Container seal unit

Abstract

To provide a container seal unit excellent in mass productivity comparable to a container and including a resin cap capable of being given with a history of opening.SOLUTION: A container seal unit in the present invention includes a container mouth and a resin cap. The container mouth is provided with a TE-piece indicative of a history of opening, and the resin cap is provided with a to-be-engaged portion allowing part of the TE-piece to engage. The TE-piece has an engaging portion to engage the to-be-engaged portion and a weakened portion connected to the container mouth at an opposite end to the engaging portion. Below the TE-piece on the container mouth, a TE-piece movement-regulating portion is provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for sealing the mouth of a container, and more particularly to a resin cap or a sealing unit for a container made of synthetic resin. [Background technology]

[0002] Openable and closable containers such as PET bottles and spouted paper cartons are widely used as beverage containers for water, tea, soft drinks, etc. The caps used to seal the openings of these containers are, for example, resin caps formed into a desired shape by injection molding a resin.

[0003] Resin caps include those that are fitted onto the mouth of a container and those that screw onto a threaded portion formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical side wall of the mouth of the container. In recent years, pouches that can contain jelly-like foods and the like using a flexible sheet have also become widely used. The mouth of such pouches is formed by a spout that is heat-sealed to the container body, and a resin cap is used to open or close the mouth of the container.

[0004] On the other hand, resin caps are also required to have a history (tamper evident, TE) that indicates that they have been opened. An example of a resin cap with such tamper evident is a stopper-type cap in which a top cover that can be rotated via a hinge is connected by a hinge, as shown in Patent Document 1. The lid body disclosed in Patent Document 1 proposes that an engagement piece having a protrusion and a hook portion is attached to the upper end of the lid body via a separation portion that protrudes in the radial direction of the lid body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-128219 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the technologies including those described in the above patent documents still cannot be said to meet market needs, and at least the following problems exist. In other words, although it is true that the resin cap proposed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 makes it relatively easy to prove the history of opening, the engaging piece is not structured to accommodate large-scale production, making it difficult to mass-produce. In particular, when the cap and the container are made of a single material made of the same resin, it can be said that a resin cap that can be mass-produced to the same extent as the container is more preferable.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems as an example, and one of its objectives is to provide a sealing unit for a container that includes a resin cap that is as easy to mass-produce as the container and can provide an opening history. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention provides a container sealing unit comprising: (1) a resin container mouth portion; and a resin cap that can be opened and closed relative to the container mouth portion, wherein the container mouth portion is provided with a TE piece that indicates a history of opening, and the resin cap is provided with a locking portion that can lock a part of the TE piece, the TE piece having a locking portion that locks with the locking portion and a weakened portion that is connected to the container mouth portion at an end opposite to the locking portion, A TE piece movement regulating portion is provided below the TE piece, and when the container mouth is closed with the plastic cap, the movement of the TE piece, which is pushed down by the reaction of the locking portion coming into contact with the locked portion which moves following the plastic cap, can be regulated by the TE piece movement regulating portion, and when the plastic cap is opened from the container mouth, the weakened portion breaks while the locking portion is locked to the locked portion, and at least a part of the TE piece is separated from the container mouth.

[0009] Furthermore, in the sealing unit for a container described in (1) above, (2) it is preferable that the TE piece includes a strip-shaped member having an L-shaped cross section with a vertically extending portion and a horizontally extending portion, and that the locking portion is provided at the tip of the vertically extending portion and the weakened portion is provided at the tip of the horizontally extending portion.

[0010] Furthermore, in the container sealing unit described in (2) above, (3) the resin cap includes a top plate that closes the opening of the container mouth, a skirt wall that descends from the top plate and engages with the outer peripheral surface of the container mouth, and a flange portion provided on the outer edge of the top plate and having a TE piece insertion groove into which the locking portion can be inserted, and it is preferable that the locked portion is composed of an inclined bottom provided inside the TE piece insertion groove.

