US20160376069A1 - Rotary open/close-type tube container - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention disclosed herein relates to a rotary open/close-type tube container. The container is configured in such a manner that when rotating an over cap in the open direction or the close direction, a rotary cap rotates together up to a certain section and a contents movement hole formed on a seal cap is opened/closed by raising/lowering the seal cap, whereby the contents movement hole is automatically opened/closed by a simple operation of opening/closing the over cap, thus providing a user convenience.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention disclosed herein relates to a rotary open/close-type tube container. The container is configured in such a manner that when rotating an over cap in the open direction or the close direction, a rotary cap rotates together up to a certain section and a contents movement hole formed on a seal cap is opened/closed by raising/lowering the seal cap, whereby the contents movement hole is automatically opened/closed by a simple operation of opening/closing the over cap, thus providing a user convenience.
• Generally, cosmetic containers contain skin, lotion, eye cream, and so forth. Particularly, tubular cosmetic containers, which are simple to use and are inexpensive, are widely used for gel-type cosmetics such as lotion or eye cream. Among such typical cosmetic containers, there are various cosmetic containers with an applicator provided on a discharge port thereof so as to enable cosmetics to be more conveniently applied to the skin of a user.
• However, such a typical tubular cosmetic container having an applicator is problematic in that if an appropriate opening and closing unit is not present, cosmetics may leak out when a tubular container body is unintentionally compressed during storage.
• To overcome the above-mentioned problem, a technique was proposed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10-2012-0029728 (hereinafter, referred to as a published patent, which was filed by the applicant of the present invention on Sep. 17, 2010 and registered for a patent, entitled “Turning type Cosmetic Tube with Brush”.
• The published patent provides a tubular cosmetic container in which cosmetics are discharged from a discharge hole (111) when the tube container (110) is compressed.
• The tubular cosmetic container includes a fixed body (120), a sealing cap (140), a rotating cap (150), a brush nozzle (160) and an over cap (170). The fixed body (120) is fitted into a front end of the tube container (110) and has a closing protrusion (122) on a central portion thereof. A content-passing hole (121) is formed in a lower portion of the closing protrusion (122). Spiral grooves (130) are formed at both sides of the outer circumferential surface of the fixed body (120). The spiral groove (130) extends from an upper end of the fixed body (120) to a medial portion thereof. The sealing cap (140) has a content-passing hole (141) in a central portion thereof so that cosmetics are discharged through the content-passing hole (141). When the sealing cap (140) moves downwards, the closing protrusion (122) is inserted into a lower end of the content-passing hole (141) so as to close the content-passing hole (141). Coupling protrusions (142) are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the sealing cap (140) and are inserted into the spiral grooves (130). The rotating cap (150) has, in an upper end thereof, an insert hole (151) into which the sealing cap (140) is detachably inserted. A vertical guide groove (152) engaging with the coupling protrusion (142) is formed in the rotating cap (150). A brush nozzle seating part (153) is formed on an upper portion of the rotating cap (150). The rotating cap (150) is rotatably coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the fixed body (120) so that the sealing cap (140) moves upwards or downwards in response to the rotation of the rotating cap (150). The brush nozzle (160) is inserted into and fixed to the brush nozzle seating part (153) and includes one or more nozzles (161) which are disposed in a brush (163). The over cap (170) is detachably attached to the fixed body (120).
• The technique according to the published patent is configured such that when the rotating cap (150) rotates, the sealing cap (140) moves upwards or downwards to open or close the content-passing hole (141). Thus, the content-passing hole (141) is closed under normal conditions, and only when the tubular cosmetic container is being used can the content-passing hole (141) open. Therefore, even when the tube container is unintentionally compressed during storage, the cosmetics can be prevented from leaking out. However, there is still a problem in that if the user carelessly closes the over cap (170) with the content-passing hole (141) open, the contents may leak out.
• Furthermore, the technique according to the published patent has a structure such that after the over cap (170) has been removed from the rotating cap (150), an operation of rotating the rotating cap (150) must be performed in order to open the content-passing hole (141). As such, because both the operation of removing the over cap (170) and the operation of rotating the rotating cap (150) to open the content-passing hole (141) must be conducted, these operations may inconvenience the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• An object of the present invention is to provide a rotary open/close tube container which is configured such that when an over cap rotates in an opening or closing direction, a rotating cap rotates along with the over cap throughout a predetermined section and rotates a sealing cap upwards or downwards so that a content-passing hole formed in the sealing cap opens or closes, whereby an operation of opening or closing the content-passing hole is automatically implemented via a simple manipulation of opening or closing the over cap, thus providing a user convenience.
