Screw cap

Abstract

In a screw cap capable of holding a cap body that is screwed onto the outside of the neck of the cap, a protruding piece extending from the cap body is stably locked to the outer surface of the neck of the cap. [Solution] The container body 100 comprises a cap body 3 that screws onto the neck portion 102, a mounting ring 20 that is detachably connected to the lower end of the cap body 3 and fitted to the outer peripheral surface P of the neck portion 102 in a way that prevents it from coming off, and a support mechanism S that can support the cap body 3 at the rear of the neck portion 102 when the lid is open. The support mechanism S consists of a pair of left and right protruding pieces 30 that hang down from the cap body 3 and a hinge portion 36 positioned between these protruding pieces 30. When the cap body 3 is inverted backward around the hinge portion 36, the tips 32 of the pair of protruding pieces 30 engage with the outer peripheral surface P of the neck portion 102, thereby supporting the inverted position of the cap body 3.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, there has been a demand to hold a cap body that is screwed off and on the outer side of the mouth-neck part of a container. To meet this demand, between a cap body screwed onto the mouth-neck part of a container and a mounting ring externally fitted to the mouth-neck part so as not to come off, a pair of left and right serpentine belt parts connecting the cap body to the mounting ring, and a single protruding piece hanging down from the cap body are provided between these belt parts. When the cap body is inverted backward, a screw cap is known in which the tip of the protruding piece is locked to the outer peripheral surface of the mouth-neck part to hold the inverted posture of the cap body (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, since the tip of a single protruding piece protruding from the inverted cap body is locked to the mouth-neck part, the locking state is unstable, and the load acting on the hinge part is large.

[0005] A first object of the present invention is to stably lock a protruding piece protruding from a cap body to a mouth-neck part in a screw cap that can hold a cap body screwed off and on the outer side of the mouth-neck part, and a second object is to reduce the load acting on a hinge part that connects a mounting ring attached to the mouth-neck part and the cap body.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The first means is a top-shaped cylindrical cap body 3 for screwing onto the outer circumferential surface P of the neck portion 102 of the container body 100, The cap body 3 is connected to the lower end via a breaking means 14 so as to be breakable, and the mounting ring 20 is fitted to the outer circumferential surface P of the mouth neck portion 102 so as not to come off. Furthermore, in the open state after the breaking means 14 has been broken, the cap body 3 is supported at the rear side of the neck portion 102, and This support mechanism S consists of a pair of left and right protruding pieces 30 that are perpendicularly mounted to the cap body 3, spaced apart from each other, and a hinge portion 36 positioned between these protruding pieces 30. When the cap body 3 is inverted backward around the hinge portion 36, the tips 32 of the pair of protruding pieces 30 engage with the locking points Q on the outer circumferential surface P of the neck portion 102, thereby supporting the inverted position of the cap body 3. The hinge portion 36 consists of a pair of left and right hinge strips 38 that protrude upward from the mounting ring 20 and are connected to the cap body 3. These hinge strips 38 are designed to extend vertically when the cap body 3 is unscrewed.

[0007] In this method, as shown in Figure 1(A), a mounting ring 20 is attached to the lower end of the cap body 3, which is screwed onto the neck portion 102 of the container body 100, so as to be breakable via a breaking means 14. Furthermore, in the open state after the breaking means 14 has been broken, the cap body 3 has a support mechanism S that allows it to be supported at the rear of the neck portion 102, as shown in Figure 2(B). This support mechanism S consists of a pair of left and right protruding pieces 30 that are perpendicularly mounted to the cap body 3, spaced apart from each other, and a hinge portion 36 positioned between these protruding pieces 30. When the cap body 3 is inverted backward around this hinge portion 36, the tips 32 of the pair of protruding pieces 30 engage with the locking points Q on the outer circumferential surface P of the neck portion 102, thereby supporting the inverted position of the cap body 3. With this configuration, the pair of protruding pieces 30 can be locked onto the outer surface of the neck portion 102 of the container body 100, thus stabilizing the locked state and reducing the likelihood of wobbling or twisting of the cap body 3, thereby reducing the load on the hinge portion 36.

