JP7723522B2 - measuring container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a measuring container that allows for volume adjustment after initial measurement.

For example, Patent Document 1 listed below is a technology relating to a measuring container in which a measuring cap is attached to the neck of a squeeze bottle to measure.
The measuring container described in Patent Document 1 is used by pressing the body of the squeeze bottle, forcing the contents 30 up into the dispensing tube 140 through the suction pipe 400, and then dispensing the contents 30 from the dispensing hole 141 at the upper end of the dispensing tube 140 into the measuring tube portion 200 above the position of the dispensing hole 141 of the dispensing tube 140.The pressure on the body of the squeeze bottle is then released to restore the bottle, and the excess contents in the measuring tube portion 200 are sucked out through the dispensing hole 141 of the dispensing tube 140 and returned to the bottle, thereby measuring the contents.
When the outer surface of the dispensing tube 140 of the cap body 100 is slid against the inner surface of the peripheral wall 130 to move the measuring tube portion 200 upward, the distance between the dispensing hole 141 of the dispensing tube 140 and the bottom wall 210 of the measuring tube portion 200 becomes narrower, making it possible to reduce the amount of contents to be measured and to easily change the amount of contents.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-66956

However, in the measuring container described in Patent Document 1, in order to perform more accurate measurements, if it is desired to adjust the volume after measuring the contents once, it is necessary to slide the outer surface of the dispensing tube 140 of the cap body 100 against the inner surface of the peripheral wall 130 to move the measuring tube portion 200 downward to perform the adjustment. However, if such an operation is performed during measurement, there is a risk that the contents will spill from the measuring tube portion 200, making it difficult to perform accurate measurements.
Furthermore, the measuring container described in Patent Document 1 is configured by combining a large number of components, which makes it difficult to reduce costs and simplify the manufacturing process.

The present invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art described above by creating a measuring container with a simple structure that allows for volume adjustment after a single measurement, thereby enabling more accurate measurement.

Among the means for solving the above problems, the main means of the present invention is:
A measuring container comprising a container body configured to accommodate contents and be elastically deformable, a measuring section provided at an open end of the container body and having a measuring chamber therein, and a dispensing cap for dispensing the contents after measuring,
a partition wall is provided to separate the container body and the measuring chamber, and a pair of communication holes having equal opening areas and communicating between the container body and the measuring chamber, and a check valve provided in each of the pair of communication holes are integrally formed in the partition wall;
One check valve is a check valve that allows communication from the container body to the measuring chamber and blocks communication from the measuring chamber to the container body, and the other check valve is a check valve that blocks communication from the container body to the measuring chamber and allows communication from the measuring chamber to the container body.

In the main feature of this invention, when the measuring container is in an inverted position and the container body is squeezed, the contents are moved from the container body into the measuring chamber through one check valve and stored therein. Then, when the container body is returned to the upright position and squeezed, air is sent from the container body into the measuring chamber through one check valve, and simultaneously the contents in the measuring chamber are gradually moved toward the container body through the other check valve, adjusting the volume.

Another aspect of the present invention is the addition of the main aspect of the present invention in that the pair of check valves are formed with a movable cover that can open and close the communication hole, and a single elastically deformable connecting piece that connects the movable cover and the communication hole.
In the above-mentioned method, only one connection point with the communication hole is required, and the tilt angle of the movable lid can be increased to expand the area when open, making it possible to facilitate the movement of the contents within the communication hole. Furthermore, since the pair of check valves can be formed integrally with the partition wall, it is possible to reduce costs and simplify the manufacturing process.

Another aspect of the present invention is any one of the above aspects, further comprising the addition of a feature that the pair of communication holes are formed to have equal opening areas.
With the above means, during the capacity adjustment operation, the amount of air moving from the container body into the measuring chamber through one of the communication holes can be made equal to the amount of contents moving simultaneously from the measuring chamber into the container body through the other communication hole, thereby making the capacity adjustment operation easier.

In the measuring container of the present invention, the volume can be adjusted after the initial measuring operation, so that the contents can be measured and dispensed more accurately.
In addition, the partition wall between the container body and the measuring chamber can be simply configured with a pair of check valves that communicate in opposite directions, which reduces costs and simplifies the manufacturing process.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a measuring container according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the container before opening and when unused. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the measuring container showing an inverted state during the initial measuring operation. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the measuring container showing a state where a squeeze operation has been performed from the state shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the measuring container, showing a state where the measuring container has been returned to an upright position from the state shown in FIG. 3 . FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the measuring container showing the volume adjustment operation.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The measuring container 1 of the present invention is a container for measuring a liquid content P. As shown in Figure 1, the measuring container 1 is composed of a container body 10, a measuring portion 20, and a dispensing cap 30, all of which are made of synthetic resin material.

In the following description, the vertical direction along the container axis O of the container body 10 is referred to as the axial direction, and the direction perpendicular to the container axis O is referred to as the radial direction. Furthermore, within the axial direction, the direction (side) having the pouring cap 30 is referred to as the upper side (upper side), and the direction (side) having the container body 10 is referred to as the lower side (lower side).

First, the configuration of the measuring container 1 will be described.
The container body 10 is a squeeze container having a cylindrical shape with a bottom and a body portion 11 that is elastically deformable in the radial direction, and a male screw 12 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the body portion 11 on the open end side.
The measuring section 20 is configured to have an attachment section 21 that is screwed onto the upper end of the body section 11, and a measuring tube section 29 that is assembled and fixed to the attachment section 21. The inside of the measuring tube section 29 functions as a measuring chamber Q.

The mounting portion 21 comprises a horizontal partition wall 22 separating the interior of the measuring chamber Q from the interior of the container body 10, a cylindrical lower outer wall 23 extending downward from the outer end of the partition wall 22, a cylindrical sealing portion 24 extending downward from the inner side of the lower outer wall 23, and a cylindrical upper outer wall 25 extending upward from the outer periphery of the upper surface of the partition wall 22. The inner surface of the lower outer wall 23 is formed with a female thread 23a that engages with the male thread 12 on the container main body 10, and the outer surface of the upper outer wall 25 is provided with a peripheral engaging projection 25a. The partition wall 22 is also formed with a pair of axially penetrating communication holes 26 having equal opening areas, positioned symmetrically about the container axis O. Each of the pair of communication holes 26 is formed with a check valve 27. That is, a first check valve 27A is formed in one of the communication holes 26 (the left side in Figure 1), and a short cylindrical guide tube 28 extending upward in the figure is protruding from its outer edge. Similarly, a second check valve 27B is formed in the other communication hole 26 (the right side in Figure 1), and a short cylindrical guide tube 28 extending downward in the figure is protruding from its outer edge.

The pair of check valves 27 (first check valve 27A and second check valve 27B) are each formed as a single-point valve, with a movable lid 27b that can open and close the communication hole 26 connected to the tip of a single elastically deformable connecting piece 27a connected to the inner circumferential surface of the communication hole 26. The first check valve 27A is configured so that the movable lid 27b can be opened and closed only toward the upper measuring chamber Q, with the connecting piece 27a as a fulcrum. The second check valve 27B is configured so that the movable lid 27b can be opened and closed only toward the lower container body 10, with the connecting piece 27a as a fulcrum. Therefore, the first check valve 27A allows communication from the container body 10 to the measuring chamber Q, but blocks communication from the measuring chamber Q to the container body 10. Conversely, the second check valve 27B blocks communication from the container body 10 to the measuring chamber Q, but allows communication from the measuring chamber Q to the container body 10. Furthermore, both check valves 27 are configured so that communication is not permitted simply when the weight of the contents acts on the movable lid 27b, i.e., they are able to maintain a closed state, but when a greater pressure (internal pressure) is applied to the load of the contents, they can transition to an open state that allows communication.

In this way, by forming the pair of check valves 27 (first check valve 27A and second check valve 27B) as a single-point valve consisting of a connecting piece 27a and a movable lid 27b, only one connection point with the communication hole 26 is required, and the inclination angle of the movable lid 27b can be increased to expand the flow area when open, facilitating the movement of the contents P within the communication hole 26. Furthermore, since the pair of check valves 27 can be formed integrally with the partition wall 22, costs can be reduced and the manufacturing process can be simplified.

The measuring cylinder 29 is a cylindrical member made of a transparent or translucent synthetic resin and mainly comprises a measuring body 29A that forms the measuring chamber Q. The lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the measuring body 29A is provided with a short cylindrical fitting portion 29B that is formed in an inverted L shape in cross section and that is attached to the upper outer peripheral wall 25 of the attachment portion 21 together with the lower end of the measuring body 29A. The inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 29B is formed with a lower engaging protrusion 29a that engages with the engaged protrusion 25a on the upper outer peripheral wall 25.
Furthermore, an attachment portion 29C having an upper engaging projection 29b for attaching the dispensing cap 30 is provided on the upper end of the measuring portion main body 29A.

The dispensing cap 30 has a cap body 30A, a hinge 30B, and a top lid 40, with the cap body 30A and top lid 40 connected via the hinge 30B.

The cap body 30A is composed of a bottom wall 31 that seals the measuring chamber Q on the measuring body 29A side; an inner tube 33 that fits into the mounting portion 29C of the measuring body 29A, which is erected on the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall 31; a roughly cylindrical dispensing tube 32 that extends from the upper end of the inner tube 33; a base 34 that extends radially outward from the boundary between the dispensing tube 32 and the inner tube 33; an outer tube 35 that hangs down from the outer peripheral end of the base 34 and fits into the mounting portion 29C; and an outer wall 36 that folds back and connects to the lower end of the outer tube 35. An annular lid engagement portion 37 is formed on the upper surface of the base 34 and engages with the top lid 40 to maintain a closed state.

The bottom wall 31 is provided with a breakable thin weakened portion 31a around its periphery, which defines a removable portion 31A that forms the spout 39 when the thin weakened portion 31a is broken.
A pull ring 38 is provided on the hinge 30B side of the removal part 31A via a support 38A. An annular fitting ridge 35a is formed on the inner periphery of the outer cylinder 35. When the fitting part 29C on the measuring part main body 29A side is inserted between the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 33 and the inner periphery of the outer cylinder 35, the fitting ridge 35a fits into the upper engagement protrusion 29b provided on the fitting part 29C.

The upper lid 40 is composed of a top wall 41 and a side wall 42 that hangs down from the periphery of the top wall 41, and a sealing tube 43 that fits into the inner surface of the dispensing tube 32 of the cap body 30A hangs down from the back surface of the top wall 41.
A knob 44 is provided on the outer periphery of the side wall 42 opposite the hinge 30B, whereby the fingers can be placed when opening or closing the top cover 40. In addition, engagement portions 45 are provided on the inner periphery of the side wall 42, each extending over a predetermined arc, to engage with the cover engagement portion 37 of the hinge cap body 30A.

Next, the effects of the measuring container 1 having the above-described structure will be described with reference to FIGS.
To start using the measuring container 1, it is necessary to open the dispensing cap 30. To open the dispensing cap 30, the top cover 40 is rotated about the hinge 30B to open the cap, and then the pull ring 38 is pulled upward to pull up the removable portion 31A provided on the bottom wall 31 via the support 38A, breaking the thin-walled weakened portion 31a and separating the removable portion 31A from the bottom wall 31 to open the dispensing outlet 39.

(1) Initial metering operation To perform the initial metering operation, the top lid 40 is returned to the closed state, and then the measuring container 1 is set in an inverted position (see FIG. 2) or an inverted tilted position with the dispensing cap 30 facing downward. Then, the contents P move toward the open end of the container body 10 and reach the surface of the partition wall 22 on the container body 10 side. In this state, the weight of the contents P in the container body 10 acts on the first check valve 27A, but the first check valve 27A does not open simply by placing the measuring container 1 in the inverted position.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, with the measuring container 1 in an inverted position, the barrel 11 of the container body 10 is radially pressurized and squeezed to deform it. This increases the internal pressure within the container body 10, opening the movable lid 27b that constitutes the first check valve 27A, and setting the first check valve 27A to an open state that allows communication. This allows the contents P to move from the container body 10 into the measuring chamber Q through the communication hole 26 on the first check valve 27A side. At this time, the guide tube 28 protruding from the outer edge of the communication hole 26 on the first check valve 27A side functions as a guide, facilitating the movement of the contents P into the measuring chamber Q. At this time, the second check valve 27B remains in a state that blocks communication.

After confirming that the contents P have moved into the measuring chamber Q, the measuring container 1 is returned to its original upright position. The volume of the contents P in the measuring chamber Q can be seen through the transparent or translucent measuring unit main body 29A. It is preferable to provide a scale on the side of the measuring unit main body 29A, as this allows the volume of the contents P to be measured more accurately.

As shown in Figure 4, when the pressure on the container body 10 is stopped and the measuring container 1 is returned to the upright position, the container body 10 returns to its original shape before the squeeze deformation, and the first check valve 27A returns to its closed state, blocking communication, so that the contents P can be temporarily stored in the measuring chamber Q.
In the above initial measuring operation, if the volume of the contents P stored in the measuring chamber Q matches the desired volume, the top lid 40 can be rotated to the open state, allowing the contents to be poured out from the pouring outlet 39.
On the other hand, if the volume of the contents P stored in the measuring chamber Q is greater than the desired volume, it is advisable to continue with the volume adjustment operation to reduce the volume in the measuring chamber Q as described below.

(2) Volume Adjustment Operation As shown in FIG. 5 , to adjust the volume, the barrel 11 of the container body 10 is compressed radially in the upright position to squeeze and deform. This increases the internal pressure within the container body 10, opening the movable lid 27b of the first check valve 27A. This allows air that has accumulated near the upper open end of the container body 10 to move into the measuring chamber Q through the communication hole 26 on the first check valve 27A side. This increases the internal pressure of the measuring chamber Q, causing the air in the measuring chamber Q to press downward against the liquid level of the contents P stored therein, opening the movable lid 27b of the second check valve 27B. This allows the second check valve 27B to be set to an open state that allows communication. This allows the contents P in the measuring section 20 to move into the container body 10 through the communication hole 26 on the second check valve 27B side.

The guide tubes 28 protruding from the outer edge of each communication hole 26 function as guides, so the guide tube 28 on the first check valve 27A side can facilitate the movement of air inside the container body 10 into the measuring chamber Q, and the guide tube 28 on the second check valve 27B side can facilitate the movement of the contents P inside the measuring chamber Q into the container body 10.

At this time, the amount of content P in the measuring section 20 that moves into the container body 10 can be adjusted according to the amount of pressure (squeeze operation amount) applied to the barrel 11 of the container body 10. Therefore, by adjusting the squeeze operation amount applied to the container body 10, the volume within the measuring chamber Q can be gradually reduced and adjusted until the desired volume is reached. This allows the content P to be measured more accurately than ever before.

Furthermore, because the pair of communication holes 26 are formed with the same opening area, during the capacity adjustment operation, the amount of air that moves from the container body 10 into the measuring chamber Q through one communication hole 26 and the amount of contents P that simultaneously moves from the measuring chamber Q into the container body 10 through the other communication hole 26 can be made equal, making the capacity adjustment operation easier.

Then, as with the initial metering operation described above, once the volume of contents P stored in the metering chamber Q has reached the desired volume, the top lid 40 can be rotated to the open position, allowing the contents to be poured out through the pouring outlet 39.

The configuration and effects of the present invention have been described above in accordance with the examples, but the present invention is not limited to the above examples.
For example, the dispensing cap 30 has been described as a hinge cap in which the top lid 40 can be opened and closed freely via a hinge 30B attached to the cap body 30A, but it may also be a screw cap that opens and closes via a screw mechanism.

Furthermore, while the dispensing cap 30 has been described as having a configuration in which the removal portion 31A is separated from the bottom wall 31 by pulling the pull ring 38, thereby opening the dispensing outlet 39, this configuration may not be necessary if the cap is a screw cap as described above.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the measuring unit 20 is configured by assembling the attachment unit 21 and measuring tube unit 29, which are formed separately from each other. However, the attachment unit 21 and measuring tube unit 29 may also be configured to be integrally formed. Alternatively, the attachment unit 21 may be configured to be integrally formed with the open end of the container body 10.

This invention will enable the expansion of applications in the field of measuring containers to an even wider range of areas.

1: Measuring container 10: Container body 11: Body portion 12: Male thread 20: Measuring portion 21: Mounting portion 22: Partition wall 23: Lower outer peripheral wall 23a: Female thread 24: Sealing cylinder portion 25: Upper outer peripheral wall 25a: Engaged protrusion 26: Communication hole 27: Check valve 27A: First check valve 27B: Second check valve 27a: Connecting piece 27b: Movable lid 28: Guide cylinder 29: Measuring cylinder portion 29A: Measuring portion body 29B: Fitting portion 29C: Attached portion 29a: Lower engaging protrusion 29b: Upper engaging protrusion 30: Dispensing cap 30A: Cap body 30B: Hinge 31: Bottom wall 31A: Removal portion 31a: Thinned and weakened portion 32: pouring tube 33: inner tube 34: base portion 35: outer tube 35a: fitting ridge 36: outer wall portion 37: lid engaging portion 38: pull ring 38A: support 39: pouring outlet 40: upper lid 41: top wall 42: side peripheral wall 43: sealing tube 44: knob portion 45: engaging portion O: container axis P: content Q: measuring chamber

Claims (2)

A measuring container comprising a container body (10) configured to accommodate contents (P) and be elastically deformable, a measuring section (20) provided at the open end of the container body (10) and having a measuring chamber (Q) therein, and a dispensing cap (30) for dispensing the contents (P) after measurement,
A partition wall (22) is provided to separate the container body (10) from the measuring chamber (Q), and a pair of communication holes (26) having equal opening areas and communicating between the container body (10) and the measuring chamber (Q) and a check valve (27) provided in each of the pair of communication holes (26) are integrally formed with the partition wall (22),
One check valve (27) is a check valve that allows communication from the container body (10) to the measuring chamber (Q) and blocks communication from the measuring chamber (Q) to the container body (10), and the other check valve (27) is a check valve that blocks communication from the container body (10) to the measuring chamber (Q) and allows communication from the measuring chamber (Q) to the container body (10). A measuring container as described in claim 1, wherein the pair of check valves (27) are formed with a movable lid (27b) that can open and close the communication hole (26), and a single elastically deformable connecting piece (27a) that connects the movable lid (27b) and the communication hole (26).