Patent Publication Number: US-2023144747-A1

Title: Spring for pumping-type container and pumping-type container including same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0153721, filed on Nov. 10, 2021 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a pumping-type container having a structure for discharging liquid content stored in a container part thereof little by little through pumping by a button pressing operation. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     A pumping-type container having a structure for discharging liquid content stored in a container part thereof through pumping by a button pressing operation has a spring for, when the button is pressed downward, accumulating an elastic force by which the button can ascend to the original position. 
       FIG.  10    is a view showing a conventional spring for a pumping-type container, and  FIG.  11    is a view showing a pumping-type container in which the conventional spring for a pumping-type container is installed. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  10   , a spring  180  for a pumping-type container includes an upper support plate  181  having a circular upper through-hole  181   a  extending therethrough, a lower support plate  182  disposed below the upper support plate  181 , and a first helical part  183  and a second helical part  184  installed between the upper support plate  181  and the lower support plate  182  such that the upper ends thereof are fixed to the bottom surface of the upper support plate  181  and the lower ends thereof are fixed to the upper surface of the lower support plate  182 . 
     The lower support plate  182  has a lower through-hole  182   a  extending through the center thereof. 
     The first helical part  183  has a left-hand helical shape. 
     The first helical part  183  has a helical trajectory of which the rotation angle is 720 degrees. 
     The first helical part  183  has no point connected to the second helical part  184  and includes a uniform cross-sectional area as a whole. 
     The second helical part  184  has a left-hand helical shape. 
     The second helical part  184  is configured such that the upper end of thereof is fixed to a point of the bottom surface of the upper support plate  181 , which is linearly symmetric to a point to which the upper end of the first helical part  183  is fixed, with reference to the center line (see “C” of  FIG.  4   ) of the upper through-hole  181   a , and the lower end of thereof is fixed to a point of the upper surface of the lower support plate  182 , which is linearly symmetric to a point to which the lower end of the first helical part  183  is fixed, with reference to the center line (see “C” of  FIG.  4   ) of the lower through-hole  182   a.    
     The second helical part  184  has a helical trajectory of which the rotation angle is 720 degrees. 
     The second helical part  184  includes a uniform cross-sectional area as a whole. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  11   , the spring  180  for a pumping-type container is installed inside a container part  110  such that the upper support plate  181  is supported on a pressing member  170  and the lower support plate  182  is supported on a spring support member  150 . 
     Hereinafter, the operation of the spring  180  for a pumping-type container will be described. 
     First, when the button  140  is pressed toward the container part  110 , the pressing member  170  is descended and thus an elastic force is accumulated in the spring  180  for a pumping-type container. 
     Next, when the operation of pressing the button  140  is stopped, the button  140  is ascended by the elastic force accumulated in the spring  180  for a pumping-type container. 
     However, in the case of the conventional spring  180  for a pumping-type container, the first helical part  183  and the second helical part  184  are separated from each other. Therefore, there is a problem in that the first helical part  183  and the second helical part  184  are independently elastically deformed when the button  140  is pressed. 
     When the first helical part  183  and the second helical part  184  are independently elastically deformed, the degree of deformation of the first helical part  183  and the second helical part  184  in the direction of the plate surface of the upper support plate  181  increases when the button  140  is pressed. Therefore, the degree of deformation of the first helical part  183  and the second helical part  184  in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the upper support plate  181  decreases. 
     When the degree of deformation of the first helical part  183  and the second helical part  184  in the direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the upper support plate  181  decreases, the elastic force accumulated in the spring  180  for a pumping-type container is reduced. Therefore, the button  140  cannot stably ascend. 
     In addition, when the first helical part  183  and the second helical part  184  are independently elastically deformed, the variance in the magnitude and direction of the elastic force accumulated in the spring  180  increases. 
