JP7098249B2 - Barrier cap - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cap that can be opened by rotating the cap, and more particularly to a barrier cap having excellent gas barrier properties.

Conventionally, for food containers that store dressings and seasonings, in order to keep the inside of the container in a sealed state until opening, the cap body attached to the container mouth has a removal wall portion defined by a weakened part. A plug-out cap is widely used in which a partition wall is provided, and a pull ring provided on the removal wall portion is pulled up to tear off the removal wall portion to open a spout.

Further, in order to maintain the flavor of the contents, a container having an excellent gas barrier property that blocks oxygen and the like contained in the air outside the container has been proposed, and a cap having a gas barrier property has been conventionally known as a corresponding cap. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-56688

Since the cap described in Patent Document 1 is a cap that pulls up the pull ring and tears off the removed portion to open the spout, a relatively large force is required to pull up the pull ring and break the weakened portion, and the fingertip It was difficult to open the package for children and the elderly with weak power.
For this reason, there is also known a cap that can be opened by the rotational operation of the screwed portion of the cap instead of the opening by the pull ring. However, the cap that can be opened by such a rotational operation is a gas barrier. No cap with excellent sex is known yet.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and to provide a barrier cap having excellent gas barrier properties in a screw cap that can be opened by rotating the outer lid without using a pull ring. The purpose.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has a cap body as a barrier cap, which is attached to the mouth of the container body and has a transition plug that breaks and shifts to the outer lid by rotating the outer lid. In a barrier cap consisting of an outer lid that is screwed onto the cap body and detachably attached, a barrier layer made of a blend of the basic resin and the barrier resin with respect to the base layer that is the basic resin of the cap body. Is adopted as an intermediate layer.

As an embodiment of the barrier cap, linear low-density polyethylene is used as the basic resin, an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer having an ethylene content of 27 to 44 mol% is used as the barrier resin, and the linear low-density polyethylene is blended. A configuration characterized by having a blend having a ratio of 10% or more, and a configuration characterized by having a blending ratio of linear low-density polyethylene of 10 to 25% are adopted.

As a further embodiment of the barrier cap, the cap body is continuously provided on the mounting portion mounted on the container body, the screw wall portion, the dispenser cylinder, and the inner peripheral surface of the dispenser cylinder via a thin wall weakening portion. It has a transition plug body, and is characterized in that a barrier layer is provided on a mounting portion, a screw wall portion, an injection cylinder, a thinning weakening portion, and a transition plug body of a cap body, and a transition plug. The body has a tubular wall erected at the top and one first tooth portion of a ratchet mechanism projecting from the outer periphery of the tubular wall, and the top wall of the outer lid is hung from the lower surface. A configuration characterized by having a cutting cylinder portion to be fitted to the dispensing cylinder and the other second tooth portion of the ratchet mechanism on the inner circumference of the cutting cylinder portion is adopted.

Since the barrier cap of the present invention has a barrier layer having a gas barrier property interposed in the cap body including the transition plug body that breaks in the rotation operation and shifts to the outer lid, until the cap is opened by the rotation operation. It can exhibit excellent barrier properties.
Further, when a blend of the basic resin of the cap body and the barrier resin is used as the barrier layer, the adhesiveness between the base layer of the cap body and the barrier layer is improved, and the fracture property of the thin-walled weakened portion due to the rotational operation is improved. Will be improved.

It is a half cross-sectional side view of the cap body of the barrier cap of this embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the outer lid was screwed into the cap body of the barrier cap of this Example and closed. It is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG.

Next, the barrier cap of the present invention will be described with reference to a drawing showing an embodiment embodied as a cap that can be opened by a rotational operation using a ratchet mechanism.

In FIG. 2, A is a container body, B is a cap body mounted on the container body A, and C is an outer lid screwed onto the cap body B.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mouth portion 1 of the container body A is provided with a locking ridge 2 that is fitted to the cap body B to prevent it from coming off.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the cap body B is composed of an outer cylinder 5 on the outer peripheral side, an inner cylinder 6 on the inner peripheral side, and an upper wall 7 located on the top surface side of the mouth portion 1, and the mouth portion 1 is formed. A mounting portion 4 forming an annular groove to be fitted, a screw wall portion 8 erected continuously on the upper wall 7, and a dispensing cylinder connected to the upper end of the screw wall portion 8 via a step portion 9. It consists of 10.

