Spout cap

Abstract

To provide a pouring cap capable of preventing a valve body from falling off from a cap body. [Solution] A dispensing cap comprising a cap body B attached to the mouth 1 of a container A, an upper lid D attached to the cap body B so as to be able to open and close freely, and a separate nozzle member E attached to the cap body B, wherein the cap body B comprises a partition 6 that seals the mouth 1, an opening 6a that penetrates the partition 6, and a valved tubular portion 7 that hangs down from the periphery of the opening 6a and has an openable and closable valve body 22 on its lower inner circumference, and the nozzle member E comprises a flange 30 attached to the periphery of the opening 6a of the partition 6, a dispensing tube 31 that hangs up from the inner edge of the flange 30, and a fitting tube 32 that hangs down from the inner edge of the flange 30 and is inserted into the valved tubular portion 7.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dispensing cap, and more particularly to a dispensing cap having a separate nozzle member attached to a cap body. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in dispensing caps attached to so-called squeeze containers, in which the contents are ejected by squeezing the body of the container with one's hand and the container returns to its original state when the hand is released, the contents sometimes drip out of the dispensing tube as soon as the container is tilted from an upright position.

[0003] For this reason, a dispensing cap is known that is provided with a valve body that opens and closes the communicating hole in response to fluctuations in the internal pressure of the container when the container is squeezed, switching the communicating hole between open and closed, so that liquid does not immediately drip even if the container is simply tilted from an upright position (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-160633 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the dispensing cap described in Patent Document 1, the valve body serving as the inner plug member is fitted into the discharge tube of the cap body from below, and therefore there is a risk that the valve body may fall off from the cap body.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims to solve the above problem and to provide a pouring cap that can prevent the valve body from falling off the cap body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a dispensing cap comprising a cap body attached to the mouth of a container, an upper lid attached to the cap body so as to be freely opened and closed, and a separate nozzle member attached to the cap body, wherein the cap body comprises a partition wall that seals the mouth, an opening that penetrates the partition wall, and a valved tubular portion that hangs down from the periphery of the opening and has an openable and closable valve body on its lower inner circumference, and the nozzle member comprises a flange attached to the periphery of the opening of the partition wall, a dispensing tube that hangs up from the inner edge of the flange, and a fitting tube that hangs down from the inner edge of the flange and is inserted into the valved tubular portion.

[0008] As an embodiment of the dispensing cap, a configuration is adopted in which the valved tubular portion is tapered in diameter from the periphery of the opening of the partition wall and comprises a stepped wall portion that accommodates the flange of the nozzle member, and an attachment tubular portion that hangs down from the inner edge of the stepped wall portion and into which the fitting tube of the nozzle member is inserted; the nozzle member is configured to have a baffle portion whose side is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the fitting tube by a plurality of arms and against which the liquid flowing in from the valve body collides; the nozzle member is configured to have a flow rectifying portion that is formed on the outflow side of the baffle portion and that gathers the liquid flow that has diffused around the baffle portion into the center; and the valved tubular portion is configured to have a slit-shaped valve body that closes the lower part of the attachment tubular portion and opens due to the pressurized liquid flow. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] By adopting the above-described configuration, the dispensing cap of the present invention can be used without the valve body falling off from the cap body, and by making the nozzle member separate from the cap body, the range of materials that can be selected can be expanded. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a closed state of a container equipped with a dispensing cap according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a side cross-sectional view and (b) is an enlarged view of a main part of (a). [Figure 2]1A and 1B are diagrams showing the cap body of a pouring cap according to an embodiment of the present invention in an open state, in which (a) is a top view of the main part of (b), and (b) is a side cross-sectional view. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a nozzle member of a dispensing cap according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a half cross-sectional side view and (b) is a bottom view. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the state of a container equipped with a dispensing cap according to an embodiment of the present invention during dispensing, where (a) is an enlarged view of the main part when the container is tilted, and (b) is an enlarged view of the main part when the container is squeezed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The pouring cap of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings showing an embodiment embodied as a hinged cap. In the following description, when looking at Figure 1(a), the left side will be referred to as the "pouring side (opposite the hinge)", the right side will be referred to as the "back side (hinge side)", the upward direction will be referred to as "up", and the downward direction will be referred to as "down".