[0011] Furthermore, in the sealing unit for the container described in (3) above, (4) it is preferable that the inclined bottom extends from the outer wall of the TE piece insertion groove, and that the inner wall of the TE piece insertion groove is provided with a guide inclined surface that guides the locking portion above the inclined bottom when the locking portion is inserted.

[0012] Furthermore, in the sealing unit of the container described in (4) above, (5) it is preferable that when the insertion of the locking portion into the TE piece insertion groove is completed, the locking portion and the inclined bottom are not in contact with each other and a predetermined buffer space is provided.

[0013] Furthermore, in the container sealing unit described in (1) above, (6) it is preferable that the TE piece movement regulating portion protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the container mouth portion so as to be able to support at least the radially outer end of the TE piece.

[0014] Furthermore, in the container sealing unit described in (6) above, (7) it is preferable that the upper surface of the TE piece movement regulating portion with which the TE piece can come into contact is inclined downward from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the container mouth portion.

[0015] Furthermore, in the sealing unit of the container described in (1) above, (8) it is preferable that the resin cap has a first connecting portion provided on the outer edge of the top panel opposite the flange portion, and the container mouth portion has a second connecting portion provided on the opening edge through which the contents can be poured opposite the TE piece and the TE piece movement regulating portion and hinge-connectable to the first connecting portion.

[0016] Furthermore, in the container sealing unit described in (1) above, (9) it is preferable that the resin cap is hingedly connected to the container mouth on the side of the outer edge of the top panel opposite the flange portion.

[0017] In addition, in the container sealing unit described in any one of (1) to (9) above, (10) it is preferable that the container opening and the resin cap are made of the same resin.

[0018] In order to further solve the above-mentioned problems, a resin cap in one form of the present invention is a resin cap comprising a cap body attached to a container mouth portion and a top lid connected to the cap body and capable of being opened and closed relative to the cap body, wherein the cap body is provided with a TE piece that indicates a history of opening, and the top lid is provided with an engaging portion to which a portion of the TE piece can be engaged, the TE piece having an engaging portion that engages with the engaging portion and a weakened portion connected to the cap body at an end opposite to the engaging portion, a TE piece movement regulating portion is provided below the TE piece on the cap body, and when the cap body is closed with the top lid, the movement of the TE piece that is pushed down by the reaction of the engaging portion coming into contact with the engaging portion that moves following the top lid can be regulated by the TE piece movement regulating portion, and when the top lid is opened from the cap body, the weakened portion breaks while the engaging portion is engaged with the engaging portion, and at least a portion of the TE piece is detached from the container mouth portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a sealing unit for a container that simultaneously satisfies both excellent mass productivity and good opening history. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view schematically illustrating a sealing unit of the container according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an external side view of the sealing unit of the container according to the embodiment, disassembled into its components. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section AA in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of a portion α in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a detailed structure of a TE piece in the sealing unit of the container according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a top view of a container opening portion of a sealing unit of a container according to an embodiment, as viewed from above. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the resin cap of the present embodiment is attached to the mouth of a container and initial sealing is completed. FIG. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing modified examples of the TE piece movement restricting portion in the embodiment. [Figure 9] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating an assembly method for a sealing unit of a container according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the inclined bottom 13a. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] An embodiment for preferably carrying out the present invention will be described. For the sake of convenience, the X, Y, and Z directions are defined as appropriate in the following description, but it goes without saying that this does not restrict the scope of the present invention. Regarding matters other than the features of the present invention detailed below, the present invention may be implemented by appropriately referring to not only the caps disclosed in the above-mentioned patent documents, but also other known caps, resin bottles, and container opening structures including spouts.

[0022] [Container sealing unit 100] The container sealing unit 100 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 4. As can be seen from Figure 1, the container sealing unit 100 is composed of a resin cap 10 and a resin container mouth part 20. Of these, the container mouth part 20 functions as a pouring outlet for the container body that stores the contents.

