FLUID STORAGE CONTAINER AND LID THEREOF

Abstract

A fluid storage container includes a container body provided with an interior space for storing a fluid and an opening for guiding the fluid from the interior space to the outside. A lid covers the opening of the container and is provided with a discharge opening for the fluid. The discharge opening is configured so that the discharge opening is normally in a closed state, sealed by a plug, but is set to an open state when extracting the fluid from the container body. Thus, outside air and impurities are prevented from entering the container, which prevents the degradation of the contents of the container and thereby drastically increases the lifespan of the contents.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention involves a container for preserving liquid or gelatinous material inside. It especially relates to structures of a lid equipped with a discharge mouth that guides fluid from the inside to the outside and to a container equipped with the lid.

BACKGROUND ART

The conventional structure of a container for preserving liquid or gelatinous material fails to prevent air from flowing into the inside of the container, especially when the fluid content is discharged through the discharge mouth. This causes the content to become oxidized, and the remnant of the content remaining around the discharge mouth cannot be prevented from entering the inside of the container, resulting in degradation or deterioration of the content of the container.

As for the structure of a container to prevent an inflow of air, there are container structures listed in Patent Document 1 (JP Patent No. 3492600) and Patent Document 2 (JP Utility Model Publication No. 58-021399). In either model, an inflow of air intends to be checked by a valve which can be opened or closed depending on a pressure level of the inside of the container. The valve can open with increased pressure inside of the container, for instance, when a user manually puts pressure on the container outer shell made of flexible material, and can close when he or she releases the pressure.

The container structure listed in Patent Document 1 comprises a tubular outer shell of a container that made of flexible material with a discharge mouth, an inside plug that shuts the discharge mouth with the central part protruding toward the outside, passages equipped with the inside plug that connect the inside of the container to the outside, and a nozzle portion surrounding part of the discharge mouth, made of elastic resin or rubber, and intimately contacted with the outside surface of the inside plug.

The addition of pressure to the container shell increases a level of the inside pressure of the container that results in the nozzle portion swelling as a result of its elasticity, making space between the inside plug and the nozzle portion that causes the contained fluid to discharge.

A halt to giving pressure, owning to rebounding power produced by a deficit of pressure inside the container, helps the swelled nozzle portion recover to the original position getting intimately contacted with the surface of the inside plug. The structure referred to Patent Document 1 works as such.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the first embodiment of the invention listed in Patent Document 1, the elasticity of the nozzle portion material enables the discharge mouth to open and close. The characteristic of the invention depends only on the elasticity of the nozzle portion material. The elasticity alone is not sufficient to produce between the plug and the nozzle portion a space to help fluids be discharged from the container. The elasticity in turn prevents the nozzle portion from having sufficient intensity to secure airtightness. Airtightness could be incurred when an unintentional handling of the nozzle portion mistakenly triggers the nozzle part to deform or get disconnected.

According to the second embodiment of the invention listed in Patent Document 1, the nozzle portion of the container has the V-curve area, which in practice makes it impossible to automatically return to the original position after making the discharge mouth open.

In addition, with the invention listed in Patent Document 2, a lid portion is equipped with the neck portion of the container that closes the opening of the neck, comprising a cylinder with a discharge mouth in the center, and a plug equipped with a piston intimately contacted from inside of the cylinder. The plug and the piston remain raised up from below inside toward the discharge mouth. The addition of pressure to the container shell increases an internal pressure level of the container that results in the piston moving away from the mouth owning to the pressure inside of the container, triggering fluids to discharge with the plug detached from the discharge mouth. With the pressure inside of the container decreased, the cylinder returns to the original position, causing the plug to close the discharge mouth. The structure is complex and costly to produce, and there is a possibility that fluids may remain in a space between the cylinder and the piston, preventing a normal operation or causing irregularities.

Moreover, as the container listed either in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 is structured to require pressure to be added on the outer shell of the container in order to make contained fluid to discharge through the discharge mouth, its utility value as a container for storing kinds of liqueur, soy sauce or edible oil, is limited, because those kinds fluid are usually contained in a solid glass bottle, a plastic bottle or a tin can, which require a tilt of a container in order to discharge the fluids out. The structure also may cause irregularities in case a content of the container includes granulated solid material, such as dressing, as some granules may remain in the area between the outside surface of the inside plug and the inside surface of the nozzle portion resulting in obstructing an intimate contact, thus damaging airtightness.

The container listed in Patent Document 3 (JP Patent Publication No. 2007-326581) is equipped with a beak nozzle functioning to check the reverse flow of fluid. The container shell keeps a degree of elasticity as it is made of laminated films. If a user were to put excessive pressure on the container shell, this may cause the liquid content to splash out from the discharge mouth, thus spotting the user's clothes or surroundings. Some remaining liquid can stay around the discharge mouth. A tumbled container may cause an undesired flow out of the content, resulting in loss of fluid and soiling the environment.

