JP7820044B2 - Replacement container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a replacement container.

Replacement containers that have a container body and a refill container that can be attached to the container body are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-8277

When the container body is composed of an outer container and an inner container, it can be convenient, for example from the perspective of recyclability (separate disposal), if the inner container can be easily removed from the outer container. However, it would be inconvenient if the inner container were to accidentally come loose from the outer container when carrying the product, etc.

The object of the present invention is to provide a replacement container that allows the inner container to be easily removed from the outer container and prevents the inner container from accidentally coming loose from the outer container.

One aspect of the present invention is as follows:

[1]
The container has a container body having an outer container and an inner container, and a refill container that can be attached to the container body,
the container body has an engaging portion that engages the inner container with the outer container so as to prevent the inner container from slipping out of the outer container,
The refill container has a regulating portion that regulates the release of the engagement by the engaging portion when the refill container is attached to the container body, but does not regulate the release of the engagement by the engaging portion when the refill container is detached from the container body ,
The container body and the refill container attached to the container body form a cylindrical shape with a bottom as a whole,
the inner container has a first locking piece that locks onto the outer container so as to prevent the inner container from slipping out of the outer container;
the restricting portion restricts radial displacement of the first locking piece in a direction in which the locking of the first locking piece with respect to the outer container is released when the refill container is attached to the container body,
the outer container has a bottom wall and a first protruding piece that protrudes upward from the bottom wall and extends in a circumferential direction,
the refill container has a bottom wall portion and a second protruding piece as the restricting portion that protrudes downward from the bottom wall portion and extends in a circumferential direction,
A refill container having a second locking piece that locks to the second protruding piece so as to restrict the radial outward displacement of the first locking piece, which is the direction in which the lock of the first locking piece to the first protruding piece is released, when the refill container is attached to the container body.

[ 2 ]
The refill container according to [1] , wherein the outer container and the inner container are formed of different materials.

[ 3 ]
The refill container according to [1] or [2] , which has a storage section formed by the outer container and the inner container and into which tools can be put in and taken out.

This invention provides a replacement container that allows the inner container to be easily removed from the outer container and prevents the inner container from accidentally coming loose from the outer container.

1 is a partially cross-sectional side view showing a refill container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a partially cross-sectional side view showing the portion of the refill container shown in FIG. 1 excluding the lid body, viewed from an angle different by 90°. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 3. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the refill container has been removed from the state shown in FIG. 4 and the inner container has been lifted up from the outer container. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the state when the inner container is further pulled up from the state shown in FIG. 5 and extracted from the outer container. FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, in one embodiment of the present invention, the refill container 1 has a container body 2, a refill container 3 that can be attached to the container body 2, and a lid 4, and the container body 2 has an outer container 5 and an inner container 6. The refill container 1 also has a storage section 8 formed by the outer container 5 and the inner container 6, into which a tool 7 can be inserted and removed. The refill container 3 contains contents (not shown). The contents are not particularly limited, and may be, for example, cosmetics. The tool 7 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, it is a spatula for scooping the contents. In this embodiment, the refill container 1 is configured as a so-called jar container, in which the container body 2 and the refill container 3 attached to the container body 2 form a cylindrical shape with a bottom as a whole.

The outer container 5, inner container 6, refill container 3, and lid 4 are each a single unit molded from, for example, resin. Note that the outer container 5, inner container 6, refill container 3, and lid 4 may each be constructed by assembling multiple components.

For ease of explanation, the direction along the central axis O of the refillable container 1 will also be referred to as the up-down direction, the direction along a line perpendicular to the central axis O will also be referred to as the radial direction, and the direction going around the central axis O will also be referred to as the circumferential direction.

