Cap unit

Abstract

To provide a cap unit which improves TE properties.SOLUTION: The cap includes a cap body 30 and a TE cylindrical portion 40, the TE cylindrical portion 40 is constituted by a TE band 41 having a band front-side end 41a and a band back-side end 41b, the band front-side end 41a and the band back-side end 41b are connected by a weakened connecting portion 42, the band front-side end 41a has a non-breakable connecting bridge 43 connected to the cap body 30, and the vessel mouth portion 60 is disposed on the back side in the opening direction of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 in a state before the cap is opened. The cap unit 10 has a deformation promoting rib 63 formed so as to come into contact with the non-breaking connection bridge 43 when the cap is opened.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cap unit that can be opened by rotating a cap in an opening direction relative to a container opening. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a cap unit consisting of a cap and a container mouth portion, which is configured to be openable by rotating the cap in the opening direction relative to the container mouth portion, in which the cap has a cap body that screws onto the container mouth portion and a TE tubular portion that is attached to the container mouth portion below the cap body, the TE tubular portion being 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 being 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 is connected to the cap body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the cap unit 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 cap unit described above, depending on the manner in which the cap is attached, such as when the distance between the TE cylindrical portion and the container mouth or the container is close when attached to the container mouth, it may be difficult to visually confirm from the outside the fracture of the weakened connecting portion or the deformation of the non-breakable connecting bridge after the cap is opened, and 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 unit that has a simple structure and improves TE performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides a cap unit comprising a cap and a container mouth portion, and configured to be unsealable by rotating the cap in an opening direction relative to the container mouth portion, wherein the cap comprises a cap body that screws onto the container mouth portion, and a TE tubular portion that is attached to the container mouth portion below the cap body, the TE tubular portion being 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 being 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 container mouth portion is arranged on the rear side in the opening direction of the non-breakable connecting bridge before the cap is opened, and has a deformation-promoting rib formed to contact the non-breakable connecting bridge when the cap is opened, thereby solving the above problem. In the cap unit described above, the deformation promoting rib may have a front inclined surface on the front side in the unsealing direction that is inclined so as to approach the outer periphery as it goes to the rear side in the unsealing direction. In any of the cap units described above, the deformation promoting rib may have a rear inclined surface on the rear side in the unsealing direction that is inclined so as to approach the outer periphery as it approaches the front side in the unsealing direction. In any of the cap units described above, the deformation promoting rib may be arranged at a position spaced apart in the circumferential direction from the unbreakable connecting bridge before the cap is opened. In any of the above cap units, the container mouth has a protrusion that limits the rotation of the TE band toward the rear in the opening direction by engaging with the ratchet of the TE band, and a mouth side screw portion that screws into the cap side screw portion of the cap body, and at least a portion of the deformation promotion rib may be formed in an intermediate region between the upper region in which the mouth side screw portion is formed and the lower region in which the protrusion is formed. In any of the above cap units, the non-breakable connecting bridge has a curved portion that is convexly curved toward the front side in the opening direction, the curved portion has an apex portion that is located closest to the front side in the opening direction, and the deformation-promoting rib may be formed so that when the cap is opened, it first comes into contact with the portion of the non-breakable connecting bridge that is closer to the lower side than the apex portion. [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] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a cap unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cap unit taken along line AA in FIG. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of each part when the cap is opened. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0011] First, as shown in Figure 1, the cap unit 10 consists of a cap 20 and a container mouth portion 60, and can be opened by rotating the cap 20 (cap body 30) relative to the container mouth portion 60 in the opening direction (the direction indicated by the arrow in Figures 1 and 4).

[0012] In this specification, the circumferential orientation of each part of the cap 20 and the container mouth portion 60 is defined based on the opening direction (the direction indicated by the arrow in Figures 1 and 4), which is the direction in which the cap 20 (cap body 30) is rotated relative to the container mouth portion 60 when opening the cap.

[0013] The specific configuration of each component of the cap unit 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] The cap 20 is formed from a synthetic resin such as high-density polyethylene and is attached to the container mouth 60. As shown in FIG. 1, the cap 20 comprises a cap body 30 that fits over and screws onto the container mouth 60, and a TE tubular portion (tamper-evident tubular portion) 40 that fits over and is attached to the container mouth 60 on the lower side of the cap body 30.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the cap body 30 comprises a disk-shaped top surface 31, a cylindrical skirt portion 32 hanging down from the outer periphery of the top surface 31, and a cap-side thread portion (not shown) formed on the inner periphery of the skirt portion 32 and capable of threading into a mouth-side thread portion 62 formed on the outer periphery of the container mouth 60, and is fitted onto the outside of the container mouth 60 and threaded thereto.