This invention is made for the purpose of solving these problems of such conventional containers.

An embodiment of this invention is characterized by the following description. It has a container inside that forms an internal space for storing fluids, a container outer shell that has an opening guiding the fluids from the internal space to outside, and a lid portion that covers the discharge opening of the container outer shell and shuts a discharge opening or mouth through which the fluids are discharged.

The lid portion comprises a space connecting to a neck of the container, a plug contacting with the discharge mouth from the inside for closing the discharge mouth of the container leading to the outside, and a disk-form spring sustaining the plug. The spring helps the plug move toward the inside with the inner pressure of the container increased, and helps the plug move toward the outside to close the discharge mouth with the inner pressure of the container decreased.

According to this embodiment, the discharge mouth is usually in a closed state with the plug under pressure from inside of the container. An addition of pressure on the container shell causes the plug to move toward inside, thus opening the discharge mouth. A release of pressure helps the plug return to the original position, resulting in closing the discharge mouth, which can prevent fluid contents from degenerating or deteriorating because it shuts out fresh air and checks a reverse flow of fluid contents. In need of cleaning the discharge mouth, it is easy to clean as the discharge mouth is in a closed position.

In this embodiment of this invention, the container can be equipped with a stopper in the lid portion for regulating movements of the plug.

In an embodiment of this invention, the container can also be equipped with a manually operative lever in the lid portion, which makes either movement of the plug toward the inside or toward the outside.

In an embodiment of this invention, the discharge mouth can be configured cylinder-like or conical so that the discharge opening protrudes toward outside of the container.

To achieve the purposes above, in another embodiment of this invention, a container inside forms an internal space for storing fluids, a container outer shell has a discharge mouth guiding fluids from the internal space of the container inside to the outside, and a lid that covers an opening of the container outer shell and shuts the discharge mouth through which fluid material is discharged. The lid portion has a discharge hole. A thin film forms a tubular portion or tube that is usually flattened with one end of the film connected to the discharge hole of the lid and the other end forms the discharge mouth. The container is characterized by the discharge mouth guiding fluid from the inside to the outside.

According to this embodiment above, the discharge mouth, as put upright, is in a closed position as the tube remains flattened, and when a user tilts the container in order to discharge fluid content, the weight of fluid content forms pressure that causes the discharge mouth to open and the content to be discharged. When the container is returned to the original upright state, losing the pressure of the fluid content, the discharge mouth returns to its closed state with the tube again getting flattened. This closed state of the discharge mouth can prevent the fluid content from degrading or deteriorating due to an inflow of air and the halt of reversal flow of the fluid. Even in case where the fluid content includes a granulated substance, the tube, as made from a flexible thin film, can be flattened with granules remaining in the tube.

In need of cleaning the discharge mouth, it is easy to clean as the discharge mouth is in a closed position, so it contributes to sanitation.

According to this embodiment, the container can be equipped with an inner bag that has an internal space for storing fluids inside of the container. A space is formed between the inner bag and the inside of the container outer shell, and the space can be linked to outside air.

According to this embodiment, the container can be equipped with an internal space for storing air, and the space can be linked to outside air.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the container can be equipped with an absorbing material for absorbing residuals of fluids remaining around the discharge mouth.

According to this embodiment, the container can be equipped with a pump mechanism in the lid portion or the container body that helps increase pressure inside of the container.

According to this embodiment, the container can be equipped with the surface of the lid portion being coated with an oxygen-proof thin film that is made of plastic or metal in order to prevent oxygen from entering the inside of the container.

To achieve the purposes above, in another embodiment of this invention, the lid portion can comprise a space connecting to a neck of the container, a plug contacting with a discharge mouth from the inside for closing the discharge mouth of the container leading to the outside, and a disk-form spring sustaining the plug. The spring helps the plug move toward the inside with the inner pressure of the container increased, and helps the plug move toward the outside to close the mouth of the container with the inner pressure of the container decreased.

To achieve the purposes above, in another embodiment of this invention, the lid portion covers the opening of the container outer shell and shuts the discharge mouth through which fluid material is discharged. The lid portion has a discharge hole. A thin film that forms a tubular shape that is usually flattened with one end of the film connected to the discharge hole of the lid and the other end connecting to the discharge mouth. The discharge mouth guides fluid from the inside to the outside. In the embodiment of the invention concerning the lid portion, it can be equipped with an inner bag for storing air.

According to an embodiment of this invention, when the pressure of the container is lowered, the plug returns to its original shape and closely fits to the discharge port, thus causing a closed state and preventing the new entry of outside air and the reverse flow of the liquid substance once discharged outside. Therefore, the deterioration of the substance inside of the container can be checked. The discharge mouth and surroundings can safely and easily be put into cleaning operations as the discharge mouth is in a closed state, making it possible to keep it clean.

