Cap

Abstract

To provide a cap which can hold a lid at a predetermined angle when opening the cap, and in which abrasion powder is hardly generated when opening / closing the lid.SOLUTION: A cap 1 includes a lid 6 connected to a cap body 4 via a hinge 5. At the cap body 4, a pour-out cylinder 16 is provided for pouring out a content in a container 2. The lid 6 is rotatable in the opening / closing direction for opening / closing the pour-out cylinder 16 around the hinge 5. A seal cylinder 43 inserted in the pour-out cylinder 16 in a cap-closed state and coming into contact with an inner periphery of the pour-out cylinder 16 is provided at the lid 6. At a place which is at an opening end part of the pour-out cylinder 16 and close to the hinge 5, a locking piece 53 is provided which can oscillate in the opening / closing direction of the lid 6. At a place which is at an outer periphery of the seal cylinder 43 and close to the hinge 5, a plurality of engagement parts 57-60 is provided. By the locking piece 53 being engaged with any one of the engagement parts 57-60 in a cap-opened state, the lid 6 is held at a predetermined angle γ with respect to the cap body 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hinged cap. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, this type of cap has been a hinge cap consisting of a cap body that is attached to the mouth of a container body and an upper lid that is connected to the cap body via a hinge, as described in the following patent document.

[0003] The cap body consists of a pouring tube having a lip portion that expands outward toward the tip and forms an outlet for the liquid contents, and an engaging tube portion that is connected to the pouring tube at the inner peripheral edge of the upper wall and engages with the mouth of the container body.

[0004] The top lid is provided with a sealing tube that abuts against the inner surface of the pouring tube to seal the inside of the container when the cap is closed. A tongue is provided at the bottom end of the sealing tube, within a predetermined circumferential range on the hinge side, that slides against the lip of the pouring tube when the cap is opened.

[0005] The tongue forms a curved outer peripheral surface with an arch-shaped cross section that corresponds to the inner peripheral surface of the lip portion of the pouring tube. A friction locking portion that locks the top lid at any opening angle is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tongue and the inner peripheral surface of the lip portion of the pouring tube. Each friction locking portion has a large number of projections and recesses. When opening or closing the top lid, the outer peripheral surface of the tongue slides over the inner peripheral surface of the lip portion in the opening and closing direction while rubbing against the inner peripheral surface of the lip portion. With this, when the top cover is opened, the concave and convex portions of the frictional locking portion of the tongue and the concave and convex portions of the frictional locking portion of the lip engage with each other, thereby keeping the top cover at a desired opening angle. do. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6157261 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in the conventional type described above, when the top cover is opened or closed, the unevenness of the friction locking portion of the tongue slides against the unevenness of the friction locking portion of the lip, which causes a problem in that the unevenness of the friction locking portion of the tongue and the unevenness of the friction locking portion of the lip are prone to wear, and wear powder is easily generated. An object of the present invention is to provide a cap that can hold the lid at a predetermined angle when opened and that is less likely to produce wear powder when the lid is opened and closed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the first invention provides a cap having a cap body attached to a container and a lid connected to the cap body via a hinge, The cap body is provided with a dispensing tube for dispensing the contents of the container, The lid is rotatable about the hinge in an opening / closing direction to open and close the pouring tube, The lid is provided with a sealing tube that is inserted into the pouring tube and contacts the inner periphery of the pouring tube in the closed state; A locking piece is provided at the open end of the pouring tube and near the hinge, and is swingable in the opening and closing direction of the lid. A plurality of engagement portions are provided on the outer periphery of the seal tube and in a position close to the hinge, In the open state, the locking piece engages with the engaging portion, thereby holding the lid at a predetermined angle relative to the cap body.

[0009] With this, when the lid is opened or closed, the outer periphery of the sealing cylinder comes into contact with the locking piece, and the locking piece swings in the direction in which the lid is opened or closed, thereby suppressing the generation of wear powder. When the lid is opened to the desired angle, the locking piece on the pouring tube engages with the engaging part on the sealing tube, holding the lid at a predetermined angle relative to the cap body. This allows the lid to be kept open at any desired angle, and the contents of the container can be poured out from the open end of the pouring tube. When the lid is closed, the sealing tube is inserted into the pouring tube and comes into contact with the inner periphery of the pouring tube, thereby closing the pouring tube with the lid and sealing the gap between the pouring tube and the lid with the sealing tube.

[0010] In the cap according to the second aspect of the present invention, the wall thickness of the base portion of the locking piece is formed to be thin. This weakens the base of the locking piece, making it easier for the locking piece to swing in the direction of opening and closing the lid when the lid is opened or closed and the outer periphery of the sealing tube comes into contact with the locking piece.

