MIXING CONTAINER HAVING SYRINGE

Abstract

Disclosed is a mixing container for using two types of contents by mixing. A mixing container according to an aspect of the present invention has: a first body having a first inner space; and an insertion head inserted below the first body. The insertion head comprises: a second body which has a center protrusion having a through hole and protruding downward by a fixed length; a piston which forms a second inner space by being movably inserted into the insertion head and closes the through hole by coming into contact with the center protrusion; and a bottom cap which covers the bottom of the second body. The center protrusion is released from the contact with the piston by means of the descent of the piston due to an external force, and thus the first inner space and second inner space communicate.

Description

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a mixing container in which two different types of substances are mixed together before being applied with a syringe.

Description of the Related Art

Mixing containers are currently in use, where a mixing container may hold two types of contents separately within a single container, with the contents mixed together when they are used. For example, in the field of cosmetic products, a mixing container is being manufactured and distributed in which a gel type base and a powder are stored individually without mixing, with the base and the powder mixed together when applied. This form of mixing container is mainly used in cases where a mixture of the two different types of contents provides a synergetic effect but where a premature mixing of the two different contents before the time of use causes the contents to spoil or exhibit a lowered performance after a prolonged period of distribution.

In the case of functional cosmetics, such as essence oils, etc., a container capable of dispensing an exact amount of a content may be used, in consideration of the high value of the content. One device that allows the dispensing of a fixed amount of content is the syringe. A syringe, which may include an elongated glass tube with a bulb made of rubber or silicone, etc., formed at the end, can discharge an exact amount of content and dispense the content drop by drop.

A conventional mixing container equipped with a syringe is disclosed for example in Korean Registered Utility Model No. 0487631. In the mixing container disclosed in the above prior art document, the syringe may be filled with a content, and the entrance may be closed with a cap. When the syringe is first used and is withdrawn from the container body, the cap may be separated, and the content within the syringe may be discharged.

The conventional mixing container such as the above entails the problem that it is difficult to insert the syringe, to which a cap is coupled, into the inside of the container. Also, with the conventional mixing container, the cap separated from the syringe is not removed and may remain inside the container body. This can be inconvenient to the user and can be undesirable also in terms of an aesthetic appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Technical Problem

An aspect of the present invention, which was conceived to resolve the problem described above, is to provide a syringe type mixing container that is simple to manufacture and convenient to use.

Other objectives of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the embodiments set forth below.

Solution to Problem

One aspect of the present invention provides a mixing container that includes: a first body that includes a first interior space; a second body that includes an insertion head inserted into a lower portion of the first body, where the insertion head includes a center protrusion that forms a through-hole and protrudes downward in a particular length; a piston that is movably inserted into the insertion head to form a second interior space and is configured to close the through-hole by way of a contact with the center protrusion; and a lower cap that is configured to cover a lower portion of the second body. Here, a downward movement of the piston resulting from an external force may disengage the contact between the center protrusion and the piston such that the first interior space and the second interior space are connected.

A container according to an embodiment of the present invention can include one or more of the following features. For example, the piston can include a piston slope member and a center recess formed in a center of the piston slope member, and the center protrusion can be inserted in the center recess.

The piston can include a downwardly protruding piston protrusion, and the lower cap can include a cap protrusion holding the piston protrusion.

The piston can include a piston lip, and the piston lip can tightly contact the inner perimeter of the insertion head.

The insertion head can include a head slope member, and the head slope member can be formed sloping in the direction of the through-hole.

The mixing container can further include a syringe that is configured to be coupled to an upper portion of the first body, where the syringe can include a nozzle, and when the syringe is coupled to the first body, the nozzle can press down on the piston and cause the downward movement of the piston.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

An embodiment of the present invention can provide a mixing container that is convenient to use and has a simple structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a mixing container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a syringe used with the mixing container illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the first body, the second body, the piston, and the lower cap.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the mixing container with the syringe inserted but with the contents not yet mixed together.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the mixing container of FIG. 4 with the syringe inserted completely and the contents mixed together.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As the invention allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the written description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to particular modes of practice, and it is to be appreciated that all changes, equivalents, and substitutes that do not depart from the spirit and technical scope of the present invention are encompassed by the present invention. In the description of the present invention, certain detailed explanations of the related art are omitted, if it is deemed that they may unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention.

