JP7505876B2 - Hinge Cap - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hinge cap that is attached to a container and used, and in particular to a hinge cap that has an opening part that breaks a weakened part and moves to the top lid side when the lid is opened for the first time.

Conventionally, in a hinge cap consisting of a cap body that is attached to a container and a top lid that is connected to the cap body via a hinge, a removal portion formed by a pull ring or the like has been provided at the intended opening portion of the partition of the cap body in order to ensure the airtightness of the container.
However, in order to open the removal section, it is necessary to open the top lid and then pull up a pull ring or the like to remove the removal section, which is time-consuming and poses the problem that users with weak strength may have difficulty removing the bottle.

Therefore, if the removable portion as the intended opening portion is eliminated, problems with sealing will arise, such as the contents easily entering the hinge cap, so a hinge cap has been known in the past that omits the pull ring and engages an engagement wall erected at the intended opening portion with a hanging piece hanging from the top lid, and when the top lid is opened, the engagement wall is pulled up, breaking the weakened portion and opening the cap (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, in the hinge cap described in Patent Document 1, the top lid is molded in an open state, so it is necessary to close the lid using the hinge as a fulcrum and engage the engagement wall with the hanging piece. In this case, the hanging piece partially abuts against the engagement wall from an oblique direction, which places a local load on the weakened portion and may cause the weakened portion to break. Therefore, it is known that by making the lid portion consisting of the bottom wall and the top lid connected by the hinge, and the base portion having the separation piece separate, the load is evenly applied to the weakened portion when the separation piece is hooked onto the cylindrical wall of the top lid, preventing the weakened portion from breaking (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-338253 JP 2015-34012 A

However, the hinge cap described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that when the top cover is lifted to open the cap, the entire circumference of the engagement wall erected at the intended opening portion is pulled up, so a large force is required to initiate the breaking of the weakened portion. Furthermore, the hinge cap described in Patent Document 2 has the same problem as the hinge cap described in Patent Document 1, and also has the problem that the base with the separation piece must be molded separately from the lid.

The present invention aims to solve the above problems by providing a hinge cap that, when the top lid is lifted to open the hinge cap, concentrates stress on the side of the weakened portion opposite the hinge, encouraging the weakened portion to start breaking, and then allowing the weakened portion to continue to break, so that the opening portion can move from the cap body side to the top lid side.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a hinge cap comprising a cap body attached to the mouth of a container and an upper lid connected to the cap body via a hinge, the cap body comprising an attachment portion attached to the mouth of a container, a pouring tube erected inside the attachment portion, a partition wall connected to the inner circumference of the pouring tube, and an opening portion defined by a breakable weakened portion in the partition wall and serving as a planned opening portion, the opening portion comprising a bottom wall connected to the partition wall via the weakened portion, and a bottom wall opposite the hinge. The container has a generally cylindrical pull-up wall erected on the upper surface of the bottom wall on the side opposite the hinge, and the upper lid has a top wall, a side peripheral wall suspended from the peripheral portion of the top wall, a sealing tube suspended from the underside of the top wall to seal the pouring tube, and an engaging wall suspended inside the sealing tube to engage with the pull-up wall, and the pull-up wall has a protrusion formed on the side opposite the hinge that extends to near the weakened portion of the bottom wall, and a reinforcing rib is provided from the hinge side toward the upper surface of the bottom wall , from the upper end of the pull-up wall to near the weakened portion of the bottom wall on the hinge side .

As a specific embodiment of the hinge cap, a configuration is adopted in which the bottom wall of the opening portion is inclined so that the hinge side is higher than the opposite side to the hinge.

As a further specific embodiment of the hinge cap, a configuration is adopted in which a locking protrusion is provided on the upper surface of the pull-up wall, and the locking protrusion engages with the engagement wall of the top cover when the lid is closed, and a configuration is adopted in which the top cover has an engagement hole portion in its top wall that communicates with the inner surface of the engagement wall, and a locking portion is provided on the inner upper surface of the engagement wall to form the lower surface of the engagement hole portion, and when the lid is closed, the upper portion of the locking protrusion passes over the engagement wall and reaches the engagement hole portion, and the upper portion of the locking protrusion is prevented from coming off by melting and expands into the engagement hole portion, so that the locking protrusion engages with the locking portion of the engagement wall.

