Discharge pump and liquid dispenser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10954113-B2
Application number	US-201716345573-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2017
Priority date	Oct 26, 2016
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

A flexible container (80) includes a reservoir part (82) that reserves a liquid and a discharge passage part (81) that communicates with the reservoir part (82) to take out the liquid. A discharge pump includes a plurality of roller parts (50) that press the discharge passage part (81) and an endless transfer mechanism unit (60) that has the plurality of roller parts (50) attached at a predetermined interval and causes the roller parts (50) to go around. The endless transfer mechanism unit (60) has an arrangement including a straight-line portion in which the roller parts (50) linearly move, in a path of the go-around movement. An attachment interval of the plurality of roller parts (50) is set to such an interval that before a certain roller part (50) going around reaches a position where the certain roller part (50) does not press the discharge passage part (81), a subsequent roller part (50) is able to reach a position where the subsequent roller part (50) presses the discharge passage part (81). Each of the roller parts (50) linearly moves sequentially in a discharge direction of the liquid with respect to the discharge passage part (81) while pressing the discharge passage part (81).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid dispenser that discharges a liquid from a flexible container in which the liquid is sealed, by a discharge pump for discharging the liquid from the flexible container in which the liquid is sealed,
the liquid dispenser comprising:
a pressure receiving part that is disposed on an opposite side of the flexible container from the discharge pump, and
a container storage part that stores the flexible container, the container storage part being stored in the liquid dispenser,
wherein the flexible container comprises:
a reservoir part that reserves the liquid and a discharge passage part that communicates with the reservoir part to take out the liquid,
wherein the discharge pump comprises:
a plurality of roller parts that press the discharge passage part; and
an endless transfer mechanism unit that has the plurality of roller parts attached at a predetermined interval from each other and moves the roller parts to cause the roller parts to go around,

wherein:
the endless transfer mechanism unit has an arrangement including a straight-line portion in which the roller parts linearly move, in a path of the go-around movement,
the predetermined interval is set to such an interval that before a certain roller part reaches a position where the certain roller part does not press the discharge passage part, a subsequent roller part is able to reach a position where the subsequent roller part presses the discharge passage part,
each of the roller parts linearly moves sequentially in a discharge direction of the liquid with respect to the discharge passage part while pressing the discharge passage part,
the pressure receiving part and the discharge pump are provided below the container storage part, and
a total dimension of the pressure receiving part and the discharge pump in a pressing direction is smaller than a width of the container storage part.

2. The discharge pump according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible container is formed by sticking two sheets to each other with one side of the respective sheets extended in an elongated shape, and the discharge passage part is comprised of the elongated extended part.

3. The discharge pump according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a guide part that guides the go-around movement of the roller parts;
a belt part that is disposed on both sides of the guide part to be bilaterally symmetrical and to be in a state capable of circulating in the same direction as a guide direction of the guide part; and
a support that is supported on a surface of the belt part such that the roller parts are perpendicular to the guide direction and go around along a surface of the guide part.

4. The liquid dispenser according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a connection mechanism that connects the pressure receiving part and the discharge pump.

5. The liquid dispenser according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an elastic body that has an elastic force opposite to a pressing force in the pressing direction on a rear surface side of the pressure receiving part.

Assignees

• Suntory Holdings Ltd

Inventors

• Sakai Yasufumi
• Suzuki Yuji
• Aihara Masatoshi
• Yokoyama Hiroki

Classifications

• B67D1/108 Primary

  of the peristaltic type · CPC title

• F04B43/1253

  by using two or more rollers as squeezing elements, the rollers moving on an arc of a circle during squeezing · CPC title

• B67D2001/0827

  Bags in box · CPC title

• B67D2001/0828

  in pressurised housing · CPC title

• B67D1/0801 Primary

  of beverage containers, e.g. casks, kegs · CPC title