JP7632849B2 - Pulsation suppressor and liquid container equipped with pulsation suppressor - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pulsation prevention device that is attached to a liquid container and prevents pulsation of the liquid discharged from the container, and a liquid container equipped with this pulsation prevention device.

For example, when pouring liquid such as water from a commonly used plastic bottle (350 ml to 2 L) into a glass, pulsation may occur in the dispensed liquid due to factors such as the diameter of the opening. When pulsation occurs, there is a risk that the liquid will splash and soil the surrounding area. Therefore, in the past, inventions have been proposed to prevent pulsation, which is a cause of liquid splashing (for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent document 1 discloses an invention in which an air introduction tube (external air introduction passage as a pulsation prevention device) is provided inside the removal section of the container, with the tip opening at a required position past the removal section, and the end of the air introduction tube opens toward the bottom of the container.

JP 2004-238002 A

However, the above-mentioned conventional technology has the following problems due to the method of attaching the air introduction tube. That is, in the example disclosed in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, the air introduction tube is provided directly inside the removal section, which means that it cannot be easily reused for other containers. Also, in the example disclosed in FIG. 8 of Patent Document 1, the air introduction tube is attached to a member (hook section) that can be hooked onto a part of the removal section, but there is a problem that the cap cannot be attached to the opening while the member is hooked. Thus, the conventional technology has room for further improvement in terms of convenience.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a highly convenient pulsation prevention device and a container equipped with a pulsation prevention device.

The pulsation preventer of the present invention is a pulsation preventer that is detachably attached to a container body and prevents pulsation of liquid discharged through a mouth portion formed on the container body, and comprises: a base having an opening that communicates with the mouth portion and on which a female thread is formed to screw into a male thread formed on an outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion; a lid portion that covers the opening of the base; an air introduction tube having an air flow path, one end of which opens inside the mouth portion and the other end of which opens to the bottom side of the container body portion inside the container body; and an air introduction tube holding portion that is provided on the base and holds the air introduction tube. The base portion is configured to include a cylindrical outer wall, a cylindrical inner wall located inwardly and at a predetermined distance from the outer wall, an upper surface portion that connects an upper portion of the outer wall and an upper portion of the inner wall and forms the upper surface of the base, and a cylindrical rising mouth portion that serves as a non-threaded region that does not thread into the male thread formed upward from the upper surface portion, and a female thread that threads into the male thread of the mouth portion is formed on the inner surface of the outer wall, and the air introduction tube holding portion has a tubular portion with open ends, and the upper end of the tubular portion is located within the rising mouth portion and the lower end of the tubular portion is located within the mouth portion .

The liquid container of the present invention comprises the container body described in claim 1 and the pulsation prevention device.

The present invention provides a highly convenient pulsation prevention device and a container equipped with a pulsation prevention device.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pulsation prevention device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a pulsation preventer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a pulsation preventer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. (a) is a structural explanatory diagram of a pulsation suppressor according to the first embodiment of the present invention; (b) and (c) are cross-sectional views showing the structure of a pulsation suppressor according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an example of use in which liquid is dispensed from a container equipped with a pulsation prevention device according to the first embodiment of the present invention and poured into a cup; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a pulsation preventer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

(Embodiment 1)
A pulsation preventer in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4. In Figures 1, 2, and 3, the pulsation preventer 1 is detachably attached to a container body 2 (Figure 3), and has a function of preventing pulsation of a liquid 4 (Figure 5) discharged through a mouth 3 formed in the container body 2. In addition, the pulsation preventer 1 also functions as a cap that is detachably attached to the mouth 3 of the container body 2. The liquid 4 referred to here refers to, for example, water, soft drinks, soy sauce, liquid chemical seasonings, and the like.

Figure 3 shows the state in which the pulsation prevention device 1 is attached to the container body 2. The container body 2 in this embodiment 1 is exemplified by a PET bottle container for beverages that is generally available on the market. This container body 2 is composed of a body 6 having a bottom 6a (Figure 5) and an internal storage space 5 for liquid 4, a tapered portion 7 formed continuously with the upper part of the body 6 and tapered upward, and a cylindrical mouth 3 formed continuously with the upper part of the tapered portion 7 and standing along the upper part.

When the mouth 3 is viewed from above, an opening 3a is formed in the center of the mouth 3, penetrating vertically, as a spout for pouring liquid 4. The liquid 4 stored in the container body 2 is dispensed through the opening 3a by tilting the container body 2 (Figure 5). A male screw 3b is formed on the outer periphery of the mouth 3.

The detailed structure of the pulsation prevention device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. The pulsation prevention device 1 has a base (cap body) 9 having an opening 9a that communicates with the opening 3a of the mouth portion 3. The base 9 is composed of a cylindrical outer wall 10, a cylindrical inner wall 11 that is located a predetermined distance inward from the outer wall 10, and an upper surface portion 12 that connects the upper part of the outer wall 10 and the upper part of the inner wall 11 and forms the upper surface of the base 9.

