JP7466989B2 - Barrier Cap - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a barrier cap having a colored barrier layer.

Conventionally, food containers for storing dressings, seasonings, etc. have widely used a pull-off cap in which a partition with a removable wall defined by a weakened section is provided on a cap body attached to the mouth of the container to keep the inside of the container sealed until it is opened, and a pull-off cap is used in which a pull ring provided on the removable wall is pulled up to tear off the removable wall and open the spout.

In addition, in order to maintain the flavor of the contents, containers with excellent gas barrier properties that block oxygen and other substances contained in the air outside the container have been proposed, and corresponding caps with gas barrier properties have also been known for some time (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-56688 A

The cap described in Patent Document 1 above had the problem that the position where the barrier layer was formed could not be confirmed just by appearance, and therefore it was not possible to inspect and confirm whether the barrier layer was formed in the specified position during production of the cap.
Furthermore, although conventional barrier layers are capable of providing oxygen barrier properties and retaining flavor, they are unable to block light, and therefore have the problem of insufficient storage stability.

The present invention aims to solve the above problems by providing a barrier cap that makes it possible to confirm the formation position of the barrier layer from the outside and that also has excellent gas barrier properties and light blocking properties.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a barrier cap comprising a cap body to be attached to the mouth of a container body and an outer lid attached to the cap body in an openable and closable manner, in which the cap body has a base layer made of a basic resin, and a barrier layer colored by adding a colorant master batch to a gas barrier resin and kneading them together is formed as an inner layer , and the position where the barrier layer is formed can be confirmed from the outside .

As an embodiment of the barrier cap, the barrier layer is characterized by being a blend of a barrier resin and a basic resin, the barrier layer is characterized by being a blend of a barrier resin and an adhesive resin that has adhesive properties to the base layer, the cap body is characterized by further providing an adhesive layer made of an adhesive resin between the base layer and the colored barrier layer, and the colored barrier layer is characterized by having light-blocking properties.

As further embodiments of the barrier cap, a configuration is adopted in which the cap has a transition stopper that breaks with a rotational action and moves from the cap body to the outer lid, the cap body has an attachment part that is attached to the container body, a threaded wall part, a pouring tube, and a transition stopper that is connected to the inner circumferential surface of the pouring tube via a thin-walled weakened part, and the colored barrier layer is provided at least on the attachment part, the threaded wall part, the pouring tube, the thin-walled weakened part, and the transition stopper, and a configuration is adopted in which the barrier cap breaks with a pull ring and is removed.

In the barrier cap of the present invention, the barrier layer is colored by adding a colorant masterbatch to a gas barrier resin and kneading it , so that the position where the barrier layer is formed can be easily confirmed from the appearance, and in the case where the colored barrier layer has light-blocking properties, it is possible to impart light-blocking properties in addition to gas barrier properties, thereby further improving storage stability.

FIG. 2 is a half-sectional side view of a cap body of the barrier cap of the present embodiment. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing a state in which an outer lid is screwed onto a cap body of the barrier cap of the present embodiment to close the cap. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 1 .

Next, the barrier cap of the present invention will be described with reference to a drawing showing an embodiment in which the cap can be opened by rotating the cap using a ratchet mechanism.

In FIG. 2, A is the container body, B is the cap body that is attached to the container body A, and C is the outer lid that is screwed onto the cap body B.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mouth 1 of the container body A is provided with a locking protrusion 2 which fits onto the cap body B and holds it in place to prevent it from coming off.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cap body B is composed of an outer tube 5 on the outer periphery, an inner tube 6 on the inner periphery, and an upper wall 7 located on the top surface side of the mouth portion 1, and is also composed of an attachment portion 4 forming an annular groove into which the mouth portion 1 fits, a threaded wall portion 8 standing in communication with the upper wall 7, and a pouring tube 10 connected to the upper end of the threaded wall portion 8 via a step portion 9.