[0008] The second means has the first means, and a storage recess 22 for housing the support mechanism S is formed between the cap body 3 and the support mechanism S, positioned behind the mouth neck portion 102. This storage recess 22 is formed by a lower edge portion 23 and a pair of side edges 24 located on both sides of the lower edge portion 23. The outer side edges 33, which are positioned on the circumferential outer side of the pair of protruding pieces 30, are brought close to the opposing pair of side edges 24.

[0009] In this configuration, as shown in Figure 1(A), a storage recess 22 is formed between the cap body 3 and the support mechanism S, positioned behind the neck portion 102, for housing the support mechanism S. This storage recess 22 is formed by a lower edge portion 23 and a pair of side edges 24 located on both sides of the lower edge portion 23. The outer side edges 33, which are positioned on the circumferential outer side of the pair of protruding pieces 30, are brought close to the opposing pair of side edges 24. This configuration prevents excessive stress from being placed on the pair of hinge bands 38 when screwing the cap body 3 onto or off the neck portion 102, further reducing the load on the hinge portion 36.

[0010] The third means comprises either the first or second means, and the tip portions e2 of the pair of hinge bands 38 are each connected to the base portions 31 of the adjacent protruding pieces 30.

[0011] In this configuration, as shown in Figure 1(A), the tip portions e2 of the pair of hinge bands 38 are connected to the base portion 31 of the protruding piece 30. With this configuration, the hinge band 38 is less likely to twist when the lid is opened, thus stabilizing the locking state of the protruding piece 30 to the neck portion 102. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, in a screw cap that can hold a cap body screwed onto the outside of the neck of the cap, a protruding piece extending from the cap body can be stably locked to the neck of the cap. Furthermore, the load acting on the hinge portion connecting the mounting ring attached to the neck of the cap and the cap body can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Figure (A) shows the configuration of a screw cap according to an embodiment of the present invention, with Figure (B) being a rear view and Figure (B) being a half-cross-sectional view from the side. [Figure 2] Figure 1 illustrates the function of the screw cap (the action of the protruding piece), with Figure (A) showing the closed state and Figure (B) showing the open state. [Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0014] Figures 1 and 2 show a screw cap 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This screw cap is screwed onto the outer circumferential surface P of the neck portion 102 of the container body 100 shown in Figure 1(B). As a suitable embodiment, the screw cap of the present invention can be applied to a shaker container in which the contents are dispensed by shaking. The upper half of the outer circumferential surface P has a male threaded portion 104, and the lower half of the outer circumferential surface P has an upper annular projection 105 (bead) and a lower annular projection 106 spaced apart from each other. However, these structures can be modified as appropriate. The upper surface of the upper annular projection 105 is a locking point Q for locking the tip 32 of the projection piece 30, which will be described later (see Figure 2(B)). Furthermore, the lower surface of the upper annular projection 105 is a portion for contacting the contact end 28 of the locking piece 26, which will be described later (see Figure 1(B)). As shown in Figure 1(B), the screw cap 1 consists of a cap member 2 and an inner stopper 50. Each of these members can be made of, for example, a synthetic resin material.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1(B), the cap member 2 includes a cap body 3 and a mounting ring 20, and a support mechanism S is formed between the cap body 3 and the mounting ring 20 as shown in FIG. 1(A). This support mechanism S is a mechanism capable of supporting the cap body 3 in an inverted posture on the rear side of the mouth-neck portion 102 after breaking the break portion 14 described later. In this specification, for convenience of explanation, the front side in the direction orthogonal to the plane of FIG. 1(A) is referred to as "rear", the back side in the same direction is referred to as "front", and the left and right sides of the same figure are referred to as "left and right".

