube is not provided. This makes it easier to apply the content to the application part compared to when the container body is tilted without the liquid collection tube. Therefore, the amount of content remaining in the container body can be reduced.
In addition, when the liquid collection member is disposed at the bottom of the container body, the fitting portion rotates around the hinge portion and is folded relative to the liquid collection tubular portion, and when disposed at the bottom, the fitting portion unfolds due to restoration deformation. Therefore, even if the mouth of the container body has a smaller diameter than the bottom of the container body, the liquid collection member can be introduced into the container body and disposed within the container body simply by pushing the liquid collection member into the mouth.
Furthermore, since a liquid collection member separate from the container body is arranged at the bottom of the bottomed cylindrical container body, it is possible to reduce the amount of remaining contents in the container body without significantly changing the design of the container body.

Furthermore, in the container with applicator of the present invention, at least the fitting portion among the multiple fitting portions that is located closest to the through hole portion is provided with an introduction wall portion extending from the outer peripheral surface side of the container body toward the through hole portion, and the introduction wall portion may be provided at a position overlapping with the through hole portion in the circumferential direction around the central axis of the container body.
In this case, when the container body is tilted, the contents located outside the liquid collection tube within the container body are guided along the introduction wall toward the through hole portion and ultimately toward the liquid collection tube, making it easier to collect the contents in the liquid collection tube when the container body is tilted.
In addition, when introducing the liquid collection member into the container body, the introduction wall portion is inserted into the through hole portion when the fitting portion is folded toward the liquid collection tubular portion, thereby preventing the introduction wall portion formed on the fitting portion from interfering with the liquid collection tubular portion.

Furthermore, in the container with applicator of the present invention, one of the multiple fitting portions that is farthest from the through hole portion in the circumferential direction is provided with a locking protrusion that protrudes upward, and the container body is formed with a locking portion that locks the upper ends of the introduction wall portion and the locking protrusion from above the introduction wall portion and the locking protrusion, and the liquid collection tube portion is formed with an insertion portion into which the locking protrusion can be inserted when the fitting portion is rotated around the hinge portion.
In this case, the introduction wall portion and the locking projection are locked to the locked portion in the vertical direction, so that the liquid collecting member disposed within the container body can be positioned in the vertical direction.
In addition, when the liquid collection member is introduced into the container body, the locking protrusion is inserted into the insertion portion when the fitting portion is folded toward the liquid collection tubular portion, thereby preventing the locking protrusion formed on the fitting portion from interfering with the liquid collection tubular portion.

According to the container with applicator of this invention, even if the amount of content remaining in the container body becomes small, the container body can be tilted to allow a portion of the content outside the liquid collection tube to flow into the liquid collection tube through the through hole, thereby allowing the content to be efficiently attached to the applicator. This reduces the amount of content remaining in the container body. In addition, because the fitting portion rotates around the hinge portion, the liquid collection member can be introduced into the container body and disposed within the container body even if the inner diameter of the mouth of the container body is small. Furthermore, because the liquid collection member is separate from the container body, the effect of reducing the amount of content remaining in the container body can be achieved without significantly changing the design of the container body.

1 is an axial cross-sectional view showing a container with an applicator according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1 showing the applicator-equipped container. 2 is an axial cross-sectional view illustrating a method for assembling the applicator-equipped container of FIG. 1 2 is an axial cross-sectional view illustrating a method of using the applicator-equipped container of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is an axial cross-sectional view illustrating the application tool-equipped container of FIG. 1 in use.

One embodiment of a container with an applicator according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the scale of each drawing used in the following description has been appropriately changed so that each component is of a recognizable size.

1 and 2, the container with applicator 1 according to this embodiment includes a cylindrical container body 2 with a bottom in which, for example, liquid contents are contained, a cylindrical cap body 4 with a top that is detachably attached to a cylindrical mouth portion 3 of the container body 2, an applicator 5 attached to the cap body 4, and a cylindrical liquid collecting member 6 disposed at the bottom of the container body 2. The viscosity of the liquid contents is such that the liquid contents immediately accumulate at the bottom of the container body 2 when the container with applicator 1 is turned upright. However, the viscosity of the liquid contents may be changed as appropriate.
Here, the container body 2, cap body 4, and liquid collecting member 6 are arranged with their respective central axes positioned on a common axis. Hereinafter, this common axis will be referred to as the container axis O, and in Fig. 1, the direction from the bottom of the container body 2 toward the cap body 4 along the container axis O will be referred to as the upward direction, and the opposite direction will be referred to as the downward direction. In addition, the direction perpendicular to the container axis O in a plan view seen from the container axis O will be referred to as the radial direction, and the direction going around the container axis O will be referred to as the circumferential direction.