A female thread 10a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer wall 10, which screws into the male thread 3b of the mouth portion 3. The pulsation prevention device 1 is attached to the mouth portion 3 by screwing the female thread 10a into the male thread 3b. In this state, the inner wall 11 is in a position that contacts the inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion 3, or is slightly spaced from the inner peripheral surface. In other words, a part of the mouth portion 3 is sandwiched between the outer wall 10 and the inner wall 11.

In FIG. 1, a flexible thin-walled connecting portion 14 is provided at a predetermined position on the outer edge of the base 9, which partially connects the base 9 and the lid portion 13. In FIG. 2, the lid portion 13 is composed of a circular upper surface portion 15 and a cylindrical side portion 16 that stands up from the outer periphery of the upper surface portion 15.

As described above, the lid 13 is connected to the base 9 via the connecting portion 14, and can be rotated around the connecting portion 14 between a position where the opening 9a is opened and a position where the opening is closed with respect to the base 9 (arrow a in FIG. 3). As shown in FIG. 2, the lid 13 covers the opening 9a of the base 9 by bringing the lower end of the side portion 16 into contact with the upper surface of the base 9. This puts the container body 2 into a sealed state.

The base 9 further has a cylindrical rising mouth 17 formed by rising upward from the upper surface 12. The rising mouth 17 has an opening 17a that communicates with the opening 9a of the base 9. As shown in FIG. 2, when the opening 9a of the base 9 is closed from above by the lid 13, the rising mouth 17 is contained within the lid 13. The pulsation prevention device 1 functions as a cap (lid), and the container body 2 and the pulsation prevention device 1 together constitute a container 100 for fluid.

As shown in Figures 2 to 5, an air introduction tube holder 19 is provided via a bracket 18 at the position closest to the connecting portion 14 on the inner peripheral surface of the rising mouth portion 17 that constitutes the base 9. The air introduction tube holder 19 holds the air introduction tube 20. In other words, the base 9 has an inner peripheral surface of the rising mouth portion 17 that is a non-threaded area that does not thread into the male thread 3b, and the air introduction tube holder 19 is provided on the inner peripheral surface (non-threaded area) of this rising mouth portion 17.

The air introduction tube holder 19 has a cylindrical portion 19a that is open at both ends and extends in the vertical direction, and a flared portion 19b that is connected to the lower end of the cylindrical portion 19a and flares toward the bottom 6a of the container body 2. The upper end of the cylindrical portion 19a is located inside the rising mouth 17, and the lower end of the flared portion 19b is located inside the mouth 3.

The air introduction tube 20 is open at both ends and is made of a flexible material that extends in the longitudinal direction. Air flows into the air flow path 20a that forms the internal space of the air introduction tube 20. The air introduction tube 20 has a bellows structure over a predetermined range or over the entire range, and when it is bent at any position (symbol P shown in Figure 4), for example, the bent state can be maintained. The bellows here refers to a structure in which valleys and peaks that protrude radially outward from the valleys are alternately arranged in a continuous manner along the longitudinal direction of the air introduction tube 20. The air introduction tube 20 may be replaced with a commercially available straw.

That is, the air introduction tube 20 has an air flow path 20a whose one end opens inside the mouth 3 and whose other end opens inside the container body 2 toward the bottom 6a of the container body 2.

As shown in Figures 4(b) and (c), the diameter of the air introduction tube 20 is larger than the diameter of the cylindrical portion 19a of the air introduction tube holding portion 19. The diameter of the lower end of the flared portion 19b is larger than the diameter of the air introduction tube 20. The diameter of the flared portion 19b gradually decreases toward the top, and the upper end side is smaller than the diameter of the air introduction tube 20. Therefore, when the air introduction tube 20 is inserted from the bottom end of the air introduction tube holding portion 19, the air introduction tube 20 is crushed inward as it moves upward.

More specifically, as shown in the A-A cross section of FIG. 4(b), at the entrance position at the lower end of the flared portion 19b, the air introduction tube 20 is not crushed and maintains a circular cross section, but as it moves upward within the flared portion 19b, it is crushed inward and its cross section becomes elliptical. As shown in the B-B cross section of FIG. 4(c), the air introduction tube 20 is also crushed inward as it moves upward within the cylindrical portion 19a, and its cross section becomes elliptical. In this way, the air introduction tube holding portion 19 holds the air introduction tube 20 by pressing the outer peripheral surface of the air introduction tube 20 against the inner peripheral surface of the air introduction tube holding portion 19.

The pulsation prevention device 1 in the first embodiment is configured as described above. Next, an example of using the pulsation prevention device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIGS. 5(a) and (b) show a state in which liquid 4 stored in the container body 2 to which the pulsation prevention device 1 is attached is being poured into a cup 21, which is another container.

As shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), when a user (not shown) tilts the container body 2 and pours liquid 4 into the cup 21, air (outside air) is introduced from the upper end (right side of the page) of the air introduction tube 20 in response to the change in air pressure inside the container body 2 as the liquid 4 is discharged. The introduced air is discharged into the container body 2 through the lower end of the air introduction tube 20. This allows the pressure inside the container body 2 to be controlled to a constant level, making it possible to pour the liquid 4 into the cup 21 while suppressing pulsation of the liquid 4.

Conventional techniques for preventing pulsation using a component equivalent to the air introduction tube 20 include JP 2004-238002 A, disclosed as Patent Document 1, as well as JP 2002-302122 A, JP 2010-137914 A, and Utility Model Registration No. 3188291.

When tilting the container body 2 to pour the liquid 4 into the cup 21, the user would normally point the connecting part 14 side upward so that the lid 13 does not interfere with pouring the liquid. In this case, as shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), the air introduction tube 20 is located on the connecting part 14 side (above the opening 9a; the upper side of the paper in Figure 5), so it does not interfere with pouring the liquid.

As described above, the pulsation prevention device 1 in this embodiment 1 is detachable from the container body 2 and prevents pulsation of the liquid 4 discharged through the mouth 3 formed on the container body 2. This pulsation prevention device 1 includes a base 9 having an opening 9a communicating with the mouth 3 and a female thread 10a formed to screw into a male thread 3b formed on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth 3, a lid 13 covering the opening 9a of the base 9, an air introduction tube 20 having an air flow path 20a whose one end opens inside the mouth 3 and whose other end opens to the bottom 6a side of the container body 2 inside the container body 2, and an air introduction tube holder 19 provided on the base 9 and holds the air introduction tube 20.

With the above configuration, the pulsation prevention device 1 can be easily attached and detached from the container body 2, so it can be easily used (reused) between different containers (container body 2). However, the containers (container body 2) that can be used are limited to those in which a male thread is formed as in the present embodiment 1 and the female thread 10a can be screwed into the male thread. In addition, since the pulsation prevention device 1 has a lid portion 13, it itself also functions as a cap (lid). In other words, the pulsation prevention device 1 in the present embodiment 1 is highly convenient (reusable and usable as a cap).

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The same components as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. The first and second embodiments differ from each other in the structure of the base and the lid.

On the upper surface 12 constituting the upper surface of the base 9A of the pulsation prevention device 1A in embodiment 2, a second rising mouth portion 22 having a male thread 22a formed on the outer periphery is formed so as to surround the rising mouth portion 17 from the outside.

In the second embodiment, a lid 13A is used that includes a circular top surface 15A and a cylindrical side surface 16A that stands up from the outer periphery of the top surface 15A. Unlike the first embodiment, the lid 13A is separable from the base 9A. A female thread 16Aa is formed on the inner periphery of the side surface 16A, and the lid 13A is fixed to the base 9A by screwing the female thread 16Aa into the male thread 22a. This results in the inside of the container body 2 being sealed.

The present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments, and design changes are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. In addition, the material of the container body 2 is not limited to plastic resin, and may be glass, steel, aluminum, etc.

It is possible to provide a highly convenient pulsation prevention device and a container equipped with a pulsation prevention device.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1, 1A Pulsation prevention device 2 Container body 3 Mouth 3b Male thread 6a Bottom 9, 9A Base 9a Opening 10a Female thread 13 Lid 19 Air inlet tube holder 20 Air inlet tube 20a Air flow path

Claims (4)

A pulsation prevention device that is detachably attached to a container body and prevents pulsation of a liquid discharged through a mouth portion formed on the container body,
A base portion having an opening communicating with the mouth portion and having a female thread formed on an outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion and adapted to be screwed into the male thread;
A lid portion for covering the opening of the base portion;
an air introduction pipe having an air flow path, one end of which opens inside the mouth portion and the other end of which opens inside the container body portion toward the bottom side of the container body portion;
an air inlet tube holder provided on the base and holding the air inlet tube;
The base portion includes a cylindrical outer wall, a cylindrical inner wall located inwardly with a predetermined distance therebetween, an upper surface portion that connects an upper portion of the outer wall and an upper portion of the inner wall and forms an upper surface of the base, and a cylindrical rising mouth portion that is formed upward from the upper surface portion and serves as a non-threaded region that is not threadedly engaged with the male screw,
An internal thread is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the outer wall to be screwed with the external thread of the mouth portion ,
The air inlet pipe holding portion has a cylindrical portion with both ends open,
The upper end of the cylindrical portion is located within the rising mouth portion,
A pulsation preventer , wherein the lower end of the cylindrical portion is located within the mouth portion . The lid portion is connected to the base portion via a connecting portion,
The pulsation preventer according to claim 1 , which is rotatable about the connecting portion as a base point between a position for opening the opening and a position for closing the opening relative to the base portion. The pulsation prevention device according to claim 1 or 2, in which the air introduction tube holding portion is provided in the non-threaded region. A liquid container comprising the container body as described in claim 1 and the pulsation prevention device.

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