Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D41/00—Caps, e.g. crown caps or crown seals, i.e. members having parts arranged for engagement with the external periphery of a neck or wall defining a pouring opening or discharge aperture; Protective cap-like covers for closure members, e.g. decorative covers of metal foil or paper
  • B65D41/32—Caps or cap-like covers with lines of weakness, tearing-strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices, e.g. to facilitate formation of pouring openings

Definitions

• This disclosure relates to bottle caps.
• Patent Document 1 Technology relating to a bottle cap that fits onto the neck of a bottle has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
• Bottle caps are attached to the neck of a bottle, which has a dispensing outlet. When the liquid in the bottle is gone, the bottle cap is removed from the bottle for separate disposal. If the bottle cap is difficult to remove from the bottle, the removal process will require a lot of effort. It is particularly important that the cap can be removed easily, even by users with limited strength.
• one of the objectives of this disclosure is to provide a bottle cap that reduces the effort required for removal.
• the bottle cap according to the present disclosure is a bottle cap that fits onto the neck of a bottle.
• the bottle cap comprises a disk-shaped bottom wall portion with a pouring hole that penetrates through the thickness, a hollow cylindrical outer wall portion that extends from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion in the thickness direction of the bottom wall, and a hollow cylindrical inner wall portion that extends from the inner peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion with the pouring hole in the thickness direction of the bottom wall.
• the outer wall portion has a notch that penetrates radially to form a pull tab that can be pulled radially outward to tear the outer wall portion.
• a protrusion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the pull tab.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a bottle with a bottle cap attached in accordance with a first embodiment.
• FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the bottle cap according to the first embodiment.
• FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the bottle cap according to the first embodiment.
• FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the bottle cap shown in FIG.
• FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the bottle cap shown in FIG.
• FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a part of the bottle cap shown in FIG.
• FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the outer wall portion, including a region including the guide groove.
• the bottle cap according to the present disclosure is a bottle cap that fits onto the neck of a bottle.
• the bottle cap includes a disk-shaped bottom wall portion having a pouring hole penetrating through the thickness direction, a hollow cylindrical outer wall portion extending from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion, and a hollow cylindrical inner wall portion extending from the inner peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion having the pouring hole in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion.
• the outer wall portion has a notch penetrating through it in the radial direction to form a pull tab that can be pulled radially outward to tear the outer wall portion.
• a protrusion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the pull tab.
• the pull tab is pulled radially outward, tearing and cutting the bottle's outer wall, releasing it from its fitted state on the bottle.
• the bottle cap is then removed from the bottle's neck.
• the protrusions on the inner circumferential surface of the pull tab effectively transmit the tearing force to the pull tab, tearing the outer wall.
• the risk of their fingers slipping is greatly reduced, allowing for tearing with less force. This means that even users with weak strength can reliably pull the pull tab to tear the outer wall and remove the bottle cap from the bottle.
• a bottle cap with the above configuration reduces the effort required for removal.
• the protrusion may be strip-shaped when viewed from the inside diameter side and extend in the thickness direction of the bottom wall. This increases the area in the thickness direction of the bottom wall where the fingers can catch on the protrusion, more reliably preventing fingers from slipping and fully transmitting the tearing force. This more reliably reduces the effort required for removal.
• the protrusions may be arranged in a row with a circumferential gap between them. This increases the area in the circumferential direction where fingers can catch on the protrusions, more reliably preventing fingers from slipping and allowing the tearing force to be transmitted sufficiently. This more reliably reduces the effort required for removal.
• the notch may extend to the end of the outer wall portion in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion. This makes it easier to grasp the notch and the end of the outer wall portion and lift the pull tab. This makes it easier to make the removal process more efficient.
• the bottle cap may further include a hollow cylindrical middle wall portion disposed radially between the outer wall portion and the inner wall portion, extending from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion, into which the neck portion fits radially between the outer wall portion and the middle wall portion; and a protrusion portion that protrudes radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the outer wall portion and continues circumferentially.
• the length from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion to the protrusion portion may be longer than the length from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion to the terminal end of the middle wall portion. This allows the bottle neck to be properly fitted into the radial space between the outer wall portion and the middle wall portion.
