JPH0354673Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention includes a locking mechanism for attaching a top cover to a case so as to be able to rotate freely in an arc, and a locking mechanism for locking the top cover in a closed position, and a lock release mechanism for releasing this lock. The present invention relates to a liquid container provided with a liquid container.

[Conventional technology]

In the above-mentioned liquid container, the top lid generally remains in its closed position both when the top lid is locked by the locking mechanism and when the top lid is unlocked by the unlocking mechanism. There are known devices configured to maintain the . However, this configuration has the following disadvantages because it is difficult to determine the lock status at a glance.

In other words, when opening the top cover to supply liquid to the liquid storage section and dispose of residual liquid, it is difficult to understand that the lock release mechanism is releasing the lock, and for example, even if the lock is released, the lock may not be released completely If this happens, the top cover cannot be opened, and only then will it be recognized that the unlocking process is incomplete, requiring the user to perform the unlocking operation anew. It is also difficult to tell that the top lid is locked; for example, even if the top lid is locked,
If the lock is incomplete, the heat retention performance for the liquid in the liquid storage section may deteriorate, or
If this liquid container falls over, there is a risk that a large amount of the liquid in the liquid container will overflow, which is dangerous, especially if this liquid is at a high temperature.

Therefore, in the past, a lock mechanism was provided between the case with the liquid storage part and the top lid, and
It has also been proposed that a lock release mechanism is provided on the top lid, and a biasing mechanism that always biases the top lid toward the open side is also provided (see, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 48-94055).

[The problem that the idea attempts to solve]

This conventional technology is advantageous in that the locked state and the unlocked state can be easily determined from the movement of the top lid, but the unlocking operation tool is placed along the top surface of the top lid. To prevent the case from falling due to the sliding operation, hold the case body or top cover from above with one hand and operate the unlocking tool with the other hand. This required locking and unlocking operations using both hands. Furthermore, it is necessary to keep operating the unlocking tool in the unlocking direction until the lock is released and the top lid begins to open to some extent, making it difficult to perform a quick one-touch operation.

The purpose of the present invention is to make it easy to see the locked state of the top cover, and to also make it easier to release the lock.

[Means to solve the problem]

The technical means of the present invention taken to achieve the above purpose is to attach the top cover to the case so that it can rotate freely in an arc,
In a liquid container provided with a lock mechanism that locks the top lid in the closed position and a lock release mechanism that releases the lock, an operating part for pushing the lock release mechanism in the unlock direction is provided on the case side.
It is provided so as to face the front downward slope of the cover part that houses the liquid injection pipe provided at the front of the case, and when the lock by the locking mechanism is released, the top cover is rotated in an arc in the opening direction. The reason is that a biasing mechanism is provided for this purpose.

[Effect]

The effects of taking the above technical measures are as follows.

a. When the top lid is unlocked by the lock release mechanism, the top lid rotates in an arc from the closed position in the opening direction due to the biasing force of the biasing mechanism, changes its posture, and maintains that posture. With this change in attitude, it can be easily confirmed that the top cover has been unlocked. Conversely, since the top lid is in the closed position when it is not unlocked, it can be easily confirmed that the top lid is locked.

b Since the push operation part for unlocking is provided on the case side rather than on the top cover side, the top cover can be opened while maintaining the release operation state, like when the lock release operation tool is provided on the top cover side. Accordingly, there is no need to lift the top cover to some extent, and the lock can be easily released with a single touch operation with one hand.

c The push operation part for unlocking is provided facing the front downward slope of the cover that houses the liquid injection pipe at the front of the case, so the push operation force is directed toward the center of the case and It is difficult to act as an acting force in the direction of overturning, and therefore,
There is no need to support and hold the case with another hand to prevent it from falling.

[Effect of idea]

B. From the action in a. above, it is easy to recognize when the top cover is unlocked, so there is no need to worry about the fact that the unlocked stack is actually still locked and that you have to perform the unlocking operation again. This saves you the trouble of opening the top lid. In addition, since it is easy to confirm that the top lid is locked, if the top lid is left with an insufficient lock, the heat retention performance for the liquid inside the liquid container may deteriorate, and if the liquid container topples over, the liquid may The inconvenience of overflowing can be avoided.

