Bottle container with bottle breakage-preventing function

A bottle container includes: a tubular inner container 2 including a cap at an upper portion thereof; and an outer container 3 mounted so as to extend along a trunk 5 and a bottom 6 of the inner container 2, the inner container 2 includes a shoulder 8 at the upper portion which is not covered with the outer container 3, an outer peripheral portion 13b of a bottom 13 of the outer container 3 is made thicker than a side wall 14 of the outer container 3, a center portion 13a of the bottom 13 of the outer container 3 is made thinner than the outer peripheral portion 13b to form a space 13c, and the outer container 3 mounted to the inner container 2 and the shoulder 8 of the inner container 2 are covered with a heat-shrinkable film 4.

This application is the 35 U.S.C. §371 national stage of PCT application entitled with “Bottle container with bottle breakage-preventing function” having serial number PCT/JP2013/082023, filed on Nov. 28, 2013. This application also claims priority to and benefit of Japanese Application No. 2013-034863, filed on Feb. 25, 2013 which is incorporated by reference in its entity.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a bottle container with a bottle breakage-preventing function.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A bottle container with a bottle breakage-preventing function is disclosed in Patent Literature 1.

CITATION LIST

Patent Document

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

However, since the bottle container covers the bottom of a container with a cushioning member, if impact is applied to the trunk of the bottle container due to drop or the like, bottle breakage may occur.

An object of The invention is to provide a bottle container with a bottle breakage-preventing function of preventing bottle breakage due to impact on the bottom or trunk of the bottle container.

Solution to the Problems

A bottle container with a bottle breakage-preventing function according to The invention includes: a tubular inner container including a cap at an upper portion thereof, the inner container being formed of an easily-breakable material; and an outer container mounted so as to extend along a bottom and a trunk of the inner container. The inner container includes a shoulder formed in a constricted shape or a tapered shape at the upper portion which is not covered with the outer container. An outer peripheral portion of a bottom of the outer container is made thicker than a trunk of the outer container, and a center portion of the bottom of the outer container is made thinner than the outer peripheral portion to form a space such that the center portion of the bottom is not brought into contact with the bottom of the inner container. The outer container mounted to the inner container and at least the shoulder of the inner container are covered with a heat-shrinkable film, whereby the inner container and the outer container are integrated.

According to The invention, since the outer container is mounted so as to extend along the bottom and the trunk of the inner container formed of the easily-breakable material and the inner container and the outer container are integrated by means of the heat-shrinkable film, impact on the bottom or the trunk of the inner container, etc. can be absorbed by the outer container to prevent breakage of the inner container.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

As shown inFIG. 1, a bottle container1includes an inner container2, an outer container3which receives the inner container2therein, and a heat-shrinkable film4which integrates and wraps the inner container2and the outer container3. InFIG. 1, only the inner container2is shown in a side view, and the outer container3and the heat-shrinkable film4are shown in a cross-sectional view. As shown inFIG. 2AandFIG. 2B, the inner container2includes an inner container body2aand a cap2b, and the cap2bis located at an upper portion of the inner container body2a. The inner container body2aincludes a cylindrical trunk5and a bottom6which forms a lower end part of the trunk5. As shown inFIG. 3, an annular opening portion7is located at the upper side of the trunk5, and a shoulder8having a tapered shape is formed between the trunk5and the opening portion7. The inner container body2ais formed of an easily-breakable material (bottle) and has a light-transmitting property of being transparent or semitransparent.

As shown inFIG. 3, the cap2bwhich covers the opening portion7of the inner container body2aincludes a sealing plug9, a sealing portion10, and a cap portion11. The sealing plug9is formed of an elastic body so as to block the opening portion7of the inner container body2a, the surrounding of the opening portion7plugged with the sealing plug9is fixed by the sealing portion10which is made of metal, and the cap portion11is provided so as to cover the upper surfaces of the sealing plug9and the sealing portion10.

The inner container2, which includes the cap2band the inner container body2ahaving the opening portion7blocked by the cap2b, is a medical vial12in which the opening portion7of the inner container body2ais plugged with the cap2bafter a drug solution is injected into the inner container body2a.

As shown inFIG. 4A,FIG. 4B,FIG. 5A, andFIG. 5B, the outer container3is a transparent or semitransparent cylindrical cushioning container16which includes a bottom13, a side wall14, and an opening15, and the vial12is received therein. The cushioning container16has a light-transmitting property of being transparent or semitransparent and is formed from a resin.

As shown inFIG. 5A, the bottom13of the cushioning container16includes a center portion13aand an outer peripheral portion13b, and the center portion13ais formed with a thickness T1smaller than the thickness T2of the outer peripheral portion13b(T1<T2), whereby a space13cis formed.

