JP7335488B2 - cap and container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to caps and containers.

Conventionally, there has been known a delamination container having a container body having an outer shell and an inner bag, the inner bag shrinking as the content decreases. Such a delamination container usually has a cap with a check valve as shown in Patent Document 1. When the container body is squeezed, the check valve opens to discharge the contents, and when the squeeze is stopped, the check valve is opened. The stop valve is closed.

JP 2013-241197 A

However, with the cap of Patent Document 1, depending on the degree of squeezing, the momentum of discharging the contents may become too strong, and it cannot be said that the feeling of use is good.

On the other hand, if the inner diameter of the ejection port is increased, the momentum of ejecting the contents is reduced, but the ejection amount of the contents may increase, and the feeling of use is not good either.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a cap with improved usability.

According to the present invention, there is provided a cap to be attached to the mouth of a container body containing contents, the cap including a check valve and a check valve to allow the contents that have passed through the check valve to flow out of the container body. When a discharge port is provided, the inner diameter of the discharge port is φ3.0 to 5.0 mm, and a pressure of 6.0 kPa is applied to the check valve with water in the direction in which the check valve opens. The flow rate of water discharged from the discharge port is 4.0 to 8.0 ml / sec, and the flow rate of water discharged from the discharge port is 30 to 60 cm / sec. A cap is provided.

As a result of extensive research, the inventors of the present invention have found that the inner diameter of the discharge port is set to φ3.0 to 5.0 mm, and a pressure of 6.0 kPa is applied to the check valve in the direction in which the check valve opens. By configuring so that the flow rate of water discharged from the discharge port is 4.0 to 8.0 ml/sec and the flow rate of water discharged from the discharge port is 30 to 60 cm/sec when the water is added. The inventors have found that it is possible to obtain a cap capable of ejecting an appropriate amount of contents at an appropriate flow rate and having excellent usability, thereby completing the present invention.

Various embodiments of the present invention are illustrated below. The embodiments shown below can be combined with each other.

Preferably, in the cap described above, the flow rates when water pressures of 4.0 kPa and 6.0 kPa are applied to the check valve in the direction in which the check valve is opened are F4 and F6, respectively. Then, it is a cap whose F6/F4 is 1.70 or less.
Preferably, in the cap described above, the flow rates when water pressures of 6.0 kPa and 10.0 kPa are applied to the check valve in the direction in which the check valve is opened are F6 and F10, respectively. Then, it is a cap whose F10/F6 is 1.70 or less.
Preferably, in the cap described above, the check valve includes a cylindrical portion and a valve body portion that slides within the cylindrical portion, and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the outer and inner peripheral surfaces of the valve body portion The cap is configured such that a gap is provided between faces and the content can pass through the gap.
Preferably, the container has a container body for containing contents and a cap, wherein the cap is the cap described above and attached to the mouth of the container body.
Preferably, in the container described above, the container body has an outer shell and an inner bag, and is configured such that the inner bag shrinks as the contents decrease.

It is a sectional view of container 1 of one embodiment of the present invention. 2A is an enlarged view of the vicinity of cap 2 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of area B in FIG. 2A. 3A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the check valve 2a is opened from the state shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of region B in FIG. 3A. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2A showing the configuration of a cap 2 of a comparative example; 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the check valve 2a is opened from the state shown in FIG. 4; FIG. It is a block diagram of the apparatus used for flow volume and flow velocity measurement.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Various features shown in the embodiments shown below can be combined with each other. Moreover, the invention is established independently for each feature.

As shown in FIG. 1, a container 1 of one embodiment of the present invention comprises a cap 2 and a container body 3. As shown in FIG.

The container body 3 includes a housing portion 7 and a mouth portion 9 . The mouth portion 9 has an engaging portion 9d to which the cap 2 can be attached. The engaging portion 9d is a male thread portion in the case of a screw-type cap, and an annular protrusion that protrudes in the circumferential direction in the case of a stopper-type cap. The mouth portion 9 is provided so as to extend from the upper end 7 b of the housing portion 7 . The cap 2 can be attached to the mouth portion 9 . The cap 2 has a check valve 2a and a discharge port 2b, and can discharge the contents that have passed through the check valve 2a to the outside of the container body 3 through the discharge port 2b. On the other hand, the check valve 2 a prevents outside air from flowing into the container body 3 . Mouth 9 is generally cylindrical. The accommodating portion 7 has a circumscribed circle diameter larger than that of the mouth portion 9 . The contents inside the container body 3 are discharged to the outside through the mouth portion 9 and the cap 2 .

