JP7640968B2 - Containers and dispensed products - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container and a dispensing product.

Patent Document 1 has a container body that contains a fluid detergent and a cap that is attached to the container body. The detergent discharged from the container body is applied to a toilet bowl, etc.

JP 2015-67321 A

The container body is manufactured by molding a resin material. The container is then completed by screwing a cap onto the molded container body. However, depending on the manufacturing method of the container body, the wall thickness may become thin and the rigidity may become low. In this case, when the cap is attached to the container body, a twisting force caused by screwing the cap acts on the container body, which may cause the container body to deform.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a container and a dispensing product that can prevent the container body from deforming when the cap is attached.

The first container according to the present invention comprises a container body that contains the contents and has a discharge part formed therein, and a cap that can be attached and detached to the container body. The container body has a main body that has an opening at the top and can contain the contents, a cylindrical outer wall extending from the opening, and a top wall that is formed to close the end of the outer wall opposite the opening. The container body has an attachment part with a male thread formed on the outer wall, and the discharge part formed on the top wall of the attachment part. The main body part, the attachment part, and the discharge part are integrally formed from a resin material so that the insides are in communication. The inner wall surface of the cap has a female thread that screws into the male thread, and the male thread is formed so that the outer diameter increases as it approaches the main body part.

The second container according to the present invention comprises a container body that contains the contents and has a discharge portion formed therein, a cylindrical regulating member that is attached to the discharge portion of the container body, and a cap that is detachably attached to the container body so as to cover the regulating member. The container body has an opening at the top and a main body portion capable of containing the contents, a cylindrical outer peripheral wall that extends from the opening, and a top wall that is formed to close the end of the outer peripheral wall opposite the opening. The container body also comprises an attachment portion that has a male thread formed on the outer peripheral wall, and the discharge portion formed on the top wall of the attachment portion. The main body, the mounting portion, and the discharge portion are integrally formed from a resin material so that the insides are connected, and the regulating member has a fixing portion that engages with the discharge portion, a tubular portion that is disposed radially outward of the fixing portion and faces the top wall of the mounting portion, and a regulating portion that is configured to allow the contents discharged from the discharge portion to be discharged radially outward of the discharge portion, and a female thread that screws into the male thread is formed on the inner wall surface of the cap, and the top wall is formed in a tapered shape that inclines toward the main body as it moves radially outward.

The first container can be configured such that in a cross section along a surface extending in the axial direction of the mounting portion, a line connecting the tips of the male threads is inclined at an angle of 2 degrees or more and 10 degrees or less with respect to the axis of the mounting portion.

In the second container, the top wall of the mounting portion can be inclined at an angle of 2 degrees or more and 15 degrees or less with respect to the horizontal direction.

In the second container, the mounting portion can include a connection portion formed between the outer peripheral wall and the top wall, the connection portion inclines downward as it moves radially outward, and the angle that the connection portion makes with the horizontal direction can be greater than the angle that the top wall makes with the horizontal direction.

In the first and second containers, the main body can have a bottom that is the end opposite the opening, and the thickness of the bottom can be 500 μm or more and 600 μm or less.

In the first and second containers, the discharge section can have a base connected to the top wall, and the outer peripheral surface of the base can be a curved surface that is convex toward the inside.

The discharge product according to the present invention comprises any one of the containers described above and the contents contained in the main body.

This invention makes it possible to prevent the container body from deforming when the cap is attached.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the container of FIG. 1 with the cap removed. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the container of FIG. 1 . 4A is an enlarged front view of the attachment portion and the discharge portion, and FIG. 4A is a front view, FIG. 4B is a plan view, and FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of a restricting member. FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 1 . 1A is a front view showing how to use the container, and FIG. 1B is a view seen from the target surface side. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the effect of the container of FIG. 1 .