The pouring tube 10 forms a pouring outlet for pouring out the contents contained in the container body A, and has a cylindrical base 11 and a lip portion 12 that expands in diameter at the upper portion of the base 11 and curves outward.
A transfer plug 16 is integrally attached to the inner peripheral surface of the base 11 of the pouring tube 10 via a thin-walled weakened portion 15 formed around the entire circumference.
The transfer plug 16 has a cylindrical wall 17 standing on the upper part, and a bottom wall 14 at the lower part, which together with a thin-walled weakened portion 15, closes the pouring outlet.

The cylindrical wall 17 has an engaging projection 18 that projects in the circumferential direction from its outer periphery and constitutes one of the first teeth of the ratchet mechanism, and a first engaging projection 19 that projects in an annular shape from the upper inner periphery.
The engaging projection 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 has an expanded diameter portion 22 having a predetermined height from the underside on the outer circumferential side of the cylindrical wall 17, and a flange portion 23 connected to the outer circumferential side of the expanded diameter portion 22, which gradually becomes thinner toward the outside and connects to the thin-walled weakened portion 15.
The threaded wall portion 8 is suspended from the outer periphery of a step portion 9 which is connected to the inner periphery of the lower portion of the pouring tube 10, and has a threaded portion (male thread) 24 on its outer periphery.
On the outer periphery of the threaded wall portion 8 below the threaded portion (male thread) 24, protruding vertical ribs 25 extending slightly in the axial direction of the cap body B are provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction.
Further, a reinforcing rib 26 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the threaded wall portion 8, the upper portion of which is connected to the step portion 9 and extends in the axial direction.

The mounting portion 4 has an upper wall 7 which is connected to the lower part of a threaded wall portion 8 at its inner peripheral edge, and an outer cylinder 5 and an inner cylinder 6 are vertically attached to the lower part of the upper wall 7 .
A fitting groove is formed between the outer tube 5 and the inner tube 6 into which the mouth 1 of the container body A fits, and a locking reduced diameter portion 27 is provided on the inner circumference of the outer tube 5 to engage with the locking protrusion 2 to prevent the mouth 1 from coming loose.
Stoppers 28 are provided at multiple locations in the circumferential direction on the upper surface of the upper wall 7, with first contact surfaces 28a formed substantially perpendicular to the screwing/removing direction and first inclined surfaces 28b formed in the screwing direction.
In this embodiment, the vertical ribs 25 are disposed adjacent to the first inclined surface 28 b of the stopper 28 , the number of which is the same as that of the stopper 28 .
In this embodiment, the outer periphery of the step portion 9 is provided with a sound-making projection 13 for notifying completion of screwing of the outer lid C onto the cap body B.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, within the cap body B, a colored barrier layer D is provided as an intermediate layer on the base material layer of the cap body B by coinjection molding.
In this embodiment, a colored barrier layer D is provided on the mounting portion 4 (outer tube 5, inner tube 6, upper wall 7) of the cap body B, the threaded wall portion 8, the step portion 9 and the bottom wall 14 of the transition plug body 16.
In addition, the colored barrier layer D may not be present inside the pouring tube 10 or the outer tube 5 of the cap body B.

As the basic resin for the base layer of the cap body B, known resins such as polyolefin resins such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE), and PET are used.
Since the base layer is intended to confirm only the colored barrier layer D, it does not basically need to be colored, but coloring is acceptable as long as it makes the colored color of the barrier layer D clear.
As the barrier resin for the colored barrier layer D, known gas barrier resins such as ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), polyamide (PA), MX nylon (MXD6, etc.) and the like are used depending on the purpose of the barrier.
Among these, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers are preferred in terms of their barrier properties against oxygen and against flavors and aromas.

The barrier layer D can be colored by using a colored pellet- or particle-shaped colorant master batch.
The colorant master batch is prepared by adding a pigment at a high concentration to a resin and kneading the resin thoroughly to obtain a uniform color. The barrier resin that will become the barrier layer D can be colored by adding the colorant master batch to the resin and kneading the resulting mixture.
In this case, it is possible to make the color lighter or darker by adjusting the amount of colorant master batch added.
Furthermore, it is possible to impart functionality to the colorant masterbatch. If a colorant masterbatch having light-shielding properties is used, light-shielding properties can be added in addition to the oxygen barrier properties and aroma retention properties provided by the barrier resin, and further the preservation properties of the contents in the container can be improved.

