Patent Publication Number: US-9839928-B2

Title: Pumping container for blocking air

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a pumping container, and more particularly, to an air-blocking type pumping container in which contents accommodated in the container is kept in a sealed condition. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     In general, fluid including cosmetics such as lotion and toner, perfumes, shampoo, rinse and liquid detergent etc. is mostly contained and stored in a certain container, and is discharged in a fixed amount through an inlet of the container and used, if required. 
     At this time, a pumping cap is used which includes a pumping part performing an up-and-down pumping movement to discharge the liquid contents accommodated in the container in a fixed amount, and the container including the pumping cap thus performing the up-and-down pumping movement is called a pumping container. 
     The pumping container discharges a fixed amount of the contents to the outside of the container whenever the pumping part of the pumping cap is pressed once, and therefore, effects can be expected that unnecessary use of the fluid can be prevented and that ingress of foreign matters into the container can be prevented as the container does not need to be opened when using the fluid contents. Furthermore, in a case where volatile components are contained in the fluid contents accommodated in the container, emission of volatile substance into the atmosphere due to opening of the container can be blocked. Therefore, an effected is provided that the change of components of the fluid contents can be prevented, and therefore the pumping container is a useful article of which use and propagation are gradually increased. 
     A prior art regarding a pumping container for such a use is disclosed in Korean Laid-Open Patent Application No. 10-2013-0070023. 
     The pumping container of the prior art includes a main body for accommodating the contents, a pumping part coupled to an inlet of the container and including a pressing element and a pipe member, and a suction line connected to the pumping part. 
     In the case of the prior pumping container with the above-mentioned construction, when the contents are discharged or spurted to be used by operating the pipe member of the pumping part, external air may be introduced into the container in a volume corresponding to a used amount of the contents. 
     When the contents present in the pumping container contact with the introduced air thus, the contents may be denatured by bacteria, molds or microorganism etc. contained in the air. Furthermore, there is a problem that the contents is simultaneously oxidization-denatured by the oxygen contained in the when stored for a long period of time. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     Therefore, an object of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is to provide an air-blocking type pumping container which includes an air blocking member for preventing beforehand the contents remaining in the container from contacting with the introduced air, by receiving and collecting the air introduced into the inside of the blocking member in a volume equal to that of the contents discharged from the container. 
     Solution to the Problem 
     An air-blocking type pumping container for achieving the above-mentioned object of the present invention includes a container for accommodating liquid contents; a pumping cap coupled to an inlet of the container and for discharging the contents accommodated in the container according to pumping operation; a suction line coupled to the pumping cap and for sucking the contents accommodated in the container according to operation of a pumping part; and an air blocking member for preventing beforehand the contents remaining in the container from contacting with the introduced air, by receiving and collecting the air introduced into the inside of the air blocking member in a volume equal to that of the contents discharged from the container by the pumping operation. 
     According to an embodiment of the air-blocking type pumping container, in the pumping cap an air inlet is formed through which external air can be introduced into the inside of the air blocking member in the pumping operation. 
     As an example, the air-blocking member is an air collection part having a size such that the air collection pare can fully fill the inside of the container when expanded and accommodates the suction line and the pumping part of the pumping cap, wherein a lower end of the air blocking member is coupled to a lower part of the suction line such that a suction opening of the suction line is exposed and an upper end of the air blocking member is closely contactingly fixed to a lower surface of the coupling cap of the pumping cap facing the inlet of the container. 
     As another example, the air blocking member has a lower part which surrounds the suction line while exposing the suction opening of the suction line, and an upper part which is closely contactingly and integrally fixed to the lower surface of the coupling cap of the pumping cap facing the inlet of the container while surrounding the pumping part of the pumping cap, and the air blocking member is an air collection part which is expanded so as to collect the air in a volume equal to that of the discharged contents. 