[0012] (Example) In Figure 1, A is a container, B is a cap body attached to container A, D is an upper lid attached to cap body B via hinge C so as to be able to be opened and closed freely, and E is a separate nozzle member attached to cap body B. The body of the container A is formed from a soft material that can be deformed by pressure so as to push out the liquid content, the cap body B, hinge C, and top lid D are integrally formed from a material that has good shape retention, such as PE, and the nozzle member E is formed from a material that is more heat resistant than PE, such as PP. The materials for each can be changed as appropriate. The cap body B, hinge C, top lid D, and nozzle member E may also be made of the same material. The container A has a mouth 1 at the top, and a fitting ridge 2 is provided on the upper outer periphery of the mouth 1.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cap body B comprises an attachment portion 5 that is fitted onto the mouth portion 1 of the container A, and a partition wall 6 that extends inward from the inner edge of the attachment portion 5 and seals the opening of the mouth portion 1. An opening portion 6a that penetrates the partition wall 6 is formed near the pouring side of the partition wall 6, and a valved cylindrical portion 7 that attaches a nozzle member E is suspended downward from the periphery of the opening portion 6a.

[0014] The mounting portion 5 is composed of a base wall portion 9 that abuts against the upper surface of the mouth portion 1 of the container A, an inner tube 10 that hangs down from the inner side of the base wall portion 9, and an outer wall portion 11 that hangs down from the outer side of the base wall portion 9. A lid engagement portion 12 is erected on the upper part of the base wall portion 9, and its upper surface and outer periphery engage with the upper lid D. A hinge C is connected to the upper part of the back side (hinge side) of the outer periphery of the outer wall portion 11, and an engagement protrusion 13 is provided at the lower inner periphery that engages with the mating protrusion 2 of the mouth portion 1 of the container A.

[0015] The outer peripheral wall 11 is provided with a stepped recess 15 recessed from the outer periphery of a predetermined arc on the upper portion of the pouring side. Further, on the rear side, a slit groove 16 is recessed from above to form a breakable thin portion 16a so that the wall of the outer peripheral wall portion 11 can be broken and disposed of separately.

[0016] The valved cylindrical portion 7 is provided with a ring-shaped stepped wall portion 20 whose diameter narrows inward from the periphery of the opening 6a of the partition wall 6, an attachment cylindrical portion 21 that hangs down from the inner edge of the stepped wall portion 20 and has a nozzle member E attached to its inner circumference, and a valve body 22 that can open and close the lower inner circumference of the attachment cylindrical portion 21.

[0017] The mounting tube portion 21 is provided with a fitting protrusion 24 on the upper inner periphery thereof, which fits with the nozzle member E. The valve element 22 is formed with a thin, deformable wall so as to close the lower inner periphery of the mounting tube portion 21. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2(a), a cross-shaped slit 25 extending from the center to the periphery is cut into the valve, and the center portion is pressed in and deformed to form a slit valve that opens. Note that the slit is not limited to a cross shape, and a straight slit or the like may be used as long as the slit valve structure does not cause liquid to drip when the squeeze container is tilted.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the nozzle member E comprises a ring-shaped flange 30 whose outer periphery is inserted into the opening 6a of the partition wall 6 and whose lower surface abuts against the upper surface of the stepped wall portion 20 of the valved cylindrical portion 7, a dispensing tube 31 erected from the inner edge of the flange 30 and guiding the content liquid outward, and a fitting tube 32 erected hanging from the inner edge of the flange 30 and whose outer periphery is inserted into the inner periphery of the mounting cylindrical portion 21. In this embodiment, the upper end of the pouring tube 31 is formed in a trumpet shape to make it easier to pour the liquid content.