[0011] In the cap according to the third aspect of the present invention, the sealing cylinder has a sealing surface on its outer periphery that contacts the inner periphery of the pouring cylinder, The engaging portion is an engaging protrusion that protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the sealing cylinder, The tip of the engaging projection is recessed radially inward from the seal surface.

[0012] With this, when the lid is opened to a desired angle, the locking piece of the pouring tube engages with the engaging protrusion of the sealing tube, thereby holding the lid at a predetermined angle relative to the cap body. When the lid is closed, the sealing tube is inserted into the dispensing tube and the sealing surface of the sealing tube comes into contact with the inner periphery of the dispensing tube, whereby the dispensing tube is closed by the lid and the gap between the dispensing tube and the lid is sealed by the sealing tube.

[0013] At this time, the tip of the engaging protrusion is set back radially inward from the seal surface, so it does not come into contact with the inner periphery of the dispensing tube and is slightly spaced from the inner periphery of the dispensing tube. As a result, when opening and closing the lid, the engaging protrusion does not come into sliding contact with the inner periphery of the dispensing tube, and the generation of wear powder is suppressed.

[0014] In the cap according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the engaging portion is an engaging protrusion that protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the sealing tube, The engagement projection has a mountain-shaped cross section and includes a first inclined surface facing the opening direction and a second inclined surface facing the closing direction, The inclination angle of the first inclined surface relative to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical seal is greater than the inclination angle of the second inclined surface relative to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical seal.

[0015] When the lid is opened to a desired angle, the locking piece of the pouring tube engages with the first inclined surface of the engagement protrusion of the sealing tube, thereby holding the lid at a predetermined angle relative to the cap body. At this time, because the inclination angle of the first inclined surface is greater than the inclination angle of the second inclined surface, the locking piece firmly engages with the engagement protrusion, thereby reliably holding the lid at a predetermined angle relative to the cap body.

[0016] Furthermore, when the lid is closed, the locking piece of the pouring tube slides against the second inclined surface of the engaging protrusion of the sealing tube while the lid rotates in the closing direction. At this time, because the inclination angle of the second inclined surface is smaller than the inclination angle of the first inclined surface, the locking piece can smoothly climb over the engaging protrusion without getting caught on it. This allows the lid to close smoothly. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] As described above, according to the present invention, when the lid is opened or closed, the outer periphery of the sealing cylinder comes into contact with the locking piece, and the locking piece swings in the direction in which the lid is opened or closed, so that wear powder is less likely to be generated. Furthermore, when the lid is opened to a desired angle, the locking piece of the pouring tube engages with the engaging portion of the sealing tube, thereby holding the lid at a predetermined angle relative to the cap body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a cap according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the capped state. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cap in an opened state. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cap in an open state. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the cap in an opened state. [Figure 5] 5 is an enlarged view of a locking piece of the cap as viewed from the direction of arrow X in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the lid of the cap, showing the opened state. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the cap when the lid is closed. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the sealing tube of the cap lid. [Figure 10] 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an engagement protrusion formed on a sealing tube of a lid of a cap. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the operation of the locking piece and the sealing tube when the lid of the cap is closed. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the operation of the locking piece and the sealing tube when the lid of the cap is closed. FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the operation of the locking piece and the sealing tube when the lid of the cap is closed. FIG. [Figure 14] 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the operation of the locking piece and the seal tube when the lid of the cap is opened. FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the operation of the locking piece and the seal tube when the lid of the cap is opened. FIG. [Figure 16] 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the operation of the locking piece and the sealing tube when the lid of the cap is opened at a predetermined angle. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cap, showing the lid opened at a predetermined angle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a cap having a cap body 4 attached to the mouth 3 of a container 2, and a lid 6 that can be opened and closed and is connected to the cap body 4 via a hinge 5. In Figure 1, the cap body 4 is attached directly to the mouth 3 of the container 2, but it may also be attached indirectly to the mouth 3 via an inner plug or the like.

[0021] Here, the direction of the axis 7 passing through the center of the cap body 4 is defined as the up-down direction, the direction perpendicular to the axis 7 is defined as the radial direction 8, and the circumferential direction centered on the axis 7 is defined as the circumferential direction 9.

[0022] The cap body 4 has a top wall 10 arranged to face the tip surface of the mouth portion 3 of the container 2 from above, a cylindrical outer tube 11 extending downward from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall 10, a cylindrical inner tube 12 extending downward from the top wall 10 inside the outer tube 11, an annular locking member 13 extending upward from the top wall 10, a cylindrical dispensing tube 16 for dispensing liquid contents (e.g., yakiniku sauce or cooking oil, not shown) from the container 2, and a detachable member 17 arranged inside the dispensing tube 16 so as to be detachable.