[0016] The TE cylindrical portion 40 is a cylindrical portion that is fitted onto the lower region of the mouth side thread portion 62 of the container mouth portion 60, and in this embodiment, as can be seen from Figures 1 and 3, it is composed of two TE bands (tamper-evident bands) 41 arranged circumferentially and arranged on the outer periphery of the container mouth portion 60 while being connected to the lower end of the skirt portion 32 by at least one (in this embodiment, multiple) weakened connecting portion 50 that can be broken when the cap is opened.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, each TE band 41 has, at its lower position, a band front end 41a located on the front side in the opening direction and a band rear end 41b located on the rear side in the opening direction, and the band front end 41a of one TE band 41 and the band rear end 41b of the other TE band 41, which are arranged opposite each other in the circumferential direction, are connected by a breakable weakened connecting portion 42.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, each TE band 41 has a non-breakable connecting bridge 43 formed at the front end 41a of the band and connected to the cap body 30 (skirt portion 32), and multiple ratchets 44 formed on its inner surface.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 connects the front end 41a of the TE band 41 at a lower position to the lower end of the cap body 30 (skirt portion 32), and is a part that will not break even when the cap is opened. As shown in Figure 1, the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 has a curved portion 43a that is convexly curved toward the front side in the opening direction, and the curved portion 43a has a vertex portion 43b that is located closest to the front side in the opening direction of the curved portion 43a.

[0020] 3, the ratchet 44 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the TE band 41 and engages with a plurality of protrusions 61 formed in the lower region of the container opening 60 to restrict rotation of the TE band 41 toward the rear in the opening direction relative to the container opening 60. However, rotation in the opposite direction, the closing direction, is permitted.

[0021] The container mouth portion 60 is configured as the mouth portion of a container that contains liquid contents such as a beverage, and in this embodiment, it is configured as a spout made of a synthetic resin such as low-density polyethylene attached to a container configured as a paper pack.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2, the container mouth 60 has a protrusion 61 that engages with the ratchet 44 to limit the rotation of the TE band 41 toward the rear in the opening direction, a mouth-side screw portion 62 that screws into the cap-side screw portion (not shown), and a deformation-promoting rib 63 on its outer surface.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the deformation-promoting rib 63 is formed to protrude from the outer surface of the container mouth portion 60 at a position toward the rear of the non-breakable connecting bridges 43 in the opening direction before the cap is opened, and is formed to come into contact with each non-breakable connecting bridge 43 when the cap is opened.

[0024] In this embodiment, the deformation-promoting rib 63 is positioned in contact with the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 before the cap is opened, as shown in Figure 1, but the deformation-promoting rib 63 may also be positioned at a position spaced circumferentially from the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 (so as not to come into contact with the non-breakable connecting bridge 43) before the cap is opened.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, at least a portion of the deformation-promoting rib 63 is formed in the intermediate region in the vertical direction between the upper region in which the mouth-side screw portion 62 is formed and the lower region in which the protrusion 61 is formed.

[0026] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the deformation-promoting rib 63 has a front-side inclined surface 63a on the front side in the opening direction, which is the surface that inclines toward the outer periphery as it approaches the rear in the opening direction and comes into contact with the non-breakable connecting bridge 43, and also has a rear-side inclined surface 63b on the rear side in the opening direction, which inclines toward the outer periphery as it approaches the front in the opening direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the angle of inclination of the front inclined surface 63a relative to the radial direction is smaller than the angle of inclination of the rear inclined surface 63b relative to the radial direction.

[0027] Also, as shown in Figure 3, the front corner 62c between the outer peripheral end face of the deformation promotion rib 63 and the front inclined face 63a, and the rear corner 62d between the outer peripheral end face of the deformation promotion rib 63 and the rear inclined face 63b are curved (R-shaped).

[0028] As can be seen from Figure 1, the deformation-promoting rib 63 is formed so that when the cap is opened, it first comes into contact with the portion of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 that is closer to the lower side than the vertex portion 43b of the curved portion 43a. In addition, it is preferable that the portion of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 that the deformation-promoting rib 63 first comes into contact with be a curved portion that is convex toward the rear in the opening direction, as in this embodiment shown in Figure 1, in order to avoid excessive engagement of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 with the deformation-promoting rib 63 while allowing the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 to deform well.

