Hinge cap

Abstract

To provide a hinge cap with excellent sealing properties and easy opening of the lid. [Solution] A hinged cap 3 having a cap body 6 and a lid portion 8, the lid portion 8 having a lid outer wall portion 8a and a lid bottom wall portion 8b, the lid outer wall portion 8a having a pressing operating body 8a1 and a holding portion 8a2, the lid bottom wall portion 8b having a lid bottom wall body 8b1, a fitting cylinder 8b2, a sealing body 8b3 and a connecting body 8b4, the holding portion 8a2, the lid bottom wall body 8b1 and the fitting cylinder 8b2 are integrally molded with the cap body 6 via a hinge portion 7, the pressing operating body 8a1, the sealing body 8b3 and the connecting body 8b4 are integrally molded from a soft material, and the lid portion 8 receives an opening operation that rotates the lid portion 8 by elastically deforming the pressing operating body 8a1 which acts as a finger grip, thereby releasing the fitting cylinder 8b2 from the dispensing cylinder 6b and opening the top surface of the cap body 6.

Description

Technical Field

[0007]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hinge cap.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a hinge cap having a cap body attached to the mouth of a container and a lid portion for closing the upper surface of the cap body. The cap body has a discharge cylinder for discharging the contents in the container on the upper surface of the cap body. The lid portion has a fitting cylinder that fits on the outer peripheral surface of the discharge cylinder and a seal body that closely contacts the discharge cylinder on the radially inner side of the fitting cylinder. When receiving an opening operation of rotating around a hinge portion, the fitting of the fitting cylinder to the discharge cylinder is released to open the upper surface of the cap body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] From the viewpoint of sealing performance for suppressing leakage of the contents during distribution, etc., it is better for the fitting force of the lid portion to the discharge cylinder to be high, but this makes it difficult to open the lid portion. In order to make it easier to open the lid portion, it is conceivable to provide the lid portion with concave - convex finger - holding portions for the opening operation. However, in the fields of cosmetics, food, etc., concavities and convexities may be avoided from the viewpoints of appearance design and production line compatibility.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a hinge cap having excellent sealing performance and easy opening operation of the lid portion.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is as follows.

[0007] [1] It has a cap body that is attached to the mouth of the container and a lid that closes the upper surface of the cap body, The cap body has a dispensing tube on its upper surface for dispensing the contents of the container, The lid portion has an outer peripheral wall portion and a bottom wall portion connected to the lower end edge of the outer peripheral wall portion of the lid, The outer peripheral wall portion of the lid has a pressing body that receives a pressing operation applied from the radially outer side, and a holding portion that holds the pressing body. The lid bottom wall portion comprises a lid bottom wall body, a fitting cylinder extending downward from the lid bottom wall body and fitted to the outer circumferential surface of the discharge cylinder, a sealing body that is in close contact with the discharge cylinder on the radially inner side of the fitting cylinder, and a connecting body that connects the sealing body to the pressing operating body. The retaining portion, the lid bottom wall body, and the fitting cylinder are integrally molded with the cap body via the hinge portion to constitute the main body component. The pressing body, the sealing body, and the connecting body are integrally molded from a softer material than the main body component to form an elastic component. The lid portion is a hinged cap that, when subjected to an opening operation in which the lid portion is rotated around the hinge portion while the pressing operation elastically deforms the pressing operating body into a concave shape, thereby disengaging the fitting cylinder from the dispensing cylinder and opening the upper surface of the cap body.

[0008] [2] The holding portion is provided along the entire circumference of the outer edge of the pressing operating body and has an annular support portion that overlaps the outer edge from the radially inner side of the outer peripheral wall of the lid. The hinge cap according to [1], wherein the lid bottom wall body is provided along the connecting body and straddles the sealing body and the pressing operating body, and has a connecting body support portion that overlaps the connecting body from the lower side of the upper side and lower side.

