Discharge cap

Abstract

We propose a discharge cap that allows the liquid contents to be dispensed in a wide manner while maintaining the occlusion of the slit valve. [Solution] The discharge cap 100 is attached to the mouth 151 of a container 150 that contains the liquid contents and comprises a cap body 1 having a cap opening 1e located inside the mouth 151, a slit valve 2 having an elastically deformable partition wall 2c provided inside the cap opening 1e and a slit 2d that penetrates the partition wall 2c in the thickness direction, the slit 2d having a central portion 2d1 that extends linearly when facing the partition wall 2c, and a pair of end portions 2d2 located at both ends of the central portion 2d1 that extend in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the central portion 2d1 extends.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a discharge cap including a cap body attached to the mouth portion of a container and a slit valve for discharging the content liquid of the container.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a cap attached to a container for storing cosmetics or food seasonings, a discharge cap including a cap body and a slit valve is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The slit valve is formed of a soft material such as rubber or elastomer, and a slit (cut) penetrating the partition wall in the thickness direction is provided in the elastic deformable partition wall. Then, when the body portion of the container or the like is pressed to pressurize the inside of the container, the slit opens and the content liquid can be discharged to the outside.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Incidentally, conventional slits, as shown in Figure 3 of Patent Document 1, extend in a cross shape facing the partition wall. When the container is pressurized, the four points around the intersection of the cross shape of the slits open outwards, and the liquid contents are discharged in a thin line from the inside of these outwardly opened parts. In this way, conventional discharge caps discharge the liquid contents in a concentrated thin line, so if you want to apply the liquid contents to a wide area, you have to spread the liquid contents at the discharge point. Also, because the liquid contents are discharged in a concentrated area, there is a problem that uneven application is likely to occur when spreading the discharged liquid contents. Furthermore, if the length of the slit is increased, the slit will open wider, but in this case the resilience of the partition wall will decrease, so the slit may not close completely after the liquid contents are discharged, and the occlusion performance of the slit valve may be impaired.

[0005] In view of these points, the present invention aims to provide a discharge cap that can discharge the liquid contents in a wide manner while maintaining the occluding properties of the slit valve. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The discharge cap of the present invention is attached to the mouth of a container that holds liquid contents and comprises a cap body having a cap opening located inside the mouth, a slit valve having an elastically deformable partition wall provided inside the cap opening, and a slit penetrating the partition wall in the thickness direction, wherein the slit has a central portion that extends linearly when facing the partition wall, and a pair of end portions located at both ends of the central portion that extend in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the central portion extends. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the discharge cap of the present invention, the central portion of the slit opens more easily over its entire length due to the provision of a pair of end portions, so that when the container is pressurized, the contents can be discharged in a wide manner. Furthermore, even if the slit is composed of such a central portion and a pair of end portions, it does not lead to a decrease in the restorability of the partition wall as would occur if the length of the slit were increased, thus maintaining the closure function of the slit valve. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a side view cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the dispensing cap according to the present invention attached to the mouth of a container. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a plan view of the slit valve shown. [Figure 3A] Figure 1 shows a slit valve, viewed from a perspective with the slit closed. [Figure 3B] Figure 1 shows a slit valve, viewed from a perspective with the slit open. [Figure 4A] This is a plan view showing an example where the ratio of the length of the end portion to the length of the central portion is minimized within a desirable range. [Figure 4B] This is a plan view showing an example where the ratio of the length of the end portion to the length of the central portion is maximized within a desirable range. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, a discharge cap 100, which is one embodiment of the discharge cap according to the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the vertical direction is the direction along the central axis O shown in the figure (the central axis of the opening portion 151 described later), where the side where the slit valve 2 is located is "up" and the side where the retaining member 3 is located is "down". The radial direction is the direction perpendicular to the central axis O in a plane perpendicular to the central axis O, and the circumferential direction is the direction that circles around the central axis O in this plane.

[0010] In this embodiment, the dispensing cap 100 is used by being attached to the container 150 shown in Figure 1. The container 150 has a cylindrical mouth 151, a body 152 connected to the mouth 151, and a bottom (not shown) that closes the lower end of the body 152, and is generally shaped like a bottle. A male threaded portion 153 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth 151. The space partitioned inside the container 150 (storage space S) contains liquid contents such as cosmetics or food seasonings.

[0011] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the discharge cap 100 of this embodiment is composed of a cap body 1, a slit valve 2, a retaining member 3, and a lid 4.

