JP2024049867A - Pump type discharger - Google Patents

Abstract

To propose a pump type discharger which allows a content liquid to be discharged in the same way as in prior art, and which furthermore is superior in recyclability.SOLUTION: A pump type discharger 100 comprises: a cap 10 attached to the mouth of a container accommodating a content liquid; a pump which is held by the mouth using the cap 10, and drives when a stem 7a moves forward and backward; and a head with a discharge port 11d for discharging the content liquid to the outside and is coupled to the stem 7a. The head comprises an inclined part 11g which is inclined in a direction of separating from a center axis of the stem 7a while approaching the cap 10. The cap 10 has an elastic piece 10e which is bent in a direction of approaching the center axis O by the inclined part 11g, when the head is moved toward the cap 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a pump-type dispenser.

A known pump-type dispenser includes a cap that is attached to the mouth of a container, a pump that is held at the mouth by the cap and is driven by the back and forth movement of a stem, and a head that is connected to the stem; the liquid contents in the container are dispensed from the head's outlet by moving the head toward the cap (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

As shown in Patent Document 1, inside such a pump-type dispenser, a coil spring is provided to return the head, which has been moved toward the cap, to its initial position.

JP 2011-31950 A

However, while most of the components of this type of pump dispenser are made of synthetic resin, the coil spring is made of metal. For this reason, when it is discarded after use, it cannot be recycled as a resin product in this state. Furthermore, in general, in this type of pump dispenser, the components are firmly fixed to each other, for example by fitting, to prevent them from coming loose during normal use. Therefore, it takes time to disassemble the pump dispenser and separate the coil spring from the other components.

The present invention aims to solve these problems by proposing a pump-type dispenser that can dispense the liquid contents in the same way as conventional dispensers, and that also has excellent recyclability.

The present invention relates to a pump-type dispenser comprising a cap attached to the mouth of a container that contains a liquid content, a pump that is held at the mouth by the cap and is driven by the back and forth movement of a stem, and a head that has a discharge port for discharging the liquid content to the outside and is connected to the stem, the head being moved toward the cap to discharge the liquid content from the discharge port,
the head includes an inclined portion inclined in a direction away from the central axis of the stem toward the cap,
The cap is a pump-type dispenser having an elastic piece that is bent in a direction approaching the central axis by the inclined portion when the head is moved toward the cap.

The cap includes a plurality of the elastic pieces, and has a gap between adjacent elastic pieces.
The head preferably includes an elastic portion disposed in the gap and elastically deformed as the elastic piece bends toward the central axis to narrow the width of the gap.

The head includes a head body and a ring member,
the head body includes the ejection port and a peripheral wall,
The ring member preferably includes an annular wall disposed inside the peripheral wall and held by the peripheral wall, the annular wall having the elastic portion.

It is preferable that the elastic portion has one end and the other end connected to the peripheral wall to form a ring shape between the peripheral wall and a middle portion disposed in the gap.

It is preferable that the cap has a cap-side peripheral wall that extends in a direction circumferential to the central axis and surrounds the elastic piece.

When the pump dispenser of the present invention moves the head toward the cap, the elastic piece is bent by the inclined portion, and the bent elastic piece returns to its original position, allowing the head to return to its initial position. In other words, the pump dispenser of the present invention can be used in the same way as conventional ones without using a metal coil spring, and when discarded, it can be recycled as a resin product without disassembling it.

1A and 1B are diagrams showing an embodiment of a pump-type dispenser according to the present invention, in which (a) is a cross-sectional view as seen from the side, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing a state in which the head of the pump-type dispenser shown in FIG. 1 is pressed, in which (a) is a cross-sectional view as seen from the side, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing the state of the elastic piece and the elastic portion before the head is pressed, in which (a) is a perspective view showing the cap alone, and (b) is a perspective view showing the ring member alone. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing the state of the elastic piece and the elastic portion after the head is pressed, in which (a) is a perspective view showing the cap alone, and (b) is a perspective view showing the ring member alone.