B From the action of bc above, the top cover can be unlocked.
This has the advantage that it can be performed quickly with a simple one-touch operation using only one hand, without requiring complicated operations such as opening the top cover while holding the case with the other hand. It is also easy to operate from a low position while sitting on a chair.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

As shown in Fig. 1, a medium bottle 1 that can contain hot or cold water as liquid, and this medium bottle 1 as a liquid storage part.
A thermos flask, which is an example of a liquid container, is composed of a case 2 into which the liquid is fitted, a top lid 3 attached to the case 2, and the like.

The medium bottle 1 is made of glass and has a double wall structure with a vacuum between the inner and outer walls. The upper part of the medium bottle 1 is narrowed to form a mouth part 1a having a smaller diameter than the maximum body diameter part.

The inner peripheral surface of the case 2 is the mouth part 1a of the medium bottle 1.
A neck portion 2a having approximately the same diameter as the mouth portion 1a is formed above the mouth portion 1a. Furthermore, this neck 2a
Above the case 2, the inner circumferential surface of the case 2 expands into a bowl shape, and a liquid injection pipe 4 in a downwardly inclined position is connected to a part of the inner circumferential surface of the case 2.

Further, an inner stopper 5 is placed on the upper edge of the neck 2a of the case 2 via a rubber gasket 6. The inner stopper 5 includes a liquid lift pipe 7 that reaches the inside of the inner bottle 1 and a liquid guide pipe 8 that reaches the liquid injection pipe 4.
are installed in succession. These liquid lift pipes 7 and liquid guide pipes 8
and are communicated with each other inside the inner stopper 5.

Furthermore, a liquid level indicator 9 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the case 2.
is attached. The liquid level indicator 9 is made of a glass tube, and its upper part is connected to a bent pipe 11 that opens at the neck 2a of the case 2 through a tube 10 to communicate with the remaining space inside the medium bottle 1, and its lower part is connected to a connecting pipe 11. 12, it is connected to a cap 13 fitted into the opening 1b at the bottom of the medium bottle 1, communicating with the medium bottle 1. Therefore, the liquid level indicator 9 is filled with liquid to the same level as the liquid level in the medium bottle 1.

This thermos flask is provided with an air pump P for compressing the air in the medium bottle 1 and discharging the liquid in the medium bottle 1 to the outside.

Airtight chamber 1 that constitutes the main part of this air pump P
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the container 4 is arranged in a circular shape in a plan view along the circumferential direction of the medium bottle 1, which is a liquid storage section, on the outside of the neck 2a of the case 2. It is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the airtight chamber 14 includes a chamber main body 14A that is integrally molded to have a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape so as to achieve high airtightness with few steps, and a chamber body 14A that covers the open side of the chamber main body 14A. It consists of a cover body 14B. The chamber body 14A and the cover body 14B are connected in an airtight manner by ultrasonic welding.

The chamber body 14A is made of ethylene propylene rubber [EPM] or ethylene propylene terpolymer [EPDM] and has flexibility. On the other hand, the cover body 14B is made of synthetic resin and is inflexible. An inflexible support frame 15 made of synthetic resin surrounds the chamber body 14A.
is provided. Further, an operating member 16 is provided between the support frame 15 and the chamber body 14A of the airtight chamber 14 to press and bend the chamber body 14A from below.

This operating member 16 and the chamber body 14A of the airtight chamber 14
This means that the protrusions 14a bulging from the chamber body 14A at several locations in the circumferential direction are connected to the operating member 16.
The position is fixed in the circumferential direction by being forcefully fitted into the engagement hole 16a.

The support frame 15 and the cover body 14B of the airtight chamber 14 are connected by ultrasonic welding with the cover body 14B resting on the support frame 15. and,
A flange portion extending from the support frame 15 is screwed to the case 2. As a result, airtight room 1
4 is supported by case 2.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, two
the airtight chamber 1 via the aforementioned operating member 16.
A pair of operation parts for bending the chamber main body 14A of No. 4
A website has been set up.

