JP7844288B2 - Dispenser and dispensing container - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a dispenser used by being attached to the mouth of a container body for storing liquid, and a dispensing container equipped with the same.

For example, a dispensing container is known that stores liquids such as plant cultivation activators. This container comprises a main body for storing the liquid and a dispenser attached to the mouth of the main body. By operating the dispenser's control unit, the liquid stored in the main body can be dispensed in predetermined amounts from the dispenser's outlet.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a trigger-type dispenser that includes a sprayer body attached to the mouth of a container body containing liquid. The dispenser body has a trigger, which is operated by pulling a trigger, which activates a pump, thereby drawing the liquid stored in the container body through the dispenser's suction port and discharging it to the outside through a discharge port provided on the nozzle.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-163340

However, the conventional dispensers or dispensing containers described above are designed so that all the liquid stored in the container can be dispensed sequentially by repeatedly operating the control unit. Therefore, when used for applications where the daily application amount of a liquid is specified, such as plant cultivation activators, there is a risk of accidentally applying an excessive amount of liquid to the target object by repeatedly operating the control unit.

This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its objective is to provide a dispenser and dispensing container that can easily dispense only a specified amount of liquid.

The dispenser of the present invention comprises a liquid suction port, an operating unit, a liquid discharge port, and an operating unit that, when the operating unit is operated, pumps the liquid sucked from the suction port to the discharge port, and is used by being attached to the mouth of a container body for storing liquid, and further comprises a periphery wall having a liquid intake port, a bottom wall that closes the lower end of the periphery wall, a measuring device supported by the dispenser and disposed inside the container body, a pipe portion connected at its upper end to the suction port and opening at its lower end in the bottom wall inside the measuring device , and further comprises an upper lid that closes the upper end of the periphery wall, and a hinge that integrally connects the upper lid to the measuring device, wherein the pipe portion comprises an upper pipe portion integrally provided with the upper lid and connected at its upper end to the suction port, and a lower pipe portion integrally provided with the measuring device and connected at its upper end to the lower end of the upper pipe portion and opening at its lower end in the bottom wall .

In the dispenser of the present invention, it is preferable that the lower pipe portion is positioned inside the measuring device, spaced apart from the peripheral wall, and integrally connected to the bottom wall at its lower end.

The dispensing container of the present invention is characterized by comprising a container body having a mouth and for storing liquid, and one of the dispensers described above.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a dispenser and dispensing container that can easily dispense only a specified amount of liquid.

This is a cross-sectional view of a discharge container according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a cross-sectional view of the measuring instrument shown in Figure 1. This is a cross-sectional view along line A-A in Figure 2. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing container in an inverted position, with liquid being filled into the measuring device. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing container after the liquid has been measured by a measuring device. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing container after all the liquid measured by the measuring device has been dispensed.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention, including a dispenser and dispensing container, with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figure 1, the dispenser 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is used by being attached to the opening 2a of the container body 2 that stores the liquid L. The dispenser 1 and the container body 2 constitute the dispensing container 3 according to this embodiment.

In this specification and the claims, the vertical direction refers to the vertical direction when the dispenser 1 or dispensing container 3 is in the upright position shown in Figure 1. The radial direction refers to the direction along a straight line passing through the axis O of the container body 2 and perpendicular to that axis O.

The container body 2 is, for example, a bottle made of synthetic resin. The opening 2a of the container body 2 is cylindrical (in the illustrated case, cylindrical), and its interior can hold a liquid L, such as a plant cultivation activator.

The dispenser 1 comprises a liquid L suction port 10, an operating unit 11, a liquid L discharge port 12, and an operating unit 13 that, when the operating unit 11 is operated, pumps the liquid L drawn in from the suction port 10 to the discharge port 12. When the operating unit 11 is operated, the dispenser 1 uses the operating unit 13 to pump the liquid L stored in the container body 2 from the suction port 10 to the discharge port 12, dispensing a predetermined amount of liquid L to the outside.

In this embodiment, the dispenser 1 is a trigger-type pump dispenser. In this case, the dispenser 1 has a main body 15 fixed to the opening 2a using a mounting cap 14. The main body 15 has a mounting bracket 15a with a flange that is held in place between the mounting cap 14 and the opening 2a, and the suction port 10 is integrally provided on the mounting bracket 15a in a cylindrical shape that opens downward toward the inside of the opening 2a. Inside the main body 15, there is an L-shaped flow path 16 connected to the suction port 10, and the discharge port 12 is provided connected to the downstream end of the flow path 16. More specifically, the discharge port 12 is provided as an opening in a nozzle 17 mounted on the main body 15. The operating unit 13 is a piston-type pump having a piston 13a and a cylinder 13b provided in the middle of the flow path 16. Check valves 18 and 19 are provided on the downstream and upstream sides of the portion of the operating unit 13 that communicates with the flow path 16, respectively. The operating unit 11 is a lever that is pivotably supported on the main body 15. Pulling the operating unit 11 activates the pump, which is the operating unit 13. When the pump operates, the check valve 18 opens and the check valve 19 closes, and the liquid L inside the pump is pressurized through the flow path 16 to the discharge port 12 and discharged to the outside. When the pulling operation of the operating unit 11 is released and the operating unit 11 returns to its original position, the check valve 18 closes and the check valve 19 opens, and the liquid L stored in the container body 2 is filled into the pump (operating unit 13) through the flow path 16 from the suction port 10. Therefore, by repeatedly operating the operating unit 11, the liquid L stored in the container body 2 can be discharged in predetermined amounts.

