Dispenser container having retractable nozzle

Abstract

A dispenser container having a retractable nozzle is proposed. The container is configured such that an air pumping part (30) is coupled and secured to an upper portion of a container body (10) by a locking cap (20), a guide cap (20) configured to be movable up and down is coupled to the outer surface of the locking cap (20) at a location outside the locking cap, and a nozzle cap (50) configured to pressurize and operate the air pumping part while being rotated and being moved up and down in conjunction with the guide cap is coupled to an upper portion of the guide cap (40) at a location outside the guide cap so that the nozzle (60) coupled to the nozzle coupling hole formed at the side of the nozzle cap is extended and retracted in response to the rotation of the nozzle cap.

Claims

1. A dispenser container having a retractable nozzle, the container comprising: a container body (10); a locking cap (20) coupled to an upper portion of the container body; an air pumping part (30) coupled and secured to the upper portion of the container body by the locking cap (20), and configured to discharge contents; a guide cap (40) coupled to an upper portion of the locking cap (20) at a location outside the locking cap and configured to be movable up and down, and having an upper portion provided with a guide protrusion (41) formed helically; a nozzle cap (50) coupled to an upper portion of the guide cap (40) at a location outside the guide cap and configured to pressurize and operate the air pumping part while being rotated and being moved up and down in conjunction with the guide cap, and including a vertical discharge hole (51) centrally formed therein and a nozzle coupling hole (52) horizontally extending from one side of an upper portion of the vertical discharge hole to be in communication therewith; and a nozzle (60) inserted into the nozzle coupling hole (52) of the nozzle cap, having a lower portion provided with a guide groove (61) to which the guide protrusion (41) of the guide cap is inserted, and configured to be extended out of and retracted into the nozzle coupling hole of the nozzle cap in a guide operation by rotation of the nozzle cap, the nozzle including a nozzle hole (62) horizontally formed therein and a through-hole (63) vertically extending from an inner lower portion of the horizontal nozzle hole to be in communication therewith so that during extension of the nozzle, the through-hole (63) is moved from an offset position to an aligned position with respect to the vertical discharge hole (51) of the nozzle cap, thereby allowing the contents to be discharged, and during retraction of the nozzle, the through-hole (63) is moved from the aligned position to the offset position with respect to the vertical discharge hole (51) of the nozzle cap, thereby blocking discharge of the contents, wherein a stepped recess (53) is formed above the vertical discharge hole (51) of the nozzle cap (50), and a sealing sheet (55) having an auxiliary vertical discharge hole (56) formed at a position corresponding to the vertical discharge hole (51) is inserted into the stepped recess (53) to be in tight contact with the through-hole (63) of the nozzle thereby providing a seal of the through-hole.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the nozzle cap (50) comprises an outer cap (50A), and an inner cap (50B) configured such that the vertical discharge hole (51) and the stepped recess (53) are centrally formed in an upper portion thereof and a nozzle coupling groove (52′) is formed at one side thereof; and the nozzle cap is configured such that the outer and inner caps are separately provided from each other and the outer cap is coupled to the inner cap with the nozzle and the sealing sheet being coupled to the upper portion of the inner cap.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein the container body (10) comprises an inner cylinder (11) in which the contents are stored and an outer cylinder (12) fitted over an outer surface of the inner cylinder (11), and the container body is configured such that the inner and outer cylinders are coupled to each other to be rotatable with respect to each other, wherein a guide pin (11a) protrudes from an upper portion of an outer surface of the inner cylinder (11), and an inclined guide path (12a) along which the guide pin is guided is circumferentially formed on an inner surface of the outer cylinder (12) so that when the inner cylinder is moved up or down in response to rotation of the outer cylinder, the nozzle cap (50) is moved with respect to an upper portion of the outer cylinder (12) from a spaced-apart position to a seated position or from the seated position to the spaced-apart position, thereby allowing the nozzle cap to come into a pressable state or a non-pressable state.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is an external perspective view illustrating a container according to the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a half-sectional perspective view of FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of FIG. 2.

(4) FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1.

(5) FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of FIG. 2.

(6) FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of portion “A” illustrated in FIG. 5.

(7) FIG. 7 is a sectional plan view of main parts illustrated in FIG. 1.

(8) FIG. 8 is a half-sectional perspective view illustrating a protruding state of a nozzle illustrated in FIG. 2.

(9) FIG. 9 is a front sectional view of FIG. 8.

(10) FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of portion “B” illustrated in FIG. 9.