To explain the structure of this operation part HP, as shown in FIG. A piece 17 is provided.

One of the pair of operation parts HP shown on the right in the figure has a pressure adjustment part PC attached above. Since the structure and operation of the pair of operation parts HP are almost the same, they will be explained below together with the pressure adjustment part PC.

The operation piece 17 is formed with a protrusion 17a that is engaged with the opening edge of the operation member 16 to prevent it from coming out, and a flange 17b that is positioned opposite to the lower surface of the operation member 16. The tip of one arm 18a of the bifurcated operating fork 18 is in contact with the operating piece 17 from below.

Further, the operating member 16 stands up at the opening,
Further, a bent portion 16b that wraps around the opening edge of the chamber body 14A is formed at the rising end.

Furthermore, a connecting piece 19 is placed on the upper edge of the operating piece 17 . This connecting piece 19 has a pair of overhanging parts 19a, 19b, and one end of each of a pair of compression coil springs 20, 21 arranged concentrically is engaged with the pair of overhanging parts 19a, 19b. It has been stopped.

The other end of the outer compression coil spring (hereinafter referred to as a first spring) 20 is locked to the end of the inner surface of a cylindrical body 22 connected to the upper part of the airtight chamber 14 . The other end of the inner compression coil spring (hereinafter referred to as the second spring) 21 is
The second spring 2 is inserted into the hole 22a in the end surface of the cylindrical body 22.
The cap member 23 is flexible in the installation direction of the cap member 23 and is fitted onto the inner surface of the cap member 23 in a manner that prevents the cap member from coming off.

The other of the pair of operation parts HP shown on the left side in the figure is not equipped with the pressure adjustment part PC, does not have the connecting piece 19, and replaces the first spring 20 with the operation piece 17 and airtight chamber 14. Cylindrical body 2 connected to the top
A downward biasing compression coil spring (hereinafter referred to as a third spring) 24 having a length of 2A is provided.

The aforementioned operating fork 18 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.
As shown in the figure, the pair of arms 18a are each curved and connected to the front cover part 2A of the case 2 in which the liquid injection tube 4 is installed, and a hole is formed at the position corresponding to the liquid injection tube 4. has been done. Also, a pair of arms 18
a is pivotally supported by a pair of brackets 33 fixed to the case 2, so that the operating fork 18
is attached to the case 2 so as to be rotatable around the axis X1.

A pair of free end edges of the swing arm 25 are in contact with the upper surface of the portion 18b of the operating fork 18 that straddles the liquid injection pipe 4. A boss member 26 having an oval-shaped engagement hole 26a in cross section is connected to the base end of the swing arm 25.
6 is pivotally supported by the cover portion 2A of the case 2.

Furthermore, the engagement hole of the boss member 26 is provided with the case 2.
A shaft portion 27a of the operating lever 27 extending laterally from the cover portion 2A of the case 2 is engaged with the shaft portion 27a, and this shaft portion 27a is pivotally supported by the cover portion 2A of the case 2.

In each of Figures 1 to 3, the operating lever 2 is shown.
7 is shown not being operated. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pair of arms 18a of the operating fork 18 are both located at the lower limit of their swing range. And operation piece 1
Numeral 7 is a downward biasing force exerted by the first spring 20, so that the protrusion 17a abuts against the opening edge of the operating member 16 and presses it downward.

Therefore, at this time, the chamber body 14A of the airtight chamber 14
is not bent by the operating member 16. Also,
At this time, the second spring 21 is in a free state, and the cap member 23 is at the lower limit of its movement range and closes the airtight chamber 14.

When the operating lever 27 is swung downward from this state, the operating fork 18 is rotated counterclockwise around the axis X1 in FIG. The tips of the pair of arms 18a move upward.

As a result, the operation piece 17 moves upward against the biasing force of the first spring 20, and the flange 17b of the operation piece 17 moves upward.
the operating member 16 is pushed up. Therefore, the chamber body 14A of the airtight chamber 14 is bent, and the airtight chamber 14
is deformed and reduced.

