JP2020026294A - Spout plug - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a spout plug in which opening of the plug is easy.SOLUTION: The spout plug consists of: a spout plug body; and a cap which has a sidewall, a top face portion, and an inner ring and is attached to the spout plug body. A cap side engagement portion and a partition side engagement portion which regulate relative rotation around a center axis and engage mutually are respectively formed on the top face portion and a partition. The partition has a portion which is continuously connected to a cylindrical portion as interposing a thin wall portion formed on an end edge and in which a distance between each point of the thin wall portion and one plane perpendicular to the center axis changes in the circumference direction. The inner ring has a portion in which a distance between each point of the tip and the one plane changes, and is formed so that the tip does not come in contact with the thin wall portion in a state where the cap side engagement portion and the partition side engagement portion are engaged mutually. When the cap is made to rotate in the release direction of screw jointing, one portion of the tip of the inner ring comes in contact with one portion of the thin wall portion and breaks the one portion of the thin wall portion, and after that, the breakage proceeds to separate the partition from the cylindrical portion, so that opening of the plug can be done.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a spout plug provided at a pouring position of a packaging container.

  2. Description of the Related Art As a packaging container for fluid contents such as liquid, powder or granules, a container provided with a resin spout stopper is widely used. The spout plug includes a plug body including a cylindrical tube portion and a partition wall closing the inside thereof, and a cap to cover the plug body. The partition is provided with a circular thin portion and a pull ring. When the cap is removed and the pull ring is pulled, the partition wall breaks along the thin portion and can be opened. Moreover, it can be resealed by covering with a cap.

JP 2000-296865 A

  However, since such a spout plug has a relatively large pulling force required for breaking the thin portion of the partition wall, a load is high for a user having a weak force, and the trouble of disposing of the pull ring after opening is eliminated. And there is room for improvement in convenience.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an easily opened spout plug.

  One aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem is that a plug body having a cylindrical tubular portion having an external thread formed therein and a partition wall closing the inside of the tubular portion, and an internal thread screwing with the external thread are provided. A spout plug comprising a formed cylindrical side wall, a top surface portion covering one end of the side wall, and an inner ring provided on the top surface portion, and a cap attached to the plug body, wherein the top surface portion and The partition has a cap-side engaging portion and a partition-side engaging portion which are engaged with each other in a state where relative rotation around the central axis is regulated, and the partition is formed by a thin portion formed at an edge. The inner ring has a portion in which the distance between each point of the thin portion and one plane perpendicular to the central axis changes in the circumferential direction, and the distance between each point of the tip and one plane changes in the inner ring. Part, the cap side engaging part and the partition wall side engaging part are engaged In this state, the tip is formed so that the tip does not contact the thin part, and by rotating the cap in the direction to release the screwing, a part of the tip of the inner ring comes into contact with a part of the thin part to form the thin part. This is a spout opening plug that can be opened by breaking a part and then breaking along the entire circumference of the thin-walled portion to separate the partition from the cylindrical portion.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the partition wall which can be broken with a small force by rotation of a cap, and the fractured partition wall stays in a cap and does not need to dispose can provide an easily openable spout plug.

1 is a perspective view of a plug body and a cap constituting a spout plug according to an embodiment of the present invention. Sectional view of a spout stopper according to an embodiment of the present invention. Enlarged sectional view of a spout stopper according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure showing the opening of the spout Perspective view of a plug body according to a modification

(Embodiment)
A spout plug according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a spout main body 10 (FIG. 1A) and a cap 20 (FIG. 1B) that constitute a spout 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the spout plug 100 taken along line AA ′ shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion B and a portion C of FIG.

  The plug body 10 has a cylindrical tube portion 11 having an external thread 13 formed therein, and a partition wall 12 closing the inside of the tube portion 11. The cap 20 has a cylindrical side wall 21 on which an internal screw 23 is formed, and a top surface portion 22 that covers one end of the side wall 21. The cap 20 and the plug main body 10 are screwed together with the outer screw 13 and the inner screw 23 around the central axis CL as a rotation axis, and in a screwed state, the inner ring 25 provided on the top surface 22 is inside the cylinder 11. Touch the circumference.

