JP2006219167A - Plastic cap to prevent splash upon opening - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plastic cap which effectively solves the problem of splash upon opening that is seen when the cap applies to a flexible container, especially to a container which turns pressure-reduced inside as a result of high-temperature filling or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The plastic cap comprises a cap body which consists of a top board and a skirt and is fixed to a container mouth, and an upper lid which is fitted on the cap body openably/closably. A content spout cylinder and an opening preparation part, which is demarcated by a weakening line inside the spout cylinder, are formed on the top board of the cap body, and a gripping portion for breaking the weakening line is also formed on the top board. A stepped slope is formed on the opening preparation part, which slope moves up in the direction of tearing of the weakening line from the breaking start point of the weakening line and has at least two steps. The weakening line extends upward along the stepped slope. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cap that is used while being fixed to a container mouth, and more specifically, when the opening is formed from the planned opening formed on the top plate of the cap body, the liquid splash of the contents is effective. The present invention relates to a plastic cap that is prevented.

In a plastic cap comprising a cap body fitted and fixed to the container mouth and an upper lid provided so as to cover the top plate of the cap body, the contents are generally filled with a liquid or fluid such as seasonings, and the contents are filled. When starting to use, it is necessary to break the weakening line that forms the planned opening portion formed on the top plate portion of the cap body to form an opening for content extraction.
Various types of plastic caps have been proposed in the past. For example, the plastic cap includes an inner lid and an upper lid that is hinged or screwed to the inner lid, and the inner lid is partitioned by a weakening line. It is formed from a top surface having a rupture region that can form an opening for discharging the container contents, and a cylindrical side wall that hangs downward from the peripheral edge of the top surface, and on the inner surface of the cylindrical side wall, A container lid has been proposed in which locking ridges that fit into the container mouth wall are formed in a circumferential shape (Patent Document 1).

  Such a plastic cap is fitted and fixed to a mouth of a glass bottle or a plastic bottle and is put to practical use.

JP 9-193960 A

In the plastic cap, the planned opening (the fracture area where the contents extraction opening can be formed) is easy to break the weakened line from the point of opening, and the top plate part where the weakened part is formed is also flat. Yes, it is shaped so that the opening can be easily formed.
On the other hand, when the inside of a flexible container, particularly a thin plastic bottle, is sealed in a decompressed state by high temperature filling or the like, the decompression in the container is released when the weakening line breaks and the flexible container is released. The sex container deforms in order to rapidly restore its shape. While the content liquid resonates with the vibration generated at this time and the liquid surface is undulated, as described above, the opening of this type of cap is easily formed, and when the undulation of the content liquid occurs, the opening is almost formed. Moreover, since the opening is formed in the horizontal direction, there is a problem that the undulating content liquid easily jumps out of the opening and soils hands and clothes.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a plastic cap that effectively solves the problem of liquid splashing at the time of opening when applied to such a flexible container, particularly a container in which the inside of the container is depressurized by high temperature filling or the like. Is to provide.

  According to the present invention, a cap body fixed to a container mouth portion including a top plate portion and a skirt portion, and an upper lid attached to the cap body so as to be openable and closable are provided. In the plastic cap in which a planned opening portion defined by a weakening line is formed inside the dispensing cylinder and the dispensing cylinder, and a gripping portion for breaking the weakening line is provided, the planned opening A stepped inclined portion having at least two steps rising from the break starting position of the weakening line toward the tearing direction of the weakening line is formed in the portion, and the weakening line extends upward through the stepped inclined portion. A plastic cap is provided.

In the plastic cap of the present invention,
1. The step surface is inclined upward in the tearing direction;
2. A groove is formed at the base in the tear direction of the gripping part;
Is preferred.
Moreover, according to this invention, the container with a cap formed by applying the said plastic cap to a flexible container is provided.

