JP2018135107A - Openable container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an openable container with high sealability, which enables automatic lid opening with a simple mechanism.SOLUTION: An openable container consists of a container main body with a mouth with an opening and a cap for opening and closing the opening. The cap is equipped with a circular frame, a lid, a gasket and an urging member. The frame is attached freely detachably to the mouth. The lid is hinged to the frame and pivots between the close position where the opening is closed and the open position where the opening is opened. The gasket is attached to the frame or the lid, made from elastic material, and is inserted between the frame and the lid for sealing the aperture in-between when the lid is in the close position. The urging member is made from the same elastic material as the gasket, formed together with the gasket, and urges the lid for the open position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an open / close container, and more particularly, to an open / close container having high airtightness and suitable for storing foods and the like.

  Conventionally, various openable containers with high airtightness are known. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a container having a container body and a cap as this type of container. The cap has an annular frame that is attached so as to surround an opening that defines the opening of the container body, and a door lid that is hingedly connected to the frame and opens and closes the opening. Further, a gasket is disposed on the frame at a position where the gap between the frame and the door lid is filled when the door lid is closed, and the sealing of the container is secured by this gasket.

JP 2007-204104 A JP 2007-261670 A

  The container of Patent Document 1 must be moved by hand so as to rotate the door lid around the hinge axis after unlocking when the door lid is opened. In this respect, the container of Patent Document 2 is provided with a coil spring that biases the door lid in a direction to open the door at a hinge portion that connects the door lid and the frame. Therefore, when the door cover is unlocked from the frame, the door cover automatically opens. However, since the container of Patent Document 2 requires a coil spring, the number of parts increases, the structure becomes complicated, and the cost increases.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a highly airtight openable container that can automatically open a door lid while having a simple structure.

  An open / close container according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a container body having a mouth portion that defines an opening, and a cap that opens and closes the opening. The cap includes an annular frame, a door lid, a gasket, and a biasing member. The frame is detachably attached to the mouth. The door lid is hingedly connected to the frame and rotates between a closed position where the opening is closed and an open position where the opening is open. The gasket is attached to the frame or the door lid and is made of an elastic material. When the door lid is in the closed position, the gasket is sandwiched between the frame and the door lid to seal the gap. The urging member is made of the same elastic material as that of the gasket, is configured integrally with the gasket, and urges the door lid in a direction toward the open position.

  An open / close container according to a second aspect of the present invention is the open / close container according to the first aspect, wherein the gasket is attached to the frame.

  An open / close container according to a third aspect of the present invention is the open / close container according to the second aspect, wherein the gasket is a gap between the mouth and the frame in a state where the frame is attached to the mouth. And the gap is sealed.

  An open / close container according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the open / close container according to any of the first to third aspects, wherein the cap is in a locked state for maintaining the door lid in the closed position; It further includes a lock mechanism for switching between the unlocked state and the unlocked state.

  An open / close container according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the open / close container according to the fourth aspect, wherein the lock mechanism extends from the frame and a first extending portion extending from the door lid. And a second extending portion that meshes with the first extending portion in the locked state.

  An open / close container according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes a container, a door lid, a gasket, and an urging member. The container includes a peripheral portion surrounding the opening. The door lid is hingedly connected to the peripheral edge portion, and rotates between a closed position where the opening is closed and an open position where the opening is opened. The gasket is attached to the peripheral edge or the door lid and is made of an elastic material. When the door lid is in the closed position, the gasket is sandwiched between the peripheral edge and the door lid and seals the clearance. . The urging member is made of the same elastic material as that of the gasket, is configured integrally with the gasket, and urges the door lid in a direction toward the open position.

  An open / close container according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the open / close container according to the sixth aspect, and includes a locked state in which the door lid is maintained in the closed position and a released state in which the locked state is released. A lock mechanism for switching is further provided.

