CN117580773A

CN117580773A - Plug for refill container and refill container provided with same

Info

Publication number: CN117580773A
Application number: CN202280045904.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 森谷始旦; 后藤宽; 井田厚
Original assignee: Kao Corp
Current assignee: Kao Corp
Priority date: 2021-10-21
Filing date: 2022-08-12
Publication date: 2024-02-20
Also published as: TW202319307A; WO2023067880A1; JPWO2023067880A1

Abstract

A plug body for a refill container of the present invention comprises a plug body (10) and a plug cover (20), wherein the plug cover (20) is removably attached to the plug body (10) by sealing an outflow opening, which is an opening formed in a top surface plate (12) of the plug body, from the inner side in the outflow direction. The plug body (10) has an outflow tube (11), a cylindrical outer wall (13), and a mounting tube (15), and an insertion opening (16) that opens into the top surface plate (12) is provided at a space between the outflow tube (11) and the cylindrical outer wall (13). The plug cover (20) has a mounting wall surface (27), a sealing plate (23), and a press-fitting protrusion (26) provided separately from the peripheral edge of the sealing plate (23). The plug cover (20) is attached to the plug body (10) in a state in which the press-in convex portion (26) protrudes from the top surface disk (12) to the outside in the outflow direction (V) through the insertion opening (16) at the interval portion between the outflow tube (11) and the cylindrical outer wall (13).

Description

Plug for refill container and refill container provided with same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a plug for a refill container and a refill container having the same.

Background

Liquid lotions, shampoos, and the like are typically contained in containers for circulation. From the viewpoint of reducing environmental burden, a refill container for refilling the content such as liquid lotion into a refilled container can be used. By using the refill container, the refill container can be used for a long period without discarding the refill container.

The refilling operation of the contents by the refill container is performed by communicating the neck portion of the refill container having the outflow port of the contents with the neck portion of the refilled container. In view of facilitating this refilling operation, the present applicant has previously proposed a refill container plug to be attached so as to cover a refill outlet of a refill container (for example, patent documents 1 and 2).

The refill plug of patent document 1 includes: a plug body having an outflow cylinder and a mounting cylinder; and a plug cover having a mounting wall surface portion in close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube, a closing plate portion, and a press-fitting convex portion, wherein the plug cover is mounted to the plug body in a state in which the press-fitting convex portion protrudes outward in the outflow direction through an insertion port formed by cutting from an opening peripheral edge portion of the outflow opening to a radially outer side of the outflow tube, and a part of a distal end surface of the press-fitting convex portion is disposed radially outward of an outer peripheral surface of the outflow tube.

The plug for refill container of patent document 2 includes: a plug body having an outflow tube, a cylindrical outer wall, and a mounting tube; and a plug cover having a mounting wall surface portion in close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube, a closing plate portion, and a press-fitting protrusion portion, wherein the press-fitting protrusion portion protrudes outward in the outflow direction from the top plate of the plug body, and a part of a distal end surface of the press-fitting protrusion portion is disposed radially outward of an outer peripheral surface of the outflow tube, whereby the plug cover can be mounted to the plug body, and air replacement during refilling can be performed through the insertion port and the outside air communication port after the press-fitting protrusion portion is pushed out.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 6183846

Patent document 2: japanese patent No. 6183847

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a plug for a refill container, which is used for refilling the content to a refill container with a mouth and a neck, and is installed to cover a refill outflow opening of the refill container.

In one embodiment, the refill plug preferably includes: a plug body which is engaged and fixed to an opening peripheral portion of the refill outlet; and a plug cover that closes (plugs) an outflow opening that forms an opening in a top surface of the plug body from an outflow direction inner side, and is detachably attached to the plug body.

In one embodiment, the plug body preferably has: an outflow tube surrounding the outflow opening and protruding outward in the outflow direction from the top disk; a cylindrical outer wall which is arranged concentrically with the outflow tube, surrounds the outflow tube, protrudes outward in the outflow direction from the top surface disk, and has an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the neck portion of the refill container; and a mounting tube which is arranged concentrically with the outflow tube, surrounds the outflow tube, and protrudes inward in the outflow direction from the top surface plate.

In one embodiment, the plug body preferably has an insertion opening formed to be open at the top surface at a space portion between the outflow tube and the cylindrical outer wall.

In one embodiment, the plug cover preferably has: a mounting wall portion having an outer peripheral surface in close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder; a blocking plate portion having the same planar shape as the hollow cross-sectional shape of the mounting tube; and a press-fitting protrusion provided separately from the peripheral edge portion of the sealing plate portion.

In one embodiment, in the plug body for a refill container, the plug cover is preferably attached to the plug body in a state where the press-fitting protrusion protrudes outward in the outflow direction from the top surface plate through the insertion opening at a distance between the outflow tube and the cylindrical outer wall.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a refill container for refilling content into a refilled container having a mouth and neck.

