JP2001072109A - Synthetic resin cap - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a consumer to easily remove a crowned cap from a bottle mouth with a slight force of removing when putting a container (bottle) for recycling. SOLUTION: A tab 18 is formed, being integral with an outer cylinder 5 of a main body, and starting heads of weakening lines 17a, 17b for severing are connected to a hole 16 adjoining a part where the tab 18 is connected to the outer cylinder 5. The width in the vertical direction of the tab 18 is set in a dimension about not lens than twice the width in the vertical direction of a connecting part 19. Since the friction between the tab 18 and fingers becomes large, the outer cylinder 5 can be severed easily.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a synthetic resin cap that can be easily removed from a container after use in order to facilitate recycling of the container (bottle).

[0001]

2. Description of the Related Art Synthetic resin containers (bottles) such as PET bottles
Caps provided on glass bottles and the like are broadly classified into stopper-type caps and screw-type caps when viewed from the form of attachment to the bottle mouth (mouth of the container).

A stopper-type cap has an outer cylinder fitted into the bottle mouth from the outside, and a spout provided integrally with the outer cylinder. An inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder is provided with an outer peripheral surface of the bottle mouth. Is formed integrally with the annular engaging portion formed by the stopper.

[0003] On the other hand, recycling containers has become a social consensus, but most of the materials of the container and the cap are different, so that when recycling the container, it is necessary to remove the cap from the bottle opening. However, in the case of a stopper-type cap, it is extremely troublesome to remove because the cap is firmly fitted to the bottle mouth.

Therefore, a stopper-type cap which can be easily removed from the bottle mouth by a consumer is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-118348, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-32351, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
No. 4 proposes this.

[0005] In any of these methods, the cap is partially torn to make it easy to remove the cap from the bottle mouth. In order to enable the tearing, a weakening for defining a tear line is provided on the outer cylinder of the cap. It is common in that a line and a tab (gripping piece, gripping piece) for a person to pick with a finger when tearing are provided.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Among these publications,
JP-A-4-118348, JP-A-6-32351
In the cap, the weakening line is formed at a position below the annular locking portion in the outer cylinder of the cap. Therefore, even if the cap is torn along the weakening line, the annular locking portion of the cap is formed. There is no change in the fitting state between the
For this reason, a considerable force is required to remove the cap.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-61454 relates to the prior application of the present applicant, and in this prior invention, the weakening line extends so as to cross the annular locking portion. Therefore, when the cap is torn along the weakening line, the fitting strength between the annular engaging portion of the cap and the annular engaging portion of the bottle opening is significantly reduced, and therefore, the cap is removed with a light force. be able to.

An object of the present invention is to further develop the invention of the prior application and to provide a stopper cap which can be removed from the bottle mouth with a lighter force.

[0009]

The cap of the present invention includes an outer cylinder fitted into the bottle mouth from the outside, and a spout provided integrally with the outer cylinder, and is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder. An annular engaging portion is formed integrally with an annular engaging portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the bottle mouth so as to be undetachably fitted with a stopper.

[0010] The outer cylinder is provided with a weakening line for allowing the outer cylinder to be severable until the annular locking portion is broken, and a tab for a person to pick and pull with a finger at the time of severing. I have. And all or most of the tabs except for the connection part to the outer cylinder are set wider than the connection part to the outer cylinder.

The annular engaging portion and the annular engaging portion mean that the engaging portion and the engaging portion are formed so as to extend in the circumferential direction, and need not necessarily be continuous over the entire circumference. Instead, it may be in a discrete state. The spout only needs to have a function of pouring out the contents, and the vertical height can be set as required.

[0012]

When the tab is pulled and the outer tube is torn, the pulling force acts on the outer tube at the base of the tab. It is preferable that the width dimension of the connection portion with the outer cylinder is as small as possible. Further, in order to prevent the fitting strength of the outer cylinder to the bottle mouth from being excessively reduced, it is preferable that the width dimension of the connecting portion between the tab and the outer cylinder is as small as possible.

Therefore, the connecting portion between the tab and the outer cylinder is conventionally set as narrow as possible. However, conventionally, the tab is set to have the same width over its entire length. Was formed. For this reason, there is a problem that the finger is slippery when pulling the tab, and it is difficult to apply force to the tab.

On the other hand, as in the present invention, when the most part of the tab except for the connection with the outer cylinder is set to be wider than the connection with the outer cylinder, the connection with the outer cylinder is increased. Under the condition that the width dimension of the tab is made as small as possible, the friction between the tab and the finger is increased, and the tab can be pulled strongly.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the outer cylinder of the cap can be lightly torn under a state in which a decrease in strength due to the provision of the weakening line is suppressed as much as possible.