  An open / close container according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the open / close container according to the seventh aspect, wherein the locking mechanism extends from the door lid and the peripheral portion. And a second extending portion that meshes with the first extending portion in the locked state.

  An open / close container according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the open / close container according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the biasing member is in contact with the door lid, Is folded when it is in the closed position, and the door cover is urged in the direction toward the open position by an elastic force to return to the original shape.

  An open / close container according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the open / close container according to any of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the elastic material is an elastomer.

  An open / close container according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the open / close container according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, wherein the elastic material is silicone rubber.

  According to the present invention, the gasket that seals the gap between the portion (peripheral part or frame) that defines the opening of the container and the door lid, and the biasing member that biases the door lid in the opening direction are made of the same elastic material. It is constructed integrally. Thus, an open / close container having a high hermeticity capable of automatically opening the door lid while providing a simple structure with a small number of parts is provided.

The side view of the open-close-type container of the open state which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The side view of the open-close-type container of the closed state which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The side view of the container main body which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the cap of the open state which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the upper part of the cap and container main body of the open state which followed the AA line of FIG. Sectional drawing of the upper part of the cap of a closed state and the container main body along the AA line of FIG. Sectional drawing of the cap of the open state along the BB line of FIG. Sectional drawing of the cap of the closed state along the BB line of FIG.

Hereinafter, an openable container according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<1. Overall configuration of openable container>
1 and 2 are side views of an openable / closable container (hereinafter simply referred to as a container) 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in these drawings, the container 1 includes a container body 2 and a cap 3 that opens and closes an opening S <b> 1 formed in the upper part of the container body 2. FIG. 1 shows an open state in which the opening S1 is opened, and FIG. 2 shows a closed state in which the opening S1 is closed. The container 1 has high airtightness in the closed state as will be described later, and the use of the container 1 is not particularly limited, but is suitable for storing food and the like.

<2. Configuration of each part>
Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit will be described in detail. Unless otherwise specified, upper, lower, front (front side), and rear (rear side) are defined as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the left and right mean the left and right when viewed from the front. As will be described later, the position of the door lid 30 of the cap 3 is changed by rotation. Unless otherwise specified, the upper, lower, front (front side), and rear (rear side) are described based on the closed state. Is done.

<2-1. Container body>
FIG. 3 is a side view of the container body 2 alone. The container body 2 defines an internal space S2 for containing contents such as food. The container body 2 includes a bottom surface portion 21, a cylindrical body portion 22 that stands from the periphery of the bottom surface portion 21, a shoulder portion 23 that extends radially inward from the upper end of the body portion 22, and a radially inner side of the shoulder portion 23. And a neck portion 24 extending upward from the end. In the present embodiment, the bottom surface portion 21 is generally rectangular in plan view, and the body portion 22 is a rectangular tube shape. The neck portion 24 has a cylindrical shape having a diameter smaller than that of the body portion 22. The neck portion 24 surrounds the opening S1 of the container body 2 and forms a mouth portion that defines the opening S1. Therefore, hereinafter, the neck portion 24 may be referred to as the mouth portion 24. The opening S1 communicates with the internal space S2.

  Ribs 25 extending along the circumferential direction are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the neck portion 24. More specifically, the rib 25 extends spirally along the central axis of the neck portion 24 and is screwed with a rib 45 formed on the cap 3 described later. Thereby, the cap 3 is detachably attached to the container body 2. The mouth portion 24 serves as a connection portion with the cap 3 to which the cap 3 is attached.

  Although the material of the container body 2 is not particularly limited, it is preferably made of a hard synthetic resin that does not have rubber elasticity from the viewpoint of lightness, strength, corrosion resistance, etc., but can also be made of glass. . In the present embodiment, the container body 2 is made of AS (acrylonitrile styrene resin). Moreover, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned parts 21-25 are comprised integrally.