• the length from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion to the protrusion portion is longer than the length from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion to the terminal end of the middle wall portion, the risk of interference between the bottle neck and the terminal end of the middle wall portion when removing the bottle cap is reduced. This facilitates smoother removal.
• the inner wall portion may be provided with an annular protruding portion that protrudes toward the inner diameter in a region including the terminal end.
• the inner peripheral surface of the outer wall may be provided with a guide groove that guides the tearing direction of the pull tab.
• the guide groove may be composed of a bottom surface and a pair of inclined surfaces that incline from the bottom surface so that the guide groove opens.
• the width of the bottom surface may be 0.2 mm or more and 0.4 mm or less.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a bottle to which a bottle cap according to the first embodiment is attached.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic perspective views of the bottle cap according to the first embodiment.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 are views of the bottle cap from different angles. Specifically, FIG. 2 is a view of the bottle cap from the outside, and FIG. 3 is a view from which the inside of the bottle cap can be seen.
• FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the bottle cap shown in FIG. 2.
• FIG. 4 is a view of the bottle cap shown in FIG. 2 as viewed in the direction indicated by arrow IV in FIG. 2.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a bottle to which a bottle cap according to the first embodiment is attached.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic perspective views of the bottle cap according to the first embodiment.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 are views of the bottle cap from different angles. Specifically, FIG. 2 is a view of the bottle cap from the outside, and FIG. 3 is a view from
• FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the bottle cap shown in FIG. 2.
• FIG. 5 is a view of the bottle cap shown in FIG. 2 as viewed in the direction indicated by arrow V in FIG. 2.
• FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of the bottle cap shown in FIG. 2.
• FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the cross section indicated by arrows VI-VI in FIG. 4. Note that in FIG. 1 and subsequent figures, the direction indicated by arrow Z is the thickness direction of a bottom wall portion 21a (described later), and the directions indicated by arrows X and Y are radial directions. The direction indicated by the arrow X and the direction indicated by the arrow Y are perpendicular to each other. Also, a cover 14a, which will be described later, is not shown in FIG.
• the bottle cap 11a in embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is made of resin.
• the bottle cap 11a is made of polyethylene, except for the cover 14a, which will be described later.
• the bottle cap 11a is attached by fitting it onto the neck 12a of the bottle 10a and used.
• the bottle 10a with the bottle cap 11a attached is set in a specified device, for example, with the side to which the bottle cap 11a is attached facing downwards.
• the liquid in the bottle 10a is then poured out in appropriate amounts from the spout 13a of the bottle cap 11a.
• a cover 14a is attached to the spout 13a of the bottle cap 11a to prevent liquid from leaking from the spout 13a before use.
• the bottle cap 11a includes a bottom wall portion 21a, an outer wall portion 22a, an inner wall portion 23a, and a middle wall portion 24a.
• the bottom wall portion 21a is disk-shaped.
• a pouring outlet 13a that penetrates the thickness direction is provided in the center of the bottom wall portion 21a. Liquid inside the bottle 10a is poured out from the pouring outlet 13a.
• the outer wall portion 22a is hollow and cylindrical.
• the outer wall portion 22a extends from the outer peripheral edge 25a of the bottom wall portion 21a in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the bottom wall portion 21a.
• the boundary between the bottom wall portion 21a and the outer wall portion 22a is configured to be continuous in an arc shape. In other words, the outer peripheral edge 25a is not pointed, but is rounded.
• the inner wall portion 23a is hollow and cylindrical.
• the inner wall portion 23a extends in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 21a from the inner peripheral edge 26a of the bottom wall portion 21a, where the spout 13a is provided.
• the height of the inner wall portion 23a i.e., the length L2 from the inner surface 27a located on the inner side of the bottom wall portion 21a to the terminal end 29a of the inner wall portion 23a, is shorter than the length L1 from the inner surface 27a to the terminal end 28a of the outer wall portion 22a.
• the boundary between the bottom wall portion 21a and the inner wall portion 23a is also configured to be continuous in an arc shape, similar to the boundary with the outer wall portion 22a. That is, the inner peripheral edge 26a is not sharp, but is rounded.
• the inner wall portion 23a has a protruding portion 31a.
• the protruding portion 31a protrudes toward the inner diameter in a region including the terminal end portion 29a of the inner wall portion 23a.