One embodiment of the pump-type dispenser according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the like, the up-down direction refers to the direction along the illustrated central axis O (the central axis of the stem 7a described below), with the side on which the pipe 4 is located being the "bottom" and the side on which the head body 11 is located being the "top." Additionally, the radial direction refers to the direction perpendicular to the central axis O in a plane perpendicular to the central axis O, and the circumferential direction refers to the direction rotating around the central axis O in this plane.

The pump-type dispenser 100 of this embodiment is used by attaching it to the mouth of a bottle-shaped container (not shown). The liquid content dispensed by the pump-type dispenser 100 is, for example, shampoo, body soap, hand soap, facial cleanser, etc.

The pump-type dispenser 100 is composed of a cylinder 1, a valve member 2, a pipe 4, an internal member 5, a piston 6, a cylindrical member 7, a holder 8, a packing 9, a cap 10, a head body 11, and a ring member 12. Here, the cylinder 1, the valve member 2, the internal member 5, the piston 6, the cylindrical member 7, and the holder 8 are members that constitute the "pump" in this specification, and the head body 11 and the ring member 12 are members that constitute the "head" in this specification. Among the above-mentioned members, the valve member 2, the piston 6, the packing 9, and the ring member 12 are formed of elastic soft synthetic resin (e.g., polyethylene (LDPE, HDPE, foamed PE)), and the other members are formed of hard synthetic resin (e.g., polypropylene (PP), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyacetal (POM) resin, etc.). Each member that constitutes the pump-type dispenser 100 is basically formed in a shape centered on the central axis O.

The cylinder 1 has a disk-shaped bottom wall 1a with a central protruding upward, a cylindrical tube wall 1b that stands up from the outer edge of the bottom wall 1a, and a flange wall 1c that extends radially outward from the upper part of the tube wall 1b. A through hole (suction port 1d) is provided in the protruding central part of the bottom wall 1a. A cylindrical retaining tube 1e that surrounds the suction port 1d and extends downward to hold the pipe 4 is provided on the underside of the bottom wall 1a. A through hole (vent hole 1f) is provided in the tube wall 1b.

The valve member 2 includes a base 2a, a valve body 2b that covers the suction port 1d and seats on the upper surface of the bottom wall 1a, and an elastically deformable connecting piece 2c that connects the base 2a and the valve body 2b. The valve member 2 functions as a check valve, and when the pressure inside the cylinder 1 is reduced, the valve body 2b that has been closing the suction port 1d moves away from the bottom wall 1a to open the suction port 1d.

In this embodiment, the base 2a is cylindrical with a lid and has an opening (not shown) through which the liquid content passes after passing through the suction port 1d. The base 2a is fitted and held against the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical wall portion 1b, so that the valve member 2 is held within the cylinder 1.

The pipe 4 is hollow, and its upper end is inserted into the retaining tube 1e and is held in place by fitting therein.

The internal member 5 is disposed inside the cylinder 1 and moves up and down relative to the cylinder 1. The internal member 5 comprises a cylindrical connecting tube 5a and a bottom portion 5b that closes the lower end of the connecting tube 5a and extends radially outward. The connecting tube 5a is provided with a hole (communication port 5c) that passes through it, and the top surface of the bottom portion 5b is provided with an annular portion 5d that is located radially outward from the connection portion with the connecting tube 5a.

The piston 6 is inserted through the connecting tube 5a and positioned above the bottom 5b. The piston 6 in this embodiment has a circular base 6a. An outer sliding piece 6b extending upward and downward from the base 6a is provided on the outer edge of the base 6a. The outer sliding piece 6b slidably and liquid-tightly contacts the inner peripheral surface of the tube wall portion 1b. An inner sliding piece 6c extending upward and downward from the base 6a is provided on the inner edge of the base 6a. The lower part of the inner sliding piece 6c slidably and liquid-tightly contacts the inner peripheral surface of the annular portion 5d, and the upper part slidably and liquid-tightly contacts the inner peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter portion 7b of the tubular member 7, which will be described later.

The tubular member 7 is a member that is generally tubular. The tubular member 7 has a cylindrical stem 7a and an expanded diameter portion 7b that is connected to the lower end of the stem 7a and has a larger diameter than the stem 7a. When the connecting tube 5a is inserted into the stem 7a, the two are fitted together, so that the internal member 5 and the tubular member 7 move together relative to the cylinder 1.