As shown inFIG. 5AandFIG. 5B, the side wall14includes projection portions14bwhich project inward and extends from a lower portion of an inner wall14atoward the opening15, that is, in an up-down direction in the drawing (the height direction of the side wall14). The side wall14is formed in a cylindrical shape. As shown inFIG. 5A, the side wall14is formed with a thickness T3smaller than the thickness T2of the outer peripheral portion13bof the bottom13(T3<T2).

Each projection portion14bextends from the bottom13toward the opening15to the vicinity of the opening15without reaching the opening15. Specifically, each projection portion14bhas a transverse cross-section having a quadrilateral shape with four right angles which is a rectangle or a square, and has outer opposed surfaces17opposed to each other (FIG. 4A), a flat connection surface18connecting both outer opposed surfaces17, and a step19projecting toward the inner side of the cushioning container16at the upper end of the projection portion14b. The outer opposed surfaces17are formed such that the interval therebetween is uniform along the longitudinal direction.

In addition, as shown inFIG. 4A, the projection portions14bare formed on the inner wall14aof the cushioning container16, which is formed in a circular shape as seen from above, discontinuously in the circumferential direction. Specifically, the projection portions14bare formed on the inner wall14aof the cushioning container16at equal angular intervals around a center portion of the cushioning container16as seen from a plane (FIG. 4Aillustrates three projection portions14bformed at intervals of 120 degrees).

Next, a method of mounting the vial12to the cushioning container16will be described.FIG. 6andFIG. 7Ashow an example of mounting the vial12into which a drug solution has been injected, to the cushioning container16. First, with the bottom6of the vial12being directed downward, the vial12is moved toward the opening15of the cushioning container16that is placed such that the opening15faces upward (FIG. 6). Then, the bottom6of the vial12is inserted into the opening15of the cushioning container16and butted against the bottom13of the cushioning container16to obtain a state where the cushioning container16is mounted to the vial12(FIG. 7A).

In this state, as shown inFIG. 7A, the cushioning container16extends from the bottom6of the vial12over the trunk5, and the opening15of the cushioning container16reaches the shoulder8of the vial12or the vicinity of the shoulder8. Here, as shown in a partially enlarged view ofFIG. 7B, a gap20is formed between the trunk5of the vial12which is located within the cushioning container16and the inner wall14aof the cushioning container16which is opposed to the trunk5. Specifically, the gap20is formed so as to surround the trunk5of the vial12and is also formed between each projection portion14bof the cushioning container16and the trunk5of the vial12. Similarly, as shown inFIG. 7A, at the bottom13of the cushioning container16, the space13cis formed such that the center portion13aof the bottom13is not brought into contact with the bottom6of the vial12.

InFIG. 8A, in order to integrate the vial12and the cushioning container16ofFIG. 7A, the vial12and the cushioning container16are covered with the heat-shrinkable film4, and the side wall14of the cushioning container16and at least a part of the shoulder8of the vial12are covered with the heat-shrinkable film4. Specifically, the heat-shrinkable film4extends from the sealing portion10of the vial12through the shoulder8of the vial12to the side wall14of the cushioning container16to wrap a range from the sealing portion of the vial12to the side surface of the cushioning container16. Here, the thickness of the heat-shrinkable film4is exaggeratingly drawn for the convenience of explanation, but is actually very small as compared to the thicknesses of the vial12and the cushioning container16.

FIG. 8Bis a partially enlarged view ofFIG. 8A. As shown inFIG. 8B, a shoulder space21is formed between the shoulder8of the vial12which is located within the cushioning container16and the heat-shrinkable film4which is opposed to the shoulder8. That is, while the gap20is ensured, the shoulder space21is formed so as to surround a connection portion between the trunk5and the shoulder8of the vial12.

When the vial12to which the cushioning container16has been mounted is wrapped with the heat-shrinkable film4as described above, the bottle container1is completed. In taking the drug solution, which is injected in the vial12, out from the bottle container1, the cap portion11of the vial12is removed, the tip of the needle of a syringe or the like is stuck into the sealing plug9to penetrate the sealing plug9, and the drug solution is extracted from the inside of the vial12, whereby it is possible to use the drug solution within the bottle container1.

As described above, in the bottle container1, the cushioning container16is mounted so as to extend along the trunk5and the bottom6of the vial12as shown inFIG. 8A, and the vial12and the cushioning container16are integrated by means of the heat-shrinkable film4, whereby impact on the trunk or the bottom6of the vial12, etc. can be absorbed by the cushioning container16to prevent breakage of the vial12.