The hinge cap of the present invention concentrates stress on the weakened portion opposite the hinge when the top lid is lifted to open the hinge cap, thereby encouraging the weakened portion to begin breaking and continuing the breakage of the weakened portion, thereby making it easy to remove the bottle.
In addition, since it has a sealable partition, it ensures the same level of airtightness as when removing a cork with a pull ring, and can be used for containers that can be hot filled.

1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the hinge cap of the first embodiment is attached to a container and closed. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the hinge cap of the first embodiment in an open state immediately after production, in which FIG. FIG. 2(b) is an image diagram showing the action of stress when the hinge cap is opened in the main part of FIG. 2(a), where (a) is a stress action diagram when there is no reinforcing rib, and (b) is a stress action diagram in the first embodiment having a reinforcing rib. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the hinge cap of the second embodiment in an open state immediately after production, in which FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the hinge cap of the third embodiment in an open state immediately after its manufacture, in which FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the hinge cap of the fourth embodiment in an open state immediately after its manufacture, in which FIG. 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams showing the action of stress when the hinge cap is opened, in which (a) is a diagram showing the action of stress in the second embodiment in the main part of FIG. 4A, and (b) is a diagram showing the action of stress in the fourth embodiment in the main part of FIG. 6A.

The following description will be given with reference to the drawings showing an embodiment of the hinge cap of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, A is a container, B is a cap body, C is a hinge, and D is an upper lid attached to the cap body B via the hinge C so as to be able to open and close.
Container A has a mouth 1 at its upper portion, and a fitting protrusion 2 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of mouth 1.

The hinge cap of this embodiment is manufactured using linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) as the material, and low density polyethylene (LDPE) and medium density polyethylene (MDPE) derived from petroleum, plant or a mixture thereof can also be used.
In the case of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene, it becomes difficult to break the weakened portion.
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cap body B comprises an attachment portion 3 that is attached to the mouth portion 1 of the container A, a base wall 4 that extends inward from the upper end of the inner edge of the attachment portion 3, and a pouring tube 5 that is erected on the base wall 4.

The mounting portion 3 is composed of a ring-shaped lid engagement portion 7 having a locking protrusion 6 on its periphery for engaging with the upper lid D, an inner tube 8 extending vertically from the inner side of the lid engagement portion 7, and an outer peripheral wall portion 9 extending vertically from the outer side of the lid engagement portion 7.
The outer peripheral wall portion 9 is provided with an engaging protrusion 10 for engaging with the container A at the lower inner periphery.

As shown in FIG. 2, near either the left or right side of the hinge C of the outer peripheral wall portion 9, an outer peripheral cut portion 11 that is approximately V-shaped in a plan view is cut from above into the outer peripheral surface, leaving a thin bottom wall 12 at the lower end.
At a position corresponding to the outer peripheral cut 11 of the engaging projection 10, an inner peripheral cut (not shown) is cut vertically to form a vertical tear line.

On the hinge C side of the outer peripheral cut-out portion 11, a slit groove 13 is recessed from above so as to extend circumferentially from a position separated by a thin-walled portion at the upper part of the inner peripheral side of the end face 11a as its starting point, and in this embodiment, it extends over approximately 345° from the end face 11a as its starting point.
In addition, the starting point of the slit groove 13 adjacent to the vertical tear line is used as the tearing starting point, and a thin-walled connecting portion 15 that connects the outer wall portion 9 and the lid engagement portion 7 is provided on the inner side of the bottom surface 14 of the slit groove 13, so that the circumferential tear line is formed to extend in an arc shape, and can be torn up to the unbreakable connecting portion at the end point.