[0009] [3] The cap body comprises a top wall of the cap body, a discharge cylinder extending upward from the top wall of the cap body, a mounting cylinder extending downward from the top wall of the cap body and fitted to the opening, and an outer peripheral wall of the cap body extending downward from the top wall of the cap body radially outward from the mounting cylinder. The main body component comprises the top wall of the cap body, the discharge cylinder, the mounting cylinder, and the outer peripheral wall of the cap body. The main body component and the elastic component are integrally molded by insert molding. The hinge cap according to [1] or [2], having a top lid wall portion that is connected to the upper edge portion of the outer peripheral wall portion of the lid and an upper lid portion that is attached to the main body portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hinge cap that has excellent sealing properties and allows for easy opening of the lid. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a side view showing a dispensing vessel of one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge container. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in one embodiment of the present invention, the dispensing container 1 has a container 2 and a hinged cap 3. The container 2 has a container body 4 and an inner stopper 5. The container body 4 has a mouth portion 4a, a body portion 4b, and a bottom portion 4c connected in that order. The mouth portion 4a is cylindrical with a central axis O. The body portion 4b has a shoulder portion 4b1 that widens in diameter from the lower end of the mouth portion 4a, and a body portion 4b2 that extends downward from the outer peripheral edge of the shoulder portion 4b1 and connects to the bottom portion 4c. In this embodiment, the container body 4 is bottle-shaped, but it may also be configured as a tube. The inner stopper 5 is attached to the mouth portion 4a and has an outlet 5c1 that allows the contents inside the container body 4 to flow out from inside the container body 4. The contents are not particularly limited, but in this embodiment they are liquid. The contents are, for example, cosmetics or food.

[0014] The hinged cap 3 has a cap body 6 that is attached to the mouth 4a of the container 2, and a lid portion 8 that is connected to the cap body 6 via a hinge portion 7. The hinge portion 7 elastically deforms, causing the lid portion 8 to rotate around the rotation axis P relative to the cap body 6 between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the lid portion 8 closes the top surface of the cap body 6, and in the open position, it opens the top surface of the cap body 6. Unless otherwise specified, the configuration of the lid portion 8 will be described assuming it is in the closed position. The rotation axis P is perpendicular to the central axis O.

[0015] In this embodiment, the direction along the central axis O is called the vertical direction, the direction from the bottom 4c to the mouth 4a along the vertical direction is called the upward direction, the opposite direction is called the downward direction, the direction along the rotation axis P is called the left-right direction, the direction perpendicular to the vertical and left-right directions is called the front-back direction, the direction from the hinge portion 7 to the central axis O along the front-back direction is called the forward direction, the opposite direction is called the rearward direction, the direction perpendicular to the central axis O is called the radial direction, and the direction that circles the central axis O is called the circumferential direction.

[0016] The discharge container 1 may be configured as a flattened round container with a width in the left-right direction narrower than its width in the front-to-back direction and having an elliptical shape when viewed from above, or as a round container that is not flattened, or as a flattened rectangular container, or as a rectangular container that is not flattened.

[0017] The middle plug 5 has a flange portion 5a that contacts the upper end surface of the mouth portion 4a, a seal cylinder 5b that extends downward from the inner peripheral edge portion of the flange portion 5a and is fitted and held on the inner peripheral surface of the mouth portion 4a, and a protruding portion 5c that extends radially inward from the inner peripheral edge portion of the flange portion 5a and protrudes upward to form an outlet 5c1 at the upper end.

[0018] The cap body 6 has a cap body top wall 6a, a discharge cylinder 6b that extends upward from the cap body top wall 6a, a connecting portion 6c that is provided on the lower surface of the cap body top wall 6a and is in close contact with the upper end of the protruding portion 5c of the middle plug 5 to connect the outlet 5c1 to the flow path of the discharge cylinder 6b, a mounting cylinder 6d that extends downward from the cap body top wall 6a and is attached to the mouth portion 4a, and a cap body outer peripheral wall 6e that extends downward from the cap body top wall 6a and is radially outside the mounting cylinder 6d.