[0023] In the following, a resin bottle will be described as an example of an application of the container mouth portion of the sealing unit 100, but the present invention is not limited to this form. That is, the container mouth portion 20 may be in the form of a spout that is fixed to the container body (such as a paper pack or a resin pouch), or may be in the form that is integrated with the container body such as a known bottle. In addition, the contents that can be stored in the container are not particularly limited as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the present invention, and may be various liquids such as beverages and medicinal liquids, or various solids such as medicine.

[0024] <Resin cap 10> 1 to 4, the resin cap 10 includes a top panel 11, a skirt wall 12, a TE piece insertion groove 13, a flange 14, and a first connecting portion 15. Various known resins such as olefin resin and polyester resin can be used as the material for the resin cap 10, but when the container opening 20 described below is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin, for example, the resin cap 10 is preferably made of the same type of PET resin. By making the resin cap 10 and the container opening 20 out of the same type of resin (such as PET resin), it is possible to reduce the complexity of separate collection.

[0025] Top plate 11 has the function of closing an opening that serves as a pouring outlet of container mouth 20, which will be described later, and its underside is provided with a known inner ring 16 that can seal the pouring outlet of container mouth 20 when the container is closed. As can be seen from Figure 1 and other figures, flange 14 and first connecting portion 15 are arranged on the periphery of top plate 11 so as to face each other across the center. As such, container sealing unit 100 in this embodiment has a hinge-type cap structure in which resin cap 10 pivots around first connecting portion 15 when a user lifts flange 14 with their fingers or the like.

[0026] The skirt wall 12 is provided near the peripheral edge of the top plate 11 so as to descend from the top plate 11. The skirt wall 12 has an engagement protrusion 17 on its inner peripheral surface, which engages with an opening edge 24 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the container opening 20 when the container is closed. The engagement protrusion 17 may be a single one on the inner peripheral surface of the skirt wall 12, or multiple engagement protrusions may be provided discontinuously at predetermined intervals. Furthermore, the engagement protrusion 17 may be a continuous annular protrusion in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the skirt wall 12, as long as it does not impede the openability of the container.

[0027] The TE piece insertion groove 13 functions as an engaged portion that can engage with a portion of a TE piece 30 described later. The TE piece insertion groove 13 is provided in the top panel 11 so that an engaging portion 31 of the TE piece 30 described later can be inserted into the TE piece insertion groove 13. More specifically, in this embodiment, the TE piece insertion groove 13 is provided on the top panel 11 radially outer side of the pouring outlet of the container opening 20, as shown in FIG.

[0028] FIG. 4 shows the detailed structure of the TE piece insertion groove 13. The TE piece insertion groove 13 includes an inclined bottom 13a, an outer wall 13b, an inner wall 13c, a guide inclined surface 13d, a guide end surface 13e, and a locking portion insertion hole 13f. As can be seen from the figure, the TE piece insertion groove 13 is surrounded by the outer wall 13b and the inner wall 13c and is a through hole that penetrates the top panel 11 from top to bottom. The inclined bottom 13a and the guide inclined surface 13d are disposed within the space surrounded by the outer wall 13b and the inner wall 13c, and a portion of the TE piece 30 can be inserted through the locking portion insertion hole 13f.

[0029] 4, the TE piece insertion groove 13 in this embodiment is shaped so that it is open on the upper surface side of the top panel 11 as well, from the perspective of the mold used in injection molding, but when applying a known 3D modeling technology such as a 3D printer, the opening on the upper surface side is not necessarily required and may be omitted as appropriate. In other words, the TE piece insertion groove 13 may have any shape so that a part of the TE piece 30 is inserted through the locking portion insertion hole 13f at the time of initial sealing, and that part of this TE piece 30 is locked within the TE piece insertion groove 13 at the time of initial opening.