The container body 2 has a mouth 3, a cylindrical body 11 extending downward from the lower end of the mouth 3, and a bottom 12 that is circular in plan view and closes the lower end opening of the body 11. The mouth 3, body 11, and bottom 12 are arranged coaxially with the container axis O.
The inner and outer diameters of the mouth portion 3 are smaller than those of the body portion 11. The inner and outer diameters of the mouth portion do not need to be smaller than those of the body portion. A male thread portion 3A is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion 3. Furthermore, a conical thread member 13 is fitted into the inside of the mouth portion 3.

The sieve tube member 13 has a cylindrical fitting tube portion 21 and a conical sieve tube portion 22 that extends downward from the lower end of the fitting tube portion 21. The inner and outer diameters of the fitting tube portion 21 are equal over the entire length in the vertical direction, while the inner and outer diameters of the sieve tube portion 22 gradually decrease in diameter as they extend downward. The inner and outer diameters of the lower end of the sieve tube portion 22 are slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the mounting post portion 63, which will be described later. In addition, a flange portion 21A that protrudes radially outward is formed at the upper end of the fitting tube portion 21.

The body 11 has a cylindrical upper portion 31 extending downward from the lower end of the mouth 3, and a cylindrical lower portion 32 extending downward from the lower end of the upper portion 31.
The inner and outer diameters of the upper portion 31 are smaller than the inner and outer diameters of the lower portion 32, and a step is formed at the connection between the upper portion 31 and the lower portion 32.
A locking recess (locked portion) 32A recessed radially inward is formed around the entire circumference at the lower end of the lower portion 32. Therefore, the inner and outer diameters of the portion of the lower portion 32 where the locking recess 32A is formed are smaller than the inner and outer diameters of the other portions of the lower portion 32.

The cap body 4 has a top wall portion 41 that is circular in a plan view, and a cylindrical side tube portion 42 that extends downward from the outer periphery of the top wall portion 41. The top wall portion 41 and the side tube portion 42 are arranged coaxially with the container axis O.
The inner diameter of the side cylinder portion 42 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the upper portion 31 of the body portion 11, and the outer diameter of the side cylinder portion 42 is equal to the outer diameter of the lower portion 32 of the body portion 11. In addition, an attachment protrusion 42A that protrudes radially inward is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the lower end portion of the side cylinder portion 42.

The applicator 5 has a cylindrical main body 51 that is attached to the cap body 4 and protrudes downward from the cap body 4, and an applicator 52 that is disposed at the lower end of the main body 51. The main body 51 is disposed coaxially with the container axis O.
The main body 51 has a top plate 61 that is circular in plan view, a cylindrical mounting tube 62 that extends downward from the outer periphery of the top plate 61, and a columnar mounting post 63 that extends downward from the center of the top plate 61. The top plate 61, the mounting tube 62, and the mounting post 63 are arranged coaxially with the container axis O.

The top plate portion 61 and the mounting tube portion 62 are fitted into the inside of the cap body 4 .
A female screw portion 62A that screws into the male screw portion 3A of the mouth portion 3 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube portion 62. Furthermore, a mounting protrusion 42A engages with the lower end of the mounting tube portion 62 from below the mounting tube portion 62. This prevents the mounting tube portion 62, and therefore the applicator 5, from falling off the cap body 4.
A hollow portion 63A, which is a hole portion extending downward from the upper end, is formed at the upper end of the mounting column portion 63. This makes it easier for the upper end of the mounting column portion 63 to elastically deform radially inward when the applicator 5 is attached to the cap body 4, and makes it easier for the mounting tube portion 62 to climb over the mounting protrusion 42A.
The applicator 52 is, for example, a brush-shaped member. The lower end of the applicator 52 does not reach the bottom of the container body 2. In this embodiment, the lower end of the applicator 52 is located in the locked recess 32A of the barrel 11 in the vertical direction, and a gap is provided between the lower end of the applicator 52 and the bottom 12 of the container body 2.

