Hinge cap

Abstract

To provide a hinge cap which is easy to open even if it is small.SOLUTION: The cap includes a cap body attached to a mouth of a container body, an openable and closable small lid having a flat plate-shaped top surface and a peripheral wall connected to an outer peripheral edge of the top surface and attached to the cap body via a hinge, a finger hook portion disposed at a position separated from the small lid in an axial direction of the cap body, a flat plate-shaped connecting portion connecting an outer surface of the top surface of the small lid and the finger hook portion, and one or more ribs formed on a hinge-side surface of the connecting portion along the axial direction of the cap body. The rib has a thickness of 0. 5mm or more and 2. 0mm or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hinged cap that is attached to the opening of a packaging container and allows the contents to be extracted. [Background technology]

[0002] A commonly used cap for pouring contents from a packaging container of seasonings, vegetable oil, etc. is one that includes a cap body having a pouring portion for pouring the contents, and a lid that is attached to the cap body via a hinge and can close the pouring portion (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Such hinge caps are provided with a finger grip on the side opposite the hinge to make it easier to open the hinge cap (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-186024 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-64756 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The finger grip of a conventional hinge cap is provided at the front end of the small lid, but in small-diameter hinge caps, the finger grip is also small, making opening the cap insufficient and leaving room for improvement.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a hinge cap that is small but easy to open. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention for solving the above problem is a hinge cap comprising: a cap body attached to the mouth of a container body; an openable small lid having a flat top surface and a peripheral wall connected to the outer peripheral edge of the top surface and attached to the cap body via a hinge; a finger grip portion positioned at a distance from the small lid in the axial direction of the cap body; a flat connecting portion connecting the outer surface of the top surface of the small lid and the finger grip portion; and one or more ribs formed along the axial direction of the cap body on the hinge side of the connecting portion, wherein the finger grip portion protrudes from the connecting portion on the side opposite the hinge, and the thickness of the rib is 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, a hinge cap that is small but easy to open can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a state in which the hinge cap according to the embodiment is attached to the opening of the container body; [Figure 2] 1 is a top view of a state in which the hinge cap according to the embodiment is attached to the opening of the container body. [Figure 3] Cross-sectional view along line A-A' in Figure 2 [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a hinge cap in which a diagonal cut is made from the top surface to the side surface of the connection portion. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a hinge cap having a rounded cut from the top surface to the side surface of the connection portion. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a hinge cap without ribs. [Figure 7] A diagram showing a hinge cap with resin filled between the connection and the hinge DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <Embodiment> Figure 1 is a side view of the hinge cap of the embodiment attached to the mouth of a container body, Figure 2 is a top view of the hinge cap of the embodiment attached to the mouth of a container body, and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line A-A' in Figure 2.

[0011] The hinge cap 100 according to the embodiment is a component that closes the opening 11 of a container body in an openable and closable manner. The opening 11 to which the hinge cap 100 is attached can be the spout of a Gabel-top paper container such as a milk carton, but it may also be the opening of a bottle container such as a PET bottle or glass bottle, or the spout provided on a pouch or tube container. Figures 1 to 3 show the hinge cap 100 attached to the opening 11 (spout) of a paper container.

[0012] The hinge cap 100 includes a cap body 1, a spout 2 provided on the cap body 1, a small lid 3 attached to the cap body 1 via a hinge 4, a finger grip 9 provided on the small lid 3, a connection 8 connecting the small lid 3 and the finger grip 9, and a rib 20 formed on the surface of the connection 8 facing the hinge 4. Materials such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) can be used for the hinge cap 100. The diameter of the hinge cap 100 (corresponding to the maximum diameter of the cap body 1 in a plan view) can be 10 mm to 30 mm. In this embodiment, the outer shape of the hinge cap 100 can be considered to be the outer shape of the cap body 1. While the outer shape of the hinge cap 100 is depicted as being circular (the cap body 1 is cylindrical) in FIGS. 1 to 3, other shapes may be used as long as the hinge cap's function is not impaired. The hinge cap 100 is obtained by integrally injection molding the small lid 3 and the small lid 3 together with resin in an open state.