[0019] The mounting cylinder 6d is locked to the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 4a by screwing. The lower end surface of the cap body outer peripheral wall 6e faces the upper surface of the outer peripheral edge portion of the shoulder portion 4b1. The cap body outer peripheral wall 6e and the body main body 4b2 are adjacent so that their outer peripheral surfaces are flush. The discharge cylinder 6b is provided on the upper surface of the cap body 6 and discharges the contents in the container 2 through the outlet 5c1. By unscrewing the mounting cylinder 6d to release the locking and detaching it from the mouth portion 4a, and removing the cap body 6 from the container 2, the contents can be directly discharged from the container 2 through the outlet 5c1 of the middle plug 5.

[0020] The lid portion 8 has a lid outer peripheral wall portion 8a, a lid bottom wall portion 8b that is continuous with the lower end edge portion of the lid outer peripheral wall portion 8a, and a lid top wall portion 8c that is continuous with the upper end edge portion of the lid outer peripheral wall portion 8a.

[0021] The lid outer peripheral wall portion 8a has a pressing operation body 8a1 that receives a pressing operation of pressing from the radially outer side, and a holding portion 8a2 that holds the pressing operation body 8a1. The pressing operation body 8a1 has a round outer shape when viewed from the radially outer side of the lid outer peripheral wall portion 8a. The holding portion 8a2 is provided along the entire circumference along the outer edge portion of the pressing operation body 8a1 and has an annular support portion 8a3 that overlaps the outer edge portion from the radially inner side of the lid outer peripheral wall portion 8a.

[0022] The lid bottom wall portion 8b includes a lid bottom wall body 8b1, a fitting cylinder 8b2 extending downward from the lid bottom wall body 8b1 and fitting onto the outer circumferential surface of the discharge cylinder 6b, a sealing body 8b3 that is in close contact with the discharge cylinder 6b on the radially inner side of the fitting cylinder 8b2, and a connecting body 8b4 that connects the sealing body 8b3 to the pressing operating body 8a1. The lid bottom wall body 8b1 is provided along the connecting body 8b4, straddling the space between the sealing body 8b3 and the pressing operating body 8a1, and has a connecting body support portion 8b5 that overlaps the connecting body 8b4 from the lower side of its upper and lower sides.

[0023] The hinge cap 3 is composed of a main body part 9, an elastic part 10, and a top cover part 11. The retaining part 8a2, the bottom wall body 8b1, and the fitting cylinder 8b2 are integrally molded with the cap body 6 via the hinge part 7 to form the main body part 9. The pressing operating body 8a1, the sealing body 8b3, and the connecting body 8b4 are integrally molded from a material softer than the main body part 9 to form the elastic part 10. The main body part 9 and the elastic part 10 are integrally molded by insert molding. The top cover part 11 has a top wall portion 8c and is attached to the main body part 9 by fitting it onto the upper edge portion of the outer peripheral wall portion 8a of the lid. The elastic part 10 is made of, for example, rubber or elastomer. The main body part 9 and the top cover part 11 are each made of, for example, a resin such as PP (polypropylene) or PE (polyethylene).

[0024] The outer periphery wall portion 8a of the lid and the outer periphery wall portion 6e of the cap body are adjacent to each other so that their outer surfaces are flush. Furthermore, the outer surface of the outer periphery wall portion 8a of the lid and the upper surface of the top wall portion 8c of the lid do not have any protrusions or indentations that can serve as finger grips. However, when the lid portion 8 is opened by a pressing operation which elastically deforms the pressing operating body 8a1 into a concave shape as shown by the dashed line in Figure 2, thereby utilizing it as a finger grip, the lid portion 8 is rotated around the hinge portion 7 on the pivot axis P, releasing the fitting cylinder 8b2 to the discharge cylinder 6b, and opening the upper surface of the cap body 6 as shown by the dashed line in Figure 2.

