JP7742722B2 - Wet tissue container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wet tissue container.

Generally, a retractable wet tissue container for storing wet tissues comprises a main body that stores the wet tissues and has an outlet for dispensing the wet tissues, and an openable/closable lid that seals the outlet so that it can be opened and closed freely.

When using, the opening and closing lid is opened over the outlet on the main unit, and wet wipes are removed one by one from the outlet on the main unit.

As mentioned above, conventional wet tissue containers have a main body and an open/close lid that is attached to the main body so that it can swing freely. When not in use, the open/close lid is closed to prevent the liquid components of the wet tissue inside the main body from evaporating.

For example, the wet wipe container disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a convex, flat contact portion located in the center of the back surface of the opening and closing section that contacts the periphery of the dispensing opening, thereby sealing the container.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-51945

However, with a wet tissue container configured as in Patent Document 1, opening the opening/closing lid requires holding the main body with one hand and opening the opening/closing lid with the other, making it difficult to use with one hand.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a wet tissue container whose lid can be opened with one hand.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by the following solutions. For ease of understanding, the following explanation uses reference numerals corresponding to the embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these.

The first invention comprises a main body (10) having an outlet (15), an opening/closing lid (20) pivotably attached to the main body (10) and adapted to open and close the outlet (15), a lid biasing portion (40) that biases the opening/closing lid (20) in the direction of opening, and an operating member (50) pivotably attached to the main body (10) and adapted to swing between a restricting position where it engages with the opening/closing lid (20) and restricts the opening/closing lid (20) to a closed position and a releasing position where it releases the engagement with the opening/closing lid (20), and the operating member (50) is biased in the direction of the restricting position. The main body (10) has a main body protrusion (17b) that protrudes upward at a position hidden by the operating member (50) when viewed from the top surface where the outlet (15) is provided, and the operating member (50) has an operating member protrusion (57) that protrudes downward at a position hidden by the operating member (50) when viewed from the top surface, and the main body protrusion (17b) and the operating member protrusion (57) come into contact with each other to restrict movement of the operating member (50) toward the restricted position, resulting in a wet tissue container (1).

The second invention is a wet tissue container (1) according to the first invention, characterized in that the wet tissue container (1) contains wet tissues (101).

The present invention provides a wet tissue container whose lid can be opened with one hand.

1 is a perspective view showing the wet tissue container 1 of the present embodiment with the opening/closing lid 20 closed. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the wet tissue container 1 of the present embodiment with the opening/closing lid 20 in an open state. 1 is a plan view showing the wet tissue container 1 of the present embodiment with the opening/closing lid 20 closed. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the wet tissue container 1 of the present embodiment with the opening/closing lid 20 closed. FIG. FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the wet tissue container 1 of the present embodiment with the opening/closing lid 20 closed. 1 is a side view showing the wet tissue container 1 of the present embodiment with the opening/closing lid 20 closed. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the wet tissue container 1 taken along the line AA in FIG. 3. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the wet tissue container 1 taken along the line BB in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 2 is a view showing the inner surface of the opening/closing cover 20. FIG. 2 is a view showing a packing member 30. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operating member 50. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom cover 60 in a first state, as viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom cover 60 in a first state, as viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the bottom cover 60 in a first state. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a sealed bag 100 containing wet tissues 101. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the upper portion of FIG. 8 and a corresponding enlarged view of the packing member 30. FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the bottom cover 60 in a second state, as viewed obliquely from above. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing cross sections of a bottom cover 60 in a first state and a second state side by side.

The best mode for implementing the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment with an opening/closing lid 20 closed.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment with the opening/closing lid 20 open.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment with the opening/closing lid 20 closed.
FIG. 4 is a front view showing the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment with the opening/closing lid 20 closed.
FIG. 5 is a rear view showing the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment with the opening/closing lid 20 closed.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment with the opening/closing lid 20 closed.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the wet tissue container 1 taken along the line AA in FIG.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the wet tissue container 1 taken along the line BB in FIG.
Note that the figures shown below, including FIG. 1, are schematic diagrams, and the size and shape of each part are exaggerated or omitted as appropriate to facilitate understanding.
In the following description, specific numerical values, shapes, materials, etc. are given, but these can be changed as appropriate.
In the following description, directions such as up and down (bottom), left and right, front and back, etc. shown in FIG. 1 will be used as appropriate.

First, the overall structure of the wet tissue container 1 will be described. As shown in Figures 1 to 8, the wet tissue container 1 comprises a main body 10 with an opening 10a at the bottom that stores wet tissues 101 as contents inside, and a bottom lid 60 that can seal the opening 10a of the main body 10 and is removably attached to the main body 10.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the main body 10. As shown in FIG.
The main body 10 has an upper plate 11 formed with an outlet 15 for taking out the wet tissues 101, and a side plate 12 extending downward from the upper plate 11. An open/close lid 20 that seals the outlet 15 of the upper plate 11 is attached to the side plate 12 of the main body 10 so as to be swingable around a swing shaft 24 on the base end 20a side.

An inwardly recessed rear step 16 is formed on the base end 20a side of the opening/closing cover 20 of the main body 10. The rear step 16 is provided with a storage portion 16a and rocking bearings 16b, 16b.
One end of a rubber plate 40 (described later) is inserted into the storage portion 16a to store it.
The swing shafts 24, 24 of the opening/closing cover 20 are rotatably fitted into the swing bearings 16b, 16b.
A flange 12 a that abuts against the bottom cover 60 is formed on the lower side of the side plate 12 and protrudes outward.