[0013] The cap body 1 is a part that is attached to the mouth portion 11 of the container body, and has an approximately cylindrical pouring portion 2, a closing portion 5 that closes the mouth portion 11 except for the part where the pouring portion 2 is provided, and a tubular portion 6 that is connected to the outer peripheral edge of the closing portion 5.

[0014] The pouring part 2 is a part for extracting the contents, such as a liquid, contained in the container body, and has one end connected to the closing part 5 and the other end open. When the hinge cap 100 is closed, a liquid stop pin 17 of the small lid 3, which will be described later, fits in, allowing the pouring part 2 to be closed.

[0015] The cylindrical portion 6 is a portion for attaching the cap body 1 to the opening 11 of the container body. A hinge 4 for connecting the small lid 3 is provided at the end of the cylindrical portion 6 on the side of the spout 2. In this embodiment, the cylindrical portion 6 has a cylindrical shape, but may have other shapes as long as the function as a hinge cap is not impaired.

[0016] When the hinge cap 100 is attached to the mouth 11 by fitting, an undercut 7a consisting of an annular ridge can be provided on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 6, closer to the mouth 11 than the closing portion 5, as shown in Fig. 3. The undercut 7a fits into a ridge 7b provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth 11, thereby fixing the cap body 1 to the mouth 11. The hinge cap 100 may also be attached to the mouth 11 by screwing, in which case a female thread (not shown) that can be threaded with a male thread provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth 11 can be provided on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 6, closer to the mouth 11 than the closing portion 5.

[0017] A protrusion 16a is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 6, closer to the small cover 3 than the closing portion 5. The protrusion 16a engages with a locking portion 16b provided on the inner surface of the top surface 14 of the small cover 3 through an undercut, thereby engaging the cap body 1 and the small cover 3 and maintaining the hinge cap 100 in a closed state.

[0018] The small lid 3 is connected to the cap body 1 via a hinge 4 and closes the dispensing portion 2 in an openable and closable manner. The small lid 3 includes a generally flat top surface 14 and a cylindrical peripheral wall 15 connected to the outer periphery of the top surface 14. The inner surface of the top surface 14 of the small lid 3 is provided with the locking portion 16b, which engages with a protrusion 16a on the cylindrical portion 6 of the cap body 1 via an undercut and maintains the small lid 3 in a closed state. Furthermore, a liquid stop pin 17 is formed on the inner periphery of the dispensing portion 2 to close the dispensing portion 2. The tight contact between the inner periphery of the dispensing portion 2 and the outer periphery of the liquid stop pin 17 improves the sealing performance of the hinge cap 100. Instead of the liquid stop pin 17, an inner ring that tightly contacts the inner periphery of the dispensing portion 2 may be provided.

[0019] The finger hook 9 is a portion for hooking a finger when opening the hinge cap 100. It is located at a position spaced apart from the small cover 3 in the axial direction of the cap body 1 and protrudes from the connection portion 8 on the side opposite the hinge 4. By arranging the finger hook 9 on the small cover 3 in this manner, the finger hook 9 can be made large even for caps with small diameters. For example, a finger hook such as the finger hook 9 is generally provided on the side of the small cover 3 opposite the hinge 4, but in the case of caps with small diameters, it is difficult to provide a large finger hook on that part of the small cover 3. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , it is preferable that the inner surface of the finger hook 9 and the outer surface of the top surface 14 of the small cover 3 are configured to be approximately parallel. This allows for a larger space between the finger hook 9 and the small cover 3 compared to when the inner surface of the finger hook 9 and the outer surface of the top surface 14 of the small cover 3 are not parallel. Therefore, when opening the hinge cap 100, it is easy to insert a finger between the small lid 3 and the finger hook portion 9, and the force for opening can be efficiently applied to the finger hook portion 9, making it easier to open. Note that in Figures 1 and 3, the outer surface of the top surface 14 and the inner surface of the finger hook portion 9 are each flat and approximately perpendicular to the axis of the cap body 1, but the distance between the outer surface of the top surface 14 and the inner surface of the finger hook portion 9 only needs to be approximately constant (approximately parallel), and they do not necessarily have to be perpendicular. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of ease of placing a finger on the finger hook portion 9, it is preferable that the small lid 3 and the finger hook portion 9 are separated by 3 mm or more in the axial direction of the cap body 1.