The holder 8 has a portion located radially outward of the stem 7a and a portion located radially outward of the enlarged diameter portion 7b, and is equipped with a holder base 8a that is fitted and held against the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall portion 1b. A flange 8b extending radially outward is provided at the upper end of the holder base 8a. The holder 8 prevents the internal member 5, piston 6, and cylindrical member 7 from slipping out of the cylinder 1.

The packing 9 is in the shape of a circular ring plate, and is inserted into and held in the cylindrical wall portion 1b of the cylinder 1. When the pump-type dispenser 100 is attached to a container (not shown), the packing 9 is sandwiched between the mouth of the container and the flange wall 1c. This prevents problems such as the contents spilling out of the mouth when the container is turned over.

The cap 10 has a disk-shaped top wall 10a with a through hole in the center. The outer edge of the top wall 10a is provided with a lower peripheral wall 10b extending downward and an upper peripheral wall 10c extending upward. The upper peripheral wall 10c corresponds to the "cap side peripheral wall" in this specification. The lower peripheral wall 10b can fit and hold the flange wall 1c on its inner peripheral surface, thereby holding the cylinder 1 in the cap 10. The inner peripheral surface of the lower peripheral wall 10b is provided with a female threaded portion 10d that screws into a male threaded portion provided on the mouth of the container, and the cap 10 can be attached to the container by screwing the male threaded portion and the female threaded portion 10d together.

The cap 10 also includes a plate-like elastic piece 10e that extends upward from the upper surface of the top wall 10a and is capable of elastically deforming radially inward, radially outward, on the radially outer side of the through hole in the top wall 10a. The elastic piece 10e in this embodiment is arc-shaped in plan view as shown in Figs. 1(b) and 3(a), and a total of four of them are provided with a gap S in the circumferential direction centered on the central axis O. The elastic piece 10e is located radially inward of the upper peripheral wall 10c.

The head body 11 is cylindrical and has a tubular portion 11a that is inserted into the stem 7a and is held in engagement therewith. The upper portion of the tubular portion 11a is provided with a top portion 11b that is circular in plan view, has a flat upper surface, and has a passage inside that leads to the tubular portion 11a. The top portion 11b is provided with a nozzle 11c that is cylindrical, extends radially outward, and leads to a passage provided inside the top portion 11b. The tip of the nozzle 11c is provided with a discharge port 11d through which the content liquid is discharged by the pump-type discharger 100.

The head body 11 also has a cylindrical peripheral wall 11e extending downward from the outer edge of the top 11b. A rib 11f is provided on the radial inner side of the peripheral wall 11e to connect the cylindrical portion 11a and the peripheral wall 11e. In this embodiment, a total of four ribs 11f are provided with a gap in the circumferential direction centered on the central axis O. On the lower surface of the rib 11f, as shown in FIG. 1(a), an inclined portion 11g is provided that inclines in a direction away from the central axis O as it goes downward, and a positioning portion 11h is provided that is located radially outside the inclined portion 11g and extends horizontally. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1(b), a positioning recess 11j is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 11e below the positioning portion 11h, which cuts out the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 11e toward the radial outside. A total of two positioning recesses 11j are provided with a gap in the circumferential direction centered on the central axis O.

The ring member 12 has an annular wall 12a that is annular in plan view. On the outer circumferential surface of the annular wall 12a, as shown in FIG. 3(b), there is an annular protrusion 12b that extends circumferentially and protrudes radially outward, and a positioning protrusion 12c that is shaped to fit into the positioning recess 11j. When the ring member 12 is inserted inside the peripheral wall 11e, the annular protrusion 12b fits into the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 11e, so that the ring member 12 is held in place relative to the head body 11 and will not fall off. In addition, the positioning protrusion 12c fits into the positioning recess 11j, so that the ring member 12 is positioned and held in the circumferential direction relative to the head body 11.