A partition 20 that seals the mouth 1 of the container A is provided inside the pouring tube 5, and the partition 20 is provided with an opening portion 22 defined by a breakable weakened portion 21 for opening the pouring outlet when in use.
The opening portion 22 has a bottom wall 23 connected to the partition wall 20 via a weakened portion 21, and a generally cylindrical pull-up wall 24 standing on the upper surface of the bottom wall 23 on the opposite side to the hinge C.
Furthermore, a triangular reinforcing rib 27 is provided on the hinge C side of the lifting wall 24 from its upper portion toward the upper surface of the bottom wall 23 .
The lifting wall 24 has a protrusion 24 a formed on the side opposite the hinge C, the protrusion 24 a extending to the vicinity of the weakened portion 21 of the bottom wall 23 .
With such a structure, when the top cover D is lifted, as shown in FIG. 3(b), stress is concentrated on the weakened portion 21 opposite the hinge C, making the weakened portion 21 more likely to break.

In this embodiment, a mountain-shaped locking projection 26 is provided on the upper surface of the lifting wall 24 via a step 25 so as to cover the lifting wall 24 .
The locking projection 26 has a mountain shape that is larger at the bottom and smaller toward the top, with the inclination becoming gentler at the top and the inclination on the side opposite the hinge C being gentler than that on the hinge C side.
The upper surface of the locking projection 26 is flat in this embodiment, but may be rounded.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the top cover D is rotatably attached to the upper outer end of the outer wall portion 9 of the cap body B via a hinge C, and has a top wall 30 and a side wall 31 extending vertically from the peripheral edge of the top wall 30.
The top wall 30 has a sealing tube 33 and an engagement wall 34 vertically extending from the underside thereof, on the inner side of the sealing tube 33 opposite the hinge C, and the sealing tube 33 is arranged so that its outer periphery abuts against the inner periphery of the pouring tube 5 of the cap body B.
The top wall 30 also has an engagement hole 35 formed therein, which communicates with the inner peripheral surface of the engagement wall 34 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the inner peripheral surface of the engagement wall 34 is inclined to match the lower outer peripheral surface of the locking projection 26, and the lower surface is adapted to abut or come close to the step 25 on the upper surface of the lifting wall 24 when the lid is closed.
Further, a locking portion 36 is provided on the upper surface of the inner periphery of the engagement wall 34, and the lower surface of the engagement hole portion 35 is formed thereon.
In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, when the lid is closed, the upper part of the locking protrusion 26 reaches the locking hole portion 35, and the upper part of the locking protrusion 26 is expanded so as to fill the locking hole portion 35 by a non-removal process such as melting, and the locking protrusion 26 is engaged with the locking portion 36 on the upper surface of the locking wall 34.

In this embodiment, a locking protrusion 26 is provided above the lifting wall 24, and an engagement hole 35 is provided in the top cover D. When the cover is closed, the upper part of the locking protrusion 26 is engaged with the engagement wall 34 by a non-slip treatment. However, any method of engaging the lifting wall 24 and the engagement wall 34 may be used, and the engagement hole 35 in the top cover D may not be provided.

The lower end of the side peripheral wall 31 is provided on the inner peripheral side with an engagement recess 38 which engages with the locking protrusion 6 of the lid engagement portion 7 of the cap body B.
An arc-shaped grip portion 39 extends in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the side wall 31 opposite the hinge C, and a finger hook portion 40 is provided on the lower surface of the center of the grip portion 39.

In addition, in order to prevent unauthorized opening before use, the hinge cap of this embodiment has a shrink label or sealing member, etc., provided between the cap body B and the top lid D, although this is not shown.

