JP2007022607A - Cap and container including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cap which has low cost and high productivity, and to provide a container including the cap. <P>SOLUTION: The container 10 includes the cap 12 and a container main body 14. The cap 12 is formed of a cylindrical cap main body 16, a cover 18 covering one end of the cap main body 16, and a hinge 20 connecting between the cap main body 16 and the cover 18. The cap main body 16 has an outer cylinder 24 and a top plate 28, and the outer cylinder 24 has a movable piece 34 formed on a side surface thereof in a rockable manner. The cap main body 16 has an energizing member 76 formed thereon, which is obtained by cutting and erecting an upper surface of the top plate 28. The cover 18 is fixed to the cap main body 16 in a manner being openably energized by the energizing member 76 by engaging a first engaging portion 36 of the movable piece 34 with a second engaging portion 74 of the cover 18. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cap and a container including the cap, and more particularly to a cap in which a cap body and a lid are connected by a hinge and a container including the cap.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a cap in which a cap body and a lid are connected by a hinge is known as a cap attached to a container body that accommodates an object, and an example thereof is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the cap of Patent Literature 1, the lid is firmly fixed to the cap body by engaging the two movable pieces of the cap body with the closed lid. In the cap of Patent Literature 1, by firmly fixing the lid in this manner, the lid can be prevented from being accidentally opened, and leakage of the contents accommodated in the container body can be prevented. However, in the cap of Patent Document 1, the state where the lid is released cannot be maintained unless the lid is pushed up while displacing the movable piece to disengage the lid and the movable piece, and the operation of opening the lid is troublesome. There was a problem.

  In order to solve this type of problem, Patent Document 2 discloses a cap that is biased in the direction of opening the lid by a meandering plate-like elastic plate provided so as to span the cap body and the lid. Yes. According to the cap of Patent Document 2, the closed state of the lid can be stably maintained, and the lid can be easily opened by urging in the opening direction.

Generally, a cap as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is manufactured by injection-molding synthetic resin or the like using a mold.
JP-A-11-70955 JP-A-2005-15050

  However, in order to form the elastic plate portion so as to meander, it is necessary to perform injection molding using a special mold, and the cap of Patent Document 2 has a problem that the cost increases. In addition, since it is necessary to form an elastic plate portion having a complicated shape, there is a problem that defective products are easily generated and productivity is lowered.

  Patent Document 2 also discloses that the lid is urged by using another member such as a torsion spring. However, since it is necessary to prepare and attach another member, in this case as well, there is a problem that the cost increases and the productivity decreases.

  Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a cap and a container including the cap that are low in cost and have good productivity.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the cap according to claim 1 includes a cap body formed in a cylindrical shape, a lid that covers one end of the cap body, a hinge that connects the lid to the cap body so as to be opened and closed, and a lid. A fixing means for fixing the lid to the cap main body in order to maintain the closed state; and a biasing means for biasing the lid fixed by the fixing means in the opening direction, wherein the biasing means is a part of the cap main body or It is formed by cutting up a part of the lid.

  The cap according to claim 2 is the cap according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means is a movable piece formed on the cap body so as to be displaced by pressing, and a first engagement portion provided on the movable piece, A second engaging portion provided on the lid so as to engage with the first engaging portion, and the lid is fixed to the cap body by engaging the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion. The first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are disengaged and the lid is displaced by the displacement of the movable piece due to the pressing and the biasing by the biasing means.

  A container according to claim 3 is a container including the cap according to claim 1 or 2 and a container main body to which the cap is attached and which accommodates an object, wherein the cap body is an object in the container body. And an introduction means capable of introducing the contents in the container body into the discharge part regardless of the arrangement state of the container.

  In the cap according to claim 1, the biasing means for biasing the lid is formed by raising a part of the cap main body or a part of the lid, and is formed by injection using a special mold Compared to the case where a separate member is used as the biasing means, the cost can be reduced. Moreover, since the biasing means is simply formed by cutting and raising, the productivity is also good.

  In the cap according to claim 2, the lid can be firmly fixed to the cap body by the engagement of the first engaging portion of the movable piece and the second engaging portion of the lid, and the closed state is stable. Can be maintained. Further, when the lid is opened, the engagement between the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion is released along with the displacement of the movable piece due to the pressing, and the lid is displaced by the urging to the lid by the urging means. To do. Therefore, even when the pressing on the movable piece is released, the state where the engagement between the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion is released is maintained. In this manner, the state in which the lid is released can be easily maintained and the lid can be easily opened by simply displacing the movable piece by pressing, while being low in cost.

