JP7493894B2 - Application container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an application container.

As an applicator container for cosmetics and the like having a container body and a cap with an applicator, there is known an applicator container having an axis body connected to the cap at the base end, and an applicator part connected to the tip of the axis body so as to be swingable under a predetermined frictional resistance and whose inclination angle with respect to the central axis of the axis body can be changed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). With such an applicator container, it is possible to easily apply the product by changing the inclination angle of the applicator part as necessary.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 60-12314

However, with conventional applicator containers like the one described above, when changing the inclination angle of the applicator part, it was necessary to take the time to press the applicator part against the mouth of the container body and swing it.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an applicator container that allows the inclination angle of the applicator section to be easily changed.

The applicator container of the present invention is characterized in that it has a container body with a mouth, an applicator-attached cap that is equipped with an applicator inserted into the container body and is detachable from the mouth, and the applicator has an outer shaft connected to the cap at its base end, an applicator section that is swingably connected to the tip end of the outer shaft so as to change the inclination angle of the outer shaft relative to the central axis, an inner shaft that passes through the outer shaft and is connected to the base end of the applicator section, and increases the inclination angle by moving axially toward the tip end side relative to the outer shaft, while decreasing the inclination angle by moving axially toward the base end side relative to the outer shaft, and an operated section that is connected to the base end of the inner shaft and moves the inner shaft axially relative to the outer shaft when operated.

In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, the applicator container of the present invention is preferably an applicator container in which the outer shaft and the applicator part as a whole are linear with a bent part that can be bent at the inclination angle.

In addition, in the above configuration, the applicator container of the present invention is preferably an applicator container in which the side surface of the applicator portion has an applicator body.

In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, the application container of the present invention is preferably an application container in which the bent portion has a rib extending in the axial direction between both ends of the C-shaped slit.

The present invention provides an applicator container that allows the inclination angle of the applicator section to be easily changed.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing an application container according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the applicator-equipped cap shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a partially sectional side view of the applicator-equipped cap shown in FIG. 2, seen from an angle different by 90 degrees. FIG. 4 is a top view of the applicator cap shown in FIG. 3 . 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the inclination angle of the applicator part of the applicator-equipped cap shown in FIG. 2 is increased. FIG. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 5. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the inclination angle of the application part is reduced from the state shown in FIG. 5 . FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a coating container according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the applicator-equipped cap shown in FIG. 8 . 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the inclination angle of the applicator part of the applicator-equipped cap shown in FIG. 9 is increased. FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the applicator-equipped cap shown in FIG. 9 . 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the inclination angle of the applicator part of the cap with applicator shown in FIG. 11 is increased. FIG.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

The applicator container 1, which is the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, has a container body 2 and a cap 3 with an applicator. The cap 3 with an applicator has a cap 4 and an applicator 5. The applicator 5 has a body member 6, a first impregnated body 7, and an operating member 8. The cap 4, body member 6, and operating member 8 are each integrally molded from a synthetic resin. Note that the cap 4, body member 6, and operating member 8 are not limited to being made from a synthetic resin, and are not limited to being integrally molded.

The container body 2 is bottle-shaped and has a cylindrical mouth 2a centered on the central axis O, a body 2b that is integral with the lower end of the mouth 2a, and a bottom 2c that is integral with the lower end of the body 2b. The mouth 2a may be tubular in shape other than cylindrical (e.g., elliptical or rectangular).

In this embodiment, the vertical direction means the direction along the central axis O, the upward direction means the direction from the bottom 2c toward the mouth 2a, the downward direction means the opposite direction, the radial direction means the direction along a straight line perpendicular to the central axis O, and the circumferential direction means the direction going around the central axis O.

The container body 2 contains a liquid content 9. The container body 2 also contains a second impregnated body 10, which is impregnated with the content 9. The second impregnated body 10 may not be provided. The content 9 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, it is a dye for partial dyeing of hair. In other words, the applicator container 1 is an applicator container 1 for partial dyeing of hair.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the cap 4 has an attachment tube 4a that can be attached to and detached from the mouth 2a via a threaded portion that serves as an engagement portion 11, a cylindrical peripheral wall 4b that extends upward from the upper end of the attachment tube 4a, a top wall 4d that is integral with the upper end of the peripheral wall 4b and has an opening 4c in the center when viewed from above, and two restricting pieces 4e that extend downward from the periphery of the opening 4c. Note that the engagement portion 11 is not limited to a threaded portion, and may be, for example, a concave-convex portion that can overcome each other in the vertical direction by elastic deformation.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the main body member 6 has a connecting portion 6a, an outer shaft 6b, and an applicator main body 6c. The outer shaft 6b is cylindrical with a central axis O, and is fitted at its base end (upper end) to the cap 4 via the connecting portion 6a, so that they are connected together as one unit. The connecting portion 6a extends radially outward from the base end of the outer shaft 6b and is annular about the central axis O, and the outer periphery of the connecting portion 6a is fixed by fitting it to the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 4b and the inner circumferential surface of the mounting tube 4a.