Next, the manner of use and the effects of this embodiment will be described.
The hinge cap of this embodiment can be manufactured as a single unit by injection molding using a mold.
The hinge cap of this embodiment manufactured by integral molding is obtained in an open state as shown in FIG. 2, and is brought into a closed state as shown in FIG. 1 by rotating the top cover D via the hinge C.
At this time, the locking protrusion 26 at the top of the pull-up wall 24 is small at the top and has a gentle slope on the side opposite the hinge C, so it easily enters into the engagement wall 34, with its upper portion reaching the engagement hole 35 and the outer periphery of the lower portion of the locking protrusion 26 fitting within the inner periphery of the engagement wall 34, and the lower surface of the engagement wall 34 abutting or coming into close proximity to the step 25 of the pull-up wall 24.

The sealing tube 33 comes into contact with the pouring tube 5 to form a seal, and the lid engaging portion 7 of the cap body B and the engaging recess 38 of the top lid D fit together to form the closed lid state shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, when the lid is closed, the upper part of the locking projection 26 is melted or otherwise processed to prevent it from coming off, and the locking projection 26 is engaged with the engagement wall 34 .
Next, the closed hinge cap is attached to the container A filled with the liquid content.

When the hinge cap of the present invention is used for the first time, the weakened portion 21 provided on the partition 20 of the cap body B is broken by opening the hinge cap, so that the cap can be removed.
First, when fingers are hooked on finger loop portion 40 of top lid D and handle portion 39 is lifted, bottom wall 23 opposite hinge C is lifted, causing weakened portion 21 opposite hinge C to begin to break. By further lifting top lid D, the breaking of weakened portion 21 progresses in the direction of hinge C, and finally the weakened portion 21 close to hinge C breaks, and cap opening portion 22 is removed from partition 20, forming an opening at cap opening portion 22, making it possible to pour out the liquid contents in container A.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a triangular reinforcing rib 27 is provided on the hinge C side of the lifting wall 24, so that stress is concentrated on the weakened portion 21 on the opposite side of the hinge C, making the weakened portion 21 more likely to break.
In this embodiment, a protrusion 24a is formed on the side of the pull-up wall 24 opposite the hinge C, so that stress tends to be concentrated on the weakened portion 21 on the side opposite the hinge C.

After using the liquid contents, the top lid D is closed again on the cap body B, forming a seal between the sealing tube 33 of the top lid D and the dispensing tube 5, and the lid engagement part 7 of the cap body B and the engagement recess 38 of the top lid D engage with each other, resealing the inside of the hinge cap, and the top lid D can be opened and closed repeatedly for use.

The hinge cap of this embodiment can be disposed of separately from the container A after all the liquid contained therein has been used.
In this case, when the hinge cap is opened and the top cover D is grasped with the fingers and pulled outward, the portion of the outer peripheral wall 9 connected to the hinge C is pulled and deformed, the vertical tear line is broken, and when the top cover D is pulled further, the thin-walled connecting portion 15 forming the circumferential tear line starts to break. As the breakage of the thin-walled connecting portion 15 progresses, the top cover D separates from the cap body B.
When the thin-walled connecting portion 15 is completely broken at the end of the slit groove 13 and the top cover D is further pulled, the engagement between the cap body B and the container A is released, and the hinge cap and the container A can be disposed of separately.

Next, a second embodiment in which the configuration of the opening portion 22 is changed will be described.
In the following, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the differences will be mainly described.
The same applies to third and fourth embodiments in which the configuration of the opening portion 22 is changed, which will be described later.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the bottom wall 43 of the opening portion 22 of the cap body B is inclined so that the hinge C side is higher, and the reinforcing rib 37 is provided from the upper end of the lifting wall 24 toward the bottom wall 43.

In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the bottom wall 43 of the opening portion 22 of the cap body B is higher on the hinge C side, but the reinforcing rib 47 is provided from slightly below the upper end of the lifting wall 24 on the hinge C side toward the bottom wall 43.

In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the bottom wall 43 of the opening portion 22 of the cap body B is higher on the hinge C side, and the reinforcing rib 57 is provided so as to be at its largest, extending from the upper end of the lifting wall 24 on the hinge C side to near the weakened portion 21 on the hinge C side of the bottom wall 43.