[0030] As described above, the inclined bottom 13a is provided inside the TE piece insertion groove 13. This inclined bottom 13a functions as a latching portion that can latch a part of the TE piece 30 (latching portion 31) when the cap is opened (initial opening). As shown in Fig. 4, the inclined bottom 13a of this embodiment extends from the outer wall 13b of the TE piece insertion groove 13 in an upward slope toward the inside of the groove so as to form a hook shape for latching the latching portion 31. 4, the inclined bottom 13a in this embodiment is inclined so that its cross section is linear from the outer wall 13b toward the inside of the groove, but the inclined bottom 13a of the present invention is not limited to this form. That is, the inclined bottom 13a may be inclined so that its cross section is arc-shaped (concave downward) from the outer wall 13b toward the inside of the groove, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, so that surface contact is possible in accordance with the bottom surface shape of the locking portion 31.

[0031] The guide inclined surface 13d is disposed on the upper side of the inner wall 13c (on the upper surface side of the top panel 11) of the TE piece insertion groove 13. As will be described later, the guide inclined surface 13d has a function of guiding the locking portion 31 of the TE piece 30 to move above the inclined bottom 13a when the locking portion 31 is inserted through the locking portion insertion hole 13f. 4 and other figures, the guide end surface 13e is disposed opposite the inner wall 13c and has a curved surface that can guide the locking portion 31 of the TE piece 30 so that it can be introduced into the locking portion insertion hole 13f. Such guide end surface 13e, together with the inner wall 13c, forms the locking portion insertion hole 13f and is provided so as to be located below the inclined bottom 13a. Note that while the guide end surface 13e has the curved surface described above in this embodiment, it may have a structure other than a curved surface, such as an inclined plane, as long as it can guide the locking portion 31.

[0032] The flange 14 is provided on the top panel 11 on the opposite side to the first connecting portion 15. The flange 14 of this embodiment is formed with the TE piece insertion groove 13. As described above, the resin cap 10 of this embodiment is hingedly connected to the container opening 20 on the outer edge of the top panel 11 on the opposite side to the flange 14, so that the user can turn the resin cap 10 via the flange 14 to open the container opening 20.

[0033] The first connecting portion 15 is provided on the outer edge of the top panel 11 opposite the flange portion 14 and is configured to be hingedly connected to the second connecting portion 22 of the container opening 20 (described later). That is, the first connecting portion 15 and the second connecting portion 22 of this embodiment are separable from each other and can be connected to form a hinge mechanism during initial sealing (described later). In this embodiment, the hinge mechanism is configured using the separate first connecting portion 15 (e.g., a shaft) and second connecting portion 22 (e.g., a bearing). However, if the resin cap 10 and the container opening 20 are made of the same resin, the first connecting portion 15 and the second connecting portion 22 may be injection-molded as a single unit in advance. From this perspective, it is preferable that the resin cap 10 and the container opening 20 are made of the same resin (e.g., PET resin).

[0034] <Container opening 20> Next, the detailed structure of the container opening 20 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 as appropriate. The container mouth 20 is configured to have the function of pouring the contents from a container that contains liquid or solid contents, such as beverages or liquid medicines. Examples of such container mouth 20 include a resin bottle or a spout, and when the container mouth 20 is a spout, various known methods such as adhesion or welding may be used to fix it to the container body.

[0035] More specifically, the container mouth 20 has a function of dispensing the contents stored in the container body, and can be fixed to the above-mentioned container body (for example, a pouch or a paper pack) by known means such as welding. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the container mouth 20 of this embodiment is configured to include a tubular portion 21, a second connecting portion 22, a support ring 23, an opening edge 24, a TE piece 30, and a TE piece movement restricting portion 40.

[0036] The tubular portion 21 is a hollow tubular (e.g., cylindrical) portion through which the contents flow. An opening edge 24 is provided at the top of the tubular portion 21, through which the contents can be poured and through which the engaging protrusion 17 of the resin cap 10 can be engaged. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the outer diameter of the opening edge 24 may be set larger than the outer diameter of the tubular portion 21.

