Patent Publication Number: US-11639249-B2

Title: Tube container holder

Description:
This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-084549, filed on May 13, 2020, which is incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a tube container holder from which a tube container can be suspended. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Tube containers are widely used as containers for fluid products such as cosmetics such as face wash and shampoo, seasonings such as mayonnaise and ketchup, and building materials such as sealants and adhesives. In a tube container having a typical structure, one end of a tubular body that is made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene is sealed, a discharge port is provided at the other end, and a removable lid is attached to the discharge port. In a case where a product filled in such a tube container is used, when the amount of the content of the tube container is reduced, the product may adhere to the inner surface of a portion away from the discharge port of the tube container, and it may be difficult to discharge the product from the container. 
     In view of such a problem, a technique for supporting the tube container in an orientation in which the discharge port thereof is located downward is disclosed. This is because, if the tube container is stored in an orientation in which the discharge port thereof is located downward, the content of the tube container moves toward the discharge port under its own weight, and the content can easily be discharged. For example, JP 2015-9825A (Patent Document 1) discloses an inverting stand instrument that can support a tube container in an orientation in which the discharge port is located downward. This instrument receives the lid of the tube container in a space formed with a plurality of flexible ribs, and therefore the instrument can be attached to a tube container regardless of the size of the tube container (lid). Also, JP 2003-170948A (Patent Document 2) discloses a tube container that is provided with a through hole at one end that is sealed. With this tube container, the through hole can be locked to a hook or the like that is provided on a wall surface so that the tube container can be supported in an orientation in which the discharge port is located downward. 
     PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS 
     Patent Documents 
     Patent Document 1: JP 2015-9825A 
     Patent Document 2: JP 2003-170948A 
     Patent Document 3: Microfilm of Japanese Utility Model Application No. S63-3555 (JP 01-108275U1) 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Problems to be Solved by the Invention 
     However, with the technique according to Patent Document 1, the inverting stand instrument may come loose from the lid when the lid is attached to or detached from the inverting stand instrument, and it may be necessary to reattach the inverting stand instrument to the lid. Also, with the technique according to Patent Document 2, it is necessary to provide a through hole during the manufacturing stage of the tube container, and the technique cannot be applied to a tube container without a through hole. 
     Therefore, there is demand for realizing a tube container holder that can support a tube container in an orientation in which the discharge port thereof is located downward, in a highly versatile manner while reducing the number of times the tube container holder is attached to or detached from the tube container. 
     Means for Solving Problems 
     The tube container holder according to the present invention is a tube container holder from which a tube container that has a sealing portion provided at one end thereof and a discharge port portion provided at the other end thereof can be suspended such that the discharge port portion is located downward, the tube container holder comprising: an attaching portion configured to attach the tube container holder to an attachment-target object; and a sandwiching portion having a groove portion that is configured such that the sealing portion is insertable thereinto, and configured to sandwich the sealing portion when the sealing portion is inserted into the groove portion, wherein the sandwiching portion includes a first wall portion, a second wall portion, and a partition portion that define the groove portion, the first wall portion and the second wall portion extend in a first direction that is parallel with a width direction of the sealing portion when the sealing portion is sandwiched, and the partition portion: extends from the first wall portion or the second wall portion in a direction that is opposite a direction in which the tube container is suspended; and extends in the first direction in a space defined by the first wall portion and the second wall portion. 
     A tube container holder with such a configuration can be attached to a sealing portion side of a tube container, and therefore the tube container holder, when attached, does not prevent the content from being discharged. Therefore, it is unnecessary to remove the tube container holder from the tube container except when the tube container is empty and the tube container is to be replaced. Also, the tube container holder is configured to be able to sandwich the sealing portion of the tube container, and therefore the tube container holder can be applied to various tube containers without applying any special processing to the tube container in advance. 
     The following describes preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited by the preferred embodiments described below. 
     It is preferable that, in the tube container holder according to the present invention, a separation distance between the partition portion and whichever of the first wall portion or the second wall portion that is not continuous with the partition portion gradually decreases from one end side of the groove portion in the first direction to the other end side. 
     In the tube container holder with this configuration, the groove portion is provided with a wide portion into which the sealing portion of the tube container can easily be inserted, and a narrow portion that is likely to reliably sandwich the sealing portion. Therefore, it is possible to realize a tube container holder that can easily be attached and is also less likely to be detached. 
     In one aspect of the tube container holder according to the present invention, it is preferable that at least the first wall portion or the second wall portion has a cutout portion in one end portion thereof in the first direction. 
     In the tube container holder with this configuration, the cutout portion can guide the sealing portion of the tube container while folding it. Therefore, it is easy to attach the tube container holder to the tube container. 
