JPH0459227B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a container for extruding a fixed amount of a paste-like substance such as toothpaste, soft soap, cream, paste-like seasoning, ointment, etc. The present invention relates to a paste-like material extrusion container in which the contents are pushed out from a discharge hole in the upper part of the container by moving a piston fitted into the container upward by a certain pitch.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, paste-like materials have been generally used in which a paste-like material is stored in a tube made of a flexible material and squeezed out by pressing the tube. Recently, instead of this, in order to push out a certain amount of the contents with a one-touch operation, a cylindrical casing with a discharge hole at the top, a piston that fits tightly into the inner wall of the casing and can slide in the axial direction, and the piston. The rack member includes a rod-shaped rack member that penetrates the top wall of the casing and is movable up and down, and a clamp member that is attached to the piston and engages with the rack when the rack member is ascending and releases the engagement when the rack member is descending. For example, a container for pushing out a paste-like material equipped with an operating means for raising and lowering the
This is known from, for example, Japanese Patent No. 142854. However, all of these known containers still have the inconvenience of having to manually remove the lid each time they are used, and the contents cannot be discharged with a single action.

In order to eliminate this inconvenience, the present inventor proposed a container in which a rod-shaped rack member is simultaneously raised and lowered in conjunction with the opening and closing operations of the lid that covers the discharge hole at the top of the container. Proposed. While this proposal has great significance in that it realizes a complete one-touch operation system, the paste-like material remaining on the edge of the discharge hole may stick to the lid or hang down from the edge of the discharge hole, staining the vessel wall and making it unclean. It has been confirmed that there is a possibility that the solid matter that has dried and solidified at the discharge port may interfere with discharge during the next use, or cause problems such as being mixed into the discharge paste as lumps.

In order to prevent such residual adhesion of excess paste near the edge of the discharge hole, the container proposed in JP-A-57-114467 has a connecting part that is loosely fitted into the middle part of the rod-shaped rack member. Immediately after the extrusion operation of the contents is completed, the free stroke generated in the loose fitting connection creates a negative pressure in the container, causing an appropriate amount of paste-like material in the discharge hole to move backwards, and after that, the rod-shaped rack member to raise the piston,
It is designed to prepare for the next extrusion operation. However, the suction effect of this container on paste-like materials is caused by the so-called "play" of the loose fitting connection part embedded in the paste-like material inside the container, so the viscosity of the paste-like material is particularly high. In this case, it has been found that there are many cases in which the movement within the free path is obstructed by paste-like substances that have entered the loosely fitted portion, preventing complete operation.

<Problems to be solved by the invention> The present invention is based on the patent application filed in 1983, which was already proposed by the inventor.
This invention was completed after intensive research in order to improve the invention of No. 211350 and solve the above-mentioned problems.
The purpose of this is to make it easy to handle by being able to open the discharge hole and push out the contents one after another with a single touch, and also to make it easier to handle so that a part of the pushed out contents will not protrude near the edge of the discharge hole. Immediately after extrusion, a suction action is reliably performed to force the appropriate amount of paste-like material into the discharge hole so that it does not remain behind or adhere to the lid body even when the lid is closed. It is possible. To provide a container for extruding paste-like materials. Another object of the present invention is to provide a one-touch extrusion type container that can always provide a fresh and homogeneous paste without drying and solidifying near the discharge hole.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The above-mentioned object is to provide a cylindrical casing having a discharge hole in the upper part, a piston that fits tightly into the inner wall of the cylindrical casing and is slidable in the axial direction, and a piston and the top of the casing. A rod-shaped rack member that penetrates the wall and can be raised and lowered,
A container for extruding a paste-like material, comprising a clamp member attached to the piston, which engages with the rack when the rack member is ascending, and disengages the engagement when the rack member descends, and is provided with an actuating means for moving the rack member up and down. A shaped body is fitted in a cylindrical conduit penetrating through the top wall so as to be slidable in the axial direction, and the shaped body and the rack member are interlocked by the actuating means so that they move up and down in opposite directions. This is achieved by a container for extruding a paste-like material, which is characterized by:

The configuration of the present invention will be explained below based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

Figures 1 to 5 show examples of the container of the present invention. Figure 1 is a side view, Figure 2 is a plan view, Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line A--A in Figure 2, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of essential parts for explaining the operation.

In FIGS. 1 to 4, the container body includes a cylindrical casing 1 and a cap 2 that is placed on the top of the casing 1.
It becomes more. On the top wall 3 of the casing 1, a tube body 5 is provided which communicates the discharge hole 4 at the tip with the inside of the container, and a central through hole 6 and cylindrical conduits 7, 7'...
is installed vertically. The bottom of the casing 1 is open and the lower edge is preferably surrounded by a flange 8 to increase upright stability.