As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the outer container 5 has a bottom wall 5a, a cylindrical outer wall 5b extending upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall 5a and centered on the central axis O, and a plurality of first protruding pieces 5c arranged intermittently in the circumferential direction, each protruding upward from the bottom wall 5a and extending in an arc shape in the circumferential direction when viewed from above. In this embodiment, the number of first protruding pieces 5c is four, but is not limited to this and can be set as appropriate. A plurality of first protruding pieces 5c is preferable, but a single first protruding piece 5c is also acceptable.

The inner container 6 has an outer peripheral wall 6a, an inner peripheral wall 6b, an upper end connecting wall 6c connecting the upper edge of the outer peripheral wall 6a to the outer surface of the inner peripheral wall 6b, and a pair of side walls 6d provided on both circumferential sides of the storage section 8.

The outer peripheral wall 6a has a lower peripheral wall 6e that is positioned radially inward of the outer wall 5b so as to overlap the outer wall 5b when viewed radially; an annular protrusion 6f that protrudes radially outward from the upper end of the lower peripheral wall 6e and rests on the annular step at the upper end of the outer wall 5b; and an upper peripheral wall 6g that extends upward from the upper end of the lower peripheral wall 6e.

The upper edge of the upper peripheral wall 6g (i.e., the upper edge of the outer peripheral wall 6a) is provided so that the height changes circumferentially at two locations located on opposite sides of the central axis O, forming a U-shape when viewed radially. In other words, the upper surface of the upper connecting wall 6c forms a pair of U-shaped recesses 6h.

The upper peripheral wall 6g also has an intermittent section located at one point in the circumferential direction, which defines an entrance and exit for the storage section 8. The lower peripheral wall 6e is also intermittent at a circumferential position corresponding to the storage section 8. Therefore, the storage section 8 is defined by the outer wall 5b, inner peripheral wall 6b, a pair of side walls 6d, and bottom wall 5a. The spatula is flat and elongated, with a scooping section 7a at one longitudinal end and a gripping section 7b at the other longitudinal end. The spatula is stored in the storage section 8 with its thickness aligned roughly in the radial direction and the scooping section 7a facing downwards.

The pair of side walls 6d extend radially inward from the lower peripheral wall 6e, and at least at the lower end, their radially inner ends do not connect to the inner peripheral wall 6b (see Figure 2).

The inner peripheral wall 6b is cylindrical and centered on the central axis O, and the height of the upper end of the inner peripheral wall 6b is higher than the height of the upper edge of the upper end peripheral wall 6g at its highest circumferential position.

The refill container 3 has a bottom wall 3a, a cylindrical peripheral wall 3b extending upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall 3a, positioned radially inward from the inner peripheral wall 6b, and centered on the central axis O, an outer wall 3c positioned radially outward from the inner peripheral wall 6b, a connecting wall 3d connecting the peripheral wall 3b and the outer wall 3c, and a second protruding piece 3e that protrudes downward from the bottom wall 3a and extends continuously around the entire circumference to form a circular shape in bottom view. The second protruding piece 3e may be provided intermittently in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the connecting wall 3d connects the upper end of the peripheral wall 3b with the upper end of the outer wall 3c, but this is not limited to this configuration and may be any configuration that connects the peripheral wall 3b with the outer wall 3c.

The outer wall portion 3c is detachably engaged with the upper end of the inner peripheral wall 6b by press-fitting, screwing, undercut engagement, or other means to prevent the refill container 3 from slipping out of the container body 2. The connecting wall portion 3d and the outer wall portion 3c are provided over the entire circumferential direction except for the position corresponding to the storage compartment, and the lower end surface of the outer wall portion 3c faces the upper surface of the upper end connecting wall 6c over the entire circumferential direction except for the position corresponding to the storage compartment. The lower end surface of the outer wall portion 3c is provided so that its height changes circumferentially at two locations corresponding to the pair of U-shaped recesses 6h, forming a U-shape when viewed radially. In other words, the outer wall portion 3c has a pair of U-shaped protrusions 3f positioned within the pair of U-shaped recesses 6h. The user can easily remove the refill container 3 from the container body 2 by grasping the pair of U-shaped protrusions 3f.