[0019] The fitting cylinder 32 has an annular rectifying section 33 formed on the upper inner periphery, the upper part of which is inclined upward from the inner periphery so as to collect the diffused liquid flow to the center, and an engaging recess 35 formed on the lower outer periphery, which engages with the engaging protrusion 24 on the inner periphery of the mounting cylinder 21. Directly below the rectifying section 33, a baffle section 36 is formed in the center with a gap from the inner periphery, and a plurality of arm sections 37 (in this embodiment, two at left and right locations) connecting the inner periphery of the fitting cylinder 32 and the side of the baffle section 36 are formed, and as shown in FIG. 3 , a liquid passage 38 is opened between the inner periphery of the fitting cylinder 32 and the periphery of the baffle section 36, except for the part blocked by the arm sections 37, and the lower end of the rectifying section 33 is connected to the arm sections 37. The baffle plate portion 36 has a lower flat portion 36a formed in a flat shape, and an upper mountain-shaped portion 36b formed in a mountain shape that rises from the periphery toward the center.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the upper lid D is rotatably attached to the upper outer end of the outer wall portion 11 of the cap body B via a hinge C, and is provided with a top wall 40, a side wall 41 that hangs down from the periphery of the top wall 40 and has the hinge C connected to its outer periphery, and a sealing tube 42 that hangs down from a predetermined position on the underside of the top wall 40 and is inserted into the dispensing tube 31 of the nozzle member E from above to seal it, and the outer periphery of the sealing tube 42 of the top wall 40 is recessed from the underside and is provided with a deformable thin-walled deformation portion 43 in that portion.

[0021] An engaging recess 45 is provided around the inner periphery of the lower end of the side peripheral wall 41 to engage with the lid engaging portion 12 to maintain the lid in a closed state. An arc-shaped covering wall 46 hangs down from the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface of the side peripheral wall 41 on the pouring side, and is formed so as to cover the stepped recess 15 of the outer peripheral wall portion 11 of the cap body B when the lid is closed. A knob 47 having an arc shape in the circumferential direction is formed on the outer periphery of the side peripheral wall 41 at the lower end on the pouring side, and a hinge C is connected to the lower end on the back side.

[0022] Next, the manner of use and the effects of this embodiment will be described. In the dispensing cap of this embodiment, the cap body B, hinge C, and top cover D are molded integrally from the same material in the open state as shown in Figure 2(b), while the nozzle member E is molded separately from a different material. At this time, the valve element 22 of the valved cylindrical portion 7 of the cap body B is formed with a thin wall, and by cutting a cross-shaped slit 25, the center portion is pressed and deformed to form an openable slit valve.

[0023] Next, the nozzle member E is inserted from above into the valved cylindrical portion 7 of the cap body B, and force is applied from the upper surface of the flange 30 to plug it. Since the nozzle member E is formed from a harder material than the material of the cap body B, when the flange 30 is plugged from the top surface, the lower outer end of the fitting tube 32 is inserted into the upper inner end of the mounting tube portion 21 of the valved tube portion 7, and as it continues to descend, the outer periphery of the fitting tube 32 slides along the inner periphery of the mounting tube portion 21, abuts against and overcomes the fitting protrusion 24, and descends while pushing the mounting tube portion 21 outward.

[0024] Finally, as shown in Figure 1, the lower surface of the flange 30 comes into contact with the upper surface of the stepped wall portion 20 of the valved tubular portion 7, stopping its descent, and the mating recess 35 on the outer periphery of the mating tube 32 engages with the mating protrusion 24 on the inner periphery of the mounting tubular portion 21, and the nozzle member E is attached to the cap body B. After the nozzle member E is attached, the upper surface of the flange 30 becomes flush with the upper surface of the partition wall 6 of the cap body B. Furthermore, when the fitting protrusions 24 fit into the fitting recesses 35 , the mounting tube 21 is released from the expanded state, returns to its original shape, and is brought into close contact with the outer periphery of the fitting tube 32 . The nozzle member E is formed of a material harder than the cap body B, so it does not shrink in the inward direction and has good shape retention, so that the outer periphery of the fitting tube 32 can be kept in close contact with the inner periphery of the mounting tube part 21. Furthermore, if the nozzle member E is formed so as to repel in the outer periphery direction, the outer periphery of the fitting cylinder 32 can be brought into tight contact with the inner periphery of the mounting cylinder portion 21 by the repulsive force.

[0025] The valved cylindrical portion 7 is connected to the opening 6a of the partition 6 of the cap body B, and the nozzle member E, which serves as the spout, is attached inside the valved cylindrical portion 7. Therefore, unlike conventional devices in which a separate valve body is attached below the spout, the valved cylindrical portion 7, which has the valve body 22, will not fall off from the cap body B. Furthermore, since the nozzle member E is fitted from above the valved cylindrical portion 7, the nozzle member E will not come off during use. Furthermore, since the nozzle member E is made of a material with good heat resistance, it will not deform even when the liquid content is at a high temperature, and the nozzle member E will not come off the cap body B.

