JP3524975B2 - Cap with clear opening function - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cap provided with a tamper evident function. More specifically, the weakened part does not break when the cap is closed, and the weakened part is formed by turning the cap when the cap is opened. The present invention relates to a cap that surely breaks and has excellent moldability.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a so-called tamper-evidence cap (hereinafter, referred to as a TE cap), which is provided with an unsealing clarification mechanism that clarifies that a cap that seals a container has been once unsealed, has been widely adopted. This TE cap is a cap composed of a cap body and a lower circumferential band (tamper-evidence band, hereinafter referred to as TE band) connected to the lower part of the cap body via a bridging portion. When the lid is opened (when the sealed cap is first opened), these are meshed with each other to prevent the TE band from rising or rotating with the rotation of the cap body, and the TE band is detached from the cap body. Only the cap body can be removed from the container mouth.

For example, in the cap disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 51-54056, a protrusion provided on the inner surface of the TE band and a protrusion provided on the container mouth are engaged in the circumferential direction,
Although the bridging part is broken, in this cap, since the protrusions are firmly engaged with each other, the burden on the bridging part when the lid is closed (when the cap is first screwed into the container mouth part) is imposed. Since it is large, it may cause bridge breakage.In order to prevent bridge breakage when closing the lid, increasing the bridge strength requires a large amount of force when opening the cap, so it is still easy to open. It wasn't satisfactory.

In order to solve such a problem, for example, the cap disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-32105 has a protrusion provided on the TE band as an elastic protrusion.
The bridge was prevented from breaking when the lid was closed, but with an elastic flap piece, the flap piece could be damaged when the lid was opened, or it could bend excessively and did not engage with the protrusions on the container mouth, so the weakened portion could not be reliably broken. Had a problem.

[0005]

In order to solve such a problem, it is composed of two inwardly extending side pieces and a connecting piece for connecting the tip ends of the side pieces, and the side pieces are mounted in the container rotation direction. On the other hand, there has been proposed a cap having a projecting piece that is inclined in the opposite direction (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-13950).
This cap may be satisfactory in terms of preventing the bridge from breaking at the time of closing the lid, but the cap is extremely difficult, and it is not yet satisfactory.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a TE cap which exhibits a reliable TE property, is easy to open, and has excellent moldability.

[0006]

According to the present invention, a cap body including a top plate portion and a skirt portion hanging down from the periphery of the top plate portion, and a container opening on the inner peripheral surface connected to the lower end of the skirt portion through the weakening portion. In a cap consisting of a tamper-evidence band having a ratchet piece that engages with the neck, the tamper-evidence band consists of a thick upper part and a thin lower part, and a step part is provided at the lower end of the upper part,
The ratchet piece is a thin-walled tamper-evidence band
From the inner wall of the lower part of the tamper-evidence band in the opening direction and projecting inward in the radial direction so as to form an acute angle,
And the whole of the upper end cap, characterized in that it is continued communication with the stepped portion is provided.

Further, according to the present invention, the cap body composed of the top plate portion and the skirt portion hanging down from the periphery of the top plate portion, and the inner peripheral surface connected to the lower end of the skirt portion through the weakening portion engages with the container mouth neck portion. In a cap including a TE band having a ratchet piece, the TE band has a thick upper portion and a thin lower portion, and a step portion is provided at a lower end of the upper portion, and the ratchet piece has a thin portion of the TE band. Under
The first projection protruding from the inner side wall of the portion toward the inner side in the radial direction at an acute angle to the TE band and protruding from the inner side wall of the tamper-evidence band toward the inner side in the radial direction. And a second projecting piece that is connected to the tip of the first projecting piece, and the entire upper end of the second projecting piece is continuous with the lower end of the stepped portion. . Further, in the present invention, the angle formed by the ratchet piece and the tamper-evidence band is 5 to 60 ° in the first protrusion of the first aspect and the second aspect, and the second angle of the second aspect. It is preferable that the protrusions are in the range of 20 to 90 °.