(Cap side engaging part and partition side engaging part)
A cap side engaging portion 24 is formed on a top surface portion 22 of the cap 20, and a partition side engaging portion 14 is formed on the partition wall 12 of the plug body 10. These are formed so as to engage with each other when the cap 20 is attached to the plug body 10, as shown in FIG. The cap-side engaging portion 24 and the partition-side engaging portion 14 are configured by, for example, a cross-shaped concave portion and a convex portion, and engage so as to regulate relative rotation about the central axis CL. The cross shape is an example, and another structure may be used as long as the relative rotation can be sufficiently controlled. In addition, the cap-side engaging portion 24 and the partition-side engaging portion 14 restrict relative movement in the direction along the central axis CL to such an extent that the cap-side engaging portion 24 and the partition-side engaging portion 14 have a certain difficulty in coming off. In addition, the first attachment of the cap 20 to the plug main body 10 is performed, for example, by setting the inner screw 23 over the outer screw 13 by, for example, a plugging method in which the cap 20 is driven with a constant force in the direction of extension of the central axis CL after positioning. Can be done with

(Partition)
The partition wall 12 of the plug main body 10 is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 11 via a thin portion 15 formed at the edge. The thin portion 15 has a portion in which the distance between each point and one plane orthogonal to the central axis CL changes in the circumferential direction. In the plug body 10, as shown in FIG. 1 (b) and FIG. 2, the thin portion 15 is, as an example, the center axis CL from the virtual plane including the end on the side where the cap 20 of the cylindrical portion 11 is attached. The concave portions 15a having the largest distance along the stretching direction and the convex portions 15b having the smallest distance are alternately formed at intervals of 90 degrees around the central axis CL. The thickness of the thin portion 15 can be about 0.2 mm.

  In the thin portion 15, a first portion 16a extending parallel to the central axis CL in a cross section including the central axis CL and a second portion 16b extending perpendicular to the central axis CL are provided alternately along the circumferential direction. It may be formed by the following. In the spout plug 100, as shown in FIG. 3, as an example, the first portion 16a is formed in a range of 60 degrees in the circumferential direction around the concave portion 15a. Further, the second portion 16b is also formed in a range of 60 degrees around the convex portion 15b.

  In the spout 100, the concave portions 15a and the convex portions 15b are formed alternately at 90-degree intervals. However, the interval between the concave portions 15a and the convex portions 15b is not limited. For example, one space is provided at 180-degree intervals. It may be formed. Alternatively, the distance from the virtual plane along the extension direction of the central axis CL may be partially provided with one convex portion 15b smaller than the other portions, and the other portions may have the same distance.

(Inner ring)
The inner ring 25 of the cap 20 is provided on the top surface portion 22, and by rotating the cap 20 in a direction in which the screwing is released, a part of the leading end abuts on a part of the thin portion 15, and the inner ring 25 The part can be broken. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2, the inner ring 25 has a portion where the distance between each point of the tip and one plane orthogonal to the central axis CL changes, and the inner ring 25 When the partition wall side engaging portion 14 is engaged, the tip is formed so as not to contact the thin portion 15. The inner ring 25 includes, as an example, the convex portion 25a having the largest distance from the top surface portion 22 to the tip and the concave portion 25b having the smallest distance from the center axis CL alternately corresponding to the concave portion 15a and the convex portion 15b of the thin portion 15. It is formed around every 90 degrees.

  Further, it is preferable that the tip of the inner ring 25 has a shape that easily breaks the thin portion 15 at the time of opening, which will be described later. For example, the tip portion may be formed to be thinner than portions other than the tip. Further, only the portion of the tip of the inner ring 25 that comes into contact with the thin portion 15 at the time of opening the plug may be thinned, and the other portions may not be formed thin. Further, of the tip of the inner ring 25, the predetermined range of the projected portion 25a or one side along the circumferential direction of the inner ring 25 from the projected portion 25a and which is to be brought into contact with the thin portion 15 is compared with other portions. It may be formed thin. By forming the inner ring 25 in this manner, the rigidity of a portion of the tip of the inner ring 25 that does not come into contact with the thin portion 15 can be maintained. Further, in order to further increase the concentration of the stress generated in the thin portion 15 and to facilitate the breakage, the cross-sectional shape of the tip of the inner ring 25 formed to be thinner as shown in the enlarged view of the portion B in FIG. It may be formed at an acute angle.