[0023] A groove 19, which is closed at the top by a top wall 10 and is open at the bottom, is formed around the entire circumference between the outer tube 11 and the inner tube 12. The cap body 4 is attached to the container 2 by fitting the mouth 3 of the container 2 into the groove 19 from below. As shown in FIG. 2, a recess 21 recessed inward in the radial direction 8 is formed around the entire outer periphery of the locking member 13 .

[0024] The dispensing tube 16 has a first tube portion 23 that protrudes upward from the top wall 10 and a second tube portion 24 that retracts downward from the top wall 10. The lower end of the first tube portion 23 and the upper end of the second tube portion 24 are integrally connected. The inner diameter of the second tube portion 24 is smaller than the inner diameter of the first tube portion 23. The first tube portion 23 is formed inward in the radial direction 8 from the locking member 13, and the second tube portion 24 is formed inward in the radial direction 8 from the inner tube 12.

[0025] The detachable member 17 has a detachable partition 28 that closes the inner bottom of the pouring tube 16, a support 29 erected on the partition 28, and a pull ring 30 attached to the support 29. The partition 28 is surrounded by a breakable weakened portion 31 formed around its periphery. The thickness of the weakened portion 31 is set thinner than the thickness of the partition 28 and the thickness of the second tubular portion 24.

[0026] 2 to 4, the tip opening edge 33 of the pouring tube 16 has a first tip opening edge 33a and a second tip opening edge 33b that are different in height. The second tip opening edge 33b is provided at a location close to the hinge 5, and the first tip opening edge 33a is provided at a location other than the second tip opening edge 33b that is far from the hinge 5. As shown in FIG. 2, a height H2 from the top wall 10 to the second tip opening edge 33b is set lower than a height H1 from the top wall 10 to the first tip opening edge 33a. The tip opening edge at the boundary between the first tip opening edge 33a and the second tip opening edge 33b is inclined. A liquid tearing piece 34 is formed on the first tip opening edge 33a of the dispensing tube 16, the liquid tearing piece 34 being curved outward in the radial direction 8 and folded back downward.

[0027] A locking piece 53 that can swing freely in the opening and closing directions 37, 38 of the lid 6 is formed at the open end of the dispensing tube 16 and at a location close to the hinge 5. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the locking piece 53 is formed on the second tip opening edge 33b of the dispensing tube 16. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the locking piece 53 has a thin-walled portion 54 at the base where it joins the second tip opening edge 33b. The thickness of the thin-walled portion 54 is thinner than the thickness of the locking piece 53, and as shown in FIG. 5, when viewed from the inside of the dispensing tube 16 (i.e., when viewed from the direction of arrow X shown in FIG. 4), the thin-walled portion 54 is formed in an arc shape with the portion closest to the hinge 5 bulging downward.

[0028] The lid 6 can be rotated freely around the hinge 5 in opening and closing directions 37, 38 to open and close the dispensing tube 16, and has a circular lid plate 41, a cylindrical skirt 42 provided on the outer peripheral edge of the lid plate 41, and a cylindrical sealing tube 43 provided inside the skirt 42.

[0029] A protrusion 44 that protrudes radially inward is formed around the entire inner periphery of the skirt 42. As shown in Fig. 1, when the cap 1 is closed, the protrusion 44 of the lid 6 fits into the recess 21 of the cap body 4 to prevent the lid 6 from accidentally opening.

[0030] The sealing tube 43 has a cylindrical tube body 47 that is inserted into the dispensing tube 16 in the closed state and is in close contact with the inner surface of the dispensing tube 16 around its entire circumference, and an extension wall 48 that extends from the tip of the tube body 47.

[0031] 2, 8, and 9, the cylinder body 47 of the sealing cylinder 43 has a sealing surface 49 on its outer periphery that comes into close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the second cylinder portion 24 of the dispensing cylinder 16 over the entire circumference. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and 7, the extension wall 48 is provided in a position close to the hinge 5, curved in an arc shape.

[0032] 2, a height H3 from the cover plate 41 to the tip of the extension wall 48 is set to be higher than a height H4 from the cover plate 41 to the tip of the tube main body 47. The tip edge of the extension wall 48 is inclined so that the height H3 is highest at a portion 50 closest to the hinge 5 and gradually decreases to the height H4 at portions circumferentially farther from this portion 50.