• the inner diameter of the inner wall portion 23a in the region where the protruding portion 31a is provided is smaller than the inner diameter of the inner wall portion 23a in the region where the protruding portion 31a is not provided.
• the protruding portion 31a is continuous in a ring shape.
• the middle wall portion 24a is disposed radially between the outer wall portion 22a and the inner wall portion 23a.
• the middle wall portion 24a extends from the inner surface 27a of the bottom wall portion 21a in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 21a.
• the height of the middle wall portion 24a i.e., the length L3 from the inner surface 27a to the terminal end 33a of the middle wall portion 24a, is shorter than the length L2 from the inner surface 27a to the terminal end 29a of the inner wall portion 23a.
• the neck portion 12a of the bottle 10a is fitted between the middle wall portion 24a and the outer wall portion 22a in the radial direction. In other words, the radial distance between the middle wall portion 24a and the outer wall portion 22a is long enough to fit the neck portion 12a of the bottle 10a.
• the bottle cap 11a includes a protrusion 34a.
• the protrusion 34a protrudes radially inward from an inner peripheral surface 35a of the outer wall portion 22a.
• the protrusion 34a is continuous in the circumferential direction.
• the protrusion 34a is not continuous in an annular shape, but is partially interrupted in the circumferential direction.
• a guide groove extending in the inclined direction, which will be described later, is provided in the region where the protrusion 34a is interrupted.
• the position of the protrusion 34a is as follows. That is, in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the bottom wall portion 21a, the length L4 from the inner surface 27a to the protrusion 34a is longer than the length L3 from the inner surface 27a to the terminal end 33a of the middle wall portion 24a.
• a notch 36a is provided in the outer wall portion 22a.
• the notch 36a penetrates radially.
• the notch 36a reaches the terminal end 28a of the outer wall portion 22a in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the bottom wall portion 21a.
• the notch 36a has a shape that includes a first region 37a extending in the Z direction from the terminal end 28a of the outer wall portion 22a, and a second region 38a extending circumferentially from the tip of the first region 37a.
• a pull tab 39a is formed in the outer wall portion 22a by the notch 36a.
• the pull tab 39a serves as a pull tab and is used to tear the outer wall portion 22a when removing the bottle cap 11a from the bottle 10a.
• a guide groove 41a is provided on the inner peripheral surface 35a of the outer wall portion 22a.
• the guide groove 41a guides the tearing direction at the pull tab portion 39a.
• Figure 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the outer wall portion, including the guide groove 41a.
• Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the cross section indicated by arrow VII-VII in Figure 6.
• Figure 7 corresponds to a cross section taken in the thickness direction of the outer wall portion 22a, including the guide groove 41a.
• the guide groove 41a is connected to the circumferential terminal end 42a of the second region 38a of the cutout 36a.
• the guide groove 41a extends circumferentially from the terminal end 42a of the second region 38a and then extends at an angle toward the bottom wall portion 21a.
• the guide groove 41a has an inclined region 43a that extends circumferentially at an angle relative to the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 21a.
• the guide groove 41a is arranged in the inclined region 43a so as to pass through an interrupted region in the circumferential direction of the protrusion 34a.
• the guide groove 41a is arranged so as to extend circumferentially after reaching the region between the protrusion 34a and the inner surface 27a in the Z direction.
• the guide groove 41a is composed of a bottom surface 44a and a pair of inclined surfaces 45a, 46a that incline from the bottom surface 44a so as to widen the opening of the guide groove 41a.
• the angle ⁇ 1 of the inclined surface 45a relative to the bottom surface 44a is different from the angle ⁇ 2 of the inclined surface 46a relative to the bottom surface 44a. Specifically, the angle ⁇ 1 of the inclined surface 45a relative to the bottom surface 44a is greater than the angle ⁇ 2 of the inclined surface 46a relative to the bottom surface 44a.
• the width W of the bottom surface 44a is 0.2 mm or more and 0.4 mm or less. In this embodiment, the width W of the bottom surface 44a is 0.3 mm.
• a protrusion 47a is provided on the inner peripheral surface 35a of the pull-handle portion 39a.
• the protrusion 47a is band-shaped when viewed from the inner diameter side and extends in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 21a. Multiple protrusions 47a are provided in a line spaced apart circumferentially. In this embodiment, there are four protrusions 47a.