• In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a rotary open/close tube container including: a container body configured to store contents therein, with a discharge part provided on an upper portion of the container body so that the contents are discharged through the discharge part, the container body including: an extension part extending upward from an upper portion of the discharge part and having a pair of perpendicular guide grooves formed at both sides of the extension part; a closing protrusion protruding upwards from an inner central portion of the discharge part; and a plurality of through holes formed in the discharge part and arranged to enclose the closing protrusion so that the contents are allowed to pass through the through holes; a rotating cap rotatably coupled to the upper portion of the container body and including a first thread formed in an outer circumferential surface of the rotating cap, and a pair of spiral grooves formed at both sides of an inner circumferential surface of the rotating cap, with a discharge hole formed in a central portion of the rotating cap so that the contents are discharged through the discharge hole; a sealing cap provided in the rotating cap and configured to move upwards or downwards depending on rotation of the rotating cap, with a content-passing hole formed in a central portion of the sealing cap and configured to be opened/closed by the closing protrusion, and guide protrusions provided on an outer circumferential surface of the sealing cap and configured to be inserted into the perpendicular guide grooves and the spiral grooves; and an over cap including a second thread in an inner circumferential surface thereof, the second thread engaging with the first thread of the rotating cap, wherein, during a process of rotating and opening the over cap, the content-passing hole of the sealing cap opens before the over cap opens.
• In a process of rotating and opening the over cap, the over cap is configured to be opened after a content-passing hole of the seal cap is opened.
• A rotating protrusion may be provided at an inside of the over cap so that, when the over cap rotates in an opening direction and thus the threaded coupling between the over cap and the rotating cap is released, the rotating cap rotates along with the over cap, and a support protrusion is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating cap and configured to engage with the rotating protrusion.
• When the over cap rotates in the opening direction, the rotating protrusion may engage with the support protrusion so that the rotating cap rotates along with the over cap. During a process in which the guide protrusions are moved from bottom dead point of the spiral grooves to top dead point thereof by the rotation of the rotating cap, after the sealing cap is moved upwards away from the closing protrusion and the content-passing hole is thus opened, the over cap may independently rotate and the threaded coupling between the over cap and the rotating cap may be released.
• When the over cap rotates in a closing direction, the first and second threads may engage with each other so that the rotating cap rotates along with the over cap. During a process in which the guide protrusions are moved from top dead point of the spiral grooves to bottom dead point thereof by the rotation of the rotating cap, after the sealing cap moves downwards and the content-passing hole is thus closed by the closing protrusion, the over cap may be independently rotated and threadedly coupled to the rotating cap.
• The rotary open/close tube container may further include an applicator coupled to an upper portion of the rotating cap and configured to apply the contents to a skin of a user.
• An applicator support part may be coupled to the upper portion of the rotating cap and is configured to support the applicator.
• As described above, a rotary open/close tube container according to the present invention is configured such that when an over cap rotates in an opening or closing direction, a rotating cap rotates along with the over cap throughout a predetermined section and rotates a sealing cap upwards or downwards so that a content-passing hole formed in the sealing cap opens or is closed. Consequently, an operation of opening or closing the content-passing hole is automatically implemented via a simple manipulation of opening or closing the over cap. Thus, the present invention can provide ease of use for a user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the configuration of a rotary open/close tube container according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view illustrating the configuration of the rotary open/close tube container according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the rotary open/close tube container according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
• FIGS. 4 to 6 are views illustrating the usage of the rotary open/close tube container according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
• FIGS. 7 to 10 are cross-sectional views illustrating the configurations of rotary open/close tube containers according to second, third, fourth and fifth embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
• Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to designate the same or similar components.
• FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the configuration of a rotary open/close tube container according to a first embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view illustrating the assembled configuration of the rotary open/close tube container according to the first embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the rotary open/close tube container according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
• Referring toFIGS. 1 to 3, the rotary open/close tube container according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes acontainer body100, a rotatingcap200, asealing cap300, anapplicator400, and an overcap500.
• Thecontainer body100 stores contents therein and has in an upper portion thereof adischarge part110 through which the contents are discharged to the outside. Thecontainer body100 is made of a soft tube material and changed in shape by the compressing force when a user compresses thecontainer body100, and thus the contents stored therein are discharged to the outside.
• The present invention is characterized in that anextension part120 extending from thedischarge part110 upwards and having a pair ofperpendicular guide grooves121 at both sides thereof is provided on the upper portion of thecontainer body100.Guide protrusions320 of the sealingcap300, which will be described later herein, are inserted into theperpendicular guide grooves121. When the rotatingcap200 rotates, theperpendicular guide grooves121 guide the vertical movement of theguide protrusions320.