[0037] The second connecting portion 22 is provided on the opening edge 24 through which the contents can be poured, on the side opposite to the TE piece 30 and the TE piece movement restricting portion 40, which will be described later. The second connecting portion 22 is configured to be hingedly connected to the above-mentioned first connecting portion 15. As can be seen from Figures 2 and 3, for example, such second connecting portion 22 can be exemplified by a structure having a recess or hole into which the spherical protrusion serving as the first connecting portion 15 can be fitted.

[0038] The support ring 23 is a ring-shaped part that protrudes radially outward from the cylindrical part 21 below the TE piece 30 and the TE piece movement restricting part 40. As an example, when the container mouth part 20 includes the support ring 23, transfer and the like can be easily performed through a jig or the like in the manufacturing process of the container mouth part or the filling process of the content. Note that the support ring 23 may be omitted as appropriate.

[0039] <TE piece and TE piece movement restricting part> Next, while referring to FIGS. 3 to 6 and the like, the structure and function of the TE piece 30 and the TE piece movement restricting part 40 in the present embodiment will be described. As understood from these figures, a TE piece 30 indicating an opening history is provided in the container mouth part 20 in the present embodiment. More specifically, the TE piece 30 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical part 21 of the container mouth part 20 on the side opposite to the above-described second coupling part 22. Thereby, when the container mouth part 20 is sealed with the resin cap 10, the TE piece insertion groove 13 of the resin cap 10 is positioned above the TE piece 30.

[0040] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the TE piece 30 of the present embodiment includes a strip-shaped member 35 having an L-shaped cross section including a longitudinally extending part 33 and a laterally extending part 34. A locking part 31 is provided at the tip of the longitudinally extending part 33 of the TE piece 30, and a weakened part 32 is provided at the tip of the laterally extending part 34, respectively.

[0041] The locking part 31 is configured to have a function of locking with the locked part of the above-described resin cap 10 (specifically, the inclined bottom 13a of the TE piece insertion groove 13). The locking part 31 of the present embodiment has the tip of the longitudinally extending part 33 folded back into a hook shape. Thereby, at the time of opening the plug, the locking part 31 can be more reliably hooked on the inclined bottom 13a of the TE piece insertion groove 13 that pivots upward through the above-described hinge coupling part.

[0042] 2 and other figures, the weakened portion 32 is formed by a strip-shaped member 35 having an L-shaped cross section, and is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 21 at the end opposite to the locking portion 31. The weakened portion 32 is configured to be breakable in association with the above-mentioned pivoting movement of the resin cap 10 when the resin cap 10 is initially opened. As an example, the cross-sectional area of the weakened portion 32 is set smaller than the cross-sectional area of the laterally extending portion 34.

[0043] In this way, the weakened portion 32 is a weakened portion that breaks preferentially when subjected to tensile stress during opening. In this embodiment, the laterally extending portion 34 and the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 21 are connected via the breakable weakened portion 32 with a reduced cross-sectional area, but this is not limited to this. For example, a breakable bridge may be formed between the laterally extending portion 34 and the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 21 by using a plurality of intermittent weakened portions 32.

[0044] The TE piece movement restricting portion 40 is provided below the TE piece 30 in the container mouth 20. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the TE piece movement restricting portion 40 of this embodiment protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 21 of the container mouth 20 so as to be able to support at least the radially outer end of the TE piece 30 (more specifically, the portion corresponding to the intersection of the vertically extending portion 33 and the horizontally extending portion 34).

[0045] The upper surface 40u of the TE piece movement restricting portion 40, with which the TE piece 30 can come into contact, may or may not be substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the opposing laterally extending portion 34. As an example, the upper surface 40u of the TE piece movement restricting portion 40, with which the TE piece 30 can come into contact, is preferably inclined downward from the outside toward the inside in the radial direction of the container mouth 20, as shown in Fig. 8. This makes it possible to prevent the TE piece movement restricting portion 40 from being pushed by the TE piece 30 and being deformed when restricting the movement of the TE piece 30, as will be described later.