In one embodiment, the refill container preferably has a refill container plug mounted to cover the refill outlet, the refill container plug including: a plug body which is engaged and fixed to an opening peripheral portion of the refill outlet; and a plug cover which is detachably attached to the plug body by closing an outflow opening formed in the top surface of the plug body from the outflow direction inner side.

In one embodiment, the plug body preferably has: an outflow tube surrounding the outflow opening and protruding outward in the outflow direction from the top disk; a cylindrical outer wall which is arranged concentrically with the outflow tube, surrounds the outflow tube, protrudes outward in the outflow direction from the top surface disk, and has an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the neck portion of the refill container; and a mounting tube which is arranged concentrically with the outflow tube, surrounds the outflow tube, and protrudes inward in the outflow direction from the top surface plate.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the refill container of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the outflow direction of a refill plug body attached to the mouth-and-neck portion of the refill of fig. 1 and an outflow opening covering the mouth-and-neck portion.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the refill plug of fig. 2 viewed from the outside in the outflow direction.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a cap included in the refill container plug body of fig. 3, as viewed from the outside in the outflow direction.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a plug body included in the plug body for the refill of fig. 3, as viewed from the outside in the outflow direction.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a plug body included in the plug body for the refill of fig. 3, as viewed from the inside in the outflow direction.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a plug body included in the plug body for the refill of fig. 3, as seen from the inside in the outflow direction.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view for explaining a refilling operation of refilling contents into a refilled container using the refill container of fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a view corresponding to fig. 4 showing another embodiment of the plug according to the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a view showing another embodiment of the refill plug of the present invention, fig. 10 (a) is a sectional view showing a neck portion of a refill container having the refill plug, and fig. 10 (b) is a sectional view showing the neck portion during a refill operation.

Detailed Description

In the refill operation, the mouth and neck of the refill container are directed downward, and the refill container is placed in an inverted state. In general, when refilling in an inverted state, it takes time and effort to align the positions of the mouths and necks of the refill container and the refilled container with each other, and it is necessary to support both the refill container and the refilled container, so that it tends to be difficult to efficiently refill the contents. Further, when the refill container is placed upside down above the refill container to be refilled, one or both of the refill container and the refill container are often liable to fall down, and therefore, stable filling of the content tends to be difficult. The techniques described in patent documents 1 and 2 have room for improvement in efficiency and stability in filling the contents during the refilling operation.

The present invention relates to a plug for a refill container and a refill container having the same, which can efficiently and stably fill the contents during a refill operation and prevent leakage of the contents.

The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, based on preferred embodiments of the present invention. In fig. 1, an embodiment of the refill container of the present invention is shown. The refill container 5 of the present embodiment is a refill container for refilling the refill container with the content such as the cosmetic water and the emulsion, which is contained therein.

The refill container 5 of the present embodiment is a thin-walled bottle-shaped container, and includes: a main body part 2 having a bottom; a neck portion 4 having a refill outlet port from which the contents are discharged; and a shoulder 3 located between the mouth-and-neck portion 4 and the body portion 2. The refill container 5 shown in fig. 1 is in an upright state in which the bottom of the main body 2 is grounded to the horizontal plane and is self-standing. In this state, the mouth-neck portion 4 is located vertically above and is disposed so as to face the bottom of the main body 2. The neck portion 4 is a cylindrical portion having a flow path therein when the content is discharged to the outside, and has openings at both ends in the central axis direction. One opening in the central direction of the mouth-and-neck portion 4 is a refill outlet for allowing the content to flow out to the outside. The interior of the mouth-neck portion 4 communicates with the interior of the shoulder portion 3 via another opening of the mouth-neck portion 4. As shown in fig. 1, in the erected state in which the refill container 5 is self-standing, the central opening at the upper side in the vertical direction of the shoulder 3 has a truncated cone shape that spreads downward from the peripheral edge of the opening in the horizontal direction. In this erected state, the body 2 has a cylindrical peripheral wall portion hanging downward from the entire lower end peripheral edge of the shoulder 3, and a bottom portion located at the lower end of the peripheral wall portion. The refill container 5 has an internal space defined by the shoulder portion 3 and the body portion 2, and can accommodate therein contents such as cosmetic water and emulsion.

The central axis direction of the refill container 5 of the present embodiment coincides with the outflow direction V of the content when the content is made to flow out from the container 5 to the outside. In the erected state shown in fig. 1, the vertical direction Z coincides with the outflow direction V of the content in the refill container 5. Hereinafter, the outflow direction V of the content in the present specification will also be simply referred to as "outflow direction V". The outer side in the outflow direction V is also referred to as "tip side", and the inner side in the outflow direction V is also referred to as "tip side".