In the plastic cap of the present invention, at the opening planned portion defined by the weakening line formed on the top plate of the cap body, at least two steps that rise from the breaking start position of the weakening line toward the tearing direction of the weakening line are provided. Even when applied to a highly flexible container that is sealed in a reduced pressure state because the stepped inclined portion is formed and the weakening line extends above the stepped inclined portion, the very initial stage of opening formation At this stage, a small hole that can release the reduced pressure in the container without releasing the content liquid can be formed. First, the reduced pressure in the container can be released, and the content liquid jumps out of the container. Can be effectively prevented.
Further, since it is formed in a stepped shape having at least two steps, the weakening line can be easily broken, and the unsealing property is also excellent.

In the plastic cap of the present invention, at least two stages rising from the break starting position of the weakening line toward the tearing direction of the weakening line are formed in the planned opening portion formed in the cap body top plate portion fitted and fixed to the container mouth portion. It is an important feature that a step-like inclined portion having a step is formed, and the weakening line extends upward through the step-like inclined portion. At the very beginning, the breakage of the weakening line once stops at the step on the breakage start position side of the weakening line, so that the opening is not continuously formed. As a result, first of all, the content liquid does not jump out, and an opening of about the size of the air hole that can release the internal pressure is surely formed. Therefore, the content liquid does not jump out of the container.
In the present invention, since the slope is formed in a stepped shape with at least two steps, the breaking operation of the weakening line can be interrupted reliably, and the breaking operation can be easily performed even if the breaking operation of the weakening line is once interrupted. The opening can be restarted, and the force required for breaking the weakening line does not increase, and the opening can be easily formed.

As described above, a stepped inclined portion having at least two steps is formed in the planned opening portion of the plastic cap of the present invention. The step surface, that is, the height in the container axial direction from the lower step to the upper step is formed. It is particularly preferable that the surface forming the difference is inclined upward in the tearing direction. Thereby, the step-like inclined portion can form an inclination close to a state where no step is formed, and the opening operation can be easily resumed even after the opening operation is once stopped.
In addition, it is particularly preferable that a groove is formed at the base in the tearing direction of the gripping part for breaking the weakening line. The gripping part bends in the tearing direction with the base (groove part) of the part as the axis, making it possible to break only the weakening line near the base on the opposite side of the gripping part to the tearing direction. Since a small air hole capable of releasing the internal pressure can be formed, it can be suitably used for a flexible container in which the inside of the container is in a decompressed state by high temperature filling or the like.

FIGS. 1 to 3 are views showing an example of the plastic cap of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the upper lid is closed and the container is fitted to the container mouth, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view in a state where the upper lid is opened. 4 to 6 are views for explaining an operation for forming an opening in the cap of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.
The plastic cap of the present invention, indicated as a whole by 1, is composed of a cap body 2 fitted and fixed to the container mouth portion 50 and an upper lid 30 covering the top plate portion of the cap body 2. In this specific example, the upper lid 30 is integrally formed by the cap body 2 and the hinge 40.

The cap body 2 includes a top plate portion 3 and a skirt portion 4, and a weakening line is formed on the outer surface side of the top plate portion 3 at a portion partitioned by the pouring nozzle 5 for pouring the content liquid and the pouring nozzle 5. An opening planned portion 7 defined by 6 is formed. Further, a gripping portion 8 for breaking the weakening line 6 is formed at the end of the planned opening portion 7 on the hinge portion 40 side. The grip 8 includes a base 8a extending in the axial direction from the planned opening 7 and a pull ring 8b for hanging a finger extending in the horizontal direction from the base 8a. A narrow groove-like recess 9 perpendicular to the tearing direction is formed on the tearing direction side of the base of the planned opening 7 of the base 8a. An engagement portion 10 for fixing the upper lid 30 is formed in an annular shape on the outer peripheral side of the top plate portion 3.
Further, in the cap shown in the figure, an annular side wall 11 is formed to cover the half circumference of the cap main body skirt portion 4 on the hinge portion 40 side from the outside, and the lower end of the annular side wall 11 and the lower end of the skirt portion 4 are continuous. The upper lid 30 is hinged at the upper end of the side wall 11 and is integrally formed, and a pair of weakened portions are formed at positions corresponding to the skirt portion and the hinge portion of the annular side wall. Thus, it is possible to easily remove the cap from the cap body after use of the contents while preventing the weakened portion from being broken at the time of plugging.