[0020] Generally, when a hinge cap is used on a Goebel-top paper container, the height of the hinge cap is limited to ensure the range of motion of the hinge, and the hinge cap must be designed to be small (low). However, as the hinge cap becomes smaller, the area where fingers can grip when opening also becomes smaller, making it difficult to open. In the hinge cap 100 according to this embodiment, as described above, the small lid 3 is provided with a finger grip 9 having an inner surface that is approximately parallel to the outer surface of the top surface 14 of the small lid 3. Therefore, even a small hinge cap such as that used on a Goebel-top paper container can be easily opened because fingers can easily grip the finger grip 9.

[0021] The connecting part 8 is a flat member for connecting the outer surface of the top surface 14 of the small lid 3 to the finger grip part 9, and is connected to the outer surface of the top surface 14 at a location away from the hinge 4. On the surface of the connecting part 8 on the hinge 4 side, one or more ribs 20 are formed along the axial direction of the cap body.

[0022] The rib 20 is a flat portion that is connected to the surface of the connection portion 8 on the hinge 4 side and the outer surface of the top surface 14 of the small lid 3 and is parallel to a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the hinge 4. The number of ribs 20 may be one or more. When multiple ribs 20 are provided, the multiple ribs 20 are arranged intermittently along the rotation axis of the hinge 4. The rib 20 prevents the connection portion 8 from bending when the hinge cap 100 is opened. To open the hinge cap 100, for example, a finger is inserted between the top surface 14 of the small lid 3 and the finger hook portion 9, and the finger hook portion 9 is pulled up in a direction away from the cap body 1, with the hinge 4 as a fulcrum, thereby opening the small lid 3 from the cap body 1. At this time, a force is applied to the connection portion 8 connecting the small lid 3 and the finger hook portion 9 in a bending direction. However, the rib 20 prevents the connection portion 8 from bending when the hinge cap 100 is opened. 6, if the ribs 20 are not formed, the connecting portion 8 will bend, increasing the force required to open the container and possibly causing the connecting portion 8 to bend or break. From the viewpoint of preventing the connecting portion 8 from bending, it is preferable that each of the ribs 20 be formed from the lower end (the end on the side of the small lid 3) to the upper end (the end opposite the small lid 3) of the connecting portion 8, and it is also preferable that each of the ribs 20 be formed perpendicular to the surface of the connecting portion 8 up to the outer periphery of the small lid 3.

[0023] The thickness w of the rib 20 is 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less. If the thickness w of the rib 20 is less than 0.5 mm, the rib 20 itself is too thin and easily breaks upon impact, such as when dropped. Furthermore, the rib 20 has low rigidity, which may not fully reduce the deflection of the connection portion 8 when the hinge cap 100 is opened, potentially leading to damage to the connection portion 8. If the thickness w of the rib 20 exceeds 2.0 mm, sink marks (i.e., a phenomenon in which the rib becomes thinner than designed due to shrinkage) may occur in the area surrounding the rib 20, impairing strength and appearance. In particular, sink marks on the liquid stop pin 17 and inner ring (not shown) are undesirable because they reduce the sealing performance. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, a configuration in which resin is filled between the connection portion 8 and the hinge 4 is also preferable from the perspective of preventing deflection and damage to the connection portion 8, but is undesirable because they result in extremely large sink marks on the finger grip 9 and the liquid stop pin 17. When a plurality of ribs 20 are provided, the thickness w of each rib 20 may be different as long as the thickness w of each rib 20 is 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.

[0024] Although one or more ribs 20 may be formed, two or more are preferably formed from the viewpoint of reducing deflection. When only one rib 20 is provided, the rib 20 is preferably provided at the center of the connection portion 8 from the viewpoint of effectively reducing deflection of the connection portion 8. When two or more ribs 20 are provided, the ribs are preferably arranged at equal intervals. In this case, the distance between the end of the connection portion 8 and the rib 20 closest to that end can be made equal to the interval d between adjacent ribs 20. Furthermore, the interval d between adjacent ribs 20 is preferably 0.9 mm or more, more preferably 1.0 mm or more. If the interval d is less than 0.9 mm, the portion corresponding to the space between the ribs 20 becomes thin, reducing the durability of the mold or making it difficult to fabricate the mold. Furthermore, there is no particular upper limit on the number of ribs 20 as long as the thickness w of the rib 20 can be set to 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less and the interval d between adjacent ribs 20 can be set to 0.9 mm or more. However, for example, the upper limit can be set to 8 or less.

