JPH10175657A - Container - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To store powders such as a powder detergent and allow them to be easily taken out in suitable amounts. SOLUTION: A measuring cup 5 which can be pushed downward is provided at an upper part of a container body 1. A pump device is provided for sucking air from the outside of the container by the reciprocating motion of the measuring cup 5 in the vertical direction, compressing the air, and discharging the air into the container. The pump device includes a piston 4 provided integrally with the measuring cup 5.
A cylinder 3 on which it slides, a one-way valve 9 for suction,
The discharge one-way valve 11 is included. One end is opened near the bottom of the container, the other end is opened inside the measuring cup 5, and a pipe-shaped passage 12 is provided at the middle part of the bellows part 14a which can be extended and contracted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container for accommodating powders such as powder detergents or liquids or fluids such as liquid detergents and taking out and using them in appropriate amounts.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of container, there are those disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-69454 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-17736. These are all provided with a bellows-type manual pump in communication with the upper cylindrical opening of the bottle-shaped container main body, and by pressing this pump, the inside is pressurized, and one end is formed in the bottom of the container. The contents are taken out from the other end of the pipe inserted into the vicinity.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional container, a bellows-type manual pump is provided on the upper part of the bottle-shaped container body, and the push operation is performed from above. Therefore, the other end of the pipe, that is, the outlet for taking out the contents, must be provided on the side, and the whole has an asymmetric shape.

In addition, the outlet is simply opened, and there is no weighing function for the extracted contents. If a weighing cup is arranged below the outlet to provide a weighing function, it becomes more asymmetric and difficult to handle. Further, the invention is mainly devised to be applied to liquids or fluids, and there is no device for applying to powders such as powder detergents.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention can arrange the cup at the uppermost position and configure the cup in a symmetrical shape.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a container which has good appearance, is easy to handle, and can be applied to powder.

[0006]

According to the present invention, a cup is provided at the top of a container body so as to be vertically movable, urged upward by an elastic body, and operable downward. A pump device that sucks air from the outside of the container by the reciprocating motion of the cup in the vertical direction, compresses and discharges the air into the container, and one end positioned and fixed with respect to the container body and opened near the bottom in the container. The present invention provides a container comprising: a pipe-shaped passage whose end is positioned and fixed with respect to the cup, is opened inside the cup, and an intermediate portion is configured to be elastically deformable.

In such a container, the cup is pushed several times to operate the pump device, whereby air is sucked in from outside the container, compressed and discharged into the container. Then, the inside of the container is pressurized, whereby the contents are extruded, ascending the pipe-like passage, and supplied into the cup. Also, by operating the cup to push, the distance from the bottom of the container to the cup changes, but the middle part of the pipe-shaped passage is elastically deformed, and the change in distance can be absorbed, The supply function is not impaired.

In the invention according to claim 2, the pump device includes a piston integrally provided at a lower portion of the cup, a cylinder in which the piston slides to form a pump chamber below the piston, and an outside of the container. A suction one-way valve that is in a communication path with the pump chamber and that opens only in a suction direction from outside the container;
And a discharge one-way valve which is provided in a communication passage between the pump chamber and the inside of the container and is opened only in a discharge direction to the inside of the container.

That is, when the cup is pushed downward, the pump chamber is reduced by the lowering of the piston, and the air in the pump chamber is discharged into the container through the one-way discharge valve. , The pump chamber is expanded, and air is sucked into the pump chamber from the outside of the container via the one-way suction valve. The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the cylinder is inserted into and fixed to a tube opening at an upper portion of a container body. Thereby, the pump device can be compactly built in the cylinder mouth.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the elastic body for urging the cup is a spring housed in the pump chamber and urging the piston. Thereby, the urging means can be simplified. In the invention according to claim 5, the pipe-shaped passage extends linearly in the up-down direction, and an intermediate portion is formed in a bellows shape that can expand and contract.

In particular, when applying to powders, it is better to shorten the length of the pipe-shaped passage. If it is made straight in the vertical direction and the elastically deformable portion is formed in an elastic bellows shape, the length will be minimized. be able to. In the invention according to claim 6, the pipe-shaped passage extends linearly in the up-down direction through the piston and the cylinder wall below the piston, and is fixed at each of the penetrations, and is provided between the penetrations. The portion is formed in an elastic bellows shape.

