Refillable container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11365040-B2
Application number	US-201916959246-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2019
Priority date	Jan 17, 2018
Publication date	Jun 21, 2022
Grant date	Jun 21, 2022

Abstract

A refillable container includes: an inner container having a suction port at a center of an upper surface portion and a bottom portion with a pyramid shape having a deepest portion at a center of the bottom portion; a support member configured to hold the bottom portion of the inner container to support the inner container in a standing state; a lid member fitted to an outer periphery of the inner container; a discharge pump on a top surface portion of the lid member, the discharge pump including a suction tube inserted through the suction port into the inner container; and a positioning device for positioning the inner container in a vertical direction such that a distal end of the suction tube is located in the pyramid shape of the bottom portion of the inner container.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refillable container, comprising:
an inner container, which has a suction port at a center of an upper surface and a bottom portion with a pyramid shape having a deepest portion at a center of the bottom portion, and is configured to contain a liquid inside and be replaced when the liquid has been exhausted;
a support member configured to hold the bottom portion of the inner container so as to support the inner container in a standing state;
a lid member, which is fitted from above to an outer periphery of the inner container supported by the support member so as to accommodate the inner container, and has a distal end portion configured to be locked to the support member;
a discharge pump, which is on a top surface portion of the lid member, and is configured to discharge the liquid to an outside by sucking the liquid through a suction tube, and through the suction port of the inner container, the suction tube of the discharge pump being inserted into the suction port of the inner container when the lid member is fitted from above to the outer periphery of the inner container; and
positioning means for positioning, at a position at which the distal end portion of the lid member is locked to the support member, a position of the inner container in a vertical direction such that: (i) a distal end of the suction tube of the discharge pump is located in the pyramid shape of the bottom portion of the inner container; and (ii) a seal portion at the bottom portion of the inner container is prevented from coming into contact with the support member.

2. The refillable container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the support member includes:
a support frame portion configured to accommodate the bottom portion of the inner container so as to support the inner container in the vertical direction; and
a pedestal, which protrudes from an inner wall of the support frame portion toward a center, and is configured to bring an outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion of the inner container into abutment against an upper surface of the pedestal,

wherein the support frame portion has an upper end portion which is configured to be locked to the distal end portion of the lid member, and
wherein the positioning means is defined by the distal end portion of the lid member, the upper end portion of the support frame portion, and the upper surface of the pedestal.

3. The refillable container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the support member includes:
a support frame portion configured to accommodate the bottom portion of the inner container so as to support the inner container in the vertical direction; and
a pedestal, which protrudes from an inner wall of the support frame portion toward a center, and is configured to bring an outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion of the inner container into abutment against an upper surface thereof,

wherein the lid member is configured to fit, together with the inner container, to an outer periphery of the support frame portion,
wherein the support frame portion has, on an outer surface side thereof, a locking step portion configured to lock the distal end portion of the lid member, and
wherein the distal end portion of the lid member, the locking step portion of the support frame portion, and the upper surface of the pedestal define the positioning means.

4. The refillable container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the support member includes:
a support frame portion configured to accommodate the bottom portion of the inner container so as to support the inner container in the vertical direction;
a pedestal, which protrudes from an inner wall of the support frame portion toward a center, and is configured to bring an outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion of the inner container into abutment against an upper surface of the pedestal; and

a support base configured to allow the support frame portion to be upright on an upper surface of the support base,
wherein the lid member is made of an elastically deformable material, and is configured to fit, together with the support frame portion and the inner container, to an outer periphery of the support base,
wherein the lid member has a protrusion on an inner side surface thereof on a distal end side, and the support base has a recess in an outer side surface thereof so as to allow the protrusion of the lid member to be engaged therewith and removed therefrom, and
wherein the protrusion of the lid member and the recess of the support base define the positioning means.

5. The refillable container according to claim 2 ,
wherein the upper surface of the pedestal is inclined downwardly toward the center, and
wherein an inclination angle of the upper surface of the pedestal with respect to a horizontal direction is equal to or larger than an inclination angle of the bottom portion of the inner container.

6. The refillable container according to claim 2 , wherein the pedestal includes a plurality of pedestal pieces arranged in the support frame portion in a standing state at intervals in a circumferential direction, and respective upper sides of the plurality of pedestal pieces define the upper surface of the pedestal.

7. The refillable container according to claim 2 , wherein, in the support frame portion, a height of a protruding portion protruding upwardly from the pedestal is: (i) equal to or larger than 5% of a body height of the inner container; and (ii) smaller than the body height of the inner container.

8. The refillable container according to claim 1 , wherein the inner container includes a skirt portion at a lower portion of a main body of the inner container, and configured to cover the bottom portion of the inner container and enable the inner container to stand.

9. The refillable container according to claim 8 , wherein the skirt portion defines at least part of the positioning means.

10. The refillable container according to claim 3 ,
wherein the upper surface of the pedestal is inclined downwardly toward the center, and
wherein an inclination angle of the upper surface of the pedestal with respect to a horizontal direction is equal to or larger than an inclination angle of the bottom portion of the inner container.

11. The refillable container according to claim 4 ,
wherein the upper surface of the pedestal is inclined downwardly toward the center, and
wherein an inclination angle of the upper surface of the pedestal with respect to a horizontal direction is equal to or larger than an inclination angle of the bottom portion of the inner container.

12. The refillable container according to claim 3 , wherein the pedestal includes a plurality of pedestal pieces arranged in the support frame portion in a standing state at intervals in a circumferential direction, and respective upper sides of the plurality of pedestal pieces define the upper surface of the pedestal.

13. The refillable container according to claim 4 , wherein the pedestal includes a plurality of pedestal pieces arranged in the support frame portion in a standing state at intervals in a circumferential direction, and respective upper sides of the plurality of pedestal pieces define the upper surface of the pedestal.

14. The refillable container according to claim 5 , wherein the pedestal includes a plurality of pedestal pieces arranged in the support frame portion in a standing state at intervals in a circumferential direction, and respective upper sides of the plurality of pedestal pieces define the upper surface of the pedestal.

15. The refillable container according to claim 3 , wherein, in the support frame porti

Assignees

• Jujo Paper Co Ltd

Inventors

• Okude Hideki
• Noda Takaharu

Classifications

• B05B11/026

  Membranes separating the content remaining in the container from the atmospheric air to compensate underpressure inside the container · CPC title

• B05B11/0038

  Inner container disposed in an outer shell or outer casing · CPC title

• B65D5/067

  Gable-top containers · CPC title

• B65D5/708

  Separate tearable flexible elements covering a discharge opening of a container, e.g. adhesive tape · CPC title

• B05B11/0054

  Cartridges, i.e. containers specially designed for easy attachment to or easy removal from the rest of the sprayer (attachment arrangements between pump and container B05B11/1043) · CPC title