JP7496118B2 - Synthetic Resin Cap - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a synthetic resin cap that is attached to the mouth of a container.

Synthetic resin caps are attached to the mouth of containers that contain liquids such as liquid seasonings. Such synthetic resin caps are provided with a pouring tube for pouring the liquid contained in the container to the outside (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The synthetic resin cap (pour-out cap) described in Patent Document 1 has a feature in which a check valve provided in the pouring tube oscillates in response to pressure changes inside the container, making the check valve less likely to be damaged.

JP 2018-070220 A

However, as shown in FIG. 14, in a conventional dispensing cap 100 provided with a dispensing tube 3, the liquid seasoning L stored inside the container B is likely to form a film f on the bottom end of the dispensing tube 3. If an attempt is made to pour out the liquid seasoning L from inside the container B in this state, as shown in FIG. 15, air first tries to escape to the outside through the dispensing tube 3, and the film f is pushed from the bottom end to the top end of the dispensing tube 3, forming a bubble b at the top end of the dispensing tube 3. If the bubble b then expands and bursts due to the air trying to escape to the outside through the dispensing tube 3, the liquid seasoning L that constituted the bubble b will splash, causing the problem of the splashed liquid seasoning L soiling the surrounding area.

The dispensing cap described in Patent Document 1 has a check valve in its dispensing tube, but the shape of this check valve does not prevent foam formation, so the problem remains unresolved.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a synthetic resin cap that can prevent bubbles from forming in the dispensing tube.

In order to solve the above problems, a synthetic resin cap according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a lid body to be attached to an opening of a container;
A pouring tube provided on the lid body;
A cantilevered flexible valve body is provided at the lower end of the pouring tube,
A slit exposed to the inside of the container is formed between the lower end of the pouring tube and the valve body,
One end and the other end of the slit face each other ,
The cantilevered portion of the valve body is padded downward .

The synthetic resin cap according to the second invention has a slit in the synthetic resin cap according to the first invention that is arc-shaped.

Furthermore, the synthetic resin cap according to the third invention has a slit width in the synthetic resin cap according to the first or second invention that is 0.25 times or more and less than 0.5 times the width of the cantilevered portion of the valve body.

In addition, a synthetic resin cap according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a lid body attached to an opening of a container,
A pouring tube provided on the lid body;
A cantilevered flexible valve body group is provided at the lower end of the pouring tube,
The valve body group includes three or more valve bodies, and the three or more valve bodies are arranged in point symmetry with respect to the central axis of the pouring tube,
A slit is formed between adjacent valve bodies so as to be exposed to the inside of the container ,
The cantilevered portion of the valve body is padded downward .

The synthetic resin cap according to the fifth invention is such that the width of the slit in the synthetic resin cap according to any one of the first to fourth inventions is less than the thickness of the valve body.

A synthetic resin cap according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the synthetic resin cap according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, in which the lid body, the pouring tube and the valve body are integrally molded.

The synthetic resin cap makes it easier for the film to break even if a film of liquid seasoning forms in the slit, preventing bubbles from forming in the dispensing tube.

1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a synthetic resin cap according to a first embodiment of the present invention attached to a container. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the synthetic resin cap as viewed from below. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the pouring tube of the synthetic resin cap as viewed from below. FIG. FIG. 2 is a further enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the lower part of the pouring cylinder. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the pouring tube when viewed from below with padding. FIG. 2 is an enlarged bottom view of the pouring tube with padding. FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing a lower part of the pouring tube with padding applied thereto. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a synthetic resin cap according to a second embodiment of the present invention attached to a container. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the synthetic resin cap as viewed from below. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the pouring tube of the synthetic resin cap as viewed from below. FIG. FIG. 2 is a further enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the lower part of the pouring cylinder. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a conventional dispensing cap attached to a container. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dispensing cap showing a state in which liquid seasoning foam is expanding from the dispensing cap. FIG.

The gist of the present invention is that in order to prevent bubbles from forming in the pouring tube of the synthetic resin cap, a valve body provided in the pouring tube and a slit formed around the valve body are appropriately configured. Hereinafter, synthetic resin caps according to embodiments 1 and 2 will be described with reference to the drawings as embodiments of the present invention.
[First embodiment]

First, the synthetic resin cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8.