The refill container 5 of the present embodiment has a refill container plug 1 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "plug 1") attached to cover the refill outlet port in the mouth-and-neck portion 4. The plug 1 of the present embodiment is fixed to the neck portion 4 in a state where the refill outlet port of the neck portion 4 is sealed, and has a function of connecting the refill outlet port to the refill neck portion 7 by connecting the neck portion 4 of the refill container 5 (hereinafter, also referred to as "refill neck portion 4") to the neck portion 7 of the refill container 6 (hereinafter, also referred to as "refill neck portion 7") at the time of refill operation. Details of this refill operation are described below.

As shown in fig. 2, the plug body 1 includes a plug body 10 and a plug cover 20, the plug body 10 engaging an opening peripheral portion 4a of a refill outlet port fixed in the refill neck portion 4, the plug cover 20 being removably attached to the plug body 10. The plug body 1 is attached to the refill neck 4 with the plug cover 20 attached to the plug body 10. Hereinafter, the "opening peripheral portion of the refill outlet port of the refill neck 4" is also referred to as "outlet port peripheral portion 4a".

As shown in fig. 4, the plug cover 20 has: a plugging plate portion 23; a cylindrical mounting wall portion 27 protruding outward in the outflow direction V from a peripheral edge portion of the shutoff plate portion 23; and a press-fitting protrusion 26 that is provided to stand outward in the outflow direction V from the peripheral edge portion of the sealing plate portion 23. In the plug 20 of the present embodiment, a mounting wall surface 27 having the same outer diameter as the plug plate portion 23 is formed at the peripheral edge portion of the plug plate portion 23 except for the portion where the press-fitting convex portion 26 is provided. The press-fitting convex portion 26 of the present embodiment protrudes outward in the outflow direction V from the mounting wall portion 27 (see fig. 4) and is formed as a columnar portion provided to stand up on the sealing plate portion 23.

As shown in fig. 3 and 5, the plug body 10 has a top surface plate 12 and an outflow opening 11a that opens in the top surface plate 12. The plug body 10 has: an outflow tube 11 surrounding the outflow opening 11a and protruding outward in the outflow direction V from the top disk 12; and a tubular outer wall 13 which is arranged concentrically with the outflow cylinder 11, surrounds the outflow cylinder 11, and protrudes outward in the outflow direction V from the top disk 12. In other words, the outflow cylinder 11 is formed so as to surround the peripheral edge of the outflow opening 11a, and the cylindrical outer wall 13 surrounds the outflow cylinder 11.

The inner end of the outflow tube 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13 in the outflow direction V is connected to a top surface plate 12, and the top surface plate 12 is located between the outflow tube 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13.

The cylindrical outer wall 13 has an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the refill neck 7 (see fig. 8 described below). A female screw ridge 13a for screwing with the refill neck 7 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular outer wall 13 of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the cylindrical outer wall 13 of the plug 1 is screwed to the refill neck 7, and the refill neck 4 and the refill neck 7 are detachably coupled via the plug 1.

As shown in fig. 3 and 5, the plug body 10 has an insertion opening 16 formed to open at the top surface plate 12 at a space between the outflow cylinder 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13. The insertion opening 16 is a portion into which the press-fitting projection 26 of the plug cover 20 is inserted (see fig. 3), and is a through-opening penetrating the top surface plate 12.

As shown in fig. 5 to 7, the plug body 10 of the present embodiment has a plug partition wall 18 protruding inward in the outflow direction V from the top surface disk 12. The insertion partition wall 18 is a columnar portion in which a part of the peripheral edge portion of the insertion opening 16 protrudes inward in the outflow direction V. That is, the inner peripheral surface of the insertion opening 16 extends inward in the outflow direction V from the outflow opening 11a of the plug body 10 via the insertion partition wall 18. By the insertion partition wall 18, the air replacement through the insertion port 16 is easier than the circulation of the content through the insertion port 16, and the refilling of the content can be performed more effectively. The insertion partition wall 18 of the present embodiment is in contact with the stopper plate portion 23 of the plug cap 20 in a state where the plug cap 20 is attached to the plug body 10, but the insertion partition wall 18 may not be in contact with the stopper plate portion 23 in the attached state.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the plug body 10 has a mounting cylinder 15 which is arranged concentrically with the outflow cylinder 11 and which surrounds the outflow cylinder 11 so as to protrude inward in the outflow direction V from the top surface disk 12.

The plug body 10 of the present embodiment has an abutment step 17 formed along the inner peripheral edge of the mounting tube 15 on the inner surface of the top surface disk 12 in the outflow direction V. The abutment stepped portion 17 is a stepped portion protruding inward in the outflow direction V from the top surface disk 12, and is continuously formed along the inner peripheral edge of the mounting tube 15 at a portion other than the insertion opening 16. The abutment step 17 is lower in height than the insertion partition wall 18. That is, the insertion partition wall 18 protrudes further inward in the outflow direction V than the abutment step 17.