(About opening)
Next, the functions of the thin portion 15 and the inner ring 25 when opening the spout 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing how the spout plug is opened.

  When the cap 20 of the spout 100 in the screwed state is slightly rotated in the direction in which the screwing is released, the inner ring 25 is rotated immediately following the rotation. Also, torque is transmitted from the cap-side engaging portion 24 (not shown) to the partition-side engaging portion 14, and the torque causes the partition 12 to be twisted in the unscrewing direction, but the rotation of the thin portion 15 connected to the cylindrical portion 11. The displacement is negligible. As a result, the relative position between the inner ring 25 and the thin portion 15 changes, and a part of the tip of the inner ring 25 contacts a part of the thin portion 15. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a region between the convex portion 25 a and the concave portion 25 b at the tip of the inner ring 25 is a second portion between the concave portion 15 a and the convex portion 15 b of the thin portion 15. 16b. By further rotating the cap 20 in this state, the tip of the inner ring 25 can break the second portion 16b.

  Furthermore, stress due to torque is concentrated on the end of the thin portion 15 where the break occurs, and the break proceeds along the entire circumference of the thin portion. As the rotation of the cap 20 proceeds, the partition wall 12 is detached from the plug main body 10 along with the cap 20, and the opening is completed.

  As described above, since the opening of the spout 100 is completed when the cap 20 is rotated and removed, there is no need to separately remove the partition wall 12 unlike the method of opening with a pull ring. In addition, since the cap 20 is easy to grasp and easily applies a torque, the burden on the user is smaller than pulling the pull ring to break the partition wall 12. Furthermore, if the thin portion 15 is partially broken, this triggers the entire circumference to be broken in a relatively short period of time, so that the opening can be completed with a relatively small force thereafter.

  The detached partition wall 12 remains in the cap 20, but since the partition wall side engaging portion 14 is engaged with the cap side engaging portion 24 with a certain difficulty, the cap 20 is plugged again for resealing. Even if it is screwed into the main body 10, it does not cause a great problem, and it is not necessary to remove and discard.

  Further, it is preferable that the tip of the inner ring 25 and the edge of the partition wall 12 are formed close to each other over the entire circumference. Thereby, design integrity can be given to the separated partition wall 12 and the cap, and the uncomfortable feeling when the cap 20 is continuously used for resealing with the partition wall 12 attached can be reduced.

  Further, by forming the first portion 16a so as to extend in parallel with the central axis CL, the thickness of the thin portion 15 in the radial direction can be reduced in a range where the first portion 16a is formed. For this reason, the force required for breaking can be reduced as compared with the second portion 16b formed thinner in the direction along the central axis CL. As described above, the first portion in which the thickness in the radial direction is reduced to a portion other than the second portion 16b in which the thickness in the direction along the central axis CL is reduced so that the tip of the inner ring 20 can easily abut. By providing 16a, breakage can easily be advanced.

  As described above, the spout 100 according to the present embodiment can be easily opened without any load or trouble, as compared with the method of opening with a pull ring.

(Modification)
Reinforcing ribs may be provided on the surface of the partition wall 12 to prevent the breakage from proceeding toward the center of the partition wall 12 when a torque is applied to the partition wall 12. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a plug main body 10a according to a modification in which the reinforcing rib 12a is provided. The reinforcing rib 12a is composed of a circular rib provided on the inner peripheral side with respect to the thin portion 15, and a plurality of linear ribs connecting between the circular rib and the partition wall-side engaging portion 14. You. By providing the reinforcing ribs 12a, torque can be efficiently transmitted from the partition wall side engaging portion 14 to the thin wall portion 15 while preventing the break generated in the thin wall portion 15 from proceeding toward the center of the partition wall 12. .

  The spout plugs according to Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were produced, and the opening torque was measured.

(Example 1)
The spout plug 100 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 was manufactured using low-density polyethylene. The radius of the thin portion 15 was 8 mm, and the thickness of both the first portion and the second portion of the thin portion 15 was 0.2 mm.