  In the container according to the third aspect, regardless of the arrangement mode of the container, the cap lid can be easily opened and the contents in the container body can be introduced into the discharge part of the cap body by the introducing means. Therefore, the stored items can be easily discharged in any arrangement mode, and convenience can be improved.

  According to the present invention, a cap and a container including the cap can be obtained at low cost and good productivity.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 to 3, a container 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cap 12 and a container main body 14 that stores a liquid container such as a disinfectant. The container 10 is a so-called squeeze bottle that discharges the contents from a discharge part 42 (described later) of the cap 12 when the body part 14a of the container body 14 is sandwiched and pushed (squeezed).

  The cap 12 includes a cylindrical cap body 16, a lid 18 provided so as to cover one end of the cap body 16, and a hinge 20 and an auxiliary hinge 22 that connect the lid 18 to the cap body 16 so as to be opened and closed. The cap 12 is attached to the container main body 14 by screwing the cap main body 16 into a mounting portion 14b (see FIG. 5) formed in a cylindrical shape at the upper end of the body portion 14a. The cap body 16 is provided so that the lid 18 can be fixed, and the cap body 16 and the lid 18 are integrally formed via a hinge 20 and an auxiliary hinge 22.

  Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the cap body 16 closes one end of the cylindrical outer cylinder 24, the cylindrical inner cylinder 26 provided in the outer cylinder 24, and the outer cylinder 24 and the inner cylinder 26. And a top plate 28. An opening 30 extending in the circumferential direction is formed at the peripheral edge of the outer cylinder 24 and the peripheral edge of the top plate 28.

  As shown in FIG. 4, two slits 32 a that extend downward from both ends of the opening 30 and reach substantially the center are formed on the side surface of the outer cylinder 24. A slit 32b is formed below each of the two slits 32a. The slit 32b extends downward from a position slightly below the center of the side surface of the outer cylinder 24 and reaches the lower end of the outer cylinder 24. In this manner, two slits 32 a and 32 b are formed so as to leave the central portion of the side surface of the outer cylinder 24, whereby the movable piece 34 is formed so as to be partitioned on the side surface of the outer cylinder 24.

  The movable piece 34 has elasticity and is displaced by pressing. Specifically, the movable piece 34 swings in the arrow A1 direction or the arrow A2 direction by pressing. Near the lower end of the outer surface of the movable piece 34, a plurality (three in this case) of ribs 34a extending in the circumferential direction are formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a first engagement portion 36 that protrudes toward the inner cylinder 26 is formed at the upper end of the inner surface of the movable piece 34.

  The inner cylinder 26 is provided so as to cover the periphery of the mounting portion 14 b of the container body 14, and a screw thread 38 extending in a spiral shape is formed on the inner surface of the inner cylinder 26. The screw thread 38 of the inner cylinder 26 is screwed into a screw thread 40 formed in a spiral shape on the outer surface of the mounting portion 14 b, whereby the cap 12 is screwed to the container body 14.

  On the top surface of the top plate 28, a hollow substantially hemispherical discharge portion 42 is provided at a position slightly on the center of the movable piece 34 side. The discharge part 42 is formed with a discharge port 42 a that opens to the opening 30 side and obliquely upward. Further, an annular convex portion 42 b is formed in the vicinity of the lower end of the outer surface of the discharge portion 42.

  An introduction unit 44 for introducing the contents in the container main body 14 into the discharge part 42 is provided below the top plate 28 and below the discharge part 42. Here, with reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 9, the introduction unit 44 as an introduction means will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the introduction unit 44 includes a connection portion 46 provided on the lower surface of the top plate 28, a first pipe 48 connected to the connection portion 46, and a second pipe 50 connected to the first pipe 48. , A dip tube 52 connected to the second pipe 50, and a ball 54 movably disposed in the first pipe 48 and the second pipe 50.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, a small diameter portion 48 a of the first pipe 48 is connected to the connection portion 46 so as to communicate with the internal space of the discharge portion 42. As shown in FIG. 6B, the connecting portion 46 is constituted by a plurality of (here, two) wall portions 46a. Each of the two wall portions 46a is formed in an arc shape when viewed from below, and the connection portion 46 has a cylindrical shape cut in half as a whole. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the first pipe 48 is connected to the connecting portion 46 by fitting the small diameter portion 48a to the two wall portions 46a. Step portions 46b are provided on the opposing surfaces and upper ends of the two wall portions 46a, respectively, and two gaps 56 are formed between the small diameter portion 48a and the lower surface of the top plate 28.