BEST MODE

(11) Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(12) As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 10, a dispenser container having a retractable nozzle according to the present invention includes a container body 10, a locking cap 20, an air pumping part 30, a guide cap 40, a nozzle cap 50, and a nozzle 60.

(13) The container body 10 is configured to store contents therein and is configured such that the air pumping part 30 is seated on an upper portion of the container body 10 so as to be partially inserted into the container body 10 and is coupled and secured to the container body 10 by the locking cap 20 screwed to the upper portion of the container body 10.

(14) The air pumping part 30 is configured to discharge the contents inside the container body 10 by performing a pumping operation, wherein the contents are discharged by upward movement of a piston 15 provided inside the container body 10.

(15) The guide cap 40 is coupled to an upper portion of the locking cap 20 at a location outside the locking cap 20 and is configured to be movable up and down, wherein the guide cap 40 is movable up and down by engagement between a vertical protrusion 43 formed on an inner surface of the guide cap 40 and a vertical groove 23 formed in the outer surface of the locking cap 20.

(16) Further, the guide cap 40 has an upper portion provided with one guide protrusion 41 formed helically, or two guide protrusions 41 formed helically at equiangular positions.

(17) Here, the guide protrusion 41 is configured to form a helical curve that extends outward from the center of the upper portion of the guide cap 40 at an angle in the range of 90°, wherein the helical curve is displaced by a protruding distance of a nozzle.

(18) The nozzle cap 50 is coupled to an upper portion of the guide cap 40 at a location outside the guide cap 40 and is configured to pressurize and operate the air pumping part 30 while being rotated and being moved up and down in conjunction with the guide cap 40. Further, the nozzle cap 50 includes a vertical discharge hole 51 centrally formed therein and a nozzle coupling hole 52 horizontally extending from one side of an upper portion of the vertical discharge hole 51 to be in communication therewith.

(19) Here, the nozzle cap 50 is moved up and down in conjunction with the guide cap 40 by engagement between an annular groove 54 circumferentially formed in an inner surface of the nozzle cap 50 and an annular protrusion 44 circumferentially formed on a lower portion of an outer surface of the guide cap 40 and inserted into the annular groove 54. Further, the nozzle cap 50 is rotated in the range of 90° by engagement between a vertical guide groove 47 circumferentially formed in the outer surface of the guide cap 40 in the direction of rotation and a vertical guide protrusion 58 formed on the inner surface of the nozzle cap 50 and inserted into the vertical guide groove 47.

(20) The nozzle 60 is inserted into the nozzle coupling hole 52 of the nozzle cap 50, has a lower portion provided with a guide groove 61 to which the guide protrusion 41 of the guide cap 40 is inserted, and is configured to be extended out of and retracted into the nozzle coupling hole 52 of the nozzle cap 50 in a guide operation by rotation of the nozzle cap 50. Here, the nozzle 60 includes a nozzle hole 62 horizontally formed therein and a through-hole 63 vertically extending from an inner lower portion of the horizontal nozzle hole 62 to be in communication therewith so that during extension of the nozzle 60, the through-hole 63 is moved from an offset position to an aligned position with respect to the vertical discharge hole 51 of the nozzle cap 50, thereby allowing the contents to be discharged; and during retraction of the nozzle 60, the through-hole 63 is moved from the aligned position to the offset position with respect to the vertical discharge hole 51 of the nozzle cap 50, thereby blocking discharge of the contents.

(21) Here, a stepped recess 53 is formed above the vertical discharge hole 51 of the nozzle cap 50, and a sealing sheet 55 having an auxiliary vertical discharge hole 56 formed at a position corresponding to the vertical discharge hole 51 is inserted into the stepped recess 53 to be in tight contact with the through-hole 63 of the nozzle 60 thereby providing a seal of the through-hole 63.

(22) Further, the nozzle cap 50 includes an outer cap 50A and an inner cap 50B separately provided from each other for formability and assemblability and coupled to each other to be located at inner and outer positions, wherein an annular protrusion 58a circumferentially formed on a lower portion of an outer surface of the inner cap 50B is inserted into an annular groove 59a circumferentially formed in a lower portion of an inner surface of the outer cap 50A so as to prevent separation between the outer and inner caps 50A and 50B, and a vertical protrusion 58b formed on the lower portion of the outer surface of the inner cap 50B is inserted into a vertical groove 59b formed in the lower portion of the inner surface of the outer cap 50A so as to prevent left and right rotation of the outer and inner caps 50B and 50A.