A portion of the intermittent male thread portion 9, centered on the central axis O, is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper end peripheral wall 6g. Another portion of the male thread portion 9 is provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the pair of U-shaped protrusions 3f.

The lid 4 has a top wall 4a and a cylindrical wall 4b that extends downward from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall 4a and is cylindrical and centered on the central axis O. A disk-shaped gasket 10 is disposed on the underside of the top wall 4a. The gasket 10 may also be omitted. The inner surface of the cylindrical wall 4b is provided with a female thread 4c that can be threaded onto the male thread 9. By threading the female thread 4c onto the male thread 9, the lid 4 is attached to the container body 2, and the opening of the refill container 3 can be closed by the lid 4 in a closed state. By unscrewing the female thread 4c from the male thread 9, the lid 4 can be removed from the container body 2 in an open state.

The inner peripheral wall 6b has a number of slit-shaped notches 11 arranged intermittently around the periphery, each extending upward from the lower end of the inner peripheral wall 6b. Each portion sandwiched between two adjacent notches 11 constitutes a first locking piece 12. In other words, the inner peripheral wall 6b has the same number of first locking pieces 12 as the notches 11. In this embodiment, the number of first locking pieces 12 is four, but is not limited to this and can be set as appropriate. A plurality of first locking pieces 12 is preferable, but a single first locking piece 12 is also acceptable.

Each first locking piece 12 detachably locks onto the first protruding piece 5c to prevent the inner container 6 from slipping upward from the outer container 5. More specifically, in this embodiment, a protrusion on the inner surface of the first locking piece 12 and a protrusion on the outer surface of the first protruding piece 5c engage in the vertical direction, but this is not limited to this. The multiple first locking pieces 12 and multiple first protruding pieces 5c form an engagement portion 13 that locks the inner container 6 to the outer container 5 to prevent the inner container 6 from slipping upward from the outer container 5.

Furthermore, each first locking piece 12 has a second locking piece 14 that engages with the second protruding piece 3e to restrict radial outward displacement of the first locking piece 12 due to elastic deformation, which would release the first locking piece 12 from the outer container 5 (first protruding piece 5c) when the refill container 3 is attached to the container body 2. Each second locking piece 14 extends radially inward from the circumferential center of the first locking piece 12 through the gap between two adjacent first protruding pieces 5c, with one first locking piece 12 engaging with two first protruding pieces 5c, and one first protruding piece 5c engaging with two first locking pieces 12. Note that the second locking piece 14 is not limited to being located at the circumferential center of the first locking piece 12. Furthermore, each second locking piece 14 has a hook shape that bends upward. The shape of the second locking piece 14 is not limited to a hook shape.

The second protruding piece 3e functions as a restricting portion 3e that prevents the engagement by the engaging portion 13 from being released when the refill container 3 is attached to the container body 2 (see Figure 4), but does not prevent the engagement by the engaging portion 13 from being released when the refill container 3 is removed from the container body 2 (see Figures 5-6). When the refill container 3 is attached to the container body 2, the second protruding piece 3e is pinched radially between the first protruding piece 5c and the hook-shaped tip of the second engaging piece 14, thereby restricting radial outward displacement of the first engaging piece 12, including the second engaging piece 14.

Accordingly, according to this embodiment, the inner container 6 is prevented from accidentally coming out of the outer container 5 when the refill container 3 is attached to the container body 2, while the inner container 6 can be easily removed from the outer container 5 when the refill container 3 is detached from the container body 2. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, by removing the inner container 6 from the outer container 5, the storage section 8 formed by the outer container 5 and inner container 6 can be easily cleaned. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, even if the outer container 5 and inner container 6 are made of different materials, they can be easily separated and disposed of, thereby achieving good recyclability.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Therefore, the refill container 1 of the above-described embodiment can be modified as long as it is a refill container 1 that includes a container body 2 having an outer container 5 and an inner container 6, and a refill container 3 that can be attached to the container body 2, the container body 2 having an engagement portion 13 that locks the inner container 6 to the outer container 5 to prevent the inner container 6 from slipping out of the outer container 5, and the refill container 3 having a restriction portion 3e that prevents the engagement by the engagement portion 13 from being released when the refill container 3 is attached to the container body 2, but does not prevent the engagement by the engagement portion 13 from being released when the refill container 3 is removed from the container body 2.

