JP2000191001A - Container cap unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a container cap unit having tamper evidence properties for recognizing whether a cap is opened or not just by taking a glance to the appearance of the cap unit. SOLUTION: A synthetic resin cap unit is formed of a cap main body 4 and a cap 5 screwed on its outer periphery, and an area 16 parted by a weakening line 15 is formed on a proper site of a cylindrical section 12 of the cap 5, and a first engaging protrusion 17 protruded slightly in the horizontal direction from the inside of the area 16 parted by the weakening line 15 is formed on the inner face of the cylindrical section 12, while a second engaging protrusion 18 overriding each other the first engaging protrusion 17 when the cap 5 is screwed in the closing direction of the cap main body 4 and engaged with the first engaging protrusion 17 when the cap is screwed in the opening direction is formed on the outer face of a cylindrical section 7 of the cap main body 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spout to be attached to a container, and more particularly to a spout made of a synthetic resin having a tamper-evidence function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Concerning the contents contained in a container, there are cases where it is necessary for a consumer or the like to easily confirm whether or not the contents have been opened for hygiene, safety and other reasons.

[0003] In particular, in a container for storing beverages,
From the viewpoint of hygiene, safety, taste, and the like, it is required that the container should not be opened before the consumption stage. For this reason, the container is required to have a function of easily confirming whether or not the container has been opened, that is, a tamper-evidence property.

[0004] Conventionally, as a plug having such tamper evidence, a plug which is opened by pulling a pull ring is known. Some plugs with screw caps also have tamper-evident properties.These plugs have perforations formed in the circumferential direction on the opening end side of the cylindrical portion of the cap. Until the cap is opened, the cap screwed to the plug body has the open end of the tubular part fixed to the plug body, and when the cap is rotated at the time of opening, the open end of the tubular part breaks from the perforation Can be removed from the cap body while
The open end side of the cylindrical portion of the cap is left on the plug body.

[0005]

In the case of a plug having the above-mentioned screw cap, when the cap is tightened again after opening, the broken portion of the open end of the cylindrical portion of the cap remains in the cylindrical portion remaining in the plug body. Of the cap, the opening of the cap may not be visually recognized unless carefully observed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a tamper-evident container plug which allows the user to visually check whether or not the cap has been opened by just looking at the appearance of the plug.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a region partitioned by a weakening line is formed at an appropriate position of a cylindrical portion of the cap, and the weakened line is formed on an inner surface of the cylindrical portion. A first engagement projection is provided which slightly projects in a substantially horizontal direction from the inside of the partitioned area, and an outer surface of the tubular portion of the plug body is provided on the outer surface of the cap in a closing direction of the cap with respect to the plug body. A second engaging projection is provided which, when rotated, rides over the first engaging projection and engages with the first engaging projection when rotating in the opening direction.

[0008] With this configuration, when the cap is rotated in the closing direction with respect to the plug body, the first engagement protrusion provided on the inner surface of the cap and the second engagement protrusion provided on the outer surface of the plug body. Over each other, the cap can be rotated, the cap can be screwed onto the plug body, and the plug can be closed. When the cap is rotated in the opening direction from the state in which the plug is closed in this way, the first engagement protrusion and the second engagement protrusion engage, and in this state, the cap is further moved in the opening direction. When rotated, the weakening line formed in the cylindrical portion of the cap is broken, and the broken portion protrudes outward.
The broken portion protruding to the outside can be easily visually recognized from the outside, and the visual inspection of the broken portion allows confirmation of opening of the plug.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the first engaging projection formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion of the cap according to the first aspect of the present invention includes:
It is provided on the extension of the spiral path of the screw thread provided spirally on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion, and the width in the height direction and the position of the protruding crest are substantially the same as the width of the screw thread and the position of the protruding crest. It is characterized by being.

[0010] With this configuration, when the cap is screwed into the plug, the first engagement projection does not pass between the threads provided on the outer surface of the plug body, so that the first engaging projection does not collide.
The engaging projection does not hinder the screwing of the cap to the spout.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first and second engagement projections of the first aspect, the engagement surface of one of the engagement projections is formed in a step shape. The engaging surface of the other engaging projection is formed in an inverted staircase shape that is entirely engaged with the stair-shaped engaging surface.

With this configuration, when the cap is rotated in the opening direction from a state where the plug is closed, the first engagement projection and the second engagement projection engage with each other. Of the projection and the second engagement projection, the engagement surface of one of the engagement projections is formed in a step shape, and the engagement surface of the other engagement projection is entirely engaged with the engagement surface of the step shape. Since the first and second engagement protrusions are engaged with each other because they are formed in an inverted staircase shape,
Since the engaging surfaces of the step shape and the reverse step shape are engaged and strongly resist and cannot be easily removed, the weakening line formed on the cylindrical portion of the cap is reliably broken by further rotation of the cap in the opening direction. Thus, opening of the plug can be confirmed more reliably.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the first and second engagement projections according to the first aspect, wherein one of the engagement projections has an engagement surface in an engagement direction. A protrusion is formed to protrude, and an insertion groove into which the protrusion is inserted is formed on an engagement surface of the other engagement protrusion.