(23) Here, the inner cap 50B is configured such that the vertical discharge hole 51 and the stepped recess 53 are centrally formed in an upper portion thereof, a nozzle coupling groove 52′ is formed at one side thereof, and the outer cap 50A is coupled to the inner cap 50B with parts such as the nozzle 60 and the sealing sheet 55 being coupled to the upper portion of the inner cap 50B.

(24) Further, the container body 10 includes an inner cylinder 11 in which the contents are stored and an outer cylinder 12 fitted over an outer surface of the inner cylinder 11, and the container body 10 is configured such that the inner and outer cylinders 11 and 12 are coupled to each other to be rotatable with respect to each other, wherein a guide pin 11a protrudes from an upper portion of an outer surface of the inner cylinder 11, and an inclined guide path 12a along which the guide pin 11a is guided is circumferentially formed on an inner surface of the outer cylinder 12 so that when the inner cylinder 11 is moved up or down in response to rotation of the outer cylinder 12, the nozzle cap 50 is moved with respect to an upper portion of the outer cylinder 12 from a spaced-apart position to a seated position or from the seated position to the spaced-apart position, thereby allowing the nozzle cap 50 to come into a pressable state or a non-pressable state.

(25) That is, when the contents are needed to be discharged for use, the inner cylinder 11 is moved up out of the outer cylinder 12 to a position allowing the pumping operation of the air pumping part 30 by the nozzle cap 50, and after use, the inner cylinder 11 is moved down into the outer cylinder 12 to a position not allowing the pumping operation of the air pumping part 30 by the nozzle cap 50.

(26) On the other hand, in the present invention, it has been described that extension and retraction of the nozzle 60 are realized by rotating the nozzle cap 50 in an angular range of 90°. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the nozzle cap 50 may be configured to be rotated in an angular range of equal to or less than 90° or equal to or greater than 90° to cause the nozzle 60 to be extended and retracted, and it should be noted that the degree of change in structure and shape belongs to the scope of the present invention.

(27) An unexplained reference numeral 18 denotes an air hole formed in a lower portion of the outer cylinder 12, and unexplained reference numerals 48a and 48b denote stop protrusions that are respectively formed at opposite sides of the vertical guide groove 47, which is circumferentially formed in the outer surface of the guide cap 40 in the direction of rotation, so as to be tensioned inward and outward to allow the operation of the vertical guide protrusion 57 formed on the inner surface of the nozzle cap 50 to be stopped at a position on each of the opposite sides of the vertical guide groove 47.

(28) Hereinafter, the operation and action of the dispenser container according to the present invention configured as described above will be described.

(29) First, an assembly process of the dispenser container according to the present invention will be described. The outer cylinder 12 is coupled to the outer surface of the inner cylinder 11, then the air pumping part 30 is seated on an upper portion of the inner cylinder 11 to be inserted into the inner cylinder 11, and then the locking cap 20 is screwed to the upper portion of the inner cylinder 11 to secure the air pumping part 30.

(30) Then, the guide cap 40 configured to be movable up and down is coupled to the upper portion of the locking cap 20, and the nozzle cap 50 configured to be rotated and to be moved up and down in conjunction with the guide cap 20 is coupled to the guide cap 20.

(31) In particular, due to the fact that the nozzle cap 50 includes the outer cap 50A and the inner cap 50B separately provided from each other, the vertical discharge hole 51, the stepped recess 53, and the nozzle coupling groove 52′ formed in the inner cap 50B are excellent in formability. Additionally, due to the fact that the outer cap 50A is simply fitted over the outer surface of the inner cap 50B, with the sealing sheet 55 being inserted into the stepped recess 53 formed in the upper portion of the inner cap 50b and with the nozzle 60 being inserted into the nozzle coupling groove 52′, the outer and inner caps 50A and 50B are excellent in assemblability.

(32) Therefore, in the dispenser container according to the present invention assembled as described above, when the outer cylinder 12 located outside the inner cylinder 11 is rotated for discharging the contents for use, the guide pin 11a formed on the outer surface of the inner cylinder 11 is guided to be rotated helically along the inclined guide path 12a circumferentially formed on the inner surface of the outer cylinder 12, thereby causing the inner cylinder 11 to be moved up out of the outer cylinder 12.

(33) At this time, the nozzle cap 50 positioned in close contact with the upper portion of the outer cylinder 12 is moved to a position spaced apart from the upper portion of the outer cylinder 12 so that a pressing operation of the nozzle cap 50 is allowed.

(34) When the nozzle cap 50 is rotated in this state, the vertical guide protrusion 57 formed on the inner surface of the nozzle cap 50 is guided to be rotated along the vertical guide groove 47 circumferentially formed on the outer surface of the guide cap 40 in the direction of rotation.

