JP4424888B2 - Combination of container and cap - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a combination of a container and cap for closing it, such as a vial.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As the cap that closes the vial, a two-part structure consisting of an inner stopper made of a soft material such as rubber and an aluminum outer lid that covers this from the outside is often used. The sealed state is maintained by bending (caulking) the lower surface of the flange of the mouth.
[0003]
On the other hand, in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-55151, as an improvement plan for a two-part structure, the outer lid is made of synthetic resin, and the outer lid is provided with a tab and a breaking line for allowing the outer lid to be torn. An easy-open cap is disclosed that allows a person to tear and open an outer lid with a finger.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the case of the above publication, a tear line is formed in the top plate portion of the outer lid, so after opening, it is not possible to re-seal by pressing the inner plug again with the outer lid, and the contents at the same time as opening All will be taken out. That is, there has been a problem that it is difficult to use the vial (and its similar products) in which the contents are taken out several times.
[0005]
In addition, when the easy open method as described in the above publication is used, a strong external force is applied to the outer lid and it is often torn instantaneously. There is a concern that
[0006]
If the cap is not a two-part structure consisting of an inner plug and an outer lid, but a single structure in which the inner plug portion and the outer cylinder portion are integrated, the structure can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In the case of a cap with a single structure, there is a greater concern that the contents will spill out due to the impact of tearing.
[0007]
An object of the present invention is to improve such a current situation.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention of claim 1 of the present application relates to a container in which an outward flange is formed at the upper end of the mouth that opens upward, and a synthetic resin cap that closes the mouth of the container. a plug portion in the bottoming of fit tightly from the inside to the mouth of the container, an outer cylinder portion fitted from the outside into the mouth of the container, said in plug portion and the outer tube portion is connected at its upper end And a top plate.
[0009]
And, when the outer tube portion is forcedly fitted to the mouth portion of the container, an inwardly facing lower annular projection that engages with the lower end of the flange, and the outer tube portion for tearing along the circumferential direction The weakened portion is formed so that the weakened portion is positioned on the lower annular protrusion, and therefore, the outer cylindrical portion is positioned above the weakened portion and below the weakened portion. was has been configured in the lower outer cylindrical portion, further, the lower outer tubular portion of the cap, is provided integrally with tabs for human exerts a tearing force on the weakened portion.
[0010]
In addition, an annular groove is formed in a portion of the outer periphery of the flange at the mouth of the container above the weakened portion of the cap, while the upper and outer cylindrical portions of the cap are strong enough to be easily separated by a person. Now, an inwardly upward annular projection that engages with the annular groove of the container is formed, and the top plate portion of the cap protrudes outside the outer tube portion and above the top plate portion . An outward projecting portion is provided integrally.
[0011]
The invention according to claim 2, in claim 1, the inside plug portion before Symbol cap, and provided with a cylindrical rib projecting downward from the bottom surface of the in plug portion, further, a lower end portion in said plug unit Is formed with a sealing ridge that is in close contact with the inner surface of the mouth of the container.
[0012]
[0013]
[Operation and effect of the invention]
According to the present invention, when the outer cylinder part of the cap is torn along the weakened part, the engagement between the flange of the container and the lower annular protrusion of the cap is released, so that the container can be opened. And since the upper outer cylinder part remains in the cap in this openable state, the outer cylinder part can be fitted to or removed from the mouth of the container any number of times.
[0014]
Therefore, when the contents are used while being dispensed, resealing can be performed, which is convenient. In addition, since the cap and the container are engaged by the upper annular protrusion and the annular groove with the lower outer cylinder part of the cap removed, the outer cylinder part of the cap can be easily detached from the mouth of the container. It can be prevented and safety can be improved.
[0015]
Furthermore, since the annular groove of the container and the upper annular protrusion of the cap are engaged even after the lower outer cylinder part is removed, it is possible to prevent the outer cylinder part from being detached from the mouth part of the container due to the opening spring. There is also an advantage that it can be remarkably suppressed.
