Cap

Abstract

To prevent the occurrence of a trouble in the separation of a TE band by surely locking a locking projection part projected on the inner peripheral surface of the TE band to a bead part provided along the peripheral direction of a container mouth part while preventing the locking projection part from obstructing the mounting of a cap on the container mouth part.SOLUTION: In the cap 1 provided with a cap body 2 screwed to a vessel mouth part 100 and a TE band 3 mounted to the vessel mouth part 100 on the lower side of the cap body 2 and partitioned by a circumferential weakening line 4 extending in the circumferential direction, a lubricant is applied to a lower surface 30b of a locking projection part 30 projected on an inner peripheral surface of the TE band 3 so as to be locked to a bead part 101 provided along the circumferential direction in the vessel mouth part 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cap, and more particularly to a cap equipped with a TE band (tamper evident band). [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when filling and sealing contents such as beverages into various containers, caps that seal the container mouth have been known that include a cap body that screws onto the container mouth and a TE band that is attached to the container mouth below the cap body (see, for example, Patent Document 1). With such a cap, when the cap is opened, a circumferential weakened line that separates the cap body and the TE band breaks, and the TE band is separated from the cap body, ensuring tamper-evident properties that clearly indicate that the cap has been opened. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-143942 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, when the cap body is rotated in the opening direction, the cap body threaded onto the container mouth is guided by the threads of each other and rises axially relative to the container mouth, while the locking projections protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the TE band are locked onto the beaded portions provided circumferentially on the container mouth, so that the circumferential weakened line breaks and the TE band is separated from the cap body without rising. A cap equipped with such a TE band is required to ensure that the locking projections protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the TE band do not interfere with attaching the cap to the container mouth, but are securely locked onto the beaded portions provided circumferentially on the container mouth, so that separation of the TE band is not hindered.

[0005] The present inventors have conducted extensive research in light of the above background art and have completed the present invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The cap of the present invention comprises a cap body that screws onto the container mouth portion and a TE band that is attached to the container mouth portion below the cap body, the cap body and the TE band being separated by a circumferential weakening line that extends circumferentially, and the cap can be opened by rotating the cap body in the opening direction relative to the container mouth portion, and the inner surface of the TE band has a locking protrusion that protrudes and can be locked onto a bead portion that is provided circumferentially on the container mouth portion, and a lubricant is applied to the underside of the locking protrusion. In the cap of the present invention, the locking protrusion is protruded so that its longitudinal cross-sectional shape is triangular, and the lower surface of the locking protrusion extends diagonally upward from the lower side of the inner surface of the TE band, and the upper surface of the locking protrusion can extend from the upper side of the inner surface of the TE band toward the top of the locking protrusion at a larger inclination angle than the lower surface of the locking protrusion. Furthermore, the circumferential weakening line may consist of a plurality of slits penetrating the thickness direction of the TE band and a plurality of bridge portions, and the slits may be arranged so that the width is narrower on the inner peripheral surface side than on the outer peripheral surface side. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the locking protrusion protruding from the inner surface of the TE band does not interfere with attaching the cap to the container mouth, and is securely locked to the bead portion provided circumferentially on the container mouth, thereby preventing any problems when separating the TE band. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a half-sectional view showing an outline of a cap according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a half-sectional view showing an outline of an example in which a container opening is sealed using a cap according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged end view of a main part of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a half-side cross-sectional view showing an outline of the cap according to this embodiment. In Fig. 1, a vertical cross-section including a central axis C is shown on the left side of the drawing, and the up-down, left-right, and length-width directions defined for the cap 1 are defined in the state shown in Fig. 1.

[0011] The cap 1 shown in Figure 1 is used to seal a container mouth 100 when filling and sealing contents such as beverages into various containers, and is equipped with a cap body 2 that screws onto the container mouth 100 and a TE band 3 that is attached to the container mouth 100 on the lower side of the cap body 2.

[0012] Here, an example in which the container opening 100 is sealed with the cap 1 is shown in FIG. 2, and in FIG. 2, similar to FIG. 1, a vertical cross section including the central axis C is shown on the left side of the drawing. In FIG. 2, the portions where the members are shown overlapping each other are actually elastically deformed and in close contact with each other.

[0013] The cap 1 is made of a synthetic resin, for example, an olefin resin such as low-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer, homopolypropylene, etc., prepared alone or by blending two or more thereof, and can be molded into a predetermined shape by injection molding, compression molding, etc., using a base resin to which various additives have been added as necessary. The base resin used for the cap 1 is not limited to these, but when applied to a hot-pack filling method in which the contents are heated to about 80 to 95°C and filled into a container, it is preferable to use a base resin containing a highly heat-resistant polypropylene component such as an ethylene-propylene copolymer or homopolypropylene.