The upper plate 11 of the main body 10 has a first upper plate 11a located approximately in the center and a second upper plate 11b located on the outside of the first upper plate 11a and higher than the first upper plate 11a.

A recess 13 is formed in the first upper plate 11a, and the outlet 15 is provided in the recess 13 of the first upper plate 11a. In this embodiment, the outlet 15 is an oval through-hole. The shape of the outlet 15 is not limited to an oval, and may be an ellipse, a circle, a rectangle, another polygon, or a complex shape with a partially narrowed width, or any other shape.
An annular rib 14 is provided within the recess 13 to surround the outlet 15. That is, the outlet 15 is located within the area surrounded by the annular rib 14. The annular rib 14 has an inclined surface 14a on its outer side (the opposite side to the outlet 15) (see FIG. 17 described later). An edge rib 15a having an arc-shaped cross section and protruding outward from the main body 10 (upward in FIG. 8) is provided around the entire periphery of the edge of the outlet 15.

FIG. 10 is a view showing the inner surface of the opening/closing cover 20. As shown in FIG.
Figures 11 are views showing the packing member 30. Figure 11(a) is a view of the packing member 30 as seen from the side facing the outlet 15, and Figure 11(b) is a cross-sectional view of the packing member 30 taken along the position of the arrow CC in Figure 11(a).
A frame 22 is formed on the back surface of the opening/closing lid 20, inside which the packing member 30 is attached. The frame 22 is configured to fit inside the recess 13 and outside the annular rib 14 when the opening/closing lid 20 is closed.

As mentioned above, a dome-shaped packing member 30 is attached inside the frame 22. This packing member 30 is constructed separately from the opening/closing lid 20. The packing member 30 is made of a soft, elastic synthetic resin material such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE), elastomer, or silicone rubber, and is removably fitted into the frame 22.

The packing member 30 has a packing center portion 30a that is formed in a roughly oval shape in a plan view, and a packing outer periphery portion 30b that is provided on the outer periphery of the packing center portion 30a and is elastically movable in the vertical direction relative to the packing center portion 30a.

An inner rib 30c is formed between the packing center portion 30a and the packing outer periphery 30b. This inner rib 30c extends vertically, with its upper end abutting the back surface of the opening/closing cover 20 (see Figures 7 and 8). On the other hand, an annular recess 30d that is ring-shaped in plan view is formed at the lower end of the inner rib 30c.

An outer rib 30e is formed along the outer periphery of the packing outer periphery 30b. This outer rib 30e extends vertically upward from the packing outer periphery 30b, with its upper end spaced apart from the rear surface of the opening/closing cover 20 (see Figures 7 and 8). A first engagement protrusion 30f is provided on the outer periphery of the outer rib 30e. By engaging this first engagement protrusion 30f with a second engagement protrusion 22a provided on the inner periphery of the frame 22, the packing member 30 is removably fitted into the frame 22.

On the other hand, a lower rib (adhering portion) 31 is provided below the packing outer periphery 30b. This lower rib 31 extends downward from the packing outer periphery 30b and has a ring shape when viewed from the bottom. When the opening/closing cover 20 is closed, the lower rib 31 is in close contact with the periphery of the outlet 15 of the main body 10. Specifically, the lower rib 31 is in close contact with the annular rib 14 formed to surround the outlet 15 of the first upper plate 11a, and a portion of the lower rib 31 is in close contact with the recess 13.

As shown in Figures 2 and 10, a locking piece 21 is provided at the free end 20e of the opening/closing cover 20. Furthermore, an operating member placement section 17 that drops down from the top plate 11 is formed on the main body 10 near the free end 20e of the opening/closing cover 20 and near the upper end of the side plate 12, and an operating member 50 is provided within this operating member placement section 17.

Figure 12 is a diagram showing the operating member 50. Figure 12(a) is a plan view of the operating member 50, Figure 12(b) is a front view of the operating member 50, Figure 12(c) is a bottom view of the operating member 50, Figure 12(d) is a side view of the operating member 50, and Figure 12(e) is a cross-sectional view of the operating member 50 taken along the position of arrows D-D in Figure 12(b).
The operating member 50 is attached to the operating member placement portion 17 of the main body 10 .

The operating member 50 has a top panel 51 on which an operating surface 51a is formed for the user to place their finger. This operating surface 51a is formed as a curved surface with a concave center. A claw 52 is formed in the center of the rear end of the top panel 51 (the upper side in Figure 12(a)) to engage with the locking piece 21 of the opening/closing cover 20. In addition, support pieces 53, 53 that support the opening/closing cover 20 from below are arranged on the left and right of the claw 52 at the rear end of the top panel 51.

A pair of mounting ribs 54, 54 protrude downward from the back side of the top plate 51, and hinge shafts 55, 55 are formed on the mounting ribs 54, 54, protruding in the left-right direction. The hinge shafts 55, 55 are coaxial with each other. Furthermore, a bow-shaped spring portion 56 is formed on the front end of the back side of the top plate 51.

The operating member 50 also has an operating member protrusion 57 that protrudes downward on the back side of the top panel 51, at a position that is hidden by the operating member 50 when viewed from above.