For example, the refill container 1 may not have a lid 4. The refill container 1 may not have a storage section. The refill container 1 is not limited to a jar container, and may be configured as, for example, a bottle container. The outer wall 5b, inner wall 6b, and peripheral wall 3b may be configured as a cylindrical shape other than a cylinder, such as a polygonal cylindrical shape. The first protruding piece 5c is not limited to being arc-shaped when viewed from above. The second protruding piece 3e is not limited to being circular when viewed from below. The refill container 1 is not limited to being configured with a pair of U-shaped recesses 6h and a pair of U-shaped protruding pieces 3f.

In the above-described embodiment of the refill container 1, the inner container 6 has a first locking piece 12 that locks onto the outer container 5 to prevent the inner container 6 from slipping out of the outer container 5, and the restricting portion 3e is configured to restrict displacement in a direction that releases the first locking piece 12 from the outer container 5 when the refill container 3 is attached to the container body 2. However, this is not limited to this, and the outer container 5 may have a first locking piece 12 that locks onto the inner container 6 to prevent the inner container 6 from slipping out of the outer container 5, and the restricting portion 3e may be configured to restrict displacement in a direction that releases the first locking piece 12 from the inner container 6 when the refill container 3 is attached to the container body 2.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Refill container 2 Container body 3 Refill container 3a Bottom wall 3b Peripheral wall 3c Outer wall 3d Connecting wall 3e Second protruding piece (restricting portion)
3f U-shaped convex piece 4 Lid body 4a Top wall 4b Cylindrical wall 4c Female thread portion 5 Outer container 5a Bottom wall 5b Outer wall 5c First protruding piece 6 Inner container 6a Outer circumferential wall 6b Inner circumferential wall 6c Upper end connecting wall 6d Side wall 6e Lower end side circumferential wall 6f Annular convex portion 6g Upper end side circumferential wall 6h U-shaped recess 7 Tool 7a Scooping part 7b Gripping part 8 Storage part 9 Male screw part 10 Packing 11 Notch 12 First locking piece 13 Engagement part 14 Second locking piece O Center axis

Claims (3)

The container has a container body having an outer container and an inner container, and a refill container that can be attached to the container body,
the container body has an engaging portion that engages the inner container with the outer container so as to prevent the inner container from slipping out of the outer container,
The refill container has a regulating portion that regulates the release of the engagement by the engaging portion when the refill container is attached to the container body, but does not regulate the release of the engagement by the engaging portion when the refill container is detached from the container body ,
The container body and the refill container attached to the container body form a cylindrical shape with a bottom as a whole,
the inner container has a first locking piece that locks onto the outer container so as to prevent the inner container from slipping out of the outer container;
the restricting portion restricts radial displacement of the first locking piece in a direction in which the locking of the first locking piece with respect to the outer container is released when the refill container is attached to the container body,
the outer container has a bottom wall and a first protruding piece that protrudes upward from the bottom wall and extends in a circumferential direction,
the refill container has a bottom wall portion and a second protruding piece as the restricting portion that protrudes downward from the bottom wall portion and extends in a circumferential direction,
A refill container having a second locking piece that locks to the second protruding piece so as to restrict the radial outward displacement of the first locking piece, which is the direction in which the lock of the first locking piece to the first protruding piece is released, when the refill container is attached to the container body. The refill container according to claim 1 , wherein the outer container and the inner container are formed of different materials. 3. The refill container according to claim 1, further comprising a storage section formed by the outer container and the inner container, into which an implement can be put and removed.