[0014] The cap body 2 of the cap 1 includes a disk-shaped top surface portion 20 and a cylindrical skirt portion 21 hanging down from the outer periphery of the top surface portion 20.

[0015] On the inner surface of the top surface 20, a cylindrical inner seal portion 22 is formed, which hangs down concentrically with the skirt portion 21 and contacts the inner peripheral surface of the open end side of the container mouth 100, and a cylindrical outer seal portion 23 is formed, which contacts the outer peripheral surface of the open end side of the container mouth 100. Between the inner seal portion 22 and the outer seal portion 23, an annular protrusion 24 is formed, which contacts the top of the open end side of the container mouth 100. In the example shown, by forming these, a liquid-tight seal is more reliably achieved when the container mouth 100 is sealed with the cap 1.

[0016] An anti-slip knurling 25 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the skirt portion 21, and a threaded portion 26 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the skirt portion 21. The specific shape of the threaded portion 26 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the skirt portion 21 is not particularly limited as long as it can be threadedly engaged with the threaded portion 102 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the container opening 100. In the example shown in the figure, the threaded portion 26 is cut out at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction, and thin-walled portions 27 are disposed in the areas where the threaded portion 26 is cut out.

[0017] A circumferential weakening line 4 extending in the circumferential direction is formed at the lower end of the cap body 2. The cap body 2 and the TE band 3 located below it are separated by this circumferential weakening line 4. The circumferential weakening line 4 can preferably be formed by alternately arranging a plurality of slits 40 penetrating the TE band 3 in the thickness direction and a plurality of bridge portions 41 along the circumferential direction. Such circumferential weakening lines 4 can be formed, for example, by post-processing a precursor of the cap 1 molded by injection molding, compression molding, or the like, by inserting the cutting edge of a cutting blade at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction at the boundary between the cap body 2 and the TE band 3.

[0018] The TE band 3 has a locking protrusion 30 protruding from its inner peripheral surface so as to be able to lock onto a bead portion 101 provided circumferentially on the container opening 100. The locking protrusion 30 protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the TE band 3 can be formed so that its longitudinal cross section has a triangular shape. When forming the locking protrusion 30 in this manner, it is preferable that the lower surface 30b of the locking protrusion 30 extends obliquely upward from the lower side of the inner peripheral surface of the TE band 3, and the upper surface 30a of the locking protrusion 30 extends from the upper side of the inner peripheral surface of the TE band 3 toward the apex 30p of the locking protrusion 30 at a larger inclination angle (inclination angle with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the TE band 3) than the lower surface 30b of the locking protrusion 30. In other words, the upper surface 30a of the locking protrusion 30 is formed to have a steep slope with a gradient relative to the inner surface of the TE band 3, so that it can be locked onto the bead portion 101 provided circumferentially on the container mouth portion 100, while the lower surface 30b of the locking protrusion 30 is preferably formed to have a gentle slope with a gradient relative to the inner surface of the TE band 3. 3 is an enlarged end view of the essential part of the end face of the area surrounded by the chain line in FIG. 1, and shows the end face of the part including the locking protrusion 30. FIG.

[0019] The locking protrusions 30 may be provided continuously along the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the TE band 3 with the same vertical cross-sectional shape, or, as in the example shown in the figure, multiple locking protrusions 30 may be provided protruding at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction. In such a configuration, it is preferable to gradually reduce the protruding height at both end sides of the locking protrusions 30 along the circumferential direction and to incline the lower surfaces 30b of the locking protrusions 30 toward the tip ends of both end sides of the locking protrusions 30 so that both end sides of the locking protrusions 30 are tapered.

[0020] By providing such a locking protrusion 30 on the inner surface of the TE band 3, when the cap body 2 is rotated in the opening direction, the cap body 2 screwed onto the container mouth portion 100 is guided by the respective threaded portions 102, 26 and rises axially relative to the container mouth portion 100, while the locking protrusion 30 protruding from the inner surface of the TE band 3 is locked to a bead portion 101 provided circumferentially on the container mouth portion 100, so that the circumferential weakened line 4 (bridge portion 41) breaks and the TE band 3 is separated from the cap body 2 without rising.