On the other hand, as the operating piece 17 moves upward, the second spring 21 pushes up the cap member 23. Thereby, the airtight chamber 14 is opened. Therefore, as the airtight chamber 14 is deformed and reduced, the airtight chamber 14
The air inside is discharged to the outside from the opening 22a of the cylindrical body 22.

A communicating cylindrical member 28 made of an elastic body attached to the upper lid 3 is in contact with the end surface of the cylindrical body 22, with its lower edge being elastically deformed. A hat-shaped valve body 30, which is urged downward by a compression coil spring (hereinafter referred to as a fourth spring) 29, comes into contact with the upper edge of the communicating cylinder member 28 to seal the inside.

The air discharged to the outside from the airtight chamber 14 as described above is guided into the inside of the communication cylinder member 28 in an airtight state. As the cap member 23 is pushed up by the second spring 21, it comes into contact with the lower end surface of the valve body 30, and pushes up the valve body 30 against the biasing force of the fourth spring 29.

As a result, the inside of the communication cylinder member 28 is connected to the upper lid 3.
The airtight chamber 1 is connected to an air flow path 31 formed in the
Air from 4 is guided to this air flow path 31.
This air flow path 31 communicates with the air flow path within the inner stopper 5 via a bushing member 32 made of an elastic body attached to the upper lid 3. Furthermore, this air flow path communicates with the remaining space inside the medium bottle 1.

Therefore, the air discharged from the airtight chamber 14 is guided into the inner bottle 1, increasing the pressure in the remaining space. As a result, the liquid level in the medium bottle 1 is pushed down, and the liquid in the medium bottle 1 is forced to flow through the water lift pipe 7 and water guide pipe 8 to reach the liquid injection pipe 4, and from the tip of this liquid injection pipe 4 to the outside. It is poured out.

On the other hand, if the swinging operation of the operation lever 27 is stopped, the operation piece 17 is pushed down together with the connecting piece 19 by the biasing force of the first spring 20, as shown in FIG. As a result, the cap member 23 is no longer pushed up by the second spring 21, so the urging force of the fourth spring 29 is applied to the valve body 3.
0 is pushed down, and the communication cylinder member 28 and the air flow path 3
1 is cut off. Also, the second spring 2
1 returns to the free state, and the hole 22a of the cylindrical body 22 is closed by the cap member 23.

By pushing down the operating piece 17, the operating member 16 locked to this protrusion 17a
both move downward, and along with this, the valve body 14A of the airtight chamber 14, which is caught and locked by the contact portion 16b of the operating member 16, no longer bends. With the above steps, the operation section HP and the pressure adjustment section PC return to the initial states shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

At this time, the operating fork 18 has its arm 18a
Since the operation piece 17 pressed down by the biasing force of the first spring 20 is in contact with the tip of the handle, it is biased clockwise in FIG. 1 and rotates. Accordingly, the swinging arm 25 in contact with the operating fork 18 is also rotated clockwise, and the operating lever 27 is lifted. From then on, the operating lever 27
is held at the upper limit of the operating range by the biasing force of the first spring 20.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper cover 3 is pivotally connected to a bracket 2b extending from the case 2 at its rear end portion by a pin 34, and can be opened and closed with respect to the case 2 by rotating in an arc. It is freely configured.

A torsion coil spring (hereinafter referred to as a fifth spring) 35 is wound around this pin 34. This fifth spring 35 has one end fitted into and locked in a small hole 2c formed in the case 2, and the other end abutting the lower surface of the upper member 3A of the upper lid 3, and urges the upper lid 3 toward the open side. ing. That is, the fifth spring 35 serves as a biasing mechanism SM.

Further, the upper lid 3 is configured to be fixed in position by a locking mechanism RM in its closed position. To explain the configuration of this locking mechanism RM,
As shown in FIG. 1, an engaging protrusion 3 is attached to the front end of the lower member 3B screwed to the upper member 3A of the upper lid 3.
a, and has a locking protrusion 36a that locks and locks the engaging protrusion 3a.
6 is rotatably attached to a bracket 37 fixed to the liquid injection tube 4.