The liquid collection member 6 has a cylindrical liquid collection tubular portion 71 with a bottom, and a plurality of fitting portions 73 that are connected to the lower end of the liquid collection tubular portion 71 via a hinge portion 72, protrude radially outward from the liquid collection tubular portion 71, and are fitted into the container body 2. The liquid collection tubular portion 71 is disposed coaxially with the container axis O.
A through hole 71A is formed in the liquid collection tube 71, the through hole 71A extending over the entire length in the vertical direction. Therefore, the liquid collection tube 71 is open at a part in the circumferential direction so as to form a C-shape when viewed from above. The through hole 71A extends over, for example, 120° of the liquid collection tube 71 in the circumferential direction.
A slit portion (insertion portion) 71B extending downward from the upper end is formed in the liquid collection tube portion 71. This slit portion 71B is formed on the radially opposite side of the container axis O from the circumferential center portion of the through-hole portion 71A, and the circumferential width of the slit portion 71B is sufficiently shorter than the circumferential width of the through-hole portion 71A.
The liquid collection tube portion 71 extends above the locked recess 32A, and the lower end portion of the application portion 52 is inserted into the liquid collection tube portion 71.

A plurality of fitting portions 73 (three in this embodiment) are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Of the three fitting portions 73, the two fitting portions 73A that are closest to the through-hole portion 71A in the circumferential direction extend radially outward from both circumferential ends of the through-hole portion 71A in the liquid collection tube portion 71. The remaining fitting portion 73B of the three fitting portions 73 that is separated from the through-hole portion 71A in the circumferential direction extends radially outward from the portion of the liquid collection tube portion 71 where the slit portion 71B is formed.

An introduction wall portion 74 is formed on the upper surface of the two fitting portions 73A, extending radially inward from the radial outer end of the fitting portion 73A. The introduction wall portion 74 is provided at a position overlapping with the through hole portion 71A in the circumferential direction, and the radial inner end of the introduction wall portion 74 faces the through hole portion 71A in the radial direction. In addition, the upper end of the radial outer end of the introduction wall portion 74 is engaged with the engaged recess 32A from below the introduction wall portion 74. Furthermore, the radial inner end of the introduction wall portion 74 is separated from the liquid collection tube portion 71 in the radial direction.
Meanwhile, a locking protrusion 75 is provided on the upper surface of one of the fitting portions 73B so as to protrude upward. The upper end of the locking protrusion 75 is locked to the locked recess 32A from below the locking protrusion 75. The circumferential width of the locking protrusion 75 is equal to the circumferential width of the slit portion 71B, so that the locking protrusion 75 can be inserted into the slit portion 71B.

In the container 1 with the applicator configured as described above, the liquid collection member 6 is disposed in the container body 2 by pushing the liquid collection member 6 into the container body 2 while it is placed on the mouth 3, as shown in FIG. 3, for example. That is, when the liquid collection member 6 is pushed into the container body 2, the fitting portion 73 rotates upward around the hinge portion 72, and the fitting portion 73 is folded into the liquid collection tube portion 71. At this time, the introduction wall portion 74 is inserted into the through hole portion 71A, and the locking protrusion portion 75 is inserted into the slit portion 71B. Then, the liquid collection member 6 in the folded state advances downward in the mouth portion 3 by pushing the liquid collection member 6 further into the container body 2. When the liquid collection member 6 passes through the mouth portion 3 and reaches the inside of the body portion 11, the fitting portion 73 is restored and deformed and deployed. As a result, the liquid collection member 6 is disposed in the bottom portion 12 of the container body 2.
After the liquid collecting member 6 is disposed in the container body 2, the cap body 4 having the applicator 5 attached thereto is screwed onto the mouth portion 3 of the container body 2. In this manner, the container 1 with the applicator is assembled.

Next, a method of using the applicator-equipped container 1 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described.
First, as shown in Fig. 1, when a sufficient amount of the contents remains, the contents are attached to the application part 52 of the applicator 5. In this state, the cap body 4 is unscrewed from the container body 2, and the cap body 4 is removed from the container body 2 and the applicator 5 is pulled out from the container body 2. Excess contents attached to the mounting posts 63 and the application part 52 are removed by the strainer tube member 13. Thereafter, the contents attached to the application part 52 are applied to the application target.