[0025] According to this embodiment, a dispensing container 1 can be realized that offers excellent sealing performance through the rigid fitting cylinder 8b2 and the flexible sealing body 8b3, and is easy to open by pressing the flexible pressing operating body 8a1 to create a finger grip. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide the hinge cap 3 with protrusions that serve as finger grips for opening the lid 8, it is easier to improve the appearance and suitability for production lines.

[0026] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the configuration having an annular support portion 8a3 of the holding portion 8a2 and a connecting support portion 8b5 of the lid bottom wall body 8b1 makes it easier to support the elastic component 10 with the main body component 9, thus making it easier to increase the rigidity of the lid portion 8.

[0027] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the hinge cap 3 is composed of a main body part 9 and an elastic part 10 which are integrally molded by insert molding, and an upper cover part 11 which is attached to the main body part 9, making it easier to increase productivity.

[0028] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the embodiments described above can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 1 Discharge container 2 containers 3 Hinge caps 4. Container body 4a Mouth 4b Torso 4b1 Shoulder area 4b2 Torso 4c bottom 5. Inner stopper 5a Flange section 5b Seal tube 5c protrusion 5c1 Outlet 6. Cap body 6a Cap body top wall 6b Discharge tube 6c connector 6d mounting tube 6e Cap body outer wall 7. Hinge section 8 Lid 8a Lid outer wall 8a1 Pressing mechanism 8a2 Holding part 8a3 Annular support section 8b Lid bottom wall 8b1 Lid bottom wall body 8b2 Mating tube 8b3 sealant 8b4 Concatenation 8b5 Connector support part 8c Lid top wall 9 Main body parts 10 Elastic components 11 Top cover parts O center axis P rotation axis

Claims

1. It has a cap body that is attached to the mouth of the container and a lid that closes the upper surface of the cap body, The cap body has a dispensing tube on its upper surface for dispensing the contents of the container, The lid portion has an outer peripheral wall portion and a bottom wall portion connected to the lower end edge of the outer peripheral wall portion of the lid, The outer peripheral wall portion of the lid has a pressing body that receives a pressing operation applied from the radially outer side, and a holding portion that holds the pressing body. The lid bottom wall portion comprises a lid bottom wall body, a fitting cylinder extending downward from the lid bottom wall body and fitted to the outer circumferential surface of the discharge cylinder, a sealing body that is in close contact with the discharge cylinder on the radially inner side of the fitting cylinder, and a connecting body that connects the sealing body to the pressing operating body. The retaining portion, the lid bottom wall body, and the fitting cylinder are integrally molded with the cap body via the hinge portion to constitute the main body component. The pressing operating body, the sealing body, and the connecting body are integrally molded from a softer material than the main body component to form an elastic component. The lid portion is a hinged cap that, when subjected to an opening operation in which the lid portion is rotated around the hinge portion while the pressing operation elastically deforms the pressing operating body into a concave shape, thereby disengaging the fitting cylinder from the dispensing cylinder and opening the upper surface of the cap body.

2. The holding portion is provided along the entire circumference of the outer edge of the pressing operating body and has an annular support portion that overlaps the outer edge from the radially inner side of the outer peripheral wall of the lid. The hinge cap according to claim 1, wherein the lid bottom wall body is provided along the connecting body and straddles the sealing body and the pressing operating body, and has a connecting body support portion that overlaps the connecting body from the lower side of the upper side and lower side.

3. The cap body comprises a top wall of the cap body, a discharge cylinder extending upward from the top wall of the cap body, a mounting cylinder extending downward from the top wall of the cap body and fitted to the opening, and an outer peripheral wall of the cap body extending downward from the top wall of the cap body radially outward from the mounting cylinder. The main body component comprises the top wall of the cap body, the discharge cylinder, the mounting cylinder, and the outer peripheral wall of the cap body. The main body component and the elastic component are integrally molded by insert molding. The hinge cap according to claim 1, wherein the hinge cap has a top lid wall portion that is connected to the upper edge portion of the outer peripheral wall portion of the lid and an upper lid portion that is attached to the main body portion.

Images