  Returning to FIG. 5, the first pipe 48 has a small diameter portion 48a and a large diameter portion 48b, and the second pipe 50 has a small diameter portion 50a and a large diameter portion 50b. The first pipe 48 and the second pipe 50 are connected by fitting the large diameter portion 50b into the large diameter portion 48b.

  An arrangement portion 50c for arranging the balls 54 without a gap is formed in the large diameter portion 50b of the second pipe 50. Further, the dip tube 52 has flexibility, an upper end is fitted into the small diameter portion 50 a of the second pipe 50, and a lower end opening (not shown) is disposed in the vicinity of the bottom surface of the container body 14.

  The ball 54 is movably disposed in the large diameter portion 48b of the first pipe 48 and in the large diameter portion 50b of the second pipe 50. When the cap 12 is positioned on the upper side and the container body 14 is positioned on the lower side, that is, when the container 10 is in the upright state, the ball 54 has a large diameter so as to block the opening 50d of the second pipe 50 as shown in FIG. It arrange | positions at the arrangement | positioning part 50c in the part 50b. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, a plurality (here, four) of grooves 50e are formed in the placement portion 50c so that the small diameter portion 50a and the large diameter portion 50b communicate with each other in a state where the ball 54 is placed. Is done.

  On the other hand, when the cap 12 is positioned downward and the container body 14 is positioned upward, that is, when the container 10 is in an inverted state, the ball 54 is large so as to block the mouth 48c of the first pipe 48, as shown in FIG. It arrange | positions in the diameter part 48b. As shown in FIG. 9, when the container body 10 is in an inverted state, the ball 54 is supported above the mouth 48c by a plurality (four in this case) of support members 58 provided in the large diameter portion 48b. As a result, four gaps 60 are formed between the ball 54 and the mouth 48c.

  By such an introduction unit 44, the internal space of the discharge part 42 is communicated with the internal space of the container body 14. Specifically, the internal space of the discharge part 42 becomes the internal space of the container main body 14 through the lower end opening (not shown) of the dip tube 52 and the gap 56 {see FIGS. 6A and 6B}. Communicated.

  The discharge part 42 discharges the contents accommodated in the container main body 14 from the discharge port 42a, for example, when the trunk | drum 14a (refer FIG.1 and FIG.2) of the container main body 14 is pinched and pressed in a transversal direction. . When the container 10 is in the upright state, the body 14a is pushed, so that the contents stored in the body 14a pass through the dip tube 52, the second pipe 50, and the first pipe 48 in order to the discharge unit 42. be introduced. In the 2nd pipe 50, the thing from the small diameter part 50a is introduce | transduced into the large diameter part 50b through the groove | channel 50e (refer FIG. 7). At the same time, the air present in the mounting portion 14b is introduced into the discharge portion 42 through the gap 56 {see FIGS. 6A and 6B}. On the other hand, when the container 10 is in an inverted state, the body portion 14 a is pushed, so that the contents stored in the attachment portion 14 b are introduced into the discharge portion 42 through the gap 56. At the same time, air existing in the body portion 14 a is introduced into the discharge portion 42 through the dip tube 52, the second pipe 50 and the first pipe 48 in order. In the first pipe 48, air from the large diameter portion 48b is introduced into the small diameter portion 48a through the gap 60 (see FIG. 9).

  According to such an introduction unit 44, the contents and the air can be introduced into the discharge part 42 in either an upright state or an inverted state. By introducing the contents and air into the discharge section 42, the liquid contents and air are mixed in the internal space of the discharge section 42, and the contents are discharged from the discharge port 42a in the form of a mist. That is, the contents are sprayed.