When the insertion partition wall 18 abuts against the stopper plate portion 23 in a state where the plug cover 20 is attached to the plug body 10, the abutment step portion 17 may or may not abut against the top surface portion of the attachment wall portion 27. In order to further suppress leakage of the content from the refill container 5, the abutment stepped portion 17 preferably abuts against the top surface portion of the attachment wall surface portion 27 of the plug cover 20 in a state where the plug cover 20 is attached to the plug body 10.

In the plug body 10 of the present embodiment, the mounting tube 15, the insertion partition wall 18, and the abutment step 17 protrude inward in the outflow direction V in this order.

When the plug body 10 of the present embodiment is viewed from the inside in the outflow direction V, the insertion opening 16 is surrounded by the insertion partition wall 18, the abutment stepped portion 17, and the mounting cylinder 15 (see fig. 7). In other words, the contour of the insertion opening 16 is formed by the insertion partition wall 18, the abutment step 17, and the mounting cylinder 15.

The plug body 10 of the present embodiment includes an outer mounting tube 14 that surrounds the mounting tube 15 and protrudes inward in the outflow direction V from the peripheral edge portion of the top surface plate 12. The top surface disk 12 is located between the mounting cylinder 15 and the outer mounting cylinder 14 surrounding the mounting cylinder 15. The plug body 10 has a space formed by the mounting cylinder 15, the outer mounting cylinder 14 and the top surface disk 12 on the inner side in the outflow direction V. In the present embodiment, in a state in which the outlet peripheral portion 4a of the refill neck portion 4 is inserted between the mounting cylinder 15 and the outer mounting cylinder 14 of the plug body 10, the plug body 10 is driven into the outlet peripheral portion 4a, and the plug body 10 is fitted to the outlet peripheral portion 4a, whereby the plug body 1 is mounted and fixed to the refill neck portion 4. A rib protruding radially outward is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outlet peripheral portion 4a of the present embodiment. The rib is brought into close contact with the outer mounting tube 14, whereby the plug body 10 is mounted and fixed to the refill neck 4 (see fig. 2).

The fitting of the plug 1 to the refill neck 4 may be replaced by a screw-fitting.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, in the plug body 1, the plug cover 20 is attached to the plug body 10 in a state in which the press-fitting convex portion 26 protrudes outward in the outflow direction V from the top surface disk 12 through the insertion opening 16 at a space portion between the outflow cylinder 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13. The horizontal cross-sectional shape of the press-fitting protrusion 26 of the present embodiment substantially matches the planar shape of the insertion opening 16. That is, since the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the press-fitting protrusion 26 is substantially similar to the planar shape of the insertion opening 16, a slight gap exists between the press-fitting protrusion 26 and the insertion opening 16 in the mounted state.

Hereinafter, the state in which the press-fitting convex portion 26 is inserted into the insertion port 16 will also be simply referred to as "mounted state".

In the attached state of the present embodiment, the attaching wall surface 27 of the cap 20 is in a state in which the outer peripheral surface thereof is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the attaching tube 15, and the top surface of the attaching wall surface 27 is in close contact with the abutment step 17. Instead of this, a rib may be formed on either or both of the outer peripheral surface of the mounting wall surface 27 and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder 15 in the circumferential direction. In this case, the rib of the mounting wall surface 27 is in close contact with the mounting cylinder 15, or the mounting wall surface 27 is in close contact with the rib of the mounting cylinder 15.

The sealing plate portion 23 has a planar shape identical to the hollow cross-sectional shape of the mounting tube 15. In the attached state of the cap 20 having such a structure, the inside of the mounting tube 15 including the outflow opening 11a of the top surface plate 12 is closed by the stopper plate portion 23, and is sealed in a liquid-tight manner by the close contact between the mounting wall surface portion 27 and the mounting tube 15.

In this way, the plug cover 20 closes the outflow opening 11a and the insertion opening 16, which are opened from the inner side in the outflow direction V, in the top surface plate 12 of the plug body 10. The inside of the mounting tube 15 including the outflow opening 11a is sealed in a liquid-tight manner by the sealing plate portion 23 and the mounting wall portion 27. Thus, even if the refill container 5 is inverted with the refill neck 4 facing downward in the vertical direction, leakage of the content from the refill container 5 can be prevented.

With reference to fig. 8, a refilling operation using the refill container 5 of the present embodiment will be described. The refilled container 6 for filling the content has a refilled port neck 7 having an opening communicating with the containing space of the content. The neck 7 is also a cylindrical portion having a flow path for filling the content therein. In the present embodiment, the refilled container 6 is a bottle-shaped container similar to the refill container 5, and has a refill neck 7, a shoulder portion and a body portion that form a storage space for the contents. Male screw ridges (not shown) are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the refill neck 7.