(35) At the same time, the guide groove 61 formed in the lower portion of the nozzle 60 inserted into the nozzle coupling hole 52 of the nozzle cap 50 is guided along the guide protrusion 41 formed on the upper portion of the guide cap 40.

(36) That is, as the guide groove 61 formed in the lower portion of the nozzle 60 is guided along the guide protrusion 41 helically extending outward from the center of the guide cap 40, the nozzle 60 is extended out of the nozzle coupling hole 52 of the nozzle cap 50.

(37) At this time, as the nozzle 60 is moved, the through-hole 63 vertically extending from the inner lower portion of the nozzle hole 62 is moved from a position offset from the vertical discharge hole 51 centrally vertically formed in the nozzle cap 50 to a position aligned with the vertical discharge hole 51, thereby allowing a discharge path of the contents to be opened.

(38) When a user presses the nozzle cap 50 in this state, the nozzle cap 50 is moved down from the upper portion of the locking cap 20 in conjunction with the guide cap 40 to cause the air pumping part 20 to be pressurized to perform a pumping operation.

(39) By the pumping operation, the piston 15 provided inside the container body 10 is moved up to cause the contents to be discharged out of the container. At this time, discharge of the contents is made sequentially through the air pumping part 30, the vertical discharge hole 51 of the nozzle cap 50, the through-hole 63 of the nozzle 60, and the nozzle hole 62 of the nozzle 60.

(40) After the contents are discharged for use as described above, when the nozzle cap 50 is rotated in the reverse direction to return to an original position for storage, the guide groove 61 formed in the lower portion of the nozzle 60 is guided along the guide protrusion 41 of the guide cap 40 to cause the nozzle 60 that has been extended to be retracted into the nozzle coupling hole 52 of the nozzle cap 50 to return to an original position.

(41) As the nozzle 60 is retracted into the nozzle coupling hole 52 of the nozzle cap 50 and returns to the original position, the through-hole 63 vertically extending from the inner lower portion of the nozzle hole 62 of the nozzle 60 is moved from a position aligned with the vertical discharge hole 51 centrally vertically formed in the nozzle cap 50 to a position offset from the vertical discharge hole 51, thereby allowing the discharge path of the contents to be blocked to prevent discharge of the contents.

(42) At this time, due to the fact that the stepped recess 53 is formed above the vertical discharge hole 51 centrally vertically formed in the nozzle cap 50 and the sealing sheet 55 having the auxiliary vertical discharge hole 56 formed at a position corresponding to the vertical discharge hole 51 is provided in the stepped recess 53, the sealing sheet 55 is in tight contact with the through-hole 63 of the nozzle 60 at a position where the through-hole 63 of the nozzle 60 is offset from the auxiliary vertical discharge hole 56 of the sealing sheet 55, thereby ensuring a tight airtight seal of the through-hole 63, with the result that leakage of the contents is reliably prevented, and possibility of deterioration of the contents due to air inflow.

(43) After the nozzle 60 is retracted to the original position in the nozzle cap 50 and simultaneously the discharge path of the contents is blocked as described above, the outer cylinder 12 located outside the inner cylinder 11 is rotated in the reverse direction to cause the guide pin 11a formed on the outer surface of the inner cylinder 11 to be guided to be moved down helically along the inclined guide path 12a of the outer cylinder 12 so that the inner cylinder 11 is moved down and inserted into the outer cylinder 12 to return to an original position.

(44) As the inner cylinder 11 is inserted into the outer cylinder 12, the nozzle cap 50 is moved downward to a position in tight contact with the upper portion of the outer cylinder 12.

(45) Even if the nozzle cap 50 is pressed by the user in this state, the pressing operation of the nozzle cap 50 is not allowed by the outer cylinder 12.

(46) Therefore, the dispenser container according to the present invention is used in such a manner that the outer cylinder 12 is rotated to cause the inner cylinder 11 to be moved up out of the outer cylinder 12, and then the nozzle cap 50 is rotated to cause the nozzle 60 inserted in the nozzle coupling hole 52 formed at a side of the nozzle cap 50 to be extended. Here, during extension of the nozzle 60, the through-hole 63 extending from the inner lower portion of the nozzle hole 62 is moved from the offset position to the aligned position with respect to the vertical discharge hole 51 formed in the nozzle cap 50, thereby allowing the contents to be discharged; and during retraction of the nozzle 60, the through-hole 63 extending from the inner lower portion of the nozzle hole 62 is moved from the aligned position to the offset position with respect to the vertical discharge hole 51 of the nozzle cap 50, thereby blocking discharge of the contents.