According to another embodiment of this invention, with the container put to a stand state, the pressure added by the content is quickly lowered and the outlet portion returns to its original shape. The relative inner surface is brought into close contact and the discharge mouth closes, thus making it possible to prevent the new entry of outside air and the reverse flow of the liquid substance once discharged outside. Therefore, the deterioration of the substance in the container can be prevented. When the discharge mouth and its surroundings are cleaned after the content is taken out, the work can safely and easily be put into cleaning operations as the discharge mouth is in a closed state, making it possible to keep it clean.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention.

FIG. 2A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the head portion (circular dotted line part) from FIG. 1 showing a state with the outer cap removed.

FIG. 2B is a plan view of the inner lid of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C is a plan view of the stopper body of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2D is a plan view of the lid body of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view to show an opened state of a discharge mouth of the inner lid of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 4 of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view to show a released state of a plug with the stopper of FIG. 5 moving to a specified position.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view to show the state of the plug of FIG. 6 moved and a discharge mouth opened when the plug is released.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 5 of this invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 6 of this invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 6 of this invention.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 6 of this invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 7 of this invention.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 8 of this invention.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 8 of this invention.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the inner lid of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16A is a plan view of the discharge portion of FIG. 13.

FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional view of the discharge portion of FIG. 16A as seen from the side.

FIG. 16C is a cross-sectional view of the discharge mouth of the discharge portion of FIG. 16A in an opened position.

FIG. 16D is a cross-sectional view of the discharge portion taken along the line X-X of FIG. 16D.

FIG. 17A is a plan view concerning Embodiment 10 of this invention.

FIG. 17B is a plan view concerning Embodiment 11 of this invention.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view to explain Embodiment 15 of this invention.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 13 of this invention.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 14 of this invention

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 15 of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Several embodiments of this invention are explained below referring to figures.

Embodiment 1

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid substance storage container related to this embodiment. FIG. 2A is the circular dotted line part excerpt from FIG. 1 showing a state with an outer cap or lid 1 removed. These views show a discharge mouth 7 in a closed state with a plug 3 in close contact with the discharge mouth 7. FIG. 2B is a plan view of an inner lid 2. FIG. 2C is a plan view of the plug 3. FIG. 2D is a plan view of a lid body 5. FIG. 3 is a view showing an opened state of the discharge mouth 7 of the liquid substance storage container.

The liquid storage container shown in FIG. 1 is a tube-like container equipped with a tube-like container shell 6 and a lid portion. The container shell 6 is equipped with a flexible containing portion 6b and an opening portion 6a. The containing portion 6b is formed into a bag having inner space closed to the inside. The inner space is filled with a liquid or a liquid substance such as a gel.

The opening portion 6a is provided in an end portion of the containing portion 6b and is connected to the inner space formed by the containing portion.

To the opening portion 6a of the container 6, the lid body 5 is installed in a way to close the opening portion 6a. For the connection 10 of the container 6 and the lid body 5, matching screws are formed for joining.

For the lid portion, the lid body 5 is formed in a tube. At one end portion in the direction to take out the content, the inner lid 2 is installed and at the other end (the side of the opening portion 6a), a bottom plate 20 is provided, thus forming a space inside the lid body 5.

Near the center of the lid body 5, a circular or polygonal column form for the plug 3 is provided. For the plug 3, the outside of a wavy spring portion 8 radially spreads from a specified position at the outer periphery of the plug 3 and is fixed to the inner wall of the lid body 5.

The inner lid 2 is provided with the discharge mouth 7. Normally, a protruding portion of the plug 3 is in close contact with the inner lid 2 in the form to block the discharge mouth 7 from the inside.

The protruding portion of the 3 can be moved in a direction away from the discharge mouth 7 owing to functions of the wavy spring portion 8, thereby opening and closing the discharge mouth 7.

The internal space of the lid body 5 is separated into a first chamber 17 and a second chamber 18 by the wavy spring portion 8 of the plug 3. The first chamber 17 is connected to the containing portion 6b through an outflow hole 19 and the second chamber 18 is connected to outside air through an air port or hole 4 of the lid body 5.

If the containing portion 6b is pressurized to discharge a liquid substance as the content, the content in the containing portion 6a moves to the first chamber 17 through the outflow hole 19. By means of the pressure of the content filled in the first chamber 17, the wavy spring portion 8 is deformed and the portion in contact with the discharge mouth 7 of the plug 3 moves in a direction away from the discharge mouth 7, thereby opening the discharge mouth 7, and the content is discharged from the discharge mouth 7.

If the pressure is removed from the containing portion 6b, the interior of the containing portion 6b and the first chamber 17 are made negative by the force of the containing portion 6b to return to the original form.

The plug 3 returns to its original form due to the elastic restoring force of the wavy spring portion 8. Since the second chamber 18 is connected to outside air through the air hole 4, the air pressure in the second chamber is always same as that of the outside air, and so it does not prevent the deforming/moving of the plug 3.