  In the upright state, the contained material passes through the groove 50 e and the air passes through the gap 56, whereby an appropriate amount of stored material and an appropriate amount of air are introduced into the discharge unit 42. Further, in the inverted state, the contained material passes through the gap 56 and the air passes through the gap 60, whereby an appropriate amount of the stored matter and an appropriate amount of air are introduced into the discharge unit 42. Therefore, in either the upright state or the inverted state, it is possible to mix an appropriate amount of the stored item and an appropriate amount of air in the internal space of the discharge unit 42 and to spray the stored item in an appropriate state from the discharge port 42a. .

  Further, according to such an introduction unit 44, since the dip tube 52 is flexible and the gap 56 is provided in the vicinity of the discharge portion 42, the cap 12 and the container body 14 are not only upright and inverted. Even in an arrangement state in which the containers 10 are arranged horizontally (a state in which the container 10 is tilted sideways), the contents and air can be introduced into the discharge portion 42 in any arrangement manner. Needless to say, when there are many things to be accommodated in the container body 14 and the opening of the dip tube 52 and the two gaps 56 are immersed in the contents, only the contents are introduced into the discharge part 42. .

  Returning to FIGS. 4 and 5, the lid 18 includes a cylindrical outer cylinder 62, a cylindrical inner cylinder 64 provided in the outer cylinder 62, and a top plate that blocks one end of the outer cylinder 62 and the inner cylinder 64. 66. A substantially rectangular cutout 68 is formed in the lid 18 by cutting out the outer cylinder 62 and the top plate 66. Further, a handle 70 is formed on the outer surface of the outer cylinder 62 so as to be positioned above the movable piece 34 in a state where the lid 18 is fixed to the cap body 16.

  The outer cylinder 62 covers the periphery of the outer cylinder 24 in a state where the lid 18 is fixed to the cap main body 16, and a protruding portion 72 that protrudes into the cap main body 16 from the opening 30 is provided on the inner side surface of the outer cylinder 62. As shown in FIG. 5, a second engagement portion 74 that protrudes toward the movable piece 34 is provided at the lower end of the entry portion 72, and the second engagement portion 74 is engaged with the first engagement portion 36. The lid 18 is fixed to the cap body 16.

  The inner cylinder 64 covers the periphery of the discharge part 42 with the lid 18 fixed to the cap body 16, and the inner surface of the inner cylinder 64 is in close contact with the convex part 42 b of the discharge part 42. As a result, the internal space of the inner cylinder 64 is blocked from the outside, and the internal space of the container body 14 is blocked from the outside, so that leakage of the contents from the discharge port 42a can be prevented.

  The hinge 20 is disposed in the notch 68 of the lid 18 and connects the outer cylinder 24 of the cap body 16 and the top plate 66 of the lid 18. Two auxiliary hinges 22 are provided so as to sandwich the hinge 20 when viewed from above (see FIG. 3), and connect the outer surface of the outer cylinder 24 and the outer surface of the outer cylinder 62.

  Such a cap 12 is made of a resin having thermoplasticity, and can be easily manufactured by injection molding using an existing mold. Here, polypropylene, which is an example of a synthetic resin, is used as the material of the cap 12.

  What should be noted here is the two urging members 76 formed so as to sandwich the discharge portion 42 on the upper surface of the top plate 28 in the cap body 16. The urging member 76, which is urging means, is formed in a leaf spring shape by raising the upper surface of the top plate 28 in the circumferential direction and on the hinge 20 side, starting from a raised portion 76a formed in advance on the upper surface of the top plate 28. Is done. By forming the urging member 76 by cutting and raising in this manner, the cap 12 can be configured at a lower cost than when the injection molding is performed using a special mold or when another member is used as the urging means. Further, since the urging member 76 is simply formed by cutting and raising, the productivity is also good. Each of such two urging members 76 is pressed against the top plate 28 by the lower surface of the lid 18 in a state where the lid 18 is fixed to the cap body 16, and urges the lid 18 in the direction of arrow A2.

  The container body 14 is made of a thermoplastic resin and is manufactured by injection molding. Here, high density polyethylene, which is an example of a synthetic resin, is used as the material of the container body 14.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 5, 10, and 11, an operation of releasing the fixation of the lid 18 in the container 10 configured as described above will be described.

