JP7551692B2 - Method and device for inserting inner plugs into coated containers - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method and device for fitting an inner stopper with a sponge-like application portion into the opening of a container body.

A stopper that is placed in the opening of a container body that contains a liquid, for example, a liquid containing an active ingredient such as a medicinal ingredient, is known (for example, Patent Document 1). A typical application container having such a stopper will be described with reference to Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the application container 1. The application container 1 has a container body 2, a cap 3, and an inner plug 10. The inner plug 10 is attached to the opening of the container body 2. The inner plug 10 has a sponge-like application part 11 at its tip. The cap 3 is detachably attached to the container body 2 so as to cover the inner plug 10 to protect the application part 11 of the inner plug 10.

The inner plug 10 has the above-mentioned application part 11, the valve body 12, the valve seat 13, the inner plug body 14 configured to fit into the container body 2, and a biasing member 15 that biases the valve body 12 against the valve seat 13. The valve body 12 and the valve seat 13 function as an on-off valve 16 that fluidly opens or closes the interior of the container body 2 and the application part 11, i.e., allows fluid communication between them. The biasing member 15 biases the valve body 12 forward so that the on-off valve 16 closes. When the on-off valve 16 is closed, the tip of the valve body 12 abuts against the application part 11 and supports the application part 11 from the inside.

When using the application container 1 with the inner stopper 10 attached, the user holds the application container 1 upside down and presses the application part 11 of the inner stopper 10 against the target area, retracting the valve body 12 against the biasing force of the biasing member 15. This opens the on-off valve 16, and the liquid inside the container body 2 that has descended due to gravity reaches the application part 11. The liquid that has reached the application part 11 leaks out through the application part 11, and an appropriate amount of liquid is applied to the target area.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of a conventional stoppering device used to stopper the stopper 10 of the application container 1. Specifically, Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the stopper gripping member 120, showing the state in which the stopper 10 is gripped. The stopper gripping member 120 is a columnar member as a whole, and has a gripping portion 121 at its tip. The gripping portion 121 is formed in an annular shape, and defines a circular opening at the tip of the stopper gripping member 120. The stopper 10 is gripped by the stopper gripping member 120 by fitting the outer peripheral surface of the stopper body 14 around the application portion 11 into the inner surface of the gripping portion 121. The application container 1 is manufactured by filling the container body 2 with liquid, and then pressing the stopper 10 gripped by the stopper gripping member 120 into the opening of the container body 2, i.e., by stoppering.

Utility Model Publication No. 58-41357

When the stopper 10 is pressed into the opening of the container body 2, the air in the space defined by the inner surface of the stopper 10, the inner surface of the container body 2, and the internal liquid surface is compressed, increasing the internal pressure. Therefore, when the application part 11 of the stopper 10 is pressed against the target area when the opening/closing valve 16 is opened when the application part 11 of the stopper 10 is first used, the compressed air inside will forcefully eject together with the liquid, and there is a risk that excess liquid will splash onto areas other than the target area.

The present invention aims to provide a method and device for attaching inner stoppers to coating containers that suppresses the increase in internal pressure in the coating container when the product is completed.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for attaching an inner stopper to an application container, the method comprising the steps of: preparing a container body containing a liquid; gripping a stopper having a sponge-like application part and an on-off valve that includes a valve body and a valve seat and allows communication between the inside of the container body and the application part, with an inner stopper gripping member; attaching the stopper to an opening of the container body; and opening the on-off valve.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stopper applicator for an application container, which includes a stopper gripping member for gripping an inner stopper having a sponge-like application part and an on-off valve that has a valve body and a valve seat and allows communication between the inside of the container body and the application part, and which is characterized in that the stopper gripping member has a pressing part that, when gripping the inner stopper, presses the valve body via the application part to open the on-off valve.

The opening step may be performed in the gripping step. The plug gripping member may have a pressing part that presses the valve body via the application part when gripping the plug, thereby opening the on-off valve.

The aspects of the present invention have the common effect of providing a method and device for inserting an inner stopper into an application container that suppresses an increase in the internal pressure in the application container when the product is completed.

FIG. 1 is a partially enlarged view of a capping device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is used to cap an inner plug of an application container. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the application container. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of a conventional capping device used for capping an inner plug of a coating container.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Corresponding components are designated by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings.

Figure 1 is a partially enlarged view of a capping device according to an embodiment of the present invention, used to cap an inner plug 10 of an application container 1. Specifically, Figure 1 is an enlarged view of an inner plug gripping member 20, showing a state in which the inner plug gripping member 20 is gripping an inner plug 10. The structures of the application container 1 and the inner plug 10 are as described above with reference to Figure 2.