[0021] When the cap 1 thus configured to ensure TE properties is fastened to the container opening 100, the cap 1 is fastened while the locking projection 30 on the TE band 3 side moves over the bead portion 101 on the container opening 100. For this reason, the resistance when the locking projection 30 moves over the bead portion 101 tends to increase the fastening torque, and when the cap 1 is molded using a base resin containing a polypropylene component in order to be used in a hot pack filling method, this tendency becomes even stronger due to the hardness of polypropylene.

[0022] As a result, when attaching the cap 1 using a tightening device (capper), if an attempt is made to control the device so that tightening torque is detected to determine the completion of tightening, the tightening torque when the locking protrusion 30 moves over the bead portion 101 will be greater than the tightening torque at the completion of tightening, which may result in a problem in which the cap 1 cannot be tightened at the appropriate tightening angle. Furthermore, even if an attempt is made to control the device taking into account the tightening torque when the locking protrusion 30 moves over the bead portion 101, the control becomes complicated.

[0023] On the other hand, it is also possible to reduce the protruding height of the locking protrusion 30 on the TE band 3 side so that the tightening torque when the locking protrusion 30 gets over the bead portion 101 does not become too large. However, in this case, it becomes difficult to lock the locking protrusion 30 to the bead portion 101 on the container opening portion 100 side, and therefore, when the cap is opened, the circumferential weakened line 4 cannot be properly broken, and the cap may be opened with a part of the TE band 3 still connected to the cap body 2, which may result in a problem such as so-called hinging.

[0024] For this reason, it is required that the locking protrusion 30 protruding from the inner surface of the TE band 3 does not interfere with attaching the cap 1 to the container mouth portion 100, while being securely locked to the bead portion 101 provided circumferentially on the container mouth portion 100, so that there is no problem in separating the TE band 3.

[0025] In this embodiment, in order to meet such requirements, a lubricant is applied to the underside 30b of the locking protrusion 30, which abuts against the bead portion 101 provided on the container mouth portion 100 side when the cap is attached, thereby increasing the slipperiness relative to the bead portion 101 provided on the container mouth portion 100 side, thereby reducing the tightening torque when the locking protrusion 30 on the TE band 3 side passes over the bead portion 101 on the container mouth portion 100 side.

[0026] Examples of lubricants that can be used include, but are not limited to, hydrocarbon lubricants such as liquid paraffin, paraffin wax, microwax, and polyethylene wax; fatty acid lubricants such as stearic acid and lauric acid; fatty acid amide lubricants such as stearic acid amide, palmitic acid amide, oleic acid amide, erucic acid amide, methylene bisstearamide, and ethylene bisstearamide; fatty acid ester lubricants such as butyl stearate, ethylene glycol monostearate, and hydrogenated castor oil; higher alcohol lubricants such as cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol; and metal soap lubricants such as zinc stearate and calcium stearate. These may be used alone or in combination.

[0027] To apply a lubricant to the underside 30b of the locking projection 30, a coating liquid may be prepared by dissolving or dispersing the lubricant in an organic solvent, and the coating liquid may be applied to the underside 30b of the locking projection 30 and then dried. A suitable organic solvent is one that can be easily removed by evaporation during drying and has poor solubility in the synthetic resin used in the cap 1. For example, polar organic solvents such as ethyl alcohol and methyl ethyl ketone are preferably used.

[0028] The lubricant concentration in the coating solution can be adjusted appropriately taking into consideration the workability and drying properties during application. When preparing the coating solution, a coloring agent such as an edible coloring agent may be added to color it, if necessary. By coloring the coating solution, it is possible to confirm the area where the lubricant has been applied.

[0029] When applying the lubricant to the lower surface 30b of the locking projection 30, the amount of the lubricant applied can be adjusted appropriately depending on the lubricant used so as to achieve the desired effect. For example, 2 It is preferable that the concentration is 560 to 2800 mg / m 2 It is particularly preferred that:

[0030] The method for applying the lubricant to the underside 30b of the locking protrusion 30 is not particularly limited as long as it allows the lubricant to be selectively applied to the underside 30b of the locking protrusion 30, but it is preferable to apply the lubricant using an inkjet printer, for example. By spraying an application liquid toward the underside 30b of the locking protrusion 30 from the inkjet nozzle of the inkjet printer, the lubricant can be more easily selectively applied to the limited area of ​​the underside 30b of the locking protrusion 30.