[0012] Similarly to the above, the length of the pipe-like passage can be minimized.
The inlet and outlet of the pipe-shaped passage can be positioned. The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the cup has a lid member that can be opened and closed at an upper portion thereof. Thereby, the pushing operation becomes easy, and it is possible to prevent the spillage when falling down.

[0013] In the invention according to claim 8, the cup is
It is characterized by having a scale line for measurement. This allows accurate weighing. The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that the opening of the pipe-shaped passage in the cup is provided sideways. Thereby, it is possible to prevent spillage during ejection to the cup.

The invention according to claim 10 is characterized in that a one-way valve that opens only in the discharge direction to the cup is provided in the opening of the pipe-shaped passage in the cup. Thereby, the pipe-shaped passage is closed at the time of storage, and it is possible to prevent the moisture, particularly when applied to powder. The invention according to claim 11 is characterized in that a relief valve for releasing pressure inside the container by manual operation is provided.

In this case, after the cup is pushed several times, when the contents are discharged into the cup, when the appropriate amount is reached, if the relief valve is manually opened, the pressurized state is reduced. Since the discharge is released and the discharge ends, more accurate measurement can be performed. The invention according to claim 12 is characterized in that the contents are powder. That is, it is characterized by being used as a container for storing and supplying powder.

As described above, various devices suitable for powders have been devised, so that they are most suitable as containers for powders. On the other hand, in the invention according to claim 13, the container body for storing the powder, a pipe-shaped passage having one end outside the container body and the other end near the inner bottom surface of the container body, and the one end of the pipe-shaped passage. A container is provided which includes a lid for covering alone or in cooperation with another member, and a pump device for introducing outside air into a container body. According to this, the pressurized air in the container flows out at a stretch by opening the lid, and the powder is discharged well.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are cross-sectional views according to operation states showing an embodiment of the present invention. The container main body 1 is formed of a synthetic resin in a bottle shape, has a relatively small-diameter cylindrical opening 2 at an upper portion, and is capable of storing a powder P such as a powder detergent.

A cylindrical cylinder 3 with a bottom made of a synthetic resin is inserted into the cylinder opening 2. The cylinder 3 has a flange portion 3a outside an upper end (opening), and forms a double cylinder from the flange portion 3a to surround an outer periphery of the cylinder 3.
b. Then, a screw is cut on the inner periphery of the outer cylinder portion 3b and screwed to a screw on the outer periphery of the cylinder mouth portion 2, whereby the cylinder 3 is attached to the cylinder mouth portion 2 in a sealed state. still,
The outer periphery of the outer cylindrical portion 3b is provided with a non-slip process such as a vertical groove for facilitating the screw operation.

A piston 4 made of synthetic resin is provided in the cylinder 3.
Are fitted slidably in a vertical direction in a gas-liquid tight state. On the upper surface side of the piston 4, a measuring cup 5 made of transparent or translucent synthetic resin and having a measuring scale line M at a height position for each predetermined volume is placed and fixed. The measuring cup 5 has an openable and closable lid (cap) 5b connected to the upper portion thereof via a hinge 5a. This lid member 5
b is configured to close the measuring cup 5 airtightly.

On the other hand, a pump chamber 6 is formed below the piston 4 in the cylinder 3. A metal coil spring 7 is housed in the pump chamber 6, whereby the piston 4 and the measuring cup 5 are urged upward. Also,
A communication passage (suction passage) 8 is formed in the piston 4 and penetrates from the upper surface side to the lower surface side. The communication passage 8 has a suction opening that opens only in the suction direction from the outside of the container to the pump chamber 6. A valve 9 is provided. In the figure, reference numeral 8a denotes a groove formed on the upper surface of the piston 4 so as to form a part of the communication passage 8.

A communication passage (discharge passage) 10 penetrating the cylinder 3 is formed in the wall of the cylinder 3 facing the piston 4, and the communication passage 10 is formed in the direction of discharge from the pump chamber 6 to the inside of the container. A discharge one-way valve 11 that opens only is provided. Accordingly, the piston 4, the cylinder 3, and the one-way intake valve 9
And a one-way valve 11 for discharging, constitutes a pump device for sucking air from the outside of the container by the reciprocating movement of the measuring cup 5 in the vertical direction, compressing and discharging the air into the container.