To improve adhesion to the base layer made of a basic resin, the barrier layer D may contain an adhesive resin having adhesion to the base layer or the base layer.
When the base resin is a polyolefin and the barrier resin is an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, a modified polyolefin in which a functional group has been introduced into the polyolefin to impart adhesive properties can be used as the adhesive resin.
Examples of modified polyolefins that can be used as adhesive resins include adhesive resins Modic (registered trademark) from Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation and Admer (registered trademark) from Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.

In the case where a barrier layer D is provided in the thin-walled weakened portion 15 as in this embodiment, the adhesion between the basic resin that forms the base material layer of the cap body B and the barrier resin of the barrier layer D is poor, so even if the base material layer portion of the thin-walled weakened portion 15 is broken, the barrier layer D may separate and the breaking of the barrier layer D may be insufficient, making it impossible to open the cap. By adding the basic resin or adhesive resin to the barrier resin to form the barrier layer D, the adhesion between the base material layer and the barrier layer D is improved, the barrier layer D can be easily broken, and the openability is improved.
Furthermore, by providing an adhesive layer made of an adhesive resin between the base material layer and the barrier layer D, the adhesion between the base material layer and the barrier layer D is strengthened, and breakage of the barrier layer D is improved.
In addition, the adhesion between the base material layer and the barrier layer D can be improved by adding a barrier resin or an adhesive resin to the basic resin that becomes the base material layer, and the openability can also be improved in the same way.

When the basic resin is added to the barrier resin to color the barrier layer D having improved adhesiveness, the colorant master batch may be added and blended at the same time when the two are blended.
However, in cases where coloring does not go well, such as uneven coloring, a method can be adopted in which a colorant master batch is added to either the base resin or the barrier resin before blending, and the resulting mixture is kneaded uniformly to color it, and then this is blended with the other resin.
The same applies when an adhesive resin is added to a barrier resin; a colorant masterbatch may be added at the same time as blending the adhesive resin and the barrier resin. Alternatively, it is also possible to add a colorant masterbatch to either the adhesive resin or the barrier resin to color it, and then blend it with the other to color it.
In this case, colorability is often improved by first coloring the minor components, such as the base resin or adhesive resin, with a colorant master batch before blending them with the barrier resin.

The appropriate blending ratio when adding a basic resin to a barrier resin to improve adhesion will vary depending on the type of barrier resin selected for the barrier layer D or the basic resin selected for the base layer.
However, as the blending amount of the basic resin increases, the blending amount of the barrier resin decreases relatively, and it is thought that the barrier performance of the barrier layer D will decrease. Therefore, in order to maintain the barrier performance, it is preferable to blend at the minimum blending ratio at which the adhesion is improved and the barrier layer D can be broken.
The same applies to the appropriate blending ratio of the adhesive resin when the adhesive resin is added to the barrier resin to improve the adhesiveness, and it is preferable to add the adhesive resin at the minimum blending ratio at which the adhesiveness is improved and breakable.

In this embodiment, linear low density polyethylene LLDPE (25200J manufactured by Prime Polymer Co., Ltd.) was used as the base resin of the substrate layer, and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer EVOH (C109B manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd.) was used as the barrier resin of the barrier layer D.
The barrier layer D was colored by blending the basic resin LLDPE with white MB (master batch) at a ratio of 20:1, and kneading the LLDPE, which was colored white, into the barrier resin EVOH.

The LLDPE content of the basic resin is preferably 10% or more, since this allows the package to be opened by breaking the thin weakened portion 15 and also provides sufficient coloring of the barrier layer D.
However, if the amount of LLDPE is increased, the amount of barrier resin will be relatively reduced, resulting in a decrease in barrier performance, so it is preferable to blend at a compounding ratio of 10 to 25% LLDPE.