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the container according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a front view showing the state in which the cap is removed from the container of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the container of FIG. 1. The discharge product 90 according to the embodiment includes a container 80 and a content. The container 80 contains the content, and includes a container body 1 that contains the content, a regulating member 2 that is attached to the container body 1 and determines the discharge direction of the content, and a cap 3 that is attached to the container body 1. Then, as will be described later, when using the container, the cap 3 is removed from the container body 1 as shown in FIG. 2 to discharge the content. The content is, for example, a gel-like cleaning agent for cleaning a toilet bowl. The discharge product 90 according to this embodiment is a cleaning product. Each component will be described below. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, the description will be made according to the direction shown in FIG. 1, but the present invention is not limited to this direction.

<1. Container body>
3, the container body 1 includes a main body 11 in which the detergent is contained, an attachment part 12 attached to the top of the main body 11 and to which the cap 3 is attached, and a discharge part 13 protruding upward from the upper end of the attachment part 12, all of which are integrally formed from a flexible resin material. Examples of such resin materials include polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate.

The main body 11 has an outer surface that is a combination of multiple curved surfaces, and an internal space that contains a cleaning agent is formed. The thickness of the main body 11 can be, for example, 100 μm or more and 1000 μm or less. An opening (not shown) is formed in the upper part of the main body 11, and an attachment part 12 is formed so as to extend upward from this opening. More specifically, the main body 11 has a bottom part 111, a body part 112, and a head part 113, which are integrally connected in this order from bottom to top. The outer surfaces of the body part 112 and the head part 113 are formed with curved surfaces so as to represent the body and head of an animal. In addition, two first protrusions 115 aligned in the left-right direction are provided in the upper part of the body 112, and two second protrusions 116 aligned in the left-right direction are provided in the lower part of the body 113. These protrusions 115 and 116 imitate the legs of an animal. The bottom part 111 is the end of the main body 11 on the opposite side to the opening. The bottom 111 is a portion located below the two second protrusions. The bottom 111 is also called a pinch-off portion or a cut-off portion. The attachment portion 12 is connected to the upper end of the head 113. The maximum outer perimeter of the body 112 is greater than the maximum outer perimeter of the head 113. The thickness of the bottom 111 is preferably, for example, 500 μm or more and 600 μm or less. The thickness of the body 112 is preferably, for example, 250 μm or more and 300 μm or less. The thickness of the head 113 is preferably, for example, 300 μm or more and 400 μm or less. Therefore, the blow ratio of the body 112 during blow molding is greater than that of the other portions. As a result, the body 112 is easier to crush.

The mounting portion 12 includes an outer peripheral wall 121 formed in a cylindrical shape and a disk-shaped top wall 122 provided to cover the upper portion of the outer peripheral wall 121. A male screw 123 is formed on the outer surface of the outer peripheral wall 121. The thickness of the mounting portion 12 can be, for example, 300 μm or more and 1000 μm or less. The thickness of the top wall 122 is preferably, for example, 500 μm or more and 700 μm or less. The inner wall surface of the mounting portion 12 is recessed to follow the male screw 123 at the location where the male screw 123 is formed. The thickness of the mounting portion 12 and the male screw 123 at the location where the male screw 123 is formed is preferably 400 μm or more and 500 μm or less. The thickness of the mounting portion 12 and the male screw 123 at the location where the male screw 123 is formed is preferably smaller than the thickness of the top wall 122.

A through hole (not shown) is formed in the center of the top wall 122, and a cylindrical discharge part 13 is formed to extend upward from this through hole. Therefore, the internal spaces of the main body part 11, the attachment part 12, and the discharge part 13 are connected, and the cleaning agent contained in the main body part 11 is discharged from the discharge part 13 via the attachment part 12. An annular engagement part 131 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the discharge part 13, and this engagement part 131 protrudes radially outward so as to engage with the above-mentioned regulating member 2. In addition, the discharge part 13 has a root (base) 132 that extends downward from the engagement part 131 and connects to the top wall 122. The outer peripheral surface of the root 132 is a curved surface that is convex toward the inside. In a cross section along a surface extending in the vertical direction, the outer peripheral surface of the root 132 describes a circular arc. As a result, when the discharge portion 13 is pressed by the regulating member 2, the base 132 is less likely to bend, suppressing deformation of the attachment portion 12 and the discharge portion 13. The thickness of the discharge portion 13 can be, for example, 400 μm or more and 1000 μm or less. It is preferable that the thickness of the discharge portion 13 is, for example, 500 μm or more and 700 μm or less.