The applicator body 6c has a frame-shaped portion 6d into which the first impregnated body 7 is fitted, and the applicator body 6c and the first impregnated body 7 form the applicator 12. The applicator body 6c is swingably connected to the tip (lower end) of the outer shaft 6b so that the inclination angle θ (see FIG. 5) relative to the central axis O of the outer shaft 6b can be changed. In this embodiment, the direction in which the applicator body 6c swings relative to the outer shaft 6b is also referred to as the front-rear direction. The outer shaft 6b and the applicator 12 as a whole form a linear applicator body 14 having a bent portion 13 that can be bent at an inclination angle θ.

The applicator body 14 can be transformed between a first form before the inclination angle θ is increased and a second form in which the inclination angle θ is increased. In this embodiment, the applicator body 14 is linear in the first form (i.e., the inclination angle θ is 0°), but this is not limited to this. In this embodiment, the state in which the applicator body 14 is in the first form is also referred to as the first state, and the state in which the applicator body 14 is in the second form is also referred to as the second state.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the bent portion 13 has a slit 13a that is C-shaped when viewed from the bottom, and a hinge portion 13b formed between both ends of the slit 13a. In other words, the applicator body 6c is connected to the tip of the outer shaft 6b via the hinge portion 13b so as to be able to swing. The bent portion 13 also has two ribs 13c that extend in the axial direction (i.e., vertical direction) between both ends of the slit 13a (both circumferential ends of the hinge portion 13b) and are aligned in the circumferential direction. The two ribs 13c prevent a crack from spreading from both ends of the slit 13a to the hinge portion 13b. The number, shape, and arrangement of the ribs 13c can be changed as appropriate. The number of ribs 13c may be one. Also, a configuration without rib 13c may be used.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, an applicator body 15 is provided on the side of the applicator part 12, located on the opposite side of the hinge part 13b in the circumferential direction, which comes into contact with the part to be applied, that is, hair, in order to apply the contents 9 to the part to be applied. The applicator body 15 is formed by a comb-tooth-shaped portion 6e that is integrally provided on the applicator body 6c, and a protruding portion 7a that protrudes laterally from the frame-shaped portion 6d of the first impregnated body 7. Note that the applicator body 15 is not limited to being formed by the comb-tooth-shaped portion 6e, nor is it limited to being formed by an impregnated body.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the operating member 8 has an inner shaft 8a and an operated part 8b. The inner shaft 8a is rod-shaped with the central axis O as its center, and passes through the opening 4c and the outer shaft 6b to connect to the base end (upper end) of the applicator body 6c. More specifically, the inner shaft 8a has an inner shaft body 8c that passes through the opening 4c and the outer shaft 6b, a flexible part 8d that extends downward from the tip end (lower end) of the inner shaft body 8c and has flexibility in the front-rear direction, and a spherical connector 8e that is integrally connected to the tip end (lower end) of the flexible part 8d. The connector 8e is connected by fitting to a connected part 6f that is formed of a spherical recess provided on the upper surface of the base end of the applicator body 6c.

The operated portion 8b has a top wall 8f that is integral with the base end of the inner shaft body 8c and faces the top wall 4d from above, and a band-shaped side wall 8g that extends downward from the outer periphery of the top wall 8f along the outer periphery of the peripheral wall 4b. As shown in FIG. 5, the operated portion 8b can move the inner shaft 8a relative to the outer shaft 6b toward the axial tip side (downward) by receiving a downward operation from the first state to the top wall 8f or the side wall 8g, or both, thereby increasing the inclination angle θ and changing to the second state. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the operated portion 8b can move the inner shaft 8a relative to the outer shaft 6b toward the axial base end side (upward) by receiving an upward operation from the second state to the top wall 8f or the side wall 8g, or both, thereby decreasing the inclination angle θ and changing to the first state. Thus, according to this embodiment, the inclination angle θ of the applicator 12 can be easily changed by operating the operated portion 8b.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 7, two restricting ribs 8h are integrally provided on the upper part of the inner shaft body 8c. The restricting piece 4e and the restricting rib 8h form a restricting portion 16, and the applicator cap 3 has two restricting portions 16. The number of restricting portions 16 can be increased or decreased as appropriate, and the restricting portion 16 may be omitted. The restricting portion 16 is configured to lock the inner shaft body 8c to the cap 4 via the uneven portion so as to maintain the first state until a certain degree of downward force is applied to the operated portion 8b in the first state, and to lock the inner shaft body 8c to the cap 4 via the uneven portion so as to maintain the second state until a certain degree of upward force is applied to the operated portion 8b in the second state.