[0016] The cap body 3 is a toped cylindrical shape for screwing onto the outer peripheral surface P of the mouth-neck portion 102 of the container body 100. In the illustrated example, as shown in FIG. 1(B), a cylindrical peripheral wall 6 is vertically provided from the peripheral edge of the top wall 4. On the inner side of this peripheral wall 6, a female screw portion 8 that engages with the male screw portion 104 is formed. In the illustrated example, the lower edge portion of the peripheral wall 6 is formed as a rigid edge portion 10 having sufficient strength and thickness, and a protruding piece 30 described later is vertically provided from this rigid edge portion 10. Also, on the upper side of the rigid edge portion 10, the outer surface of the peripheral wall 6 is formed as a concavo-convex surface 12 for finger contact. On the lower surface of the peripheral wall 6, except for the range A where the storage recess 22 described later shown in FIG. 1(A) is formed, a plurality of break portions 14 that breakably connect the cap body 3 and the mounting ring 20 are formed intermittently in the circumferential direction. This configuration can be appropriately changed, and a breaking means for connecting the cap body 3 and the mounting ring 20 may be provided in a form other than the illustrated breaking portion. Also, within the formation range A of the storage recess 22, a pair of left and right protruding pieces 30 are vertically provided at intervals from the lower end of the peripheral wall 6. These protruding pieces 30 serve as posture regulating pieces that support the inverted posture of the cap body 3 after opening the lid, and are a part of the support mechanism S described later. "Supporting the inverted posture" means restricting the cap body 3 in the inverted posture from tilting left and right or shaking up and down when viewed from the rear. These pair of protruding pieces 30 are vertical plate portions that are symmetrical with respect to the center line C of the screw cap when viewed from the rear, and are rigid plates with sufficient strength to support the inverted position. The pair of projections 30 in the illustrated example are rectangular and, as shown in Figure 1(A), each has an outer edge 33 and an inner edge 34 that are parallel to each other. Here, "outer side" refers to the side farther from the center line C shown in Figure 1(A) when viewed from behind, while "inner side" refers to the side closer to the center line. In the illustrated example, the inner edge 34 of each protruding piece 30 is connected at its base 31 to the tip e2 of the hinge band 38, which will be described later. This allows the aforementioned posture-regulating piece to perform its function more reliably. Furthermore, the outer side edge 33 of each protruding piece 30 is close to the side edge 24 of the storage recess 22, as shown in Figure 1(A). Furthermore, the tip 32 of each protruding piece 30 is close to the lower edge 23 of the storage recess 22.

[0017] The mounting ring 20 is a component that is fitted to the outer circumferential surface P of the mouth neck portion 102 on the lower side of the cap body 3 in a way that prevents it from coming off. In this embodiment, the mounting ring 20 is composed of a ring cylinder 21 connected to the cap body 3 via a broken portion 14, and a locking piece 26 attached to the inside of the ring cylinder 21. In the illustrated example, as shown in Figure 1(B), the locking piece 26 is positioned below the upper annular projection 105 of the mouth neck 102 and protrudes from the inner surface of the ring cylinder 21 via the hinge portion 27. When the mounting ring 20 is fitted onto the mouth neck 102, the contact end 28, which is the tip of the locking piece 26, abuts against the lower surface of the upper annular projection 105, as shown by the solid line in the figure, thereby preventing the mounting ring 20 from coming off upward. Furthermore, the locking piece 26 is not positioned below the protruding piece 30, which will be described later. This is to prevent the locking piece 26 from interfering with the movement of the protruding piece 30 to the upper annular projection 105 when opening the cap body 3, as shown in Figure 2(B).

[0018] The ring cylinder 21 has a storage recess 22 adjacent to the lower end of the cap body 3 for housing the support mechanism S, which will be described later. This storage recess 22 is formed by cutting a notch in the cylindrical wall of the mounting ring 20. The storage recess 22 in the illustrated example is a horizontally elongated rectangle defined by a lower edge 23 and a pair of side edges 24. However, these shapes and structures can be modified as appropriate. A pair of hinge bands 38, described later, protrude upward from the lower edge portion 23.

