JP6059935B2 - Packaging container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a packaging container comprising a combination of a container and a cap having an inner ring, and more particularly to a packaging container capable of exhibiting excellent sealing performance even when the container mouth is damaged.

Polyester bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or the like are generally formed by biaxial stretch blow molding of a preform, and the preform production process and the bottle production process from the preform are performed separately (so-called offline) Production) is the mainstream.
In the preform production process, preforms are used for accumulation in containers, transportation, and the like, so the preforms may collide with each other and the preforms may be damaged. The preform is supplied to the bottle production process after removing the defective product by the inspection machine, but is supplied to the bottle production process without being detected in the case of a minute scratch.

Although the micro-scratches on the preform are less likely to damage the product value of the bottle, if the micro-scratch fills a bottle with a self-generated pressure, such as carbonated drinks, into a bottle with the micro-scratch at the tip of the mouth, a sealing failure occurs. I found out there was a fear. That is, when capping, the cap seal portion enters the container mouth portion while being in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the container mouth end.If this portion is damaged, the cap seal portion is damaged, and as a result, The sealing performance will be impaired.
Even if there is no damage at the preform stage, the bottle mouth may be damaged due to the bottles colliding with each other during transportation.
Therefore, conventionally, in a pressure-resistant bottle filled with carbonated beverages or the like as the contents, a two-piece cap that is a combination of a cap with a highly viscous material is used for the cap shell, and the tip of the bottle mouth is damaged. Even in the presence of, the sealing performance was prevented from being impaired.
However, such a two-piece cap is formed by separately molding the inner plug with a material different from that of the cap shell, and further combining them. Therefore, the two-piece cap is inferior in productivity and sufficiently satisfactory in terms of economy. is not.

  To solve this problem, a packingless cap (one piece cap) is used to prevent the mouth of the preform through which the inner ring of the cap passes from being damaged and to the seal portion of the inner ring of the cap. In order to prevent scratching of the container body, a diameter-enlarging surface is provided at the upper end portion of the inner peripheral surface of the mouth tube portion of the container body, and an engagement surface that is in contact with the top surface of the mouth tube portion is provided on the lower peripheral edge of the top wall of the cap. An inner seal having a square cross section including a root portion extending downward and outward from the lower surface of the cap top wall inside the engagement surface, and a seal portion that engages with the inner peripheral surface without contacting the enlarged diameter surface of the mouth tube portion. A synthetic resin container and a cap provided with an (inner ring) are proposed (Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-104538 A

However, as in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to efficiently cap the cap on the container with the inner ring having a square cross-sectional shape. That is, at the time of capping, in order to reliably apply the cap to the container mouth portion, it is necessary that the center positions of the cap and the container mouth portion are matched (centering), and positioning for this is essential. In a cap having an inner ring, the lower portion of the inner ring is used as a guide portion for positioning the cap at the container mouth. At this time, it is necessary to suppress the inclination of the cap by the lower shape of the inner ring.
However, as in Patent Document 1, if the lower part is bent toward the inside of the container, it becomes difficult to suppress the inclination of the cap by the inner ring, and as a result, the cap is inserted in an inclined state. As a result, the capping portion may come into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container mouth portion at the time of capping, and the capping property has not been sufficiently satisfied.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to prevent damage to the portion of the container mouth portion through which the inner ring of the cap passes, and even if the container mouth portion is damaged, the seal portion of the inner ring of the cap is prevented. It is an object of the present invention to provide a packaging container that is effectively prevented from being scratched, has excellent sealing properties, and has excellent capping properties.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a packaging container to which a one-piece cap can be applied and which is excellent in productivity and economy.

  According to the present invention, a container having a cylindrical mouth portion and provided with a male thread on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion and a female thread threadedly engaged with the male thread of the container mouth portion are formed. An inner ring that includes a top plate portion and a cylindrical skirt portion that hangs down from the periphery of the top plate portion, and an inner ring that is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container mouth portion. A stepped portion is formed by forming an annular notch on the inner peripheral surface of the tip of the container mouth portion, and the outer periphery of the inner ring of the cap. The surface is formed with a seal portion that is in close contact with the inner surface of the container mouth portion when the female thread is screwed onto the male thread of the mouth portion and the cap is attached to the mouth portion. Upper guide surface and lower part plan with different inclination angles with respect to container axis direction below seal part Two outer peripheral surface consisting of the surface is formed, a packaging container tilt angle of said lower guide surface being greater than the inclination angle of the upper guide surface is provided.