The dispensing cylinder 10 forms a spout for pouring out the contents contained in the container body A, and has a cylindrical base portion 11 and a lip portion 12 having an enlarged diameter at the upper portion of the base portion 11 and curved outward. Have.
A transition plug 16 is integrally provided on the inner peripheral surface of the base 11 of the dispensing cylinder 10 via a thin-walled weakened portion 15 formed over the entire circumference.
In the transition plug body 16, a cylindrical tubular wall 17 is erected at the upper part, and a bottom wall 14 at the lower part closes the spout together with the thin-walled weakened portion 15.

In the tubular wall 17, an engaging protrusion 18 constituting one first tooth portion of the ratchet mechanism is projected in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery, and a first engaging protrusion 19 is projected in an annular shape on the upper portion of the inner circumference. ing.
The engaging protrusion 18 engages with the other second tooth portion 52 of the ratchet mechanism of the outer lid C, which will be described later.

The bottom wall 14 is connected to an enlarged diameter portion 22 having a predetermined height from the lower surface on the outer peripheral side of the tubular wall 17 and on the outer peripheral side of the enlarged diameter portion 22, and gradually becomes thinner and weaker toward the outside. It has a flange portion 23 connected to the portion 15.
The screw wall portion 8 is vertically hung from the outer peripheral edge of the step portion 9 connected to the lower portion of the dispensing cylinder 10 at the inner peripheral edge, and the threaded portion (male screw) 24 is provided on the outer peripheral surface.
On the outer periphery of the threaded wall portion 8 below the threaded portion (male screw) 24, vertical ribs 25 of ridges extending slightly in the axial direction of the cap body B are provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction.
Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the screw wall portion 8, a reinforcing rib 26 having an upper portion connected to the step portion 9 and extending in the axial direction is provided so as to project.

In the mounting portion 4, the upper wall 7 is connected to the inner peripheral edge at the lower portion of the screw wall portion 8, and the outer cylinder 5 and the inner cylinder 6 are vertically installed at the lower portion of the upper wall 7.
A fitting groove into which the mouth portion 1 of the container body A is fitted is formed between the outer cylinder 5 and the inner cylinder 6, and the mouth portion engages with the locking ridge 2 on the inner circumference of the outer cylinder 5. A locking reduced diameter portion 27 for preventing the 1 from coming off is provided.
On the upper surface of the upper wall 7, stoppers 28 are provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction, a first contact surface 28a substantially perpendicular to the screwing direction is formed, and a first inclined surface 28b is formed in the screwing direction. Has been done.
In this embodiment, the same number of vertical ribs 25 are arranged in the vicinity of the first inclined surface 28b of the stopper 28 as the number of the stopper 28.
Further, in the present embodiment, a sound output protrusion 13 for notifying the end of the outer lid C when the outer lid C is screwed to the cap main body B is provided on the outer periphery of the step portion 9.

In the cap body B, a barrier layer D is provided as an intermediate layer by co-injection molding with respect to the base layer of the cap body B, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.
As the basic resin serving as the base layer of the cap body B, a polyolefin resin such as polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE), or a known resin such as PET is used.
The barrier resin to be the barrier layer D includes ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), polyamide (PA), and the like, depending on the purpose of the barrier. A known gas barrier resin such as MX nylon (MXD6 or the like) is used.
Of these, an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer is preferable from the viewpoint of the barrier property against oxygen and the barrier property against flavor and aroma.
In this embodiment, the barrier layer D is provided on the mounting portion 4 (outer cylinder 5, inner cylinder 6, upper wall 7) of the cap body B, the screw wall portion 8, the step portion 9, and the bottom wall 14 of the transition plug body 16. It is provided as an intermediate layer.
The barrier layer D may not be provided in the pouring cylinder 10 or the outer cylinder 5 of the cap body B.

In this embodiment, the barrier layer D is also provided in the thin-walled weakened portion 15, and generally, when the thin-walled weakened portion 15 is broken, the basic resin serving as the base layer of the cap body B and the barrier resin of the barrier layer D adhere to each other. Since the properties are poor, even if the base layer portion of the thin-walled weakened portion 15 is broken, the barrier layer D may be separated and the barrier layer D may not be sufficiently broken and may not be opened. In such a case, the cap body B may not be opened. By forming the barrier layer D in which the basic resin of the base layer is blended with the barrier resin, the adhesiveness between the base layer and the barrier layer D is improved, the barrier layer D is broken, and the package can be opened.