In addition, since the outwardly projecting portion is provided on the cap, it is possible to remarkably improve the hooking of the finger with respect to the cap at the time of opening. Therefore, there is an advantage that the cap can be removed easily while preventing the phenomenon of finger sliding. Furthermore , since the outward projecting portion protrudes also above the top plate portion, the height of the outward projecting portion can be increased with the thickness of each part being made as uniform as possible, resulting in sink marks after molding. Without any problem, the cap can be firmly grasped.
[0016]
Further, caps are Ru can be easily produced by injection molding. In this case, according to the configuration of claim 2, since the rigidity of the inner plug portion can be improved by providing the cylindrical rib, the cap can be reliably protruded without causing deformation or breakage at the time of die-cutting after molding. There is an advantage that can be.
By the way, the processing accuracy of the vial is not necessarily high, and the variation in dimensions is large. However, according to the configuration of claim 2, the sealing protrusion is brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the vial opening against the elasticity of the inner stopper portion, thereby absorbing the dimensional variation and improving the sealing performance. Can be made.
[0017]
In the present invention, capping is performed by pressing the cap downward after overlapping the cap on the mouth of the container. In this case, it may be performed manually using a dedicated tool with a handle, or may be performed by a person pressing strongly with a hand without using a tool, or using an automatic machine. It is also possible.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment shows an example applied to a vial bottle.
[0019]
(1). First embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 4)
1 to 4 show the first embodiment. 1 is a perspective view of the vial 1 and the cap 2 separated from each other, FIG. 2A is a front view in a sealed state, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. FIG. 3A is a sectional view showing a state in the middle of opening, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a manufacturing apparatus (molding apparatus).
[0020]
(2). Structure The vial 1 includes a body portion 2 with a bottom and a neck portion 4 formed with a squeeze at the upper end thereof. The upper end of the neck portion 4 has a larger diameter than the neck portion 4 and the body portion 2. In addition, a flange 5 having a smaller diameter is integrally provided. Further, an annular groove 6 having a V-shaped cross section is formed in a midway height portion between the upper end and the lower end of the outer periphery of the flange 5. The annular groove 6 may have another cross-sectional shape such as a U-shaped cross section.
[0021]
The cap 2 is manufactured by injection molding using a soft synthetic resin such as polyethylene as a raw material. The cap 2 has a bottomed tubular inner stopper portion 7 that is tightly fitted into the mouth of the vial 1 from the inside, and the vial 1. The outer cylinder part 8 fitted to the flange 5 from the outside is provided, and both are integrally connected via a top plate part 9 overlapping the top surface of the vial bottle 1.
[0022]
By the way, the processing accuracy of the vial 1 is not necessarily high, and the dimensional variation is large. In view of this, a sealing protrusion (undercut) 10 having a small height and projecting outward is formed at the lower end of the inner plug portion 7, and the sealing protrusion 10 is resisted against the elasticity of the inner plug portion 7. Is closely attached to the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth, thereby absorbing the dimensional variation and improving the sealing performance.
[0023]
Further, in order to increase the strength, a cylindrical rib 11 having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the inner plug portion 7 is formed at the lower end of the inner plug portion 7 (the significance of which will be described later).
[0024]
A thin annular score 12 is formed as an example of the weakened portion in a portion of the outer cylinder portion 8 slightly below the annular groove 6 of the vial 1, and the upper portion with the annular score 12 interposed therebetween is formed. The upper outer cylinder part 8a is formed, and the lower part of the annular score 12 is formed with the lower outer cylinder part 8b.
[0025]
The lower outer cylinder part 8b is formed with a vertically elongated score 13 that divides the lower outer cylinder part 8b in a slightly inclined posture. Further, in the lower outer cylinder part 8b, a portion on the right side of the vertically elongated score 13 is formed. The tab 14 is provided integrally. The tab 14 has a wide area at the tip (lower end) so that a person can easily pick it with a finger, and a knurled protrusion (or unevenness) 15 is formed.