The terms used in the present specification are merely used to describe particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. An expression used in the singular encompasses the expression of the plural, unless it has a clearly different meaning in the context. In the present specification, it is to be understood that the terms such as “including” or “having,” etc., are intended to indicate the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof disclosed in the specification and are not intended to preclude the possibility that one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof may exist or may be added.

While such terms as “first,” “second,” etc., may be used to describe various components, such components must not be limited to the above terms. The above terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

Certain embodiments of the invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those components that are the same or are in correspondence are rendered the same reference numeral, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a mixing container 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a syringe 190 used with the mixing container 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the first body 110, the second body 130, the piston 160, and the lower cap 180.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a mixing container 100 based on this embodiment may include a first content 102 and a second content 104 filled therein in an unmixed state. The mixing container 100 can be provided with a syringe 190 as a device for dispensing the contents, and during the process of the syringe 190 being coupled to the upper portion of the mixing container 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, the piston 160 may be pressed down and moved by the syringe 190, allowing a mixing of the first content 102 and second content 104.

A mixing container 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a first body 110, a second body 130, a piston 160, and a lower cap 180. Also, the mixing container 100 based on this embodiment can include a syringe 190 as a device for dispensing the contents.

The first body 110 may be a hollow container having a circular cross section and may have an entrance 114 formed in its upper portion. A thread 116 may be formed around the entrance 114, where a syringe cap 194 may be screw-joined to the thread.

A guide member 108 may be plugged into the entrance 114. The guide member 108 may include a guide hole 106, and a nozzle 198 of the syringe 190 may be inserted through the guide hole 106 into the interior of the first body 110. Since the diameter of the guide hole 106 may be almost the same as the outer diameter of the nozzle 198, any content (not shown) that has adhered to the outer perimeter of the nozzle 198 can be removed by the guide member 108 when the nozzle 198 is passed through the guide hole 106.

A first interior space 120 may be formed within the first body 110. The first interior space 120 may be filled with the first content 102. The first interior space 120 may be formed by a periphery member 118, a head slope member 134 of an insertion head 132, and a center protrusion 136 of the insertion head 132. The open bottom of the center protrusion 136 can be closed by contact with the piston 160.

The first body 110 may be open at the lower end, allowing the insertion head 132 of the second body 130 to be inserted into the first body 110.

A coupling end part 124 may be formed at the lower end of the first body 110. The coupling end part 124 may be inserted into a coupling groove 142 formed in the periphery of the second body 130, and as a result the first body 110 and the second body 130 may be coupled to each other.

The second body 130 may include an insertion head 132, which may be inserted into the lower end of the first body 110, and a lower body 146, which may be exposed to the outside. The second body 130 may receive the piston 160 movably inserted therein and may have the lower cap 180 coupled to its lower end.

The insertion head 132 may be structured to have the shape of a hollow cylinder with a head slope member 134 formed at the top. In the center of the head slope member 134, there may be formed a center protrusion 136. Also, the head slope member 134 may be formed sloping downwardly in the direction of the center protrusion 136, whereby the first content 102 filled above the head slope member 134 can easily flow in the direction of the center protrusion 136.

The center protrusion 136 may correspond to a hollow cylinder formed protruding downwardly from the center of the head slope member 134. A through-hole 138 may be formed through the upper end and lower end of the center protrusion 136, thus forming an open structure. Also, referring to FIG. 1, the outer diameter of the center protrusion 136 can be formed such that, when the center protrusion 136 is inserted into the center recess 166 of the piston 160, the outer perimeter of the center protrusion 136 can contact the inner perimeter of the center recess 166. Thus, the first content 102 within the center protrusion 136 may not flow into the second interior space 172.