As specific examples of the one-way valve 9 for suction and the one-way valve 12 for discharge, one-way valves as shown in FIGS. 3 to 4 or FIGS. 3 and 4 show an annular frame 101 and a disc-shaped valve disposed at the center thereof.
It is formed integrally with a synthetic resin so as to include an elastically deformable support piece 103 for connecting the frame body 101 and the valve body 102 to each other.

Therefore, by attaching this to the opening on the outlet side of the communication passage 8 (or 10), the valve element 102 can be elastically deformed with respect to the flow in the direction of the arrow while the support piece 103 is elastically deformed.
Is opened from the opening, and the valve body 102 comes into close contact with the opening to close the valve against the flow in the opposite direction.
The example of FIGS. 5 to 6 includes an annular frame body 201 and a pressing rib 202 arranged in the center in the diametrical direction.
A disc-shaped film 203 made of an elastomer is positioned in the frame 201 and the peripheral edge thereof is attached. A slit 204 is formed in the center of the film 203.

Therefore, by attaching this to the opening on the outlet side of the communication path 8 (or 10), the film 203 is deformed in the direction away from the pressing rib 202 against the flow in the direction of the arrow. As a result, the slit 204 expands and the valve is opened, and the deformation of the film 203 is prevented by the pressing rib 202 against the flow in the opposite direction, and the slit 204 is kept closed and the valve is closed.

On the other hand, in order to guide the powder P inside the container to the measuring cup 5, it penetrates through the wall of the cylinder 3 from the vicinity of the bottom in the container in a straight line in the vertical direction at the center of the container body 1, A pipe-shaped passage 12 passing through the pump chamber 6 and further passing through the piston 4 and the measuring cup 5 is provided. However,
In the pipe-shaped passage 12, the upper end portion and the other portion are formed of different members. That is, the upper end portion is formed by a member 13 integral with the measuring cup 5 so as to protrude from the bottom of the measuring cup 5, and the other portions are formed by the pipe material 14.

The upper end of the pipe member 14 is fitted and fixed in the hole of the piston 4 so as to communicate with the member 13 integral with the measuring cup 5, and is fixed at a portion penetrating the wall of the cylinder 3. The lower end is positioned so as to open near the bottom in the container. The portion of the pipe member 14 between the piston 4 and the wall of the cylinder 3, that is, the portion in the pump chamber 6,
The bellows portion 14a is elastically deformable, more specifically, a bellows portion 14a that is vertically expandable and contractible. Therefore, regardless of the vertical movement of the piston 4, the position of the lower end (opening) of the pipe member 14 can be kept constant.

The opening of the pipe-shaped passage 12 (member 13) in the measuring cup 5 is provided horizontally.
That is, the member 13 integrated with the measuring cup 5 closes the upper end, and one or more openings 13a are formed in the side wall near the upper end. Next, the operation will be described. When taking out the powder P such as a powder detergent, the lid member 5b of the measuring cup 5 is pushed several times while the lid 5b is put on the measuring cup 5 as shown by the arrow in FIG. .

When the measuring cup 5 is pushed downward, the pump chamber 6 is reduced due to the lowering of the piston 4, and the pump chamber 6
The air inside is discharged into the container via the one-way discharge valve 11. When the measuring cup 5 is released, the piston 4 rises together with the measuring cup 5 due to the restoring force of the spring 7, the pump chamber 6 is expanded, and air is pumped from outside the container via the one-way valve 9 for suction. It is sucked into the chamber 6.

Therefore, by pressing the measuring cup 5 several times, the above operation is repeated, whereby air can be sucked in from outside the container, compressed, and discharged into the container. Then, the inside of the container is pressurized, so that the powder P is pushed up the pipe-shaped passage 12 so as to be extruded, and is supplied into the measuring cup 5 from the lateral opening 13 a of the member 13.

When the lid member 5b of the measuring cup 5 has good sealing performance, the lid member 5b is opened after the pushing operation, and at the same time, the powder P is discharged into the measuring container 5 (see FIG. 1). ). In addition, it is conceivable that the amount of discharge is increased due to excessive pressurization due to the mischievous push operation. However, by setting the airtightness of the container, the container itself has a relief function to limit the amount of discharge. It is also possible. To ensure accuracy, the valve opens when the pressure exceeds a certain pressure (the upper limit of pressure),
It is preferable to provide a relief valve for releasing the pressure inside the container.