In the packaging container of the present invention,
1. An arcuate tip is formed below the lower guide surface, further below and inward of the container, and at the lower end of the taper surface, and the tapered surface constitutes a positioning guide,
2. An arcuate tip is formed at the lower end of the lower guide surface, and the lower guide surface constitutes a guide for positioning;
3. The axial length of the upper guide surface is longer than the axial length of the annular notch of the container;
Is preferred.

In the packaging container of the present invention, the inner peripheral surface at the tip of the container mouth, which is easily damaged when the containers or preforms collide with each other during transportation and the seal part comes into contact with capping. In addition, by forming an annular notch, it is possible to effectively prevent the inner ring seal portion from being damaged, and the inner ring seal portion is not damaged. It is reliably prevented that the sealing performance is impaired.
In addition, two outer peripheral surfaces composed of an upper guide surface and a lower guide surface having different inclination angles with respect to the container axial direction are formed below the seal portion of the inner ring of the cap. The guide surface of the cap acts as a guide for positioning, suppresses the inclination of the cap, can be reliably centered on the container mouth, and the threaded engagement of the cap with the container mouth advances, so that the container axial direction With the lower guide surface having a relatively large inclination angle with respect to the inner ring, the inner ring can be greatly bent inward, so that the seal portion can also be bent inward, and the seal portion of the inner ring can be damaged. It is effectively prevented from coming into contact with the side wall of the annular notch that may be formed.
Furthermore, in the cap used for the packaging container of the present invention, even in a one-piece type cap in which the inner ring is directly formed on the cap shell, the sealing performance and the capping performance can be efficiently secured, so that the productivity and economy are excellent. ing.

It is a partially expanded sectional view of an example of the packaging container of this invention. It is a half sectional view of the cap of the packaging container shown in FIG. It is the elements on larger scale of the cap shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the capping process of the packaging container of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the capping process of the packaging container of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the capping process of the packaging container of this invention.

The packaging container of the present invention generally includes a container having a cylindrical mouth portion and a cap applied to the mouth portion of the container.
As shown in FIG. 1, the container 1 has an important feature that an annular notch 3 is formed on the inner peripheral surface 2a of the mouth end 2 as described above. The form of the container can be adopted.
In the specific example shown in FIG. 1, the upper part 2 b of the container mouth end 2 forms a flat surface, and the outer peripheral surface 2 c is formed with an annular protrusion 4 that protrudes outward in close contact with an outer ring 17 of a cap described later. An annular notch 3 is formed on the inner peripheral surface 2a of the container mouth end 2 and an inner ring 11 of a cap, which will be described later, is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 2a below the annular notch 3, and the inner ring 11 and the outer The seal of the cap is ensured by the ring 17. Further, a male thread 5 is formed below the annular protrusion 4 on the outer peripheral surface of the container mouth, and an engaging portion 6 that engages with a tamper-evident band of a cap, which will be described later, is formed further below. .

As described above, the cap used in the packaging container of the present invention has the inner ring 11 as an essential component, and as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the inner surface of the inner ring 11 is in close contact with the inner surface of the container mouth. An upper guide surface 11b and a lower guide surface 11c are formed below the seal portion 11a and the seal portion 11a. The upper guide surface 11b and the lower guide surface 11c are formed of two outer peripheral surfaces having different inclination angles with respect to the container axis direction. It is an important feature that the angle is larger than the inclination angle of the upper guide surface 11b. Other than this feature, a conventionally known cap form can be adopted.
In the specific example shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cap 10 includes a cap body composed of a top plate portion 12 and a skirt portion 13 depending from the top plate portion 12, and breakable bridging portions 14, 14. The tamper evident band 15 is formed integrally therewith. On the inner surface of the top plate portion 12, an inner ring 11 that is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 2a of the container mouth portion, an annular small protrusion 16 that is in close contact with the top end surface 2b of the container mouth portion, and an annular protrusion formed on the outer peripheral surface 2c of the container mouth portion 4 is formed.

A female thread 18 that engages with the male thread 5 of the container mouth portion is formed on the inner surface of the skirt portion 13, and a knurled groove 19 is formed on the outer surface of the skirt portion 13. Further, a plurality of flap pieces 20, 20 extending upward from the lower end are formed on the inner surface of the tamper-evidence band 15, and the front ends of the flap pieces 20, 20. The breakable bridging portions 14, 14... Are broken by engaging with the lower surface of the joint portion 6, and the tamper evident band 15 is separated from the cap body and once opened. It is clearly shown.
In the specific example shown in FIGS. 1-6, below the lower guide surface 11c of the inner ring 11, a tapered surface 11d facing inward of the container and an arcuate tip 11e at the lower end of the tapered surface 11d are formed. ing. In this aspect, the taper surface 11d is used as a guide for positioning, and after the positioning is completed, the inner ring is largely bent inward by the lower guide surface 11c having a relatively large inclination angle with respect to the container axis direction. Further, even when the cap is further screwed, the seal portion 11a does not come into contact with the side wall 3b of the annular notch to be damaged. In addition, since the tip 11e on the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 11 is arcuate, the inner ring 11 is smoothly inserted into the container mouth, and positioning during capping becomes easier.