As shown in FIG. 1, the synthetic resin cap 1 includes a lid body 2 that is attached to the mouth m of a container B, and a pouring tube 3 that is provided on the lid body 2. The synthetic resin cap 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a hinge type as an example, that is, a top lid 6 that is detachable from the lid body 2 is connected to the lid body 2 by a hinge 7. However, the synthetic resin cap 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention (as well as the synthetic resin cap 1 according to the second embodiment described below) may be of a type other than the hinge type. In addition, in FIGS. 2 to 8, the container B is omitted for the sake of simplicity. For the sake of convenience, the terms "upper" and "lower" used in the following description are defined as the container B side to which the synthetic resin cap 1 is attached as the lower side when viewed from the synthetic resin cap 1, and the opposite side as the upper side.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lid body 2 has a two-tiered top plate 21 with an upper tier 22 and a lower tier 23, and it is preferable that the upper tier 22 is provided with the dispensing tube 3. Furthermore, it is even more preferable that the lower end of the dispensing tube 3 is located higher than the lower tier 23. By providing the dispensing tube 3 on the upper tier 22, and in particular by positioning the lower end of the dispensing tube 3 higher than the lower tier 23, it becomes difficult for a film to form on the lower end of the dispensing tube 3 due to the adhesion of liquid seasoning L (one example of a liquid) stored inside the container B.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the synthetic resin cap 1 has a cantilevered flexible valve body 4 provided at the lower end of the dispensing tube 3. In other words, since the valve body 4 is cantilevered and flexible, it swings around the cantilevered portion 41 as the liquid seasoning L and air inside the container B flow in and out through the dispensing tube 3. Even if a film of liquid seasoning L is formed at the lower end of the dispensing tube 3, the film is likely to break due to the swinging of the valve body 4.

The synthetic resin cap 1 has a slit 5 formed between the lower end of the dispensing tube 3 and the valve body 4, which is exposed to the inside of the container B. As shown in FIG. 4, one end 51 and the other end 52 of the slit 5 face each other. That is, the surfaces of one end 51 and the other end 52 of the slit 5 face each other. The slit 5 is preferably arc-shaped. The slit 5 has one end 51 and the other end 52 facing each other, and is particularly arc-shaped, so that even if a film of liquid seasoning L is formed in the slit 5, the film is likely to break when pushed upward from the slit 5, making it difficult for the bubbles to form.

Furthermore, in order to make it even more difficult to form the bubbles, it is preferable that the width t of the slit 5 is 0.25 times or more and less than 0.5 times the width w of the cantilevered portion 41 of the valve body 4. Here, the experimental results of the synthetic resin cap 1 of Experimental Examples 1 to 3 shown below and the synthetic resin cap of the comparative example are shown. As experimental conditions, in Experimental Example 1, t (the width of the slit 5) was 0.2 mm and w (the width of the cantilevered portion 41 of the valve body 4) was 0.8 mm, in Experimental Example 2, t was 0.2 mm and w was 0.6 mm, and in Experimental Example 3, t was 0.25 mm and w was 0.6 mm. In other words, t/w, which is the width t of the slit 5 relative to the width w of the cantilevered portion 41 of the valve body 4, was 0.25 in Experimental Example 1, 0.33 in Experimental Example 2, and 0.42 in Experimental Example 3. On the other hand, in the comparative example, the above-mentioned valve body 4 was not provided. Then, the synthetic resin caps 1 of Experimental Examples 1 to 3 and the Comparative Example were attached to containers B, and soy sauce and sauce (both examples of liquid seasoning L) were poured out from inside these containers B, and it was observed whether bubbles formed at the top end of each pouring tube 3. As a result of this observation, whether the liquid seasoning L was soy sauce or sauce, no bubbles were formed with the synthetic resin caps 1 of Experimental Examples 1 to 3, whereas bubbles were formed with the synthetic resin cap 1 of the Comparative Example.

As shown in FIG. 5, it is preferable that the width t of the slit 5 is less than the thickness d of the valve body 4. By making the width t of the slit 5 less than the thickness d of the valve body 4, i.e., by making the thickness d of the valve body 4 equal to or greater than the width t of the slit 5, even if a film of the liquid seasoning L is formed in the slit 5, the film is likely to break when pushed upward from the slit 5, making it difficult for the bubbles to form.