[0029] Next, the operation of each part when the cap is opened will be described below.

[0030] First, when opening the cap, the user rotates the cap body 30 in the opening direction (the direction indicated by the arrow in Figs. 1 and 4), causing the weakened connection portion 50 to break and separating the cap body 30 from the TE tubular portion 40 (each TE band 41). The cap body 30 rotates in the opening direction and moves upward due to engagement between the mouth-side threaded portion 62 of the container mouth 60 and the cap-side threaded portion (not shown) of the cap body 30. On the other hand, the TE band 40 does not rotate due to engagement between the ratchet 44 formed on the TE band 41 and the protrusion 61 formed on the container mouth 60, as described above.

[0031] As the cap body 30 moves in this manner, as shown in Figure 4, the front end 41a of each TE band 41 is pulled toward the rear in the opening direction (while being lifted upward) by the non-breakable connecting bridge 43, causing the weakened connecting portion 42 to break.

[0032] At this time, as shown in Figure 4, the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 moving toward the rear in the opening direction comes into contact with (engages in a hooked manner with) the deformation-promoting rib 63 formed on the outer surface of the container mouth 60, resulting in a greater deformation than if the deformation-promoting rib 63 were not provided.

[0033] Then, when the cap body 30 is further rotated toward the rear in the opening direction, the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 moves toward the rear in the opening direction and overcomes the deformation-promoting rib 63, and the engagement of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 with the deformation-promoting rib 63 is released.

[0034] In the cap unit 10 of this embodiment obtained in this manner, the container mouth portion 60 is positioned at the rear of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 in the opening direction before the cap is opened, and has a deformation-promoting rib 63 formed to contact the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 when the cap is opened.This increases the amount of plastic deformation of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 when the cap is opened, making it less likely to return to its original state, and ensures good TE properties that indicate that the cap 20 has been opened. Furthermore, when the cap is opened, the deformation-promoting rib 63 moves (lifts) the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 toward the outer periphery, causing the front end 41a of the band to also move toward the outer periphery, which in turn makes it easier to break the weakened connecting portion 42.

[0035] Furthermore, since the deformation-promoting rib 63 has a front-side inclined surface 63a on the front side in the opening direction that slopes toward the outer periphery as it moves toward the rear in the opening direction, when the cap is opened, the deformation of the non-breaking connecting bridge 43 is promoted by contact with the deformation-promoting rib 63, and further, when the cap body 30 is rotated toward the rear in the opening direction, the non-breaking connecting bridge 43 can smoothly overcome the deformation-promoting rib 63, thereby preventing the non-breaking connecting bridge 43 from breaking due to the engagement of the non-breaking connecting bridge 43 with the deformation-promoting rib 63 not being released.

[0036] Furthermore, since the deformation-promoting rib 63 has a rear inclined surface 63b at the rear side in the opening direction that slopes toward the outer periphery as it approaches the front side in the opening direction, interference of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 with the deformation-promoting rib 63 is prevented when attaching the cap 20 to the container mouth 60, allowing the attachment work to be carried out smoothly.

[0037] Furthermore, if the deformation-promoting rib 63 is positioned at a circumferentially spaced position from the non-breaking connecting bridge 43 before the cap is opened, the non-breaking connecting bridge 43 will contact (engage) with the deformation-promoting rib 63 with a delay after the start of cap opening, thereby preventing the so-called first torque required when the cap begins to be opened from becoming large.

[0038] Furthermore, since at least a portion of the deformation-promoting rib 63 is formed in the intermediate region between the upper region in which the mouth-side screw portion 62 is formed and the lower region in which the protrusion 61 is formed, the formation of the deformation-promoting rib 63 can avoid compromising the design freedom of the mouth-side screw portion 62 and the protrusion 61.