[0016]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 8) FIGS.
1 shows a first embodiment, and the present embodiment includes a main body 1
And a screw cap 2.

FIG. 1 is a front view in which the main body 1 and the screw cover 2 are separated, FIG. 2 is a front view in which the screw cover 2 is screwed, FIG. 3A is a left side view of only half, and FIG. ) Is a left side view of only half, (A) of FIG. 4 is a plan view taken along AA of FIG. 1,
(B) is a partially broken plan view with the screw lid 2 screwed in, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 2 with the container 3 added, and FIG. 7, (A) is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 6, and (B) is a sectional view taken along the line B-
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view as viewed from B, and FIG.

The basic structure of the cap is conventionally known, and as can be easily understood from FIGS. 1 and 5A, the main body 1 includes an outer cylinder 5 fitted into the bottle mouth 4 from the outside, An inner cylinder 6 fitted into the bottle mouth 4 from the inside, and a spout 7 having a small diameter portion 7a at an upper portion are provided. An outwardly extending annular projection 9 is formed on the outer periphery of the upper portion of the bottle mouth 5 as an example of an annular engagement portion, while an inner circumferential surface of the outer cylinder 5 is formed with a An inward annular protrusion 10 is formed on the outward annular protrusion 9 to engage from below.

The small diameter portion 6a of the spout 7 has a cylindrical portion 11 with a bottom plate 11a projecting downward.
An opening pull tab 12 and an annular score 13 are provided. Needless to say, the outer peripheral surface of the spout 7 and the screw cap 2
A thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of. The thread is a double-start thread.

A flange 14 is formed below the outwardly extending annular projection 9 in the bottle mouth 4. The flange 14 is used to lift the container 3 at the time of stoppering. The flange 14 is supported by the receiving member 15 from below as shown by a dashed line in FIG. 5, and the cap is turned downward by a punch (not shown) in this state. The body 1 is fitted into the bottle mouth 4 by elastically deforming the outer cylinder 5.

The outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 5 in the main body 1 is composed of a straight portion 5a forming a substantially lower half portion and a stepped portion 5b forming a substantially upper half portion. As clearly shown, the straight portion 5a of the outer cylinder 5 includes
The window hole 16 is open in a state where the inwardly directed annular projection 10 is divided, and the upper weakening line 17a and the lower weakening line 17b extend in the same direction with the edge of the window hole 16 as a starting point.

The straight portion 5a of the outer cylinder 5 in the cap and the flange 14 of the vial 4 are set to have substantially the same diameter. Therefore, the outer cylinder 5 is close to the upper surface of the flange 14 in the stoppered state. ing.

The window hole 16 is set to approximately one-third of the vertical width of the straight portion 5a, and is disposed substantially at the middle of the straight portion 5a. The vertical weakening line 17b is formed by forming a groove (score) having a V-shaped cross section to reduce the thickness, but may have another structure such as a perforation.

The upper weakening line 17a extends obliquely so as to cross the stepped portion 5b of the outer cylinder 5, and then extends to the top surface 5c of the outer cylinder 5.
And extends annularly at the top surface 5c.
On the other hand, the lower weakening line 17b extends obliquely and reaches the lower end edge of the outer cylinder 5. Range θ1 in which upper weakening line 17a is formed
May be about 180 degrees, and the range θ2 of the inclined portion at the upper weakening line 17a and the range θ3 of the lower weakening line 17b are, for example, 15 to 3
It may be about 0 degrees. In forming the weakening lines 17a and 17b, the grooves may be formed so as to be exposed on the outer surface of the outer cylinder 5.

A tab 18 is integrally connected to a portion of the outer cylinder 5 surrounded by the start end of the vertical weakening line 17b with a slight gap left between the outer cylinder 5 and the outer peripheral surface. I have. A connection portion to the outer cylinder 5 is indicated by reference numeral 19. Tab 18 of the present embodiment
Is formed in the shape of a triple gourd in a front view, and an appropriate portion near the tip is a bridge portion 2 having a strength capable of being shredded.
0 is connected to the straight portion 5a of the outer cylinder 5.

Since there is a gap between the tab 18 and the outer cylinder 5, the base 18a of the tab 18 is formed in an arc shape in plan view. Further, the connecting portion 19 is integrally provided with a reinforcing portion 19a extending slightly in the direction opposite to the tab 18. In this embodiment and the other embodiments, the reinforcing portion 19a is not necessarily required, but the presence of the reinforcing portion 19a can prevent the connection portion 19 from being broken, and the principle of leverage allows the vertical weakening lines 17a, 17a, 17
There is an advantage that the point b can be torn with a light force.