     When the variance in the magnitude and direction of the elastic force accumulated in the spring  180  increases, the button  140  should be pressed after an appropriate pressing position or pressing direction of the button  140  is selected. Therefore, the pressing operation of the button  140  becomes inconvenient. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a spring for a pumping-type container and a pumping-type container including the same, wherein a first helical part and a second helical part of the spring are elastically deformable in a mutually restricted state during a button pressing operation. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a spring for a pumping-type container may include: an upper support plate having a circular upper through-hole extending therethrough; a lower support plate which has a circular lower through-hole and is disposed below the upper support plate such that the lower through-hole is aligned with the upper through-hole; a first helical part having a circular helical shape and installed between the upper support plate and the lower support plate such that the upper end thereof is fixed to the bottom surface of the upper support plate and the lower end thereof is fixed to the upper surface of the lower support plate; and a second helical part having a circular helical shape extending in a direction identical to that of the first helical part and installed between the upper support plate and the lower support plate such that the upper end thereof is fixed at a point of the bottom surface of the upper support plate, which is linearly symmetric to a point at which the upper end of the first helical part is fixed, with reference to the center line of the upper through-hole, and the lower end thereof is fixed at a point of the upper surface of the lower support plate, which is linearly symmetric to a point at which the lower end of the first helical part is fixed, with reference to the center line of the lower through-hole. 
     In addition, in order to increase an elastic force accumulated in the first helical part and the second helical part during a pressing operation of the button: in the first helical part, a section descending from the upper end thereof to the first helical lower-surface connection point and a section descending from the first helical upper-surface connection point to the lower end thereof may have cross-sectional areas larger than that of a section descending from the first helical lower-surface connection point to the first helical upper-surface connection point; and in the second helical part, a section descending from the upper end thereof to the second helical lower-surface connection point and a section descending from the second helical upper-surface connection point to the lower end thereof may have cross-sectional areas larger than that of a section descending from the second helical lower-surface connection point to the second helical upper-surface connection point. 
     According to the present disclosure, during a button pressing operation, a first helical part and a second helical part are elastically deformed in a mutually restricted state. 
     When the first helical part and the second helical part are elastically deformed in a mutually restricted state, the degree of deformation of the first helical part and the second helical part in the direction toward the plate surface of an upper support plate is reduced small. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the degree of deformation of the first helical part and the second helical part in the direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the upper support plate during a button pressing operation. 
     When the degree of deformation of the first helical part and the second helical part in the direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the upper support plate is prevented from decreasing, it is possible to prevent the elastic force accumulated in the spring for a pumping-type container from decreasing. Therefore, the button can stably ascend. 
     In addition, when the first helical part and the second helical part are elastically deformed in a mutually restricted state, the variance in the magnitude and direction of the elastic force accumulated in the spring decreases. 
     When the variance in the magnitude and direction of the elastic force accumulated in the spring decreases, the range of selection of the button pressing position or pressing direction increases, thereby making the button pressing operation convenient. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a combined perspective view of a cosmetic container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is an exploded perspective view of a cosmetic container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is a cross-sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  4    is a view showing perspective views of a spring for a pumping-type container, which are respectively seen from the front, rear, left, and right thereof, together with a plan view thereof, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    is a view showing a first helical part according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  6    is a view showing a cylinder valve according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIGS.  7  and  8    are views showing a method of using a cosmetic container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively; 
         FIG.  9 A  and  FIG.  9 B  are views showing a spring for a pumping-type container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively, and  FIG.  9 B  is a view in which  FIG.  9 A  is rotated clockwise by 90 degrees; 
         FIG.  10    is a view showing a spring for a conventional pumping-type container; and 
         FIG.  11    is a view showing a pumping-type container in which a conventional spring for a pumping-type container is installed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     A pumping-type container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a container part  10  including a container side part  11  having a straight tube shape, a container neck part  12  disposed on the upper end of the container side part  11 , and a container bottom part  13  configured to seal the lower end opening of the container side part  11 ; a cylinder  20  installed inside the container part  10 ; an inner cap  30  coupled to the container neck part  12 ; a button  40  installed above the inner cap  30 ; a spring support member  50  coupled to the cylinder  20 ; a cylinder piston  60  installed inside the cylinder  20 ; a pressing member  70  coupled to the button  40 ; a spring  80  installed between the button  40  and the cylinder  20 ; an intermediate channel member  91  coupled to the pressing member  70 ; a cylinder valve  92  which is installed inside the cylinder  20  and has a function of a check valve; a container piston  93  installed inside the container part  10 ; and a container cap  94  installed to surround the button  40  and the inner cap  30 . 