As shown by these figures, the content going outside through the discharge mouth 7 does not reverse and outside air does not flow into the discharge mouth 7.

When the discharge mouth 7 and its surrounding are in need of cleaning, there is no concern about remaining content or contaminant entering through the discharge mouth 7 as the discharge mouth 7 is tightly closed.

When in a closed state, the surface surrounding the discharge mouth 7 of the inner lid 2 and the surface at the end of the plug 3 continuously form one surface, and since there is no irregularity or clearance on the surfaces, the structure helps keep the area from being contaminated, and the area can be kept clean as cleaning is easily done.

If the content is a water-soluble substance such as toothpaste, the container can be washed in water, and if the content is oily substance, the container can be washed with cleaning solution suitable for the content, and the cleaning solution or contaminant will not enter through the discharge mouth 7.

If the surface of the inner lid 2 and the end surface of the plug 3 are formed to become one planar surface when the lid is in a closed state, it will be best suited for taking the content using a fingertip, a glass rod, a spoon, a chopsticks or a brush. It is also a good idea to form one concave surface in the surface of the inner lid 2 and the end surface of the plug 3 and check the color, odor or volume by temporarily accumulating the content there. It is also good to mark graduations on the surface of the inner lid 2 so that the volume can be easily measured when the content is to be discharged.

If the content is skin lotion or cream to be directly applied on the skin, various shapes can be formed to meet purposes by, for example, forming one convex surface in the surface of the inner lid 2 and the end surface of the plug 3 so that the content can be easily applied directly to the skin.

Embodiment 2

With this embodiment, not only the wave form but also other optimum shapes are formed by making the wavy spring portion 8 in Embodiment 1 using a flexible and elastic material. In such a case, it is also possible to install at a desired place a spring of a desired shape such as spiral or leaf to assist the force to direct the plug 3 toward the discharge mouth 7.

Embodiment 3

FIG. 4 is a figure to explain Embodiment 3. In addition to Embodiment 1, Embodiment 3 provides an inner bag 14, a space 14b between the container shell 6 and the inner bag 14, and an air hole 12 of the container shell 6.

If the pressure of the container shell 6 is removed after the content is discharged, the inner bag 14 remains deformed for the same volume as that of the content discharged, but the outer shape of the container shell 6 returns to its original shape by taking in the outside air into the space 14b through the air hole 12 by its restoring force.

Since no outside air enters the inner bag 14, contact between the content and outside air is prevented and the initial shape is maintained for the outer shape of the container shell 6.

When the content is taken out, pressure is applied by blocking the air hole 12 with a finger. It is also possible to adopt a check-valve structure for the air hole 12 in advance. With the container of this embodiment, the containing portion 6b restores its original shape even after the content is discharged, and the beauty of the container will not be lost until the content is used out. Since the containing portion 6b always maintains same shape, the operation is easy when the content is taken out by manually grasping the container shell 6.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are drawings to explain Embodiment 4. The basic structure is same as that of each embodiment described above, but a stopper 11 is added in addition to the structure of each embodiment described above. FIG. 5 shows the state of the plug 3 fixed in close contact with the discharge mouth 7 in a normal state (when closed). FIG. 6 shows a state of the fixing of the plug 3 released by moving the stopper 11. FIG. 7 shows the discharge mouth 7 opened after the pressure is applied to the containing portion 6b when the plug 3 is released and the discharge mouth 7 of the plug 3 is moved in the direction of the central portion in contact with the discharge port of the plug 3 in a direction away from the discharge mouth 7 due to the pressure of the content.

In the state of FIG. 6, the discharge mouth 7 is blocked in close contact by the elastic restoring force to work toward the discharge mouth 7 of the plug 3 in a normal state, but in the state of FIG. 5, the plug 3 is fixed by the stopper 11, thus ensuring a closed state. This arrangement is effective when a user wants to completely close the container when in need of carrying it outside or when the content is not used for a long period of time.

When it is difficult to move the plug 3 to the position for close contact with the discharge mouth 7 using only the elastic restoring force of the plug 3 when the content has high viscosity, the moving can be assisted by moving the stopper 11 to its original position. This makes it possible to store liquid substance of high viscosity. These figures show the stopper 11 of a slide type, but the stopper shape and mechanism can be of any shape so long as the motion of the plug 3 is assisted or controlled with fingertips. For example, the stopper 11 in FIGS. 5 and 6 assists the moving of the plug 3 only in the direction for close contact with the discharge mouth 7, but it is possible to assist reciprocating movement. In such a case, however, it should be noted that the content will reverse if the discharge mouth 7 is opened when the pressure in the container is lower than the pressure outside the container.

FIG. 8 is a drawing to explain Embodiment 5. With Embodiment 5, the outer shape of the discharge mouth 7 of the inner lid 2, which was flat in the case of each embodiment described above (FIGS. 1 to 7), is formed extruding tubular or drill-like toward the takeout direction of the content from the side of the lid body 5.