A piston 9 is fitted into the interior of the casing 1 from the open end side. The piston 9 has a shape in which the peripheral edge of a disk 11 having a through hole 10 in the center is connected to a cylindrical body 12, and the cylindrical body 12 is sized and shaped so that it fits tightly into the inner wall of the casing 1 and can slide in the axial direction. It is molded with strict tolerances, and preferably the generatrix of the outer circumferential surface is arcuate so that the upper and lower edges are uniformly in close contact with the inner wall of the casing 1, but a slight gap is maintained in the middle part. . Furthermore, it is particularly preferable to form the lower edge into a sharp edge, since this works effectively to prevent the piston 9 from descending, which will be described later.

Inside the casing 1, there is a rod-shaped member 13 extending over almost the entire length of the casing 1, which is connected to the central through-hole 6 of the top wall 3.
and the through hole 10 of the piston 9, respectively, and are provided vertically. The large diameter portion 14 at the upper end of the rod-shaped rack member 13 is slidably fitted into the central through hole 6, and racks are uniformly carved at a pitch of about 0.5 to 3 mm from just below the large diameter portion 14 to the lower end. The maximum diameter part of the rack is in liquid-tight sliding contact with the inner wall of the through hole 10 of the piston 9, and the height of the inner wall of the through hole is designed to be larger than the rack pitch so that the annular ridge line of one of the teeth of the rack is always in contact with the through hole 10. By uniformly contacting the inner wall of the piston 9, even when the rack member 13 moves up and down, an airtight state is maintained at the piston 9, and the contents will not leak.

The clamp member 15 attached to the piston 9 is
It consists of an annular plate 16 that fits into an annular recess formed on the lower surface of the piston 9, and a plurality of pawls 17, 17' extending diagonally downward in the centripetal direction from the annular plate 16.
The tip of 17' clamps the rack member 13 and engages with the rack.

The rod-like rack member 13 is connected at its upper end to an actuating means for raising and lowering the rod-like rack member. During the raising movement, the clamp member 15 and the rack remain engaged, so that the piston 9 follows. On the other hand, when the bar-shaped rack member 13 moves downward, the engagement with the clamp member 15 is released, allowing the rack member to freely move downward.

In the container as described above, the main point of the present invention is that the shaped bodies 18, 18' are fitted in the cylindrical conduits 7, 7' vertically extending through the top wall 3 so as to be slidable in the axial direction.
The shaped bodies 18, 18'... and the rod-shaped rack member 1
3 and 3 are configured to move up and down in opposite directions. That is, when the rack member 13 moves upward, the bodies 18, 18' simultaneously move downward, and conversely, the bodies 18 and 18' move upwardly as the rack member 13 moves upward, so that both of them are operated through actuating means. They can be linked together.

In the illustrated embodiment, a one-piece lever 19, which has the simplest structure, is used as such an actuating means. That is, one end of the lever 19 is connected to the upper end of the rod-shaped rack member 13 via a connecting member such as a cable 20, and the other end is connected to the shaped bodies 18, 18', etc. by an appropriate connecting mechanism. Further, a support shaft 21 in the intermediate portion is supported in a shaft bearing hole 23 formed in a bracket 22 attached to the tube body 5, and is rotatably attached. Preferably, the lever 19 is always urged by a resilient member such as a spring 24 from the rack member raising position to the lowering position. In the illustrated example, a spring 24 is attached to the side where the force that rotates the lever 19 is applied.
is locked at its free end by the spring receiver 25, and the lever 1
9 to the lowered position of the rack member 13. It goes without saying that such a resilient member can be provided on the attachment side of the cable 20.

The linking mechanism that connects the lever 19 and the members 18, 18'... is such that the members 18, 18'... are moved downward as the lever 19 is rotated from the rack member lowering position to the raising position. Any suitable known mechanism can be used as long as it acts as a mechanism to push the lever 19 or the opposite, but the most preferable example is to attach the shape body 18 to the push button 26 for applying force to the lever 19 as shown in the figure. 18'
It is to connect... This push button 2
Reference numeral 6 includes a cap body 28 that is crowned on the end of the lever 19 and has a pressing surface 27 formed on its upper surface, and is rotatably connected to the upper edge of the cap body via a connecting portion 29 such as a soft thin wall portion or a hinge. It consists of a cover body 30 for the discharge hole 4 provided, and shaped bodies 18, 18', . . . protrude downward and are fixed.