[0012] The cap body 1 is provided with a cylindrical inner cap wall 1a that surrounds the opening 151. The inner surface of the inner cap wall 1a is provided with a female threaded portion 1b that fits into the male threaded portion 153 provided on the outer surface of the opening 151, and the cap body 1 can be attached to the container 150 by rotating it relative to the container 150. Note that the cap body 1 is not limited to being attached to the container 150 by threads, but may also be attached by an undercut, for example.

[0013] A cap top wall 1c is integrally provided at the upper end of the inner circumferential wall 1a of the cap, covering the upper part of the mouth 151. An annular upper wall 1d extending upward is provided on the upper surface of the cap top wall 1c. A circular cap opening 1e is provided in the center of the cap top wall 1c, located radially inward from the mouth 151. An annular lower wall 1f extending downward from radially outward from the cap opening 1e is provided on the lower surface of the cap top wall 1c, an annular sealing wall 1g located radially outward from the lower annular wall 1f and in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the mouth 151 when attached to the container 150 is provided, and an outer cap wall 1h located radially outward from the inner circumferential wall 1a of the cap is provided.

[0014] The slit valve 2 is made of a relatively soft material such as rubber, elastomer, low-density polyethylene (LDPE), or linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). The slit valve 2 of this embodiment has a base portion 2a that is in the shape of an annular plate. An annular slit valve recess 2b is provided on the lower surface of the base portion 2a, which is shaped to recess the base portion 2a upwards. A partition wall 2c that is elastically deformable in the vertical direction is provided on the inner edge of the base portion 2a. The partition wall 2c of this embodiment is shaped as a curved portion that curves so that the entire partition wall 2c protrudes upwards. To describe the shape of the partition wall 2c in more detail, as shown in Figure 1, in a side view the partition wall 2c is curved and extends in an arc shape, and the diameter of the upper surface of the partition wall 2c in the part that connects to the upper surface of the base portion 2a is about 2 to 3 times the height from the upper surface of the base portion 2a to the upper surface of the central part of the partition wall 2c.

[0015] The slit valve 2 also has a slit 2d that penetrates the partition wall 2c in the thickness direction (vertical direction). As shown in Figure 2, the slit 2d in this embodiment consists of a central portion 2d1 that extends linearly through the center of the partition wall 2c when facing the partition wall 2c (plan view), and a pair of end portions 2d2 located at both ends of the central portion 2d1 and extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the central portion 2d1 extends. A detailed explanation of the central portion 2d1 and the end portions 2d2 will be given later.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the retaining member 3 has a bottom portion 3a that is an annular plate shape with an outer edge extending downward. An annular retaining member projection 3b that protrudes upward is provided on the upper surface of the bottom portion 3a. The outer circumferential surface of the bottom portion 3a is shaped to engage with the inner circumferential surface of the lower annular wall 1f. As a result, the slit valve 2 is held by the retaining member 3 such that the base portion 2a is sandwiched between the lower surface of the cap top wall 1c and the upper surface of the bottom portion 3a. At this time, since the retaining member projection 3b is located inside the slit valve recess 2b, the radial inward and outward movement of the slit valve 2 is also restricted.

[0017] In this embodiment, the lid 4 includes a hinge portion 4a connected to the outer peripheral wall 1h of the cap and a biasing portion 4b, and is integrally formed with the cap body 1. The virtual line shown in FIG. 1 indicates the state where the lid 4 is moved to the closed position covering the cap top wall 1c, and the solid line indicates the state where the lid 4 is moved to the open position. The lid 4 includes a lid top wall 4c located above the cap top wall 1c when moved to the closed position, and a lid peripheral wall 4d located downward from the outer edge portion of the lid top wall 4c. The lid top wall 4c, the lid peripheral wall 4d, and the cap outer peripheral wall 1h are cut out at the location where the biasing portion 4b is provided, and the biasing portion 4b is provided at this cut-out location. The biasing portion 4b is formed in a shape along the outer peripheral surfaces of the lid top wall 4c, the lid peripheral wall 4d, and the cap outer peripheral wall 1h in the state where the lid 4 is moved to the open position. The hinge portion 4a integrally connects the lid peripheral wall 4d and the cap outer peripheral wall 1h, bends when the lid 4 is moved to the closed position, and extends as shown in FIG. 1 when the lid 4 is moved to the open position. The biasing portion 4b is elastically deformable such that the portions connected to the lid top wall 4c and the cap outer peripheral wall 1h are bent, and when the lid 4 is moved from the closed position to the open position, it biases the lid 4 so that the lid 4 moves to the open position, and when the lid 4 is moved from the open position to the closed position, it biases the lid 4 so that the lid 4 moves to the closed position.