     Further features and advantages of the present invention will be further clarified by the following illustration of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments described with reference to the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a tube container holder according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    is a left side view of the tube container holder according to the embodiment. 
         FIG.  3    is a right side view of the tube container holder according to the embodiment. 
         FIG.  4    is a bottom view of the tube container holder according to the embodiment. 
         FIG.  5    is a front view of the tube container holder according to the embodiment. 
         FIG.  6    is a top view of the tube container holder according to the embodiment. 
         FIG.  7    is a rear view of the tube container holder according to the embodiment. 
         FIG.  8    is a perspective view showing a usage state of the tube container holder according to the embodiment. 
         FIG.  9    is a left side view showing a usage state of the tube container holder according to the embodiment. 
         FIG.  10    is a perspective view showing a usage state of a tube container holder according to another embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     An embodiment of a tube container holder according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following describes an example in which the tube container holder according to the present invention is applied to a tube container holder  1  for suspending a tube container  4  filled with cosmetics such as face wash by attaching it to a base member B (example of an attachment-target object). 
     Usage State 
     Before describing a specific configuration of the tube container holder  1  according to the present embodiment, the following describes a usage state thereof.  FIGS.  8  and  9    show a state in which the tube container holder  1  is used so that the tube container  4  is attached to and suspended from the base member B. The tube container  4  is formed of a tubular body made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene. A sealing portion  42  that is formed by thermally fusing a thermoplastic resin is provided to seal one end portion thereof and a discharge port portion from which the contents of the container (in this embodiment, cosmetics such as face wash) can be discharged is provided at the other end portion. Note that  FIG.  8    shows a state in which a cap  41  is attached to the discharge port portion. 
     Configuration of Tube Container Holder 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1  to  7   , the tube container holder  1  according to the present embodiment is a member curved into a bow shape, and is provided with a sandwiching portion  2  at one end thereof and an attaching portion  3  at the other end thereof. The sandwiching portion  2  can sandwich the sealing portion  42  of the tube container  4 , and the attaching portion  3  can attach the tube container holder  1  to the base member B. The tube container holder  1  is integrally molded using a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene or ABS. 
     The sandwiching portion  2  is provided with a groove portion  21  into which the sealing portion  42  of the tube container  4  can be inserted. As a result of the sealing portion  42  being inserted into the groove portion  21 , the sealing portion  42  is sandwiched and fixed by the sandwiching portion  2 . As shown in  FIG.  1   , the groove portion  21  extends in a first direction X. Here, the first direction X is a direction that is parallel with the width direction of the sealing portion  42  when the sealing portion  42  is sandwiched. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  2  and  3   , the groove portion  21  is defined by a first wall portion  23 , a second wall portion  24 , and a partition portion  22  that is continuous with the second wall portion  24 . The first wall portion  23 , the second wall portion  24 , and the partition portion  22  all extend in the first direction X. The partition portion  22  of these portions is provided between the first wall portion  23  and the second wall portion  24 . More specifically, the partition portion  22  extends from the second wall portion  24  in the direction opposite the direction in which the tube container  4  is suspended when used. Therefore, it can be said that the shape of the groove portion  21  is a shape formed by partitioning a space whose outer edge is defined by the first wall portion  23  and the second wall portion  24 , using the partition portion  22 . The portion of the groove portion  21  defined by the first wall portion  23  and the partition portion  22  is open in a second direction Y, and the portion of the same defined by the second wall portion  24  and the partition portion  22  is closed in the second direction Y. Note that the second direction Y is the direction in which the tube container  4  is suspended when the sealing portion  42  is sandwiched by the sandwiching portion  2  ( FIG.  8   ). 
     As shown in  FIGS.  2  to  4   , the groove portion  21  is configured such that both the separation distance between the first wall portion  23  and the partition portion  22  and the separation distance between the second wall portion  24  and the partition portion  22  gradually decrease from one end side (the left side ( FIG.  2   )) to the other end side (the right side ( FIG.  3   )) in the first direction X. Also, as shown in  FIG.  5   , a cutout portion  25  is provided in the outer edge on one end side (the left side ( FIG.  2   )) of the second wall portion  24 . 
     The attaching portion  3  is formed in a hook shape, and can attach the tube container holder  1  to an attachment-target object such as the base member B. As shown in  FIGS.  1  to  3   , the attaching portion  3  is provided on the opposite side to the side toward which the tube container holder  1  formed in a bow shape is warped. 