The inner shaft body 8c can slide axially (up and down) against the inner peripheral surface of the outer shaft 6b via an annular sealing member 17 centered on the central axis O.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the applicator cap 3 is attached to the mouth 2a, the applicator body 14 is contained in the container body 2, and the contents 9 in the container body 2 are impregnated into the first impregnated body 7. Then, from this state, the applicator cap 3 is removed from the mouth 2a, and the cap 4 (and the operated part 8b) is grasped to bring the applicator body 15 on the side of the applicator part 12 into contact with the part to be applied, thereby applying the contents 9 to the part to be applied. At this time, by appropriately operating the operated part 8b depending on the location of the part to be applied (e.g., the hairline or the tip of the hair), the applicator body 14 can be transformed into the first form (see FIG. 7) or the second form (see FIG. 5) in which the inclination angle θ of the applicator part 12 is larger, whichever is easier to apply. At this time, it may be used in an intermediate form between the first form and the second form. Furthermore, when attaching the applicator cap 3 to the mouth portion 2a again, the applicator body 14 can be easily inserted into the mouth portion 2a by returning the applicator body 14 to the first form by operating the operated portion 8b.

In the first embodiment, the applicator cap 3 is configured so that it can be changed from the first state to the second state by a downward operation on the operated part 8b, and can be changed from the second state to the first state by an upward operation on the operated part 8b. However, without being limited to this, for example, as in the second embodiment shown in Figures 8 to 10 and its modified example shown in Figures 11 to 12, the applicator cap 3 may be configured so that it can be changed from the first state to the second state by operating the operated part 8b against the biasing force, and can be changed from the second state to the first state by the biasing force when the operation on the operated part 8b is released.

As shown in Figures 8 to 10, in the second embodiment, the operating member 8 has an annular spring 8i that generates a biasing force. The outer peripheral surface of the annular spring 8i has a lower connecting portion 8j that is integrally connected to the base end of the inner shaft body 8c at the lower portion of the annular spring 8i, and two side connecting portions 8k that are integrally connected to the operated portions 8b at the sides of the annular spring 8i. The upper portion of the annular spring 8i is configured to be indirectly supported on the lower surface of the top wall 4d via the intermediate portion 8l. In other words, the operating member 8 has the annular spring 8i, two operated portions 8b, the intermediate portion 8l, the inner shaft body 8c, the flexible portion 8d, and the connecting body 8e. The upper portion of the annular spring 8i may be configured to be directly supported on the lower surface of the top wall 4d without the intermediate portion 8l.

The peripheral wall 4b of the cap 4 is provided with two notched windows 4f that allow the operated portion 8b to be operated from the outside. In other words, the applicator-equipped cap 3 has two operating structures 18 that are formed by the operated portion 8b and the windows 4f, respectively. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Therefore, the annular spring 8i is elastically deformed so that its radial width decreases while its vertical width increases by pushing the two operated portions 8b radially inward from the first state against the biasing force generated by the annular spring 8i. At this time, the upper part of the annular spring 8i is supported by the lower surface of the top wall 4d, so that the lower part of the annular spring 8i is displaced downward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the inner shaft body 8c moves downward, and the applicator body 14 is thereby deformed from the first form to the second form.

According to this embodiment, the tilt angle θ can be changed arbitrarily depending on the amount of pressing, and the applicator body 14 can be conveniently returned to the first state simply by releasing the pressing. Note that, although two operating structures 18 are provided in this embodiment, this is not limiting, and a configuration in which one operating structure 18 is provided may also be used, as in the modified example shown in Figures 11 and 12. In this case, it is preferable to provide a guide rib 19 that slides on the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 6b on a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the inner barrel body 8c that is located on the opposite side of the operating structure 18 as viewed from the central axis O. The guide rib 19 makes it possible to suppress the tilt of the inner barrel body 8c caused by pressing from one direction.