4 is an enlarged front view (a) of the mounting portion and the discharge portion, and a plan view (b) thereof. As shown in FIG. 4, the top wall 122 of the mounting portion 12 is inclined downward as it moves radially outward from the discharge portion 13. Specifically, it is preferable that the angle α between the top wall 122 and the horizontal direction is 2 degrees or more and 15 degrees or less. For example, the angle α in this embodiment is 4 degrees. As shown in FIG. 7, a part of the top wall 122 is located radially outward from the intermediate tube 212 of the regulating member 2. In addition, the outer peripheral wall 121 and the top wall 122 are connected by a connecting portion 125. The connecting portion 125 has a shape in which the corner between the outer peripheral wall 121 and the top wall 122 is chamfered. The connecting portion 125 is inclined downward as it moves radially outward from the top wall 122. The angle γ between the connecting portion 125 and the horizontal direction is greater than the angle α. This makes it possible to prevent the thickness of the peripheral portion of the connection portion 125 from becoming thin during blow molding, compared to when the top wall 122 and the outer peripheral wall 121 directly intersect. As a result, the strength of the mounting portion 12 is improved. In addition, the outer peripheral wall 121 is inclined so as to expand radially outward as it goes downward. Accordingly, in the cross section of the male screw 123 along the surface extending in the vertical direction, the line T connecting the tip of the male screw 123 in the vertical direction is approximately parallel to the outer peripheral wall 121. Specifically, it is preferable that the angle β between the direction along the vertical direction of the outer peripheral wall 121 and the axis X of the mounting portion 12, and the angle β between the axis X and the line T are 2 degrees or more and 10 degrees or less. It is more preferable that the angle β is 3.2 degrees or more and 6.4 degrees or less. For example, the angle β in this embodiment is 4.8 degrees.

2. Regulating member
5A, 5B, and 5C are a front view, a plan view, and a cross-sectional view of the regulating member. As shown in FIG. 5, the regulating member 2 includes a cylindrical main body 21 and a plurality of protrusions (regulating portions) 22 protruding upward from the upper end of the main body 21. As shown in FIG. 5C, the main body 21 includes a cylindrical outer tube (tubular portion) 211, an intermediate tube (tubular portion) 212, and an inner tube (fixed portion) 213 arranged concentrically, and the intermediate tube 212 is accommodated inside the outer tube 211, and the inner tube 213 is accommodated inside the intermediate tube 212. In addition, an annular connecting portion 214 is provided that connects the upper ends of the outer tube 211, the intermediate tube 212, and the inner tube 213. The connecting portion 214 extends radially outward from the upper end of the inner tube 213 to the upper end of the outer tube 211. The inner tube 213 is inserted into the discharge portion 13, as described later. Furthermore, a protrusion 215 that protrudes radially inward is formed at the lower end of the intermediate cylinder 212, and this protrusion 215 is adapted to engage with the engagement portion 131 of the discharge portion 13. Therefore, the discharge portion 13 is arranged between the inner cylinder 213 and the intermediate cylinder 212. Note that the positions of the lower ends of the outer cylinder 211 and the intermediate cylinder 212 in the up-down direction are roughly the same, but the lower end of the inner cylinder 213 extends slightly lower than the outer cylinder 211 and the intermediate cylinder 212.

The number of protrusions 22 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, there are five. These multiple protrusions 22 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction along the upper end of the outer tube 211 of the main body 21. The restricting member 2 can be made of the same material as the container body 1, but may also be made of a different material.