An inner ring 12 is formed on the inner surface side of the top plate portion 3 to ensure the sealing performance of the cap. The outer sealing surface of the cap is secured by pressing the outer surface side of the inner ring 12 to the inner surface side 51 of the container mouth portion. ing.
An annular protrusion 13 is formed on the inner surface side lower portion of the skirt portion 4 to engage with an engaging protrusion 52 provided on the container mouth portion 50 to fix the cap body to the container mouth portion.
The upper lid 30 is composed of a top plate portion 31 and a skirt portion 32, and a sealing ring 33 is provided on the inner surface of the top plate portion to prevent the inside of the cap from being contaminated with the liquid after the opening is formed in close contact with the dispensing nozzle 5. Is formed. An engaging portion 34 for fixing the upper lid 30 to the engaging portion 10 of the cap body 2 is also formed on the inner surface of the skirt portion 32 over the entire circumference of the skirt portion. Further, a projecting portion 35 is formed at the lower end of the skirt portion facing the hinge 40 for hooking a finger when opening the lid.

In the plastic cap of the present invention, in the cap having the above-described basic configuration, as is apparent from FIG. 1, the weakening line P is weakened at the planned opening portion of the weakening line, that is, the base 8a of the gripping portion 8 is weakened. A step-like inclined portion 14 inclined upward in the line tearing direction is formed, and a horizontal portion 15 is formed continuously with the step-like inclined portion 14.
In the specific example shown in the figure, the step-like inclined portion 14 has a tearing direction (in FIG. 3) from the first horizontal surface 16 on which the base portion 8a of the gripping portion 8 is formed and the tearing direction end portion 16a of the first horizontal surface 16. The first step surface 17 rising in the cap axial direction toward the cap body top plate portion), the second horizontal surface 18 extending in the tearing direction from the upper end 17a of the first step surface 17, A second step surface 19 rising in the cap axial direction from the tearing direction end 18a of the second horizontal surface 18 toward the tearing direction is formed.

As apparent from FIGS. 4 to 6, when forming the opening for pouring the contents, when the pull ring 8 b is first pulled upward, the groove-shaped recess 9 formed at the base of the tearing direction of the base 8 a The base portion 8a bends in the tearing direction, whereby only the weakening line 6 corresponding to the hinge side end portion of the base portion 8a is broken, and a small hole that can release the internal pressure but does not eject the content liquid is first started ( (Fig. 4).
When the pull ring 8b is further pulled in the tearing direction, the weakening line 6 formed from the first horizontal plane 16 to the second horizontal plane 18 is broken, but the opening in the tearing direction end portion 18a of the second horizontal plane 18 is scheduled. Since the portion is bent, the opening operation is temporarily stopped at the tearing direction end portion 18a of the second horizontal surface 18 (FIG. 5). At this time, since most of the formed opening is covered with a predetermined opening portion that is broken, it is effectively prevented from jumping out of the container even in a state where the content liquid is undulating.
When the pull ring 8b is further pulled in the tearing direction, the weakening lines formed on the second horizontal surface 18 and the horizontal portion 15 are broken, and all the weakening lines that define the planned opening portion are broken, thereby completely opening the opening. Can be formed.

  In the above aspect, since the stepped surfaces 17 and 19 of the stepped inclined portion 14 are inclined in the tearing direction from the axial direction of the cap, the tearing direction of the weakening line is substantially constant from the start of breakage to the end of breakage. It is possible to break the weakening line smoothly.

