JP7348789B2 - Synthetic resin cap - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a synthetic resin cap that is attached to the mouth of a container that accommodates contents such as drinks, for example.

2. Description of the Related Art Caps are widely known, which are attached to the opening of a container containing contents such as a drink, and are configured to enable confirmation at a glance whether the container has been opened or not. For example, in the cap disclosed in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B), a cap body 53 has a skirt wall 52 provided with a female thread 51 that is screwed into a male thread M1 of a container opening M. and a tamper evidence band 55 connected below the skirt wall 52 via a weakened portion 54.

In the above cap, when the cap is opened from the state where it is attached to the container mouth M (initial opening operation), the hook (engaging part) 56 provided on the inner circumference of the tamper evidence band 55 is attached to the container mouth M. After being engaged with the annular protrusion (engaged part) M2 provided on the outer periphery of the cap, the weakened part 54 that separates the tamper evidence band 55 and the skirt wall 52 is broken, and the cap body 53 and the tamper evidence band 55 are separated. separated from each other. Therefore, by visually checking whether or not the bridge (bridging portion) formed between the perforated slits forming the weakened portion 54 is broken, it is possible to easily confirm whether or not an opening operation has been performed. .

Patent No. 5291175

By the way, in such a cap, in order to clean the area around the container mouth M after capping, it is necessary to clean the area between the cap and the container mouth M from the outside through a through hole (not shown) provided in the upper part of the skirt wall 52, for example. In some cases, a method is used in which a cleaning liquid is introduced into the tank and the cleaning liquid is discharged to the outside after cleaning. In this case, there is currently a strong desire to be able to introduce and discharge the cleaning liquid sufficiently, that is, to improve the cleaning performance.

The present invention has been made with the above-mentioned considerations in mind, and an object of the present invention is to provide a synthetic resin cap that can improve the cleaning performance around the mouth of a container after capping.

In order to achieve the above object, the synthetic resin cap according to the present invention includes a skirt wall provided with a female thread that engages with a male thread formed on the outer periphery of a container opening, and a weakened portion on the underside of the skirt wall. A cap made of synthetic resin is provided with a tamper evidence band connected via a tamper evidence band, and the inside of the tamper evidence band has a fitting part that fits into an annular protrusion formed on the outer periphery of the container opening. , hooks that engage the annular projection are provided in this order from above, and the fitting portion has a groove extending in the vertical direction at a height position where it abuts or comes closest to the annular projection in a closed state. , a plurality of the hooks are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the tamper evidence band, the groove is provided at a position directly above the hook, and the lower end of the groove has a width that decreases toward the bottom. It is narrow (Claim 1).

In the synthetic resin cap , the groove may extend vertically across a portion of the hook that most protrudes inward of the tamper evidence band (Claim 2). Further, the cross-sectional shape of the groove may be a substantially triangular or substantially trapezoidal shape that opens inward of the tamper evidence band (Claim 3).

The present invention provides a synthetic resin cap that can improve the cleanability around the mouth of a container after capping.

That is, in the synthetic resin cap of the invention according to each claim of the present application, the cleaning liquid used for cleaning around the container opening after capping can be reliably discharged through the groove provided in the fitting part, and the cleaning performance is improved. improvement is achieved.

(A) is a longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of a synthetic resin cap according to an embodiment of the present invention, (B) is a partially enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of the main part of the synthetic resin cap, (C) and (D) is a cross-sectional view showing one example of the structure of a groove provided in the synthetic resin cap and another example, and (E) is a partially enlarged bottom view showing the structure of the main part of the synthetic resin cap. (A) is a conventional synthetic resin cap, and (B) is an explanatory view (the left half is a longitudinal cross-sectional view and the right half is a front view) showing the state in which the cap is attached to the mouth of a container.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

A synthetic resin cap (hereinafter referred to as a cap) 1 shown in FIG. 1(A) has a container opening M (for example, a pet It is used by being attached to the mouth of a container such as a bottle, and is integrally molded from polyethylene by compression molding or injection molding. Note that the material forming the cap 1 is not particularly limited, and in addition to the polyethylene used in this embodiment, polypropylene and the like are preferably used.