[0018] The lid 4 also includes an annular lid annular wall 4e on the lower surface of the lid top wall 4c in the state where the lid 4 is moved to the closed position. The lid annular wall 4e is formed such that the inner peripheral surface fits onto the outer peripheral surface of the upper annular wall 1d when the lid 4 is moved to the closed position, whereby the lid 4 is maintained in the closed position. Further, on the lower surface of the lid top wall 4c, inside the lid annular wall 4e, there is provided a columnar rod portion 4f located directly above the central portion 2d1 in the slit 2d. The rod portion 4f contacts the upper surface of the partition wall 2c and presses the partition wall 2c downward when the lid 4 is moved to the closed position. The function of the rod portion 4f will be described later.

[0019] To discharge the liquid contents from a container 150 fitted with a discharge cap 100 configured in this way, the lid 4 is moved to the open position, and the container 150 is further displaced to a tilted position. In this state, the slit 2d is closed as shown in Figure 3A. When the body 152 of the container 150 is pressed, the containment space S is pressurized, and the central portion 2d1 of the slit 2d is opened as shown in Figure 3B. If no end portion 2d2 is provided, the longitudinal center of the central portion 2d1 opens, while both ends of the central portion 2d1 hardly open. Therefore, when the liquid contents are discharged from the opening formed inside the slit 2d, not much liquid is discharged from around both ends of the central portion 2d1, and thus the width of the liquid contents discharged from the slit 2d cannot be made very large. On the other hand, if an end portion 2d2 is provided, when the containment space S is pressurized, the end portion 2d2 also opens as shown in the enlarged view of Figure 3B, and both ends of the central portion 2d1 also open. In other words, since the central portion 2d1 opens relatively wide along its entire length, the width of the liquid discharged from the slit 2d can be sufficiently large. However, since the central portion of the partition wall 2c is relatively flexible, increasing the number of slits 2d in this region may reduce the resilience of the partition wall 2c and impair the closure performance of the slit valve 2. However, since the end portion 2d2 is located relatively far from the central portion of the partition wall 2c, the closure performance of the slit valve 2 can be maintained.

[0020] Incidentally, if the length of the end portion 2d2 is too short compared to the length of the central portion 2d1, when the accommodation space S is pressurized, the opening of the end portion 2d2 is insufficient and the width of the content liquid cannot be increased as intended. On the other hand, if the length of the end portion 2d2 is too long compared to the length of the central portion 2d1, the partition wall 2c is likely to bend excessively, resulting in impairment of the closing property of the slit valve 2. As a result of the confirmation by the inventor of the present application on this point, when the length of the central portion 2d1 in a state facing the partition wall 2c is L1 and the length of the end portion 2d2 is L2 as shown in FIG. 2, even when the length of the end portion 2d2 is short as shown in FIG. 4A, it has been found that if the relationship of 0.2≦L2 / L1 is satisfied, the width of the content liquid can be suitably increased. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, even when the length of the end portion 2d2 is long, it has been found that if the relationship of L2 / L1≦1 is satisfied, the closing property of the slit valve 2 can be suitably maintained. That is, the slit 2d preferably satisfies the following formula (1). 0.2≦L2 / L1≦1···(1)

[0021] In addition, since the partition wall 2c of the present embodiment is curved upward, the rigidity in the vertical direction is higher than that in the case of being flat. That is, when the pressure in the accommodation space S decreases after discharging the content liquid, the opened slit 2d is likely to return to its original state, so that the closing property of the slit valve 2 can be more reliably maintained.

[0022] Note that after discharging the content liquid, the content liquid adheres to the slit 2d. Therefore, if a long time elapses with the slit 2d remaining closed, depending on the type of the content liquid, it may solidify, and there is a concern that the slit 2d becomes difficult to open when discharging the content liquid next time. Here, the rod-shaped portion 4f provided in the lid body 4 of the present embodiment contacts the upper surface of the partition wall 2c and presses the partition wall 2c downward when the lid body 4 is moved to the closed position as shown by the virtual line in FIG. 1. Therefore, the central portion 2d1 of the slit 2d can be kept open. Therefore, even if a long time elapses with the lid body 4 in the closed position, it is possible to prevent the content liquid from solidifying with the slit 2d remaining closed.