Next, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the remaining amount of the contents is small and the liquid level of the contents is located below the lower end of the application part 52, the contents cannot be applied to the application part 52. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the container 1 with the applicator is tilted. When the container 1 with the applicator is tilted, the contents remaining in the region A located between the two fitting parts 73A in the circumferential direction shown in FIG. 2 are guided into the liquid collection tube part 71 through the through hole part 71A by the introduction wall part 74. Therefore, the contents present in the liquid collection tube part 71 increase, and the liquid level in the liquid collection tube part 71 rises relative to the application part 52. This allows the contents to be applied to the application part 52. Thereafter, in the same manner as described above, the cap body 4 is unscrewed from the container body 2, the cap body 4 is removed from the container body 2, and the applicator 5 is pulled out from the container body 2.

The liquid collection tube 71 has a slit 71B formed therein, but the circumferential width of the slit 71B is sufficiently smaller than the circumferential width of the through-hole 71A. Also, the slit 71B is formed from the upper end of the liquid collection tube 71 to the vertical middle, and not over the entire vertical length of the liquid collection tube 71. This makes it difficult for the contents that flow into the liquid collection tube 71 to flow out of the liquid collection tube 71 through the slit 71B. Also, while the contents that flow into the liquid collection tube 71 flow out of the liquid collection tube 71 through the slit 71B, an appropriate amount of the contents is attached to the application portion 52.

In addition, in order to move at least a part of the contents remaining in the regions B and C located between one of the two fitting portions 73B in the circumferential direction shown in FIG. 2 to the region A, the container 1 with the applicator may be tilted in the opposite direction to the tilting direction shown in FIG. 5 and then tilted as shown in FIG. 5. When at least a part of the contents remaining in the regions B and C are moved to the region A by tilting in the opposite direction to the tilting direction shown in FIG. 5, the contents flowing into the liquid collection tube portion 71 increases. This makes it easier for the contents to adhere to the applicator portion 52. When the container 1 with the applicator is tilted in the opposite direction to the tilting direction shown in FIG. 5, the contents remaining in the regions B and C flow into the region A by climbing over the introduction wall portion 74.
The applicator-equipped container 1 is used in the above manner.

According to the container with applicator 1 configured as above, even if the amount of content remaining in the container body 2 becomes small, the container body 2 can be tilted to cause a portion of the content outside the liquid collection tube portion 71 to flow into the liquid collection tube portion 71 through the through hole portion 71A, thereby allowing the content to adhere to the applicator portion 52. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of content remaining in the container body.
In addition, since the fitting portion 73 rotates around the hinge portion 72, even if the inner diameter of the mouth portion 3 of the container body 2 is smaller than the inner diameter of the trunk portion 11, the liquid collection member 6 can be introduced into the container body 2 and disposed within the container body 2 by pushing the liquid collection member 6 into the mouth portion 3.
Furthermore, since the liquid collection member 6 is separate from the container body 2, the effect of reducing the amount of remaining content in the container body 2 can be achieved without significantly changing the design of the container body 2.