The outer tube 5 has an annular notched step 29 that is connected to a reduced diameter concave surface with the lower part cut out of its outer peripheral surface, and further below that is a separation mechanism that enables the cap body B to be separated from the container body A for separate disposal.
A gripping portion 31 is provided through a slit 30 formed in the axial direction over a predetermined arc range on the lower outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 5, and the gripping portion 31 can be separated from the outer tube 5 by a vertical cut portion 32 and deployed outward.
The vertical cut 32 of the gripping portion 31 has a hooking recess 32a formed at the top for inserting a fingertip and hooking it, and the inner surface of the gripping portion 31 on the side closest to the vertical cut 32 has a gripping recess for gripping with the fingers. The slit 30 extends from the vertical cut 32 in the opposite direction to the gripping portion 31, and at its terminal end the gripping portion 31 is integrated with the outer tube 5.

A breakable thin-walled circumferential cut portion 37 is formed on the inner circumference of the outer tube 5, and in this embodiment, the slit 30 is formed over an arc range of approximately 110°.

An example of the outer lid C that can be screwed onto the cap body B of this embodiment is shown in FIG.
The outer lid C has a top wall 40 provided on the top plate portion, and an outer peripheral wall 41 vertically extending from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall 40 .
In addition, a sealing ring may be provided at the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 41, connected by a breakable weakened connection, the sealing ring indicating that the container is unused and being removed prior to first use.
On the inner surface of the top wall 40 , a cutting cylinder portion 46 and a threaded cylinder portion 47 are vertically provided integrally with the top wall 40 in this order from an engagement portion 45 vertically provided near the center to the outside.

In this embodiment, a sound-producing member 48 is suspended between the cutting tube portion 46 and the screw tube portion 47, and the sound-producing member 48 has a vibrating piece at its tip. When the outer lid C is tightened onto the cap body B, the vibrating piece comes into contact with the sound-producing protrusion 13 of the cap body B and produces a sound, thereby letting the user know when the outer lid C has been tightened.

The engaging portion 45 has an annular second engaging projection 50 formed on the outer periphery of the tip end thereof, which passes over the first engaging projection 19 of the cap body B and fits tightly into the inner periphery of the cylindrical wall 17 .
The inner circumference of the cutting tube portion 46 is provided with the same number of engaging arms 52 as the engaging protrusions 18, which form a second tooth portion that engages with the engaging protrusions 18 that form the first tooth portion, and a seal portion is formed on the outer periphery of the tip of the cutting tube portion 46 by abutting against the inner surface of the pouring tube 10 to seal the pouring outlet.
The length of the cutting tube portion 46 is such that the seal portion abuts against the base portion 11 of the pouring tube 10 and the tip portion fits into the outer circumferential surface of the enlarged diameter portion 22 of the transfer plug 16 with a small gap.

The engagement arm 52 is made of a material that is strong enough to transmit a rotational force that can break the thin-walled weakened portion 15, and is flexible enough to overcome the engagement protrusion 18 when the outer lid C is tightened.

The threaded cylindrical portion 47 is provided on its inner periphery with a threaded portion (female thread) 58 which screws into the threaded portion (male thread) 24 of the cap body B.
Next, the manner of use and the effects of this embodiment will be described.

First, the cap body B of the barrier cap of this embodiment is manufactured by co-injection molding a base material layer made of the basic resin LLDPE of the cap body B, and adding LLDPE colored with white MB (master batch) to the barrier resin EVOH to form a colored barrier layer D as an intermediate layer.
Since the barrier layer D was colored, the formation position could be easily confirmed from the outside.