[0033] 3, 4, and 7 to 10, a plurality of engaging protrusions 57 to 60 (one example of an engaging portion) are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the extension wall 48. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, in the open state, the locking piece 53 engages with one of the engaging protrusions 57 to 60, thereby holding the lid 6 at a predetermined angle γ with respect to the cap body 4.

[0034] As shown in Figures 7 to 10, each of the engaging protrusions 57 to 60 is formed elongated in the circumferential direction of the sealing tube 43, and is a protrusion with a mountain-shaped cross section that protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the extension wall 48, and has a first inclined surface 62 facing the opening direction 37 and a second inclined surface 63 facing the closing direction 38.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 10, the inclination angle α of the first inclined surface 62 relative to the outer peripheral surface of the extension wall 48 is set larger than the inclination angle β of the second inclined surface 63 relative to the outer peripheral surface of the extension wall 48 (inclination angle α > inclination angle β). As shown in Fig. 9, the tips of the engaging protrusions 57-60 of the extension wall 48 are set radially inward from the seal surface 49 of the cylindrical main body 47. In other words, the outer diameter D1 of the engaging protrusions 57-60 is set smaller than the outer diameter D2 of the seal surface 49 (outer diameter D1 < outer diameter D2). The operation of the above configuration will now be described.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 2, after the cap 1 is manufactured by, for example, injection molding, the lid 6 is rotated in the closing direction 38 to close the cap 1. Next, as shown in Fig. 1, the closed cap 1 is attached to the container 2 by capping. At this time, the opening 3 of the container 2 is fitted into the groove 19 of the cap body 4 from below, thereby attaching the cap 1 to the container 2.

[0037] Then, the lid 6 is rotated in the opening direction 37 to open the cap 1, and the pull ring 30 is pulled with the fingers to break the weakened portion 31, whereby the detachment member 17 detaches from the inside of the dispensing tube 16, and an opening portion 66 (see Figure 17) that communicates with the inside of the dispensing tube 16 and the inside of the container 2 is formed at the bottom of the inside of the dispensing tube 16.

[0038] Thereafter, when the lid 6 is rotated in the closing direction 38 to close the cap 1, as shown in Figures 11 to 13, the outer periphery of the extension wall 48 of the sealing tube 43 of the lid 6 abuts against the locking piece 53 of the dispensing tube 16 of the cap body 4, and the locking piece 53 is bent in the closing direction 38 (i.e., toward the inside of the dispensing tube 16).

[0039] At this time, the lid 6 rotates in the closing direction 38 while the locking piece 53 slides against the second inclined surface 63 (see FIG. 10) of the engaging protrusions 57-60 of the extension wall 48. Here, as shown in FIG. 10, the inclination angle β of the second inclined surface 63 is smaller than the inclination angle α of the first inclined surface 62, so the locking piece 53 can smoothly climb over the engaging protrusions 57-60 without getting caught on them. This allows the lid 6 to close smoothly.

[0040] 1 and 8, when the lid 6 is closed and capped, the sealing tube 43 is inserted into the dispensing tube 16, and the sealing surface 49 of the sealing tube 43 comes into tight contact with the entire inner circumferential surface of the second cylindrical portion 24 of the dispensing tube 16. As a result, the dispensing tube 16 is closed by the lid 6, and the gap between the dispensing tube 16 and the lid 6 is sealed by the sealing tube 43, preventing leakage of the contents of the container 2.

[0041] At this time, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the tips of the engagement protrusions 57 to 60 are recessed radially inward from the sealing surface 49, so they do not abut against the inner surface of the second tubular portion 24 and are slightly spaced apart from the inner surface of the second tubular portion 24.

[0042] Thereafter, when the contents in the container 2 are to be used, the lid 6 is rotated from the closed state in the opening direction 37 to open the cap 1. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the outer periphery of the sealing tube 43 of the lid 6 comes into sliding contact with the locking piece 53 that is bent inward of the dispensing tube 16, and when the lid 6 is opened to a desired angle, as shown in FIG. 16, the locking piece 53 engages with a first inclined surface 62 (see FIG. 9) of one of the engaging protrusions 57 to 60 (for example, the engaging protrusion 58 in FIG. 16) of the extension wall 48. As a result, the lid 6 is held at a predetermined angle γ (for example, 60°) with respect to the cap body 4, as shown in FIG. 17.

