Patent Application
20250089874
This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0125249, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Sep. 20, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a refillable container.
To help combat the polluting of the environment by plastics, etc., and also relieve the financial burden of the consumer, there has been an increase products such as cosmetic containers, etc., that use refillable containers, in which the content can be refilled for use. In the context of cosmetic containers, for example, a compact case or a cream container may include an inner container filled with a content that can be separated from and coupled to an outer container for a refill of the content.
In a conventional refillable container, an inner container filled with the content has to be separated from and coupled to an outer container, necessitating a complicated structure for its implementation. The complexity of such a structure can make it inconvenient for a user to easily perform a refill. Also, since the inner container is inserted within the outer container, the structure does not allow the user to easily grip the inner container, making it even more difficult to separate and couple the inner container.
An aspect of the present invention, which was conceived to resolve the problem described above, is to provide a refillable container that has a simple structure and allows easy refilling.
Other objectives of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the embodiments set forth below.
One aspect of the invention provides a refillable container that includes: an outer container having a coupling protrusion; and an inner container configured to be inserted into the outer container and separably coupled to the coupling protrusion, where the coupling protrusion comprises a mounting indentation and a detent hole, the mounting indentation having an open top and having a particular depth, the detent hole formed below the mounting indentation with a particular distance in-between, and the inner container comprises a mounting protrusion and a detent hook, the mounting protrusion configured to be inserted into the mounting indentation, the detent hook configured to be inserted into the detent hole.
A refillable container according to an embodiment of the present invention can include one or more of the following features. For example, an outwardly protruding flange can be formed on an upper end of the inner container, and the mounting protrusion can protrude further outward compared to the flange.
The detent hook can be formed on an end portion of a detent piece, and the detent piece can be separated by a particular distance from an outer periphery of the inner container.
An outwardly protruding flange can be formed on an upper end of the inner container, and the detent piece can be formed on a lower portion of the flange.
A lower end of the mounting protrusion can be rounded.
An embodiment of the present invention having the features above can provide various advantageous effects including the following. However, an embodiment of the present invention may not necessarily exhibit all of the effects below.
An embodiment of the present invention can provide a refillable container that has a simple structure and allows easy refilling.
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 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” and “second,” etc., can be used to describe various components, such components are not to be limited by the above terms. The above terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.
Certain embodiments of the present 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.
Referring to
The outer container 110 may include a quadrilaterally shaped body 112 and a circular coupling protrusion 114 formed on an upper portion of the body 112. The coupling protrusion 114 may be shaped as a hollow cylinder, and a cover (not shown) may be coupled around the coupling protrusion 114. A screw thread 116 may be formed on the outer perimeter of the coupling protrusion 114.
A pair of mounting indentations 118 may be formed in certain sides of the coupling protrusion 114. Amounting indentation 118 can be formed by cutting away a portion from an upper end of the coupling protrusion 114 and can have a quadrilateral shape. The depth of the mounting indentation 118 can be formed smaller than the height of the coupling protrusion 114, while the size and shape of the mounting indentation 118 can be formed such as to enable a press fitting of a mounting protrusion 146 of the detent member 144. At the bottom of the mounting indentations 118, a floor surface 119 may be formed. The floor surface 119 may serve as a stopper that limits the insertion of the mounting protrusion 146 as it is inserted into the mounting indentation 118.
The pair of mounting indentations 118 can be formed in the perimeter of the circular coupling protrusion at an angle of 180 degrees. Thus, a user can easily press the pair of detent members 144 inward with one hand when separating the inner container 140.
A refillable container 100 based on this embodiment is illustrated as having two mounting indentations 118, but the invention is not limited by the numbers and arrangement intervals of the mounting indentations 118 and detent members 144. For example, a refillable container 100 according to another embodiment of the invention can include one mounting indentation 118 and one detent member 144 or three or more mounting indentations 118 and detent members 144.
Detent holes 120 may be formed vertically below the mounting indentations 118. The detent holes 120 may be shaped as slots and correspond to holes in which the detent hooks 150 of the detent member 144 may be inserted.
An inner curb 122 may be formed on the inner perimeter at an upper portion of the coupling protrusion 114. The flange 142 of the inner container 140 may be placed on the inner curb 122, which can prevent the inner container 140 from being inserted further into the interior of the outer container 110.
The inner container 140 can be open at the top and can have a horizontal cross section of a circular shape. An outwardly protruding flange 142 may be formed at an upper portion of the inner container 140. Also, a pair of detent members 144 may be formed on certain sides of the flange 142.
A detent member 144 may include a mounting protrusion 146 and a detent piece 148. The mounting protrusion 146 may protrude outward from the outer perimeter of the flange 142 and correspond to the part that is inserted into the mounting indentation 118. As such, the shape of the mounting protrusion 146 may be identical to or similar to the shape of the mounting indentation 118. Also, in order that the mounting protrusion 146 may be easily inserted into the mounting indentation 118, both corners on the lower end of the mounting protrusion 146 may be rounded.
The detent piece 148 may extend downward from the flange 142 and may be shaped as an elastic piece that is separated by a particular distance from the outer periphery of the inner container 140. Thus, the detent piece 148 may be positioned at a more inward position compared to the mounting protrusion 146. The detent piece 148 may be formed from a material having an elastic quality such as a plastic resin so as to be capable of retreating to an inner position with respect to the inner container 140 when pressed by the user and elastically returning to its original position when the external force is removed.
A detent hook 150 may be formed at the lower end of the detent piece 148. The detent hook 150 corresponds to the part that is inserted in the detent hole 120. The end portion of the detent hook 150 can be formed with a slope, so as to allow the detent hook 150 to be easily coupled to the detent hole 120 when the inner container 140 is coupled to the outer container 110.
The outer container 110 and the inner container 140 can be fabricated from a material having an elastic quality, such as a plastic resin and rubber for example.
When separating the inner container 140 from the outer container 110, the user may simply press inward the mounting protrusions 146 of the pair of detent members 144. The pressure applied by the user may cause the detent hooks 150 to retreat inward and be separated from the detent holes 120. Then, the user may lift up the inner container 140 while continuing to apply the pressure inward, as a result of which the mounting protrusions 146 may be separated from the mounting indentations 118, and the separation of the inner container 140 may be completed.
When coupling a new inner container 140 to the outer container 110, the user may insert the mounting protrusions 146 in the mounting indentations 118 and press downward on the inner container 140. Here, the sloped surfaces of the detent hooks 150 may cause the detent hooks 150 to be elastically deformed and moved backward (in the direction of the perimeter of the inner container 140), with the result that the detent hooks 150 may be inserted in the detent holes 120. Simultaneously, the flange 142 may rest on the inner curb 122, and the coupling of the inner container 140 may be completed.
A refillable container 100 according to this embodiment has a simple coupling structure and thus provides the advantages of convenient use and manufacture. Also, the inner container 140 can be securely coupled to the outer container 110 by means of the detent hooks 150 and the detent holes 120. When the inner container 140 is coupled, the mounting indentations 118 are easily observable from the exterior, so that the user may readily orient the inner container 140 in the proper coupling direction.
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.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2023-0125249 | Sep 2023 | KR | national |