3 to 5 show the cantilevered portion 41 of the valve body 4 with a flat lower surface, but as shown in Figs. 6 to 8, it is preferable that the cantilevered portion 41 of the valve body 4 has a padding 44 on the lower side. It is more preferable that the padding 44 is equal to or greater than the thickness d of the valve body 4. This is because such padding 44 makes it more difficult for a film to form on the slit 5 due to the adhesion of the liquid seasoning L. Furthermore, when the dispensing tube 3 and the valve body 4 are manufactured by injection molding, the padding 44 makes it easier for the resin to pass through the narrow width w of the cantilevered portion 41 of the valve body 4, through which the resin usually has difficulty passing. Note that Figs. 6 to 8 show the dispensing tube 3 protruding downward from the top plate 21 of the lid body 2, but the top plate 21 and the bottom surface of the dispensing tube 3 may be flush with each other. If the top plate 21 and the bottom surface of the dispensing tube 3 are flush with each other, it is preferable that the padding 44 extends not only to the dispensing tube 3 but also to the top plate 21. By extending the padding 44 to the top plate 21, the function of the padding 44 described above is further enhanced.

The manufacturing method for the synthetic resin cap 1 is described below.

For example, when the synthetic resin cap 1 is manufactured by injection molding, a mold corresponding to the shape of the synthetic resin cap 1 is prepared, and resin is poured into the mold to form the synthetic resin cap 1. At this time, the lid body 2, the pouring tube 3, and the valve body 4 may be molded separately, but it is preferable that the lid body 2, the pouring tube 3, and the valve body 4 are molded integrally. This is because integral molding shortens the molding time, and further, since multiple parts are not combined, misalignment between the parts due to this combination, that is, unnecessary misalignment that leads to the formation of the bubbles, is suppressed. Furthermore, when the synthetic resin cap 1 also includes a top lid 6 and a hinge 7, it is preferable to mold these top lid 6 and hinge 7 as well as the top lid 6 and hinge 7 integrally in order to further shorten the molding time.

In this way, with the synthetic resin cap 1, even if a film of liquid seasoning L is formed in the slit 5, the film is easily broken, so the formation of bubbles in the dispensing tube 3 can be prevented.

In addition, because the slit 5 is arc-shaped, the membrane is more likely to break, which further prevents bubbles from forming in the dispensing tube 3.

Furthermore, by making the width t of the slit 5 0.25 times or more and less than 0.5 times the width w of the cantilevered portion 41 of the valve body 4, the formation of bubbles in the dispensing tube 3 can be further prevented.

In addition, because the width t of the slit 5 is less than the thickness d of the valve body 4, the membrane is more likely to break when pushed upward from the slit 5, which further prevents bubbles from forming in the dispensing tube 3.

In addition, the cantilevered portion 41 of the valve body 4 is padded downward with padding 44, which makes it more difficult for a film to form on the slit 5 due to the adhesion of liquid seasoning L, and therefore further prevents the formation of bubbles in the dispensing tube 3. Furthermore, the padding 44 makes it easier for resin to pass through to the valve body 4 during injection molding, improving moldability.

Furthermore, since the lid body 2, the pouring tube 3 and the valve body 4 are integrally molded, the manufacturing time can be shortened and the formation of bubbles in the pouring tube 3 can be further prevented.
[Embodiment 2]

The synthetic resin cap 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 9 to 13. In the second embodiment, the description will focus on the configuration that is different from the first embodiment, and the same configuration as the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and the description will be omitted.

The synthetic resin cap 1 according to the first embodiment has been described as having one valve body 4, but as shown in FIG. 9, the synthetic resin cap 1 according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the number and arrangement of the valve bodies 4. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the synthetic resin cap 1 according to the second embodiment has six valve bodies 4 (three or more is sufficient). These six valve bodies 4 are arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the dispensing tube 3. Since there are six of these valve bodies 4 (three or more is sufficient), they also form a valve body group 40.

