Cap

Abstract

To provide a cap for improving a TE property.SOLUTION: The cap 10 includes a cap body 20 and a TE cylindrical part 30, and can be opened by rotating the cap body 20 in an opening direction with respect to an C1 of a vessel mouth. In the cap 10, the TE cylindrical portion 30 is formed of a TE band 31 having a band front-side end portion side 31a and a band back-side end portion side 31b, the band front-side end portion side 31a and the band back-side end portion side 31b are connected to each other by a breakable weakened connecting portion 32, the band front-side end portion side 31a has a non-breakable connecting bridge 33 connected to the cap body, and the TE band 31 has a lower end-side cutout portion 35 formed by cutting out a lower end side of the TE band 31 on a back side of the non-breakable connecting bridge 33 in the unsealing direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cap including a cap body that screws onto a container opening, and a TE tubular part that is attached to the container opening below the cap body. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a cap that includes a cap body that screws onto the container mouth and a TE tubular portion that is attached to the container mouth below the cap body, and that can be opened by rotating the cap body in the opening direction relative to the container mouth, in which the TE tubular portion is composed of a TE band having a front end portion of the band located on the front side in the opening direction and a rear end portion of the band located on the rear side in the opening direction, and the front end portion and the rear end portion of the band that are arranged opposite each other in the circumferential direction are connected by a breakable weakened connecting portion, and the front end portion of the band has a non-breakable connecting bridge that connects to the cap body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the cap described in Patent Document 1, when the cap is opened, the weakened connecting portion is broken and the non-breakable connecting bridge is deformed, thereby ensuring TE (tamper evident) properties that clearly indicate that the cap has been opened. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-217966 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with the caps described above, depending on how the cap is attached, for example, when the distance between the TE tubular portion and the container mouth or the container is close when the cap is attached to the container mouth, it may be difficult to visually confirm from the outside any breakage of the weakened connecting portion or deformation of the non-breakable connecting bridge after the cap is opened, and there is a risk that the TE properties may not be exhibited well.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve these problems, and has an object to provide a cap that has a simple structure and improves TE performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem by providing a cap that includes a cap body that screws onto a container mouth and a TE tubular portion that is attached to the container mouth below the cap body, and that can be opened by rotating the cap body in an opening direction relative to the container mouth. The TE tubular portion is composed of a TE band having a front end portion of the band located on the front side in the opening direction and a rear end portion of the band located on the rear side in the opening direction. The front end portion of the band and the rear end portion of the band, which are arranged opposite each other in the circumferential direction, are connected by a breakable weakened connecting portion. The front end portion of the band has a non-breakable connecting bridge that is connected to the cap body, and the TE band has a lower end notch that is cut out at its lower end rearward in the opening direction from the non-breakable connecting bridge. In the cap described above, the lower end cutout portion may have an inclined surface that is inclined so as to lean upward toward the rear in the opening direction. In any of the above caps, the TE band may have a band-side pushed portion formed on the upper end side of the TE band, further back in the opening direction than the non-breakable connecting bridge, which is pushed toward the rear in the opening direction by the body-side pushing portion of the cap body when the cap is opened, and the lower-end cutout portion may have a portion located further back in the opening direction than the lower position of the band-side pushed portion. In any of the above caps, at least one of the lower surface of the main body side pushing portion or the upper surface of the band side pushed portion may have an inclined surface that slopes upward as it moves toward the back in the opening direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention can improve the TE performance with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a usage mode of a cap according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the cap attached to the opening of the container before opening. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the state after the cap attached to the container opening has been opened. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the TE cylindrical portion and the container mouth portion cut near the ratchet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A cap 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] First, the cap 10 is formed from a synthetic resin or the like, and is attached to a container mouth C1 (in this embodiment, a spout attached to a paper pack serving as the container C) of a container C that contains a liquid content such as a beverage, as shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the cap 10 comprises a cap body 20 that fits over and screws onto the container mouth C1, and a TE tubular portion (tamper evident tubular portion) 30 that fits over and is attached to the container mouth C1 on the lower side of the cap body 20, and can be opened by rotating the cap body 20 in the opening direction (the direction shown by the arrow in Figures 2 to 4) relative to the container mouth C1.

[0012] The specific configuration of each component of the cap 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] First, as shown in Figure 2, the cap body 20 comprises a disk-shaped top surface 21, a cylindrical skirt portion 22 hanging down from the outer peripheral edge of the top surface 21, and a threaded portion (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the skirt portion 22 that can be threaded into a threaded portion (not shown) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the container mouth portion C1, and is fitted onto the outside of the container mouth portion C1 and threaded thereto.

[0014] As shown in Figure 2, the lower end of the cap body 20 (skirt portion 22) is formed with a body side pushing portion 23 that is configured to push the band side pushed portion 34 of the TE band 31 (described later) toward the back in the opening direction when the cap is opened. As shown in Figure 2, at least one of the lower surface of the main body side pushing portion 23 and the upper surface of the band side pushed portion 34 has inclined surfaces 23a, 34a that are inclined upward as they move toward the back in the opening direction, and in this embodiment, both the lower surface of the main body side pushing portion 23 and the upper surface of the band side pushed portion 34 have inclined surfaces 23a, 34a that are inclined upward as they move toward the back in the opening direction.