With this configuration, when the cap is rotated in the opening direction from a state in which the plug is closed, the first engagement protrusion and the second engagement protrusion engage with each other. One of the projections and the second engagement projection has an engagement surface that is formed with a projection that projects in the engagement direction, and the other engagement projection has an engagement surface that projects with the engagement surface. Since the insertion groove into which the portion is inserted is formed, when the first engagement protrusion and the second engagement protrusion are engaged, the protrusion is inserted into the insertion groove and does not come off. By further rotating in the opening direction, the line of weakness formed in the cylindrical portion of the cap is reliably broken, whereby the opening of the plug can be confirmed more reliably.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, an annular band-shaped portion having a larger inner diameter is formed on the opening end side of the cylindrical portion of the cap of the first aspect, and the annular band-shaped portion is partitioned by the weakening line. And the first engagement protrusion is provided.

[0016] With this configuration, the length of the first engagement protrusion formed on the annular band portion to the top can be increased, and the engagement surfaces of the first engagement protrusion and the second engagement protrusion are correspondingly increased. Can be increased, so that a larger force can be applied to the engagement surfaces of the first engagement protrusion and the second engagement protrusion at the time of opening, and the breakage of the line of weakness is made more reliable. be able to.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an embodiment of a plug for a container according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 8 show an example of an embodiment in which the present invention is implemented as a plug of a liquid container. In the figure, 1 is a container body, 2
The plug 2 is composed of a synthetic resin plug body 4 attached to the opening 3 of the container body 1 and a synthetic resin cap 5 screwed around the outer periphery of the plug body 4. Have been.

The plug body 4 has a bottom portion 8 at the lower end of a tubular portion 7 having a thread 6 formed on the outer periphery, the bottom portion 8 closing the tubular portion 7.
In addition, a flange-shaped mounting portion 9 that is fused to the back surface of the container body 1 is provided on the outer periphery of the lower end of the cylindrical portion 7. The bottom 8
Is provided with an opening pull ring 10, and a thin portion 11 which is broken at the time of opening is provided so as to surround the pull ring 10.

In the cap 5 screwed to the outer periphery of the plug body 4, a screw groove 13 screwed with the thread 6 of the plug body 4 is formed on the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 12. Is formed by

The cylindrical portion 12 has an area 16 partitioned by a weakening line 15. The weakened line 15 is not particularly limited as long as it can be easily broken. In this example, the weakened line 15 is formed with a thin portion. However, the weakened line 15 may be formed by a perforated line or a hanging string-shaped connecting portion. . The weakened line 15 formed by the thin portion can be provided on either side of the inner and outer surfaces of the cylindrical portion 12. The inner surface of the cylindrical portion 12 is provided with a first engagement projection 17 slightly projecting in a substantially horizontal direction from an area 16 partitioned by the weakening line 15. The first engaging projection 17 is provided on an extension of the spiral path of the screw thread 14, and its width in the height direction and the position of the protruding crest are substantially the same as the width of the screw thread 14 and the position of the protruding crest. It has become.

In this way, when the cap 5 is screwed onto the plug body 4, the first engagement projection 17 passes between the threads 6 of the plug body 4, It will not hinder screwing.

The area 16 partitioned by the weakening line 15 formed in the cylindrical portion 12 of the cap 5 and the first engaging projection 17 projecting from the area 16 may be provided at one location or a circle. It may be provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction. In the present example, it is provided at two places at an interval of 180 degrees in the circumferential direction.

On the other hand, in the plug body 4, a second engaging projection 18 which engages with the first engaging projection 17 slightly protrudes from the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 7 in a substantially horizontal direction. It is provided. The relationship between the second engagement projection 18 and the first engagement projection 17 is such that when the cap 5 is rotated relative to the plug body 4 in the closing direction, the first engagement projection 17 and the first engagement projection 17 are rotated. The two engaging projections 18 cross each other to allow rotation of the cap 5, and when rotating in the opening direction, the first engaging projection 17 and the second engaging projection 18 engage to rotate the cap 5. It is designed to block.

More specifically, when the cap 5 rotates in the closing direction, the opposing surfaces of the first engagement projection 17 and the second engagement projection 18 are inclined curved surfaces 19 so as to reduce resistance to each other. , 20 so that when the cap 5 is rotated in the closing direction, the inclined curved surfaces 19, 20 ride up each other to promote the elastic deformation of the cylindrical portion 12 of the cap 5 so that the cap 5 can get over each other. . Also, cap 5
The first engagement protrusion 17 and the second engagement protrusion 17 when rotating in the opening direction of the
Opposing surfaces of the engaging projections 18 are engaging surfaces 21 and 22 that engage to prevent further rotation of the cap 5.