To attach the barrier cap of this embodiment to the container body A, the outer lid C is screwed onto the above-mentioned cap body B and tightened, the cap body B and the outer lid C are assembled, and then the attachment portion 4 of the cap body B is placed against the mouth 1 of the container body A and the container body A is plugged from the top.
When the threaded portion (female thread) 58 of the outer lid C is screwed into the threaded portion (male thread) 24 of the cap body B and tightened, the ratchet mechanism causes the engagement arm 52 to climb over the engagement protrusion 18, allowing the outer lid C to rotate.
In addition, the vibrating piece at the tip of the sound-making member 48 of the outer lid C makes a sound when it comes into contact with the sound-making projection 13 of the cap body B, thereby making it possible to know that the outer lid C has been completely tightened.

Next, to use a container fitted with the barrier cap of this embodiment, the outer lid C is rotated in the unscrewing direction. When the outer lid C starts to rotate, it starts to rotate smoothly. Then, when the engaging arm 52 of the cutting tube portion 46 abuts and engages with the engaging protrusion 18 of the cylindrical wall 17, the ratchet mechanism comes into action and the rotational force of the outer lid C is applied to the transition stopper body 16 via the ratchet mechanism.

At this time, the second engaging protrusion 50 of the attachment portion 45 tightly fits into the inner surface that has overcome the first engaging protrusion 19 of the cylindrical wall 17, thereby reinforcing the cylindrical wall 17 from the inside, making it easier for the rotational force of the outer lid C to be transmitted to the transition stopper body 16 via the ratchet mechanism, and generating a force that pulls the transition stopper body 16 upward as the screw rotates.
As the rotation of the outer cap C continues, the rotational force and pulling force applied to the transition plug body 16 eventually cause the thin-walled weakened portion 15 to break, opening the spout, and the transition plug body 16, which has been separated from the spouting tube 10, is pulled up by the attachment portion 45 that engages with the cylindrical wall 17 and rises together with the outer cap C.

When the seal of the cutting tube portion 46 separates from the inner peripheral surface of the dispensing tube 10 and the threaded portion (female thread) 58 unscrews from the threaded portion (male thread) 24, the outer lid C is detached from the cap body B, and the contents of the container can be poured out from the opening of the dispensing tube 10 from which the transfer stopper 16 has been removed together with the outer lid C.

When the outer lid C is attached to the cap body B again after using the container, the flange portion 23 of the transition plug body 16 and the remains of the broken thin-walled weakened portion 15 scrape off the contents adhering to the inner surface of the dispensing tube 10, thereby keeping the inner surface of the dispensing tube 10 clean.
In addition, the seal portion of the cutting tube portion 46 abuts against the pouring tube 10 to seal the inside of the container.

When the container is to be disposed of after use, the barrier cap of this embodiment can be separated from the container body A by a simple operation and can be disposed of separately.
First, when the fingers are hooked on the hook recess 32a of the vertical cut portion 32 and the grip portion 31 is pulled towards the user, the vertical cut portion 32 breaks and the grip portion 31 deploys outward.
When the gripping portion 31 is pulled further, the thin-walled initial cut portion (not shown) adjacent to the end of the slit 30 breaks, and the breakage continues to the circumferential cut portion 37 via the thin-walled radial cut portion that continues to the end of the thin-walled initial cut portion.

When the circumferential cut portion 37 breaks, the engagement of the engaging reduced diameter portion 27 with the engaging protrusion 2 is released, and when the break progresses near the break end, the retention of the mouth portion 1 by the engaging reduced diameter portion 27 is released, and by lifting the grip portion 31, the cap body B can be detached from the container body A and disposed of separately.

Next, a second embodiment in which a light-shielding master batch (MB) is used for the barrier layer D will be described.
In the following, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are given the first reference numerals, and the differences will be mainly described.

The barrier cap of this embodiment has the same shape and structure as that of the first embodiment.
The base resin in this example was linear low density polyethylene LLDPE (25200J manufactured by Prime Polymer Co., Ltd.), the barrier resin was an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer EVOH having an ethylene content of 32 mol%, and the light-shielding MB used was titanium oxide-based TET1TA538 manufactured by Toyo Color Co., Ltd.
For the barrier layer D of this embodiment, a material (light-shielding material) obtained by blending the basic resin LLDPE with the above-mentioned light-shielding MB in a ratio of 10:1 was kneaded with the barrier resin EVOH in a ratio of 85:15 (EVOH:light-shielding material) to give it a light-shielding color.