The pushbutton 26 is located at the lower part 1.
8, 18'... are inserted into the cylindrical conduits 7, 7'..., and are mounted astride the lever 19, and the pressing surface 27 of the head is exposed from the concave part 31 of the cap 2 which is placed on top of the lever 19. Ru. The lid 30 extends horizontally over a groove 32 cut through the upper surface of the cap 2, and covers the discharge hole 4 of the tube 5 that protrudes upward from another recess 33 of the cap 2. do. Lid body 3
0 rotates upward to open the discharge hole 4 and close the lid again after using the discharged material, an elastic member such as a spring or a cam mechanism is attached to the connecting portion 29 between the lid body 30 and the cap body 28. It is preferable to apply the structure appropriately by designing within a range that does not make the structure extremely complicated.

In addition, if the lid 30 covers the discharge hole 4 but does not completely close it, it is recommended that a separately prepared plug 34 be inserted into the discharge hole 4 to prevent the contents from drying and solidifying during long-term storage. .

The protrusions 35 provided on both sides of the cap body 28 of the push button 26 engage with protrusions (not shown) provided at corresponding locations on the inner wall of the cap 2, thereby causing the push button 26 to rise to or leave a predetermined level or higher. deter. In addition, the cap 2 is configured to forcibly fit (forcibly fit) the protrusion 36 provided around the inner wall of the skirt with the undercut ring 37 provided around the upper edge of the casing 1.
be integrated with.

The configuration described above can be appropriately modified and embodied in various embodiments without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 58-211350, which is a prior application of the present inventor, a cap is rotatably attached to the upper part of the container, ie, a casing, and a rod-shaped rack member is connected to the cap. A paste-like substance container is connected to the container through a connecting portion such as a container, and the rack member is moved up and down by the reciprocating rotation of the cap, and the discharge hole of the casing is opened and closed at the periphery of the cap. It can be applied advantageously.
In order to improve such a container so that it has a configuration substantially equivalent to that of the present invention, a cylindrical conduit is provided through the top wall of the casing, and a body fitted into the cylindrical conduit is inserted into the cap. In order to link with rotational movement,
It may be connected to a lever device for raising and lowering the cap or rack member.

Although the container of the present invention can be made of metal material, each part except the clamp member 15 can be advantageously made by molding plastics, such as injection molding.

The operation of the container of the present invention configured as described above will be explained below.

<Function> Each part of the container of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 is assembled as follows.

First, the rod-shaped rack member 13 is inserted into the central through hole 6 of the casing 1, and the large diameter portion 14 of the rack member 13 is inserted.
is fitted into the central through hole 6, and the support shaft 21 of the lever 19 is fitted into the shaft bearing hole 23 of the bracket 22,
Also, the free end of the spring 24 is locked inside the spring receiver 25. Next, the plug 34 is fitted into the discharge hole 4,
Further, the shaped bodies 18, 18'... are inserted into the cylindrical conduits 7, 7'... and the push button 26 is placed astride the lever 19. Further, the cap 2 is placed on them, and the undercut ring 37 and the casing 1 are attached.
By forcibly fitting the push button 26 with the protrusion 36 on the upper edge, the push button 26 is prevented from coming off upward by the engagement of the protrusion 35 and is stably mounted.

The casing 1, whose head has been assembled in this way and whose upper end is airtightly closed, is turned upside down, filled with paste from the open end, and further fitted with the piston 9 to which the clamp member 15 is attached. do. Through hole 10 of piston 9 and clamp member 1
A rod-shaped rack member 13 is inserted into the gap formed at the tip of the claw 17 of No. 5.

The operation and function of the container of the present invention assembled in this manner are as follows.

Prior to use of the container, the plug 34 is removed and ready. As shown in FIG. 5, when the push button 26 is pressed down, the lid body 30 first opens at the initial stage of its downward movement. That is, since the lower surface of the lid body 30 is in contact with the upper surface of the groove 32 of the cap 2, when the connecting portion 29 descends with the downward movement of the cap body 28, the groove rises relatively. The lid body 30 is pushed up by the edge 39 of 32 and stands upright. When the push button 26 is further pushed down, the lower end of the tension wall 38 vertically installed inside the push button 26 acts on the lever 19, and the lever 19 is moved against the elastic force of the spring 24 to the position where the rack member is raised as shown by the dotted line. While rotating around the support shaft 21, the shaped body 18 is slid and press-fitted downward. By such rotation of the lever 19, the slack in the cable 20 is removed, and the rack member 13 is further pulled up. At that time, the rack is the claw 17 of the clamp member 15,
The clamp member 15 is in an engaged state with 17'...
The piston 9 to which it is attached rises accordingly.
The amount of paste corresponding to the reduction in the internal volume of the container due to the rise of the piston 9, and more precisely, the reduction in volume due to the press-fitting of the shaped bodies 18, 18', etc., passes through the pipe 5 and is discharged into the discharge hole. It is pushed out from 4.