[0026] The dispensing cap is closed by rotating the top cover D via the hinge C and placing it on the cap body B, as shown in FIG. At this time, the lower outer periphery of the sealing tube 42 of the upper lid D comes into close contact with the inner periphery of the dispensing tube 31 of the nozzle member E attached to the cap body B to seal the inside. Furthermore, the engaging recess 45 of the side peripheral wall 41 of the top lid D and the lid engaging portion 12 of the cap body B engage with each other, maintaining the lid closed.

[0027] Next, the closed pouring cap is attached to the mouth 1 of the container A filled with the liquid content. In the stoppering process, the annular groove formed between the inner tube 10 and outer peripheral wall 11 of the attachment part 5 is set onto the mouth 1 of the container A from above, and a pressing force is applied from above the top lid D, causing the engaging protrusion 13 of the outer peripheral wall 11 to overcome the mating protrusion 2 of the mouth 1 and fit into it, so that the mouth 1 of the container A is clamped and attached between the outer periphery of the inner tube 10, the inner periphery of the outer peripheral wall 11, and the base wall 9.

[0028] When the container is dropped upside down in the closed state, even if an impact force is applied to the top wall 40 of the upper lid D, the thin-walled deformation portion 43 absorbs the impact received by the upper lid D and the sealing tube 42 is not pushed into or pulled away from the dispensing tube 31 of the nozzle member E, so that the adhesion between the sealing tube 42 and the dispensing tube 31 is not affected, and the sealing tube 42 and the dispensing tube 31 are prevented from coming loose and damaging each other.

[0029] When using the liquid contents in container A, first, place your fingers on the handle 47 of the top lid D and lift it up relative to the cap body B, which releases the seal between the sealing tube 42 of the top lid D and the dispensing tube 31 of the nozzle member E attached to the cap body B, and disengages the side wall 41 of the top lid D from the lid engagement portion 12 of the cap body B, thereby opening the top lid D relative to the cap body B. Even if container A is tilted toward the pouring side with the lid open, the liquid contents in container A are blocked by the underside of partition wall 6 of cap body B and valve body 22 of valved cylindrical portion 7, as shown in Figure 4(a), so the liquid contents will not drip out.

[0030] With the lid open, container A is tilted toward the dispensing side, the tip of nozzle member E is pointed toward the desired dispensing location, and the body of container A is squeezed by hand to pressurize the inside of container A. As shown in Figure 4(b), the pressurized liquid contents push the valve body 22 of the valved cylindrical portion 7 of cap body B from the inside to the outside, deforming the slit 25 from the center and opening it. Next, the liquid content passes through the opening of the slit 25 and flows into the fitting tube 32 of the nozzle member E, hits the lower flat surface 36a of the baffle plate portion 36 and is diffused, passes through the liquid passage 38 formed on the outer periphery of the baffle plate portion 36, and is collected in the center by the inner periphery of the flow straightening portion 33 and the slope of the mountain-shaped portion 36b of the baffle plate portion 36, whereby the flow is straightened, flows into the inner periphery of the dispensing tube 31, and is discharged from the tip of the dispensing tube 31. In this way, the liquid flow is guided by the lower flat surface 36a of the baffle plate portion 36, the liquid passage 38, the inner surface of the straightening portion 33 and the slope of the mountain-shaped portion 36b of the baffle plate portion 36, so even if the body of the container A is squeezed hard, the momentum of the liquid flow is attenuated and the liquid content does not spurt out forcefully from the tip of the dispensing tube 31 like a water gun, but can be stably discharged as intended from the tip of the dispensing tube 31.

[0031] When the hand squeezing the body of container A is released, the deformation of the body of container A returns to its original state, a negative pressure is created inside container A, the liquid inside the container A no longer presses the valve body 22 of the valved cylindrical portion 7, and the deformation in the center of the slit 25 returns to its original state and the slit 25 closes, as shown in Figure 4(a).