Next, the embodiment and the effects of this embodiment will be described.
The cap body B of this embodiment was manufactured by co-injection molding so that the base layer was made of uncolored LLDPE and the colored barrier layer D made of the above-mentioned EVOH and light-blocking material served as an intermediate layer. It was assembled with the outer lid C in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the obtained barrier cap was similarly attached to the container body A.
The appearance of the obtained barrier cap confirmed that the barrier layer D was appropriate, and the barrier cap had oxygen barrier properties and light-shielding properties.
The other configurations and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

As described above, the barrier cap of this embodiment breaks the thin-walled weakened portion by a rotational action via a ratchet mechanism, and transfers the transition plug body to the outer lid, but any type of barrier cap can be used as long as it has a colored barrier layer inside the cap body and breaks the thin-walled weakened portion by a rotational action.
It is also possible to use a pull ring to provide a barrier cap in which the thin weakened portion breaks.

In the barrier cap of the present invention, since the barrier layer is colored, the formation position of the barrier layer can be easily confirmed from the outside, and light-shielding properties can also be imparted.
The material has high gas barrier properties, can prevent active ingredients from scattering, and improves storage stability, making it suitable for use as a gas barrier container for foods, beverages, seasonings, cosmetics, and the like.

A Container body B Cap body C Outer lid D Barrier layer 1 Mouth 2 Locking protrusion 4 Mounting portion 5 Outer cylinder 6 Inner cylinder 7 Top wall 8 Threaded wall portion 9 Step portion 10 Spouting cylinder 11 Base portion 12 Lip portion 13 Sound-emitting protrusion portion 14 Bottom wall 15 Thin-walled weakened portion 16 Transfer stopper body 17 Cylindrical wall 18 Engagement protrusion (first tooth portion)
19 First engagement protrusion 22 Enlarged diameter portion 23 Flange portion 24 Thread portion (male thread)
25 Vertical rib 26 Reinforcing rib 27 Engagement reduced diameter portion 28 Stopper 28a First contact surface 28b First inclined surface 29 Notched step portion 30 Slit 31 Grip portion 32 Vertical cut portion 32a Hook recess 37 Circumferential cut portion 40 Top wall (top plate portion)
41 Outer circumferential wall 45 Engagement portion 46 Cutting cylinder portion 47 Threaded cylinder portion 48 Sound-producing member 50 Second engagement protrusion 52 Engagement arm (second tooth portion)
58 Threaded portion (female thread)

Claims (8)

A barrier cap comprising a cap body to be attached to the mouth of a container body and an outer lid attached to the cap body in an openable and closable manner,
The cap body is a barrier cap in which a colored barrier layer is formed inside a base layer made of a basic resin by adding a colorant master batch to a gas barrier resin and kneading it, and the position where the barrier layer is formed can be confirmed from the outside . The barrier cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the barrier layer is a blend of a barrier resin and a basic resin. The barrier cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the barrier layer is a blend of a barrier resin and an adhesive resin that has adhesive properties to the base layer. The barrier cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the cap body further includes an adhesive layer made of an adhesive resin between the base layer and the colored barrier layer. A barrier cap according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the colored barrier layer has light-blocking properties. The barrier cap according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is a barrier cap having a transfer stopper that breaks upon rotation and transfers from the cap body to the outer lid. The cap body has an attachment portion that is attached to the container body, a threaded wall portion, a pouring tube, and a transition plug body that is connected to the inner circumferential surface of the pouring tube via a thin-walled weakened portion,
7. The barrier cap according to claim 6, wherein the colored barrier layer is provided at least on the mounting portion, the threaded wall portion, the pouring tube, the thin-walled weakened portion and the transition plug. The barrier cap according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is a barrier cap that can be broken and removed with a pull ring.

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