In this embodiment, the engagement surface 21 of the first engagement projection 17
Are formed in a step shape, and the engagement surface 22 of the second engagement protrusion 18 is formed.
Are formed in an inverted staircase shape that is entirely engaged with the engagement surface 21 having the staircase shape. The angle between the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 12 of the cap 5 and the engaging surface 21 of the first engaging protrusion 17 and the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 7 of the plug body 4 and the second engaging protrusion 18 The angle b formed with the engagement surface 22 is an acute angle.

With such a configuration, the engagement surface 21 of the first engagement projection 17 and the engagement surface 22 of the second engagement projection 18 are formed.
Are engaged, the step-shaped engaging surface 21 and the inverted step-shaped engaging surface 22 are engaged with each other to provide strong resistance, and furthermore, the disengagement of the engaging surface 22 is more reliably prevented.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show other examples of the shapes of the engaging surface 21 of the first engaging projection 17 and the engaging surface 22 of the second engaging projection 18, respectively. A projection 23 projecting in the engagement direction is formed on the engagement surface 21 of the mating portion 17, and an insertion groove into which the projection 23 is inserted is formed on the engagement surface 22 of the second engagement projection 18. 24 are formed. With this configuration, when the engagement surface 21 of the first engagement protrusion 17 and the engagement surface 22 of the second engagement protrusion 18 are engaged, the engagement surface 2
1 is inserted into the insertion groove 24 formed in the engagement surface 22 to provide a stronger resistance.
1 and the engagement surface 22 are also reliably prevented from coming off.

In any case, the shapes of the engagement surface 21 of the first engagement protrusion 17 and the engagement surface 22 of the second engagement protrusion 18 are as follows.
When the engagement surfaces 21 and 22 are engaged with each other, any shape may be used as long as the engagement state can be maintained, and the shape is not limited to the above shape.

The second engaging projection 18 provided on the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 7 of the plug body 4 has the same width and height in the height direction as the first engaging projection 17. ing. In addition, a single location may be provided, or a plurality of locations may be provided in the circumferential direction. In this example, it is provided at four locations at 90 degree intervals in the circumferential direction.

The region 16 formed by the weakening line 15 formed in the cylindrical portion 12 of the cap 5 is formed by a first engaging projection 17 projecting from the region 16 in the spiral path of the screw thread 14. Although not particularly limited as long as it is an extension line, in this example, an annular band-like portion 25 having a slightly larger inner diameter is formed on the opening end side of the cylindrical portion 12 of the cap 5, and the annular band-like portion 25 An area 16 partitioned by the weakening line 15 and the first engagement protrusion 17 are provided. The annular strip 25 is separated from other parts by a weakening line 26.

Since the inner diameter of the annular band 25 is slightly increased, the distance between the inner surface of the annular band 25 and the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 7 of the plug body 4 is increased. Therefore, the first engagement protrusion 17 protruding from the region 16 formed in the annular belt-like portion 25 can be extended by that much, and the first engagement protrusion 17 and the second engagement protrusion 18 are correspondingly increased. Engagement surfaces 21 and 2
2 can be increased, so that a larger force can be applied to the engagement surfaces 21 and 22 of the first engagement protrusion 17 and the second engagement protrusion 18 at the time of opening, and the weakening line 15 is broken. Can be made more reliable.

The material of the plug body 4 and the cap 5 is preferably a polyolefin-based synthetic resin. Especially the container body 1
Is a paper container containing beverages, the plug body 4
Must have thermal adhesiveness to a thermoplastic synthetic resin laminated on the surface of the paper container, and must be made of a material that pulls the pull ring 10 to break the thin portion 11.

Therefore, low density polyethylene is usually employed. In the present invention, when the material of the plug body 4 is low-density polyethylene, the cap 5 is connected to the weakened line 1 as described above.
A material that breaks from 5, 26 is required, and it is necessary to select a resin having a balanced strength such as high-density polyethylene or linear low-density polyethylene from low-density polyethylene.

Further, when the plug body 4 and the cap 5 are both made of a polyolefin-based synthetic resin, the frictional resistance at the time of attachment to a molded product or opening is increased, so that a lubricant is added to at least one of them.

According to the spout 2 configured as described above,
When the cap 5 is rotated in the closing direction with respect to the plug body 4, the first engagement projection 17 on the cap 5 side and the second engagement projection 18 on the plug body 4 side ride on each other, and the cap 5 Since the elastic deformation of the cylindrical portion 12 is promoted and the two cylindrical members 12 get over each other, the cap 5 can be rotated in the same direction, and the plug body 4 can be closed by the cap 5.