• Furthermore, aclosing protrusion130 is provided in a central portion of thedischarge part110 and protrudes upwards from thedischarge part110 so as to open or close a content-passing hole310 formed in the sealingcap300. When the sealingcap300 moves upwards, theclosing protrusion130 moves away from the content-passinghole310 and opens the content-passing hole310, thus allowing the contents to be discharged to the outside. When the sealingcap300 moves downwards, theclosing protrusion130 makes close contact with a lower portion of the content-passinghole310 and closes the content-passing hole310, thus blocking the discharge of the contents.
• A plurality of throughholes140 allowing the contents stored in thetube body100 to pass therethrough is formed in thedischarge part110 and arranged in such a way that they enclose theclosing protrusion130.
• Therotating cap200 is rotatably coupled to the upper portion of thecontainer body100. Adischarge hole230 through which the contents are discharged is formed in a central portion of therotating cap200. Afirst thread210 for threaded coupling with the overcap500 is formed in an outer circumferential surface of therotating cap200.
• The present invention is characterized in that a pair ofspiral grooves220 is formed at both sides of an inner circumferential surface of therotating cap200. The guide protrusions320 of the sealingcap300, which will be described later herein, are inserted into thespiral grooves220. Thespiral grooves220 guide theguide protrusions320 such that when therotating cap200 rotates in an opening direction, eachguide protrusion320 moves from a bottom dead point of thespiral grooves220 to a top dead point thereof, and when therotating cap200 rotates in a closing direction, theguide protrusion320 moves from the top dead point of thespiral groove220 to the bottom dead point thereof. In this way, the upwards and downwards movement of the sealingcap300 is guided.
• Meanwhile, asupport protrusion240 is provided on the outer surface of therotating cap200 so that when the overcap500 rotates, arotating protrusion520 of the overcap500 engages with thesupport protrusion240. When the overcap500 rotates in the opening direction, thesupport protrusion240 is compressed by therotating protrusion520, thus making it possible for therotating cap200 to rotate along with the overcap500. As therotating cap200 rotates, theguide protrusions320 on the sealingcap300 move from the bottom dead point of thespiral grooves220 to the top dead point thereof, whereby the sealingcap300 can be moved upwards.
• The sealingcap300 is moved upwards or downwards in therotating cap200 by the rotation of therotating cap200, and forms a passage along which the contents move. The content-passinghole310 is formed in the central portion of the sealingcap300. The content-passinghole310 is opened or closed by the closingprotrusion130 and provides a passage along which the contents move. The guide protrusions320 are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the sealingcap300. The guide protrusions320 are inserted into theperpendicular guide grooves121 and thespiral grooves220 and move along theperpendicular guide grooves121 and thespiral grooves220.
• In order to enable the contents that move through the throughholes140 to move to the content-passinghole310 in thesealing cap300, the sealingcap300 preferably includes in a lower portion thereof apiston330 which comes into close contact with an inner circumferential surface of thedischarge part110.
• Theapplicator400 is coupled to an upper portion of therotating cap200 and functions to apply contents to the skin of the user. Theapplicator400 absorbs contents discharged from thedischarge hole230 and makes it possible for the contents to be applied to the skin of the user, thus providing ease of use.
• Anapplicator support part410 is coupled to a lower portion of theapplicator400 to make it possible for theapplicator400 to be fixed to therotating cap200.
• The overcap500 is threadedly coupled to therotating cap200 so as to be removable therefrom. Asecond thread510, to be threadedly coupled with thefirst thread210, is formed in an inner circumferential surface of the overcap500.
• The present invention is characterized in that when the overcap500 is rotated in the opening direction so as to release the threaded coupling with therotating cap200, the overcap500 rotates along with therotating cap200 throughout a predetermined section, and thereafter the overcap500 independently rotates so that the threaded coupling with therotating cap200 is released. For this, therotating protrusion520 is provided on the inner surface of the overcap500 so that when the overcap500 is rotated in the opening direction to release the threaded coupling therotating cap200, therotating protrusion520 engages with thesupport protrusion240, whereby therotating cap200 can rotate along with the overcap500.
• When the overcap500 rotates in the opening direction, therotating protrusion520 pressurizes thesupport protrusion240, whereby therotating cap200 is rotated. Here, therotating cap200 is rotated while theguide protrusions320 move from the bottom dead point of thespiral grooves220 to the top dead point thereof. If the overcap500 rotates further after theguide protrusions320 have been moved all the way to the top dead point of thespiral grooves220, in other words, after thesealing cap300 has been moved upwards and spaced apart from the closingprotrusion130 and the content-passinghole310 has thus opened, therotating protrusion520 moves over thesupport protrusion240, and the overcap500 thus independently rotates. Thereby, the threaded coupling between the overcap500 and therotating cap200 is released. Finally, the overcap500 is removed from therotating cap200.
• That is, the present invention is characterized in that, during a process of opening the overcap500, the sealingcap300 moves upwards and the content-passinghole310 automatically opens first before the overcap500 opens. After the overcap500 has opened, there is no need for separate manipulation to open the content-passinghole310. Therefore, the present invention can provide a user convenience.