<2-2. Cap>
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cap 3 in the opened state. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of the upper portion of the cap 3 and the container main body 2 along the line AA in FIG. 4, FIG. 5 shows an open state, and FIG. 6 shows a closed state. ing. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views of the cap 3 alone along the line B-B in FIG. 4, FIG. 7 shows an open state, and FIG. 8 shows a closed state. Hereinafter, the configuration of the cap 3 will be described in detail with reference to these drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the cap 3 includes a generally annular frame 40 and a generally disc-shaped door lid 30 that is hingedly connected to the frame 40. The door lid 30 rotates with respect to the frame 40 between a closed position where the opening S1 is closed and an open position where the opening S1 is opened. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the frame 40 is detachably attached to the mouth portion 24 of the container body 2. The frame 40 surrounds the mouth portion 24 from the outside while being attached to the mouth portion 24, and forms a peripheral edge portion surrounding the opening S <b> 1 together with the mouth portion 24.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, the door lid 30 includes a generally disc-shaped lid body 31 and a plate member 32 that extends further from the rear portion of the lid body 31 to the back side. The plate member 32 is inclined so as to be slightly downward as it is away from the lid body 31 (see FIGS. 2 and 8). Side wall portions 33a and 33b extending inward in the radial direction in the state of FIG. 4 (extending downward in the closed state) are erected at both left and right end portions of the plate member 32, respectively. Further, columnar protrusions 34, 34 extending outward in the left-right direction protrude from the outer surfaces of the side walls 33a, 33b, respectively. The protrusions 34 are arranged coaxially with respect to an axis extending in the left-right direction.

  Although the material of the door lid 30 is not particularly limited, it is preferably made of a hard synthetic resin that does not have rubber elasticity from the viewpoint of lightness, strength, corrosion resistance, and the like. In the present embodiment, the door lid 30 is made of saturated polyester. In the present embodiment, the door lid 30 is configured integrally with a first extending portion 50 described later.

  On the other hand, the frame 40 includes a generally annular base frame 41 and a pair of left and right side wall portions 42a and 42b extending further from the rear portion of the base frame 41 to the back side. Similarly, the lower portions of the side wall portions 42a and 42b are connected via a lower surface portion 43 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) extending further from the rear portion of the base frame 41 to the back surface side. Further, holes 44 and 44 are formed in the side wall portions 42a and 42b, respectively. The holes 44 are arranged coaxially with respect to an axis extending in the left-right direction.

  Although the material of the frame 40 is not particularly limited, it is preferably made of a hard synthetic resin that does not have rubber elasticity from the viewpoint of lightness, strength, corrosion resistance, and the like. In the present embodiment, the frame 40 is made of polypropylene. In the present embodiment, the frame 40 is integrally configured with a second extending portion 60 described later.

  The side wall portions 33a and 33b of the door lid 30 are disposed between the side wall portions 42a and 42b so that the outer surfaces of the side wall portions 33a and 33b face the inner surfaces of the side wall portions 42a and 42b of the frame 40, respectively. Further, the projections 34, 34 of the door lid 30 are inserted into the holes 44, 44 of the side wall portions 42a, 42b, respectively. For this reason, the projections 34 and 34 form a rotation shaft of the hinge mechanism 4 that connects the door lid 30 and the frame 40, and the holes 44 and 44 form a bearing that receives the rotation shaft. That is, the hinge mechanism 4 is formed by the plate member 32, the side wall portions 33a and 33b, the protrusions 34 and 34, the side wall portions 42a and 42b, the holes 44 and 44, and the lower surface portion 43. Thereby, the door lid 30 is hingedly connected to the frame 40 and can be rotated with respect to the frame 40. The peripheral edge of the lid body 31 is received by the upper end 41b of the base frame 41 in the closed state (however, as shown in FIG. 2, there is a slight gap between them). At this time, the lid body 31 Covers the opening S1 from above.