[0032] At this time, due to the negative pressure in the container A, the liquid content remaining above the valve body 22 is sucked back into the container A through the small opening of the slit 25 of the valve body 22. In the dispensing cap of this embodiment, the liquid content remaining in the dispensing tube 31 spreads quickly outward from the inside of the straightening section 33 due to the inclination of the mountain-shaped section 36b of the baffle plate section 36, flows while being guided through the liquid passage 38, and returns to the container A through the small opening of the slit 25, so that the liquid content can be quickly recovered. Furthermore, the liquid passage 38 has only a narrow opening area formed on the outer peripheral side of the baffle plate portion 36 excluding the portion of the arm portion 37, so that the liquid content does not block the liquid passage 38 unless liquid pressure is applied, and the remaining liquid content does not drip out.

[0033] By closing the top lid D again on the cap body B, the lower outer surface of the sealing tube 42 of the top lid D tightly contacts and seals the dispensing tube 31 of the nozzle member E attached to the cap body B, sealing the inside of the container A, and the dispensing cap can repeatedly open and close the top lid D, squeezing the container A to eject the liquid contents. In this embodiment, the top cover D of the dispensing cap is connected to the cap body B via a hinge C, but the top cover D may be separate from the cap body B.

[0034] Next, after using up all the liquid contents in container A, when it is time to separate and discard the cap from container A, grasp the top cover D with your fingers and pull it outward, which pulls the area around the slit groove 16, which is the connecting part of the outer wall portion 11 of the cap body B with the hinge C, via the hinge C, and tears the thin portion 16a of the outer wall portion 11 of the slit groove 16, allowing the cap body B and container A to easily be disengaged and separated from each other. [Industrial Applicability]

[0035] The dispensing cap of the present invention can be used without the valve body falling off the cap body because the valve body is integrated with the cap body, and since the nozzle member is separate from the cap body, the range of materials that can be selected can be expanded, making it suitable as a dispensing cap for a container. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] A container B Cap body C hinge D Top lid E Nozzle material 1 Mouth 2 Mating ridges 5. Mounting part 6 Bulkhead 6a opening 7. Valve-equipped cylinder 9 Base wall part 10 Inner cylinder 11 Outer wall 12 Lid engagement part 13 Engagement protrusion 15 Step recess 16 Slit groove 16a Thin section 20 Step wall section 21 Mounting tube 22 Valve body 24 mating projection 25 slit 30 flange 31 Pour tube 32 Fitting tube 33 Rectifier section 35 Fitting recess 36 Baffle plate section 36a Lower plane part 36b Yamagata section 37 Arm section 38 Liquid passage 40 Top Wall 41 Side wall 42 Closed Envelope 43 Thin-walled deformation section 45 Engagement recess 46 Covered wall 47 Knob

Claims

1. A dispensing cap comprising a cap body attached to the mouth of a container, an upper lid attached to the cap body so as to be freely opened and closed, and a separate nozzle member attached to the cap body, The cap body includes a partition wall that closes the opening, an opening that penetrates the partition wall, and a valved tubular portion that hangs down from the periphery of the opening and has an openable and closable valve body on the lower inner periphery, The nozzle member is characterized by comprising a flange attached to the periphery of the opening of the partition wall, a dispensing tube erected from the inner edge of the flange, and a fitting tube hanging down from the inner edge of the flange and inserted into the valved tube portion.

2. The dispensing cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve-equipped cylindrical portion comprises a stepped wall portion whose diameter is reduced from the peripheral edge of the opening of the partition wall and which accommodates the flange of the nozzle member, and an attachment cylindrical portion which hangs down from the inner edge of the stepped wall portion and into which the fitting cylinder of the nozzle member is inserted.

3. 3. The pouring cap according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle member has a side surface connected to the inner peripheral surface of the fitting cylinder by a plurality of arms and includes a baffle plate portion against which the liquid flowing in from the valve body collides.

4. 4. The pouring cap according to claim 3, wherein the nozzle member is provided with a flow straightening portion formed on the outflow side of the baffle portion and configured to converge the liquid flow diffused around the baffle portion to the center.

5. 3. The pouring cap according to claim 2, wherein the valved cylindrical portion has a slit-shaped valve body that closes the lower portion of the attached cylindrical portion and opens when pressurized liquid flows.

6. 4. The pouring cap according to claim 3, wherein the valved cylindrical portion has a slit-shaped valve body that closes the lower portion of the attached cylindrical portion and opens when pressurized liquid flows.

Images