As can be easily understood from FIG.
The connecting portion 19 between the outer cylinder 8 and the outer cylinder 5 is set to the same vertical width W1 as the window hole 16. Most of the tab 18 is set to a size W2 (less than three times in this embodiment) larger than the vertical width W1 of the connecting portion 19.

If the vertical width of the window hole 16 is large, the bottle opening 4
Since the fitting strength to the connecting portion 19 is too low, the vertical width W2 of the connecting portion 19 is set as small as possible as long as the connecting portion 19 can maintain the strength that the connecting portion 19 does not break when the outer cylinder 5 is torn. . The window hole 16 serves as a trigger when the outer cylinder 5 is torn, and therefore, a thin portion may be formed instead of the window hole 16.

As will be understood from the above description, when the contents of the container 3 are completely consumed and the container 3 is recycled, the bridge portion 20 is shredded by placing the finger on the tip of the tab 18 and raising it. Then, by pulling the tab 18 in the circumferential direction and pulling it in the circumferential direction, the outer cylinder 5 is torn at the weakening lines 17a and 17b, and then the entire cap is grasped by hand and pulled out from the bottle mouth 4.

In this case, since the tab 18 is wider than the connecting portion 19, the friction between the tab 18 and the finger increases when the tab 18 is pinched and the outer cylinder 5 is torn, so that the tab 18 is strongly It can be picked and pulled, and as a result, the outer cylinder 5 can be torn lightly with a light force. In addition, since the tab 18 has a triple gourd shape, it is unique in design.

In the present embodiment, knurls are formed on the entire outer surface of the tab 18, so that the friction with the finger is increased, so that the outer cylinder 5 can be more lightly torn. It is more preferable to form a knurl on the inner surface of the tab 18. In addition, it is also possible not to form a knurl on the outer surface of the tab 18, so that a form without the knurl can be changed to a design.

{Second to Fifth Embodiment} FIG. 9 shows the second to fifth embodiments.

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, the tab 18 is formed in a simple horizontally long band shape, and the corner at the tip is cut into a chamfered shape. In this embodiment, the connection unit 1
9 and the reinforcing portion 19a are formed in a trapezoidal shape.

In the third embodiment shown in the drawing (B), the vertical width of the tab 18 is set to a size close to the vertical height of the outer cylinder 5. It is more suitable because it can be grasped.

In the fourth embodiment shown in the drawing (C), the window hole 16 and the connecting portion 19 are connected to the straight portion 5 of the outer cylinder 5.
a, the inward annular projection 10
(See FIG. 7) to avoid the window hole 16
By arranging the tab 18 on the upper part of the outer cylinder 5 so as to reach the stepped portion 5 b, the vertical dimension of the tab 18 is made larger than the width dimension of the connecting portion 19. Note that the tab 18 may be set to almost the same size as the vertical width of the outer cylinder 5 as indicated by a dashed line.

In the fifth embodiment shown in the drawing (D), the positions of the window holes 16 and the connecting portions 19 are the same as those in the fourth embodiment, and the tabs 18 are turned upside down from the fourth embodiment. I have. Also, knurls are formed on the tabs 18.

In each embodiment of FIG. 9, the internal structure and plan shape of the cap, the range of the vertical weakening lines 17a and 17b, and the like are the same as those of the first embodiment. Although not shown in the figure, a knurl is formed on the outer surface of the screw lid 2 as in the first embodiment.

In the second to fourth embodiments, a knurl similar to that of the first embodiment may be formed on a portion of the outer surface of the tab 18 other than the connection portion 19.

Sixth Embodiment (FIGS. 10 to 11)
11 show the sixth embodiment, and FIG.
10B is a front view, FIG. 10B is a front cross-sectional view of a main part in a state where the tab 18 is omitted, FIG. 11A is a plan view, and FIG. It is.

In this embodiment, the upper weakening line 17a is connected to the outer cylinder 5
The lower weakening line 17b is formed so as to extend from the upper end to the lower end of the outer cylinder 5, so that the lower weakening line 17b is formed only on the top surface portion 5c.
The start ends of a and 17b are connected. Therefore, the connecting portion 19
Has a triangular shape as viewed from the front as shown in FIG. 10B, and the connecting portion 19 is formed in the step-like portion 5b of the outer cylinder 5.