In the refill operation, as shown in fig. 8, the refill neck 4 is oriented downward in the vertical direction Z, and the refill container 5 is inverted. On the other hand, the refill container 6 is in an upright state in which the refill neck 7 is oriented upward in the vertical direction Z. Next, the plug 1 is screwed into the refill neck 7, and the refill neck 4 is detachably coupled to the refill neck 7. Specifically, the female screw ridge 13a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical outer wall 13 is screwed with the male screw ridge formed on the outer peripheral surface of the refill neck 7, so that the refill neck 4 and the refill neck 7 are coupled. In this screwing operation, the refill neck 7 is inserted into the space between the outflow tube 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13 of the plug body 10, and the refill 5 is pushed up in the vertical direction Z (inside in the outflow direction V) while being rotated about the central axis, thereby pushing the refill neck 7. Thereby, the press-fitting convex portion 26 is pushed upward in the vertical direction Z (inward in the outflow direction V) by the top surface portion of the refill neck 7. At the same time, the blocking plate portion 23 is pushed out upward in the vertical direction Z (inward in the outflow direction V), and thus the blocking by the blocking plate portion 23 is released, and the inside of the mounting tube 15 including the outflow opening 11a communicates with the storage space of the content in the refill container 5. As a result, the content stored in the refill container 5 flows out to the refill container 6 via the outflow tube 11, and the refill container 6 can be filled with the content. In fig. 8, the outflow of the contents from the refill container 5 is schematically shown with black arrows. Further, when the refill neck 7 is pushed upward in the vertical direction Z (inward in the outflow direction V) and the top surface of the refill neck 7 reaches the top surface plate 12, the press-fitting convex portion 26 is completely pushed out from the insertion port 16, the plug cover 20 is separated from the plug body 10, and the closure of the insertion port 16 by the press-fitting convex portion 26 is released (see fig. 8).

The refill operation performed with the refill container 5 of the present embodiment can be performed by a simple operation of removably coupling the refill port neck 4 with the refilled port neck 7 via the plug 1. In this operation, the refill neck 7 is pushed in inward in the outflow direction V along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical outer wall 13 as described above. At this time, since the cylindrical outer wall 13 has an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the refill neck 7, the refill neck 7 can be brought into close contact with the cylindrical outer wall 13, and the refill neck 4 can be coupled with the refill neck 7. Even if the outflow opening 11a is released from the closure by the cap 20, the cylindrical outer wall 13 can be brought into close contact with the refill neck 7, and leakage of the content to the outside can be effectively suppressed. The "inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the refill neck 7" of the cylindrical outer wall 13 means that the inner diameter of the cylindrical outer wall 13 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the refill neck 7.

In the refill container 5 of the present embodiment, since the press-in convex portion 26 protrudes outward in the outflow direction V from the top surface disk 12 through the insertion opening 16, before the press-in convex portion 26 is pushed out from the insertion opening 16 in the refill operation, the blocking by the blocking plate portion 23 is released and the outflow of the content through the outflow opening 11a occurs. Further, since the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the press-fitting protrusion 26 is substantially similar to the planar shape of the insertion opening 16, a large gap is less likely to occur between the press-fitting protrusion 26 and the insertion opening 16 before the press-fitting protrusion 26 is pushed out of the insertion opening 16 in the refilling operation, and outflow of the content through the insertion opening 16 hardly occurs. When the push-in protrusion 26 is pushed out completely from the insertion port 16, the refill container 5 and the refilled container 6 also communicate with each other in the insertion port 16, but air replacement between the refill container 5 and the refilled container 6 is performed in the insertion port 16, and the outflow opening 11a functions as a main outflow port. By this air replacement, the outflow of the content through the outflow opening 11a can be promoted, and the refilling (filling) of the content can be performed efficiently.

In addition, the refill container 5 according to the present embodiment is configured to perform air replacement with the refill container 6 via the insertion port 16 of the plug body 1 without performing air replacement with the outside, and thus leakage of the content to the outside can be effectively suppressed. Since the plug body 10 is coupled to the container 6 to be refilled in a liquid-tight manner in addition to the replacement of air between the containers 5 and 6, the coupled inverted refill container 5 and the coupled refill container 6 in an upright state can be stably filled with the contents since the leakage of the contents to the outside can be suppressed as long as the coupling between the refill neck 4 and the refill neck 7 via the plug body 1 is maintained.

From the viewpoint of easier air replacement between the containers 5, 6, the opening end inside the outflow direction V of the insertion opening 16 is preferably located further inside the outflow direction V than the opening end inside the outflow direction V of the outflow opening 11 a.