• When the overcap500 is rotated in the closing direction, the first andsecond threads210 and510 engage with each other, whereby therotating cap200 is rotated. Here, therotating cap200 is rotated while theguide protrusions320 move from the top dead point of thespiral grooves220 to the bottom dead point thereof. If the overcap500 is rotated further after theguide protrusions320 have moved all the way to the bottom dead point of thespiral grooves220, in other words, after thesealing cap300 has moved downwards and come into contact with the closingprotrusion130, whereby the content-passinghole310 is closed, the overcap500 rotates independently. Thereby, the overcap500 is threadedly coupled with therotating cap200.
• In the above, the description has been made for the case where therotating cap200 rotates after a first and asecond threads210,510 engage with each other when the overcap500 rotates in the closing direction. however, possible is the configuration where, after the threaded coupling between a first and asecond threads210,510 is first implemented according to the frictional force between the first andsecond threads210,510 and the frictional force between theguide protrusions320 and thespiral grooves220, therotating cap200 begins to rotate from the point when therotating protrusion520 makes contact with thesupport protrusion240, and thereby theguide protrusions320 move from the top dead point of thespiral grooves220 to the bottom dead point thereof, so that the sealingcap300 moves downwards.
• Meanwhile, therotating protrusion520 of the overcap500 moves over thesupport protrusion240 from the point when the threaded coupling between the overcap500 and therotating cap200 is completed, and therefore, the user can discern whether the overcap500 has been completely coupled with therotating cap200 when hearing the sound that is generated at the moment that therotating protrusion520 moves over thesupport protrusion240.
• As shown inFIGS. 7 to 10, rotary open/close tube containers according to second, third, fourth and fifth embodiments of the present invention can employvarious applicators400, such as a brush, a silicon member, a puff, an applicator for lipstick, and an applicator for mascara. In the case where theapplicator400 is an applicator for mascara, awiper530 may be preferably provided at the overcap500 so that when the overcap500 is removed, some contents still clinging to a mascara brush can be wiped out therefrom.
• The functions and configurations of the other components are the same as those of the first embodiment of the present invention; therefore, a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.
• Hereinafter, the operation of the rotary open/close tube container according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference toFIGS. 4 to 6.FIGS. 4 to 6 are views illustrating the usage of the rotary open/close tube container according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
• Referring toFIGS. 4 to 6, in the rotary open/close tube container according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in the state in which the overcap500 is threadedly coupled to therotating cap200, the content-passinghole310 is closed by the closingprotrusion130. In this state, when the over cap50 is rotated in the opening direction, the rotating protrusion52 pressurizes thesupport protrusion240 of therotating cap200, whereby the rotating cap20 is rotated along with the overcap500.
• In this way, when therotating cap200 is rotated, theguide protrusions320 of the sealingcap300 move from the bottom dead point of thespiral grooves220 to the top dead point. Thereby, the sealingcap300 moves upwards away from the closingprotrusion130. Consequently, the content-passinghole310 is opened.
• From the points at which theguide protrusions320 have moved all the way to the top dead point of thespiral grooves220 and come into contact with the other end of thespiral grooves220, therotating cap200 no longer rotates. At this moment, if the overcap500 rotates further, therotating protrusion520 moves over thesupport protrusion240, and the overcap500 independently rotates, whereby the threaded coupling between the overcap500 and therotating cap200 is released, and thus the overcap500 is removed from therotating cap200.
• After the overcap500 has been removed from therotating cap200 through the above-mentioned process, the content-passinghole310 is in an open state. In this state, when thecontainer body100 is compressed, the contents stored in thecontainer body100 pass through the throughholes140, move to the content-passinghole310, and are then discharged to theapplicator400 through thedischarge hole230, thus making it possible for the user to apply the contents to his/her skin using theapplicator400.
• Subsequently, after the use of the contents has been completed, the overcap500 is rotated in the closing direction and threadedly coupled to therotating cap200. When the overcap500 rotates in the closing direction, the first andsecond threads210 and510 engage with each other and thus therotating cap200 rotates.
• As such, when therotating cap200 rotates, theguide protrusions320 of the sealingcap300 move from the top dead point of thespiral grooves220 to the bottom dead point. Thereby, the sealingcap300 moves downwards and comes into contact with the closingprotrusion130. Consequently, the content-passinghole310 is closed.
• After theguide protrusions320 have moved all the way to the bottom dead point of thespiral grooves220 and come into contact with first ends of thespiral grooves220, therotating cap200 no longer rotates. Thereafter, if the overcap500 is rotated further, the overcap500 independently rotates, and the overcap500 is threadedly coupled to therotating cap200.
• As described above, the present invention is configured such that, during the process of opening or closing the overcap500, the sealingcap300 moves upwards or downwards and thus the content-passinghole310 first opens before the overcap500 is opened or closed. Therefore, not only can the present invention prevent a problem of leakage of contents which may be caused when the user carelessly closes the overcap500 with the content-passinghole310 open, but also, no separate manipulation is required to open the content-passinghole310 after the overcap500 is opened, thus providing a.
• As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described examples are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the meets and bounds of the claims, or equivalences of such meets and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.