The cap 1 has a substantially circular top wall 2 when viewed from above, and a substantially cylindrical skirt wall 3 extending downward from the outer periphery of the top wall 2 (see FIG. 1(A)). Here, a knurled groove 4 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the skirt wall 3, and a female thread 5 is provided on the inner peripheral surface, and this female thread 5 can be connected to a male thread M1 formed on the outer periphery of the container mouth M.

Then, when the cap 1 is rotated and attached to the container mouth M so that the female thread 5 of the skirt wall 3 is connected to the male thread M1 of the container mouth M, an annular ring connected to the inner surface (lower surface) of the top wall 2 is attached. The middle leg (inner ring) 6, the annular rib 7, and the annular outer leg (outer ring) 8 are brought into close contact with the container mouth M, whereby the container mouth M is in a sealed state. That is, when the cap 1 is attached to the container mouth M, the middle leg 6 is inserted into the container mouth M and comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container mouth M, and the annular rib 7 is attached to the container mouth M. The outer leg 8 is configured to be in close contact with the upper end surface of the annular shape, and the outer leg 8 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the container mouth M.

In addition, the cap 1 is a pilfer-proof cap that has the function of proving that it is unopened (that it has never been opened), and when the unopened cap 1 attached to the container mouth M is opened (first When opening the cap), when the cap 1 is rotated so that the connection between the male thread M1 and the female thread 5 is released, the cap 1 separates from the container opening M, but the tamper evidence connected to the lower part of the skirt wall 3 The band (hereinafter simply referred to as "band") 9 is configured to remain in the container mouth M.

That is, below the skirt wall 3, a band 9 is connected via an annular weakened portion (an example of a weakened portion) 10 extending over the entire circumference of the skirt wall 3 (see FIG. 1(A)). Reference numeral 10 denotes slits (perforation-like) that extend intermittently in the circumferential direction of the skirt wall 3 and the band 9 so as to vertically define the skirt wall 3 and the band 9, and bridges that exist between the adjacent slits. The bridge breaks when pulled with a predetermined force.

Here, in this example, while the outer diameter of the band 9 is made uniform across the top and bottom, the inner circumferential side of the band 9 is configured such that it protrudes inward, and the amount of inward protrusion increases toward the top. Five hooks 11 (an example of a plurality of hooks) are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. When the cap 1 is attached to the container mouth M, each hook 11 is located approximately below an annular projection M2 (see FIG. 2(B)) formed on the outer periphery of the container mouth M below the male thread M1. and is engaged with the annular protrusion M2 by an unsealing operation. That is, the hook 11 is configured to be able to engage the annular projection M2 from below. Note that the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1(B) indicates the cross-sectional shape of the portion where the hook 11 is not provided.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1(B), on the inner circumferential side of the band 9, the hook 11 above protrudes inside the band 9, and the amount of protrusion is smaller than the hook 11 (the inner diameter is the inner diameter of the hook 11). A fitting part 12 (larger than the above) is provided, and furthermore, an inclined guide 13 whose inner diameter becomes larger toward the top is connected above the fitting part 12. In addition, an inclined part 14 is provided between the hook 11 and the fitting part 12, the inner diameter of which increases toward the upper side and whose inner diameter increases more gently than the inclined guide 13.

The fitting part 12 is configured such that its inner circumferential surface is approximately cylindrical, has an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of a portion of the band 9 above the fitting part 12 and the inclined guide 13, and The maximum outer diameter is larger than the inner diameter of the fitting portion 12 and smaller than the inner diameter of a portion of the band 9 above the inclined guide 13.

When the cap 1 is attached to the container mouth M and unopened, the annular projection M2 is located inside or above the inclined guide 13, and when the cap 1 is rotated in the opening direction from this state, the container mouth The cap 1 rises relative to M, the fitting portion 12 fits into the annular projection M2, and the hook 11 is engaged with the annular projection M2 from below. If the cap 1 is further rotated in the unsealing direction, the annular weakened part 10 will eventually break, and the band 9 will remain at the container mouth M, while the cap body consisting of the top wall 2 and the skirt wall 3 above it will break off. It will separate from the mouth M.