     Method for Using Tube Container Holder 
     As shown in  FIGS.  8  and  9    in the usage state of the tube container holder  1  according to the present embodiment, the sealing portion  42  of the tube container  4  is sandwiched by the sandwiching portion  2  provided at one end portion of the tube container holder  1 . The attaching portion  3  in a hook shape provided at the other end portion of the tube container holder  1  is hooked to the base member B, and thus the tube container holder  1  is attached to the base member B. At this time, the tube container  4  is suspended such that the discharge port portion (the cap  41  in  FIG.  8   ) is located downward. 
     Note that the base member B is a member that can be fixed to a wall surface or the like, and is provided with a groove B 1  to which the attaching portion  3  formed in a hook shape can be hooked.  FIG.  8    shows an example in which a tray H 1  and a shaver holder H 2  are attached to the base member B, in addition to the tube container holder  1 . Attaching portions that have the same shape as the attaching portion  3  of the tube container holder  1  are respectively attached to the tray H 1  and the shaver holder H 2 . In this way, by combining a plurality of members that have attaching portions formed into the same shape, and are provided with supporting portions (the sandwiching portion  2  in the case of the tube container holder  1 ) that have different shapes and can support different target objects, it is possible to form supporting members that can support any target object desired by the user. 
     When the sealing portion  42  of the tube container  4  is to be sandwiched by the sandwiching portion  2  of the tube container holder  1 , the sealing portion  42  is inserted into the groove portion  21 . At this time, the width on the left side ( FIG.  2   ) of the groove portion  21  in a third direction Z is formed so as to be larger than that of the right side ( FIG.  3   ). Therefore, it is easier to insert the sealing portion  42  from the left side of the groove portion  21 . 
     At this time, the sealing portion  42  is bent in advance and inserted into the groove portion  21  so that the sealing portion  42  extends along the first wall portion  23  and the second wall portion  24 . As a result of this operation, the sealing portion  42  is sandwiched in the state of being displaced toward the left side of the groove portion  21 . That is to say, a portion of the sealing portion  42  is sandwiched by the sandwiching portion  2 , and the rest thereof is not sandwiched by the sandwiching portion  2 . Also, the portion of the sealing portion  42  sandwiched by the sandwiching portion  2  is folded back along the first wall portion  23  and the second wall portion  24 , and the portion not sandwiched by the sandwiching portion  2  is not folded back. 
     Finally, the sealing portion  42  (the tube container  4 ) sandwiched in the state of being displaced toward the left side of the groove portion  21  is moved toward the right side of the groove portion  21 . At this time, the sealing portion  42  is moved toward the portion of the groove portion  21  with a small width, and as a result, the sealing portion  42  is firmly sandwiched by the sandwiching portion  2 . Through the above-described operations, the sealing portion  42  (the tube container  4 ) is completely sandwiched. Here, the entire sealing portion  42  is folded back along the first wall portion  23  and the second wall portion  24 . Therefore, it is possible to desirably prevent the sealing portion  42  from falling out of the sandwiching portion  2 . 
     Note that when the sealing portion  42  is moved toward the right side of the groove portion  21 , the cutout portion  25  provided in the outer edge on the left side of the second wall portion  24  achieves the effect of guiding the sealing portion  42 , which is moved toward the right side of the groove portion  21 , while folding it, as with a “three-roll presser” used in sewing machines (for example, see the microfilm of Japanese Utility Model Application No. S63-3555 (JP 01-108275U1) (Patent Document 3)). 
     When the sealing portion  42  of the tube container  4  is inserted into the groove portion  21 , the sealing portion  42  is housed on the second wall portion  24 -side of the groove portion  21 , and the portion of the tube container  4  continuous with the sealing portion  42  is housed on the first wall portion  23 -side of the groove portion  21 . As a result, the sealing portion  42  is guided by the second wall portion  24  and the partition portion  22 , and the portion of the tube container  4  continuous with the sealing portion  42  is guided by the first wall portion  23  and the partition portion  22 , separately. This is because the partition portion  22  extends in the direction opposite the direction in which the tube container  4  is suspended when used. 
     Also, the folded portion of the tube container  4  abuts against the upper end of the partition portion  22 . In the state where the tube container  4  is inserted into the groove portion  21  in this orientation, even if a load is applied downward to the tube container  4 , the tube container  4  is prevented from falling out of the groove portion  21  because the folded portion of the tube container  4  abuts against the partition portion  22 . 
     The attaching portion  3  of the tube container holder  1  in which the sealing portion  42  is sandwiched by the sandwiching portion  2  is hooked to the base member B, and thus the tube container holder  1  is hooked to the base member B. At this time, due to the weight of the tube container  4 , the tube container  4  is orientated so as to be suspended ( FIG.  8   ). That is to say, the tube container  4  is held in a suspended orientation in which the sealing portion  42  is located upward and the discharge port portion (the cap  41 ) is located downward. 
