CONTAINER MANUFACTURING METHOD, DOUBLE CONTAINER MANUFACTURING METHOD, DOUBLE CONTAINER, AND METHOD FOR DISCHARGING CONTENTS FROM DOUBLE CONTAINER

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a container, in which the occurrence of tears at a part corresponding to the sealing part of a preform is preventable during manufacture of the container by performing biaxial stretch blow molding on the preform formed by direct blow molding. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a container, comprising a step of manufacturing a container main body by performing biaxial stretch blow molding on a preform, wherein the preform includes a direct blow molded body formed by performing direct blow molding on a molten tubular parison, and the direct blow molded body is provided with a protruding sealing part in which a sealing part, formed by welding inner surfaces of the tubular parison to each other, protrudes from a main body part of the direct blow molded body.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a container, comprising: a step of manufacturing a container main body by performing biaxial stretch blow molding on a preform, wherein the preform includes a direct blow molded body formed by performing direct blow molding on a molten tubular parison; and the direct blow molded body is provided with a protruding sealing part in which a sealing part, formed by welding inner surfaces of the tubular parison to each other, protrudes from a main body part of the direct blow molded body.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preform is composed of the direct blow molded body.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the protruding sealing part includes an extension prevention structure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the preform comprises an inner preform, being composed of the direct blow molded body, and an outer preform disposed to cover the inner preform; and the protruding sealing part includes an extension prevention structure.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the extension prevention structure is a bent structure in which the protruding sealing part is bent.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the bent structure is formed during the direct blow molding.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the bent structure is formed by bending the protruding sealing part after the direct blow molding.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a main body part of the inner preform includes a groove along the protruding sealing part.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the protruding sealing part includes a base part and an outer part in order from the main body part's side; and the outer part includes a part having a larger wall thickness than the base part.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the protruding sealing part is disposed over a bottom part of the main body part and a trunk part of the main body part; the outer part includes a thick wall part and a thin wall part having a smaller wall thickness than the thick wall part; and the thin wall part is disposed adjacent to a boundary between the bottom part and the trunk part.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the extension prevention structure is formed by reducing surface area of the protruding sealing part by remelting the protruding sealing part after the direct blow molding.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein an aspect ratio, defined by a height of the protruding sealing part divided by a wall thickness of the protruding sealing part, is three or more before the remelting, and the aspect ratio is reduced by the remelting.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the main body part includes a groove along the protruding sealing part.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein the inner preform includes, in order from inside of the inner preform, an inner layer, a gas barrier layer, and an outer layer.

15. A method for manufacturing a double container, comprising: a step of producing a container main body having an inner bag and an outer shell covering the inner bag, by performing biaxial stretch blow molding on a preform having an inner preform and an outer preform disposed to cover the inner preform, wherein the inner preform is formed by performing direct blow molding on a molten tubular parison; a mouth part of the inner preform includes an engaging part for pulling out the inner bag from the container main body; and ratio of D2 to D1 is 0.35 or more, where D1 is largest outer diameter of the inner preform at the mouth part, D2 is an outer diameter of the inner preform at a height of 0.1H from a bottom part of the inner preform, and H is a total height of the inner preform.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the ratio of D2 to D1 is 0.5 or more.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the ratio of D2 to D3 is 1.4 or more, where D3 is an outer diameter of the tubular parison.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the inner preform includes a protruding sealing part formed by welding inner surfaces of the tubular parison to each other and the protruding sealing part protrudes from a main body part of the inner preform; and the protruding sealing part is disposed over a bottom part of the main body part and a trunk part of the main body part.

19. A method for manufacturing a double container, comprising: a step of producing a container main body having an inner bag and an outer shell covering the inner bag, by performing biaxial stretch blow molding on a preform having an inner preform and an outer preform disposed to cover the inner preform, wherein the inner preform is formed by performing direct blow molding on a molten tubular parison; the inner bag includes a thin wall part with a wall thickness of 100 m or less; and the inner preform is provided with an uneven shape or a lubricant on an outer surface of an area that includes a part corresponding to the thin wall part.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the uneven shape includes a random shape.

21-46. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0078] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a double container 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The dash-dotted line in the figure represents the boundary line where the curvature of the surface forming the surface shape changes. The same applies to other figures.

[0079] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1.

[0080] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of area A in FIG. 2.

[0081] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 3. Only a part of an inner bag 4 near an open end 5c is shown.

[0082] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the open end of an outer shell 3.

[0083] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an overcap 27 and an inner plug 26, seen diagonally from below.

[0084] FIG. 7A shows a state in which the inner plug 26 is attached to the inner bag 4. A perspective view of the inner bag 4 in the vicinity of a mouth part 5 and a vertical cross-sectional perspective view of the inner plug 26 are shown. FIG. 7B is a vertical cross-sectional perspective view of the inner plug 26.

[0085] FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view, passing through the center of the mouth part 5, of the double container 1 shown in FIG. 1, prior to opening the overcap 27.

[0086] FIG. 9 is a front view showing a shrink film 33 attached in such a way to cover a container main body 2 and a mouth part attachment 8.

[0087] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the container main body 2 viewed from below.

[0088] FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view, passing through the center of the mouth part 5, of the container main body 2.

[0089] FIGS. 12A to 12C are cross-sectional views along line A-A, B-B, and C-C in FIG. 11, respectively.

[0090] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view, corresponding to FIG. 12C, showing that a bent shape 2c is likely to be formed when the inner bag 4 is rotated with respect to the outer shell 3.

[0091] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the inner bag 4 with a cap 8a attached.

[0092] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the layered structure of the inner bag 4.

[0093] FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state in which the inner preform 14 and the outer preform 13 are separated.

[0094] FIG. 17A is a front view of the inner preform 14, FIG. 17B is a right side view of the inner preform 14, and FIGS. 17C to 17D show the vicinity of the bottom part of the inner preform 14, seen diagonally from below.

[0095] FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a preform 15 formed of an outer preform 13 covering the inner preform 14.

[0096] FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a tubular parison 34 disposed between split molds 35 and 36 that are in an open state.

[0097] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a molded body 38 formed by closing the split molds 35 and 36 and blowing air into them.

[0098] FIG. 21A is a cross-sectional view of the molded body 38 taken out from the split molds 35, 36 with the burr 39 removed, following the state shown in FIG. 20. FIG. 21B is an enlarged view of region B in FIG. 21A.

[0099] FIG. 22A is a cross-sectional view of the inner preform 14 formed by removing the bag part 40 following the state shown in FIG. 21. FIG. 22B is an enlarged view of region B in FIG. 22A. FIG. 22C is a diagram, corresponding to FIG. 22B, showing a case where the burr 14p remains at the open end of the inner preform 14.

[0100] FIG. 23A is an enlarged view of a part corresponding to region A in FIG. 22A, in the case where the protruding sealing part 42 is not provided with an extension prevention structure. FIG. 23B shows a part corresponding to FIG. 23A following biaxial stretch blow molding.

[0101] FIG. 24A is an enlarged view of area A in FIG. 22A. FIG. 24B shows an extension prevention structure, formed by bending the protruding sealing part 42 following the state shown in FIG. 24A, and FIG. 24C shows a biaxial stretch blow molding of the inner preform 14 having the extension prevention structure, corresponding to the part shown in FIG. 24B.

[0102] FIG. 25A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the bottom part of the inner preform 14 in the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 25B is a cross-sectional view, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the protruding sealing part 42, of the inner preform 14 in FIG. 25A. FIG. 25C is an enlarged view of region C in FIG. 25B. In this configuration the protruding sealing part 42 becomes the extension prevention structure without any post-processing.

[0103] FIG. 26A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the bottom part of the inner preform 14 in the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 26B is a cross-sectional view, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the protruding sealing part 42, of the inner preform 14 in FIG. 26A. FIG. 26C is an enlarged view of region C in FIG. 26B. FIG. 26D shows the extension prevention structure, formed by remelting the protruding sealing part 42 in FIG. 26C.

[0104] FIG. 27A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the bottom part of the inner preform 14 in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 27B is a cross-sectional view, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the protruding sealing part 42, of the inner preform 14 in FIG. 27A. FIG. 27C is an enlarged view of region C in FIG. 27B. FIG. 27D shows the extension prevention structure, formed by bending the protruding sealing part 42 in in FIG. 27C.

[0105] FIG. 28A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the bottom part of the inner preform 14 in the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 28B is a cross-sectional view, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the protruding sealing part 42, of the inner preform 14 in FIG. 28A. FIG. 28C is an enlarged view of region C in FIG. 28B. FIG. 28D shows the extension prevention structure, formed by bending the protruding sealing part 42 in FIG. 28C.

[0106] FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the inner preform 14 in the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

[0107] FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the inner preform 14 and the outer preform 13 in the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

[0108] FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the inner preform 14 and the outer preform 13 having the same configuration as the seventh embodiment of the present invention, except that the protruding sealing part 42 does not have an extension prevention structure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0109] Embodiments of the present invention are described below. The features of the invention disclosed in the embodiments may be combined with one another. Further, each of the features may be regarded as an independent invention.

[0110] In the embodiments shown below, the first to tenth perspectives of the invention are disclosed, at least part of which is related to the claims. The first to fourth embodiments are related to the first to tenth perspectives. The sixth to seventh embodiments are related to the first to fourth and sixth to tenth perspectives.

(First Perspective)

[0111] The present perspective provides a method for manufacturing a container, comprising a step of manufacturing a container main body by performing biaxial stretch blow molding on a preform, wherein the preform includes a direct blow molded body formed by performing direct blow molding on a molten tubular parison, and the direct blow molded body is provided with a protruding sealing part in which a sealing part, formed by welding inner surfaces of the tubular parison to each other, protrudes from a main body part of the direct blow molded body.

(Second Perspective)

[0112] The present perspective provides a method for manufacturing a double container, comprising a step of producing a container main body having an inner bag and an outer shell covering the inner bag, by performing biaxial stretch blow molding on a preform having an inner preform and an outer preform disposed to cover the inner preform, wherein the inner preform is formed by performing direct blow molding on a molten tubular parison, the inner preform is provided with a protruding sealing part in which a sealing part, formed by welding inner surfaces of the tubular parison to each other, protrudes from a main body part of the inner preform, and the protruding sealing part is provided with an extension prevention structure that prevents extension of the sealing part during the biaxial stretch blow molding.

(Third Perspective)

[0113] The present perspective provides a method for manufacturing a double container, comprising a step of producing a container main body having an inner bag and an outer shell covering the inner bag, by performing biaxial stretch blow molding on a preform having an inner preform and an outer preform disposed to cover the inner preform, wherein the inner preform is formed by performing direct blow molding on a molten tubular parison, a mouth part of the inner preform includes an engaging part for pulling out the inner bag from the container main body, and ratio of D2 to D1 is 0.35 or more, where D1 is largest outer diameter of the inner preform at the mouth part, D2 is an outer diameter of the inner preform at a height of 0.1H from a bottom part of the inner preform, and H is a total height of the inner preform.