Therefore, linear low-density polyethylene LLDPE (25200J manufactured by Prime Polymer Co., Ltd.) is used as the basic resin of the base layer, and the following ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer EVOH is used as the barrier resin of the barrier layer D. A verification test was conducted to see if the thin-walled weakened portion 15 of the barrier cap of the above example could be broken if LLDPE) was blended to form the barrier layer D.
Barrier resin: EVOH (Kuraray C109B), ethylene content 35 mol%, MFR (210 ° C) 21 g / 10 min, flexural modulus 4000 MPa

In Table 1 above (the same applies to Table 2 below), × indicates that the package cannot be opened, Δ indicates that the product cannot be opened and that can be opened in some tests, ○ indicates that the product can be opened, and the compounding ratio is% by weight. (Wt%).
Further, the verification test using EVOH with a different ethylene content as the barrier resin is shown in Table 2 below.
EVOH: Ethylene content 44 mol% (flexural modulus 3200 MPa), ethylene content 32 mol% (MFR (210 ° C) 12 g / 10 min), ethylene content 29 mol% (flexural modulus 3700 MPa, MFR (210 ° C) ) 3 g / 10 min), ethylene content 27 mol% (flexural modulus 4700 MPa)
LLDPE: 25200J

According to Tables 1 and 2, when EVOH having an ethylene content of 27 to 44 mol% is used as the barrier resin, the package can be opened with a blending ratio of LLDPE of 10% or more, and particularly a blending of LLDPE of 10 to 25%. It is shown that the barrier layer D blended by the ratio can be opened.

The blending ratio that can be opened differs depending on what kind of barrier resin is selected as the basic resin as the base layer and the barrier resin of the barrier layer D.
Further, when the basic resin as the base layer is added to the barrier resin and blended, it is known that the barrier performance of the barrier layer D decreases as the blending amount of the basic resin increases, so that the barrier property is maintained. In order to do so, it is preferable to blend at the lowest compounding ratio that allows breakage.
Further, when it is difficult to knead the basic resin and the barrier resin, a compatibilizer may be added as appropriate.

The outer cylinder 5 is provided with an annular notched step 29 connected to a reduced-diameter concave surface having a notched lower portion on the outer peripheral surface, and further below the annular notch step portion 29, the cap main body B is separated from the container main body A and separated. There is a sorting mechanism that allows disposal.
A grip portion 31 is provided via a slit 30 formed in the axial direction over a predetermined arc range on the lower outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 5, and the grip portion 31 is separated from the outer cylinder 5 by a vertical cutting portion 32 and expanded outward. It is possible.
The vertical cut portion 32 of the grip portion 31 is formed with a hook recess 32a for inserting a fingertip into the upper portion and hooked, and the grip recess 32 a is gripped by a finger on the inner peripheral surface of the grip portion 31 on the side close to the vertical cut portion 32. Is provided, the slit 30 extends from the vertical cutting portion 32 in the direction opposite to the grip portion 31, and the grip portion 31 is integrated with the outer cylinder 5 at the terminal portion.

A breakable thin peripheral cut portion 37 is formed on the inner peripheral side of the outer cylinder 5, and in this embodiment, the slit 30 is formed over an arc range of about 110 °.

As the outer lid C that can be screwed into the cap body B of this embodiment, the one shown in FIG. 2 is exemplified.
The outer lid C has a top wall 40 provided on the top plate portion and an outer peripheral wall 41 hung from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall 40.
It is possible to provide a sealing ring connected by a breakable weakened connecting portion at the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 41, indicating that the sealing ring is unused and is removed when it is first used.
On the inner surface of the top wall 40, a cutting cylinder portion 46 and a screw cylinder portion 47 are vertically hung integrally with the top wall 40 in order from the engaging portion 45 suspended near the center to the outside.

In this embodiment, a sound emitting member 48 is vertically installed between the cutting cylinder portion 46 and the screw cylinder portion 47, the sound emitting member 48 is provided with a vibrating piece at the tip portion, and the outer lid C is the cap body B. At the time of tightening, the vibrating piece touches the sound output protrusion 13 of the cap body B to generate a sound, so that it is possible to know the end of tightening of the outer lid C.