Next, the embodiments and effects of the second to fourth embodiments will be described.
In both cases, compared to the first embodiment, when the lid is first opened, the pulling force is concentrated on the weakened portion 21 on the opposite side to the hinge C, making it easier for the weakened portion 21 to break.
FIG. 7 shows the difference in stress concentration at the weakened portion 21 on the opposite side to the hinge C between the second and fourth embodiments.
The degree of stress concentration in the weakened portion 21 increases in the order of the first embodiment < the third embodiment < the second embodiment < the fourth embodiment, and this makes the weakened portion 21 easier to break.
The other configurations and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the hinge cap is attached to the container A by plugging, but it may be attached by screwing.
Further, the weakened portion 21 is made to have the same thin wall on both the side opposite the hinge C and the side opposite the hinge C, but the side opposite the hinge C may be made thinner so as to make it easier to break.

The hinge cap of the present invention can be molded as a single piece, and the weakened portion breaks easily when the cap is first opened, making it possible to remove the cap with little force.
In addition, since it has a partition that seals the mouth, it has excellent airtightness and can be hot filled, so it can be used in a wide range of applications as a hinge cap for containers that store liquids that require airtightness.

A Container B Cap body C Hinge D Top lid 1 Mouth 2 Fitting protrusion 3 Mounting portion 4 Base wall 5 Spout tube 6 Locking protrusion 7 Lid engagement portion 8 Inner tube 9 Outer peripheral wall portion 10 Engagement protrusion 11 Outer peripheral cut portion 11a End face 12 Thin bottom wall 13 Slit groove 14 Bottom surface 15 Thin connecting portion 20 Partition wall 21 Weakened portion 22 Opening portion 23, 43 Bottom wall 24 Pull-up wall 24a Projection portion 25 Step portion 26 Locking protrusion 27, 37, 47, 57 Reinforcing rib 30 Top wall 31 Side peripheral wall 33 Sealing tube 34 Engagement wall 35 Engagement hole portion 36 Locking portion 38 Engagement recess 39 Handle portion 40 Finger hook portion

Claims (4)

A hinge cap comprising a cap body attached to the mouth of a container and a top lid connected to the cap body via a hinge,
The cap body includes an attachment part to be attached to the mouth of the container, a pouring tube provided on the inside of the attachment part, a partition wall provided on the inner circumference of the pouring tube, and an opening part defined by a breakable weakened part in the partition wall and serving as an intended opening part;
the opening portion includes a bottom wall connected to the partition wall via the weakened portion, and a generally cylindrical pull-up wall provided on an upper surface of the bottom wall opposite the hinge;
The upper cover includes a top wall, a side peripheral wall extending vertically from the peripheral edge of the top wall, a sealing tube extending vertically from the underside of the top wall to seal the pouring tube, and an engagement wall extending vertically from the inside of the sealing tube to engage with the lifting wall.
The hinge cap is characterized in that the pull-up wall has a protrusion formed on the side opposite the hinge that extends to near the weakened portion of the bottom wall, and a reinforcing rib is provided from the hinge side toward the upper surface of the bottom wall , from the upper end of the pull-up wall to near the weakened portion of the bottom wall on the hinge side . 2. The hinge cap according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom wall of the opening portion is inclined so that the hinge side is higher than the opposite side to the hinge. 3. The hinge cap according to claim 1 , wherein an engaging projection is provided on an upper surface of the lifting wall, the engaging projection being engaged with an engaging wall of the upper cover when the cover is closed. The upper cover has an engagement hole in a top wall thereof that communicates with an inner peripheral surface of the engagement wall, and a lower surface of the engagement hole is formed by providing a locking portion on an upper surface of the inner peripheral side of the engagement wall;
A hinge cap as described in claim 3, characterized in that when the lid is closed, the upper part of the locking protrusion extends beyond the engagement wall and reaches the engagement hole portion, the upper part of the locking protrusion is prevented from coming out by melting , and expands into the engagement hole portion, and the locking protrusion engages with the locking portion of the engagement wall.

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