[0031] In this embodiment, as described above, by applying a lubricant to the underside 30b of the locking protrusion 30 protruding from the inner surface of the TE band 3, it is possible to reduce the tightening torque when the locking protrusion 30 on the TE band 3 side passes over the bead portion 101 on the container mouth portion 100 side, but after the cap is attached, it is preferable to remove the lubricant applied to the underside 30b of the locking protrusion 30.

[0032] Incidentally, when filling contents such as a beverage through the container opening 100, the contents may spill and adhere to the outer peripheral surface of the container opening 100, and it is not desirable to leave the contents adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the container opening 100. For this reason, particularly when filling contents using the hot pack filling method, after sealing the container opening 100 with the cap 1, pressurized cleaning water is sprayed toward the cap 1 to clean the container opening 100 together with the cap 1.

[0033] When cleaning the container opening 100 together with the cap 1 in this manner, a slit (cleaning slit) through which cleaning water can pass is provided on the outer surface of the skirt portion 21 of the cap 1, and the cleaning water is allowed to enter the gap between the cap 1 and the container opening 100 from the slit. This cleaning slit itself is a well-known configuration (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4608223 for details). In this manner, the cleaning water that has entered the gap between the cap 1 and the container opening 100 can clean the outer peripheral surface of the container opening 100 and also wash away and remove the lubricant applied to the underside 30b of the locking protrusion 30. However, by allowing the cleaning water to enter the gap between the cap 1 and the container opening 100 from a position closer to the locking protrusion 30 so that more cleaning water can reach the underside 30b of the locking protrusion 30, the lubricant can be more effectively removed.

[0034] For example, when forming the circumferential weakened line 4 as described above, the slit 40 penetrating the thickness direction of the TE band 3 can be formed with a width that allows cleaning water to pass through, thereby making it easier for the cleaning water that penetrates through the slit 40 into the gap between the cap 1 and the container opening 100 to reach the underside 30b of the locking protrusion 30. In such an embodiment, it is preferable to form the slit 40 so that the width is narrower on the inner peripheral side than on the outer peripheral side of the cap 1. In this way, the cleaning water that passes through the slit 40 is forced out from the inner peripheral side of the cap 1, thereby further improving the cleaning effect.

[0035] Furthermore, in the illustrated example, a guide groove 31 is formed by cutting out a portion located above and between circumferentially adjacent locking projections 30. By forming such a guide groove 31, more cleaning water can reach the lower surfaces 30b of the locking projections 30, and the lubricant applied to the lower surfaces 30b of the locking projections 30 can be more effectively washed away and removed. In FIG. 3, a vertical end face at the circumferential center of the guide groove 31 is shown superimposed by a chain line.

[0036] According to the present embodiment as described above, the locking projections 30 protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the TE band 3 do not interfere with the attachment of the cap 1 to the container opening 100, and are reliably locked to the bead portions 101 provided along the circumferential direction of the container opening 100, thereby preventing any problems in separating the TE band 3. In particular, even when the cap 1 is molded using a base resin containing a polypropylene component so that it can be used in a hot pack filling method, such an effect can be effectively achieved.

[0037] Although the present invention has been described above by showing preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. It goes without saying that the configurations described in the above-described embodiments can be combined in any desired manner and that various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 cap 2 Cap body 3 TE band 30 Locking protrusion 30a top surface 30b Bottom side 30p top 4 Circumferential weakening lines 40 slits 41 Bridge section 100 Container mouth 101 Bead part

Claims

1. A cap comprising: a cap body that screws onto a container mouth; and a TE band that is attached to the container mouth on the lower side of the cap body, wherein the cap body and the TE band are separated by a circumferential weakened line that extends in the circumferential direction; and the cap can be opened by rotating the cap body in an opening direction relative to the container mouth, A cap characterized in that the inner surface of the TE band has a locking protrusion that protrudes so as to be able to engage with a bead portion provided circumferentially on the container mouth portion, and a lubricant is applied to the underside of the locking protrusion.

2. The cap described in claim 1, wherein the locking protrusion is protruded so that its longitudinal cross-sectional shape is triangular, the lower surface of the locking protrusion extends diagonally upward from the lower side of the inner surface of the TE band, and the upper surface of the locking protrusion extends from the upper side of the inner surface of the TE band toward the top of the locking protrusion at a larger inclination angle than the lower surface of the locking protrusion.

3. 3. The cap according to claim 1, wherein the circumferential weakened line comprises a plurality of slits penetrating the TE band in a thickness direction and a plurality of bridge portions.

4. The cap according to claim 3, wherein the slit is formed so that the width of the slit is narrower on the inner peripheral surface side than on the outer peripheral surface side.

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