The operating member placement portion 17 of the main body 10 includes a bottom plate 17a, a main body protrusion portion 17b, a partition wall portion 17c, a hinge receiving hole 17d, and a spring receiving groove 17e.
The bottom plate 17a is provided at a lower position than the first upper plate 11a and the second upper plate 11b.
The main body protrusion 17b is located in a position hidden by the operating member 50 and protrudes upward from the bottom plate 17a.
The partition wall 17c divides the bottom plate 17a into a front and a rear section, and the front area of the bottom plate 17a forms a spring receiving groove 17e in which the spring 56 of the operating member 50 is disposed.
The hinge receiving holes 17d, 17d are arranged on both the left and right ends of the operating member placement portion 17, and receive the hinge shafts 55, 55 of the operating member 50, respectively.

The operating member 50 is arranged so as to be swingable within the operating member arrangement section 17 around the hinge shafts 55, 55 as the swing axis by placing its spring portion 56 in the spring receiving groove 17e and fitting the hinge shafts 55, 55 into the hinge receiving holes 17d, 17d, respectively.
The operating member 50 can swing between a restricting position (shown by a solid line in Figure 8) in which it engages with the opening/closing lid 20 and restricts the opening/closing lid 20 to a closed position, and a releasing position (shown partially by a dotted line in Figure 8) in which it releases the engagement with the opening/closing lid 20.
8 (toward the restricted position) around the hinge shaft 55 due to the restoring force of the spring portion 56. Therefore, the claw portion 52 of the operating member 50 is biased in the direction approaching the recess 13 around the hinge shaft 55.

When the opening/closing cover 20 is closed, the operating member 50 rotates, avoiding the locking piece 21 of the opening/closing cover 20. When the locking piece 21 climbs over the claw portion 52, the force of the spring portion 56 causes the operating member 50 to rotate, causing the locking piece 21 and the claw portion 52 to interlock with each other, keeping the opening/closing cover 20 closed. Furthermore, when the opening/closing cover 20 is closed, the support pieces 53, 53 support the free end 20e of the opening/closing cover 20 from below.

On the other hand, when the user presses the operating surface 51a of the operating member 50 while the opening/closing cover 20 is closed, the claw portion 52 of the operating member 50 rotates around the hinge axes 55, 55 in a direction away from the recess 13, thereby disengaging the locking piece 21 from the claw portion 52. At this time, the support pieces 53, 53 of the operating member 50 not only move away from the free end 20e of the opening/closing cover 20, but also move in a direction pushing the free end 20e from below upward, thereby assisting in disengaging the locking piece 21 from the claw portion 52.

As shown in Figures 2 and 8, a long, thin rubber plate (lid biasing portion) 40 is provided between the main body 10 and the opening/closing lid 20 to bias the opening/closing lid 20 in the opening direction. That is, the main body 10 is provided with a storage portion 16a into which one end of the rubber plate 40 is inserted downward to store it, and the opening/closing lid 20 is provided with a fixing portion 41 that fixes the other end of the rubber plate 40 horizontally.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the bottom cover 60 in the first state, seen obliquely from above.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the bottom cover 60 in the first state, seen obliquely from below.
FIG. 15 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the bottom cover 60 in the first state.
The bottom cover 60 is a substantially rectangular member having a shape capable of closing the opening 10a of the main body 10, and is formed as a one-piece molded resin product. An outer peripheral edge 61 of the bottom cover 60 is provided with an outer peripheral edge fitting portion 62 for fitting the bottom cover 60 into the opening 10a of the main body 10.
The outer peripheral edge fitting portion 62 of the bottom cover 60 includes a fitting groove 63 into which the edge portion 12b of the side plate 12 of the main body 10, which forms the lower opening 10a of the main body 10, fits, and a fitting protrusion 64 that protrudes upward within the main body 10 and is adjacent to the inside of the fitting groove 63 in a plan view of the bottom cover 60. With this configuration, the outer peripheral edge fitting portion 62 is disposed on the outer periphery of the bottom cover 60, surrounding the periphery of the flat plate portion 65, and fits into the edge portion 12b of the opening 10a by sandwiching it from both the inner wall side and the outer wall side of the main body 10.
In the illustrated example, the fitting grooves 63 are arranged continuously along the outer periphery of the bottom cover 60, but the fitting grooves 63 may also be arranged discontinuously along the outer periphery of the bottom cover 60.

The fitting protrusion 64 is provided along the inner wall of the main body 10, continuing from the portion at the outer peripheral edge fitting portion 62 that abuts against the inner wall of the main body 10, and protrudes from the flat portion 65 toward the inside of the main body 10 at a first height h1, and fits into the inner wall of the main body 10.
The fitting protrusion 64 is provided in a substantially rectangular shape corresponding to the shape of the opening 10a at the bottom of the main body 10. At the four corners of the fitting protrusion 64, low protrusions 64a are provided, which protrude from the flat plate portion 65 toward the inside of the main body 10 at a second height h2 that is lower than the first height h1.

The bottom cover 60 can also be transformed from the first state shown in Figures 13 to 15 to a second state in which the central protrusion 601 is lifted up toward the inside of the main body. The second state and the configuration related to this second state will be described later.

The main body 10 and opening/closing cover 20 are both obtained by injection molding using polypropylene (PP), but they may also be molded using PE, PS, ABS, elastomer, PET, PVC, or polycarbonate. Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) is preferably used for the bottom cover 60, and silicone rubber is used for the rubber plate 40. The fixing portion 41 is also made of polypropylene (PP).