This locking member 36 has a torsion coil spring (hereinafter referred to as the sixth spring) 38, so that the locking protrusion 36a is fixed to the engagement protrusion 3a of the upper lid 3.
is biased in the direction of locking. Further, a part of the locking member 36 protrudes outward to form a pushing operation part 36b in the unlocking direction. It faces the outside through the hole 2d.

The push operation portion 36b of the lock member 36 serves as a lock release mechanism RR that releases the lock of the top lid 3 by the lock mechanism RM described above.

That is, the push operation portion 36b of the lock member 36
By pressing with a finger or the like, the lock member 36 rotates counterclockwise in the figure around the axis X2 against the biasing force of the sixth spring 38. As a result, the locking projection 36a of the locking member 36 is released from the locking projection 3a of the upper lid 3, and the upper lid 3
is unlocked.

As already mentioned, the upper lid 3 is biased toward the open side by the fifth spring 35, and as described above, the unlocked upper lid 3 rotates in an arc due to the biasing force of the fifth spring 35. As shown in FIG. 4, it is lifted out of the closed position and maintained in that position. In this state, the lock mechanism
The upper lid 3 will not be locked again by RM.

By maintaining the upper lid 3 in this position, it can be easily seen that the lock on the upper lid 3 has been released.

Therefore, the upper lid 3 can be opened to the open position without pressing the push operation portion 36b of the lock member 36. That is, the top cover 3 can be unlocked and opened with one hand.

The upper lid 3 can be opened to the open position by holding the edge 3b formed by the front end of the upper member 3A protruding beyond the front end of the lower member 3B. Note that if the biasing force of the fifth spring 35 is made strong, the top cover 3
It is also possible to rotate the opening position to the open position all at once.

Further, the upper lid 3 can be relocked by pressing the upper lid 3 downward from the state shown in FIG. That is, the back of the engagement protrusion 3a of the top cover 3 comes into contact with the engagement protrusion 36a of the lock member 36, causing the lock member 36 to resist the biasing force of the sixth spring 38 and rotate around the axis X2 in the figure. Rotate clockwise. When the engagement protrusion 3a overcomes the locking protrusion 36a, the locking member 36 rotates clockwise in the figure around the axis X2 due to the biasing force of the sixth spring 38, and the top cover 3 is locked again and maintained in its position. will be maintained.

By maintaining the upper lid 3 in this position, it can be easily seen that the upper lid 3 has been locked.

[Another example]

Next, the lock mechanism RM, the lock release mechanism RR,
Further, different examples of the biasing mechanism SM will be listed.

<<A>> Lock mechanism RM and lock release mechanism RR <1> In the embodiment shown in FIG. is applied at a position close to the locking protrusion 36a of the locking member 36.

<2> In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, an engagement piece 39 having an engagement protrusion 39a is attached to the upper lid 3 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in the figure).
Spring 4 that urges this engagement piece 39 forward
0 is set. On the other hand, the cover part 2 of the case 2
A is formed with a locking protrusion 2e that locks the engaging protrusion 39a.

Further, this cover portion 2A is provided with a press operation piece 41 that is slidable in the front and back direction, and a spring 42 that biases the press operation piece 41 to move forward.
is provided. The pressing operation piece 41 has a front end 41a protruding outward from the hole 2d of the cover portion 2A, and a rear edge 41b facing the front end surface 39b of the engagement piece 39.

The engagement protrusion 3 of the engagement piece 39 is positioned so that the engagement protrusion 2e is positioned forward by the biasing force of the spring 40.
By locking 9a, the top lid 3 is locked, and by pressing the pressing operation piece 41 with a finger or the like and pushing the engagement piece 39 backward with the rear edge 41b, the top lid 3 is unlocked. It is configured to

<3> Other lock mechanisms (not shown)
The specific configurations of the RM and the lock release mechanism RR can be changed as appropriate. For example, in the above embodiments <1> to <5>, the members provided on the upper lid 3 side may be provided on the case 2 side, and the members provided on the case 2 side may be provided on the upper lid 3 side. It is possible.