[0025] When the hinge cap 100 according to this embodiment is used on a Gabel-top paper container, the hinge cap 100 is attached to the gable roof portion at the top of the paper container. In this case, it is preferable to make a diagonal or rounded cut from the upper edge of the rib 20 to the edge on the hinge side to prevent the small lid 3 from interfering with the top seal portion of the paper container when the hinge cap 100 is opened (Figs. 4 and 5).

[0026] As described above, the hinge cap 100 according to this embodiment has the finger grip portions 9 provided at spaced positions on the small lid 3. This allows the finger grip portions 9 to be formed large even for caps with small diameters, making it easier to open the hinge cap 100.

[0027] In addition, a rib 20 is formed on the connection part 8 that connects the small cover 3 and the finger grip part 9. This makes it possible to reduce the bending that occurs in the connection part 8 when opening the lid, making it easier to open and preventing damage to the connection part 8.

[0028] The thickness w of the rib 20 is 0.5 mm or more, which can prevent the rib 20 itself from being damaged and also reduce the bending of the connection portion 8.

[0029] The thickness w of the rib 20 is 2.0 mm or less, which prevents sink marks from occurring in the resin around the rib 20, which could impair strength and appearance, and can also prevent deformation of the liquid stop pin 17 and inner ring.

[0030] Furthermore, the distance d between adjacent ribs 20 is 0.9 mm or more. This allows the mold for the hinge cap 100 to be formed.

[0031] The number of ribs 20 formed is 2 or more, which can further reduce the deflection that occurs in the connection portion 8 when the seal is opened.

[0032] Further, the small cover 3 and the finger grip 9 are spaced apart by 3 mm or more, which makes it easier to hook a finger on the finger grip 9 and open the lid.

[0033] In addition, a diagonal cut or rounded cut is made from the upper edge of the rib 20 to the edge on the hinge side. This prevents the small lid 3 from interfering with the top seal of the paper container when opening it, even when the hinge cap 100 is used on a Goebel-top type paper container.

[0034] In the above embodiment, a hinge cap with a structure that can be attached to the mouth 11 of a Gabel-top type paper container by snapping has been described, but the shape of the container body and the method of attachment to the container body are not limited to this. The hinge cap 100 according to the above embodiment can also be applied to bottle containers such as PET bottles and glass bottles, as well as pouches and tube containers. Furthermore, the spout stopper can be attached to the container body by screwing, heat sealing, adhesive, etc. in addition to snapping and fitting, and the attachment structure to be provided on the tubular portion 6 of the cap body 1 can be selected appropriately depending on the shape of the container body and the attachment method.

[0035] <Modification> In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the pouring portion 2 for pouring the contents from the container body is formed on the cap body 1, but the pouring portion 2 may be formed directly on the end of the mouth portion 11 of the container body. In this case, for example, the pouring portion 2 and the closing portion 5 of the cap body 1 may be omitted, and the liquid stop pin 17 of the small lid 3 may directly close the pouring portion 2 of the container body. When attaching the hinge cap to the container body, it may be fixed by fitting the undercut 7a and the ridge 7b together as in the embodiment, or it may be fixed by screwing the inner circumferential surface of the tubular portion 6 to the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion 11 together. [Example]

[0036] (Examples 1 to 7, Comparative Examples 1 to 7) Hinge caps according to Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7 were produced. The material used was polypropylene, and the distance between the small cover 3 and the finger grip 9 was 3 mm. The diameter of the hinge cap (diameter of the cap body 1), the number of ribs 20, the thickness w of the ribs 20, and the distance d between adjacent ribs 20 (rib distance) were as shown in Table 1. The hinge cap according to Comparative Example 6 had no ribs 20 as shown in FIG. 6, and the hinge cap according to Comparative Example 7 had a resin filled between the connection part 8 and the hinge 4 as shown in FIG. 7.