     Effects of the Invention 
     The air-blocking type pumping container having the construction described above can prevent beforehand the contents remaining in the container from contacting with the introduced air, by receiving the air introduced into the inside of the blocking member in a volume equal to that of the used contents accommodated in the container. 
     That is to say, the air-blocking type pumping container can keep the contents accommodated in the container sealed off from the outside by the blocking member so that the contents do not contact with the air, and therefore, a problem can be prevented that the contents are contaminated or oxidized and thus the shelf life of the contents is rapidly shortened. 
     Furthermore, such an air-blocking type pumping container can prevent beforehand the fluid contents accommodated therein from contacting with the air, and thus can be more effectively used as a container for natural cosmetics with no antiseptic or preservative. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an air-blocking type pumping container according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a view showing change of the state of the air-blocking member according to the discharge of the contents in the air-blocking type pumping container. 
     
    
    
     BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     An air-blocking type pumping container of the present invention includes a container for accommodating liquid contents; a pumping cap coupled to an inlet of the container and for discharging the contents accommodated in the container according to pumping operation; a suction line coupled to the pumping cap and for sucking the contents according to the pumping operation; and an air blocking member for preventing beforehand the contents remaining in the container from contacting with the introduced air, by receiving and collecting the air introduced into the inside of the air blocking member in a volume equal to that of the contents discharged from the container by the pumping operation. 
     In the following, an air-blocking type pumping container according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. The present invention may be subject to various modifications and may have various forms. Specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific form disclosed, and the present should be understood to cover all of modifications, equivalents and substitutes included within the concept and technical scope of the present invention. Like elements are designated by like reference numerals in each figure. In the attached drawings, the dimensions of parts are exaggerated compared to actual dimensions for the sake of clarity of the present invention. 
     The terms “a first ˜”, “a second ˜” etc. may be used for describing various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another element. For example, a first element may be named a second element and similarly, a second element may be named a first element, without departing from the scope of claims of the present invention. 
     Terms used in the present application are used to only describe a specific embodiment and are not intended to limit the present invention. Expression in the singular form includes expression in the plural form unless otherwise stated explicitly in the context. In the present application, it should be understood that terms such as “comprise (or include)”, “have” etc. and derivatives thereof designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, actions, elements, parts or combinations thereof stated in the specification and do not previously exclude a possibility of presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, elements, parts or combinations thereof. 
     Meanwhile, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein including technical or scientific terms have the same meaning as that commonly understood by those skilled in the art. 
     Terms as defined in a dictionary usually used should be interpreted to have their meaning identical to contextual meaning of related art, and are not interpreted as ideal or excessive formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the application. 
       FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an air-blocking type pumping container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the air-blocking type pumping container ( 100 ) according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a container ( 110 ) for accommodating liquid contents ( 105 ), a pumping cap ( 120 ) for discharging the accommodated contents to the outside by pumping operation, a suction line ( 140 ) for sucking the contents according to the pumping operation, and an air-blocking member ( 130 ) for preventing beforehand the contents remaining in the container from contacting with air. 
     The container ( 110 ) is an accommodating part having a space for accommodating the liquid contents and may be produced by injection molding. Threads capable of being engaged with the pumping cap are formed on an outer circumferential surface of an inlet of the container ( 110 ). For example, the container ( 110 ) used in the present invention may have various shapes such as circular shape, gourd bottle shape, cylindrical shape, and rectangular column shape. 
     The container ( 110 ) illustrated in the drawings is merely one example and containers of various shapes such as various cosmetics containers, shampoo containers, spray containers etc. may be employed. Furthermore, the contents accommodated in the container are material of liquid state and may include cosmetics, food and beverage, shampoo etc. 
     The pumping cap ( 120 ) is coupled with the inlet of the container ( 110 ) and is configured so that the liquid contents accommodated in the container can be discharged to the outside according to the pumping operation of a pumping part ( 122 ). 