     The container bottom part  13  has an air ventilation hole  13   a  extending therethrough. 
     The cylinder  20  includes a cylinder side part  21  having a straight tube shape, and a cylinder bottom part  22  configured to seal the lower end of the cylinder side part  21 . 
     The cylinder bottom part  22  has an inlet hole  22   a  extending through the center thereof. 
     The cylinder  20  is installed inside the container part  10  such that the cylinder bottom part  22  is disposed inside the container side part  11 . 
     The inner cap  30  includes an inner cap side part  31  having a straight tube shape, and a button guide tube part  33  extending upward from the upper end of the inner cap side part  31 . 
     The inner cap  30  is coupled to the container neck part  12  through the inner cap side part  31 . 
     The button  40  includes a button side part  41  having a straight tube shape, a button ceiling part  42  configured to seal the upper end of the button side part  41 , a vertical button channel part  43  which has a straight tube shape and is disposed on the bottom surface of the button ceiling part  42  so as to be side by side with the button side part  41 , and a horizontal button channel part  44  which has a straight tube shape, is connected to the upper end of the vertical button channel part  43 , and is disposed on the bottom surface of the button ceiling part  42  so as to be perpendicular to the button side part  41 . 
     The button  40  is installed above the inner cap  30  so as to be able to ascend or descend along in the height direction of the container side part  11  along the button guide tube part  33 . 
     The spring support member  50  includes a support member fastening part  51  having a straight tube shape, and a support-member support-protrusion  52  protruding from the upper end of the support member fastening part  51 . 
     The spring support member  50  is coupled to the cylinder  20  through the support member fastening part  51  such that the support-member support-protrusion  52  is disposed above the cylinder  20 . 
     The cylinder piston  60  includes a piston close-contact part  61  having a straight tube shape, a piston channel opening/closing part  62  which has a straight tube shape and is disposed inside the piston close-contact part  61  and side by side with the piston close-contact part  61 , and a piston connection part  63  configured to connect the piston close-contact part  61  and the piston channel opening/closing part  62  and including a piston groove  60   a  having a concave shape disposed between the piston close-contact part  61  and the piston channel opening/closing part  62 . 
     The cylinder piston  60  is installed inside the cylinder  20  such that the piston close-contact part  61  is in close contact with the inner surface of the cylinder side part  21 . 
     The pressing member  70  includes a pressing part  71  having a straight tube shape, and a pressing member support protrusion  72  disposed on the outer surface of the pressing part  71  and protruding outward therefrom. 
     The pressing member  70  is coupled to the vertical button channel part  43  such that the upper end of the pressing part  71  is connected to the vertical button channel part  43 , the pressing member support protrusion  72  is aligned with the support-member support-protrusion  52 , and the lower end of the pressing part  71  is spaced apart from the cylinder piston  60 . 
     The spring  80  for a pumping-type container includes an upper support plate  81  having a circular upper through-hole  81   a  extending therethrough, a lower support plate  82  disposed below the upper support plate  81 , and a first helical part  83  and a second helical part  84  installed between the upper support plate  81  and the lower support plate  82  such that the upper end of each thereof is fixed to the bottom surface of the upper support plate  81 , and the lower end of each thereof is fixed to the upper surface of the lower support plate  82 . 
     The lower support plate  82  has a lower through-hole  82   a  extending therethrough. 
     The lower support plate  82  is disposed below the upper support plate  81  such that the lower through-hole  82   a  is aligned with the upper through-hole  81   a.    
     The first helical part  83  has a left-hand helical shape. 
     The first helical part  83  has a helical trajectory, the rotation angle of which is (180+360×N) degrees (N is 2), that is, the rotation angle of the helical trajectory is 900 degrees. 