The shape is convenient when the content is directly transferred to a desired place from the discharge mouth 7. At the end portion of the discharge mouth 7, it is possible to separately attach an auxiliary device for delicate working, for example, attaching a decorative shape such as waveform on the content surface when the content is discharged.

Embodiment 6

In Embodiment 6, the basic structure is same as that of each embodiment described above but a difference is that the lid body 5 is provided with a pump mechanism. FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 are drawings to show the composition of Embodiment 6.

In the example shown in FIG. 9, a pump mechanism is installed between the inner lid 2 and the bottom plate 20. The pump mechanism is equipped with the first chamber 17, the second chamber 18, a pressure portion formed of a pump elastic portion 21 and a pushbutton 22, and a check valve 16.

The check valve 16 is installed in the outflow hole 19 and the pressure portion is provided on the side surface of the lid body 5. The pressure portion consists of the pump elastic portion 21 of a wavy spring type extruding from the side of the lid body 5, which can repeatedly deflect/deform, and the pushbutton 22, thicker than the pump elastic portion 21 and provided at the end portion of the pump elastic portion 21.

The check valve 16 is normally closed, and when the pushbutton 22 is pressed with a finger, the pressure in the first chamber 17 of the lid increases. By this pressure, the portion in contact with the discharge mouth 7 of the plug 3 is moved in the direction to leave the discharge mouth 7, and the discharge mouth 7 is opened, thus pushing out the content.

If the pushbutton 22 is released, the pushbutton 22 is returned to its original position by the elastic restoring force of the pump elastic portion 21, the first chamber 17 becomes negative in pressure, the plug 3 returns to its original shape, the discharge mouth 17 closes, the check valve 16 opens, and the content in the container shell 6 is moved into the first chamber 17.

In the above explanation, the installation of a pressure portion on the side surface of the lid body 5 is illustrated. Instead of the installation of a pressure portion, it is also possible to form the entire side wall of the lid body 5 with an elastic body. In such a case, the pump action described above is demonstrated by pushing or releasing the lid itself.

As shown in FIG. 10, it is also possible to include a balloon portion 15 consisting of an elastic body to connect to the first chamber 17 against the lid body 5. In this case, the balloon portion 15 is crushed to discharge the content from the discharge mouth 7, and by releasing the pressure to the balloon portion 15, the content is moved into the first chamber 17 from the container shell 6.

As described above, with this embodiment, it is not necessary to deform the container shell 6 by applying pressure to the container. For this reason, in the case of the container provided with the inner bag 14 of Embodiment 2, the container may not be flexible. For example, the container shell 6 can be made with hard glass or metal. It is also possible to set the discharge amount each time the balloon portion 15 is crushed and discharge the content while easily measuring the discharge amount by the number of crushing times of the balloon portion 15. It is convenient for a seasoning or a pharmaceutical to be taken out by measuring the discharge amount when in use. It is also possible to install the balloon portion 15 with an air check valve 23 in the air hole 12 of the container as shown in FIG. 11. It is possible to control the discharge amount of the content by controlling the air amount to flow into the space 14b between the container and inner bag by means of the balloon portion 15.

Embodiment 7

FIG. 12 is a drawing to show the composition of Embodiment 7. As shown in FIG. 12, a thin film 24 of plastic or metal with high oxygen barrier property is attached, or a thin film is formed by plating, evaporating or applying.

As for the material of the container shell 6, conventionally a material of multilayered construction with high oxygen barrier property is used to prevent oxygen permeability, but for the lid portion, the opening of the container is closed by attaching an aluminum seal to it, thus preventing oxygen permeability before unsealing. For this reason, if the material of the lid portion is polyethylene with low oxygen barrier property, the oxygen preventive function is low even in the state where the lid closed after the aluminum seal is unsealed and removed.

In Embodiment 7, the oxygen permeability can be prevented by means of the thin film 24 with high oxygen barrier property for the inner lid 2 and the lid body 5. The oxygen preventive function can be strengthened even when the lid portion is formed with a material such as polyethylene or polypropylene conventionally and normally used, which relatively easily allows the oxygen to pass.

Embodiment 8

Embodiment 8 is explained below while referring to the drawings. For the same composition as that of each embodiment described above, the same symbols are used for explaining.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view near the opening portion 6a of the container shell 6 of the liquid substance storage container concerning Embodiment 8. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the discharge mouth 26 with the outer cap 1 shown in FIG. 13 removed. FIG. 15 is a plan view of the inner lid 2 in FIG. 14. FIG. 16A is a plan view of the discharge portion 25, FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional view as seen from the side of the discharge portion 25, FIG. 16C is a cross-sectional view as seen from the side when the discharge mouth 26 is opened, and FIG. 16D is a cross-sectional view of the discharge portion 25 taken along line X-X of FIG. 16C.