Furthermore, the dispenser 1 is not limited to the trigger-type pump dispenser described above. Any dispenser with a liquid L suction port 10, an operating unit 11, a liquid L discharge port 12, and an operating unit 13 that pumps the liquid L drawn from the suction port 10 to the discharge port 12 when the operating unit 11 is operated, can be used. For example, a pump dispenser with a push-down head or a spray dispenser can be used.

The dispenser 1 of this embodiment has a measuring device 20 to easily dispense only a specified amount A of liquid L from the liquid L stored in the container body 2. The measuring device 20 is supported by the dispenser 1 and positioned inside the container body 2. The specified amount A can be arbitrarily set as long as it is less than the maximum amount of liquid L that can be stored in the container body 2.

As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the measuring device 20 is a bottomed cylindrical shape having a peripheral wall 21 and a bottom wall 22 that closes the lower end of the peripheral wall 21. In this embodiment, the measuring device 20 has a test tube shape with a cylindrical peripheral wall 21 and a hemispherical bottom wall 22. However, the shape of the measuring device 20 is not limited to a test tube shape.

The peripheral wall 21 is provided with liquid L intake ports 23. In this embodiment, eight vertically elongated, window-shaped intake ports 23 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the upper portion of the peripheral wall 21. The multiple intake ports 23 are sized to allow the liquid L stored in the container body 2 to be introduced into the measuring device 20 when the discharge container 3 is in an inverted position.

The lower end positions of these multiple intake ports 23 are identical, and the volume of the portion of the measuring device 20 below the lower end positions of the multiple intake ports 23 is the specified amount A.

Furthermore, the peripheral wall 21 only needs to have at least one intake opening 23, and the shape of the intake opening 23 can be varied. Also, if the volume of the portion of the measuring device 20 below the lower end position of the intake opening 23 is equal to the specified amount A, the lower end position of the intake opening 23 can be set to any height on the peripheral wall 21.

The dispenser 1 of this embodiment has a pipe section 30. The pipe section 30 is cylindrical, connected at its upper end to the suction port 10 of the dispenser 1, and its lower end has an opening 33 in the bottom wall 22 inside the measuring device 20.

In this embodiment, the dispenser 1 is equipped with an upper lid 40 that closes the upper end of the peripheral wall 21. The measuring member 50 is formed by the measuring device 20 and the upper lid 40.

The top cover 40 has a cap shape, comprising a cylindrical peripheral wall 41 with the same diameter and coaxial shape as the peripheral wall 21, and a flat top wall 42 that closes the upper end of the peripheral wall 41. The top cover 40 is positioned at the upper end of the peripheral wall 21, effectively closing its upper end. The top cover 40 is integrally connected to the weighing device 20 by a hinge 43.

The top cover 40 is integrally provided with a cylindrical upper pipe section 31, which forms part of the upper portion of the pipe section 30. The upper pipe section 31 protrudes from the top wall 42 on both the upper and lower sides at a position offset from the axis of the top wall 42, and its upper end is connected by being fitted and fixed inside the suction port 10 of the dispenser 1.

On the other hand, the measuring instrument 20 is integrally provided with a cylindrical lower pipe section 32 that forms part of the lower side of the pipe section 30. The lower pipe section 32 is offset from the axis of the peripheral wall 21 and coaxial with the upper pipe section 31, and is arranged inside the peripheral wall 21, spaced apart from it, to form a double structure. At its upper end, it is fitted and connected to the outside of the lower end of the upper pipe section 31. Furthermore, the lower pipe section 32 is integrally connected to the bottom wall 22 at its lower end, and an opening 33 is provided on a part of its outer circumference at the lower end. The lower pipe section 32 communicates with the interior of the measuring instrument 20 through the opening 33 that opens in the bottom wall 22.

The measuring member 50, as described above, is supported by the dispenser 1 by fitting and fixing the upper end of the pipe section 30 or upper pipe section 31 to the suction port 10, and by fitting and fixing the top lid 40 to the mounting bracket 15a. A vertical rib 41a extending vertically is integrally provided on the peripheral wall 41 of the top lid 40, and an air exchange channel extending vertically along the vertical rib 41a is provided between the mounting bracket 15a and the top lid 40. This channel communicates with the inside of the container body 2 and with the outside via an outside air introduction hole 15b provided in the mounting bracket 15a, introducing outside air into the inside of the container body 2 when liquid L is dispensed. This prevents the inside of the container body 2 from becoming depressurized when liquid L is dispensed. Note that the measuring member 50 may be supported by the dispenser 1 in a different configuration.