(Fourth Perspective)

[0114] The present perspective provides a method for manufacturing a double container, comprising a step of producing a container main body having an inner bag and an outer shell covering the inner bag, by performing biaxial stretch blow molding on a preform having an inner preform and an outer preform disposed to cover the inner preform, wherein the inner preform is formed by performing direct blow molding on a molten tubular parison, the inner bag includes a thin wall part with a wall thickness of 100 m or less, and the inner preform is provided with an uneven shape or a lubricant on an outer surface of an area that includes a part corresponding to the thin wall part.

(Fifth Perspective)

[0115] The present perspective provides a method for manufacturing a double container, comprising a step of producing a container main body having an inner bag and an outer shell covering the inner bag, by performing biaxial stretch blow molding on a preform having an inner preform and an outer preform disposed to cover the inner preform, wherein the inner preform is formed by performing direct blow molding on a molten tubular parison, a mouth part of the inner preform includes an engaging part for pulling out the inner bag from the container main body, ratio of D1 to D3 is 1.5 or more, where D1 is largest outer diameter of the mouth part of the inner preform, and D3 is an outer diameter of the tubular parison, and an open end of the inner preform includes an enlarged diameter structure that prevents deformation of the mouth part.

(Sixth Perspective)

[0116] The present perspective provides a double container, comprising a container main body and a mouth part attachment, wherein the container main body includes an inner bag and an outer shell disposed to cover the inner bag, the mouth part attachment is attached to a mouth part of the container main body by pushing-in, and the inner bag is configured to move in a direction of coming out of the container main body via rotation of the mouth part attachment with respect to the outer shell.

(Seventh Perspective)

[0117] The present perspective provides a double container, comprising a container main body, a mouth part attachment, and a shrink film attached in such a way to cover the container main body and the mouth part attachment, wherein the container main body includes an inner bag and an outer shell disposed to cover the inner bag, the mouth part attachment includes an inner plug and an overcap, the inner plug is engaged with a mouth part of the inner bag in a circumferential direction and an axial direction, the overcap is engaged with the inner plug, the inner bag is configured to move in a direction of coming out of the container main body by rotating the inner plug with respect to the outer shell, and the shrink film is installed in a covering state where the shrink film covers the container main body and the inner plug but does not cover the overcap, or the shrink film includes an easy-to-tear line such that the covering state is achieved after removing a part of the shrink film.

(Eighth Perspective)

[0118] The present perspective provides a method for discharging contents in a double container, comprising a pulling out step and a discharging step, wherein the double container includes a container main body and a cap attached to a mouth part of the container main body, the container main body includes an inner bag and an outer shell disposed to cover the inner bag, the contents are contained within the inner bag, the cap is engaged with the inner bag, in the pulling out step, the inner bag is pulled out from the container main body while a part of the contents remain in the inner bag and the cap is engaged with the inner bag, and in the discharging step, the contents remaining in the inner bag are discharged after being pulled out from the container main body.

(Nineth Perspective)

[0119] The present perspective provides a double container, comprising a container main body, wherein the container main body includes an inner bag and an outer shell disposed to cover the inner bag, the container main body has three or more corner parts spaced apart in a circumferential direction on a cross-section at a distance of 0.2 J from a bottom surface of the container main body, where J is a total height of the container main body, and connecting parts having a larger radius of curvature than the corner parts are provided between the corner parts.

(Tenth Perspective)

[0120] The present perspective provides a double container, comprising a container main body, wherein the container main body includes an inner bag and an outer shell disposed to cover the inner bag, and the inner bag includes, in order from inside of the container main body, an inner layer, a gas barrier layer, and an outer layer.

1. First Embodiment

1-1. Configuration of the Double Container 1

[0121] As shown in FIG. 1, the double container 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a container main body 2 and a mouth part attachment 8.

[0122] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the container main body 2 includes a mouth part 5, a trunk part 6, and a bottom part 7. The mouth part 5 is a tubular (preferably cylindrical) part having an open end 5c. The mouth part 5 includes an engaging part 4m to which a mouth part attachment 8 such as a cap or a pump is attachable. Details of the engaging part 4m are described later. The mouth part 5 is provided with a flange 5b. The flange 5b can be used to support the mouth part 5 when the mouth part attachment 8 is attached to the mouth part 5.

[0123] The trunk part 6 is disposed adjacent to the mouth part 5 on a side further away from the open end 5c than the mouth part 5. The trunk part 6 has a larger outer diameter (in this specification, outer diameter means the diameter of an equivalent circle when the cross-section is not circular) than the mouth part 5. The trunk part 6 has a tubular shape, and the bottom part 7 is provided at the lower end of the trunk part 6 and closes the lower end of the trunk part 6. The trunk part 6 includes a shoulder part 6b whose outer diameter increases as the distance from the mouth part 5 increases. Further, the trunk part 6 includes a trunk part 6c, which is disposed closer to the bottom part 7 than the shoulder part 6b. The trunk part 6c has, for example, a shape in which the outer diameter is substantially constant toward the bottom part 7, or a shape in which the diameter decreases toward the bottom part 7.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 4, the container main body 2 includes an inner bag 4 and an outer shell 3. The outer shell 3 is disposed in such a way to cover the inner bag 4. The inner bag main body 4d excluding the protrusion 4c is housed in the outer shell 3. In the following descriptions, parts of the inner bag 4 that correspond to the mouth part 5, trunk part 6, and bottom part 7 of the container main body 2 are referred to as the mouth part 5, trunk part 6, and bottom part 7 of the inner bag 4, respectively. The same applies to the outer shell 3.

[0125] The average wall thickness of the outer shell 3 at the center of the trunk part 6 in the height direction is, for example, 200 to 800 m, and preferably 250 to 500 m. This wall thickness is, for example, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800 m; the wall thickness may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

[0126] The average wall thickness of the inner bag 4 at the center of the trunk part 6 in the height direction is, for example, 50 to 250 m, and preferably 50 to 100 m. This wall thickness is, for example, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250 m; the wall thickness may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values, or equal to or below any of these exemplary values. In this specification, the average wall thickness at a predetermined height position means the average value of the measurements at eight measurement locations disposed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction at the height position.

[0127] If the mouth part attachment 8 is not provided with a check valve, the inner bag 4 does not contract even after the contents of the inner bag 4 are discharged, so the inner bag 4 cannot be easily pulled out through the mouth part 5 of the outer shell 3. Since the present invention is aimed at making it easy to pull out the inner bag 4 through the mouth part 5 of the outer shell 3, the present invention is particularly effective when the mouth part attachment 8 is not provided with a check valve.

[0128] The inner diameter of the mouth part 5 of the outer shell 3 is, for example, 20 to 50 mm, and preferably 25 to 40 mm. This diameter is, for example, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 mm; the diameter may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values. The length of the mouth part 5 is, for example, 15 to 45 mm. This length is, for example, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 mm; the length may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

[0129] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inner bag 4 includes a protrusion 4c that protrudes from the open end 3a of the outer shell 3. The protrusion 4c includes a protruding tube 4c1, an engaging part 4c2, an annular protrusion 4c5, and an abutting flange 4c4.

[0130] The annular protrusions 4c5 engage with the mouth part attachment 8 in the axial direction. The engaging protrusions 4c2 engage with the mouth part attachment 8 in the circumferential direction. In this specification, the axial direction is the direction in which the central axis C of the mouth part 5 extends, or in other words, the direction in which the inner bag 4 is extracted from the container main body 2. The circumferential direction is a direction in which the mouth part 5 is rotated about the central axis C, or in other words, a direction in which the inner bag 4 is rotated with respect to the outer shell 3, in the mouth part 5.

[0131] It is preferable that the engaging protrusions 4c2 are provided at a plurality of locations (eight locations in this embodiment) spaced apart in the circumferential direction. The engaging protrusions 4c2 are arranged on the annular protrusions 4c5, and are arranged so as to protrude radially outward from the annular protrusion 4c5. The annular protrusions 4c5 and the engaging protrusions 4c2 are provided with tapered surfaces 4c8 and 4c3 on their upper surfaces. This makes it easy for the annular protrusions 28c (shown in FIG. 7A) of the mouth part attachment 8 to climb over the annular protrusions 4c5 and the engaging protrusions 4c2, as described later.

[0132] Further, as shown in FIG. 7A, the lower surface 4c6 of the engaging protrusion 4c2 is flush with the lower surface 4c7 of the annular protrusion 4c5, or is positioned closer to the open end of the inner bag 4 than the lower surface 4c7 of the annular protrusion 4c5. According to such a configuration, the engagement between the mouth part attachment 8 and the inner bag 4 is reinforced, since the axial engagement between the annular protrusions 4c5 and the mouth part attachment 8 is reinforced by the engaging protrusion 4c2.

[0133] The abutting flange 4c4 is positioned so as to contact the open end 3a. The abutting flange 4c4 is an annular part whose diameter is larger than that of the protruding tube 4c1. By abutting the abutting flange 4c4 against the open end 3a, the inner bag 4 is prevented from falling into the outer shell 3.

[0134] As shown in FIG. 4, cam protrusions 4g and engaging protrusions 4h are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inner bag main body 4d. The engaging protrusions 4h are provided on the cam protrusions 4g. The lower surfaces of the cam protrusions 4g and the engaging protrusions 4h are each inclined so as to approach the open end 5c as they proceed counterclockwise when viewed from the open end 5c side of the mouth part 5.

[0135] As shown in FIG. 5, the inner peripheral surface of the outer shell 3 is provided with cam rails 31, engaging recesses 3m, and engaging protrusions 3n. The engaging recesses 3m are provided such that the lower surfaces of the engaging recesses 3m are continuous with the upper surfaces of the cam rails 31. The upper surfaces of the cam rails 31 and the lower surfaces of the engaging recesses 3m are inclined so as to approach the open end 3a as they proceed counterclockwise when viewed from the open end 3a side. The engaging protrusions 3n are positioned adjacent to an engaging recess 3m.

[0136] Before the inner bag 4 is extracted from the container main body 2, the engaging protrusions 4h are disposed within the engaging recesses 3m, and the lower surfaces of the cam protrusions 4g are in contact with the upper surfaces of the cam rails 31. A cam mechanism 31 is constituted by the cam protrusions 4g and the cam rails 31. In this embodiment, the engaging recesses 3m are through holes, but may be non-through holes.