<3. Cap>
6 is a cross-sectional view of the cap. As shown in FIG. 6, the cap 3 includes a cylindrical main body 31 with a closed upper portion and an open lower portion, and a flange 32 that protrudes radially from the lower end of the main body 31. The upper portion of the main body 31 is formed in a hemispherical shape, and a female screw 311 that screws with the male screw 123 of the mounting portion 12 is formed on the inner wall surface of the main body 31. Unlike the male screw 123 of the mounting portion 12, the line connecting the tip of the female screw 311 extends in the vertical direction and is not inclined. In addition, a cylindrical pressing portion 33 with an axis extending in the vertical direction is formed on the upper portion of the inner surface of the main body 31, and as described later, this pressing portion 33 is configured to press the connecting portion 214 of the regulating member 2 from above when the cap 3 is attached to the mounting portion 12. The cap 3 can be formed of the same material as the container body 1, but may be formed of a different material.

4. Manufacturing method of container
The method for manufacturing the container body 1 is not particularly limited, but for example, it can be formed by blow molding. That is, after the parison is supplied into the mold, air is injected into the mold to form the container body 1. However, this is not limited to this method, and other methods may be used. The restricting member 2 and the cap 3 can be formed by injection molding or the like. Then, after the restricting member 2 is attached to the molded container body 1, the cap 3 is screwed on to complete the container, as shown in Figs. 1 and 7. The detergent can be stored in the container body 1 at any time before the cap 3 is attached. Then, as shown in Fig. 7, when the cap 3 is attached, the pressing portion 33 of the cap 3 presses the connecting portion 214 of the restricting member 2, so that a closed space is formed between the inner tube 213 of the restricting member 2 and the pressing portion 33. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the detergent from leaking into the inside of the cap 3. In addition, the blow molding method is not particularly limited, and various methods such as a shuttle type and a rotary type can be adopted. For example, by adopting a rotary type, it is easy to set the thickness of the bottom 111 to 500 μm or more and 600 μm or less. This makes the thickness of the bottom 111 thinner than when a shuttle type is adopted, making it easier to dispense the contents to the last drop. As a result, the contents are less likely to remain in the main body 11.

<5. How to use the container>
Next, a method of using the container configured as described above will be described with reference to Fig. 8. First, as shown in Fig. 8(a), with the cap 3 removed from the container body 1, all the protrusions 22 of the regulating member 2 are brought into contact with the target surface S to which the detergent is to be applied. In this state, when the main body 11 of the container body 1 is pressed, the main body 11 is crushed, and the detergent A inside is discharged from the discharge portion 13. At this time, the detergent A discharged from the discharge portion 13 passes through the main body 21 of the regulating member 2 and hits the target surface S, and is then discharged radially outward from between the adjacent protrusions 22 along the target surface S. As a result, the discharged detergent A is applied to form a petal-shaped shape as shown in Fig. 8(b).

<6. Features>
(1) According to this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, the male thread 123 of the mounting portion 12 is tapered downward, so that when the cap 3 is attached, the cap 3 becomes less likely to move downward as the thread is tightened. Therefore, even if the container body 1 is thin, deformation of the mounting portion 12 due to tightening of the cap 3 can be suppressed.

(2) The top wall 122 of the mounting portion 12 is formed so as to slope downward as it goes radially outward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, when the cap 3 is tightened and the pressing portion 33 presses the regulating member 2, the outer tube 211 of the regulating member 2 can be prevented from pressing the top wall 122 of the mounting portion 12. Therefore, even if the thickness of the container body 1 is thin, deformation of the mounting portion 12 due to tightening of the cap 3 can be prevented.

7. Modifications
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following modifications are possible. In addition, the gist of the following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

<7-1>
In the above embodiment, the top wall 122 and the male thread 123 of the mounting portion 12 are formed in a tapered shape, but it is also possible to adopt only one of them.

In the above embodiment, the line T connecting the outer peripheral wall 121 of the mounting portion 12 and the tip of the male screw 123 is formed parallel to each other, but it is sufficient that at least the line T is inclined with respect to the axis X of the mounting portion 12, and the outer peripheral wall 121 may be parallel to the axis X.

<7-2>
The shape of the restricting member 2 does not have to be as described above, and it is sufficient that it is attached to the discharge part 13 of the container body 1 and is configured so that at least the contents can be discharged radially outward. The configuration of the discharge part 13 is also not particularly limited, and it is sufficient that it is configured so that the contents can be discharged from the container body 1 and the restricting member 2 can be attached.

<7-3>
The shapes of the main body 11, the attachment portion 12, the discharge portion 13, the restricting member 2, and the cap 3 are not particularly limited and may be changed as appropriate. For example, the main body 11 may be capable of containing the contents, and may not necessarily be capable of discharging the contents by pushing. The attachment portion 12 may be provided with a male screw 123.

<7-4>
For example, the first container of the present invention does not need to be provided with the restricting member 2 if the container is intended for use other than applying the contents to a toilet bowl as described above. The first and second containers of the present invention include containers in which the contents are contained or containers in which the contents are contained in advance.

<7-5>
In the above embodiment, the container according to the present invention is applied to a container for a cleaning agent for cleaning a toilet bowl, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the type of contents contained in the container body 1 is not particularly limited, and examples of the contents include medicine and food. The form of the contents is also not particularly limited, and the contents can be, for example, gel, liquid, granular, etc.

1 Container body 11 Body portion 12 Mounting portion 121 Outer peripheral wall 122 Top wall 123 Male thread 13 Discharge portion 2 Restricting member 211 Outer cylinder (cylinder portion)
212 Intermediate cylinder (cylindrical part)
213 Inner cylinder (fixed part)
3 Cap 311 Female thread

Claims (7)

A container body that accommodates the contents and has a discharge portion formed therein;
A cylindrical regulating member attached to the discharge portion of the container body;
A cap that is detachably attached to the container body;
Equipped with
The container body includes:
A main body portion having an opening at an upper portion and capable of accommodating contents;
a mounting portion having a cylindrical outer peripheral wall extending from the opening and a top wall formed to close an end of the outer peripheral wall opposite the opening, the mounting portion having a male thread formed on the outer peripheral wall;
The discharge portion is formed on a top wall of the mounting portion;
having
the main body portion, the attachment portion, and the discharge portion are integrally formed of a resin material so that the interiors of the main body portion, the attachment portion, and the discharge portion are communicated with each other;
An internal thread is formed on the inner wall surface of the cap to be screwed with the external thread,
A line connecting the tip ends of the female screw extends in the axial direction of the male screw without inclining,
The male screw of the mounting portion is formed so that the outer diameter increases toward the main body portion ,
The regulating member is
A fixing part fixed to the discharge part;
a cylindrical portion disposed radially outward of the fixing portion and facing a top wall of the mounting portion;
A regulating portion configured to be able to discharge the contents discharged from the discharge portion radially outward from the discharge portion;
Equipped with
The top wall is formed in a tapered shape inclined toward the main body portion as it extends radially outward,
A container configured such that a gap is formed between the cylindrical portion of the regulating member and the tapered top wall when the cap is attached to the container body . The container according to claim 1, wherein in a cross section along a surface extending in the axial direction of the mounting part, a line connecting the tips of the male threads is inclined at an angle of 2 degrees to 10 degrees with respect to the axis of the mounting part. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the top wall of the mounting portion is inclined at an angle of 2 degrees or more and 15 degrees or less with respect to the horizontal direction. The mounting portion includes a connection portion formed between the outer peripheral wall and the top wall,
The connection portion is inclined downward as it extends radially outward,
The angle between the connection portion and the horizontal direction is greater than the angle between the top wall and the horizontal direction.
A container according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The body portion has a bottom portion which is an end portion opposite to the opening,
5. The container according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the bottom portion is 500 μm or more and 600 μm or less. The discharge portion includes a base portion connected to the top wall,
The container according to claim 1 , wherein the outer peripheral surface of the base is a curved surface that is convex toward the inside. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ;
The content is contained in the main body.