The number of the press-fitting protrusions 26 included in the cap 20 is not particularly limited, and may be either singular or plural. In view of the fact that the plug cap 20 is pushed out by the refill neck portion 7 in a balanced manner and the blocking of the outflow opening 11a by the stopper plate portion 23 is more smoothly released during the refill operation, it is preferable that the plug body 10 has the insertion opening 16 formed at 2 or more positions at the interval between the outflow cylinder 11 of the top surface disk 12 and the cylindrical outer wall 13, and that the press-fitting protrusion 26 be provided to stand up from 2 or more positions at the peripheral edge portion of the stopper plate portion 23 in the plug cap 20. For example, the insertion opening 16 may be formed at the space portion 3 in the plug body 10, and the press-fitting convex portion 26 may be formed at the peripheral edge portion 3 of the plugging plate portion 23 in the plug cover 20. In addition, in the plug body 10, the insertion opening 16 may be formed at the space portion 4. In this case, in the cap 20, the press-fitting convex portion 26 can be formed at 4 places (see fig. 9) on the peripheral edge portion of the stopper plate portion 23.

In order to further improve the balance, it is preferable that, when a circle defined by the space between the outflow cylinder 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13 is assumed, the insertion opening 16 is formed at a portion dividing the circumference of the circle equally into a plurality of portions. In this case, in the mounted state, the press-fitting convex portions 26 are formed at portions corresponding to the insertion openings 16 in the peripheral edge portions of the shutoff plate portion 23, respectively. For example, the insertion opening 16 may be formed in the plug body 10 at a position dividing the circumference 3 of the circle defined by the space portion, and the press-fitting convex portion 26 may be formed at a position corresponding to the insertion opening 16 in the peripheral portion of the plug plate portion 23.

In the plug body 10 of the present embodiment, the insertion openings 16 are formed at 2 positions facing each other in the radial direction in the above-described space portion, and the press-fitting convex portions 26 are provided to stand up from 2 positions facing each other in the radial direction in the peripheral edge portion of the plug plate portion 23 (see fig. 4).

Regarding the coupling of the refill neck portion 4 and the refill neck portion 7 via the plug 1, although the cylindrical outer wall 13 and the refill neck portion 7 may be fitted, it is preferable that the cylindrical outer wall 13 and the refill neck portion 7 can be screwed in from the viewpoint of making the refill neck portion 7 less likely to collapse and further suppressing leakage of the content at the time of the coupling, and from the viewpoint of performing the coupling operation more stably. That is, it is preferable that a female screw ridge 13a that is screwed with a male screw ridge formed on the outer peripheral surface of the refill neck 7 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular outer wall 13. This structure enables easy release of the coupling of the refill neck 4 and the refilled neck 7 when air replacement occurs between the refill container 5 and the refilled container 6 after the refill operation, which is preferable.

In the present embodiment, in order to make the screwing more reliable, the inner diameter of the cylindrical outer wall 13 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the refill neck 7.

In order to further suppress leakage of the content during the refill operation, it is preferable that the top surface plate 12 is in contact with the tip end portion of the neck portion 7 (see fig. 8) when the refill neck portion 4 and the refill neck portion 7 are joined by inserting the refill neck portion 7 into the space between the outflow tube 11 and the cylindrical outer wall 13 in the plug body 10. In other words, it is preferable that the top surface portion of the refilled neck portion 7 reaches the top surface tray 12 when the refilled neck portion 4 is combined with the refilled neck portion 7 by inserting the refilled neck portion 7 into the space portion. By adopting this structure, the refilled neck portion 7 is more closely attached to the plug body 10, and leakage of the content from the gap between the neck portion 7 and the plug body 10 can be further suppressed.

The base end portion of the mounting tube 15 on the top surface plate 12 side preferably has an outer diameter capable of being brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outlet peripheral portion 4a (see fig. 2). The mounting tube 15 of the present embodiment has a portion where the outer diameter gradually decreases from the outside to the inside in the outflow direction V on the front end side in the protruding direction of the mounting tube 15, and the outer diameter of the base end portion on the top surface disk 12 side is larger than this portion. The outer diameter of the base end portion corresponds to the inner diameter of the outflow port peripheral portion 4 a. That is, the outer diameter of the base end portion of the mounting tube 15 is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the outflow port peripheral portion 4 a. With this structure, the base end portion of the mounting tube 15 is brought into close contact with the outlet peripheral portion 4a in a state where the plug body 10 is mounted on the refill neck portion 4.

The mounting tube 15 may have an outer diameter capable of being brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outlet peripheral portion 4a in the entire outflow direction V, or may have an outer diameter capable of being brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outlet peripheral portion 4a only in the base end portion on the top surface plate 12 side.

The plug 1 of the present embodiment is a molded article using a synthetic resin such as polypropylene or polyethylene, or a bio-plastic such as polylactic acid, and is preferably formed by an injection molding method. The plug body 1 of the present embodiment is formed as a member including two parts of the plug body 10 and the plug cover 20.

The cap 20 is preferably made of a material having a lower specific gravity than the content (liquid). With this structure, after the cap 20 is separated from the cap body 10, the cap 20 floats in the content due to buoyancy, and thus the outflow of the content through the outflow opening 11a can be effectively suppressed.