As shown in FIG. 11, a slit 5 exposed to the inside of the container B is formed between adjacent valve bodies 4. Also, as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, it is preferable that a circular opening 50 is formed between opposing valve bodies 4. By having the slit 5 have such a complex shape, particularly an even more complex shape connected to a circular opening 50, even if a film of liquid seasoning L is formed in the slit 5, the film is likely to break when pushed upward from the slit 5, making it difficult for the bubbles to form.

As shown in FIG. 13, it is preferable that the width t of the slit 5 is less than the thickness d of the valve body 4. By making the width t of the slit 5 less than the thickness d of the valve body 4, i.e., by making the thickness d of the valve body 4 equal to or greater than the width t of the slit 5, even if a film of the liquid seasoning L is formed in the slit 5, the film is likely to break when pushed upward from the slit 5, making it difficult for the bubbles to form.

Here, the experimental results using the synthetic resin cap 1 of Experimental Example 4 are shown below. As experimental conditions, as shown in FIG. 12, the valve body group 40 was composed of six valve bodies 4, the width t of the slit 5 was 0.2 mm, and the radius r of the circular opening 50 was 0.6 mm. The synthetic resin cap 1 of Experimental Example 4 was then attached to a container B, and soy sauce and sauce were poured out from inside the container B, and it was observed whether bubbles were formed at the upper end of the pouring tube 3. As a result of this observation, with the synthetic resin cap 1 of Experimental Example 4, as with the above-mentioned Experimental Examples 1 to 3, no bubbles were formed when the liquid seasoning L was either soy sauce or sauce.

Thus, the synthetic resin cap 1 according to the second embodiment achieves the same effect as the synthetic resin cap 1 according to the first embodiment, even though the number and arrangement of the valve bodies 4 differ from those of the synthetic resin cap 1 according to the first embodiment.

In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the top plate 21 is described as having two stages, including an upper stage 22 and a lower stage 23, but it may also be a single stage.

Although not described in detail in the first and second embodiments, it is preferable that the axis 3A of the dispensing tube 3 is closer to the dispensing side of the liquid seasoning L (the opposite side of the hinge 7 in Figures 1 and 9) than the axis 2A of the lid body 2. With this configuration, when the liquid seasoning L is poured out from inside the container B, the angle between the lower surface of the valve body 4 and the upper surface of the liquid seasoning L becomes shallow, making it difficult for the bubbles to form.

Furthermore, although not described in detail in the second embodiment, the preferred configuration described in the first embodiment, such as the padding 44 below the cantilevered portion 41 of the valve body 4, may also be applied to the second embodiment.

In addition, the first and second embodiments are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. Among the configurations described in the above embodiments, those other than those described as the first and fourth inventions in the "Means for solving the problem" are optional configurations and may be deleted or modified as appropriate.

B: container m: mouth L: liquid seasoning 1: synthetic resin cap 2: lid body 3: pouring tube 4: valve body 5: slit 6: upper lid 7: hinge 21: top plate 22: upper stage portion 23: lower stage portion 40: valve body group 44: filling 50: circular opening

Claims (6)

A lid body that is attached to the mouth of the container;
A pouring tube provided on the lid body;
A cantilevered flexible valve body is provided at the lower end of the pouring tube,
A slit exposed to the inside of the container is formed between the lower end of the pouring tube and the valve body,
One end and the other end of the slit face each other ,
A synthetic resin cap characterized in that the cantilevered portion of the valve body is padded downward . The synthetic resin cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the slit is arc-shaped. The synthetic resin cap according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the width of the slit is 0.25 times or more and less than 0.5 times the width of the cantilevered portion of the valve body. A lid body that is attached to the mouth of the container;
A pouring tube provided on the lid body;
A cantilevered flexible valve body group is provided at the lower end of the pouring tube,
The valve body group includes three or more valve bodies, and the three or more valve bodies are arranged in point symmetry with respect to the central axis of the pouring tube,
A slit is formed between adjacent valve bodies so as to be exposed to the inside of the container ,
A synthetic resin cap, characterized in that the cantilevered portion of the valve body is padded downward . The synthetic resin cap according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the width of the slit is less than the thickness of the valve body. 6. The synthetic resin cap according to claim 1, wherein the lid body, the pouring tube and the valve body are integrally formed.

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