Specifically, as shown inFIG. 7A, the cushioning container16extends from the bottom6of the vial12over the trunk5, and the opening15of the cushioning container16reaches the shoulder8of the vial12or the vicinity of the shoulder8. Thus, for example, even if the bottle container1is slammed at the bottom13of the cushioning container16against a floor surface22as shown inFIG. 9A, the impact can be absorbed by the bottom13of the cushioning container16. Similarly, even if the bottle container1placed on the floor surface22tips over as shown inFIG. 9B, the impact can be absorbed by the side wall14of the cushioning container16(even if the bottle container1is slammed at the side wall14of the cushioning container16due to not only tipping over but also drop of the bottle container1, the impact can be absorbed).

That is, since, at the center portion13aof the bottom13of the cushioning container16, the space13cis formed such that the center portion13aof the bottom13is not brought into contact with the bottom6of the vial12as shown inFIG. 8A, even if the bottom13of the cushioning container16is slammed against the floor surface22, the impact is prevented from being transmitted from the center portion13aof the cushioning container16directly to the bottom6of the vial12, and the impact on the vial12can be cushioned.

Similarly, since the gap20is formed between the trunk5of the vial12and the inner wall14aof the cushioning container16which is opposed to the trunk5as shown inFIG. 8B, even if the placed bottle container1tips over or the bottle container1drops with the side wall14of the cushioning container16being at the lower side, the gap20serves as an air cushion in a sense and can cushion the impact transmitted from the inner wall14aof the cushioning container16to the vial12. In addition, since the gap20is formed so as to surround the trunk5of the vial12, even if the bottle container1tips over in any direction or drops in any direction with the side wall14of the cushioning container16being at the lower side, the impact can be cushioned.

In wrapping with the heat-shrinkable film4, due to shrinkage of the heat-shrinkable film4, an external force is applied to the side wall14of the cushioning container16and acts so as to narrow the gap20between the side wall14and the trunk5of the vial12depending on the material of the cushioning container16(when the material of the cushioning container16is soft). However, contact between the inner wall14aof the cushioning container16and the trunk5of the vial12is suppressed by each projection portion14bof the cushioning container16. Each projection portion14bserves as a gap formation assist portion which assists in forming the gap20, thereby enhancing the air cushion effect of the gap20. In addition, in addition to the time when the external force is applied by the heat-shrinkable film4, also when another external force such as external impact is applied, contact between the inner wall14of the cushioning container16and the trunk5of the vial12is similarly suppressed. Even when the material of the cushioning container16is hard, also if the gap between the side wall14and the trunk5of the vial12is narrowed by some chance, contact between the inner wall14of the cushioning container16and the trunk of the vial12can be suppressed by the projection portions14b. Furthermore, even if the gap20is not narrowed, each projection portion14bservers as a rib to increase the rigidity of the cushioning container16, whereby impact on the vial12can be absorbed.

Since each projection portion14bextends to the vicinity of the opening15without reaching the opening15of the cushioning container16as shown inFIG. 5AandFIG. 5B, even if the placed bottle container1tips over as shown inFIG. 9B, in particular, even if the bottle container1tips over such that the outer wall side thereof corresponding to the inner wall14aof the cushioning container16on which the projection portions14bare formed is slammed against the floor surface22(or even if the bottle container1drops so), a large space can be ensured, as shown inFIG. 8B, as the gap20around the opening15of the cushioning container16on which a large impact force acts, and the air cushion effect can be achieved although the projection portions14bare provided.

Since the projection portions14bare formed so as to extend from the bottom13of the cushioning container16toward the opening15as shown inFIG. 5AandFIG. 5B, contact between the inner wall14aof the cushioning container16and the trunk5of the vial12can be suppressed at least in the vicinity of a region from the bottom13of the cushioning container16to the opening13in which each projection portion14bis formed.

Since the connection surface18connecting the outer opposed surfaces17of each projection portion14bis a flat surface as shown inFIG. 4AtoFIG. 5B, contact with the tubular cushioning container16can be effectively suppressed. In addition, since the interval between the outer opposed surfaces17is uniform, the gap20can be formed substantially uniformly in the up-down direction of the vial12and the cushioning container16, so that a large space can be ensured as the gap20between the vicinity of the shoulder8of the vial12and the opening15of the cushioning container16by the step19of each projection portion14b.