The container body 3 is preferably a delamination container comprising an outer shell 12 and an inner bag 14 at the container portion 7 and mouth portion 9 . The inner bag 14 contracts away from the outer shell 12 as the contents decrease. Before the content is filled, the inner bag 14 may be preliminarily separated from the outer shell 12, and then the content may be filled in the inner bag 14. may be peeled off from the outer shell 12 .

The outer shell 12 is formed thicker than the inner bag 14 so as to have high resilience. Shell 12 is composed of polyolefins such as, for example, low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymers and mixtures thereof. The outer shell 12 may have a multilayer structure. The inner bag 14 is preferably constructed from multiple layers. For example, an EVOH layer made of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) resin is used for the layer in contact with the outer layer, and the layer in contact with the contents is, for example, low-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene. , polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymers and mixtures thereof. An adhesive layer is preferably used between the EVOH layer and the inner surface layer.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outer shell 12 of the container body 3 is provided with an outside air introduction hole 15 . The outside air introduction hole 15 is a hole for introducing outside air into the intermediate space 21 between the outer shell 12 and the inner bag 14 . A valve member 5 for adjusting air flow into and out of the intermediate space 21 between the outer shell 12 and the inner bag 14 is preferably attached to the outside air introduction hole 15 . The outside air introduction hole 15 may be provided in either the housing portion 7 or the mouth portion 9 . When the mouth portion 9 is provided with the outside air introduction hole 15 , the cap 2 may be provided with a valve for adjusting the inflow and outflow of air through the outside air introduction hole 15 .

As for the cap 2, the inner diameter D of the discharge port 2b (the inner diameter of the inscribed circle at the narrowest part) is φ3.0 to 5.0 mm, and the discharge amount of the contents is abrupt when the container 1 is strongly compressed. It is preferable to have a function (ejection amount limiting function) for suppressing an increase in the amount of discharge.

The inner diameter of the discharge port of the cap having the check valve 2a is generally φ2.5 mm or less. In some cases, the flow velocity of the material becomes too high and the material is ejected in a gushing manner, which may result in a poor usability. Such a problem can be alleviated by setting the inner diameter of the discharge port 2b to φ3.0 mm or more. Too much and the feeling of use may deteriorate. On the other hand, if the inner diameter of the cap having the discharge rate limiting function is set to φ3.0 mm or more, the problem of the contents being ejected can be solved without excessively increasing the discharge rate.

Further, when the inner diameter of the ejection port 2b exceeds φ5.0 mm, the flow velocity of the ejected contents becomes too low, and the contents are ejected in a drooping state, resulting in a poor usability. There is Therefore, in the present invention, the inner diameter of the ejection port 2b is defined as φ3.0 to 5.0 mm. The inner diameter of the discharge port 2b is preferably φ3.5 to 4.5 mm, specifically, for example, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 mm. may be in the range between any two of

As for the cap 2, the flow rate of water discharged from the discharge port 2b is 4.0 when a pressure of 6.0 kPa is applied to the check valve 2a in the direction in which the check valve 2a is opened. 8.0 ml/sec, and the flow rate of water discharged from the discharge port 2b is preferably 30 to 60 cm/sec. Specifically, the flow rate is, for example, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 7.5, 8.0 ml/sec, It may be in a range between any two of the numerical values exemplified here. This flow velocity is specifically, for example, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 cm/sec, and may be within a range between any two of the numerical values exemplified here. When the flow rate and flow velocity are within such ranges, an appropriate amount of contents can be discharged at an appropriate flow velocity, and the feeling of use is excellent. Flow velocity can be calculated by dividing the flow rate by the cross-sectional area at the narrowest part of the outlet.

When pressures of 4.0 kPa, 6.0 kPa, and 10.0 kPa are applied to the check valve 2a in the direction in which the check valve 2a is opened, the flow rates are F4, F6, and F10, respectively. is preferably 1.70 or less, and F10/F6 is preferably 1.70 or less. In this case, an increase in flow rate due to an increase in pressure is suppressed. The value of F6/F4 or F10/F6 is, for example, 1.10 to 1.70, specifically, for example, 1.10, 1.20, 1.30, 1.40, 1.50, 1.50, 1.10, 1.20, 1.30, 1.40, 1.50, 1.50, 1.10, 1.20, 1.30, 1.40, 1.50, 1.30 60 and may be in the range between any two of the numbers exemplified here.

Here, an example of the cap 2 having a discharge amount limiting function will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. The cap 2 includes a main tubular member 23 , an inner plug member 29 and a valve member 33 . The check valve 2 a is configured by the inner plug member 29 and the valve member 33 .

The main tubular member 23 is formed in a capped tubular shape coaxial with the container axis O. As shown in FIG. An engaging portion 30 that engages with the engaging portion 9 d of the mouth portion 9 of the container body 3 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 23 a of the main body tubular member 23 . A top surface portion 31 of the main tubular member 23 is formed with a discharge port 2b for discharging contents.