[0015] The TE cylindrical portion 30 is a cylindrical portion that is fitted onto the container mouth portion C1, and in this embodiment, as can be seen from Figures 2 and 4, it is composed of two TE bands 31 (tamber evident bands) arranged circumferentially and arranged on the outer periphery of the container mouth portion C1, connected to the lower end of the skirt portion 22 by at least one (in this embodiment, multiple) weakened connecting portion 40 that can be broken when the cap is opened.

[0016] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, each TE band 31 has a band front end 31a located on the front side in the opening direction and a band rear end 31b located on the rear side in the opening direction, and the band front end 31a of one TE band 31 and the band rear end 31b of the other TE band 31, which are arranged opposite each other in the circumferential direction, are connected by a breakable weakened connecting portion 32.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, each TE band 31 has a non-breakable connecting bridge 33 formed at the band's front end 31a and connected to the cap body 20 (skirt portion 22), a band-side pushed portion 34 formed on the upper end side of the TE band 31 further back in the opening direction than the non-breakable connecting bridge 33, a lower-end notch portion 35 cut out at its lower end further back in the opening direction than the non-breakable connecting bridge 33, and a ratchet 36 formed on its inner surface.

[0018] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the non-breakable connecting bridge 33 connects the front end portion 31a of the band to the cap body 20 (skirt portion 22) and is a portion that will not break even when the cap is opened, and in this embodiment has a curved portion.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the band-side pushed portion 34 is formed on the upper end side of the TE band 31 and is a portion that is pushed rearward in the opening direction by the main body-side pushing portion 23 when the cap is opened. The upper surface of the band side pushed portion 34 has an inclined surface 34a that is inclined upward as it approaches the back in the opening direction, and is the surface that is pushed by the main body side pushing portion 23 (its inclined surface 23a).

[0020] The lower end notch 35 is a portion cut out at its lower end further back in the opening direction than the non-breakable connecting bridge 33, as shown in Figure 1; in other words, a portion whose lower end position in the vertical direction is located above the end of the TE band 31 on the near side in the opening direction; as will be described in more detail later, this portion allows the TE band 31 to tilt smoothly while avoiding interference between the lower end of the TE band 31 and the container C (or the container mouth portion C1) when the cap is opened. In this embodiment, the lower end cutout 35 has, as its underside, an inclined surface 35a that slopes upward toward the rear in the opening direction at the band front end 31a side, and an inclined surface 35b that slopes downward toward the rear in the opening direction at the band rear end 31b side, as shown in Fig. 2. Each of the inclined surfaces 35a, 35b is formed over an angle range of approximately 85° when viewed in the circumferential direction. It is preferable that the lower end cutout portion 35 is formed over an angular range of about 60° or more in the circumferential direction so that the TE band 31 can be tilted properly when the cap is opened. Furthermore, it is preferable that the lower end notch 35 has a portion located further back in the opening direction than the lower position of the band side pressed portion 34 so that the TE band 31 tilts smoothly when the body side pressing portion 23 presses the band side pressed portion 34 when the cap is opened.

[0021] As shown in Figure 4, the ratchet 36 is formed on the inner surface of the TE band 31 and restricts the rotation of the TE band 31 toward the rear in the opening direction relative to the container mouth portion C1 by engaging with a protrusion C1a formed on the container mouth portion C1. It is preferable that the ratchet 36 is not formed in the area closer to the front end 31a of the TE band 31, but is formed in the area closer to the rear end 31b of the TE band 31 so as not to hinder the tilting of each TE band 31 described later when the cap is opened.

[0022] Next, the operation of each part when the cap is opened will be described below.

[0023] First, when opening the cap, the user rotates the cap body 20 in the opening direction (the direction indicated by the arrow in Figures 2 to 4), causing the cap body 20 to rise, but the ratchet 36 on the inner peripheral surface of the TE band 31 engages with the protrusion C1a on the container opening C1, restricting the rotation of the TE band 31. The gap between the skirt portion 22 and the TE band 31 then gradually increases, causing the weakened connection portion 40 to break and separating the cap body 20 from the TE band 31. Therefore, the cap body 20 rotates in the opening direction and moves upward due to the engagement between the threaded portion of the container opening C1 and the threaded portion of the cap body 20.

[0024] 3, with this movement of the cap body 20, the band front end 31a of each TE band 31 is pulled toward the rear in the opening direction while being lifted upward by the non-breakable connecting bridge 33, and the band side pushed portion 34 is pressed by the body side pushing portion 23, thereby breaking the weakened connecting portion 32 and tilting each TE band 31 so that the band front end 31a is lifted upward. At this time, the TE band 31 can be tilted smoothly because the lower end notch 35 is formed on the lower end side of the TE band 31.