  As shown in FIGS. 4-6, the base frame 41 has the surrounding wall part 41a with substantially constant thickness. Ribs 45 extending along the circumferential direction are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 41a. More specifically, the rib 45 extends spirally along the central axis of the peripheral wall portion 41a and is screwed with the rib 25 formed in the mouth portion 24 described above.

  The upper end portion 41b of the base frame 41 is located on the upper portion of the peripheral wall portion 41a and protrudes inward from the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 41a. That is, a step is formed in the upper part of the base frame 41 when viewed from the inside of the base frame 41. An annular gasket 70 is attached to the base frame 41 so as to be caught by the step.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the gasket 70 includes an annular main body 71 and an annular upper portion 72 extending upward from the vicinity of the center of the upper surface of the main body 71. The main body 71 has a substantially rectangular longitudinal section. The gasket 70 has an annular inner lower portion 73 that extends downward from the radially inner end of the main body 71 and an annular outer lower portion 74 that extends downward from the radial outer end of the main body 71. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the step formed by the main body portion 71 and the upper portion 72 (step facing outward in the radial direction) is the step formed by the upper end portion 41 b of the base frame 41 and the peripheral wall portion 41 a. The meshing surfaces are in close contact with each other. Further, the outer peripheral surfaces of the main body 71 and the outer lower portion 74 are in firm contact with the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 41a. In addition, in a state where the frame 40 is attached to the container main body 2, the lower surface of the main body portion 71 firmly contacts the upper end portion of the mouth portion 24 of the container main body 2. As described above, the gasket 70 is sandwiched between the gaps formed between the mouth portion 24 and the base frame 41 in a state where the frame 40 is attached to the container body 2, filling the gaps, and sealing the gaps.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the gasket 70 is sandwiched between the base frame 41 and the door lid 30 when the door lid 30 is in the closed position, and seals the gap. More specifically, the door lid 30 has an annular leg portion 35 that hangs down from the lower surface of the lid body 31. The leg portion 35 is located slightly inside the outer peripheral edge of the lid main body 31. In the closed state, a step formed by the main body portion 71 and the upper portion 72 (step facing inward in the radial direction) is formed by a step formed in the lid main body 31 and the leg portion 35 (facing outward in the radial direction). Step) and the meshing surfaces are in good contact with each other.

  With the gasket 70 having the above configuration, the opening S1 is completely closed when the door lid 30 is in the closed position, and the internal space S2 of the container body 2 is sealed from the outside. In the present embodiment, one gasket 70 seals the gap between the container body 2 and the frame 40 in addition to the gap between the frame 40 and the door lid 30. Therefore, the container 1 having a high hermeticity can be realized with a simple structure with a small number of parts.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, the cap 3 includes a lock mechanism 5 for maintaining the door lid 30 in the closed position. The lock mechanism 5 includes a first extending portion 50 that extends from the lid body 31 and a second extending portion 60 that extends from the base frame 41. The first extending portion 50 includes a protruding portion 51 that protrudes slightly from the front portion of the lid main body 31 toward the front side, and a plate member 52 that extends downward from the front side of the protruding portion 51. On the front surface of the plate member 52, a claw 53 is formed near the center in the left-right direction. On the other hand, the second extending portion 60 includes a protruding portion 61 protruding slightly from the front portion of the base frame 41 to the front side, and a plate member 62 extending upward from the protruding portion 61. The second extending portion 60 has a push button 63 that is continuous with the upper end of the plate member 62. On the back surface of the push button 63, a claw 64 is formed near the center in the left-right direction. The second extending portion 60 has a peripheral wall portion 65 that is continuous with the front portion of the base frame 41 and surrounds the above portions 61 to 64. The peripheral wall portion 65 is disposed at a position that does not interfere with these portions 61 to 64.