[0043] At this time, because the inclination angle α of the first inclined surface 62 is larger than the inclination angle β of the second inclined surface 63 as shown in Fig. 10, the locking piece 53 firmly engages with the engaging protrusion 58 as shown in Fig. 16, and the lid 6 is securely held at a predetermined angle γ (for example, 60°) relative to the cap body 4 as shown in Fig. 17. This allows the lid 6 to be kept open at any desired angle, and the contents in the container 2 can be poured out from the open end of the pouring tube 16.

[0044] In this way, when the lid 6 is opened or closed, as shown in Figures 11 to 16, the outer periphery of the extension wall 48 of the sealing tube 43 comes into contact with the locking piece 53, and the locking piece 53 swings in the opening and closing directions 37, 38 of the lid 6 (i.e., inward and outward directions of the dispensing tube 16), thereby suppressing the generation of wear powder.

[0045] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the tips of the engaging protrusions 57-60 are slightly spaced apart from the inner surface of the second tubular portion 24 of the dispensing tube 16, so when the lid 6 is opened or closed, the tips of the engaging protrusions 57-60 do not come into sliding contact with the inner surface of the second tubular portion 24 of the dispensing tube 16, which also reduces the generation of wear powder.

[0046] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the locking piece 53 has a thin portion 54 at the base where it joins with the second tip opening edge 33b, weakening the base portion of the locking piece 53. As a result, when the lid 6 is opened or closed and the outer periphery of the extension wall 48 of the sealing tube 43 comes into contact with the locking piece 53, the locking piece 53 is more likely to swing in the opening and closing directions 37, 38 of the lid 6.

[0047] 16 and 17 , the above embodiment has shown an example in which the locking piece 53 engages with the engaging protrusion 58, thereby holding the lid 6 in a position inclined at the predetermined angle γ of 60° relative to the cap body 4. However, the locking piece 53 may engage with any of the engaging protrusions 57, 59, and 60 other than the engaging protrusion 58. For example, when the locking piece 53 engages with the engaging protrusion 57, the lid 6 may be held in a position inclined at the predetermined angle γ of 50° relative to the cap body 4; when the locking piece 53 engages with the engaging protrusion 59, the lid 6 may be held in a position inclined at the predetermined angle γ of 70° relative to the cap body 4; and when the locking piece 53 engages with the engaging protrusion 60, the lid 6 may be held in a position inclined at the predetermined angle γ of 80° relative to the cap body 4.

[0048] In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, as an example of the engaging portion, mountain-shaped engaging protrusions 57-60 protruding radially outward from the outer periphery of the extension wall 48 are provided. However, as another example of the engaging portion, engaging recesses recessed radially inward from the outer periphery of the extension wall 48 may be provided. Furthermore, while four engaging protrusions 57-60 are provided in Fig. 9, the number is not limited to four and a plurality of protrusions other than four may be provided. Furthermore, although the predetermined angle γ is set to 50°, 60°, 70°, or 80°, the number is not limited to these angles and may be set to an angle other than 50°, 60°, 70°, or 80°. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 cap 2 containers 4 Cap body 5 Hinge 6 Lid 8 Radial 16 Pour tube 37 Opening direction 38 Close direction 43 Seal tube 49 Sealing surface 53 Locking piece 57~60 Engagement protrusion (engagement part) 62 1st slope 63 Second slope α Inclination angle of the first inclined surface β Inclination angle of the second inclined plane γ Predetermined angle

Claims

1. A cap having a cap body attached to a container and a lid connected to the cap body via a hinge, The cap body is provided with a dispensing tube for dispensing the contents of the container, The lid is rotatable about the hinge in an opening / closing direction to open and close the pouring tube, The lid is provided with a sealing tube that is inserted into the pouring tube and contacts the inner periphery of the pouring tube in the closed state; A locking piece is provided at the open end of the pouring tube and near the hinge, and is swingable in the opening and closing direction of the lid. A plurality of engagement portions are provided on the outer periphery of the seal tube and in a position close to the hinge, A cap characterized in that, in an open state, the locking piece engages with the engaging portion, thereby holding the lid at a predetermined angle relative to the cap body.

2. 2. The cap according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the base of the engaging piece is thin.

3. The sealing cylinder has a sealing surface on its outer periphery that contacts the inner periphery of the pouring cylinder, The engaging portion is an engaging protrusion that protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the sealing cylinder, 2. The cap according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the engagement projection is recessed radially inward from the seal surface.

4. The engaging portion is an engaging protrusion that protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the sealing cylinder, The engagement projection has a mountain-shaped cross section and includes a first inclined surface facing the opening direction and a second inclined surface facing the closing direction, 2. The cap according to claim 1, wherein the angle of inclination of the first inclined surface relative to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical seal is greater than the angle of inclination of the second inclined surface relative to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical seal.

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