[0137] Trying to rotate the inner bag 4 counterclockwise results in the engaging protrusions 4h coming into contact with the engaging protrusions 3n to restrict the rotation. This restriction is not strong; applying a strong torque (i.e., a torque equal to or greater than the inner plug rotation torque T2 explained later) to the inner bag 4 allows the engaging protrusions 4h to climb over the engaging protrusions 3n to enable the inner bag 4 to freely rotate relative to the outer shell 3. Then, further rotating the inner bag 4 counterclockwise allows the inner bag 4 to move in the direction of coming out of the container main body 2 due to the action of the cam mechanism 31. When this occurs, the inner bag 4 is twisted to reduce its diameter.

[0138] An enlarged diameter structure 4k is provided at the open end 4l of the inner bag 4. The enlarged diameter structure 4k increases the rigidity of the opening 5 of the inner bag 4 and prevents deformation of the opening 5 of the inner bag 4. In this embodiment, since the inner bag 4 is extracted using the engaging part 4m (more specifically, the annular protrusions 4c5 and the engaging protrusions 4c2) provided on the inner bag 4, there are cases where a high load is applied to the inner bag 4. In such cases, it may become difficult to extract the inner bag 4 if the open end 4l of the inner bag 4 is easily deformed. In this embodiment, however, the inner bag 4 is smoothly extractable since the deformation of the open end 4l of the inner bag 4 is prevented.

[0139] The mouth part attachment 8 is configured to be attachable to the mouth part 5 of the container main body 2 by pushing-in; by pressing the mouth part attachment 8 in the direction of the bottom part 7 while the mouth part attachment 8 is placed over the mouth part 5, the mouth part attachment 8 can be engaged with and attached to the mouth part 5. Since the push-in type mouth part attachment 8 can be attached simply by pressing, it has the advantage that the step of attaching the mouth part attachment 8 can be simplified on the line for filling the contents.

[0140] A push-in type mouth part attachment generally includes a separation band that is separable from the inner plug, and the mouth part attachment is configured to be attached to the container main body by engaging the engaging part of the separation band with the engaging part of the outer shell. When removing the mouth part attachment from the mouth part, the engaging force between the mouth part attachment and the outer shell is weakened (usually, disengaged) by first tearing off the connection between the inner plug and the separation band and removing the separation band. After that, an operation is performed to remove the mouth part attachment from the mouth part. However, it is cumbersome to perform an operation to weaken the engagement force between the mouth part attachment and the outer shell before removing the mouth part attachment from the mouth part. The operation of weakening the engagement force may be an operation of weakening the engagement force between the separation band and the outer shell, for example, by making a notch in the separation band without removing the separation band.

[0141] In this embodiment, in order to solve the above problem, the inner bag 4 is configured to move in the direction of coming out of the container main body 2 (i.e., to lift the inner bag 4) by rotating the mouth part attachment 8 with respect to the outer shell 3, and it is possible to rotate the mouth part attachment 8 relative to the outer shell 3 without performing an operation to weaken the engagement force between the mouth part attachment 8 and the outer shell 3 before rotating the mouth part attachment 8 relative to the container main body 2. In other words, the mouth part attachment 8 can be rotated while the mouth part attachment 8 and the outer shell 3 are engaged with each other when the mouth part attachment 8 is attached to the mouth part 5 of the container main body 2.

[0142] More specifically, the mouth part attachment 8 is engaged, by pushing-in, with the mouth part 5 of the inner bag 4 in the circumferential direction and the axial direction, and as the mouth part attachment 8 rotates, the inner bag 4 is configured to rotate relative to the outer shell 3. By the action of the cam mechanism 31 provided between the inner bag 4 and the outer shell 3, the inner bag 4 is configured to move in the direction of coming out of the container main body 2 as the inner bag 4 rotates.

[0143] According to such a configuration, the inner bag 4 can be moved in the direction of coming out of the container main body 2 simply by rotating the mouth part attachment 8 without performing troublesome operations such as removing the separation band in advance. After that, the inner bag 4 is extractable from the container main body 2 by pulling the mouth part attachment 8. In other words, since the inner bag 4 is extractable simply by turning and pulling the mouth part attachment 8, the operation required to extract the inner bag 4 becomes very simple. The rotation of the mouth part attachment 8 at this time is preferably rotation in the loosening direction of right-hand threads (i.e., in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the top of the dual container 1). In this case, there is an advantage that it is intuitively understandable that the inner bag 4 moves in the direction of coming out of the container main body 2.

[0144] Also, since the trunk part 6 of the container main body 2 has a larger outer diameter than the mouth part 5, it is not easy to extract the inner bag 4 through the mouth part 5 of the outer shell 3 by simply pulling the inner bag 4. However, by rotating the opening 5 of the inner bag 4 and twisting the inner bag 4 to reduce the diameter of the trunk part 6 of the inner bag 4, it becomes easy for the trunk part 6 of the inner bag 4 to pass through the opening 5 of the outer shell 3, and the inner bag 4 is easily extractable from the container main body 2.

[0145] As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the mouth part attachment 8 is a cap 8a, and includes an inner plug 26 and an overcap 27. The inner plug 26 is engaged, by pushing-in, with the opening 5 of the inner bag 4 in the circumferential direction and the axial direction. The overcap 27 is screwed onto the inner plug 26.

[0146] As shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 8, the overcap 27 includes an outer tube 27a, an intermediate tube 27b, an inner tube 27c, and a top plate 27d.

[0147] A knurl 27e is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 27a, making it easy to grip and rotate the overcap 27. A female threaded part 27f is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 27a. The top plate 27d is provided on the upper surface of the outer tube 27a. The intermediate tube 27b and the inner tube 27c are provided on the lower surface of the top plate 27d. The intermediate tube 27b is a so-called inner ring that has a smaller diameter than the outer tube 27a and is arranged inside the outer tube 27a. The inner tube 27c has a smaller diameter than the intermediate tube 27b, and is arranged inside the intermediate tube 27b.

[0148] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 to 8, the inner plug 26 includes a main body part 28 and an opening part 32. The main body part 28 and the opening part 32 are connected to each other via an easy-to-tear connecting part 30.

[0149] The main body part 28 includes an outer tube 28a, an inner tube 28b, an annular protrusion 28c, an engaging protrusion 28d, a top plate 28e, a discharging tube 28f, and a mounting tube 28g. The opening part 32 and the connecting part 30 are arranged inside the discharging tube 28f and the inner tube 28b. The opening part 32 is provided with an engaging tube 32a provided with an engaging part (not shown), and the inner tube 27c and the engaging tube 32a are engaged in the circumferential direction and the axial direction. According to such a configuration, by rotating the overcap 27 with respect to the main body part 28, it becomes possible to rotate the engaging tube 32a with respect to the main body part and break the connecting part 30. By breaking the connecting part 30, the opening part 32 is separated from the main body part 28, and a flow hole is formed inside the discharging tube 28f and the inner tube 28b. The contents in the inner bag 4 can be discharged through this flow hole.

[0150] A knurl 28i is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 27a, making it easy to grip and rotate the inner plug 26. The top plate 28e is provided on the upper surface of the outer tube 28a. An inner tube 28b is provided on the lower surface of the top plate 28e. The inner tube 28b is a so-called inner ring that has a smaller diameter than the outer tube 28a and is arranged inside the outer tube 28a. When the inner plug 26 is attached to the mouth part 5, the inner tube 28b is inserted into the inner bag 4, and the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube 28b comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the inner bag 4.

[0151] A discharging tube 28f and a mounting tube 28g are provided on the top surface of the top plate 28e. The contents in the inner bag 4 are discharged through the discharging tube 28f. As shown in FIG. 2, a male threaded part 28h is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mounting tube 28g, and a female threaded part 28h is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 27a of the overcap 27; as the male threaded part 28h engages with the female threaded part 27f, the overcap 27 is screwed onto the inner plug 26. In this case, the overcap 27 can be attached to and removed from the inner plug 26 by rotating the overcap 27 relative to the inner plug 26. When the overcap 27 is attached to the inner plug 26, the intermediate tube 27b is inserted into the discharging tube 28f, and the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate tube 27b is brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the discharging tube 28f. The upper side of the discharging tube 28f is closed by the overcap 27.

[0152] The annular protrusions 28c are annular protrusions provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 28a in such a way to extend in the circumferential direction. When the annular protrusions 28c engage with the engaging protrusions 4c2 in the axial direction, the main body part 28 engages with the mouth part 5 of the inner bag 4 in the axial direction. It is preferable that the engaging protrusions 28d are provided at a plurality of locations (eight locations in this embodiment) spaced apart in the circumferential direction. The engaging protrusions 28d are disposed on the annular protrusions 28c so as to protrude radially inward from the annular protrusion 28c. The engaging protrusions 28d are arranged between the adjacent engaging protrusions 4c2, so that the main body part 28 engages with the mouth part 5 of the inner bag 4 in the circumferential direction.

[0153] The overcap 27 is preferably screwed onto the inner plug 26 with right-hand threads. Thus, by rotating the overcap 27 with respect to the inner plug 26 in the loosening direction of right-hand threads, the overcap 27 and the inner plug 26 can be unscrewed from each other. In addition, by rotating the inner plug 26 with respect to the outer shell 3 in the loosening direction of right-hand threads, the inner bag 4 is configured to move in the direction of coming out of the container main body 2. In this way, the overcap 27 can be removed by rotating the overcap 27 in the loosening direction of right-hand threads, and by rotating the inner plug 26 in the loosening direction of right-hand threads, the inner bag 4 can be lifted up. Since both operations are performed in the same direction of rotation, they have the advantage of being simple to operate.

[0154] On the other hand, in the case of the above configuration, when the container main body 2 and the overcap 27 are gripped and the overcap 27 is rotated in the loosening direction of right-hand threads, the overcap 27 does not rotate relative to the inner plug 26; instead, the overcap 27 and the inner plug 26 rotate together relative to the container main body 2, and as a result, there is a concern that the inner bag 4 may float up.

[0155] In order to prevent the occurrence of such a problem, in this embodiment, the value of T2/T1 (i.e., T2 divided by T1) is preferably equal to or greater than 1.2, where T1 is the overcap rotational torque required to rotate the overcap 27 for the first time with respect to the inner plug 26 in the loosening direction of right-hand threads, and T2 is the inner plug rotational torque required to rotate the inner plug 26 for the first time with respect to the outer shell 3 in the loosening direction of right-hand threads. Applying a torque equal to or greater than the overcap rotational torque T1 to the overcap 27 allows the overcap 27 to be rotated in the loosening direction. Applying a torque equal to or greater than the inner plug rotational torque T2 to the inner plug 26 allows the inner plug 26 to be rotated in the loosening direction.

[0156] In this case, when the container main body 2 and the overcap 27 are gripped and the overcap 27 is rotated in the loosening direction of right-hand threads, the overcap 27 rotates relative to the inner plug 26 before the inner plug 26 rotates relative to the outer shell 3, preventing the occurrence of the above problem. The value of T2/T1 is, for example, 1.2 to 5, and preferably 1.5 to 3. The value of T2/T1 is, for example, 1.2, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0; the value of T2/T1 may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

[0157] The value of T1 is, for example, 40 to 120 N.Math.cm, preferably 60 to 100 N.Math.cm. The value of T2 is, for example, 100 to 200 N.Math.cm, preferably 130 to 170 N.Math.cm. Specifically, the value of T1 is, for example, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120 N cm, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values, or equal to or below any of these exemplary values, or equal to or above any of these exemplary values. Specifically, the value of T2 is, for example, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200 N cm, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values, or equal to or below any of these exemplary values, or equal to or above any of these exemplary values.

[0158] In the present embodiment, the overcap rotation torque T1 is the torque necessary to break the connecting part 30 and separate the opening part 32 from the main body part 28. In another embodiment, instead of providing the opening part 32 on the inner plug 26, the overcap 27 is provided with an opening ring via an easy-to-tear connecting part, and the opening ring engages the inner plug 26 in the circumferential direction. In such a configuration, the torque required to break the thin wall part and separate the opening ring from the overcap 27 is the overcap rotation torque T1. Also, in another embodiment, a rotation restriction structure is provided that restricts rotation of the overcap 27 with respect to the inner plug 26; when the rotation restriction by the rotation restriction structure is released at a predetermined torque (e.g., when rotation is restricted as the protrusion of the overcap 27 and the protrusion of the inner plug 26 come into contact with each other, and the restriction on rotation is released as the protrusion of the overcap 27 climbs over the protrusion of the inner plug 26), the torque required to release the restriction is the overcap rotation torque T1.

[0159] In this embodiment, the inner plug rotational torque T2 is the torque necessary for the engaging protrusions 4h to climb over the engaging protrusions 3n. In another embodiment, for example, the inner plug 26 and the outer shell 3 may be engaged in the circumferential direction, and the engagement may be released when the inner plug rotation torque T2 is applied.

[0160] The value of T3/T2 is preferably equal to or greater than 1.2, where T3 is the overturn torque required to rotate the inner plug 26 for the first time in the loosening direction of right-hand threads with respect to the inner bag 4. This prevents the inner plug 26 from rotating idly relative to the inner bag 4. The value of T3/T2 is, for example, 1.2 to 5, and is preferably 1.5 to 3. Specifically, for example, the value of T3/T2 is 1.2, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values, or equal to or above any of these exemplary values.

[0161] The value of T3 is, for example, 200 N.Math.cm or more, and is preferably 200 to 1000 N.Math.cm. Specifically, for example, the value of T3 is 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 500, 1000 N.Math.cm, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values. In this embodiment, the overturn torque T3 is the torque necessary for the engaging protrusions 28d to climb over the engaging protrusions 4c2.

[0162] There is a possibility that the user intends to grip and rotate the overcap 27, but accidentally grips and rotates the inner plug 26. In this case, as the inner plug 26 rotates, the inner bag 4 may be twisted and the contents may overflow.

[0163] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a shrink film 33 is used to prevent the occurrence of such problems. In this embodiment, the shrink film 33 covers the container main body 2, the inner plug 26, and the overcap 27 prior to unsealing. The shrink film 33 is provided with easy-to-tear lines 33a and 33b. The easy-to-tear lines 33a and 33b are lines such as perforations or half-cut lines that make it easy to cut the shrink film. The easy-to-tear line 33a is provided so as to extend in the circumferential direction of the inner plug 26 at the boundary between the inner plug 26 and the overcap 27 or at a position facing the inner plug 26. When a part of the shrink film 33 (i.e., the upper part 33c above the easy-to-tear line 33a) is removed along the easy-to-tear line 33a, the shrink film 33 still covers the inner plug 26 but no longer covers the overcap 27. In this state, it is difficult to grasp and rotate the inner plug 26, so that erroneous operations such as accidentally rotating the inner plug 26 is preventable. Note that instead of providing the easy-to-tear line 33a, the shrink film 33 may be attached in such a way that the upper edge of the shrink film 33 is located at the boundary between the inner plug 26 and the overcap 27 or at a position facing the inner plug 26. In this case, a covering state is achieved in which the inner plug 26 is covered but the overcap 27 is not covered, before a part of the shrink film 33 is removed.

[0164] Furthermore, the easy-to-tear line 33b is provided to facilitate the removal of the lower part 33d of the shrink film 33 below the easy-to-tear line 33a. It is preferable that the easy-to-tear line 33b is provided non-parallel to the easy-to-tear line 33a or perpendicular to the easy-to-tear line 33a. Moreover, it is preferable that the easy-to-tear line 33b is connected to the easy-to-tear line 33a, and preferably reaches the lower edge of the lower part 33d.

[0165] Note that the prevention of erroneous operations using a shrink film is also applicable to the cases where the cap 8a is not of a push-in type. If the cap 8a is of a screw type, the cap 8a is attached to the container main body 2 by screwing the cap 8a onto the opening of the outer shell 3. In addition, the prevention of erroneous operations using a shrink film is also applicable to the cases where the overcap is engaged with the inner plug 26 by, for example, snap engagement rather than screw engagement. Furthermore, it is also applicable to a configuration in which the inner bag 4 is lifted up by rotating the inner plug 26 in the loosening direction of left-hand threads.

[0166] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 10 to 12, the shape of the body 6 of the container main body 2 becomes approximately square in cross-section (square with rounded corners) as the cross-section approaches the bottom part 7. More specifically, the cross-section is circular at the upper end of the shoulder part 6b as shown in FIG. 12A, approximately square at the trunk part main body 6c as shown in FIG. 12C, and a shape between a circle and an approximate square in the middle of the shoulder part 6b as shown in FIG. 12B. In other words, in the shoulder part 6b, the cross-section of the container main body 2 is expanded toward the bottom part 7, and the shape of the cross-section gradually approaches an approximate square. Further, the bottom part 7 is provided with a recess 7a.

[0167] FIG. 12C shows a cross-section P at a distance of 0.2 J from the bottom surface of the container main body 2, where J is the total height of the container main body 2. In the cross-section P, the container main body 2 has three or more corner parts 2a that are separated among one another in the circumferential direction, and connecting parts 2b having a larger radius of curvature than that of the corner parts 2a are provided between the corner parts 2a. The inner bag 4 also has a shape similar to that of the container main body 2. Unless otherwise mentioned, the radius of curvature means the value at the outer surface of the container main body 2.

[0168] In the container main body 2 having such a shape, the connecting part 2b is more easily rotated than the corner part 2a when the inner bag 4 is rotated counterclockwise with respect to the outer shell 3. As a result, a bent shape 2c is likely to be formed near the boundary between the connecting part 2b and the corner part 2a. If the inner bag 4 is further rotated counterclockwise in this state, the diameter of the inner bag 4 is reduced in such a way that the corner parts 2a of the inner bag 4 are folded, making it easier to pull out the inner bag 4. In this embodiment, the number of corner parts 2a is four, but the same effects can be achieved even when the number of corner parts 2a is three, or five or more. The number of corner parts 2a is, for example, 3 to 12, preferably 3 to 6.

[0169] In cross-section P, the value of (L1L2)/L1 is preferably 0.1 or less, where L1 is the length of the longest among the connecting parts 2b, and L2 is the length of the shortest among the connecting parts 2b. In this case, the lengths of all the connecting parts 2b are approximately the same, and the cross-section is an approximate regular polygonal. In this case, the corner parts 2a of the inner bag 4 are more easily folded since the connecting parts 2b are more easily rotated.

[0170] In the cross-section P, the value of R2/R1 is preferably three or more, where R1 is the minimum radius of curvature at the corner parts 2a, and R2 is the maximum radius of curvature at the connecting parts 2b. In this case, the corner parts 2a of the inner bag 4 are more easily folded. The connecting parts 2b may be flat surfaces, in which case the radius of curvature becomes infinite. It is preferable that the corner parts 2a are convex toward the outside of the container main body 2. The connecting parts 2b may be outwardly convex, flat, or inwardly convex. The value of R2/R1 is, for example, 3 to 1000, specifically, for example, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 100, 500, and 1000, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values, or equal to or above any of these exemplary values.

[0171] The radius of curvature R1 is, for example, 5 to 20 mm, specifically, for example, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 mm, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values. The radius of curvature R2 is, for example, 30 mm or more, preferably 30 to 200 mm, and specifically, for example, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200 mm, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values, or equal to or above any of these exemplary values. The value of R1/R3 is, for example, 0.2 to 0.6, and specifically, for example, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30, 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, 0.50, 0.55, 0.60, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values, where R3 is the radius of an equivalent circle of the container main body 2 at the cross-section P. The radius R3 of an equivalent circle is, for example, 15 to 40 mm, specifically, for example, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 mm, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

[0172] In cross-section P, the value of T1/T2 is preferably 0.90 or less, where T1 is the minimum wall thickness of the inner bag 4 at the corner parts 2a, and T2 is the maximum wall thickness of the inner bag 4 at the connecting parts 2b. In cross-section P, the value of T1a/T2a is preferably 0.90 or less, where T1a is the average value of the wall thickness of the inner bag 4 at all corner parts 2a, and T2a is the average value of the wall thickness of the inner bag 4 at all connecting parts 2b. In this case, the corner parts 2a of the inner bag 4 are more easily folded. The values of T1/T2 and T1a/T2a are each, for example, 0.40 to 0.90, and specifically, for example, 0.40, 0.45, 0.50, 0.55, 0.60, 0.65, 0.70, 0.75, 0.80, 0.85, 0.90, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values. The values of T1 and T1a are each preferably 95 m or less. The values of T1 and T1a are each, for example, 50 to 95 m, specifically, for example, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95 m, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values, or equal to or below any of these exemplary values. The values of T2 and T2a are each, for example, 60 to 150 m, specifically, for example, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150 m, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

[0173] As described above, in the double container 1 of this embodiment, the inner bag 4 is able to be pulled out from the container main body 2 using the mouth part attachment 8. As shown in FIG. 14, the mouth part attachment 8 remains engaged with the inner bag 4 after being pulled out.

[0174] In the case where the mouth part attachment 8 is a cap 8a, the inner bag 4 is pulled out from the container main body 2 with some of the contents remaining in the inner bag 4 (pullout step), and then the contents remaining in the inner bag 4 can be discharged (discharge step).

[0175] Since the inner bag 4 has higher flexibility than the outer shell 3, squeezing or compressing the inner bag 4 allows the contents to be easily discharged, and the amount of contents remaining when further discharge becomes impossible (hereinafter referred to as final residual amount) is reducible.

[0176] Generally speaking, the final residual amount tends to increase as the viscosity increases, but according to the method of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent an increase in the final residual amount even when the viscosity is high. Therefore, the method of this embodiment has significant technical significance when the contents have a high viscosity (for example, 100 mPa.Math.sec or more). The viscosity of the contents is, for example, 100 to 10,000 mPa.Math.sec, and specifically, for example, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, 7,000, 8,000, 9,000, and 10,000 mPa.Math.sec, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values, or equal to or above any of these exemplary values.

[0177] As shown in FIG. 10, the bottom part 7 of the container main body 2 is provided with a truncated conical recess 7a. The recess 7a is also provided in the bottom part 7 of the inner bag 4. Since the truncated conical recess 7a has a circular cross-section (i.e, cross-section perpendicular to the central axis C), it is difficult to be deformed. As a result, if the truncated conical recess 7a exists in the inner bag 4, there is a risk that sufficient reduction in the final residual amount is not achievable. From this point of view, it is preferable to provide the bottom part of the container main body 2 with a recess having an oval-shape cross-section. Since such a recess is easier to deform than a recess with a circular cross-section, the final residual amount is further reducible.

[0178] Furthermore, if the engagement force between the inner bag 4 and the cap 8a is weak, there is a risk that the cap 8a comes off from the inner bag 4 after the inner bag 4 is pulled out, and the contents may leak out from the inner bag 4. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the axial engagement between the annular protrusions 4c5 and the mouth part attachment 8 is reinforced by the engaging protrusions 4c2, which makes the engagement between the cap 8a and the inner bag 4 strong and prevents the cap 8a from coming off from the inner bag 4.

[0179] It is preferable that the inner bag 4 has a small wall thickness. This is because the smaller the wall thickness of the inner bag 4 is, the more flexible the inner bag 4 becomes, making it easier to reduce the final residual amount, and the amount of resin used becomes reducible.

[0180] From this point of view, it is preferable that the inner bag 4 includes a thin wall part having a wall thickness of 100 m or less. Further, it is preferable that the thin wall part be provided at a position closer to the bottom part than the center of the trunk part 6 in the height direction. The wall thickness of the thin wall part is preferably 95 m or less, more preferably 90 m or less. The wall thickness of the thin wall part is, for example, 50 to 100 m, specifically, for example, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100 m, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

[0181] The inner bag 4 may have a single layer structure or a multilayer structure. As shown in FIG. 15, the inner bag 4 preferably includes, in order from the inside of the inner bag 4, an inner layer 4i, a gas barrier layer 4j, and an outer layer 4e.

[0182] The inner layer 4i is a layer disposed nearer to the inside of the inner bag 4 than the gas barrier layer 4j. By providing the inner bag 4 with the inner layer 4i, exposure of the gas barrier layer 4j to moisture contained in the contents is prevented.

[0183] The wall thickness of the inner layer 4i is, for example, 5 to 60 m, specifically, for example, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 m, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values. The inner layer 4i preferably includes, in order from the inside of the inner bag 4, an innermost layer 4i1, a repro layer 4i2, and an adhesive layer 413.

[0184] The innermost layer 4i1 is preferably made of a resin with excellent moisture barrier properties such as polyolefin (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene) or PET. The innermost layer 4i1 is a layer that comes into contact with the contents in the inner bag 4, and is preferably made of new resin (hereinafter referred to as virgin resin) rather than recycled resin in order to prevent contamination of the contents.

[0185] The repro layer 412 is preferably composed of a resin containing recycled resin, and is preferably composed of a mixed resin composed of recycled resin and virgin resin. By providing the repro layer 412, environmental load and container manufacturing costs can be reduced. The repro layer 412 is omittable if unnecessary.

[0186] Assuming that the entire mixed resin is 100% by mass, the mixed resin preferably contains 15 to 50% by mass of recycled resin (15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50% by mass) and 50 to 85% by mass of virgin resin. (50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85% by mass). The proportion of recycled resin and virgin resin may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values in parentheses. The recycled resin is a resin obtained by recycling scraps generated during molding of the container main body 2. Since the scrap includes all the layers of the container main body 2, the recycled resin is a mixture of resin compositions constituting each of all the layers of the container main body 2.

[0187] The adhesive layer 413 is made of adhesive resin. Examples of adhesive resins include acid-modified polyolefin resins (e.g., maleic anhydride-modified polyethylene, maleic anhydride-modified polypropylene), and the like. By providing the adhesive layer 413, the adhesion between layers adjacent to the adhesive layer 413 is improved.

[0188] The outer layer 4e is a layer disposed nearer to the outside of the inner bag 4 than the gas barrier layer 4j. By providing the inner bag 4 with the outer layer 4e, exposure of the gas barrier layer 4j to moisture contained in the outside air is prevented.

[0189] The wall thickness of the outer layer 4e is, for example, 5 to 60 m, specifically, for example, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 m, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values. The outer layer 4e preferably includes, in order from the outside of the inner bag 4, an outermost layer 4e1 and an adhesive layer 4e2.

[0190] The outermost layer 4e1 is preferably made of a resin with excellent moisture barrier properties such as polyolefin (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene) or PET. The outermost layer 4e1 is a layer exposed to the outside of the inner bag 4, and is preferably made of virgin resin in order to prevent contamination of the external environment.

[0191] The description of the adhesive layer 4e2 is the same as that of the adhesive layer 413.

[0192] The value of the wall thickness of inner layer 4i divided by the wall thickness of outer layer 4e is, for example, preferably 0.2 to 5. Specifically, this value is, for example, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

[0193] If the inner layer 4i is thicker than the outer layer 4e, the gas barrier layer 4j is more reliably protectable from moisture in the contents. If the outer layer 4e is thicker than the inner layer 4i, the gas barrier layer 4j is more reliably protectable from external moisture.

[0194] In this embodiment, making the inner layer 4i thicker than the outer layer 4e and disposing the repro layer 412 in the inner layer 4i enable the repro layer 412 to be relatively thick. However, the repro layer 412 may be disposed in both the inner layer 4i and the outer layer 4e, or may be disposed only in the outer layer 4e. Further, the repro layer 412 may include a material, such as a post-consumer material, that may contain a component and/or a strong odor that is likely to migrate to the contents. In this case, in order to prevent component and/or odor migration, the repro layer 412 is preferably disposed in the outer layer 4e. In this case, the amount of resin used in the repro layer 412 may be increased by making the outer layer 4e thicker than the inner layer 4i.

[0195] The gas barrier layer 4j is made of gas barrier resin. In this specification, the gas barrier resin is a resin whose oxygen permeability is less than 50 cc/(m.sup.2*24 hours*atm) in an environment of 20 C. and 65% RH when formed into a 20 m thick film. The oxygen permeability is, for example, 0 to 49 cc/(m.sup.2*24 hours*atm), and specifically, for example, 0.01, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 49 cc/(m.sup.2*24 hours*atm), or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values, or equal to or below any of these exemplary values.

[0196] The ratio of oxygen permeability in an environment of 20 C. and 100% RH to oxygen permeability in an environment of 20 C. and 40% RH, of the gas barrier resin, is preferably 2 or more; equal to or above 5 is more preferable. The larger this value is, the lower the gas barrier property becomes at high humidity, and the technical significance of applying the present invention becomes significant. This value is, for example, 2 to 10,000, specifically, for example, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 1,000, 10,000, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values, or equal to or above any of these exemplary values.

[0197] The gas barrier resin may be composed only of a resin with high gas barrier properties such as EVOH or polyamide, or may be a mixed resin of the above resins and another resin. The another resin can be adhesive resin. By blending adhesive resin into the gas barrier layer 4j, the adhesive layers 4i3 and 4e2 can be omitted, and the number of layers constituting the inner bag 4 can be reduced.

[0198] The wall thickness of the gas barrier layer 4j is, for example, 20 to 100 m, specifically, for example, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 m, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

1-2. Method for Manufacturing Dual Container 1 As shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the container main body 2 can be formed by heating a preform 15 and performing biaxial stretch blow molding.

[0199] In one example, the preform 15 can be constructed by covering an inner preform 14, which will become the inner bag 4, with an outer preform 13, which will become the outer shell 3.

[0200] As shown in FIG. 16, the inner preform 14 has a bottomed tubular shape and includes a mouth part 14a, a trunk part 14b, and a bottom part 14c. A protrusion 14d is provided at the open end of the mouth part 14a. The protrusion 14d does not deform during molding and becomes the protrusion 4c in its original shape. Hence, the descriptions of the protrusion 4c also apply to the protrusion 14d. The protrusion 14d is provided with an engaging part 14m. The engaging part 14m becomes the engaging part 4m after molding and is used for pulling out the inner bag 4. The bottom part 14c is provided to close the lower end of the trunk part 14b. A positioning pin (not shown) may be provided on the bottom part 14c.

[0201] As shown in FIG. 16, the outer preform 13 has a bottomed tubular shape and includes a mouth part 13a, a trunk part 13b, and a bottom part 13c. The bottom part 13c is provided to close the lower end of the trunk part 13b. The bottom part 13c is provided with an annular protrusion 13d and a positioning hole (not shown).

[0202] As shown in FIG. 18, the preform 15 can be formed by covering the inner preform 14 with the outer preform 13. If the inner preform 14 is provided with a positioning pin, this positioning pin can be inserted into the positioning hole of the outer preform 13 to position the inner preform 14 and the outer preform 13 relative to each other. In the preform 15, the opening 14a and the opening 13a face each other, and the trunk part 14b and the trunk part 13b face each other.

[0203] The mouth parts 13a and 14a become the mouth part 15a of the preform 15, the trunk parts 13b and 14b become the trunk part 15b of the preform 15, and the bottom parts 13c and 14c become the bottom part 15c of the preform 15. The trunk part 15b and bottom part 15c are mainly stretched in biaxial stretch blow molding.

[0204] The inner preform 14 and the outer preform 13 can be formed by direct blow molding, injection molding, or the like of a thermoplastic resin such as polyester (e.g., PET) or polyolefin (e.g., polypropylene, polyethylene). In one example, the inner preform 14 is made of polyolefin (e.g., polypropylene) and the outer preform 13 is made of PET. The polyolefin used for the inner preform 14 is preferably polypropylene rather than polyethylene. This is because the temperature at which polypropylene is suitable for biaxial stretch blow molding is closer to that of PET than polyethylene.

[0205] It is preferable that the inner preform 14 is a direct blow molded body formed by direct blow molding using a molten tubular parison. In direct blow molding, it is easier to make the inner bag 4 thinner than in injection molding, so by forming the inner preform 14 by direct blow molding, it is possible to make the inner bag 4 thinner. Further, in order to form the inner bag 4 having a multilayer structure, the inner preform 14 preferably includes, in order from the inside, an inner layer 14i, a gas barrier layer 14j, and an outer layer 14e, as shown in FIG. 23. However, it is not easy to form the inner preform 14 with such a structure by multilayer injection molding, and if a gate is provided on the bottom part 14c of the inner preform 14, for example, the resin constituting the gas barrier layer 14j may not reach the open end of the inner preform 1, potentially causing the deterioration of the gas barrier capabilities. In particular, the smaller the wall thickness of the inner preform 14, the more difficult it becomes for the resin to flow, and the above problem becomes more pronounced. On the other hand, in direct blow molding, molding is performed using a tubular parison having structures corresponding to the inner layer 14i, the gas barrier layer 14j, and the outer layer 14e, making it easy to provide the gas barrier layer 14j over the entire inner preform 14.

[0206] In direct blow molding, a molten tubular parison 34 is placed between split molds 35 and 36 in an open state as shown in FIG. 19. Then, the split molds 35 and 36 are closed as shown in FIG. 20 to turn the tubular parison 34 into a bag-shaped parison. Then, air is blown into the bag-shaped parison to form it into a shape along the shaping surfaces of the split molds 35 and 36. A molded body 38 with burrs 39 is formed by direct blow molding. Thereafter, the molded body 38 is taken out from the split molds 35 and 36, and the burrs 39 are removed, thereby obtaining the molded body 38 shown in FIG. 21.

[0207] The molded body 38 has a shape in which a bag part 40 is connected to the open end 140 of the inner preform 14. An annular recess 41 is provided at the boundary between the inner preform 14 and the bag part 40 to indicate a cutting site.

[0208] Next, as shown in FIG. 22, the molded body 38 is cut along the annular recess 41 and the bag part 40 is removed to obtain the inner preform 14. The annular recess 41 is a recess on the outside of the molded body 38, but becomes an annular protrusion 41a on the inside of the molded body 38. When the molded body 38 is cut along the annular recess 41, the annular protrusion 41a remains partially. As a result, as shown in FIG. 22C, a burr 14p may protrude toward the inside of the inner preform 14, or a burr 14p may be formed during cutting even if the annular protrusion 41a is not formed inside the molded body 38. If the enlarged diameter structure 141 is not provided at the open end 140 of the inner preform 14, there is a risk that the burr 14p may prevent the outer circumferential surface of the inner tube 28b of the inner plug 26 and the inner circumferential surface of the inner bag 4 from coming into close contact with each other. However, in this embodiment, the burr 14p is formed in the enlarged diameter structure 141, so the burr 14p does not impede the above-mentioned close contact.

[0209] The value of D1/D3 is preferably 1.5 or more, where D1 is the outer diameter of the part, of the inner preform 14, having the largest outer diameter at the mouth part 14a (the outer diameter at the abutting flange 14n) as shown in FIG. 17B, and D3 is the outer diameter of the tubular parison 34 as shown in FIG. 19. As the value of D1/D3 becomes larger, the blow ratio when forming the inner preform 14 becomes larger, so the wall thickness of the mouth part 14a of the inner preform 14 tends to become smaller. If the wall thickness of the mouth part 14a of the inner preform 14 is small, the rigidity of the mouth part 14a becomes small. As a result, when cutting the molded body 38 along the annular recess 41, the mouth part 14a can be deformed, potentially making it difficult to perform cutting accurately. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the open end 140 of the inner preform 14 is provided with the enlarged diameter structure 141 that prevents the deformation of the opening 14a, so that the deformation of the opening 14a is prevented.

[0210] The value of D1/D3 is preferably 2 or more, and more preferably 2.5 or more. The value of D1/D3 is, for example, 1.5 to 4.0, specifically, for example, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 4.0, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values. The value of D1 is, for example, 25 to 40 mm, specifically, for example, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 mm, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values. The value of D3 is, for example, 8 to 25 mm, specifically, for example, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 mm, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

[0211] The inner preform 14 preferably has a wall thickness of 1.5 mm or less at the open end 140. In this case, the technical significance of providing the enlarged diameter structures 141 and 4k is significant, since the rigidity of the opening 14a of the inner preform 14 and the opening 5 of the inner bag 4 is particularly low. This wall thickness is, for example, 0.5 to 1.5 mm, specifically, for example, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 mm, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

[0212] The value of D2/D1 is preferably 0.35 or more, and more preferably 0.50 or more, where D2 is the outer diameter of the inner preform 14 at a height position where the height from the bottom part 14c of the inner preform 14 is 0.1H, and H is the total height of the inner preform 14 as shown in FIG. 17B. When the split molds 35 and 36 are closed, the tubular parison 34 is pinched between the pinch-off parts 35a and 36a of the split molds 35 and 36. As a result, the inner surfaces of the tubular parison 34 are welded together to form the sealing part.

[0213] It is not desirable to form the sealing part on the body part 14b of the inner preform 14 because the sealing part is unsightly. The larger the value of D2 is, the more unlikely it is to form a sealing part in the trunk part 14b of the inner preform 14. Hence, the applicable outer diameter of the tubular parison 34 becomes larger. Moreover, the smaller the value of D1 is, the smaller the blow ratio at the mouth part 14a of the inner preform 14 becomes, and the thicker the mouth part 14a becomes. As a result, the rigidity of the opening 5 of the inner bag 4 increases, making it easier to pull out the inner bag 4.

[0214] The value of D2 is, for example, 12 to 30 mm, specifically, for example, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30 mm, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

[0215] Furthermore, the value of D2/D1 is preferably 0.8 or less. If the value of D2/D1 is too large, the wall thickness of the trunk part 6 of the inner bag 4 tends to increase, and the ability to discharge the contents may deteriorate.

[0216] The value of D2/D1 is, for example, 0.35 to 1.0, specifically, for example, 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, 0.50, 0.55, 0.60, 0.65, 0.70, 0.75, 0.80, 0.85, 0.90, 0.95, 1.00, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

[0217] The value of D2/D3 is preferably 1.1 or more, and more preferably, 1.4 or more. In this case, a sealing part is less likely to be formed on the trunk part 14b of the inner preform 14, and the aesthetic appearance of the inner preform 14 is improved. The value of D2/D3 is, for example, 1.1 to 2.0, specifically, for example, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, and 2.0, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

[0218] Because sealing parts formed by welding the inner surfaces of the tubular parison 34 together may not have sufficient strength, it is preferable that the sealing part 43 is made to protrude from the main body part 14q of the inner preform 14 to form a protruding sealing part 42, as shown in FIG. 23A. The protruding sealing part 42 is formed by welding the inner surfaces of a tubular parison 34 together, and protrudes from the main body part 14q of the inner preform 14. The main body part 14q refers to a part of the inner preform 14 other than the protruding sealing part 42. As shown in FIG. 23A, protruding the sealing part 43 to form the protruding sealing part 42 increases the area of the sealing surface 43a, which increases the sealing strength of the sealing part 43.

[0219] In the case where the inner preform 14 includes an inner layer 14i, a gas barrier layer 14j, and an outer layer 14e in order from the inside as shown in FIG. 23A, the opposing inner layers 14i are welded to each other at the sealing surface 43a. However, the gas barrier layers 14j are not welded to each other, and also the outer layers 14e are not welded to each other. Hence, in the vicinity of the sealing part 43, a non-barrier area 44, in which the gas barrier layer 14j is not provided, is provided. The wider the non-barrier area 44 is, the lower the gas barrier capabilities against the contents becomes.

[0220] When biaxial stretch blow molding is performed by covering such an inner preform 14 with the outer preform 13, additional stretching occurs at the protruding sealing part 42. As a result, the structure becomes as shown in FIG. 23B, and the non-barrier area 44 becomes wider, further deteriorating the gas barrier capabilities. The inner layer 14i, the gas barrier layer 14j, and the outer layer 14e of the main body part 14q of the inner preform 14 are the inner layer 4i, the gas barrier layer 4j, and the outer layer 4e of the main body part 4q of the inner bag 4, respectively. Furthermore, in the configurations shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B, since the stretching in the sealing part 43 is not prevented, force in the direction of peeling off the sealing surface 43a is applied from both sides of the sealing surface 43a, potentially causing the sealing surface 43a to be peeled off.

[0221] In order to solve this problem, in this embodiment, the protruding sealing part 42 as shown in FIG. 24A is formed by direct blow molding, and then the protruding sealing part 42 is bent as shown in FIG. 24B to form a bent structure. The protruding sealing part 42 can be bent, for example, after being reheated and softened.

[0222] When biaxial stretch blow molding is performed by covering such an inner preform 14 with the outer preform 13, stretching at the sealing part 43 is prevented by the bent protruding sealing part 42. In addition, even if the sealing part 43 is stretched, the non-barrier area 44 does not expand, and the deterioration of gas barrier capabilities is prevented. Hence, in this embodiment, the bent protruding sealing part 42 serves as an extension prevention structure that prevents the sealing part 43 from being stretched during biaxial stretch blow molding.

[0223] It is preferable that the main body part 14q is provided with a groove 14r along the protruding sealing part 42. In this case, by bending and housing the protruding sealing part 42 in the groove 14r, the amount of protrusion of the protruding sealing part 42 from the main body part 14q is reduced, and the part corresponding to the protruding sealing part 42 becomes less noticeable even after biaxial stretch blow molding.

[0224] It is preferable that the protruding sealing part 42 includes a base part 42a and an outer part 42b in order from the main body part 14q side, and that the outer part 42b includes a part having a larger wall thickness than the base part 42a. According to such a configuration, it is easy to bend the protruding sealing part 42 at the base part 42a. Further, the protruding sealing part 42 is preferably provided in such a way to span the bottom part 14c and the trunk part 14b of the main body part 14q, as shown in FIGS. 17C to 17D. The outer part 42b includes a thick wall part 42b1 and a thin wall part 42b2 having a smaller wall thickness than the thick wall part 42b1, and the thin wall part 42b2 is provided at a position adjacent to the boundary between the bottom part 14c and the trunk part 14b. If the thick wall part 42b1 is provided at the boundary between the bottom part 14c and the trunk part 14b, trying to bend the protruding sealing part 42 results in the thick wall parts 42b1 interfering with each other, making it difficult to bend the protruding sealing part 42. By providing the thin wall part 42b2 at the boundary between the bottom part 14c and the trunk part 14b, the protruding sealing part 42 becomes easily bendable even when the protruding sealing part 42 is provided across the bottom part 14c and the trunk part 14b. It is preferable that the thick wall part 42b1 has a larger wall thickness than the base part 42a, and that the thin wall part 42b2 has a smaller wall thickness than the base part 42a.

[0225] It is possible to make the inner preform 14 thinner by forming it by direct blow molding than by injection molding. As a result, it is possible to make the inner bag 4 thinner, and the inner bag 4 may include a thin wall part having a wall thickness of 100 m or less. The adhesion between the inner bag 4 and the outer shell 3 tends to become stronger as the inner bag 4 becomes thinner. Further, depending on the combination of materials for the inner preform 14 and the outer preform 13, the shrinkage rate of the inner bag 4 may be larger than the shrinkage rate of the outer shell 3 in the cooling step after biaxial stretch blow molding.

[0226] In such a case, the inner bag 4 does not shrink uniformly, but selectively shrinks in parts of the inner bag 4 where the adhesion to the outer shell 3 is relatively weak. As a result, wrinkles may be formed in the inner bag 4 and the appearance may become poor.

[0227] In order to solve such a problem, in this embodiment, the inner preform 14 is provided with an uneven shape, or has a lubricant, on the outer surface of the region that includes a part corresponding to the thin wall part. Both the uneven shape and the lubricant reduce the adhesion between the inner bag 4 and the outer shell 3, and hence, the inner bag 4 contracts uniformly and wrinkles are prevented.

[0228] Methods for forming the uneven shape include post-processing the inner preform 14 to form the uneven shape, reflecting the uneven shape, which is formed on the shaping surface of split molds, on the inner preform 14, and mixing particles into the resin constituting the inner preform 14 and reflecting the shape of the particles on the surface of the inner preform 14 to form an uneven shape.

[0229] Examples of methods for forming the uneven shape by post-processing include rubbing the surface of the inner preform 14 with a sandpaper, and sandblasting the inner preform 14. Examples of methods for forming an uneven shape on the shaped surface include rubbing the shaped surface with a sandpaper, and sandblasting the shaped surface. Examples of the particles to be mixed with the resin include inorganic particles (e.g., synthetic silicates such as talc and synthetic zeolites). The particle size is, for example, 1 to 50 m, and the particle proportion is, for example, 0.5 to 10% by mass, preferably 1 to 5% by mass. Since the adhesion between the inner bag 4 and the outer shell 3 is significantly reduced when the uneven shape is formed by post-processing, this method is preferable.

[0230] Any lubricant that has a peeling effect can be used. The lubricant may be applied to the outer surface of the inner preform 14, or the lubricant may be mixed with the resin constituting the inner preform 14 so that it is present on the outer surface of the inner preform 14 through bleed-out.

[0231] It is preferable that the uneven shape has a random shape. Further, it is preferable that the uneven shape has an arithmetic mean roughness Ra of 1 to 200 m. In this case, the adhesion between the inner bag 4 and the outer shell 3 is particularly effectively reducible. The value of Ra is specifically, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 150, 200 m, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values. Arithmetic mean roughness Ra is measurable in accordance with JIS B 0601:2013.

[0232] Other embodiments are described below. The descriptions of the first embodiment are also applicable to the embodiments below unless doing so contradicts the scope of the descriptions.

2. Second Embodiment

[0233] In the first embodiment, the protruding sealing part 42 that is not bent is formed by direct blow molding, and the protruding sealing part 42 is bent by post-processing to form a bent structure. On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 25, a bent structure is formed in the protruding sealing part 42 during the direct blow molding of the inner preform 14. Even with such a configuration, the same effect as in the first embodiment prevents the sealing part 43 from being stretched during biaxial stretch blow molding. According to this embodiment, the post-processing can be omitted.

3. Third Embodiment

[0234] In the present embodiment, the extension prevention structure is formed by remelting the protruding sealing part 42 after direct blow molding of the inner preform 14 and reducing its surface area. By remelting, the protruding sealing part 42 becomes bulky and its rigidity increases, and hence, it functions as an extension prevention structure.

[0235] Preferably, before remelting, the aspect ratio, which is defined as the height of protruding sealing part 42 divided by the wall thickness of protruding sealing part 42, is 3 or more, and the aspect ratio is reduced by remelting. In other words, in direct blow molding, as shown in FIGS. 26A to 26C, the protruding sealing part 42 is formed in the form of a thin film, and the thin film-shaped protruding sealing part 42 is remelted into a lump. By forming the protruding sealing part 42 in the form of a thin film, the non-barrier area 44 where the gas barrier layer 14j is not provided becomes narrower, and in addition, the protruding sealing part 42 becomes easier to remelt.

[0236] The wall thickness of the protruding sealing part 42 is, for example, 0.1 to 0.5 mm, preferably 0.1 to 0.3 mm, and specifically, for example, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 mm, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values. The height of the protruding sealing part 42 is, for example, 1.0 to 4.0 mm, preferably 1.0 to 3.0 mm, and specifically, for example, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2 . . . 5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 mm, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values. The value of the aspect ratio before remelting, and the value of the aspect ratio before remelting minus the aspect ratio after remelting, are each, for example, 3 to 20, and specifically, for example, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, or may also be set to an arbitrary value between any two of these exemplary values.

[0237] It is preferable that the main body part 14q is provided with a groove 14r along the protruding sealing part 42. In this case, the molten resin produced by remelting can be accommodated in the groove 14r.

4. Fourth Embodiment

[0238] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 27, similarly to the first embodiment, a bent structure is formed by bending the protruding sealing part 42 in post-processing. This embodiment functions as an extension prevention structure through the same effect as in the first embodiment, except that there is no groove 14r.

5. Fifth Embodiment

[0239] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 28, similarly to the first embodiment, a bent structure is formed by bending the protruding sealing part 42 in post-processing. This embodiment functions as an extension prevention structure through the same effect as in the first embodiment.

6. Sixth Embodiment

[0240] As shown in FIG. 29, this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the mouth part 14a of the inner preform 14 is longer than that of the first embodiment, and that the shape of the protruding sealing part 42 is that of the second embodiment. By preparing the outer preform 13 and mouth part attachment 8 having dimensions that fit the inner preform 14 of this embodiment, the double container 1 can be manufactured in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the protruding sealing part 42 may have the configuration of that of the first or third to fifth embodiments.

7. Seventh Embodiment

[0241] As shown in FIG. 30, this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment, except that: a cam mechanism 31 is constituted by a cam protrusion 14s provided on the inner preform 14 and a cam rail 13e provided on the outer preform 13, and the inner bag 4 moves in the direction of coming out from the container main body 2 by rotation in the loosening direction of left-hand threads; the outer preform 13 is provided with an engaging protrusion 13f; and the shape of the protruding sealing part 42 is that of the second embodiment.

[0242] The double container 1 can be manufactured in the same manner as in the first embodiment using the mouth part attachment 8 that is compatible with the inner preform 14 and outer preform 13 of this embodiment. The mouth part attachment 8 may be configured to firmly engage with the engaging protrusion 13f in the circumferential direction and become unrotatable relative to the outer shell 3. The mouth part attachment 8 may also be configured to engage with the engaging protrusion 13f in the circumferential direction to such an extent that it can rotate when the inner plug rotation torque T2, which is described in the first embodiment, is applied. In the former case, a separation band that engages with the engaging protrusion 13f is provided on the mouth part attachment 8, and the mouth part attachment 8 can be removed by separating the separation band. In the latter case, the mouth part attachment 8 can be removed by applying a torque equal to or higher than the inner plug rotation torque T2 to the mouth part attachment 8, without an operation such as separating the separation band.

[0243] Note that in this embodiment, the protruding sealing part 42 may have the configuration of that of the first or third to fifth embodiments.

8. Other Embodiments

[0244] The preform 15 preferably includes a direct blow molded body formed by direct blow molding with a molten tubular parison. In the above embodiment, the preform 15 was formed by covering the inner preform 14 made of a direct blow molded body with the outer preform, but the direct blow molded body itself may be used as the preform 15. In this case, the preform 15 is composed of a direct blow molded body (i.e., composed only of a direct blow molded body). Further, in the above embodiment, the descriptions regarding the inner preform 14 also apply to a preform composed of a direct blow molded body, unless doing so contradicts the scope of the descriptions. Further, in the above embodiment, the descriptions regarding the container main body 2 also apply to a container main body manufactured by biaxially stretch blow molding a preform composed of a direct blow molded body, unless doing so contradicts the scope of the descriptions.

[0245] In this case, multi-layering of the preform 15 is easier compared to the case where the preform 15 is formed by injection molding. Containers obtained in this embodiment include single-layer containers, multilayer containers, and laminated peelable containers. A multilayer container is composed of a plurality of layers (two or more layers) that cannot be separated from each other. Preferably, the plurality of layers includes a gas barrier layer. A laminated peelable container is composed of an outer layer and an inner layer that are peelable from each other. The outer layer and the inner layer may each be a single layer or a multilayer. The outer layer and the inner layer can be made peelable from each other by, for example, making the innermost layer of the outer layer a polyolefin layer and the outermost layer of the inner layer an EVOH layer.

[0246] Similar to the inner preform 14, in the direct blow molded body, the strength of the sealing part formed by welding the inner surfaces of the tubular parison 34 together may be insufficient. Hence, it is preferable to increase the strength by extending the sealing part from the main body part of the direct blow molded body to form a protruding sealing part. The main body part refers to the parts of the direct blow molded body excluding the protruding sealing part. Moreover, it is preferable to provide an extension prevention structure in the protruding sealing part to prevent the extension of the sealing part during biaxial stretch blow molding.

EXAMPLES

[0247] Hereinafter, various examples related to the above embodiments are described.

1. Example 1 (Demonstration of the Effect of the Extension Prevention Structure)

Sample 1

[0248] A container main body 2 (capacity 200 mL) having the shape shown in FIG. 2 (however, the mouth part 5 had the shape shown in FIG. 31) was manufactured as Sample 1. Sample 1 was manufactured by forming a preform 15 in which an outer preform 13 shown in FIG. 31 is placed over an inner preform 14 having a protruding sealing part 42 that is not provided with an extension prevention structure as shown in FIG. 31, and then by heating the preform 15 to 110 C., which is the temperature at the center of preform 15 in the height direction, and performing biaxially stretch blow molding.

[0249] The inner preform 14 was manufactured by direct blow molding. The layer structure of the inner preform 14 was, in order from the inside, inner layer (i.e., polypropylene, adhesive resin), gas barrier layer (i.e., EVOH), and outer layer (i.e., adhesive resin, polypropylene, (polypropylene containing 5 mass % talc)). The wall thickness of each layer was measured at four points along the circumferential direction (i.e., two points in the parting line direction and two points in the direction perpendicular to the parting line) at the center of the inner preform 14 in the height direction, and the measured values were averaged to obtain the average wall thickness. The wall thickness of each layer was divided by the wall thickness of the entire inner preform 14 to obtain the wall thickness ratio. The results are shown in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Gas Outer layer barrier Inner layer Layer configuration Adhesive layer Adhesive (outer.Math.inner) PP/Tarc PP resin EVOH resin PP Total Average 155.9 260.1 68.3 130.2 35.7 127.4 777.5 wall thickness (m) Wall thickness 20.0 33.5 8.8 16.7 4.6 16.4 ratio (%)

[0250] The outer preform 13 was manufactured by performing injection molding on PET (model: titanium catalyst grade, manufactured by Teijin) at 300 C. to form the shape of the outer preform, which was then rapidly cooled to 20 C. The molten PET was turned into an amorphous state by rapid cooling. The outer preform 13 had an average wall thickness of 750 m at the center in the height direction.

[0251] The trunk part of the inner bag 4 of the container main body 2 obtained by biaxial stretch blow molding had a height of 120 mm, and the wall thickness of each layer of the inner bag 4 was measured at eight measurement points at a height of 60 mm from the bottom surface and then the measured values were averaged to obtain the average wall thickness. The wall thickness of each layer was divided by the wall thickness of the entire inner bag 4 to obtain the wall thickness ratio. The results are shown in Table 2.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Gas Outer layer barrier Inner layer Layer configuration Total of PP and layer Total of PP and (outer.Math.inner) PP/Tarc adhesive resin layers EVOH adhesive resin layers Total Average 17.5 36.0 15.2 17.0 85.6 wall thickness (m) Wall thickness 20.4 42.0 17.7 19.9 ratio (%)

[0252] When the inner bag 4 was pulled out from the container main body 2 and the state of the protruding sealing part 42 was examined, it was found that the outer layer and gas barrier layer were torn, and the inner layer was exposed.

Sample 2

[0253] The container main body 2 of Sample 2 was manufactured in the same manner as Sample 1, expect that the protruding sealing part 42 having the structure shown in FIG. 28 was formed by direct blow molding, and then the protruding sealing part 42 was bent to form an extension prevention structure to obtain Sample 2.

[0254] When the state of the protruding sealing part 42 was examined as was done in Sample 1, no tears were found in the outer layer or gas barrier layer.

2. Example 2 (Demonstration of the Effect of Providing an Uneven Shape on the Outer Surface of the Inner Preform 14)

Sample 3

[0255] The container main body 2 of Sample 3 was manufactured in the same manner as Sample 1, except that the inner preform 14 had a single layer structure of polypropylene. The trunk part of the inner bag 4 had a height of 120 mm, and the wall thickness of the inner bag 4 was measured at eight measurement points at each of the height positions that were arranged with a spacing of 10 mm in the height direction. The average wall thickness of the connecting part was the average of the measured values at the center of each of the four connecting parts 2b, and the average wall thickness of the corner part was the average of the measured values at the center of each of the four corner parts 2a. The average wall thickness was the average of the measured values at eight measurement points. The results are shown in Table 3.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Average wall Average wall thickness of thickness of connecting corner Average wall Height position portions portions thickness (mm) (m) (m) (m) 110 136 131 133 100 122 107 114 90 114 90 102 80 103 79 91 70 102 69 85 60 107 72 90 50 118 76 97 40 129 77 103 30 108 80 94 20 100 82 91 10 95 78 86

[0256] When the appearance of the container main body 2 after cooling was examined, it was found that many vertical streaks were formed.

Sample 4

[0257] The container main body 2 of Sample 4 was manufactured in the same manner as Sample 3, except that the outer surface of the inner preform 14 was rubbed with #320 sandpaper, after producing the inner preform 14 by direct blow molding, to form an uneven shape on the surface of the inner preform 14. When the appearance of the container main body 2 after cooling was examined, it was found that the inner bag 4 shrunk uniformly and no vertical streaks were formed.

Sample 5

[0258] The container main body 2 of Sample 5 was manufactured in the same manner as Sample 3, except that the inner preform 14 was manufactured by direct blow molding using split molds having an uneven shape formed by sandblasting. When the appearance of the container main body 2 after cooling was examined, it was found that slight vertical streaks were formed, but these were much milder than those in Sample 3.

Sample 6

[0259] The container main body 2 of Sample 6 was manufactured in the same manner as Sample 3, except that talc, a synthetic silicate, was added at 3 mass % to polypropylene as inorganic particles. When the appearance of the container main body 2 after cooling was examined, it was found that no vertical streaks were formed.

Sample 7

[0260] The container main body 2 of Sample 7 was manufactured in the same manner as Sample 3, except that synthetic zeolite was added at 3 mass % as inorganic particles to polypropylene. When the appearance of the container main body 2 after cooling was examined, it was found that no vertical streaks were formed.

3. Example 3 (Demonstration of the Effect of Squeezing Out Inner Bag 4 on Reduction of the Final Residual Amount)

[0261] Test No. 1 to 10 were carried out under the conditions shown in Table 4.

Test No. 1

[0262] In Test No. 1, the container main body 2 was manufactured under the same conditions as Sample 3, and the contents having the viscosity shown in Table 4 were filled into the container main body 2 in the filling amount shown in Table 4. Thereafter, a cap 8a shown in FIG. 1 was attached to the opening 5 of the container main body 2.

[0263] Next, the overcap 27 was removed and the container main body 2 was tilted to discharge the contents until no more contents came out, and then the residual amount was measured (i.e., the residual amount after tilting). Next, the inner bag 4 was pulled out from the container main body 2 by rotating the inner plug 26, and the inner bag 4 was squeezed to further discharge the contents (i.e., the residual amount after squeezing).

Test No. 2

[0264] Test No. 2 was conducted in the same manner as in Test No. 1, except that the inner preform 14 was formed by the injection molding of PET.

Test No. 3-4 and 7-10

[0265] Test No. 3 to 4 and 7 to 10 were conducted in the same manner as in Test No. 1 and 2.

Test No. 5-6

[0266] Test No. 5 to 6 were conducted in the same manner as in Test No. 1 and 2, except that, after discharging by tilting, the contents were discharged by lightly tapping the bottom part 7 of the container main body 2 until the contents no longer came out, and then the residual amount was measured (i.e., the residual amount after tapping).

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Residual Residual Residual amount amount amount Viscosity of Configuration Filling after after after contents [Outer shell/ amount tilting tapping squeezing Test No. [mPa .Math. sec] Inner bag] [g] [g] [g] [g] 1 123 PET/PP 183.3 4.8 3.1 2 PET/PET 187.4 10.0 6.6 3 196 PET/PP 199.9 12.6 5.8 4 PET/PET 190.1 14.4 5.7 5 2140 PET/PP 225.7 58.1 27.0 9.7 6 PET/PET 209.3 49.7 19.8 11.9 7 204 PET/PP 233.3 10.5 3.6 8 PET/PET 219.9 10.3 5.1 9 435 PET/PP 231.5 19.8 3.7 10 PET/PET 219.0 16.9 5.7

[0267] In all of Test No. 1 to 10, the final residual amount was reducible by squeezing out the inner bag 4. No. Comparison between Test No. 1 and Test No. 2 showed that the residual amount after squeezing in Test No. 1, in which the inner bag 4 was made of highly flexible PP, was smaller than that in Test No. 2. Furthermore, an increase in the viscosity significantly increased the residual amount after tilting, whereas the residual amount after squeezing did not increase as much as the residual amount after tilting due to an increase in viscosity. [0268] 1: dual container, 2: container main body, 2a: corner part, 2b: connecting part, 2c: bent shape 3: outer shell, 3a: open end, 31: cam rail, 3m: engaging recess, 3n: engaging protrusion, 4: inner bag, 4c: protrusion, 4c1: protruding tube, 4c2: engaging protrusion, 4c3: tapered surface, 4c4: abutting flange, 4c5: annular protrusion, 4c6: bottom surface, 4c7: bottom surface, 4c8: tapered surface, 4d: inner bag main body, 4e: outer layer, 4e1: outermost layer, 4e2: adhesive layer, 4g: cam protrusion, 4h: engaging protrusion, 4i: inner layer, 411: innermost layer, 412: repro layer, 413: adhesive layer, 4j: gas barrier layer, 4k: enlarged diameter structure, 41: open end, 4m: engaging part, 4q: main body part, 5: mouth part, 5b: flange, 5c: open end, 6: trunk part, 6b: shoulder part, 6c: trunk part main body, 7: bottom part, 7a: recess, 8: mouth part attachment, 8a: cap, 13: outer preform, 13a: mouth part, 13b: trunk part, 13c: bottom part, 13d: annular protrusion, 13e: cam rail, 13f: engaging protrusion, 14: inner preform, 14a: mouth part, 14b: trunk part, 14c: bottom part, 14d: protrusion, 14e: outer layer, 14i: inner layer, 14j: gas barrier layer, 141: enlarged diameter structure, 14m: engaging part, 14n: abutting flange, 140: open end, 14p: burr, 14q: main body part, 14r: groove, 14s: cam protrusion, 15: preform, 15a: mouth part, 15b: trunk part, 15c: bottom part, 26: inner plug, 27: overcap, 27a: outer tube, 27b: intermediate tube, 27c: inner tube, 27d: top plate, 27e: knurl, 27f: female threaded part, 28: main body part, 28a: outer tube, 28b: inner tube, 28c: annular protrusion, 28d: engaging protrusion, 28e: top plate, 28f: discharging tube, 28g: mounting tube, 28h: male threaded part, 28i: knurl, 30: connecting part, 31: cam mechanism, 32: opening part, 32a: engaging tube, 33: shrink film, 33a: easy-to-tear line, 33b: easy-to-tear line, 33c: upper part, 33d: lower part, 34: tubular parison, 35: split mold, 35a: pinch-off part, 36: split mold, 36a: pinch-off part, 38: molded body, 39: burr, 40: bag part, 41: annular recess, 41a: annular protrusion, 42: protruding sealing part, 42a: base part, 42b: outer part, 42b1: thick wall part, 42b2: thin wall part, 43: sealing part, 43a: sealing surface, 44: non-barrier area.

CONTAINER MANUFACTURING METHOD, DOUBLE CONTAINER MANUFACTURING METHOD, DOUBLE CONTAINER, AND METHOD FOR DISCHARGING CONTENTS FROM DOUBLE CONTAINER

Assignee

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Cpc classification

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B29C49/08

PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

Classification Explorer

B29C49/071

PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

Classification Explorer

B29C2949/0827

PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

Classification Explorer

B29C2949/0821

PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

Classification Explorer

B65D1/0246

PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

Classification Explorer

B29C2949/08

PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

Classification Explorer

B29C2949/0744

PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

Classification Explorer

B29L2031/7158

PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

Classification Explorer

B65D1/0276

PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

International classification

Classification Explorer

B29C49/08

PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

Classification Explorer

B29C49/00

PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

Classification Explorer

B65D1/02

PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

Abstract

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Description