(Example 2)
Example 1 was the same as Example 1 except that the concave portion 15a and the convex portion 15b of the plug main body 10 were provided one by one at an interval of 180 degrees, and the convex portion 25a and the concave portion 25b of the cap 20 were formed corresponding thereto. A similar spout plug was made.

(Example 3)
The thin portion 15 is formed so as to be parallel to a plane orthogonal to the central axis CL over the entire circumference (that is, the thin portion 15 is formed only with the second portion 16b without forming the first portion 16a). A spout stopper similar to that of Example 1 was prepared except for the above.

(Comparative Example 1)
Same as Example 1 except that the distance between each point of the thin portion 15 and one plane orthogonal to the central axis CL is constant in the circumferential direction (that is, the partition wall is a plane extending perpendicular to the central axis CL). To prepare a spout stopper.

(Comparative Example 2)
A spout plug was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the length of the inner ring 25 of the cap 20 was set so as not to abut on the thin portion 15.

(Evaluation)
Ten spout plugs according to Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were produced, and the opening torque was measured. Table 1 shows the measurement results (average opening torque).

  In the case of Examples 1 to 3, the inner ring 25 and the thin portion 15 are brought into contact with each other, and the thin portion 15 is formed so as to be broken. did it. In particular, in Example 2, since only one portion was broken at a time, a smaller opening torque could be obtained. Further, in the first and second embodiments, by providing the first portion 16a of the thin portion 15, the opening torque could be further reduced as compared with the third embodiment in which the first portion 16a was not provided.

  In the case of Comparative Examples 1 and 2, even when the cap 20 was rotated in the unscrewing direction, the inner ring 25 did not come into contact with the thin portion 15, so that the opening torque was larger than in Examples 1 to 3. In the case of Comparative Example 2, since the distance between each point of the thin portion 15 and one plane orthogonal to the central axis CL changes in the circumferential direction, a portion where stress concentrates on the thin portion 15 occurs. The opening torque was smaller than in Example 1.

  The present invention is useful for packaging containers and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Plug main body 11 Cylindrical part 12 Partition wall 13 External screw 14 Partition wall side engaging part 15 Thin part 15a Concave part 15b Convex part 16a First part 16b Second part part 20 Cap 21 Side wall 22 Top surface part 23 Internal screw 24 Cap side engagement Part 25 inner ring 25a convex part 25b concave part 100 outlet plug CL central axis

Claims (3)

A plug body having a cylindrical tube portion formed with an external thread and a partition wall for closing the inside of the tube portion,
A cap having a cylindrical side wall on which an internal thread to be screwed with the external thread is formed, a top surface portion covering one end of the side wall, and an inner ring provided on the top surface portion, the cap being attached to the plug body; A spout plug comprising:
On the top surface portion and the partition wall, a cap-side engaging portion and a partition-side engaging portion that engage with each other in a state where relative rotation around the central axis is regulated are formed,
The partition,
A portion that is connected to the cylindrical portion via a thin portion formed at an edge, and a distance between each point of the thin portion and a plane orthogonal to the central axis changes in a circumferential direction;
The inner ring,
A portion having a distance between each point of the tip and the one plane changes, so that the tip does not contact the thin portion in a state where the cap side engagement portion and the partition wall side engagement portion are engaged. Formed in
By rotating the cap in the direction of releasing the screwing, a part of the tip of the inner ring abuts a part of the thin part to break the part of the thin part, and thereafter the break is A spout plug that can be opened by moving along the entire circumference of the thin portion and detaching the partition from the cylindrical portion. The thin portion,
In a cross section including the central axis, a first portion extending parallel to the central axis and a second portion extending perpendicular to the central axis are alternately provided along a circumferential direction,
2. The spout plug according to claim 1, wherein by rotating the cap in a direction of releasing the screwing, a part of the distal end of the inner ring can be broken by contacting the second portion. 3. The tip of the inner ring,
3. The spout plug according to claim 1, wherein when the cap is rotated in a direction in which the screw is released, a thickness of a portion abutting on the thin portion is smaller than other portions. 4.