[0046] With the TE piece 30, TE piece movement regulating portion 40, and TE piece insertion groove 13 of this embodiment configured as described above, when the container mouth portion 20 is closed (initial sealing) with the plastic cap 10, the movement of the TE piece 30, which is pushed down by the reaction of the locking portion 31 coming into contact with the locking portion (in this case, the guide inclined surface 13d of the TE piece insertion groove 13) which moves in conjunction with the plastic cap 10, can be regulated by the TE piece movement regulating portion 40.

[0047] Furthermore, according to the TE piece 30, TE piece movement restricting portion 40, and TE piece insertion groove 13 of this embodiment, when the resin cap 10 is opened (initial opening) from the container mouth 20, the weakened portion 32 breaks while the locking portion 31 is locked to the locked portion (in this case, the inclined bottom 13a of the TE piece insertion groove 13), and at least a part of the TE piece 30 is separated from the container mouth 20. As will be described later, when the insertion of the locking portion 31 into the TE piece insertion groove 13 is completed, it is preferable that the locking portion 31 and the inclined bottom 13a are not in contact with each other and a predetermined buffer space BS (see Figures 7 and 8) is provided.

[0048] The container sealing unit 100 of this embodiment has a relatively simple structure including the locking portion 31 and the weakened portion 32 as described above, and a simple TE piece insertion groove 13 capable of locking a portion of the TE piece 30, thereby achieving excellent mass productivity. Furthermore, the container sealing unit 100 of this embodiment is provided with a TE piece movement restricting portion 40 that can prevent unintentional rupture of the TE piece 30 during initial sealing, thereby simultaneously achieving stable opening history while maintaining excellent mass productivity. Note that the container sealing unit 100 of this embodiment includes one set of a pair of TE pieces 30 and a TE piece movement restricting portion 40, but multiple sets may be provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the container opening 20, for example, or multiple TE pieces 30 may be provided at the container opening 20 within one set, or multiple TE piece movement restricting portions 40 may be provided for one TE piece 30.

[0049] <How to set a plastic cap onto the mouth of a container (initial sealing)> 9(a) to 9(c), a setting method using the container sealing unit 100 of this embodiment will be described. More specifically, the procedure for initially sealing the container mouth 20 of this embodiment with the resin cap 10 will be described.

[0050] First, as shown in Figure 9(a), in order to close the opening edge 24 of the container mouth 20, the resin cap 10 is positioned above the container mouth 20. At this time, the first connecting portion 15 is positioned above the second connecting portion 22 of the container mouth 20, and the TE piece insertion groove 13 is positioned above the TE piece 30. Note that if the container mouth 20 is a spout, for example, a known welding portion (not shown) on the spout may be welded to the container body (such as a pouch or paper pack) after this initial sealing is completed.

[0051] After positioning the resin cap 10 above the container opening 20, as shown in Figure 9(b), the resin cap 10 is lowered relative to the container opening 20 and the first connecting portion 15 is fitted into the second connecting portion 22. This forms a hinge mechanism consisting of the first connecting portion 15 and the second connecting portion 22. At this time, as the resin cap 10 is fitted into the container opening 20, the locking portion 31 of the TE piece 30 is inserted into the locking portion insertion hole 13f of the TE piece insertion groove 13. Next, during the above-mentioned insertion process, the locking portion 31 of the TE piece 30 follows the guide inclined surface 13d of the TE piece insertion groove 13 and is positioned up to just above the inclined bottom 13a.

[0052] 9(b), in the process of inserting the locking portion 31 into the TE piece insertion groove 13, the locking portion 31 comes into contact with the guide end surface 13e, the guide inclined surface 13d, etc., and is pushed downward by the reaction force as it slides within the TE piece insertion groove 13. At this time, in the container sealing unit 100 of this embodiment, the TE piece movement restricting portion 40 is provided below the TE piece 30, and therefore the movement of the TE piece 30 pushed down by the reaction force is restricted by the TE piece movement restricting portion 40. This makes it possible to prevent the weakened portion 32 of the TE piece 30 pushed down by the reaction force from being unintentionally broken.