     The first helical part  83  is connected to the upper surface of the second helical part  84  through the bottom surface of points at which a rotation angle of the helical trajectory from the upper end thereof is (360×M−180) degrees (M is a positive integer ≤N, that is, M is 1 and 2), that is, the rotation angle of the helical trajectory is 180 and 540 degrees, and is connected to the bottom surface of the second helical part  84  through the upper surface of points at which a rotation angle of the helical trajectory is (360×M) degrees, that is, the rotation angle of the helical trajectory is 360 and 720 degrees. 
     In the first helical part  83 , a section descending from a first helical lower-surface connection point  83   a  to a first helical upper-surface connection point  83   b  has a lead angle (α 1  of  FIG.  5   ) smaller than that (α 2  of  FIG.  5   ) of the other portion of the first helical part. The first helical lower-surface connection point  83   a  refers to a point connected to the upper surface of the second helical part  84  through the bottom surface of the first helical part  83 , and the first helical upper-surface connection point  83   b  refers to a point connected to the bottom surface of the second helical part  84  through the upper surface of the first helical part  83 . 
     The second helical part  84  has a left-hand helical shape. 
     The upper end of the second helical part  84  is fixed to a point of the bottom surface of the upper support plate  81 , which is linearly symmetric to a point to which the upper end of the first helical part  83  is fixed, with reference to the center line (see “C” of  FIG.  4   ) of the upper through-hole  81   a . Further, the lower end of the second helical part  84  is fixed to a point of the upper surface of the lower support plate  82 , which is linearly symmetric to a point to which the lower end of the first helical part  83  is fixed, with reference to the center line (see “C” of  FIG.  4   ) of the lower through-hole  82   a.    
     The second helical part  84  has a helical trajectory, the rotation angle of which is (180+360×2) degrees, that is, the rotation angle of the helical trajectory is 900 degrees. 
     The second helical part  84  is connected to the upper surface of the first helical part  83  through the bottom surface of points at which a rotation angle of the helical trajectory from the upper end thereof is (360×M−180) degrees, that is, the rotation angle of the helical trajectory is 180 and 540 degrees, and is connected to the bottom surface of the first helical part  83  through the upper surface of points at which a rotation angle of the helical trajectory from the upper end thereof is (360×M) degrees, that is, the rotation angle of the helical trajectory is 360 and 720 degrees. 
     In the second helical part  84 , a section descending from a second helical lower-surface connection point  84   a  to a second helical upper-surface connection point  84   b  has a lead angle (see α 1  of  FIG.  5   ) smaller than that (see α 2  of  FIG.  5   ) of the other portion of the second helical part. The second helical lower-surface connection point  84   a  refers to a point connected to the upper surface of the first helical part  83  through the bottom surface of the second helical part  84 , and the second helical upper-surface connection point  84   b  refers to a point connected to the bottom surface of the first helical part  83  through the upper surface of the second helical part  84 . 
     In addition, in order to increase an elastic force accumulated in the first helical part  83  and the second helical part  84  during the pressing operation of the button  40 , the first helical part  83  and the second helical part  84  are configured as follows. 
     That is, in the first helical part  83 , a section descending from the upper end thereof to the first helical lower-surface connection point  83   a  and a section descending from the first helical upper-surface connection point  83   b  to the lower end thereof have cross-sectional areas larger than that of a section descending from the first helical lower-surface connection point  83   a  to the first helical upper-surface connection point  83   b.    
     Further, in the second helical part  84 , a section descending from the upper end thereof to the second helical lower-surface connection point  84   a  and a section descending from the second helical upper-surface connection point  84   b  to the lower end thereof have cross-sectional areas larger than that of a section descending from the second helical lower-surface connection point  84   a  to the second helical upper-surface connection point  84   b.    
     The spring  80  is installed such that the upper support plate  81  is supported on the pressing member support protrusion  72 , and the lower support plate  82  is supported on the support-member support-protrusion  52 . 
     The spring  80  is made of polypropylene, thermoplastic copolyester elastomer, or the like. 