The plug 1 of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 8. Hereinafter, another embodiment of the plug 1 according to the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, another embodiment will be described mainly with respect to components different from those shown in fig. 1 to 8, and the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. The explanation of the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 8 can be applied to the constituent parts not specifically explained.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 8, when the top surface portion of the refill neck 7 reaches the top surface plate 12 in the refill operation, the press-in convex portion 26 is completely pushed out from the insertion port 16, and the plug cover 20 is separated from the plug body 10, but the plug cover 20 may not be separated from the plug body 10. For example, as shown in fig. 10 (a) and (b), in the plug 20, the protruding length of the press-fitting protrusion 26 protruding from the mounting wall portion 27 may be longer than the thickness of the insertion port 16. The thickness of the insertion opening 16 is equal to the thickness of the top disk 12, and is the length of the insertion opening 16 in the outflow direction V. The protruding length of the press-fitting protrusion 26 is a length between a top surface portion (front end) of the mounting wall portion 27 in the outflow direction V and a top surface portion (front end) of the press-fitting protrusion 26.

In the plug 20 of the present embodiment, even if the top surface portion of the refilled neck 7 reaches the top surface plate 12, the press-fitting protrusion 26 is not separated from the insertion port 16 and the closure (attached state) of the insertion port 16 is maintained [ see fig. 10 (b) ]. In this case, the inside of the mounting tube 15 including the outflow opening 11a is unblocked by the blocking plate portion 23, so that a flow path through which the content flows out of the refill container 5 can be ensured. In the attached state of the present embodiment, when a small gap is present between the press-fitting protrusion 26 and the insertion port 16, air replacement of the containers 5 and 6 through the gap can be performed.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate. The above embodiments may be combined.

For example, the content to be refilled into the refilled container 6 using the plug 1 or the refill container 5 having the plug may be liquid content such as cosmetic water or emulsion, or may be other content having fluidity such as powder or particle.

The plug 1 of the above embodiment is a member attached to the mouth and neck portion 4 of the bottle-shaped refill container 5, and may be a member attached to cover the refill outlet of various refill containers made of plastic molded containers, film containers, or the like.

The plug body 10 may not have the insertion partition wall 18.

The plug body 10 may be integrally attached to the refill container 5 without the outer attachment tube 14, or may be integrally attached to the refill container 5 by a seal joint or the like covering the refill outlet of the refill neck 4.

The outflow tube 11 and the mounting tube 15 may be tubular portions having hollow cross-sectional shapes other than circular or elliptical, and the outflow opening 11a of the plug body 10 and the stopper plate portion 23 of the plug cover 20 may not have circular planar shapes.

The mounting wall surface 27 of the cap 20 may not have a hollow cylindrical shape. For example, the wall thickness of the sealing plate portion 23 may be formed so that the outer peripheral surface thereof is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting tube 15, and the sealing plate portion 23 may function as the mounting wall portion 27.

In the above embodiment, the press-fitting convex portion 26 provided separately from the peripheral edge portion of the plugging plate portion 23 is a columnar portion of a quadrangular prism (see fig. 4), but the press-fitting convex portion 26 may be a columnar portion or a cylindrical portion of another shape. The press-fitting convex portion 26 may have a tapered shape whose tip becomes thinner as going in the protruding direction. The tip of the press-fitting protrusion 26 may be flat or may have a step. The press-fitting convex portion 26 may be vertically erected with respect to the sealing plate portion 23, or may be erected in a state of being inclined with respect to the sealing plate portion 23.

The shape of the top surface plate 12 is not particularly limited, and may be circular as in the above embodiment, or may be any shape such as rectangular.

In the case where the cap 20 has a plurality of press-fitting protrusions 26, the protruding lengths of the press-fitting protrusions 26 may be the same or different. For example, a part of the protruding length of the press-fitting protrusion 26 may be shorter than the thickness of the insertion port 16, and the remaining protruding length of the press-fitting protrusion 26 may be longer than the thickness of the insertion port 16. In this case, in the refill operation, even if the press-in convex portion 26 having a short protruding length is completely pushed out from the insertion port 16, the press-in convex portion 26 having a long protruding length remains inserted into the insertion port 16, and thus air replacement via the insertion port 16 corresponding to the press-in convex portion 26 having a short protruding length becomes easy.

With respect to the embodiments of the present invention described above, the following plug for refill container and refill container are further disclosed.