[0019] The support mechanism S consists of a pair of left and right protruding pieces 30 that are vertically attached to the left and right sides of the interior of the horizontally elongated storage recess 22, and a hinge portion 36 that is positioned between these protruding pieces 30 (in the center of the storage recess 22). Here, "hinge" simply refers to the part that supports the cap body against the neck of the mouthpiece, allowing it to be opened and closed. Furthermore, the cap body 3 is formed to be able to rotate between a closed position and an open position around the hinge portion 36 shown in the illustration. In this embodiment, the hinge portion 36 consists of a pair of left and right hinge bands 38 that rise from the mounting ring 20 and are continuous with a suitable location on the cap body 3 side (the base portion 31 of the protruding piece 30 in the illustrated example). This structure can be modified as appropriate; for example, the hinge band 38 may be continuous with the lower end of the cap body 3. These hinge bands 38 are designed to be expandable and contractible to accommodate the raising and lowering of the cap body 3 relative to the mouth and neck, and to bend and deform to accommodate the reversal of the cap body 3. The support mechanism S is configured such that the inverted position of the cap body 3 is maintained when the tips 32 of the pair of protruding pieces 30 engage with the locking points Q (the upper surface of the upper annular projection 105 in the illustrated example) located on the outer peripheral surface P of the mouth neck portion 102, as shown in Figure 2(B). Figures 2(A) and (B) show the screw cap 1 cut along a vertical plane that includes its center line C and a perpendicular line D passing through the protruding piece 30. In the illustrated example, the hinge band 38 is formed flat in the closed state shown in Figure 1(A). This configuration makes it less likely for the hinge band 38 to twist when the lid is opened, thus contributing to the reduction (or prevention) of twisting. The hinge band 38 in the illustrated example has a meandering shape overall and is formed by a first vertical band portion 40 rising from a base end e1 located on the lower edge portion 23, a first horizontal band portion 42 extending diagonally downward and inward from the upper end of the first vertical band portion, a second vertical band portion 44 rising from the first horizontal band portion, and a second horizontal band portion 46 extending horizontally outward from the upper end of the second vertical band portion. Here, "outward" refers to the direction away from the center line C shown in Figure 1(A) when viewed from behind, and "inward" refers to the direction towards the center line. However, the shape of the hinge can be modified as appropriate, as long as ease of deformation during the lid opening operation is ensured. The tip of the second horizontal band portion 46 (i.e., the tip portion e2 of the hinge band 38) is connected to the base portion 31 of the protruding piece 30. However, this structure can be modified as appropriate, and the tip e2 of the hinge band 38 may be connected to the cap body 3. In this specification, when it is said that it is "connected to the cap body 3 side", it includes both a form in which it is directly connected to the cap body and a form in which it is connected to a part adjacent to the cap body (the base of the protruding piece). Furthermore, when the lid is opened, the first horizontal band portion 42 and the second horizontal band portion 46 are deformed to tilt from their original shape, thereby extending the entire hinge band 38. The outer side edges 33 of the pair of protruding pieces 30 are positioned close to the opposing side edges 24 of the storage recess 22. Here, "close to" includes contact. The reason for positioning the outer edge 33 and the side portion 24 in close proximity to each other is as follows: When the cap body 3 is rotated to break the break portion 14, and the cap body 3 and the mounting ring 20 are connected only by a pair of hinge bands 38, if, for example, the user rotates the cap body 3 too forcefully, excessive stress may be applied to the hinge bands 38. In the configuration of this embodiment, in such a case, one of the pair of protruding pieces 30 will come into contact with the opposing side portion 24, thereby preventing excessive stress from being applied to the hinge bands 38 and reducing the load on the hinge portion 36.

[0020] The inner stopper 50 is incorporated inside the cap body 3. The illustrated example of the stopper 50 consists of an upper plate 52 that covers the opening 103 of the neck portion 102, and a stopper cylinder 54 that is suspended from the lower surface of the upper plate and fitted liquid-tightly to the inner surface of the neck portion 102. The peripheral edge of the upper plate is fitted to the inner surface of the peripheral wall 6. As a result, the inner stopper 50 is configured to follow the cap body and detach from the neck portion 102 when the cap body 3 is rotated in the opening direction, as shown in Figure 2(B).