Therefore, before the hook 11 is engaged with the annular protrusion M2 from below, the annular protrusion M2 guided by the inclined guide 13 fits into the fitting part 12, and as a result, the band 9 is tilted diagonally. Since lifting is prevented and the annular weakened portion 10 is broken almost uniformly without being biased, the tamper evidence property is improved.

Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 1(E), the fitting portion 12 is not provided only in the portion located above each hook 11, but is provided over the entire circumference of the band 9. As a result, the pressure applied to the band 9 during demolding is further dispersed, so that the band 9 can be prevented from whitening and cracking.

By the way, as mentioned above, in order to clean the area around the container mouth M after capping, a cleaning liquid is introduced from the outside between the cap 1 and the container mouth M, and after cleaning, the cleaning liquid is discharged to the outside. For example, the cleaning liquid may be introduced and discharged through a through hole (not shown) provided in the upper part of the skirt wall 3 or through a gap between the bridges forming the annular weakened part 10. However, there is a risk that the cleaning liquid may not be sufficiently drained.

Therefore, in the cap 1 of this example, a groove (reduction) 15 extending in the vertical direction (in the axial direction of the band 9) is provided in the fitting portion 12 at a height position where it contacts or comes closest to the annular protrusion M in the closed state. (See the gray area in FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B)). Thereby, the cleaning liquid can be reliably discharged through the groove 15, and the cleaning performance can be improved. Note that the term "groove 15 extending in the vertical direction" means that one of both ends of the groove 15 is located above the other, and it is not limited to those that extend parallel to the vertical direction, but also those that extend diagonally. include. However, the grooves 15 in the illustrated example extend in parallel in the vertical direction.

Here, the illustrated groove 15 extends from the upper end of the inclined guide 13 to the lower part of the hook 11 via the fitting part 12 and the inclined part 14. By providing the groove 15 from the upper end of the inclined guide 13 in this way, the cleaning liquid can be discharged more reliably. Furthermore, by making the band 9 thinner due to the formation of the grooves 15, it is also possible to reduce the amount of resin used.

In addition, each hook 11 climbs over an annular protrusion M2 provided on the outer periphery of the container mouth M to reach its lower part when the cap 1 is attached to the container mouth M (closing). The band 9 is guided to expand its diameter by the annular projection M2, and after climbing over it, it elastically returns to its original shape and locks onto the annular projection M2 at the time of opening the bottle and climbs over it. It is configured in such a way that it is impossible. If the resistance when each hook 11 climbs over the annular protrusion M2 is large, the closure torque will increase. However, in the cap 1 of this example, the groove 15 is provided even in the hook 11, and the hook 11 tends to be elastically deformed when riding over the annular protrusion M2 when attaching (closing) the cap 1 to the container mouth M. , the closure torque can be reduced.

Here, the maximum depth of the portion of the groove 15 located in the inclined guide 13 and the fitting part 12 is the same as the maximum thickness of the inclined guide 13 and the fitting part 12, respectively, and the groove 15 provided in the inclined part 14 is , it becomes shallower towards the bottom. Note that the maximum depth of the portion of the groove 15 located on the hook 11 is the maximum thickness t of the hook 11 (see FIG. 1(B). Based on the inner circumferential surface of the portion of the band 9 that is continuous to the lower side of the hook 11. Refers to the amount of inward protrusion). For example, when the maximum thickness t of the hook 11 is 0.85 mm, It is conceivable that the maximum depth of the groove 15 provided in the hook 11 is 0.3 to 0.55 mm.

Further, the maximum width of the groove 15 provided from the inclined guide 13 to the hook 11 (width in the circumferential direction of the band 9) should have a center angle of 3° to 20° with respect to the entire 360° circumference of the cap 1. Preferably, the width may be set to 0.5 to 5.0 mm, for example. In the examples shown in FIGS. and the width becomes narrower toward the bottom.

Further, the cross-sectional shape of the groove 15 may be approximately triangular as shown in FIG. 1(C) or approximately trapezoidal as shown in FIG. (90 degrees in the illustrated example), the cross-sectional shape may be changed depending on the width and depth of the groove 15 to be provided.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 1(B), if the groove 15 extends vertically across the part of the hook 11 that protrudes most inwardly of the band 9, the effect of reducing the closure torque will be more reliable. becomes.