The important action of the container according to the invention takes place in the next step. That is, when the push button is released after a predetermined amount of the discharged paste has been used, the lever 19 rotates in the opposite direction due to the elastic force of the spring 24, and returns to the rack member lowering position. Return. By this action, the cable 20, which has sufficient rigidity, pushes down the rack member 13, and at the same time the push button 26 is pushed up, and the bodies 18, 18', . . . are also raised accordingly. The lid 30 is automatically closed by a suitably provided closing means or manually closed.

When the rack member 13 moves downward, the claws 17, 17'... of the clamp member 15 are disengaged from the rack, and the piston 9 allows the sharp lower peripheral edge of the cylindrical body 12 to properly contact the inner wall of the casing 1. Due to the close fit with high frictional resistance, downward movement is inhibited.
Only the rack member 13 is allowed to freely descend. Therefore, there is no substantial change in the internal volume of the container due to the downward movement of the rack member 13.

On the other hand, as the bodies 18, 18'... rise, the internal volume of the container increases by the volume multiplied by the stroke length and the total cross-sectional area of the bodies 18, 18', so a corresponding negative pressure is generated. As a result, the paste-like material near the discharge hole 4 is sucked and moves back towards the tube body 5. This suction action is performed immediately after the pressing force on the push button 26 is released, and the lid is subsequently closed.

<Effects of the Invention> The container of the present invention has the above-described structure and function, and the paste-like material protruding from the vicinity of the periphery of the discharge hole 4 is sucked back into the pipe before closing.
The paste does not stick to the lid 30, and of course does not drip down from the discharge hole 4 toward the outer wall of the tube 5 and contaminate the surrounding area. In addition, the paste sucked back into the tube is placed under the same humidity or solvent concentration conditions as the large amount of paste inside, so it does not dry out easily and can be discharged the next time without any problems, so it is always fresh. It is possible to supply a homogeneous paste-like material by using a plug 34, and when storing the product for a long period of time, the shelf life can be extended by providing a plug 34.

Furthermore, the container of the present invention allows the lid to be opened and the contents to be pushed out one after another with a single operation using only one hand, making it convenient to handle and regardless of the physical properties such as the viscosity of the paste-like material. Since it is possible to accurately suck back the container immediately after discharge, it eliminates all the drawbacks inherent in conventional containers of this type and achieves an excellent improvement.

However, since the container of the present invention can be provided in large quantities and at low cost by making full use of plastic molding technology, it also greatly contributes to the convenience of daily life.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures show an embodiment of the container of the present invention, in which Figure 1 is a side view, Figure 2 is a plan view, and Figure 3 is A of Figure 2.
-A longitudinal sectional view, Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view, and Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view.
The figure is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining the action. 1...Casing, 3...Top wall, 4...Discharge hole, 7...
Cylindrical conduit, 9... Piston, 13... Rod-shaped rack member, 15... Clamp member, 18... Shape body, 19
...Lever, 24...Spring, 26...Push button.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical casing 1 having a discharge hole 4 in the upper part.
, a piston 9 that fits tightly into the inner wall of the piston 9 and is slidable in the axial direction, and a rod-shaped rack member 1 that passes through the piston 9 and the top wall 3 of the casing 1 and is movable up and down.
3, and a clamp member 15 which is attached to the piston 9 and engages with the rack when the rack member 13 is ascending and releases the engagement when the rack member 13 is descending, and has an actuating means for moving the rack member 13 up and down. In a push-out container, the casing 1
A shaped body 18 is slidably fitted in the axial direction in the cylindrical conduit 7 extending through the top wall 3 of the rack, and the said operation is performed so that the shaped body 18 and the rack member 13 move up and down in opposite directions. A container for extruding a paste-like material, characterized in that the containers are linked together by means. 2. The operating means is a single lever 19, and the lever 19
A container for dispensing a paste-like material according to claim 1, further comprising a spring (24) for controlling the return of the rack member from the raising position to the lowering position. 3. The shaped body 18 is interlocked with the lever 19 via the push button 26 connected to the shaped body 18, and when the push button 26 is pressed down, the lever 19 is rotated from the rack member lowering position to the raising position. A container for extruding a paste-like material according to claim 2.