Since the projection portions14bare formed on the inner wall14aof the cushioning container16, which is formed in a circular shape as seen from above, discontinuously in the circumferential direction as shown inFIG. 4A, the projection portions14bcan assist in forming the gap20along the circumferential direction of the cushioning container16. Specifically, since the projection portions14bare formed at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction around the center portion of the cushioning container16as seen from a plane (FIG. 4A) (inFIG. 4A, the three projection portions14bare formed), the projection portions14bcan assist in forming the gap20uniformly in the circumferential direction of the cushioning container16, thereby enhancing cushioning performance in the circumferential direction of the cushioning container16.

Since the side wall14including the projection portions14bis formed with the thickness T3smaller than the thickness T2of the outer peripheral portion13bof the bottom13as shown inFIG. 5A, the center of gravity of the cushioning container16becomes low, and the cushioning container16becomes stable during time of being placed.

In integrating the cushioning container16and the vial12by means of the heat-shrinkable film4, the shoulder space21is formed between the shoulder8of the vial12and the heat-shrinkable film4which is opposed to the shoulder8as shown inFIG. 8B. Thus, if the placed bottle container1tips over as shown inFIG. 9B(or if the bottle container1drops so), the shoulder space21can protect the surrounding of the opening15of the cushioning container16on which a large impact force acts. The shoulder space21, together with the gap20, enhances the air cushion effect.

Since the heat-shrinkable film4wraps the range from the sealing portion10of the vial12through the shoulder8to the side wall14of the cushioning container16, and the cap portion11is not covered with the heat-shrinkable film4as shown inFIG. 8A, it is possible to use the drug solution within the vial12without peeling off the heat-shrinkable film4. Specifically, the exposed cap portion11is removed from the vial12, and the drug solution can be extracted through the sealing plug9by using a syringe or the like. Therefore, even during use of the bottle container1in which the risk of drop of the bottle container1increases, the bottle container1can prevent breakage of the vial12, since the cushioning container16and the vial12are integrated.

As shown inFIG. 1andFIG. 3, the portion of the vial12that is not covered with the cushioning container16has a tapered shape, the opening portion7of the vial12is covered with the cap2b, and the portion of the vial12that is not covered with the cushioning container16and the cap2bhas a constricted shape. Thus, even if the bottle container1drops, there is a low possibility that the tapered-shaped portion of the vial12that is not covered with the cushioning container16is slammed directly against the floor surface, and bottle breakage can be efficiently prevented without covering the entire surface of the vial12.

The bottle container1having a bottle breakage-preventing function has been described above. Next, a modification of the shoulder8of the inner container2shown inFIG. 10will be described. The configuration other than the shoulder8is the same as the configuration of the above-described vial12, and the main difference is the shape of the shoulder8.FIG. 10is a cross-sectional view showing Modification 1 of a shoulder8aof the inner container2. The shoulder8having a constricted shape is formed between the trunk5and the opening portion7. Thus, the portion of the vial12that is not covered with the cushioning container16or the cap2bis formed in a recessed shape in a sense, and hence it is possible to reduce a possibility that impact is applied directly to the constricted-shaped portion of the vial12that is not covered with the cushioning container16.

In the above description, each projection portion14bof the cushioning container16extends from the lower portion (bottom13) of the side wall14toward the opening15. However, each projection portion14bmay be configured to extend from a middle portion of the side wall14toward the opening15as shown inFIG. 11. In addition, as shown inFIG. 12, no projection portion may be formed in the bottle container1. Even when no projection portion is formed, the gap20and space13ccan suppress transmission of external force to the vial12.

In the above description, the heat-shrinkable film4wraps the range from the sealing portion10of the vial12to the side surface of the cushioning container16. However, the heat-shrinkable film4may wrap a range from below the sealing portion10of the vial12through the shoulder8to the side surface of the cushioning container16as shown inFIG. 13, or may wrap the connection portion where the shoulder8of the vial12and the trunk5are connected to each other, and the surrounding of the connection portion as shown inFIG. 14. When the connection portion and its surrounding are wrapped, it is possible to reduce the quantity of the heat-shrinkable film4to be used.

As shown inFIG. 15, an adhesive portion4amay be formed on the back surface of the heat-shrinkable film4. In a state where the vial12and the cushioning container16adhere to the heat-shrinkable film4by means of the adhesive portion4a, the vial12and the cushioning container16are wrapped. Thus, the gap20is sealed, and it is possible to enhance the cushion effect of the gap20. In addition, as shown inFIG. 16, a printed portion4bmay be provided to the heat-shrinkable film4.

Although the embodiments of The invention have been described above, The invention is not limited to the specific description thereof, and the illustrated configurations and the like can be combined as appropriate within a range where there is no technical contradiction, to practice The invention, or a certain element or process can be substituted with a known form to practice The invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE CHARACTERS