As described above, the weighing component 50 has a configuration in which the weighing device 20 and the upper lid 40 are integrally connected by a hinge 43. Therefore, by injection molding of a synthetic resin material to form a component with the shape shown by the dashed line in Figure 2, and then rotating the upper lid 40 90 degrees around the hinge 43 toward the upper end of the weighing device 20, the weighing component 50 of the above shape can be easily and inexpensively manufactured as a single part.

Next, the procedure for dispensing a specified amount A of liquid L from the dispensing container 3 equipped with the dispenser 1 described above will be explained.

First, from the state shown in Figure 1, the dispensing container 3 is inverted so that the dispenser 1 is on the lower side relative to the container body 2. As shown in Figure 4, when the dispensing container 3 is inverted, the liquid L stored in the container body 2 is filled into the inside of the measuring device 20 through the multiple intake ports 23.

In this embodiment, since the multiple intake ports 23 are vertically elongated, the liquid L can be effectively filled into the inside of the measuring device 20.

Next, the dispensing container 3 is returned from the inverted position to the upright position. As shown in Figure 5, when the dispensing container 3 is returned from the inverted position to the upright position, the inside of the measuring device 20 is filled with a specified amount A of liquid L, where the liquid level of the liquid L is located at the lower end of the multiple intake ports 23. At this time, the liquid level of the liquid L stored in the container body 2 is located below the lower end of the multiple intake ports 23.

Therefore, as shown in Figure 5, when the operating unit 11 is operated to activate the operating unit 13 with the metering device 20 filled with a specified amount A of liquid L, only the liquid L inside the metering device 20 is drawn through the opening 33, through the pipe section 30, to the suction port 10, and then discharged to the outside through the flow path 16 and the discharge port 12.

When the operation unit 11 is repeatedly operated, and as shown in Figure 6, all of the liquid L inside the measuring device 20 is discharged to the outside through the discharge port 12, even if liquid L remains inside the container body 2, this liquid L will not be drawn into the suction port 10, and liquid L will no longer be discharged from the discharge port 12. Therefore, the user can recognize that the specified amount A of liquid L has been discharged to the object to be coated by the discontinuation of liquid L from the discharge port 12, thus preventing excessive liquid L from being applied to the object.

Thus, in the dispenser 1 to the dispensing container 3 of this embodiment, since the dispenser 1 is equipped with the measuring device 20 and pipe section 30 with the above configuration, it is possible to easily dispense only the specified amount A of liquid L.

Furthermore, in the dispenser 1 to the dispensing container 3 of this embodiment, the upper lid 40 is integrally provided with the measuring device 20 via a hinge 43, and the pipe section 30 has the upper pipe section 31 and the lower pipe section 32 described above. Therefore, the measuring member 50 can be formed as a single part by injection molding of synthetic resin material, thereby reducing the cost of the dispenser 1 to the dispensing container 3.

Furthermore, in the dispenser 1 to the dispensing container 3 of this embodiment, the lower pipe section 32 is positioned inside the measuring device 20, spaced apart from the peripheral wall 21, and integrally connected to the bottom wall 22 at its lower end. This configuration allows the pipe section 30 to effectively draw the liquid L inside the measuring device 20 through the opening 33 with a simple design, thereby reducing the cost of the dispenser 1 to the dispensing container 3.

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

For example, in the above embodiment, the top lid 40 and hinge 43 are integrally provided on the measuring device 20, but a configuration without the top lid 40 and hinge 43 is also possible.

1 Dispenser 2 Container body 2a Mouth 3 Discharge container 10 Suction port 11 Operating part 12 Discharge port 13 Operating part 13a Piston 13b Cylinder 14 Mounting cap 15 Body part 15a Mounting bracket 15b Outside air intake hole 16 Flow path 17 Nozzle 18 Check valve 19 Check valve 20 Measuring device 21 Peripheral wall 22 Bottom wall 23 Inlet 30 Pipe part 31 Upper pipe part 32 Lower pipe part 33 Opening 40 Top lid 41 Peripheral wall 41a Vertical rib 42 Top wall 43 Hinge 50 Measuring component L Liquid O Axis A Specified amount

Claims (3)

A dispenser comprising a liquid suction port, an operating unit, a liquid discharge port, and an operating unit that, when the operating unit is operated, pumps the liquid drawn in from the suction port to the discharge port, and which is used by being attached to the mouth of a container body for storing liquid,
A measuring device having a peripheral wall provided with a liquid inlet and a bottom wall that closes the lower end of the peripheral wall, supported by the dispenser and positioned inside the container body,
It has a pipe section at its upper end that is connected to the suction port and at its lower end that opens at the bottom wall inside the measuring device ,
An upper cover that closes the upper end of the peripheral wall,
The device further includes a hinge that integrally connects the top lid to the measuring device,
The aforementioned pipe section
An upper pipe portion is provided integrally with the upper lid and is connected to the suction port at its upper end,
A dispenser characterized by having a lower pipe section that is provided integrally with the measuring device and is connected at its upper end to the lower end of the upper pipe section, with the lower end opening at the bottom wall . The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the lower pipe portion is positioned inside the measuring device at a distance from the peripheral wall and is integrally connected to the bottom wall at its lower end. A container body having an opening and for storing liquid,
A dispensing container characterized by having the dispenser described in claim 1 or 2 .