[0008]

In the TE cap of the present invention, the TE band is composed of a thick upper part and a thin lower part, and the ratchet piece is formed in a radial direction from the inner side wall of the TE band to form an acute angle with the TE band. It is an important feature that it projects inward and the upper end thereof is also continuous with the lower end of the thick portion. Since the ratchet piece of the present invention has a shape projecting from the TE band toward the lid opening direction, when the lid is opened, the ratchet piece can be engaged with the protrusion formed on the container mouth portion to prevent rotation of the TE band. However, since it is neither a robust projection like a conventional ratchet claw nor a flap piece that is simply elastic, it does not break the weakened part when closing the lid, and it surely breaks the weakened part when opening the lid. be able to.

That is, in the ratchet piece of the present invention, the upper end portion of the ratchet piece protruding from the inner surface of the TE band is connected to the step portion, and the ratchet piece is connected to the TE band at two sides of the upper end portion and the end portion in the closing direction. Since it is fixed, it is more firmly fixed to the TE band than a flexible flap that protrudes from the TE band, and the projection at the container mouth and the ratchet piece are securely locked. The rotation of the band can be effectively prevented, the damage to the ratchet piece itself can be effectively prevented, and the weakened portion can be reliably broken. Moreover, since it is flexible, it is possible to reduce the resistance when closing the lid.

Moreover, the upper portion of the TE band is thick and protrudes annularly toward the inner surface of the cap. Since the lower end of the thick portion and the upper end of the ratchet piece are connected, the lower end is a free end. When the cap is molded, the TE band portion does not have an undercut portion, the mold releasability after molding is good, and the moldability is excellent.

[0011]

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1A and 1B are views showing an example of a TE cap of the present invention for explaining the first aspect of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a partial vertical sectional view and FIG. 1B is a bottom view. is there. The TE cap of the present invention, generally designated by 1, is generally a cap body 5 including a top plate portion 2, a skirt portion 3 and an inclined portion 4 having an outer diameter that increases downward, and the cap body 5 and the weakened portion. It consists of a TE band 7 which is integrally connected via 6. The skirt portion 3 of the cap body 5 is provided with a screw portion 8 on the inner surface and a knurled groove 9 on the outer surface so as to facilitate gripping and turning.

The inner diameter of the TE band 7 is formed to be larger than the inner diameter of the cap body 5 through the inclined portion 4, and the thick portion 10 is formed in the upper portion so as to be between the thin portion and the thick portion 10. There is a stepped portion 11. Further, a ratchet piece 12 that engages with a ratchet pawl (not shown) provided at the container mouth portion to prevent the TE band from rotating is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the TE band.
A plurality of them are provided at regular intervals in such a manner that they project from the inner surface of the TE band toward the inner side in the radial direction so as to form an acute angle with the TE band in the opening direction, and the upper end thereof is connected to the thick portion 10. There is. The cap body 5 has a stepped portion at the lower end of the skirt portion 3, a plurality of projections 14 extending over the top of the stepped portion or et TE band is provided, the protrusion 14 for coupling the cap body and the TE band weakened Make up the department. Further, the stepped portion or colleagues has a stopper 13 TE inner band surface and the distance, that are provided with a plurality and in the projections 14 at regular intervals.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an essential part for explaining a mode in which the ratchet piece 12 of the TE cap of the present invention is engaged with the container opening 15. A ratchet piece 12 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the TE band, and a ratchet pawl 16 is provided on the container mouth portion 15. In the figure, the clockwise direction indicates the closing direction and the counterclockwise direction indicates the opening direction. In the cross section, the ratchet piece 12 protruding from the TE band at an acute angle (angle α in the figure) in the opening direction has a thick portion 10 of the TE band at the upper end and a side surface of the TE band 7 on the closing direction side. And the lower end and the side end on the opening direction side are free ends. As can be seen from FIG. 2A,
When the cap of the present invention is rotated in the closing direction (the arrow X direction in the drawing), the ratchet claw 16 causes the ratchet piece 12 to move.
Falls on the TE band side (arrow A side in FIG. 2), the cap can be screwed into the container opening without resistance, the weakened part is damaged, or the weakened part is broken and the TE band is capped. It is possible to effectively prevent separation from the main body.