When the measuring cup 5 is pushed, the distance from the bottom of the container to the measuring cup 5 changes when the measuring cup 5 sinks. Between the pipe-shaped passage 12 (pipe material
The change in distance is absorbed by the expansion and contraction of the bellows portion 14a of 14). In addition, the pipe-shaped passage 12 extends in a straight line in the up-down direction and has the shortest distance, and has as little passage resistance as possible, so that there is little transportation loss and it is suitable for powder. I have.

At the time of storage, if the lid member 5b of the measuring cup 5 is closed, the invasion of moisture through the pipe-shaped passage 12 can be prevented. However, for powder detergents and the like which are particularly sensitive to moisture, as shown in FIG.
It is preferable to provide a float type moisture prevention one-way valve 15 that opens only in the discharge direction near the opening 13a to the measuring cup.

The one-way valve 15 for preventing moisture is moved upward by the force of the powder when the powder is discharged, and is opened. When the flow of the powder stops, the valve 15 closes by its own weight. With this, even if the lid member 5 is kept open, the powder inside the container does not get wet. FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment has a slightly different shape as a whole from the embodiment of FIG. 1, but the same reference numerals are given to portions having essentially no difference.

There are two major differences. The first is that a relief passage 16 communicating between the inside and outside of the container is formed in the flange 3a of the cylinder 3, and the pressure inside the container is manually manipulated in the relief passage 16. This is the point that a relief valve 16 is provided to release the pressure. That is, when the powder P is discharged into the measuring cup 5 after pushing the measuring cup 5 several times,
When the appropriate amount is reached, manually operate the relief valve.
Opening 17 releases the pressurized state and terminates the discharge, so that more accurate measurement can be performed.

As a specific example of the relief valve 17, as shown in FIG. 9, a push rod 104 is formed integrally with the valve body 102 of the one-way valve shown in FIGS. The valve may be manually opened by performing a pushing operation. If the relief valve 17 is a relief valve that automatically opens when the pressure exceeds a certain pressure to release the pressure inside the container, the ultimate value of the pressure inside the container due to the pushing operation of the measuring cup is kept constant, The discharge amount can be always constant.

The second difference is that the opening 13a of the pipe-shaped passage 12 (member 13) is formed on the inner surface of the lid member 5b of the measuring cup 5.
The point is that a cylindrical portion 5c covering the upper end portion is provided to prevent moisture from entering. FIG. 10 shows still another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment relates to the improvement of the measuring cup 5 and the opening 13a of the pipe-shaped passage 12.

Specifically, a closing plate 5d for closing the measuring cup 5 is provided on the upper end side of the measuring cup 5, and a part of the closing plate 5d,
That is, an outlet 5e is opened at a portion of the lid member 5b opposite to the hinge portion 5a. And measuring cup 5
The opening 13a of the pipe-shaped passage 12 (member 13)
It is provided laterally on the opposite side to the outlet 5e. According to this, after the powder is discharged into the measuring cup 5 by pushing the measuring cup 5, the container is tilted and the measuring cup 5 is tilted.
It is possible to prevent the powder inside the container from spilling out of the opening 13a of the pipe-shaped passage 12 when the powder inside is discharged.

In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to powder such as powder detergent is described. However, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to liquid or fluid such as liquid detergent. An elastic bellows portion 14a is provided at an intermediate portion of the pipe-shaped passage 12.
The minimum function can be exhibited as long as it is elastically deformable. For example, a pipe-shaped passage may be spirally arranged between the piston 4 and the wall of the cylinder 3.

If the pipe-like passage is extended laterally and its tip is an opening, powder can be taken out without tilting the container, which is further simplified.