The inner plug member 29 includes a plug body 47 whose outer peripheral edge portion is arranged on the opening end of the mouth portion 9 of the container body 3 , and a cylindrical portion 22 connected to the plug body 47 . The cylindrical portion 22 has a bottomed cylindrical shape. A through hole 42 is provided in the bottom wall of the tubular portion 22 . The through-holes 42 are composed of, for example, a plurality of small holes evenly arranged around the axis O of the container.

The valve member 33 is arranged between the inner plug member 29 and the main tubular member 23 . The valve member 33 includes an outer fitting cylinder portion 40, a valve body portion 44, and a connecting piece 45 connecting them.

The outer fitting tubular portion 40 is arranged coaxially with the container axis O, and the lower end portion of the outer fitting tubular portion 40 is fitted onto the tubular portion 22 .

The valve body portion 44 is arranged in the cylindrical portion 22 of the inner plug member 29 so as to be slidable along the container axis O direction. The valve body portion 44 is formed in the shape of a bottomed cylinder arranged coaxially with the container axis O, and further has an annular flange portion 44a protruding radially outward from the upper end portion in the direction of the container axis O. formed. The annular upper end surface 22a of the cylindrical portion 22 functions as a valve seat that contacts the flange portion 44a and receives the valve body portion 44. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the check valve 2a is closed when the flange portion 44a is in contact with the upper end surface 22a. As shown in FIG. 3, the flange portion 44a is separated from the upper end surface 22a. This is the open state of the stop valve 2a.

A gap 37 is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 22 and the outer peripheral surface of the valve body portion 44 , and the contents can pass through the gap 37 . Since both the cylindrical portion 22 and the valve body portion 44 are cylindrical, the cross-sectional area of the gap 37 in the cross section perpendicular to the container axis O hardly changes even if the valve body portion 44 slides. Therefore, when the container 1 is strongly compressed, a rapid increase in the discharge amount of the contents is suppressed.

A plurality of, in one example, three connecting pieces 45 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction, and each connecting piece 45 curves and extends along the circumferential direction.

Next, the action of the container 1 configured as described above will be described.

When the contents are to be discharged from the container 1, the container 1 is tilted so that the discharge port 2b faces downward from the horizontal plane, and the container 1 is pressed inward in the radial direction to perform squeeze deformation. (elastic deformation), and the inner bag 14 is deformed together with the outer shell 12 to reduce the volume.

Then, the outer shell 12 is compressed and the valve member 5 is moved to close the outside air introduction hole 15 . As a result, the pressure in the space between the outer shell 12 and the inner bag 14 increases, the inner bag 14 is compressed by the pressure, and the pressure inside the inner bag 14 increases. Then, the contents in the inner bag 14 press the valve body portion 44 through the through hole 42, and the connecting piece 45 is elastically deformed, causing the valve body portion 44 to move to the outside of the container 1 along the direction of the container axis O. be slid towards. As a result, the flange portion 44a is separated from the upper end surface 22a and the check valve 2a is opened. As a result, the contents in the inner bag 14 are discharged to the outside through the through hole 42, the gap 37, the inside of the outer fitting tube portion 40, and the discharge port 2b.

After that, when the compression of the container 1 is released and the pressing force of the contents in the inner bag 14 on the valve body 44 is weakened, the intermediate space 21 between the outer shell 12 and the inner bag 14 enters through the outside air introduction hole 15 . Outside air is introduced and the outer shell 12 restores its original shape. At this time, due to the pressure difference caused by the elastic restoring force of the container 1, the valve body portion 44 slides inside the container 1 along the direction of the container axis O, and when the flange portion 44a comes into contact with the upper end surface 22a. , the check valve 2a is closed, and the intrusion of outside air into the inner bag 14 is suppressed.

1. Production of Cap 2/Example 1
Example 1 is a cap 2 having the configuration shown in FIG.

・Comparative example 1
Comparative Example 1 was a cap 2 having the same configuration as that of Example 1 except that the inner diameter of the discharge port 2b was φ2.5 mm.

・Comparative example 2
A cap 2 having the same configuration as that of Example 1 was used as Comparative Example 2, except that the inner diameter of the discharge port 2b was φ6.0 mm.