• the protrusion 47a is provided in the center in the Z direction on the inner peripheral surface 35a of the pull-handle portion 39a, but does not reach the terminal end 28a of the outer wall portion 22a or the second region 38a of the cutout 36a.
• the pull tab 39a is pulled radially outward, tearing and cutting the outer wall 22a of the bottle 10a, releasing it from its fitted state on the bottle 10a.
• the bottle cap 11a is then removed from the neck 12a of the bottle 10a.
• the protrusion 47a on the inner surface 35a of the pull tab 39a effectively transmits the tearing force to the pull tab 39a, tearing the outer wall 22a.
• the risk of their fingers slipping is greatly reduced, allowing for a tear with less force. This allows even a user with weak strength to reliably pull the pull tab 39a to tear the outer wall 22a and remove the bottle cap 11a from the bottle 10a.
• the bottle cap 11a configured as described above can reduce the amount of effort required to remove it.
• the protrusion 47a is strip-shaped when viewed from the inner diameter side and extends in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 21a. This increases the area in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 21a where the fingers can catch on the protrusion 47a, more reliably preventing the fingers from slipping and fully transmitting the tearing force. This more reliably reduces the effort required during the removal process.
• multiple protrusions 47a are arranged in a circumferentially spaced arrangement. This increases the area in the circumferential direction where fingers can catch on the protrusions 47a, more reliably preventing finger slippage and allowing the tearing force to be transmitted sufficiently. This more reliably reduces the effort required for removal.
• the cutout 36a extends to the terminal end 28a of the outer wall portion 22a in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 21a. Therefore, it is easy to lift the pull handle 39a by grasping the cutout 36a and the terminal end 28a of the outer wall portion 22a. This makes it easy to improve the efficiency of the removal process.
• the bottle cap 11a is positioned radially between the outer wall portion 22a and the inner wall portion 23a, and includes a hollow cylindrical middle wall portion 24a that extends from the inner surface 27a of the bottom wall portion 21a in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 21a and into which the neck portion 12a is fitted radially between the bottom wall portion 21a and the outer wall portion 22a, and a protrusion portion 34a that protrudes radially inward from the inner circumferential surface 35a of the outer wall portion 22a and continues circumferentially.
• the length from the inner surface 27a of the bottom wall portion 21a to the protrusion portion 34a is longer than the length from the inner surface 27a of the bottom wall portion 21a to the terminal end portion 33a of the middle wall portion 24a. Therefore, the neck portion 12a of the bottle 10a can be properly fitted into the radial space between the outer wall portion 22a and the middle wall portion 24a.
• the length from the inner surface 27a of the bottom wall 21a to the protruding portion 34a is longer than the length from the inner surface 27a of the bottom wall 21a to the terminal end 33a of the middle wall 24a, the risk of interference between the neck 12a of the bottle 10a and the terminal end 33a of the middle wall 24a when removing the bottle cap 11a is reduced, facilitating a smoother removal process.
• the inner wall portion 23a is provided with an annular protruding portion 31a that protrudes toward the inner diameter in an area including the terminal end portion 29a. Therefore, when attaching the cover 14a that covers the spout 13a, the protruding portion 31a can be used to properly fit and attach the cover 14a. This allows for proper attachment of the cover 14a.
• the inner surface 35a of the outer wall portion 22a is provided with a guide groove 41a that guides the tearing direction of the pull tab 39a.
• the guide groove 41a is composed of a bottom surface 44a and a pair of inclined surfaces 45a, 46a that incline from the bottom surface 44a so that the guide groove 41a opens.
• the width of the bottom surface 44a is 0.2 mm or more and 0.4 mm or less. Therefore, when pulling the pull tab 39a to tear the outer wall portion 22a, stress is concentrated on the bottom surface 44a of the guide groove 41a, making it easier to tear with less force. This further reduces the effort required during the removal process.
• a plurality of protrusions are provided, but this is not limiting, and a single protrusion may be provided.
• the shape of the protrusion may be, for example, a lattice shape, a cone shape, or a pyramid shape, instead of a strip shape.
• the notch extends to the end of the outer wall portion, but this is not limited to this. As long as it is configured to form a pull tab, it may not extend to the end of the outer wall portion.

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