An annular second engaging protrusion 50 is formed on the outer periphery of the tip of the engaging portion 45 so as to overcome the first engaging protrusion 19 of the cap body B and tightly fit to the inner peripheral surface of the tubular wall 17. ing.
On the inner circumference of the cutting cylinder portion 46, the same number of engaging arms 52 constituting the second tooth portion that engages with the engaging protrusion 18 constituting the first tooth portion are provided, and the cutting cylinder portion is provided. A seal portion is formed on the outer periphery of the tip of the 46 so as to abut on the inner peripheral surface of the pouring cylinder 10 and seal the spout.
The length of the cutting cylinder portion 46 extends to the point where the sealing portion abuts on the base 11 of the dispensing cylinder 10 and the tip portion fits into the outer peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter portion 22 of the transition plug 16 with a slight gap. ..

The engaging arm 52 is a member having sufficient strength to transmit a rotational force that can break the thin-walled weakened portion 15 and flexibility to overcome the engaging projection 18 when the outer lid C is tightened. It consists of.

The screw cylinder portion 47 is provided with a screw portion (female screw) 58 screwed to the screw portion (male screw) 24 of the cap body B on the inner circumference.
Next, the usage mode and the action and effect of this example will be described.

First, the cap body B of the barrier cap of the present embodiment is manufactured by co-injection molding the base layer, which is the basic resin of the cap body B, so that the barrier layer D containing the barrier resin becomes an intermediate layer. be able to.

In order to attach the barrier cap of this embodiment to the container body A, the outer lid C is screwed and tightened to the cap body B, the cap body B and the outer lid C are assembled, and then the mouth portion 1 of the container body A is assembled. The mounting portion 4 of the cap body B is applied to the cap body B, and the cap body B is tapped from above.
When the threaded portion (female screw) 58 of the outer lid C is screwed and tightened to the threaded portion (male screw) 24 of the cap body B, the engaging arm 52 gets over the engaging protrusion 18 by the ratchet mechanism. Allows the outer lid C to rotate.
Further, in the present embodiment, the vibrating piece at the tip of the sound producing member 48 of the outer lid C touches the sound producing protrusion 13 of the cap body B to generate a sound, whereby the tightening of the outer lid C is completed. Can be known.

Next, in order to use the container to which the barrier cap of the present embodiment is plugged and mounted, the outer lid C is rotated in the screw-off direction, and when the outer lid C starts to rotate, the rotation starts smoothly. Subsequently, when the engaging arm 52 of the cutting cylinder portion 46 comes into contact with and engaged with the engaging protrusion 18 of the tubular wall 17, the ratchet mechanism works and the rotational force of the outer lid C is transmitted via the ratchet mechanism. It will join the transition plug 16.

At this time, since the second engaging protrusion 50 of the engaging portion 45 is tightly fitted to the inner peripheral surface overcoming the first engaging protrusion 19 of the tubular wall 17, the tubular wall 17 is inside. The rotational force of the outer lid C is easily transmitted to the transition plug 16 via the ratchet mechanism, and a force is generated to pull the transition plug 16 upward with the rotation of the screw.
As the rotation of the outer lid C progresses, the rotational force applied to the transition plug 16 and the pulling force finally break the thin-walled weakened portion 15 to open the spout, and the transition plug separated from the pouring cylinder 10. 16 is pulled up by the engagement portion 45 that engages with the tubular wall 17, and rises together with the outer lid C.

If the seal portion of the cutting cylinder portion 46 is separated from the inner peripheral surface of the dispensing cylinder 10, the screw portion (female screw) 58 is screwed out from the screw portion (male screw) 24, and the outer lid C is separated from the cap body B, the outer lid is removed. The contents in the container can be dispensed from the opening of the dispensing cylinder 10 from which the transition plug 16 has been removed together with C.

After using the container, when the outer lid C is attached to the cap body B again, it adheres to the inner peripheral surface of the dispensing cylinder 10 by the flange portion 23 of the transition plug 16 and the remnants of the broken thin-walled weakened portion 15. The contents are scraped off, and the inner peripheral surface of the dispensing cylinder 10 can be kept clean.
Further, in the cutting cylinder portion 46, the sealing portion abuts on the pouring cylinder 10 to seal the inside of the container.