     For example, the pumping cap ( 120 ) used in the present invention may have the same structure as widely used conventional pumping caps, and may mainly include a pumping head ( 126 ), the pumping part ( 122 ) and a coupling cap ( 124 ) for fixing the pumping part to the container. 
     In particular, the pumping cap ( 120 ) used in the air-blocking type container ( 100 ) of the present invention is characterized in that in the pumping cap an air inlet ( 128 ) is formed through which external air can be introduced into the inside of the air-blocking member ( 130 ) due to reduction of pressure in the container resulting from outward discharge of the contents by the pumping operation of the pumping part ( 122 ). 
     For example, the air inlet ( 128 ) extends through an upper part of the coupling cap ( 124 ) included in the pumping cap ( 120 ) and communicates with the air-blocking member ( 130 ). 
     The suction line ( 140 ) is connected to an end of the pumping part ( 122 ) of the pumping cap and has a length such that the contents accommodated in the container ( 110 ) can pass through a suction opening of the suction line and then be completely discharged to the outside through the pumping head ( 126 ) included in the pumping cap by the pumping operation of the pumping part included in the pumping cap. 
     The blocking member ( 130 ) serves to prevent beforehand the contents ( 105 ) remaining in the container from contacting with the introduced air, by receiving and collecting the air introduced into the inside of the blocking member in a volume equal to that of the contents discharged from the container ( 110 ) by the pumping operation. 
     For example, the air-blocking member ( 130 ) is provided inside the container ( 110 ) in order to keep the contents accommodated in the container ( 110 ) sealed off from the outside and is an air collection pocket having a structure of being expanded by receiving the air introduced into the inside of the pocket in a volume equal to that of the contents ( 105 ) discharged from the container by the pumping operation of the pumping part ( 122 ) included in the pumping cap ( 120 ). For example, the air collection pocket may be produced as plastic bag. 
     More particularly, the air-blocking member ( 130 ) of the present invention is the air collection pocket having a size such that the pocket can fully fill the inside of the container ( 110 ) when expanded and has a size allowing the suction line ( 140 ) and the pumping part of the pumping cap ( 120 ) to be accommodated in the blocking member. A lower end of the blocking member is integrally coupled or fixed to an outer surface of a lower part of the suction line ( 140 ) such that the suction opening of the suction line is exposed and an upper end of the blocking member is closely contactingly fixed to a lower surface of the coupling cap of the pumping cap facing the inlet of the container ( 110 ). 
     At this time, the upper end of the air-blocking member ( 130 ) may be in a state where it is closely contactingly fixed and thus integrally coupled to the lower surface of the coupling cap of the pumping cap ( 120 ) by means of a close contacting member ( 132 ) such as O-ring. 
       FIG. 2  is a view showing change of the state of the air-blocking member according to the discharge of the contents in the air-blocking type pumping container. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the air blocking member (air collection pocket) coupled so as to surround the pumping part ( 122 ) of the pumping cap and the suction line ( 140 ) is in communication with the air inlet ( 128 ) formed in the coupling cap ( 124 ) of the pumping cap and thus can be expanded by receiving the air through the air inlet ( 128 ) in a volume equal to that of the contents discharged from the container by the pumping operation of the pumping part ( 122 ). 
     That is to say, the expansion of the air blocking member ( 130 ) is achieved by a fact that the air is introduced through the air inlet ( 128 ) by a force due to the reduction of pressure in the sealed container ( 110 ) occurring when discharging the contents accommodated in the container ( 110 ). 
     Therefore, in the case of using the contents with the use of the pumping container ( 100 ), the air is not introduced into the container, but into the inside of the air blocking member ( 130 ), and thus sealed condition can be kept which prevents the contents ( 105 ) from contacting with polluted air. By keeping the contents in the sealed condition in such a way, a problem can be prevented that the contents accommodated in the container ( 110 ) are denatured or oxidized. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The air-blocking type pumping container according to the present invention can be industrially applied as the containers for storing the detergent, beverage and cosmetics.