When the cap of the present invention is rotated in the opening direction (arrow Y direction in the figure), the side end of the ratchet piece 12 in the opening direction contacts the ratchet claw 16 and the TE band 7
Prevent the rotation of. Therefore, only the cap body rotates in the opening direction, and the weakened portion between the cap body and the TE band is broken. In the present invention, since the upper end of the ratchet piece is continuous with the TE band, even if the side end portion of the ratchet piece comes into contact with the ratchet claw, the ratchet piece is bent and the weakened portion does not easily break, and the ratchet piece is damaged. There is nothing to do.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of the TE cap of the present invention for explaining the second aspect of the present invention,
(A) is a partial longitudinal sectional view, and (B) is a bottom view. This FIG. 3 is the same as FIG. 1 except that the shape of the ratchet piece is different from that of FIG. The ratchet piece in this aspect is the first projection piece (projection piece on the container center side) 1
7a and a second projecting piece (TE band side projecting piece) 17b, and these projecting pieces 17a and 17b are connected to each other at their tip portions to form a wedge shape. The upper ends of the protrusions 17a and 17b are connected to the thick portion 10 of the TE band, the lower ends thereof are free ends, and the wedge-shaped inside is a cavity 18. The connecting portion 19 of the projecting pieces 17a and 17b has a flat portion 20 so that it can be easily engaged with the ratchet claw of the container mouth portion, so that it can be engaged more reliably.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the ratchet piece shown in FIG. 3, showing the relationship with the ratchet pawl of the container mouth. As can be seen from FIG. 4A, when the cap of the present invention is rotated in the closing direction (the arrow X direction in the figure), the ratchet claw 16 causes the ratchet piece 12 to move toward the TE band side (arrow A side in FIG. 4). Receive power. Since the inside of the ratchet piece is the cavity 18, the ratchet piece can be easily bent and fallen to the TE band side, and the cap can be screwed into the container opening without resistance. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent breakage of the weakened portion and breakage of the weakened portion and detachment of the TE band from the cap body.

When the cap of the present invention is rotated in the opening direction (the direction of arrow Y in the figure), the flat portion 20 of the connecting portion 19 abuts and engages with the ratchet pawl 16 to prevent the TE band 7 from rotating. To do. Therefore, only the cap body rotates in the opening direction, and the weakened portion between the cap body and the TE band is broken. In this aspect,
Since the two projecting pieces reinforce each other, the TE band can be more reliably separated from the cap body without causing unacceptable deformation of the ratchet piece when the lid is opened.

In the cap of the first aspect of the present invention, the ratchet piece is 5 to 6 from the TE band in the closing direction.
It is desirable to project at an angle of 0 °, particularly 10 to 30 ° (the angle indicated by α in FIG. 2). If the angle is larger than this range, the resistance may become too large when the lid is closed. If the angle is smaller than this range, the ratchet piece may be difficult to reliably engage with the ratchet pawl when the lid is opened. Further, in the second aspect, the first protrusion is 5 to 60 °, particularly 10 ° from the TE band in the closing direction.
It is desirable that the protrusion is made at an angle of 30 ° to 30 ° (angle indicated by α in FIG. 4) as in the case of the first embodiment, and the angle of the second protrusion (angle indicated by β in FIG. 4) is 20 to 90 °,
In particular, it is preferable to project at an angle of 30 to 70 °. If the angle is smaller than this range, it may be difficult to securely engage with the ratchet claw when opening the lid, and if the angle is larger than this range, the ratchet piece is less likely to bend toward the TE band, It will be inferior in closing ability.