[0023] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, this embodiment may be modified as follows. For example, in this embodiment, the entire partition wall 2c is curved upward, but a part of the partition wall 2c may be curved (for example, the outer periphery of the partition wall 2c extends in a flat manner, and the central part is curved).

[0024] (Note) This specification discloses the following technologies in one aspect. The reference numerals listed below correspond to those used in the accompanying drawings, but are provided as examples only and are not intended to limit the inventions of this application.

[0025] (Technology 1) A cap body (1) is attached to the mouth (151) of a container (150) that holds the liquid contents, and has a cap opening (1e) located inside the mouth (151), A discharge cap (100) having a slit valve (2) provided inside the cap opening (1e) and having an elastically deformable partition wall (2c) and a slit (2d) that penetrates the partition wall (2c) in the thickness direction, The discharge cap (100) has a slit (2d) which has a central portion (2d1) that extends linearly when facing the partition wall (2c), and a pair of end portions (2d2) located at both ends of the central portion (2d1) that extend in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the central portion (2d1) extends.

[0026] This technology allows the ends of the slit to open when the liquid is dispensed, meaning that the central portion opens not only in the longitudinal direction but also at both ends. In other words, the central portion opens relatively wide along its entire length, allowing the liquid to be dispensed from the slit in a wide manner. Furthermore, the presence of the ends does not significantly reduce the restorative properties of the partition wall, thus maintaining the closure function of the slit valve.

[0027] (Technology 2) When the length of the central portion (2d1) in a state facing the partition wall (2c) is L1 and the length of the pair of end portions (2d2) is L2, the discharge cap (100) according to Technology 1 satisfies the following formula (1). 0.2 ≤ L2 / L1 ≤ 1 ···(1).

[0028] This technology makes it possible to suitably achieve both the function of discharging the liquid contents from the slit in a wide manner and the function of maintaining the occlusion of the slit valve.

[0029] (Technology 3) The partition wall (2c) has a curved portion that is curved to protrude outward from the opening (151) in a direction along the central axis (O) of the opening (151), The slit (2d) is a discharge cap (100) provided in the curved portion, as described in Technology 1 or 2.

[0030] This technology increases the rigidity of the partition wall compared to a flat wall, thus more reliably maintaining the closure of the slit valve.

[0031] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and unless otherwise specifically limited in the above description, various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the spirit of the present invention as described in the claims. For example, the configuration of the above-described embodiment can be added or deleted as appropriate, and the configuration of one embodiment can be provided in other embodiments. Furthermore, the effects in the above-described embodiment are merely illustrative of the effects that may result from the present invention. In other words, the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects, and additional effects may also be produced in addition to the above-described effects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1: Cap body 1a: Inner circumferential wall of the cap 1b: Female threaded section 1c: Cap top wall 1d: Upper annular wall 1e: Cap opening 1f: Lower ring wall 1g: Seal wall 1h: Cap outer wall 2: Slit valve 2a: base 2b: Slit valve recess 2c: Bulkhead 2D: Slit 2d1: central part 2d2: End part 3: Retaining member 3a: bottom 3b: Holding member convex part 4: Lid 4a: Hinge section 4b: Biasing part 4c: Lid top wall 4d: Lid body peripheral wall 4e: Lid annular wall 4f: Rod-shaped part 100: Discharge cap 150: Container 151: Mouth 152: Torso 153: Male threaded section O: Central axis S: Containment space

Claims

1. A cap body that is attached to the mouth of a container that holds the liquid contents and has a cap opening located inside the mouth, A discharge cap comprising a slit valve having an elastically deformable partition wall provided inside the cap opening and a slit penetrating the partition wall in the thickness direction, The discharge cap has a slit having a central portion that extends linearly when facing the partition wall, and a pair of end portions located at both ends of the central portion that extend in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the central portion extends.

2. The discharge cap according to claim 1, where L1 is the length of the central portion and L2 is the length of the pair of end portions when facing the partition wall, and the following formula (1) is satisfied. 0.2 ≤ L2 / L1 ≤ 1 ... (1)

3. The partition wall has a curved portion that is curved so as to protrude outward from the opening in a direction along the central axis of the opening, The discharge cap according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the slit is provided in the curved portion.

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