＜1＞

A plug for a refill container for refilling a content to a container to be refilled having a mouth and a neck, capable of being attached to cover a refill outlet of the refill container,

the refill plug includes: a plug body capable of being engaged and fixed to an opening peripheral edge portion of the refill outlet; and a plug cover which is detachably attached to the plug body by closing an outflow opening formed in the top surface of the plug body from the outflow direction inner side,

the plug body has: an outflow tube surrounding the outflow opening and protruding outward in the outflow direction from the top disk; a cylindrical outer wall which is arranged concentrically with the outflow tube, surrounds the outflow tube, protrudes outward in the outflow direction from the top surface disk, and has an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the neck portion of the refill container; and a mounting tube which is arranged concentrically with the outflow tube and which surrounds the outflow tube and protrudes inward in the outflow direction from the top disk,

the plug body has an insertion opening formed to be opened in the top surface at a space portion between the outflow cylinder and the cylindrical outer wall,

The plug cap has: a mounting wall portion having an outer peripheral surface in close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder; a blocking plate portion having the same planar shape as the hollow cross-sectional shape of the mounting tube; and a press-fitting protrusion provided separately from the peripheral edge portion of the sealing plate portion,

the plug cover is attached to the plug body in a state where the press-fitting protrusion protrudes outward in the outflow direction from the top surface plate through the insertion opening at a distance between the outflow tube and the cylindrical outer wall.

＜2＞

The plug for a refill container according to < 1 >, wherein,

the insertion opening is formed at least 2 positions in a space between the outflow tube and the cylindrical outer wall of the top plate, and the press-fitting protrusion is provided at least 2 positions in a peripheral edge portion of the sealing plate portion.

＜3＞

The plug for a refill container according to < 2 >, wherein,

when a circle defined by the space between the outflow tube and the cylindrical outer wall is assumed, the insertion openings are formed at a plurality of locations equally dividing the circumference of the circle.

＜4＞

The plug for a refill container according to any one of < 1 > to < 3 >, wherein,

when the neck-mouth portion of the refill container is coupled to the neck-mouth portion of the refill container by inserting the neck-mouth portion of the refill container into the space between the outflow tube and the cylindrical outer wall of the plug body, the top surface plate abuts against the front end portion of the neck-mouth portion.

＜5＞

The plug for a refill container according to any one of < 1 > to < 4 >, wherein,

a female screw ridge is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical outer wall, and is screwed with a male screw ridge formed on the outer peripheral surface of the neck portion of the refilled container.

＜6＞

The plug for a refill container according to any one of < 1 > to < 5 >, wherein,

in the mounting tube, a base end portion of the top surface disk side has an outer diameter capable of being brought into close contact with an inner peripheral surface of an opening peripheral portion of the refill outlet.

＜7＞

The plug for a refill container according to any one of < 1 > to < 6 >, wherein,

the insertion opening extends inward in the outflow direction from the outflow opening through an insertion partition wall.

＜8＞

The plug for a refill container according to < 7 >, wherein,

in the insertion partition wall, a part of a peripheral edge portion of the insertion opening protrudes inward in the outflow direction.

＜9＞

The plug for a refill container according to any one of < 1 > to < 8 >, wherein,

the cap is formed of a material having a specific gravity lower than that of the content.

＜10＞

A refill container for refilling contents into a refilled container having a mouth and neck,

The refill container has a refill container plug mounted to cover the refill outlet,

the refill plug includes: a plug body which is engaged and fixed to an opening peripheral portion of the refill outlet; and a plug cover which is detachably attached to the plug body by closing an outflow opening formed in the top surface of the plug body from the outflow direction inner side,

＜11＞

The refill container according to claim < 10 > wherein,

＜12＞

The refill container according to claim < 11 >, wherein,

＜13＞

The refill container according to any one of < 10 > to < 12 >, wherein,

＜14＞

The refill container according to any one of < 10 > to < 13 >, wherein,

＜15＞

The refill container according to any one of < 10 > - < 14 >,

＜16＞

The refill container according to any one of < 10 > to < 15 >, wherein,

＜17＞

The refill container of claim < 16 > wherein,

＜18＞

The refill container according to any one of < 10 > to < 17 >, wherein,

Industrial applicability

According to the plug body for a refill container and the refill container having the same, the contents during the refill operation can be efficiently and stably filled, and the leakage of the contents can be prevented.

Claims

1. A plug for a refill container for refilling a content to a container to be refilled having a mouth and a neck, capable of being attached to cover a refill outlet of the refill container,

the plug body for the refill container is characterized in that:

comprising the following steps: a plug body capable of being engaged and fixed to an opening peripheral edge portion of the refill outlet; and a plug cover which is detachably attached to the plug body by closing an outflow opening formed in the top surface of the plug body from the outflow direction inner side,

2. The refill cartridge of claim 1, wherein:

3. A plug for a refill container according to claim 2, wherein:

4. A plug for a refill container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:

5. A plug for a refill container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:

6. A plug for a refill container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein:

7. A plug for a refill container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein:

8. The refill cartridge of claim 7, wherein:

9. A plug for a refill container according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein:

10. A refill container for refilling content into a refilled container having a mouth and neck, the refill container characterized by:

11. The refill container of claim 10, wherein:

12. The refill container of claim 11, wherein:

13. Refill container according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein:

14. The refill container according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein:

15. The refill container according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein:

16. The refill container according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein:

17. The refill container of claim 16, wherein:

18. The refill container according to any one of claims 10 to 17 wherein: