The present invention relates to a pump type discharger.

A known pump type discharger includes a cap attached to a mouth portion of a container, a pump held by the cap to the mouth portion and driven by forward and backward movement of a stem, and a head connected to the stem, and discharges a content liquid in the container from a discharge port of the head by moving the head toward the cap (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).

As disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a coil spring is provided inside such a pump type discharger in order to return the head moved toward the cap to an initial position.

Patent Literature 1: JP 2011-31950 A

In such a pump type discharger, most of the members are made of synthetic resin, but the coil spring is made of metal. For this reason, in discarding after use, it cannot be recycled as a resin product in this state. In general, in this type of pump type discharger, the members are firmly fixed to each other by, for example, fitting in order to avoid detachment of the members during normal use. Therefore, it takes time and effort to disassemble the pump type discharger and separate the pump type discharger into the coil spring and other members.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and it is an object of the present invention to propose a pump type discharger capable of discharging a content liquid in the same manner as in the related art and further excellent in recyclability.

The present invention is a pump type discharger including: a cap that is attached to a mouth portion of a container that stores a content liquid; a pump that is held to the mouth portion by the cap and driven by a stem moving forward and backward; and a head that has a discharge port for discharging the content liquid to an outside and is coupled to the stem, in which a pump type discharger discharges the content liquid in the container from the discharge port by moving the head toward the cap

• an extending portion extending toward the other of the head and the cap is provided in one of the head and the cap,
• an inward falling elastic piece that bends in a direction in which the extending portion comes into contact with an outer peripheral surface and approaches a central axis of the stem when the head is advanced toward the cap is provided in the other of the head and the cap, and
• the outer peripheral surface of the inward falling elastic piece is inclined in a direction away from an inner peripheral surface of the inward falling elastic piece from a root portion toward a tip portion of the inward falling elastic piece with respect to a reference line extending in parallel with a central axis of the stem from the root portion of the inward falling elastic piece as a starting point.

The angle at which the outer peripheral surface is inclined with respect to the reference line is preferably more than 0° and 3° or less.

In a case where a point at which the extending portion comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface when the head is advanced toward an advance limit toward the cap is defined as an advance limit contact point, the outer peripheral surface preferably has an inclined surface that is inclined in a direction approaching the inner peripheral surface from an inflection point as a starting point, the inflection point being located within a range of 1 to 3 mm rearward along the reference line from the advance limit contact point in a state before the inward falling elastic piece is bent by the extending portion, toward the root portion.

An angle at which the inclined surface is inclined with respect to the outer peripheral surface is preferably 2° or more and 5° or less.

The present invention is a pump type discharger including: a cap that is attached to a mouth portion of a container that stores a content liquid; a pump that is held to the mouth portion by the cap and driven by a stem moving forward and backward; and a head that has a discharge port for discharging the content liquid to an outside and is coupled to the stem, in which a pump type discharger discharges the content liquid in the container from the discharge port by moving the head toward the cap,

• an extending portion extending toward the other of the head and the cap is provided in one of the head and the cap,
• an outward falling elastic piece that bends in a direction in which the extending portion comes into contact with an inner peripheral surface and away from a central axis of the stem when the head is advanced toward the cap is provided in the other of the head and the cap,
• and the inner peripheral surface of the outward falling elastic piece is inclined in a direction away from an outer peripheral surface of the outward falling elastic piece from a root portion toward a tip portion of the outward falling elastic piece with respect to a reference line extending in parallel with a central axis of the stem from the root portion of the outward falling elastic piece as a starting point.

The angle at which the inner peripheral surface is inclined with respect to the reference line is preferably more than 0° and 3° or less.

In a case where a point at which the extending portion comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface when the head is advanced toward the cap is defined as an advance limit contact point,
the inner peripheral surface preferably has an inclined surface that is inclined in a direction approaching the outer peripheral surface from an inflection point as a starting point, the inflection point being located within a range of 1 to 3 mm rearward along the reference line from the advance limit contact point in a state before the outward falling elastic piece is bent by the extending portion, toward the root portion.

An angle at which the inclined surface is inclined with respect to the inner peripheral surface is preferably 2° or more and 5° or less.

According to the pump type discharger of the present invention, when the head is moved toward the cap, the extending portion comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the inward falling elastic piece and the inward falling elastic piece bends in a direction approaching the central axis line of the stem, so that the head can be returned to the initial position when the bent inward falling elastic piece is restored.

Here, when a cap or a head including an inward falling elastic piece is formed with a mold, usually in consideration of releasability from the mold, an outer peripheral surface of the inward falling elastic piece is formed so as to be inclined toward an inner peripheral surface of the inward falling elastic piece (so as to have a draft angle with respect to the mold) from a root portion toward a tip portion with respect to a reference line (reference line extending parallel to a central axis line of a stem) extending parallel to a direction in which the mold moves at the time of release from the root portion as a starting point. However, in a case where the outer peripheral surface of the inward falling elastic piece is inclined in this direction, the extending portion and the outer peripheral surface of the inward falling elastic piece gradually come into strong contact with each other as the head is moved toward the cap, so that the angle at which the inward falling elastic piece is inclined increases. On the other hand, the outer peripheral surface of the inward falling elastic piece in the present invention is inclined with respect to the reference line in a direction away from the inner peripheral surface of the inward falling elastic piece from the root portion toward the tip portion. That is, as compared with the inward falling elastic piece in which the outer peripheral surface is inclined so as to have the above-described draft angle, the angle of inclination of the inward falling elastic piece in the present invention in a direction approaching the central axis line of the stem becomes smaller as the head is moved toward the cap. Therefore, the load on the inward falling elastic piece is reduced. Here, a bendable and deformable elastic piece such as an inward falling elastic piece may be deformed when repeatedly bent with a relatively large load, and the restorability may be deteriorated. However, as described above, since the inward falling elastic piece of the present invention has a smaller load at the time of bending than the inward falling elastic piece having an outer peripheral surface inclined so as to have a draft angle, it is possible to suppress the influence of the deformation. In addition, since the load at the time of bending of the inward falling elastic piece is reduced, an excessive force is not required when the head is pressed. In addition, according to the pump type discharger of the present invention, since the inward falling elastic piece as described above is used instead of the metal coil spring, it is not necessary to sort metal parts at the time of disposal unlike the conventional pump type discharger, and the pump type discharger can be reused as a resin product, so that the pump type discharger is excellent in recyclability.

The above effect can also be obtained in the pump type discharger according to another aspect of the present invention when the extending portion is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outward falling elastic piece, and the inner peripheral surface is inclined in a direction away from the outer peripheral surface of the outward falling elastic piece from the root portion toward the tip portion with respect to the reference line extending parallel to the central axis line of the stem with the root portion as a starting point.

• Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pump type discharger according to a first embodiment of the present invention in a side view illustrating a state before an inward falling elastic piece is bent.
• Fig. 2A is a partially enlarged view of the inward falling elastic piece illustrated in Fig. 1.
• Fig. 2B is a partially enlarged view of an outward falling elastic piece according to another embodiment of the pump type discharger of the present invention.
• Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view in a side view illustrating a state in which a head is pressed from the state of Fig. 1 and the inward falling elastic piece is bent.
• Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a cap illustrated in Fig. 1.
• Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pump type discharger according to a second embodiment of the present invention in a side view illustrating a state before the inward falling elastic piece is bent.
• Fig. 6A is a partially enlarged view of the inward falling elastic piece illustrated in Fig. 5.
• Fig. 6B is a partially enlarged view of a periphery of an inclined surface illustrated in Fig. 6A.
• Fig. 7A is a partially enlarged view of an outward falling elastic piece according to another embodiment of the pump type discharger of the present invention.
• Fig. 7B is a partially enlarged view of a periphery of an inclined surface illustrated in Fig. 7A.
• Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view in a side view illustrating a state in which a head is pressed from the state of Fig. 5 and the inward falling elastic piece is bent.
• Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a cap illustrated in Fig. 5.

Hereinafter, a pump type discharger 100 which is a first embodiment of a pump type discharger according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present specification and the like, the vertical direction is a direction along the illustrated central axis O (a central axis of a stem 7a to be described later), and a side on which a pipe 4 is located is "lower" and a side on which a head 12 is located is "upper". The radial direction is a direction orthogonal to the central axis O in a plane perpendicular to the central axis O, and the circumferential direction is a direction around the central axis O in this plane.

The pump type discharger 100 of the present embodiment is used by being attached to the mouth portion of a container (not illustrated) having a bottle shape. The content liquid to be discharged by the pump type discharger 100 is, for example, a cosmetic (for example, milky lotion or lotion), shampoo, body soap, hand soap, facial cleanser, and the like.

The pump type discharger 100 includes a cylinder 1, a valve member 2, the pipe 4, an internal member 5, a piston 6, a cylindrical member 7, a holder 8, a packing 9, a cap 10, a cover 11, the head 12, and a nozzle cover 13. Here, the cylinder 1, the valve member 2, the internal member 5, the piston 6, the cylindrical member 7, and the holder 8 are members constituting a "pump" in the present specification and the like. Among the above members, the valve member 2, the piston 6, and the packing 9 are formed of a soft synthetic resin (for example, polyethylene (LDPE, HDPE, foamed PE)) having elasticity, and the other members are formed of a hard synthetic resin (for example, polypropylene (PP), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyacetal (POM), polyketone (POK) resin, and the like). Each member constituting the pump type discharger 100 is basically formed in a shape centered on the central axis O.

The cylinder 1 includes a bottom wall portion 1a having a disk shape and having a central portion protruding upward, a cylindrical wall portion 1b standing upright from an outer edge portion of the bottom wall portion 1a, and a flange wall 1c extending radially outward from an upper portion of the cylindrical wall portion 1b. A through hole (suction port 1d) is provided in a portion of the bottom wall portion 1a where the central portion protrudes. A cylindrical holding cylinder 1e that surrounds the suction port 1d and extends downward to hold the pipe 4 is provided on the lower surface of the bottom wall portion 1a. The cylindrical wall portion 1b is provided with a through hole (vent port 1f).

The valve member 2 includes a base portion 2a, a valve body portion 2b that covers the suction port 1d and is seated on the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 1a, and an elastically deformable coupling piece 2c that couples the base portion 2a and the valve body portion 2b. The valve member 2 functions as a check valve, and when the pressure in the cylinder 1 is reduced, the valve body portion 2b closing the suction port 1d is separated from the bottom wall portion 1a to open the suction port 1d.

The base portion 2a has a covered cylindrical shape in the present embodiment, and includes an opening (not illustrated) through which the content liquid having passed through the suction port 1d passes. The base portion 2a is fitted and held on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall portion 1b, whereby the valve member 2 is held in the cylinder 1.

The pipe 4 has a hollow shape, and an upper end portion thereof is inserted into the holding cylinder 1e and fitted and held therein.

The internal member 5 is a member that is disposed inside the cylinder 1 and moves up and down with respect to the cylinder 1. The internal member 5 includes a cylindrical coupling cylinder 5a and a bottom portion 5b that closes a lower end portion of the coupling cylinder 5a and extends radially outward. In addition, the coupling cylinder 5a is provided with a hole (communication port 5c) penetrating the coupling cylinder 5a, and an annular portion 5d located radially outside the coupling portion with the coupling cylinder 5a is provided on the upper surface of the bottom portion 5b.

The piston 6 is inserted into the coupling cylinder 5a and disposed above the bottom portion 5b. The piston 6 of the present embodiment includes an annular base portion 6a. An outer sliding piece 6b extending upward and downward from the base portion 6a is provided in an outer edge portion of the base portion 6a. The outer sliding piece 6b is in liquid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall portion 1b in a slidable manner. Then, an inner sliding piece 6c extending upward and downward from the base portion 6a is provided in an inner edge portion of the base portion 6a. The lower portion of the inner sliding piece 6c is in slidable liquid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the annular portion 5d, and the upper portion of the inner sliding piece 6c is in slidable liquid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of an enlarged diameter portion 7b described later of the cylindrical member 7.

The cylindrical member 7 is a member having a cylindrical shape as a whole. The cylindrical member 7 includes the stem 7a having a cylindrical shape, and the enlarged diameter portion 7b connected to a lower end portion of the stem 7a and having a larger diameter than the stem 7a. When the coupling cylinder 5a is inserted into the stem 7a, the coupling cylinder 5a and the stem 7a are fitted to each other, so that the internal member 5 and the cylindrical member 7 move integrally with respect to the cylinder 1.

The holder 8 has a portion located on the radially outer side of the stem 7a and a portion located on the radially outer side of the enlarged diameter portion 7b, and includes a holder base portion 8a fitted and held on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall portion 1b. A flange 8b extending radially outward is provided at an upper end portion of the holder base portion 8a. The holder 8 prevents the internal member 5, the piston 6, and the cylindrical member 7 from coming out of the cylinder 1.

The packing 9 has an annular plate shape, and is inserted into and fitted to the cylindrical wall portion 1b of the cylinder 1. When the pump type discharger 100 is attached to a container (not illustrated), the packing 9 is sandwiched between the mouth portion of the container and the flange wall 1c. As a result, for example, when the container is tilted, troubles such as overflowing of the content liquid from the mouth portion are prevented.

The cap 10 has a disk-like shape and includes a top wall 10a having a through hole at the center portion. A cylindrical peripheral wall 10b extending downward is provided in an outer edge portion of the top wall 10a. The upper portion of the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 10b bulges radially inward and can fit and hold the flange wall 1c, whereby the cylinder 1 is held by the cap 10. In addition, an inner peripheral surface of the cap 10 is provided with a female screw portion 10c screwed to a male screw portion provided at a mouth portion of the container, and the cap 10 can be attached to the container by screwing the male screw portion and the female screw portion 10c. As illustrated in the partially enlarged view of Fig. 1, a rotation preventing recess portion 10d extending in the vertical direction is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 10b. A plurality of rotation preventing recess portions 10d is provided at intervals in the circumferential direction.

In addition, the cap 10 includes a plate-shaped inward falling elastic piece 10e that extends upward from the upper surface of the top wall 10a and is elastically deformable radially inward. The inward falling elastic pieces 10e of the present embodiment are formed in an arc shape centered on the central axis O in plan view, and a total of six are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction (see Fig. 4).

Here, the inward falling elastic piece 10e will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 2A. An outer peripheral surface 10f of the inward falling elastic piece 10e is inclined in a direction (radially outward) away from an inner peripheral surface 10j of the inward falling elastic piece 10e from the lower end portion toward the upper end portion (tip portion 10h) with respect to a reference line BL extending in parallel with the central axis O starting from the lower end portion (root portion 10g) connected to the top wall 10a. The cap 10 of the present embodiment is formed by injection molding using a mold, and this mold is basically constituted by an upper mold and a lower mold in which one moves along the reference line BL with respect to the other. That is, in a case where the outer shape of the inward falling elastic piece 10e is formed by an upper mold, the outer peripheral surface 10f is inclined in the forced draft direction with respect to the upper mold. The length of the inward falling elastic piece 10e (the length from the upper surface of the top wall 10a to the upper end surface of the inward falling elastic piece 10e) is preferably 10 mm or more and 40 mm or less in consideration of being elastically deformable radially inward and considering that the size of the pump type discharger 100 does not become excessively large. The angle at which the outer peripheral surface 10f is inclined with respect to the reference line BL is preferably more than 0° and 3° or less. Within this range, the inward falling elastic piece 10e can be released from the mold even with a gradient applied in the forced draft direction.

In the inward falling elastic piece 10e of the present embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the tip portion 10h is inclined so as to decrease in diameter as it goes upward, and the angle of inclination with respect to the reference line BL at this portion is 10° or more and 45° or less (about 15° in the present embodiment). In addition, the inner peripheral surface 10j of the inward falling elastic piece 10e of the present embodiment extends in a draft angle direction that is normally set when the inward falling elastic piece is released from the mold, and specifically, the inner peripheral surface 10j is inclined in a direction approaching the outer peripheral surface 10f (radially outward) from the lower end portion connected to the top wall 10a toward the upper end portion. The angle at which the inner peripheral surface 10j is inclined with respect to the reference line BL is larger than 0° and equal to or smaller than 3° (about 1° in the present embodiment). Note that the inner peripheral surface 10j may extend in parallel with the reference line BL (the angle between the inner peripheral surface 10j and the reference line BL is 0°), or may be inclined more than a normally set draft angle.

The cover 11 includes a cylindrical cover peripheral wall 11a. The cover peripheral wall 11a surrounds the peripheral wall 10b and the inward falling elastic piece 10e. A retaining projection portion 11b that protrudes radially inward and engages with a lower end portion of the peripheral wall 10b is provided at a lower end portion of the cover peripheral wall 11a. A rib 11c extending in the vertical direction is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cover peripheral wall 11a. The lower portion of the rib 11c is engaged with the rotation preventing recess portion 10d, and the cover 11 is rotation-prevented and held by the cap 10. The upper portion of the rib 11c protrudes radially inward from the lower portion. Then, the lower end surface of the upper portion comes into contact with the upper surface of the top wall 10a, and the retaining projection portion 11b is engaged with the lower end portion of the peripheral wall 10b as described above, whereby the cover 11 is retained by the cap 10. An inward flange 11d extending radially inward is provided at an upper end portion of the cover peripheral wall 11a.

The head 12 has a cylindrical shape, and includes a cylindrical portion 12a into which the stem 7a is inserted and fitted and held. An upper portion of the cylindrical portion 12a is provided with a top portion 12b having an upper surface formed to be recessed downward and having a passage communicating with the cylindrical portion 12a. The top portion 12b is provided with a nozzle 12c that has a cylindrical shape, extends radially outward, and leads to a passage provided inside the top portion 12b. A discharge port 12d through which the content liquid is discharged by the pump type discharger 100 is provided at the tip of the nozzle 12c.

The head 12 includes an extending portion 12e extending downward from the top portion 12b and the nozzle 12c. The extending portion 12e of the present embodiment has a cylindrical shape centered on the central axis O. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the lower end portion (tip portion) of the extending portion 12e is inclined so as to be narrowed inward in the radial direction as it goes generally downward. In Fig. 1, the inward falling elastic piece 10e is erected in the vertical direction, and the lower end portion of the extending portion 12e is illustrated to overlap the upper end portion of the inward falling elastic piece 10e. However, actually, the inward falling elastic piece 10e is slightly inclined inward in the radial direction, and the head 12 moves to the rising limit (backward limit) so as to eliminate the overlap.

The nozzle cover 13 includes a cover main body portion 13a surrounding the outer peripheral portion and the tip portion of the nozzle 12c. The cover main body portion 13a is provided with a cover holding portion 13b having a C-shape in plan view, and the cover holding portion 13b is held by the extending portion 12e by being moved in the lateral direction from the opening of the C-shaped portion toward the extending portion 12e.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, before the pump type discharger 100 configured by such a member presses the head 12, the tip portion of the extending portion 12e is in contact with the inward falling elastic piece 10e, and the head 12 is in a raised state (the head 12 is retracted from the cap 10).

Then, when the head 12 is pressed from above to lower the head 12 (the head 12 is advanced toward the cap 10), the stem 7a is pushed down together with the head 12 (the stem 7a moves toward the cap 10 along the central axis O). In addition, as the stem 7a is pushed down, the bottom portion 5b also descends via the coupling cylinder 5a, so that the liquid-tight contact between the annular portion 5d and the lower portion of the inner sliding piece 6c is released. When the head 12 is further pushed down, the piston 6 is also lowered together with the cylindrical member 7 and the internal member 5, and the inside of the cylinder 1 is pressurized. Therefore, the content liquid in the cylinder 1 passes through the communication port 5c, passes through the coupling cylinder 5a, the stem 7a, the cylindrical portion 12a, the passage provided inside the top portion 12b, and the inside of the nozzle 12c, and is discharged from the discharge port 12d to the outside. When the piston 6 descends from the vent port 1f by pressing the head 12, the container (not illustrated) communicates with the outside through the vent port 1f. As a result, even when the content liquid stored in the container decreases, the inside of the container is not brought into a negative pressure, and a defect that the container is deformed to be crushed is prevented.

When the head 12 is pushed down, the extending portion 12e moves downward while being in contact with the outer peripheral surface 10f of the inward falling elastic piece 10e, so that the inward falling elastic piece 10e bends radially inward as illustrated in Fig. 3. Meanwhile, when the outer peripheral surface 10f of the inward falling elastic piece 10e is inclined in a direction approaching the inner peripheral surface 10j from the root portion 10g toward the tip portion 10h so as to have a normal draft angle, the extending portion 12e and the outer peripheral surface 10f gradually come into strong contact with each other as the head 12 is pushed down, so that the angle at which the inward falling elastic piece 10e falls increases. On the other hand, the outer peripheral surface 10f of the inward falling elastic piece 10e of the present embodiment is inclined in a direction away from the inner peripheral surface 10j from the root portion 10g toward the tip portion 10h. That is, in the inward falling elastic piece 10e of the present embodiment, as compared with the inward falling elastic piece 10e in which the outer peripheral surface 10f is inclined so as to have a normal draft angle, the angle at which the inward falling elastic piece 10e falls decreases as the head 12 is pushed down, and thus, the load applied to the inward falling elastic piece 10e also decreases, and thus, it is possible to suppress the influence of repetition of bending. In addition, since the load at the time of bending of the inward falling elastic piece 10e is reduced, an excessive force is not required when the head 12 is pressed.

Thereafter, when the pressing to the head 12 is released, the restoring force of the elastically deformed inward falling elastic piece 10e acts on the head 12, and the head 12 starts to rise. Accordingly, the lower portion of the inner sliding piece 6c comes into contact with the annular portion 5d again in a liquid-tight manner, and the piston 6 rises together with the internal member 5, so that the inside of the cylinder 1 is depressurized. As a result, the valve body portion 2b is separated from the bottom wall portion 1a, the suction port 1d is opened, and the content liquid in the container can be sucked into the cylinder 1 through the pipe 4.

As described above, according to the pump type discharger 100 of the present embodiment, the head 12 after the content liquid is discharged can be returned without using the metal coil spring, and the pump type discharger 100 can be used in the same manner as the conventional pump type discharger. In addition, as described above, since it is possible to suppress the influence of deformation when the inward falling elastic piece 10e is repeatedly bent, it is possible to prevent a problem that it is difficult for the head 12 to return when continuously used.

In the pump type discharger 100 described above, the same effect can be obtained by using an outward falling elastic piece 10k and an extending portion 12f illustrated in Fig. 2B instead of the inward falling elastic piece 10e and the extending portion 12e illustrated in Fig. 2A. Similarly to the inward falling elastic piece 10e, the outward falling elastic piece 10k is formed in an arc shape with the central axis O as the center in plan view, and a total of six outward falling elastic pieces 10k are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

An inner peripheral surface 10m of the illustrated outward falling elastic piece 10k is inclined in a direction away from an outer peripheral surface 10q of the outward falling elastic piece 10k (radially inward) from a lower end portion (root portion 10n) toward an upper end portion (tip portion 10p) with respect to a reference line BL extending in parallel with the central axis O starting from the lower end portion connected to the top wall 10a. That is, the inner peripheral surface 10m of the outward falling elastic piece 10k is in a state of being inclined in a draft direction with respect to the mold forming the same. Similarly to the length of the inward falling elastic piece 10e, the length of the outward falling elastic piece 10k (the length from the upper surface of the top wall 10a to the upper end surface of the outward falling elastic piece 10k) is preferably 10 mm or more and 40 mm or less, and the angle at which the inner peripheral surface 10m is inclined with respect to the reference line BL is preferably more than 0° and 3° or less.

The inner peripheral surface of the tip portion 10p of the outward falling elastic piece 10k is inclined so as to decrease in diameter as it goes upward, and the angle of inclination with respect to the reference line BL at this portion is 10° or more and 45° or less (about 15° in the present embodiment). The outer peripheral surface 10q of the outward falling elastic piece 10k is inclined in a direction (radially inward) approaching the inner peripheral surface 10m from the lower end portion connected to the top wall 10a toward the upper end portion, and the angle at which the outer peripheral surface 10q is inclined with respect to the reference line BL is larger than 0° and 3° or less (about 1° in the present embodiment). Note that the outer peripheral surface 10q may extend in parallel with the reference line BL (the angle between the outer peripheral surface 10q and the reference line BL is 0°), or may be inclined more than a normally set draft angle.

The extending portion 12f has a cylindrical shape centered on the central axis O, and a lower end portion (tip portion) of the extending portion 12e is inclined so as to narrow radially outward generally downward.

In the pump type discharger 100 including such an outward falling elastic piece 10k and the extending portion 12f, when the head 12 is pushed down, the extending portion 12f moves downward while being in contact with the inner peripheral surface 10m of the outward falling elastic piece 10k, so that the outward falling elastic piece 10k can be bent radially outward. Here, the inner peripheral surface 10m of the outward falling elastic piece 10k is inclined in a direction away from the outer peripheral surface 10q from the root portion 10n toward the tip portion 10p. That is, in the outward falling elastic piece 10k of the present embodiment, as compared with the outward falling elastic piece 10k in which the inner peripheral surface 10m is inclined so as to have a normal draft angle, the angle at which the outward falling elastic piece 10k falls decreases as the head 12 is pushed down, and thus, the load applied to the outward falling elastic piece 10k also decreases, and thus, it is possible to suppress the influence of repetition of bending. In addition, since the load at the time of bending of the outward falling elastic piece 10k is reduced, an excessive force is not required when the head 12 is pressed.

Next, a pump type discharger 100A which is a second embodiment of the pump type discharger according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 5 to 9. The pump type discharger 100A is different from the pump type discharger 100 described above mainly in the peripheral portions of the inward falling elastic piece 10e and the extending portion 12e. Therefore, hereinafter, the description will be given focusing on the differences, and the same reference numerals are given to the drawings and a detailed description thereof will be omitted for portions having the same basic configuration as that of the pump type discharger 100.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, the cap 10A of the present embodiment includes a plate-shaped inward falling elastic piece 10r extending upward from the upper surface of the top wall 10a and elastically deformable radially inward. Here, Fig. 5 illustrates a state of the inward falling elastic piece 10r when a head 12A is attached to the stem 7a and the head 12A is located at the rising limit (backward limit), and Fig. 6A illustrates a state of the inward falling elastic piece 10r before the head 12A is attached to the stem 7a. As illustrated in Fig. 5, when the head 12A is located at the rising limit, the inward falling elastic piece 10r is slightly inclined radially inward. As illustrated in Fig. 9, a total of six inward falling elastic pieces 10r of the present embodiment are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

As illustrated in Figs. 5 and 9, the inward falling elastic piece 10r includes a pair of reinforcement ribs 10s having a narrower width (a shorter circumferential length) than the inward falling elastic piece 10r at both end portions in the circumferential direction on the radially inner side. As illustrated in the drawing, the thickness (radial length) of the portion of the reinforcement rib 10s located on the root side is about the same as that of the inward falling elastic piece 10r, while the thickness gradually decreases at the intermediate portion in the vertical direction, and the thickness decreases at the portion located at the tip portion.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, the cap 10A includes an outer annular wall 10t located radially outside the inward falling elastic piece 10r and an inner annular wall 10u located radially inside the inward falling elastic piece 10r. The outer annular wall 10t protrudes upward from the upper surface of the top wall 10a, and the inner annular wall 10u protrudes upward from the upper surface of the top wall 10a and protrudes downward from the lower surface. Since the rigidity of the top wall 10a is increased by the outer annular wall 10t and the inner annular wall 10u, it is possible to prevent the inclination of the inward falling elastic piece 10r from changing when the pump type discharger 100A is attached to a container (not illustrated). That is, when the female screw portion 10c is strongly fastened to the male screw portion of the container, a strong force is applied to the top wall 10a from the upper end surface of the mouth portion of the container via the packing 9 and the flange wall 1c, and when the fastening is weak, the force applied to the top wall 10a becomes weak. Therefore, the force applied to the top wall 10a varies depending on the degree of tightening of the female screw portion 10c with respect to the male screw portion, whereby the inclination of the inward falling elastic piece 10r changes. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the rigidity of the top wall 10a is increased by the outer annular wall 10t and the inner annular wall 10u, the top wall 10a is less likely to be deformed, and the variation in the inclination of the inward falling elastic piece 10r can be suppressed. In Fig. 9, the outer annular wall 10t and the inner annular wall 10u are omitted.

The head 12A includes an extending portion 12g extending downward from the top portion 12b and the nozzle 12c. The extending portion 12g of the present embodiment has a cylindrical shape centered on the central axis O, and the lower end portion (tip portion) on the radially inner side of the extending portion 12g is inclined radially outward as it goes downward. As illustrated in Fig. 5, the extending portion 12g comes into contact with the inward falling elastic piece 10r at the upper end portion of the inclined portion. Hereinafter, the upper end portion of the inclined portion is referred to as a contact portion 12h.

Here, the inward falling elastic piece 10r of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 6A and 6B. An outer peripheral surface 10r1 of the inward falling elastic piece 10r is inclined in a direction (radially outward) away from an inner peripheral surface 10r4 of the inward falling elastic piece 10r from the lower end portion toward the upper end portion (tip portion 10r3) basically with respect to a reference line BL extending in parallel with the central axis O starting from the lower end portion (root portion 10r2) connected to the top wall 10a. This point is similar to the inward falling elastic piece 10e illustrated in Fig. 2A, but the inward falling elastic piece 10r further includes an inclined surface 10r5 on the outer peripheral surface 10r1. Similarly to the inward falling elastic piece 10e described above, the length of the inward falling elastic piece 10r is preferably 10 mm or more and 40 mm or less, and the angle at which the outer peripheral surface 10r1 is inclined with respect to the reference line BL is preferably larger than 0° and 3° or less. The outer peripheral surface of the tip portion 10r3 is inclined so as to decrease in diameter as it goes upward, and the angle at which the outer peripheral surface is inclined with respect to the reference line BL at this portion is 10° or more and 45° or less (about 15° in the present embodiment), and the angle at which the inner peripheral surface 10r4 is inclined with respect to the reference line BL is larger than 0° and 3° or less (about 1° in the present embodiment).

The above-described inclined surface 10r5 will be described. As illustrated in Fig. 8, when the head 12A is pushed down toward the cap 10A to the lowering limit (advance limit), the contact portion 12h of the extending portion 12g comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface 10r1 as an advance limit contact point P1. Here, in the drawing illustrating a state before the inward falling elastic piece 10r is bent by the extending portion 12g illustrated in Figs. 6A and 6B, a line L1 indicates a height at a position where the advance limit contact point P1 is located. The outer peripheral surface 10r1 has an inclined surface 10r5 that is inclined in a direction approaching an inner peripheral surface 10r4 from the inflection point P2 toward the root portion 10r2 with the inflection point P2 located within a range of 1 to 3 mm upward (rearward) along the reference line BL from the line L1 where the advance limit contact point P1 is located as a starting point. Here, an angle at which the inclined surface 10r5 is inclined with respect to the outer peripheral surface 10r1 is defined as an angle θ. The inclined surface 10r5 extends from the line L1 to a second inflection point P3 located within a range of 1 to 3 mm downward (forward) along the reference line BL. The outer peripheral surface 10r1 extends generally vertically along the reference line BL below the second inflection point P3.

By the way, as a result of repeated studies by the inventor of the present application, in a case where an operation portion such as the head 12A is pressed to bend an elastic piece made of a synthetic resin, an increase rate of a resistance force transmitted to a finger or the like at the time of pressing tends to be larger than that in a case where a coil spring made of metal as shown in Patent Literature 1 described above is used. For this reason, even if the pressed operation portion reaches the lowering limit, it may be difficult for the user to notice. In addition, since the increase rate of the resistance force becomes large, the pressing of the operation portion may be stopped before reaching the lowering limit depending on the user, and thus, there is a possibility that the discharge amount of the content varies.

On the other hand, in the pump type discharger 100A of the present embodiment, the inward falling elastic piece 10r gradually tilts as the head 12A is pushed down, whereby the resistance force applied to the finger and the like pressing the head 12A gradually increases. However, when the contact portion 12h reaches the inclined surface 10r5 beyond the inflection point P2, the rate of increase in the resistance force felt until then decreases, so that the user can perceive that the head 12A has reached the lowering limit. Therefore, according to the pump type discharger 100A, it is easy to understand that the intended operation is performed, and it is possible to suppress the variation in the discharge amount of the content. Also in the pump type discharger 100A, it was confirmed that an effect similar to the effect exhibited by the pump type discharger 100 described above can be obtained.

As a result of further studies on the inclined surface 10r5 by the inventor of the present application, in a case where the angle θ at which the inclined surface 10r5 is inclined with respect to the outer peripheral surface 10r1 is 2° or more and 5° or less, the sense of use is particularly excellent, and it is possible to particularly suppress the variation in the discharge amount of the content.

In the pump type discharger 100A described above, the same effect can be obtained by using an outward falling elastic piece 10v and an extending portion 12j illustrated in Fig. 7A instead of the inward falling elastic piece 10r and the extending portion 12g illustrated in Fig. 6A. Similarly to the inward falling elastic piece 10r, a total of six outward falling elastic pieces 10v are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the cap 10A.

An inner peripheral surface 10v1 of the illustrated outward falling elastic piece 10v is inclined in a direction away from an outer peripheral surface 10v4 of the outward falling elastic piece 10v (radially inward) from a lower end portion (root portion 10v2) toward an upper end portion (tip portion 10v3) with respect to a reference line BL extending in parallel with the central axis O starting from the lower end portion connected to the top wall 10a. That is, the inner peripheral surface 10v1 of the outward falling elastic piece 10v is in a state of being inclined in the forced draft direction with respect to the mold forming the same. Similarly to the length of the inward falling elastic piece 10r, the length of the outward falling elastic piece 10v (the length from the upper surface of the top wall 10a to the upper end surface of the outward falling elastic piece 10v) is preferably 10 mm or more and 40 mm or less, and the angle at which the inner peripheral surface 10v1 is inclined with respect to the reference line BL is preferably more than 0° and 3° or less. The inner peripheral surface of the tip portion 10v3 in the outward falling elastic piece 10v is inclined so as to decrease in diameter as it goes upward, and the angle at which the inner peripheral surface is inclined with respect to the reference line BL at this portion is 10° or more and 45° or less (about 15° in the present embodiment), and the angle at which the outer peripheral surface 10v4 is inclined with respect to the reference line BL is larger than 0° and 3° or less (about 1° in the present embodiment).

The extending portion 12j has a cylindrical shape centered on the central axis O, and a lower end portion (tip portion) of the extending portion 12j is inclined radially inward as it goes downward. The extending portion 12j comes into contact with the outward falling elastic piece 10v at the upper end portion of the inclined portion. Hereinafter, the upper end portion of the inclined portion is referred to as a contact portion 12k.

Here, an inclined surface 10v5 provided on the inner peripheral surface 10v1 will be described. The line L1 illustrated in Figs. 7A and 7B corresponds to the line L1 illustrated in Fig. 6A. That is, in a case where a contact portion 12k of the extending portion 12j that comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface 10v1 when the head 12A is pushed down to the lowering limit (advance limit) toward the cap 10A is defined as the advance limit contact point P1, the line L1 indicates the height at which the advance limit contact point P1 is located. The inner peripheral surface 10v1 has an inclined surface 10v5 that is inclined in a direction approaching an outer peripheral surface 10v4 from the inflection point P2 toward the root portion 10v2 with the inflection point P2 located within a range of 1 to 3 mm upward (rearward) along the reference line BL from the line L1 where the advance limit contact point P1 is located as a starting point. Here, an angle at which the inclined surface 10v5 is inclined with respect to the inner peripheral surface 10v1 is defined as an angle θ. The inclined surface 10v5 extends from the line L1 to a second inflection point P3 located within a range of 1 to 3 mm downward (forward) along the reference line BL. The inner peripheral surface 10v1 extends generally vertically along the reference line BL below the second inflection point P3.

Also in the pump type discharger 100A including such an outward falling elastic piece 10v and an extending portion 12j, the outward falling elastic piece 10v gradually tilts as the head 12A is pushed down, whereby the resistance force applied to the finger and the like pressing the head 12A gradually increases. However, when the contact portion 12k reaches the inclined surface 10v5 beyond the inflection point P2, the rate of increase in the resistance force felt until then decreases, so that the user can perceive that the head 12A has reached the lowering limit. Therefore, in the pump type discharger 100A including the outward falling elastic piece 10v and the extending portion 12j, it is easy to understand that the intended operation is performed, and it is possible to suppress the variation in the discharge amount of the content.

As a result of studies on the inclined surface 10v5, in a case where the angle θ at which the inclined surface 10v5 is inclined with respect to the inner peripheral surface 10v1 is 2° or more and 5° or less, the sense of use is particularly excellent, and it is possible to particularly suppress the variation in the discharge amount of the content.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims unless otherwise limited in the above description. For example, the configuration of the above-described embodiment can be appropriately added or deleted, and the configuration of one embodiment can be provided in another embodiment. In addition, the effects of the above embodiment are merely examples of the effects caused by the present invention, and do not mean that the effects of the present invention are limited to the above effects.

For example, the pump described above is an example, and a case where another type of pump is adopted is also included in the present invention. The numbers of the inward falling elastic pieces 10e and the outward falling elastic pieces 10k are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed. In addition, the inward falling elastic piece 10e and the outward falling elastic piece 10k are not limited to those having an arc shape in plan view as illustrated, and may have a linear shape in plan view, for example. In addition, the extending portions 12e and 12f are not limited to cylindrical, and may be, for example, square cylindrical.

In the embodiment described above, the inward falling elastic pieces 10e and 10r and the outward falling elastic pieces 10k and 10v are provided in the caps 10 and 10A, and the extending portions 12e, 12f, 12g, and 12j are provided in the heads 12 and 12A. However, the inward falling elastic pieces 10e and 10r and the outward falling elastic pieces 10k and 10v may be provided in the heads 12 and 12A by being replaced with each other, and the extending portions 12e, 12f, 12g, and 12j may be provided in the caps 10 and 10A.

• 1 Cylinder
• 1a Bottom wall portion
• 1b Cylindrical wall portion
• 1c Flange wall
• 1d Suction port
• 1e Holding cylinder
• 1f Vent port
• 2 Valve member
• 2a Base portion
• 2b Valve body portion
• 2c Coupling piece
• 4 Pipe
• 5 Inner member
• 5a Coupling cylinder
• 5b Bottom portion
• 5c Communication port
• 5d Annular portion
• 6 Piston
• 6a Base portion
• 6b Outer sliding piece
• 6c Inner sliding piece
• 7 Cylindrical member
• 7a Stem
• 7b Enlarged diameter portion
• 8 Holder
• 8a Holder base portion
• 8b Flange
• 9 Packing
• 10, 10A Cap
• 10a Top wall
• 10b Peripheral wall
• 10c Female screw portion
• 10d Rotation preventing recess portion
• 10e Inward falling elastic piece
• 10f Outer peripheral surface (outer peripheral surface of inward falling elastic piece)
• 10g Root portion (root portion of inward falling elastic piece)
• 10h Tip portion (tip portion of inward falling elastic piece)
• 10j Inner peripheral surface (inner peripheral surface of inward falling elastic piece)
• 10k Outward falling elastic piece
• 10m Inner peripheral surface (inner peripheral surface of outward falling elastic piece)
• 10n Root portion (root portion of outward falling elastic piece)
• 10p Tip portion (tip portion of outward falling elastic piece)
• 10q Outer peripheral surface (outer peripheral surface of outward falling elastic piece)
• 10r Inward falling elastic piece
• 10r1 Outer peripheral surface (outer peripheral surface of inward falling elastic piece)
• 10r2 Root portion (root portion of inward falling elastic piece)
• 10r3 Tip portion (tip portion of inward falling elastic piece)
• 10r4 Inner peripheral surface (inner peripheral surface of inward falling elastic piece)
• 10r5 Inclined surface
• 10s Reinforcement rib
• 10t Outer annular wall
• 10u Inner annular wall
• 10v Outward falling elastic piece
• 10v1 Inner peripheral surface (inner peripheral surface of outward falling elastic piece)
• 10v2 Root portion (root portion of outward falling elastic piece)
• 10v3 Tip portion (tip portion of outward falling elastic piece)
• 10v4 Outer peripheral surface (outer peripheral surface of outward falling elastic piece)
• 10v5 Inclined surface
• 11 Cover
• 11a Cover peripheral wall
• 11b Retaining projection portion
• 11c Rib
• 11d Inward flange
• 12, 12A Head
• 12a Cylindrical portion
• 12b Top portion
• 12c Nozzle
• 12d Discharge port
• 12e Extending portion
• 12f Extending portion
• 12g Extending portion
• 12h Contact portion
• 12j Extending portion
• 12k Contact portion
• 13 Nozzle cover
• 13a Cover main body portion
• 13b Cover holding portion
• 100, 100A Pump type discharger
• BL Reference line
• O Central axis
• L1 Line
• P1 Advance limit contact point
• P2 Inflection point
• P3 Second inflection point