・Comparative example 3
Comparative Example 3 was a cap 2 having the configuration shown in FIG. The configuration and function of the check valve 2a of the cap 2 in FIG. 4 are as follows. The check valve 2a includes a valve seat 25a having a communication hole 25a1, a valve body 25b, and an elastic piece 25c. When no force is applied to the valve body 25b, the valve body 25b is in a closed state in which the communication hole 25a1 is closed. As shown in FIG. 5, the valve element 25b is moved away from the valve seat 25a by the pressure of the content, so that an open state is established in which the content can flow through the communication hole 25a1. When the pressure applied to the valve body 25b is released, the valve body 25b comes into contact with the valve seat 25a by the biasing force of the elastic piece 25c and closes the communication hole 25a1. In the check valve 2a having such a structure, the gap between the valve body 25b and the valve seat 25a widens as the pressure applied to the valve body 25b increases, so the discharge rate increases rapidly.

・Comparative example 4
A cap 2 of Comparative Example 4 has the same structure as that of Comparative Example 3 except that the inner diameter of the discharge port 2b is 2.5 mm.

・Comparative example 5
A cap 2 of Comparative Example 5 has the same structure as that of Comparative Example 3 except that the inner diameter of the discharge port 2b is φ6.0 mm.

2. Flow Rate/Flow Velocity Measurement As shown in FIG. 6, a faucet 51, a regulator 52, a stop valve 53, a digital pressure gauge 54, a ball valve 55, and a cap 2 are connected by piping in this order, and the check valve 2a of the cap 2 is open. A water pressure was applied to the check valve 2a in the direction of , and water was discharged from the discharge port 2b. The flow rate was controlled so as to obtain the water pressure shown in Table 1, and the average value of the measurements for 5 seconds was taken as the measured value of the flow rate. Also, the flow rate was calculated by dividing the flow rate by the cross-sectional area of the discharge port 2b. F4, F6, and F10 in the table represent flow rates at water pressures of 4.0, 6.0, and 10.0 kPa, respectively.

3. Discharge Test The cap 2 of Example/Comparative Example was attached to a 450 ml container 1 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 was compressed to test the feeling of use when the contents were discharged.

When the cap 2 of Example 1 was attached, it was possible to discharge an appropriate amount of the contents without spouting or dripping, and the feel of use was excellent.

When the cap 2 of Comparative Example 1 was attached, it was difficult to use because the force of the content was too strong.
When the cap 2 of Comparative Example 2 was attached, it was difficult to use because the momentum of the contents was too weak.
When the cap 2 of Comparative Examples 3 and 4 was attached, it was difficult to use because the content was discharged too much and the content was discharged too vigorously.
When the cap 2 of Comparative Example 5 was attached, it was difficult to use because the amount of the contents discharged was too large.

Reference Signs List 1: Container 2: Cap 2a: Check valve 2b: Discharge port 3: Container main body 5: Valve member 7: Accommodating portion 7b: Upper end 9: Mouth portion 9d: Engaging portion 12: Outer shell 14: Inner bag 15: Outside air Introduction hole 21 : Intermediate space 22 : Cylindrical portion 22 a : Upper end surface 23 : Body cylindrical member 23 a : Peripheral wall portion 25 a : Valve seat 25 a 1 : Flow hole 25 b : Valve body 25 c : Elastic piece 29 : Internal plug member 30 : Engagement portion 31 : Top surface 33 : Valve member 37 : Gap 40 : Outer fitting cylinder 42 : Through hole 44 : Valve body 44a : Flange 45 : Connecting piece 47 : Plug body 51 : Faucet 52 : Regulator 53 : Stop valve 54 : Digital Pressure gauge 55: Ball valve O: Container axis

Claims (4)

A cap attached to the mouth of a container body containing contents,
The cap includes a check valve and a discharge port for discharging the contents that have passed through the check valve to the outside of the container body,
The inner diameter of the discharge port is φ 3.5 to 4.5 mm,
When a pressure of 6.0 kPa is applied to the check valve with water in the direction in which the check valve is opened, the flow rate of water discharged from the discharge port is 4.0 to 8.0 ml / sec. and configured so that the flow rate of water discharged from the discharge port is 30 to 60 cm / sec ,
When pressures of 4.0 kPa, 6.0 kPa, and 10.0 kPa are applied to the check valve in the direction in which the check valve is opened, the flow rates are F4, F6, and F10, respectively. A cap having an F4 of 1.60 to 1.70 and an F10/F6 of 1.60 to 1.70 . A cap according to claim 1 ,
The check valve comprises a tubular portion and a valve body portion that slides within the tubular portion,
A gap is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the outer and inner peripheral surfaces of the valve body portion,
A cap configured to allow passage of the contents through the gap. A container body containing contents and a container having a cap,
3. A container, wherein the cap is the cap according to claim 1 or 2 and attached to the mouth of the container body. A container according to claim 3 ,
A container, wherein the container body has an outer shell and an inner bag, and is configured such that the inner bag shrinks as the content decreases.