[0026]
Then, an inward lower annular protrusion 16 is formed as a first engaging means of the cap 2 at a mid-high portion of the lower outer cylinder portion 8b so as to extend over substantially the entire circumference, and the upper outer cylinder portion 8a As the second engaging means of the cap 2, an upper annular protrusion 17 having a small inward height that fits into the annular groove 6 of the vial 1 is formed.
[0027]
The lower annular protrusion 16 is set to a height at which it cannot be removed from the vial 1 even if a person tries to pick it up with a finger and pull it up when the flange 5 is overcome by forced fitting utilizing deformation against elasticity. On the other hand, the upper annular protrusion 17 is set to such a low dimension that it is detached from the annular groove 6 when a person grasps the cap 2 and applies an external force.
[0028]
The cap 2 is formed with an outward projecting portion 18 projecting outward from the outer cylinder portion 8 and projecting upward from the top plate portion 9, and a knurling is formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. In FIG. 2A, the knurl pitch is displayed at equal intervals for the convenience of drawing, but since the outward projecting portion 18 is circular, it is actually displayed correctly in FIG. Thus, the knurls appear to be narrower as they go from the center line to the left and right sides.
[0029]
(3). Opening operation / effect In the above configuration, the tab 14 is picked with a finger and pulled in the circumferential direction (counterclockwise direction in plan view) to tear the scores 13 and 12 of the outer cylinder portion 8, thereby lowering The engagement between the annular protrusion 16 and the flange 5 is released. Therefore, the vial bottle 1 can be opened by picking the upper outer cylinder portion 8a and the outward projecting portion 18 with a finger and prying them up.
[0030]
In this opening operation, the upper annular projection 18 of the upper outer cylinder portion 8a is lightly engaged with the annular groove 6 of the flange 5 even after the scores 13 and 13 are torn. 2 can be prevented from coming off the vial 1. Moreover, the attachment strength of the cap 2 with respect to the vial bottle 1 can be improved in a state where the cap 2 is attached to the vial bottle 1 again after dispensing the contents.
[0031]
When the outwardly projecting portion 18 is provided on the cap 2 as in the present embodiment, the finger catching with respect to the cap 2 can be remarkably improved at the time of opening, so that the phenomenon of finger sliding can be prevented and the cap 2 can be removed easily. There are advantages.
[0032]
Since the vial cap 2 is small, it is preferable that the outward projecting portion 18 has a certain height in order to improve the catch of the finger. In this case, the top plate portion 9 is thickened and the top plate portion Although it is conceivable to project 9 to the outside as it is, in this case, since the thickness of the top plate portion 9 becomes too thick, sinking may occur due to uneven shrinkage during molding.
[0033]
On the other hand, when the outward projecting portion 18 protrudes above the top plate portion 9 as in the present embodiment, the height of the outward projecting portion is set with the thickness of each part made as uniform as possible. Since the height can be increased, the cap 2 can be firmly grasped without causing sink marks after molding.
[0034]
Since the lower annular protrusion 16 can be prevented from spreading and deforming when the lower annular protrusion 16 is provided in the upper and lower halfway height portion of the lower outer cylindrical portion 8b as in the present embodiment, the vial 1 is attached to the bottle mouth. This is an advantage that the strength can be improved.
[0035]
(4). Manufacturing Process FIG. 4 shows an example of a manufacturing apparatus (mold apparatus) for the cap 2 described above. This manufacturing apparatus includes a fixed die 20 that is shaped to fit into the cap 2 from above, a plurality (two pieces only) of a split die 21 that is divided so as to hold the outer cylinder portion 8, and a lower portion of the cap 2. And a stripper plate 23 whose inner peripheral edge overlaps the lower end surface of the lower outer cylindrical portion 8b. The fixed mold 20 is provided with a gate 24, and the core 22 is slid with a protruding pin 25. It is provided freely.