The length of the center protrusion 136 may correspond to the gap between the head slope member 134 and the piston slope member 162. Therefore, if the length of the center protrusion 136 is great, the gap between the head slope member 134 and the piston slope member 162 may be great, and hence the volume of the second interior space 172 may also be large. Conversely, if the length of the center protrusion 136 is small, then the volume of the second interior space 172 may be small. Therefore, the length of the center protrusion 136 can be determined in consideration of the amount of second content 104 filled in the mixing container 100.

The diameter of the through-hole 138 formed in the center protrusion 136 can be formed greater than the outer diameter of the nozzle 198 of the syringe 190. This can allow the nozzle 198 to readily pass through the center protrusion 136 and press down on the piston 160.

The insertion head 132 may include a head periphery member 140. The head periphery member 140 may be structured to extend down from the edge of the head slope member 134 with the lower end connected in a continuous manner with the lower body 146. The outer perimeter of the head periphery member 140 may contact the inner perimeter of the first body 110, thereby preventing any leakage of the first content 102.

The lower body 146 may have a larger outer diameter than that of the insertion head 132 and may be connected in a continuous manner with the lower end of the first body 110. Since the diameter of the lower body 146 may the same as the diameter of the first body 110, the exterior of the mixing container 100 can be formed in a continuous shape with no protuberance.

The lower cap 180 may be coupled to the lower end of the lower body 146.

At the portion where the insertion head 132 and the lower body 146 are connected, the difference in outer diameter between the two may form a coupling groove 142. The coupling groove 142 may be a groove formed in a particular depth along the entire periphery of the second body 130. Also, in the inner perimeter of the coupling groove 142, there may be formed a detent groove 144. The coupling between the first body 110 and the second body 130 may be completed as the coupling end part 124 of the first body 110 is inserted in the coupling groove 142 and a protrusion 126 formed in the periphery of the coupling end part 124 is inserted in the detent groove 144.

The piston 160 may be positioned within the insertion head 132 of the second body 130 and, together with the insertion head 132, may form the second interior space 172 that is to be filled with the second content 104. The piston 160 may move down when pressed by the user, as a result of which the first interior space 120 and the second interior space 172 may be connected with each other.

The piston 160 may include a circularly shaped piston slope member 162. The piston slope member 162 may have a center recess 166 formed in the center and a piston lip 164 formed on the edge. The piston slope member 162 may be formed sloping downward towards the center recess 166 in the middle, whereby the content can be focused in the direction of the center recess 166.

The piston slope member 162 may correspond to a part of the lower boundary of the second interior space 172. That is, the second interior space 172 may have an upper boundary corresponding to the head slope member 134 of the insertion head 132, a lower boundary corresponding to the piston slope member 162 and the center recess 166, and a boundary in-between corresponding to the inner perimeter of the insertion head 132.

The piston lip 164 may be formed protruding upward from the periphery of the end portion of the piston slope member 162. The piston lip 164 may move while maintaining tight contact with the inner perimeter of the insertion head 132, so that the content may not leak to the lower cap 180.

The center recess 166 may be a recess formed in the center of the piston slope member 162 and may be shaped as a hollow cylinder. The center recess 166 may be open at the top and closed at the bottom. A piston protrusion 168 may be formed extending from the lower surface of the center recess 166. When the piston 160 has not yet moved down, the center protrusion 136 of the second body 130 may be inserted in the center recess 166, whereby the through-hole 138 formed in the lower end of the center protrusion 136 may remain closed.

The inner diameter of the center recess 166 may be formed the same or almost the same as the outer diameter of the center protrusion 136, so as to prevent any leaking of the first content 102 through the center protrusion 136 before the piston 160 is moved down.

The piston protrusion 168 may protrude downward from the lower surface of the center recess 166 and may be shaped as a hollow cylinder. The piston protrusion 168 may be partially inserted in a cap protrusion 186 formed in the center of the lower cap 180 (see FIG. 1). As the piston 160 is moved downward, the piston protrusion 168 may be inserted completely into the cap protrusion 186 (see FIG. 5). In this way, the piston protrusion 168, together with the cap protrusion 186, may serve as a guide that allows a stable downward movement of the piston 160.