The tab 18 is set to have the same vertical dimension as the vertical dimension of the outer cylinder 5. In this embodiment, the upper and lower weakening lines 17 are formed along the upper surface and the inclined surface of the connecting portion 19.
a and 17b are formed, and the tab 18 is pulled to cut the starting ends of the vertical weakening lines 17a and 17b, thereby creating a trigger for the tearing.
A window hole 16 (or cut line) may be formed as shown by a dashed line in FIG.

In the sixth embodiment, since only the lower weakening line 17b is formed on the inward annular projection 10 of the outer cylinder 5, there is an advantage that a decrease in fitting strength to the bottle mouth 4 can be suppressed. is there. In addition, since the vertical dimension of the tab 18 is large and a person can strongly pinch the tab 18, even when the window hole 16 is not formed, the outer cylinder 5 can be easily torn.

In this embodiment, parts not disclosed are the same as those in the first embodiment, and are omitted in the drawings.
Knurls are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the screw lid 2.

{Seventh and eighth embodiments (FIG. 12)} FIG.
(A) shows the seventh embodiment. In this embodiment, there is only one weakening line 17, which extends in an inclined manner from the lower end of the outer cylinder 5 to the top surface 5c, and extends in the circumferential direction at the top surface 5c.

In this embodiment, the connection portion 19 of the tab 18
Are located at a portion surrounded between the starting end of the weakening line 17 and the lower end edge of the outer cylinder 5. In this embodiment, since there is only one weakening line 17, there is an advantage that the tearing can be performed with a light force. Note that the tab 18 may be formed in a form indicated by a dashed line.

FIG. 12B shows an eighth embodiment in which the lid 2 ′ is applied to a so-called hinge cap integrally formed on the main body via the hinge 21. In this embodiment, the tab 18 is formed in a lateral teardrop shape (connection portion 19).
(A knurl may be formed in a portion excluding the above.) In addition,
The relation between the tab 18 and the outer cylinder 5 in a plan view is almost the same as FIG.

The tabs 18 shown in FIG. 12B may be replaced with the various types of tabs 18 exemplified in the first to seventh embodiments. Conversely, a teardrop-shaped tab 18 may be provided on the screw cap.

{Others} The present invention can be embodied in various ways other than the above-described embodiments. For example, even in the case of a screw cap, it is not always necessary to form the stepped portion 5b on the outer cylinder 5, and the lid and the outer cylinder may be continuous in a straight shape. Further, an inner cylinder, a lid, a pull tab, and the like are not necessarily required.

The tab 18 may be formed in various shapes such as a square shape, a star shape, a double gourd shape, a horizontal heart shape, or the like in a front view, in addition to the illustration, Various shapes can be set, such as forming all or a part in a sawtooth shape. The vertical dimension of the tab 18 is preferably about 1.5 times or more the width of the connecting portion 19, and more preferably about 2 times or more.

{Related Inventions (FIGS. 13 to 15)} FIGS.
FIG. 18 shows a related invention, and FIGS. 13 to 15 show a first example.

13 is a front view, FIG. 14 (A) is a bottom view, FIG. 13 (B) is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 13 (A), and FIG. 15 (A) is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 13B is a sectional view, and FIG.
FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view, and FIG.

In this example, the cap has basically the same structure as that of the first embodiment. The point that the tab 18 is disposed below the outer cylinder 5 and the outer surface of the tab 18 is flush with the outer surface of the outer cylinder 5 And that a thin skirt portion 22 is formed at the lower end of the outer cylinder 5 except for the tab 18.

As shown in FIG. 15, the tab 18 is so thick that it does not break even when pulled by a person. As shown in FIG. 13, the tab 18 is separated by a slit 23 except for the upper end near the base thereof, and the leading and trailing ends of the tab 18 and the skirt 22 are connected via the bridge 20. Have been. Further, the starting end of the weakening line 17 is continuous with the slit 23, and the rear slit 23 and the weakening line 1 are connected.
The portion sandwiched between 7 is the connecting portion 19.

The relationship between the cap and the bottle mouth 4 is the same as in the first embodiment, and the outer cylinder 5 and the flange 14 are substantially in the same plane. For this reason, when the stopper is plugged, the tab 18 is pushed outward by the flange 14 of the bottle mouth 4 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 15C and the dashed line in FIG. This extrusion causes the bridge portion 20 to be broken or very easily broken.

After the stopper is plugged, the tab 18 protrudes outside the outer cylinder 5. Therefore, when removing the cap, the tab 18 can be easily raised.
Also, since the outer surface of the tab 18 and the outer cylinder 5 are flush with each other before the tapping, there is no problem of catching when the tab 18 is transferred by the parts feeder in the plugging step, and the tab 18 can be transferred smoothly.