  When the door lid 30 falls forward from the open position and approaches the closed position, the plate member 52 is inserted into the space between the plate member 62 and the base frame 41. At this time, the claw 53 pushes the claw 64, whereby the plate member 62 is elastically deformed and falls slightly forward. Then, when the plate member 52 advances further from this state, the claw 53 gets over the claw 64. At this time, the plate member 62 is returned to the original position by the elastic force, and the claws 64 and 53 engage with each other. Thereby, the nail | claw 53 is hooked on the nail | claw 64 and the locked state in which the door cover 30 is maintained in a closed position is formed.

  When the user presses the push button 63 with a finger in the locked state, the plate member 62 is elastically deformed again and falls slightly forward. Thereby, the locked state in which the nail | claw 53 and the nail | claw 64 meshed is cancelled | released, and it will be in a cancellation | release state. As described above, the lock mechanism 5 can switch between the locked state and the released state.

  When the locked state is released, the door lid 30 automatically rotates around the rotation shaft 34 and returns to the open position. More specifically, the cap 3 further includes a biasing member 80 that cooperates with the hinge mechanism 4 described above, as shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8. The urging member 80 urges the door lid 30 in the direction toward the open position. In the present embodiment, the door lid 30 rises up and down substantially when in the open position.

  The urging member 80 is made of the same material as the gasket 70 and is configured integrally with the gasket 70. The urging member 80 and the gasket 70 are made of an elastic material and have rubber elasticity. The biasing member 80 and the gasket 70 are typically made of an elastomer (rubber or thermoplastic elastomer), and are made of silicone rubber in this embodiment. Since the gasket 70 and the urging member 80 are soft and easily deformed, they can be removed from other parts of the cap 2.

  The urging member 80 is continuous with the rear portion of the gasket 70 and has a protruding portion 81 protruding slightly from the rear portion of the gasket 70 toward the back side. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, although the upper end part 41b of the base frame 41 and the upper part of the surrounding wall part 41a are extended over the perimeter, a part is notched in the rear part. The protruding portion 81 passes through the notch and reaches from the radially inner side to the outer side of the base frame 41.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the biasing member 80 further includes a wall portion 82 that extends downward from the rear portion of the protruding portion 81, and a seat portion 83 that is bent from the lower portion of the wall portion 82 and extends rearward. The inner surface in the radial direction of the wall portion 82 is in firm contact with the outer peripheral surface of the base frame 41. On the other hand, the outer surface of the seat portion 83 firmly contacts the upper surface of the lower surface portion 43 extending rearward from the base frame 41 and the inner surface of the plate member 32 extending rearward from the lid body 31. A projection 36 is formed on the inner surface of the plate member 32. On the other hand, the sheet portion 83 is generally rectangular, but a notch for receiving the projection 36 is formed at the tip thereof. And the position of the sheet | seat part 83 is fixed by inserting the protrusion 36 in this notch. In this state, the sheet portion 83 is in firm contact with the protrusion 36.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the seat portion 83 is folded and accommodated in a space between the plate member 32 and the lower surface portion 43 when the door lid 30 is in the closed position. However, when the locked state is released, the folded sheet portion 83 pushes the plate member 32 by an elastic force to return to the original flatter shape. Thereby, the lid body 31 connected to the plate member 32 automatically rotates in the opening direction. As described above, the container 1 is configured in a one-push open type in which the door lid 30 can be opened only by pressing the push button 63, and is excellent in operability. When the door lid 30 is rotated to a predetermined angle, the side wall portions 33a and 33b of the door lid 30 come into contact with the lower surface portion 43 of the frame 40, and further rotation is restricted.

  The seat portion 83 has a flat plate shape when the gasket 70 and the biasing member 80 are removed from the other portions of the cap 3. And the sheet | seat part 83 is curved not only when folded in the closed state but also in the open state as shown in FIG. Therefore, the urging member 80 applies a force to the door lid 30 in the direction of further opening the door lid 30 even in the open state. Therefore, for example, even if the container 1 is tilted during use, the door lid 30 is unlikely to fall down due to its own weight. Therefore, the door lid 30 is not greatly shaken during use, and the container 1 is excellent in usability.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, a thick portion 84 is partially formed on the inner surface of the sheet portion 83. This thick portion 84 can increase the elastic force of the sheet portion 83 trying to return to its original shape. In addition, the thick portion 84 helps the sheet portion 83 to always be deformed into the same shape in the open state, the closed state, and the state between these states. Therefore, the same open state and closed state can always be realized.