The liquid substance storage container of Embodiment 8 is a bottle-like container equipped with a lid portion formed of the outer cap or lid 1, the inner lid 2 and the lid body 5), the container shell 6 formed of the opening portion 6a and the containing portion 6b, the discharge portion 25, and the inner bag 14. Inside the inner bag 14, a closed inner bag space 14a is formed and in the inner bag space 14a, a liquid or a liquid substance such as gel is filled. The opening portion 6a is provided at one end portion in the content discharge direction of the containing portion 6b and the other end portion is connected to the inner bag space 14a formed by the inner bag 14. The opening portion 6a of Embodiment 8 is cylindrical and an external thread is formed on the outside diameter.

The lid portion is installed in the form of blocking the opening portion 6a against the container shell 6 and has the inner lid 2 in the form of partitioning the outside in the direction opposite to the opening portion 6a. Inner lid 2 is equipped with the discharge mouth 7 and the air inflow port 13. The discharge mouth 7 is connected to the inner bag space 14a of the inner bag 14 via the opening portion 6a. The inner bag space 14b between the inner bag 14 and the container outer wall, that is, the clearance between the inner bag space 14a and the outer wall of the containing portion 6b, is connected to outside air via the air inflow port 13. For the connection 10 of the lid body 5, an external thread is formed on the inside diameter and joined to the opening portion 6a.

The discharge portion 25 is formed cylindrical with a flexible thin sheet, and one end portion of it is connected to the discharge mouth 7 and has the discharge mouth 26 at the other end portion. The inside of the discharge portion 25 is connected to the inner space 14a of the inner bag 14 via the discharge mouth 7 and the opening portion 6a. When the container stands, the relative surface on the cylindrical side of the thin sheet of the discharge portion 25 is in close contact and the discharge mouth 26 is closed.

If the outer cap 1 is removed and the container shell 6 is inclined in the content discharge direction to take out the liquid substance of the content, the discharge portion 25 is radially spread from the center depending on the pressure of the moving content, and the discharge mouth 26 is opened and the content is extracted. Outside air of the same volume as the content taken out flows into the inner space 14b through the air inflow port 13. If the container shell 6 is returned to the standing position, the pressure in the discharge portion 25 is lost and the discharge portion 25 is returned to its original shape where the relative inside of the discharge portion 25 is brought into close contact so that the discharge mouth 26 is blocked.

As described above, the discharge mouth 26 is opened or closed interlocking with the movement of the content as the container shell 6 is inclined, allowing only the extraction of the content, thus demonstrating the checking functions to prevent outside air and contaminant from entering through the discharge mouth 26.

Even when the content is a liquid substance including granular solids, the discharge portion 25, formed with flexible thin sheet which can be flexibly deformed, can block in close contact with the granular solids intact. In this case, the discharge portion 25 from the discharge mouth 7 to the discharge mouth 26 may be made longer to strengthen the closing performance.

The liquid substance contained in the inner space 14a of the inner bag 14 is isolated from the air contained in the inner space 14b by means of the inner bag 14.

Embodiment 9

Inside the outer cap 1, an absorber (or cushion) 28 formed with a flexible material having high liquid absorbing property is installed, and when the outer cap 1 is closed, the sealing power of the discharge mouth 25 and the discharge mouth 7 is reinforced by the push pressure of the absorber 28. Additionally, the sealing power of the discharge mouth 26 and the discharge mouth 7 may be increased by restricting the movement of the air in the inner space 14b (the space between the inner bag 14 and the container outer wall) and the content in the inner space 14a (the space in the inner bag 14) by blocking the air inflow port 13.

It is also possible to install the absorber 28 in a removable way so that it can be removed as required and installed again after cleaning. This makes it easy to always keep clean the surrounding of the discharge mouth 26.

Embodiment 10

FIG. 17A shows a pen-tip type for the discharge portion 25 as seen from the top of the discharge mouth 26. If the container shell 6 is slightly inclined when a small amount of the content is extracted, the discharge mouth 26 is slightly opened like a clearance and a small amount of the content is extracted through the end portion of the pen-tip type along the pen-tip type edge of the discharge mouth 26. If the inclination of the container shell 6 is increased, the discharge mouth 26 is opened in an O form (O type) and a maximum amount is extracted. If the content is a liquid substance with high viscosity or low fluidity, however, it may be difficult to make fine control of the extracted amount or obtain the effect of the pen-tip type.

Embodiment 11

FIG. 17B shows that the discharge mouth 26 is closed by fusing before it is opened and the end is manually torn and opened from the broken line portion Y when opening. This makes it possible to secure the airtightness before opening and also show the opened or closed state. To obtain an accurate shape of the discharge mouth, the tear portion may be provided with a flaw or thin portion to induce the tearing.

Embodiment 12

It is also possible to form the surface of the portion to support the discharge portion 25 of the lid body 5 in such a way that the height gradually increases in the direction of discharge mouth 26 from the side of the discharge mouth 7 when the container shell 6 is in a standing position so that the content in the discharge portion 25 induces liquid drawing under its own weight when the container shell 6 is returned to a stand position.