The thickness of the ratchet piece is 0.3 to 1 m.
m, especially in the range 0.3 to 0.6 mm,
In particular, it is preferable that the portion in contact with the ratchet claw is thinner than the portion connected to the TE band in order to secure the flexibility of the ratchet piece. TE band thickness is 0.6
It is preferable that the thickness is in the range of 1.2 to 1.2 mm, particularly 0.7 to 1.1 mm, and that the upper thick part is 1.5 to 2.0 times thicker than the lower thin part. The cap of the present invention does not need to use a mold or split mold having a complicated shape, and can form a shell body by injection molding or compression molding using a punching die, and then by a known cutting process, a score is obtained. Alternatively, weakened portions such as perforations are formed by processing from the outside of the cap.

The TE cap of the present invention is made of various plastics such as high density polyethylene, polypropylene, thermoplastic polyester, polyamide, styrene resin, AB.
A conventional liner made of olefin resin, vinyl chloride plastisol, or the like is used on the inner surface of the top plate of the cap body, which may be made of S resin or the like, in order to provide hermeticity to the container.

[0021]

According to the present invention, the TE band is provided with a ratchet piece which is continuous with the TE band at the upper end portion and the side end portion on the side of the lid and which projects from the TE band at an acute angle and projects in the lid opening direction. Therefore, when the lid is opened, the ratchet piece and the ratchet pawl of the container mouth can be securely engaged with each other to break the weakened portion, and TE property can be reliably exhibited.
Further, when the lid is closed, the ratchet piece can be easily deformed and rides over the ratchet claw, so that the weakened portion and the ratchet piece can be effectively prevented from being broken.
Further, it has excellent moldability because it has no undercut portion and can be easily released after molding the cap.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view and a bottom view of an example of a TE cap according to a first aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged transverse cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining a ratchet piece of the TE cap according to the first aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view and a bottom view of an example of a TE cap according to a second aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining a ratchet piece of another aspect of the TE cap of the second aspect of the present invention.

[Explanation of sign]

1 TE cap 2 Top plate 3 Skirt 4 slope 5 Cap body 6 Weakened section 7 TE band 10 Thick part 11 Step 12 ratchet pieces 13 stopper 14 Protrusion 15 Container mouth 16 ratchet claws 17 Protrusion

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A tamper having a cap body composed of a top plate portion and a skirt portion hanging down from the periphery of the top plate portion, and a ratchet piece for engaging with a container mouth neck portion on an inner peripheral surface connected to a lower end of the skirt portion through a weakening portion. In the cap consisting of an evidence band, the tamper evidence band consists of a thick upper part and a thin lower part, a step portion is provided at the lower end of the upper part, and the ratchet piece is a tamper evidence band. It projects from the inner wall of the lower part of the thin wall inward in the radial direction so as to form an acute angle with the tamper-evidence band in the opening direction, and the entire upper end part thereof is the stepped part.
Cap, characterized in that in continuous with. 2. The angle formed by the ratchet piece with the tamper-evidence band is in the range of 5 to 60 °.
The listed cap. 3. A tamper having a cap body composed of a top plate portion and a skirt portion hanging down from a peripheral edge of the top plate portion, and a ratchet piece engaging with a container mouth neck portion on an inner peripheral surface connected to a lower end of the skirt portion through a weakening portion. In the cap consisting of an evidence band, the tamper evidence band consists of a thick upper part and a thin lower part, a step portion is provided at the lower end of the upper part, and the ratchet piece is a tamper evidence band. a first projecting piece projecting directed radially inward from the lower portion of the inner wall of the thin-walled forms an tamper evident band and the acute angle the lid opening direction, of the tamper evident thin
From the inner wall at the bottom of the meat, project inward in the radial direction,
It consists of a second protrusion for coupling the first protrusion tip and cap the entire upper end thereof, characterized in that contiguous with the lower end of the stepped portion. 4. The cap according to claim 3, wherein an angle formed by the ratchet piece and the tamper-evidence band is in the range of 5 to 60 ° for the first projecting piece and 20 to 90 ° for the second projecting piece.