In addition, when the container body 2 is tilted, at least a portion of the contents located outside the liquid collection tube portion 71 is guided along the introduction wall portion 74 toward the through hole portion 71A and caused to flow into the liquid collection tube portion 71, making it easier to collect the contents in the liquid collection tube portion 71 when the container with applicator 1 is tilted.
Furthermore, since the introduction wall portion 74 and the locking projection 75 are locked to the locked recess 32A in the vertical direction, the liquid collection member 6 can be positioned relative to the container body 2 in the vertical direction.
Furthermore, when the fitting portion 73 is folded onto the liquid collection tube portion 71, the introduction wall portion 74 and the locking protrusion portion 75 formed on the fitting portion 73 are inserted separately into the through hole portion 71A and the slit portion 71B, thereby preventing the introduction wall portion 74 and the locking protrusion portion 75 from interfering with the liquid collection tube portion 71.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the container with applicator is tilted when the remaining amount of contents is small, thereby causing the contents to adhere to the application portion; however, the container with applicator may also be shaken or rocked to introduce the contents into the liquid collection tube portion, thereby causing the contents to adhere to the application portion.
The cap body is attached to the container body by screwing the applicator attached to the container body onto the container body, but may be attached to the container body by a method other than screwing. Also, the cap body itself may have a female screw portion.
The application part is not limited to a brush-shaped member, and may be a member having another shape, such as a pen-shaped member.
The liquid collection member may have at least two or more fitting portions. The fitting portions may not be provided with an introduction wall portion. Similarly, the fitting portions may not be provided with a locking protrusion.
The introduction wall portion may be configured so that a radially inner end portion of the introduction wall portion does not face the through-hole portion in the radial direction, so long as the introduction wall portion can guide the contents into the through-hole portion and, ultimately, into the liquid collection tubular portion when the container with the applicator is tilted. Furthermore, the introduction wall portion does not have to be insertable into the through-hole portion, so long as the introduction wall portion does not interfere with the liquid collection tubular portion when the liquid collection member is disposed in the container body.
The liquid collecting tube is in the form of a cylinder with a bottom, but may be in the form of a cylinder without a bottom.
The liquid collection tube portion is formed with a slit portion into which the locking projection can be inserted, but the insertion portion is not limited to a slit-shaped insertion portion, and may have any other shape, such as a hole, as long as the locking projection can be inserted therein. Furthermore, as long as the locking projection does not interfere with the liquid collection tube portion when the liquid collection member is disposed in the container body, the liquid collection member does not need to have an insertion portion formed therein.
The through hole portion is formed over the entire vertical length of the liquid collecting tube portion, but it does not have to extend over the entire vertical length as long as the contents outside the liquid collecting tube portion can be introduced into the liquid collecting tube portion when the container with the applicator is tilted, for example.
The engaging recess is formed around the entire circumference of the body, but a plurality of engaging recesses may be formed at intervals in the circumferential direction in accordance with the circumferential positions of the introduction wall and the engaging protrusion that engage in the up-down direction. Furthermore, the engaging portion is not limited to the engaging recess formed in the body of the container body, and may have other configurations, such as a protrusion protruding radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the body.
The container body, cap body, and liquid collecting tube are cylindrical, but may be other shapes, such as polygonal tubes.

This invention is recognized to have industrial applicability with respect to a container with an applicator that reduces the amount of content remaining in the container body.

1 Container, 2 Container body, 3 Mouth, 4 Cap body, 5 Applicator, 6 Liquid collection member, 12 Bottom, 32A Locking recess (locking portion), 51 Body, 52 Applicator, 71 Liquid collection tube, 71A Through hole, 71B Slit (insertion portion), 72 Hinge, 73, 73A, 73B Fitting portion, 74 Introduction wall, 75 Locking protrusion

Claims (3)

A cylindrical container body having a bottom for accommodating contents;
a cap body having a cylindrical shape with a top that is detachably attached to the mouth of the container body;
an applicator having a main body portion attached to the cap body and protruding from the cap body toward a lower side of the container body, and an applicator portion disposed at a lower end of the main body portion;
A liquid collecting member disposed at the bottom of the container body;
Equipped with
The liquid collecting member has a liquid collecting tube portion into which a lower end portion of the application portion is inserted;
a plurality of fitting parts connected to a lower end of the liquid collecting tubular part via a hinge part, protruding from the liquid collecting tubular part and fitted into the container body;
having
A container with an applicator, wherein the liquid collecting tube portion has a through hole formed therein. At least one of the plurality of fitting portions that is located closest to the through-hole portion is provided with an introduction wall portion that extends from an outer circumferential surface side of the container body toward the through-hole portion,
2. The container with applicator according to claim 1, wherein the introduction wall portion is provided at a position overlapping with the through hole portion in a circumferential direction around a central axis of the container body. A fitting portion among the plurality of fitting portions that is far from the through hole portion in the circumferential direction is provided with a locking protrusion that protrudes upward,
The container body is formed with a locking portion to which upper ends of the introduction wall portion and the locking protrusion are locked from above the introduction wall portion and the locking protrusion,
3. The container with applicator according to claim 2, wherein the liquid collecting tube portion is formed with an insertion portion into which the locking projection can be inserted when the fitting portion is rotated around the hinge portion.

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