Embodiment 13

FIG. 19 is a drawing to explain Embodiment 13. The basic composition is same as that of each embodiment described above, the only difference being that the air inflow port 13 is provided with an air inflow port lid 29 to be manually opened or closed. This makes it possible to extract the content only when the air inflow port lid 29 is pushed and opened with a finger so that the content will not flow out even when it is mistakenly turned over when the finger is released.

Embodiment 14

The basic composition of Embodiment 14 is same as that of each embodiment described above, the only difference being that the lid body 1 is provided with a mechanism to control the discharge amount of the content by adjusting the inflow amount of outside air. In an example shown in FIG. 20, the air inflow port 13 of the lid body 5 is linked with the balloon portion 15 as a simple pump mechanism to allow the entry of air of a fixed amount each action.

This makes it possible to take out the content of almost same volume as the inflow air while easily measuring, by crushing the balloon portion 15 optional times. Since the pump mechanism forces the movement of outside air, the container can be used even for content with high viscosity and low fluidity.

Embodiment 15

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid substance storage container used to explain Embodiment 15. In this Embodiment 15, the role of the space to contain the liquid substance of the content and the inflow air is reversed from that of Embodiment 8. The liquid substance is contained in the inner space 14b between the inner bag 14 and the outer wall of the containing portion 6b, and the inflow outside air is contained in the inner space 14a in the inner bag 14.

The lid portion is installed in the form of blocking the opening portion 6a against the container shell 6 and has the inner lid 2 in the form of partitioning the outside in the direction opposite to the opening portion 6a. The inner lid 2 is equipped with the discharge mouth 7 and the air inflow port 13. The discharge mouth 7 is connected to the inner space 14b via the opening portion 6a, and the inner space 14a is connected to outside air via the air inflow port 13. For the connection 10 of the lid body 5, an internal thread is formed on the inside diameter and joined with the opening portion 6a.

When the container shell 6 is standing, the relative surface of the cylindrical inside of the thin sheet of the discharge portion 25 is in close contact and the discharge mouth 26 is closed. If the outer cap 1 is removed and the container shell 6 is inclined in the direction of pouring the content to discharge the liquid substance of the content, the discharge portion 25 is radially spread from the center under the pressure of the weight of the moving content and the content is extracted. The outside air of a same volume as that of the content taken out flows into the inner space 14a in the inner bag 14 through the air inflow port 13 and is contained. If the container shell 6 is returned to the standing position, the pressure in the discharge portion 25 is lost, the discharge portion 25 returns to its original shape, the relative inner surface of discharge portion 25 is brought into close contact, and the discharge mouth 26 is closed.

As described above, the discharge mouth 26 opens or closes interlocking with the movement of the content as the container inclines, allowing only the extraction of the content, thus demonstrating the check function to prevent the entry of outside air and contaminant through the discharge mouth 26. Even when the content is liquid substance including granular solids, the discharge portion 25 can close in close contact with the granular solids intact because it is formed with a flexible thin sheet that can flexibly deform. In this case, the discharge portion 25 from the discharge mouth 7 to the discharge mouth 26 may be made longer.

The liquid substance contained in the inner space 14b is isolated from the air contained in the inner space 14a by means of the inner bag 14.

Comparing Embodiment 15 and Embodiment 8, their advantages are explained below. The advantage of Embodiment 15 is that the lid portion and the inner bag 14 can be shared if the shape of the connection 10 is common even when the shape of the containing portion 6b is somewhat different, by forming the capacity of the inner bag 14 larger than the volume of the content. It is, therefore, possible for a consumer to attach to an optional container, after opening, the lid portion and the inner bag 14 having a connection 11 suitable for the shape of the opening of the container. It is also possible for a seller of wine, for example, to propose a combination of the lid portion and the inner bag 14 for existing wine of a conventional container and for the consumer to attach it to the container when opening. FIG. 21 is a drawing of the lid portion and the inner bag 14 for Embodiment 15. In this case, the inner bag may be folded or wadded.

If the capacity of the container shell 6 is large, the size of the inner bag 14 also becomes large, but in such a case, it is possible to install inside the inner bag 14 a small tube of desired length formed with soft porous material so that the inner bag 14 is smoothly enlarged by inflowing air. Embodiment 15 is suitable when it is desired to reduce the initial investment per product type for multiple products of the content in small quantities.

On the other hand, Embodiment 8 is suitable for large production and advantageous in terms of quality control of the container and cost (unit price). If the container is to be disposed of after the product is consumed, it is not necessary to clean the interior of the container shell 6 once the inner bag 14 is removed, and it is, therefore, advantageous in recycling.

In this specification, the shape of the container shell 6 is explained using a tube and bottle as an example, but containers of a box type or of a bag type may also be used.