<3. Modification>
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible unless it deviates from the meaning. For example, the following changes can be made. Moreover, the gist of the following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

<3-1>
In the above embodiment, the gasket 70 plays a role of sealing both the gap between the container body 2 and the frame 40 and the gap between the frame 40 and the door lid 30, but a gasket for filling both gaps is separately provided. May be provided. In this case, the gasket that fills the gap between the frame 40 and the door lid 30 may be attached to the lid body 31 instead of the base frame 41. Further, the gasket for sealing the gap between the container body 2 and the frame 40 can be omitted.

<3-2>
The attachment structure of the cap 2 to the container body 2 is not limited to the above-described one (screw), and any structure such as a fitting type can be adopted. Further, the structure may be such that the door lid 30 is directly connected to the mouth portion 24 of the container main body 2 in a hinged manner without the structure of attaching the cap 2 to the container main body 2.

<3-3>
In the above embodiment, the mouth portion 24 and the frame 40 are formed in an annular shape, but the mouth portion 24 and the frame 40 may be formed in an annular shape.

1 Openable Container 2 Container Body 3 Cap 4 Hinge Mechanism 5 Lock Mechanism 24 Mouth 30 Door Lid 40 Frame 50 First Extension 60 Second Extension 70 Gasket 80 Biasing Member S1 Opening

Claims (11)

A container body having a mouth defining an opening;
A cap for opening and closing the opening;
The cap is
An annular frame detachably attached to the mouth,
A door lid that is hinged to the frame and pivots between a closed position in which the opening is closed and an open position in which the opening is open;
A gasket attached to the frame or the door lid, made of an elastic material, sandwiched between the frame and the door lid when the door lid is in the closed position, and sealing the gap;
An urging member made of the same elastic material as the gasket, configured integrally with the gasket, and urging the door lid in a direction toward the open position;
Openable container. The gasket is attached to the frame;
The openable container according to claim 1. The gasket is sandwiched between the mouth and the frame in a state where the frame is attached to the mouth, and seals the gap.
The openable container according to claim 2. The cap further includes a lock mechanism that switches between a locked state in which the door lid is maintained in the closed position and a released state in which the locked state is released.
The openable container according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The lock mechanism includes a first extension portion extending from the door lid and a second extension portion extending from the frame and meshing with the first extension portion in the locked state.
The openable container according to claim 4. A container including a peripheral portion surrounding the opening;
A door lid that is hingedly connected to the peripheral portion and rotates between a closed position in which the opening is closed and an open position in which the opening is opened;
A gasket attached to the peripheral edge or the door lid, made of an elastic material, sandwiched between the peripheral edge and the door lid when the door lid is in the closed position, and sealing the gap;
It is made of the same elastic material as the gasket, is configured integrally with the gasket, and includes a biasing member that biases the door lid in a direction toward the open position.
Openable container. A lock mechanism that switches between a locked state in which the door lid is maintained in the closed position and a released state in which the locked state is released;
The openable container according to claim 6. The lock mechanism includes a first extension portion extending from the door lid, and a second extension portion extending from the peripheral edge portion and meshing with the first extension portion in the locked state.
The openable container according to claim 7. The biasing member is in contact with the door lid, is folded when the door lid is in the closed position, and is moved in a direction toward the open position by an elastic force to return to the original shape. Energize,
The openable container according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The elastic material is an elastomer.
The openable container according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The elastic material is silicone rubber.
The openable container according to claim 10.