In the packaging container shown in FIGS. 1-3, the capping process which fixes a cap to a container opening part is demonstrated based on FIGS.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the cap 10 is supplied to the mouth portion of the container 1 and is positioned. That is, the cap 10 uses the arcuate tip portion 11e and the tapered surface 11d of the inner ring 11 as a guide while contacting the end portion 3a of the annular notch 3 formed on the inner peripheral surface 2a at the tip portion of the container mouth portion. The inner ring enters the inside of the part, and the lower guide surface 11c engages with the annular notch 3 of the container mouth part, resulting in the state shown in FIG. In this state, the center of the cap matches the center of the container mouth, and positioning (centering) at the time of capping is completed.
In addition, the side wall 3b of the annular notch 3 indicates a portion that is easily damaged when the preform or the bottle is transported.

As the cap 10 is screwed into the container mouth, the inner ring 11 is greatly bent inward by the lower guide surface 11c having a relatively large inclination angle with respect to the container axial direction, thereby the seal portion. 11a is also bent inward and does not come into contact with the side wall 3b of the annular notch which is easily damaged. Subsequently, the inner ring 11 smoothly advances below the container mouth while the upper guide surface 11b having a relatively gentle inclined surface is in contact with the end 3a of the annular notch 3.
That is, as shown in FIG. 5, even when the upper end of the upper guide surface 11b is located at the end 3a of the annular notch 3, the seal portion 11a is not in contact with the container mouth due to the presence of the annular notch 3. . Therefore, in this state, even if a flaw is formed on the side wall 3b of the annular notch, the seal portion 11a is not damaged.

Furthermore, as the cap 10 is screwed into the container opening, the inner ring 11 moves downward in the container while the seal portion 11a contacts the end 3a of the annular notch 3 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the cap 10 is completely capped to the container mouth 1.
Since the seal portion 11a does not contact the side wall 3b of the annular notch 3 even during the transition from the state shown in FIG. 6 to the state shown in FIG. 1, even if a flaw is formed on the side wall 3b, There will be no scratches.

In the present invention, as described above, the annular notch is formed in the inner peripheral surface of the container mouth end, and the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring of the cap is from above the seal portion, the upper guide surface, and the upper guide surface. It is also important that the lower guide surface with a large inclination is formed, the inner ring is greatly bent inward by the lower guide surface, and the upper guide surface having a relatively gentle inclination angle is smooth on the inner ring. Used for capping.
Moreover, in the aspect demonstrated using FIGS. 1-6, the taper surface and the arc-shaped front-end | tip part are further formed under the lower guide surface, and the inner ring of the cap supplied to the container mouth part by presence of the arc-shaped front-end | tip part is provided. The insertion into the container mouth becomes easy, and the presence of the tapered surface makes it possible to easily and reliably center the cap, thereby facilitating positioning.
Even in an aspect without a tapered surface, it is preferable that the tip of the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring is arcuate because the inner ring can be reliably inserted into the container mouth.

In the present invention, the size of the annular notch formed in the container mouth cannot be generally defined by the diameter, thickness, etc. of the container, but the radial width is 10-50% of the container mouth thickness, It is preferably 13 to 20%, and the axial length L1 (see FIG. 1) is in the range of 0.6 to 0.8 mm. The shape of the annular notch is the radial width and the axial direction. The lengths need not be orthogonal, and it is preferable to form a gentle step as shown in the figure.
The axial length of the entire inner ring of the cap cannot be generally defined by the size of the cap, but is generally in the range of 3 to 6 mm for a cap applied to a container having a diameter of about 28 mm.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the axial length L2 (see FIG. 1) of the upper guide surface is longer than the axial length L1 of the annular notch. That is, when the axial length L2 of the upper guide surface is shorter than the axial length L1 of the annular notch, the inner ring suddenly bends inward of the container, and the radial position of the seal portion changes to the outside, There is a risk of contact with the tip of the container mouth.
The axial length L2 of the upper guide surface is preferably 1.5 to 3.0 times the axial length L1 of the annular notch. The inclination of the upper guide surface with respect to the axial direction is preferably in the range of 0.5 to 15.0 °, although it depends on the axial length of the upper guide surface, and the axial length L2 of the upper guide surface is If it is short, it is desirable that the tilt angle is small.
On the other hand, it is preferable that the lower guide surface bends the inner ring 1 greatly inward of the container so that the seal portion 11a is also bent inward so as not to contact the side wall 3b of the annular notch. The inclination with respect to the direction is preferably in the range of 20 to 70 °, and the axial length is preferably in the range of 0.01 to 0.50 mm.