Further, the left and right ends 11a and 11b of the hook 11 of this example are configured such that the inward protrusion amount and vertical width of the band 9 gradually decrease toward the left and right ends, and the hook 11 is sandwiched between the left and right ends 11a and 11b. The center portion 11c has a larger inward protrusion than both the left and right end portions 11a and 11b, and by locating the groove 15 in the center portion 11c, the closure torque can be reduced reliably. can be achieved. Furthermore, if the grooves 15 are provided on both the left and right ends 11a and 11b, a hinge in which a part of the annular weakened portion 10 (bridge) does not break when the bottle is opened is likely to occur, but it is preferable to provide the grooves 15 only in the center portion 11c. This makes it possible to avoid these inconveniences.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the following modifications can be given.

In the embodiment described above, one groove 15 of the fitting part 12 is provided at a position corresponding to right above each hook 11, and specifically, one groove 15 is provided at a position corresponding to right above each hook 11. It is located in a position where However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two or more grooves 15 may be provided in the fitting portion 12 at positions directly above one hook 11. Although it is preferable to uniformly provide the grooves 15 directly above all the hooks 11, it is preferable to provide the grooves 15 only in positions corresponding to directly above some of the hooks 11. The number, position, shape and size of the grooves 15 may be made non-uniform.

In the examples of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the grooves 15 are also provided in the inclined guide 13, the inclined part 14, and the hook 11, but the groove 15 is not limited to this. The grooves 15 may be provided partially in the crab, or the grooves 15 may not be provided anywhere.

As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1(B), in the above embodiment, the fitting portion 12 in the portion of the band 9 where the hook 11 is absent is more inward than the fitting portion 12 in the portion with the hook 11. The amount of protrusion is slightly smaller, and it can be expected that the cleaning liquid will be discharged from this part, but this is not limited to this. The amount of inward protrusion of the fitting portion may be the same.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the groove 15 does not reach the lower end of the hook 11, but it may extend until it reaches the lower end or even below the hook 11.

In the examples of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the groove 15 extends vertically across the part of the hook 11 that most protrudes inward of the band 9, but the groove 15 is not limited to this, for example, The hook 11 may be located only above or below the portion of the band 9 that most protrudes inward.

In the example of FIG. 1(B), the part of the band 9 below the hook 11 is thinner than the part above the hook 11 (or the inclined guide 13), which also contributes to reducing the closing torque. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, both of the above portions may have the same thickness.

Note that it goes without saying that the modifications mentioned in this specification may be combined as appropriate.

1 Cap 2 Top wall 3 Skirt wall 4 Knurled groove 5 Female thread 6 Middle leg 7 Annular rib 8 Outer leg 9 Tamper evidence band 10 Annular weakened part 11 Hook 12 Fitting part 13 Inclined guide 14 Inclined part 15 Groove 51 Female thread 52 Skirt wall 53 Cap body 54 Weakening part 55 Tamper evidence band 56 Hook M Container opening M1 Male thread M2 Annular projection t Maximum thickness of hook θ Opening angle of groove

Claims (3)

A synthetic resin cap comprising a skirt wall provided with a female thread that engages with a male thread formed on the outer periphery of the container mouth, and a tamper evidence band connected to the lower side of the skirt wall via a weakened part. There it is,
On the inside of the tamper evidence band, a fitting part that fits into an annular protrusion formed on the outer periphery of the container mouth part and a hook that engages with the annular protrusion are provided in this order from above,
The fitting part has a groove extending in the vertical direction at a height position where it comes into contact with or comes closest to the annular protrusion in a closed state,
A plurality of the hooks are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the tamper evidence band, and the groove is provided at a position corresponding to directly above the hook,
The bottom end of the groove is a synthetic resin cap whose width becomes narrower toward the bottom . The synthetic resin cap according to claim 1, wherein the groove extends vertically across a portion of the hook that protrudes most inwardly of the tamper evidence band . 3. The synthetic resin cap according to claim 1, wherein the groove has a cross-sectional shape of a substantially triangular or trapezoidal shape opening toward the inside of the tamper evidence band.