[0053] Next, as shown in Figure 9(c), once the resin cap 10 (specifically, the engaging protrusion 17) has been fitted to the container mouth 20 (specifically, the opening edge 24), the TE piece 30 (specifically, a part of the vertically extending portion 33 including the locking portion 31) is completely inserted into the TE piece insertion groove 13, and the opening edge 24 is sealed by the inner ring 16. At this point, as is clear from the figure, the locking portion 31 and the inclined bottom 13a are not in contact, and the buffer space BS described above is present. By going through the above steps, the setting (initial sealing) of the resin cap to the container mouth is completed.

[0054] <Initial opening method of a plastic cap on the mouth of a container> 9(d) to 9(e), a method for initially opening the sealing unit 100 of the container in this embodiment will be described. When a user desires to use the contents of the container after the initial sealing of the resin cap 10 to the container mouth 20 is completed, the TE piece 30 is broken to perform the initial opening of the resin cap 10.

[0055] 9(d), the user lifts the flange 14 with a finger or the like, thereby rotating the resin cap 10 via the hinge joint. At this time, the guide inclined surface 13d acts to position the locking portion 31 of the TE piece 30 directly above the inclined bottom 13a, so that during the lifting operation, the inclined bottom 13a (the locked portion) moves within the buffer space BS and locks with the locking portion 31. When the user further lifts the flange 14 in this state, the weakened portion 32 breaks with the locking portion 31 locked to the inclined bottom 13a (the locked portion).

[0056] 9(e), when the rotation of the plastic cap 10 during opening is completed, the contents can be poured out through the opening edge 24 of the container mouth 20, and at least a portion of the TE piece 30 (the TE piece 30 beyond the weakened portion 32) is separated from the container mouth 20 and attached to the plastic cap 10. As a result of a portion of the TE piece 30 remaining in the TE piece insertion groove 13 of the plastic cap 10, a history of opening (tamper evident) remains in the sealing unit 100 of the container. By going through the above steps, the initial opening of the plastic cap from the container mouth is completed.

[0057] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0058] <Modification> In the container sealing unit 100 of the above-described embodiment, the TE piece insertion groove 13 is formed in the resin cap 10, and the TE piece 30, at least a portion of which is inserted into this TE piece insertion groove 13, is formed in the container mouth portion 20. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is not necessarily required that the TE piece 30 be formed in the container mouth portion 20.

[0059] That is, the TE piece insertion groove 13 and TE piece 30 of the present invention may also be applied to a hinge cap (resin cap) in which a cap body and an upper lid are hingedly connected, as exemplified in JP 2023-077797 A. In this case, the cap body is attached to the container mouth of a known bottle by screwing or stoppering, and the upper lid is hingedly connected to the cap body attached to the container mouth to close and open the spout.

[0060] For such a hinge cap, for example, the above-mentioned TE piece insertion groove 13 can be provided in the top lid, and the above-mentioned TE piece 30 can be provided in the cap body. That is, the resin cap according to the modified example is a resin cap including a cap body that is attached to the mouth of a container and a top lid that is connected to the cap body and can be opened and closed relative to the cap body, and the cap body is provided with a TE piece that indicates the opening history, and the top lid is provided with a locking portion to which a part of the TE piece can be locked. The TE piece provided on the cap body has a locking portion that locks with the locking portion provided on the top lid, and a weakened portion that is connected to the cap body at the end opposite to the locking portion.

[0061] Furthermore, a TE piece movement restricting portion is provided below the TE piece on the cap body, as in the above-described embodiment. This allows the TE piece movement restricting portion to restrict the movement of the TE piece, which is pushed down by the reaction force of the locking portion coming into contact with the locked portion (such as the guide inclined surface 13d), which moves in conjunction with the top lid descending to the cap body during initial sealing. On the other hand, when the top lid is opened from the cap body (initial opening), the weakened portion breaks while the locking portion is locked with the locked portion, and at least a portion of the TE piece is separated from the container opening. [Industrial Applicability]