[0036]
The split molds 21 are movable in directions approaching and separating from each other. These may be attached to the stripper plate 23, but in this embodiment, they are attached to the fixed mold 20.
[0037]
In this manufacturing apparatus, the mold is removed after the resin in the cavity is solidified by separating the split mold 21 → the cap 22 is removed from the fixed mold 20 by separating the core 22 and the stripper plate 23 from the fixed mold 20 → This is performed in the order of the backward movement of the core 22 and the protrusion of the cap 2 by the forward movement of the protrusion pin 25.
[0038]
In this die-cutting process, if the cylindrical rib 11 is not present in the inner plug portion 7, there is a possibility that the inner plug portion 7 may be deformed or broken so that the inner plug portion 7 is turned over due to a pulling resistance when protruding by the protruding pin 25. However, if the reinforcing means such as the cylindrical rib 11 is provided as in the present embodiment, the rigidity of the inner plug portion 7 can be improved, so that the cap 2 can be reliably protruded without causing deformation or breakage. There is.
[0039]
If no core 22 is retracted, as partially shown by a dashed line, in one of the split mold 21, it (in this case, by providing the downward portion 21a for forming the outer surface of the tab 14, be sampled ripper A hole in which the downward portion of the split mold 21 is fitted is made in the plate 23).
[0040]
In addition, when the cylindrical rib 11 having a slightly smaller diameter than the inner stopper portion 7 is formed as in the present embodiment, the cylindrical rib 11 is attached to the bottle mouth of the vial 1 when the vial 1 is resealed after opening. There is also an advantage of being a guide for insertion.
[0041]
[0042]
[0043]
[0044]
[0045]
(5). Others The present invention can be embodied in various ways other than the above embodiment.
[0046]
For example, it may be such as engraved perforation line as a means for forming the weak section.
[0047]
Further, the tab can be formed in a ring shape into which a finger can be inserted, or can be formed so as to extend along the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder portion. The present invention can be applied not only to vials but also to various containers.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment.
2A is a front view in a sealed state, FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 2A, and FIG. 2C is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in the middle of opening.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing apparatus (molding apparatus).
[Brief description of symbols]
Under score 16 as an example of the vial 2 cap 5 flange <br/> 6 annular groove 7 inside plug portion 8 on the outer tubular portion 8a outer cylindrical portion 8b under outer cylindrical portions 12 and 13 weakening as an example of a first container Annular protrusion 17 Upper annular protrusion

Claims (2)

It consists of a container that forms an outward flange at the upper end of the mouth that opens upward, and a synthetic resin cap that closes the mouth of the container,
The cap has a bottomed inner plug portion that fits tightly from the inside to the mouth portion of the container, an outer cylinder portion that fits from the outside to the mouth portion of the container, and the inner plug portion and the outer cylinder portion at its upper end. An inwardly-facing lower annular projection that engages with the lower end of the flange when forcedly fitted to the mouth of the container, and the outer cylinder part A weakened portion for allowing tearing along the direction is formed such that the weakened portion is positioned on the lower annular projection, and thus the outer cylinder portion is located above the weakened portion. and consists in a lower outer cylindrical portion which is located below the weakened portion and the outer cylindrical portion, further, the lower outer tubular portion of the cap, the tab for human exerts a tearing force to weakened portion integrally Provided,
In the configuration
While the annular groove is formed in the upper part of the outer periphery of the flange at the mouth of the container above the weakened part of the cap,
An inwardly upward annular projection that engages with the annular groove of the container is formed on the upper and outer cylindrical portions of the cap with a strength that can be easily pulled away by a person, and the top plate portion of the cap Are integrally provided with an outward projecting portion that protrudes outward from the outer cylindrical portion and above the top plate portion .
Combination of container and cap. The inside plug portion before Symbol cap, and provided with a cylindrical rib projecting downward from the bottom surface of the in plug portion, further, the lower end portion in said plug unit is in close contact with the inner surface of the mouth portion of the container Forming a sealing ridge,
A combination of a container and a cap according to claim 1.

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