{Related Invention (FIG. 16)} The example shown in FIG. 16 is a modification of the first related invention.
The skirt portion 22 is formed to extend over the entire circumference,
With the skirt 22 partially hollowed out, the tab 1
8 is formed, and the vertical weakening lines 17a, 17
b is extended. A portion indicated by reference numeral 24 is a boundary hole between the skirt portion 22 and the tab 18. The present invention also relates to the first aspect.
Has the same effect as the related invention.

{Related Invention (FIG. 17)} FIG. 17 shows a third example, in which (A) is a partially cutaway front view, and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of (A). In this example, when the tab 18 surrounded by the slit 23 is formed in the outer cylinder 5 of the hinge cap, the tab 18 has a radially inward projection 2.
5 are provided.

Therefore, after stoppering, the tabs 18 protrude outside the outer cylinder 5 due to the projections 25 hitting the outer surface of the bottle mouth 4. This example also has the same effect as the first related invention.

{Related Invention (FIG. 18)} FIG. 18 is not a stopper type, but the main body 1 is screwed into the bottle opening 4
In the case where the main body 1 is fitted into the vial, the body 1 is provided with an inward locking portion 26 which is engaged with the flange 14 of the vial 4 from below. It is impossible to escape from 4.

Then, a tab 18 whose three surfaces are surrounded by slits 23 is formed at a portion of the outer cylinder 5 below the locking portion 26, and upper and lower weakening lines 17a, 17b are formed from the base of the tab 18.
Has been extended. It is sufficient that the upper weakening line 17a is long enough to cross the locking portion 26.

In this example, the outer cylinder 5 is partially torn by raising the tab 18 to reduce the fitting strength between the locking portion 26 and the flange 14, and then the main body 1 is unscrewed and removed from the bottle mouth 4. . Since a large force can be applied to unscrew the main body 1, there is an advantage that the cap can be more easily removed.

Although the outer peripheral surface of the tab 18 and the outer cylinder 5 are set to be the same surface, as in the first embodiment of the present invention, the tab 18 and the outer cylinder 5 are spaced apart from the outer cylinder. A formed tab may be substituted, and a screw-on cap may also be included within the scope of the present claims (in which case the flange of the vial is an annular engagement).

Further, a male screw is further formed in the spout 7 to
It is also possible to form a cap with a screw cap. In addition, the locking portion 26 can be diverted from various shapes and principles that are considered in the pill fur proof cap.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a separated front view of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a state in which a screw cap is screwed.

3A is a partial left side view, and FIG. 3B is a partial left side view.

FIG. 4A is a plan view taken along line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4B is a partially broken plan view in a state where a screw cap is screwed.

5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 2 with a container added.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a main part, a part of which is indicated by a virtual line.

7A is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 6, and FIG.
FIG.

FIG. 8 is a development view of a main part.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing second to fifth embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a sixth embodiment, in which (A) is a front view,
(B) is a principal part sectional view in a state where a tab is omitted.

11A is a plan view, and FIG. 11B is a XIB-XI of FIG. 10A.
FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a seventh to an eighth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a front view of the first related invention.

14A is a bottom view of the first related invention, and FIG. 14B is a cross-sectional view of FIG.

15A is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 13, FIG. 15B is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 13, and FIG.

FIG. 16 is a partial front view of the second related invention.

FIG. 17 is a partial front view of the third related invention.

FIG. 18 is a partial front view of the fourth related invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2, 2 'lid 4 Bottle mouth 5 Outer cylinder 7 Outlet 9 Outward annular projection 10 Inward annular projection 12 Pull tab 16 Window hole 18 Tab

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 3E084 AA04 AA12 AA32 BA02 BA03 CA01 CB01 CB02 CB04 CC03 DA01 DB01 DB09 DB12 DB13 DB14 DC03 EA04 EB01 EB02 EB04 EC03 FA03 FA09 FB02 GA01 GA06 GB01 GB06 GB08 GB12 GB14 GB07 KA17 LA03

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An outer cylinder fitted into a bottle mouth from the outside, and a spout provided integrally with the outer cylinder, and formed on an inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder on an outer peripheral surface of the bottle mouth. An annular engaging portion that is undetachably fitted to the annular engaging portion by stoppering is formed integrally with the outer cylinder, and the outer cylinder can be torn until the annular locking portion is broken. A weakening line for squeezing, and a tab for a person to pick and pull with a finger at the time of the severing are provided, and all or most of the tab except for a connecting portion to the outer cylinder is connected to the outer cylinder. A synthetic resin cap that is wider than the part.