[0039] Furthermore, the deformation-promoting rib 63 is formed so that when the cap is opened, it first comes into contact with the portion of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 that is closer to the lower side than the vertex portion 43b of the curved portion 43a, thereby preventing the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 from breaking while allowing the entire non-breakable connecting bridge 43 to deform well. In other words, when the deformation-promoting rib 63 engages near the apex portion 43b of the curved portion 43a, after the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 engages with the deformation-promoting rib 63, there is a risk that the engagement of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 with the deformation-promoting rib 63 will not be released when the cap body 30 is further rotated toward the rear in the opening direction, and the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 will break. However, by engaging the deformation-promoting rib 63 while avoiding the vicinity of the apex portion 43b of the curved portion 43a, such breaking of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 can be avoided. Furthermore, since the upper portion of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 is easily deformed and the lower portion is difficult to deform, by making the deformation-promoting rib 63 contact a portion of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 that is closer to the lower side than the vertex portion 43b of the curved portion 43a, deformation of the lower portion of the non-breakable connecting bridge 43 is promoted, and the entire non-breakable connecting bridge 43 can be deformed.

[0040] 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 forming the cap unit 10 by any combination of the configurations of the above or below embodiments and modified examples.

[0041] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the container mouth portion 60 is described as a spout attached to a paper carton serving as a container, but the specific form of the container mouth portion 60 is not limited to this and may be any form, such as the mouth portion of a PET bottle.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the TE tubular portion 40 is described as being composed of two TE bands 41, but the TE tubular portion 40 may also be composed of one or three or more TE bands 41. Specifically, when the TE tubular portion 40 is composed of one TE band 41, the TE band 41 is wrapped around the outer periphery of the container mouth portion 60 in a circular shape so that the rear end 41b and the front end 41a of the TE band 41 face each other circumferentially, the rear end 41b and the front end 41a of the TE band 41 are connected by a weakened connecting portion 42, and the front end 41a of the band is connected to the cap body 30 by a non-breakable connecting bridge 43. Furthermore, when the TE cylindrical portion 40 is composed of three or more TE bands 41, the three or more TE bands 41 are arranged circumferentially to form a ring on the outer periphery of the container mouth portion 60, the rear end 41b of the TE band 41 and the front end 41a of the TE band 41 adjacent to the TE band 41 are connected by a weakened connecting portion 42, and the front end 41a of each TE band 41 is connected to the cap body 30 by a non-breakable connecting bridge 43. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10 Cap unit 20 ··· Cap 30 ··· Cap body 31...Top section 32 ··· Skirt part 40 TE cylindrical section 41 TE band 41a Front end of band 41b: Back end of band 42 ... weakened connection 43. Non-breaking connecting bridge 43a ··· Curved section 43b: Vertex 44 Ratchet 50... Weakened connection 60 ··· Container opening 61 ... protrusion 62 ··· Mouth side thread 63 Deformation promoting rib 63a Front inclined surface 63b... Back slope 63c Front corner 63d... Back corner

Claims

1. A cap unit comprising a cap and a container mouth portion, and configured to be unsealable by rotating the cap in an unsealing direction relative to the container mouth portion, The cap includes a cap body that is screwed onto the container opening, and a TE cylindrical portion that is attached to the container opening on a lower side of the cap body, 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; A cap unit characterized in that the container mouth portion is positioned at the rear side of the non-breakable connecting bridge in the opening direction before the cap is opened, and has a deformation-promoting rib formed to contact the non-breakable connecting bridge when the cap is opened.

2. The cap unit according to claim 1, wherein the deformation promoting rib has a front inclined surface on the front side in the unsealing direction that is inclined so as to approach the outer periphery as it goes to the rear side in the unsealing direction.

3. The cap unit according to claim 1, wherein the deformation promoting rib has a rear inclined surface on the rear side in the unsealing direction that is inclined so as to approach the outer periphery as it approaches the front side in the unsealing direction.

4. The cap unit according to claim 1 , wherein the deformation promoting rib is disposed at a position spaced apart in the circumferential direction from the unbreakable connecting bridge in a state before the cap is opened.

5. The container mouth has a protrusion that restricts rotation of the TE band toward the rear in the opening direction by engaging with the ratchet of the TE band, and a mouth-side screw portion that screws into a cap-side screw portion of the cap body, A cap unit as described in claim 1, characterized in that at least a portion of the deformation-promoting rib is formed in an intermediate region between an upper region in which the mouth-side screw portion is formed and a lower region in which the protrusion is formed.

6. The non-breakable connecting bridge has a curved portion that is curved convexly toward the front side in the opening direction, The curved portion has a vertex portion located closest to the opening direction of the curved portion, The cap unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the deformation-promoting rib is formed so as to first come into contact with a portion of the non-breakable connecting bridge that is closer to the lower side than the apex portion when the cap is opened.

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