FIG. 16 is a side cross-sectional view showing a sealed bag 100 containing wet tissues 101.
As shown in Figure 16(a) , wet tissues 101 are folded and stacked within a sealable bag 100 made of a flexible sheet and sealed by the sealable bag 100. Each wet tissue 101 is folded approximately in half at a folding portion 102, and the folding portions 102 of the wet tissues 101 are alternately positioned. The folded lower half 101b of each wet tissue 101 is inserted between the upper half 101a of the wet tissue 101 located below it and the upper half 101a of the wet tissue 101 located further below it. Therefore, when the wet tissues 101 are picked up and removed one by one, the lower half 101b of the removed wet tissue 101 pulls up the upper half 101a of the wet tissue 101 located below it. The folding method of the wet tissues 101 is not particularly limited as long as they are stacked so that they can be removed continuously, and may be, for example, the folding method shown in Figure 16(b) . An opening 100 a is provided at the top end of the sealed bag 100 , and this opening 100 a is sealed by a lid piece 105 detachably attached to the top surface of the sealed bag 100 .

The wet tissue 101 may be made of, for example, a fibrous material such as nonwoven fabric, paper, or gauze, a sheet-like foam, or a paper-based soft material. Possible liquids to be impregnated into the wet tissue 101 include moisturizers containing germicides, disinfectants, or detergents, or cosmetics such as lotions or emulsions. In this embodiment, the body 10 and the opening/closing lid 20 are tightly sealed, making it particularly suitable for use with wet tissues 101 impregnated with highly volatile liquids such as alcohol. In this embodiment, the wet tissue 101 is impregnated with alcohol.

Next, the characteristic features of this embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described. To facilitate understanding of the following description, FIG. 17 is shown.
FIG. 17 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the upper part of FIG. 8, and a corresponding enlarged view of the packing member 30. As shown in FIG.

(Length of the lower rib 31)
When using the wet tissue 101, the user first presses the top plate portion 51 of the operating member 50. This disengages the locking piece 21 from the claw portion 52. In this case, the restoring force of the rubber plate 40 opens the opening/closing cover 20.

That is, the opening/closing cover 20 is biased by the rubber plate 40 and rotates in the opening direction (clockwise in Figures 8 and 17) around the swing shaft 24. When the opening/closing cover 20 then reaches the fully open position, the base end 20a of the opening/closing cover 20 abuts against the main body 10 and the opening/closing cover 20 stops.

Next, grab the wet tissue 101 with your fingers and pull it upwards from the outlet 15 of the main body 10 to use it.

After removing the wet tissue 101 in this way, the opening/closing lid 20 is closed. At this time, the user manually pushes the opening/closing lid 20 downward, causing the opening/closing lid 20 to rotate in the closing direction (counterclockwise in Figures 8 and 17) around the swing shaft 24 against the biasing force of the rubber plate 40. When the opening/closing lid 20 then reaches the fully closed position, the locking piece 21 of the opening/closing lid 20 engages with the claw portion 52 of the operating member 50, and the opening/closing lid 20 is fixed in the fully closed position.

During this time, as shown in FIG. 17 , the lower rib 31 of the packing member 30 rises along the inclined surface 14a of the annular rib 14. As described above, the packing member 30 is made of an elastic material, and the packing outer periphery 30b and the lower rib 31 are elastically movable vertically as a unit. Therefore, when the opening/closing cover 20 is closed, the lower rib 31 abuts against the inclined surface 14a of the annular rib 14, causing the packing outer periphery 30b to deform upward, and the contact position of the lower rib 31 with the inclined surface 14a rises relative to the packing member 30. In this case, the restoring force of the packing outer periphery 30b presses the lower rib 31 against the inclined surface 14a, causing the lower rib 31 and the inclined surface 14a to come into close contact with each other. In this way, the packing member 30 seals the outlet 15 of the main body 10.

If all of the lower ribs 31 of the packing member 30 are configured to be sufficiently long, the force required to close the opening/closing lid 20 will be large due to the large repulsion caused by the elastic body of the packing member 30, which may make it difficult to close. Also, because the repulsion caused by the elastic body of the packing member 30 is large, the lower ribs 31 and the periphery of the outlet 15 may get stuck together at the contact area, and the opening/closing lid 20 may not open with just the biasing force in the opening direction.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the downward protrusion length of the lower rib (contact portion) 31 is gradually changed so that it is longer on the side closer to the oscillation shaft 24 than on the side farther from the oscillation shaft 24. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 17(b), the height difference dh between the tip positions of the most protruding position on the side closest to the oscillation shaft 24 of the lower rib 31 and the least protruding position on the side farthest from the oscillation shaft 24 is 1.6 mm.

The portion of the lower rib 31 closer to the swing axis 24 is in close contact with the inclined surface 14a and the flat surface of the recess 13, and by gradually shortening the downward protruding length of the lower rib 31 as it moves away from the swing axis 24, it is in close contact with only the inclined surface 14a.
At the part farthest from the swing shaft 24, which is the part that can be reliably held down by the operating member 50, the downward protrusion length of the lower rib 31 is the shortest, and only the inclined surface 14a is in close contact with it. This makes it easier for the opening/closing cover 20 to open using only the biasing force of the rubber plate 40 when the operating member 50 is pushed in to release the engagement between the operating member 50 and the opening/closing cover 20.
Conversely, on the side closer to the swing shaft 24, the inclined surface 14a and the flat surface of the recess 13 are tightly fitted together to enhance airtightness.