At the lower end of the piston protrusion 168, a tapered portion 170 may be formed. The tapered portion 170 may allow the piston protrusion 168 to more easily be inserted into the cap protrusion 186.

The lower cap 180 may be coupled to a lower portion of the second body 130 to cover the open bottom of the second body 130. The circularly shaped lower cap 180 may have a cap lip 182 formed on the edge and a cap protrusion 186 formed in the center.

The cap lip 182 may be formed protruding upward from the edge of the lower cap 180 and may be placed in tight contact with the inner perimeter of the lower body 146 of the second body 130. The tight contact of the cap lip 182 against the inner perimeter of the lower body 146 can prevent the lower cap 180 from becoming detached and prevent the content from leaking out of the mixing container 100.

The cap lip 182 may include an outwardly protruding detent protrusion 184, where the detent protrusion 184 may be inserted into a groove (no numeral assigned) formed in the inner perimeter of the lower body 146. Thus, the lower cap 180 may be firmly coupled to the lower end of the second body 130.

The cap protrusion 186 protruding upward from the center of the lower cap 180 may be structured as a hollow cylinder with an open top. The cap protrusion 186 can be formed in a length that is the same or almost the same as that of the piston protrusion 168. Also, the inner diameter of the cap protrusion 186 can be formed somewhat larger than the outer diameter of the piston protrusion 168. This can allow the piston protrusion 168 to be easily inserted into the cap protrusion 186.

A mixing container 100 according to this embodiment can be provided with a syringe 190 as a device for dispensing the contents. The syringe 190 may include a syringe cap 194, which may be screw-joined onto an upper portion of the first body 110, and a nozzle 198, which may extend downward from the syringe cap 194.

After the cap 112 coupled to the upper portion of the first body 110 is removed, the syringe cap 194 can be coupled to the first body 110 instead of the cap 112. A pressing part 192 may be formed at an upper portion of the syringe cap 194. The nozzle 198 may be inserted in the center of the syringe cap 194.

The nozzle 198 may be an elongated hollow tube with its lower open and its upper end connected with the pressing part 192. The nozzle 198 can be formed in a length that allows the nozzle 198 to press the piston 160 when the syringe 190 is coupled to the first body 110. Thus, during the process of the syringe 190 being coupled onto the first body 110, the nozzle 198 can press the piston 160 and move the piston 160 downward.

While the mixing container 100 based on this embodiment is described using an example in which a syringe 190 is provided as the dispensing device, the present invention is not limited by the device for dispensing the contents. Thus, a mixing container 100 based on another embodiment of the present invention can be provided with any of a variety of other dispensing devices, such as the spray pump disclosed in Korean Registered Patent No. 1963619, etc.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the mixing container 100 with the syringe 190 inserted but with the contents 102, 104 not yet mixed together, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the mixing container 100 of FIG. 4 with the syringe 190 inserted completely and the contents mixed together.

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, after the cap 112 is removed from the mixing container 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, the nozzle 198 of the syringe 190 may be inserted to the inside of the mixing container 100 through the entrance 114 of the first body 110. Here, since the piston 160 is inserted onto the center protrusion 136 of the second body 130, the second interior space 172 may not be connected with the first interior space 120. Therefore, before the piston 160 is separated from the center protrusion 136, the first content 102 may not be mixed with the second content 104.

When the nozzle 198 is moved down during the process of the syringe cap 194 of the syringe 190 being screw-joined onto the first body 110, the lower end of the nozzle 198 may pass through the center protrusion 136 of the second body 130 and then enter the center recess 166 of the piston 160 to press the piston 160 downward. Thus, as the piston 160 moves downward, the piston protrusion 168 may be inserted deeper into the cap protrusion 186. The downward movement of the piston 160 may disengage the contact between the center protrusion 136 and the center recess 166 and thus open the through-hole 138. The opening of the through-hole 138 may allow the first interior space 120 and the second interior space 172 to be connected with each other, whereby the first content 102 may flow into the second interior space 172 and be mixed with the second content 104.