When the barrier cap of this embodiment is disposed of after using the container, it can be separated from the container body A by a simple operation, separated and disposed of.
First, when the grip portion 31 is pulled toward by hooking a finger on the hook recess 32a of the vertical cut portion 32, the vertical cut portion 32 is broken and the grip portion 31 expands outward.
Further pulling the grip portion 31 breaks a thin-walled starting portion (not shown) provided adjacent to the end portion of the slit 30, and further passes through a thin-walled radial cutting portion continuous with the end of the thin-walled starting portion. Breaking progresses to the circumferential cut portion 37.

When the circumferential cutting portion 37 is broken, the engagement of the locking reduced diameter portion 27 with the locking ridge 2 is released. Therefore, when the breaking progresses to the vicinity of the breaking end portion, the locking reduced diameter portion 27 causes When the restraint on the mouth portion 1 is released and the grip portion 31 is pulled up, the cap body B can be separated from the container body A and separately discarded.

As shown above, the barrier cap of the present embodiment breaks the thin-walled weakened portion by the rotational operation via the ratchet mechanism and transfers the transition plug to the outer lid, but the barrier layer is provided in the cap body. Anything may be provided as long as it is provided and the thin-walled weakened portion is broken by the rotational operation.

The barrier cap of the present invention can be easily opened by a rotary operation, and since a barrier layer having a gas barrier property is provided as an intermediate layer with respect to the base layer of the cap body, it has a high gas barrier property and is an active ingredient. It can prevent scattering and is suitable for gas barrier containers such as foods and drinks, seasonings, and cosmetics.

A Container body B Cap body C Outer lid D Barrier layer 1 Mouth part 2 Locking protrusion 4 Mounting part 5 Outer cylinder 6 Inner cylinder 7 Upper wall 8 Threaded wall part 9 Step part 10 Injection cylinder 11 Base part 12 Lip part 13 Sound Protruding part 14 Bottom wall 15 Thin-walled weakened part 16 Transition plug 17 Cylindrical wall 18 Engagement protrusion (first tooth part)
19 1st engaging protrusion 22 Expanded diameter 23 Flange 24 Threaded part (male thread)
25 Vertical rib 26 Reinforcing rib 27 Locking diameter reduction part 28 Stopper 28a First contact surface 28b First inclined surface 29 Notch step part 30 Slit 31 Grip part 32 Vertical cutting part 32a Hooking recess 37 Circumferential cutting part 40 Top wall (Top plate)
41 Outer wall 45 Engagement part 46 Cutting cylinder part 47 Screw cylinder part 48 Sound output member 50 Second engagement protrusion 52 Engagement arm (second tooth part)
58 Threaded part (female thread)

Claims (5)

A cap body having a transition plug that breaks and shifts to the outer lid by rotating the outer lid, which is attached to the mouth of the container body, and an outer side that is screwed onto the cap body and detachably attached. In the barrier cap consisting of a lid
A barrier cap characterized by interposing a barrier layer composed of a blend of the basic resin and the barrier resin as an intermediate layer with respect to the base layer which is the basic resin of the cap body. For the barrier layer, linear low-density polyethylene is used as the basic resin, ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer having an ethylene content of 27 to 44 mol% is used as the barrier resin, and the blending ratio of the linear low-density polyethylene is 10%. The barrier cap according to claim 1, further comprising the blend as described above. The barrier cap according to claim 2, wherein the blending ratio of the linear low-density polyethylene is 10 to 25% . The cap body has a mounting portion to be mounted on the container body, a screw wall portion, a dispensing cylinder, and a transition plug body connected to the inner peripheral surface of the dispensing cylinder via a thin-walled weakened portion. ,
The barrier cap according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a barrier layer is provided on a mounting portion, a screw wall portion, an injection cylinder, a thinning weakening portion, and a transition plug body of the cap body. .. The transition plug has a tubular wall erected at the top and one first tooth portion of a ratchet mechanism projecting from the outer periphery of the tubular wall.
The top wall of the outer lid is characterized by having a cutting cylinder portion that is hung from the lower surface and fits into the dispensing cylinder, and a second tooth portion of the ratchet mechanism on the inner circumference of the cutting cylinder portion. The barrier cap according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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