In this specification, the fitting method is shown as the method of attaching the outer cap 1 to the lid body 5, but this is an example. A hinge type, screw-in type, etc., may also be adopted.

In this specification, the screw-in type is used for the connection 10 of the lid body 5 and the container shell 6, but fitting type or fixing connection by thermal fusing may also be adopted.

As the material of the lid portion, various materials such as synthetic resin, metal, and carbon fiber are selectively used in consideration of the characteristic of the liquid substance to be stored and the use form. It is also possible to make the content difficult to stick or remain on the outside of the discharge mouth 7 or the discharge mouth 26 by attaching or applying in advance a substance repellent to the content to be stored.

The scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated but includes all embodiments that can achieve the effects equivalent to the purposes of this invention. Furthermore, the scope of the invention includes various desired combinations of particular characteristics of all the characteristics disclosed.

This invention can be effectively and properly utilized as liquid containers to internally store fluid substances including liquid and gel.

Claims

1. A container for storing fluid material, comprising:

a container shell that forms an internal space for storing fluids and a discharge opening guiding the fluids from the internal space to outside of the container; and

a lid that covers the discharge opening and prevents the fluids from being discharged to the outside of the container; wherein

the lid comprises a space connecting to the discharge opening of the container shell, an exit mouth on an opposite side of the lid from the discharge opening, a plug contacting with the exit mouth from inside the lid and located within the space for opening and closing the exit mouth, and a disk-form spring supporting the plug and arranged to move the plug from a closed position toward the discharge opening when an inner pressure of the container shell increases, and to move the plug from an open position toward the closed position when the inner pressure of the container shell decreases.

2. The container of claim 1, further comprising:

a stopper equipped in the lid for regulating movements of the plug.

3. The container of claim 1, further comprising:

a manually operative lever equipped in the lid and connected to the plug so as to allow either movement of the plug toward or away from the exit mouth.

4. The container of claim 3, wherein the exit mouth is configured in a cylinder-like or conical shape so that the exit mouth protrudes away from the container shell.

5. A container for storing fluid material, comprising:

a container shell that forms an internal space for storing fluids and a discharge opening guiding the fluids from the internal space to outside of the container; and

a lid that covers the discharge opening and prevents the fluids from being discharged to the outside of the container; wherein

the lid comprises a thin film that forms a cylinder-form with one end connected to the discharge opening and the other end having an exit mouth for guiding the fluids from the discharge opening to the outside, the cylinder-form forming a flattened, closed position to prevent the fluids from being discharged through the exit mouth.

6. The container of claim 5, further comprising:

an inner bag arranged inside the container shell and having an internal space; and

a space between the inner bag and an inside surface of the container shell, wherein one of the space is linked to outside air or the internal space of the inner bag is linked to the outside air.

7. (canceled)

8. The container of claim 5, further comprising:

an absorbing material located near the exit mouth and equipped to absorb residuals of the fluids remaining around the exit mouth after the fluids are guided to the outside of the container.

9. The container of claim 5, further comprising:

a pump mechanism equipped to at least one of the lid or the container shell that helps increase pressure within the internal space of the container shell.

10. The container of claim 1, wherein a surface of the lid is coated with an oxygen-proof thin film that is made of plastic or metal in order to prevent oxygen from entering the internal space of the container shell.

11. A lid for a container shell for storing fluid material, the lid and container shell forming a container, the lid comprising:

a space connecting to a discharge opening of the container shell, an exist mouth on an opposite side of the lid from a connection to the discharge opening, a plug contacting with the exit mouth from inside the lid and located within the space for opening and closing the exit mouth, and a disk-form spring supporting the plug and arranged to move the plug from a closed position toward the discharge opening when an inner pressure of the container shell increases, and to move the plug from an open position toward the closed position when the inner pressure of the container shell decreases.

12. A lid for a container shell for storing fluid material, the lid and container shell forming a container, the lid comprising:

a thin film that forms a cylinder-form with one end connectible to a discharge opening of the container shell and the other end having an exit mouth for guiding the fluids from an internal space of the container shell through the discharge opening to outside of the container.

13. The lid of claim 12, further comprising:

a bag for storing air inside that is engaged to a surface of the lid.

14. The lid of claim 11, further comprising:

a bag for storing air inside that is engaged to a surface of the lid.

15. The container of claim 2, further comprising:

a manually operative lever equipped in the lid and connected to the plug so as to allow either movement of the plug toward or away from the exit mouth.

16. The container of claim 2, wherein the exit mouth is configured in a cylinder-like or conical shape so that the exit mouth protrudes away from the container shell.

17. The container of claim 1, further comprising: wherein one of the space is linked to outside air or the internal space of the inner bag is linked to the outside air.

an inner bag arranged inside the container shell and having an internal space; and

a space between the inner bag and an inside surface of the container shell,

18. The container of claim 1, further comprising:

a pump mechanism equipped to at least one of the lid or the container shell that helps increase pressure within the internal space of the container shell.