  First, in the cap 12 with the cap 18 shown in FIG. 5 fixed, the vicinity of the rib 34a (see FIG. 4) of the movable piece 34 is pressed toward the inner cylinder 26, so that the movable piece as shown in FIG. 34 swings in the direction of arrow A1 and is displaced. Accordingly, the engagement between the first engagement portion 36 and the second engagement portion 74 is released, and the cover 18 is moved to an arrow as shown in FIG. Displacement in the A2 direction. Therefore, even if the pressing on the movable piece 34 is released, the state where the engagement between the first engagement portion 36 and the second engagement portion 74 is released, that is, the state where the lid 18 is released is maintained. The Thereafter, the handle 70 is pushed up and the lid 18 is further displaced in the direction of the arrow A2, whereby the lid 18 is completely opened as shown in FIG. 12, and the contents can be discharged from the discharge port 42a.

  In such a container 10, it is possible to stably maintain the closed state of the lid 18 using the cap 12 with low cost and good productivity, and to easily open the lid 18.

  Further, since the introduction unit 44 includes the flexible dip tube 52 and the gap 56, the stored item can be introduced into the discharge unit 42 regardless of the arrangement mode of the container 10. In this way, the lid 18 can be easily opened regardless of the arrangement mode, and the contents in the container body 14 can be introduced into the discharge portion 42 by the introduction unit 44. It can be discharged, improving convenience.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the urging member 76 as the urging means is formed on the top plate 28 of the cap body 16 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the urging means may be formed on the lower surface of the top plate 66 of the lid 18, or the urging means may be formed on the inner side surface of the outer cylinder 62 of the lid 18.

  Moreover, although the above-mentioned embodiment demonstrated the case where the movable piece 34 was provided in the outer cylinder 24 of the cap main body 16, it is not limited to this. For example, a movable piece may be provided on the outer cylinder of the lid. Furthermore, the fixing means is not limited to the one that engages the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion as long as the lid can be reliably fixed, and an arbitrary configuration can be selected.

  Moreover, although the above-mentioned embodiment demonstrated the case where the introduction unit 44 was used as an introduction means, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the introducing means may be configured by connecting a flexible dip tube to the cap and attaching a weight to the lower end of the dip tube.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the contents are sprayed has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the contents may be discharged in a liquid state.

It is a front view solution figure of the container of this invention. It is a side view solution figure of the container of FIG. It is a top view solution figure of the container of FIG. It is a perspective view solution figure which shows the cap used for the container of FIG. It is X1-X1 (FIG. 3) sectional solution figure of a container. It is sectional drawing solution which shows the connection aspect of the 1st pipe to a connection part, (a) is sectional drawing solution seen from the front, (b) is X2-X2 sectional solution drawing of (a). It is X3-X3 (FIG. 5) sectional illustration solution figure of the introduction unit of an erect state. It is a cross-sectional view solution figure which shows the introduction unit of an inverted state. It is X4-X4 (FIG. 8) sectional illustration solution figure of the introduction unit of an inverted state. It is a cross-sectional view solution figure which shows the rocking | fluctuation aspect of a movable piece. It is a cross-sectional solution figure which shows the container of the state by which fixation of the lid | cover was cancelled | released. It is a front view solution figure which shows the container of the state in which the lid | cover was opened.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Container 12 Cap 14 Container main body 16 Cap main body 18 Lid 20 Hinge 34 Movable piece 36 1st engaging part 42 Discharge part 44 Introduction unit 74 2nd engaging part 76 Energizing member

Claims (3)

A cap body formed in a cylindrical shape,
A lid covering one end of the cap body;
A hinge for connecting the lid to the cap body so as to be opened and closed;
A fixing means for fixing the lid to the cap body to maintain the lid closed; and a biasing means for biasing the lid fixed by the fixing means in the opening direction,
The biasing means is a cap formed by cutting and raising a part of the cap body or a part of the lid. The fixing means includes a movable piece formed on the cap body so as to be displaced by pressing, a first engagement portion provided on the movable piece, and the lid so as to engage with the first engagement portion. A second engaging portion provided,
The lid is fixed to the cap body by the engagement of the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion, and the displacement of the movable piece by pressing and the biasing to the lid by the biasing means The cap according to claim 1, wherein the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are disengaged and the lid is displaced. A container comprising the cap according to claim 1 and a container main body to which the cap is attached and which accommodates an article,
The cap body has a discharge part for discharging the contents in the container body,
A container comprising introduction means capable of introducing the contents in the container main body into the discharge section regardless of the arrangement state of the container.

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