<<B>> Biasing mechanism SM <1> In the embodiment shown in FIG.
It is inserted and held inside.

<2> In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, one end of the fifth spring 35 is located between the upper member 3A and the lower member 3B of the upper lid 3, and both members 3A, 3B
are fastened together with screws 47.

<3> In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the fifth spring 35 is formed not in a coil shape but in a slate shape. Then, one end thereof is inserted into the small hole 2c of the case 2, and the folded portion 35a at the tip is brought into contact with the opening edge of the lower end of the small hole 2c to prevent it from coming out. Moreover, the other end side of the fifth spring 35 is
The upper lid 3 comes into contact with the lower surface of the lower member 3B of the upper lid 3.
is biased toward the open side.

Note that the fifth spring 3 in this embodiment
5 may be a single wire used as it is, or may be formed by bending the wire into a U-shape, as shown in FIG. 10, for example. Furthermore, the fifth spring 35 may be formed from a plate material. Further, the removal may be prevented by screwing.

<4> In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the hinge 48
A pair of metal fittings 48A and 48B constituting the housing are screwed to the upper member 3A of the upper cover 3 and the case 2, respectively. As shown in FIG. 12, the fifth spring 35 is installed between the pair of metal fittings 48A and 48B of the hinge 48.

<5> In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the lower member 3B of the upper lid 3 is bent into an L shape using screws 47 that fasten the upper member 3A and lower member 3B of the upper lid 3. A fifth spring 35 made of a plate spring is also tightened. And this fifth
The tip of the spring 35 is in contact with the case 2.

<6> In the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, a 13th
A fin-like portion 3c having a shape substantially similar to the shape of the fifth spring 35 in the embodiment shown in the figure is integrally provided. The tip of this fin-like portion 3c, which is a plate-like elastic member, is brought into contact with the case 2.

<7> In the embodiment shown in FIG.
2 is formed into a bellows shape to provide spring properties.

<8> Although not shown, the biasing mechanism SM
The specific configuration can be changed as appropriate. for example,
A compression spring whose tip abuts against the case 2 may be provided at the front end portion of the upper lid 3.

Note that although reference numerals are written in the claims section of the utility model registration for convenience of comparison with the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the structure of the attached drawings by such entry.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the liquid container according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 1, and FIG.
4 is a longitudinal sectional view with the top cover open; FIGS. 5 and 6 are longitudinal sectional views of essential parts showing other embodiments of the locking mechanism and the lock release mechanism, respectively; FIG. 9, 11, 13, and 15 are longitudinal cross-sectional views of main parts showing other embodiments of the biasing mechanism, and FIG. 10 is a diagram of the fifth spring in another embodiment of FIG. 9. 12 is a perspective view of a hinge in another embodiment of FIG. 11; FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Liquid storage part, 2...Case, 2A...Cover part, 3...Top lid, 3c...Plate-like elastic member, 4
...Liquid injection pipe, 5...Inner stopper, 32...Beauty member, 36b...Push operation section, RM...Lock mechanism, RR...Lock release mechanism, SM...Biasing mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. The upper cover 3 is attached to the case 2 so as to be rotatable in an arc,
A lock mechanism that locks this top cover 3 in the closed position
RM and the lock release mechanism that releases this lock
In the liquid container provided with RR, the push operation part 36b for pushing the lock release mechanism RR in the unlocking direction is located on the case 2 side, and a cover that houses the liquid injection pipe 4 provided at the front part of the case 2. A liquid container provided facing the front downward slope of the portion 2A, and provided with a biasing mechanism SM for rotating the upper lid 3 in an arc in the opening direction when the lock by the locking mechanism RM is released. vessel. 2. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the biasing mechanism SM is a plate-like elastic member 3c integrally formed with the upper lid 3. 3 The case 3 fits the liquid storage section 1 therein, and the biasing mechanism SM is a bellows-shaped communication member provided between the inner plug 5 for the liquid storage section 1 and the upper lid 3. 32. The liquid container according to claim 1, which is registered as a utility model.