In addition, the ring member 12 has an elastic portion 12d that enters the gap S between the adjacent elastic pieces 10e when assembled into the pump-type discharger 100. The elastic portion 12d is elastically deformed so as to be crushed in the circumferential direction as the gap S narrows, and this elastic deformation causes a restoring force in the circumferential direction by the elastic portion 12d to act on the elastic piece 10e. The elastic portion 12d in this embodiment is U-shaped in a plan view as shown in the figure, and has two straight portions 12e extending radially inward and an arc-shaped portion 12f connecting the straight portions 12e. One end 12g and the other end 12h of the elastic portion 12d are integrally connected to the inner circumferential surface of the annular wall 12a. In addition, in the intermediate portion of the elastic portion 12d located between the one end 12g and the other end 12h (the portion composed of the two straight portions 12e and the arc-shaped portion 12f), the two straight portions 12e are arranged between the gap S. In this embodiment, a total of four elastic parts 12d are provided with gaps in the circumferential direction around the central axis O. As shown in FIG. 1(b), when the elastic parts 12d are inserted into the gaps S, the ribs 11f are positioned so as to overlap the elastic pieces 10e in a plan view.

When the head body 11 of the pump-type dispenser 100 composed of such members is pressed from above, the stem 7a is pressed down together with the head body 11 as shown in FIG. 2(a) (the stem 7a moves toward the cap 10 along the central axis O). As the stem 7a is pressed down, the bottom 5b also descends through the connecting tube 5a as shown in FIG. 2, and the liquid-tight contact between the annular part 5d and the lower part of the inner sliding piece 6c is released. When the head body 11 is further pressed down, the piston 6 also descends together with the cylindrical member 7 and the internal member 5, and the inside of the cylinder 1 is pressurized. As a result, the liquid in the cylinder 1 passes through the communication port 5c, passes through the connecting tube 5a, the stem 7a, the cylindrical part 11a, the passage provided inside the top part 11b, and the inside of the nozzle 11c, and is discharged from the discharge port 11d to the outside world. When the head body 11 is pressed and the piston 6 descends below the vent 1f, the container (not shown) communicates with the outside world via the vent 1f. This prevents the pressure inside the container from becoming negative even if the liquid contained in the container decreases, preventing the container from being deformed or crushed.

When the head body 11 is pressed down, the inclined portion 11g of the rib 11f applies a pressing force to the upper end of the elastic piece 10e, causing the elastic piece 10e to bend radially inward. When the elastic piece 10e bends radially inward, the gap S between adjacent elastic pieces 10e narrows as shown in FIG. 4(a). As a result, the elastic portion 12d that has entered the gap S elastically deforms so that the two linear portions 12e move closer to each other as shown in FIG. 4(b). That is, in addition to the restoring force caused by bending radially inward, the elastic piece 10e is subjected to a restoring force caused by the elastic deformation of the elastic portion 12d.

When the pressure on the head body 11 is then released, the bent elastic piece 10e returns to the state shown in FIG. 1(a) due to its own restoring force and the restoring force of the elastically deformed elastic portion 12d, and the head body 11 begins to rise due to the rib 11f in contact with the elastic piece 10e. As a result, the piston 6 rises together with the internal member 5 while the lower part of the inner sliding piece 6c abuts against the annular portion 5d again in a liquid-tight manner, reducing the pressure inside the cylinder 1. As a result, the valve body portion 2b moves away from the bottom wall portion 1a, opening the suction port 1d, and the liquid content in the container can be sucked into the cylinder 1 through the pipe 4.

In this way, the pump-type dispenser 100 of this embodiment can return the head body 11 to its original position after discharging the liquid content without using a metal coil spring, and can be used in the same way as a conventional pump-type dispenser.

In addition, when the elastic piece 10e is repeatedly bent radially inward as described above, it may become worn. On the other hand, the pump type dispenser 100 of this embodiment uses not only the restoring force caused by the elastic piece 10e bending radially inward, but also the restoring force caused by the elastic deformation of the elastic portion 12d when returning the head body 11, so that defects caused by wear can be suppressed compared to a device that returns the head body 11 only by the elastic piece 10e without using the elastic portion 12d. In particular, according to the pump type dispenser 100 of this embodiment, the restoring force of the elastic portion 12d acts from a direction (circumferential direction) different from the direction in which the elastic piece 10e bends (radial direction), so that the elastic portion 12d is less likely to become worn.