After the plug body 4 is once closed by the cap 5 as described above, when the cap 5 is rotated in the opening direction, the engagement surface of the first engagement projection 17 and the second engagement projection 18 is formed. 21 and 22 engage to prevent further rotation of the cap 5. When the cap 5 is further rotated in the opening direction from this state, the weakened line 15 formed in the tubular portion 12 of the cap 5 is broken, and the broken portion 27 protrudes largely outside the tubular portion 12 (FIG. 8). The broken portion 27 that protrudes outward from the cylindrical portion 12 can be easily visually recognized from the outside.

[0037]

As described above, according to the closure of the container according to the present invention, the closure of the closure body by the cap can be performed without any obstacle, and once closed, the cap is rotated in the opening direction. Then, part of the cylindrical part of the cap breaks,
Since the broken portion protrudes largely outside the cylindrical portion, the broken portion can be easily visually recognized from the outside, and by visually recognizing the broken portion, the presence or absence of opening of the plug can be easily and reliably confirmed. And has an effect of having excellent tamper evidence.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a plug according to the present invention is attached to a container body.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the plug shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the plug shown in FIG. 1;

4A is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the cap shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged front view of a main part of the plug main body shown in FIG.

5A is an enlarged perspective view of a first engagement projection shown in FIG. 4A, and FIG. 5B is an enlarged perspective view of a second engagement projection shown in FIG. 4B.

FIG. 6 shows a first engagement projection and a second engagement projection shown in FIGS.
It is an explanatory side view showing an engagement state of an engagement projection.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a first engagement projection and a second engagement projection shown in FIGS.
It is a plane explanatory view showing an engagement state of an engagement projection.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the cap is rotated in the opening direction with respect to the plug body.

FIG. 9A is a perspective view showing another example of the first engagement protrusion.
(B) is a perspective view showing another example of the second engagement projection.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory plan view showing an engagement state between a first engagement protrusion and a second engagement protrusion shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container body 2 Plug 3 Opening 4 Plug body 5 Cap 6 Thread 7 Cylindrical portion 8 Bottom 9 Mounting portion 10 Pull ring 11 Thin portion 12 Cylindrical portion 13 Thread groove 14 Thread 15 Weak line 16 Area 17 First Engagement Projection 18 Second Engagement Projection 19 Inclined Curved Surface 20 Inclined Curved Surface 21 Engagement Surface 22 Engagement Surface 23 Projection 24 Insertion Groove 25 Annular Band 26 Weak Line 27 Breakage

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Eiichi Kato 5-21-2 Oji, Kita-ku, Tokyo Nippon Paper Industries Liquid Packaging Center (72) Inventor Morio Takahashi Motokubocho, Nishi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 5-16-303 F term (reference) 3E060 AA05 AB04 CF06 EA03 3E084 AA05 AA12 AB01 BA03 CA01 CB01 CB02 CB04 CC04 DA01 DB06 DB12 DC04 FA09 FB01 GA04 GB04 GB08 KA13 KB01 LA03 LA17 LB02

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A synthetic resin faucet comprising a faucet body and a cap screwed around the outer periphery of the faucet, wherein a region partitioned by a weakening line is formed at an appropriate position of a cylindrical portion of the cap,
A first engagement projection is provided on the inner surface of the tubular portion, which slightly projects in a substantially horizontal direction from an area partitioned by the weakening line, and an outer surface of the tubular portion of the plug body has a mouth. A second engaging projection is provided for the stopper main body, the second engaging projection engaging with the first engaging projection when the cap rotates in the closing direction, and the second engaging projection engages with the first engaging projection when rotating in the opening direction. A spout for a container, characterized in that: 2. A first engaging projection formed on an inner surface of a cylindrical portion of the cap, the first engaging protrusion being provided on an extension of a spiral path of a screw thread spirally provided on an inner surface of the cylindrical portion, and The spout of claim 1, wherein the width in the height direction and the position of the protruding crest are substantially the same as the width of the screw thread and the position of the protruding crest. 3. An engagement surface of one of the first and second engagement protrusions, wherein an engagement surface of one of the engagement protrusions is formed in a step shape, and an engagement surface of the other engagement protrusion is provided. 2. The spout according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is formed in an inverted staircase shape that is entirely engaged with the engagement surface having the staircase shape. 4. A first projection and a second projection, wherein one of the projections has a projection projecting in an engagement direction on an engagement surface, and the other projection is formed on an engagement surface. The spout of claim 1, wherein an insertion groove into which the protrusion is inserted is formed in an engagement surface of the protrusion. 5. On the opening end side of the cylindrical portion of the cap,
2. The container according to claim 1, wherein an annular band portion having an increased inner diameter is formed, and the annular band portion is provided with a region partitioned by the weakening line and the first engagement protrusion. 3. Spout.