Claims (6)

What is claimed is:

1. A rotary open/close-type tube container comprising:

a container body (100) configured to store contents therein, with a discharge part (110) provided at an upper portion of the container body (100) so that the contents are discharged through the discharge part (110), wherein the container body (100) further includes an extension part (120) extending upwards to an upper portion of the discharge part (110) and having a pair of perpendicular guide grooves (121) formed at both sides thereof, a closing protrusion (130) protruding upwards from an inner central portion of the discharge part (110), and a plurality of through holes (140) arranged to enclose the closing protrusion (130) so that the contents are allowed to pass through the through holes (140);

a rotating cap (200) rotatably coupled to an upper portion of the container body (100), including a first thread (210) formed at an outer circumferential surface of the rotating cap (200), a pair of spiral grooves (220) formed at both sides of an inner circumferential surface thereof, and a discharge hole (230) formed at a central portion thereof so that the contents are discharged therethrough;

a sealing cap (300) configured to move upwards or downwards depending on rotation of the rotating cap (200) at the inside of the rotating cap (200), comprising a content-passing hole (310) formed at a central portion thereof and configured to be opened/closed by the closing protrusion (130), and guide protrusions (320) provided at an outer circumferential surface of the sealing cap (300) and configured to be inserted into the perpendicular guide grooves (121) and the spiral grooves (220); and

an over cap (500) including a second thread (510) at an inner circumferential surface thereof so as to be coupled to the first thread (210) of the rotating cap (200),

wherein, in a process of rotating and opening the over cap (500), the content-passing hole (310) of the sealing cap (300) opens before the over cap (500) opens.

2. The rotary open/close-type tube container according toclaim 1, wherein a rotating protrusion (520) rotates the over cap (500) at an inside of the over cap (500) such that the rotating cap (520) can be rotated along therewith when released from the thread coupling with the rotation cap (520), and a support protrusion (240) is interlocked with the rotating protrusion (520) at an outer circumferential surface of the rotating cap (200).

3. The rotary open/close-type tube container according toclaim 2, wherein when the over cap (500) rotates in an opening direction, the rotating cap (200) rotates along with the over cap (500) as the rotating protrusion (520) is engaged with the support protrusion (240), and after the sealing cap (300) is moved upwards and spaced away from the closing protrusion (130) to open the content-passing hole (310) in a process in which the guide protrusions (320) are moved from a bottom dead point of the respective spiral grooves (220) to a top dead point thereof by the rotation of the rotating cap (200), the over cap (500) independently rotates and a coupling threaded between the over cap (500) and the rotating cap (200) is released.

4. The rotary open/close-type tube container according toclaim 1, wherein, when the over cap (500) is rotated in a closing direction, the rotating cap (200) rotates along with the over cap (500) as the first thread (210) and the second thread (510) are engaged with each other, and, after the sealing cap (300) is moved upwards away from the closing protrusion (130) to open the content-passing hole (310) in a process in which the guide protrusions (320) are moved from a bottom dead point of the spiral grooves (220) to a top dead point thereof by the rotation of the rotating cap (200), the over cap (500) independently rotates and a coupling threaded between the over cap (500) and the rotating cap (200) is formed.

5. The rotary open/close-type tube container according toclaim 1, further comprising an applicator (400) coupled to an upper portion of the rotating cap (200) and configured to apply the contents to a skin of a user.

6. The rotary open/close-type tube container according toclaim 5, wherein an applicator support part (410) is coupled to an upper portion of the rotating cap (200) and is configured to support the applicator (400).

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