[0062] The present invention is suitable for realizing a one-piece cap structure with an opening history band that can be attached to a container body for storing beverages, food, etc. and that has significantly improved visibility of the opening history. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 100 Container sealing unit 10 Resin cap 20 Container opening 30 TE pieces 40 TE piece movement restriction part

Claims

1. A sealing unit for a container comprising a resin container mouth and a resin cap that can be opened and closed relative to the container mouth, a TE piece that indicates the opening history of the container is provided at the opening of the container, and a latching portion that can latch a part of the TE piece is provided at the resin cap; the TE piece has a locking portion that locks with the locked portion and a weakened portion that is connected to the container opening at an end opposite to the locking portion, a TE piece movement regulating portion is provided below the TE piece at the container mouth portion, When the container opening is closed with the resin cap, the movement of the TE piece, which is pushed down by the reaction of the engaging portion coming into contact with the engaged portion that moves following the resin cap, can be restricted by the TE piece movement restricting portion, and When the resin cap is opened from the container opening, the weakened portion breaks while the locking portion is locked to the locked portion, and at least a portion of the TE piece is separated from the container opening. A sealing unit for a container.

2. The TE piece includes a strip-shaped member having an L-shaped cross section and including a vertically extending portion and a horizontally extending portion, The container sealing unit according to claim 1 , wherein the locking portion is provided at a tip of the longitudinally extending portion, and the weakened portion is provided at a tip of the horizontally extending portion.

3. The resin cap is a top plate that closes the opening of the container mouth; a skirt wall that descends from the top plate and engages with the outer peripheral surface of the container opening; a flange portion provided on an outer edge of the top panel and having a TE piece insertion groove into which the locking portion can be inserted, The container sealing unit according to claim 2 , wherein the locked portion is configured as a slanted bottom provided inside the TE piece insertion groove.

4. The container sealing unit of claim 3, wherein the inclined bottom extends from the outer wall of the TE piece insertion groove, and the inner wall of the TE piece insertion groove is provided with a guide inclined surface that guides the locking portion above the inclined bottom when the locking portion is inserted.

5. The container sealing unit according to claim 4, wherein when the insertion of the locking portion into the TE piece insertion groove is completed, the locking portion and the inclined bottom are not in contact with each other and a predetermined buffer space is provided.

6. The sealing unit of a container as described in claim 1, wherein the TE piece movement regulating portion protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the container mouth portion so as to be able to support at least the radial outer end of the TE piece.

7. 7. The container sealing unit according to claim 6, wherein an upper surface of the TE piece movement restricting portion that can come into contact with the TE piece is inclined downward from the outside toward the inside in the radial direction of the container opening.

8. the resin cap includes a first coupling portion provided on the outer edge of the top panel on the opposite side to the flange portion, The container mouth portion is provided with a second connecting portion that is provided on the opposite side of the opening edge through which the contents can be poured from the TE piece and the TE piece movement regulating portion and that can be hingedly connected to the first connecting portion.

9. The sealing unit for a container according to claim 1 , wherein the resin cap is hingedly connected to the container opening at a portion of the outer edge of the top plate opposite to the flange.

10. The container sealing unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the container mouth and the resin cap are made of the same resin.

11. A resin cap including a cap body attached to a container opening and a top lid connected to the cap body and openable and closable relative to the cap body, The cap body is provided with a TE piece that indicates the opening history, and the top cover is provided with a locking portion to which a part of the TE piece can be locked, the TE piece has a locking portion that locks with the locked portion and a weakened portion that is connected to the cap body at an end opposite to the locking portion, a TE piece movement restricting portion is provided below the TE piece in the cap body, When the cap body is closed with the upper lid, the movement of the TE piece, which is pushed down by the reaction of the engaging portion coming into contact with the engaged portion that moves following the upper lid, can be restricted by the TE piece movement restricting portion, and A resin cap characterized in that when the top lid is opened from the cap body, the weakened portion breaks while the engaging portion is engaged with the engaging portion, and at least a portion of the TE piece is detached from the container mouth portion.

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