     When the content of the tube container  4  is to be used, first, the cap  41  is removed from the tube container  4  suspended from the base member B. Upon the tube container  4  being pressed, the content is discharged from the discharge port portion. At this time, the tube container  4  is in a suspended orientation in which the discharge port portion is located downward, and therefore the content is unevenly distributed on the discharge port portion side in the tube container  4 . As a result, it is possible to smoothly discharge the content. Also, as is clear from the above-described procedures, it is possible to discharge the content without removing the tube container  4  from the base member B. 
     However, it is possible to perform the operation to discharge the content after removing the tube container  4  from the base member B. In such a case, it is only necessary to perform the operation to discharge the content with the tube container holder  1  being attached to the tube container  4 , and it is unnecessary to release the state in which the tube container holder  1  sandwiches the tube container  4 . The tube container  4  need only be suspended from the base member B upon the content being discharged. 
     Other Embodiments 
     Finally, other embodiments of the tube container holder according to the present invention will be described. Note that the configurations disclosed in the following embodiments may be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in another embodiment as long as no contradiction arises. 
     The above embodiment describes, as an example, a configuration in which the width of the groove portion  21  in the third direction Z gradually decreases from one end side to the other end side in the first direction X. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the width of the groove portion in the third direction may be uniform from one end side to the other end side in the first direction. Also, the width of a portion of the groove portion (for example, only the separation distance between the partition portion and whichever of the first wall portion or the second wall portion that is not continuous with the partition portion) may be configured to gradually decrease from one end side to the other end side in the first direction. 
     The above embodiment describes, as an example, a configuration in which the cutout portion  25  is provided in the outer edge on one end side of the second wall portion  24 . However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the cutout portion may be provided in the first wall portion, or may be omitted. Note that, if a cutout portion is provided in a mode in which the width of at least a portion of the groove portion gradually decreases, it is preferable that the cutout portion is provided on one end side of the groove portion where the width thereof is large. 
     The above embodiment describes, as an example, a configuration in which the attaching portion  3  is formed in a hook shape, and can attach the tube container holder  1  to an attachment-target object such as the base member B. However, the configuration of the attaching portion  3  is not specifically limited as long as it can attach the tube container holder to the attachment-target object, and may be freely selected according to the mode of the attachment-target object. For example,  FIG.  10    shows an example in which the attachment-target object is a rod-shaped member B′ (for example, a towel hanger), and the tube container holder  1  in the above-described embodiment is also attachable to the rod-shaped member B′. Also, if the attachment-target object is a magnet board, the attaching portion may be a magnet. 
     The size of the tube container holder according to the present invention is not specifically limited, and may be freely selected according to the size of the tube container that is to be sandwiched. Specifically, if the width of the tube container holder in the first direction is substantially the same as, or smaller than, the width of the sealing portion of the tube container, the tube container holder is less likely to be an obstacle when the content of the tube container is discharged. 
     The material used to form the tube container holder according to the present invention is not specifically limited as long as it is elastic enough to sandwich the tube container. For example, the tube container holder according to the present invention may be made of a thermoplastic resin. In addition to polypropylene and ABS described in the above embodiment, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyester, polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, silicone resin, or the like may be used. In addition, synthetic rubber such as styrene-butadiene rubber, nitrile rubber, or silicone rubber, or a metal material such as stainless steel may also be used. When the tube container holder according to the present invention is used at the same time as other members such as the tray H 1  and the shaver holder H 2  according to the above embodiment, if the material of the tube container holder is the same as that of the other members, it is possible to achieve a design effect that has a uniform texture. 
     It should be understood that, regarding other configurations, the embodiments disclosed herein are exemplary in all respects and the scope of the invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art will be able to easily understand that modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, other embodiments modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention are naturally included in the scope of the present invention. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The present invention can be applied to tube containers for various products e.g., cosmetics such as facial cleanser and shampoo, seasonings such as mayonnaise and ketchup, and building materials such as sealants and adhesives, and can be used to attach such a tube container to a support member so as to be suspended therefrom. 
     DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SIGNS 
       1 : Tube Container Holder 
       2 : Sandwiching Portion 
       21 : Groove Portion 
       22 : Partition Wall Portion 
       23 : First Wall Portion 
       24 : Second Wall Portion 
       25 : Cutout Portion 
       3 : Attaching Portion 
       4 : Tube Container 
       41 : Cap 
       42 : Sealing Portion 
     B: Base Member 
     X: First Direction 
     Y: Second Direction 
     Z: Third Direction