In the present invention, it is necessary for the step-like inclined portion to have at least two steps in order to form an opening as small as an air hole in the initial stage of the breaking operation of the weakening line, but the weakening line is easily broken. From the viewpoint of formability, the number of steps is generally about 2 to 4 in the case of a cap applied to a container having a diameter of 32 mm depending on the size of the cap.
Further, the step surface may be formed in the cap axis direction (vertical direction), but from the viewpoint of easy breakage of the weakening line, it is preferably inclined in the tear direction, and the first step surface is inclined. It is desirable to make the angle (the angle formed by the cap axis direction and the step surface) smaller than the inclination angle of the second step surface. This is because the formation of air holes can be ensured at the initial stage of the breaking operation of the weakening line, and the breaking operation can be facilitated after the air holes are formed.

Since the groove formed at the base of the grip portion in the tear direction needs to be not broken, it is preferably shallower than the weakening line and about 20 to 60% of the thickness of the planned opening portion. . Further, the length of the groove can be variously changed depending on the size of the gripping portion, but it is desirable that the length of the groove is longer than the size of the gripping portion base from the viewpoint of making the gripping portion easy to bend.
Further, in the specific example shown in the figure, the groove-like recess 9 is formed at substantially the same position as the tearing direction end portion 16a of the first horizontal plane, but of course it is not limited to this. It can be changed depending on the size.

The plastic cap of the present invention is formed with a stepped inclined portion having at least two steps inclined upward in the tearing direction of the weakening line at the break start position of the weakening line, and the weakening line has the inclined portion upward. Various modifications are possible as long as they are extended and formed so that the breaking operation of the weakening line is temporarily stopped at an extremely early stage.
For example, in the specific examples described above, the hinge cap in which the upper lid is hingedly connected to the cap body has been described as an example. However, a cap of a type in which the upper lid is not integrated with the cap body may of course be used.
Furthermore, although the weakening line is formed from the inside of the container in the above-described specific example, it may of course be formed from the outside of the container.

In the present invention, the resin that can be used for molding the cap includes various plastics conventionally used for plastic caps, such as low-, medium-, and high-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and thermoplasticity. Polyester, polyamide, styrene resin and the like can be used.
The cap can be molded by injection molding or the like. Although the weakening line can be formed by post-processing, it is desirable from the viewpoint of productivity to form the weakening line simultaneously with cap forming.

The sectional side view which shows the state with which the example of the plastic cap of this invention was fitted to the container opening part in the state which closed the upper cover. The side sectional view in the state where the upper cover of the plastic cap of the present invention was opened. The top view of FIG. The figure for demonstrating the fracture | rupture operation of the weakening line of the cap shown to FIG. The figure for demonstrating the fracture | rupture operation of the weakening line of the cap shown to FIG. The figure for demonstrating the fracture | rupture operation of the weakening line of the cap shown to FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 cap, 2 cap body, 3 top plate, 4 skirt, 5 dispensing nozzle,
6 weakening line, 7 opening planned portion, 8 gripping portion, 9 groove-shaped recess, 10 engaging portion,
11 annular side wall, 12 inner ring, 13 annular projection, 14 stepped inclined part,
15 horizontal portions, 16 first horizontal plane, 17 first step surface, 18 second horizontal plane,
19 Second step surface, 30 upper lid, 40 hinge, 50 container mouth.

Claims (4)

A cap main body fixed to a container mouth portion including a top plate portion and a skirt portion; and an upper lid that is attached to the cap main body so as to be openable and closable. In the plastic cap in which the planned opening part partitioned by the weakening line is formed inside the delivery cylinder and the grip part for breaking the weakening line is provided,
A stepped inclined portion having at least two steps rising from the break starting position of the weakening line toward the tearing direction of the weakening line is formed in the planned opening portion, and the weakening line is located above the stepped inclined portion. A plastic cap characterized in that it extends.   The plastic cap according to claim 1, wherein the step surface is inclined upward in the tearing direction.   The plastic cap according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a groove is formed at a base in a tearing direction of the grip portion.   A container with a cap formed by applying the cap according to claim 1 to a flexible container.

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