[0040]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the pump device is operated by the pushing operation of the cup on the upper part of the container body, and the contents can be easily taken out into the cup. it can. Then, the cup can be arranged at the uppermost position and formed in a symmetrical shape, and the effect of good appearance, easy handling, and application to powder can be obtained.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to constitute a pump device which operates reliably by the up and down movement of the cup. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the pump device can be compactly built in the cylinder mouth by inserting and fixing the cylinder into the cylinder mouth on the upper part of the container body. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the spring is accommodated in the pump chamber and the cup is urged via the piston, so that the urging means can be simplified.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the pipe-shaped passage is made straight in the up-down direction and the bellows portion is formed at the middle portion so as to be extendable and contractible, the path can be shortened. According to the invention of claim 6, similarly to the above, the length of the pipe-like passage can be shortened, and the inlet and outlet of the pipe-like passage can be easily positioned. According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the lid member of the cup facilitates the pushing operation and can prevent the spillage when falling down.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, accurate measurement can be performed by the scale line for measuring the cup. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the pipe-shaped passage is opened laterally in the cup, so that the pipe can be prevented from spilling at the time of discharge into the cup. According to the invention according to claim 10, by providing the one-way valve at the opening of the pipe-shaped passage into the cup, it is possible to prevent moisture and the like.

According to the eleventh aspect, by providing the relief valve for releasing the pressure inside the container by manual operation, more accurate measurement can be performed. According to the twelfth aspect of the invention, since it is used particularly as a container for storing and supplying the powder, various devices suitable for the powder can be fully exhibited. According to the invention of claim 13, an effect is obtained that the powder can be easily taken out from the pipe-shaped passage by introducing the outside air into the container body by the pump device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a measuring container showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment in a different operation state.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an opening / closing operation of the first specific example of the one-way valve.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the one-way valve of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an opening / closing operation of a second specific example of the one-way valve.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the one-way valve of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an opening and closing operation of a one-way valve for preventing moisture;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows a specific example of a relief valve.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a main part showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container main body 2 Cylinder mouth part 3 Cylinder 4 Piston 5 Measuring cup 5b Lid member 6 Pump room 7 Spring 8 Communicating passage 9 One-way valve for suction 10 Communicating passage 11 One-way valve for discharging 12 Pipe-shaped passage 13a Opening 14a Bellows 15 Moisture prevention One-way valve 17 Relief valve

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A cup movably provided on an upper portion of a container body and urged upward by an elastic body and operable to be pushed downward, and air is supplied from the outside of the container by reciprocation of the cup in a vertical direction. A pump device that sucks, compresses, and discharges the inside of the container; one end is positioned and fixed with respect to the container body and opens near the bottom in the container; the other end is positioned and fixed with respect to the cup and opens into the interior; And a pipe-shaped passage whose intermediate portion is configured to be elastically deformable. 2. The pump device according to claim 1, wherein the piston is integrally provided at a lower portion of the cup, a cylinder slides the piston to form a pump chamber below the piston, and a communication passage between the outside of the container and the pump chamber. A one-way valve for suction that opens only in the direction of suction from the outside of the container, and a one-way valve for discharge that opens only in the direction of discharge to the inside of the container in the communication path between the pump chamber and the inside of the container, The container according to claim 1, wherein the container is configured to include: 3. The container according to claim 2, wherein said cylinder is inserted into and fixed to a tube opening at an upper portion of a container body. 4. The container according to claim 2, wherein the elastic body for urging the cup is a spring housed in a pump chamber and for urging a piston. 5. The container according to claim 1, wherein the pipe-shaped passage extends linearly in the up-down direction, and an intermediate portion is formed in an elastic bellows shape. 6. The pipe-shaped passage extends vertically vertically through the piston and the cylinder wall below the piston,
The container according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the container is fixed at each of the penetrating portions, and an intermediate portion between the penetrating portions is formed in an elastic bellows shape. 7. The container according to claim 1, wherein the cup has an openable / closable lid member at an upper portion thereof. 8. The container according to claim 1, wherein the cup has a scale line for measurement. 9. The container according to claim 1, wherein an opening of the pipe-shaped passage in the cup is provided sideways. 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein a one-way valve that opens only in a discharge direction is provided at an opening of the pipe-shaped passage in the cup. container. 11. A relief valve for releasing pressure inside the container by manual operation is provided.
The container according to any one of the above. 12. The container according to claim 1, wherein the content is a powder. 13. A container body for accommodating powder, a pipe-like passage having one end outside the container body and the other end near the inside bottom surface of the container body, and one end of the pipe-like passage alone or in another. A container comprising: a cover that covers in cooperation with a member; and a pump device that brings outside air into the container body.