     The intermediate channel member  91  includes an intermediate discharge channel part  91   a  which has a straight tube shape having a sealed lower end, and an intermediate channel opening/closing part  91   b  which has a skirt shape and extends from the lower end of the intermediate discharge channel part  91   a.    
     The intermediate discharge channel part  91   a  includes an intermediate discharge channel hole  91   c  extending therethrough. 
     The intermediate channel hole  91   c  connects the inner space of the cylinder  20  and the inner space of the intermediate discharge channel part  91   a  when the intermediate channel opening/closing part  91   b  is descended and thus separated from the piston channel opening/closing part  62 . 
     The intermediate channel member  91  is coupled to the pressing part  71  such that the intermediate channel opening/closing part  91   b  is in contact with the lower end of the piston channel opening/closing part  62 . 
     The cylinder valve  92  includes a tubular valve body part  92   a , a valve support arm  92   b  disposed on the inner circumferential surface of the valve body part  92   a , and a closing protruding part  92   c  which has a U-shaped cross-section shape and is connected to the valve support arm  92   b.    
     The cylinder valve  92  is installed inside the cylinder  20  such that the closing protruding part  92   c  closes the inlet hole  22   a.    
     Hereinafter, a method of using a pumping-type container having the above configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIG.  7    and  FIG.  8   . 
     First, the button  40  is pressed and descended downward. An elastic force is accumulated in the spring  80  while the button  40  is descended. 
     Further, when the button  40  is descended, by the following operations, the liquid contents stored inside the cylinder  20  are discharged to the outside through the intermediate channel member  91 , the pressing member  70 , the vertical button channel part  43 , and the horizontal button channel part  44  (see  FIG.  7   ). 
     1) The intermediate channel member  91  starts to descend together with the button  40 , and the cylinder piston  60  starts to descend later than the intermediate channel member  91 . 
     2) As the cylinder piston  60  is descended later than the intermediate channel member  91 , the portion between the intermediate channel opening/closing part  91   b  and the piston channel opening/closing part  62  is opened. 
     3) Also, as the cylinder piston  60  is descended, the inside of the cylinder  20  comes into a positive pressure state. The positive pressure state refers to a pressure state which is higher than atmospheric pressure. 
     4) When the inside of the cylinder  20  becomes a positive pressure state, the inlet hole  22   a  is closed by the cylinder valve  92 . 
     When the operation of pressing the button  40  is stopped, the button  40  is ascended by the elastic force accumulated in the spring  80 . 
     While button  40  ascends, the liquid contents stored in the container part  10  are introduced into the cylinder  20  through the inlet hole  22   a  by the following operations (see  FIG.  8   ). 
     1) The intermediate channel member  91  starts to ascend together with the button  40 , and the cylinder piston  60  starts to ascend later than the intermediate channel member  91 . 
     2) As the cylinder piston  60  ascends later than the intermediate channel member  91 , the portion between the intermediate channel opening/closing part  91   b  and the piston channel opening/closing part  62  is closed. 
     3) And then, as the cylinder piston  60  ascends, the inside of the cylinder  20  comes into a negative pressure state. The negative pressure state refers to a pressure state which is lower than atmospheric pressure. 
     4) When the inside of the cylinder  20  becomes a negative pressure state, the inlet hole  22   a  is opened by the cylinder valve  92 . 
     In the above-described embodiment, the spring includes the first helical part  83  and the second helical part  84  each having a helical trajectory, the rotation angle of which is (180+360×N) degrees (N is 2). According to another embodiment, the spring includes a first helical part and a second helical part each having a helical trajectory, the rotation angle of which is (180+360×N) degrees (N is 1, see  FIG.  9 A  and  FIG.  9 B ) or (180+360×N) degrees (N is 3 or more). 
     Also, in the above-described embodiment, each of the first helical part  83  and the second helical part  84  has a left-hand helical shape. However, each of the first helical part and the second helical part has a right-hand helical shape (see  FIG.  9 A  and  FIG.  9 B ). 
     Further, the present disclosure may be configured to allow external air to flow into the container part through the upper portion of the container part.