[0025] In the cap 10 of this embodiment obtained in this manner, the TE band 31 has a lower-end notch 35 formed by cutting out its lower end at a position further back in the opening direction than the unbreakable connecting bridge 33. This allows the TE band 31 to be tilted smoothly while avoiding interference between the lower end of the TE band 31 and the container C (or the container opening C1) when the cap is opened, making it easier to break the weakened connecting portion 32 and increasing the amount of plastic deformation of the unbreakable connecting bridge 33, making it more difficult for it to return to its original position, thereby improving TE properties. In other words, if the lower end notch 35 is not formed, and the distance between the TE band 31 and the container mouth C1 or the container C is close when the cap 10 is attached to the container mouth C1, even if the TE band 31 tries to tilt when the cap is opened, the lower end of the TE band 31 may interfere with the container C (or container mouth C1), hindering the movement (tilting) of the TE band 31. However, in this embodiment, by forming the lower end notch 35, the movement (tilting) of the TE band 31 can be ensured satisfactorily.

[0026] Furthermore, since the lower surface of the lower end notch 35 has an inclined surface 35a that slopes upward as it moves toward the rear in the opening direction, the contact of the inclined surface 35a with the container C (or the container mouth portion C1) can smoothly guide the tilting of the TE band 31 when the cap is opened.

[0027] Furthermore, since the lower end notch 35 has a portion located further back in the opening direction than the lower position of the band side pressed portion 34, when the body side pressing portion 23 is configured to press the band side pressed portion 34 when the cap is opened, as in this embodiment, the TE band 31 can be tilted smoothly while avoiding interference between the lower end of the TE band 31 and the container C (or the container mouth portion C1).

[0028] In addition, at least one of the lower surface of the main body side pushing portion 23 or the upper surface of the band side pushed portion 34 has an inclined surface 23a, 34a that slopes upward as it moves toward the back in the opening direction, allowing the TE band 31 to be tilted smoothly.

[0029] The above describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the present invention as described in the claims, such as constructing the cap 10 by any combination of the configurations of the above or below embodiments and modified examples.

[0030] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the container mouth C1 to which the cap 10 is attached is described as a spout attached to a paper pack as the container C, but the specific form of the container mouth C1 is not limited to this and may be any, such as the mouth of a PET bottle.

[0031] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the TE tubular portion 30 is described as being composed of two TE bands 31, but the TE tubular portion 30 may also be composed of one or three or more TE bands 31. Specifically, when the TE tubular portion 30 is composed of one TE band 31, the TE band 31 is wrapped around the outer periphery of the container mouth portion C1 in a circular shape so that the rear end 31b and the front end 31a of the TE band 31 face each other circumferentially, and the rear end 31b and the front end 31a of the TE band 31 are connected by a weakened connecting portion 32, and the front end 31a of the band is connected to the cap body 20 by a non-breakable connecting bridge 33. Furthermore, when the TE cylindrical portion 30 is composed of three or more TE bands 31, the three or more TE bands 31 are arranged circumferentially so as to form a ring on the outer periphery of the container mouth portion C1, the rear end 31b of the TE band 31 and the front end 31a of the TE band 31 adjacent to the TE band 31 are connected by a weakened connecting portion 32, and the front end 31a of each TE band 31 is connected to the cap body 20 by a non-breakable connecting bridge 33. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 10 ··· Cap 20 ··· Cap body 21...Top section 22 ··· Skirt part 23 Body side pushing part 23a... Inclined surface 30 TE cylindrical section 31 TE band 31a Front end of band 31b: Back end of band 32 ... weakened connection 33. Non-breaking connecting bridge 34 Band side pressed part 34a... Inclined surface 35 ... Lower end side notch 35a... Slope section 35b... Slanted part 36 Ratchet 40 ... weakened connection C... Container C1...Container opening C1a... Protrusion

Claims

1. A cap comprising a cap body that screws onto a container mouth portion and a TE cylindrical portion that is attached to the container mouth portion below the cap body, and that can be opened by rotating the cap body in an opening direction relative to the container mouth portion, The TE cylindrical portion is composed of a TE band having a front end portion of the band located on the front side in the opening direction and a rear end portion of the band located on the rear side in the opening direction, The band front end portion and the band rear end portion, which are arranged opposite to each other in the circumferential direction, are connected by a breakable weakened connection portion, the front end of the band has a non-breakable connecting bridge connected to the cap body; The TE band has a lower end notch cut out at a position further back in the opening direction than the unbreakable connecting bridge.

2. The cap according to claim 1, wherein the lower cutout portion has an inclined surface that is inclined upward as it goes toward the rear in the opening direction.

3. the TE band has a band-side pushed portion formed on an upper end side of the TE band and further rearward in the unsealing direction than the unbreakable connecting bridge, the band-side pushed portion being pushed rearward in the unsealing direction by a main body-side pushing portion of the cap main body when the cap is unsealed, 2. The cap according to claim 1, wherein the lower end cutout portion has a portion located further back in the unsealing direction than a lower position of the band-side pressed portion.

4. The cap according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one of the lower surface of the main body side pushing portion and the upper surface of the band side pushed portion has an inclined surface that slopes upward as it moves toward the rear in the opening direction.

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