Further, the inclination of the tapered surface provided below the lower guide portion is used for positioning at the time of capping and is preferably locked with the annular notch, so that it is 0.5 to 15.0 ° with respect to the axial direction. The length in the axial direction is preferably in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 mm in a cap applied to a container having a diameter of about 28 mm.
The portion from the cap top plate portion of the inner ring to the seal portion is preferably inclined radially outward as it goes downward in order to improve the adhesion with the container mouth, as shown in FIGS. In addition, the inner peripheral surface of the inner ring forms an inclined surface from the inner surface of the top plate portion to the position corresponding to the seal portion, and the shape of the straight axial section from the position corresponding to the seal portion to the lower end is a dogleg shape. It is preferable from the viewpoint of die removal of the mold at the time of molding.
Further, the inner diameter of the container mouth is about 0.2 to 0.9 mm smaller than the outer diameter of the seal portion of the inner ring and has a tightening margin, thereby ensuring the sealing performance of the packaging container.
Even if the outer diameter of the seal portion of the inner ring is approximately the same as or larger than the inner diameter of the annular notch and the tightening allowance is increased, the outer inclined surface 11c bends toward the inside of the container by the lower inclined surface 11c. There is no fear of being damaged by contacting the side wall 3.

As a container used for the packaging container of the present invention, a conventionally known container such as a synthetic resin container or a glass container can be used as long as an annular notch can be formed on the inner peripheral surface of the container mouth end. However, since a bottle-shaped container formed by biaxial stretch blow molding of a preform made of polyester, in particular, is subject to an environment in which minute mouths are easily damaged in the state of the preform and the bottle. Even if it is a container which has such a fine crack in a mouth part, since the outstanding sealing performance can be ensured, it is especially suitable to use such a container.
The cap used for the packaging container of the present invention may be any plastic cap as long as it has an inner ring. However, from the viewpoint of productivity and economy, the inner ring is formed directly from the inner surface of the top plate portion. It is preferable to use a one-piece type plastic cap. Such a plastic cap is not limited to this, but an olefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene can be molded by a conventionally known method such as injection molding or compression molding.

The packaging container of the present invention is prevented from being damaged at the container mouth portion through which the inner ring of the cap passes during transportation of the preform or bottle, and the container mouth portion is damaged. Even in this case, the seal part of the inner ring of the cap is effectively prevented from being damaged, and since it has excellent sealing performance, it can be suitably used for a pressure-resistant container that requires particularly high sealing performance. .
Moreover, since a high sealing performance can be maintained by a one-piece type cap, it is suitably used for general-purpose containers that are mass-produced and that require productivity and economy.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container, 2 container mouth part front-end | tip, 3 annular notch, 4 annular protrusion, 10 cap, 11 inner ring, 11a seal part, 11b upper guide surface, 11c lower guide surface, 11d taper surface, 11e arcuate front-end | tip part.

Claims (4)

A container having a cylindrical mouth portion, and having a male thread on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion;
A cap formed with a female thread to be screwed into the male thread of the container mouth portion, comprising a top plate portion and a cylindrical skirt portion depending from a peripheral edge of the top plate portion, the top plate On the inner surface of the part, in a packaging container comprising a cap comprising an inner ring that is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container mouth,
On the inner peripheral surface of the tip of the container mouth portion, a step portion is formed by forming an annular notch,
On the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring of the cap, there is a seal portion that is in close contact with the inner surface of the container mouth when the female thread is screwed into the male thread of the mouth and the cap is attached to the mouth. Two outer peripheral surfaces formed of an upper guide surface and a lower guide surface with different inclination angles with respect to the container axial direction are formed below the seal portion, and the inclination angle of the lower guide surface Is larger than the inclination angle of the upper guide surface.   An arcuate tip is formed below the lower guide surface, further below and inwardly toward the container, and at the lower end of the taper surface, and the tapered surface constitutes a positioning guide. The packaging container according to 1.   The packaging container according to claim 1, wherein an arcuate tip is formed at a lower end of the lower guide surface, and the lower guide surface constitutes a guide for positioning.   The packaging container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an axial length of the upper guide surface is longer than an axial length of an annular notch of the container.

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