When the syringe 190 is completely screw-joined to the first body 110, the end portion of the nozzle 198 may contact the bottom surface of the center recess 166 of the downwardly moved piston 160. As the piston protrusion 168 may also be completely inserted into the cap protrusion 186 of the lower cap 180, the piston 160 may not be able to move any further. As illustrated in FIG. 5, even after the piston 160 is moved completely, the piston lip 164 may contact the inner perimeter of the insertion head 132, thereby preventing the mixture of the first content 102 and second content 104 from leaking below the piston 160.

While the mixing container 100 according to this embodiment is described using an example in which the nozzle 198 of the syringe 190 is used to press the piston 160 downward, the present invention is not limited by the device for pressing down the piston 160. Thus, a mixing container 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention can press down the piston 160 by using the nozzle of a spray pump module or a separately provided stick.

A mixing container 100 based on this embodiment provides the advantage of convenient use, since screw-joining the dispensing means, i.e., the syringe 190, moves the piston 160 downward and allows a mixing of the first content 102 and second content 104. Also, a mixing container 100 based on this embodiment entails a simple composition of a first body 110, second body 130, piston 160, and lower cap 180 and therefore provides the advantages of easy fabrication and assembly.

While the foregoing provides a description with reference to an embodiment of the present invention, it should be appreciated that a person having ordinary skill in the relevant field of art would be able to make various modifications and alterations to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention set forth in the scope of claims below.

Claims

1. A mixing container comprising: a first body comprising a first interior space;a second body comprising an insertion head, the insertion head inserted into a lower portion of the first body, the insertion head comprising a center protrusion, the center protrusion forming a through-hole and protruding downward in a particular length;a piston movably inserted into the insertion head to form a second interior space, the piston configured to close the through-hole by way of a contact with the center protrusion; anda lower cap configured to cover a lower portion of the second body,wherein a downward movement of the piston resulting from an external force disengages the contact between the center protrusion and the piston such that the first interior space and the second interior space are connected.

2. The mixing container of claim 1, wherein the piston comprises a piston slope member and a center recess formed in a center of the piston slope member, and the center protrusion is inserted in the center recess.

3. The mixing container of claim 1, wherein the piston comprises a downwardly protruding piston protrusion, and the lower cap comprises a cap protrusion holding the piston protrusion.

4. The mixing container of claim 1, wherein the piston comprises a piston lip, and the piston lip tightly contacts an inner perimeter of the insertion head.

5. The mixing container of claim 1, wherein the insertion head comprises a head slope member, the head slope member formed sloping in a direction of the through-hole.

6. The mixing container of claim 1, further comprising: a syringe configured to be coupled to an upper portion of the first body,wherein the syringe comprises a nozzle, andwhen the syringe is coupled to the first body, the nozzle presses down on the piston and causes the downward movement of the piston.

7. The mixing container of claim 2, further comprising: a syringe configured to be coupled to an upper portion of the first body,wherein the syringe comprises a nozzle, andwhen the syringe is coupled to the first body, the nozzle presses down on the piston and causes the downward movement of the piston.

8. The mixing container of claim 3, further comprising: a syringe configured to be coupled to an upper portion of the first body,wherein the syringe comprises a nozzle, andwhen the syringe is coupled to the first body, the nozzle presses down on the piston and causes the downward movement of the piston.

9. The mixing container of claim 4, further comprising: a syringe configured to be coupled to an upper portion of the first body,wherein the syringe comprises a nozzle, andwhen the syringe is coupled to the first body, the nozzle presses down on the piston and causes the downward movement of the piston.

10. The mixing container of claim 5, further comprising: a syringe configured to be coupled to an upper portion of the first body,wherein the syringe comprises a nozzle, andwhen the syringe is coupled to the first body, the nozzle presses down on the piston and causes the downward movement of the piston.