The pump-type dispenser 100 of this embodiment also has an excellent appearance because the elastic piece 10e is surrounded by the upper peripheral wall 10c, making the elastic piece 10e invisible from the radially outside. In particular, in this embodiment, when the head body 11 is returned to the upward position as shown in FIG. 1(a), the upper end of the upper peripheral wall 10c is in a position that overlaps with the lower end of the peripheral wall 11e in the vertical direction, and the internal structure, including the elastic piece 10e, is always invisible, resulting in an excellent appearance.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the spirit of the present invention described in the claims unless otherwise specifically limited in the above description. For example, the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment can be added or deleted as appropriate, and the configuration of one embodiment can be applied to other embodiments. Furthermore, the effects of the above-mentioned embodiment are merely examples of the effects resulting from the present invention, and do not mean that the effects of the present invention are limited to the above-mentioned effects.

For example, the pump described above is merely an example, and the present invention also includes cases where other types of pumps are used. In addition, the number of elastic pieces 10e and elastic portions 12d can be set arbitrarily, and is not limited to multiple, and may be singular.

The head in this embodiment is composed of a head body 11 and a ring member 12, but the elastic portion 12d provided on the ring member 12 may be provided on the head body 11, so that the head is composed of only the head body 11.

The elastic portion 12d is not limited to being U-shaped in plan view as shown in the figure, but may be, for example, a U-shaped portion in plan view in which the arc-shaped portion 12f is linear, or may be an arc-shaped portion formed as a whole by curving the two linear portions 12e. The elastic portion 12d may also be formed of only the two linear portions 12e, omitting the arc-shaped portion 12f.

1: Cylinder 1a: Bottom wall 1b: Cylinder wall 1c: Flange wall 1d: Inlet 1e: Retaining cylinder 1f: Vent 2: Valve member 2a: Base 2b: Valve body 2c: Connecting piece 4: Pipe 5: Internal member 5a: Connecting cylinder 5b: Bottom 5c: Communication port 5d: Annular portion 6: Piston 6a: Base 6b: Outer sliding piece 6c: Inner sliding piece 7: Cylindrical member 7a: Stem 7b: Expanded diameter portion 8: Holder 8a: Holder base 8b: Flange 9: Gasket 10: Cap 10a: Top wall 10b: Bottom Side peripheral wall 10c: Upper peripheral wall 10d: Female thread portion 10e: Elastic piece 11: Head body 11a: Cylindrical portion 11b: Top portion 11c: Nozzle 11d: Discharge port 11e: Peripheral wall 11f: Rib 11g: Inclined portion 11h: Positioning portion 11j: Positioning recess 12: Ring member 12a: Annular wall 12b: Annular protrusion 12c: Positioning protrusion 12d: Elastic portion 12e: Straight portion 12f: Arc-shaped portion 12g: One end portion 12h: Other end portion 100: Pump-type discharger O: Central axis S: Gap

Claims (5)

A pump-type dispenser comprising: a cap that is attached to the mouth of a container that contains a liquid content; a pump that is held at the mouth by the cap and is driven by the back and forth movement of a stem; and a head that has a discharge port for discharging the liquid content to the outside and is connected to the stem, the head being moved toward the cap to discharge the liquid content from the discharge port,
the head includes an inclined portion inclined in a direction away from the central axis of the stem toward the cap,
The cap has an elastic piece that is bent in a direction approaching the central axis by the inclined portion when the head is moved toward the cap. The cap includes a plurality of the elastic pieces, and has a gap between adjacent elastic pieces.
2. The pump-type discharger according to claim 1, wherein the head includes an elastic portion disposed in the gap and elastically deformed when the elastic piece bends toward the central axis to narrow the width of the gap. The head includes a head body and a ring member,
the head body includes the ejection port and a peripheral wall,
3. The pump-type dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the ring member comprises an annular wall disposed inside the peripheral wall and held by the peripheral wall, the annular wall having the elastic portion. The pump-type discharger according to claim 3, wherein the elastic portion has one end and the other end connected to the peripheral wall to form a ring shape between the peripheral wall and a middle portion disposed in the gap. The pump-type discharger according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cap has a cap-side peripheral wall that extends in a direction circumferentially around the central axis and surrounds the elastic piece.

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