[0037] (Usability evaluation) The hinge caps according to Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7 were each actually opened and closed a number of times to evaluate usability. The evaluation criteria were as follows. 5: The rib 20 is not broken, and the connection portion 8 is not bent, broken, or bent. 4: The rib 20 is not broken, and the connection portion 8 is slightly bent but not broken or bent. 3: Depending on the method of use, the rib 20 may break and the connection portion 8 may bend slightly, but no breaking or bending occurs. 2: Rib 20 is broken, and the connection part 8 is bent, causing breakage or bending. 1: A large deflection occurs at the connection part 8, and it breaks or bends with a force weaker than the opening strength (it cannot be opened).

[0038] (Evaluation of resin sink marks) The hinge caps according to Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7 were visually inspected for the presence or absence of sink marks.

[0039] (Mold generation feasibility evaluation) In Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7, the cases where molding using the mold was possible were evaluated as ◯, and the cases where molding using the mold was difficult were evaluated as ×.

[0040] (Overall review) The evaluation was carried out according to the following criteria. ×: Unable to mold, resin sink, usability rating of 2 or less. △: Moldable, no resin sink, and usability rating of 3. ○: Moldable, no resin sink, and usability rating of 4. ◎: Moldable, no resin sink, and usability rating of 5.

[0041] The results of the evaluation of usability, evaluation of occurrence of resin sink marks, evaluation of mold production feasibility, and overall evaluation of the hinge caps according to Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7 are also shown in Table 1.

[0042] [Table 1]

[0043] The hinge caps according to Examples 1 to 7 were all provided with ribs 20 having a thickness w of 0.5 mm or more, so no breakage occurred in the connection portion 8 even after multiple opening and closing operations. Furthermore, the thickness w of each of the ribs 20 was 2.0 mm or less, so no resin sink occurred. Furthermore, the rib spacing d was 0.9 mm or more, so molding with a mold was possible. In particular, Examples 3 to 7 were provided with multiple ribs 20, so they were particularly easy to use.

[0044] The hinge cap according to Comparative Example 1 had a thickness w of the rib 20 of less than 0.5 mm, and therefore received a usability rating of 2, with the rib 20 breaking and the connecting portion 8 breaking or bending.

[0045] In the hinge cap according to Comparative Example 2, the thickness w of the rib 20 exceeded 2.0 mm, so that resin sink occurred, causing problems in appearance.

[0046] The hinge caps according to Comparative Examples 3 to 5 could not be molded because the rib spacing d was less than 0.9 mm.

[0047] The hinge cap according to Comparative Example 6 did not have the rib 20 formed therein, so that the connecting portion 8 was greatly bent and could not be opened.

[0048] The hinge cap according to Comparative Example 7 was configured such that resin was filled between the connection portion 8 and the hinge 4, and therefore resin sink occurred, causing problems in appearance and sealing performance. [Industrial Applicability]

[0049] The present invention can be used for hinge caps attached to packaging containers, and is particularly suitable for small hinge caps. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1: Cap body 2: Pour part 3: Small lid 4: Hinge 8: Connection part 9: Finger grip 11: Mouth 14:Top section 15: Peripheral wall part 20: Rib 100: Hinge cap d: Rib spacing w: thickness

Claims

1. a cap body attached to the mouth of the container body; a small lid that has a flat top surface and a peripheral wall connected to an outer periphery of the top surface, and is attached to the cap body via a hinge; and a finger grip portion disposed at a position spaced apart from the small lid in the axial direction of the cap body; a flat connecting portion that connects the outer surface of the top surface portion of the small lid and the finger grip portion; one or more ribs formed on the hinge-side surface of the connecting portion along the axial direction of the cap body, the finger grip portion protrudes from the connection portion on a side opposite to the hinge, The hinge cap, wherein the thickness of the rib is 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.

2. The hinge cap according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the ribs are provided, and the interval between adjacent ribs is 0.9 mm or more.

3. The hinge cap according to claim 2 , wherein the number of the ribs is equal to or greater than 2 and equal to or less than 8.

4. The hinge cap according to claim 1 , wherein the small cover and the finger grip portion are spaced apart from each other by 4 mm or more in the axial direction of the cap body.

5. The hinge cap according to claim 1 , wherein the rib is provided with a diagonal cut or a rounded cut from an upper edge of the rib to an edge on the hinge side.

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