The capping device, not shown in its entirety, is a device for pressurizing the inner stopper 10 held by the inner stopper holding member 20 into the opening of the container body 2 to cap it when the container body 2 containing the liquid is transported to the capping device during the manufacturing process of the application container 1. In a later process, the container body 2 with the inner stopper 10 capped is fitted with a cap 3 and a label is applied. The liquid is a liquid containing an active ingredient such as a medicinal ingredient, for example a lotion, but it may also be an adhesive, food, etc.

The plug gripping member 20, like the plug gripping member 120 described above with reference to FIG. 3, is a columnar member overall, with a gripping portion 21 at its tip. The gripping portion 21 is formed in an annular shape, and defines a circular opening at the tip of the plug gripping member 20. The plug 10 is gripped by the plug gripping member 20 by fitting the outer peripheral surface of the plug body 14 around the application portion 11 with the inner surface of the gripping portion 21.

The plug gripping member 20 has a protruding pressing portion 22 that protrudes forward within the opening defined by the gripping portion 21. As shown in FIG. 1, when the plug gripping member 20 grips the plug 10, the pressing portion 22 presses the application portion 11, causing the application portion 11 to deform. Inside the plug 10, as described above, the biasing member 15 biases the valve body 12 in a direction that closes the on-off valve 16, and the tip of the valve body 12 abuts against the application portion 11 to support the application portion 11 from the inside. Therefore, when the plug gripping member 20 grips the plug 10, the valve body 12 is pressed by the pressing portion 22 via the application portion 11, and the valve body 12 is separated from the valve seat 13, causing the on-off valve 16 to open.

Even if the stopper 10 held by the stopper holding member 20 is pressed into the opening of the container body 2 with the on-off valve 16 open, the air inside the container body 2 is not compressed, and an increase in internal pressure is suppressed. As a result, liquid is prevented from spraying out when the application container 1 is used for the first time.

The pressing portion 22 may be configured to have any length or shape as long as it can press the valve body 12 via the application portion 11 so that the on-off valve 16 opens when the plug gripping member 20 grips the plug 10. The plug gripping member 20 in the above-described embodiment has the same basic structure as the conventional plug gripping member 120, except for having the pressing portion 22. In other words, in an existing plugging device that has a similar problem, the problem can be easily solved by adding a pressing portion that presses the valve body of the plug against the plug gripping member.

According to the above-mentioned embodiment, a plugging method is provided that includes a preparation step of preparing a container body 2 containing a liquid, a gripping step of gripping an inner plug 10 with an inner plug gripping member 20, the inner plug 10 having a sponge-like application part 11 and an on-off valve 16 that includes a valve body 12 and a valve seat 13 and allows communication between the inside of the container body 2 and the application part 11, a plugging step of plugging the inner plug 10 into the opening of the container body 2, and an opening step of opening the on-off valve 16.

According to the above-mentioned embodiment, the opening step is performed in the gripping step, that is, when the inside plug 10 is gripped by the inside plug gripping member 20, the opening valve 16 is opened by the pressing portion 22. However, the inside plug gripping member 20 may not be provided with the pressing portion 22, and the opening step may be performed in a step separate from the gripping step. For example, in the gripping step, the inside plug 10 is gripped by a inside plug gripping member having a pressing portion so that the pressing portion does not come into contact with the inside plug 10. Next, in the stoppering step, the inside plug 10 may be pressed into the opening of the container body 2, and at the same time, the valve body 12 may be pressed by the pressing portion to open the on-off valve 16 and reduce the increased internal pressure. In short, the pressing portion may be provided so as to be movable in the axial direction relative to the inside plug gripping member. Also, in a manufacturing step after the stoppering step, the valve body 12 may be pressed and the on-off valve 16 may be opened to reduce the increased internal pressure.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 application container 2 container body 3 cap 10 inner plug 11 application portion 12 valve body 13 valve seat 14 inner plug body 15 biasing member 16 on-off valve 20 inner plug gripping member 21 gripping portion 22 pressing portion

Claims (4)

A method for plugging an inner plug of a coating container, comprising the steps of:
A preparation step of preparing a container body containing a liquid;
a gripping step of gripping an inside plug having a sponge-like application part and an on-off valve that is provided with a valve body and a valve seat and enables communication between the inside of the container body and the application part with an inside plug gripping member;
a plugging step of fitting the inside plug into an opening of the container body; and an opening step of opening the on-off valve. The capping method according to claim 1, wherein the opening step is performed during the gripping step. The stoppering method according to claim 2, wherein the stopper gripping member has a pressing part that presses the valve body via the application part when gripping the stopper, thereby opening the on-off valve. A capping device for an inner cap of an application container, comprising an inner cap gripping member for gripping an inner cap having a sponge-like application part and an on-off valve that is provided with a valve body and a valve seat and enables communication between the inside of a container body and the application part,
a stoppering device, characterized in that the inside plug gripping member has a pressing portion that presses the valve body via the application portion when the inside plug is gripped, thereby opening the on-off valve.

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