[0021] In the above configuration, when the cap body 3 is rotated in the opening direction from the state shown in Figure 1(A), it screws upward relative to the neck portion 102. On the other hand, the mounting ring 20 cannot be removed upward due to the action of the locking piece 26, so the break portion 14 breaks and the pair of hinge bands 38 are stretched, causing the cap body 3 to screw off the neck portion 102. Next, when the cap body 3 is rotated backward around the hinge portion 36, the cap body 3 reverses position, and the pair of protruding pieces 30 rotate from a downward position to an upward position, overcoming the upper annular projection 105. As a result, the tips 32 of the pair of protruding pieces 30 engage with the upper surface (locking point Q) of the upper annular projection 105. Therefore, the cap body 3 is secured to the neck portion 102 at two points separated in the circumferential direction, ensuring a stable secure fit. In particular, when the screw cap of the present invention is used in a dispensing container, the locking state with the neck portion 102 is stabilized, allowing for stable use. With the cap body 3 held behind the neck portion 102, the container body 100 can be tilted forward, allowing the contents to be poured out from the opening 103. After the dispensing operation is completed, when the cap body 3 is rotated in the closing direction, the inner stopper 50 closes the opening 103, and the protruding piece 30 flips over from above the upper annular projection 105 downwards and fits into the storage recess 22 together with the pair of hinge bands 38, returning to the state shown in Figure 1(A).

[0022] According to the above configuration and operation, the tip portions 32 of the pair of left and right protruding pieces 30 engage with the locking points Q on the outer peripheral surface P of the neck portion 102, thereby maintaining the inverted position of the cap body 3. This allows the pair of protruding pieces 30 to engage with the outer peripheral surface of the neck portion 102 of the container body 100, stabilizing the locking state and reducing the load on the hinge portion 36. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0023] 1...Screw cap 2...Cap component 3...Cap body 4...Top wall 6...Surrounding wall 8…Female thread portion 10…Rigid edge portion 12…Uneven surface 14…Fracture portion (fracture means) 20... Mounting ring 21... Ring tube 22... Storage recess 23... Bottom edge 24... Side edge 26... Locking piece 27... Hinge part 28... Contact end 30…Protruding piece 31…Base 32…Tip 33…Outer edge 34…Inner edge 36...Hinge section 38...Hinge band 40...First vertical band section 42...First horizontal band section 44...Second vertical stripe section 46...Second horizontal stripe section 50...Inner stopper 52...Top plate 54...Stopper tube 100...Container body 102...Neck 103...Opening 104...Threaded part 105…Upper annular projection 106…Lower annular projection A... Area where the storage recess is formed C... Center line D... Perpendicular e1... Base end e2... Tip P…external surface Q…is the site of the suspension S…supporting organization

Claims

1. A top-shaped cylindrical cap body (3) for screwing onto the outer surface (P) of the neck (102) of the container body (100), The cap body (3) is connected to the lower end via a breaking means (14) so ​​as to be breakable, and the mounting ring (20) is fitted to the outer circumferential surface (P) of the mouth neck (102) so as not to come off. Furthermore, in the open state after the breaking means (14) has been broken, the cap body (3) is supported at the rear side of the neck portion (102), This support mechanism (S) consists of a pair of left and right protruding pieces (30) that are spaced apart from each other and positioned vertically from the cap body (3), and a hinge portion (36) positioned between these protruding pieces (30). When the cap body (3) is inverted backward around the hinge portion (36), the tips (32) of the pair of protruding pieces (30) engage with the locking points (Q) on the outer peripheral surface (P) of the neck portion (102), thereby supporting the inverted position of the cap body (3). The hinge portion (36) consists of a pair of left and right hinge strips (38) that protrude upward from the mounting ring (20) and are connected to the cap body (3), and these hinge strips (38) are characterized in that they can be extended vertically when the cap body (3) is unscrewed.

2. Between the cap body (3) and the support mechanism (S), a storage recess (22) is formed, positioned behind the neck portion (102), for housing the support mechanism (S). This storage recess (22) is formed by a lower edge (23) and a pair of side edges (24) located on both sides of the lower edge (23). The screw cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer side edges (33) of the pair of protruding pieces (30), which are located on the circumferential outer side, are brought close to the opposing pair of side edges (24).

3. The screw cap according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the tip portions (e2) of the pair of hinge bands (38) are each connected to the base portions (31) of the adjacent protruding pieces (30).

Images