Squeezable container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9352897-B2
Application number	US-201214365524-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2012
Priority date	Dec 26, 2011
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

A squeezable container is provided with an outer container for forming the outer appearance of the container, and having a mouth/neck section; and an inner container for discharging the contents filling the interior of the inner container through the spout plug mounted to the mouth/neck section when the volume of the inner container is reduced by squeezing the body section of the outer container, and positioned on the inside of the outer container.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A squeezable container comprising:
an outer container part having a mouth/neck portion and forming an appearance of the container;
an inner container part disposed inside of the outer container part;
a pouring plug mounted on the mouth/neck portion, the inner container part being configured to pour a content filled therein through the pouring plug by squeezing a trunk portion of the outer container part for volume reduction;
an opening hole formed in the outer container part, the opening hole being configured to introduce ambient air into a space between the outer container part and the inner container part through the opening hole in a recovering process of the trunk portion of the outer container part associated with the squeezing;
a partition wall disposed between the mouth/neck portion of the inner container part and a pouring hole of the pouring plug, the partition wall being configured to block communication of the mouth/neck portion to the pouring hole;
an opening disposed in the partition wall, the opening being configured to pass the content;
a valve body disposed on the opening, the valve body being configured to be pushed through squeezing of the trunk portion of the outer container part to open the opening to pass the content from the inner container part; and
a reservoir disposed in the partition wall and having an opening port passing through the partition wall, the reservoir being configured to suck back and reserve the content retained between the pouring hole and the partition wall in the recovering process of the trunk portion of the outer container part associated with the squeezing,
wherein the reservoir comprises (i) a main reservoir body forming a housing space for the retained content reserved in the reservoir and (ii) a movable body configured to move in approaching and separating directions with respect to the opening port in the housing space of the main reservoir body and suck the retained content from the opening port into the housing space through movement toward separation from the opening port.

2. The squeezable container according to claim 1 , wherein the mouth/neck portion of the outer container part is cylindrical, the squeezable container further comprising an ambient air introducing valve configured to introduce ambient air between the outer container part and the inner container part in the recovering process of the trunk portion of the outer container part associated with the squeezing through an ambient air introducing hole formed in the pouring plug and the opening hole formed in the mouth/neck portion of the outer container part.

3. The squeezable container according to claim 2 , wherein the ambient air introducing valve comprises a cantilever support elastic tongue piece, a base portion of the cantilever support elastic tongue piece being integrally connected to the valve body on the opening and separating from an inner wall valve seat of the pouring plug in the recovering process of the trunk portion of the outer container part to open the air introducing hole.

4. The squeezable container according to claim 3 , wherein the reservoir is comprised of a main reservoir body held at a suspended state in a lower part of the partition wall to form the housing space for the retained content at an inside thereof, and a slider capable of moving in approaching and separating directions relative to the opening port in the housing space of the main reservoir body and sucking the retained content through the opening port into the housing space through the movement in the separating direction from the opening port.

5. The squeezable container according to claim 3 , wherein the reservoir is comprised of a penetration pathway having a cylindrical body arranged to an adjacent site of the partition wall forming the opening and a spherical valve body capable of moving from exit side to entry side of the cylindrical body and sucking and reserving the content retained in the space between the pouring hole and the partition wall in the recovering process of the trunk portion of the outer container part after finishing the squeezing.

6. The squeezable container according to claim 3 , wherein the valve body on the opening is a three-point valve.

7. The squeezable container according to claim 2 , wherein the ambient air introducing valve comprises:
a movable body, which (i) blocks the ambient air introducing hole by matching with the ambient air introducing hole through tilting or reversing posture of the container or positive pressure generated between the outer container part and the inner container part, and (ii) opens the ambient air introducing hole by separating from the ambient air introducing hole through negative pressure between the outer container part and the inner container part generated by normal posture of the container or recovering deformation of the outer container part, and
at least two locking claws suspended downward along an edge portion of the ambient air introducing hole at an inner wall of the pouring plug to movably sandwich the movable body and introducing ambient air through a gap formed therebetween.

8. The squeezable container according to claim 7 , wherein the reservoir is comprised of a main reservoir body held at a suspended state in a lower part of the partition wall to form the housing space for the retained content at inside thereof, and a slider capable of moving in approaching and separating directions relative to the opening port in the housing space of the main reservoir body and sucking the retained content through the opening port into the housing space through the movement in the separating direction from the opening port.

9. The squeezable container according to claim 7 , wherein the reservoir is comprised of a penetration pathway having a cylindrical body arranged to an adjacent site of the partition wall forming the opening and a spherical valve body capable of moving from exit side to entry side of the cylindrical body and sucking and reserving the content retained in the space between the pouring hole and the partition wall in the recovering process of the trunk portion of the outer container part after finishing the squeezing.

10. The squeezable container according to claim 7 , wherein the valve body on the opening is a three-point valve.

11. The squeezable container according to claim 2 , wherein the reservoir is comprised of a main reservoir body held at a suspended state in a lower part of the partition wall to form the housing space for the retained content at an inside thereof, and a slider capable of moving in approaching and separating directions relative to the opening port in the housing space of the main reservoir body and sucking the retained content through the opening port into the housing space through the movement in the separating direction from the opening port.

12. The squeezable container according to claim 11 , wherein the valve body on the opening is a three-point valve.

13. The squeezable container according to claim 2 , wherein the reservoir is comprised of a penetration pathway having a cylindrical body arranged to an adjacent site of the partition wall forming the opening and a spherical valve body capable of moving from exit side to entry side of the cylindrical body and sucking and reserving the content retained in the space between the pouring hole and the partition wall in the recovering process of the trunk portion of the outer container part after finishing the squeezing.

14. The squeezable container according to claim 2 , wherein the valve body on the opening is a three-point valve.

15. The squeeza

Assignees

• Hoshino Shinya
• Yoshino Kogyosho Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hoshino Shinya

Classifications

• B65D47/0804

  integrally formed with the base element provided with the spout or discharge passage · CPC title

• B65D83/62 Primary

  by membranes, bags or the like · CPC title

• B65D1/32

  Containers adapted to be temporarily deformed by external pressure to expel contents · CPC title

• B65D23/02

  Linings or internal coatings · CPC title

• B65D83/48

  Lift valves, e.g. operated by push action (non-reclosable valves B65D83/50) · CPC title