The first embodiment may also be configured to include a biasing member (such as a spring member) that generates a biasing force to return the applicator body 14 from the second state to the first state.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Therefore, the application container 1 of the above-described embodiment can be modified in various ways, for example as described below.

The applicator container 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment has a container body 2 with a mouth portion 2a, an applicator-attached cap 3 with an applicator 5 inserted into the container body 2 and detachable from the mouth portion 2a, and the applicator 5 has an outer shaft 6b connected to the cap 4 at the base end, an applicator section 12 swingably connected to the tip end of the outer shaft 6b so as to be able to change the inclination angle θ relative to the central axis O of the outer shaft 6b, an inner shaft 8a connected to the base end of the applicator section 12 through the outer shaft 6b, and increases the inclination angle θ by moving relative to the outer shaft 6b toward the tip end side in the axial direction, while decreasing the inclination angle θ by moving relative to the outer shaft 6b toward the base end side in the axial direction, and an operated section 8b connected to the base end of the inner shaft 8a and moving the inner shaft 8a axially relative to the outer shaft 6b when operated. As long as it is an applicator container 1 characterized by having such a feature, it can be modified in various ways.

For example, the applicator container 1 is not limited to an applicator container 1 for partial dyeing of hair, but may be, for example, an applicator container 1 for mascara, or may be an applicator container 1 for other cosmetics, or may be an applicator container 1 for anything other than cosmetics. Furthermore, the contents 9 are not limited to being liquid, but may be, for example, powder. Furthermore, the shape, etc. of the applicator body 15 can be appropriately set according to the use, etc. of the applicator container 1. For example, the applicator body 15 is not limited to being provided only on the side of the applicator part 12, but may be provided on the entire circumference and tip of the applicator part 12, such as a mascara brush.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, it is preferable that the applicator container 1 is an applicator container 1 in which the outer shaft 6b and the applicator portion 12 as a whole are linear and have a bent portion 13 that can be bent at an inclination angle θ.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, it is preferable that the applicator container 1 in the above configuration is an applicator container 1 in which the side of the applicator section 12 has an applicator body 15.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, it is preferable that the bent portion 13 of the applicator container 1 in the above configuration has a rib 13c extending in the axial direction between both ends of the C-shaped slit 13a.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 1 Applicator container 2 Container body 2a Mouth 2b Body 2c Bottom 3 Cap with applicator 4 Cap 4a Mounting tube 4b Circumferential wall 4c Opening 4d Top wall 4e Regulating piece 4f Window 5 Applicator 6 Body member 6a Connecting portion 6b Outer shaft 6c Applicator body 6d Frame-shaped portion 6e Comb-tooth-shaped portion 6f Connected body 7 First impregnated body 7a Protruding portion 8 Operating member 8a Inner shaft 8b Operated portion 8c Inner shaft body 8d Flexible portion 8e Connecting body 8f Top wall 8g Side wall 8h Regulating rib 8i Annular spring 8j Lower connecting portion 8k Lateral connecting portion 8l Interposition portion 9 Content 10 Second impregnated body 11 Locking portion 12 Applicator 13 Bend portion 13a, slit 13b, hinge portion 13c, rib 14, applicator body 15, applicator body 16, restricting portion 17, sealing member 18, operation structure portion 19, guide rib O, central axis θ, inclination angle

Claims (4)

The container has a container body with a mouth portion, and an applicator-equipped cap that is equipped with an applicator that is inserted into the container body and is detachable from the mouth portion,
the applicator comprises an outer shaft connected to a cap at its base end, an applicator section connected to the tip end of the outer shaft so as to be swingable so as to change the angle of inclination of the outer shaft relative to a central axis line, an inner shaft connected to the base end of the applicator section through the outer shaft and configured to increase the angle of inclination by moving axially toward the tip end side relative to the outer shaft and decrease the angle of inclination by moving axially toward the base end side relative to the outer shaft, and an operated section connected to the base end of the inner shaft and configured to move the inner shaft axially relative to the outer shaft when operated. The applicator container according to claim 1, wherein the outer shaft and the applicator part as a whole are linear with a bent part that can be bent at the inclination angle. The application container according to claim 2, wherein the side of the application section has an application body. The applicator container according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the bent portion has a rib extending in the axial direction between both ends of the C-shaped slit.

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