It is desirable that the height difference dh at this tip position be 1 mm or more to ensure the airtightness of the wet tissue container 1. It is also desirable that the height difference dh at this tip position be 2.5 mm or less to allow the opening and closing lid 20 to be opened and closed easily.

In this embodiment, the height difference dh is 1.6 mm as described above, so that the opening and closing lid 20 can be easily opened and closed while ensuring the airtightness of the wet tissue container 1.
In this embodiment, the lower rib 31 abuts against the inclined surface 14a of the annular rib 14. This weakens the force with which the lower rib 31 abuts against the inclined surface 14a, reducing the force required to close the opening/closing cover 20. This also prevents the lower rib 31 from sticking to the inclined surface 14a, making it easier to open the opening/closing cover 20.

(Distance between the peripheral edge of the outlet 15 and the packing member 30)
Furthermore, with conventional wet tissue containers, if the wet tissue is not properly pushed back into the outlet when the lid is closed, there is a risk that the wet tissue will become pinched between the periphery of the outlet and the abutment on the lid. In this case, the lid may not close to the specified position, or the lid and the main body may bend, which could prevent the wet tissue container from being adequately sealed, and there are cases where the container cannot be sealed tightly.
Therefore, in the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment, when the opening/closing lid 20 is in the closed position, the minimum distance S (see FIG. 17) between the edge rib 15a on the periphery of the outlet 15 and the packing member 30 is set to be 0.3 mm or more. This minimum distance S of 0.3 mm is equivalent to the thickness of one wet tissue 101, which is 0.3 mm. Therefore, even if a wet tissue that remains protruding from the outlet 15 becomes pinched between the periphery of the outlet 15 and the packing member 30, the airtightness of the wet tissue container 1 can be sufficiently ensured.
Furthermore, it is desirable that the minimum distance S be 1.5 mm or less, since this reduces unnecessary space and prevents the wet tissue container from drying out.

In this embodiment, when the opening/closing lid 20 is in the closed position, the minimum distance S between the edge rib 15a on the periphery of the outlet 15 and the packing member 30 is 0.2 mm or more at all positions. However, wet tissues 101 are often pulled out toward the front of the wet tissue container 1, i.e., toward the pivot shaft 24. Furthermore, because the opening/closing lid 20 rotates around the pivot shaft 24, when the opening/closing lid 20 is closed, the wet tissues 101 protruding from the outlet 15 are pushed forward (toward the side farther from the pivot shaft 24). Therefore, if the minimum distance between the packing member 30 and at least the half of the periphery of the outlet 15 farther from the pivot shaft 24 is 0.3 mm or more when the opening/closing lid 20 is in the closed position, it is possible to prevent the wet tissues from being pinched tightly between the periphery of the outlet 15 and the abutment portion on the opening/closing lid.

(Prevention of the operating member 50 from falling over)
Furthermore, the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment is provided with an operating member 50 so that the opening/closing lid 20 can be opened with one hand. As described above, this operating member 50 is biased by the spring portion 56 toward the restricted position (shown by the solid line in FIG. 17), and can swing between the restricted position and the released position (shown partially by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 17).

In the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the end of the operating member 50 on the lid 20 side is positioned opposite the free end 20e of the lid 20. Therefore, it is not possible to configure the main body 10 with a structure for restricting the position of the operating member 50 on the lid 20 side of the operating member 50. If a structure for restricting the position of the operating member 50 is not provided, when the lid 20 is open, the biasing force of the spring 56 will cause the operating member 50 to fall significantly in the clockwise direction in FIG. 17 beyond the restricted position.

In this embodiment, the main body 10 is provided with a main body protrusion 17b that protrudes upward from the bottom plate 17a and is located in a position hidden by the operating member 50. The operating member 50 is also provided with an operating member protrusion 57 that protrudes downward from the back side of the top plate 51 in a position hidden by the operating member 50 when viewed from above. When the opening/closing cover 20 is open, the operating member protrusion 57 abuts against the main body protrusion 17b, thereby restricting movement of the operating member 50 toward the restricted position and preventing the operating member 50 from falling over too far beyond the restricted position.

(Lifting up the bottom cover 60)
Furthermore, the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment is configured to be able to store a larger number of wet tissues 101 (for example, about 100 sheets) than conventional containers. Therefore, the length of the side panel 12 of the main body 10 (the height of the main body 10) is configured to be longer than conventional containers.
Even with conventional wet tissue containers, it can be difficult to remove wet tissues when the number of wet tissues remaining becomes low. In particular, if the wet tissues return to the inside of the container beyond the outlet when the opening/closing lid is closed when there are only a few wet tissues remaining, it can be necessary to insert your fingers from the outlet to the bottom of the container to grab the wet tissues, which can make it difficult to use.
Furthermore, since the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment can store a greater number of wet tissues 101 than conventional containers, the depth from the outlet 15 to the bottom of the container is greater, and with a configuration similar to conventional containers, it is expected that it will be difficult to remove wet tissues when there are only a few left.

Therefore, the bottom cover 60 of this embodiment is capable of changing from the first state shown in FIGS. 13 to 15 to a second state in which the central protrusion 601 is lifted up toward the inside of the main body.
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the bottom cover 60 in the second state, seen obliquely from above.
19A and 19B are diagrams showing cross sections of the bottom cover 60 in a first state and a second state side by side, respectively. Fig. 19A is a cross section of the bottom cover in the first state taken along the position of arrows E-E in Fig. 13, and Fig. 19B is a cross section of the bottom cover in the second state taken along the position of arrows F-F in Fig. 18.

The bottom cover 60 has an expandable portion 600 near the center of the bottom cover 60 to enable deformation between the first state and the second state.
The flat plate portion 65 is a flat portion provided around the periphery of the expansion/contraction portion 600 .

The expandable portion 600 is provided approximately in the center of the flat plate portion 65, and is configured to be deformable from a first state in which it protrudes to a first height hs1 (see FIG. 19(a)) inward into the main body 10, to a second state in which it protrudes to a second height hs2 (see FIG. 19(b)) that is higher than the first height inward into the main body 10. Note that the first height hs1 and the second height hs2 are both the heights from the surface of the flat plate portion 65 (the surface on the inner side of the main body 10) to the surface of the planar portion 601a (the surface on the inner side of the main body 10), which will be described later.
More specifically, the expansion/contraction section 600 is composed of a central protrusion section 601 having an approximately circular shape when viewed from above, a central wall section 602, a central flat surface 603, a first peripheral wall section 604, and a second peripheral wall section 605.

The central protrusion 601 protrudes inward from the main body 10 (upward in Figure 19) and has a curved planar portion 601a and multiple rib portions 601b arranged radially from the planar portion 601a. The planar portion 601a may be flat instead of curved. By configuring the central protrusion 601 as a combination of the planar portion 601a and the rib portions 601b, sufficient strength can be ensured without increasing the thickness of the central protrusion 601. Furthermore, the area supporting the hermetic bag 100 (wet tissue 101) can be enlarged, enabling stable support of the hermetic bag 100 (wet tissue 101), particularly in the second state described below.

The central wall portion 602 is connected to the outer peripheral edge of the central protrusion portion 601 so as to surround the central protrusion portion 601, and extends in the vertical direction (approximately vertical direction).

The central flat surface 603 is connected to the central wall portion 602 so as to surround the central wall portion 602, and is configured as a surface that is approximately parallel to the flat plate portion 65. Furthermore, on the outer side of the main body 10 (the lower side in FIG. 19 ), the central flat surface 603 is approximately flush with the lowermost part of the outer edge of the bottom cover. This configuration can improve the stability of the wet tissue container 1 when placed on the main body 10. Note that the same effect can be obtained even if the central flat surface 603 is configured to be approximately flush with the flat plate portion 65.
Furthermore, by providing the central flat surface 603 and the rib portion 601b, strength can be ensured when the container is deformed into the second state, and even when a large number of wet tissues 101 are stored or when the wet tissues 101 have absorbed a large amount of liquid, the container will not return to the first state due to the weight of the wet tissues 101.
Furthermore, by providing the central flat surface 603 and the rib portion 601b, the strength of the wet tissue container 1 is less likely to decrease even with repeated use, and the durability of the wet tissue container 1 can be improved.

The central protrusion 601, the central wall 602, and the central flat surface 603 are parts that move together with little deformation in both the first state and the second state, and will be collectively referred to as the central portion 610.
This central portion 610 is pressed by a finger or the like when the expandable portion 600 is transformed from the first state to the second state, and when the expandable portion 600 is transformed in the opposite direction.

The first peripheral wall portion 604 is configured in a ring shape surrounding the central portion 610, and in the first state, is an inclined surface that is inclined so that the end portion (inner edge) of the first peripheral wall portion 604 on the central portion 610 side is lower (closer to the outer side of the main body 10) than the end portion (outer edge) on the opposite side, and connects the central flat surface 603 and the second peripheral wall portion 605. That is, in the first state, the first peripheral wall portion 604 has a shape that corresponds to the inner surface shape of a truncated cone with the end portion (inner edge) on the central portion 610 side being on the smaller diameter side.
In addition, in the second state, the first peripheral wall portion 604 has an inclined surface that is inclined so that the end portion (inner edge) of the first peripheral wall portion 604 on the central portion 610 side is higher (closer to the inner side of the main body 10) than the end portion (outer edge) on the opposite side, and connects the central flat surface 603 and the second peripheral wall portion 605. That is, in the second state, the first peripheral wall portion 604 has a shape that corresponds to the outer surface shape of a truncated cone with the end portion (inner edge) on the central portion 610 side being on the smaller diameter side.

The second peripheral wall portion 605 surrounds the first peripheral wall portion 604, and in the first state is connected to the inner peripheral edge of the first peripheral wall portion 604 on the main body 10 side and to the flat plate portion 65.

Here, we will explain how to transform the telescopic unit 600 configured as described above between the first state and the second state. When transforming the telescopic unit 600 from the first state to the second state, this can be done with the bottom cover 60 attached to the main body 10, or with the bottom cover 60 removed from the main body 10. When transforming the telescopic unit 600 from the second state to the first state, this is done with the bottom cover 60 removed from the main body 10.

First, when the telescopic section 600 is transformed from the first state shown in FIG. 19( a) to the second state shown in FIG. 19( b), a pressing force is applied with a finger or the like to the outer surface of a central portion 610 located at the center of the telescopic section 600 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 19( a) while holding the periphery of the bottom cover 60 or the main body 10. The pressing force applied to the central portion 610 pushes the central portion 610 (central protrusion 601, central wall portion 602, central flat surface 603) and the first peripheral wall portion 604 inward of the main body 10, transforming the telescopic section 600 to the second state. In this second state, as shown in FIG. 19( b), the first peripheral wall portion 604 is inverted, with the junction between the central flat surface 603 and the first peripheral wall portion 604 and the junction between the first peripheral wall portion 604 and the second peripheral wall portion 605 serving as fulcrums, respectively. That is, the connection portion between the central flat surface 603 and the first peripheral wall portion 604 is raised toward the inside of the main body 10 .
In this way, by pushing the center portion 610 inward of the main body 10, the expandable portion 600 can be stretched and deformed to a second state in which it protrudes to a second height, as shown in Fig. 19(b) . After deformation, the expandable portion 600 does not naturally return to the first state, but remains in the second state.

Next, to transform the telescopic section 600 from the second state shown in FIG. 19(b) to the first state shown in FIG. 19(a), while holding the outer surface of the bottom cover 60, apply pressure to the center section 610 with a hand or the like in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 19(b). The pressure applied to the center section 610 pushes down the center section 610 (central protrusion 601, central wall section 602, central flat surface 603) and the first peripheral wall section 604, transforming it into the first state. In this first state, as shown in FIG. 19(a), the first peripheral wall section 604 is again inverted, with the junction between the central flat surface 603 and the first peripheral wall section 604 and the junction between the first peripheral wall section 604 and the second peripheral wall section 605 serving as fulcrums, respectively. In this way, by pressing down on the central portion 610, the expandable portion 600 can be contracted and returned to the first state in which it protrudes to the first height, as shown in Figure 19(a).

Here, in order to facilitate deformation of the expandable portion 600 and to make it difficult for the central portion 610 to deform, it is preferable that the first peripheral wall portion 604 be formed thinner than the central flat surface 603. As an example, the thickness of the central flat surface 603 is 1 mm to 2 mm, and the thickness of the first peripheral wall portion 604 is 0.5 mm to 1 mm. There are no particular limitations on the thicknesses of the planar portion 601a, central wall portion 602, and second peripheral wall portion 605, as long as they can maintain their respective shapes.

With the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment, by extending the expandable portion 600 provided on the bottom lid 60 to the second state, the bottom can be raised as shown in FIG. 19(b), making it easy to remove the wet tissues 101. Furthermore, when the wet tissues 101 inside the main body 10 have been used up, the expandable portion 600 can be contracted again to the first state to replenish the container with a larger number of new sealed bags 100 (wet tissues 101).

Furthermore, the bottom cover 60 has no slits or openings, and the extendable portion 600 can be transformed between the first state and the second state without compromising the airtightness of the bottom cover 60. Therefore, the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment can maintain an airtight state regardless of the deformed state of the extendable portion 600.

In addition, in this embodiment, the central protrusion 601 and central portion 610 that make up the stretchable portion 600 are substantially circular, and the first peripheral wall portion 604 and second peripheral wall portion 605 are concentric with the central protrusion 601 and central portion 610, but the shapes of the central protrusion 601 and central portion 610, the first peripheral wall portion 604, and the second peripheral wall portion 605 may be other than concentric.

(Low protrusion 64a)
Furthermore, in the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment, the fitting protrusion 64 of the bottom cover 60 is fitted deep into the main body 10, thereby improving the airtightness of the wet tissue container 1. In this configuration, the higher the fitting protrusion 64 (the amount it protrudes into the main body 10), the better the airtightness can be expected. That is, because the bottom cover 60 is made of an elastic resin, making the fitting protrusion taller can increase the rigidity of the bottom cover 60, which has the effect of suppressing deformation of the bottom cover 60 and therefore contributes to improving the airtightness.
However, if the height of the fitting projection is increased, it may become difficult to open the bottom cover.

Therefore, in the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment, low-profile portions 64a are provided at the four corners of the engaging projections 64 of the bottom cover 60. The low-profile portions 64a project from the flat portion 65 toward the inside of the main body 10 at a second height h2 that is lower than the first height h1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, the first height h1 is 12.8 mm, and the second height h2 is 9.2 mm. Furthermore, a hook 60a protruding outward is provided at one of the four corners of the bottom cover 60. This increases the likelihood that the bottom cover 60 will be removed from the main body 10 starting from the corner where the hook 60a is provided. Furthermore, because the low-profile portions 64a are provided at the four corners of the bottom cover 60, the engagement (depth) between the main body 10 and the low-profile portions 64a is reduced, making it easier to begin removing the bottom cover 60. Once the bottom cover 60 has been removed to some extent from the main body 10, subsequent removal is relatively easy. Therefore, the provision of the low protrusion 64a makes it easy to remove the bottom cover 60 from the main body 10.

Here, it is desirable that the second height h2 be 10 mm or less in order to facilitate the operation of removing the bottom cover 60 from the main body 10.
Moreover, it is desirable that the second height h2 be 5 mm or more in order to ensure the rigidity of the four corners of the bottom cover 60 and not reduce the sealing performance.
Furthermore, it is desirable that the range L (see FIGS. 13 and 15) in which the low protrusion 64a is provided be 5 mm or more in order to facilitate the operation of removing the bottom cover 60 from the main body 10.
Furthermore, it is desirable that the range L in which the low protrusions 64a are provided be within 25 mm in order to ensure the rigidity of the four corners of the bottom cover 60 and not reduce the sealing performance.
The dimension of range L is the dimension of the range that starts from the center position of the top of the low protrusion 64a provided on the other side that intersects at the corner as shown in Figures 13 and 15 and has a height of the second height h2.

Furthermore, since the four corners of the bottom cover 60 are located at the intersection of two perpendicular sides, they are areas with higher rigidity than the areas near the center of the four sides of the bottom cover 60, and the reduction in rigidity at the four corners due to the provision of the low protrusions 64a does not have a negative impact on the airtightness.
The low protrusions 64a do not have to be provided at all four corners as in the present embodiment, but may be provided at at least one of the four corners. For example, the low protrusions 64a may be provided only at the corners where the hook pieces 60a are provided.

The fitting projection 64 has a belt-shaped protrusion 64b that protrudes continuously around the entire circumference of the wall surface that abuts against the inner wall of the main body 10 toward the inner wall of the main body 10. The belt-shaped protrusion 64b is also provided continuously on the wall surface of the low protrusion 64a.
If the outer wall surface of the fitting projection 64 were fitted to the inner wall surface of the main body 10 without providing the belt-shaped protrusion 64b, the contact area would be large, requiring a large force to remove and attach the bottom lid 60, making the removal process difficult. On the other hand, in the wet tissue container 1 of this embodiment, the belt-shaped protrusion 64b is provided, so the contact area between the bottom lid 60 and the main body 10 is small, making it even easier to remove the bottom lid 60.

(Modified form)
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible, and these are also within the scope of the present invention.

(1) In the embodiment, an example in which a rubber plate 40 is provided as the lid biasing portion has been described. However, the lid biasing portion is not limited to this, and may be a spring member made of another type of elastic material, such as metal, or may be configured as a lid biasing portion that biases the open/close lid by elastically deforming a portion of the open/close lid or main body.

(2) In the embodiment, an example has been described in which the wet tissue 101 is impregnated with alcohol. However, this is not limiting, and the wet tissue 101 may be impregnated with other liquids, such as moisturizers containing germicides, disinfectants, cleansers, etc., or cosmetics such as lotions or emulsions.

(3) In the embodiment, the wet tissue container 1 is configured to be able to store a greater number of wet tissues 101 than conventional containers, and the length of the side panel 12 of the main body 10 (the height of the main body 10) is greater than conventional containers. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the container may be configured to be able to store a similar number of wet tissues 101 to conventional containers, or may be configured to store a smaller number of wet tissues 101 than conventional containers.

Note that the embodiments and variations can be used in combination as appropriate, but detailed explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

1 Wet tissue container 10 Main body 10a Opening 11 Upper plate 11a First upper plate 11b Second upper plate 12 Side plate 12a Flange 12b End edge portion 13 Recess 14 Annular rib 14a Inclined surface 15 Dispensing port 15a Edge rib 16 Back side step portion 16a Storage portion 16b Swing bearing 17 Operating member arrangement portion 17a Bottom plate 17b Main body protrusion portion 17c Partition wall portion 17d Hinge receiving hole 17e Spring receiving groove 20 Opening and closing lid 20a Base end 20e Free end 21 Locking piece 22 Frame body 22a Second engaging protrusion 24 Swing shaft 30 Packing member 30a Packing center portion 30b Packing outer periphery 30c Inner rib 30d Annular recess 30e Outer rib 30f First engaging protrusion 31 Lower rib 40 Plate rubber 41 Fixed portion 50 Operating member 51 Top plate portion 51a Operating surface 52 Claw portion 53 Support piece 54 Mounting rib 55 Hinge shaft 56 Spring portion 57 Operating member protrusion portion 60 Bottom cover 60a Hook piece 61 Outer periphery 62 Outer periphery fitting portion 63 Fitting groove 64 Fitting protrusion 64a Low protrusion portion 64b Band-shaped convex portion 65 Flat plate portion 100 Sealed bag 100a Opening 101 Wet tissue 101a Upper half 101b Lower half 102 Bent portion 105 Cover piece 600 Expandable portion 601 Central protrusion portion 601a Planar portion 601b Rib portion 602 Central wall portion 603 Central flat surface 604 First peripheral wall portion 605 Second peripheral wall portion 610 Central portion

Claims (2)

a main body having an outlet;
an opening/closing cover that is swingably provided on the main body and opens and closes the outlet;
a lid biasing portion that biases the opening/closing lid in an opening direction;
an operating member that is swingably provided on the main body and swings between a restricting position where the operating member engages with the cover to restrict the cover to a closed position and a releasing position where the operating member releases the engagement with the cover;
Equipped with
the operating member has a spring portion, and the operating member is biased in a direction from the release position toward the restricting position by a restoring force of the spring portion,
the main body has a main body protrusion that protrudes upward at a position that is hidden by the operating member when viewed from the top surface side where the outlet is provided,
the operating member has an operating member protrusion that protrudes downward to a position that is hidden by the operating member when viewed from the top surface side, that is provided independently of the spring portion , and that is provided on the same member as the operating member on which the spring portion is provided ,
The wet tissue container has a main body protrusion and an operating member protrusion abutting against each other to prevent the operating member from falling over beyond a regulated position. The wet tissue container according to claim 1,
The wet tissue container contains wet tissues;
A wet tissue container characterized by the above.